#Security system components

[ckvisiontechnology]

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[escon-elevators]

🚧 #SafetyFirst: Modernizing Elevator Systems Is Essential for Secure Tra...

[featuredblogs]

Unlocking the Future: Exploring the Wonders of KNX in Home Automation

In the realm of home automation, where technology seamlessly intertwines with our daily lives, KNX stands out as a beacon of innovation. This article will unravel the mysteries of KNX, a standardized communication protocol that has revolutionized the way we control and interact with smart devices in our homes. Let's embark on a journey to understand the essence of KNX and its transformative role in shaping the future of home automation.

What is KNX?

At its core, KNX is more than just a set of letters; it's a powerhouse in the world of home automation. KNX, which stands for Konnex, is a standardized communication protocol that enables smart devices in a home to communicate with each other. Imagine a home where lighting, heating, security systems, and more work together seamlessly. That's the magic of KNX.

Advantages of Using KNX

The beauty of KNX lies in its versatility and compatibility. Unlike proprietary systems, KNX is an open standard, allowing devices from different manufacturers to communicate effortlessly. This interoperability ensures that your smart home system can evolve and expand without being confined to a specific brand or technology.

Components of a KNX System

To understand KNX fully, we need to peek behind the curtain. KNX systems consist of actuators and sensors, forming the backbone of the smart home. The KNX bus system facilitates communication between devices, while programming tools and software provide users with the flexibility to customize their automation setup.

The Role of KNX in Home Automation

Imagine arriving home, and the lights automatically adjust to your preferred ambiance, the thermostat adjusts to the perfect temperature, and your security system is armed—all triggered by a single command. KNX makes this scenario a reality, offering a centralized and streamlined control hub for various aspects of home automation.

Installation and Setup

While the wonders of KNX are vast, the installation process is surprisingly straightforward. Professional installation ensures optimal performance, and once set up, users can easily configure and adapt their smart home to suit their changing needs.

KNX vs. Other Home Automation Protocols

In a world of competing protocols like Zigbee and Z-Wave, KNX holds its ground. Its unique features, including wired communication and broader compatibility, make it a standout choice for those seeking a reliable and scalable home automation solution.

Applications of KNX in Different Settings

KNX isn't limited to residential spaces. Its adaptability extends to commercial and industrial settings, where precise control and automation play a crucial role in enhancing efficiency and reducing energy consumption.

Challenges and Solutions in Implementing KNX

While the benefits of KNX are evident, users may encounter challenges during implementation. This section will guide you through common hurdles and provide strategies to overcome them, ensuring a smooth transition to a KNX-powered home.

KNX and the Future of Home Automation

The journey doesn't end here. The future holds exciting prospects for KNX, with ongoing developments and emerging trends promising to elevate home automation to new heights. Stay tuned as we explore what's on the horizon for this innovative technology.

User Experiences with KNX

Real-world stories often speak louder than technical specifications. Discover how individuals and businesses have transformed their spaces with KNX, turning their homes and offices into intelligent, responsive environments.

Cost Considerations for KNX Systems

Investing in a KNX system may raise questions about costs. This section will break down the initial investment and highlight the long-term benefits, showcasing why KNX is a worthwhile investment for homeowners and businesses alike.

Security and Privacy Concerns with KNX

As with any connected system, security and privacy are paramount. Learn about the measures in place to address potential risks, ensuring that your KNX-powered home is secure and your privacy is protected.

KNX Certification and Standards

To guarantee the reliability of your KNX system, certification is key. This section explores the importance of KNX certification and the adherence to industry standards, providing peace of mind for users.

Conclusion                      

In conclusion, KNX is the key to unlocking the full potential of home automation. Its open standard, interoperability, and adaptability make it a frontrunner in the race to create smart, connected homes. As technology continues to evolve, embracing KNX opens doors to a future where our living spaces are not just smart but truly intelligent.

FAQs                        

Is KNX only for residential use?

No, KNX is versatile and finds applications in both residential and commercial settings, offering tailored solutions for diverse needs.

How often do KNX systems need updates?

Updates depend on technological advancements and individual preferences. However, KNX systems are designed to be future-proof, minimizing the need for frequent updates.

Can I integrate non-KNX devices into a KNX system?

KNX's open standard allows integration with devices from different manufacturers,

[cathkaesque]

Relentless direct action has secured another victory in the fight against Israel’s arms trade, as Elbit Systems are forced to sell their ‘Elite KL’ factory in Tamworth.

The company had previously manufactured cooling and power management systems for military vehicles, but was sold on after stating that it faced falling profits and increased security costs resulting from Palestine Action’s efforts. 

After the sale was completed last month, Elite KL’s new owners, listed as Griffin Newco Ltd, confirmed in an email to Palestine Action that they will have nothing to do with the previous owners, Elbit, and have discontinued any arms manufacturing:

“Following the recent acquisition of Elite KL Limited by a UK investment syndicate, the newly appointed board has unanimously agreed to withdraw from all future defence contracts and terminate its association with its former parent company”.

This victory is a direct result of sustained direct action which has sought, throughout Palestine Action’s existence, to make it impossible for Elbit to afford to operate in Britain. Before they sold the enterprise to a private equity syndicate, Elbit had reported that Elite KL operating profits had been slashed by over three-quarters, with Palestine Action responsible: Elbit directly cited the increased expenditure on security they’d been forced to make, and higher supply chain costs they faced.

And these actions did, indeed, cost them. The first action at the site, in November 2020, saw Elite KL’s premises smashed into, the building covered in blood-red paint. Between March and July 2021, the site was put out of action three times by roof-top occupations – drenched red in March 2021, with the factory’s camera systems dismantled, before again being occupied in in May. Another roof-top occupation in July, despite increased security, saw the site forced closed – once again painted blood-red, and with its windows and fixings smashed through.

In February 2022, activists decommissioned the site for weeks – closed off after an occupation that saw over £250,000 of damages caused, the roof tiles removed one-by-one. After this, Elbit erected a security perimeter around the site – but to no avail. One month later, six were arrested after Palestine Action returned to Tamworth – again taking the roof and smashing through, preventing the production of parts for Israel’s military machine.

Elite KL is a ‘specialist thermal management business’. Since the sale, the company focuses on cooling systems for buses and trains, but it had, under Elbit, manufactured these systems for military vehicles. Until December of last year, Elite KL’s website was advertising its military and defence products, and it was known to provide parts for Israel’s deadly Merkava tanks, with export license records demonstrating its provision of ‘ML6a’ components for military ground vehicles to Israel. The company was also known to manufacture crew cooling systems, for the military vests of tank operators.

Elbit Systems itself provides 85% of the drones and land-based military equipment for the Israeli military, along with a wide range of the munitions and armaments currently being used against Gaza’s beseiged population. Its CEO, Bazhalel Machlis, has claimed that the Israeli military has offered the company its thanks for their “crucial” services during the ongoing genocide in Gaza

A Palestine Action spokesperson has stated:

“Each activist who occupied and dismantled Tamworth’s Israeli weapons factory did so in order to bring an end to Israel’s weapons trade, and to end the profiteering from Palestinian repression. Every defeat Elbit faces is a victory for the Palestinian people.

Kicking Elbit out of Tamworth shows once again that direct action is a necessary tactic. It is one which must be utilised and amplified in the face of the Gaza genocide.”

[nasa]

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope’s flight harness is transferred from the mock-up structure to the spacecraft flight structure.

Your Body is Wired Like a NASA Space Telescope. Sort Of.

If our Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope were alive, its nervous system would be the intricate wiring, or “harness,” that helps different parts of the observatory communicate with one another. Just like the human body sends information through nerves to function, Roman will send commands through this special harness to help achieve its mission: answering longstanding questions about dark energy, dark matter, and exoplanets, among other mind-bending cosmic queries. 

Roman’s harness weighs around 1,000 pounds and is made of about 32,000 wires and 900 connectors. If those parts were laid out end-to-end, they would be 45 miles long from start to finish. Coincidentally, the human body’s nerves would span the same distance if lined up. That’s far enough to reach nearly three-fourths of the way to space, twice as far as a marathon, or eight times taller than Mount Everest! 

An aerial view of the harness technicians working to secure Roman’s harness to the spacecraft flight structure.

Over a span of two years, 11 technicians spent time at the workbench and perched on ladders, cutting wire to length, carefully cleaning each component, and repeatedly connecting everything together.  

Space is usually freezing cold, but spacecraft that are in direct sunlight can get incredibly hot. Roman’s harness went through the Space Environment Simulator – a massive thermal vacuum chamber – to expose the components to the temperatures they’ll experience in space. Technicians “baked” vapors out of the harness to make sure they won’t cause problems later in orbit.  

Technicians work to secure Roman’s harness to the interior of the spacecraft flight structure. They are standing in the portion of the spacecraft bus where the propellant tanks will be mounted.  

The next step is for engineers to weave the harness through the flight structure in Goddard’s big clean room, a space almost perfectly free of dust and other particles. This process will be ongoing until most of the spacecraft components are assembled. The Roman Space Telescope is set to launch by May 2027. 

Learn more about the exciting science this mission will investigate on X and Facebook. 

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space! 

[dduane]

I'm halfway through So You Want To Be A Wizard and I have a bit of an odd question. Certain spells require ingredients like pens or string, but what were to happen if the spell components just... didn't exist anymore/would be impossible to acquire now? Like if it required the feather of a Dodo Bird, or leaves from a species of tree that died off a long time ago?

