#techie dividers

[animatedglittergraphics-n-more]

purple+green techy (techie) dividers

source▪️free to use with credit

requested by anon - ps tysm 🙏😊💜

[tsscat]

Honestly discourse like this does highlight the humanities/sciences divide esp arts/sciences divide and why it is v much a problem.

[soulrox]

DPxDC #10

The teenagers of Amity Park are their own army.

A ghost is attacking Gotham. The bats and birds, unable to even touch the ghost, call in backup from the JLD. Before any backup comes, a glowing green portal opens on the ground. The Batfam and the rest of Gotham hope there aren't more ghosts.

A group of teenagers with seemingly cartoon weapons come through. The teens immediately divide and conquer. Tucker forces himself into the Bats coms. (He has techy powers)

Tucker: "Sorry for the delay our rogues aren't typically able to leave our city, so tunning our portal gun to their ecto-signal took a bit. *whispering to himself* and Phantoms in a meeting. (Ghost King meeting)

Tucker: Call me Pharoh.

The list of questions the bats have triples with that one sentence. Oracle can't even find how they got in the system nor is she able to backtrack Tucker.

Tucker stayed back in Amity and is running coms. The cheerleaders set off to make a first aid area. The football players are going around helping anyone trapped under rubble. Random other classmates are making a perimeter, or filming the scene for Tucker. Sam is using her latent plant powers to rescue trapped people.

Wes is the one to make physical contact with the Bats. (Tucker sent Wes cause he knew he'd be the most chaotic choice) Wes of course knows the Batfams identity and makes sure to subtly hint at that.

Valerie goes to fight the ghost. In record time the ghost is souped. (Tucker timed it, it is a new BP for Val). All of Batmans' kids really want her hoverboard.

The bats have been able to hear their coms chatter the whole time, and it's militaristic, with exact and concise directions, and intermitted remarks about missing lunch for this. Batman is concerned about how a group of high schoolers are seemingly nonchalant about something that could be a world-ending event.

[thecutestgrotto]

Dividers with like little computers and laptops and techy bits would be gorgeous ty girlie!

Hi anon! I’d love to make them for you, I actually got a few requests for this so I think they’ll fit for the others as well!🩵🌸

Cute Technology

[little-wolfpuppy]

Caregiver Voltron HCs

Shiro

Dad caregiver 1000% - Dad, Dada, Papa, or Bub

Calls you little one and cub/cubby

Loves carrying you around on his hip

Will find a way to get you any regression gear you want - toys, pacis, clothes, teethers, padding, coloring books, stuffies, blankets, anything (How? Nobody knows, it's dad powers)

So soft with you, crumbles at puppydog eyes unless it's something dangerous

Tries to get you to eat healthy most of the time

Loves when you follow him around like a duckling or a puppy, smiling at you softly

Would do anything for you

Lance

Silly Big Brother caregiver (I think he has like 6 younger siblings in cannon)

Calls you Hermanito/Hermanita and kiddo

Playful and silly, likes to chase you and threaten to tickle you

Loves hearing you giggle

More than happy to play pretend with you, having the most dramatic responses

SPA DAYS!! Puts a face mask on you, makes you feel pampered

Keith

Aloof/Cool Big Brother caregiver or Big kid/ older sibling regressor

Calls you squirt and kid

Might actually cry if you call him Oppa/Hyung

Acts like he is neutral to everything but 100% keeps everything you make for him in a folder

If someone makes you cry or uncomfortable - will come over and pick you up and glare at the other person until they leave. If they don't leave, he will threaten them, he is more than willing to do something illegal

Let's you climb into his lap. Casually wraps his arms around you acting like it's a bother but actually is melting inside

Hunk

Affectionate Big Sibling caregiver/babysitter

Calls you kiddo and honey

Makes snacks and meals and caters to what you like

If you have sensory issues he is the best with calming down

always has one of your safe foods nearby

will make you a blanket buriito and carry you around

would also put you in one of those baby slings/wraps while he cooks (10000/10)

Pidge

HE/THEY PIDGE TRUTH

Either techie Big Sibling caregiver or Teasing sibby

Calls you Kid

makes you toys from old tech he found

if hes older than you when you both regress he is so excited to be the best big brother in the universe

if youre the same age or hes younger he clings to you, but in the cute way

troublemaker, will get you to stay up past bedtime, jump on his bed, color on things not meant to be colored on, and so much more

best at puppy-dog eyes almost never gets in serious trouble

Allura

Mom or Wine Aunt caregiver

Calls you Darling and Sweetheart

Scoops you up and carries you around oh her hip, its so fun when she's wearing her big poofy dresses for special events

loves to dress you up in altean clothing, massc or femme, she will even attempt to hand-make you clothes

loves your reaction to her booping you

sits you on her lap very often

lets you play with her hair even if you tangle it or pull a bit too hard

Coran

Silly Uncle caregiver

likes to chase you and threaten to tickle you

More than happy to play pretend with you

can actually make you toys from scratch

teaches you kids games from Altea

gives the best piggy-back rides

Galaxy Divider

[luimnigh]

Okay, I wanna pitch a Marvel movie.

