#xyzoul

[joviantwelve]

the newest meme, OCs my friend chat have adopted as mascots edition: Carmichael and @diddgery's Vixie

[joviantwelve]

This came out so good! 😭 LOOK AT THEM

commission for @joviantwelve of their characters, Ivanna and Carmicheal! thank you so much!!

[joviantwelve]

[joviantwelve]

What are “current” androids like in XYZoul, out of curiosity? I noticed that Carmichael was a bit out of date around the time the story starts, so I wonder what newer models are like. Are there any aesthetic differences, things of that sort?

(Totally not rotating the idea of my own robobutler in this setting, if that’s okay of course)

fun question! I'm using them as a device to comment on where I feel modern tech is going, so the "rapid evolution of the tech" early adoption period is over in present canon. base system capabilities are still similar as they were from years back. the AI they come equipped with still learns things at similar paces, still has similar conversational functionality, etc, but since this is also satire, the newer ones also have more bloatware, harder to hack walled garden-style OSes, subscription-based update cycles, harder to open/repair, or internet-connected spying features no one asked for. LMAO

other improvements would be more or less what you expect from the endless forward march of technology, like faster connection speed, more storage, wider customization options, more fluid/realistic movements and responses to terrain, larger batteries and more convenient ways to charge them, etc.

the notable thing for Carmichael specifically is that he still has a mostly "mechanical"-looking body with joints and such. the only places with synthetic skin are his neck/face, hence why he's fully clothed. it was a cost-cutting measure in-universe, so that sort of tech is more feasible now.

I really like to think of "sentient robotic life" as being similar to computers, so that's the angle I take. so for Carmichael, he came from a small forward-thinking manufacturer that since went out of business, so he'd be like. the kind of computer you hear about 20 years after it was discontinued as like an Interesting Tech Oddity that's only really appreciated by Hobbyists nowadays. dshjkfhsdf

Carmichael's manufacturer had an emphasis on human form before it became more feasible in-universe, so at the time of purchase he was seen as fancy but also expensive, form over function, a bit costly in comparison to what you got features-wise but Ivanna wanted a funny little butler bot SO HEY! in that sense she got everything she wanted.

note about "butler bot"--manufacturers also vary on what purposes they create their androids for. some of them are generalist/hobbyist focused but others come equipped with software and hardware for specific industries, usually service. Carmichael's function is "personal assistant" at the base, and he's technically more like a valet or a concierge, but yknow. it's the post-apocalypse 2100s no one knows what an early 1900s butler is like anymore nor do they care. it's all in the presentation.

aesthetics would be down to the manufacturer and the buyer's preferences--since they're a very expensive consumer product, most of them are customizable and built to order. if you just wanted an in-home robot helper, or a robot to help with industry automation, there are capital-R Robots for that, streamlined for those purposes and thus not human at all. androids don't get made for hard labor because it's a waste of resources; they're specifically to replace humans in human-facing jobs, or to be Rich People's Personal Assistants. customization is more or less the highlight, and I imagine the manufacturer's suite of available styles factors into a prospective buyer's decision. there are some that look fully human, but others still that play up a robot look deliberately, with no synthetic skin at all. please, imagine with me a gamer LEDs-style android. thank you.

as for your parenthetical, I certainly don't hold any copyright over the concept of androids, or butlers, or android butlers. if the character's design and story context are different beyond those two factors, then there are no toes stepped on 👍

[joviantwelve]

So, that new meme...

[joviantwelve]

I STILL LOVE THIS!!! tysm!!

Art Fight 2023: Computer Shenanigans

Left OC is XYZ🕒ul (Pronounced space-time-soul) by @joviantwelve

Right OC is Ephemeris [Bragi Form] by me

[joviantwelve]

Kaduceus Mourani, a minor XYZoul character.  this is his ref pic for now but I wouldn’t call it “formal” since I’m still playing around with some colors and outfit details.  (& also the proper ref pics have less active poses on purpose, but I really like drawing fun poses...)

