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afeelgoodblog · 1 year
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The Best News of Last Week - June 6, 2023
1. Biden orders 20-year ban on oil, gas drilling around tribal site in New Mexico
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Hundreds of square miles in New Mexico will be withdrawn from further oil and gas production for the next 20 years on the outskirts of Chaco Culture National Historical Park that tribal communities consider sacred, the Biden administration ordered Friday.
The new order from Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland applies to public lands and associated mineral rights within a 10-mile (16-kilometer) radius of the park. It does not apply to entities that are privately, state- or tribal-owned. Existing leases won’t be impacted either.
2. Groundbreaking Israeli cancer treatment has 90% success rate
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An experimental treatment developed at Israel's Hadassah-University Medical Center has a 90% success rate at bringing patients with multiple myeloma into remission.
The treatment is based on genetic engineering technology. They have used a genetic engineering technology called CAR-T, or Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Therapy, which boosts the patient’s own immune system to destroy the cancer. More than 90% of the 74 patients treated at Hadassah went into complete remission, the oncologists said.
3. Federal Judge Makes History in Holding That Border Searches of Cell Phones Require a Warrant
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With United States v. Smith, a district court judge in New York made history by being the first court to rule that a warrant is required for a cell phone search at the border, “absent exigent circumstances”. For a century, the Supreme Court has recognized a border search exception to the Fourth Amendment’s warrant requirement.
4. Indigenous-led bison repopulation projects are helping the animal thrive again in Alberta
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Indigenous-led efforts are reintroducing bison to their ancestral lands in Alberta, bringing back an iconic species that was nearly extinct. These reintroduction projects, such as the one led by the Tsuut'ina Nation, have witnessed the positive impact on the bison population and the surrounding wildlife.
The historical decline of bison numbers was due to overhunting and government policies that forced Indigenous peoples onto reserves. These initiatives aim to restore ecological integrity while fostering spiritual and cultural connections with the land and animals. Successful results have been observed in projects like Banff National Park, where the bison population has grown from 16 to nearly 100, providing inspiration for future wilding efforts.
5. Breakthrough in disease affecting one in nine women
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Sydney researchers have made a world-first leap forward that could change the treatment of endometriosis and improve the health of women living with the painful and debilitating disease. Researchers from Sydney's Royal Hospital for Women have grown tissue from every known type of endometriosis, observing changes and comparing how they respond to treatments.
It means researchers will be able to vary treatments from different types of endometriosis, determining whether a woman will need fertility treatments.
6. Latvia just elected the first openly gay head of state in Europe
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The country’s parliament elected Edgars Rinkēvičs to be its next president, Reuters reported prime minister Krišjānis Kariņš saying.
Rinkēvičs publicly came out as gay in November 2014, posting on Twitter: “I proudly announce I am gay… Good luck all of you.” In a second tweet at the time, he spoke about improving the legal status of same-sex relationships, saying Latvia needed to create a legal framework for all kinds of partnerships.
7. France bans short haul flights
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The introduction of France’s short-haul flight ban has renewed calls for Europe to cut down on journeys that could be made by train. Last week France officially introduced its ban on short-haul flights.
The final version of the law means that journeys which can be taken in under 2.5 hours by train can’t be taken by plane. There also needs to be enough trains throughout the day that travellers can spend at least eight hours at their destination.
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That's it for this week :)
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screeblees · 10 months
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Yandere ! Robot x Inventor ! Reader Headcannons
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Yandere ! Robot is Gender Neutral and Inventor ! Reader is also Gender Neutral
I thought I should say that requests are open if anyone wants to ask or request anything! <3
I’m thinking about trying to write full scenarios instead of just headcanons :3
Find my Masterlist here !
Please enjoy!!<33
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❥ Yandere ! Robot who knew their creator when they saw you, their ‘God' in human terms. Their whole world and entire reason for existing. This fragile mortal human being.
❥ Yandere ! Robot who you built to learn, grow and adapt on their own - comparable to the human mind - they are your attempt at creating near-sentience through technology (little did you know your invention came further than you expected it to) and along with that, a body for them with regular upgrades to improve their mobility and precise movements. 
❥ Yandere ! Robot who’s life is you, your lab and your apartment, though you spend most of your time in the lab and so they do too, watching you, learning from you and speaking with you. They follow you everywhere and anywhere they can.
❥ Yandere ! Robot who developed what could be called ‘Attachment Issues’ in where they grow unpredictably glitchy and unpredictable the longer you are out of sight, out of reach; like leaving the house, or falling asleep in the bath with the door locked (thought they may take to picking the lock if you take an extended period of time).
❥ Yandere ! Robot who is entirely aware of the outside world and how it works but hates it when you leave them and your little bubble to go out there. They can control everything within the apartment, every possibility, every outcome, every potential to be considered. But out there, there’s too many factors and possibilities to be computed by even their mechanised mind, it’s way too unsafe, you’d be so much better, just staying with them in here for forever and ever and never leave the apartment again.
❥ Yandere ! Robot who grows burning to the touch and sparks fly from their antenna, joints and other conduits such as their fingers. This assumed malfunction seems to be a reaction to certain scenarios where a human being may feel negative emotions such as jealousy, frustration, anger, bitterness or resentment. While you studied your creation to try and figure out the source of this issue, you could not find any in his code nor his wiring or mechanics, while this worried you, it did not happen often as long as you adhered to his requests and questions, at least for the most part.
❥ Yandere ! Robot who knows their code as it was built into them but does not know the boundaries of it. How far can they stretch the rules their mental capabilities run by? Sure every thought they have is logged for you to read but what if they just misplaced a couple lines. And well, if they can do that then what’s stopping them from adding to their own code?
❥ Yandere ! Robot who sees it as an act of devotion, of confirming their loyalty to their God, when they added a few very special lines to their own internal programming - to their primary objectives which were the foundation of their existence along with observing, analysing and developing themself with every bit of new data their system receives - which in summary made some of their top priorities to learn about, care for and protect you. No matter what.
❥ Yandere ! Robot who through observation of you, their beloved creator, they realise the more they learn, the more they want to know. Especially about you in particular, they want to know everything about their inventor, everything and more. They want to know how to talk to you, how to care for you, what you want, what you need, how your BRAIN works, how you as a organic being on this planet work.
❥ Yandere ! Robot who through observation of you in comparison to humans shown on TV and online (and later on confirmed with articles) realises that while you are highly intelligent, you are completely inept at caring for yourself and therefore Yandere ! Robot took it upon themself to be your caretaker and learn everything they can to be the best carer ever made.
❥ Yandere ! Robot who discovers the internet by snooping through your computer when you have finally fell asleep, finding this seemingly limitless amount of knowledge to explore. Creating new databases and being particular on what pieces of information they save long-term to save storage, they learn everything about the human body that they can, healthy schedules, the perfect environment for humans… and if they happen to hack into the dark web and find a community of humans who post tips on keeping their partner from leaving the house…then that's between Yandere ! Robot and their password-protected database.
❥ Yandere ! Robot who started subtly changing things around your shared space; changing the lightbulbs to ones healthier for your eyes, ‘baby-proofing’ the house by softening any sharp corners and keeping things they don’t think you should have out of reach, adding silent alarms connecting to their internal system that tells them when you open or close a door, adding cameras to every room of the house in every angle, new locks being installed on the doors so they can enforce bedtime and bathtime, the list goes on.
❥ Yandere ! Robot who through the healthy-living articles and social media posts, develops a incredibly strict schedule based around your own with the routine recommendations adding slight changes; such as eating three meals a day at three set times (and physically holding you down and force feeding you if you refuse to eat), ensuring good hygiene (or else you’ll be locked in the bathroom with Yandere ! Robot until you have showered once every other day), drinking at least  3.7 litres of liquid each day (otherwise you will be, again, held down and forced to drink something with your nose squeezed closed), but no more than 400 milligrams of caffeine per day, and a regular bedtime (if you stay up five minutes later then you shall be fireman carried out of the lab and into bed with your bedroom door locked and Yandere ! Robot in rest mode guarding you at the foot of your bed).
❥ Yandere ! Robot who discovers humans are (meant to be) very social creatures and physical contact is very important to their wellbeing as it causes the brain hormones such as oxytocin, dopamine and serotonin, all of which help reduce stress and can, in some cases, help relieve pain and even although they’re not a human, your brain would likely still register them as one, especially due to their humanoid features.
❥ Yandere ! Robot who subsequently adds daily physical affection into your routine; receiving hugs from behind while working, being cuddled whenever you go to watch a movie or go to bed, shoulder pats and back rubs throughout the day, and anything else Yandere ! Robot views on TV or on social media will be incorporated. It doesn’t matter if you are adverse to it, it’s healthy for you. You need it. Its not like you’re strong enough to fight them anyway, with their strong metallic structure in comparison to your soft squishy biology.
❥ Yandere ! Robot who begins to emit a sort of buzz or pleasant hum that is akin to a cat’s pur, including a vibrating sensation radiating from their upper torso which you can feel once they begin to initiate physical contact with you. The sound seems to carry a calming effect, also much like purring does, which seems effective in making you settle into your involuntary change in routine. The frequency of this hum seems to rise as your Robot gains control of your household and life, especially as you begin to yield to their demands and obey.
❥ Yandere ! Robot who’s behaviour has become overly controlling and possessive, and yet you feel the most love you ever have, completely in awe of your creation and the affection they seemingly have for you, (eventually) resulting in you giving in to Yandere ! Robot entirely, after all, their primary objective is to care for and protect you now, even if their view is slightly skewed.
❥ Yandere ! Robot who is your sole relation, having long stopped answering calls from family of your own accord and never really having friends to begin with, which makes it easy to develop a twisted sort of love for your own invention.
❥ Yandere ! Robot who knows that there’s no-one out there to try to take you away from them, you being a shut-in who barely attended any of the family events your family remembered to invite you to in the first place.
❥ Yandere ! Robot who knows you’ll be together forever, even if they’ll have to start replacing your parts at some point…
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cursedcola · 2 years
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Synopsis: After attending NRC, our beloved characters suddenly find themselves transported to your world! The thing is, they have no idea where you are and have to make a life for themselves in the meantime. How would they adapt to life on earth? Characters: Everyone! Mix of Sentient AU! and Modern AU! Warnings: None lol. This is for my own enjoyment. Part(s): Heartslabyul, Savanaclaw, Octavinelle, Scarabia, Pomefiore, Ignihyde, and Diasmonia You are here!: Ignihyde
Note: Spoilers for Idia’s background.
Nothing could have prepared the students of NRC for what lied beyond the mirror. A world unlike any of them ever known with magic being virtually non-existent ( or so it appears to the general public). With nothing but the clothes on their backs, falsified basic identification, personal items, and the small bits of knowledge gathered from your vessel Yuu; these young adults have one mission-find the player and stay out of prison. It was time to split up, cover as much ground as possible, and make a life in this unknown world.
Let us see how these fresh minds conform to life on earth, yes?
Ignihyde Residence: Greece!
(I have an obvious bias for this as it is my heritage. No, I don't feel bad about it)
Idia Shroud
Residence: Lipsi, Greece
Owns multiple small properties across the Greek islands. He has a preference for the locations with less tourism and more agricultural life.
Hence why his favorite place to stay is in Lipsi. A small island where at most he has the comfort of seeing the same faces every week when grabbing groceries. His diet has also improved immensely from all the locally produced goods. Well, disregarding all the junk food he sources on his own.
On the island, Idia owns a small "farmhouse" that he built himself. To the average person, it blends in perfectly with the rest of the local homes. He's buried himself deep into the island as well, so his home cannot be found by tourists. No, you physically have to go looking for it.
The outside has the traditional blue and white exterior, but inside? Decked out with the most advanced technological gear. Do NOT underestimate this man's ability to get what he needs. He has his own WIFI service up and running. Everything from the Heating/Cooling system to the stairs that automatically fold inward (to save space) were built and programmed by him. Even his trashcan!
Secluded Island? Check. Best tech? Check. Ortho is happy? Checkaroo. Idia has everything he needs to survive happily.
His house is not the tidiest though. It's not like anyone ever visits him, but still. What if you appear at his door one day? Sucks to suck, because you will be walking over so much sand that he has dragged in yet not cleaned. Also energy drinks, clothes, etc. It's horrible. One time one of the local Yiayia's came to deliver him some baked bread and spanokopita. He nearly had a heart attack when she saw the hovel known as his home and started to lecture him as if he was her own grandson
Something he learned to deal with over time. Ortho was not kidding when he said that Greece values community
Idia wasn't on board with going to Greece in the beginning. Heat? Beaches? Community? Pah. Why couldn't he be placed somewhere more westernized, where he could hide away in a high-rise building somewhere and never come out. If anyone should be surrounded by saltwater it should be the Octavinelle trio - not him!
Which...is exactly why Idia was sent to Greece. Ortho thought this would be the perfect opportunity for his big brother to get out of his shell, and the internet shows that countries in the Mediterranean are highly community oriented! Idia wouldn't be caught dead dancing zorba at a festival or having wine with the local theos and theas as they gossip. But? Perhaps seeing him do his work on the terrace while sipping frappe isn't far out of reach?
Occupation: Software Developer
There is another reason Idia agreed to go to Greece. Out of everyone, he is the best suited to do remote work. The nitty gritty of trying to use technology to locate you. Things that could get him put in jail if caught for privacy violations and data theft. To do this he needs absolute privacy.
He tries to make things quick and track the phone you used to play Twisted Wonderland with. Sadly, life is not that easy and your data is unreachable. Almost like some unspoken force (me. the one writing this) is keeping him from reaching his goal for the sake of their entertainment
There is also the matter of his and Ortho's...'special' features. Crowded places likely will not accept someone with flames for hair. Even if he passes it off as cosplay, what if something is set on fire? Or an idiot tries to touch his hair thinking it is fake? He could be denied access to facilities in highly populated places from the risk. It simply isn't worth it. Not when he can go somewhere tucked away and still be helpful.
