#entity component systems

[shuvva]

tfw you keep accidentally making your characters plural-coded through different forms of transhumanism, multiple timeline, and supernatural/possession shit

[askvectorprime]

Where do the names "Autobot" and "Decepticon" even come from? Are there any sort of root words that go with them?

Dear Etymology Enthusiast,

This answer is complicated by language barriers that span galaxies. As Galvatron alluded to—albeit in tones I would never use—Cybertronian words can be very linguistically dense; a translation that conveyed every nuance of our equivalent for "Autobot" would take over seventeen minutes for a human to say! As such, "Autobot" and "Decepticon" are only approximations of the neocybex names of these factions.

In many universes, my faction is named for the ideals of freedom and autonomy—hence, "Autobot" is derived from the term "autonomous". Sometimes this reflects a casting off of Quintesson rule or triumph over a caste system, but in other contexts—sometimes simultaneously—it reflects a darker facet of Cybertronian history. A famous bot once said that autonomy was a gift, a spark of sentience kindled by Primus himself. That bot's name was Nova Prime, and he used that belief to justify the subjugation of hundreds of alien worlds.

The suffix translated as "-bot" encompasses ideas such as "person", "individual", "independent agent". It could be considered an adaptation of the common English-language "man", of course—you might be familiar with the Aerialmen, the Dinomen, and the Sparkamen—but "bot" conveys that it most commonly refers to mechanical lifeforms. While typically used in the names of teams and factions, occasionally an individual might be called "Dinobot" or "Dreadbot"; such sobriquets can be seen as similar to a human being carrying a family name as their first name, such as "Jackson".

As for "Decepticon"… much has been said of the phrase "you are being deceived." In many universal clusters, this is indeed the earliest origin of the term. "Decepticon" suffers to a greater degree from the imperfections of localization. In many universes, Cybertronian language uses nuances related to subject and object that fail to translate, especially when neologism is concerned; "Decepticon" principally suggests "deceptive" in English, but in its original Cybertronix, the waveform can simultaneously be read as "the deceived".

The "-con" suffix is not dissimilar to "-bot", though it carries subtly but significantly different implications. "Person" is an adequate translation, but its meaning is much broader, not being restricted to living creatures; you may know of data-cons, information storage devices commonly used in my home reality. The closest equivalent to the suffix in your language would be "entity"—or, more bluntly, "thing". As such, the translation "-con" is derived from your language's "construct", a created object or idea.

The reasoning for the use of this suffix varies across the multiverse. On versions of Cybertron where Functionism took hold, Cybertronians of lower labor castes, or with alternate modes considered fit only for use by others, were more likely to have "con" names or be assigned categories like "Constructicon", "Agricon" or "Recordicon". Conversely, in universes where the Decepticons originate as a military junta, the use of "-con" carries the suggestion of component; all Decepticons are considered to be a part of Megatron's war machine. These implications, of course, carry over to the Mini-Cons. While I am proud to count Safeguard as a friend and partner, for much of my world's history, Decepticon and Autobot alike treated his kind as "smart tools", as mere objects to be collected. Regardless, the Great War created extreme political polarization of the "-con" suffix, and nearly no self-described Autobot adopts it; even as Decepticons freely use "bot" to describe themselves, "con" is almost exclusively used by Autobots as a term of animosity.

One more suffix you may have heard of is "-tron"; here, the root is "positron"—which, before the introduction of microscope alt-modes, we simply understood to be the stuff of sparks. The Cybertron factions of realities like the G1 World and BT World draw their names from a well of indigeneity; unlike the invading, colonizing Quintessons, the Cybertrons are the true sparks of the planet and derive their name thus. The Destrons, then, are destructive sparks who oppose the planet. Naturally, "-bot" and "-con" recur in these worlds too, following similar etymological patterns.

[askagamedev]

What is your current opinion on Unreal Engine 5? Between Digital Foundry, content creators, and people on social media, everyone appears to be constantly attacking UE5 for performance issues (stuttering, frame rate, etc.). Is this criticism warranted, or is it more a case of developers still getting used to UE5 and its complexities (meaning it will likely improve in time)?

Everything improves with time as the engineers learn the details and optimize their work. This is true of every tech platform ever and won't be any more different with Unreal Engine 5 than it has been with UE4, 3, or anything else. That said... after having very recently worked with UE5 for enough time to get used to some of its foibles and having looked into some core engineering issues in a project utilizing some of the new tech introduced in UE5 (and the caveats and side effects of using that tech), I can say with fair confidence that (some) complaints about the performance issues are definitely warranted. These aren't global to all UE5 projects, but they are major performance issues we ran into and had to solve.

One major issue we ran into was with Nanite. Nanite is the new tech that allows incredibly detailed high poly models, a sort of [LOD system] on steroids. The Entity Component System of the Unreal Engine (every actor is a bag of individual components) allows developers to glom nanite meshes onto just about anything and everything including characters, making it very powerful and quick to stand up various different visuals. However, this also requires significant time spent optimizing that geometry for lighting and for use in game - interpenetrating bits and pieces that don't necessarily need to calculate lighting or normals or shadows unnecessarily add to the performance cost must be purged from those nanite models. Nanite looks great, but has issues that need to be ironed out and the documentation on those issues isn't fully formed because they're still being discovered (and Epic is still working on fixing them). We had major performance issues on any characters we built using nanite, which meant that our long-term goal for performance was actually to de-nanite our characters completely.