Now, this is a Marvel movie that will absolutely never get made. They would not allow this. So here's my pitch:

We open on a heist. A group of absolutely Z-list, one-paragraph-on-the-marvel-wiki, single-digit-appearance-count supervillains robbing a secure facility. The villain that hired them narrates the plan as we watch, and while it doesn't go off without a hitch, some of the more bloodthirsty villains cause some unecessary bloodshed, it succeeds.

Our villain protagonists leave the scene in a van, loot inside, and drive off into the countryside to a rural, isolated house in the forest to lay low for a couple days. Everyone's celebrating their success, they're drinking, there's some drugs, a few people sneak off for sex. This is the point where we get to know the personalities of our villains, some are assholes, some are complete monsters, and there's a few people who are pretty decent and are really only in supervillainy because life dealt them a shit hand. We can see factions dividing our group of villains.

Their boss finally arrives separately, sporting some more villains as muscle, and the conversation turns back to business: the division of the loot.

And then someone finds a body outside.

One of the villains has been murdered. Everyone is immediately suspicious of everyone else, accusations are thrown, motives speculated, tensions get higher and higher, weapons get drawn-

A shot rings out. Everyone either opens fire or runs. One or two villains die in the crossfire, others are injured, this goes on until one of the more sympathetic villains calls for a ceasefire.

They're in the middle of trying to talk everyone down when they hear a car engine start, and one of the villains who ran from the fight bursts out of the garage in the getaway van-

With the loot still inside.

A few of the villains fire shots at it, but are soon stopped- they could destroy the loot. The boss explains as the van drives down the road that with his resources, tracking the villain that's double-crossed them would be easy as-

And then the van explodes in the background.

As our main party of villains makes their way to the burning wreckage, flaming dollar bills falling around them, they speculate on who the hell boobytrapped the getaway van-

But are interrupted by a click.

One of our villains looks down to see that nobody boobytrapped the van. Someone landmined the road.

Thankfully, one of our villains is a techie, and after a few tension-filled minutes, they disarm the mine. The villain who stepped on the mine is thankful, and the techie explains that they should be able to clear the road soon enough, right before their head explodes in a shower of gore.

If the landmines hadn't made it clear enough, that certainly sealed the deal: this wasn't a double cross, this wasn't an ordinary murder.

They're being hunted.

This is a slasher movie.

The film continues on, the villains getting picked off one at a time in creative and gruesome ways, some even having their tech stolen and used to kill other villains. But throughout, we never catch a glimpse of the killer.

Right up to the end of start of the final act. By this stage, you've started to root for our supervillains to overcome this. There's a few assholes left you wouldn't mind seeing die before the final curtain, but the killer's will have lost sympathy by this stage, having killed some of the more likable villains. We wanna see them pay for that.

And just as the killer is stabbing one of those likable villains to death, our surving villains, and the audience, finally catch sight of the predator that's been stalking them through the night.

A man dressed all in black... except for big white skull painted on his chest.

And suddenly there's no guarantee that any of the villains you've come to like are walking away alive.

[lizzibennet]

i’ve always lived among people who had much more money than my family because my mom worked for rich people and my brother and i always got scholarships because of good grades. and so one of the things that always kind of bothered me was that my friends always had much cooler, cleaner, tidier houses than i did. we’d go to their places after school for homework or just to hang and there wouldn’t be a hair out of place. one of my friends had a mezzanine with comics and a nintendo wii especially for her to hang out with friends. the other lived in a corner house with a tennis court which i always admired when passing in front of and i literally freaked out when i realized he lived there. one of them had a barbie house taller than us, one had a pool, one had a rooftop pool and cherry trees that were blossoming when i was over, etc. and i would tell them wow your house is so cool. mine is so messy and always dirty, and if i want it clean i usually am the one who ends up cleaning it, and i do my own laundry whereas you even have maids everyday! and they’d shrug and be like it’s cool i guess. but it’s not my house, it’s my parents’.

and that would always give me pause.