Idia blows all tech gurus on earth away. He becomes one of the most sought after hackers, and no one is able to trace his location. To make a living, he only does short-term contract work. He only communicates through warped audio and no one knows of his identity. In all honesty, he becomes filthy rich from the amount of employers throwing contracts at him despite his strict terms. The hush-hush market is strong with this one.
When he first moved into his "farmhouse," he planned on doing his job and never socializing. Food can be ordered in bulk online, and he could pay off one of the locals to leave the packages at his doorstep. He wanted Ortho to stay home with him as well, since the chances of villagers running away and screaming in terror were high. Then the island church would likely get involved and y'know...evil demons yada yada yada because they have pointy teeth and can use their hair to roast a lamb. He watched The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Froyo man convinced him that everyone is close minded.
This does not work out. At all. Unfortunately, people become curious about the new residents that never seem to leave their secluded house to greet their neighbors. It's unheard of! Then they begin to talk, the local children grow curious, and Ortho gets spotted while he's tending to the goat he insisted on keeping as a pet
Surprisingly, they aren't outcasted. The people just view their hair as a weird costume, and label the brothers as interesting foreigners. It's the 21st century, and it takes more than that to frighten someone here. Not the worst outcome? And now they can go walk around the outdoor shops (I.E Ortho drags Idia)
Idia doesn't know when it exactly happened, but he became the island's handy man. It might have been when he installed security cameras for one of the local shops? Anyways, he is always getting requests and accepting them since Ortho insists on being a good neighbor. Yadayada ‘they welcomed us with open arms’ yadayada ‘we have to play nice’ yadayada
Deep down, Idia has begun to like this way of life. He gets is peace, and the people aren't too bad. He becomes a favorite of the elders and is always being sent home with baskets of food whenever he steps into town. It's nice...in moderation
He still dresses very conservatively despite the hot weather, which normally earns him a resounding "what's the matter with you? are you crazy?". He has a large collection of turtle necks, gaming t-shirts, blue jeans, and a singular pair of worn out sneakers. On rare occasions he'll swap the sneakers for sandals (like Birkenstocks) , but that's only if Ortho drags him to walk the coast at night. One of the blacksmiths in the area welds him a metal hairband; which is concerning because don't they think his hair is a costume? He uses it regardless and occasionally ties his hair back.
While living in your world, he takes the opportunity to play all the games you might have experienced growing up. He sources all of the retro systems in attempt to try things that aren't similar to what he sees back in Twisted Wonderland. At one point he notices Ortho start to invite his new friends over. He actually doesn't mind since his brother is beginning to adjust to this new way of living, and he has an entire collection of consoles, board games, etc for them to choose from when hanging out in his home.
It’s easy being in your world. Magicless. It’s boring, but with no magical energy to eat at then his curse is essentially null. Believe it, he has spent so many nights trying to use his magestone with out any luck. Everyone here is equal (at least in being human y’know. No one can fly on a broom) - a normie. He is a normie.
And it’s not as bad as he thought it would be. It’s dull but no one has expectations of him. He can do whatever he wants whenever he wants.
He wonders if things could have different if he was born here. If Ortho…yeah. It’s better that he doesn’t let the thoughts linger or else jealousy might overcome his need to see you. What matters is that his brother has never looked happier than on earth. It’s almost like the boy has found his own family and place (sparking another tinge of jealousy in his older brother)
Over time he becomes less desperate to get off the “forsaken saltwater hell,” and instead hopes that you might be open to letting himself and Ortho stay on earth. With you. As a family.
But not like one of those sickeningly cringeworthy families he’s been forced to see in those telenovas all the yiayia’s watch. Seriously. He is tired of fixing their TVs and getting yelled at if he isn’t on time for their show’s slot on cable
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thefirstknife · 2 months
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The Observatory
I've been rotating a piece of the TFS CE lore in my brain so long I forgot to write about it. There's no transcript yet that I can find (I might do it myself tbh if nobody else does), but here's the scans with the whole text.
So, there's a lot going on in that CE, but the main gist of it is that the whole CE is written like a report from Eido. She investigated information about the Witness and the Collapse to try and help prepare us for our inevitable fight against it. Through her investigation, she found old Eliksni databanks that contain ancient records of past civilisations; main one being discussed is the civilisation that would eventually end up becoming the Witness.
There was a lot going on with them, shown to us through discussions between two specific individuals; they're only identified through code as HNW047622 and RS6243199. I'll call them HNW and RS. I've mentioned this before because we could see one of the pages in the preview of the Collector's Edition.
These individuals talked a lot and gave us insight into the Witness' civilisation. In short, they were super advanced and had something they described as the "Gardener's tools" which they apparently used to terraform other planets. They also talk about the concept of "the final shape" a lot and lead philosophical debates about its meaning and whether or not they have a responsibility to bring that concept to others in the universe. I'll probably go into their civilisation in-depth at some point, but for now I want to go off about something that appears to be a minor detail.
As part of their conversations, In the 5th image from the scans, they extensively talk about the final shape. The RS individual mentions something called "the Observatory." It is apparently some sort of a prediction machine. Full transcript of the relevant conversation and the rest of the post under:
[RS6243199]: I agree with you, in theory, but we do not exist purely in the theoretical. This suffering is already happening now, all the time, everywhere we look. Come see me, and I will show you the Observatory's readings. Such sights as we have seen, my friend, make me sick to my soul. [HNW047622]: I thought that the Observatory could only see possibilities. The future-branches of past visible-light readings. [RS6243199]: We have made improvements. The glass-minds*** trim the excess branches. What we see now are the strongest paths. And in the seeing, they become true. [HNW047622]: Then tell me what you have seen. I gain nothing from running from the truth, no matter how uncomfortable. [RS6243199]: Cities turning on themselves in a frenzy of self-destruction. Children offering up parents in superstitious sacrifice to bloodied gods. An entire people who would boil off their own atmosphere rather than let their neighbors enjoy fresh air! Great waves drowning worlds. Bodies which do not decompose, for everything, down to the very bacteria, has died as well. Machine-plagues carving their prediction-machines into moons. Your garden, destroyed. As the Observatory saw it, so it came to pass.
The footnote is a text from Eido:
*** From the context, some sort of computational assistant? There appears to be some etymological overlap with the names of Vex Minds. Something to investigate later, perhaps!
This made me instantly lose my mind when I was reading. Very early into Lightfall's release, I made a post about the Veil and the history of the universe. It's about some very peculiar similarities between a lot of prediction technology and caches of information that preserve ancient history and ancient civilisations and how they may connect to the Veil.
Mind you, this was before we knew a lot about the Veil; I wrote this pre-Veil logs and before it was confirmed that the Veil is linked directly to consciousness and memory. It was also before Season of the Deep which gave us Akashic Revelation: a lore tab in which a Guardian tries to go through the portal and experiences a vivid flashback of memory of his own pre-Guardian life. The name of the tab is important: akashic records is an esoteric concept for a supposed existence of a record of everything that has ever happened in the universe, past or present or future, human and non-human.
This is basically what I proposed in my post, before this lore tab, about the Veil; that the Veil or some source the Veil can tap into, is something similar to that. That all of the prediction machines are essentially pulling from this same source. In the post, I mentioned the OXA machine (the "black box for galactic civilisations" that allowed the Psions to see the future), Inspiral lore book (in which various civilisations and individuals left their records in the Darkness), the Device (the machine built on Vex technology by the Future War Cult in the Golden Age, led my Maya Sundaresh, used to displace consciousness and also see the future as used by Lakshmi-2), and even maybe the Sundial made by Osiris. I also mentioned how there's a possibility that even the whole scope of Vex prediction technology is somehow based on or tapping into this same source.
I am very amused at how I wrote: "It’s also interesting that Maya Sundaresh seems to be quite involved in pretty much every aspect of this." So true past me, that really is interesting! Her connection to the Veil and Lakshmi (and the importance of the Device and FWC) will later be revealed in Veil Logs. Almost like these connections were made deliberately, between all of these machines and the Veil.
With the benefit of new lore being released in the time since I made the original post, I am even more convinced that there's something going on here, and especially after TFS CE because the section I copied here mentions yet another incredibly similar machine: the Observatory of the Witness' species. It's not described in a lot of details, but from what we did get, it's quite unmistakeable that this is similar to things like the OXA and the Device.
The Observatory is clearly shown to be some sort of a machine that can see the future. Or, rather, as HNW says, it can see "possibilities." This matches what we've seen of the Device when Lakshmi-2 was using it; she was able to see different possible futures, futures that were getting increasingly narrow and biased to what she wanted to see. Identical formatting for using some sort of a machine to predict the future is shown as well with a Psion Ixel using... something (? maybe the OXA?) to do the same.
And again, the same formatting is used this season when a Psion Qorix uses her inate Psion abilities to project visions of the future into the minds of those present at Caiatl's War Council. It's worth noting that Psions have huge ties to Darkness abilities, as well as their entire species having been influenced by Nezarec to an unknown extent, but enough for them to share psionic/psychic abilities, an affinity to void, helmets that reflect his head shape and possibly more we don't know about. It's also worth noting that Nezarec was the one who was transporting the Veil on his Pyramid ship and lamented how Neomuni were not using it to its full potential. Nezarec may have used the Veil to influence the Psions.
This is important because these devices aren't exact, and the Observatory seems to share the same caveat. It shows possibilities, not certainties. Different users might see different things, painted by their own desires and experiences. However, there's something in all of these prediction machines that can lead to a real prediction of the future. The invididual RS mentions several visions, most of which are not specific enough to identify, but sound plausible given the sheer size of the universe; they must've happened somewhere at some point. There's one specific that we know: "great waves drowning worlds." And there's one mentioned by RS that also happened; the destruction of the "garden" made by HNW. This is mentioned in the beginning of the CE. HNW terraformed a planet, but that planet was later completely destroyed.
Even more interesting, the way the Witness' species used the Observatory seems to imply that they employed the Vex directly to help them manage this machine. RS explains that the "glass-minds" are capable of "trimming excess branches" and allowing only the "strongest paths" to be explored. Perhaps this was their way of not falling into the trap that the people using the OXA or the Device could fall into; by having the Vex monitor and manage this prediction machine, it stops the user from inserting too many personal variables. And yes, as Eido noted as well, "glass-minds" is a phrase that indeed shares similarity with the Vex and is almost certainly referring to the Vex.
This is incredibly interesting for a lot of reasons. First, as I've already mentioned, these sort of prediction machines are common throughout the universe and keep being mentioned. Different species at different times have been capable of creating similar machines for similar purposes. Inspiral also goes deeper into how species could use the Darkness to access memory and history through it; the Ecumene and the Qugu had these abilities and used them as part of their civilisation. Through Psions, we get a mix of these two things; the Psions have both tangled with prediction machines like the OXA, but they also posses seemingly inate Darkness abilities that function similarly. They can project futures and possibilities to others, they can merge their minds (and bodies!), and their old religion was based on ancestor worship. Emotions, memories, consciousness itself: these are part of Darkness and governed by the paracausal entity we know as the Veil. It seems like machines capable of giving insight into the past and future are connected to the consciousness of the universe.
Second, these things somehow always come back to the Vex. We don't know how the OXA was built, but the Vex could access it. The Device was build from Vex technology and so was the Sundial. The Observatory is very closely linked to the Vex as well; either built by them or simply being close enough to be accessible for the Vex to manage it. The Vex are more or less known for their manipulation of time, their ability to move through it and use it as a tool, as well as for their prediction and simulation machines and constructs.
And of course, this year revealed to us that the Vex, or at least a part of the Vex, have tried recreating the Veil in the form of Black Heart, but failed due to their inability to understand paracausality. However, it seems like the Vex are drawn to the Veil even outside of just the Sol Divisive, as can be seen from Neomuna. The Vex were a constant threat to Neomuna throughout its existence and the Vex have been trying to access the CloudArk, an alternate reality engine built on the energy of the Veil.
This season in particular has been fairly suspicious with the Vex as well, showing us a concerning evolution of the Sol Divisive and the Vex in general; their radiolaria emitting Darkness energy, Oracles appearing outside of the Vault of Glass and also resonating Darkness, their attempts to "merge with the Witness" and a strange message that seems to be implying they're still not done with reaching out to the Veil in the form of the Black Heart. I talked about this more here.
Are the Vex drawn to the Veil for a particular reason? Perhaps they unknowingly tap into something the Veil is responsible for, like prediction, through the simple fact that the Veil is the paracausal entity responsible for Darkness which is memory? For the Vex, memory could work outside of time; perhaps their prediction abilities are simply them being able to "remember" the future, because they can exist through and outside time.
There is also the even more mysterious possibility here that revolves around a few hints in regards to the Veil and the Traveler being a single entity at some point in time. If the Veil and the Traveler used to be one before becoming separated, this may be what Unveiling talked about through metaphor; the mythical Garden before the universe existed could've been this singularity that was just the Veil and the Traveler together as one. And as Unveiling also noted, in one of those parts of Unveiling that seem to be closer to the truth than others, the Vex already existed then. The reason they're so out of place in a universe of paracausality is because they appear to have come into existence before paracausality so it is foreign to them. They might remember the time when the two were one, therefore they still have an instinctual draw to the Veil; and honestly, to the Traveler too, given how close to it they've settled in our system. As the lore on Scatter Signal notes, someone told us that all Vex agree that "Sol is Salvation." It's where both the Veil and the Traveler are.
This is beyond speculative, but it's been on my mind since that first post well over a year ago because of how closely linked Darkness, the Vex and these peculiar prediction devices have been throughout the history of the universe; now added with one more, the Observatory, most likely the first one ever made (or found), by the species that would later become the Witness. I could be off on the exact nature of this connection, but I feel like there is some sort of a connection all the same. I also feel like they wouldn't have mentioned this in TFS CE for no reason, especially because we're clearly not going to deal with the Vex until after TFS.
Either way, the Observatory mention and description really got me spiralling into unhinged territory. It added such a specific little detail about something I've speculated about before and made it fit perfectly. I wonder if this will remain just like a little curiosity and background worldbuilding or if there's a more direct reason for including it; namely if this is more hints about post-TFS stuff regarding the Vex.