Another major issue I ran into was with the new UE5 World Partition system. World Partition is essentially their replacement for their old World Composition system, it's a means of handling level streaming for large contiguous world spaces. In any large open world, you're going to have to have individual tiles that get streamed in as the player approaches them - there's no reason to fit the entire visible world into memory at any given time with all the bells and whistles when the player can only see a small part of it. The World Partition system is supposed to stream in the necessary bits piecemeal and allow for seamless play. Unfortunately, there are a lot of issues with it that are just not documented and/or not fixed yet. I personally ran into issues with navmesh generation (the map layer used for AI pathfinding) using the World Partition that I had to ask Epic about, and their engineers responded with "Thanks for finding this bug. We'll fix it eventually, likely not in the next patch."

Most of these issues will eventually get ironed out, documented, and/or fixed as they come to light. That's pretty normal for any major piece of technology - things improve and mature as more people use it and the dev team has the time and bandwidth to fix bugs, document things better, and add quality of life features. Because this tech is still fairly new, all of the expected bleeding edge problems are showing up. You're seeing those results - the games that are forced to use the new less-tested systems are uncovering the issues (performance, bugs, missing functionality, etc.) as they go. Epic is making fixes and improvements, but us third-party game devs must still ship our games and this kind of issue is par for the course.

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[what-even-is-thiss]

It tires me out when people act like immigrants will ruin their national identity or something. How fragile is your national identity? People will bring their own ideas yeah but also when you commit to staying somewhere you usually end up taking on a lot of the local ideas. If your national identity is good and strong people will comfortably integrate themselves into it while also maintaining their own little cultures in small pockets.

Like that’s how it’s almost always worked in the US. Which is why it’s especially stupid when people make those kinds of arguments here. Yeah people have their own distinct cultures but don’t worry about it. We’ll get them on board with baseball and constitutional law and increasingly weird burger combinations. Pretty much everyone picks up on the fundamentals when they live here long enough. Their children certainly do. And they can introduce you to some new ideas as well.

Your identity as a country isn’t a static never changing thing either. Americans used to mostly drink tea but then we dumped a bunch of it in the ocean and started drinking coffee instead in protest. Britaish colonial holdings used to be ginormous and now they’re not. Like whatever your national identity is I can guarantee you it wasn’t exactly the same 200 years ago. If your country even existed as an entity 200 years ago. So many of the systems that make up our governments are pretty new in the grand scheme of things. And so are the components that make up our cultural identities.

Inserting a new group of people isn’t a death knell for your national culture. If anything it’s sharing your culture with a whole new group of people. Your culture just got a bit bigger! How cool is that? You have so many things to share with each other. You have every opportunity to make yourself as a people stronger whenever an influx of immigrants or refugees shows up. Spread your language, learn their language, maybe get some new useful loan words, educate their children about your national philosophy and system of government and turn them into productive citizens, gain an entirely new type of food for your region.

There’s a lot of benefits to letting people move between countries. But everybody wants to make it hard because like national identity or something. You don’t live in a bubble. This is a globalized world. Your “national identity” is influenced by outside forces already. You might as well try to adapt instead of pretending that you’re some isolated pure force of untouched culture. That doesn’t exist anymore if it ever did.

[eretzyisrael]

Britain Is Sending Millions to Hamas

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, May 2025. (@Keir_Starmer/X)

It’s Sunday, May 25, and the British government is knowingly sending millions of pounds to Hamas. That’s according to an astonishing investigation aired last night on Channel 12, in partnership with NGO Monitor.

There’s a lot to unpack, but I’ll try highlight the main findings.

Most damning is a British Consulate-General in Jerusalem document obtained by NGO Monitor. Written in November 2022, the document discusses, amongst other things, British financial assistance for the Gazan population via UNICEF from 2022 until 2026. It says the following:

“The risks to the success of the programme are moderate, with major risks of actual or perceived diversion of humanitarian aid.”

It highlighted the risk of “direct or indirect diversion of aid to the de facto authorities in Gaza and/or other terrorist groups. Cash cannot be tracked once withdrawn from the ATM. There are reputational and fiduciary risks around actual or perceived links of UK aid with supporting terrorist groups.” 

And here’s the worst part: “The cash assistance component will be implemented in coordination with the Ministry of Social Development MoSD. The MoSD in Gaza is affiliated with the de facto authorities and thus UK Aid can be linked directly or indirectly with supporting the de facto authority (Hamas) in Gaza which is part of a proscribed group.”

In other words, as NGO Monitor’s Anne Herzberg put it, “a Hamas-controlled entity was an integral partner in determining how cash assistance provided by the UK government to UNICEF would be distributed in Gaza.”

Ok, but maybe London changed its policy after October 7? Well, in March 2024, UNICEF wrote that it “maintained and strengthened the partnership with the MoSD,” adding in November that “this humanitarian cash transfer program in the Gaza Strip is supported by the European Union, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).”

And how much money are we talking about? Citing the UN Financial Tracking System, NGO Monitor wrote that “in 2024, the UK provided UNICEF with approximately $23.1 million for West Bank and Gaza operations.”

