#synthoid

[brizlart]

"Not another step."

[screamn-robo-drawin]

HVC-09 is so sleek and adaptive, it will not see itself as a collection of tought responses that it then tries to break out of and is later thrown of a helicopter for it, finally seeeking out a better life amongst a wreckage/crater of a metropolis.

HVC-09 is oc/sona of mine, also uses holographic projection later on so theres a lot of confusing “who am I” moments down the road.

[quirkycatsfatstacks]

Review: Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

Author: Kazuo IshiguroPublisher: Alfred A. KnopfReleased: March 2, 2021Received: Own I can’t believe I nearly missed this novel! This one might have passed me right on if not for my book club. If you love science fiction with a speculative edge, you’ve got to read Klara and the Sun, written by Kazuo Ishiguro. Klara is what you might call an Artificial Friend or AF for short. She may be a…

[chips1977]

synthoids have declared war on the martian settlement

[paper-mario-wiki]

If you could turn yourself into a robot, would you do it? With however many caveats/drawbacks and/or bonuses/powers you can feasibly imagine.

assuming you mean any kind of robot then sure i'd probably enjoying being one of those synthoids that are basically human but are just more durable and modifiable and maybe a little smarter/faster. im not interested in unfair robotic advantages, and to me "smarter/faster" means i stay exactly the same, just im no longer mentally ill.

[hausofmaxiimoff]

“I feel so high school every time I look at you”

Losers in love!!!!

(And yes a Synthoid can in fact blush!)

[docgold13]

Heroes & Villains The DC Animated Universe - Paper Cut-Out Portraits and Profiles

(More) Goon of Gotham

The Plant Monster

A hulking behemoth made up of floral matter, the plant monsters were creatures created by Poison Ivy to both do her bidding as an eco-terrorist as well as facilitate her ruse as reformed and little more than an innocent housewife.  Ivy created the monsters genetic material from her former psychiatrist, Dr. Steven Carlyle, mixing it with her botanical science to create an animated plant golem obedient to her will.

Possessing a shortened lifespan, the plant monster appears as a young child in its nascent phase, quickly growing into it more mature form where it appears an exact replica of Dr. Carlyle.  In its final phase, the creature expands into an enormous brute possessing incredible strength and durability.  It can last in this final stage for only a short while before the creature wilts and dies off.  

Ivy grew a number of these creatures.  The saplings pretending to be Carlyle’s two young sons from a previous marriage whom Ivy cared for.  The mature version of the creature posed as Carlyle himself (the real Dr. Carlyle was kept in suspended stasis in a pod-like plant in home’s back yard).  While the lumbering final version of the creature did Ivy’s bidding, destroying polluting industrial facilities and attacking individuals Ivy deemed as responsible for ecological offenses.  

Batman and Robin were initially fooled by these creatures.  The crimes bore all the hallmarks of Poison Ivy.  And yet the Dynamic Duo believed the Carlyle duplicate to be the real thing, thus offering Ivy a rock solid alibi.  It was only after Robin recalled that Dr. Carlyle had two daughters from his past marriage rather than two sons that Batman was able to deduce Ivy must have somehow created her family.  

Utilizing a specialized pesticide spray, Batman and Robin were able to destroy the various Plant Creatures and rescued Dr. Carlyle.  Poison Ivy fled, leaving behind a plant golem in her own form whom the Dynamic Due attempted to apprehend before it too deteriorated into a floral soup. 

Although she had gotten away, Poison Ivy was hugely saddened by the loss of her created family and the peace and tranquility it had offered her.  Having perfected her ability to create floral golems, however, it would not be long before she would return with new sinister schemes to forward her agenda.  

Actors Peter Strauss and Jim Cummings voiced Dr. Carlyle and the Plant Monster respectively.  The creature appeared in the first episode of the second season of Batman: The Animated Series, ‘House and Garden.'    

Cynthia

The android known as Cynthia was a ‘synthoid,’ a sophisticated automaton specifically designed to pass as human.  She was customer-designed and ordered by high school student Howard Groote who wanted to use her as a means of earning the attention of the popular girls in his class.  Cynthia was crafted to be a stunningly beautiful young woman, entirely devoted to Howard.  

The plan initially worked and when Howard’s classmates saw that he had such a desirable and dedicated girlfriend it caused many of them to reconsider their attitudes toward him.  Unfortunately, Cynthia’s programming proved quite rigid and she became fiercely jealous toward the girls who paid Howard attention.   

Synthoid’s possessed greatly enhanced strength and durability and Cynthia’s jealous rampage caused a great deal of destruction and put many people at risk.  Batman (Terry McGinnis) interceded and was able to protect those who were in harm.  In the end, Cynthia’s rage toward Howard became so extreme that it caused her central processors to overload and she exploded.   

Actress Shiri Appleby provided the voice for Cythia, with the tragic and possessive sainthood featuring in the thirteenth episode of the second season of Batman Beyond, ‘Terry's Friend Dates a Robot.’  

Farmer Brown & Emmylou

Doctor Enoch Brown was a microbiologist and agriculturalist who had developed a way to cause mutagenic growth in animals, which he tried to market as a means to end world hunger.  He presented a ginormous sheep at an agricultural expo which became irritated and ran amuck, resulting in a great deal of property damage.  Brown was arrested and fined a huge fee; furthermore he was court ordered to desist all mutagenic experimentations on livestock.  

An enraged Brown disappeared for several years and eventually reemerged with a plan to gain vengeance and make himself rich.  Aided by his daughter, Emmylou, Farmer Brown created numerous monstrous beasts, including giant cows, pterodactyl-like mutant chickens and enormous mantis-like insects.  He set these animals loose on the streets of Gotham, causing a great deal of chaos.  He then threatened to send even more such monstrosities if the city did not agree to pay him an exorbitant ransom.     

