#those are some GOOD data and lore profiles

[mostly-natm]

It was DEFINITELY Wednesday (when this was sent to me yesterday…oops!).

[tohwitchesduels]

Pick a name

Testing here how the polls work now that I'm going to use them, plus I need to make some decisions so buckle up everybody.

So first things first, since I know I can add a poll at any placement, here's my first question: since I intend to add information on what each competitor is capable of in their respective duels (what spells they use, what mindset they have, what tools are allowed) should I put such information first and then poll would be underneath them or should poll be traditionally on top and following information hid under the cut so to speak.

Now, I want people to take into consideration background info FIRST before voting, especially since I have a feeling some people coming here may just jump to conclusions. While I don't doubt people's intuition or knowledge on where characters stand, there's also the fact that some folk may not always know the rules and would pick their faves based on bias, not their strength (I do intend to add disclaimers for this at the top which I feel would be a good solution though background info could cool people down too), plus some background info can also help even the odds at times or make people reconsider things. However, I know that usually polls in Tumblr appear first pretty much always and there would be a lot of info regarding what characters are and aren't capable of so I wonder if you would prefer for such info to indeed be under the cut or screw that and be it front or center.

The second thing is I can't also add multiple polls, outside from picking a battle name, you can also pick the background for my bracket template in the comments, just refer to the pictures with numbers (like number 1 is the first photo):

Heck, I can make it its own post or perhaps I would change backgrounds depending on the qualification rounds. Let me know in the notes

Explanations for each and how potentially the data stats/propaganda would look like in battles (the above detour could also serve as such):

Witches Battles! - Technically speaking, lore-wise it was all the Collector's idea to watch the most powerful teen witches clash and they did refer wrongly to witches duels as witches battles.

Battle Witches! - just a reference to the original idea meta-wise, which is Battle Bladers (if you know, you're a legend). plus rolling the tongue kinda nice if you ask me.

Witches Duels! - classical, but it's not my top pick as witches duels are a custom, so naming this tournament just witches duels feels weird as there is structure to those battles as organized events instead of just random battles. But I will understand if you prefer this name and this reference to the show.

Granted when usually highlighting characters I will use big headers, but there's no need for short explanations of the names here

So anyway, here's the update, a bracket will appear soon (once I make it) and battles shall be announced along with it. Now that I will have a spring break I will try to get into that. It will be a new pinned post (but I will post a link to the first post which explains ALL the rules along with a disclaimer explaining the basic ones) and I will be also adding character profiles. Now, those will always appear underneath each duel, but as I explained in the first post, there will be Battle Royals featuring at times 8/9 people and I don't want for posts to get too big so occasionally I will be just sending links to read, but as they're battle royals, by that point I think people will have memorized the general info and I will add only more unique one separately. It's also worth noting that profile posts will have all the information, while specific duels will have a specific set of information at times (like how they do with palismen for example) so I will also add links to them despite already giving long explanations. Plus I'm also open to adding new information regarding the capabilities of characters featured in battles, so let me know in notes or asks if I miss anything that can determine how could battles potentially turn out.

OK, I think that's all for now y'all.

[digitalgate02]

[main post about the Rider AU] [the tag tho]

The Digimon in the Rider AU

While I can't decide which 02 kid or Wallace I want to do next for the profiles and such... Let's talk about the Digimon in this AU!?

As said previously, those critters – Digital Monsters (short: Digimon) – have their own world which is parallel to the human world, and is linked to the technology from humans. They absorb information from the internet and digital devices, developing themselves into different forms and gaining several abilities based on the information.

Which is basically what the mainline original franchise lore is about, I think. The only difference between the OG Advverse and this AU is that the digimon are not exactly "the other self" or "the reflection/embodiment of one's heart" - but they can sync their hearts and minds after forming a bond. A digimon and a human, in order to have a fully good bond and be able to tame a digimon's power, must be matched - yeah, pretty much like the "BEST MATCH" thing from Build. Except here, instead of combining organic and inorganic stuff, you get... digital life and human life matches.

Those who don't have a good combo/match with a digimon OR human... Might not be fully in control of such a power. Matches/combos are found by trial and error, but some people or digimon are lucky enough to find a good combination the first time, like Daisuke and Chibimon/Lighdramon.

To those bad matches/combos, their digimon power might go out of control. But this is not Rui and Ukkomon’s case though. More about this later.

There are three ways to use a digimon's power - turning it into a weapon, using its evolution as a vehicle, and turning it into a human's armor - in addition to the usual traditional way of the Digimon franchise, which is for the digimon to participate in the battles themselves.

The weapon form, however, is exactly what I had in mind with the Digimon Weapons, except that it's the Digimon taking the form of a weapon - or an object that could help the human partner protect themselves. Their naming sense is Digimon's Name [- mon] + Weapon or Object's Name - Example: BigUkko Hammer; Pucchi Spear, Horus Axe, etc.

The riding form is the usual "riding on your Digimon partner's back or shoulder" method. Lighdramon is Daisuke/Lightnimon's "bicycle" when it's not being used as a weapon (Lighdra-Glaive) to fight the enemy Digimon.

Then the armor form is when the Digimon transforms into an armor or fuse with the human partner, and then transforms into another Digimon evolutionary form. Ukkomon doesn't belong in this category as a whole, even though he was able to take control of Rui's rider form - Kamen Rider Root. The armor form is more common between the enemies than the Riders/good guys by the way. By the way, do not mistake this form with the Digimon’s Armor Form from the franchise.

Some digimon simply devolve into a lesser form - Baby or Child (Rookie) - to conserve energy for future use. In this case, Chibimon is Lighdramon's lesser form (a baby level, to be exact), while Ukkomon is a child level (and his true form is BigUkkomon) - as examples.

Those who can become Kamen Riders are those who have a Digivice Key or D-3 Key that can be plugged into the Digivice/D-3 Driver. They copy the data of the digimon and transform it into a Rider armor, which is why the digimon can still keep its physical/standard form instead.

The Digi-Rider form has a psychic link to their digimon partner, so both can sync up in battle, or in the case of Ukkomon, take control of the Rider's body and protect them from danger (in the case of Rui-Ukkomon, this is called "Punisher Mode"). If a Bad Match/Combo is turned into a Digi-Rider, there's a good chance that they'll get out of control of either the Digimon or the human, as one of them might simply overpower the other.

The case of Rui and Ukkomon is a peculiar case: They don't seem to fit the "bad match/combo" category, but Rui definitely has trouble controlling Ukkomon's power - so Root is mostly Ukkomon controlling Rui's Rider form. BUT! Ukkomon isn't a bad digimon either, and he's a good guy. The difference between Root and Lightni is that Root has no mercy for the enemy digimon, while Lightni prefers to break the Demon Lords' control over the enemy and spare their lives.

When a human or Digi-Rider is in sync with their digimon, their eyes will change to the color of their Digi-Partner, and some markings based on them will appear on the human's face. (Yes, like the glass mosaic in Wataru's face and the Fangires' faces in Kiva).

In this example, Daisuke/Lightni has the helmet markings of Lighdramon and red eyes... Rui/Root has BigUkkomon's teeth and neon green eye (his other eye is injured).

And that's all for now. I'll add more later (?) - this is still a WIP!

[momentokori]

oh yeah lemme tell you the different departments so you can place the koolkidz in them also note they’re more likely to see their own departments but there will be crossover every now and then (like they’ll see other departments every other week or something while their own is every day)

anyways I’ll give you their game descriptions lol

be prepared for lore

The Control Team monitors the employees and Abnormalities and plans the best course of action. They give immediate orders to other employees while watching the CCTV feeds. They tend to be quite bossy and assertive, making them unpopular with other teams.

The Information Team analyzes the Abnormalities, profiles them, and devises solutions to issues the Abnormalities may cause based on the data. They are in charge of collecting, analyzing, and archiving observation data and interview logs provided by the Welfare Team. The vast library of data is the basis for finding “solutions” to various problems encountered in the energy harvesting process; they often conduct experiments to determine the consistency and safety of the solution. All of the invaluable information could be gathered thanks to long-term observations and numerous sacrifices made by the team, not armchair theorizing as some suspect… is what they asked us to write here.