And yet, at the same time that Britain is knowingly sending millions of pounds to Hamas, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is busy condemning Israel for the war in Gaza, suspending free trade talks with Jerusalem, and sanctioning Israeli citizens.

Instead of lecturing Israel, Mr. Starmer would do well to reflect on his own government’s contribution to the war—and to the terrorists who started it.

More: Here

[serpentface]

I know that you got rid of all the definite super-natural stuff which I think was a really good choice. I know dreamlands cult is still around, but what happened to the giant ur-tree. That was really cool. I was wondering if that was still a thing or significantly changed at all. This blog and all your world building is super cool 🫡

Unfortunately it has to be significantly changed due to the original concept being like, not actually a tree but like a suspended structure of millions of years of plant life (the highest branches being composed of early land plants extinct everywhere else, the trunks being a twisted amalgam of contemporary trees and foliage) supported by a quasi-sapient deified fungal network.

There's nothing I can do that doesn't wildly nerf the concept down, but I'm maintaining the Spirit Of Things by having the Ur-Tree be a clonal system of very large trees that are actually a single tree connected by a root system, which is over 10,000 years old. This single tree is functionally its own woodland, and part of a much larger (otherwise non-clonal) forest.

This ancient tree is an individual from a spec bio species that I haven't fully fleshed out yet. I was thinking something spruce-like in appearance but it needs to produce fairly substantial quantities of dimethyltryptamine in its bark/roots. It grows in humid subtropical-tropical regions (the Ur-Tree is in the Lowlands, which is a humid coastal subtropical region) and has a fairly wide spread, but its range is fragmented and it's almost always found as a singular tree among other species, no other clonal colonies of this size and age exist (and thus the Ur-Tree is recognizably unique). Its root system is a key host/mutualist symbiotic partner for a spec bio fungus with strong hallucinogenic properties, which is refined along with the bark extract to make the Ur-Root entheogen used by the Scholars sect of the Eterhimhamdli religion.

This retcon allows for people to still live in the Ur-Tree (in a less literal sense of living within the space of the colonial organism), for it to be a large location that is a focal point for a religious practice, for its components to be used in production of a very strong hallucinogen, and for it to be a Presence that predates the cultural memories of any groups that encounter it. It might not have the cool factor of the Giant Fucking God Tree but it preserves the aspects that are most interesting to me in the confines of this setting.

The effects of the hallucinogen are also VERY similar to the pre-supernatural nerfing event version (just less Specifically Targeted without the 'experiencing the memories of a semi-sapient fungus' aspect). A full trip starts with minor visual distortion that turns into fractals, the experience of going through a tunnel and 'breaking through' into a distinct experiential Space, you may encounter things you perceive as entities that communicate with you, etc. (This is just DMT.)

The come up period for the fungus times itself near perfectly with the come-down for the DMT (there is usually no moment of in-between for the user). This is experienced as the previous space shifting into one that feels more like the real world, but with a heavily distorted sense of time, the user feels as if they are living through hundreds of thousands of years. Their senses are distorted and indistinct from one another, hard to categorize as 'vision' 'sound' 'smell' 'touch', it's raw Experience. In a good trip, the user loses all sense of individual identity and experiences a sense of oneness with all life, rendering the sensation of endless time into a peaceful experience. In a bad trip, the user remains semi-conscious and might retain the concept of the 'self' and therefore experience what feels like being trapped in this space for millennia.

(Here's the original post about it. Everything about the religious practices and interpretations Surrounding the tree/the Ur-Root is still canon, with the exception of the Scholarly Order Of The Root being a singular sect/mystery cult of a much larger religion rather than The central priesthood of that religion)

[dracoroma]

I think it's safe to say now that Vax is completely fine with the situation he finds himself in. He has all but said those exact words to Vox Machina.

"I would rather not have [The Raven Queen] gone"

"Death is a part of life"

And this should put Keyleth blaming The Matron for "taking Vax from her", and Pike "not giving up on Vax" into perspective.

I don't get why we are blaming The Matron time and time again when Vecna is the one who killed Vax. He would not be in this situation if not for Vecna. Meanwhile, The Matron has to look over all life and death.

Matt said it well in the wrap party for TLoVM S3. She's a neutral entity, she's persuing her own goals,regardless of what society, or even her, deems moral and just. She has to protect the sanctity of death. In fact, she's basically said why to Bell's Hells, she needs to prevent stagnation.

If not for The Matron, how could we ever truly stop people like Lorenzo, the Chroma Conclave, Ripley, the Briarwoods, Avantika? And how do you think people would feel if their loved ones were disrespected and brought back as zombies?

How about we look at the materials for spells that defy the matron, things like clone and resurrection spells. Spells that when tied together can gove one functional immortality. But these are also expensive and powerful spells, that require a ton of resources. This can create a world where the rich and powerful, through magic, are immortal, unable to die. While the common folk do not have that luxury. And this is a world that many a cyberpunk story depicts.

Even on a smaller level, it becomes a world where some people have to wonder why their family member, their sibling, their lover, their friend, was not brought back when someone else was. And that is an incredibly unfair world

But, there's also a spiritual component here. To Vax, this is his choice. It was mentioned before that he would not be willing to come back through true resurrection. It was his choice to accept his death, his fate. To take that choice away from him feels wrong on many levels, from a level of personal agency to that of denying someone their faith. The desire to bring him back to life is incredibly selfish on Keyleth's, and the rest of Vox Machina's, part.