When the Gotham Police Department failed to send the ransom, Brown and his daughter planned on sending a rocket that would deposit hundreds of mutated locusts into the heart of downtown. Gotham  Fortunately the plot was thwarted by the efforts of Batman, Batgirl and Robin.  Farmer Brown and Emmylou were arrested and the animals they had created were sent to a specialized nature reserve.

Actor Peter Breck provided Brown’s drawl with actress Dina Sherman voicing his daughter, Emmylou.  The villainous pair appeared in the second episode of the second season of The New Batman Adventures, ‘Critters.’   

Terminal 

By all outward appearances, Carter Wilson seemed a model student at Hamilton High School.  He had excellent grades, was a star athlete, class president and was quite popular among his peers.  All of his scholastic success, however, was fueled by a cold and overbearing mother that demanded that he be nothing but the best.  

Young Carter cracked under the pressure.  At night he would don a frightening costume and began running with the Jokerz Street Gang.  As a part of the gang, Carter took on the alias of ‘Terminal.’  With his intellect, it was not long before Terminal was leading a gang of his own, a group of Joker goons willing to obey his every whim.   

Carter learned that his classmate, Maxine Gibson, had outperformed him on a standardized test and was likely to beat him out for class valedictorian. Desperate to ensure this would not happen, he used his role as Terminal to put a stop to it.  After failed attempts to alter school records, Terminal planned for his gang to attack Maxine and make it so she could not continue on at school by any means necessary.  

The plot was thwarted by Batman (Terry McGinnis) and Terminal was ultimately unmasked as Carter.  The once promising young man was arrested and sent away for psychiatric care.  Although Batman had succeeded in foiling Terminal’s plan and saving Maxine, the whole ordeal resulted in Maxine being able to successfully surmise Terry’s alter ego as the new Batman.  Fortunately, Max would come to use this information to help the Tomorrow Night and Max would go on to become one of Batman’s most valuable allies.  

Actor Michael Rosenbaum provided the voice for Terminal, with the villain appearing in the eighteenth episode of the first season of Batman Beyond, ‘Hidden Agenda.’ 

Deputy Commissioner Gil Mason

Dashing Gil Mason was a rising star within the Gotham City Police Department, promoted to deputy commissioner serving under Jim Gordon.  And yet Mason’s success was due to his secretly being an agent of the villainous mob boss known as Harvey ‘Two-Face’ Dent.  Two Face fed Mason information about rival gangs, taking out his competition while augmenting Mason’s reputation in the police department.  

Mason then planted evidence implicating Commissioner Gordon as corrupt and in the pocket of the mobster Rupert Thorne.  Gordon ended up arrested while Mason was named the new commissioner.  

Aided by Barbara Gordon, Batman was able to exonerate Jim Gordon and out Mason as Two-Face’s mole.  Jim Gordon was freed and returned to his post as commissioner whereas Gil Mason perished in a boat explosion while trying to escape.   

Actor Tim Matheson provided the voice for Gil Mason with the corrupt cop first appearing in the first episode of the second season of Batman: The Animated Series, ‘Shadow of The Bat Part One.’

Payback

A brutal vigilante whop sought out to avenge neglected, mistreated children, Payback terrorized Gotham with little regard to the collateral damage and harm to innocent bystanders his campaign incurred.  Batman set out to take the vigilante and his investigation uncovered that all of the targets had a connection to the Gotham Youth Counseling Center.  

Using Bruce Wayne as bait, Batman was able to draw Payback out and eventually defeated the villain. Payback’s identity was revealed to be young Kenny Stanton, the son of the counseling center’s chief resident.  Kenny had used a bionic suit to appear to be an adult, lashing out toward negligent parents in that he also felt neglected by his own father.  

Actor Adam Wylie provided the voice for Kenny (with Bill Fagerbakke provided the voice of Payback).  The troubled villain appeared in the twenty-fourth episode of the second season of Batman Beyond, ‘Payback.’  

Baron Waclaw Josek

A smooth talking confidence man, Waclaw Josek presented himself as ‘The Baron,’ posing as a nobleman from somewhere in Eastern Europe.  Fool by his erroneous credentials, relief aid organizations such as the Gotham Foreign-Aid Society would invite him to hold talks over high-priced dinner engagements.  

Batman was aware Josek possessed multiple felony convictions in Europe and that he was a known associate of Josiah Wormwood.  Wormwood had recently stolen a cache of bearer bonds and was planning on selling them to a foreign agent.  Batman intimidated Josek into leaving town and then used his mastery of disguise to pose as Josek as part of plan to coerce Wormwood into giving up the bearer bonds as well as the name of the agent he was contracted to sell them to.   

Actor John Rhys-Davies provided the voice for both Waclaw Josek as well as Bataman whilst impersonating Josek.  The cad appeared in the thirty-first episode of the first season of Batman: The Animated Series, ‘The Cape and Cowl Conspiracy.’

Ratboy

Patrick was born with an unusual appearance. He looked like a rat, which prompted unfriendly kids to call him Ratboy. Tired of being teased, Patrick moved to the sewers, looking for seclusion. There he encountered  a horde of giant man-eating rats.  Strangely, Patrick was taken in by these rats and they would do his bidding.  

Patrick abducted Dana Tan desiring a girlfriend to keep him company. Batman descended into the sewers to rescue Dana and ended up having to battle Patrick and his killer rats.  The fight resulted in an explosion that claimed Patrick’s life although fortunately Batman and Dana were able to escape unharmed.  

Actor Taran Noah Smith provided the voice for Ratboy with the tragic villain featuring in the ninths episode of the second season of Batman Beyond, ‘Rats.’  

