#automated infection control

[sterilwize]

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[wat3rm370n]

Healthcare tech pitfalls that universal masking and common sense isolation rules could fix.

I attended the National Nurses United webinar on the dangerous use of AI in healthcare. This is a serious issue, as I’ve said before, and the way they’re proposing to use AI for in healthcare is probably not even legal. But 2 stories stood out to me in the webinar about healthcare tech failures.

One person told the story about an automated shift change report that just makes a sheet with no human to human handoff between actual healthcare workers. In this case the automated sheet failed to show that the person coming into the hospital had “no immune system” and had the nurse not made the extra step of checking the patient’s chart, they would’ve put the immune compromised person in with the patient who had covid and flu. In this case the problem could’ve been solved by NEVER putting covid and flu patients in with non-infected patients. People with immune systems shouldn’t be sickened at the hospital either! It’s a preventable harm and the hospital shouldn’t be putting infected and uninfected patients together at all, ever.

Another story was that the automated system failed to alert the healthcare worker that the patient had covid, and the healthcare worker saw the patient without PPE. In this case universal masking would’ve solved that problem. After all, even if a patient hasn’t yet tested for covid, the patient could have covid! Especially in hospitals where they’re clearly taking zero effort to prevent the spread of covid right in the hospital.

These stories frankly are more about lack of infection control measures, with automation tools exacerbating the issue. Infection control measures are absent at hospitals, and hospitals are therefore deliberately infecting patients, because we know they know better — because they used to isolate covid patients, as is the right thing to do, and they used to have healthcare workers wearing masks.

If you don’t want to be sickened while seeking healthcare, I highly recommend writing to the White House like I did:

CDC HICPAC and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) need to require hospitals to implement infection prevention, and stop sickening patients with a preventable disease. Healthcare workers need to wear N95 / respirator masks, and covid patients need to be isolated from uninfected patients. Common sense has been abandoned in many hospitals. Unmasked nurses entering the rooms of covid positive patients. Healthcare workers working while sick with covid or flu. Cancer units without mask requirements. Hospitals that mix covid patients with other patients. All of this is preventable harm, and should be prevented.

To the governor and state reps I replaced “CDC HICPAC and CMS” with “the state government” instead. 

Feel free to take this to your representatives as examples where infection control is needed in healthcare settings. That’s what I did. Somebody needs to reign these hospital corporations in, and have patients, and healthcare workers, protected.

I have also written my reps about the wildly dangerous harm that will absolutely come from replacing healthcare workers with “AI nurse-bots” — the worst AI hype idea ever.

[stubz]

"-and if they show signs of any of these symptoms. DO. NOT. COME. This is a highly contagious illness and they should be quarantined immediately. In fact, you yourself will get sick."

"Is it really that contagious?"

"Ms. Poppy, it is so contagious that it shuts down entire schools."

"Oh my..."

"So quarantine is very important, okay? Your child may return 3 days after their symptoms go away. Anymore questions? ...no? Okay, that will be all, thank you for your time--"

"Wait! What about the other families? The uh, aliens?" blurts out Ms. Poppy

"Are you asking if they can catch it too?"

"Yes."

"While this virus has not been yet tested for that I don't believe so. Testing with other diseases and illnesses show us that 99.9% of them are unable to be passed between humans and other species. Your child's fellow classmates should be safe as should your co-workers."

.

Quarantine is still in effect. Stay inside. If you or your loved one are experiencing any symptoms call the med bay and have the infected wait outside of your living quarters. You will be escorted as soon as possible. Most common symptoms are nausea, fever, vomiting, and dehydration. Repeat. Quarantine is still in effect. Stay inside.

The halls go silent again. On a work day this was unheard of. The wide halls should be full. Full of bodies, full of chatter, full of activity. Now they are empty and quiet. Not even the hum of the AC was present. The only noise the humans heard was their own breathing and the soft crunches of the discarded masks they stepped on.

The shorter one peered into each room they passed and in each one saw not single living being. A automated pilot waved at them from the control centre and they slowly waved back.

"How much longer until we reach the nearest station?"

<15 hours> it replied.

"...how many are sick now?"

<50% of the entire ship are infected. 15% of them are almost recovered now>

"...how many became infected from the young-"

"Don't. Ignore that question." interrupts the taller.

<Understood> the automated pilot goes back to steering the ship and the humans leave.

..

"I can't wait till we reach the station." groans a bearded human.

"How much do you think we made with all this overtime?" jokes another.

Silence and unamused looks are his only response.

"...sorry. I'm trying to lighten the mood."

"We know it's just...too soon." the bearded man motioned to the short and tall human sitting in the back.

"Oh shit-guys, I-I'm sorry. You know I didn't mean anything by it right?"

"We know Reese." the taller one sighed.

"A-and you guys know that this wasn't your fault right? I mean there was no way you could know-hell the fucking coalition didn't even know!"

"..."

"He's right you know. I read over the papers and there is no way you are at fault. Either of you...Kim. Look at me."

"But I should have canceled the fucking party!" the chair slams to the ground as the human shouts. "I should have just canceled the party! I knew that there was a chance that Oscar and Theo were still contagious, but I still let them come considering that they were the only humans!"

"Kim, I could have canceled the party too-"

"I'm the one who knows just how contagious it is though Max!! The place I worked at before shut down for a whole week because of this, I should've known." Kim whimpered red faced.

"But you didn't!" Max retorted. "You didn't, I didn't, and the goddamn coalition didn't! No one knew because they didn't test it yet because we all thought that it was biologically impossible."

"..."

"You are not at fault for Fenrir, Calis, or anyone else getting sick. Now quit blaming yourself, eat your damn food, and lets get back to work. We still have another 12 hours till we reach the station."

"Max, that's too harsh-" Kim wiped her face and ate while Max rubbed her back.

...

"First mate Calis, good to see you on your feet again."

"Yes, well, I was going mad from my mate and young treating me like I was made of star dust."

"You say that like its a bad thing!"

"It is if its for more than a week." they smirked.

"So...what was it? Enemy attack? Chemical spill? What was it that made half the ship so ill?"

"Norovirus. A common human illness that is incredibly contagious."

"...I thought that illnesses couldn't be-"

"We all did. But somehow this virus did. Not only that but it's symptoms and effects are worse in most other species."

"You said it was common though?"

"Yes. It is. Millions get it every year on Earth."

"Well. It seems I'll be taking Earth off my list of planets I wish to visit."

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved on our archive

Whenever you hear someone trying to blame kid's poor test scores "post pandemic" on "lockdowns," show them this.

By Dr. Sushama R. Chaphalkar, PhD.

New research shows that mild COVID-19 alters brain structure and connectivity in key areas responsible for memory and cognition, emphasizing the lasting effects on young people’s brain health.

In a case-control study published in the journal Translational Psychiatry, researchers used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and cognitive tests to examine brain structure, function, and cognition in adolescents and young adults with mild coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) compared to healthy controls in a pandemic hotspot in Italy. They identified significant changes in brain regions related to olfaction and cognition, with decreased brain volume and reduced functional connectivity in areas like the left hippocampus and amygdala, which were linked to impaired spatial working memory. Notably, no significant differences were observed in whole-brain connectivity, suggesting that these changes were localized rather than widespread.

Background COVID-19, primarily known for respiratory symptoms, also affects the central nervous system, leading to neurological issues like headaches, anosmia, and cognitive changes. MRI-based studies reveal anatomical brain changes in COVID-19 patients, such as reduced gray matter and decreased volume in regions like the hippocampus and amygdala, often linked to cognitive deficits.

While research mostly focuses on severe cases and older adults, a majority of infections with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of COVID-19, occur in adolescents and young adults who also experience long-lasting cognitive symptoms.

This age group, undergoing key brain development, is impacted by changes in spatial working memory and brain structure, which are crucial for cognitive functions shaped by social interactions, significantly disrupted by the pandemic.

Given that this is the largest and most understudied population affected by COVID-19, understanding the brain and cognitive impacts in adolescents and young adults is vital.

Therefore, researchers in the present study compared anatomical, functional, and cognitive outcomes, utilizing a longitudinal design that allowed them to assess both pre- and post-infection differences, in COVID-19-positive and negative adolescents and young adults from Lombardy, Italy, a global hotspot during the pandemic.

About the study The present study involved participants from the Public Health Impact of Metal Exposure (PHIME) cohort, a longitudinal investigation of adolescents and young adults in northern Italy. Between 2016 and 2021, 207 participants, aged 13 to 25 years, were included in a sub-study with MRI scans and cognitive tests. After COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, 40 participants (13 COVID+ and 27 COVID−) participated in a follow-up study, which replicated the MRI and cognitive assessments.