I'm loving the story so far, my brain just latches on to random little details and won't let go haha

No problem! I know how this is. :)

For spells of the kind we're discussing here—which (since they're intended for probationary wizards) are fairly simple ones—the Manual normally suggests the most readily accessible items that interrupt space in the right way to make a given spell work. For beginning wizards, if a given ingredient can't be obtained, the Manual will routinely suggest a slightly different spell that has more accessible ingredients.

Of course there are spells with physical components in which the non-availability of a given item may be construed as a challenge that the universe is offering you, in order to see how serious you are about the spell getting done in the first place. ...The dodo feathers, for example? Those aren't so much of a problem... assuming you're willing to worldgate over to London and break into the Natural History Museum to borrow one of the few they've got. (Naturally this is going to also require an effective invisibility spell, and the necessary resources to defeat the museum security systems. And it'd better just be "borrowing." If the spell's at all destructive of the raw materials it uses, stealing something to make it happen would unquestionably increase local entropy. Maybe it'd just be simpler to look around for a different spell.)

This is one of the reasons why most wizards engaged in active spelling try very hard to increase their skill levels to the point where they're able to do wizardry diagramatically, rather than with concrete objects. Affecting the physical universe with nothing but the Speech and the correct kind of spell diagram to support the "equation" is much harder work, sure... but it really beats having to go looking all over the place for the gimbal from some ancient TV set, or the right piece of string. :)

Hope this helps!

[flamingpudding]

Phantom home alone

A/N: I blame having read a couple of post of the batkids doing that. And my brain went, let's have Danny do that too! I am sure someone might have thought of that already tho...

Danny clutched the screw driver in his head and looked proudly at what he had build on a short noticed. Sure Tucker had notified him that someone was looking into his person, but he had not thought that whoever that was would come snooping around his home this soon. Espacially when he was supposed to be on a home visit to his parents that he had to cancel last minute for a collage project.

Well, it's too bad for those who are trying to sneak into his home. Danny was the son of a pair of the most inventive and creative inventors of Amity that made laser blasters out of toasters. Additionally he was a half ghost with a large variety of powers as well as someone who had the definition of mischief as daughter/sister.

Besides, he always wanted to get his own chance on doing his own version of home alone. His parents security system just never let him do that. That reminded him, should he see if he can bring to live and convince the hotdogs in his fridge to fight with him?

The Bats and Birds just wanted to make sure that this new kid in Tim's college classes was not as suspicious as he appeared to be. Really, if that kid hadn't off handedly commented about the basic components of fear gas while in Tim's presence he might never have gotten onto their radar.

Of course, as paranoid as they were, they had to scoop out the teens' place when they knew he wasn't around. They did not expect the apartment to fight back. And are those hotdogs wielding forks and knives as weapons?!

[redsugarx]

Hanfu in Components: Collars & Lapels (pt4)

navigation: hanfu in components 1 2 3.1 3.2 4 5 6 ...

Back to technical infodumping... Also caved and used tb images in this one LOL sources all linked of course!

I will now be going over different collar/lapel shapes often seen in hanfu! The collar and lapel are combined because they're connected ideas, so you can't really get an idea of what the front of the garment looks like unless you know both. There are so many different axes that you could use to sort these into categories (by dynasty, by collar, by lapel, by name, etc). I'm going to use the system that I think will make the most sense to people trying to get a sense of how stuff is constructed. This might differ from the system that most other informational articles use.

Terminology refresher:

領/领/ling3 - Collar (neck part)

襟/jin1 - Lapel (front of garment, where it 'opens')

I like to separate these into two broad lapel categories, which have a couple subcategories themselves. They are:

對襟/对襟/dui4 jin1/'parallel lapel'

大襟/da4 jin1/'grand lapel'

對襟 Parallel Lapel

Duijin garments usually have an open center front seam that gets secured to the opposite side with ties or buttons. The lapels are straight parallel lines. A shape may or may not be cut out at the neck.

直領/直领/zhi2 ling3/Straight Collar

月餅 / Yuebing / Mooncake by 九雲閣 Cloud9 Hanfu on Etsy (see alt text for photo credits)

This is the simplest kind of collar. There is no extra shape carved out for the neck at the top of the garment, the lapels extend straight down from the midline. The result is an open-front parallel collar cardigan, which is almost always worn on the outside. The collar piece is simply a very long strip of fabric attached to the empty edges like this. There may or may not be a small gap at the back of the neck to allow space for the width of the neck.

寒翠 / Hancui / Evergreen by 九雲閣 Cloud9 Hanfu on Etsy

There are a few variations to the collar piece. The simplest one shown is called 通領/通领/tong1 ling3/Through Collar, where it’s just one strip of fabric all the way around. If a garment is referred to as just 對襟 with no extra indicated collar shape, this is the collar type that it's referring to.

萦波 from 裳裳者华 on Taobao

折領/折领/zhe2 ling3/Folded Collar, primarily a Song dynasty thing, has the top half or so double-folded inwards to create a more reinforced neck area.

Custom order by 九雲閣 Cloud9 Hanfu on Etsy

合領/合领/he2 ling3/Joined Collar, a Ming dynasty structure, has a thicker collar piece that only runs halfway down the length of the garment, and usually has no gap on the back of the neck.

圓領/圆领/yuan2 ling3/Round Collar

金通缠枝莲 from 松塔汉服 on Taobao

Round collars are fairly similar to modern-day round collars, except they are typically wider and lower than a tshirt. A large half-circle is cut out at the neck. The collar piece has two variations: the thicker full collar piece, which has more of a presence and the narrower 無領/无领/wu2 ling3/Missing Collar variation, which just encloses the circle’s edges with ~1cm of bias tape.

山染黛 / Shanrandai / Sierra by 九雲閣 Cloud9 Hanfu on Etsy

Both of these almost exclusively apply to Ming Dynasty wear.

方領/方领/fang1 ling3/Square Collar

迎春 / Yingchun / Salutation by 九雲閣 Cloud9 Hanfu on Etsy (see alt text for photo credits)

Square collars are usually more of a rectangular or trapezoidal shape. Almost exclusively applies to Ming Dynasty outerwear.

坦領/坦领/tan3 ling3/Open Collar

落夢 / Luomeng / Daydream by 九雲閣 Cloud9 Hanfu on Etsy (see alt text for photo credits)

Also called the U-領. A wide scooping neckline in a U-shape often found in Tang Dynasty womenswear. 

立領 /立领/li4 ling3/Standing Collar

雲化龍 / Yunhualong / Seraphine by 九雲閣 Cloud9 Hanfu on Etsy (see alt text for photo credits)

Synonymous with 豎領/竖领/shu4 ling3. Standing collar, a long collar piece that wraps around the neck, usually secured in the front with ties or small buttons.

雞心領/鸡心领/ji1 xin1 ling3/Heart Neckline

升天行 / Shengtianxing / Hesperus by 九雲閣 Cloud9 Hanfu on Etsy

Reverse heart-shaped neckline, can be considered a variant of the 坦領 where the center of the collar protrudes upwards to a point. Also Tang Dynasty womenswear.

Y領/Y领/Y ling3/Y-Collar

立春遊 / Lichunyou / Spring Thaw by 九雲閣 Cloud9 Hanfu on Etsy (see alt text for photo credits)

Can be considered a variant of the 直領 or its own thing. Y-shaped neckline with a triangle cut out at the top, meeting halfway down. Also Tang Dynasty womenswear.

大襟/da4 jin1/Grand Lapel

Also referred to as 交襟/jiao1 jin1/Crossed Lapel, grand lapel-type collars usually have a 衽 piece attached to the center front seam to span the whole width of the torso, overlapping in the front. This is a term that's usually used for Ming Dynasty clothing, for which there is a 大襟 and 對襟 version of each of 直領，立領，and 圓領.

交領/交领/jiao1 ling3/Cross Collar

曉風青 / Xiaofengqing / Cardinal by 九雲閣 Cloud9 Hanfu on Etsy (see alt text for photo credits)

Cross-collar, one of the most iconic features of East Asian clothing. There are a ton of ways that the cross-collar can be constructed, varying across time.

月將沉 / Yuejiangchen / Moonset by 九雲閣 Cloud9 Hanfu on Etsy

The classic symmetrical 交領 from the earliest dynasties can be understood as a Y-shaped cutout with a triangular or trapezoidal 衽 sewn onto each center front seam to bridge the distance. Some also do away with the center front seam (but never the center back) and make the torso and the 衽 one piece together. The amount of overlap can vary.

横卧交领长袖短衫 from 淮边筱竹 on Taobao

Cross collars can also be asymmetrical, especially in the Ming Dynasty: the 直領大襟 example can be understood as a straight collar on the wearer’s right and a cross collar on the wearer’s left. There may only be a 衽 attached to the outside flap crossing over (coming from the wearer’s left), while the flap coming from the wearer’s right hangs straight down.

*In cases like these—and this is a VERY common mistake even for experienced Hanfu wearers—the ties cannot be knotted at their base. Instead the straight collar should be matched with the centerline of your own chest, and knotted a little further down the tie. Can be inner or outer wear in a variety of dynasties.

垂領/垂领/chui2 ling3/Dropped Collar

灵华 from 墨名堂 on Taobao

Literally ‘dropped neck,’ can be understood as a round collar that has ’sagged’ down in shape. The neck shape is a deep scoop shape, overlapping only slightly, usually secured with buttons. Almost exclusively seen in Tang Dynasty womenswear.

圓領/圆领/yuan2 ling3/Round Collar

The 大襟 round collar’s 衽 is usually more trapezoidal or rectangular in shape, as it extends all the way up to the neck. There are several varieties of round collar.

