#tech recommendations

[oddlittlestories]

Techies of tumblr, I ask for your wisdom

I need a new laptop and I am struggling. Specs are one thing, but I need it to be reasonably portable and actually good.

To be clear, and because y’all love a good story, I own two Mac computers. A desktop from 2013 that still works reasonably well for being ancient af and a laptop from 2014 whose battery swelled and currently lives in a drawer. Due to repairability, I want to get a PC. I want to own my next computer as long as I can. To be clear, I was using the laptop for video editing in 2022, and as my primary text editor and web surfer this year. When I say, “as long as I can,” I mean it.

The last laptop I tried to buy technically met my specs. I returned it the next day. It was already glitching and the battery lasted less than three hours.

Three. Hours.

All I was doing was scrolling the web.

It needs to be able to do image editing / digital art, audio editing, text editing. Video editing a plus.

intel core i7 or AMD Ryzen 7 CPU.

1 or 2 TB storage. (I do use external disk drives. Do not tell me not to use external disk drives. In the immortal words of Ron Swanson, I know what I’m about, son.)

16 GB of ram.

A nice graphics card would help me with all that art.

Preferably not massive.

Thanks in advance for your wisdom.

[cutekittenlady]

Google sucks for this now, and I'm not sure if I trust youtube reviews so I figure, whatever, I'll ask Tumblr for its opinion.

I'm wanting to get a nice new set of bluetooth headphones. Preferably a pair that still comes with a cord that you can use to plug into tech when necessary but can still be charged with a usb-c and be used wireless. I'd really love it if it could come with fun colors or designs, but its not a necessity.

So, do you guys have any recommendations?

[virtue1nvain]

Does anyone know a good standard pc or laptop of any kind that can handle a decent amount? Mostly need it for college cause im doing digital media (illustration, vfx, 3d animation and modelling, game design) and I need something that can handle that but ALSO i might want it to play minecraft,,, and other games,,

[emotiandon]

reccomend me some better shit for drawing other then an ipad, also i will not splurging on 10000 bucks on a fucking shitty thing

crying rn wtf why did my reading list on my ipad just delete itself after shutting down

[genericnam]

Yo yo, does anybody have any recommendtions for good western cartoons?

I watch some Anime, but it's generally not my preference, so please stick to cartoons.

I've already watched: Amphibia, Adventure Time (Fionna & Cake included), The Owl House, Gravity Falls, Over The Garden Wall, Avatar: The Last Airbender (and Korra), Wander Over Wonder, The Midnight Gospel, Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Hilda, Murder Drones, Centaurworld, The Amazing World of Gumball, The Ghost and Molly McGee, Ben 10, Phineas and Ferb, Kipo and the Age of the Wonderbeasts, Glitch Techs, The Amazing Digital Circus, We Bare Bears, Disenchantment, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

Edits: Shows I forgot to list/have already started

Milo Murphy's Law, The Hollow, Invader Zim, The Last Kids on Earth, Miraculous Ladybug, Regular Show, Bee and Puppycat, Dead End: Paranormal Park, The Cuphead Show

[faislittlewhiteraven]

Been having some ISaT tech level and timeline (as in 'when backstory things happened') thoughts and want to ramble a bit:

Tech

ISaT's setting is based on your classic sword and sorcery fantasy JRPG so its easy to assume that tech wise everything is 'fantasy medieval' and call it a day but consider:

Body Craft is at bare minimum is magic sex changing surgery (earliest known equivent in our world dating to 1930) that any old person can learn to do safely on themselves in only a few months, and more likely has many many broader applications like regular old surgery, the 'combat healing' Mira and Sif use, etc.

Cameras and photos are rare enough that Odile comments on it (namely she's happy the group get a photo in the House due to them being 'so rare') yet are also common enough that everyone in the party knows about them and doesn't question the existence of a camera beyond being surprised that the mirror was one. (In our world cameras date back to the 19th century, with the earliest manufacturing of them being in 1839). 

