#Electronic and Embedded Technology

[krehssttechsolution]

This Week’s Top Stories About Electronic and Embedded Technology

Electronic and embedded technology are two of the hottest topics in the tech world today. The embedded technology sector has seen steady growth over the past decade, but 2020 has been a  particularly unprecedented year in terms of accelerating growth. From autonomous drones to artificial intelligence to the Internet of Things, these technologies rapidly change how we interact with the world around us.

Companies focusing on increasing their capabilities to meet the market’s demand will be well-positioned to succeed. By leveraging technological advances and understanding customer needs,  companies can ensure they remain ahead of the curve and drive effective growth in the embedded technology sector for the coming year.

Market Research for Embedded System Applications

The embedded technology market is divided into automobiles, electronic goods, industrial, aerospace and defense, and other segments based on application. A study suggests the market for embedded systems worldwide, estimated to be worth $89.1 billion in 2021, is anticipated to increase to $163.2  billion by 2031, rising at a CAGR of 6.5% between 2022 and 2031.

A collection of computer hardware and software created for a particular purpose is known as an embedded system. Furthermore, embedded technology may function as a component of a larger system. The systems may be programmable or limited in their capabilities. Most industrial, consumer,  agricultural, and processing equipment, vehicles, medical devices, cameras, digital watches, home appliances, and vending machines contain embedded systems.

The method of designing embedded systems is being revolutionised by embedded systems engineers,  who are also changing how data centres are run. To conserve power, they use certain types of chips that enable software to hardware data transfer, which is essential for power-sensitive embedded systems applications.

Due to a rise in demand for advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) in electric cars (EVs) and hybrid vehicles, the worldwide embedded systems market is expected to expand over the forecast period.  An increasing number of research and development projects on embedded systems will also fuel the expansion of the global embedded systems market. On the other hand, the rise of 5G and 5G-based  embedded technology is projected to augment the expansion of the Indian electronic market.

Additionally, during the projection period, the demand for multicore central processing units (CPUs)  in military applications is anticipated to drive the expansion of the embedded systems industry.  However, the security of embedded systems is one of the main challenges preventing the embedded system sector from expanding.

Wrapping Up

In 2023, a large increase in the market for embedded system applications is anticipated. This expansion results in a surge of talent with niche skills. We at Krehsst have developed a reputation of tapping into the niche market and are providing our clients with excellent manpower for embedded technology such as Autosaar developers and testing, Firmware developers for senior roles of solution architects, and project leads. Krehsst assists businesses in expanding their team staff by providing long-term talent solutions. Our experts will make the hiring process simple, reasonable, and advantageous.

[nuacam]

So excited to have my hands of the first proper prototype of my NuaCam project. It's crazy to see just how far I have come in a few short months, growing this from a simple idea to a functional device. The goal is to build a camera which utilising ai stylisation to capture reality in a new light. Now I can focus on improving the ai side to try and create exciting styles to use. The first prototype was causing lots of lost hours debugging due to lose wires, so I bite the bullet and designed this pcb to help me develop the software side.

[krstseo]

Exciting Career options after EEE (Electrical and Electronics Engineering)

The field of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (EEE) opens up a dynamic range of career options each offering personal satisfaction and ample room for creativity and impact. Whether it’s lighting up the world with electricity or leading the charge in developing hi-tech electronic devices, professionals in EEE play an important role in shaping our modern era. In this blog, let’s look into the career options after EEE awaiting graduates.

https://krct.ac.in/blog/2024/06/07/exciting-career-options-after-eee-electrical-and-electronics-engineering/

[livewirehopecollege]

Unlock the power of embedded systems with us! 🚀 Dive into a world of innovation and technology where every circuit, code, and connection matters. Read more: https://livewirecoimbatore.com/

Reach Us: 8870275880

Embedded Systems

[expostandserviceusa]

You need to at https://www.expostandservice.us/semicon-west/ for the best exhibit experience and Presence at SEMICON 2023 because professionals here assist and work towards a successful and smooth exhibit!

Now stop wondering and just join hands with our experts!

[katakaluptastrophy]

The Nine Houses are obviously deliberately technologically limited. Aside from having FTL capable spaceships, the most advanced piece of technology that we see in the Houses is "an electric transmitter box, with headphones and a mic." It's not clear entirely what sort of device this is, but it apparently requires you to stick an antenna out the window.