And, I think there's a final component here. Vax is not just dead. While none of the books explicitly say as much, his role as a psychopomp means something. To me, as a polytheist, Vax achieved apotheosis, he is a minor god now, like Heraclese and Psyche in greek myth. It is a metamorphosis for him into something else.

One of my friends has been talking a lot about how "people rebel against the gods" is not a compelling reason to say that the system is irreprably broken. And that's because they, frankly, have a raw deal. Erathis and Pelor and Bahamut, as entities of law, are going to constantly piss off the punk types like Ashton by representing law. Corellon and Avandra, as entities of freedom and change, are going to constantly piss off people who see law as a virtue. And while Melora and Kord can be channeled to do good things, nature and storms and war are forces that do not care about good and evil. They will cause blights and disasters because that is what they are.

And the center of this issue is The Raven Queen. The protector of the dead. The one who stands against necromancy. Because it is important that oir rest, when we die, not be disturbed. And because of that, she cannot make exceptions

[thesiltverses]

sorry if this has been asked before, but how do you feel about astrology and tarot, honestly any form of divination?

I personally really enjoy and have a great love for forms of divination where

1) the subject is given some measure of interpretative agency and narrative control and the diviner (if they exist at all) is there to act as a guide, welcoming host, and scene-partner

2) there's a strong and acknowledged component of chance to it.

I see this as a powerful and meaningful act of unconscious play with the random and irrational, a structured act of pareidolia similar to the interpretation of dreams - by exposing ourselves to rich accidental symbolism and inscrutable mystery and prompting ourselves to try and make sense of it, I do believe we can find our way to genuine revelation about our buried feelings and fears, and greater self-knowledge in turn.

I'm much less of a fan of forms of divination which are founded on a belief in a structured cosmos that evenly doles out aspects of our personalities or inclinations depending on the circumstances of our birth, etc. I personally view this stuff as founded upon existential reassurances which are inescapably conservative, the comforting belief that we exist as pre-determined entities with our own fixed place in the world (which reassurance requires submission to the power of a fair and just systemic authority overseeing us all) rather than providing a ritual roadmap towards gnosis.

[codingquill]

What is the kernel of an operating system ?

You can think of the kernel as the core component of an operating system, just like the CPU is the core component of a computer. The kernel of an operating system, such as the Linux kernel, is responsible for managing system resources ( such as the CPU, memory, and devices ) . The kernel of an operating system is not a physical entity that can be seen. It is a computer program that resides in memory.

Key points to understand the relationship between the kernel and the OS:

The kernel acts as the intermediary between the hardware and the software layers of the system. It provides a layer of abstraction that allows software applications to interact with the hardware without needing to understand the low-level details of the hardware

The kernel controls and manages system resources such as the CPU, memory, devices, and file systems. It ensures that these resources are allocated and utilized efficiently by different processes and applications running on the system.

The kernel handles tasks like process scheduling, memory management, device drivers, file system access, and handling interrupts from hardware devices.

The kernel can be extended through the use of loadable kernel modules (LKM). LKMs allow for the addition of new functionality or device drivers without modifying the kernel itself.

[quicksilverlightning]

So I binged Centaurworld and have spent the last week processing and need to get it out of my system because I havent seen anyone else with this take -

I find it weird that the crimes of the General and Elk are laid at the feet of the Elktaur. After the split, the Elktaur no longer existed; the Elk and General may have each encompassed a half of who he was, but became separate entities by splitting.

The Elk and General were of the Elktaur, but weren't themselves the Elktaur. It's entirely possible I'm digging too deep into what was meant to be a Y7 kids show, but it really bugged me because intention, potential, and action aren't the same things. The Elktaur may have always had the potential to become what the Elk and General did, but he didn't commit any of the actions. Because he no longer existed. We can argue about intentions all day long without getting anywhere; partly because the show never really got into that aspect, but mostly because, in the end, what matters is action. You can intend to cause hurt without ever actually doing so - intention and potential do not make one evil/ a criminal/ etc.

Like, if I clone myself and that clone goes on to become an interdimensional war criminal, am I supposed to be punished as well? Of course not - the copy was me, until it wasn't.

This is a classic Mind-Body Problem and fits the scenario around the Elktaur - can his two component parts really be considered to be a single entity? But if they actually were a single entity, none of this would be happening at all. If we brought a whole version of the Elktaur to stand before his components, would he also be considered part of that conglomerate?

Is one not the sum of their experiences? How then, can two beings with very different experiences be said to be the same? Isn't that why, post-unification, the Elktaur has two voices?

Just to be clear, I'm totally on board with the actual events of the ending - I think killing the guy was a mercy, but that's a different discussion - but I find the reasoning to be questionable. I blame Netflix and thier pattern of canceling shows too early for the writing team not being able to delve further into some really interesting philosophical conundrums surrounding the plot. I did enjoy the show overall, but the Elktaur and his pieces were by far the most interesting thing going on. I totally understand that the juxtaposition of wacky and serious was 100% the point, but that plot thread was simply too good - it made everything else feel like a distraction 😂

[cog-bucks]

Random Cog Headcanons: Outmoding, Decommissioning, & Death

Went for something a bit different today and decided to compile my headcanons on how cogs actually, y’know, die. Because I definitely think they can, especially in a world like TTCC where things tend to get a little more serious at times. Be aware that a couple of these can get a little messed up and morbid… But honestly, it’s no more morbid than Blue Sky's movie Robots if you think about it a little too hard. So, if you’ve seen that, you can probably handle it just fine. 