The Safety Team gives safety training to new employees and develops action plans for all kinds of potential emergencies that can occur in the company. They establish strategies for situations such as escaping Abnormalities, panicking employees and security breaches, as well as setting up safety guidelines for others to follow. They are notably meticulous and punctual

The Training team is in charge of composing and regulating company policies and various management procedures. They also run general-purpose training programs to help employees adapt well to their new departments.

The Central Command Team represents the Middle Layer of the facility. The upper and lower halves of Central Command take the role of the foundation for the facility, which allows expansion upwards and downwards. The department also functions as a bridge between the Upper and Lower Layers, making it a valuable strategic location

The disciplinary department's top tough team creates and punishes a variety of reasons, such as when an employee violates material rules, does not fulfill its obligations, neglects the job, damages the company enormously, and so on. This department has the best ability to control and sanction the situation. Whether it's a Abnormality or an employee

With the goal of preventing epidemics and secondary infection caused by Abnormalities, the Welfare Team puts preventative measures into action and works on programs that benefit the physical fitness and mental health of employees. In-house welfare is one of the highest values Lobotomy Corporation pursues; for the protection of our valuable resources… ah, no, I mean the lives of our employees

The record team department in which everything that occurs in the company is recorded. There are endless pages to be filled, but the last is always empty. The contracting and promotion of employees is decided by their records and assessments, so the employees always try to get on the good side of those who work in the Record Team; no one knows when [Record Deletion] will take place

The extraction department handles all physical material needed to maintain the company. They play a big role in the upkeep of everything by restoring collapsed facilities and extracting E.G.O. The arrangement, restoration, and extraction of Abnormalities are some of the duties that lie with this department as well. As such, its employees are always facing something from the Well, and moreover have an empty borehole within their hearts

hope this wasn’t too much of a lore dump have fun struggling I suppose ;-;

Nono it's okay, I think I got most of them

I just don't understand stuff well unless I'm really fixated on it and I'm really focused on Spooky Month and KoolKidz

You're good man👍

[sen-no-kotowari]

PGR S Fire Lee Character Profile

Good day! I hope everyone's enjoying the Spiral of Chronos Patch over on JP Servers (*‘ω‘ *) There's so much Lee content popping given that it's July so in a way the Lee enthusiasts are having a buffet field day! (≧▽≦) That said, here is S Fire Lee's Character Profile! I will be posting the translation his Character Version Image Song some time this week as I'm working with a personal project that I may possibly post as well so look forward to it if you're interested. In comparison to the inital release in the CN servers, they re-recorded most of Lee's lines so what you hear on the video link may not necessarily reflect what you hear in-game as of late in the JP servers. You can learn more about the expanded lore on Lee on the cut down below!

Voice Line Data

Motion Voice Lines

Lobby Voice 1

Lee: (Checks gun) ...Can't I stay here even if I don't have any other business with you? I wish to do my gun maintenance in a quiet place. The maintenance room's too crowded.

Lobby Voice 2

Lee: I was worried when I heard that Murray became the Cerberus Unit's leader if he could ever manage those rowdy bunch and all... But it seems like I was worried over nothing. He's all grown up now. However, I think the Gray Raven Unit is okay the way it is. Heh, it's because you won't do a break dance while there's an ongoing meeting... You won't, right...?

Lobby Voice 3

Lee: Humans have long since used an hourglass to measure time. While I can't say it's accurate, it was, however, the most optimal way of showing how time cannot be reversed―that's right, we, who exist in a three-dimensional plane, can't wind back time. Humans can't alter the past even if we come to regret it. ...What about me, you ask? I don't have any regrets. Even if there are countless branch points in each moment, I will surely find my way back to your side.

Raise Affection Level

Lee: Thank you, this is just what I need right now. With this, I can also complete that support robot I promised to finish― ...Huh? This is a present for me? So there's even a fine distinction made when it comes to gifts, huh...

Repetitive Taps

Lee: ...What the- ...To think there's this fully grown troublemaker inside the Raven Unit's base huh. Shall I drag you to the juvenile detention center then?

Log-In

Lee: You're here now. ...If I can never meet you again at some point in the future, I might feel sad from loneliness. ...Forget it. We have a mission to accomplish, let's get going.

Online for a Long Time

Lee: I'll do the remaining ones left, just go rest. Now! I've had enough of looking at how you look like a loitering zombie, you're spoiling the pleasant scene around us.

AFK

Lee: ...Commander, commander? ...(Sigh) You actually fell asleep from exhaustion, huh. You left your combat terminal open, guess you can't settle down without it... Really, I ought to tuck you in somewhere quiet. ...You lost some weight again... How much work did you take on this time...

Shake

Lee: ...Wha— Commander! ...Heh, you sure don't get tired of this same old trick.

Offline for a Long Time

Lee: Where have you been until now?! ...If you had made up your mind to walk out from here, I wish you could've at least said a proper goodbye then. ...No, it doesn't matter now, since you returned here in the end.

Introduction and Formation

Structure Acquired

Lee: Lee of the Gray Raven Unit, reporting. Yes, I'm back now. Other than needing to get along with each other, let's skip the unnecessary greetings and get right down to business, Commander.

Level Up

Lee: What accumulated was just the combat data itself, so I can't say for sure if I've improved. This is still nowhere near the model's limit.

Advancement

Lee: If it's a rise in rank from you, then its meaning also changes. ...Understood, I'll work hard to keep your expectations in check.

Model Improvement

Lee: The peak of evolution means breaking through one's limits as well as knowing there's a realm ahead of us we neither can understand nor have yet to encounter. ...Although taking a step inside that realm would require a significant sacrifice to be paid, I have the determination to see through it all.

Skill Upgrade

Lee: How about giving me some credit? The thrusters are now more responsive and more efficient because of this process. Seems like I'm quite accustomed to this model more than I thought.

Equipment

Lee: Testing auto preset rate, all-green. Measuring microwave distance, all-green. Since this is a highly precise piece of equipment, it's important to check that each module is working fine.

Add in Team

Lee: If you notice some sort of cue mid-battle, get away from my projectile's trajectory ASAP. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Assign as Captain

Lee: Calm down, it's okay to leave everything to me. I'll protect you guys.

Mission Accomplished

Lee: Not bad. You're becoming more efficient.

Daily Small Talks

Voice Line 1

Lee: No, I'm not mad or anything. This is how I usually am.

Voice Line 2

Lee: Rather than forcing them to cooperate, wouldn't it be more efficient to assign people to what they're good at?

Voice Line 3

Lee: ...Excuse me? I don't think it's my fault that the atmosphere became awkward. ...There's something you want to talk about? If it's about the issue on the Science Council's IUO Standard No. 9, I'd oblige to discuss it with you at great lengths though.

Voice Line 4

Lee: I promised that I'd never keep secrets from you ever again so if there's something you want to ask me, feel free to ask me anything.

Voice Line 5

Lee: (Checks gun) ...Can't I stay here even if I don't have any other business with you? I wish to do my gun maintenance in a quiet place. The maintenance room's too crowded.

Voice Line 6

Lee: You want to see the non-combat functions added to the weapon I've modified? Why do you— ...Guess it can't be helped then. I'll only show it to you once so keep your eyes peeled.

Voice Line 7

Lee: If we have nothing else to do today, want to train with me at the base? I still need to make some adjustments to this model, but it'd be challenging to adjust the result calculations without your cooperation.

Voice Line 8

Lee: I knew this part is... it'd be faster if I disassemble it once and reassemble it... Hm? Well, I'm currently doing maintenance on your powered suit. I should just let the guys at the Cosmos Engineer Union handle that...? It's fine if it's just regular maintenance, but they don't know your movement habits. Whenever you draw out your tactical knife from your left side, there's some kind of resistance around this part, right? I've already adjusted that problem.

Voice Line 9

Lee: Even if all of creation would continue to evolve, the collective matter of space will never change for all time—death follows life, and energy is concurrently generated from annihilation. If one wishes to obtain something, one must pay the price for it one day, without exceptions... Commander, behind every "miracle" that happens... correspond a sacrifice greater than you could imagine.

Voice Line 10

Lee: I was worried when I heard that Murray became the Cerberus Unit's leader if he could ever manage those rowdy bunch and all... But it seems like I was worried over nothing. He's all grown up now. However, I think the Gray Raven Unit is okay the way it is. Heh, it's because you won't do a break dance while there's an ongoing meeting... You won't, right...?