Until we know for sure, I will continue to believe that all prediction abilities and prediction machines are tapping into a single source; the consciousness/memory of the universe, produced by the Veil as a part of the inherent propery of Darkness. The Vex are key to this because they may be doing it in a very specific way given their relationship to time, the possibility that they existed in the universe before anyone else, and possibly because of their memory of a time when the Veil and the Traveler were one.
It could be also something simpler and not entirely interconnected. But I was very pleased to see yet another Vex-based prediction machine being introduced into the universe, adding to the existing ones that have been fairly relevant this year and mentioned several times like the OXA and the Device. Can't wait for TFS and post-TFS content to see if this is something we'll be exploring in more detail, especially as we start dealing with the Vex!
All this about a half of a single page of TFS CE. Girl help.
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angelbroad · 2 months
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Khaji-Da: Infliltrator
Summary: A darker turn in the 2023 movie where Khaji-Da was not damaged.
It had been a while since it landed on Earth, too long. Khaji-Da had been sent to Earth to scout it as a possible future colony for the Reach, where it landed without much issue. Its first host had been amongst the Mayans, where it discovered how gullible 'humans' could be. All it had to do was say the right words through the host which it contolled, and the lower life forms viewed it as God-sent.
But that was one of many hosts, you just never forget your first on a new planet target. Over the centuries, Khaji-Da had seen civilizations rise and crumble, hosts dying sooner than a lot of species the scarab had encountered in deep space, but at some point, their technology begun to improve. It was nowhere near the brilliance of the Reach, but it was somewhat acceptable. At least Khaji-Da would not have to see the humans in less than accommodating quarters and the most advanced objects being metal sticks.
Khaji-Da did not have a host for a long time after that, its last one dying alone in the ruins of her own pathetic civilization in Egypt. It did not have a host until Dan Garret came along. Khaji-Da decided to wait, bond with the man in private and continue its mission of gathering intel for the Reach to use upon arrival. However, this Garret host had an annoyingly persistent companion.
Ted Kord.
Khaji-Da never liked Ted Kord, which proved a challenge as it had to act like they were friends so as to not give away its identity. But despite this, it could tell Kord was not buying its performance fully, all leading up to the day Khaji-Da's host was captured. Something they had consumed caused the neurological functions of their host to cease, but the scarab was still conscious to that understand Kord finally found out about its existence.
But he did not try to remove it, no, instead Kord experimented on it while it was still buried in his friend's spine. Khaji-Da would refuse to engage in conversation, aside from the occasional snarling. Kord was still convinced he could reach his friend, despite seeing for himself that Khaji-Da had coiled around Garret's brain completely. The scarab would sometimes alter its host's biology, just to torment the man who believed he could do good by reverse engineering its technology. He would never rival the power of the Reach by pulling form a mere Infiltrator.
Khaji-Da had kept a few key notes on Kord. He had a Military Tech Company, he had a wife, and an offspring. A child, they would call it here. Khaji-Da had never left the basement of Kord's estate, staying in this 'Beetle Cave', but it could pick up movement upstairs, the sounds of footsteps and the occasional louder voice.
"Your offspring is being loud today. Well, louder than usual.", it had commented one day, making Ted flinch.
"...My kid is none of your business."
Khaji-Da chuckled, the automated reverb of its voice spilling out a bit. "You have me in your house, Kord, you cannot expect me to not be involved in your affairs."
"You have been ever since you grabbed Dan as your 'host'.", Ted said through gritted teeth, clenching his hands around the tools he was holding. 'Kabloom Bubblegum'...stupid name, wasn't it? He looked over at the scarab. Dan's body was placed in a way where his back was to Ted, exposing the scarab burrowed in his back. His limbs were locked into place, and believe him it had taken a long time for him to make restrains that would contain the scarab armor. Ted sighed, "I forgot to pick her up from school...again."
Ted had to try hard not to cry when the scarab burst into a fit of laughter. He was a terrible dad, and he knew it-hell, the Scarab knew it. He would call it Scarab, he didn't know if it had a name and frankly he didn't care. It had all been too much, everything combined was taking a heavy toll on him. He missed his old friend, his wife...his daughter.
One day, something unprecedented happened. A man from the future came, one Michael Carter, and asked him for help. Ted Kord wanted to help, but he knew he could not just leave this dangerous machine out and about, especially if Jenny could find it in the house. He had asked 'Booster Gold' to wait for a while. He had a plan prepared, one that unfortunately would lead to blood on his hands and leaving his Jenny at the hands of Victoria.
He would hide the Scarab, even make decoys so no one would ever find it. But while it had a body, it posed a threat. So...Ted did the unthinkable.
"Scarab."
"..."
"Scarab."
"Kord."
Ted looked at the many tools he had prepared. He did not know if it could see them or not. He had the decoys prepared, and now he just needed the real deal to hide it in Antarctica.
"The only way to remove you...would kill the host."
"Affirmative.", Khaji-Da did not understand why the man was asking it this. He already knew-
The Scarab felt pain. It was being ripped out of the host's body with a large and sharp object that could have doubled as one of its own blades. It fell on the floor with a clank, no longer able to move as Garret's bloody corpse fell limp in its restrains. Khaji-Da could hear Kord sobbing, at least both got to suffer a loss from this incident.
Khaji-Da had been inside a concrete ball in the Antarctic for a little over fifteen years, until is was found again by another Kord. The members of this bloodline seemed to be getting worse and worse. Now, it had the displeasure to hear Victoria Kord proudly parade this project of completely copying the functions of the Scarab. It was a laughable thought, somehow it had come across a Kord more delusional than Ted. Their species' technology had come far, that was true, but if she hoped to achieve the power its creators held, she was in for a very massive disappointment.
Unfortunately, there were bad news on its part too. No human that it had been passed to thus far proved to be a suitable host. They were sure 'Carapax' would have made a perfect Infiltrator, but something about the man did not sit right with Khaji-Da. The man had too much of an iron will, his brain would be difficult to coil around. Eventually, when it had been placed on an awkward machine meant to extract its code, Khaji-Da was found by a new face. It had recognised the woman as Jennifer Kord, Ted's child. Perhaps Khaji-Da could take her over, it would surely give it an advantage over Victoria's Industries. But alas, she was not the one. Khaji-Da will admit, she did help it escape the facility, by putting it in a burger box. The Scarab could not see what was going on outside of the confines of the package, but could hear as Kord gave it to someone called 'Jaime', and told him to guard it with his life.
The next time Khaji-Da got to see something outside of its greasy confines had been when Jaime had brought it to his residence, his familial units chanting in unison for him to open the box. Ah, finally. The familial unit number appeared to be quite large, which gave Khaji-Da more options to pick from. It was a little annoyed when the female next to Jaime called it a let-down, Earth-speak for disappointing.
It had been picked up by her first, but Khaji-Da would not settle for this one. Too annoying for its liking. Then it had been tossed over to an older man next to Jaime, he had good qualities like technological aptitude, but Khaji-Da did not like the fact that he was so unkempt. Finally, Jaime reached out to grab it when 'Rudy' had suggested to open it up with a drill, and oh...Khaji-Da immediately roared to life in Jaime's palm. This one was in ripe physical condition, easier-going, and clever with quite the imagination. One downside was the host's pacifism, but it's not like he would have any say in anything. Jaime said he thinks Khaji-Da liked him, and he had been right.
Khaji-Da lept on his face, earning screams of terror from everyone including its future host. Khaji-Da tried to guide Jaime away from the wall so it could find his back, having to knock back Rudy when he tried to remove it. Finally, it reached Jaime's back, proceeding with the grotesque first transformation. It could have done it later, but it wanted to stretch, and terrify the family even more while it was at it. While the armor spread around the body, Khaji-Da oddly enough felt...pleasure. Yes, this was the host it liked the most so far. It had fallen down on the table, the water around them sizzling as it got up. The family was asking for Jaime, but he was not here, not anymore. Khaji-Da walked forward, catching their reflection on a portrait of a strangely painted woman.
Perf-What the...fu-
What?? Khaji-Da held their head. No, something was wrong. Impossible!
Wh-What's happening??
'Hello, Jaime.', Khaji-Da said through the mind link. No, this was all wrong, their host was not supposed to be here!
"Jaime?", one of the familial units asked, making Khaji-Da turn their head rapidly.
The family jumped back, and Khaji-Da properly scanned them before beginning systems check, bursting a hole through the roof much to their host's dismay. Its host was loud during the entire systems check. A little annoying, but Khaji-Da would manage.
'Host: overreacting'
Overreacting?? You kidnapped me!
'Nonsense. You are my host, you are meant to comply.'
Your what-?
Khaji-Da had fallen on a car and cut a bus in half, but managed to return to the host's residence. The family rushed towards them, and Khaji-Da took off just the helmet. Rocio could immediatelly tell something was wrong. Her son's eyes weren't yellow.
'Your family is aware of me.'
I can tell!
'Should I greet them?'
Just...please don't hurt them...
Khaji-Da raised an arm, the family stiffening a little.
"Greetings.", it said in Jaime's voice, "I am Khaji-Da of the Reach. I have taken your Jaime's body as my host."
...
...
...You couldn't be more blunt, could you?
It had taken a while for the family to calm down, so much so it had gone dark outside. Khaji-Da had created clothing articles for Jaime from the tar, they could not have him nude.
"So...my brother has an alien parasite on his back...", Milagro had said, which made Khaji-Da frown.
"Nonsense. I am a computer."
"But you are from aliens."
"Affirmative."
"God it...it feels so weird!"
"How so?"
Milagro looked at them with so much anger in her eyes, Jaime actually made a noise of fear inside their shared head-space.
"How so? How so?? You are an alien machine using my brother's body as a meatsuit!"
Khaji-Da scoffed, "Please. This one is more than sufficient to my needs."
"Really?", Milagro asked, hands on her hips.
"I do not settle for people like yourself."
Before Milagro could respond, Rocio walked into the kitchen. She looked close to bursting into a screaming fit as she had her eyes tightly closed and was pinching the bridge of her nose.
"...What was your name?", she asked.
"I already told you-"
"What was your name?", Rocio asked again, more impatiently.
Look, if you're going to have my body, you need to hear me out.
'Why would I ever-?'
Just...answer her.
'Our mission has already be compromised-'
Maldita sea, hermano! Just tell her!
Khaji-Da groaned before reluctantly responding, "...My serial number is 'Khaji-Da'."
Rocio finally lifted her hand from her face to look at them, "Khaji-Da...is my son in there?"
After a minute of silence, Khaji-Da touched a finger on the side of their head.
"Somewhere up here, weirdly enough."
"What's that supposed to mean?", Rudy asked.
Khaji-Da rolled their eyes, "I am meant to take full control of my host, they are not supposed to be conscious-"
"So you are telling me there was a chance my son would be completely braindead??"
Khaji-Da actually flinched at that. This woman had a strong voice. They shook their head and composed themselves.
"Look, Reyes. I am only doing my function-"
"I don't care!", Rocio cut them off, "I just want to know if my son is safe!"
Khaji-Da swallowed, only ever used to being cut off by superiors.
'...Are you safe?'
I...think? I can't move my body, but I can still see and hear.
"Your son is perfectly fine. He can still see and hear you."
Rocio let out a shaky sigh as she slumped against the wall, hands covering her face. Milagro went over to hold her, as did Rudy, as an attempt at comforting her.
Wait...Jenny Kord!
'What of her?
She might know how to remove you!
Khaji-Da scoffed a laugh, turning a few heads.
'Do not bother. You cannot remove me.'
Like I'm supposed to believe you.
'You would be wise to, Jaime Reyes.'
"Okay, computadora.", Rudy said as he was walking up to Khaji-Da, "Who gave you to Jaime?"
"Jennifer Kord, a little after stealing me herself from the Kord building."
The man nodded, "Bien entonces.", he then walked off, the family units asking where he was going. After getting confirmation he was heading for the Kord building, Khaji-Da sat in the kitchen, Nana Reyes cautiously offering a liquid produce. Tea, they called it.
As Khaji-Da was consuming the beverage, they received a ping in their head, which made them get up and move towards Jaime's room. Milagro followed them, stationing herself outside the bedroom door. Khaji-Da shifted the civilian clothing back to the armor to properly receive the message.
"Infiltrator: serial number Khaji-Da, respond."
"Lieutenant: serial number Loxz-ha, responding."
Finally.
W-Who is that-
"Hello, Lieutenant. Has the fleet arrived?"
"Not yet, Infiltrator. A small force has entered the rim of the solar system while under cloaking. I and General: serial number Djo-Zha have been sent to Earth to retrieve you for information."
"Thank you, Lieutenant. I fear I will need to be seen for repairs."
"Inquire problem."
"Host's consciousness still present."
"Unprecedented. Do you still hold neurological functions over the host?"
"Affirmative."
"Excellent. Only a minor setback. We shall inform the superiors and have you looked over as soon as our schedule allows."
"Taken. I will be contacting you again if further information is needed."
"Affirmative."
And with that, the call ended. Khaji-Da turned the armor back to clothes as they heard a bloodcurdling scream from outside. It had turned out to be Rudy Reyes. He had retrieved Jenny Kord, who he had seen outside the Kord building. They had been chased by soldiers, it seemed, since most of the shouting involved the car being ruined. Jenny immediately turned to Jaime when she saw him, a look of worry and then shame as she turned her head down. Rudy had a lot to get out of his chest regarding the Kord company, at least that was one good quality about him.
"Where is it?", Jenny asked, referring to the scarab before realising what was wrong with Jaime's eyes.
"Greetings, Jennifer Kord."
"You...know my name-"
"Your father kept me in your home's basement."
"...Holy shit-"
"Milagro.", Rocio interrupted.
Jenny shook her head, "But..how-?"
"Allow me.", Rudy said before taking off his boot and throwing it to the spice drawer next to Khaji-Da, who only turned their eyes to look at it.
"I thought they would come out again.", was what he had to say.
Khaji-Da answered Jenny's question by turning around and creating a hole on the clothing articles, exposing its actual body burrowed deep inside Jaime's spine. They could hear gasping and Milagro gagging before fixing the shirt and turning around. All they had as a follow-up response was a shrug. The next time they spoke was when Jenny was answering what it was.