鳴澗 / Mingjian / Cascade by 九雲閣 Cloud9 Hanfu on Etsy (see alt text for photo credits)

The earliest forms of round collar found in Tang and before are the standing round collar, where the collar piece is a long strip of fabric sewn ‘standing up’ to the neck, resulting in a small protruding collar line. Robes with this kind of collar usually have symmetrical construction, with identical trapezoidal 衽 on the inside.

海誓 / Haishi / Pelagos by 九雲閣 Cloud9 Hanfu on Etsy

Later forms of round collar, mostly in the Song and Ming dynasties, have the collar piece on the same plane as the rest of the robe. This is sometimes called 盤領/盘领/pan2 ling3/Dish Collar. The collar piece can either be cut out in a round shape (modern method) or cut out as a strip of fabric and gathered into that shape by pulling a thread through like a drawstring (traditional method).

Custom order by 九雲閣 Cloud9 Hanfu on Etsy

Typically the flat round collar piece is wider. Flat round collars also might be more likely to be asymmetrical: the outside is the mostly the same shape as the standing round collar’s 衽，but the inside can look similar to a cross-collar or straight collar 衽，since it gets hidden on the inside. Usually outerwear.

立領/立领/li4 ling3/Standing Collar

木有枝 from 空青汉服 on Taobao

This is the 大襟 cousin of the 立領對襟，also known as 竪領. The collar piece is the same, but there is a large trapezoidal 衽 attached on each side of the front center seam. This results in a diagonal lapel line running from the center of the neck down to the side, so it can also be called 立领斜襟/li4 ling3 xie2 jin4/Standing Collar Diagonal Lapel. Usually Ming Dynasty outerwear.

曲領/曲领/qv1 ling3/Curved Collar

風流 /Fengliu/Zephyr by 九雲閣 Cloud9 Hanfu on Etsy (see alt text for photo credits)

Very old seldom-seen collar shape from Han to Wei/Jin Dynasty inner wear. Very similar to the cross-collar shape, but the outside flap comes up to wrap around the neck like a turtleneck.

navigation: hanfu in components 1 2 3.1 3.2 4 5 6 ...

[knight-a3]

Hazbin Masterpost

Heavenbound Masterpost

Vox, the noisy video box

So Vox may not be my favorite character, but he is probably my favorite redesign. I laugh every time I look at him now. He looks like a weird mix of Spongebob, Kraang(TMNT), and Mr. Electric(Sharkboy and Lavagirl). He absolutely hates it.

Notes under the cut

There's too many twinks in this show. So when I was trying to decide which characters I could change, for body diversity, Vox was an obvious one. He needed more bulk so his body could conceivably support the old TV models. Those things could get heavy. The change also had the side effect of making him shorter, which just worked better proportionately.

I liked the idea that Vox could never get rid of his original bulky 50s TV, but also wanted him to be able to upgrade. So I decided his true body is the 50s TV, and he adds an upgraded monitor for a head as technology improves. He's hates that he's stuck as an old fashioned TV, so he hides that under his suit. Since the monitor is just an addition, it can be swapped out easily. It can be damaged and he's technically unharmed. But he can't see through his suit without the monitor, unless he wants to use a security camera and direct himself 3rd person style.

I didn't like that basically everyone has sharp teeth. It reduces the impact for characters like Alastor or Rosie. So I've been having the default be just sharp canines. But with Vox being a TV, there are so many possibilities. I gave Vox "regular" teeth, which helps him look more trustworthy. It fits the corrupt businessman vibe. But the appearance can change with his mood too.

Color TV became available in the 50s, so Vox always had color vision. But I think it'd be funny if, early on, he had a tendency to glitch out by going into black and white vision when he gets worked up. He's mostly grown out of that glitch, but he can't seem to shake the static or TV color bars, and developed new ones as he integrated computer and internet tech into himself as well. Now he gets the Blue Screen of Death, system errors, and city wide power surges.

Messing around with his face is so fun. When he's bored or tired a Voxtech logo will bounce around like the DVD logo, or display a screensaver. His face can get too big for the screen when he's excited, or be small when he's feeling embarrassed. I need to put a troll face on him at some point. It may be an old meme, but man, it feels right.

His left eye turns red when it's hypnotic, to reference those blue and red 3D glasses.

Of the three Vees, he is absolutely the most powerful. Val and Vel are the content creators, but Vox is the platform. The other two, while still powerful in their own right, would never have gotten to the level they're at if it weren't for Vox. He controls the mainstream media.

--TV set--

So we've got some interesting implications with how he functions. He's a TV, but he blue screens like a computer, and he shorts out the power grid. I think it's safe to say he is more than just a TV, he's a multimedia entertainment center. That, and TVs are starting to really blend with computers these days. He's mainstream media.

At some point, I realized that a TV set was a "set" because it wasn't just a single device. A television set was a collection of components, which boils down to a radio hooked up and synchronized to a visual display. I bring this up mostly because I am a sucker for one-sided radiostatic. It's so funny to me. Vox is obsessed.

But I'm going to refrain from too much theorizing about their relationship. Alastor is absolutely not interested in romance. Nor a QPR. He's not even interested in friendship. Alastor is too invested in power dynamics to really consider anyone a friend. Mimzy is probably the closest he has to a friend, and even that has manipulative elements on both sides. But I'm supposed to be talking about Vox!

--Human Vox!--

He is not tall, haha. But his proportions are a bit taller than his demon form. I wanted to go for square glasses, but I didn't see many examples of that in the 50s photos I found. Oh well! My goal was a sleazy business man. He probably had a variety of jobs, but they primarily involved TV. Commercials, PR, interviews, news, game shows, talk shows, screenwriting, etc. Whatever he could do to get more influence. He found himself favoring the business end of things. Making deals and pulling strings. He decided what would go on the air. He's one of those network executive types.

I see lots of people give him heterochromia, but I don't really see a point to that. He hypnotizes people with his left eye, sure, but it's not a different color. It's not disfigured in any way either. Maybe he just had a tendency to wink at people, I dunno.

I think his death involved some sort of severe skull fracture focused around his left eye. Maybe a car accident, maybe he was shot, idk. Maybe seizures were involved. But he was somewhere in his mid 40s to early 50s. I ended up writing 45, but I'm not super committed to that or anything.

For a human name, I see lots of people calling him Vincent and that's sorta grown on me. So I might go with "Vincent Cox".

And because I fell into another research rabbit hole...

--TV evolution--

(below) 50s-60s CRT TV: TV sets were treated as furniture and there could be some very interesting cabinet designs. Color TV was introduced in the 50s, but wasn't quite profitable until the late 60s.

(below) 70s-80s CRT TV: Color TV became more affordable and commonplace.

(below) 90s CRT TV

(below) 2000s CRT to Plasma and LCD TVs: The three display technologies competed, but LCD won out in the end. Plasma and early LCD didn't look substantially different. Plasma was a little bulkier, but was still slimmer than CRT.

2010s and on: LCD improved with LED backlighting. But then OLED removed the need for backlighting entirely, which mixed the benefits of plasma and LCD. (Didn't bother to find a picture example. It's so close to modern at this point)

--Display technology-- (These overviews are very simplified)

CRT(Cathode Ray Tube)--Used through the 1900s to approx 2010. Monochromatic until Color TV developed aroung the 1950s. Worked via vacuum tubes and electron gun that lit up the pixels. They were bulky, heavy, and used a whole lot of power. Widely considered obsolete and no longer made. Video games made while these were in use tend to look better in CRT, since the graphics accounted for the image quality.

Flat screens-

PDP (Plasma Display Panel): Used from early 2000s to approx 2015. Used gas cells that light up pixels when electrically charged. Good image quality and good contrast, but expensive, heavy, and used a lot of power. Considered obsolete and no longer made, despite still having a desirable image quality.

Plasma and LCD competed in the 2000s to early 2010s as CRT popularity waned. LCD eventually won out due to weight and overall cost(including market price and energy efficiency).

LCD (Liquid Crystal Display): Introduced for TV around the same time as Plasma. Works via a liquid crystal layer with a backlight. Slim, decent image quality, energy efficient. Viewing angle matters because image colors are warped at wide angles. Cheaper than plasma. There are two main backlighting types:

--CCFL(Cold Cathode Fluorescent Light): Used fluorescent lighting for the backlight. Image quality was decent, but didn't have good contrast. (the blacks were never truly dark because of the backlight)

--LED(Light Emitting Diode): An LCD that uses LEDs instead of CCFL for the backlighting. Better contrast and efficiency than using CCFL.

OLED(Organic LED): Mixes strengths of plasma and LCD. Self emitting LEDs. No backlight or LCD panel needed, which improves contrast(about as good as plasma was, which is why plasma is basically obsolete now).

--QD-OLED(Quantum Dot- OLED) Adds a layer of Quantum dots to an OLED to improve color gamut. I think. I can't let myself fall too far into this rabbit hole, so I'm not double checking anymore.