He’s the back-alley neurosurgeon that implanted the prototype psionic circuit into Azriel’s brain.  He’s a bit of a mad scientist, running an underground fighting ring of cyborg combatants, that often come to him for performance enhancing add-ons.  Free test subjects!  He is offended when you tell him he’s not a real doctor. 

He’s also trans and Deaf.  After a lifetime of being incredibly prodigious in the field but no one giving him opportunities, he simply did surgery on himself.  His visor and stitching on his arms are part of his pride and joy, an implant he invented that actively “translates” his signs in a text-to-speech voice, and interprets the voices around him as text on the visor for him to read.  No one wanted to accomodate him, so fuck it, he accomodated himself.

The text-to-speech voice is one of those current-day, obviously robot ones.  Personally I hear it as Microsoft David.  Kaduceus himself is incredibly blunt and sarcastic, which produces funny results when ran through the voice.  He doesn’t care, though; if he wanted it “realistic” he would’ve done that instead.  Plus, he’s surrounded by cracked out cyborg bodyguards.  Are you really going to criticize this guy??

I am slightly obsessed with him if you can’t tell.  I feel like I made an anime version of a crash bandicoot villain here or something.

[joviantwelve]

A recent piece...that I like a lot...because I am gay...and have brainworms.

[joviantwelve]

who that red and black cybergoth beefcake dude is? he a robot? some guy who just thinks robot tattoos would make him look badass? antagonist, or just an edgelord?

(context: this post)

God. okay. his name is Bruno, and he's one of the pit fighters managed by Kaduceus. (context for that also, to save some scrolling)

I introduced him in a friend server a bit ago and this honestly sums it up:

The whole fighting ring related stuff mostly takes place in roleplay with @thebeeskneesocks, as it doesn't have a major impact on the story (Kaduceus himself is the only link to the protagonists), but it is kind of funny to just create the World's Worst Group of People. also, it's a good place to shove all the really "out there" designs into.

As for Bruno, he's had mostly internal enhancements for reflexes, pain tolerance, etc. I think the glowy tattoos are also for covering up surgical scars. He's 100% absolutely a heel, but I am not sure of his stage name quite yet. His style is specifically "rivethead" but I'm looking for like....more than just that. That's like calling someone The Emo. Which--okay, maybe "The Emo" might have its place somewhere, but not here!!

I call him a robot kinnie because he loves to describe himself as a "killing machine" and whatever. (Also not quite a stage name, it's too generic.) He relates to androids only in the hypothetical "AI uprising killing humanity" sense, because he thinks that's badass. He has never spoken to an actual android, and he wonders why.

Diversity win! He's also the gay equivalent of an epic divorce man. He's constantly dating twinks and being rude to them and then they break up with him, and again, he wonders why. He assumes time heals the wounds he has not apologized for, and a week later he's texting asking to hang out. 20 times. In a row.

He's awful and cringe and I made him this way to be the funniest character in this little microcosm of the universe. Which is saying something, because Kaduceus is right there. I'm sorry if Bruno's Gary Numan-slash-The Matrix-inspired appearance made you think he could be cool at all.

[joviantwelve]

OGHHHH these are so good! I was so happy to receive my boy as my first 2023 defense 😭 thanks again!

first two artfight attacks! for @joviantwelve and @thebeeskneesocks

i dunno if all my attacks will be fullbodies but these are. woo!

[joviantwelve]

finished this lil thing that was sitting around unfinished for months

[joviantwelve]

Wow, I’m almost all caught up with my art backlog...kind of scary!

Anyway!  TTRPG campaigns!  Currently I’m in a casual Blades in the Dark game, hacked so it’s set in the Pathfinder universe.  (We just wanted the Pathfinder universe without the Pathfinder crunchy mechanics.)

It’s “casual” in the sense that we can have multiple PCs and not everyone needs to be there every session...so here’s a few.