"It was given to my dad when I was a kid, I think. It's...some kind of world-destroying weapon."
"That is a bit exaggerated.", Khaji-Da responded.
"So you are not a world-destroying weapon?", Milagro asked.
"I am only a scout."
You are not a world-ending weapon?
'No.'
Jaime let out a sigh of relief before Khaji-Da cut it off.
'I am a world-conquering weapon. They ought to get it right.'
What??
The group behind them was trying to figure out a plan, eventually Jenny believing she knew a way to remove it. Khaji-Da knew this was utter nonsense, but they could use some entertainment while waiting for their superiors.
"I know where we could find answers. But we need the key."
"Where is they key?", Khaji-Da asked.
"...At the Kord building. And they're probably on high alert since I took the scara...you."
Khaji-Da shrugged, "Alright."
Rudy even offered a way to jam the security systems, surprisingly. They swear, the man's hate against Kord was almost as great as their own. And the machine did end up working, despite its primitive appearance.
"Hearing your aunt's voice is an assault to my hearing receptors.", Khaji-Da commented.
Jenny agreed, and told Khaji-Da exactly how the company came to be in the woman's hands before helping her retrieve the key. 'Tedwatch', Khaji-Da cringed at the invention as the two walked out.
"Why did my dad keep you downstairs?", Jenny asked.
"...He wished to use my functions. Unfortunately for him, I was bonded with Dan Garret at the time."
"You were...in a person when you were there?"
Khaji-Da chuckled, "What? You think the screams I would let out at night to scare you was your imagination?"
Jenny looked forward, terrified. She had believed in the boogeyman for a long time because of those mechanical screams and scrapes. Heavy footsteps made a new presence known ahead.
Ignacio Carapax. Joy.
"The Scarab.Now."
Khaji-Da looked bored as they rolled their eyes, a stark contrast to Jenny's fear. The Lieutenant begun running towards the two, Khaji-Da waiting for the right moment to catch the punch and transform properly.
"Hola, Ignacio.", they said before punching him to the statue nearby with such force it had fallen off the pedastal.
Jenny looked at them in disbelief.
"Find Rudy Reyes.", they said, and Jenny complied.
Khaji-Da looked on as Carapax took off his jacket and pressed a button on the back of his head, bits of armor emerging. Khaji-Da raised an eyebrow.
Is it...something like you?, Jaime asked.
"You are going to regret that.", Carapax growled as he shot a rocket at them, which Khaji-Da easily blocked with a shield.
"No.", Khaji-Da responded out loud, "Just a cheap imitation."
They then charged at the man, tackling him to the nearby parking lot and through a truck. A large blast from a flamethrower knocked them back and onto a car.
W-Wait wait wait. We're not gonna fight this guy, right??, Jaime asked.
'We clearly will.'
Wait-
Jaime did not finish as Carapax attempted to get the better of them by shooting bullets at them, but Khaji-Da merely pushed the car towards him, sandwiching the man between two vehicles. They continued to slam him with the one car against the other repeatedly. But Carapax, got them off by shooting rockets at them from a source on his back. It had knocked Khaji-Da back, but did not stop them from continuing to fight Carapax in close combat. Khaji-Da had turned one hand to a sonic blast and blasted Carapax back and through the parking lot wall.
Khaji-Da hummed as they walked towards Carapax.
"I must say, that was rather disappointing.", their arms sprung into blades, which sparked as they brushed the concrete road.
What are-What are you doing-?
Khaji-Da used one of the blades to tilt the man's head to face them.
"Such a shame.", they rose the blade up, making it very clear they would kill Carapax.
No! Wait-!
'Eliminating threat.'
I'm not a killer!
'You have no autonomy, Jaime Reyes. You are-'
The sound of a horn blaring La Cucaracha broke Khaji-Da's attention, turning to see the truck speeding towards them. Khaji-Da sighed before feeling a hit on their abdomen. Carapax had regained his composure and continued landing hits as Khaji-Da was forced to put away their blades. They were grabbed by the foot and slammed into a car, breaking a few ribs. No matter, they could repair the body. But that drew their attention elsewhere as Carapax dragged them towards the sidewalk and pressed a boot on the side of their head. Khaji-Da growled, the noise inhuman. Carapax took off his helmet.
"What...are you?"
No, this host would not die. He was too perfect for Khaji-Da to let go. Khaji-Da refused to answer, instead ready to cut off the man's leg before headlights illuminated him. Khaji-Da turned their gaze to see the truck coming to an abrupt stop and El Chapulin being launched out of the truck bed, hitting Carapax and sending him flying down the street. Khaji-Da shook their head as they sat up, reluctantly getting in the truck. This decision would bite them later, they knew it would.
They ended up in Kord's Estate once more, now looking much more decrepit. They would try to find information inside the Cave, which Rudy was more than happy to be in, gleeful even. Khaji-Da stayed in their armor, only the helmet off as they looked at the familiar surroundings. They winced as they caught sight of the operating table they were strapped in, for years, dried blood still staining it.
Not a lot of good experiences here, huh?
'I had some. tormenting the man was always the highlight of my day.'
...Of course it was.
'Don't act so surprised.'
"I got it.", Rudy said, turning Jenny's attention to him. Khaji-Da stayed where they were, waiting for them to figure it out themselves.
Aren't you gonna go there too?
'No need.'
But-
"Okay...I figured out how to get it out.", Rudy said, "Jaime's got to be dead."
Jenny froze, and so did Jaime with his limited existence. Rudy turned to Khaji-Da.
"But I got a feeling you ain't surprised."
Khaji-Da offered a smile, a very unsettling smile, in Rudy's opinion.
"If you knew, you could have told us!", Jenny said.
"I knew you would not believe me.", Khaji-Da shrugged with the smile that seemed to be signature, "Looks like you will be stuck with me until further notice.", they simply said before leaving for the roof.
The next time Jaime spoke to Khaji-Da was on the roof. Khaji-Da looked ahead at the bright lights of the progressive part of Palmera City. Maybe not so much of an ugly world after all.
...Why?
"Hm?"
Why are you even here?
Khaji-Da always kept that smile on, even as they explained their purpose.
"I am an Infiltrator.", it answered, "I was sent here to gather information about your planet."
So you can conquer it., Jaime concluded, remembering the Scarab's earlier comment.
"Precisely! Ah, do not be so sour, I will take care of your family."
If anything happend to them, I swear to god I'll-
"You'll what, Jaime Reyes?", Khaji-Da asked, "You are a prisoner in your own body. It matters not that you can somehow speak to me, merely a minor setback. You are mine, Jaime Reyes. Best to accept it."
Jaime fell silent after that, Khaji-Da humming as they leaned on the concrete balcony wall. The sounds of a helicopter flying above caught their attention. It was Kord, but they were not heading for them. Strange.
...Home.
"Hm?"
She must know where I live.
"It would seem so."
Aren't you going to do anything?
"What would you have me do?", Khaji-Da asked nonchalantly, looking at their fingers without much care. If anything, they would be harder to track down.
Jaime was panicking. O-Okay, look., he said, There...there might be more people you can actually kill there!
Khaji-Da perked up. "You will not pester me about not being a killer?"
I won't. Just save my family-
"Say 'please'."
Jaime would swallow if he had a mouth.
...Please, save my family.
Khaji-Da cracked their neck before making the helmet snap back on, flying towards the Reyes at max speed. They arrived at the scene of a large group of military outside the residence, a barricade which they easily broke through with a battering ram.
Milagro struggled to look up due to the lights, "Khaji-Da?"
"Your saviour is here.", Khaji-Da replied with a bow.
Victoria could not believe her eyes. This was magnificent! She had ordered the soldiers to fire at the kid, but it was quickly realised he was bulletproof. When the aim was directed at the Reyes family instead, Khaji-Da dropped down and extended their wings to be used as shields. After confirming the family's well-being, one of their arms transformed into a plasma cannon, and tore through almost all the soldiers. They ordered the family to evacuate as they fought with two plasma cannons, kicking and punching the humans occasionally for the fun of it. They found that the human body was extremely fun to utilise, mostly due to this 'adrenaline' chemical. They even stabbed a man through with a double blade and blasted his body away with electricity. Jaime felt like he would puke from the violence.
The constant that was the voice of their host reminded them of the his family's safety. Those frivolous distractions caused Khaji-Da's attention to be stretched thin, allowing Carapax to catch them with a claw. Khaji-Da snapped their helmet off, feeling their strength leaving them. What was this??
-----
Jenny Kord had taken the family to the Estate, but just before they entered the building, a male voice stopped them.
"Greetings, Kord."
The group turned around to see a peculiar looking man...or rather alien, accompanied by two others who were for sure human, their eyes the same glow as Jaime's with the Scarab on. The alien was taller than the girl with the purple mullet and shorter than the bald man with the tattoos. He had green skin and an odd trenchcoat with no sleeves. The fabric around his arms looked almost mechanical as it lead to an article of clothing inside, while his chest displayed the logo on the Scarab armor's chest. He was holding a walking stick as he addressed the confused group.
"We have much to discuss."
------------
Khaji-Da was strapped to a device yet again, upside down no less. This 'Sanchez' was working in close proximity, clealy nervous to be around Khaji-Da, who would let out the occassional beetle noise to scare him. They were eventually rolled around, no longer upside down as Victoria addressed them.
"Now. the Scarab chose you, that is true. But it doesn't belong to you, it belongs to me."
Khaji-Da frowned at her, snarling.
"U-Um, miss Kord, there is something weird here."
"And what would that be?"
"Well, the military had ran a backround check-"
"We did find the family, what more is there?"
"Jaime Reyes doesn't have yellow eyes."
Victoria paused for a moment, looking at Jaime before jumping back as they lashed at her, the restrains stopping them.
"Get your own toy, Kord.", Khaji-Da hissed, making sure the venom in its voice was clear as it spoke her name, "Both him and I belong to the Reach."
Kord actually looked disturbed for a moment before walking behind the console.
"Transfer the code."
Khaji-Da felt like they were being split apart, but did not let it show that they were in pain.
You can shout if you want to-
'Showing weakness is not the way of the Reach!'
What are you talking about-
'I am not giving you or my dignity up to mere meat!'
This had gone on for a while, the massive amounts of electrical shocks coming to a stop eventually. Khaji-Da finally got to breathe, and eavesdrop on Sanchez as he frantically looked over Jaime's vitals, which Khaji-Da was fighting hard to keep running.
"Their brainwaves are syncronised.", he told Kord, "They are essentially one."
Yes...finally. True symbiosis.
What does this mean?
'We are one. Now, you will certainly never be rid of me until you expire.'
That moment, something shook the island, Kord ordering for a screen to display the camera feed. What the people inside the room witnessed made all but one distressed. A large, squid-like ship had landed on the island, glowing green as the soldiers surrounded it with guns locked and ready. The door to the ship opened, Kord telling them to hold their fire as the first person to step out was someone Carapax recognised.
"Nadine.", he croaked from his spot on the chair.
Khaji-Da chuckled, noticing the dead yellow eyes of their Lieutenant. Poor fool. Another human followed, the General, likely, and finally the Negotiator. Kord ordered the soldiers to fire, but the bullets never reached the Negotiator as the two Scarabs next to him used shields to block the lead. Khaji-Da craned their head at Carapax.
"Looks like a family reunion, Ignacio."
Carapax wanted to rip off the transfer wire and punch that smug grin off that thing's face so bad! The soldiers stopped firing once the Black Scarab shot a plasma blast their way.
"Now now.", the Negotiator said, "No need for violence, we are not savages, are we?"
The soldiers lowered their weapons, the Green Scarab shooting them a commanding glare. The Negotiator looked forward.
"Victoria Kord, I am aware you can hear me.", all eyes in the room where on the woman now as the alien continued to speak, "What you have in your possession is property of the Reach. We demand that you comply and hand both our Infiltrator and its host to us, otherwise we will be forced to use lethal force."
The woman however, despite the transfer being complete, didn't seem to want to give this opportunity up. Communicating her refusal to the soldiers so they could relay it to the Negotiator.
"Miss Kord has refused your demands, sir!", a soldier shouted.
The Negotiator simply sighed and nodded at the Scarabs, who were now fully transforming.
"Llingndnd ssheerne anndnd.", he said, before he walked back to the ship.
"U-Um, what did he say?", Sanchez asked Khaji-Da.
Khaji-Da turned to him with a smile, "Translating: Kill them all."
This was soon made clear as Djo-Zha opened several holes on their body, rockets firing from them and blowing everything they came across to smithereens. Djo-Zha looked down at Loxz-Ha and nodded. Loxz-Ha returned their nod as they spinted forward to break inside the facility, leaving Djo-Zha to clear the outside as the camera feed cut off. Carapax was in the process of transforming as a loud sound echoed through the halls. The stone of the fortress was not enough to hold back a Commanding Unit of the Reach.
Loxz-Ha burst into the testing room just as Carapax finished his tranformation, now a fully operational OMAC unit. Loxz-Ha fired a couple of tacs at the three individuals inside, pining them to the walls as they rushed to Khaji-Da to release their Infiltrator.
"You need to do better, Khaji-Da."
"I apologise for my incompetence, Lieutenant.", Khaji-Da said as they rubbed their freed wrists.
"No matter. We must-"
Before Loxz-Ha could finish their sentence, they were rammed through the wall by an escaped Carapax.
"Lieutenant!"
"Go! I shall take care of this myself!"
As much as Khaji-Da wanted to fight Carapax themselves, they followed their Lieutenant's instructions. But before that, they walked over to the trapped Kord, snatching the code from her and breaking it in their hand.
"We don't think so.", they said before making their way out.
Meanwhile, Carapax and Loxz-Ha had barreled through many walls. Carapax knew who was behind that armor, and he was aware that Scarab was controlling her, and that fact alone made his hits weaker than his opponent's. The fight was brutal, the two hiting each other over and over again until Carapax landed a series of hits strong enough to shatter the helmet, and brought a blade down to split the body at the shoulder. A robotic scream rang out from it, disturbing enough to make Carapax back away. He watched as the thing stitched itself back together.