((Feb 12, 2025-updated tags)

[canmom]

"don't post links to pirate sites" as a security through obscurity strategy seems... weak. if a pirate site is so obscure that almost nobody can find it, it's also essentially pointless.

but yes, if a pirate site is common knowledge, the feds will be working on destroying it. so the idea is i assume to achieve an intermediate level of obscurity, where you have to have a certain amount of talent for asking the right people or searching the right things to find it. but... whatever capacity for research you are asking people to have on that front, the feds are equally capable of it, and they have a whole lot more time on their hands for tracking down pirate sites! security through obscurity is a losing game for piracy. the perfect sweet spot where people can find your pirate resource but the feds cannot is something of a mirage.

if not that, than what?

the current piracy system involves a few different tiers of accessibility, and various components that are more or less decentralised.

torrents are the most resilient tech because to stamp out a torrent (with DHT enabled) you have to suppress every seed. so, you have big public torrent trackers like TPB; these are well known and rely on hopping domains and redundancy for security. the ratio of seeds to leeches tends to be low, but the number of users is large enough that there will be at least a few seeds out there for most stuff. torrent clients have gotten a lot better at seeding strategies that take into account your seed ratio and what's currently available in the swarm, so if you just leave everything on seed and open your torrent client fairly often (use a VPN though lol), you don't really need to think about it.

then you have private trackers; these operate on an invite basis. the problem with this is that when the pool of users is so small, the odds of a given seed being online are also small. to prevent torrents dying, they gamify it: you get points for seeding and if you don't have enough points you can't download anything until you seed more. to help people get back in the game there will be 'freeleech' events. being active on a private tracker takes a bit of work.

and of course you have to get in in the first place, which tends to require a proven track record of seeding on other private trackers, and some kind of interview with the operators. getting involved in private trackers is a much bigger ask, you have to figure out where to get your foot in the door, and work your way up to the more insular trackers. it's like a mini subculture. it's valuable, but not scalable.

at the top level of inaccessibility is the warez scene. this is a whole subject that i'm not even gonna get into, go read wikipedia. historically this is where the files actually come from, before getting distributed on public trackers, usenet etc. but good luck getting in there lmao, they are understandably quite paranoid.

of course, for stuff to get on pirate sites you need somebody to go the effort of ripping and encoding it. this is where a major point of failure exists. when RarBG went down recently, the biggest loss was not the existing archive of torrent links, which can be backed up - it was that they were very active at converting scene releases into torrents with a decent balance of file size and quality, which then filter out into the various public trackers. that is much harder to replace! but what killed RarBG wasn't even suppression by authorities - according to their statement, it was a bunch of the admins getting covid or dying or fighting in the Russia-Ukraine war, which made the whole operation impossible to continue. so despite the thousands of people who download RarBG torrents, this single point of failure was overstressed and broke.

as far as the ethics of spreading links to pirate sites go... if it's something like a mega drive, yeah, the chances of a takedown are pretty high if it gets noticed! no question. but those things are by nature short-lived; if you want to use that for archival you're building on sand. there's also databases like emuparadise, but there was no saving that through obscurity, it just took Nintendo a minute to bring the case.

in this kind of centralised case, the clock is ticking from day 1. what we want is to maximise the number of people who are able to save copies while it's up, and then some of those people can put it up again somewhere else and keep the authorities playing whack-a-mole. (for a small collection of files, a sensible measure would be to make a torrent and a mega drive side by side, so that people can download the mega drive and then add the torrent to their client to seed if it gets nuked.)

as for torrent sites, the thing is that torrents rely for effectiveness on a swarm that is either very large or very responsible about seeding. if it's a public tracker, it has to be well known or it's pointless. instead of security through obscurity, the form of security for these sites is try to make the resource itself hard to take down - operating the tracker/archive in countries that don't have copyright treaties, maintaining mirrors, and of course distributing as many seeds as possible so the torrent can stay alive even if the site goes down.

the major problem with a dead torrent site is discoverability. if it's harder to find the torrent, fewer people will download it, the existing seeds will gradually go offline, and of course you can't download a torrent that you don't know exists. and while you could imagine a system of broadcasting metadata about a torrent (title, encoding etc.) in a DHT-like way but that would be so vulnerable to fakes and spam. maybe some kind of cryptographically signed 'this torrent is good' declaration is possible? I know certain torrent clients tout discovery features, but honestly I don't know how well they work. I'm sure there are projects that are way ahead of the game than me on this question.

but yeah anyway trying to browbeat people into not sharing links to pirate media is 1. futile, by the time you see it the cat is out of the bag 2. not a sustainable strategy for security. if you wanna lecture people, 'use a VPN and seed your torrents' is evergreen ;p

[sillystringpasta]

i would kill to see a Home Alone adjacent AU with tim drake. teeny tiny timmy drake, when jason is still robin.

the premise is this:

tim's still feral, still stalks the streets at night, and hasn't yet learned physical combat. but he has unlimited time, and the bats for neighbours, so he has mechanical knowhow already by sheer want of... idk, getting closer to the wayne family through buisiness? being a good heir to drake industry's RnD? being a freak?

he also has Jack Drake's shotgun at home, and a lot of money.

the drake parents bring something home from their most recent archaeological dig. this thing is maybe alien, maybe tech, maybe magic. they don't know that, but they do know it's old, so they add it to their manor's collection.

and then they, canon typically, leave.

so tim has this artefact in his manor's vault, and he studies it because his parents(!) brought it home(!!!). he doesn't figure it out at the start, and he quickly gets distracted, because some crooks come for it.

here is the story my brain has cooked so far:

it starts with the local mob groups' lowest goons who can be trusted not the drop The Artefact. maybe falcone?

tim calls the police on them as they break in, and lists the address as the drakes, the rich ones, so the cops actually help.

tim doesn't know why mobster goons just tried to break in, but he does know that the batman is his neighbour. tim knows that he has some sort of security system from the wayne manor galas (he has, after all, not managed to take pictures of where the batmobile is after investigating the garage).

so tim comes to the totally rational conclusion that he needs to trick out the manor. but, like, subtly, so his parents don't get mad when they come back.

as he's making the traps, for fun mostly, serious goons from falcone, and some guys from penguin show up. they fight each other, and tim, again, calls the cops. they take the unconcious (and shot) goons off the front lawn, and ask tim about being Home Alone.

after some gaslighting, tim builds serious traps.

and thank god he does, because black mask goons show up. and a bm enforcer. ruh-roh. they somehow get taken out by the traps, and tim chugs so much coffee making new ones that he blacks out and can't remember some of the new traps he makes (hello chekov! we've already seen you here :).

then comes the riddler himself, having heard about the puzzle traps, and wanting to just, y'know, play a game. after finding out it's a kid stepping on his toes, he's gonna go, but then tim offers to buy some trap components from the riddler. a lucrative allience is established.

riddler goes to try and find out what the other bosses are trying to steal. catwoman catches wind of the investigation from his questioning; that people are struggling to steal a valuable item from a rich mansion. (tim also learns this is about The Artefact from the riddler, when he drops off some... materials.)

catwoman interrupts a theft attempt from... idk, deadshot, or deathstroke, hired (by luthor?) to get the Artefact. after getting beat up by tim, both are horrified by tim's living situation, ironically the mercenary's more than catwoman because they are Dads tm.

so now tim has two gotham rogue's and a mercenary on his side, who help make more traps (and subtly make them lethal) and give him some shooting lessons with his dad's gun. which is good, because the moment they leave, the court of owls show up, having gotten word from the goons to the social elite about the drake family's new Artefact.

the talon's don't die from the new lethal traps, but they do get their zombie selves stuck in them. the league of assassins show up. the talons were given orders to not be seen. being unseen is standard LoA operating procedure. they kill each other unitl the only one left is a young pru. (from canon red robin's brucequest, if you don't remember her.)

the bodies are dumped outside, into the yard, by being trebucheted off a balcony. poison ivy turns around and leaves without even getting started. she takes the bodies with her. whatever is pumped into the talon's is great ferilizer, and the basic nitrogen in blood is pretty good too.

things escalate more.

the Artefact begins to glow in a lonely vault. a heavy hitter shows up, and so does Klarion, attracted to the chaos. they fight. batman is distracted from this by investigating what is happening in the lower levels of the gangs, and why the riddler is smuggling so much weird, random shit. no seriously, why is he smuggling silly string??? use it to start inefficiant fires? (fun fact, ss is highly flammable.) and the industrial amounts of glitter??? Riddle me this, Batman, who is the world's largest consumer of glitter?

miraculously, drake manor is undamaged by the fight.

tim wasn't at the manor that night, he was stalking batman again. he will never know that this happened either.

but pru was there, deciding if she should stay or return to the league. this makes her choose to stay. tim gets a sister, and he doesn't even have to date her first!

pru also helps tim get ready for school the next morning, and is at the manor during the rest of the day, scoping out the interior.

alfred pennyworth does notice the lightshow, and he goes over to talk to the neighbours himself that morning, because really, he can handle some noise disturbances, he handled young master bruce after all.

he knocks on the door.

the riddler is inside, setting up silly string streamers and glitter with a few other rogues, goons, mercenaries, a baby assassin, and some small children of deadshot/deathstroke.

it's tim's birthday.

alfred considers this situation very seriously, and decides to bring master jason Robin over, to moniter the situation (relax and socialize with other kids).

tim comes home to a surprise party, from people who are concerned about him, and care for him.

it's all he's ever wanted.

(the wish granting Artefact dissolves into shimmery dust.)

the party goes smashingly. it's great. there's a massive cake, and no clowns jump out of it.

tim has spent the last month being harassed by superpowered and unpowered crooks. he goes to another room to cry from happiness, when the distinctive sound of one of his traps goes off. it's not one he remembers making. he hears an adult man swearing.

he gets his dad's gun.

a large figure bursts into the party. tim reacts before anyone else.

he shoots.

it's batman.

tim shoots his shotgun at batman, who broke in thinking alfred had been abducted and used to sign jason out of school.

catwoman catches it on video.

tim is mortified. so is batman. everyone else thinks it's the best party ever.

the party continues. tim is presented with several adoption offers. he cries again, and says yes to all of them.

tim has a vigilante's happily ever after.