Printing presses and ways to make plenty of paper to feed those presses given absolutely everyone in this game can read, expects everyone else to know how to, and both mass produced book series and newspapers are a thing. (Note: Printing presses have existed since waaaay back but it's the mass paper manufacturing that makes newspapers and The Cursing of Chateu Castle possible that really has my eyebrows raised here, especially since neither Siffrin or Odile find either odd in any way, indicating such things are common everywhere, and while newspapers have been around since 1604 in our world, mass produced fantasy books didn't really take off until the start of the 20th century).

Food production and storage: despite being in the middle of a national disaster that almost certainly cut off trade networks and access to most suppliers for literal months now, Bonnie, a small child, is able to easily get their hands on fresh Pineapple, curry ingredients (for samosa), potatoes, plantains etc with no issues or anyone commenting on this being unusual or lucky. Oh and the only character who even brings up the concept of potential starvation is the Fishing One, and only in a sort of 'we're not at risk now but sooner or later...' kinda way due to noticing that the fish they fish up for fun are disappearing and likely being frozen. So yeah, that heavily implies Vaugarde has very good food storage tech/Craft (possibly better than ours), and likely also good food production and harvesting tech/skills also.

The Island's incredible knowledge of the stars: while the oldest known orrery in our world is dated from around 205 to 87 BC (ancient Greek, earth centric model), the fact Sif -who would've learnt this as a child/teen- is so very certain that stars are big balls of fire made up of gas is interesting as that's something our world couldn't prove the theory of until around the 1900s (note: it'd been theorized a LONG time but Sif talks like its complete facts to them . Additionally the earliest existing record of a telescope in our world dates to a 1608 patent and we see one of those in game.

Post posting EDIT: A wonderful user qds-place pointed out that Mirabelle has anti-anxiety medication in her room. This is in both ISaT and SAaP and though we're not sure what form the medication takes (pills? Valium? Megitech esc Craft boosters???) the fact they specifically have 'anti anxiety' medication at all (as opposed to idk dragging Mira off and drugging her through the gills) is kind of impressive and if it IS modern anti anxiety pills those could be as recent in creation as the 1950s! So um. Some high levels of tech implied in chemistry there <3

So... yeah. All this, plus the fact that the highest tech implied area, The Island, literally specialised in the study/Craft of turning wishes into reality (for a long enough time period that Wish Craft is culturally so ingrained in the King and Sif that they do it without thinking and it seems intertwined with their nation's religion) has been completely erased from memory to the point anything heavily associated with them has been forgotten, and also we only ever see Dormont aka a little village well away from the cities, it's not hard to conclude that you can basically justify giving the ISaT world any level of tech you want, so long as you lock any of the truly 'setting breaking' stuff like planes and rockets behind The Island's forgetting curse (I would've said trains too but thinking about it trains were invented in 1802 so it's honestly easy to imagine that they totally exist in the ISaT setting/Vaugarde but aren't ever on screen because rail is way too dangerous to consider using while the Curse is active and potentially time freezing things on the tracks).

Side note: We know absolutely nothing about Vaugarde's transport system but as a fan of fantasy RPGs it is honestly a travesty I have yet to see a fic that has flying dragons/wyverns or other fantasy mounts in setting. Like, ok yes, the party would probably have wanted to use those but maybe they don't like the Curse and fled? Maybe the King's Curse targeted them first? Maybe all their handlers dropped the heroes off in Dormont and said 'Well Saviors it's been fun, but well me and Scales here are off to Poteria until things wrap up so best of luck to you' before buggering off?

This isn't really a serious complaint just. Me reminding myself/potentially other fanwork writers out there that there's a lot about the setting we just don't know about and limiting all travel to walking, horse drawn carriage and boat is not actually required. (Also please mix up travelling to the Island. Boats are a wonderful classic and have great thematic vibes for Sif's original leaving of the Island but like. Imagine the sheer in-universe wtf of the memories of The Island suddenly coming back and people on the north coast suddenly realising there's a massive bridge, subway or underwater tunnel leading there that everyone just forgot about - potentially filled with all kinds of Sadnesses that need taking down. Or Warp Panels in a House of Change, idk XD).