Voice Line 11

Lee: Updating the existing tactics, thinking outside the box, and even complying and sympathizing with the enemies... If I'm being honest, I couldn't understand your style of leading us at first. But now, I can have complete faith in all your decisions.

Voice Line 12

Lee: Humans have long since used an hourglass to measure time. While I can't say it's accurate, it was, however, the most optimal way of showing how time cannot be reversed―that's right, we, who exist in a three-dimensional plane, can't wind back time. Humans can't alter the past even if we come to regret it. ...What about me, you ask? I don't have any regrets. Even if there are countless branch points in each moment, I will surely find my way back to your side.

Voice Line 13

Lee: You saw what my real name was in a file? ...Oh, well, it's not something confidential anyway. Besides, I am Lee of the Gray Raven Unit now. What I thought was a temporary code name given to me became a part of who I am today and is something I take great pride in. I plan to fight as "Lee" right until the very end.

Voice Line 14

Lee: Tactical cooperation, huh... That kind of thing doesn't exist back where I used to live. There was only constant betrayal and plunder at that place. Everyone became desperate to cross over that infernal sea, so they pushed others off to the edge and used them as their bridge... But now I don't have to think about it. Even though I repeatedly told myself I don't believe in things like luck, I could say that joining the Gray Raven Unit and crossing paths with you... was the most fortunate thing that ever happened to me.

Voice Line 15

Lee: "You're never alone," huh? ...I think those words are indeed solemn. No... It's exactly because they are important that I don't want to see the person who said those words to me suffer. So "it'd be a lot better than trying to bear everything by myself," hmm... I used to think that way before, but in the end, only an even more tragic end awaits. I get what you're trying to tell me. Commander, we'll support each other from now on and get through this, no matter what.

Raise Affection Level

Voice Line 1

Lee: Since we're all on the same team, there's no need to personally hand out resources to every single member.

Voice Line 2

Lee: Why are you suddenly... Don't you have anything better to do?

Voice Line 3

Lee: Equivalent exchange... I'll never forget the principle behind it. All of the things I've received from you are engraved in my heart.

Voice Line 4

Lee: You're giving this to me? ...Uh, thanks...I guess.

Voice Line 5

Lee: Here, I finished fixing your mini robot. While I'm at it, I've also added a voice memo function to it. Huh? You...want to change the default voice data to my voice? S-stop thinking about those kinds of ideas!

Voice Line 6

Lee: ...Did you give this to other people too?

Voice Line 7

Lee: You've always remained the same even from way back then... Ah, no. I'm not complaining about it. It's... fine for you to stay the same for who you are.

Voice Line 8

Lee: Where the heck do you find these things... Wait a minute, I never said I don't need this, right? The things I've already received are mine now.

Voice Line 9

Lee: You want to try out the new weapon I use? Well, it's still in its prototype stage, so I don't think it's at a level that can be mass-produced though. There's sort of a trick in each of its module settings, do you want me to teach you those tricks? It's complex, but it's quite remarkable as a weapon. I'm the only one who currently has mastered it anyhow.

Voice Line 10

Lee: You don't need to go out of your way... I'll respond to your expectations. ...So long as it's not relatively unreasonable, that is.

Voice Line 11

Lee: So long as I'm here, you don't have to worry. Everything's going to be all right.

Voice Line 12

Lee: Thank you, this is just what I need right now. With this, I can also complete that support robot I promised to finish― ...Huh? This is a present for me? So there's even a fine distinction made when it comes to gifts, huh...

Voice Line 13

Lee: You're expecting me to spew some affectionate words? You better stop expecting then. Well if you're that desperate, let's see what kind of stereotypical lines you'll show me. ...Ack! O-okay, that's enough...! That's plenty enough for an example!

Voice Line 14

Lee: (Sigh) ...Hm? Is there something troubling me, you ask? Not really. The cost of sealed warehouses is currently on the rise, so I'm thinking about what's the best way to store your belongings. ...I-it's nothing, forget it!

Voice Line 15

Lee: While I'm not a person who'd easily make promises, from the very beginning until this day... Rather, until the lasting future ahead of us, I'll live up to my promise that I'd always stay by your side no matter what.

Voice Line 16

Lee: Here you go, my gift in return for everything. It's a mini locator made from the old power core that was extracted when my model was undergoing maintenance. So long as you always have this, you can know my location even if comms get cut off. If you push the button, I'd also know where you are. If you wish for me to be by your side, I'll absolutely come running to your side, no matter how far apart we are from each other. I promise.

AFK

Voice Line 1

Lee: Why are you staring at me? Is the strategic report written on my face or something?

Voice Line 2

Lee: When we were kids, I made this toy called "Sippy Chicken"[1] so I could explain to Murray the principles behind heat energy. ...Why am I suddenly talking about it? That's because you were frequently nodding your head low enough to hit the desk, just like that toy bird.

Voice Line 3

Lee: Commander, about the result of that experiment we did the other day-... Commander? No one's here, huh... Quite likely, considering they're the type of person who can't stay still. ...I guess I should wait for a while then.

Voice Line 4

Lee: Be good and go to sleep already if you're feeling drowsy. ...There aren't any emergency missions right now so it's fine if you don't push yourself too much. ...Just relax and close your eyes now, will you. I'll wake you up when needed.

Voice Line 5

Lee: ...Commander, commander? ...(Sigh) You actually fell asleep from exhaustion, huh. You left your combat terminal open, guess you can't settle down without it... Really, I ought to tuck you in somewhere quiet. ...You lost some weight again... How much work did you take on this time...

Online for a Long Time

Voice Line 1

Lee: Are you attached to that chair or something?

Voice Line 2

Lee: Sure is nice if you could remember one good way to shirk off work.

Voice Line 3

Lee: Seems like I need to attach a system that could pick up mental fatigue from the brain wave activity on that chair, but... If the numbers reach a dangerously low range, it'd immediately force you to sleep― ...hm? You'd like to work for just a bit longer? I trust you know what'd happen if you lied through your teeth then.

Voice Line 4

Lee: I'll do the remaining ones left, just go rest. Now! I've had enough of looking at how you look like a loitering zombie, you're spoiling the pleasant scene around us.

Voice Line 5

Lee: Is this some kind of revenge plan against everyone in the Gray Raven Unit? ...What am I insinuating, you ask? Hah. Are you trying to prove your point that humans could also work for three days straight without any rest like us Structures? ...We promised that we both won't work ourselves to death ever again, so you should also get some rest now.

Log-In

Voice Line 1

Lee: Good morning, you awake now?

Voice Line 2

Lee: That's good, the time you arrived sure is on point. Keep up with that. What time did I arrive? Just a few minutes earlier than you.

Voice Line 3

Lee: I thought I heard a loud, boisterous voice from afar but, don't tell me Kamui dropped by again, did he?

Voice Line 4

Lee: Commander, you came just at the right time. About those prospective experiments I mentioned yesterday, I just thought of one more idea for that.

Voice Line 5

Lee: You're here now. ...If I can never meet you again at some point in the future, I might feel sad from loneliness. ...Forget it. We have a mission to accomplish, let's get going.

Voice Line 6

Lee: I'm not spacing out, I'm just thinking about the Monty Hall problem[2]. If I eliminate the doors that haven't been opened, which of the remaining doors will you show up on... Hm? There's only one door in this room...? .......(clears throat)......

Voice Line 7

Lee: Last night, did you stay up late again? Taking good care of yourself is also one of your responsibilities to your team. I'm sure you know that better since you were an honor student, right? Your average sleeping time as of late is just― ...Huh? Why do I know, you ask? ...Obviously, I learned about it from Laplace's demon[3].

Voice Line 8

Lee: Good morning, did you have a good night's sleep? ...Yeah. Should we try a different greeting for tomorrow since today's greeting was okay? Since I have to greet you every day starting today, I wonder if it'd be better if we decide together on which greeting we both like. So tell me, which do you prefer?

Offline for a Long Time

Lee: Where have you been until now?! ...If you had made up your mind to walk out from here, I wish you could've at least said a proper goodbye then. ...No, it doesn't matter now, since you returned here in the end.

Shake

Voice Line 1

Lee: Graagh... ...No, it's not your fault. My Sea of Consciousness just suddenly went into an overload state. There's no need for you to worry about it... Stay still... Yeah, I'll recover from this in a minute.