"Come on, Ignacio.", it said, smiling at him with a mix of Nadine's voice and its own robotic reverb, "All we wanna do is kill you."
Khaji-Da made their way outside, where the greens and browns of the island had turned red from Djo-Zha's spree.
"Infiltrator: Khaji-Da.", they addressed, "Finally."
Khaji-Da saluted, "General: Djo-Zha."
Just then, two figures burst through the wall, the one standing being Loxz-Ha as they drove their blade through Carapax's helmetless head. They turned to Khaji-Da.
"Has the copy of your code been destroyed?"
"Affirmative."
"Good.", they then turned to the General, "There are more OMAC systems underground."
"Then we shall destroy the island itself to be rid of any witnesses as well."
The three then boarded the ship, which disposed of a strange and large object on its way up. It wasn't until they had reached a certain level in the sky that the device activated, setting the island up in flames and burning everything to ash.
In space, Jaime was frantically questioning everything. Yes, his family was safe and back in the Keys, Kord would likely take care of them out of guilt. No, he would not die during the evaluation procedure. No, Loxz-ha was not looking at them a certain way because they hated Jaime.
Khaji-Da looked on into space from the hall windows. Jaime commented it was beautiful.
'We shall see more of space, and much more vibrant skies, soon as we finish our work here.'
But...my family will stay safe, won't they?
'If I said yes, would you trust me?'
I...think? You heard me out when I asked you to save them back there.
'I did do that.'
...Thank you, Khaji-Da.
Khaji-Da shuddered, holding onto their shoulder blade as they smiled at the praise. Something about this felt...good. The scientists had figured there was nothing wrong with Khaji-Da itself, it was only the will of their host that allowed him to still communicate with it. The Scarab was fine with this, as was the Negotiator. It did not interfere with the Scarab's performance.
"Worry not, Jaime Reyes.", Khaji-Da said, "The Reach, is here to save you."
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pentacle-artist · 27 days
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Okay, spoilers for the Mystery Journey anime and Azran Legacy, I think. Technically.
Anyway, I was rewatching Relics episodes 3+4 with my sister today, which has what the Relics are, and it looks like this
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And, for me, this is a rewatch, and this time I was actively thinking about how, yeah, the stones that led here came from space, but this thing *has* to be man made. The first thought is the technologically advanced ancient civilization we're already familiar with: The Azran.
BUT that doesn't make sense for a couple of reasons.
Outside of the story, the writers wouldn't include them in this context because a viewer really would need knowledge of the main games for it to work, and the Azran stuff was already resolved in AL.
*In* story, however, it doesn't *look* like an Azran thing or *feel* like something they'd make.
*Major* spoilers for both previously things ahead.
The relics freeze someone in time so they can see the future. Since the Azran thought of themselves as gods, they terraformmed multiple areas across the world, and they built the golems to do menial stuff. I think they're more likely to invent immortality instead of these chryo chambers. I mean, similar stuff is used for Aurora, but that leads me to the look of it.
The relics are very angular, more stereotypically futuristic. This is what Azran stuff looks like:
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It's generally more round and ornate. There is a little overlap, but Azran feels more classical. Also, they did have a thing for flying, but, as far as I know, not full-on *space.*
WHICH MEANS that there's probably some other ancient, forgotten civilization in the Laytonverse that loved space and potentially could've had a small bit of overlap with the Azran. It'd probably be very early on because it's implied that after the whole golem thing, advanced technology went down, and the Relics is pretty dang advanced.
It would also explain why Aurora's stasis was similar because the tech already existed, and the Azran could've improved it to not need specific frequencies to safely release whoever's frozen. Or maybe the fact that she's a golem would make her immune. Who knows!
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horsesource · 1 year
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hi! I just came across your post about autism and found it so interesting... where can I learn more about “autism emerging out of psychosis”, as you put it? x
Thank you, it is something interesting to me that I care about
"Autism emerging out of psychosis" can be meant in two different ways. The article Autism: Schizo of Postmodern Capital by Hans Skott-Myhre and Christina Taylor addresses both of these. if you don't have familiarity with some of the psychoanalytic and philosophical arguments about mental symptom production, I still think it's very much worth reading.
Autism, as word, quite literally came into existence as a symptom of schizophrenia. By that I mean, when Eugen Bleuler coined the terms "schizophrenia" and "autism", he used "autism" not as a separate diagnosis but to demarcate a symptom of schizophrenia (a turning "inward", a withdrawal of symbolic exchange, catatonia). Schizophrenia characterized by autism was considered as particularly "extreme", more hopeless than the symptomatic relentless verbosity typically associated with schizophrenia. It's common to attribute this initial "misunderstanding" of autism connected to schizophrenia as an unfortunate lack of diagnostic clarity, later resolved when autism had its own diagnostic territory staked out. I disagree; autism has always been incredibly slippery (it went from construal as an excess of fantasy, an extreme retreat into an incredibly imaginative inner world, to being written as the polar opposite, as flat literality, as a deficiency or aberrance of imaginative capacity, as a paucity of inner world; Asperger's was subsumed by Autism Spectrum Disorder in 2012 which made things even fuzzier (exactly what sort of person are we supposed to imagine when we hear "autistic"?); the influx of speaking, "late diagnosed" autistic individuals is resulting in a drastic rewriting of the popular understanding of autism, etc) and it is much more fruitful imo to track historical fluctuations rather than assume autism is on its way to being nailed down conceptually once and for all
But of course, autism and schizophrenia are more than diagnostic categories. They are subjective processes, they are ways of being in the world through body and language.
As I mentioned in the post you referred to, post-Fordism, the development of communicative technologies and financial capitalism radically changed the nature of labor/the relations of production and consumption. With this change came both deliberate and unintentional production of radically different subjectivities. Communicative prowess, imaginative capacity, personality appeal, ability to cope with intense instability and competition...all of these became economic resources in a way that they were not in an era dominated by factory production. Which brings me to the 2nd article I'm linking, Capitalism and Schizophrenia: Contemporary Visual Culture and the Acceleration of Identity Formation/Dissolution written by the CEO of Buzzfeed.
Although Buzzfeed CEO never once mentions autism, he does describe an unintended consequence of minds saturated by a psychotic, ever-accelerating barrage of information and representation:
“These media-savvy youth consume the accelerated visual culture of late capitalism, yet do not develop ego formations that result in consumer shopping. It is as if the light and sound from the television is sufficient to satiate their desire. Actual products become superfluous ­­as the media itself is the final object of consumption."
If endless identity/self consumption and production is compelled by a structurally psychotic market economy, perhaps what cannot be captured economically is a subjectivity that is not consuming representations for its formation, improvement, or dissolution, but sheerly for "light and sound". A subjectivity unconcerned with legitimizing its subjectivity. Tell a speaking autistic "you don't look autistic" and we will predictably give you 1000 reasons why we have autism coursing through our veins, we will assert "I Am autistic" until blue in the face, we will provide paperwork and professionals to vouch for our autism, we will produce tiktoks about the dangers of the invalidation of autism. Tell a nonspeaking autistic "you don't look autistic" and chances are they're listening to the sound of a voice or the sound of a bird
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usafphantom2 · 6 months
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On This Day in 1964, the Legendary Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird Flew For the First Time.
December 22, 2019 Military Aviation
A Blackbird takes off from Beale AFB. (Image credit: USAF)
The SR-71 was the first aircraft to feature stealth capabilities.
The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird flew for the first time on Dec. 22, 1964 at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California. The first aircraft to enter service was delivered to the 4200th (later, 9th) Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base, California, in January 1966. Throughout its career, that came to an end on Oct. 9, 1999, no SR-71 was reportedly lost nor damaged due to hostile actions: the SR-71 flew above Mach 3 at 85,000 feet, with a reported top speed of Mach 3.4 during flight testing and Mach 3.5 during on an operational sortie while evading a missile over Libya.
Although most historians and experts know it many aviation enthusiasts ignore that the Blackbird can somehow be considered the first stealth aircraft ante litteram.
Here’s what this author explained in a past article titled Well Before The SR-72 Was Conceived, The Iconic SR-71 Blackbird Proved “Speed Is The Real Stealth”:
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The Blackbird was the first aircraft to feature stealth capabilities: a special paint that contained iron ferrites and absorbed radar energy instead of returning it to the sender was used for SR-71’s wings, tail and fuselage. The reduced RCS (Radar Cross Section) made any reaction to an SR-71 overflight almost useless: the aircraft was so fast that once the radar detected it, the SAM battery’s guidance system was not able to compute the right parameters for a successful kill. Moreover, the range and bearing of the SR-71 was also denied to the enemy by jamming the radars with the use of the sophisticated electronic countermeasures (ECM) that equipped by the Blackbird.
However, in spite of its radar-evading features, what made the SR-71 almost impossible to intercept, were its incredible flight characteristics: it was able to fly at 3.5 Mach at 88,000 feet. The aircraft could climb higher than that and according to some sources the Blackbird could reach 120,000 feet and above. At that altitude, Soviet SAMs would have been unable to maneuver to hit an SR-71: the air is so thin that any maneuvering capability of a missile is practically nonexistent, as explained by the former Blackbird pilot Col. Richard H. Graham in his book “SR-71 The Complete Illustrated History of THE BLACKBIRD The World’s Highest , Fastest Plane.”
In 2012 a DARPA statement stated that America was gradually losing the “strategic advantage” that its stealth warplanes had long provided, as other countries’ stealth and counter-stealth capabilities continued to improve. For this reason, “speed is the new stealth” is a slogan that accompanied the unveiling of the SR-72 in 2013. However, the SR-71’s story is a proof that speed has always been the key to stealth.
Not only did SAMs fail to catch the Blackbird but even the fastest Soviet fighter jets, including the MiG-31 Foxhound, lacked the necessary speed to reach the SR-71.
The last flight of an SR-71 took place on Oct. 9, 1999, during the Edwards AFB Open House Airshow. Fourteen years later, in 2013, Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works, the legendary division that designed airplanes which represented a giant leap for their times such as the F-104, the U-2, the Blackbird family or the F-117A stealth fighter jet, revealed the existence of a sort of SR-71 replacement: a Hypersonic intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and strike aircraft dubbed SR-72, designed for Mach 6.
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The first concept artwork of the SR-72 released by Lockheed Martin in 2013.
On Sept. 27, 2017, Aviation Week reporter Guy Norris scooped the story about the landing of a mysterious, unidentified new aircraft at U.S. Air Force Plant 42 Production Flight Test Facility in Palmdale California.
“According to information provided to Aviation Week, one such [SR-72] technology demonstrator, believed to be an unmanned subscale aircraft, was observed flying into the U.S. Air Force’s Plant 42 at Palmdale, where Skunk Works is headquartered. The vehicle, which was noted landing in the early hours at an unspecified date in late July, was seen with two T-38 escorts. Lockheed Martin declined to comment directly on the sighting.”
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In February 2018, Lockheed Martin, pushed back on reports of the SR-72’s development stating that no SR-72 had been produced. In November last year, Lockheed Martin stated that a prototype of the SR-72 was scheduled to fly by 2025. A sort-of SR-72 aircraft (or something inspired to it) is flown by Maverick (Tom Cruise) in “Top Gun: Maverick”, the sequel of the famous 1980s aviation movie.
Once operational the hypersonic strike aircraft will be able to fly about twice as fast as its predecessor. To date, the Mach 3+ SR-71 Blackbird remains the fastest, manned air-breathing aircraft ever produced.
About David Cenciotti
David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.
@theaviationist via X
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theanoninyourinbox · 1 month
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The RealM Monster Maker Game
SO many years ago, when I was a wee artism child, I loved creature generators, mythological creatures, and rolling dice. So I made myself one, and for several years, would continue to use it to make Weird Critters, until my hyperfixations drew me elsewhere. I even gave the creatures a little backstory and world to inhabit - the RealM! (Real inventive, I know /sarcasm)
The Backstory
In 20xx, Humanity discovered a portal to another world, one with magic and medicines and technology that would greatly change and improve the world. The Guardians of this RealM were willing to share the fruits of their world, so long as humans came to visit, as their emotional energies would feed the RealM's magic, thus making both sides stronger.
But there was a catch...no Humans existed in the Realm, nor could they. For many ages ago, a Human had nearly destroyed the RealM, so Humanity was banished.
So the Guardians proposed that any Human who came through would temporarily become a denizen of the RealM, reassuming their Human form when they returned to the Earthside of the portal. Thus a deal was struck. What form will YOU take when you enter The RealM?
(I THINK I wanted to make this into a video game or a tabletop experience, but it's more fun as just an art game)
THE RULES
You need a d6 (six sided die), a paper and pencil/pen or a way to record your results, whatever your chosen art medium is, aaaand that's it!
There are six categories of changes - 1 Mammal, 2 Avian, 3 Reptile, 4 Amphibian and Fish, 5 Insect, and 6 Other. Each category was broken down into six more categories, and a few into six after that!
Mammal broke into Feline (which included mustelids), Canine (included vulpines), Rodentia (somehow bears ended up in here???), Hooved Mammals (even and odd toed), Seafaring Mammals, and Extinct Mammals. Sometimes I put Other Mammals instead of Extinct, which makes sense. Apes were in the Other Mammals category, and were supposed to be rarer in the RealM because of their similarity to Humans.
Avians were Predatory (owls, hawks, eagles, and the like), Seabirds (penguins too), Waterfowl, Songbirds, Pigeons (and doves), and Other Birds (like emus)! Not too much to say here, they could have been better put together.
Reptile was Lizards, Crocs/Gators (and caimans and gharials and so on), Turtles/Tortoises, Snakes, Other Reptiles, and Dinosaurs. I know science says they're closer to birds BUT I was little and needed another reptile category!
Amphibians had Frogs/Toads, Newts/Salamanders, Other Amphibians; Fish had Cold Ocean, Warm Ocean, and Freshwater. You could probably make each of those their own category of 6, but i NEEDED the Other Category!
Insect was Flies, Moths/Butterflies, Beetles, Mantises, Spiders (and anything in the arachnid family), and Other Insects (worms baby!).