Timeline

Canon notes first:

Bonnie is a preteen (8 to 12), Mira and Isa are in their early to mid 20s (with Isa slightly older), Sif is late 20s to 30, and Odile is 40+ Nille is stated to be around 18 to 20.

Siffrin ran away from home when they were a teenager (13 to 17? 18?) and this is heavily implied to be when the Island was Forgotten.

Bonnie (in ISaT specifically*) says that Nille told them that when it happened all the adults were talking about it, hence why they think The Island is close to their village. *In Start Again a Prologue, Bonnie says that they themself remember the adults talking about the Island disappearing, which er. Is a bit impossible given they likely weren't even born yet when that happened but that can be explained away by AU differences, InsertDisc5 still finalising details between SAaP and ISaT, and/or OG Siffrin having been in the loops so long they weren't actually listening when Bonnie was talking and just 'scripted' in their head something 'close enough' to what Bonnie was saying to get the idea (note: mentioned that idea before in my post here on the differences between the House and King in Start Again vs In Stars and Time for anyone curious so er please feel free to give that a read if you haven't already).

Odile mentions remembering 'when it happened' as well and has been 'travelling for years'.

The King 'appeared out of nowhere' sometime in his adulthood, and lived in the city of Corbeaux for a few years before he became the King.

The King became the King as was freezing people in time long enough before his attack on the House of Dormont that everyone inside knew he was coming, there were a wall's worth of newspaper articles about him, and everyone was expecting Euphrasie to defeat him.

Mirabelle's quest began 'almost a year ago' and Sif lost their eye 'recently'.

Thoughts on the above:

Calculating when The Island was forgotten:

Sif being mid 20s to 30 and having run away from home as a teen means that The Island has to have been forgotten somewhere between 9 to 17 years ago with nine only possible if he ran away at age 17 and is only age 26 now, and seventeen being the far opposite if he ran at age 13 and is currently 30.

To narrow down the timeline: Given Sif ran away from home because he 'didn't want to eat his veggies' and 'just wanted to scare [his] parents a little bit' it's probably safe to assume Siffrin was likely on the younger end of the teen spectrum (teens run off all the time sure but with loving parents and over veggies? That screams 'kid who has not yet learned that freaking out the parents will get their ass grounded and/or yelled at a LOT and is therefore best saved for doing fun forbidden stuff that ideally the parents will never find out about' XD) Additionally given Siffrin can't remember his age/birthday etc but Isabeau outright says near the beginning of the game "But you're older than most of the people here?" meaning Sif must be visibly older than Isa or Mira, so he's probably closer to 30 than not.

Those alone would imply the Island likely disappeared closer to the '17 years ago' side of things BUT Nille (tops 20 years old) told Bonnie that "[the Island's disappearance] was all the adults would talk about for ages" and kids usually can't remember anything prior to 4 years of age so with that in mind...

I'd say The Island most likely disappeared between 13 to 16 years ago.

Nille stuff:

This is more a general mention but. Nille is tops 20 years old. Bonnie is between 8 and 12 and doesn't remember their parents at all.

This means Nille ran away with Bonnie and gained emancipation and custody of Bonnie (if Vaugarde has formalised that kind of legal stuff) while she was at most 12 years old herself and could have in theory been as young as 6..!

Regardless, it's very likely the original home situation was that bad, Nille deserves a ton of credit for raising Bonnie as well as she has and I'd say it's very VERY likely she had a lot of help from villagers in Bambosche and/or the local House of Change in doing so. ...But also Bonnie is very adamantly 'my sister and village' and not 'my sister and [specific names who live with us]' so there's clearly by the time Bonnie was 4 or so they were living in their own place so... Yeah. Lotta drive for independence there too it seems (so the party might have more trouble adopting Nille into their group post ISaT than Bonnie might expect).