Voice Line 2

Lee: ...Wha— Commander! ...Heh, you sure don't get tired of this same old trick.

Voice Line 3

Lee: If you get thrown off balance, I'll reflexively catch you and act as your cushion. ...As if. I'm kidding, let's stop this conversation. Please be more careful so you won't get hurt in the future.

Repetitive Taps

Voice Line 1

Lee: ...What the- ...To think there's this fully grown troublemaker inside the Raven Unit's base huh. Shall I drag you to the juvenile detention center then?

Voice Line 2

Lee: You think I won't fight back from this?

Voice Line 3

Lee: For the times you've poked me, I'll be repaying you exponentially. ...Hmm, so it's at a total number of 133637 times then. Now then, are you prepared to accept some "repayment?"

Activity Task Full

Lee: Activity level's reached the maximum level. We should leave our work progress here for now.

Battle Dialogues

Battle Start/Character Switch

Lee: Simulation complete. Commander, we'll emerge as the victors here.

Voice Line 1

Lee: I'll be the one to reign over your time!

Voice Line 2

Lee: There's no escape from my line of sight!

Voice Line 3

Lee: Your survivability rate's hit zero!

Voice Line 4

Lee: You can't escape now!

Voice Line 5

Lee: This is the end!

Ultimate Skill

Lee: Perish... for all time!

Light Damage

Lee: It's nothing serious, let's stay focused.

Heavy Damage

Lee: Graagh... I won't let it end, not here, not this moment.

Incapacitated

Lee: I'll stand back up if I have to... No matter what...

Friend Support

Lee: You did well holding out, leave the rest to me.

QTE

Lee: Target locked on, fire at max power!

Battle End

Lee: Guh! It's too early to let up your nerves, Commander.

Structure Documentation

Document Detail 1

BPN-06, Attacker-type, Model Name: Hyperreal―an Omega-type Specialized Structure model developed by the Science Council based on Kurono's Inverse Device research as well as the meager information deciphered from the polymerized fragment. All of its functions are fine-tuned to the model's stability, making it impervious to the Punishing's side effects.

Document Detail 2

Both the model's energy distribution capability and the computational capacity modulator are strengthened, allowing the model to perform numerous computations. In addition, to ensure the model's stability, all its external equipment uses synthetic nano-carbon metal tubes, and their thermal conductivity is increased to make the equipment lightweight.

Document Detail 3

Only a person who extensively understands small arms could utilize sophisticated and complex heavy artillery like Lee's composite armament. Although it could adapt to every battlefield, it's difficult to operate and warrants a highly stable model, currently making the Hyperreal model the only one capable of wielding this weapon.

Document Detail 4

Although this model that takes pride in its peerless computational abilities can execute multiple simultaneous high-precision computations, the burden on Lee's Sea of Consciousness constantly reaches its critical point. However, nobody knows the actual situation behind it since Lee never reports it, persuading himself that "the data deviation in his Sea of Consciousness doesn't trigger so it won't cause any impediments to my day-to-day operation."

Document Detail 5

While the development of the Omega-type Specialized Models that centered around Liv progressed, Lee willingly volunteered to participate since Liv's Sea of Consciousness was damaged during the Solaeter's development, stating that his Sea of Consciousness was "far more stable." The first time he learned that he was originally the first choice for the Omega-type Specialized Models was after he had formally participated.

Document Detail 6

Lee couldn't remember the whispers he hears in his dreams or the confusing sceneries he sees. However, if one were to ask him if he could feel the fear and worries looming when one fights alone, he would calmly deny it―because he knows for a fact that there would always be someone who'd light the beacon behind him and illuminate the way back to where he belongs, no matter how far away he is.

Rumors and Secrets

Secret 1 The exterior appearance of Lee's new model is quite different thus far, so several people talked about how the Hyperreal model looks. However, Lee himself never once noticed that he became a hot topic of conversation around him.

Secret 2 Since Lee used to often work late at night back when he was with Kurono, he still has the habit of burning the midnight oil. When he first arrived in Eden, there used to be a rumor circulating that a ghost would appear in the maintenance room when the clock strikes at midnight.

Secret 3 Even though he didn't have any interest in philosophy at first, Lee started reading books about "the concept of time" and "time and sentience" and seems to have been taking notes on the topic ever since he changed to his Hyperreal model.

Secret 4 During his spare time, Lee adjusts the weapons and exoskeleton of the other members of the Gray Raven Unit to match each of their habits. He voluntarily does this kind of work because previously "our equipment's weapon alignment was off-point and because of that, the Commander had a dislocation injury during our practical combat training."

Secret 5 Lee tried to modify his model and hide one reflective part as he failed to understand the design intent behind it. However, one researcher told him "that part regulates heat circulation" and gave up on the idea.

Secret 6 His hobbies are solving numerical puzzle games. Everyone in the Gray Raven Unit tried it once, but the only person who understood the fun behind these logical games is the Commander.

Secret 7 He dislikes having Kurono as the conversation topic. Even though he seemed to just lightly sweep Vera's badgers under the rug, Lee feels bitter about the fact he used to work for them in the past.

Secret 8 He added the Gray Raven's logo on the inner side of the model's coat himself. He hasn't told anyone about it, but everyone noticed the addition when his model underwent modification enhancement.

Secret 9 Even though he preferred his old hair color, the development staff from the Arts Association told him that "they don't have the material for that particular color in stock." Left with the choice of either choosing a different hair color or, as suggested by Asimov, "make a hat-type Inverse Device," Lee chose the former.

Secret 10 Lee modified his right arm to attune himself with his new weapon, but it became difficult for his arm to pass through the right sleeve of his coat post-modification. He had accidentally torn the sleeve apart thrice just by putting strength in his arm, and when he finally had enough, Lee decided to wear the right side over his shoulder instead.

Secret 11 When they were little, he and Murray made a "secret code" only they know about that the two of them use during their transmission with each other. Although Lee hasn't used their secret code in a while, it appears that he used it again in a recent transmission he received from Murray.

Secret 12 The reason why Lee seldom cooks is that the moment he acquires condiments and spices, the whole kitchen turns into a large-scale laboratory―he will only season the food if the condiment is weighed in milligrams. Surprisingly enough, however, it did make him good at brewing coffee because the Commander drinks coffee every morning.

水飲み鳥 (Lit TL: Water Drinking Bird) or Drinking Bird/Dippy Bird/Sippy Chicken is a toy heat engine mimicking the motion of birds drinking from a water source.

The Monty Hall problem is a probability puzzle type of brain teaser named after the host of an old game show titled "Let's Make a Deal."

Laplace's demon is a notable published articulation of causal determinism on a scientific basis written by French scholar Pierre-Simon de Laplace in the 19th Century.

[miaclemeverett]

Wilbur, Fundy, and Purpled were interviewed for this great article on the Dream SMP and the Minecraft community! Full article below the cut. 

"Minecraft" launched over a decade ago and the video game is as popular as ever. With over 126 million players worldwide, the voxel-based survival game drops adventurers into a world where they can craft, build, explore, destroy, and create to their heart's content. Aided by tools, blocks, and creativity, the simple sandbox world allows anyone on PC, console, or smartphone the chance to project their own feelings and creations directly into their virtual space.

"As long as you have the mind for it, you can really just do anything," 17-year-old "Minecraft" YouTuber Purpled, who has 700,000 subscribers, told Insider. "Because of how simple Minecraft is and how easy it is to build with it, you can create whatever you want."

In recent years, Microsoft's never-ending game has evolved into a tool for content creators to express themselves, leading to high-profile collaborations with some of YouTube's biggest personalities. By creating their own private "Minecraft" servers, creators have been able to craft ornate worlds and stories that they can explore in streams and videos, immersing fans in a cinematic-style universe.

Minecraft has a long history on YouTube

"Minecraft's" versatility has made it an incredibly popular game for content creators and influencers. In 2012, a change in YouTube's algorithm promoting watch time over video clicks led to a renaissance of "Let's Players" who recorded themselves reacting and playing their favorite games. "Minecraft" was one of the most successful, spawning some of the largest channels of the time like SkyDoesMinecraft (11.3 million subscribers) and Tobuscus (6.25 million subs).

Though the popularity of "Minecraft" remained fairly steady, content about the title waned a bit over the next decade either due to content fatigue or newer titles like "Fortnite" taking the spotlight. 2020 flipped the title back into the forefront, with both streamers and YouTubers capitalizing on the title's popularity.  