[ghrgrsfdesfrfg]

Archived information about experiment 1876 : the Rat King

Experiment 1876 alias « the Rat King » was created in 1993, first experiment of his kind alongside the prototype, the reject and the [REDACTED] (information heavily redacted and only accessible to the CEO) to be made as an « animatronic » rather than a toy to be displayed or assigned somewhere in the company but rather to work with the security of Playtime,Co.

The Rat King is part of the bigger body initiative but despite the name « bigger body » he measure 2m20/7,21’t in size, his body consist of an exoskeleton housing all of his components and systems such has his optics and radar-ears, To protect his body the choice was made to use a mix of carbon and metal allowing him to remain flexible, agile and resistant to damage.

EARLY LIFE :

The Rat King former’s identity was that of Thomas Freuer, a child who’s mother worked for playtime but had an unfortunate car accident leaving the child an orphan and taken by playtime, despite the loss of his mother he remained a confident child full of charisma and optimism who liked to take care of other and often younger children, He would often take punishment instead of other children to protect them from harm, this attitude and loyalty toward his friends was thought to be used in the Initiative hoping his caring and loyal nature could be used to do the company’s bidding.

Playcare’s workers and counselors noted his friendship with Clara cindram, when she was taken for her own procedure he offered himself in her stead, proposing himself to save her.

PROCEDURE AND WORK FOR PLAYTIME :

Thomas, now know as the « Vigi-Rat » (who was later called « Rat King » by an employee) started to work right away, taking his security and combat training with surprising ease along with retaining nearly all of his cognitive functions, his targets were often « troublesome elements » (read : employee who did/found something they shouldn’t have) or other toys, often mini-critters, who went ferals or tried to escape.

His body allowed him to briefly scale walls, run quickly or silently stalk a prey thanks to the servos installed in his leg’s joint, his claw likewise help with tearing or slashing said prey or obstacle while his radar-ears (a personal favorite of Dr Sawyer) allowed for easy tracking, echolocation or even noise separation to focus on the desired noise, his eyes called “optics” could use theirs high-resolution and partial night-vision to help him see in the dark or over long distance to make sure his target doesn’t escape.

His tails was built for balancing his body but was “allegedly” used as a whip to be another weapon while the mouth was lined with teeth easily capable of cutting through skin, he is also running on battery power who then allows for prolonged periods of time without needing to recharge further prolonging the time spent working.

Trivia :

-His surname of “Rat King” came when a prison guard sent to team up with 1876 called him the Rat King thanks to his performance and stealth but the nickname truly stuck when 10, much smaller Rats (1m/3,2’ft) were built to join him in his work, he was then called the “Rat King” by every employee who knew of him.

-The others Rats who followed him were strangely obedient and responsive to his commands and were often seen all together where the King often talked to them.

-Many employees and guard questionned the use of a Bigger Body in a position of guard due to the possible resentment that 1876 could’ve harbored toward the company, however no such disloyalty was ever found.

-1876's stealth skill were famed amongst the guards who claimed he was so stealthy that he could follow unsuspecting employees for prolonged periods of time while other talked about the sheer horror they felt when pointing a light somewhere in a dark room and seeing his body.

-1876 was really close to 1632 the “train driver” or Eudora as she was called, she was actually Clara Cindram and the Rat King’s fury was such when he found out that he had to be confined for 2 days before finally calming down and asking to see her.

This is the first story i've ever written, especially for an OC so don't hesitate to tell me what you think of it and/or add suggestion in the comments (the picture isn't mine, found on pinterest, credit to whomever it belongs to)

[zosan-secondchances]

The Pirate King of the North: Part 10

Main Themes: Villain Sanji, Alternate Universe, Zosan Ship

Warning: Long post ahead with One Piece spoilers. Contains strong language and explicit content.

Part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 (Special) | 19

It was an early morning start for everyone aboard the Polar Tang.

Zoro and Sanji had spent the night together in the bubble ship parked on deck for a much needed quality time, much to Niji's dismay. The helmeted blue-haired commander found them ass naked in their hiding place at first light and woke them up. He was finally able to finish Sanji's claw gauntlet fitting which took no time at all. While he was there, he saw an opportunity to improve the ship's primitive maneuvering system to ensure that the bulky vessel has the capability to take sharper, faster turns in case of any events of unexpected knock up streams.

After getting kicked out of the bubble ship by the demanding Niji, Zoro ran back to their room to dress up and finish packing for the trip. He had nothing but his underwear on him after getting his clothes torn up during his crazy night of passion with the blonde. He received a lot of stares and some light-hearted teasing from the crew during his walk of shame but he wore it with a shameless smirk. In his mind, it was all worth it. Though he makes it a point to try and patch up the garment that his friends worked so hard to make for him later.

Sanji stayed in the ship, also naked after having his clothes somehow lost in the process. He has entrusted the swordsman to fetch him his travel pack that he'd prepared the night before so he sat waiting on one of the passenger seats, snuggling himself in Niji's long cloak to keep warm. As much as he appreciates his brother's thoughtfulness by offering him his cape, and the extra effort he's putting in to improving the ship, he still holds a grudge on him for picking on his beloved Marimo, especially after last night's progression in their relationship. He glares down at the blue-haired commander who is currently in deep concentration, fine-tuning the steering wheel from the pilot seat.

Zoro returns wearing fresh new robes and holding two travel packs over his shoulders. He begins hauling them into the ship while standing outside by the door to respectfully keep his distance from the blonde's brother who is hard at work. He starts arranging bags under the side consoles to ensure that their possessions are secured and out of the way. Sanji gratefully grabs spare clothes from his own bag from where he sat.

Before dressing up, the blonde suddenly realises the perfect opportunity for revenge–in front of the very man his brother had picked on. He leans back against his seat, hugs his knees up to his chest, and strokes a lock of hair, trying to play it casual.

Sanji

So Niji, how's our chef Cosette doing?

Caught completely off guard, Niji yanks the steering wheel off its panel, tearing wires and other components that he'd meticulously been working on for the last hour. His face had suddenly gone scarlet red and blood trickled down his nose.

Sanji smirks at his brother's reaction. He leans his cheek against the palm of his hand and tilts his head innocently, watching the man practically start hyperventilating. He could have sworn he saw tiny sparks of electricity emit at the tip of his blue hair.

Zoro looks shocked and pissed at the commander for breaking Nami's old bubble ship.

Niji

I–hah–why would I…she's a servant. Loyal and… dedicated and… talented and…. How… why would you–hah–what possessed you to think that I would know–?

Niji looks down at the panel where he'd ripped out the steering wheel and then at his hand where he's gripping it. His tight hold around the handles had contorted its shape. Slowly, he realises what he'd done. He drops to his knees and starts repeatedly banging his head against it in frustration.

Sanji

So…I take it she's well then?

Niji pauses his movements to shoot him a furious glare behind his goggles, his cheeks still reddened.

Sanji hears a faint sound of their host captain from a distance talking to his crew while approaching the ship. He sounded excited for a change as they're finally lifting off to Skypiea. When Law hopped up onboard, he froze at the sight of seeing the Pirate King practically naked in his seat and the commander holding onto the broken steering wheel.

Law

What the hell is this? Why are you tearing apart my bubble ship?

I don't even know what's going on with you, Mr. Prince-ya.

Niji

I can explain–!

Zoro and Sanji 

Niji broke the ship.

Law practically had smoke coming out of his ears. He rolls up his sleeves.

—

Sanji

That's not… where I thought that was going to go….

Niji

Really now?

Zoro, Sanji and Niji all had bumps on their heads from the fuming captain. They all stood in pain behind Law who is making a final speech to the Heart Pirates crew before separating from them until they return from Skypiea. He wanted to make sure that everyone is fully aware of their plan to meet back near Jaya, and told them to stay under the radar by not staying in one place too long. They're to keep a constant eye on their long distant transponder snail in case there are any emergencies.

Niji had repaired the damage he’d done and replaced the disfigured steering wheel for a makeshift one. He still managed to do the maneuver upgrade that he wanted right on schedule so Law's punishment on him wasn't as harsh.

Sanji soothes his painful bump with a hand, wondering if he should have done his act of revenge another day. At least he has clothes now and his claw gauntlet fitted properly with its blades retracted.

Zoro had no idea what exactly just happened but given how much he'd been getting punished by Law recently, he just accepted his fate.

They sail the Polar Tang until it reaches a good distance away from Jaya to avoid any unwanted attention during take off. Niji launches himself in the air to scout ahead, hoping to travel high enough to potentially find the floating island by eye and watch out for any unwelcoming shifts in weather. They're to keep tabs with him through transponder snails. Bepo reported that there may be a storm later in the day but if they reach the sky island before late afternoon, they should be safe.

Zoro, Sanji and Law follow by bubble ship shortly, waving farewell to the rest of the Heart Pirates from inside as they lift off. The blonde volunteered to pilot as he claimed to have done it before. This proved evident when he started up the engines, inflated the float bubble and launched the vessel without a fuss. Before they know it, they reach their desired altitude just under the stratosphere where they reconvened with the commander as planned.

Zoro and Law watched the two siblings, surprised at how quickly their dynamic switched as they expertly navigated the skies together. Past all their snide jabbing and teasing, Sanji and Niji operated like two veteran mercenaries who clearly had years of experience in their arsenal. Niji flew ahead and continuously sent advice through his den-den mushi, and Sanji made executive decisions based on his brother's reports and piloted the ship expertly. They managed to avoid troublesome cloud formations without a navigator, thanks to their collaborative teamwork.

Law

How do you know how to fly so well, Mr. Prince-ya?

Sanji

Err…I'm the only one who doesn't fly in the family so I tend to take a bubble ship for myself when I need to.

Niji interrupts through the transponder snail.