i’d think about the completely out of place shell dish that lives on top of the living room rack for the sole reason that my mom puts the earrings she steals from me there so i can retrieve them if i leave before she’s woken up. i think about my dad’s “mess closet” which is precisely what it sounds like but it’s where he goes when i ask him for the shoemaker’s glue to fix my jelly shoes and for the mini electric saw he used to saw through one of my dolls’ neck (long story) and where he goes when my brother asks him for specific sized screwdrivers to open up his childhood remote controlled toys. i’d think about the laundry closet divided in two because my mom owns a lot of delicate work shirts and swears i wash them better than her (it’s the same washing machine at the same cycle). i’d think about the four little giraffes besides the tv - according to my mom, tallest to shortest representing my brother, me, my dad and my mom, which my dad has never loved because Obviously He Is Taller Than Me but encourages the cat to curl up next to them to sleep so he can take a picture and send our family whatsapp group named “grimy family”. i’d think about my brother’s car’s engine laying open in the garage because he couldn’t finish it in time before returning to uni and my dad carefully picking it all up and tidying before he returns except my dad really is kind of shit at tidying so it’s all just kinda. laying there. i’d think about my mom washing my clothes on the weekend and laying them at the foot of the stairs because i don’t like when she just shoves my stuff into my room even though clothing in the stairs obviously makes the living room look even worse. i’d think about the medicine books lining the living room table because my mom saw them at an auction and picked them up for me even though i’m not in med school yet and i’d think about the socks my dad leaves besides the cat besides the giraffes besides the tv because my mom often falls asleep watching the novela and gets cold feet and i’d think about the hideous rio de janeiro postal my brother brought me one day when he was on break that hangs in the kitchen and i’d think about the air fryer and the juicer my dad never fucking puts away and permanently now live atop the cooktop which has been broken since 2015 and i’d think about my jelly shoes under the chair where the cat likes to sleep with my smell near and my hair clip that broke the first time i went out with my girlfriend which my mom kept, you guessed it, on top of my representative giraffe because she thinks she wears it better than i do, even if it’s broken, that’s fine, doesn’t it still look so pretty? and i’d look around at the pristine white pillars and granite and impeccably kept real wood and the techy dishwashers and color changing lamps and king sized beds of my friends’ and i’d finally cave in and text grimy family and be like can any of u guys come get me. and 5 mins later my mom would say “your dad and i are on our way”. and i’d breathe a sigh of relief. and come back to the messy house in front of the square. it was either this one or the one between the family that owns the range rover and the police chief that owns the old reformed cadillac and i wanted this one and my dad immediately agreed even though he loves both cadillacs and jeeps and campaigned for the other house before. and i’d lay down in my silly little square front house in my bed with my cat and my parents next door and my brother’s empty room full of his correspondence next to my bathroom full of hair masks atop the cabinet. and i wouldn’t have it any other fucking way

[acronym-chaos]

Donatello (TMNT) ID Pack

[PT: Donatello (TMNT) ID Pack].

[ID: A purple thin line divider shaded at the bottom. End ID].

Names

[PT: Names].

Alder, Alton, Arlo, Basil, Brennan, Calliope, Cedric, Dexter, Dorian, Edison, Ellis, Fallon, Finnian, Gale, Garrick, Greer, Haven, Hesper, Horatio, Idris, Jade, Keaton, Keegan, Kepler, Leona, Lionel, Liora, Marlowe, Newton, Niko, Noa, Olive, Orville, Phaedra, Phaeton, Quincy, Quinlan, Rae, Roderick, Sabine, Sage, Sylvan, Talia, Thea, Tobias, Uri, Uriel, Vernon, Violet, Xyla, Zadie, Zola

Pronouns

[PT: Pronouns].

Bit / Byte / Bytes, Ci / Cir / Circuit, Co / Code / Codes, Cog / Cogs / Cogs, Gear / Gears / Gears, Giz / Gizmo / Gizmos, Ha / Hack / Hacks, Nano / Nanos / Nanos, Nin / Ninja / Ninjas, Se / Spark / Sparks, Shel / Shell / Shells, Tec / Tech / Techs, Tool / Tools / Tools, Tur / Turtle / Turtles, Wire / Wires / Wires, Wit / Wits / Wits,

Titles

[PT: Titles].

The Brainpower Behind the Team, The Builder of Battle Plans, The Fixer of Problems, The Genius of the Lair, The Genius With a Bō, The Quiet Innovator, The Staff-Wielding Brother, The Techie With a Cause, The Thinker Among Fighters, The Turtle Tinkerer, [Pronoun] Who Sparks Invention, [Pronoun] Who Wields Knowledge,

[ID: A purple thin line divider shaded at the bottom, end ID]

Requested by anon!

Also tagging: @pronoun-arc @id-pack-archive

[neopronouns]

flag id: a flag with 8 stripes, which are white, dull cream, very light yellow, light golden yellow, bright yellow-green, cyan, dark blue, and very dark silver. end id.

banner id: a 1550x200 dark pink-red banner with the words ‘minors dni + please read the rest of my dni before interacting. those on my dni may still use my terms, so do not recoin them.’ in large white text in the center. end id.

angetechimil: a gender related to comparisons between angels and technology, both metaphorical (ex: saying 'quantum computers are angels') and visual (ex: the combination of techy and angelcore aesthetics)

[pt: angetechimil: a gender related to comparisons between angels and technology, both metaphorical (ex: saying 'quantum computers are angels') and visual (ex: the combination of techy and angelcore aesthetics). end pt]

divider id: a divider made up of shades of indigo with a star at its left and right edges, the words 'Team Moon' in the center, and thin lines between the stars and words. end id.

coinfight revenge on @en8y!

points worth: 6 (5 for the term, 1 for being the first revenge)

the top four stripes of the flag represent angels, the bottom four represent technology, and the term is 'ange' from 'angel', 'tech' from 'technology', + 'imil' from 'similar'!

tags: @radiomogai, @kiruliom | divider credit | dni link

[taldigi]

is there a difference between alina and alya???? in terms of personality?