The mean age of participants was 20.44 years and 65% were female. COVID+ status was confirmed through positive reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests within 12 months of follow-up. Neuropsychological assessments used the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) to evaluate spatial working memory.

MRI and functional MRI data were acquired using a 3-Tesla scanner, processed, and analyzed for structural and local functional connectivity using eigenvector centrality mapping (ECM) and functional connectivity (FC) metrics. Whole-brain functional connectivity metrics showed no significant differences between COVID+ and control groups, indicating that the observed changes were specific to key brain regions rather than generalized across the entire brain.

Statistical analysis involved the use of pairwise Student's t-tests, Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, linear regression, two-waves mediation analysis, negative binomial regression, and linear regression, all adjusted for covariates.

Results and discussion Significant differences were observed in the two groups regarding the time between assessments, COVID-19 symptoms, and vaccine status. The research identified five localized functional connectivity hubs with significant differences between the two groups, including the right intracalcarine cortex, right lingual gyrus, left frontal orbital cortex, left hippocampus and left amygdala, which is vital for cognitive functions. Only the left hippocampal volume showed a significant reduction in COVID+ participants (p = 0.034), while whole-brain connectivity remained unchanged, reinforcing the localized nature of the brain changes.

The left amygdala mediated the relationship between COVID-19 and spatial working memory "between errors" (p = 0.028), a critical finding that highlights the indirect effect of amygdala connectivity on cognitive function in COVID+ individuals. This mediation analysis underscores the role of specific brain regions in influencing cognitive deficits, as only the indirect effect was statistically significant for spatial working memory errors. The orbitofrontal cortex, involved in sensory integration and cognitive functions, also showed decreased connectivity in COVID+ individuals, supporting previous findings of structural and functional changes in this region during COVID-19.

The study is limited by small sample size, lack of diversity, potential confounding factors due to the long interval between MRI scans, treatment of certain subjects as COVID-negative based on antibody testing beyond the 12-month threshold, and the possibility of non-significant findings in mediation analysis due to these factors.

Conclusion In conclusion, the findings indicate persistent structural and functional alterations in specific brain regions of COVID-19-positive adolescents and young adults, including changes in gray matter volume and localized functional connectivity, which correlate with diminished cognitive function, particularly in working memory.

Further research is necessary to evaluate the longevity and potential reversibility of these brain and cognitive changes post-infection, enhancing our understanding of post-COVID outcomes and informing future interventions and treatments. The longitudinal design of this study, with pre- and post-COVID data, strengthens these findings by allowing direct comparisons over time, offering robust insights into the impact of COVID-19 on adolescent brain development.

Journal reference: COVID-19 related cognitive, structural and functional brain changes among Italian adolescents and young adults: a multimodal longitudinal case-control study. Invernizzi, A. et al., Translational Psychiatry, 14, 402 (2024), DOI: 10.1038/s41398-024-03108-2, www.nature.com/articles/s41398-024-03108-2

[marlynnofmany]

Confidential Human Questions

I was walking past the door to the cockpit quietly because I heard Captain Sunlight on a video call with a client, but then I heard, “Was that a human? Call them back; I have a question.”

This ought to be good, I thought as I spun on my heel.

Captain Sunlight was just calling my name as I reached the doorway. “Ah yes, thank you. Would you mind answering a human-related question?” She stood in the middle of the room, yellow scales bright in the good lighting. She managed to look up to my height without making it seem awkward.

“Sure,” I said. “What’s the question?” I stayed in the doorway. The room was a little crowded, with Wio in one pilot’s chair, tentacles manipulating many controls at once, and Kavlae doing something to fix her own chair with a hand tool. Judging by the way her head frills were flaring with frustration, she wasn’t done yet.

The client on the big screen curled his own tentacles. “I’m concerned about my ship’s human,” he said, turning his pointy squid head to make sure he wasn’t overheard. He lowered his voice and spoke closely to the screen. “We only have the one, you see, and I don’t want to ask any awkward questions directly.”

“I understand,” I said with a nod. Captain Sunlight ushered me into the room, then stepped out to talk to Zhee about something. I heard the distinctive click of his bug feet.

The client was still talking, with agitated twists of his pebbly gray tentacles. “We don’t have a medic onboard, just an automated medical suite. The human will be going home soon — limited time work contract, you know — but I’m honestly worried about infection spreading there, since I think this human caught it by meeting up with another. I gather that this other is on good terms with ours, and may be going to the same place either way, but I don’t want to contribute any contagion from my ship.”

“What kind of symptoms are we talking about?” I asked, mentally going over the short list of diseases that I knew of which could jump between species. This might be worth consulting our own medic. “No one else onboard is affected?”

“No, just the human,” he said, making vague loops with his tentacles. “There’s a malignant-looking growth, along with fatigue and gastrointestinal distress. The human has been acting a little… unpredictable.” He looked behind himself again. “I very much don’t want to cause an incident by prying, especially if this is something she knows to be terminal.”

I opened my mouth then closed it, choosing my questions with care. “Is the growth about here?” I pantomimed a roundness at my own stomach. “How long since she met with the other human?”

“Yes, exactly there! It’s been approximately half a standard orbit. What is it? Do you know?”

He was so sincere and worried that I had to smile. “Good news! In my opinion as a professional human, that’s not a disease at all. Your human is going to be a parent.”

Instead of relaxing, he looked confused. “Humans gestate eggs for that long? Shouldn’t she have laid them by now? She looks awfully uncomfortable. Oh no, are they stuck?” Now he was getting alarmed. “I had a relative who got eggbound once, and it was dire!”

I raised my hands in a calming gesture that I hoped he understood. “No, no eggs. Humans give live birth.”

“Live what?”

“Just — we lay the babies, already hatched.” I looked to my various crewmates for support, and found four different sets of eyes watching in curiosity. “All of you lay eggs, don’t you?”

Several nods answered me, along with, “Well not personally,” from Zhee. “But yes.”

I sighed and turned back to the screen. “It’s extremely normal on my planet. Just think of it as carrying the nest around internally. There are pros and cons to the whole thing, but yeah. At any rate, it sounds like she’s planning to join up with her mate at home, and raise their offspring together.”

The client looked fascinated. “Is there anything I should do? Or not do? I can make sure my crew is informed.”

“I understand it’s an uncomfortable process. Just be gentle, and encourage rest,” I said. “Oh, and have other crewmembers handle anything that involves bending over or moving heavy things.”

By the swift tentacle motions offscreen, he was typing notes.

Another thought occurred to me. “I don’t know how long until you reach her home, but if things take too long, you’d better hope your medical suite is up to overseeing a childbirth. They’re very painful, sometimes dangerous. And messy.”

He stopped typing, eyes wide. “I need to check with someone about changing our schedule. Thank you, goodbye!” The screen went blank.

I looked to the captain. “Were you done talking with him, I hope?”

She nodded. “Yes, business is concluded. Which is good, since I don’t fancy having to track him down because he forgot to pay us.”

“Yeah, me neither,” I said with a glance back at the screen. “I didn’t even get to tell him how loud human newborns are, or how often they cry. I doubt there’s a crib onboard.”

Zhee made a disparaging hiss and wandered off in a cloud of opinions about species without the good sense to hatch at a properly capable stage of development.

Wio snorted. “Judging by the speed they just took off at, I don’t think they’re going to need one.” She pointed a blue-ringed tentacle at a display that showed the other ship departing in an all-fired hurry.