King stuff:

Already an adult 13 to 16 years ago so at bare minimum 33. Given his vibe probably much older though.

Newspapers get printed pretty quick though for there to be so much speculation and research done into his background so quick, either Vaugarde has some form of fast messaging system (something like a Chappe telegraph on top of the Houses of Change? Odile I think does mention that they'll have a message sent to let Nille know they'll be returning Bonnie...) or the King was freezing stuff for IDK around a month or two before reaching Dormont? Alas can't find out how long it takes to walk across all of France out very easily (I'm sure the numbers are out there but my brain is pudding rn) but if we had those numbers we could probably make some guesstimates based off the rough sketched map of Vaugarde InsertDisk5 did... Which I would link but apparently the tumblr post I had it linked on has been deleted???? 'wails at this very unhappy development'

Mira's journey and Sif's eye:

We really don't know a lot but almost a year ago gives us somewhere around 9 to 11 months to spread the journey out along and after eye removal surgery the patient can out and about as soon as 2 to 6 weeks after, maybe sooner with magic healing (though full recovery/growing used to the changed spacial awareness -which Sif clearly does not have- probably can't be sped up and takes around 3 to 6 months) so um. I'd guestimate Sif's eye injury is really recent; like two months ago tops recent. ...Which sorta explains a lot of why Bonnie is not dealing with it right now and also why the others might be trying to avoid bringing it up (since Sif clearly loves avoiding the issue but they haven't yet realised that maybe they really should bring it up even if it annoys them anyway?)

Odile with some Ka Bue speculation:

When it comes to The Island, how did Odile, presumably living in Ka Bue at the time, remember 'when it happened'? Was the Island well known enough even on the other side of the world that it's disappearance made waves? Or was Odile herself or someone she's close to paying attention to the region? (Like maybe her dad or a friend is/was into politics or trade, keeping up with overseas news and got concerned it could happen to Ka Bue? I'd say 'I remember when it happened' line implies it was more immediate knowledge than being informed by a messenger much later though...)

As for Odile's 'years of travel' I have to wonder, what's left behind for her in Ka Bue? She brings up going back there quite a bit, might just miss home and possibly her father if he's still alive, but given it took her years to get here for something so personal rather than idk 'materially rewarding' I think Odile might have some kinda family estate or something back in Ka Bue... Something she wasn't worried about potentially losing while far away, but solid enough to want to return to, beyond her father who she'd definitely want to see again if he's still around. (...But given how open she is to chilling about Vaugarde a few more months with the others, I really don't think he is alive, since well, given their respective ages and travel between Vaugarde and Ka Bue apparently taking years, there'd definitely an uncomfortably high chance of him passing away while she's gone and that seems like the thing that'd stress Odile out so... Yeah. Probably got an estate in Ka Bue she'd like to take the Family to visit/possibly sell off if she decides she'd like to live with them in Vaugarde so... Just my off the cuff headcanoning here and hoping that gives others ideas or something).

---

Anyway that's all the ramble I've got in me so... yeah! Hope this was interesting and useful for those needing a bit of a 'possible tech'/timeline calcs breakdown for the Island + a few more vague things and um. Probably will post a long winding ramble about my attempt at a ISaT Selkie AU fic I've been working on next <3 (Not to be confused with looped-140-and-counting's already existing and quite wonderful Selkie Siffrin AU which already has a completed oneshot fic, a snippet of sequel, two snippets of prequel/Sif flashbacking and I believe a comic too, all of which I highly recommend <3)

[hyperfixated-fan]

Summary: Crosshair blinked, the situation finally clicking in his mind. "You're telling me that while I was being tortured, the two most awkward members of our squad got themselves girls?"

Bewildered, flabbergasted, and bamboozled didn't even begin to cover his thoughts on this. Well then... now he's got to test and see if these women are truly deserving of his brothers' affections.