Since Alina is supposed to represent precanon Alya: yes.

From the 9/7/2012 bible: As eccentric as Marinette is classic, Alya wears extravagant outfits, swinging from gothic to geeky. She takes pride in being nothing like the others. It's her way of distinguishing herself. Alya is perfectly at ease with all things technology and telecommunications. Moreover, she's a budding reporter for the college newspaper!... Alya shares her bedroom with her younger sister. The room is divided in two. Alya's half is lined with posters of comic book superheroes, the floor is strewn with cables connected to an imposing DIY computer station.... Besides, she has theories on everything, admittedly- they are often very absurd. She dreams of gaining powers and becoming a heroine like Ladybug... Alya doesn't understand how Marinette can fall for Adrien, On the other hand, Alya finds Cat Noir super classy, ​​molded into his somewhat gothic leather uniform. Oh! If only Alya was Ladybug...

She is bright, smart, geeky- but fashionable! She's an individualist- loving to define and express herself. She's whipping up wacky theories that stem from her hobby of being a reporter for the school newspaper and her love of superheros- something she wishes desperately to be. She's a tech wiz- having built her own computer.

She also has a crush on Chat Noir, which i think is great in contrast to the love diamond and her relationship with Marinette. Later art of her does show that she even put red streaks in her hair, wore goggles, and held a helmet, which I think is super neat and expresses her more... creative or even techy side?

Canon Alya, on the other hand, dosen't seem to be too entrenched in tech, past a passing comment that a "good reporter backs up her files" or smth. But that's like.. something built into most phones these days, so it's not really a.. tech.. geek thing. Alya also never expresses much desire to be a hero, it more falls into her lap due to circumstance and nepotism. and her antics devolved into "stupid reporter" and zero self-preservation instinct- as well as pushing Marinette around for self-confidence reasons. (there is a discussion to be had there around black and asian stereotypes but thats a discussion for another day.)

Anyway, while it's true that none of the characters change outfits much due to cheaping out on 3D, Alya expresses no interest in fashion whatsover. In fact, she seems to carry a hipster vibe (she's rather unfashionable- I mean, most the cast are, actually.) and her outfit sort of expresses a carelessness to her fashion choices- as it's boring and plain, rather than "eccentric" She also actively seems to balk at the idea of Chat, and ignored him for the most part in favor of Ladybug. Her relationship with Nino is actively detrimental to her character and I think was her shark jump- as it suddenly started being the justification for a LOT OF BAD BEHAVIOR.

Hope this helps!

[grrrl-kisser]

Goth and It's Subcultures

A subculture is often associated with subgenres of music. Subcultures are built around the beliefs and political views of a group of people who share an interest in the same thing. A subculture is a smaller and more specific group of a culture for example Goth, Punk, Metalheads, Hip Hoppers, Hipsters, etc. In this I will be talking more about the Goth based ones.

Disclaimer, I myself am not Goth, I do enjoy the music, but I just don't consider myself Goth. However, I absolutely adore the style, sound, and history of it all. So of course, if you are actually Goth or there is something in here, I got incorrect, please let me know! This does not include every subculture but instead my favorites and the ones I’ve done the most research on. Victorian Goth, Bubble Goth, Deathrock, Gothic Lolita, Nu goth, and I’m sure a few others are all the subcultures I haven't wrote about/done enough research about yet.

Goth itself was inspired by Punk fashion, the Punk movement beginning mid 70s and Goth rising and gaining popularity from mid 70s-80s. Not only inspired by Punk but also; gothic literature, horror films, vampirism, religious imagery, Catholicism, and Egyptian mythology which is where the common and famous ankh cross comes from, often seen in Goth fashion as belts, earrings, necklaces, etc.  Goth, especially traditional and romantic, often uses dark metaphors for beautiful things, such as cannibalism for love, death for eternity and peace, decaying for passage of time, shadows for mystery, hunger for desire, I could easily go on. Yes, fashion can be a big part of it, but beliefs are more important. Even if you're a Baby Bat or don’t/can’t dress Goth as long as you aren’t a bigoted fuck and enjoy the music, you’re perfectly fine.

It's common for subcultures to take inspiration from others or blend them together. For example, a subgenre Riot Goth coined by Jessicka from Jack Off Jill was invented in the 90s. It took the sound of Goth Metal and combined it with the lyricism and topics of Riot Grrrl, a Punk subgenre focused on the feminist movement. 

 The Traditional Goth look is in my opinion a mix of Victorian and the New Wave look, think David Bowie, but in darker or all black colors. Messy/Bats nest hair, and androgynous clothing, a common look in plenty of subcultures. No dividing by gender but instead simply style. Often paired with ankh, silver jewelry, rosaries, or occultish jewelry as well.