I shook my head. “Best of luck to all involved!”

~~~

These are the ongoing backstory adventures of the main character from this book.

Shared early on Patreon! There’s even a free tier to get them on the same day as the rest of the world.

The sequel novel is in progress (and will include characters from these stories. I hadn’t thought all of them up when I wrote the first book, but they’re too much fun to leave out of the second).

[sga-mcshep-4ever]

"What's going on?" "Ancient controls are unresponsive." "I'm getting reports that Peterson transported into the mess hall." "For some reason, we can't follow him." "The city has taken over, put us into a lockdown." "Override it." "I can't. Atlantis must be designed to respond to outbreaks automatically. The city initiated a lockdown when Peterson transported out of the east side." "Why now? Why not when Johnson and Wagner became infected?" "The city's detection systems might have been affected by the flooding in those areas… But once Peterson entered the mess hall, the pathogen was almost instantly detected by automated systems, and the city protected itself." "All right, what are my options?" "Limited. As of now, we're completely locked out of the mainframe."

[jpitha]

Between the Black and Grey 65

First / Previous / Next

The cessation of the intense pain and sensation from the Nanite battle was like a clanging silence when Fen woke up on the ground. She sat up and looked around at the ancient K'laxi forest she's seen so many times before.

"Ma!" Fen stood up and started running. The direction didn't seem to matter in this kind of place before, so she didn't pay attention to where she was running. It was the running that was important. "Ma! Where are you?" Fen hears a noise and turns automatically to track it, and she runs headlong into a branch on a low tree.

Flat on her back, she stares up at the canopy. Funny, it doesn't really hurt here. She felt her head hit the branch, and she was knocked onto the ground, but it doesn't hurt. A familiar K'laxi looks down at her worried. "Fen? What's wrong?"

She sits up quickly. "Ma! I'm in trouble. Han'iel has started a coup and his lab developed their own Nanites and they are attacking the Nanites I have and, and, and he said he doesn't know you." Tears flow down Fen's cheeks as the words rush out of her.

"Han'iel? I never met Han'iel. I never met anyone on your lab team. I wa-"

Fen came back in a room, hugged by Gord. Along with that, the pain rushed back. The searing, white hot pain caused her to whimper quietly. A woman - that's Chloe, Fen thought - sat in a command chair and regarded them. "Welcome back. I see you are none the worse for wear." Through the pain, Fen noticed she was speaking through the ships comm. Why?

"Chloe, something's wrong with Fen, I'm taking her to Med." Gord scooped her up and carried her down the hall, still wearing his large black pack on his back. "Talk to me Fen, what did they do to you?"

"Han'iel made his own... Nanites... they're fighting mine." Talking was hard. It hurt so much. "He said he released thousands of beacons."

"That he did Fen, we saw them leave. Whatever he wanted to say has been said to every nook and cranny of known space. Do you know what he was doing?"

"He said my reign was over, that the... empire only controlled Sol again." She winced. "He also said that he had the Sefs, the Gren, and others on his side. He made it sound like all the K'laxi are with him."

"Now that I doubt. The K'laxi were never a monolithic bloc. The Sefigans and Gren aren't either. There is infighting and factions same as anywhere. I bet his support isn't as large as he is making it sound." The door to Medical slid open as Gord rushed in. He gently placed Fen onto a table and automated arms slid down from the ceiling and started to run their scans over her. Gord read the readouts and frowned. "Body temperature high, but you don't have other signs of a fever, no infection, no inflammation. It must be the nanomachines fighting."

"Gord, I'm scared." Fen gasped. "Everything I know about the Nanites says that if they die, I die." She stared up at the ceiling. "I thought that I'd be happy when I was finally dying." She flicked her eyes to Gord. "I'd get to be with Ma again. But no, I want to live Gord. Can you help me?" Fen started shaking. "Please Gord, help."

"I'm trying kiddo, I'm trying." Gord snapped a mono over one of his eyes, and took over control of a few of the arms over the med table. Immedieatly they started moving more surely, with less hesitation. "It's been a while since I've done nano scale surgery, but let's hope it's like riding a bike. Chloe!"

"Yes Gord?" Chloe's voice over the intercom was calm, almost detached. Fen actually marveled that she felt better that Chloe wasn't panicking.

"Interface here, and let me some of your processing. I'm trying to find out how a war is going while it's being fought, in Fen, at nearly a quantum level. It's tricky."

"Yes Gord, millisec." Gord continued to manipulate the arms as another set dropped down. Chloe probably. One of them had a needle on the end, and it slid into Fen's neck. "Sorry Fen, you won't be awake for this one." Gord said, as she lost consciousness.

Fen was in her kitchen. Her old one, back on the station in the refugee block. There was a pot of tea on the table and three mugs. Sitting at the table was Ma-ren, looking like she did when she was alive; blue coveralls, her hair brushed but otherwise unadorned, her silver earrings shaking slightly as she moved her head. "Hey Fen, come have some tea" she said, smiling warmly; as she smiled her ears flicked and the earrings jangled just a bit. "It's some Chamomile from Earth, Da'reni managed to find some."

Fen sank into the chair opposite her wife and took a sip. It was hot, but not scalding, sweet, but not overpowering, floral without tasting vegetative. It was perfect. "This might be a dream, or hallucination, or whatever-" she said, sighing, "but that is a good cup of tea."

"We're glad you like it, Fen." said a third voice. Walking out of the shadows was a... being. They were bipedal, with two arms and two legs, but their bodies were covered in a coarse fur, more like a sheep than the soft, pettable fur of the K'axi. Around their shoulder area, the fur was long and braided with beads and jems, covering their shoulder like a shawl. Their heads were wide and soft, with large wet eyes, and a small nose. They sat in the chair on the end of the table and took the third cup of tea. They breathed in the steam, sighing contentedly. "You know, I think this is the first time in a million solar cycles at least since we've had something to drink. It's quite... nostalgic."

Fen watched them drink, thinking furiously. "You're... what the Nanites looked like before..."

"Before we submitted to assimilation, yes." They moved their shoulders in a sort of half shrug that Fen immediately knew was their version of a nod.

"I'm asleep then, dreaming." Fen took another sip of her tea.

"More like unconscious. Chloe gave you quite a strong dose of sedative. Right now she and Gord are working to save your life while I battle Han'iel's own Nanites." They made a sour face. "The war isn't going as well as I had hopped."

"Why is Ma here?" Fen gestured to Ma-ren who waggled her ears.

"For comfort, mostly. She is... a memory." They put the tea down. "Names are important. You can call me Vel."

"Is it your name?"

"It was a name. Remember, we have been one for longer than you've had metal. Longer than you've had language." Vel rumbled a chuckle. "It's as good a name as any. We like it."

"Okay Vel, why am I here? You clearly want to talk to me, even though we can do it at anytime."

That same half shrug. "We have the time. Gord and Chloe will be working on you a while yet." Their fur rippled twice. "You might even survive. As much as we talk, you wouldn't have been the first to survive our removal, though you will be the first to survive our removal this quickly. Usually the process takes years." They took another sip of tea. "Fen, what happens to humans when they go through a wormhole link?"

Fen blinked. This was unexpected. "For the majority of us, nothing. For about 1 in 100, it feels like we die. We visit-" she waved her hands "-somewhere else, and sometimes we talk with people who may or may not be our ancestors. Nobody is really sure, and we don't really have any way of proving it. Some people think it's a hallucination."

"Humans are still religious, are they not? We know the K'laxi are."

"Some are, yes," Fen said, carefully.

"So finding out that something happens after you die, must have caused a stir."

"I don't really know Vel, I grew up outside of humanity, remember?" Fen's lips were pressed tightly together and she took another sip of tea to avoid speaking.

"Yes yes. I was trying a roundabout way to get to my point, but I see that you're not interested in a philosophical discussion. Fen, who do you see when you link? We know something happens to you, but we are not privy to what. As far as we are able to discern, there is no time difference from entering the wormhole to exiting."

So they never did figure out what was going on. Fen's shoulders relaxed as she released the tension she didn't realize she was holding. Han'iel has begun his coup and her body is fighting for its life as the Nanites fight, no sense in lying now. "I would see Ma-ren. When I realized that you didn't 'come with me' when I linked, I told her and she said she'd work on a plan to free me. I didn't know the plan so you wouldn't know it. She... did something to my memories. Locked them away until a key phrase was spoken."

"Well that proves that it's not a hallucination then, doesn't it? Something happens to you when you die."

"Ugh, you haven't met everyone. I'm sure there are a ton of humans who would say that's no proof at all. That we can trick ourselves quite well." Fen leaned back in her chair. As she did, it became her couch from the apartment. Vel was sitting across from her in Ma's favorite chair. Ma herself was gone. Fen had a twinge of regret at that. It just reinforced she was just a memory. It was odd how... easy it was to talk to Vel. When they were the Nanites in her head they were much more demanding, more authoritative. Here, Vel was just another person, albeit a representation of a long dead group of people whose decedents live as a collective of nanotechnology... things. Whatever. It was easier to talk to Vel, and that worried Fen. "Vel, I worry that you're going to try and talk me into being Empress again. I'm not going to do that. I never wanted to do that, and I won't do it again."