The biggest breakout star for "Minecraft" in the past few years is Dream, an expert, faceless player with a neon-green avatar with over 17 million YouTube subscribers. YouTube labeled him the second overall content creator of the year and his streams consistently pull in a quarter of a million people.

In May of 2020, Dream decided to create a small, private server for his friends to play around in. This SMP server, or "survival multiplayer," started off with only a handful of content creators being invited. Soon, the server would expand to over 30 members, bringing in millions of views from fans who chronicle every moment of the lore the creators eventually created.

Viewership on Twitch of "Minecraft" content went from 17 million hours watched in January 2020 to 74 million in January of 2021, according to data from analytics company Rainmaker.gg.  

How the Dream SMP grew from a private server with friends to a cultural milestone

Purpled has been playing "Minecraft" for the past eight years and is a high-ranking player in a multiplayer game mode called "Bed Wars." He had started talking to Dream in the summer of 2019, when the pair were both small, mutual fans.

"When the SMP was in its infancy, I just asked him if there was any room because he said how it's just for friends and if a friend wants to join, they can," Purpled said. "So I asked him, he said, 'Sure.' He sent me the IP and I was in."

The server was originally just a place to create and hangout, with no intention of creating an overarching story or plot.

Fundy, a 19-year-old Dutch YouTuber with 2.7 million subscribers joined when only a handful of other creators were on."I had talked to Dream on a few occasions, out-of-the-blue Dream sent me a message about a survival world that they had going on. It was very small at first," Fundy said. "I thought it could be a fun little side-project I could stream every now and then on Twitch, so I decided to join."

Fundy joined in the early days alongside Wilbur Soot, a 23-year-old YouTuber with 3.8 million subscribers. Soot, after attempting to create an "illegal potion shop" on the server, decided to establish a nation of non-Americans players called L'Manberg. Soot said he wrote a "treatment" for how the formation of his country would go, creating an official canon that fans could follow along with.

"I was invited into the Dream SMP near its inception but I only joined fully when I had an idea for building a country in 'Minecraft'," Soot said. "I write up a series of plot hooks and points that should tie together, however we improv dialogue and comedy throughout to take us from point to point."

These streams and pieces of content all had a canon that could be followed and consumed like a television show. L'Manberg eventually started a war against Dream for its independence, staging a rebellion chronicled in YouTube videos with millions of views.

These streams and videos aren't just randoms in "Minecraft" trying to defeat the end-game Ender Dragon — these are performers putting on a show that their fans can't miss. As the lore expanded, so did the rules needed to keep a sense of continuity and order. For example, each player only has three lives before they are removed and deleted from the server.

"It went from a casual survival game to a whole story-line filled with plots and twists," Fundy said. "Role-playing at this point is a key-feature of the Dream SMP, some parts are scripted, some parts are improv, and some parts are 'non-canon,' where it is just counted as a standard 'Minecraft' server."

The fan communities have risen up and made their voices heard

Over the next few months, the lore and world would continue to grow and so would the fan base. Hundreds of thousands of viewers would tune in for these streams, trying to keep up with the lore and content. To help catalog the story, a network of fans established themselves as lore keepers, documenting each moment for those that had to miss a stream.  

The "DREAMSMP UPDATES!" account on Twitter has established itself as one of the most popular locations to find all this content and lore on social media. Starting in December 2020, the account has grown to over 147,000 users with just a team of seven administrators, ages 14-17, in different locations around the world, posting updates and stream notifications for fans. "Minecraft" is a game that appeals to all ages, but the audience for this content tends to skew younger, with 41 percent of Twitch's user base being 16 to 24, according to GlobalWebIndex.

"You can tell they're all friends and it's a lot more lighthearted in general and it shows," mod on the "DREAMSMP UPDATES!" Twitter account eclaire said over chat app Discord. "When it's not lore you see them actually having good chemistry and it really pulls you in because it almost feels like being pulled into a friend group."

User SamHQ first started the fan account with a couple of friends from high school but the group quickly expanded after the account tweeted that they needed more fans of certain streamers to join. She is online and runs the account "24/7" but "it's just like answering a text."

"When I started the account I knew lots of people who couldn't catch up because of work or school," SamHQ said. "So I gathered friends to help and now people rely on us when someone's streaming or to catch up with the lore when they can't watch."

For the fans that run the update account, keeping up with the Dream SMP isn't dissimilar to following the Marvel Cinematic Universe or a long-running television show. Characters come and go, but the improv and roleplay stay.

"The Dream SMP did something really special — taking an original idea, creating new things that have never been seen on 'Minecraft' and incorporating them with humor and characters that you can become easily attached with," mod NotAlex said.

Though other SMP roleplay servers, like EarthSMP and SMPLive, have been created over the years, none have been as successful or popular as the Dream SMP.

Finding a fan base on the Dream SMP can lead to major growth.

For the performers on the server, addressing fans and their responses comes with the territory.

"The Dream SMP viewers are very important to the Dream SMP, and the fact that they openly speak their mind about how a certain stream went only helps the streamers improve," Fundy said. "It's basically an instant review of what was liked and what wasn't."

Like most major fandoms with a young audience, fanfiction of these streamers has popped up online. Dozens of Dream fics and drawings exist online, some going a bit far and putting underage characters together. Dream responded on Twitter to those "ships," writing that they shouldn't "ship creators that are uncomfortable with it, and especially not minors."

The Dream stans, or the super fans, also tend to be very vocal online about the SMP. Hashtags on Twitter like #dreamnotfound and #dreamfanart consistently break-through to the trending page, confusing those who have no idea this world exists. The most ferocious of stans sometimes overstep the boundary between polite disagreement and outright harassment. This vocal minority has sent death threats and waves of harassment at those who criticize or disagree with their favorite content creators.  

The growth and future of these channels is in large part due to the Dream SMP server

The popularity of Dream SMP has helped grow the content creators that take part in it. Since joining the server, Purpled is gaining three times as many subscribers a month on YouTube and has been introduced to an entirely new fan base. His streams used to pull in 3,000 viewers but now his average is closer to 35,000 to 40,000 viewers.

"Some people think of them as obsessive or stalker fans, but those are people that really like to talk about certain creators and really get invested in things," Purpled said. "And it's really nice because they care a lot more and connect more with the creator than the content."

These creators understand the power of the fan base and know that they come for the content.

"I think the Dream SMP is popular thanks to the brilliant creators and funny improv moments," Soot said. "I think we'll be seeing the emergence of a huge wave of roleplay-centric gaming communities."

[kingdomhearts-and-soriku-trash]

KH 2 playthrough post so far so I don’t actually have to spam my blog and you all:

OOOH!! I just beat Aladdin’s world for the second time and now the organizations place is showing up!! It’s beginning to appear which isn’t too good-

But it’s also perfect bc I am craving to see Riku pleaseeeee.

.

I have to go back to Twilight Town for the second time and I didn’t see that the path wasn’t opened up yet (like I can see the world but I can’t land there yet), so I went up to it and it did that barrier thing and it scared the crap out of me. Idk why it did, but it did-

.

AXELL!! IM IN THE DATA TWILIGHT AND AXEL IS SAVING US IN THE PORTAL THING!!!

.

HE DIESSS NOOOO. I mean Ik he doesn’t die but STILL ITS SO SAD😭. He just wanted to see Roxas….

.

I’m looking at the shadow profile in the journal and gosh the way it just twitches…it makes it so hard to believe that Sora was one of these at some point-

.

Went back to Pride Rock to lvl up bc I remember that spawning those flying creatures thing on top of pride rock and it’s worked pretty well. Got Sora leveled up at least once since the first time so :).

But also why am I only now learning that Sora can actually run in Lion King’s world?? He doesn’t do a short dash…if you hold down square he actually runs…why am I only now realizing this after years-

.

Yesss!!! The heartless wasn’t that hard. I just didn’t go up to the actual heartless at all and just attacked the big dinosaur thing bc it was safer and that thing was dead within 5 minutes?? Maybe?? Idk but anyways. I really wish we could do drive form in pride lands bc that fight would’ve been really good for leveling up my Valor form and others. I think I need to lvl each form up to beat Roxas so I need to get to working-

.