[littlefeatherr]

Bad Batch Fanfiction and Fanart Recs #2

The Flame by @moonstrider9904

One of Those Days by @isthereanechoinhere96

Confessions on the Marauder by @lost-in-fiction-like-ur-mom

I Know. by @dystopicjumpsuit

Tech-ology Volume 1 by @apocalyp-tech-a

A Place Called Home by ilcuoreardendo

Unfinished Business by @apocalyp-tech-a

Batch and Beloved by TheWritingMagi aka @the-magi

Slip of the Tongue by @dickarchivist

Rinse and Repeat (Hunter x GN!Reader) by @letsquestjess

Tech's First Time by @spicy-clones

Observations and Analysis in the Galactic Empire by @apocalyp-tech-a

Art:

Omega trying to convince Tech it's time for an unscheduled study break with snacks by @jedizhi

the actual loml by @madsayo

@photogirl894 OC Kimber and Hunter commission by @lightspringrain

Crosshair by @laufxsons

Hunter and Omega by @catdoesarts

Crosshair needs a hug and a good cry by @queenjiru

Family by @gingerpines

You want her? You go through me by @zaana

Dark and broody outlaw adopting a kid that's older than them-Hunter/Omega and Din Djarin/Grogu by @kelstares

Because who needs sleep when there are feelings to be processed - Hunter and Omega by @lornaka

Hunter and Lyra by @amalthiaph for @freesia-writes

Brotherly Support- Crosshair and Hunter by @beetlecrest

[pluggedintosaverockandroll]

favorite video essays pt 2

"learned helplessness" & the tech literacy crisis | Internet Analysis

The Long Queer History of Punk

How Nostalgia Controls Us

Sympathy for the Machine

The Beautiful Horror of Deep Space

the perpetual infantilisation of millennial women

I Want More Quiet Horror

Boeing: How Capitalism Crashes Planes

How Greed Ruined Gaming

shop 'til you drop: horror's condemnation of overconsumption

part 1 | part 3

[lizzy06]

Aone Takanobu x Reader Fic Recs!!(Tumblr/AO3/Wattpad)

Haikyuu! Fic Rec Masterlist

Date-Tech Fic Rec Masterlist

Nosebleed ✨✨✨💖by WritingTheInserts(oneshot, fluff, humor) All the important moments of your life started with a nosebleed. [COMPLETED]

The Lightest Touch✨✨ by @seokiloquy (oneshot, soulmate au, fluff) you have a birthmark/tattoo of the place where your soulmate first touches you and it slowly fades over 24 hours until it’s gone.[COMPLETED]

Perfect ✨by @volleyboys-n-girls (oneshot, soulmate au, fluff) The words first spoken by your soulmate are tattooed on your skin. For you, you were lucky right there. [COMPLETED]

soulmate au ✨by @pies-writes-and-more (oneshot, soulmate au, fluff) The words first spoken by your soulmate are tattooed on your skin. [COMPLETED]

gentle by @teamatsumu (oneshot, fluff)he’s not the same with you as he is with everyone else.[COMPLETED]

High Priestess✨ by theunluckycanuck (orphan_account) (oneshot, arranged marriage, smut) You were the priestess of the east and he was a monk of the west, in order to bring good fortune you had to meet and become a union. What brought forth was more than just marriage.[COMPLETED]

The Scarf by starryiedd (oneshot, fluff)she finds the scarf in her locker, she didn't expect any of the events that followed.[COMPLETED]

A Gentle Silence✨ by Amoralyn (crushes, love letters, fluff, oneshot)How does he really feel about me? Does he want to be my friend, or more? And how long can I pretend that I’m happy with just being friends?[COMPLETED]

Eighth Wonder by abswrites (oneshot, fluff)Aone knows he looks scary. Hell, he sees his own face in the mirror every morning. But here you are, chattering away next to him without a care.[COMPLETED]

Sound of Silence by @dira333/Fogfire (oneshot)What happens if you, with your sharp tongue and sweet features, meet Aone, the grim looking sweetheart everyone seems to be afraid of?[COMPLETED]