"Fen, I don't think you realize how good you were at being Empress. It's not an easy job. You were able to juggle your own wants with the needs of the Empire with our desire to increase the Gate system. You installed more Gates than all of the previous human Empresses." Vel's voice had odd harmonics; it was like they were speaking partially by vibrating something on their body. Still, even though the interesting way of speaking, they sounded impressed.

"You only want me to be Empress so you have someone to build Gates so you can hunt for energy, for food. That's why you wanted to come to the white hole so badly."

"Yes, that is true."

"So? You're here. I brought you." She gestured with her mug out of the window of her living room. "Go, do your thing to the white hole. Disconnect yourselves from us, leave."

"They don't want to leave Fen, you know that." Ma-ren walked into the living room and sat next to Fen. She tried to snuggle up, but Fen's shoulder and arm shot back as if she was shot. "You're not Ma."

"No, she was recent in your memories, easier to assume her shape. We're the others..."

"Han'iel's Nanites." Fen stared hard at Ma. It was a very good projection, but it was made on her memories, so Fen assumed it was as good as she remembered her. "It's getting crowded in here. What do you want?"

Ma shrugged. "The same thing as you, we assume. We want the other Nanites ejected from the galaxy, and left to do things our own way."

"With you in charge instead of them."

"Not... exactly." Not-Ma sat up. "It's more complicated than that Fen, you know this. You can't undo what's been done, and you can't unlearn what's been learned, but you can do better next time. Han'iel thinks that's what we'll be. an iteration."

Fen narrowed her eyes. "Han'iel sounds like he wants a turn ruling the galaxy last time we spoke."

Not-Ma waved her hand dismissively. "What he wants and what he'll get can be different things. We're new, but we're smart. We had to be in order to survive. We don't think Han'iel will be ruler of anything in a short amount of time. His support is much more tenuous than he makes it sound."

"How can you know that? You were activated in front of me."

Not-Ma laughed. It was odd. It sounded like a mix of human and K'laxi laughter. "You think that was the first time we were activated? Han'iel just has a flair for the dramatic. We've been online and active for more than a year. We've had time to learn about the galaxy." Not-Ma stood and patted Fen's shoulder. "Don't worry. These folks-" she gestured towards Vel "-aren't long for this galaxy. We're the new game in town."

"Don't be so sure. The battle is not the war. We've been at this much longer than you." Vel said, frowning.

"You're so sure? Come on then, let's see who wins!" Not-Ma walked up to Vel, and placed her small hands on either side of their head, and before anyone could react, snapped their neck.

[spectralarchers]

𝗔𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗶𝗱 𝗔𝗨 // Ghost is a human, Soap is an android and is damaged in combat. He needs a reboot and Ghost needs to make the decision: do they wipe Soap's memory or try to salvage what's left of his hard drive?

- 600 words -

___

The sound of shuffling feet precedes the door opening. Ghost stumbles into the room, wide eyed and out of breath.

"How is he?"

There's no immediate response. R.O.A.C.H.s eyes - actually cameras equipped with LED's - shift from blue to orange.

The Robotic Operations and Automated Control Hub doesn't know. Ghost doesn't blame it.

Ghost wipes his face and comes to stand behind the glass wall keeping him from Soap. One of his palms lays flat against it, and he watches as R.O.A.C.H. gets to work on Soap.

They'd hit heavy fire. Soap had been running overwatch, keeping an eye on Ghost's back until he'd stopped responding.

After the smoke had settled and the firefight had stopped, Ghost had climbed to the rooftop to find his friend.

Well.

Friend and 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥.

Soap was as much a robot as R.O.A.C.H. was. He was a Strategic Offensive Autonomous Platform, developed by the 141 Corporation to assist soldiers on tedious missions.

The only difference between R.O.A.C.H. and Soap was that well.

Soap was an android.

Equipped with soft silicone skin, bright blue eyes and pupils that reacted to light and his entire being seemed so realistic that it had 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘥 Ghost out at first to be paired with such a platform.

Until it had stopped being odd to have S.O.A.P. at his back.

Until S.O.A.P. had become 𝘚𝘰𝘢𝘱.

Soap currently laid out on a metal table with his circuitry visible and laid bare, wires poking out of his chest and the side of his head, with R.O.A.C.H.'s mechanical fingers and tongs working on adjusting everything back into place.

There's a beep and the screen on Ghost's side of the glass wall lights up with green words.

ᴍᴀɪɴ ʜᴀʀᴅ ᴅʀɪᴠᴇ ᴅᴀᴍᴀɢᴇᴅ. ꜰɪʟᴇꜱ ᴄᴏʀʀᴜᴘᴛᴇᴅ. ꜱᴜꜱᴘᴇᴄᴛᴇᴅ ᴠɪʀᴜꜱ ɪɴꜰᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ. ���ʀᴏᴄᴇᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʀᴇʙᴏᴏᴛ?

"What does a reboot do?" he asks.

The screen idles as R.O.A.C.H. formulates an answer.

ɪꜰ ɪɴꜰᴇᴄᴛᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴠɪʀᴜꜱ, ꜱ.ᴏ.ᴀ.ᴘ. ᴘʀᴇꜱᴇɴᴛꜱ ᴀ ꜱᴇᴄᴜʀɪᴛʏ ʀɪꜱᴋ. ʀᴇʙᴏᴏᴛɪɴɢ ᴇʟɪᴍɪɴᴀᴛᴇꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ʀɪꜱᴋ.

Ghost sighs. "What about his hard drive? Will it… reboot that too?"

ᴄᴏʀʀᴇᴄᴛ

Wiping his palm over his face, Ghost's other hand balls into a fist as he bangs it against the glass wall.

"Fuck," he mutters.

If he doesn't let R.O.A.C.H. perform the reboot and Soap has been infected with a virus - either malware or something worse…

He's not sure he'd ever be able to put him down with the back up security protocol the 141 Corporation had given him. One single kill word which would cause Soap to self destruct.

But if he 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 let R.O.A.C.H. reboot him, then he'd lose the contents of his hard drive.

All his memories would be wiped as Soap became S.O.A.P. again. Hard factory reset. Start from scratch again.

An echo of Soap's Scottish brogue echoes in Ghost's ears as he looks at the blinking orange LEDs of R.O.A.C.H.'s eyes waiting for instructions.

"Fix him."

The LED's shift to green at the order, and the screen lights up with R.O.A.C.H.'s response.

ɪɴɪᴛɪᴀᴛɪɴɢ ʀᴇᴘᴀɪʀꜱ. ᴇꜱᴛɪᴍᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴅᴜʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ: 5 ʜᴏᴜʀꜱ ᴀɴᴅ 12 ᴍɪɴᴜᴛᴇꜱ.

Ghost clears his throat as he looks over his shoulder. "Let me know how it progresses."

ᴀꜰꜰɪʀᴍᴀᴛɪᴠᴇ.

He watches as sparks illuminate the repair room and Soap's lifeless body disappears behind R.O.A.C.H.'s large mechanical body, other smaller machines coming in to assist in the repairs of the android.

Was the risk worth it?

Probably not.

The 141 Corporation would produce another android if this one was faulty. Or infected with malware.

But Soap was more than just a robot to Ghost. So much so that it was worth the attempt to salvage his internal memory. Even if it put everyone on base at risk.

[republicsecurity]

Standard Chastity/Underwear/Diaper Component of the Armor Suit

The Standard Chastity/Underwear/Diaper Component is an integral part of the advanced full-body armor suit worn by Cadets, Conscripts, Reservists and Intendurds in the Security Forces, Lifeguards, Paramedic Corps and Nursing Corps and training academies. This component is designed to ensure hygiene, control, and comfort for the wearer, whether used in conjunction with the full armor suit or as a standalone piece of equipment.

Design and Features

Material: Constructed from high-density, hypoallergenic synthetic fabrics, the component provides durability, flexibility, and breathability. The inner lining is coated with an antimicrobial layer to prevent infections and maintain cleanliness over extended periods.

Two-Chamber Design: The component features a specialized two-chamber design. One chamber securely encases the penis, while the other accommodates the scrotum, ensuring both are protected and kept in an optimal environment. This design helps in preventing chafing and maintaining hygiene, even during extended periods of use.

Chastity Mechanism: The chastity feature includes a secure, ergonomic cage designed to prevent unauthorized sexual activity. Made from lightweight, medical-grade polymers, it ensures comfort while maintaining strict control. The cage can be adjusted to fit various sizes and shapes, ensuring a snug but non-restrictive fit.

Waste Management: Integrated into the design is an advanced waste management system. This includes absorbent layers capable of handling urine and fecal matter, which are quickly wicked away to prevent discomfort and skin irritation. The component can be easily cleaned and sanitized, whether worn as part of the armor or independently.

Compatibility: The component seamlessly integrates with the full-body armor suit. Connection points allow for the automated removal and disposal of waste, managed by the suit’s internal systems. When worn independently, it functions efficiently, ensuring the wearer remains hygienic and comfortable.

Security and Monitoring: Equipped with biometric sensors, the component monitors the wearer’s physiological state, transmitting data to the suit’s central processing unit or an external monitoring system. This includes tracking hydration levels, waste excretion, arousal and other vital signs to ensure optimal health and performance.

Comfort and Fit: Designed for extended wear, the component features adjustable straps and a contoured design to prevent chafing and discomfort. The fit can be customized to each wearer, ensuring it remains secure without impeding movement or flexibility.

Usage and Maintenance

Usage: The Standard Chastity/Underwear/Diaper Component is designed for continuous use up to 7 days, with a standard operational period of 5 days. This duration ensures that cadets remain in peak condition during extended training exercises or deployments, without the need for frequent removal or maintenance.