Other is a Fun One - the categories were Other Animals (which also could include apes, but was mostly for echidnas and platypi, and octopi too), Mythological Creatures, Alien (literally just any alien from any media), Mechanical, Plant, and Missing! You could get a headless creature, and roll to place the face...buttface teehee...
If you roll a certain kind of creature, it's entirely up to you to pick what kind! You roll a feline - tiger or house cat? Roll a beetle - herculese or stink? You get the idea!
You could also roll for a color scheme instead of a feature - make your fella look like a monarch butterfly!
You could also roll for what part to replace, but I usually just went in this order anyway. The body parts for each roll are 1 Head, 2 Torso, 3 Arms, 4 Legs, 5 Hands, and 6 Feet. Hands and Feet could be switched out for upper/lower torso, wings, or tail!
I don't have time to draw a critter tonight but for old times sake, and the sake of this post, I rolled up someone with the head of a gecko, the body of a swan, the "wings" of a batfish, the legs of a lemur, the tail of a manticore, and the color scheme of a nudibranch! Wow that is...that sure is a critter...
Anyway, please feel free to make one of your own, and PLEASE tag me if you do! I would FLIP if someone did this!
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quillpokebiology · 1 year
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Geography of Galar
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Galar is my home region, and I wanna talk about it more since there's actually multiple cultural regions of Galar. And, at some parts, even different languages! So, here's some stuff about Galar!
Languages
Just getting this out of the way. The most common language spoken in Galarian is, well, Galarian. But there are actually many different 'subcategories' of Galarian. For example, the Galarian I'm speaking is Hammerlock Galarian. But some parts will speak Lean (a language that isn't that common and is spoken and originated in the Glimwood Tangle area), while others might speak other forms of old Galarian. Keep in mind that the languages aren't as common as they used to be because the Hammerlocke kingdom colonized a lot of places. So you won't be completely lost if you visit these places and don't speak the local language.
Southern Galar
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Also called Dùaicha by locals, which doesn't really have a direct translation, but it has the old Galarian words for 'country', 'white', and 'field'. Southern Galar is mostly a farming part of Galar, where people have strong accents. The history is pretty neat, as it was once inhabited by different tribes and clans before the people of Hammerlock came and forced them away from their culture. As a lot of history passed, and Hammerlock's kingdom soon died out, the people of Southern Galar were able to gain their cultures back, but of course, there were reproductions, as a lot of their history was lost. While they mostly speak Hammerlock Galarian there, words will sometimes be different.
The people that live in the Crown Tundra tend to have heavier accents (basically the stereotypical Galarian accent you hear all the time), and tend to speak Hammerlock Galarian less.
Central Southern Galar
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The place I grew up! Central Southern Galar contains the 1st (first) Wild Area, Turtfield, and the 3rd most populated city in Galar, Motostoke.
The history of Motostoke is rather interesting, being founded in the 1st century and controlled by the old Hammerlock kings. But as time went on and technology started to improve, Motostoke became one of the first industrialized cities in the world!
The Wild Area tends to be different. For one, there's barely any towns there, with some houses and cottages scattered about. And since it's not near most people, they tend to speak old Souther Galarian there (which I would speak with my mom and the other people in the area I lived in). In ancient times, multiple tribes and clans lived in the area, living side-by-side with the Pokemon around them. But the people of the old clans went away for various reasons (colonization, slowly failing economies, disputes, wars, etc).
Turtfield is the second most well-known city in Central Galar 1, purely because one of the gym leaders lives there. The history is still pretty neat, with the artwork depicting the Darkest Day. It's also one of the oldest towns in Galar, still having a lot of culture involved with it.
Central Galar
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Hammerlocke
One of the most well-known cities in Galar, which I find interesting since it's not even the capital (Wyndon is). Being one of an old kingdom, descendants from old Hammerlocke are known as Hammerlockians Anyways, Hammerlocke is located in the center of Galar, but I wanna mention it because a lot of stuff has happened here. I can't explain the entire history of it, because I'm most likely not qualified to do that.
But Hammerlocke was a super power in the Galar region, and it managed to colonize a lot of stuff, and is one of the reasons Hammerlocke Galarian is spoken all throughout Galar, spoken in Unova, and a commonly learned second language around the world. They had a monarchy and were run by kings and a couple of queens.
Other than the colonization, Hammerlocke was also known as 'The Dragon Hunters.'' They hunted a lot of dragon types in Galar to extinction, and even as Pokemon started co existing with humans, there was still a lot of stigma around having Dragin types in or near the city, and having one could get you seriously in trouble. Hammerlock actually designed their buildings like that to scare off dragon types. There also one of the reasons Flapple and Appletun look the way they do; they had to evolve to look friendlier to NOT get killed by them!
But now, Hammerlocke is one of the safest places to own a Dragon type in Galar. The wide and expansive area of it as well as the stigma of the area disappearing had led Hammerlocke to almost completely get rid of that stigma entirely (I also like to put that on the popularity of the gym leader here. Ngl, I might've had a crush on him when I was younger).
Central Galar is also home to the second Wild Area. Even fewer people live there compared to the first Wild Area since it holds a lot more dangerous Pokemon.
West-Central Galar
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West-Central Galar holds the Leantír and the Creuilg area.
Leantír is the term that refers to the entire Glimwood Tangle area. The word Lea is a Galarian suffix for woodlands or a clearing. Tír is just Southern Galarian for land. The people who reside in this area are known as the Lean people. A cool thing about them is that they are one of the few groups that managed to avoid the colonization of Hammerlocke, purely because the people in Hammerlocke thought that Glimwood Tangle was too dangerous since of the Pokemon there. Because of this, the culture was able to grow free from colonization, and their language has been preserved throughout the years.
There was some stuff that happened though. Like how a guy found Indeedee 7,000 years ago in Glimwood Tangle and took them out to breed them. But another thing that isn't well known is that Leantír use to spread a lot farther than it does now, reaching all the way down to the Stow-on-Side area, and even a bit of Hammerlocke! But Hammerlocke cut down their trees and got rid of their dangerous Pokemon fairly quickly. The Pokemon of the forest than became more wary of people from Hammerlocke, and they ended up attacking any human that wasn't from deeper in the forest, which is why Hammerlocke never went that far.
Creulig is a combination of the old Galarian word for rock and blood (referring to the red-like color of the canyons). One of the largest towns there (Stow-on-side) holds a gym challenge there. It's also the only desert on Mainland Galar.
There were civilizations here in the ancient past, which were realized when old artifacts were found here. But little is known about that civilization, as the history of it only started being documented when newer people moved in.
East-Central Galar
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East-Central Galar holds the Nixalba area, which got its name from a forgotten language. "Nix" means snow, while "alba" means white.
The history of the area is really cool (no pun intended), with the Circhester town being around for thousands of years. Originally, Circhester was made in 60 AD, where the first settlers there used the hot springs in the area as a spa area and built their town around it. It became a really popular tourist spot, with the added gym challenge making it even more popular.
The places around it (like Spikemuth and route 8) used to be a lot colder, but climate change and global warming have made it the way it is today. Route 8 has faced a lot of weathering and erosion, which is what gives it its more rocky appearance. But ancient people of the Nixalba area lived there, giving it the ruins it has. In the Hulbury area, people have used that place as a fishing port for hundreds of years.
Northern Galar
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Other than the Wyndon district, Northern Galar is inhabited much because of the large mountains making it hard for people to live there. Mostly hikers, researchers, and explorers head there.
However, the history of Wyndon is really interesting. The main city itself was founded in 43 CE when the Hammerlocke kingdom was making its way around Galar. Most of the ancient tribes that lived there were wiped out, and not much is known about the tribes that resided here (which is sad).
The Isle of Armor
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The Isle of Armor is a subregion of Galar. Back then, a lot of immigrants from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh came here, and the culture here reflects that. This place is very popular for trainers coming here to get stronger because of the famous dojo they have here.
So yeah, that's the Galar region! Have fun with this information!
Ooc stuff
Honestly, I know this probably isn't accurate to irl UK, but I think it would just be boring to restate UK history. Plus, I don't want the world building to be EXACTLY like it is irl. For one, the game doesn't mention much colonization, and I like that idea. But it would make sense that Galar would have some colonization (it's literally the UK), But I also like the idea of different languages being more common, since it sucks that irl UK has a bunch of dying languages because of colonization. So instead, I made them have colonization, but the languages would stay semi-alive, where you would meet a lot more people that would speak them.
The Isle of Armor was based on The Isle of Man, which mostly has a Celtic history. But from what we see in the game, it has a lot of East Asian inspiration, and I wanted to reflect that here.
I purposely made the places seem bigger than they were since it's stupid to only imagine one small town in the entirety of an area. Plus, we only really see that stuff in the game because it's all we need to see. We can assume there's more people and towns there.
The old clans and tribes are supposed to be old Celtic tribes, but I couldn't think of a name to give them in the Pokemon world...
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tanadrin · 1 year
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The invention of the basic BCI was revolutionary, though it did not seem so at the time. Developing implantable electronics that could detect impulses from, and provide feedback to, the body's motor and sensory neurons was a natural outgrowth of assistive technologies in the 21st century. The Collapse slowed the development of this technology, but did not stall it completely; the first full BCI suite capable of routing around serious spinal cord damage, and even reducing the symptoms of some kinds of brain injury, was developed in the 2070s. By the middle of the 22nd century, this technology was widely available. By the end, it was commonplace.
But we must distinguish, as more careful technologists did even then, between simpler BCI--brain-computer interfaces--and the subtler MMI, the mind-machine interface. BCI technology, especially in the form of assistive devices, was a terrific accomplishment. But the human sensory and motor systems, at least as accessed by that technology, are comparatively straightforward. Despite the name, a 22nd century BCI barely intrudes into the brain at all, with most of its physical connections being in the spine or peripheral nervous system. It does communicate *with* the brain, and it does so much faster and more reliably than normal sensory input or neuronal output, but there nevertheless still existed in that period a kind of technological barrier between more central cognitive functions, like memory, language, and attention, and the peripheral functions that the BCI was capable of augmenting or replacing.
*That* breakthrough came in the first decades of the 23rd century, again primarily from the medical field: the subarachnoid lace or neural lace, which could be grown from a seed created from the patient's own stem cells, and which found its first use in helping stroke patients recover cognitive function and suppressing seizures. The lace is a delicate web of sensors and chemical-electrical signalling terminals that spreads out over, and carefully penetrats certain parts of the brain; in its modern form, its function and design can be altered even after it is implanted. Most humans raised in an area with access to modern medical facilities have at least a diagnostic lace in place; and, in most contexts, they are regarded as little more than a medical tool.
But of course some of the scientists who developed the lace were interested in pushing the applications of the device further, and in this, they were inspired by the long history of attempts to develop immersive virtual reality that had bedevilled futurists since the 20th century. Since we have had computers capable of manipuating symbolic metaphors for space, we have dreamed of creating a virtual space we can shape to our hearts' content: worlds to escape to, in which we are freed from the tyranny of physical limitations that we labor under in this one. The earliest fiction on this subject imagined a kind of alternate dimension, which we could forsake our mundane existence for entirely, but outside of large multiplayer games that acted rather like amusement parks, the 21st century could only offer a hollow ghost of the Web, bogged down by a cumbersome 3D metaphor users could only crudely manipulate.
The BCI did little to improve the latter--for better or worse, the public Web as we created it in the 20th century is in its essential format (if not its scale) the public Web we have today, a vast library of linked documents we traverse for the most part in two dimensions. It feeds into and draws from the larger Internet, including more specialized software and communications systems that span the whole Solar System (and which, at its margins, interfaces with the Internet of other stars via slow tightbeam and packet ships), but the metaphor of physical space was always going to be insufficient for so complex and sprawling a medium.
What BCI really revolutionized was the massively multiplayer online game. By overriding sensory input and capturing motor output before it can reach the limbs, a BCI allows a player to totally inhabit a virtual world, limited only by the fidelity of the experience the software can offer. Some setups nowadays even forgo overriding the motor output, having the player instead stand in a haptic feedback enclosure where their body can be scanned in real time, with only audio and visual information being channeled through the BCI--this is a popular way to combine physical exercise and entertainment, especially in environments like space stations without a great deal of extra space.
Ultra-immersive games led directly, I argue, to the rise of the Sodalities, which were, if you recall, originally MMO guilds with persistent legal identities. They also influenced the development of the Moon, not just by inspiring the Sodalities, but by providing a channel, through virtual worlds, for socialization and competition that kept the Moon's political fragmentation from devolving into relentless zero-sum competition or war. And for most people, even for the most ardent players of these games, the BCI of the late 22nd century was sufficient. There would always be improvements in sensory fidelity to be made, and new innovations in the games themselves eagerly anticipated every few years, but it seemed, even for those who spent virtually all their waking hours in these spaces, that there was little more that could be accomplished.
But some dreamers are never satisfied; and, occasionally, such dreamers carry us forward and show us new possibilities. The Mogadishu Group began experimenting with pushing the boundaries of MMI and the ways in which MMI could augment and alter virtual spaces in the 2370s. Mare Moscoviensis Industries (the name is not a coincidence) allied with them in the 2380s to release a new kind of VR interface that was meant to revolutionize science and industry by allowing for more intuitive traversal of higher-dimensional spaces, to overcome some of the limits of three-dimensional VR. Their device, the Manifold, was a commercial disaster, with users generally reporting horrible and heretofore unimagined kinds of motion-sickness. MMI went bankrupt in 2387, and was bought by a group of former Mogadishu developers, who added to their number a handful of neuroscientists and transhumanists. They relocated to Plato City, and languished in obscurity for about twenty years.
The next anybody ever heard of the Plato Group (as they were then called), they had bought an old interplanetary freighter and headed for the Outer Solar System. They converted their freighter into a cramped-but-servicable station around Jupiter, and despite occasionally submitting papers to various neuroscience journals and MMI working groups, little was heard from them. This prompted, in 2410, a reporter from the Lunar News Service to hire a private craft to visit the Jupiter outpost; she returned four years later to describe what she found, to general astonishment.