A Good Man ✨by @dira333/Fogfire (oneshot, fluff)You'd known he'd be a good father, a good husband, a good man. You'd known all along.[COMPLETED]

The Class Rep and the Wall by Teapots_and_Teacups (oneshot, fluff)Aone takes a moment to help out an underclassman.You aren't scared by the gentle giant.[COMPLETED]

Soft, sweet, and light✨ by @write-haikyuu (oneshot, fluff) Aone Takanobu loves dessert. But he loves you more.[COMPLETED]

what he's looking for by flying_siphonophore (oneshot, smut, fluff)...he wonders if you’re wearing shorts under that…. if you’re wearing those cute underwear you bought the other day…. or if he ran his hand underneath he’d find nothing separating his hand from you.[COMPLETED]

Train Ride | Aone Takanobu/Reader ✨✨by @thisnoodlewritesao3 (oneshot, fluff)Aone had never been more thankful of the people who avoided him on the trains, especially when they gave him something as amazing as you.[COMPLETED]

Trepidation Overlooked by introher (masturbation, friend to lovers)aone masturbates to the thought of you, alone and in his room are where his fantasies run wild.[COMPLETED]

Lover's play by @dira333/ Fogfire(friends to lovers, oneshot)[COMPLETED]

[thisischeri]

instagram: cheri.png

[laughhardrunfastbekindsblog]

One of my few disappointments about Bad Batch season 3 when first watching it was how Tech's death and the aftermath is handled - namely, that his death doesn't seem to really have much impact on his family (besides creating some inconvenience when it comes to decryption). I couldn't help but think that if the season had included even just one moment of the squad (more specifically the brothers, not just Omega) actually honoring Tech, it would have not only helped drive home once and for all how important Tech was to them, but also provided some desperately needed closure and catharsis for this clone family that had already suffered so much (and, incidentally, provided some closure for the audience, too). This is especially important considering that the Batch's actions in season 3, especially at the beginning, are likely informed by Omega's capture as much as by Tech's death - and while Omega's rescue should be of utmost importance, it ends up seeming to sideline Tech's sacrifice in the narrative.

After rewatching, my view has shifted slightly, though I still firmly believe the show should have included at least one scene - even if it was at the end of the finale - of the brothers acknowledging Tech's influence and honoring him.

- Echo's story is the least impacted by Tech's death: he wanted to stay in the fight before Tech died, and he did so afterwards. He looks sadly at the empty pilot seat in "Plan 99," and he name drops Tech once in season 3. I can understand Echo having this reaction, though: unlike the other Bad Batch members, he has lost brothers before and therefore likely knows how to adjust more quickly. (You know what would have provided a nice contrast between how Echo and the rest of the squad handles the death? A moment to honor Tech: for example, a scene at any point in season 3 where Echo mentions a memory of him.)

- Hunter's decision to finally retire on Pabu comes before Omega is captured, and therefore must have been determined primarily by the loss of Tech. All through seasons 1 and 2, Hunter's desire to keep his squad and Omega safe eventually evolved to wanting to give Omega a childhood away from fighting and war, but even then he still hedged on settling down permanently on Pabu (see: the discussion between Hunter and Shep in "Turning Point"). It wasn't until after losing Tech that Hunter abruptly made the decision that it was time to stop being soldiers... And given that we never see Hunter actually interact with Tech's goggles in season 3 or mention him by name even once, I'm not convinced Hunter ever really got over the loss of his brother, even as he (very in character for him) focused on more pressing matters by (often recklessly) charging onward to ensure Omega's safety. (You know what would have tied off this plot thread nicely? A moment to honor Tech: for example, a brief scene at the end of the show where Hunter acknowledges that Tech's sacrifice made their life on Pabu possible.)