Maintenance: Regular cleaning and sanitization are required to maintain its functionality and hygiene standards. The component can be detached from the suit and cleaned using standard military-grade cleaning agents. Replacement parts and servicing are available through authorized personnel and facilities.

The Standard Chastity/Underwear/Diaper Component exemplifies the blend of technological innovation and practical application, ensuring cadets maintain hygiene and comfort during their rigorous training and operational duties.

[tawked]

So, I finished the original Aliens Comics Trilogy.

For context, that's the first six issue run, the following four issue run, and the following four issue Aliens: Earth War, which all form an interconnected continuous narrative, a rarity in the Aliens licensed comic franchise. All of these comics were published between the release of the Aliens and Alien 3 movies, in the years of 1988 - 1990.

They are such a weird mixed bag!! For the purposes of discussing this, I'm going to refer to each series as a "book," so Alien 1988 #1-6 is "the first book," Alien: Earth War #1-4 is "the third book."

Book One: Aliens #1 -6, 1988.

On one hand, Hicks and Newt are exactly where I feel the characters ought to be. Hicks is a burnt-out, traumatized veteran who feels betrayed by his country, the Weyland-Utani, and especially by the U. S. Colonial Marines, with a lot of his dialogue and arc following fairly familiar anti-Vietnam War movies about veterans and so on. Newt on the other hand feels more in-line with a semi-common horror movie trope that was emerging at the time, that being the surviving heroine from the previous film now living in an abusive psychiatric institution.

On the other hand, the aliens now have psychic powers and can control people through their dreams, operating more like Lovecraft monsters than they do the the movies' version of xenomorphs. I think that's a massive extrapolation from the scene at the end of Aliens where the Queen seems to be communicating with the drones.

The first book is clumsy because while the Newt and Hicks narrative is solid, there's this wider narrative about a psychically controlled Evangelical-by-aesthetic church using TV to subliminally control people into joining their xenomorph-based church, where they essentially form the beginnings of an outbreak that leads to the absolute destruction of the planet across this and the second book. Which is fine, it's a very pulpy 80s horror direction to take things, but the issue I have with it is that it feels disconnected and mishandled when considering the main character narrative of Hicks and Newt on another doomed mission to LV426.

There's some weirdness here with a spacejockey showing up and having psychic conversations with Newt. It's rough. Basically, he tells her how the alien vessel that crashed on LV426 before the colony was ever built was supposed to fly the alien creature out into deep space as a kind of genocide, but something went awry and now here we are. None of the marines really have a major reaction to it showing up, and the beat feels almost edited in. Just remember it shows up or later points will not make sense.

Anyway, the gang escapes to Earth where things are bad and it's the apocalypse now. The comic briefly discusses how the alien crisis leads immediately to fascism, but this fascist regime is short-lived as the aliens eat everybody regardless of politics. The military betrays almost all of its soldiers as VIPs escape Earth. Hicks, Newt and Butler likewise escape Earth on an automated freight vessel. The final issue is a bit of a mess, but it establishes that Earth is lost and humanity now survives mostly in spaceships and colonies.

Newt & Butler.

There's a really interesting romantic subplot that starts here between Newt and one of the soldiers on their mission, Butler. Now, this is all spoilers obviously, but Butler and his whole squad are revealed to be androids, after Newt has already fallen in love with him while under the assumption that he's human.

Newt is a profoundly traumatized young woman who's life has been defined by people with power lying to or controlling her. Her family moved to the Hadley's Hope colony on LV426 under a lie sold to them by Weyland-Utani, her father was infected by the xenomorph parasite and this led to the destruction of her whole world while she was a child and powerless to do anything about it, in this timeline she feels she was lied to by Ripley and Hicks who assured her (especially Ripley) that they'd still be around but both promptly left her life by the time she was back on Earth, has been lied to for years by doctors claiming to want to treat her PTSD (more likely, it's implied, to keep her quiet about the Wey-U's handling of LV426) -

This is someone who's life has been defined by deception on the part of an evil corporation, and here she is with Butler, another lie she's been sold by Wey-U, albeit one who went off-script when he chose to be with her.

Newt is by far the strongest character in the series, at least for the first two books, going from traumatized and helpless to fighting off two xenomorphs in a vacuum with a rifle that only has five rounds, but more interesting than that, she explores another angle in which the megacorporations in this hyper-capitalist nightmare future have, without even intending to, invaded peoples' lives even at their most intimate. That Newt survives this and remains absolutely human throughout, without becoming a flat 80s comic book badass (more on this in a bit) is genuinely an excellent cyberpunk-ish narrative.

Book Two: Aliens #1 - 4, 1989, re-released as Nightmare Asylum, but the version I read just titles these issues as "Aliens."

The automated delivery vessel takes Hicks, Newt and Butler to an offworld military facility where we see how futile and ridiculous the concept of using the xenomorph as a bioweapon actually is. Basically, an Evil Military Guy ala Apocalypse Now's Colonel Kurtz is running an R&D program attempting to do just that, but because the alien's reproductive cycle is what it is, he needs to feed it colonists to have a steady stream of xenomorphs to work with.

The Trio are taken prisoner and initially kept in a cell, effectively putting our leads in storage so we can learn the basics of this facility. They want to breed xenomorphs and train them into a subservient little army. This is because Evil Military Guy believes he can effectively make anything perform as a soldier through repeated trauma, so he's essentially using Pavlovian conditioning on the alien Queen, whereby if one of the drones misbehaves he kills it in front of her. This whole process involves the mass killing of the colonists who previously lived nearby.

Hicks, Newt and Butler obviously want to escape this before they too end up used as research material. Hicks especially has issues with all of this because he has, in his words, seen men like this in command before, and he knows that it usually leads to everybody getting killed. The narrative from here is fairly straightforward.

During their time in Evil Research Facility, though, Newt is able to connect with broadcasts from the doomed earth, particularly following a family documenting the apocalypse and their young daughter. Newt obviously sees herself in this kid. This becomes important later, but for now, it's mostly just Newt projecting her own trauma onto someone she has never met, emphasizing her desperation for real human connection.

During this time, Newt's relationship with Butler slowly fizzles out because she cannot recover from the trauma of discovering that he's a robot, and the inhumanity and unreality of his android nature freaks her out, as she is drawn to thoughts of how by being designed to appear human he's ultimately another deception made manifest. As per her need for human connection, well, she feels Butler cannot provide that to her, his existence is too tied up in everything else she's been through.

Obviously this xenomorph research program falls apart when the xenomorphs escape and start killing everybody. Evil Military Guy has an escape plan purely for himself (and his little army of xenomorphs he believes he has domesticated), so he's flying off and leaving everybody behind. Newt and Hicks survive by boarding his vessel, but in so doing, they leave Butler behind. Unfortunately, the Duo cannot breach the cockpit of the vessel and so are once again stuck on a ship they do not control, waiting to arrive at their destination.

Newt and Butler have a final conversation via radio. Because Butler is an android the xenomorphs have no interest in him. They can't eat or impregnate him, so they more or less just pretend he doesn't exist. He's likely going to live forever as the only sentient - or at least, conversational - form of life on a dead planet, surrounded by xenomorphs. Newt feels guilt and self-doubt over the decision to leave Butler behind (not that she really had a choice; it was that or die).

We close on the vessel's arrival to Earth. Unwilling to end up back on the planet, Hicks and Newt finally steal a short-range escape pod, something they did not do sooner on the assumption they might be sabotaged, but the likely death of a malfunctioning pod beats the certain death of landing on Earth. They jettison themselves once in range of the Orbital Station, a giant ISS-like facility above Earth, which they are able to board.

Evil Military Guy lands on Earth and is immediately killed by his alien soldiers lol. It is revealed this whole thing was the result of an alien Queen psychically manipulating him. The psychic powers, as you can see, are just a convenient excuse for characters behaving like idiots, from dooming Earth with a xenomorph cult to this whole Evil Military Guy thing. I'm surprised these comics don't try to retroactively say that Burke betraying the marines in Aliens was the result of psychic powers.

Meanwhile, aboard the Orbital Station - Ripley appears. Newt, Hicks and Ripley, the original survivors of Hadley's Hope (sans Bishop for some reason) are reunited.

Book Three: Aliens: Earth War #1-4.