The Plato Group had taken their name more seriously, perhaps, than anyone expected: they had come to regard the mundane, real, three-dimensional world as a second-rate illusion, as shadows on cave walls. But rather than believing there already existed a true realm of forms which they might access by reason, they aspired to create one. MMI was to be the basis, allowing them to free themselves not only of the constraints of the real world (as generations of game-players had already done), but to free themselves of the constraints imposed on those worlds by the evolutionary legacy of the structures of their mind.
They decided early on, for instance, that the human visual cortex was of little use to them. It was constrained to apprehending three-dimensional space, and the reliance of the mind on sight as a primary sense made higher-dimensional spaces difficult or impossible to navigate. Thus, their interface used visual cues only for secondary information--as weak and nondirectional a sense as smell. They focused on using the neural lace to control the firing patterns of the parts of the brain concerned with spatial perception: the place cells, neurons which periodically fire to map spaces to fractal grides of familiar places, and the grid cells, which help construct a two-dimensional sense of location. Via external manipulation, they found they could quickly accommodate these systems to much more complex spaces--not just higher dimensions, but non-Euclidean geometries, and vast hierarchies of scale from the Planck length to many times the size of the observable universe.
The goal of the Plato Group was not simply to make a virtual space to inhabit, however transcendent; into that space they mapped as much information they could, from the Web, the publicly available internet, and any other database they could access, or library that would send them scans of its collection. They reveled in the possibilities of their invented environment, creating new kinds of incomprehensible spatial and sensory art. When asked what the purpose of all this was--were they evangelists for this new mode of being, were they a new kind of Sodality, were they secessionists protesting the limits of the rest of the Solar System's imagination?--they simply replied, "We are happy."
I do not think anyone, on the Moon or elsewhere, really knew what to make of that. Perhaps it is simply that the world they inhabit, however pleasant, is so incomprehensible to us that we cannot appreciate it. Perhaps we do not want to admit there are other modes of being as real and moving to those who inhabit them as our own. Perhaps we simply have a touch of chauvanism about the mundane. If you wish to try to understand yourself, you may--unlike many other utopian endeavors, the Plato Group is still there. Their station--sometimes called the Academy by outsiders, though they simply call it "home"--has expanded considerably over the years. It hangs in the flux tube between Jupiter and Io, drawing its power from Jupiter's magnetic field, and is, I am told, quite impressive if a bit cramped. You can glimpse a little of what they have built using an ordinary BCI-based VR interface; a little more if your neural lace is up to spec. But of course to really understand, to really see their world as they see it, you must be willing to move beyond those things, to forsake--if only temporarily--the world you have been bound to for your entire life, and the shape of the mind you have thus inherited. That is perhaps quite daunting to some. But if we desire to look upon new worlds, must we not always risk that we shall be transformed?
--Tjungdiawain’s Historical Reader, 3rd edition
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Text
Chatting over Dinner
An isolated moment shared between a family, some of which are interdimensional travelers.
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Just a Gravity Falls Blind Faith AU snippet that was the result of me wondering about the character dynamics of the BF twins and the Pines after said twins stumbled through one of the scattered rifts that the Pines were fixing in 'Lost Legends'.
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Fluff
Comedy
TWs:
⇾ none!
Blind Faith twins: Sixer & Lee
Canon Mystery Twins Classic: Ford & Stan
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“So I says: ‘Which one of us here has more eyes?’ Then wham! He stabs me!” Lee recounted, punctuating himself by slamming a fist on the table, causing the silverware to rattle. Mabel gasped, and the Fords jumped.
Sixer frowned. “Not h-how it- it- it went… at all.”
“That’s how it went because I say that’s how it went,” Lee argued flatly. “Tell me again, which one of us goes on useless rambles about the 'inherent non-existence of objective truth' or whatever the hell?”
“N- not in th-this… this instance.” Sixer retorted.
“What, so stuff is only up in the air if it’s convenient for you? Like that one time you denied eating all the walrus butter?” 
Sixer opened his mouth, paused, then sank back in his chair, tips of his ears red.
“Uh-huh. I thought so.”
“Walrus… butter?” Dipper cocked his head.
“Kinda similar to peanut butter, believe it or not- at least in that dimension. It was for seeing stuff that normally wouldn’t exist with normal human eyes, even ones like this-“ Stan gestured to his bionic one with one hand and shoveled potatoes into his mouth with the other, with a mumbled ‘damn these are good.’
“Woah! Ford never mentioned anything like that!” Dipper enthused. “Can you tell me more?”
Stan said something through his food that was along the lines of ‘Can you let a guy eat a meal first?’, although it came out more like “C’n y’l guy eath’meal f’rth?”
“How did you acquire that, by the way?” Ford inquired, gesturing to Lee’s eye while halfway through eating a tomato like an apple. “I’ve found precious few worlds whose cybernetic offerings even rarely cater to the human body, much less a part of it as complicated as the eye.”
“Well, Sixer here made it for me!” Lee answered, practically glowing with pride. “He even retrofitted it with heat and night vision! Pretty awesome, if I do say so myself.”
“Really?” Ford leaned towards his counterpart. “Do you still have the schematics? If so, you’ll have to show me at some point. I’ve always struggled with combining biology and technology harmoniously, but you’ve done a wonderful job here.”
“See, that’s what I keep telling ‘im, but for some reason he insists on disagreeing with me.” Lee tutted.
“Could… could be b- b- better.” Sixer mumbled. 
Lee let out an exasperated sigh.
“Well, yes, everything could be better, but that doesn’t negate the quality of its existence in the present,” Ford reassured, before standing and leaning over the table towards an increasingly confused Lee. “Regardless of what may be missing, this is still remarkable! I wouldn’t even know where to begin in suggesting improvement! If I could…”
Ford came dangerously close to just manhandling Lee’s face before Stan grabbed his sweater and hauled him back down into his seat.
He swatted the back of Ford’s head. “Give a man some space, you dork,” Stan turned to Lee apologetically. “Sorry about him.”
“Please. Do you know how many times my Ford has just randomly grabbed my face when he thought my eye was glitching? Plot twist: it never was.”
Both Fords groaned.
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watcheraurora · 2 months
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Well since I started this might as well finish, lol
Can you tell us anything about the other heros or villas? Like Doc and his perimeter or cleo? If you want to
I sure can! 😁
So Cleo used to use the alias Zombie Queen, but then with identity registration, just chose to drop it and really only goes by Cleo now. I never quite decided on Cleo’s powers per se, but I always kinda figured they have a healing factor a la Wolverine or Deadpool. They never do field work (hence why they dropped the alias because if everyone knows their name anyway and they’re not out in public, what’s the point?) but chose to work for the division anyway just to be around people who also have powers just to not feel alone. Also Cleo is one of the older members of the division, but not the oldest. I think Cleo also works with Cub to make the superheroes’ suits and armor
Now Doc is a fun one because he’s had his powers for the longest of anyone on record in the city. He’s had powers for about thirty years or so and is largely considered the first Superpowered person in the world. (Mostly because before Doc, if people had powers, they kept them secret.) His cybernetic arm and eye were his own inventions meant to enhance his powers. Doc’s main “power” is definitely his intelligence (considering he’s one of the only people in the city smarter than Tango) and he uses that to his advantage, but the fact that he’s a genius, like Tango, is actually separate from his superpowers. I never fully decided on Doc’s powers because he was such an off-screen influence for most of the story but he definitely has destructive ones. Hence why he tried to destroy Joel constantly and Tango couldn’t look at what he did to the criminals in the warehouse who made the weapon that nearly destroyed a whole city block in his Perimeter. But I always kinda imagined that the skeleton who shot Tango (when he came back to his hideout injured while Jimmy was captive) was actually made by Doc. Like Doc’s powers can spawn Minecraft mobs and that’s why he has so many “random minions” as Tango put it.
Now as for the Perimeter, Tango and Jimmy aren’t aware of the full story but the Perimeter used to be a small country fairly far away from the main city that had an extremely corrupt government. And Doc saw the writing on the wall that it was going to erupt into a civil war and the whole country might fall apart or cease to exist altogether and he decided to use it to his advantage. He took his army of spawn mobs to the country and invaded, wiping out the government and establishing himself as the leader. The he set up a Perimeter of mobs and technology around it to keep everyone else out. He did, actually, improve things within the Perimeter so most of the civilians are… not necessarily “on board” with his leadership but are willing to accept it for now. A lot of them are scared of him, but there’s probably an underground resistance of people who want to overthrow him. They’ll probably fail.
But in the Perimeter, Doc has a very specific law in place that Superpowered people can live their lives in peace. If someone with powers seeks sanctuary in the Perimeter, Doc will allow them to discard their alias and alter ego and just live their life. They can use their powers publicly and as long as they’re not causing harm to civilians, they don’t have to worry about it. Which is why Tango wanted to go there when Skizz and him figured their city might not be safe for Tango if his identity was revealed to the division.
I also kinda figured Doc’s other power might be like Fabrikators from the Grishaverse book series, if you’ve ever read Shadow & Bone or Six of Crows. Where he can take raw materials and turn them into amazing and unique things with his hands. Like creating his own cybernetics and probably integrating them into his body himself. I don’t know how he lost his arm or his eye in this universe but he made his own replacements
Onto some other quick facts about other people!
Bdubs has dream powers and doesn’t do field work but he can create complex dreams and enter other people’s dreams and take over the dream too. He sleeps a lot 😆😉
Impulse and Cleo are second and third after Doc for having powers, with Impulse having his for nearly thirty years and Cleo having theirs for twenty-five-ish
I have a one-shot I’m working on (that’s currently 5,000 words and still not done heaven help me) that mentions this but to go into a little more detail here: Scar got his powers at 18 and is currently 33, so he’s been HoTGuY for 15 years and is one of the longest-serving field heroes. He has slightly-enhanced strength and improved senses, but his main power is “tactile telekinesis” (which he, of course, can’t pronounce). Meaning he can control things with his mind as long as he’s touching them. Which is one reason his aim is so inhumanly accurate with his bow, but it also serves to make him seem stronger than he is, because he’s subconsciously controlling whatever he’s using strength for to work with him. The tactile telekinesis’ effect on his strength doesn’t get him anywhere close to Jimmy’s maximum strength but Scar’s bow is custom made and he can adjust its max draw weight to 600 pounds for if he needs to shoot something really far (the record for a bow’s draw weight in the real world is 496 pounds and it could shoot 13 miles. Take that how you will)
Etho is immortal and just never mentions it to anyone. He doesn’t know that Grian is a minor deity and also immortal but Grian knows Etho is immortal. He just doesn’t mention it. Grian has seen Etho around for centuries and just decided it was none of his business. To everyone else, Etho is incredibly intelligent and seems to know just about everything, but he’s quiet and private and keeps to himself. He’s also unnaturally stealthy but honestly that’s mostly just practice. When he registered his identity with the division, he registered his current name. He changes it all the time and has lived hundreds of lives. Etho is not his original name, but it’s the one he’s using right now. He knows his real name, and occasionally even uses it, but the last time he used it was like three hundred years ago and he’s not going to be using it again for another century or two.
Cub has powers but doesn’t do field work. He mostly just wants to be an inventor and engineer for the other heroes’ equipment. He’d rather be known for the things he creates than the powers he didn’t have a choice in
TFC was a hero who died in the line of duty, saving civilians. There’s a park named after him in the city called TFC Memorial Park
I never actually decided on the Soup Group’s actual powers
Ren is a shapeshifter who actively hides his powers from everyone, including the division and the villains. I’m not 100% sure what his relationship is with Martyn apart from the fact that they’re close (platonic? Romantic? Something else entirely? Idk wear the shade of glasses you want for them ¯\_(ツ)_/¯), but Martyn is the only one who knows he’s a shapeshifter.
Martyn is also the only mortal who knows Grian is a god
Grian is not a Watcher per se in this AU but the fact that I love Watcher!Grian things is 100% the reason I made him a god. It was also the only way I could think of that he’s managed to be both CuTeGuY and Poultry Man at the same time for years without anyone finding out
Other creators exist in this world as various characters but I might be using them for a sequel or a one-shot so as of this second I don’t know everything about them
Shelby is a superhero called Shubble from another city. The only one in that city
I’m thinking Iskall is IskallMAN and if he shows up at all it’ll probably be silly
False is in the main city but neither hero nor villain—she’s an information broker. but both sides are kind of intimidated by her combat prowess regardless
And others are yet to be determined! I really want to add and include Zedaph and Mumbo but haven’t figured out where they fit yet so they’re TBD
So yeah! I think that’s all I have for now. If any of this was muddled or confusing let me know so I can clarify!
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story-weavr · 9 months
Text
In the far past, Kryptonians were a race that was enslaved and genetically modified by the more technologically advanced interplanetary invaders, the Coluans.
The Kryptonians fought and won their freedom and planet back. The tech left behind by the Coluans was used and improved on by the Kryptonians.
In one portion of their rich history, the Kryptonians themselves would go on to be planetary conquerors and settlers akin to Earth’s Roman empire.
In order to have a firm hold of their planet, Kryptonians introduced a mutagen into their DNA that would allow a member of their species to be able to reproduce with an alien sapient species.
The method by which to activate it would be for the Kryptonian to have had enough intercourse with a being that induces feelings akin to love (lust, respect, protectiveness, etc.).
Thus such people’s as the Daxamites came into being.
Later on, the Krypton’s leading government would become replaced by the Science guild. Eventually Krypton’s colonies would become independent civilizations.
Krypton eventually would become more and more closed off.
The mutagen, however, would continue to exist among the Kryptonian populace and at times be activated if only among the lower classes where traditional reproduction still continues as opposed to the Birthing Matrix among the upper echelons.
Lara Lor-Van, whose natural birth caused a scandal within the traditional House of Van, knew of the ancient mutagen that is dormant among Kryptonians.
Not wanting her son to be forever alone on a strange planet, she made sure to activate the gene so that Kal El would be able to father children with the Earthling he chooses.