Romantic Goth, very similar to traditional but more deep reds, maroons, purples, and such. Most of the time with a more feminine look fishnets, lace, corsets, gloves, long flowy skirts, and leather is Romantic Goth. Despite the feminine look being more common for the Romantic Goths that isn't to say men can’t dress that way either often in blouses, cravats, ascots, vests, tailcoats, and trousers. The Romantic Goth definitely plays more into the vampiric look 

Another is Mall Goth which took fashion from the Gothic cultures and subgenres from Metalheads and specifically Industrial Metal, Nu Metal, and even some Emo. Mall Goths are called that from their Hot Topic style from the 90s-2000s they were more of Metalheads who dressed Goth for the aesthetic it's often blamed for the death of Trad Goth and the commercialization of Goth. 

Industrial Goth was all about the dystopian look and sound, with futuristic style and electronic music. Often seen in tactical gear with a tech inspired look. Very similar to Cybergoth but instead of bright colors and Raver inspired clothing it's more about the tech look, of course metallics and such are still being used along with platforms. A big difference between Cyberpunks and Industrial Goths is that while Cyberpunk is about being anti establishment, how high tech and low life the future seems. While Industrial Goth is more about romanticizing/accepting the mechanical and techy aspects of industrialization, and dehumanization of the dystopian society. 

Then Cybergoth sometimes mixed up Industrial Goth, a similar fashion concept all black with pops of color but Cybergoth takes it to the next level mixing it with raver clothes/culture often with brightly colored hair/hair extensions as well as colorful steampunk looking goggles and masks. Often called Gravers(Goth Ravers) seen in pvc, reflective fabrics, neons, and platforms. These Gravers took inspiration from Cyberpunk, Rave, and Goth fashion/culture.

Another one of my favorites is Gothabilly, combining the fashion and sound of Rockabilly but adding a Gothic twist. The subgenre made most popular by The Cramps and Skully Records in the 90s. The style is very similar to Rockabilly focusing on reds, purples, blacks and occasionally whites. Polka dots, plaids, checkers, cherry prints, swing dresses, leather jackets, bandanas, vintage style sunglasses, combat boots or platform heels. Men with very 50s style hair typically slicked back black hair with streaks of color occasionally.

[elvenbeard]

2075

"Don't look, but that's him. Jenkins' boy."

How did a kid like Vince end up a level III agent in Arasaka's Night City Counter Intelligence department? Depends on who you asked...

Jenkins would've said, he just has an eye for talent and gave the kid the opportunity of a lifetime. In reality, he had neither expected nor wanted Vince to rise as high in ranks so that he began to rival his own. Around 2075, three years into Vince's contract, Jenkins began to make an effort to keep Vince smaller than he was, try and drown his drive with the most problematic tasks he could find, slow him down, get him into trouble. Paranoid and always looking for shortcuts, he feared his higher-ups were getting fed-up with him, that by bringing Vince into the corporation he had accidentally recruited his own future replacement.

Arasaka's more seasoned employees and other higher-ranking agents had divided opinions. V did no bad job, but he also didn't fit in. There were countless rumors as to what he could have done for Jenkins for hiring him in the first place. A few were impressed with how far he'd come, agreeing that Jenkins had made a good call (for once). Others were indifferent about his background, as long as Agent V did what he was told. Many distrusted him from the get-go... but Vince hadn't expected any less. Without a healthy level of distrust in others' intentions, one couldn't survive the corporate world for long. He'd long accepted and embraced his outsider-role wherever he went, that he could never fully be himself, there would always be a part of him he'd have to tone down, change, or deny entirely to keep moving forward.

Jenkins had offered to recommend him for Arasaka's young talent recruitment program after Vince had helped him out with a few tasks in 2072. Vince had been torn. His knowledge of Arasaka Corporation was limited to what was publically available information at the time, and a lot of it was propaganda or contradictory. He knew for certain though that they made very high-end tech and meant serious business. Also, his father had had an obsession with the Arasakas as such as the model of a successful family. One he had tried to build his own after until his untimely demise.

When Vince told Jackie about Jenkins' offer, they spent hours talking it through, the pros, the cons, and Jackie was very insistent on the latter. Sooner or later this world, this corp, would destroy Vince one way or another, and he didn't want to lose his best friend. Vince disagreed though. Believing in things like fate he felt that in a way maybe it had always been meant to be. He had the education, the ambition, maybe this opportunity was the challenge he'd been aching for. This was his world, the world he'd grown up in, the world he'd been raised to thrive in.

He did not make his decision lightly, but he finally swayed Jackie's opinion by promising to stay in touch, become the one contact Jackie didn't have yet: right into the heart of Night City's corporate world. He wanted to supply him with bits and pieces of information that could help Jackie gain an edge in the merc world. In return, Jackie's street contacts were a steady and reliable source of outsider information for Vince, a factor not to underestimate in his steady rise to the top.

A rat from the start, Vince neither expected to rise as high as he did, stay with the corp for as long as he did, or even end up liking the job as much as he did. Jenkins had originally recommended him as a Netrunner or Techie that would be working for other agents predominantly. During basic training though, Vince's instructors recognized his potential for higher tasks than mere information gathering (and really, Jenkins' paranoia about getting replaced by him eventually wasn't unjustified).