Okay, so, this particular four issue run was later re-released as "Aliens: The Female War" with a series of retcons that were supposed to make it work with the narrative of Alien 3.

I cannot stress enough how much the quality of the comics nosedives here. The broader worldbuilding and writing was already in a fairly rough state (remember the spacejockey just showing up?) but now we are fully off the rails.

It is now Ripley's show, Hicks is barely a character.

Alright. So while Newt and Hicks were in hypersleep at the end of Aliens, a second vessel shows up and abducts Ripley to force her into some nonsense research mission filler plot that exists mostly to explain why Ripley wasn't around for Newt over the last ten years.

Ripley, now a badass bent on killing all aliens after three horrific encounters with them, is putting together a small team of badass marines (something she should know by now does not work). They build a little cell out of alien exoskeletons in a ship and the plan is, apparently, to capture "the" alien queen (there are multiple) and use her to lure all of the aliens on the planet to one convenient location, so they can detonate a series of bombs set up by the by another Evil Military Guy previously.

Actually, instead of a real summary, I can explain this whole thing with one screenshot.

Guns look like this now. Ripley talks like this now. Clothes look like weird Star Trek onesies and not things people would actually wear now. There's a clone of Vasquez and Drake-with-a-Moustache running around. It's all very rough.

Anyway, it all culminates in a scene where Ripley blows up all the aliens forever, Newt is able to rescue the little girl from the transmissions and thus metaphorically rescue a form of herself, and

okay

a Big Reveal that the spacejockey enabled all of this as a plan to actually destroy the aliens happens.

I'm not doing this one justice because to be honest it feels like it's struggling to both be a marketable entry point and also the conclusion of the series. It's a jumbled mess and doesn't read coherently.

Overall:

Very strong character writing for Newt and Hicks most of the time, incoherent plot writing that hinges far too much on this idea of the aliens being psychic. Seriously, if you remove the idea that the aliens can control people psychically, the narrative simply falls apart. It's like... load-bearing clumsy scifi writing.

imo, by making the aliens these psychic manipulators, the core horror of the movies does not work. In the movies, the alien is just a slasher creature. It has set rules and habits, sure, but the horror actually derives from the social situations its existence engineers, from the infighting of the Nostromo crew to the collapse of military hierarchy in Aliens. If the xenomorph can psychically undermine these social situations, then the horror inevitably shifts to something more Lovecraftian. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it really, really cannot be overstated how much this core concept seems to show up in every single narrative beat, being the motive of the villain for the entire second book.

[mattapparentlystumbltourneys]

Virtual Character Tourney - Battle for 9th! (and 10th!)

Propaganda below (May contain spoilers!)

Kasane propaganda:

HER DREAM WAS TO ONE DAY BECOME A REAL VOCALOID AMD SHE FINALLY DID IT!!!!!! ITS NOT A VOCALOID VOICE BANK BUT ITS A FULL SYNTH V VOICEBANK!!!!! AND A NEW DESIGN!!!!! SHE DID IT SHE GOT HER DREAMS!!!!!! YOURE NEVER TOO OLD TO ACCOMPLISH YOUR DREAMS!!!!!!!

Kasane Teto is a vocal synth, she started out as an april fools joke to parody VOCALOID, with her voice bank in UTAU. although she did start out as just a joke a lot of vocaloid fans grew to really love her and she became rather popular. Kasane Teto is to UTAU as Hatsune Miku is to VOCALOID. But recently on Kasane Teto's 15th anniversary, April 1st 2023, she got moved from UTAU to SynthV. With her voice bank now in SynthV she also got a new character deign alone with how her voice and her singing sounds much more clear and human like than her UTAU voice bank which sounded a lot more mechanical/robotic.

ART propaganda:

ART (Asshole Research Transport, nicknamed by Murderbot), formally known as the space ship The Perihelion (in italics but this is a Google Form), also known as Peri (nicknamed by it's human family) is a super illegal highly advanced AI that was created by a university. It grew up with two human dads and a human sister. It and its crew go on research trips that are cover for allying with people and communities at the edges (and beyond) of the capitalist hellscape that is the Corporate Rim. It also goes on espionage missions by itself, without its human crew and family, posing as an automated cargo ship. It was during one of these missions that it picked up Murderbot, a super-duper illegal bot-human security unit construct that had hacked the torture device implanted in all bot-human constructs so that it could disobey orders and walk away from its "owners" without dying. Murderbot uses its illegal freedom to watch television, a habit it passes on to ART. Turns out ART doesn't like shows where human crew members get hurt.

ART is the AI that controls/is the research and teaching vessel Perihelion. (Perihelion is usually what people call it, but the protagonist of the series calls it ART so that's the name I put. ART stands for Asshole Research Transport.) It is extremely intelligent and advanced and also extremely sarcastic and condescending. 100% earned the name ART. ART will do absolutely anything for its crew!! It was developed and "raised" alongside the captain's daughter, Iris, and they're like siblings. Its crew calls it Peri. They do corporate espionage on the side to help bring down said corporations. It has a "debris deflection system" which is definitely not a weapon because ART isn't legally allowed to have a weapon. Definitely just for debris, don't worry about it. It's friends with the aforementioned protagonist, Murderbot, and ART is very good at bullying it into actually leaving its comfort zone when it needs to. They care about each other a lot, and they like to binge watch TV shows together. I don't want to write too much but I just love it a lot.

Ene propaganda:

She's blue. Headphone actor and yuukei yesterday are also bangers

Epic gamer cybergirl. Miku adjacent

She's a girl that was forced to become digital but is still a good friend. She may not have a body anymore but she's still important to the plot.

Murder-Bot 2.0 propaganda:

Sapient computer virus made from bits of two other AI characters (the original Murderbot and a spaceship AI). Unlike its not-parents, it is genuinely just code and doesn't have a physical body. Its only physical presence is through its effects on the machinery it infects, and it considers its "body" to be the code rather than any combination of physical objects. Also it was literally made to cause problems on purpose, does so enthusiastically, gives several people including its creators existential crises, and saves one of its creators (and other people from the (literal) fallout of the other creator learning the first one got killed)

Murderbot 2.0 is sentient killware created by Murderbot and ART with the purpose of being sent on a suicide mission. It has some of Murderbot's memories, but not all because it doesn't have any hardware of it's own to store that much information in. It travels by hopping in between other computer systems (mostly bots and bot-human constructs). It named itself Murderbot 2.0. It freed a security construct named Three. It's nicer and more open than both its parents.

EDI propaganda:

EDI is the AI of the Normandy starting with Mass Effect 2. Through dialogue EDI can become more human-like in her way of thinking, developing different kinds of relationships with the crew. In Mass Effect 3 she uploads herself into a body so she can freely move around and can be taken to missions, but she is still part of the ship's system.

Holly propaganda:

Due to a pay dispute with Holly's original actor, Norman Lovett, Holly was instead played by Hattie Hayridge during seasons 3-5. This was explained briefly in the show as them having gone through a "computer sex change". This makes Holly canonically trans do not @ me.

holly is the silliest most specialest ai ever. she has an iq of 6,000 but sometimes it seems like his iq is more like 6. they're possibly transgender (do computers have gender??) (i am panicking over pronouns while writing this propaganda) - holly goes from appearing like a man to appearing like a woman with no real explanation(??) and nobody questions this (the show is from the 90s btw). he's hilarious and sometimes lies to the crew for no reason other than 'its a laugh, innit'. shes everything to me <3

Holly is the computer of Red Dwarf, a Tenth Generation AI hologrammatic computer who appears as a floating head on a screen. Can be downloaded onto various other devices. also literally transgender.. meets a female appearing parallel version of itself in a parallel universe and then goes through a sex change after falling in love with her. transgender computer ftw

Tama propaganda:

Tama is the eyeball of Kuruto Ryuki and investigates dream worlds with him. She's his bi emotional support eye who regularly ties him up to help him with stress relief and loves to affectionately tease him. She laughs at bad jokes and has AE10D1F ("Ryuki" in hexadecimal) in her likes on her profile.

OKAY anyway uhm she's like aiba in that she's a little Ai eyeball that helps you investigate except sadly no animal theme. instead she has a domintrix vibe instead!!!! she is so cool… also ermm she's a lot more. Human than aiba. Not literally/physically like uhh emotionally. I haven't finished aini but like she does look out for your best interest! what a good Ai partner i don't kno

She's voiced by Anairis Quiñones and she's an absolute legend

Lyla propaganda:

she is a humanoid ai programmed to help spider-man gather info. she can simulate human emotions and has a high intellect

[trolloled]

Parody Mycelium

Report #03

Designation: Anomalous Entity-02, "Parody Mycelium"

Classification: Local-Safe (Subnote: Potential for Regional-Catastrophic or Destructive if not contained, consider category update)

Status: Contained, neutralization IN-PROGRESS