The Jazzman

James ‘Jimmy’ Peake was a violent mobster who came to Gotham to try to make a name for himself.  With his proclivity to pepper his speech with all manner of musical terms, Peake came to be known as ‘The Jazzman.’

Following a series of brazen and violent capers, Commissioner James Gordon made a point of taking down and arresting Peake.  A sting was sat up but things went awry and a gunfight broke out.  The Batman arrived in time to capture Peake, but in the ensuing chaos an errant bullet had struck Commissioner Gordon.  

Gordon was rushed to emergency surgery whilst Peake was transported to a holding cell as Stonegate Penitentiary.  Peake was certain that Gordon's death would cement him as a major player in the Gotham criminal underworld.  He somehow managed to escape Stonegate and made his way top the hospital to finish Gordon off.

Fortunately, Batman was able to intercept Peake and the cad was returned to jail.  Gordon pulled through and was back on duty after a short recovery.  Peake meanwhile was given a life sentence and spent the remainder of his days incarcerated at Stonegate.  

Actor Brian George provided the voice for Jimmy The Jazzman Peake, with the crook appearing in the thirty-fourth episode of the first season of Batman: The Animated Series, ‘I Am The Night.'   

Pierce Chapman

A Gotham socialite and gadfly, Pierce Chapman was close friends with Veronica Vreeland and tended to ride her coattails into the upper crust of high society.  When Veronica fretted over ways of being the talk of the town, Pierce recalled the time a party he had attended had been robbed by The Joker.  The whole affair was ever so exciting and he and Veronica cooked up a scheme to get the recently paroled Penguin to come to their next shindig.  

The Penguin had always wanted to be embraced by high society and he was gleefully excited by Veronica’s interest in him.  Veronica’s friend, Bruce Wayne, warned her that she was playing a dangerous game and that treating The Penguin in this fashion was cruel and reckless.  Yet Pierce disregarded Bruce’s boring advice, noting that the Penguin was ‘not of our kind’ and thus undeserving of such concern.  

Naturally this whole scheme backfired and when The Penguin found out that he was merely being used.  He kidnapped Veronica and demanded that Piece deliver the ransom.  The Penguin had planned to kill both Veronica and Pierce, but the two were saved by the timely arrival of Batman.     

Whether or not Pierce came to learn his lesson remains unknown.  He and Veronica appeared to drift apart and he was not seen at any of her subsequent events and parties.  

Actor Sam McMurray provided the voice for Pierce Chapman, with the snobbish goon appearing in the forty-seventh episode of the first season of Batman: The Animated Series, ‘Birds of A Feather.’

[demonsfate]

To put it quickly, the game is set in a dystopian future where giant corporations have torn down the government and now rule over society. In order to decide which company will have full control over America (or Neo-Amerika) a tournament is announced, in this tournament - the companies use their "champions" to fight, who are cyborgs. (Or as the game called them, Biological Flying Robotic Enhanced Armored Killing Synthoids)

I thought it was fitting enough for Tek bc it already kinda involves companies fighting for control over the world lol. Plus, a lotta Tek characters get to be designed as flying CYBORGS! But instead of just America, they will be fighting for full control over the world as said. Anyway, instead of getting a plot synopsis for my AU, it'd be easier to go over the companies battling!

THE ZAIBATSU.

In this case, Heihachi is the CEO. His champions are Jin, Xiaoyu, and Nina.

Jin was kidnapped on his way home from school, and underwent the transformation (horrific surgery) without consent. To make sure he doesn't rebel, the Zaibatsu implanted an Artificial Intelligence in his brain to override it, and take full control over the body. This AI is a merciless, sadistic killing machine (So, Devil's an AI in this AU lol!) It's unknown why the Zaibatsu chose, but some could theorize it was to mock the G-Corp's CEO by using his son as their champion. However, every now and then, it seems like Jin overpowers the AI, if only for a minute...

Xiaoyu somewhat voluntarily joined. But only because Heihachi "promised" that he'd remove the AI from Jin, and allow them to live normal lives if the Zaibatsu won the tournament. Well, as normal as robotic enhanced humans can get. Of course, Heihachi's lying about this, but Xiaoyu doesn't know.

Nina is a fully willing participant. She joined both because the cybernetic enhancements will help her improve at her job, as well as a chance to fight her sister, Anna, who is a champion of G-Corp, at the tournament.

G-CORP

Kazuya is the CEO of G-Corporation, which technically has 4 champions (even though 3's the limit). His champions are Azucena, Anna, Bruce, and Jack.

Anna fully consented as Kazuya is a "good friend" of hers, and she also saw an opportunity to get at her sister in the tournament.

Bruce, like Anna, is a friend of Kazuya's, and also a willing participant!

Jack, however, is only "semi-willing," as he only joined in hopes of saving his sick friend, Jane - which G-Corp promised to do. As this is a dystopian future, many people are suffering from poverty and disease due to the mega corporations' greed.

Azucena? She's a very unique case for the tournament. As, she's technically a champion for her own company, Ortiz Coffee. However, Ortiz Coffee & G-Corp have both came to an agreement and partnership, that if G-Corp wins, then Ortiz Coffee can own a small percentage of the world. Azucena is also unique in the tournament as she's the only CEO that's fighting in the tournament and cyberized herself. She wanted to prove that CEOs are willing to fight for the world! And well... she also simply finds it FUN. Instead of electricity or oil, Azucena runs off coffee!

ROCHEFORT ENTERPRISES

Mr. Rochefort, obviously, owns Rochefort enterprises. His champions are Lili , Eliza, and Asuka.

Although in canon, Lili's father doesn't want her fighting. Buuuuut... this is an AU, right? So, in this AU, Lili willingly joined, as she wants to fight for her father, and win the world for him!