On New Rho, Cam has a beeping, and therefore presumably digital watch. Nona has to remind her that's it's called a "watch", and not the House term, "clockwork", which rather suggests House timepieces are analog.

There's a projector box embedded in the BoE conference table, which loads an image like dial up internet because they are "using shortwave" - presumably shortwave radio, which can transmit pictures. As We Suffer apologises for the slowness of the image loading because of shortwave, that suggests that other methods of transmitting an image do exist, but that for whatever reason they're not using those. Perhaps they do normally have something akin to the internet, but this is down due to the conditions on New Rho, or being avoided due to House or inter-cell monitoring.

The audio of Juno Zeta's proof of life is on "a little piece of electronics, a fingernail-shaped thing with prongs", which sounds like some kind of drive.

We also see We Suffer in the impromptu command centre in the tunnels with "a headpiece and a flip-top computer", presumably being used for some kind of communicatons or planning.

And of course, there's Cam and Pal's recorder, which from the descriptions of it making squeaks and garbled noises sounds rather like it might contain a cassette tape.

A paramilitary group on a beseiged planet may not be the best evidence for the level of technology outside of the Houses, but if it is in any way indicative, non-House society doesn't seem to have non-space travel technology beyond things that would have been available in the early 00s.

[sundar0inbaraj]

[reelmegabyte]

ever wonder why spotify/discord/teams desktop apps kind of suck?

i don't do a lot of long form posts but. I realized that so many people aren't aware that a lot of the enshittification of using computers in the past decade or so has a lot to do with embedded webapps becoming so frequently used instead of creating native programs. and boy do i have some thoughts about this.

for those who are not blessed/cursed with computers knowledge Basically most (graphical) programs used to be native programs (ever since we started widely using a graphical interface instead of just a text-based terminal). these are apps that feel like when you open up the settings on your computer, and one of the factors that make windows and mac programs look different (bc they use a different design language!) this was the standard for a long long time - your emails were served to you in a special email application like thunderbird or outlook, your documents were processed in something like microsoft word (again. On your own computer!). same goes for calendars, calculators, spreadsheets, and a whole bunch more - crucially, your computer didn't depend on the internet to do basic things, but being connected to the web was very much an appreciated luxury!

that leads us to the eventual rise of webapps that we are all so painfully familiar with today - gmail dot com/outlook, google docs, google/microsoft calendar, and so on. as html/css/js technology grew beyond just displaying text images and such, it became clear that it could be a lot more convenient to just run programs on some server somewhere, and serve the front end on a web interface for anyone to use. this is really very convenient!!!! it Also means a huge concentration of power (notice how suddenly google is one company providing you the SERVICE) - you're renting instead of owning. which means google is your landlord - the services you use every day are first and foremost means of hitting the year over year profit quota. its a pretty sweet deal to have a free email account in exchange for ads! email accounts used to be paid (simply because the provider had to store your emails somewhere. which takes up storage space which is physical hard drives), but now the standard as of hotmail/yahoo/gmail is to just provide a free service and shove ads in as much as you need to.

webapps can do a lot of things, but they didn't immediately replace software like skype or code editors or music players - software that requires more heavy system interaction or snappy audio/visual responses. in 2013, the electron framework came out - a way of packaging up a bundle of html/css/js into a neat little crossplatform application that could be downloaded and run like any other native application. there were significant upsides to this - web developers could suddenly use their webapp skills to build desktop applications that ran on any computer as long as it could support chrome*! the first applications to be built on electron were the late code editor atom (rest in peace), but soon a whole lot of companies took note! some notable contemporary applications that use electron, or a similar webapp-embedded-in-a-little-chrome as a base are:

microsoft teams

notion

vscode

discord

spotify

anyone! who has paid even a little bit of attention to their computer - especially when using older/budget computers - know just how much having chrome open can slow down your computer (firefox as well to a lesser extent. because its just built better <3)

whenever you have one of these programs open on your computer, it's running in a one-tab chrome browser. there is a whole extra chrome open just to run your discord. if you have discord, spotify, and notion open all at once, along with chrome itself, that's four chromes. needless to say, this uses a LOT of resources to deliver applications that are often much less polished and less integrated with the rest of the operating system. it also means that if you have no internet connection, sometimes the apps straight up do not work, since much of them rely heavily on being connected to their servers, where the heavy lifting is done.