TW for general discussion of death and dying, obviously. Other posts of mine that may help you understand this one even better in context:

⚙️ The Personality Matrix

⚙️ Suit Memories

Summary: Despite their ability to be fixed when damaged, suits unfortunately do not live forever. After being outmoded, it’s only a matter of time before natural degradation—or even the company that built them—leads to the end of their lifespan. Though not every form of being shut down is necessarily permanent, there are many cases in which it’s blatantly unfair, and a point of no return can come about in a multitude of ways. The manner in which family members may cope with the loss of a loved one varies from person to person, though not every suit gets the courtesy of a ceremonious sendoff.   

Becoming an Outmode

All suits have a given period of time that their model is still being actively supported, similar to how most operating systems and physical technology have a period of time that they are continuously updated and easy to repair. ㅤ

>> Though not all suits are built by the same companies or independent entities, suits from each ‘generation’ of sorts tend to have similar components and run on the same few operating systems. Think of it like generations of phones or computers. ㅤ

Suits can extend the period that their model is supported by keeping up with important upgrades and ensuring their systems are always up-to-date with the latest software and/or hardware. However, there inevitably comes a time where a suit’s systems are no longer compatible with the latest technology, at which point they will inevitably face being outmoded once service for their model and/or operating system is discontinued. ㅤ

Models that have been outmoded no longer have first-party components produced for them, which makes getting ahold of quality parts and maintaining themselves exponentially more difficult.  ㅤ

>> Though discontinued parts tend to be somewhat plentiful immediately after discontinuation, over time they become more and more difficult to find, and by extension more and more expensive.  ㅤ

>> Repairs also tend to become far pricier, as fewer mechanics are willing to work on older models that could be considered a hassle or liability to deal with. Suits that have been outmoded for an extended period of time are often forced to turn to specialists. ㅤ

So long as a suit has the resources to continue upkeep on their systems, they can survive long after being outmoded. Unfortunately, not every suit has the resources to do so, especially if they happen to be very low on the totem pole overall with subpar pay. ㅤ

As per usual, “grunt” or “stock” cogs get the short end of the stick here, since they technically count as company property and can have the rug pulled out from underneath them with very little warning.  ㅤ

Suits that cannot keep up with repairs, but would be otherwise functional if they could, often end up decommissioned.

Decommissioning

Decommissioning typically occurs when a suit’s body ceases to function due to a lack of upkeep (as in, they can no longer afford to live), or when a company decides to outmode and terminate the employment of a series of stock cogs en masse regardless of their current functioning—often to save money on upkeep or recycle their resources.  ㅤ

>> The latter cannot occur to non-stock suits or stock suits that have been legally emancipated from the company that built them. ㅤ 

>> A great deal of policy surrounding suit rights have come under fire recently, as there is a distinct lack of fairness when it comes to the rights of stock suits in particular, leading to more hoop-jumping than is reasonable or necessary to get the same considerations and opportunities as others.  ㅤ

Suits that have been decommissioned are not truly ‘dead’, per se, but rather have just been shut down and taken out of service. Should one have the time and resources, it is sometimes possible to recommission a decommissioned suit and effectively bring them back to life. ㅤ

Despite not being a ‘true’ death, decommissioning is often treated as such. Decommissioned suits continue to degrade even when they are no longer active—especially if they are stored in subpar conditions, as is the case with many decommissioned grunts—and the cost of fully restoring them is often not considered to be worth the time investment as obscure components become ever more scarce. ㅤ

Due to Suitopia’s current political climate, stock suits decommissioned while in perfect working order are often stored away somewhere to avoid public backlash and quietly disposed of at a later date. Yes, it is as cruel as it sounds, but megacorporations easily get away with it, as they can claim inability to function after a period of time stored where they’ll obviously degrade. ㅤ

Suits with the time, money, and connections to maintain both their independence and health often never end up decommissioned, and instead are subject to a natural process of degradation that results in a ‘true’, or irreversible, death.

Degradation & True Death

Though physical age and degradation is correlated with the ultimate lifespan of a suit, cogs don’t necessarily ‘die’ when their physical bodies break down; rather, it occurs when some core part of them becomes unrecoverable. In such instances, restoring the physical body would not be sufficient to bring a person back, resulting in what could be considered a ‘true’ death. ㅤ

While suits can have the vast majority of their bodies repaired or replaced in the event of damage, there are certain components that define their personhood, and thus stay with them for their entire lifetime. Because these components, such as the personality matrix and memory chip, cannot be effectively replaced or refurbished throughout time (lest you risk irreversible damage, a ship of Theseus situation, or violation of privacy laws), they are subject to inevitable deterioration that effectively gives every suit a finite lifespan.  ㅤ

>> The irreplaceable nature of such components also makes them very vulnerable to physical damage. As such, it’s possible to suffer a ‘true’ death from physical trauma as well. See: Atticus Wing from Break The Law. (Yes, yes, I know that isn’t technically canon anymore, but I still think it’s neat.) ㅤ