By “a few” I mostly mean Kaduceus and Carmichael.  I offered Greg (necromancer flavor) as an NPC, but he was so fucking funny I might just make him another backup PC myself.  The bone scorpion scene was him trying to impress other dark mages and such.  Kaduceus suggested he “network” with them, and I guess that was his business card.

[joviantwelve]

What the hell, I just noticed I never put this saga on Tumblr.

[joviantwelve]

Some XYZoul meme edits.  I will always do a meme edit.

[joviantwelve]

XYZ🕒ul, Tetris, Carmichael; 1 5 7 12 14 19 20 23 25

OKAY ITS TIME TO GET AROUND TO THIS THING LET'S GO

obviously going to be long, so under a cut it goes:

1. What memory would your OC rather just forget? XYZoul: they'd prefer simply not thinking about their life as a Physical Corporeal Entity at all, and leave it at that. Tetris: until we see more native viera stuff ingame, I like to think she was a guard or something for her village, and thus got into encounters with "intruders." she would mostly follow protocol, though their appearance and behavior is what got her curious about the outside world in the first place...I think she wishes she would have left sooner, instead of mindlessly fighting what were (sometimes, I mean you got that imperial presence and all) completely innocuous people. Carmichael: Uhhh well, a lot of it has to do with Ivanna...not just any one thing though, unfortunately. she was a toxic girlboss, and there's a lot he needs to unpack. to roughly sum it up, he was treated more like a funny curiosity than like, an employee.

5. How far is your OC willing to go to get what they want? XYZoul: IIIiiii would say to the point of risking innocent human life. since it's a cyberpunk setting and all, there's some tech out there that integrates with brains directly, so...they wouldn't want to directly mess with that. unless it's attached to a capitalist pig, of course! hyuk! Tetris: she will break bones if she has to, given her training I mentioned above...but she PREFERS it not to come to that, considering it's more along the lines of what she used to do. sadly, because this is an MMORPG, it does often come to that Carmichael: lmao he takes a loooong time to develop any sort of assertiveness. so, not very far. even if he's trying to make a point in a discussion, he'd be very polite about it, and likely get talked over. this may change if Azriel has any say about it, though!

7. What’s one way your OC has changed since you first came up with them? XYZoul: their design, mostly. it took a loooong time for me to come up with something I was happy with beyond just their face. I'm glad that they seem to be popular, because...it was a lot of effort. I googled a lot of retro computer mascots for ideas, only to discover a lot of the actual period mascots sucked LMAO?? turns out ""webcore aesthetic"" was more what I was actually going for. Tetris: I feel like most WoLs are bound evolve with the game's narrative, but design-wise...I did fantasia her a couple times, for mostly minor aesthetic reasons. she used to be brown, but then I saw a lot of fellow viera with the brown skin/white hair kind of look and felt stifled LMFAO so I made her grayscale instead to be kind of like a snow bunny. I also gave her heterochromia with this because I am cringe and free (and also a resemblance to my OC Hyacinth that worked out in another funny way (spoilers for that 2nd link)) Carmichael: WELL since he was originally for TTRPG, he didn't really have like, "his" own story. I feel like giving him that (which includes a relationship) just adds a whole new dimension to him. It actually feels weird playing him in a TTRPG setting nowadays, because it's like, oh no, his arc is gone!! his BOYFRIEND is gone!!

12. Is your OC self-destructive? In what ways? XYZoul: being a hacker in a cyberpunk setting is just inviting self-destruction by trade, if you ask me. always going to get a little too cocky and end up hacking someone you shouldn't :/ Tetris: Not usually, but I think the anxiety of being The Chosen Hero takes a toll sometimes and requires some management. For example, this screenshot was taken immediately after the Elpis arc, because I thought it was an appropriate reaction to what I just experienced, ghfdkjghfdg Carmichael: he's WAY too modest and self-conscious and it holds him back from more bold behavior. like question #5 up there...he just doesn't know how to have a voice. he will get better about this.