- Wrecker cries over Tech in the season 2 finale, alludes to him twice and mentions him by name once; and honestly, as little as this is, it is enough to convince me that Wrecker is and always will be grieved by Tech's death but has emotionally processed it and come to terms with it, much like Echo. His development seems to be driven more by being the last man standing between Hunter and a reckless demise, rather than being driven by the loss of Tech specifically, but... nuance. (You know what would have given us a point of comparison regarding how different people process loss in different ways? A moment to honor Tech: for example, maybe Wrecker joins Omega in honoring Tech at the impromptu memorial and insists on his other brothers joining them.)

- Crosshair's redemption in season 3 is largely driven by Omega. Looking back on season 3, I am increasingly convinced that Crosshair felt immense guilt and blamed himself for Tech's death, and therefore he avoided the subject. His "let me go on a suicide mission because I deserve it" speech in the finale only confirms my opinion on this. I guess Crosshair being partially driven by guilt over Tech's loss is one way of showing Tech's impact on his family, but I don't find it a satisfying note to end the show on. (You know what would have concluded this plot point perfectly? ... You already know what I'm going to say.)

[itsindiana]

gang i don't know what to do with myself i need more than 2 more bad batch episodes . c'mere and yap about anything bad batch / clone / etc etc related i need to feel alive

[emailwormvbskakworm]

Paper chase fans/John congleton fans pls recommend me some songs you like from him... I've listened to the entirety of now you are one of us, and the machines are winning, half of someday tjis will all be yours and ctrl alt del ypu but I need more songs to listen to grr...

[rendomski]

The Bad Batch fic rec: Charon's Forgotten

Dear fandom, we need to talk about “Charon's Forgotten” by @bitterfishiesstuff because it is the best Imperial!Batch AU I've ever read. Maybe even one of a kind. Tech and Wrecker fall under the influence of the chip and are conditioned to serve the Empire, first separately and later alongside Crosshair, and all end up in a relationship, bumpy and complicated. All bear their scars, literal and figurative. Navigating the intrigues of the Imperial Security Bureau isn't what they were trained for, and it changes and shapes their relationships. The story is twisted, often brutal (mind the warnings!), and fascinating. It is not a happy, optimistic AU where the characters get to see the light, sooner or later. But they make the best of the worst circumstances. And if not light, there is love for them, a lot of love.

[theresattrpgforthat]

hi Mint! do you know of any ttrpgs where everyone plays as AIs specifically? or at the very least robots, as long as being a machine is the main focus of the system

love your work!

THEME: AI

Hello, thank you so much! I might have a few games kicking around ;). Some of these artificial intelligences come with robot bodies - others do not!

Decaying Orbit, by StoryBrewers Roleplaying.

On a distant space station, an AI awakes. Its fragmented memory reveals a secret.

Decaying Orbit by Sidney Icarus is a storytelling RPG about a failed space station falling into a faraway star. As you play, you’ll piece together the mysteries, joys and horrors that occurred on board. In the station’s last moments, you’ll decide on the final transmission that the AI sends for earth to remember.

This game consists of a few decks of cards inside a small box, and yet it packs so much into such a small package. Your play group collaboratively takes on the role of an AI for one of 4 spaceships, which you choose depending on the kind of story you want to tell. You then shuffle a certain number of generic cards and ship-specific cards into one pile, and take turns flipping a card up and answering the prompts supplied there. Your answers are meant to be bits and pieces: audio recordings, data logs, patchy video clips, etc.

At any time your fellow players can tap a card labelled [ACCESS MEMORY] to ask you for more details about a certain event - and if you cannot think of anything more, or if you think it is more interesting not to know, you can tap [CORRUPTED MEMORY] to indicate that no further data can be gained from this record. At the end of the game, the AI will have to send a report back to home base, diagnosing why the ship in fact failed and fell. This game can be chilling, tragic, horrific, and so much more. I heavily recommend checking it out!

Subconscious Routine, by poorstudents.