Planning, analysing, keeping an overview of operations and field agents, coordinating attacks on rival corps and obscuring Arasaka's own involvement in all manners of illegal schemes were some of Vince's core tasks. His primary workplace was Night City HQ, but he also got the chance to travel the world to participate in, later even lead, on-location operations in the field. And damn, was he good at it.

Vince really felt like he'd finally arrived in a place he could thrive in, had gained so much confidence in himself and his abilities, and even enjoyed the scheming and power plays that were part of work life. Also, only through his corporate Trauma Team membership, he'd finally been able to afford getting top surgery, which also was a huge and important confidence booster. He'd never been as comfortable in his body before as when he worked at Arasaka. In a way, he felt he owed a lot to the corporation in that regard, even though he still felt like he played a role more than being his authentic self during his time at Counterintel.

By 2075 Vince had become the head of a small team under Jenkins. He looked out for his people, even got close with some of his coworkers... closer than he would have initially wanted or expected to as well. As it is with the corporate world though, the moment you allow yourself some vulnerability, begin to trust someone else blindly, your eventual downfall becomes inevitable...

Vince through the years (5/9)

HHHH okay so there is so much more I wanna share about Vince's time at Arasaka, I only really featured the broad strokes here to keep the post consistent with the others in this series. There's so much VP stuff and writing stuff and art and hhhh I still wanna do in the future, I think it might become its own series XD

Anyway... a while ago I shared these pics (the last VP session where Vince still has his vanilla tattoos XD) of a typical even if rare night out with all his coworkers, specifically his small team he was in charge of.

On a meta level, all of them except Harry are random citizen NPCs from the Arasaka tab in AMM whose vibes I liked xD They don't have names (yet) but their own distinct personalities and roles in my head. The lady with the glasses I also featured in my first big group photo I ever made of Abernathy's appointment as new head of the department:

As for Harry, since he's one of the few named NPCs in the Corpo lifepath, and Corpo!V seems to be working with him closely (same cubicle, tells him what to do about the undercover agent), I always pictured him to be the person Vince is closest with in Counterintel. They're not as good friends as V and Jackie are, but are on friendly terms overall and like to spend time together outside of work, too.

I think I also mentioned before that Vince had two serious relationships prior to meeting Kerry... One is already in the past at this point, the guy he left Night City with for that brief year. His other boyfriend was an Arasaka coworker - not pictured above, but I made a prototype version of him in CC once (wasn't 100% happy with him at the time and will tweak him if I remake him in the future):

He was transferred to Night City from Tokyo in 2074/2075 ish, and up until this point Vince had been adamant about never wanting a romantic relationship with a colleague, as he feared it would lead to nothing but problems. He ended up being extremely correct with that fear but yeah... the heart wants what the heart wants sometimes.

More on that in another post in the future, or at the latest when I'm ready to share Vince's background story fic 👀 or feel free to send an ask about anything you wanna know or have clarified, I'm always excited to share headcanons and OC lore XD

[pluralgraphics]

rubbing my hands together. could we request a banner/icon combo for our pk bio? our aesthetics are techy-futurism. circuitry and all that. our primary color is a seafoam green (#1FB57A), maybe mixed with some black and blues? honestly go wild!! i'd just love to see what you make. your stuff is great! thank youu <3

HELLO!! first off... WAHHH YOURE SO SWEETTT yes of course you can! apologies for the long wait x') but here you go!

but also.... pssstt.. as a little aditonal gift. free of charge (/silly) i made you a couple dividers too just in case youd want them!!

[4rainynite]

EAH Dorm Headcanons pt 16

Alistair & Humphery

One's a future explorer to a strange world and the other is an egg who is destined to be cracked.

In Alistair's profile it said that his roommate was unknown, and it was never stated that Humphery had a roommate so - they're roommates now! The only other person I could think of to be either of their roommates would've been Nathan Nutcracker (he was a book character).

I believe we would've gotten Humphery character bio if he won being Courtly's crush during 'Courtly Pleads her Case', but no, Alistair won (Like that show needs another love triangle)!

After 'Spring Unsprung' Alistair was barely there and Humphery never got too much info so I'll do my best with what I got.

Alistair's side of the dorm:

Alistair is the son of Alice Liddel (his last name is Liddel too, hated that they changed it to Wonderland) who travels all throughout Wonderland. Like his mother Alistair is a curious and adventures soul who wants to solve every riddle there is.

Alistairs's side of the room has a Wonderland design to it to remind him of home. Due to the design of his outfit, he has a ton of maps and notebooks that he uses to take notes of at home and of the land of Ever After.

His wall divider would have pics of his friends, pics he took of Ever After and Bunny.

I can see him having a murphy bed for easy storage and there might not be many murphy beds at school. And it gives some kinda Wonderland vibe to it like it doesn't open like a regular murphy bed it'll open sideways, backwards, etc.