taking this idea to the very furthest is the concept of chromebooks - dinky little laptops that were created to only run a web browser and webapps - simply a vessel to access the google dot com mothership. they have gotten better at running offline android/linux applications, but often the $200 chromebooks that are bought in bulk have almost no processing power of their own - why would you even need it? you have everything you could possibly need in the warm embrace of google!

all in all the average person in the modern age, using computers in the mainstream way, owns very little of their means of computing.

i started this post as a rant about the electron/webapp framework because i think that it sucks and it displaces proper programs. and now ive swiveled into getting pissed off at software services which is in honestly the core issue. and i think things can be better!!!!!!!!!!! but to think about better computing culture one has to imagine living outside of capitalism.

i'm not the one to try to explain permacomputing specifically because there's already wonderful literature ^ but if anything here interested you, read this!!!!!!!!!! there is a beautiful world where computers live for decades and do less but do it well. and you just own it. come frolic with me Okay ? :]

*when i say chrome i technically mean chromium. but functionally it's same thing

[zvaigzdelasas]

Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, General Valery Zaluzhny, says the battlefield reminds him of the great conflict of a century ago. “Just like in the first world war we have reached the level of technology that puts us into a stalemate,” he says. The general concludes that it would take a massive technological leap to break the deadlock. “There will most likely be no deep and beautiful breakthrough.”[...]

In an article written for The Economist by General Zaluzhny [...], as well as in a full-length essay shared with the newspaper, he urges innovation in drones, electronic warfare, anti-artillery capabilities and de-mining equipment, including new robotic solutions. “We need to ride the power embedded in new technologies,” says the general.[...]

“It is important to understand that this war cannot be won with the weapons of the past generation and outdated methods,” he insists. [...] It is, instead, technology that will be decisive, he argues. The general is enthused by recent conversations with Eric Schmidt, the former chief executive of Google, and stressed the decisive role of drones, and of electronic warfare which can prevent them from flying.

"all we need is weapons that don't exist" ah ok. this seems fine then [1 Nov 23]

[wheelsgoroundincircles]

1969 Holden Hurricane Concept

1969 Holden Hurricane Concept

1969 Holden Hurricane Concept

1969 Holden Hurricane Concept

1969 Holden Hurricane Concept

Holden has gone back to the future, restoring its very first concept car - the 1969 Holden Hurricane Concept.

The futuristic research vehicle described as an experiment "to study design trend, propulsion systems and other long range developments" has been restored to its former glory as a labour of love by a dedicated group of Holden designers and engineers.

Code named RD 001; the Holden Hurricane is a mid-engined, rear-wheel drive, two-seater sports car which incorporates a remarkable array of innovative features and technology, much of it way ahead of its time.

Features such as electronic digital instrument displays, station-seeking radio, automatic temperature control air conditioning, rear vision camera and an automated route finder were all showcased in this ground-breaking vehicle 42 years ago. Many of these technologies have only recently made their way into mass production, demonstrating Holden's remarkable foresight into both design and engineering technology.

The Holden Hurricane stole headlines and dropped jaws nationwide when it debuted at the 1969 Melbourne Motor Show.

Michael Simcoe, Executive Director GMIO Design, said it was fantastic to see such a significant vehicle restored.

"At Holden we have always prided ourselves on our ability to look into the future through our concept cars," Mr Simcoe said.

"It's amazing to think that the features we take for granted today were born out of creative minds over 40 years ago."

As its code name suggests, the RD 001 was the first product of the GMH Research and Development organisation, staffed by a small squad of engineers working in conjunction with the Advance Styling Group at the Fishermans Bend Technical Centre in the 1960s.

The team that designed and built the original Holden Hurricane employed some advanced technologies and techniques when it came to the powertrain. Powered by an experimental 4.2-litre (253 cubic inch) V8, this engine was a precursor to the Holden V8 engine program which entered production in late 1969.

The Holden Hurricane's V8 engine featured many advanced design components such as the four-barrel carburettor - a feature which wouldn't be seen on a production 253ci Holden V8 until the late 1970s. The end result was approximately 262hp (193kW), a towering power output in 1969 and one that ensured the Holden Hurricane had the go to match its show.

But perhaps the two most innovative features were the "Pathfinder" route guidance system and the rear-view camera.