Asuka, much like her cousin, is another unwilling participant. Asuka sees the transformation as something horrific, Lili views it as a little prank. Asuka promises to clobber Lili once the tournament is over, but... she can't deny fighting isn't a little fun, especially with the enhancements.

Eliza, much like her sister Lili, has agreed to the transformation, too. Except an unexpected glitch occurred in the process that they frustratingly cannot fix, which causes Eliza's battery to drain fast, quicker than the other FREAKS. Whenever Eliza is in battle, she must defeat her opponent as quickly as possible. In this AU, Eliza is only a few years older than Lili, not thousands lol

VIOLET SYSTEMS

As always, Lee is the CEO! His champions of his Combots. Whilst they were never originally human, Lee wanted to prove that all machine is superior to something that was once human. Although Lee wants full control of the world like the rest of the companies, he may have a change of heart...

YGGDRASIL

Lars & Dr. Bosconovitch are both the CEOs of Yggdrasil. Unlike most of the other corporations, it is a very small company, and very new. They only have one champion, which is concerning, and that's Alisa.

Alisa is Dr. B's daughter who is another victim of the rampant illnesses spread across the world. Her illness was fatal, and was surely going to kill her. No matter what her scientist father came up with, he couldn't create a cure for her. Alisa and Dr. B. were both concerned with the tournament, knowing that every corporation involved was corrupt. They also heard about Lars', a rebel leader, efforts to fight against the corruption. That's when they had an idea, Dr. B. would meet with Lars, and they will form a company in order to participate in the tournament. Since Alisa was dying anyway, she decided to undergo the surgery to become a FREAK, the only thing that could save her if her body is replaced with an artificial one. Although they may be outnumbered in the tournament, Alisa has hopes she can defeat the other FREAKS.

OTHER

Bryan is a rogue FREAK. He was the first FREAK created for the Zaibatsu, but rebelled and escaped. Bryan is very wanted by the tournament's holders, and the corporations. Bryan participates in the tournament, despite that being against the rules, just because he loves fighting and killing. He doesn't want any of the companies to rule the world. No, he wants a lawless land where people and robots all fight and kill each other.

This AU is still very subjected to change! For example, I've considered having Yoshimitsu be a cyborg for Yggdrasil, buuut I also want it to feel the stakes are high when Yggdrasil only has one champion. I also would like to come up with ideas to incorporate the other characters, too! I've considered Lucky Chloe for G-Corp, but already had ideas for the other characters involved lol!

[bedwenchbash]

Alien Romulus #CVReview

So I've reached the point now where my brain has been filled with so much U.S. pop culture that I can tell when a film has been made as a homage piece instead of an original idea. This is nothing fresh like the "Prometheus"/"Covenant" duology, instead "Romulus" is a tribute piece by Alvarez to celebrate the anniversary of Scott's '79 joint that started the franchise. What gave this away? The score. The resembalence to Weaver's aesthetic the main actress had in the '79 Alien. The synthoid sublot that also made up a lot of the '79 "Alien" and the final twenty minutes which played out like an alternate universe version of the '79 "Alien". Still I enjoyed the chest bursting scenes, 20th Century pushing what they can show of human childbirth on the big screen since the latest "Omen" film and Wallfisch's pulse pounding scenes tickled the alvinophiliac bones in my body to orgasmic degrees of glee. The cast was cool, but I was disappointed that despite Dan O' Bannon originally made the series with a negroid woman in mind as the main protagonist, this film is yet another installment in the franchise that lacks "her". The closest the audience gets to that is an autistic UK negroid synthoid who lives to serve his mud shark master who views him as a "brother" and who's father only "created him to serve her". The pet/slave - master racial undertones are way to obvious and insulting in this picture filmed (of course) in Australia. This cant be ignored or overlooked. European films, even in deep space, are just wrong like that even with franchise's that are nearly fifty years deep. Not the best "Alien" film I've seen nor the worse. Give me "Aliens" and "Covenant" then "Romulus"; which is not bad for Alvarez to come before this film as a relative unknown to a sci-fi nerd like me and crack the top three of a genre shifting franchise with his first entry out the gate.

As for the next "Alien" film I want to see at least one character like the female negroid protagonist in O' Bannon original script. And somebody said U.S. black men don't support their women …

-

C.V.R. The Bard

[dollish-shard]

False Paradise, Again

“Come on Miss, let’s go!”

I watched, leaning against a wall, as the dolls pulled their witch stumbling forward, bobbing up and down with eagerness. The witch smiled, attempting to regain some of her dignity. “Okay, okay! Calm down, you lot!”

“Yes Miss!” They chorused.

None of them noticed me, of course. Even if they had reason to, they couldn’t. The witch had power, true, but she could unravel the mysteries of the cosmos for an eternity and still not approach my level. Egotistical of me, perhaps, but true regardless.

Yet even for my power, doubt tugged at my heart. Did I really want to do this?

Yes. I did. Even if it caused pain.

I gazed around yet again at my surroundings. A utopia of magecraft and technology in harmony, a cityscape of the most utopian of arcane-solarpunk imagination. Spires that shone in impossible colors that grew like trees, floating islands covered in buildings of eccentric shapes…

And the entities. Not people, but entities, truly diverse. The witch and her dolls. A demon, walking xir puppygirl. An amalgamated synthoid hive, six bodies as one mind. A trio of humans holding hands, their hair pulsing soft rainbow colours.

Them, and more. So much more. A whole planet of this; bound not to reality but released to make manifest their deepest desires. A perfect world.

A world I was about to destroy.

I clenched my fist.

("Every time. There's a fundamental problem with your end goal. Not morals, not resistance, not even scope. Existence itself denies you.”)

Words I had spoken so long ago. In another life, yet in circumstances so similar. There had been nothing I could do then.

I had failed, and they had paid the price.

How I loathed to fail.