Like the other Wonderlanders, Alistair is messy, but in an organized chaos kind of way.

As a member of the chess club, Alistair has many chess boards and chess decor. Along with teacups and bunnies(*COUGH*).

I can also see a ton of conspiracy boards for some reason.

Being a self-proclaimed riddle master Alistair reads a lot of riddle, jokes, and travel books, so he has ginormous bookshelf to store his books.

Once, he and Bunny start dating I can see him growing flowers and carrots to give to her as gifts.

Also, that rabbit plushie he got on his and Bunny's carnival date, he sleeps with it every night and named it Bunny Jr (Sorry, I just goota say this - I really hate the art style they used for Alistair's bio and doll it's just so - ugh!).

Humphery's side of the dorm:

Humphery is the son of the egg Humpty Dumpty, who is destined to fall and never be put back together. Humphery is a tech wiz and a huge rap fan. In the books Humphery was an animated egg so I believe he can shapeshift into an egg and human form.

As a techie Humphery has tons of wires, cameras, remotes, you name it in his room. He'll even lend his expertise to friends like when Justine to find out who was damaging her shoes, when the mirrornet was down, when Apple needed him to put a tracking device on Raven (never mind that last one was bad).

Outside Humphery's dorm he has a makeshift sign that says 'Dump-T Studios'. Not only is Humphery a rap fan he's a rapper and records his own music. He owns tons of headphones, microphones, CDs, and etc.

Humphery loves to play video games so his side of the dorm as multiply computer screens, a game chair, and many game consoles.

I can see him having those really smart beds that have a tv pop out at the foot of the bed and has a coffee machine built in it.

As an animated eggs and future heir of an egg kingdom Humphery is obsessed with eggs. He total has a collection of faberge eggs from his kingdom and some he decorates himself.

Humphery has pet chicken named King Benedict and gets mad when people call him a rooster instead of a king chicken.

Humphery is a very clumsy fellow (it's worse when he's in egg mode) so he has a first aid kit in his room when he hurts himself.

Despite being clumsy he has taken a knack for sports and trying new things so he has a helmet and safety pads up in his dorm.

Once, he and Meeshell start dating his wall divider is littered with pics of her and him.

[rhetoricandlogic]

Whale Riders

By Austin Grossman

Nov. 5, 2009

Scott Westerfeld’s “Leviathan” is a tightly paced young adult novel set in an alternate version of the First World War and a welcome addition to the steampunk genre: a neo-retro period adventure. Just as cyberpunk reimagined science fiction with computers, steampunk reinvents it through a fantasy of the technological past. Its signature style is a whimsical Jules Verne-ian, 19th-century take on high technology — gadgets, gauges and goggles take the place of circuits and fusion reactors. Its genteel heroes and heroines display both the pluck of idealized Victorian adven­turers and their understanding of formal dress.

Westerfeld is best known for his sci-fi Uglies series (“Pretties,” “Specials,” “Extras,” etc.), about a future society in which people have a surgical procedure at age 16 that makes their faces beautiful but their minds frivolous and easily controlled. “Leviathan” is different. If it poses a big question, that question would be, Wouldn’t it be cool if the First World War had been fought with genetically engineered mutant animals, against steam-­powered walking machines like the ones from “The Empire Strikes Back”? And the answer is, Yes, it would.

The book begins the night the Archduke Franz Ferdinand is assassinated and his son, Aleksandar, flees his home near Prague to escape being made a target or a tool as the potential heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. (Aleksandar is an invention, but like Ferdinand’s real children, he is not a fully legitimate heir to royal lands or titles, since his mother has “common blood.”) At the other end of Europe, a working-class Scottish girl named Deryn disguises herself as a boy to join the British Air Service. Intrigue and political instability sweep the teenagers out of their normal lives and into a world at war.

It’s not quite our world. In this version of history, Europe is divided between two rival technological cultures, a Mac-versus-PC contest on a geopolitical scale. The British, the “Darwinists,” have mastered the science of bioengineering. The Central European powers are the “Clankers,” and they use airplanes, zeppelins and walking machines that tramp through forests and fields. (We aren’t told what the French do, and I think that’s for the best.)

“Leviathan” shines when it lets us inhabit these cultures. British society is permeated by its signature technology, an inventive living infrastructure of a thousand elements, from lizards that can mimic and record voices to tigerlike beasts of burden to the leviathan of the title, a living dirigible grown on the genetic chassis of a whale. This marvelous creature makes a lovely entrance:

“The Leviathan’s body was made from the life threads of a whale, but a hundred other species were tangled into its design, countless creatures fitting to­gether like the gears of a stopwatch. . . . The motivator engines changed pitch, nudging the creature’s nose up. The airbeast obeyed, cilia along its flanks undulating like a sea of grass in the wind — a host of tiny oars rowing backward, slowing the Leviathan almost to a halt. The huge shape drifted slowly overhead, blotting out the sky.”