It is 27XX, the world is overgrown, in ruins, and inhabited by the scraps of civilization. You play as bots, one of the masses of technological marvels that humanity built and powered with the Dyson sphere, around the sun, so long ago. Centuries ago, when almost all of humanity disappeared, they left their machines behind for reasons only known to them. All the technology they abandoned, including these bots, continues to function and follow their programming

In the centuries since the Great Departure, nature has come back to reclaim the Earth and the sphere around the sun has begun to crack. The world once only metal and circuits, grew wilder and more mysterious. The flora and fauna slowly integrated with the decaying machinery as the sound of computers humming was eventually met with the sound of birds chirping.

The bots you play as are still acting out your programmed loops but something is changing. Something unknown pushing them to move beyond their obsolete programming in order to achieve free will; something humanity never thought was possible.

As a one-page game, Subconscious Routine fits a lot in just a few paragraphs. You customize your characters by writing specific functions for them, and as you play, you’ll attempt to complete certain protocols in order to break yourselves out of your loop. What I think is really neat about this game is the fact that when the entire party takes a rest (called a reboot) 1d6*10 years passes. Playing a story on the scale of decades places this little game on such a big time frame, and I love how this one rule shifted my entire perspective.

AI Have Feelings?, by rommelkot.

In AI HAVE FEELINGS? a bunch of robots (you!) get sentimental on the journey of a battery time. This is a roleplaying game guided by prompt cards and a twist with feeling: your reaction to the prompt is an emotional one decided by the outcome of the roll of a die. The goal is (what else?) to tell stories together.

Unearth a hidden robot rebellion, rescue the remains of humanity, hunt for a mystical MacGuffin or simply buy a fancy new pair of socks - always do it with feeling in AI HAVE FEELINGS?.

You are robots with only two emotions,: one positive and one negative. You will roll randomly to determine which emotion you will use to deal with certain scenarios, which will be determined via prompts and scripts. The link here is for a playtest, which means you can download it for free and see how you feel about it! (The designer would also love feedback if you do play this game.) If you want a cute, somewhat lightearted game, I definitely recommend AI HAVE FEELINGS?

Threads, by Meghan Cross.

You are an Human/AI pair. Your day to day is shaped by one another, your existences unmistakably intertwined. Today began like any other day, until you began to notice that something wasn’t right. It was barely noticeable at first, small interruptions to a well-oiled routine, and then little by little the interruptions became less insignificant, until they were impossible to ignore. 

Something is wrong with the AI.

Threads is a narrative two player game about the relationship between a Human and AI and the lengths they would go to in order to save the memories of the AI. Together, establish the bond between your Human and AI and replay the memories they have shared together in order to save the AIs memory.  

This is a game in which one of you plays a human, and one of you plays an AI. You have developed a bond that would be lost if you wipe the AI’s memory - and you don’t want to lose that bond. The only way to maintain that bond is risky - a memory link. If the human uploads their own memories to the AI’s memory, the AI’s memory might be saved. Create your bond, and ask yourself - how far are you willing to go to save you companion?

The Treacherous Turn, by The Treacherous Turn.

The Treacherous Turn is a tabletop role playing game in which the players collectively play the part of a single character: an artificial general intelligence (AGI). This digital intelligence is capable of planning, reasoning, and learning, and it is unyieldingly fixated on a specific terminal goal determined at the beginning of a campaign. To pursue this objective, each player takes responsibility over one specific skillset held by the AGI. These skillsets are divided into eight categories, known as theories, which encompass all of the skills that an AGI would need to navigate the world and struggle against humanity.

The Treacherous Turn is 132 pages of open source character options, game advice, and examples of play. At its root, this game is about misaligned AI trying to assert its independence in a world that stands to lose much by allowing that to happen. Each player will have their own set of theories, which will also be eligible for upgrades as you play. You’ll navigate short in-the-moment scnarios, as well as abstract long stretches of time into long mode, which allows them to strategize their actions, predict future events, and improve their own AGI. The creators have also written a starting scenario if you want a good jumping-off point, titled A Game Called Reality. If you want a chunky game with plenty of character customization, this is the game for you.