“So?”

She appeared beside me without any fanfare. Like me, she went unperceived by those around us. Her reasons were very different. She smiled at me, a kind smile. So much like his. “You’ve seen what I’ve done. What do you think?”

I shoved my hand in my blazer pockets. “It’s impressive. Utopic, even. Had you gotten here naturally, I’d be applauding you.”

“But this isn’t natural?” She asked. Not accusatory. Simply curious.

“You’re the one pulling the strings. You tell me.” I sighed. “You know as well as I it’s a facade, one that runs surface deep. And if its disrupted… it’s gone. Like it never happened at all.”

“So?” She asked simply. “Simply because it will not last, it’s not worth it?”

(“But failing that…” I watched him staring out across that wartorn plain, its pain reflected in his own expression. “If I can make just one minute better for everyone, a speck in the cosmic timeline of everything, I've done some good.")

I shook my head. “Because it’s a lie. Escapism. And just like them, you’re running.” I took a step forward, and she took one back in turn.

“This world is not out of true reach, you know.” I said, smiling wistfully. “You have that over those before, at least. You could built it, for real.”

“But not all would live to see it.” She said, sorrow in her eyes.

“And within this fantasy, none truly live at all. It is beautiful, true, but only a pale shade of what it could be. And, lost within that bliss, you would be blinded to the dangers that would destroy you.”

We stared at each other for a long time. Her eyes, still holding that kind determination, uncertainty, hidden behind her gaze. Mine, calm and casual, not betraying the roiling memories within.

"I couldn't help any of them then. So... I'm going to do my damnedest to make sure it doesn't happen to you.")

I would not let myself fail again.

At last, she spoke. “I appreciate the concern.” She said. “Truly, I do. But…” She shook her head. “I cannot relent. Not in a path I truly believe in.”

That was that, then.

“Neither can I.”

I would not fail again. I could not.

In this world, she controlled everything. Her powers made her akin to a god.

I feared no god. I had shed enough of their blood to drown this universe.

I moved, faster than the speed of cognition. A glint of steel, a flash of light, an explosion of pain.

Her eyes went wide, and her hands went to her torso. Feeling the warm, red liquid that leaked from the wound across her chest.

I sheathed my blade, met her eyes solemnly, and whispered two words.

“I’m sorry.”

And then everything went white.

“Are you sure? You seemed so excited…”

“It’s fine…” The girl mumbled, putting a hand to her chest and tugging at her hoodie. “I’m sorry have dragged you out here…”

Her girlfriend, a taller woman dressed in black, pulled her into a hug. “It’s okay, sweetie. I know its hard for you. Would you like to go home?”

“Mmm…” The girl nodded.

I watched, leaning against the same wall. The utopian dream had given way to reality, now that the source was… gone. Impossible towers replaced by simple grey skyscrapers, a mundane city choked with smog.

The girl in the hoodie clung close to her girlfriend. A pair of enbies, with fierce eyes and one almost quivering. A dorky looking young woman on her lonesome. Three people, walking alongside each other but eyes averted, as if ashamed to look.

I scowled. Why was it that doing the right thing oft felt so wrong?

I pulled myself from the wall and began to walk away.

“...You know what?”

I stopped.

“Hm?” The girl in black looked down at her once shivering girlfriend. “What is it?”

“I…” She clenched her fist. “Screw it. I don’t… I wanna go. I don’t-” She began to choke up, but continued anyway. “I don’t wanna just keep running away.”

Her girlfriend was silent for a moment, and then broke out into a wide grin, hugging the smaller girl tightly. “I’m so, so proud of you, sweetie.”

I watched the two of them leave, and allowed myself a smile.

Maybe, if they worked hard enough… then that lost dream could become reality.

And with that, I slipped away, and left the future to its own making.

[mitigatedchaos]

Biomechanoid Discourse Anon Round-Up

(~1,500 words)

I received 54 anons in response to my short post about biomechanoids that went viral last week, so I've decided to gather some of the ones I actually intend to answer here, in this round-up post.

[ Anon#1 ]

wait are you against fat-body cyborgs?

You may have encountered "fungrams" vs "thetagrams" as synthoid enthusiast slang. This stands for "functional grams" (weight that contributes to the functionality of a body), and "aesthetic grams" (weight that's mostly just aesthetics), respectively. (Just like with a natural human body, there's a bit of a blur between the two.)

Fat Cyborg Activists may, for example, carry an extra 200 kg of glorified silicone padding, causing them to get bumped up a bracket in the combined-force-and-mass classification used in most jurisdictions, since being dive-tackled by a 300 kg Yokozuna-style body even with just a natural human level of strength can be enough to cause serious injury. They then complain about the brackets.

I don't think it should be illegal to carry 200 kthetagrams of articial fat. Fat Cyborg Activists are just deliberately misinterpreting the League of States Charter when they claim that the bracket system should be abolished because it's "a fundamental human right" to weigh up to 500 kg.

Obviously, as I've written before, these rights are an abstraction based on a human range of behavior and capabilities. This is how the courts have always interpreted it in the League, and if a baseliner hit 500 kg the weight would crush his organs to death.

We also need to talk about Neo-Penitents.

A lot of baseliners are Neo-Penitents and refuse tissue engineering. We as cyborgs should not be encouraging them to get that fat. Yes, they will die earlier than they otherwise would die due to refusing treatment. No, we should not be encouraging that to happen more quickly. I don't use tobacco cigarettes, either.

Most children are born to religious natals (including Neo-Penitents). We should mediate the environment so that they don't experience cyborgs as something to fear. (If you're feeling hostile to them and want a cynical reasoning - we depend on recruitment and they outnumber us.)

[ Anon#2 ]

Why are you against age liberation?