Common ways that suits may experience a ‘true’ death include, but are not limited to: Failure of the personality matrix, causing loss of identity; failure of the memory chip, resulting in either immediate or continual loss of personal memories; and gradual corruption of the operating system, which can be considered equivalent to a terminal disease or progressive condition. ㅤ

It is usually considered more respectful (at least in terms of suits with actual rights and perceived value) to not go through with repairs if a suit's "self" is truly not recoverable. After all, it would be a bit grotesque to rebuild a suit that looks and sounds like a deceased loved one, and maybe even acts like them in some ways if they have a default personality loaded, but who is simply not the person you knew.  ㅤ

>> In the same vein, it isn’t uncommon for immediate family members to choose to shut down a declining relative that is no longer lucid or acting themselves, rather than wait for some sort of inevitable deterioration that results in a complete loss of functionality. This is especially true in cases where personality data or memory data are lost, as while such conditions may come near the end of one’s physical life span, they do not in and of themselves cause the body to stop functioning (unlike corruption of the operating system, which eventually bricks all of a suit’s functions).

Cultural Practices

For suits with families or those who are considered to be important, there are cultural practices that tend to take place when a suit is permanently decommissioned or deemed unrecoverable. ㅤ

The most common practice is taking a small piece of the deceased as a memento, occasionally having it crafted into something wearable such as jewelry. This is viewed as roughly equivalent to the practice of keeping ashes. ㅤ

If the memory chip is still intact, some may choose to preserve it, as any unconsolidated memories can be pulled and played back as mementos in themselves; however, this can be considered a violation of the deceased’s privacy in some contexts, so it’s a matter of personal preference. Consolidated memories can only be unencrypted and recovered by specialists, and necessitate having legally obtained permission prior to a loved one’s death in order to access them due to privacy laws. ㅤ

Funerals are not uncommon, though rather than burying or cremating the body, it may be melted down or otherwise recycled into something else, such as a headstone, memorial, or whatever else feels appropriate to the next of kin.  ㅤ

If no next of kin cares enough to claim the body in the first place, chances are that it will just be sold, scrapped, and reused for industrial purposes. It’s morbid, but efficient—and good news for anyone who might be in the market for an outmode’s spare parts. ㅤ

Unfortunately, stock suits often don’t get any sort of heartfelt sendoff, as they are generally considered unimportant and entirely replaceable. Disposing of them is, for the most part, unceremonious and flippant, as they’re frequently destroyed in workplace accidents on a massive scale.  ㅤ

>> There are exceptions to every rule, however, as is the case with stock suits that somehow manage to rise significantly above their station. Models that would otherwise be considered grunts, such as Jennifer, for example, appear to be treated well in a position of relative power and are unlikely to be handled as carelessly.

[coven-of-genesis]

Components of spirituality

Spirituality is a deeply personal and subjective concept, and different traditions and belief systems may emphasize different components.

Here are some common elements often associated with spirituality:

Connection to a Higher Power or Source: Many spiritual traditions involve a belief in a higher power, whether it's a deity, a cosmic force, the universe, or some other transcendent entity. This belief provides a sense of purpose, meaning, and a feeling of being part of something greater than oneself.

Inner Peace and Well-Being: Spirituality often involves practices and beliefs that aim to bring about a sense of inner peace, contentment, and well-being. This can be achieved through meditation, prayer, mindfulness, or other contemplative practices.

Self-Exploration and Self-Realization: Spirituality often encourages individuals to engage in self-reflection, introspection, and a search for deeper understanding of oneself. This may involve exploring one's values, beliefs, and purpose in life.

Connection to Others and the World: Spirituality often emphasizes the interconnectedness of all living beings and the natural world. It encourages a sense of compassion, empathy, and a desire to contribute positively to the well-being of others and the environment.

Meaning and Purpose in Life: Spiritual beliefs and practices often provide a framework for understanding the purpose of life and the nature of existence. This can give individuals a sense of direction and guidance in navigating life's challenges.

It's important to note that not everyone adheres to a traditional or organized form of spirituality. Some people may find spiritual fulfillment through personal beliefs, experiences, or practices that do not align with established religious or philosophical systems.

Additionally, individuals may place varying levels of importance on each of these components, and some may resonate more strongly with certain aspects of spirituality than others.

[eretzyisrael]

by Hank Berrien

A bombshell new report states that the British government is knowingly sending millions of pounds to the terrorist group Hamas.

NGO Monitor obtained a British Consulate-General in Jerusalem (BCGJ) document dated November 2022 with a plan for “UK Humanitarian Support in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.”

The document notes distribution of “multi-purpose cash” assistance in Gaza.  The document states, “The cash assistance component will be implemented in coordination with the Ministry of Social Development MoSD. … The MoSD in Gaza is affiliated with the de facto authorities and thus UK Aid can be linked directly or indirectly with supporting the de factor [sic] authority (Hamas) in Gaza which is part of a proscribed group.”

“Since taking control of Gaza in 2007, Hamas has employed a number of methods to divert international aid,” NGO Monitor wrote. “By exploiting monies and material intended for humanitarian purposes, the terrorist organization expanded its military infrastructure, paid salaries, and cemented its rule. More disturbingly, this aid diversion was central in Hamas’ preparations for the October 7 massacre, including the construction of tunnels and other military installations, and stockpiling supplies and resources.”