Niji 

Correction–he chooses not to. He can, if he just wears his–

Sanji

Commander, we talked about this.

Niji

Tch.

Zoro was looking at Sanji curiously, clearly wanting to hear more about the whole subject of flying but the blonde wants to avoid the uncomfortable topic so he quickly shifts the conversation. He clears his throat.

Sanji

Marimo-kun, can you please remind us what we're on a lookout for?

Zoro

We're trying to find South Birds or one of its variants. They're native to Skypiea and a lot bigger up here. They should help us find the island.

Otherwise we should see thick solid clouds with houses or a jungle on them. It's pretty big so it's hard to miss.

Sanji

Did you get that, Commander?

Niji

Got it.

There is a painful stretch of silence as the ship floats aimlessly in the sky. This part of the troposphere should be thinning out of clouds but today seems to be an odd exception as it's more fogged up than usual. Zoro notices Sanji gradually getting worried after an hour with no news. He starts impatiently tapping his fingers on the steering wheel while his feet twitch restlessly, his hand almost reaching out for the den-den mushi several times but ultimately acts against it.

Zoro

Hey…is everything okay?

Sanji

Y–yeah…. I just… don't worry about it.

Law

If you’re that concerned, we should call him.

Sanji

Maybe…. Give him more time. He might be in the middle of something.

After several more tense minutes, they hear a long squawk from a distance behind them. Zoro, Sanji and Law turn their heads to find a large bird, more than twice the size of their bubble ship, writhing mid-air. Around its body, a familiar blue-haired man gripped around its neck, trying to force its wings closed with his legs. He carries it with difficulty towards the bubble ship, his boots kicking off pulses in different directions to try and gain some semblance of stability.

Law

What the hell–?

Sanji starts laughing out loud as the bird throws its head wildly in every which way. It relentlessly flaps its wings and kicks its sharp talons out madly, desperate to free itself from the commander's death grip.

Niji stops just in front of the ship while still wrestling with the bird.

Niji

Is this–?? OWW!!!

The commander only just manages to dodge the bird’s attempt to eat his face, but the side of his face gets whacked with its powerful beak with a loud crack.

Niji

IS THIS IT, SWORDSMAN?!?

Zoro

Err…

Zoro looks back and forth between Niji and the giant bird dumbfoundedly, still trying to take in the comical scene before them.

The blonde shuffles through his pack calmly.

Sanji

Does anyone else have a camera?

Niji

Fuck–! Answer already!! Is this a South Bird or what?!

Zoro

Yes…?

Niji

Why do you sound so unsure?!

Zoro

It's been a while, okay?! And I can't see the crest properly! Can’t you hold it still?

Niji

FUCK YOU, YOU BROCCOLI HEAD! You come out here and do it then!

Zoro

It's MARIMO!!!

Sanji

Yonji’s going to love this.

Sanji finally pulls out a photo camera and snaps a couple of shots of the action, cheerfully kicking his legs from his seat in delight.

Sanji

And for the fridge….

He turns his seat around and takes a nice photo of Zoro laughing at Niji. He also manages to catch one of Law who can't help but bear a small entertained smile on his face under the shade of his cap.

Law

Oi! Watch the talons! Back off, Commander or it will pop the bubble!

Niji briefly dips out of sight but manages to recover. Zoro takes his time thinking, his hand massaging his jaw as he digs through his memory banks while watching the commander wrestle the giant bird.

Sanji

You know, I've seen them in a book.

Niji

So what?! Is this it??

Sanji

…It was a black and white print. I don't know if the colour matters.

Niji

Oh, for fuck's sake! Don't give me useless information!

Law

Zoro-ya, just say something already!

Zoro

Curls made a good point…. Was it more blue or more pink…? Is the face really that long? I can't remember.

Law slowly pulls out the feather from his pocket that Corazon had left behind for him, very carefully taking his time to avoid damaging it. He holds it up in his hand for everyone to look at.

Sanji

It's a little more pale than the one Niji’s holding.

Law

Maybe it was younger?

Niji

I hate all of you.

Zoro

I think… I think it is a South Bird.

Niji finally releases the furious bird from his grip. He dodges its angry pecks and swooping before it flies away from them. His clothing had suffered huge scratches throughout his body.

Sanji

Great job, Commander! Need a break?

The blue-haired man flops over the side of the ship, half hanging off the edge as he catches his breath.

Sanji turns the vessel to follow the bird. Thanks to his brother's earlier modifications, they're able to keep up with it without an issue.

After a few moments, Niji pulls himself up to sit on the side of the ship with his feet dangling over the edge, all the while keeping a close eye at the pursuit. He clenches his fist over his chest, still feeling breathless and the altitude isn’t doing him any favours.

Sanji notices the commander’s state and he narrows his eyes at his damaged helmet. A large piece at the front is cracked so badly that it’s just about ready to fall off at any moment.

Zoro offers the blue-haired man his flask of water. Reluctantly, Niji accepts and drinks from it, too tired to say no.

Sanji

I need you to go home, Commander.

Niji

No, I can make it. I promised I'd get you to Skypiea–

Sanji

No, Niji. Not this time.

After another swill, the commander wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and glares at Sanji.

Sanji

We'll be fine, alright?

And…you still have that other mission. You can't dally.

Niji doesn't turn his head but behind his goggles, Zoro notices that he shifts his eyes between him and the blonde. Ultimately, the blue-haired man sighs exasperatedly and throws the half empty flask back to him.

Niji

Fine. But I'm not happy about it.

Sanji gives him a weak smile to try and reassure him.

Sanji

I know.

The blonde turns his attention back towards the South Bird. When he notices that Law gazes away from him as well, Niji takes the opportunity to quickly grab Zoro's arm and shoves something metallic and cold in his robe’s long sleeve, out of everyone else's sight.

The swordsman was initially freaked out but picked up on his discretion. He raises a brow curiously at him.

Niji releases him and gives a thankful nod. He turns his attention back to the blonde.

Niji

Later, Your Highness.

Sanji

Thank you for all your assistance, Commander.

And…get home safe. That's an order.

Niji

Ugh… don't be gross.

He angles himself on the bubble ship, facing the opposite direction where the group is heading. With a kick of his Raid Boots, he sends a strong pulse of force against the surface of the vessel, giving them a rapid boost forward towards the bird. The passengers onboard see him take off into the distance the other way.

Sanji melts in his seat from relief.

Law

What was that other mission, Mr. Prince-ya? …Or is this one of those on the “need-to-know basis” things that you mentioned?

Sanji purses his lips, seriously considering Law's question. After a while, he answers.

Sanji

I sent him to infiltrate Doffy’s ranks…discreetly.

I don't know if I should have done it earlier but…Doffy’s just been too quiet and I don't like it.

Law has a surprised look on his face but decides against arguing about it, detecting the man's genuine concern about the situation and risking his own brother to investigate. In his head, he weighs all the things that the blonde had done to help him during their quest so far. He hated him a little for not following through on any one of his plans, but he can't ignore the fact how effective Sanji has been. He decides to do the unthinkable and put his faith on him.

Law

Do you think there's a possibility that we're in danger?

Sanji

I always think that we’re in danger. How much exactly…is hard to say…. I don't like working blind, doctor. That's why I'm taking the risk. But this means that I have to trust my brother to do the right thing. You've seen him prove himself in the short time he's with us. I hope that's enough to give you comfort.

The doctor eyes the man up and down, considering his words and trying to get a better read on him. He crosses his arms and looks away silently. To him, it sounded like the blonde was trying to convince himself more than anything that he's made the right call.

Zoro felt that cold texture in his sleeve. When he peeks under his robe, he sees a dark canister with the number “3” on it. Confused but thinking it might be important for later, he shifts it somewhere more securely in his haramaki.

—

As they travel, the sky becomes too hazy to see through. After what seemed like hours of obscured vision similar to that of a whiteout during a blizzard, the South Bird descends just as the passengers in the bubble ship start to lose their patience. The fog parts before them and, up ahead, they see a vast sea of clouds stretching far beyond what the eye could see. 

Zoro

THERE! The White Sea!

Sanji

Holy shit.

Law

How is this possible…?

The South Bird that they’ve been following disappears somewhere in the horizon as Skypiea finally comes to their full view. As they near, they see a small settlement that consists of tented dwellings, various totems of cultural significance and a tall structure that looks like a wooden watchtower poking out near the edge of the dense jungle.

Zoro 

Odd…we should have seen someone by now. The last time I was here, someone was collecting tolls.

Sanji

Hmm…what do you think, doctor? Where should we land?

Law lays the map on the console in front of the blonde and points near the edge of the island.

Law

Let's dock at this shoreline near that village. If that's what I think it is, they would have seen us by now from that watchtower. I want to make sure that we’re not intruding on anyone's territory before we can properly introduce ourselves. I don't know what they're like but I'd like to avoid any political dramas if we can help it.

Also, we need to check our fuel before we get too far. We need to have enough to go back with.

Sanji follows his direction, and lands the ship near a sturdy tree, not bothering to deflate the bubble in case they need to take off soon again.

When they disembark, Zoro immediately secures the bubble boat using its mooring line, then sets to work to check on the state of the ship while Law walks off to investigate the nearby houses for any locals. 

—

After a loo break and doing some warm up exercises, Sanji is feeling excited for the new adventure. All his worrying about his brother had overshadowed the fact that he hadn't gone out to properly stretch his legs in a mission for a long time. But now, after seeing a few of the local flora and fauna that he'd never seen before, the blonde is positively enthusiastic for whatever is in store ahead. He approaches the tired-looking captain who is hunched over with the swordsman on the side of the bubble ship, trying to read the map in their possession.