The "Pathfinder", essentially a pre-GPS navigation system, relied on a system of magnets embedded at intersections along the road network to guide the driver along the desired route. A dash-mounted panel informed the driver of which turn to take by illuminating different arrows, as well as sounding a warning buzzer.

The rear-view camera was also a ground-breaking innovation.

Engineers using a Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) system with a camera mounted in the rear bumper feeding vision to a small black-and-white TV mounted in the centre console.

Former Holden Chief Studio Engineer Rick Martin led the modern-day Hurricane team in researching the vehicle's components, systems and history in order to restore it.

"There are some genuinely remarkable ideas and technology in the Hurricane," said Mr Martin.

"From the automatic air-conditioning and magnet-based guidance system, to the inertia-reel seat belts and metallic paint, this was a car that was genuinely ahead of its time.

"The hand-picked team of engineers and designers who built the original Holden Hurricane worked in strict secrecy and began Holden's now proud tradition of ground-breaking concept cars."

RD 001 stands just 990mm high and has no doors in the conventional sense. A hydraulically-powered canopy opens upwards and forward over the front wheels, combined with twin "astronaut type" power-elevating seats which rise up and pivot forward, along with the steering column for ease of access. Occupants are then lowered to a semi-reclining position before the roof closes over them.

The wind tunnel-tested fibreglass body consists of three segments; the canopy, the engine hood and body shell and was finished in an experimental aluminium flake-based metallic orange paint.

Safety innovations included a foam-lined fuel tank, integrated roll-over bar, digital instrument readouts, ignition safety locks, interior padding and a fire warning system.

The project to restore RD 001 began in 2006 and has been a genuine labour of love for some very dedicated Holden employees. The entire restoration process has been driven primarily by volunteer labour from Holden designers and engineers in their spare time.

But the Hurricane first entered Holden Design in less than immaculate condition. RD 001 had a residency in a trade school where apprentices practised their welding on the priceless concept.

After being returned to Holden in 2006, the Hurricane restoration project has taken many thousands of painstaking man hours to lovingly restore RD 001 to concourse condition.

Holden's Manager for Creative Hard Modelling, Paul Clarke, has been largely responsible for managing the restoration of RD 001. He ensured as many of the original parts as possible have been used or remade using modern techniques to 1969 specification, in order to preserve the authenticity of this hugely important Holden.

"The entire team has done a fantastic job in bringing this beautiful concept back to life," Mr Clarke said.

"The talent we have within the Holden organisation is simply outstanding. Every time we take on a project I'm constantly amazed by the passion and talent in this company, making it a genuine pleasure to work on these projects.

"The Hurricane plays a crucial role in Holden's story and the company has such a great sense of history and heritage that it was very important to bring RD 001 back to life. It's been a challenging but incredibly rewarding process."

Since the debut of the Holden Hurricane Concept in 1969, Holden has continued to build a global reputation for envisioning and executing world-class concept vehicles. Holden is recognised globally within General Motors as a centre of excellence for concept vehicle and show car development and is one of only three GM design studios that is capable to design and build concept cars.

Michael Simcoe added that the Hurricane holds a particularly special place in Holden's history as it kick-started Holden's long love affair with concepts that has since seen the likes of the iconic GTR-X, Torana TT36, Coupe 60, the GMC Denali XT (which was requested specifically by GM for the North American market) and the award-winning Efijy.

Holden Hurricane Concept (1969)

[nuacam]

Not a visually pleasing update, but a very important step has been completed...on the technical side at least. I shall convince a designer to help me update the visuals later. From the local access point of the camera it is now possible to check for firmware updates and initiate them if available. This is an important step as it allows for new features to be added after launch, without manually reprogramming each device. As always follow for more updates and to see this project come to fruition.

[rachnajuniverse-blog]

Logic gates are the fundamental building blocks behind the functioning of digital circuits, enabling devices to make decisions based on binary inputs. In this tutorial, you'll explore the different types of logic gates, such as AND, OR, and NOT, and gain a clear understanding of how they work and interact in real-world applications. Whether you're a beginner or a tech enthusiast looking to deepen your knowledge, this guide offers valuable insights into the role of logic gates in modern electronics. Dive into the fascinating world of digital logic and see how these small circuits power everything from computers to everyday gadgets. Read the full tutorial and start mastering the essentials today!