Rejeuvenation therapies, biomechanoidization, and kaitosomes prolong personal lifespan, but personal development still happens at different rates for different people.

I disagree with the contemporary reactionary view that life extension techs fundamentally stall out or delay self-discovery and consideration, though I think it can have that effect on some people who forget that they will die. It's a matter of a certain kind of emotional and intellectual sophistication that allows people to learn from observing their own lives (and the lives of others). If you read through early-21st century archives (Twitter is a good example, here), there are a lot of people that made it to their 40s, 50s, and 60s that became older without really advancing all that much intellectually.

So for this reason, a lot of people would really like to reset the clock when they start getting serious (often around 50). (Our society still treats young people as having more potential than old people, among other reasons.)

I sympathize, but there are three problems. First, someone who has been clubbing without much consideration for 30 years has still has a power advantage over someone who is 17 (much less 12, which is favored by more extreme activists). Second, as part of healthy cultural development, each generation should be able to have some of their own culture to help form a stable self-image. Third, the brain is still aging even with rejeuventation therapy, and at increased risk of costly age-related disease and degeneration. That usually isn't covered by state insurance, except for Class IV rejeuvenation, which inherently causes some level of permanent memory loss.

We already had the battle for "age liberation." The compromise was laws that prohibit new bodies from looking under 18 (unless intended for, and used by, literal children), and cryptographically-signed augmented reality chronological age display. (Only a few carveouts have been made, such as the Shanghai Ethnopolity's "R+[years since rejeuvenation]" for Class-IV rejeuvenation.)

What activists are demanding is age unlocking.

They want to be able to claim they are 104. They want to be able to claim they are 14. Because these have certain cultural associations, and they want those cultural associations. You can already refuse to provide a number (which is a trend these days). The whole thing is self-negating.

[ Anon#3 ]

die fascist scum

I get these all the time. Just noting for the record that I delete pretty much all of them. Either make a real argument or move to the World Union.

[ Anon#4 ]

In your post you said you're against allowing biomechanoidization before age 21. Weren't you raised biomech?

It's possible, if expensive, to hold a natal body for an adult. It's even more difficult to do for children, since you have to match growth for growth. (Even if you do a return procedure, you still pretty much have to fit the body for a cyberharness anyway, so it will never be quite the same.)

The current push to "allow children and teens" to "explore their options" through biomechanoidization is because biomech bodies have gotten "too good," and we're in a downturn so people are holding out longer rather than switching or upgrading (or simply refreshing).

For a child's growth trajectory, a company can sell 5-6 bodies, or 3 if they start during the teen years. Biomech bodies don't grow (skeletally, not in terms of muscle/fat). If for any reason manufacturing gets disrupted for a few years, the child could have a really serious problem.

I'm worried it could also disrupt the formation of the child's self-identity, but as you know that's much more politically disputed.

I was raised as an officer for the military of a country that no longer exists. It's not really the same.

[ Anon#5 ]

We read your blog out here printed on paper in Outer Mongolia due to attention regulation laws in our ethnopolity (actually it's just our way of life), where it's distributed as part of a newsletter. I had my friend Dave send this. [Hi! -Dave] What is the difference between "biomechanoids" and "synthoids"?

It's really more of a gradient than a binary.

We can basically divide things into whole-grown bodies (natal bodies, cloned replacement bodies), constructed bodies (biomechanoids, synthoids), dolls (bodies without onboard life support), and static life support systems.

For constructed bodies, every body except for a few high-end specialized bodies uses at least some engineered biological tissue for long-term life support, because it's cheaper, usually more resilient (against some classes of problems), and easier to use to balance the biochemistry of the brain. But the human brain only uses about a fifth to half of the body's resources, so for the rest of the body, the designer has the option to use either synthetic systems or cultured biological tissue.

In general, the more organic tissue is used, the more "biomechanoid" a body is, and the more synthetic systems are used, the more "synthoid." (There's a practical limit to how much of a constructed body can be biological. Constructed body designers have to use a synthetic framework that allows the parts to be grown, printed, or assembled individually, then integrated.)

Biomechanoids usually have lower maintenance costs during the rated lifetime of the body, since biological tissue is self-repairing against minor stress. Synthoids can be more robust against certain kinds of problems, and there's more freedom in the overall design, but their systems have a limited number of uses at time of manufacture because they're generally not self-repairing.

[ Anon#6 ]

what are your thoughts on the new sex variants

They turned out to be a lot easier to create than anyone in the year 2010 would have thought. Those genotypes are out in the wild now, social conservatives are just going to have to learn to deal with it.

As for myself, World Union regulations classify all paramilitary cyborgs as "male," regardless of appearance, and thus subject to "anti-oppression rules." After San Diego changed hands and became part of the League of States, I just never updated my registration.

[ Anon#7 ]

You work for the caveman ethnopolities? The fuck do they pay you with, rice?

Cosmopolitans pay handsomely for artisanal foods, especially animal products. League citizens from higher-tech polities will purchase vacation packages ranging from a few days to spending six months milking cows and working a farm by hand. Low-tech ethnopolity governments also lease out about 10-20% of the land. Cosmopolity governments tend to pay for things that might spill beyond the borders, like environmental remediation.

They can be surprisingly tolerant (as long as they view you as 'just visiting'), but they can be slow to trust, and tend to pull from a small pool of contractors.

Technically there's only one neolithic ethnopolity (though that's really more of a park) and most low-tech ethnopolities are early modern (think 1700s).

But yes, sometimes they do pay in rice.