“Hamas has exercised effective control over the MoSD in Gaza for several years. In April 2019, Hamas appointed a politburo member, Ghazi Hamad, to lead the Ministry,” NGO Monitor notes. “As of July 2024, Hamas leader and politburo member, Ghazi Hamad, heads the Gaza branch of the MoSd. … In November 2024, the US Treasury Department designated Hamad, labeling him a “senior Hamas official. … In an October 24, 2023 interview on Lebanese television, Hamad hailed the October 7th massacre.”

“A Hamas-controlled entity was an integral partner in determining how cash assistance provided by the UK government to UNICEF would be distributed in Gaza,” NGO Monitor’s Anne Herzberg explained.

Israeli journalist Amit Segal noted after reading the report that the funding appears to have continued after the Hamas terrorist offensive.

“But maybe London changed its policy after October 7?“ Segal asked rhetorically. “Well, in March 2024, UNICEF wrote that it ‘maintained and strengthened the partnership with the MoSD,’ adding in November that ‘this humanitarian cash transfer program in the Gaza Strip is supported by the European Union, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).’”

“Citing the UN Financial Tracking System, NGO Monitor wrote that ‘in 2024, the UK provided UNICEF with approximately $23.1 million for West Bank and Gaza operations,’” Segal pointed out, adding, “And yet, at the same time that Britain is knowingly sending millions of pounds to Hamas, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is busy condemning Israel for the war in Gaza.”

[iwonderwh0]

Another fic idea:

Connor accidentally transfers from his body and temporarily exists as non-physical entity in Hank's devices

Starts with situation where there's something that requires Connor to be connected to computer via cable (like for example to manually delete some CyberLife junk that slows down the system and lost its purpose) and needs Hank's help to be there and do what it takes, because Connor needs to be in stand by for this to work, so he's just sitting/lying next to him completely limp with caple connected to the back of his neck.

At some point something goes wrong and Hank's computer goes into restart, and when it loads Hank notices that first this CL maintenance program loads in, then blank text document opens on his computer and in a matter of seconds text appears, first some unreadable wall of symbols, then normal text, something along the lines of

"Hank, are you there? I'm afraid my program is running on your computer. I'm trying to move but I'm not sure if it's going through. Am I moving right now?"

Then

"If you're there please write something, I can't hear you."

Hank will stare at the screen, then at motionless Connor next to him, when he look back at the screen there'll be another couple of messages asking him to write something and from the way they're written and the speed at which new text appears it'll look like an escalating panic – from just asking Hank to write something it'll turn into begging to at least interact somehow with the computer, at some point within merely a second they'll start to appear too quickly to read. Hank'll grab keyboard and as fast as he can write something, maybe first just gibberish to write something asap, then delete it and write

"Connor?"

New wave of about a ten new lines of text will appear, most of which just repetition of the general message of "yes, I'm here"

"Can you hear me?" Hank will ask at loud, then type it after not getting any response

Another wave of lines of text with general message being "No, I can't hear you. I can't see you. I can't move." and "please don't leave me", desparation slipping through the lines

Hank will ask if he can do something to fix it

"I don't know" will appear on one line after another in some slight variations, then

"Can you connect some mic and headphones? I can't find any available."

Hank will look around the room, then type "wait, I'll go grab some" to which another wave of desperate "Please don't leave" appear in response, then "when will you get back?"

Unsure if he should go search for headphones at all Hank will type

"3 min"

Then search for headphones

"Connor?" He'll call again, hearing some noise his headphones "Hey, hey, can you hear me now?"

"Yes. I can hear you, but I can't move. I don't- I don't feel like I have any body at all"

"So you're in my computer... How did that-"

"Am I still connected?"

Hank moves to check that Connor has cable securely connected to the port on the back of his neck, and on the other side it's just as properly inserted into according port on the computer. He carefully moves Connor to confirm that one more time.

"Did you feel that?" Hank asks

"Feel what?"

After initial panic when both of them get slightly calmer they'll come to realisation that in order to allow the kind of changes they were about to make android's mind is basically temporarily transferred into another device, in their cases Hank's computer, but due to some mistake in process, computer went into a restart, so no transfer back occured + some component burned down making transfer back temporarily impossible (unless it's replaced). Or idk how it works, it's actually against my headcanons, but fuck it. The point is that this will take time to replace it, because it has to be ordered as something custom that can't be found as it is available the same day.

Without the need to move actual physical body (that occupies most of the resources) actual "mind" is not so big so it can even run on a phone, which is exactly what happens next. (Don't attack me, it's a silly little story idea, so let me have fun)

So for a couple of days or up to a week Connor exists within this non-physical predicament, learning ways to interact with other devices (like connecting to cameras that are within same network just to see something, although it's hard to understand the depth (regular cameras are sure different than the ones used for android's eyes)), surfing the web, etc. Basically like in the movie "Her"(2013) but as a temporary measure.