[whencyclopedia]

Discovery of X-Rays

The discovery of X-rays – a form of invisible radiation that can pass through objects, including human tissue – revolutionised science and medicine in the late 19th century. Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (1845-1923), a German scientist, discovered X-rays or Röntgen rays in November 1895. He was awarded the first Nobel Prize for Physics for this discovery in 1901.

The thrill of the discovery became caught up in the late Victorian obsession with ghosts and photography. X-rays could 'photograph' the invisible, penetrating flesh, exposing bones and the human skeleton. 'Bone portraits' became popular, and photographers opened studios for a public fascinated by otherworldly images of skeletons.

Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen

Wellcome Collection (CC BY)

One of the first medical uses of X-rays occurred in 1896 when John Francis Hall-Edwards (1858-1926), a British doctor, located a needle embedded in a colleague's hand. X-ray technology soon moved from being seen as a new form of photography to a modern diagnostic tool used by hospitals and medical practitioners.

Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen was a meticulous scientist, but the discovery of X-rays may have been an unintentional result of his work with cathode rays in his Würzburg laboratory in Bavaria, Germany.

Early Years

Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen was born in Lennep, Prussia (Remscheid-Lennep, Germany) on 27 March 1845, to a German textile merchant father and a Dutch mother. He was an only child and spent his early years in Apeldoorn in the Netherlands. His father, Friedrich Conrad Röntgen (1801-1884), managed a cloth manufacturing business in Apeldoorn. The family had also moved due to political unrest in Prussia.

Röntgen attended the Utrecht Technical School from 1861 to 1863 but was expelled when a fellow student drew a caricature of a teacher. Röntgen was implicated but refused to name the student responsible. Despite excellent marks, he did not graduate with a technical diploma and could not obtain a degree in the Netherlands. He was accepted by the Mechanical Technical Division of the Federal Polytechnic School in Switzerland in 1865, where he gained a diploma in mechanical engineering and, in 1869, a PhD in physics with his thesis Studies on Gases.

The German experimental physicist August Kundt (1839-1894) was Röntgen's supervisor. In 1866, Kundt designed the Kundt Tube, a glass apparatus that measured the speed of sound in gases. Kundt significantly influenced Röntgen and his research career.

Röntgen followed Kundt to the University of Würzburg in 1870, where he worked as an unpaid assistant during a time of rapid advancements in experimental physics. Scottish mathematician James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879) was researching electromagnetic radiation and established the connection between light and electromagnetic radiation. Maxwell also took the first colour photograph in 1861, based on his three-colour theory that the human eye sees colour through a combination of blue, red, and green light. Massachusetts-born Samuel Morse (1791-1872) developed the electric telegraph, which transmitted messages over long distances, and Morse code to encode messages, while Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922) invented the telephone.

Of particular interest to Röntgen was the work of German physicist Heinrich Hertz (1857-1894) and British chemist William Crookes (1832-1919). Both scientists studied cathode rays – invisible streams of electrons whose behaviour can be observed when an electrical current is passed between the two electrodes (cathode and anode) in a glass vacuum tube. It is called a cathode ray because the electrons are emitted from the cathode (or negative electrode) when an electrical current heats it, and the electron stream glows. Johann Wilhelm Hittorf (1824-1914) was the first to detect cathode rays glowing green in the glass wall of a vacuum tube in 1869 but did not realise that X-rays had been produced during his experiments.

Röntgen became fascinated with the fluorescence caused by cathode rays hitting certain materials, such as salts like barium platinocyanide, which glow a greenish-yellow colour when exposed to cathode rays. It was this fascination that led to the discovery of X-rays.

Continue reading...

[britishsquidward]

Feelings - A Chelley Week 2024 Fanfiction

Since his creation, Wheatley had been made to be afraid of numerous functions embedded within himself: disengagement potential, automated inactivity shutdown, an alleged “remote and self-destruct”... Heck, he'd even been told turning his torch on would have disastrous consequences. But out of all the things he'd been lumbered with, the worst of the bunch was decidedly the fact he had the capability to feel emotions on a human level. However, unlike the other things on his list, he was deathly sure this one could and would kill him. Really, he was - or at least had been - a robot, and those consisted of, what, a bit of metal and a few wires bunged in (it was becoming increasingly apparent that Wheatley truly had no idea how advanced and complicated Aperture technology was)! He wasn’t some elaborate system of neurons, and- and- what did humans have, again? …Electrons? And a… nucleus. Yes, that sounded about right. Wheatley wasn’t sure what any of those had to do with feeling emotions, if they even did, but regardless, he was still pretty angry.