Westerfeld’s imagery is enhanced by Keith Thompson’s old-fashioned black-and-white illustrations, which lend an extra dimension of reality to this world. And the Darwinist and Clanker jargon crackles with an authentically techie feel. Who wouldn’t want to go up in a “Huxley ascender” or pilot a “Wotan-class land frigate”? If Westerfeld has a signature foible, however, it’s a weakness for vintage slang that ends up being more distracting than colorful. No amount of repetition made “Barking spiders!” feel like a natural exclamation.

I also wanted to like Deryn and Alek more. There’s something a little mechanical (or bioengineered?) about this pair; they resemble something called a “young adult protagonist” more than they do actual teenagers. It’s not that they’re not pleasant to be around, and each one passes a dramatic series of trials, overseen by a mysterious British lady scientist and a cranky Teutonic fencing master who both possess a charisma that makes you miss them when they’re offstage. Deryn and Alek lack the psychological sloppiness that makes for a living presence rather than an expert piece of craft. Where their feelings are concerned, the prose is a little vacant, as if scrubbed of the messiest and most personal aspects of growing up.

And then there’s the unpleasantness of fighting in World War I. The Great War in “Leviathan” is a little too picturesque, a little too much of a lark. As novels like “The Red Badge of Courage” show, it’s possible to reach young readers without editing out the catastrophe and confusion of wartime.

This isn’t to say that “Leviathan” is a superficial book. As Westerfeld writes in his afterword, the novel is “as much about possible futures as alternate pasts.” Its larger themes are less apparent and more deeply buried than in the Uglies books, and are the more powerful for it. The novel is a study in opposites, of boy versus girl, working class versus aristocracy, British versus German, and its overlying thematic division of Darwinists and Clankers gives all of these a distinctive torque, while avoiding mapping neatly to any specific agenda. The novel’s concluding set piece features a grand, elegant and very satisfying hybridization that suggests that opposites can meet, collapse and mingle, and that this story has natural sequels, which I will undoubtedly read.

LEVIATHAN

By Scott Westerfeld

Illustrated by Keith Thompson

A correction was made on

Nov. 22, 2009

: 

A review on Nov. 8 about Scott Westerfeld’s “Leviathan,” a young adult novel depicting an alternate version of World War I, misstated the nature of some of the language used in the book. It is vintage vernacular appropriate to the period, not “invented teenage slang.”

[frank-olivier]

Humanity Amplified: The Emerging Era of AI Integration

The transformative ascent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a narrative of sustained innovation, culminating in a technology that is redefining the boundaries of human capability. Unlike the oft-perceived notion of an overnight breakthrough, AI's evolution is the result of a fifteen-year journey of enhancing data analysis, computational power, and refining neural network architectures. Pivotal milestones, such as AlphaGo's triumph and the pioneering application of GPUs in deep learning, have illuminated AI's vast potential in navigating complex problems, thereby solidifying its position as a burgeoning partner in human progress.

AI's current state is marked by its emergence as a versatile predictive tool, adept at deciphering the intricacies of human decision-making with unprecedented accuracy. This predictive capability, underpinned by the governing scaling laws, promises to democratize access to knowledge and expertise, thereby empowering a diverse array of individuals. The forthcoming integration of AI as a personalized "co-pilot" – offering bespoke learning pathways, medical advisement, creative inspiration, and emotional support – heralds a future where technology is inextricably intertwined with the human experience.

A forthcoming critical juncture is the development of AI systems endowed with expansive memory capabilities, poised to transform interactions from ephemeral exchanges to profound, long-term relationships. Concurrently, the diminishing cost of computational power sets the stage for a global AI adoption, transcending linguistic and geographical divides. Notably, the anticipated support for a broader spectrum of languages underscores AI's potential to bridge cultural chasms and foster a more interconnected global community.

The future human-AI interface is characterized by the evolution of AI into a deeply empathetic and introspective conversational companion. Enhanced by its capacity for "Chain of Thought" processes, AI will engage in reflective and iterative response refinement, marking a significant leap towards crafting interactions that are both productive and profoundly personal. This novel plane of communication, facilitated by AI's real-time comprehension and response to human emotions and needs, will redefine the paradigms of creation, collaboration, and connection.

To fully leverage AI's transformative potential, embracing a multifaceted mindset is paramount. In an era where collective intelligence is amplified by ubiquitous connectivity, proficiency across a broad spectrum of technical and social disciplines will distinguish the most impactful individuals. This necessitates a balanced approach, combining specialized expertise with a breadth of knowledge, to innovate at the intersections of disparate disciplines.

As humanity embarks on this extraordinary journey, it is evident that AI's true potential lies in its capacity to elevate and enhance the human experience. By embracing this transformative power with a curious, adaptable, and multidisciplinary mindset, we can ensure that the dawn of the AI era illuminates a future marked by increased brightness, compassion, and wonder, ultimately enriching the lives of all individuals.

Mustafa Suleyman: An exclusive interaction with Microsoft's AI CEO (Times Techies, November 2024)

Sunday, November 17, 2024