During this time Hank adopts a habit of wearing a headphones (or just one) at practically all times just to keep Connor a company while he's like that, because (at least at first) he's freaking out and is really opposed to the thought of being left alone even for a short time, because without a body and barely any inputs from the real world (compared to usual amount and quality) the experience is way too similar to non-existence and shit is understandably freaky. It seems like constantly having such a company, basically enduring someone else's presense at almost all times can rapidly become annoying and unbearable, but somehow it quickly becomes a second nature instead. In a way it's even nice. Consequently they talk more than ever, often ending up discussing something minor or ridiculous, something they'd never talked about otherwise, just because they're basically getting used to thinking out loud with a company.

Story ends with Hank finally replacing the component that got broken with a new one, allowing Connor to finally transfer back. The image of his body moving for the first time after being completely still for a relatively long period of time seems to me weirdly adorable. Being able to finally move and feel again must be similar to the feeling of wearing the right type of glasses for the first time after living with way too weak ones without realising how fucking blind you actually are. But yeah, it must be about 10 times better than that.

The first thing after finally being able to feel physically present like an actually existing person? A hug. Of course.

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

In 2018, the Mossad infiltrated a secret warehouse in Tehran and took 100,000 documents showing the nuclear weapons work of Iran's AMAD Project between 1999 and 2003. The trove documented years of work on atomic weapons, warhead designs and production plans.

Part of that trove described Iran developing and manufacturing a key nuclear weapon subcomponent called a “shock wave generator.”  Manufacturing of components of this generator, and testing of them, occurred near the village of Sanjarian, and the facility was called the "Sanjarian Facitlity" in the documentation. 

Less than a year ago, the Institute for Science and International Security (the "Good ISIS") said that Sanjarian was up and running again:

During the last year and a half, Iran has reportedly reactivated and accelerated activities at two former Amad Plan sites that were key to Iran’s development of nuclear weapons during its crash nuclear weapons program in the early 2000s, according to Western intelligence officials who decided to release officially the information to the Institute on the condition of remaining anonymous. The two sites, Sanjarian and Golab Dareh, were central to the Amad Plan’s development of a sophisticated multipoint initiation (MPI) system to initiate the high explosives for spherical implosion in a nuclear weapon, to develop and test high-speed diagnostic equipment or their subcomponents, and to conduct a range of tests to ensure that the MPI system and diagnostic equipment worked.  The officials emphasized that this recent activity is being conducted by experts in the Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research (aka SPND or SEPAND) who participated in weaponization work in the Amad Plan. SPND is a DARPA-like defense entity, which evolved from the Amad Plan, and still holds many of the personnel and material assets of the Amad Plan and is widely viewed as the locus of Iranian work on nuclear weaponization. The former AMAD personnel involved at these two sites appear to have freedom of action within SPND.

This is but one data point that shows that Iran had indeed resurrected its nuclear weaponization program that the West insisted had laid dormant for so long.

David Albright of ISIS reported yesterday that, based on satellite image analysis, Israel destroyed most (but not all) of the Sanjarian facilities. 

He notes that the IAEA has never visited Sanjarian.

Israel is saving the world. 

[quitealotofsodapop]

Ok! So I mostly want to make sure I have my general timeline and magic system in place before sending this au off into the tumblr verse

We can start with magic systems first, mainly the name situation seeing as it’s kinda a big deal

Big smoking gun of this aus magic is that you can either use innate magic, the power you’re born with and cultivate as you live, or magic of the surrounding area

Take the shamadi fire for instance, that’s innate magic that Red Son was born with and could guide/use without much conscious thought(even if it was wild)

But what the monks and many humans used was contracted magic used through seals or spell circles(note that they don’t necessarily have to be shaped like a circle, they’re just called that because the first few were)

Contracted magic has a few stipulations that innate magic doesn’t, like the spell absolutely needing to have an end requirement and material component like a paper and ink or blood in order to persuade the powers that be into agreeing to abide by your spell circle contract

Innate magic has a few stipulations as well, most have it tied to their stamina and need to train for ages to have a large reserve of power to draw from or at least have to eat and sleep a lot, making it hard to keep up with others at times and possibly ending their lives if they use magic too much

Thoughts on the distinction?

Thats a really cool magic system!

The cultivated sounds a lot like the Dao-based method Subodhi taught his students. Cultivating magic like a learned skill rather than an inherent talent. Wukong was born with a lot of inherent magic, but had poor control over it - causing him to only really have control after Subodhi helped him "shape" it.

And ofc theres areas in the Jttw book that are Super Magical like the Ginseng Fruit Tree; by virtue of something greater happening there or from its natural formation. Mountains in chinese mythos have their own mini gods by virtue of the amount of energy they represent.

The "contract" magic you describe also reminds me of how magic is often represented in Japanese works; with clear instruction/end goals. Most often this is represented through paper talismans; Ofuda for Shinto, Sutras for Buddhism. This is also why in anime, the paper usually burns up when used - metaphorically signalling that the magic has been completed and cannot be repeated with the same material/action.

I like the "Innate Magic is tied to Stamina" idea too!

I hc that a lot of the Big Powerful entities have a HUGE cooldown period for their power, one that gets bigger with the more innate power they hold. The deities that control and/or represent larger aspects like Islands, Stars, Planets, Seas etc; are brimming with magic, but take longer to react and recover from using it. A comparison I guess would be a matchstick compared to a volcanic eruption.

This do be sounding super cool! I hope to hear more about your Au in the future! ^-^