“Feeling” was human. And he was not. 

So whoever's bright idea it had been to implement that feature (and all the other ones that lead up to him feeling the way he did at this point) was a bloody madman.

It was true, he was now occupying what resembled a human body, but at the end of the day, it was just densified light, and Wheatley was more comfortable with this knowledge rather than the thought he might be part-

No way. He didn’t want to think about evolving into a smelly human. Dealt with enough of those back at that place, and a majority of them had been absolutely unbearable, no matter what he did to assist. A majority, yes, though not all; a minority had been an utter delight to be around and talk with - well maybe not “talk” with, as such, but it was close enough, and more specifically, a certain someone. In fact, he was now wondering if he should perhaps be working on revising that earlier statement about annoyances, because the reason for his present state of turmoil was due to the aforementioned certain someone.

Admittedly, when Wheatley had first met her, he hadn’t been stunned out of his mind like some fairytale, or struck silly with fascination, wondering how she looked so perfect- Not that he’d been thinking about how perfect she looked right now, mind you. No, nothing of the sort. Most definitely not.

If you were to put it into a timeline from “meeting her” to “now”, he’d been indifferent, hopeful, impressed, resentful, regretful, desperate, thankful, at peace, attracte- NOT ATTRACTED. No! No, no, no. Who brought up attraction? No-one said anything about attraction, especially attraction concerning himself and Chell, which it wouldn’t be by any means, on account of the fact there was no attraction there, at all, whatsoever. Which isn’t to say that everything he’d been thinking about up until this point and the “certain someone” he’d mentioned earlier was in reference to Chell, heavens no - not that she was unattractive, seeing as in his eyes she was quite the opposite, respectfully marvellous, and…

And…

Oh, who was he kidding?

He was hopelessly attracted to Chell. And it wasn’t only her wondrous looks (a complete stunner, she was) either; it was her skill, her personality, her voice, just overwhelmingly her.

Be that as it may, this realisation (acceptance?) bothered him greatly. Not because crushing on somebody was necessarily a bad thing, since this was not the case and Wheatley didn’t believe it to be, but because he believed he shouldn’t have the capacity to feel this way. These “feelings”, if he could even call them that, were simulated, and that alone. What if he handled this sort of feeling differently to the rest of the population? He didn’t know what the rules were! What if he was to confess these feelings to Chell, only to later realise he was doing it incorrectly and end up breaking her heart, betraying her yet again? Hypothetically, of course; he wouldn’t dream of telling her what he was going through, not even if she-

A gentle pressure found its way onto his forearm, and in a brilliant display of disproportionate reactions, Wheatley jolted back rather violently. “I wasn’t thinking anything!” he exclaimed, as to not raise any suspicion and failing miserably.

Chell brushed off the falsehood. “You look troubled,” she commented, sympathy woven into her expression, “What’s bothering you?”

Her hand stayed placed lightly against his arm, her thumb caressing his wrist in a slow, controlled motion. Wheatley’s attention was torn between this very-much-welcome sensation, and Chell’s face. Given the choice, he’d pick watching her hands instead, as those would be easier to face than, well, her face, as this was proving rather difficult under the circumstances. His back was to the window, so what little sunlight was able to shine through past him hit her face beautifully, bringing out the gorgeous tone of her skin, and etching a glisten into her eyes.

How could he deceive a face like that? “Um. Nothing?” Very nice try, but no.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it,” she clarified, “I wouldn’t force you. But I do think it helps sometimes, especially for someone like you.”

“Well… Okay, I-” he paused and blinked, “Hang about, what- what do you mean ‘someone like me’?”

Shrugging and offering him a teasing smile, she answered, “You talk a lot.”

“Oh!” Wheatley threw his free hand up in the air, “Charming! I’m over here- I’m standing here, minding my own business, not bothering anyone, not even that weird… mouse thing that you lot said was stirring at Christmas - not sure where he is, by the way, still haven’t seen him. Must be a nice little guy, though. Presumably. I’ve not seen a mouse in years, and the last time I did it was dead. But that doesn’t distract from th-the point that I was just stood here, worrying about my head, and you come up all boisterous and cocky and just start tearing down my habits! And I don’t even talk a lot, actually.”