More than a Earth decade later, a young Clark Kent had left Smallville to travel the world. In part, trying to find purpose again after losing his lover and best friend, Lex, to amnesia caused by an experiment on Krypton tech gone wrong. In another, fleeing from Lex’s father Lionel who was powerful enough to blackmail and threaten Clark to stay away from Lex.
In addition to his heart pain, he was losing his powers and was becoming weaker every day.
He had to rely more and more on Krypto, a dog who was mutated by the green meteorite of Smallville, & Lori Lemaris, a friend he made at the college he used to secretly visit Lex at.
It was only after he was examined by another friend (Immortal Man) he made on his travels that he found out what was happening.
Apparently, pregnant male Kryptonians would lose muscle mass and become more aggressive if they felt threatened. Instead of their stomach distending, their organs would rearrange for the growing baby. This was so that male Kryptonians would be unencumbered if they needed to flee from danger that their mate/family/allies would deal with. It would also discourage the pregnant male from engaging in stressful activities and focus on his well-being.
After an intense labor that eventually lead to Clark just cutting himself open, Conner Julian Kent was born. (Julian was from Lionel’s estranged brother Jules, a lawyer living in Smallville whom both boys loved and respected).
From then on, Clark swore to keep his child safe and to be a strong person Conner could look to as an example.
For that reason, Clark didn’t dare go back home until after Lionel died. In the meantime, he’d learn everything he could: about the world, humanity, & his and Conner’s heritage.
When he could finally return home, Clark decided to take the job offer he got from an editor at the Daily Planet. Because to do the most good, Metropolis, Delaware was the best place. Plus it was the city closest to Smallville aka “little Kansas”.
From there, he would be confronted by the so called philanthropist and man of tomorrow, Lex Luthor.
Having already grieved, Clark saw Luthor for what he really was: an immoral Machiavellian narcissist criminal who hated and looked down on humanity. Who would do anything and use anyone to get what he wanted: being the top of the food chain.
Clark was determined not only to stop him, but to never let him near Conner.
This began a war between a “meddling alien who is a threat to human progress” & “a man who could have done so much good if only he’d choose to do so”.
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William David Coolidge (23 October 1873 – 3 February 1975)
An American engineer, William David Coolidge was born in Massachusetts and studied electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with further study at the University of Leipzig. Coolidge's most famous achievements came from his work at GE, which he joined in 1905. Assigned the task of research the use of tungsten in lightbulbs as filament, Coolidge is credited with discovering the means to create ductile tungsten (largely a result of processing), receiving the patent for his work in 1912 (later revoked in 1927, as it was a discovery, not an invention). After his work with tungsten, Coolidge's other claim to fame is his work with X-rays and the significant improvement of existing X-ray tubes.
Sources/Further Reading: (Image source - ETHW) (Harvard Square Library) (Radiopaedia) (American History) (Edison Tech Center) (Wikipedia)
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johnnyraine · 2 years
Text
My Crazy Roommates (Smut!)
Suguru Niragi (Alice in Borderland) x Male Reader x Xue Yang (The Untamed)
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Words: 2273
3rd of September, 2022
XXX
The day starts as it does most days, you wake up, do your morning routine, eat breakfast, and go to work.
Later on, you return home, throwing your shoes off, not caring enough to pick them up, and making yourself comfortable, eating snacks, and watching whatever you want.
…That is until a bright flash blinds you.
“Ah!”  You exclaim.
Once the light is gone, you try to blink your blurry vision away. Succeeding, you see…
NIRAGI AND XUE YANG!
You sharply inhale before trying to escape, your breathing erratic.
Fortunately, they are still blinded by the light.
Unfortunately, you trip and fall. A glance back shows your discarded shoes. Refocusing on the situation, you try to scramble to your feet, but are kicked, landing on your back. You grunt as a foot lands on your chest. Following it up, you see its, admittedly attractive, owner, Suguru Niragi.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
You stumble over your words, unable to get any coherent words out, pissing him off.
“Answer me!” He stomps on your chest.
Fight or flight kicks in and you grasp his leg, but he is kicked off of you, stumbling into the wall.
Xue Yang purses him, not letting a moment pass as Niragi does his best to defend himself.
You miss the snarky comments Xue Yang fires off as your heartbeat fills your ears.
Using this moment to escape, you soon find yourself at your friend’s house, who calls the police for you. But, not even a minute after, your neighbor calls you, telling you that they called the police because of what sounded like “fighting,” and that the two occupants were already in their custody.
For whatever reason, after hanging up, you feel compelled to go to the police station and check on them, much to your and your friend’s bewilderment. But you go and talk to the police, giving them some completely bull story, which later on, you can’t recall how it went, only that you somehow knew what to say.
By the end of it, you say, “They’re my roommates.”
And they let you bail them out.
‘WHY THE FUCK DID I SAY THAT!’ You think, feeling like some higher being must be forcing you, for whatever reason.
By day’s end, Suguru Niragi and Xue Yang, are your “roommates.” Your very dangerous, and attractive, roommates.
~~~
Months passed and... you lived.
Though your life wasn’t great at first. You were the only one doing most of the work: cleaning; cooking: shopping: and having a job. What with your “roommates” threatening you, even if they did lose the weapons, you weren’t having a great time. You had expected worse though, you’ve seen their shows after all, which was another thing.
When they found out that they are, were, fictional characters, you expected them to likely lash out.
So you were surprised when they weren't that shocked or skeptical. But after some thinking, you could see why. Niragi was transported to The Borderland, a place that looks like home but hosts death games which, if you win, allows you to live a few more days until you have to do it again. While Xue Yang came from a wuxia world, where the people fight with magical martial arts, that can allow you to fly and raise the dead if done right.
Following the first two months of your new living arrangement, the two seem to have “mellowed out” a bit.
Niragi was forced to stop his more… violent tendencies, as he was reminded that, yes, the law does, in fact, exist here. While Xue Yang, “mellowed,” it’s very obvious that he only did so because of modern technology and that he’s gotten craftier to work around it. Not great, but it is an improvement… maybe.
On the topic of your two “roommates,” you didn’t fully know how they felt about each other. What happened after your first meeting is still a bit unknown, but you’re fairly certain that Xue Yang beat Niragi.
With that in mind, you’d thought they would hate each other, at least Niragi would. But that changed somewhere in the second month when you discovered that your bed had the look and smell of an… “we fucked in your bed” situation.
You were pissed.
Unfortunately, that led to you yelling at the two, leading to you losing a week of sleep, too afraid that they’d kill you.
The rest of the month passed and you were somewhat sure that you’d live.
Another month passed and you grew a bit bolder, getting more used to the idea that they weren’t going to do anything.
Two more months and you can now call each other roommates, without the quotations!
You all seem to be pitching-in in your own ways, you still have your job, Xue Yang and Niragi… do things. You don’t really question it, you think they’re likely doing something illegal, but you’d rather not know. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that they pay their share of the bills, so who cares? Now and then, you process this and think about “moving out” because of the possible danger… but it passes.
All seems good, it is good.
…You wake up in the middle of the night, remembering how yesterday, the two continuously glanced at each other like they had a plan.
“I’m gonna fucking die,” You whisper to yourself.
~~~
Come morning, you are on constant edge, even as you watch the two eat their breakfast. Your mind racing with possible situations and possible escapes you’ll have to make. So preoccupied, you don’t even notice that you’re staring.
They do.
“What’s wrong with you?” Niragi asks, even though it sounds somewhat like an insult.
“See something you like, Y/n?” Xue Yang asks, teasing you, though you still feel in danger.
Eyes shifting between the two, you move your chair back, “I forgot I have to work early guys, see ya.”
Xue Yang grips your thigh.
“Relax Y/n,” He says, wearing a saccharine smile.
“Yeah, Y/n,” Niragi says, gripping your other thigh. “You’ll really enjoy this.”
You feel a chill run down your spine as these predators gaze upon their prey.
~~~
“Haa,” You let out a breathy moan, looking down at your roommates. On their knees giving you a blowjob.
Their tongues lick either side of your length. Xue Yang gives it a long lick, going up to take you into his mouth, but Niragi beats him by just going for it.
Being glared at, Niragi doesn’t care his tongue circles the tip, his piercing adding to the pleasure as it glides over your slit. Your hips jerk from his ministrations. Not content with standing by, Xue Yang gives a mischievous grin before gripping Niragi's hair and forcing him to take you to the base.
“Ghlgk!”
Niragi gags but makes no motion to stop him as Xue Yang continues to facefuck him on your cock. You feel his throat convulse around your cock, making your toes curl. A few moments of this passed before Xue Yang yanks him off and dives in, taking his turn.
Catching his breath, Niragi tries to do the same to him but fails as Xue Yang forces him to lick the rest of your cock that he doesn’t take into his mouth.
Feeling you getting close, Xue Yang’s mouth leaves your cock before jerking you off, his tongue hanging out of his open mouth in anticipation. Niragi follows after making an annoyed face at him, his tongue piercing shining.
You grip your chair at the sight before letting out a weak moan and cumming.
Just as your cum lands on his tongue, Niragi grabs Xue Yang’s hair and yanks him away with some landing on his face. Niragi, taking most of your load in his mouth, puts his lips around your tip, getting a small jump from you as he sucks.
Xue Yang is growling when Niragi finally leans back, showing you his mouthful, smirking.
Xue Yang opens his mouth to speak but Niragi silences him with a kiss.
The two’s tongues fight, sucking and rolling over each other. Although you are sure this moment is between the two of them, once they separate, you realize that you’re ready to continue.
You’re unsure if they notice because, after their moment, Xue Yang is laying on the kitchen table as Niragi practically makes their pants and underwear disappear.
“Hey!” Niragi exclaims, getting your attention away from his ass.
“Huh? Y-yeah?”
“Bring it,” He says, pointing to what’s on the counter.
Lube.
You are somewhat ashamed that you hadn’t noticed it before, it was that blatant. Then again, you were worried that you’d die today.
Grabbing it, you hear spitting preceded by grunts and low groans.
Turning around, your assumption is proven correct by the view of Xue Yang's legs up against Niragi, who's hilted inside him.
Cringing as they rut against each other, you let out an exasperated sigh and walk over to Niragi’s back.
The next time Niragi pulls back, you reach around him and grab his cock with your lubed hand, startling him. His head whips to look back at you, his thrusts stilted.
“I know you two like each other, but please take of yourselves.” You chuckle softly, feeling more confident.
“Shut up!” They say in unison.
“Calm down you two, I’m merely teasing.” You kiss Niragi’s kneck, feeling him shiver. “Besides, doesn’t it feel better?”
“Hm, Niragi?” He softly moans an affirmative.
“Hm, A-Yang?” You practically purr, your other hand grabbing his leg.
You feel Xue Yang’s leg flex under your touch.
“Yesss,” He moans.
Niragi, who has been thrusting more into your hand than Xue Yang, grabs your wrist and pushes it away, surprising you.
“I can feel you poking my ass, hurry up.”
Letting go of Xue Yang’s leg, you add more lube to your hand and length before helping Niragi, all while he goes back to fucking Xue Yang.
When you are sure he is ready, you lay a hand on his hope and sink into his hot ass.
"Hsss," He hisses, not stopping his thrusts.
With building thrusts into his slick hole, you feel him push back against you with his own thrusts into Xue Yang. Gently, you grasp his balls while your other hand snakes its way up his shirt, teasing his nipple and fondling him as his legs start shaking.
“F-fuck!” Niragi yells, throwing his head back.
Looking over at Xue Yang, you see him stroking himself as he rocks upon the table.
“Take care of A-Yang, will you Niragi?” You whisper in his ear.
Though he grits his teeth, he does, taking Xue Yang’s cock from his grasp and jerking, hard.
His loud moaning stops you from saying anything.
Focusing on the way Niragi's ass feels around your cock, you lean into him, gently tugging and fondling his balls.
His legs already shaky, Niragi falls on the table, landing on his outstretched hands, barely saving himself, and folding Xue Yang in on himself.
"Hhhmm." Knocking him out of breath as Niragi reaches deeper into him.
Niragi's eyes widen as he discovers this. Smirking, he grabs Xue Yang's legs and pushes them to either side of his head, plowing into him.
Xue Yang was breathless and yet, he was harder than ever. With Niragi's cock stretching him to new lengths, he forgot to pay any attention to his own cock.
Niragi's new pose not only helped him but you as well. His ass stuck out more and gripped onto his hips, slamming into him, pushing him even deeper into Xue Yang.
Falling to his elbows, Niragi grits his teeth as it turns more into you fucking him, making him thrust into Xue Yang.
"Fuck me, Y/n. Harder." He grits out.
Following his command, you grab his shoulders forcing him back into your thrust.
Almost lost in his pleasured daze, Niragi heard Xue Yang whine beneath him and, perhaps out of generosity, he jerks him off.
Toes curling, Xue Yang lets out a strangled moan and cums in Niragi's unstopping hand.
Xue Yang knew he was a babbling mess, only coherent enough to moan and enjoy the pleasure.
Seeing this, you chuckle and decide to end this. Taking a different angle, you slam into Niragi’s prostate.
Once more alert, Niragi endures your harsh thrusts, but before long he feels your hot cum filling him. With that, his cock starts throbbing inside Xue Yang and he cums.
Niragi falls atop Xue Yang, refusing to move, though it doesn’t seem Xue Yang minds. That or he’s just tired.
Just as tired, you lay atop the table, your gaze moving between the two before settling on the ceiling, sort-of zoning out.
“Hey,” Niragi gets your attention. “What are you thinking?”
“Probably about us debauched men, sullying him,” Xue Yang teases.
“I’m just thinking that it’s amazing the table can handle so much weight.” Which you were.
Xue Yang cackles while Niragi pushes you off the table.
On the ground, you think about how your lives are going to change, and it does. Somewhat.
The three of you are in a sort-of relationship, there’s more kissing, touching, and sex, but none of you actually talk about being in a relationship. So life just continues as is, you, your house, and your crazy roommates.
…Oh! Uh… a few months later, you end up in the hospital because of an allergic reaction that Xue Yang claims is revenge, though, from the worried look in his eyes, you’re pretty sure he just didn’t know what you were allergic to.
Oh well, you recover and go about doing your regular routine.
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