Tron: Hugs the crew

Donald and Goofy: Happily accept the hug

Sora: Acts like he’s never been hugged in his life and is so uncomfortable

I still find this moment so funny-

.

Leveled up my Drive Forms (even tho I could only use limit :’)) and I beat Roxas on the first try! I’m so happy!! And while reading through comments of a video about how to beat him since I haven’t played him in awhile and needed a refresher of what he does, I saw people saying they quit. They literally got to this fight and quiet and it made me a little sad. One comment said they got to lvl 40 and couldn’t beat him and I was like, “Did you…not read the lvl recommendation? It says 50 for me, plus leveling up the drive form needed wasn’t too difficult.” I literally took a TON of damage and could barely block any of his attacks, but if you have Curaga and Hi-Potions, then you can beat him. Literally my first time posting on normal mode and I managed to do it!!

Some even said that it took them two hours to beat Roxas and I was like dang. It took me awhile to level up my drive forms sure, but not two hours. I guess they didn’t go to the right areas :/. I just want to tell people that if you gave up bc of him, to back to this game! It’s so amazing to beat him yourself and feel that satisfaction! It really is! Plus, as long as you’re at the recommendation lvl then you can do it! I’m literally barely dodged his attacks and almost died once, but I managed and it’s very satisfying to beat him!! And very emotional if you look up why you fight him :’’’(.

But yeah there’s my small rant about my fight with Roxas. I really can’t believe I beat him on my first try. Last playthrough (which was the first time I beat the game ever) I sucked so bad.

.

BROO WHY AM I CRYING AS I WATCH SORA AND ROXAS HAVE A MOMENT. HE HAS A WHOLE MOMENT WITH AXEL AND THEN HE JUST TELLS SORA, “You make a good other.”

BRO IM LITERALLY IN TEARS. My head hurts😭. I love that KH seems like a Disney game because of the worlds, but it’s story and lore is real deep and punches you in the heart while simultaneously making you laugh. I love it here even as I cry :).

.

This is so terrible out of context, but Namine and Kairi running away while holding hands is kinda funny. Just the way they run is a little bit funny. Situation is terrible but I just had a small chuckle at their run-

.

Okay that’s all for tonight :). It’s almost midnight and I’m just now quitting KH, so yeah. Goodnight yall or good morning :).

[ausp-ice]

An Edeia who played a significant role in making the world's society what it is. They engineered the start of the age of secrecy and was a key part of the establishment and maintenance of the world's supergovernment. (You can read more about Edeia lore/history here.)

Name: Order Idea: Order Gender: Irrelevant Pronouns: they/any Masterlist: α

TH Profile

Abilities Order can essentially establish order - their presence often subtly compels others to act lawfully, be on generally good behavior, and generally be more cooperative. This is more effective the more orderly the context is - if there is a lawful society with well-understood social policies and well-established laws, their aura of order becomes stronger. This effect is strongest in proximity to them but works on any individual that is part of a society Order considers themself part of, no matter how far. Particularly, the effect works on those that also consider themselves part of the society, act under its rules/laws/norms, and/or interact with the society. For those who only interact with society in brief instances, they are mildly affected during those instances.

Essentially, their ability is a feedback loop - those in their society become more orderly, and in turn it is easier to establish more order. To be clear, this does not restrict free will; this only redirects will to be expressed in a more orderly manner.

They can also focus this ability on a single individual or smaller group, though they strongly dislike doing so. When they do, they can suppress the individual's free will and make them act in a perfectly orderly manner, almost like a machine. This is tiring for them as well, more if the individual is more resistant - though the resistance only lasts until a sort of "breaking point," after which there is no resistance but Order still needs to focus on them to keep them in that state.

Personality As might be expected, Order values order above all else. That said, they do have some morals and ideals regarding the nature of that order - they generally like for others to have freedom of will and expression while acting within the confines of a fair and widely-accepted order. They find that dictatorship, suppression of free will, and cultist mentalities are in poor taste.

They are also more than a little bit of a control freak, and strongly dislike acts that disrupt peaceful order. They are highly organized and prefer punctuality, cleanliness, neatness, lawfulness, and for all things to be well-organized to all. Chaotic individuals often test their patience, and they may threaten to use their abilities on those individuals. It is very rare that they actually do, however. They often just force-teleport the individual away.

History Order Actualized in the ancient ages, sometime after larger societies began to be established. They played a role in the shadows of various societies, though often abandoned them eventually for some reason or another, perhaps disillusionment at the ideals and policies of those societies. Their abilities were weaker then, though they knew what they were capable of in a vague sense.

Over the years, they made contact with other Edeia and began organizing research into their kind. They began to understand much more about their world, their magic, Edeia, and themself. Their abilities grew more powerful as they explored both their identity and their capabilities, and soon, they began to look into ways to establish a unified society.

One day, they sought out Possibility and held it for a significant span of time to see into an infinity of possibilities. It was enough to make Order need a few decades to piece their mind back together, but they came out of it perfectly well and with detailed knowledge of countless choices and how they would affect the future. They determined the best action was to divide the magic from the mundane, separating Edeia and their magic from human society. Order called a large convergence to discuss and plan this out, and eventually the decision was made and the action executed.

Order helped organize the efforts in maintaining secrecy as well as studying Edeia and their magic. They also watched as mundane society developed and flourished with technology and other advancements while falling behind in some other ways. They met Data, who gladly helped them by collecting and analyzing all sorts of information. And then, eventually - the day came that other Edeia as well as Order called another convergence to organize the reunion of the magic and the mundane.

The process was involved and many years passed before society reached a new equilibrium. Order worked alongside various Edeia and humans to establish the supergovernment that unites all of civilization, including mundane society and the magical individuals that chose to integrate with it. Now, they continue assisting the maintenance and advancement of orderly civilization.

[mk-wizard]

Alpha Trion: An Analysis of the Wizard of Bots

Hello, Transformer fans. Today, we pay our respects to the elderly by doing a character analysis of the Autobot who no matter how much we come to know about him, the more mystery there is behind his character. Let’s delve into the history, facts and all around definitive traits about the Autobot sage Alpha Trion.

Alpha Trion was first introduced as the mentor of Optimus Prime as well as the keeper of all Autobot knowledge that is written, contained in the Matrix and beyond in the G1 cartoons. He is also in many ways a father figure to Optimus Prime and Elita One who he watches over on Cybertron. While this is still up in the air, it is heavily implied by his colouring, traits and the appearance of his wife Beta (more on her later), he is the biological father of Elita One and therefor, the father-in-law of Optimus meaning they are in fact all family. Alpha Trion’s demeanor is that of a wise old man with a lot of life and war experience who comes across as perpetually calm, but with a slight hint of mischief and a liberalism. His trademark appearance is of an elderly bot with the doll type frame, his armour is red and blue while being the first and so far, only bot to sport a cape, he has a long beard and (while we don’t see it) long white hair beneath his helm, his alt mode is a hovercraft and he was the first bot in the Transformers lore to wear actual glasses.

In his case, he wears them not only because his optics aren’t what they used to be. They actually help regulate his psychic powers as he is a very powerful diode (a psychic Transformer) and has abilities that would be considered as magic even by other bots which explains how he survived on a Decepticon dominated Cybertron dying only of old age in the original G1 cartoon. To be precise, his glasses keep him from using his powers automatically and he has a plethora of them; clairvoyance, hypnosis, aura reading, telekinesis and telepathy. And for the record, those are just the psychic powers we know of. With such a long list and taking into account how powerful he is, Alpha Trion needs those glasses to keep his powers in check so they don’t overload his mind or uses them on someone he didn’t mean to use them on.

Another thing about Alpha Trion is that like Optimus, the “Trion” in his name is actually a title. In Autobot culture, there is always one Trion who serves as the religious figure, the head archivist, the sage, the second in command of all Autobot kind and the keeper of all sacred data including that which is exclusive only to the Trion to know. Unlike being a Prime in which you become one by assignment by the previous Prime or it was literally in your code to begin with, being a Trion is a spiritual thing so the selection is done by divine intervention. As soon as the current Trion passes on, the divine Trion protocol gets passed onto the Autobot who Primus deems worthy though in some cases, if the current Trion has a good guess of who will be their predecessor, they will take time to train them. A Trion’s special abilities by default are being a powerful diode with a plethora of psychic abilities though the bot usually had them to begin with as well as other spiritual abilities. In the case of Alpha Trion, he has some powers the whole time, but they were nowhere near what they became when he became ordained. Another thing that is worth noting about Trion’s is that they are not actually fighters and seem to take an oath of pacifism of which they are not allowed to commit any direct act of violence though they are allowed to help provide tools or assistance during war.