She said nothing, opting to stare at him knowingly, an eyebrow raised. He tapped his fingers against the counter. “Okay, so I… I might go on a little bit. Barely noticeable, though, I’d imagine.”

“Wheatley, it wasn’t a personal attack,” she explained (though she didn’t blame him for thinking it was, after years and years of the scientists’ and Her abuse), “I was only saying that since you like to talk, maybe it’d be best to get it out.”

“Upset? Who’s upset? I’m not upset about anything. Who said I was upset?”

“...You did. Just now.”

“Oh.”

A few moments passed where no-one said anything. “Bit awkward,” Wheatley muttered to fill the silence while he decided upon his next course of action, “I was just… upset about… abouuuuut…” Think of a lie, think of a lie, “that place. And- and Her. Which. That upset me. Sorry.”

The apology was more of an “I didn’t want to lie to you”, but Chell didn’t need to know that part.

“It upset me a lot too, at first,” she related, “and I’m not going to tell you it goes away, because it doesn’t. Not entirely, but it gets more manageable than it was.”

Oh dear. She was being considerate. He’d lied to her, and she was being considerate. Words couldn’t describe the pang of guilt that clung around Wheatley’s manufactured heart. “H-how do you manage that? If you don’t mind me asking, luv.”

Part of him cursed himself for calling her that nickname, as it only worsened the feelings he already had pulsing through him, and the other stood idly by to try and keep him from letting on.

Chell didn’t seem to notice or reply right away, taking to making her way across the room instead. The comforting pressure of her hand had to leave his arm for this, and he missed it the second she departed. Being in contact with Chell always made him feel so much more… whole. Like maybe he wasn’t merely a fraud. Like he was… alive. Properly alive, this was, none of that simulated stuff. Alive.

“Occupying yourself with something else.” Clicking the small button on the side of her radio, it sprung to life, projecting a funky tune into the room, the audio of which the most crisp it’d sounded in a long time, which was an extremely pleasant surprise.

Getting a feel for the music, Chell began to experimentally move in time with it, letting her cares be washed away by the immersion it brought. Wheatley, on the other hand, had never been more perplexed in his life. He watched on, brows furrowed and mouth slightly agape. “What are you doing?”

“Dancing,” she laughed at him, sliding over and taking his hand, “Come on.”

“Well, hey now, hold o- Woah-!”

She didn’t bother to give the taller enough time to protest, having already pulled him nearly out of balance and into the centre of the room, where he was now trying to keep up with her much more experienced movements.

Wheatley almost tripped over his own feet multiple times, but tried his best to continue. Not wanting to disappoint Chell was the thing that drove him to select most of his recently-made decisions, and with her holding his hands as nicely as she was, he didn’t plan on breaking that mantra any time soon. 

There was some temporary interference with the radio, but Wheatley wasn’t listening. It was hard to pay attention to muffled static when the woman you had a crush on was letting you see her at her most carefree, and allowing you to join her, to boot. Back at that place, he’d seen her look determined, all the way through. Knowing she could get out, doing anything to make that happen. So it was nice to see her just… smile.

Just when he was beginning to get the swing of things, the song faded out and another started up. Chell grinned wider. “Oh, I love this one.”

“You do?” he gulped. Better not mess this dance up, then.

She hummed in acknowledgement, approaching him ever-so-slowly until her head was resting against his chest. Wheatley thanked the lord he didn’t have a proper heartbeat or she’d be able to hear it hammering out of his ribcage. He couldn’t get over just how close she was. Their hands still entwined, bodies touching, swaying gently in rhythm with the tranquil song…It felt right.

At ease, Chell exhaled, giving Wheatley’s hand a light squeeze to silently ask if he was alright. Despite most definitely not being okay, Wheatley gave her hand a gentle squeeze back in response. He felt like he was dying, honestly, but if he was going to die - like he knew these emotions would bring him to - then he wouldn’t rather die anywhere else than how close he currently was to Chell.

It briefly crossed his mind that maybe the settings on his cooler had slipped, due to how his cheeks were beginning the warm up, which did frankly not seem good. Still, he’d rather temporarily malfunction than ruin this moment that, for the record, he could still not fathom the reality of. This was actually happening, he was dancing with Chell. Chell!