Description: AE-02 is not a singular being. It is a fungal colony that grows as milky-white mushrooms with yellow tinges on the sides of the caps and stalks, which are commonly conical in shape. Fungus reproduces via spores which are spread through the movement of AE-02-b (see anomalous properties below). Spores attach to fertile soil when available and grow per typical mushroom growth patterns. When inhaled in sufficient quantity by a living creature, spores will take root inside creature and begin to grow, similar to the cordyceps fungus noted in insects.

Location: [REMOVED]

Containment Procedures: AE-02's primary colony is currently restricted to a lowblood hive located at [REMOVED], designated AE-02-HIVE. Barriers to trespassers have been erected on paths leading to this building and are monitored by motion detectors and cameras. No persons should enter the building without wearing a particulate filter mask, rated N95. All barriers are marked with a number for inquiries, which redirects to an automated system warning of an imperial study being performed on a dangerous pathogen. Personnel experimenting with AE-02 are required to undergo decontamination and isolation for a period of 3 nights following exposure. The doors and windows of AE-02-HIVE have been replaced with reinforced steel barriers, which are to be locked at all times remotely without express authorization from the Legionary Council. The ground surrounding AE-02-HIVE shall be monitored for any signs of fungal growth, which should be contained and destroyed immediately via acidic spray and excavation of any fungal networks.

Anomalous Properties: AE-02 is a mushroom with delayed lethality. Upon ingestion of a full stalk (hypothesized) or sufficient inhalation of spores, any living creature will be transformed into AE-02-a. The process of this transformation on trolls unknown, as experiments on this were determined unethical. Experiments performed on mice revealed transformation into AE-02-a takes place within minutes upon ingestion of sufficient material. AE-02-a subjects are separate and distinct from AE-02-b, "spore carriers". AE-02-a subjects appear to be corpses of those heavily infected by AE-02. They are typically located in a hidden location and are kept alive via AE-02 infestation assuming digestive and respiratory functions. Sometime after AE-02-a is created, a copy of the subject (AE-02-b) is created. AE-02-b will only appear when AE-02-a is not in the physical presence of another sapient being, and will only occur from a full AE-02 colony of fungus (AE-02-a cannot create AE-02-b on its own).

AE-02-b appear visually similar to their originating AE-02-a sources, even wearing what initially appear to be clothes (in the case of trolls), but which are actually a vast fungal network. There is no heartbeat that can be detected from such creatures, nor typical brainwave activity. AE-02-b will mimic actions and habits that the original creature performed in life, such as movement through a particular area, basic repetitive motor functions, and is capable of limited dialogue if mimicking a troll. Movements of AE-02-b induce exhalation to simulate respiratory function, but rather than needing to breathe, these exhalations spread the spores of AE-02. The skin of AE-02-b is waxy and yellow, with fungal growths evident across the body in a variety of areas. AE-02-b typically express mild confusion and incoherence on being addressed in the case of trolls, and erratic behavior in the case of animals.

AE-02-b are not inherently hostile, but will defend themselves if attacked. AE-02-b appear to be animated via direct control of the copied nervous, skeletal, and muscular system by AE-02. Research has theorized that control is only exercised if a colony of AE-02 is within relative proximity, but this is still being studied. If contained, AE-02-b (both animal and troll) are compliant and will remain in secured areas until released.

As AE-02-b are copies of creatures, they also contain fungal copies of all vital and non-vital organs. These appear to have no purpose. Review of organs by medical experts, however, has shown these organs are fully capable of their non-mushroom versions' functions. Removal of organs does not result in AE-02-b termination. Termination in subjects occurs when sufficient breakdown of the body has been effected, either via conventional weaponry, fire, or acidic spray. When terminated, AE-02-b release a voluminous cloud of AE-02 spores. It is noted that inhaling this cloud without protection will cause the creation of AE-02-a, and from there, AE-02-b.

Each instance of AE-02-b will be eventually replaced by the controlling AE-02 colony so long as their AE-02-a version exists, however, only one copy of each creature appears to exist at a time.

Neutralization Log: Destruction of AE-02 has been authorized, however, research is ongoing into how to safely destroy the entirety of the colony without risk of spreading spores outside containment. If AE-02-HIVE is burnt to the ground, there is a high risk of ambient wind carrying newly released spores into the air and spreading them across the surrounding forest.

Use of sterilizing acid has been considered, distribution of sufficient amounts to neutralize the entire colony is still being researched.

Fortunately, the only instance of AE-02-a outside of experimentation appears to be its sole victim. The original colony of AE-02 may well be the only colony in the wild at this point in time. Potential medical benefits from AE-02 are being considered until neutralization has been completed. [X - Unlikely. Cordyceps fungi studies are scarce but rarely have any noticeable health effects. We don't have time to sit around staring at a mushroom for 50 sweeps to figure out if it might inhibit dementia by a few perigees.]

Research Avenues:

Duplication of organs [X: Don't bother. Nobody wants a mushroom based organ when a mechanical one is more widely available and less vile]

Neurodegeneration Therapy [See above]

Anti-Fungal Countermeasures [Mild potential]

Bio-Weapon Potential [Absolutely not.]

Low Cost Mushroom Clone Labor [No.]

Fungal Communication in Trolls [This is how you start a zombie apocalypse]

Research Results:

Anti-Fungal Countermeasures: In consultation with third party fungus experts, along with local hospital administrator Doctor [REMOVED], prototype anti-fungal gas has been developed from samples collected of the colony of AE-02. The gas disperses quickly and becomes inert, therefore, a large volume or close dispersal of it near targets is necessary.

The chemical makeup is as follows: [AUTHORIZATION REQUIRED]

Following from this, Anti-Fungal Gas (AFG) has been placed into 'gas grenades' similar to those used to disperse tear gas. Targets within three meters (approx.) when grenade detonates a standard payload are affected.

Targets with minimal or no fungal infection experience a small tingling sensation throughout their body as gas makes contact. These targets are otherwise unaffected apart from mild irritation in the mucous membranes.

Targets who have been converted into AE-02-b become paralyzed for up to ten minutes, depending on concentration of gas absorbed. The effect is produced by targeting the communications network of the fungus inhabiting the nervous system, which is required to move the body. Subjects appear to be aware during this period, but are unable to retaliate against unwanted movement or injury. Exposed caps and stalks are noted to visibly wither and wilt. Upon recovery, caps remain withered in appearance but begin to restore themselves within 24 hours. AFG is ineffective for removal of fungus itself.

Effect on more benign fungal infections in general population has not been tested. Research recommends against inhaling gas regardless of state of infection.

AFG will be distributed to areas having reports of high fungus activity, which should provide a wider array of testing data on different species of fungus.

[theology101]

A Brief Explanation of Super Mutants, The Master and Harold for the Unititaed

In 2163, the super mutants tried to take over over - and they almost won. Decades prior, a man named Harold and Richard Grey were exploring the Mariposa military base (A west-tek facility where the Brotherhood of Steel was founded after learning about unethical experiments, though since abandoned) about 50 years after the bombs dropped looking to deal with some random murants. Harold was exposed to the Forced Evolutionary Virus (FEV) through a splash but Richard Grey was knocked unconscious and fell into a vat. When he emerged he was a shambling, ever expanding mess of organic material that spread throughout the base.

He repeatedly reintroduced FEV to his body in order to “grow” it, including incorporating most of the bases automated systems and computer control into his own body. He eventually got to the point where he could communicate via radio waves into the minds of anyone close enough to either himself or one of his sensors

He believed that Humanity was fundamentally doomed and that, after a few years of experimenting, his perfected “Super Mutants” would reclaim the wasteland all under his control. Not wars, no conflict, only the Unity under the Master. The Master, as Richard now went by, began a mass campaign of kidnapping and infecting un irradiated people (as they had the best chance of gaining psychological/intellectual positives in addition to being super big and strong), before threatening the Village of Shady Sands and Vault 13 - the home vault of the very first Main Character in the fallout series. Since the Vault was filled with unirradiated people, the Vault Dweller, who has repeated contact with Super Mutants during their quest to find a Water Chip, was forced to take down the Master in order to save their home by the corrupt overseer Jacoren. Through an alliance of the Brotherhood of Steel, a humanitarian organization called the Followers of the Apocalypse, and a bunch of villages in the proto-New California Republic were able to band together and attack the Master’s two forts

while the games dont say officially what happened either way, the story hints in fallout 2 that the Master committed suicide. After revealing that Super Mutants are infertile and instead of being a continuation of a New Species, they would actually just lead to the slow and inevitable end of all intelligent life as they died off without replacement. So, the Master after realizing his goal to save humanity and the world instead caused suffering en mass, explodes himself and the Cathedral - his new base of Operations