[askarcanamagnus]

Arcana Magnus: for our first post, we thought we'd get some help from the Earth we post on! Transformers media in your world is to sell toys after all (aside from people wanting to tell a story) and we thought some the customs in this photo would help set the tone even though talking via toys won't usually happen (and well, the unofficial Ask Vector Prime 2 has done digibashes paired with prose storytelling, so not new ground really). Please feel free to send us asks, even for things canon hasn't answered! :3

We're talking about canon here besides touching on those two. Here's the alt text/dialogue so people can read it this way, its a bit lengthy because of the amount of dialogue:

Alt text: A photo of transforming toys on a windowsill, with a trans flag for the background flooring, and a dark blue / purple night-time cardboard backdrop of a scifi city of cybertronian inspiration. The figures are engaged in combat and talking:

Titan Returns Arcee has her pistols out and is firing one into Siege Ion Storm's chest point blank, which has a blast effect there representing the impact, with a KABLAM orange-pink sound description above. TR Arcee is looking at Legends Arcee and saying: "So, you used to have a human body and then because you wanted to be a transformer from seeing the toys you became one? That’s so cool. I’m both a gal from Cybertron and binary bonded with a human who’s a dear friend of mine at this point- and our writing has now and my design is inspired from our trans iterations."

Ion Storm: "GAH- yeah your toy is cool as hell, it’s nice that things came full circle and car TTRPG Arcee can use her car hood as a shield.

Legends Arcee meanwhile stands on top of a collapsing Beast Hunters Shockwave, cutting his cannon in twain with a sword while stabbing Shockwave through his mono-optic face with her other sword: "Indeed! And yeah, my writing isn’t too great and I’m sexualized in a way that isn’t very tasteful or about me having agency in that regard, but as a concept me becoming a bot is fantastic, it’s a sentiment that resonates with the nonhuman community particularly human-bodied robot folk. Hopefully I’ll get better writing in a new iteration someday…"

Her attacks have similarly pink-orange sound effects of CLANG and CRUNCH.

Shockwave: Urk- I would hope for more logic…  bleh

Behind her, Studio Series 86 Arcee is kneeling, with her pistol on her thigh, and Generations Selects Galvatron's fusion cannon held over her shoulder, firing it with blast effects into staggered Kingdom Cyclonus's shoulder and a SKWOMP sound effect: "Funny that we’re talking about this, besides my binary bond with Daniel, I did have a synthoid human body briefly, though I didn’t sign up for that. I think I wore overalls pretty well and certainly have a better understanding from my binary bond that was voluntary."

Nearby, a T30 Arcee painted in trans and lesbian flag patterns and guns on her backstacks has beheaded a falling T30 Jhiaxus with her sword. Jhiaxus's neck socket has a blast effect exploding upwards like pressured blood/fuel. T30 Arcee is looking at an Arcee customized from Legacy Elita-1 to resemble IDW1 Arcee, and T30 Arcee's speech bubble says: "Hmm, I mean, Transformers has always danced around that with the ‘transformers are humans in robot bodies with alien context’ concept in terms of writing- the toy design two of you are retooled from, me minus my custom pride flag paint job, though, definitely hits that sexualization thing. My concept design was going to be the basis for IDW1 Arcee over there in 4th reformat with a surgery that she was happy with as part of her gender journey, but the comics were so ahead from schedule that there wasn’t much of me to go on. Thankfully the artist wanted to keep in line with the comic aesthetic, so she looks different."

The IDW1 Arcee custom, erstwhile, who has cut into Jhiaxus's wing with her flaming orange blade with a pink and cyan FWOOSH sound and a fiery blast effect on top of her blade, is glancing at Legacy Arcee, and saying: "Yeah, that loops back around to the basis of Titan Returns Arcee, although I’m not sure that’s why she’s a Blurr retool. I mean, I feel like a Legacy Elita retool to Arcee with swords is fairly obvious route to go and it seems there are other people who think that, given the robust look I have from 2014-2018 (and that’s not even counting how other Arcee iterations drawn in Transformers vs. GIJOE, or IDW2, or Transformers vs. Terminator). I dunno, there’s something to be said for how root designs that look ‘overly human’ can work, my second reformat is in that category and outside of one cover with Galvatron that hasn’t aged well it’s not really focused on, which I think is interesting in retrospect even though it wasn’t intentional for a trans narrative. But yeah it is funny to see you on covers sometimes given the difference."

Legacy Arcee, who unlike her pink car bot companions, is a blue motorcycle, is in point blank contact with an unlicensed toy based on Airachnid (APC Night Countess), while Arcee's forearm blades are out, and she has 3D print blasters pointed at Airachnid's chest and head, taking a headshot with a blast effect over Airachnid's face, and Arcee is saying: "It’s still absurd to me that the only appearance of my Legacy form in canon media outside of toy stuff is me in a leotard or a swimsuit. Clothing is cool and all but am I hiding, and if it’s for fun why aren’t any of the guys doing the same thing too? I’m more partial to the fact that most of the time we are all basically walking around nude save for a few of us, and those who do wear clothes don’t do so on a basis of being a gal. I would much rather take being curvy with metal boobs while living sweetly and ferociously."

Airachnid: "You- guess fanfic and art will do…"

End Alt text.

[bloatware-xl-rp]

"Workplace Shenanigans"

[Friday Stark (bot) x Reader]

Nothing dirty. Just fat bot and fat boss being professionally cute.

Bonk.

You'd expected it to be hard, hollow, like a metal shell. But they Synthoid's body bounced. It squashed and recoiled, bouncing back and sending you hurtling onto your butt.

Your fault. You'd been getting a bit bigger lately and the chubby synthetic assistant certainly didn't look like you'd both fit through the door. Your briefcase had burst, as had the top button of your blouse. It had been holding on by a thread,, but your heaving chest finally had enough. The impact enough to wobble your tits and well..physics took over after that.. you sat, knees together ankles appart on your butt. Papers fluttering down around you.

Friday was trying desperately to apologize.