Going back to Alpha Trion specifically, his life’s story begins when he fought in his own war though his was a little different. Back in his day, the Autobots fought to free themselves from their slavers the Quintessons. During this time, he went by the name A3 though he still sported facial hair and a pair of glasses. He also proved to be quite the fighter and rebel with a personality that was a similar to Rodimus’. Like Optimus, he had a wife who fought alongside him who went by the name of Beta Maxx or simply Beta. While she was dressed in green, we can see that she still has a striking resemblance to Elita One and even A3′s armour style back in the day was a lot like Elita’s which further hints that they are her parents.

After the war was won, we can assume that the two of them lived very peacefully and happily on Cybertron and quite possibly had their daughter. It was also during this time where A3 was ordained and was now took on the name of Alpha Trion. It is not known who the previous Trion was though it is heavily implied by Alpha Trion’s disciplined behaviour and extensive knowledge that he had a chance to be trained before getting ordained. It is also not known who the Prime during this time was though it is most likely that it was one of Orion Pax’s parents. When the Decepticons attacked one day and both Orion Pax and Ariel were injured, Alpha Trion rebuilt them into warriors known as Optimus Prime and Elita One. It isn’t known what became of Alpha Trion’s wife though a lot of evidence suggests that she was one of the casualties in the war between the Autobots and Decepticons. As the war went on, true to his duty and oath of pacifism, Alpha Trion acted as a guardian to Vector Sigma and would only assist the Autobots on Cybertron in their war. He was also an unofficial member of Elita One’s team by acting as a strategist and an adviser. When Elita One got captured, he had a hand in freeing and helping her before once again going into hiding. While Alpha Trion managed to elude the Decepticons and never even got taken prisoner, he sadly did not live to see the long awaited peaceful era as he died of old age near the end of the war appearing only as a ghost yet still offering help even from beyond. In the G1 cartoons, it is has never been confirmed who the new Trion was after him.

According the the comics, Ultra Magnus was his predecessor and faces the same struggle that Rodimus does as Prime; he has a very big pair of shoes to fill and often questions if he can do the job. In the War for Cybertron cartoon, Ultra Magnus was implied to be the new Trion in secret after Alpha Trion was murdered by Megatron and after he was killed, Bumblebee became spiritually ordained with the Trion protocol appearing before him in the form of Alpha Trion. In the Animated series, Alpha Trion appears once again as a sage figure though the extent of his role and title is not explored. However, it is heavily implied that his influence and rank goes far beyond that of a Prime. In the Prime series, Alpha Trion died in the war though it isn’t known if he was killed or died of old age. Before he did pass away, he passed the key to Vector Sigma to Optimus for safe keeping and appeared to Optimus in spirit when he was close to death to help him join the Allspark. It isn’t known who took up the Trion mantle after Alpha in Prime though. In the Michael Bay movies, Alpha Trion did not make an appearance, but Sentinel Prime was modelled after him in appearance though his personality could not be more different.

While Alpha Trion is not a mech of action, his legacy is definitely comparable to that of Optimus’ in that we can picture no one else with his role, but the wise old mech. Despite not appearing often in the cartoon, he made quite an impression that lasted and cemented itself in the lore. If Optimus Prime is to Autobots what Papa Smurf is to the Smurfs, then one can say that Alpha Trion is what Grandpa Smurf was to them. He has a similar role to Optimus, but is the one person who surpasses him in terms of wisdom and has an incredibly different view of the world for it. It has been confirmed that Optimus is very conservative whereas Alpha Trion is in fact liberal hence why he not only allowed his beard to grow out, he flaunts it which is unusual in Transformer society as hair is usually not considered as a desired trait for mechanical beings. And while that side of him was not very explored, Alpha Trion has a mischievous side and was at times known to be defiant. It is kind of a shame that he never got a chance to meet Rodimus because I imagine the two of them would have gotten along well. As a side note which I find amusing is that Alpha Trion from his youth to his silver years was always consistently handsome according to sources because he was athletic. Well, you don’t live THAT long unless you stay in shape and in his defence, anyone who can sport a superhero style armor while being able to show that much leg at that age must have aged well. I do hope that in the next era, he will be showcased more as a regular character rather than just a background one because he really is one worth showcasing not just as the Trion, but just as himself.

Anyway, what is your take on the Autobot elder?

If you have a Transformers theory or character analysis you want explored, please let me know in my ask box. And please, support me through Patreon or Ko-fi if you want me to make Transformers merch and videos. Or if you want a commission of your favourite bot, let me know in my shop. All links are on my profile page.

Thank you for reading and please, stay safe.

[obviouslyelementary]

They Them, Captain - DaForge

Summary: Geordi wants to tell someone about their gender identity. Data suggests the captain.

Warnings: none

Tags: non-Binary Geordi; supportive Picard; coming out; Data POV

-------------------------------

Data had been noticing an increasing comfort in Geordi's personality related to their newly found gender identity. Of course, it was still limited to the both of them, with Geordi being highly uncomfortable with other people knowing about their discovery, but Data realized that sooner rather than later, his partner would be open for discussing this with other people. They had been hinting towards it in their conversations, adding questions like 'what do you think the captain would say' or 'do you believe Deanna has seen similar cases', to which Data answered to the best of his abilities, based on what he knew about his crew.

He could not give completely accurate responses, but he believed that apart from an initial awkwardness, no one in their close group of friends would take offense in Geordi's gender identity.

"Of course, I could be wrong. Humans tend to be... extremely unpredictable" Data said once Geordi brought that up again, and the engineer looked at him, nodding slowly.

"Yeah we can be... but I mean I've been getting used to it for three months and like... it feels good. It feels right" they said, and Data nodded. "I know you are the only one that treats me like a gender neutral person, but I think I should begin to tell other people. At least, you know, the important ones."

"If you want an advice" Data started, and when Geordi didn't stop him, he continued "I believe the correct approach should be the captain."

"The captain?" Geordi asked, surprised, and Data nodded slowly. "But that is like... jumping all the ranks!"

"Yes... but the captain has proved many times before to be open for different species, ways of life, lifeforms and beliefs, more so than others in our crew. I believe he would be the appropriate choice."

"I thought about starting with Deanna. Don't you agree?" Geordi asked, and Data tilted his head.

"While Deanna is also open for different approaches, she is half Betazoid, and created with Betazoid costumes. In the Betazoid world, there are no registers indicating the possibility of a third gender, let alone any others. They are extremely connected to their gender, male or female, and the emotions and connections each gender can make with other people and other species. So I do not believe she would be correct approach."

"I see... I didn't know that Betazoids were so... gender inclined" Geordi chuckled and looked down, seeming nervous, playing with their food. "I thought... well doesn't matter what I think. So, the captain... okay. I think I can make myself comfortable with that."

"I can help you getting comfortable with the idea, by showing you many examples of previous encounters the captain has had with different species and lifeforms. In stardate 423-"

"Thanks Data but you don't have to" Geordi said, smiling at him, and Data closed his mouth. "I believe you. I just need... to calm down. Relax. Make myself comfortable. You can't really help. It's something very personal."

"I see" Data nodded and looked down before looking back at Geordi and tilting his head. "Perhaps I could help. Do you remember when Lore came over to the Enterprise?"

"Yeah it was ages ago, I remember" they said, and Data nodded.

"In that instance, before he had regained conscience, the captain kept referring to him as an it. Of course, he meant no harm, however calling Lore an it also implied that I was an it, an object, a machine. Even though I do not feel emotions, and therefore was not offended or upset with the usage of the pronoun, I also knew it was incorrect, so I corrected the captain, telling him that if he kept referring to Lore as it, he was indirectly referring to me as an it as well, and it was not correct for I am male. And he understood. Not only understood but apologized, and corrected himself, calling Lore by male pronouns even after he had bad actions towards us. Does that help you in any way feel more relaxed towards the captain?"

"Honestly? Yeah" Geordi chuckled and reached out, taking Data's hand on their own. "Thanks Data. You're... amazing."