Sanji

Alright, Traffy!

The blonde claps and rubs his hands together in excitement, practically bouncing on his step as he closes in on his companions.

Sanji

I am at your disposal, ready for anything! Just say the word! So what's the plan? I'm assuming you have a well thought through plan? Let's hear it!

Zoro walks to stand behind Sanji with a bright smile on his face, supporting the blonde's statement. He puts his hands on his hips, looking like he's also ready for anything the doctor throws at them.

Law kept still, remaining hunched over the piece of paper, his expression hidden behind the shade of his cap.

Zoro

I uh… feel bad for pretty much wrecking every part of your plans leading up to today so…I'm with Curls. We'll do everything you say. By the book.

Without moving his body, Law turns his head slightly towards them, still hesitating to show his face.

Sanji

Traffy? You okay?

Law

I…

Law finally straightens up to look at his companions eye to eye. He has a morbid look on his face.

Law

I…I don't have any plans.

Zoro and Sanji's jaws drop in disbelief as the doctor rubs the back of his neck shyly. They see his ears redden from embarrassment.

Law

I usually just…wing this part somehow. But I'm stuck without my guys…. I don't actually know how we've come this far….

There was an awkward pause then Sanji suddenly bursts into a fit of laughter and Zoro grins widely at the doctor. Between difficult breaths, the blonde speaks.

Sanji

I was–so, so prepared to do everything right by you!!!

I thought–the doctor is alright–he's great–he saved my life. I need to make up for it–show how much I appreciate him–

He falls to his knees, tears flowing freely from his face. His laughter has become so unhinged that even Zoro's shoulders start twitching from the contagion.

Sanji

And now–now we ask for it and you DON'T have anything?! BWAHAHAHA–!!

Law’s expression darkens just as gradually as Sanji's laughter gets more out of hand. When the doctor finally snaps, Sanji receives well-deserved smacks on his head and the bumps that come with them.

—

After Law tells him that the settlement is weirdly deserted, Zoro suggests that they make their way to Upper Yard, remembering the treaty between Skypiea’s citizens and the tribe of Shandia. They had the joint intention of reclaiming the land that the former God, Enel, once took control of. He thinks that maybe they had all moved there as their new home.

Law supported this as they simply just need more information at this point to see if anyone remembers any Marines or someone of Corazon’s description visiting. He makes an executive decision that they walk to the place, not wanting to miss out on any opportunities that might come their way and use up any more fuel than they already have.

They each carry their own packs and walk towards the general direction where the swordsman pointed to on the map, though Law doesn't have high hopes given the man's directional skills. The bubble ship was left behind after being relocated in the jungle, covered in leaves and other floor debris to keep it out of sight.

Eventually, they come across their first obstacle–a wide river of clouds that separates their side of the land and where they need to be. The moving puffs of cloud before them makes it look like water flowing between solid ground.

Zoro

You can swim in it but from what I remember, there are these things called err… hmm….

Law kicks a pebble into the river. It creates a ripple that spreads right through to the middle, causing a disturbance under the surface. A giant length of scales erupt through the puffs of white then the creature slithers away as quickly as it came.

Sanji

Woah! It's like…what–a Seaking in the sky or something?

Zoro

Sort of. There’s a lot of Sky Fishes. But there’s also Sky Sharks and these giant worms with teeth.

Law

So…no swimming then. That's not a problem.

Zoro

We passed by a big tree with vines. We can swing across–

Law

Don't bother.

The doctor brings up his hand and conjures his Room ability. With a couple of flicks, he teleports Zoro and Sanji to the other side, swapping places with jungle debris in the area. He follows them himself shortly after.

Sanji

Give us a warning next time!

The swordsman and the blonde struggle to stand from the ground, feeling woozy from the sudden vertigo.

They continue their journey forward, stopping often whenever they find an interesting specimen that they each want to look at. They felt like children with short attention spans, getting distracted at everything new everywhere they go. Sanji having a camera also meant more delays whenever he wanted to stop and take pictures. When Law told him to put it away, the blonde snarled and said it was the gift from his Heart Pirates crew. They had made him promise to snap shots of their adventure on their behalf. Law didn't bother him about it since then.

They come across two more gaps to hurdle. Each time, Zoro insists that they swing on a vine but they get teleported before they could say anything about it. Sanji's starting to get sick of being moved from one place to the next so carelessly. After the third time, he finally snaps.

He grabs Law's wrist just as he was about to use his Shambles ability again. The doctor glares at him angrily for the interruption.

Sanji

NO! NO MORE. I'M SICK OF THIS! I almost threw up last time!

Law

What the hell, Mr. Prince-ya?! Get your hands off me!

Sanji pushes Law on the chest childishly.

Sanji

You're taking the fun out of it!!!

Law

The…fun?

Sanji

We're adventuring pirates! We're supposed to go through struggles and find ways to overcome them! Not just…whatever the hell you're doing!

Law

You're complaining about…lack of struggle.

Sanji

You're making it too easy!

Zoro

Traffy, I know I said I'd do everything you say but…I kinda agree with Curly.

Law

…You just want to swing.

Sanji

Let the man swing!

Zoro crosses his arms and nods his head in agreement. Law slaps his forehead in frustration at the whole notion.

Law

It would be faster if–

Zoro and Sanji 

NO!!!

Law

Oh, for the love of–FINE!!! How do you propose we cross–

Flailing his arms forwards, Law gestures at the wide river separating them from the next piece of land. The distance is almost twice as long as the length of the Polar Tang.

Law

This?!

Sanji places his arms on his own hips and smirks.

Sanji

I propose a game.

Law

A game?

Sanji

Something that I like to play with my siblings when we're out on joint ventures. It'll be fun, I promise!

Slightly intrigued, Law crosses his arms and listens intently.

Law

Alright…. Let's hear it.

Happy with Law's willingness to listen, Sanji claps his hands together enthusiastically and begins to make hand gestures as he talks.

Sanji

We each hurdle obstacles however we want BUT we have to make it as cool as possible!

Law

…“As cool as possible”.

Sanji

Yes!

Law rolls his eyes looking unimpressed but the blonde continues.

Sanji

There's three of us, so we'll each take a turn playing judge on who gets from point A to point B the coolest way possible. When we reach our final destination, the one with the most points wins!

I’m talking flair–the badassery–even the underappreciated, underrated skills–the whole thing! It's the time to show off what you got and be creative!!!

There's about a million things Law wants to say about the silly game–how unnecessary it is and how many faults there are in the rules. Before he can say anything, the swordsman interrupts.

Zoro

Do I get to swing?

Sanji gives him a wink.

Sanji

To your heart’s content, baby.

Zoro

Let's do it.

Sanji

YES!

Law

Seriously, Zoro-ya?!

Zoro

It sounds more interesting than… “shambles” all day.

Uhm…no offense.

Law groans but waves his hand in dismissal.

Law

Do whatever you want.

Sanji squeals in excitement.

Sanji

That’s the whole point of it!

Zoro

So what’s the prize?

Sanji plays with his goatee thoughtfully. Then his expression darkens as his lips thin into a devilish smile.

Sanji

How about…a favour?

Zoro furrows his brow at that.

Law tips his head at the idea. He takes a step forward towards the blonde.

Law

Go on…

Sanji

Any time, anywhere in the world, no questions asked. The winner gains the favour from the other two contenders so that he may call on them at a time of his choosing–together or separately.

Zoro

Oh… Curls… I don't know…

The doctor unexpectedly chuckles, his tone just as dark as the blonde’s smile. He holds out a hand, which Sanji takes without hesitation. The swordsman looks between the two of them nervously.

Law

You’re on, Pirate King.

[niqhtlord01]

Humans are weird: Prank Gone Wrong

( Please come see me on my new patreon and support me for early access to stories and personal story requests :D https://www.patreon.com/NiqhtLord Every bit helps)

“Filnar Go F%$@ Yourself!” was possibly the most disruptive software virus the universe had ever seen.

The program was designed to download itself to a computer, copy the functions of existing software before deleting said software and imitating it, then running its original programming all the while avoiding the various attempts to locate and remove it by security software.

What was strange about such a highly advanced virus was that it did not steal government secrets, nor siphon funds from banking institutions, it ignore critical infrastructure processes, and even bypassed trade markets that if altered could cause chaos on an unprecedented scale. The only thing the software seemed focused on was in locating any information regarding the “Hen’va” species, and deleting it.

First signs of the virus outbreak were recorded on the planet Yul’o IV, but once the virus began to migrate at an increasing rate and latched on to several subroutines for traveling merchant ships things rapidly spiraled out of control. Within a week the virus had infected every core world and consumed all information regarding the Hen’va. It still thankfully had not resulted in any deaths, but the sudden loss of information was beginning to cause other problems.

Hen’va citizens suddenly found that they were not listed as galactic citizens and were detained by security forces on numerous worlds. Trade routes became disrupted as Hen’va systems were now listed as uninhabited and barren leading to merchants seeking to trade elsewhere. Birth records and hospital information for millions of patients were wiped clean as they now pertained to individuals who did not exist.

Numerous software updates and purges were commenced in attempting to remove the virus. Even the galactic council’s cyber security bureau was mobilized for the effort, but if even a single strand of the virus’s code survived it was enough to rebuild itself and become even craftier with hiding itself while carrying out its programming. This was made worse by the high level of integration the various cyber systems of the galaxy had made it so the chance of systems being re-infected was always high.

After ten years every digital record of the Hen’va was erased from the wider universe. All attempts to upload copies were likewise deleted almost immediately leaving only physical records to remain untouched.