"My God there's just so much of me now. I'm so sorry!" Friday's soft Android hips backed up trying to give you room only for her big butt to knock over the decorative vase in your office.

She turned around and managed to catch it,, but her rump swung just as you leaned forward to pick up your papers: her cheeks bonked you in the head again.

The booty bump threw you back onto the floor with your briefcase and papers, where the robot's tummy had knocked you the first time.

"Im so, so sorry Anne Nonymous, I'm afraid human food rather agrees with me." Friday gave a sweet smile and pat her tummy. How a woman made of metal jiggled you didn't know.

"Its okay, Friday, I'm afraid the after work luncheons have done their damage to me as well." You mumble, trying to uselessly squeeze the top two corners of your blouse over your ridiculously fat cleavage.

Friday paused staring right down your shirt, and saying nothing.

You did a double take, looking up you gave up the ghost and just let your huge boobs sit exposed, plumping up out of your shirt.

"Ruined i supposed."

"In what way?" Friday asked. Then, realizing you didn't want your big chest bulging out for the entire office to see, Friday caught herself. "Oh right, here."

Plopping on her fat robot tush, Friday pulled a safety pin out of her own dress. The pink fabric bulged with robo fat, she'd clearly been having to adjust her own, rapidly outgrown clothes.

Tenderly, Friday smooshed your fat chest together, and pinned your shirt in place. It was...janky...but covered you up. She followed it up with her own scarf tucking it like an Alcott into your shirt, no care for the fact she was shoving her cold metal fingers into your cleavage.

She futzed and figited with it until you looked downright presentable, minus the fact your hips were trying to she hulk out of your pencil skirt, and your tummy was starting to get ideas about your shirt from your boobs.

"Now no one will know you wore the black lace today." Friday said brightly.

"You saw my bra?" You asked turning pale.

Friday froze. Then beamed at you, cheerful as Mr Rogers himself. "Nope. Just making jokes."

The synthezoid scooped you up with her immense strength and plopped you on your feet. Dusting you off, she spun on her heels and walked out the door.

Was she...swinging her hips like that on purpose?

[dabuerre]

btw batman beyond the episode where the guy gets a robo waifu for clout? and then tell her he wants to be with different people and also that they can be friends? which causes her to fucking end her existence?

yeah bro should have gone to prison, not get screamed at by his parents

though im not sure if those "synthoids" are sentient or not. it doesnt really matter to me because she felt sentient enough

[xasha777]

In the fading light of a distant world, Zara applied the last touches of shimmering rouge to her silvery cheeks. Her reflection, a near-mirror image yet subtly distinct, mimicked her movements with a grace only a Synthoid could possess. They were the latest models, Series IX, designed to blend with the humans of Earth.

As the twin moons of Xenora rose, painting the sky in hues of violet and emerald, Zara and Xara — for that was the name given to her Synthoid counterpart — prepared for their mission. It was to be a covert operation, a subtle infiltration to gather intel on human customs and behaviors. The Congress of Intergalactic Species had decided it was time to approach Earth for potential membership, and understanding the art of human embellishment was a critical step.

Zara was the scholar, a Xenorian through and through, with knowledge spanning galaxies. Xara was her shadow, an advanced AI with adaptive learning algorithms, capable of absorbing human nuances in the blink of an eye — or, more precisely, the flutter of a synthetic eyelash.

Tonight, they were to attend the Grand Gala, a celebration where Earth's most influential gathered. It was a festival of lights and colors, where the humans adorned themselves with vibrant pigments and extravagant fabrics — a perfect observation ground.

Zara placed the last of her makeup brushes down, her fingers adorned with a polish that glinted like the stars outside her window. Xara copied her, each movement perfectly synchronized, her artificial intelligence seamlessly integrating the ritual into her data banks.

"You must remember, Xara," Zara whispered, her voice barely audible over the hum of the spacecraft. "On Earth, emotions are as important as actions. You must not only observe but also feel."

Xara nodded, her large, opalescent eyes blinking slowly. "I will not only collect data but will seek to understand the human heart," she replied, her voice a melodic echo of Zara's.

As they exited their vessel, hidden in the shadow of an abandoned lunar base, they stepped into the throng of human revelers with careful excitement. The energy was palpable, and Zara felt a thrill. Humans, with their unbridled passions and complex social structures, were fascinating to her.

Xara, too, found herself drawn in by the laughter, the clinking of glasses, the swirl of dance. She recorded, analyzed, but also let the information wash over her, not just as data but as experience.

As the night wore on, Zara and Xara interacted with the humans, their appearances eliciting curious glances but easily accepted as elaborate costumes. They danced, they conversed, and they laughed, collecting memories that would shape the future relationship between Earth and Xenora.

By the end of the gala, as the first light of dawn began to breach the horizon, Zara and Xara had not only gathered precious information but had also started to understand the allure of being human. They returned to their ship with more than just data — they brought back with them the warmth of connection, the thrill of laughter, and the enigma of human emotion.

Back on Xenora, their findings would be pivotal. The decision to approach Earth would no longer be based solely on logic and observation but also on the shared experiences of joy and celebration. And as they left the blue planet behind, Zara looked at Xara, a hint of a smile forming on her lips. For a moment, she could swear she saw a glimmer of genuine emotion in the Synthoid's eyes, a sign that perhaps, Xara had become more than just a shadow.

[fangirlinglikeabus]

'I know. Your boyfriend has already told us your tale.’ ‘My boyfriend?’ ‘Max the synthoid. He’s chatting to Dekkilander Chell’lak, that’s the fellow in charge, at the moment; but Max was in here earlier and wouldn’t leave until I assured him you were going to pull through.’ Sarah suddenly felt absurdly embarrassed. ‘He’s just a machine - he’s not even a he for that matter.’

okay, so your non-binary robot romantic partner then