14. How does your OC want to be seen by other characters? XYZoul: if they had their way, they would remain anonymous forever, and then one day simply stop posting and fade into an urban legend that never gets solved. unfortunately, that won't happen Tetris: If you think she is cool and dependable, that's all she could really ask for. She doesn't really mind being "the big one" in a friend group. sometimes literally, because tall. Carmichael: HE WANTS TO BE USEFUL THAT PART OF HIM WILL NEVER CHANGE 🥺

19. How does your OC behave when enraged? XYZoul: Hacking your Internet of Things Devices to cause general mayhem and get the last laugh Tetris: The Power of Incredible Violence. I think this is just because she has viera voice 5 (which sounds like this in combat), but my friend group started joking that tetris is just generally violent, which I feel like informed her backstory idea in the end?! I don't think she's like. a killing machine or anything. but IF things come down to a fight, she's game. you bet I picked all the angry options talking to you-know-who at the end of Endwalker Carmichael: I like to think he can still keep his composure, it's more in the words he chooses and the actions he does. you may be thinking "haha, carmichael saying fuck?" but HONESTLY.....I CAN'T SEE IT?? I feel like if he was giving an Angry Speech to a Bad Guy he'd use like colorful insults from the 1900s or general sarcastic politeness before he'd resort to the intense informality of "fuck." he definitely knows how to weaponize snark in there somewhere

20. Does your OC have a tendency to get jealous? If so, how does this manifest? XYZoul: No, they don't really have anything to be jealous of!! they're the only XYZoul out there! I think they might get jealous if another cool hacker showed up online, but if anything I think they'd try and get in contact as a potential friend first. strength in numbers and all that Tetris: Not really, but I think if she dwells on it too hard, she's kinda bummed at the fact she had to get exiled from her community to integrate with anyone else out in the vast wide world out there, whereas everyone else seems to be able to live in the same place all their lives and still travel around if desired. what the fuck is up with that Carmichael: YES ACTUALLY LMAO. like you might not expect it from him, but through roleplaying with Bee, we decided that the next CEO of his old company, who had previously dumped him as he didn't need an android, then turned around and got a new sexy robo assistant anyway. and Carmichael finds this out. and actually gets mad about it for reasons he can't articulate. it's the kind of jealousy where he just vents to Azriel for an extended time to the point where Azriel is like "oh this is a Hangup for you, huh"

23. What emotion is the hardest for your OC to process? How about express? XYZoul: I think like...genuine vulnerability. their anonymous persona allows them to perfectly craft their image online, so nothing about their actual life is shared anywhere. but I feel like all that restriction might just be them bottling it all up...which can't be good. Tetris: I think being a general outsider to the rest of the world has been a wild ride mentally. Like, there's all this history and political drama she would have never known about if she didn't leave. Feels weird, like damn, I could've been helping people out here this whole time?! She doesn't really like talking about her past before Eorzea, I think maybe because she feels ashamed of it. She is an actual exile after all. Carmichael: trauma. basically his entire character arc is realizing how traumatized he is LMFAO it's not fun.

25. What is your favorite thing about your OC? XYZoul: ok this is dweeby but I've had the whole clock/compass duality thing in mind for at least 10 years now. it just seems obvious to me, a clock is time, a compass is directional space, so like, spacetime, duh, and yet I rarely see those two symbols juxtaposed together in anything. they're both circles with funny hands! it seems so braindead to do!! so it's cool having a character kinda catch on that helps get that out there lmfao Tetris: bnuuy. idk, I was, like, so stoked viera were in XIV, it made me actually go through the campaign in full for once. I feel like it's a combination of FFTA nostalgia, and also that viera are gender for me, I guess. I also appreciate that I can put her in a suit. thanks Carmichael: he's cute :3 and also like the first OC I made where I was trying very hard to be self-indulgent. concept, character design, character development, the whole shebang. I try to do this more and more nowadays, but he was where I really started focusing on, uh, writing what I actually wanted to write

[joviantwelve]

What would it look like if PHANTOM smiled?

excellent question!