Staring down at the shorter, he wasn’t sure what to think. Her face wasn’t in his line of vision, but even by the top of her head, he could imagine how peaceful she looked. The proximity between them was maddening, and Wheatley found himself overcome by the urge to hold her closer, just to be there. To be there, as he wasn’t able to for the last seven years. To be there, as he wasn’t when he was controlled by the chassis. Chell deserved a nice life, and he was determined to give it to her, by being there.

Suddenly, something else clicked in his head, a new emotion. Happiness. He was happy. Happy holding her, admiring her, being near her. And if these “human” feelings meant that he could finally fully appreciate their coincidental existences, by the rules, the right way, then…

Maybe they weren’t so bad after all.

[floatingnebulas]

Rangers Apprentice Space AU

Ok, listen. I thought of a cyberpunk RA outer space AU earlier today. It was only a matter of time before I came up with a space au for RA since space aus tend to consume my thoughts.

Anyway, Araluen is an empire that spans a decent amount of interstellar territory. Not huge, but also not tiny, fairly average overall. All the other countries are other territories in the universe.

And, as always of course, Araluen is divided in a series of 50 sectors that are ruled over by the nobility. Each sector has one of the empire's 50 rangers assigned to it.

Rangers are essentially like they are in the series. The kingdom's special ops force that's really really good at what they do, and very good at sneaking around. They just have a bit more tech. The citizens of Araluen usually don't believe they're human, instead thinking they must be some kind of highly experimental android created by the crown to spy for them. It's the only way to really explain how good they are at fighting, vanishing, spying, hacking, everything. They're too good to be human, so they must be robots!

Of course, they're all humans (there are no aliens in this au). Rangers here use energy blasters instead of bows, and are crack shots no matter if they're using their close range pistols or long range sniper rifles. They also all carry small daggers made of experimental nanotechnology that can change form on a whim, letting them use daggers, saxe knives, and their strikers. Gilan has an even more experimental nanotech sword, and is one of the only people in the universe currently allowed to use it (he's helping test it out). His blade can shift between a few different types of swords so that he can use whatever he wants at that moment. Rangers also have a cloak woven with electronic fibers that allow them to disappear (not turn invisible but essentially an even better version of their mottled cloaks, one that can shift slightly to match how shadows change a little bit). They also all learn how to use technology and become fairly skilled, not the best in the universe but still pretty good, hackers so that if they're infiltrating somewhere they can always grab data. Each Ranger has their own custom ship with extremely fast warp drives and learns how to fly it even better than many competitive racers.

Morgarath used to be a member of the nobility and leader of his own sector, until he staged a rebellion a decade and a half ago. He used cybernetically enhanced forces (probably made up of some of his own people, some hired hands, and some abducted people. they would have a lot of the typical cyber enhancements that you see in cyberpunk media, such as weapons embedded into robot arms, eyes that can project things, enhanced ranges of motion, and increased strength/speed), and tried to fight against the king and his forces. The primary instrument of his defeat was the Ranger Halt, who managed to sneak behind enemy lines and implant a virus that infected the cybernetics the fighters had been implanted with. Morgarath was defeated and ended up being exiled to a planet in a very dangerous sector (haven't decided how it's dangerous yet), and no one is quite sure if he's still alive.

At one point in the war, Halt was cornered and nearly killed by some of Morgarath's soldiers, typically referred to as Wargals due to that being the model name of their implants. He is saved by a common soldier in Oswald's army, who dies defending him. Halt tracks down the man's wife and newborn son and fails to save the mother from death. So, Halt takes the child to the ward in Redmont Castle, the capital of the sector he's stationed in, and hands him over to Arald.

And the rest is history.

(I feel compelled to mention that in my mind, Halt lives on a planet that is pretty much uninhabited save for him, his cottage, his shipyard, and eventually his son apprentice. Also Gilan visits every chance he can and likes pulling stunts in his ship whenever he's with them to piss of Halt and show off to Will like the big bro he is)

(And when I say cyberpunk, I mean cyberpunk. Like, Halt leads Will on a recon mission in a futuristic glowing city with neon lights, they're driving around in spaceships (Halt has a mini copilot chair in his for Will until Will starts taking his own ship places), and Castle Redmont looks incredibly punk while Castle Araluen is very futuristic with a lot of curvy lines and such)

There is a very good chance I'll end up turning this into a oneshot series. Not a full AU because I don't have the time to do that, but some oneshots I could do! Probably.