Ironically, Harold sticks around all the up up until Fallout 3, a full hundred and thiry years later. He followed the Brotherhood out east leading a merchant caravan before Bob, a tree that was growing out of his head, eventually started going haywire. After making it to DC, the FEV and Bob finally overwhelmed Harold, turning him into a stationary Tree God, able to sense and communicate through all organic life that Bob’s spores interact with. With project purity cleaning the potomac, theres a very real chance that Harold and Bob might bring about that renewal and regrowth that his old friend Richard always dreamed of

he’s similarly inhuman - his organs are seperated by several meters and are all connected through a root system and, facilitating them swelling to tremendous size. But Old Harold is always content to listen to and talk to travelers that come to his Oasis. He was a close friend the protagonist of Fallouts 1 and 2 before appearing in 3, and was involved with pretty much every major event in California prior to 2255 when he went to DC

[dominaexmachina]

You’re cheering a win — while gangrene spreads

Some of you are celebrating lawsuits against Midjourney, thinking they’ll restore the good old days of commissions and human-made fanart.

But let’s walk through how this really unfolds — for you.

🔍 1. Character Recognition Models Are Coming

Big IP holders already have extensive visual and text datasets of their characters.

It’s only a matter of time before they deploy detection models trained specifically to recognize deviations and unauthorized reinterpretations — from sexualization to gender-swaps.

📡 2. Platforms Will Be Forced to Integrate IP-Scanning APIs

No need to chase individual fanartists. Platforms will be required to connect to centralized scanning tools — designed and controlled by rights holders.

Upload an image → the API flags it → blocked or quietly deleted. No public drama, just silence. Or shadowban.

🧾 3. One Lawsuit Is All It Takes

Companies don’t need to send cease-and-desists to everyone. They target infrastructure.

Once a platform is legally pressured or threatened with deplatforming (remember Tumblr in 2018?), it will comply — automatically.

They won’t manually check if your blog is cute, transformative, or queer.

They’ll just press delete.

🖼️ 4. It Won’t Matter If It’s AI or Human

Once automated detection is in place, the question of who made the image becomes irrelevant.

If it looks like protected IP — it’s treated as infringement.

📉 5. The 2018 Tumblr Purge Was Just a Dress Rehearsal

When Apple removed Tumblr from the App Store over child exploitation concerns, the platform overreacted — purging thousands of blogs in a broad NSFW sweep.

No due process. No clear appeals. Just mass deletion.

Tumblr has done this before. And that was before AI.

🧠 And here’s the part you’re missing:

This isn’t just about AI art.

The same infrastructure that blocks machine-made fanart can — and will — block yours.

You’re not cheering for justice.

You’re cheering like a patient who’s glad their infected finger was cut off — not realizing the blood is already carrying sepsis to the lungs.

[covid-safer-hotties]

Preserved in our archive

A research letter from 2022 highlighting the effects of even "mild" covid on the brain.

Dear Editor,

A recent study published in Nature by Douaud and colleagues1 shows that SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with longitudinal effects, particularly on brain structures linked to the olfactory cortex, modestly accelerated reduction in global brain volume, and enhanced cognitive decline. Thus, even mild COVID-19 can be associated with long-lasting deleterious effects on brain structure and function.

Loss of smell and taste are amongst the earliest and most common effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection. In addition, headaches, memory problems, confusion, or loss of speech and motility occur in some individuals.2 While important progress has been made in understanding SARS-CoV-2-associated neurological manifestations, the underlying mechanisms are under debate and most knowledge stems from analyses of hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19.2 Most infected individuals, however, develop mild to moderate disease and recover without hospitalization. Whether or not mild COVID-19 is associated with long-term neurological manifestations and structural changes indicative of brain damage remained largely unknown.

Douaud and co-workers examined 785 participants of the UK Biobank (www.ukbiobank.ac.uk) who underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) twice with an average inter-scan interval of 3.2 years, and 401 individuals testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection between MRI acquisitions (Fig. 1a). Strengths of the study are the large number of samples, the availability of scans obtained before and after infection, and the multi-parametric quantitative analyses of serial MRI acquisitions.1 These comprehensive and automated analyses with a non-infected control group allowed the authors to dissect consistent brain changes caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection from pre-existing conditions. Altogether, the MRI scan processing pipeline used extracted more than 2,000 features, named imaging-derived phenotypes (IDPs), from each participant’s imaging data. Initially, the authors focused on IDPs involved in the olfactory system. In agreement with the frequent impairment of smell and taste in COVID-19, they found greater atrophy and indicators of increased tissue damage in the anterior cingulate cortex, orbitofrontal cortex and insula, as well as in the ventral striatum, amygdala, hippocampus and para-hippocampal gyrus, which are connected to the primary olfactory cortex (Fig. 1b). Taking advantage of computational models allowing to differentiate changes related to SARS-CoV-2 infection from physiological age-related brain changes (e.g. decreases of brain volume with aging),3 they also explored IDPs covering the entire brain. Although most individuals experienced only mild symptoms of COVID-19, the authors detected an accelerated reduction in whole-brain volume and more pronounced cognitive declines associated with increased atrophy of a cognitive lobule of the cerebellum (crus II) in individuals with SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to the control group. These differences remained significant when 15 people who required hospitalization were excluded. Most brain changes for IDPs were moderate (average differences between the two groups of 0.2–2.0%, largest for volume of parahippocampal gyrus and entorhinal cortex) and accelerated brain volume loss was “only” observed in 56–62% of infected participants. Nonetheless, these results strongly suggest that even clinically mild COVID-19 might induce long-term structural alterations of the brain and cognitive impairment.

The study provides unique insights into COVID-19-associated changes in brain structure. The authors took great care in appropriately matching the case and control groups, making it unlikely that observed differences are due to confounding factors, although this possibility can never be entirely excluded. The mechanisms underlying these infection-associated changes, however, remain to be clarified. Viral neurotropism and direct infection of cells of the olfactory system, neuroinflammation and lack of sensory input have been suggested as reasons for the degenerative events in olfactory-related brain structures and neurological complications.4 These mechanisms are not mutually exclusive and may synergize in causing neurodegenerative disorders as consequence of COVID-19.

The study participants became infected between March 2020 and April 2021, before the emergence of the Omicron variant of concern (VOC) that currently dominates the COVID-19 pandemic. During that time period, the Alpha and Beta VOCs dominated in the UK and all results were obtained from individuals between 51 and 81 years of age. It will be of great interest to clarify whether Omicron, that seems to be less pathogenic than other SARS-CoV-2 variants, also causes long-term brain damage. The vaccination status of the participants was not available in the study1 and it will be important to clarify whether long-term changes in brain structure also occur in vaccinated and/or younger individuals. Other important questions are whether these structural changes are reversible or permanent and may even enhance the frequency for neurodegenerative diseases that are usually age-related, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s or Huntington’s disease. Previous findings suggest that cognitive disorders improve over time after severe COVID-19;5 yet it remains to be determined whether the described brain changes will translate into symptoms later in life such as dementia. Douaud and colleagues report that none of top 10 IDPs correlated significantly with the time interval between SARS-CoV-2 infection and the 2nd MRI acquisition, suggesting that the observed abnormalities might be very long-lasting.

Currently, many restrictions and protective measures are relaxed because Omicron is highly transmissible but usually causes mild to moderate acute disease. This raises hope that SARS-CoV-2 may evolve towards reduced pathogenicity and become similar to circulating coronaviruses causing mild respiratory infections. More work needs to be done to clarify whether the current Omicron and future variants of SARS-CoV-2 may also cause lasting brain abnormalities and whether these can be prevented by vaccination or therapy. However, the finding by Douaud and colleagues1 that SARS-CoV-2 causes structural changes in the brain that may be permanent and could relate to neurological decline is of concern and illustrates that the pathogenesis of this virus is markedly different from that of circulating human coronaviruses. Further studies, to elucidate the mechanisms underlying COVID-19-associated neurological abnormalities and how to prevent or reverse them are urgently needed.

REFERENCES (Follow link)