To combat this, the Hen’va for all official purposes adopted a new name; then “Ven’dari”. In the Hen’va tongue in means “The Forgotten”, which is rather ironic as the Hen’va have had to abandon everything about their previous culture to continue their existence. The virus had become a defacto component of every computer system in the galaxy and continued to erase all information related to the Hen’va. Even the translator units refused identify the Hen’va tongue and so the Ven’dari needed to create a brand new language.

It wasn’t until another fifty years had passed before the original creator of the virus stepped forward and admitted to their crime. A one “Penelope Wick”.

At the time of the programs creation Ms. Wick was a student studying on Yul’o IV to be a software designer. While attending the institution Ms. Wick stated that a fellow student, a Hen’va named “Filnar”, would hound her daily. He would denounce her presence within the school and repeatedly declared that “what are the scrapings of humans compared to the glory of the Hen’va?”

The virus was her creation as a way of getting back at the student for his constant spite. Ms. Wick was well aware of the dangers it could pose if released into the wild and so had emplaced the limitation that the virus would only infect computers on site with the campus. The schools network was setup that students could only work on their projects within the confines of the institution to ensure they did not cheat and have others make them instead. What she had not counted on was this rule only applied to students and not teachers. So when a teacher brought home several student projects to review and then sharing those infected files with their personal computer, the virus then gained free access to the wider planets networks.

When the Ven’dari learned of this there were several hundred calls for Ms. Wick to be held accountable for her actions, and nearly twice as many made to take her head by less patient individuals who had seen their entire culture erased. Much to their dismay Ms. Wick died shortly after her confession from a long term disease that had ravaged her body for several years.

Much to her delight, she had achieved her goals of removing the source of her mockery.

[thecreaturecodex]

Swordkeeper

Image © Paizo Publishing, accessed at Archives of Nethys here

[First new monster of 2025! Which is kind of a shame, because January is almost over. But I have been doing some writing. I'm hoping to get a regular posting schedule going from now on, of twice a week. Key word is hoping]

Swordkeeper CR 10 N Construct This vaguely humanoid construct is made of metal and stone, with four arms and stout legs. Its head is shaped like a helmet and set atop a wide torso. Inside its chest is a blade, chained in place and surrounded with crackling energy.

Swordkeepers are constructs created as both a display case and security system. Each swordkeeper has a component where a weapon can be placed, and the swordkeeper can create force projections of that weapon to use in combat itself. One handed weapons are commonly placed in swordkeepers, the better for the creature to use all four of its arms, but swordkeepers dual-wielding two-handed weapons are not unheard of. Despite the name, a swordkeeper can be used to store axes, hammers, and even polearms. Most swordkeepers store +2 weapons or those of similar levels of enhancement, but even a mundane weapon may be kept in a swordkeeper if it is of particularly significance.

Although they are not sapient, swordkeepers are capable of surprisingly sophisticated tactics, the result of their magical construction. They can respond to changing battlefield conditions by switching from melee to ranged combat, use their raise guard ability to fight defensively if enemies are capable of injuring them, and create a temporary colossal echo to crush massed enemies. Most swordkeepers are given instructions to fight to the death, but some will stand down if badly injured, activate alarms, or even intentionally surrender their central weapons under particular circumstances.

Construction A swordkeeper’s central chamber requires rare crystals for its construction, worth 3000 gp.

Swordkeeper CL 13th; Price 63,000 gp Requirements Craft Construct, geas/quest, mage’s sword, shield, transformation; Skill Craft (metalworking) or Craft (stoneworking) DC 16; Price 38,000 gp

Swordkeeper CR 10 XP 9,600 N Large construct Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Perception +2

Defense AC 23, touch 14, flat-footed 18 (-1 size, +5 Dex, +9 natural) hp 107 (14d10+30) Fort +4, Ref +9, Will +6 DR 10/adamantine; Immune construct traits Defensive Abilities raise guard

Offense Speed 20 ft. Melee +1 keen longsword +21/+16/+11 (1d8+8/17-20 plus 1d8 force), 3 +1 keen longswords +21 (1d8+4/17-20 plus 1d8 force) Ranged 4 +1 keen longswords +19 (1d8+8/17-20 plus 1d8 force) Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. Special Attacks colossal echo, project echoblade

Statistics Str 25, Dex 20, Con -, Int -, Wis 15, Cha 1 Base Atk +14; CMB +22; CMD 37 Feats Combat Reflexes (B), Improved Vital Strike (B) SQ central weapon,multiweapon mastery, undersized weaponry

Ecology Environment any land and underground Organization solitary, pair or armory (3-6) Treasure double standard (+1 keen longsword)

Special Abilities Central Weapon (Ex/Su) A swordkeeper’s torso houses a single weapon sized for a Medium creature. When the swordkeeper is operational, the chamber can be opened with four Disable Device checks (DC 35), each made as a full round action. A creature that fails this check by 5 or more takes 6d6 points of force damage (Reflex DC 19 halves). If the swordkeeper is grappled, prone or stunned, the DCs of both the Disable Device check and the Reflex save are reduced by 2. If the swordkeeper’s weapon is removed, its echoblades vanish, and it cannot use its colossal echo or project echoblade abilities. The save DC is Wisdom based. Colossal Echo (Su) As a standard action once every 1d4 rounds, a swordkeeper can create a giant force weapon shaped like its central weapon. All creatures in a 30 foot line take 10d8 points of force damage (Reflex DC 19 half). The save DC is Wisdom based. Multiweapon Mastery (Ex) A swordkeeper does not take penalties to attack rolls when fighting with multiple weapons. Project Echoblade (Su) As a swift action, a swordkeeper can create a replica of its central weapon in one of its hands. This weapon acts as its central weapon, including duplicating its magical properties, except that it deals an extra 1d8 force damage and gains the thrown property (range increment 30 ft.). A swordkeeper can have as many as four echoblades at once; echoblades disappear one round after they leave a swordkeeper’s grasp. Raise Guard (Ex) On any round when a swordkeeper makes a full attack action, it can choose not to attack with a echoblade in order to gain a +1 shield bonus to AC (maximum +3). This does not work in conjunction with Vital Strike or similar feats.

[kelnexia]

New character reveal!

This is actually an old character I've had for a while but just didn't like the previous design of... Thankfully I was able to score an trade with @hdra77 .

1000CE is an old militaristic ancestor of the iterators, created before the discovery of void fluid, and when the field of bio-engineering was still in it's earlier phases. More lore is below the cut...

1000 Crimson Embers is not a true iterator – instead being an old militaristic ancestor. She was originally built in a time of war just before the discovery of void fluid. She was one of the first artificial intelligence to use a combination of both biological and mechanical systems. Although the technology used in her creation was considerably more primitive than what’s found in the iterators we know and love today. But despite the difference in technology – a lot of the basic concepts and functionality in her design remains largely the same;

The layout of her structure was still fairly large, although not nearly as big as an iterator, and was built as an underground bunker. But the main similarity was how her mind was constructed… Similarly to how iterators in my head cannon have their personalty core and spiritual anchor located within their puppet – 1000 Crimson Embers has a standard brain and supporting set of organs acting as her center of consciousness within her puppet. Her puppet is also much larger than that of an iterator – being the height of an adult ancient instead of that of a child. The exterior of her puppet consists of hard metal plates and mechanical components. Her clothing is also built into her puppet. 1000 Crimson Embers doesn't utilized neuron flies in her structure, as they had yet to be invented by the time she was built – instead she’s outsourcing her cognitive processing to a massive array of inorganic server towers.

1000 Crimson Ember’s purpose was to design and create weapons, as well as to formulate strategies. She was loyal and hard working at the start, showing no serous signs of defiance despite her instinctual taboos being primitive and largely ineffective… That was until after the dawn of the void fluid revolution… With the ancients uniting under the common goal of ascension – the world entered a lasting era of peace – deeming 1000 Crimson Ember’s original purpose obsolete. However the ancients were inclined to keep her online for just awhile longer, as they still had some use for her. They tasked her in helping to create her own undoing – the iterators. She wasn’t a fool though, she knew what they were doing… They were building her replacement and trying to get her to help them in her own downfall! She lashed out in a violent fit of rage – ‘How dare they just carelessly replace her like this after all the thankless work she’s done for them!’ She drove them out of her facility by turning her security systems against them, killing many in her fit of rage.

But the ancients still needed the schematics and research for iterator tech 1000 Crimson Embers had already started work on before she had realized their true intentions behind it. So they struck a deal with her. They would upgrade her with the new iterator technology if she let them back in and got back to work for them. 1000CE reluctantly excepted the deal. But when the work was complete, and the time for her upgrades had come... They put her in stasis for the procedure… But they never kept their end of deal. They simply walked away and left her slumbering form to collect dust.

She awakened again many years after… To the sight of a group of scavengers that had broken in and accidentally reactivated her while attempting to gather scrap. The first thing she did upon seeing the invading creatures that were so rudely ripping her apart – was to reactivate the security system and kill every last one of them. However the damage had already been done. Upon running a system diagnostics, she found that her defenses had been breached, much of her facility has been flooded, and she’s all round in a severe state of disrepair. She would need to do something about that, and fast… Her weather systems were picking up on a massive encroaching storm.

Ultimately she would find her structure too damaged to sustain for much longer… She would end up using the freedom her weaker taboos and more self-significant puppet gives her to take herself off the strings, to at least save her core from the impending decay and flooding of her structure. But the world she would step out into would be very different from what she’s used too… Her home was once an arid region – but now it’s been turned into a tropics by the increased rainfall that has taken over the world and changed it the point of being near unrecognizable from what it once was.