"So are you" Data said, still as a matter of fact, but also softer, sweeter in a way. At least he tried to sound more romantic.  

The rest of the dinner went well, calm and relaxing, and Geordi seemed even more relaxed.

 Another two months passed before Geordi took their final decision. After a talk with Data, they decided they would tell the captain about their gender identity, but they needed moral support, so Geordi requested Data would stay with them as they talked to the captain.

And Data, of course, agreed.

During a diplomatic mission, one where Picard was not busy at all, Geordi decided to make their move. In a quiet, uneventful evening, they went to the bridge and called Data to their side, requesting to talk to the captain alone. With a nod and standing up from his chair, Picard turned to Riker and pointed to him.

"Number one, you have the bridge. Mister LaForge, Mister Data, to my ready room."

They followed the captain inside the room and got themselves comfortable, Data sitting on the couch while Geordi sat on the chair in front of Picard's table, and Picard behind it, face to face with the engineer.

"Permission to speak freely sir?" Geordi asked, and Picard gave him a confused but assertive nod.

"Of course commander. Always. Is there a problem at engineering?"

"No sir, this is a personal subject" Geordi said, and Picard moved his glance from them to Data, before tilting his head.

"Well considering both of you are here I thought... I'm not going to make any assumptions please continue" Picard said, shaking his head, deciding against trying to guess what the subject was about. Geordi sighed, then looked at Data, who simply gave his partner a firm nod. Then, the engineer turned back to Picard and fixed himself on the chair.

"Sir... I came here to talk about... myself" they said softly, looking down at their hands. "About something new I found out... about myself."

"Commander, you can speak freely" Picard said, and when Geordi looked up, he was smiling. "Don't be afraid. Just say it."

"Okay" Geordi sighed and looked at Picard firmly, chest puffed out. "Sir, I discovered that I identify with the non-binary Earth created gender."

Whatever Picard believed they were about to say had nothing to do with what Geordi said. His eyes widened, he blinked a few times and then looked at Data, clearly confused and surprised. He then coughed and crossed his legs, leaning over the desk between him and his commander.

"I... beg your pardon, commander?"

"I identify as non-binary sir. Most precisely, agender."

Picard furrowed his eyebrows and leaned back against his chair, rubbing his chin and watching Geordi calmly, before he let out a sigh and stood up. Geordi was nervous, shaking slightly, but Data did not move to assist.

"I see" the captain answered, heading to his replicator. "Earl grey, hot" he said, before getting the tea and taking a sip. He walked back to his chair, sitting down, and looked at Geordi over his cup. "Commander... since when you know this?"

"Ten months sir" Geordi said, and Picard nodded slowly.

"I see... close to our visit with the J'naii, no?"

"Yes."

"Commander... many people demonstrated confusion and even doubts about their gender after the visit to the J'naii. Most of which went away in around... two weeks. Are you absolutely certain that this... new discovery wasn't simply empathy? Something to allow you to relate to the J'naii better?"

"I... thought so sir but after reflecting for a long time I came to the conclusion that no, it wasn't. I truly feel this way captain. I am truly non-binary."

"I see I see" Picard nodded and sipped on his tea. "Well, I remember hearing about gender identity in the academy, during the twenty and twenty first century. But those genders were left behind..."

"Yeah yeah I know... but this... this is true captain it's how I feel. It is my truth. And I found out that non binary genders are still used in Earth and colonies, just not... openly discussed."

"Yes... I understand. Well, I am not person to judge others for their beliefs, their identities, or their culture. This is no different. I believe you and I am content you came and told me" he said, and smiled at Geordi. "I will tell mister Data to change your profile to desired pronouns and name-"

"Captain please no" Geordi interrupted, and Picard's eyes widened. "I mean sorry, sorry to interrupt but I don't want anyone to know yet. For now only you and Data know and I want to keep it like this until... I'm ready."

"... very well commander LaForge" he nodded and put his tea down. "So if you don't mind... how should I refer to you?"

"You can still refer to me with male pronouns, I don't want to make you uncomfortable or forget while we are not with other people. So you don't have to change anything captain."

"But commander... I want to. It will not be hard to remember to treat you as you wish to be treated whenever we are alone" he said firmly and leaned closer. "Tell me your preferences."

"Okay... I prefer to use they them pronouns and I would also appreciate if you referred to me by my rank, not by mister" they said, their voice hesitant, but Picard gave him a short nod and smiled.

"I understand. Very well commander LaForge. Tell when whenever you are ready to tell the others" he said. "You are dismissed."

"Oh... thank you sir" Geordi nodded and stood up, and Data did the same, but Picard raised his hand.

"Mister Data could you stay? There are some reviews I would like to make" he said, and Data looked at Geordi, who nodded and smiled. After a short squeeze of hands, the engineer left, and Data sat down in front of his captain.

"Yes?"

"Data... what is happening?"

"Sir, I believe Geordi was very clear" Data said, and Picard sighed, nodding slowly.

"Yeah yeah but... what? Is this truth or some... phase or-"

"Sir, I believe the term 'phase' related to human gender identity or sexual orientation hasn't been used in at least two centuries" Data said, tilting his head. "This is not a decision they made without thought. Geordi knows how they feel, and they know exactly who they are. I told them you would be the best person to tell this to, because you are open for new ideas."

"I am but... we haven't heard about non binary genders in centuries!"

"Sir, it was a political choice made by binary people. Do you truly believe it is fair?"

Data raised his eyebrow, and Picard pressed his lips together, nodding to himself slowly.

"You are right... I will make an effort to study about gender identities again, and talk to some of my friends about it. I will not reveal anything about commander LaForge, I just need more information."

"I will gladly provide it sir" Data assured, and Picard smiled.

"Please send them to me mister Data. And thank you for making Geordi trust me. I think highly of them, and I want them to trust me."

"They do. And they think highly of you too captain" Data assured and stood up. "May I be excused?"

"Of course... thank you again mister Data."

"You do not have to thank me sir. Just make sure you study, and respect Geordi, and anyone else that may come to you with the same requests."

"Right" Picard nodded and Data walked out to the bridge, seeing Geordi waiting for him by the turbolift. He walked over to his partner and made his way inside the lift, leaning down to press a soft kiss to his partner's lips.

Geordi blushed lightly and looked up at him with a smile.

"Oh... that was surprising."

"I am trying to be more spontaneous in my affection demonstrations" he responded, and Geordi smiled, leaning close to Data and closing their eyes.

"I love you Data."

"I love you too Geordi."

Maybe he truly did.

[script-a-world]

Hey I have a question about creating countries that are made up of islands, but not have seafood as a staple and vegetarianism is the norm among religious adherents and even among common people vegetarianism isn't unheard of. How can that make sense?

Tex: I don’t know how far back you want to look in order to find an island culture that doesn’t eat seafood or any other type of meat, but for the sake of context I’ll be throwing some darts around the map and see what island cultures typically eat.

I’ll start with Pacific Islanders and list a few of the cultures from the Pacific Ocean:

Polynesian region, composed of peoples such as the Samoans, Māori, Tahitians, Native Hawaiians, and Tongans

Micronesian region, composed of peoples such as the Carolinians, Chamorros, Chuukese, and Nauruans

Melanesian region, composed of peoples such as the Papuans, Moluccans, the Austronesian descendants in Vanuatu, and at a stretch the Torres Strait Islanders of Australia

These groups are roughly divided into two ethnolinguistic groups: the Austronesian peoples who speak Oceanic languages, and the Papuan peoples who speak the Papuan languages. For the most part, both groups are from Southeast Asia (the Papuan first wave was from the Malay Archipelago), and their linguistic origins reflect that.

It should be noted that none of these people ultimately originated from these island regions - they all came from part of a continent that was close to the Pacific Ocean. Ye olde ages ago did their ancestors decide to strike out and immigrate to new areas, and their diet adapted accordingly. Religions that ban the eating of things like shellfish and animals are a comparatively recent phenomenon, because it meant abstaining from an easily-accessible food source.

I’m going to momentarily branch off and list some island cultures of the Atlantic Ocean so my examples are a little more balanced:

Northern: Faroe Islands (Danish, sort of), Iceland, Baffin Island (Canada)

Eastern: Azores (Portugal), Canary Islands (Spain), Madeira (Portugal), São Tomé and Príncipe (Gulf of Guinea)

Western: Barbados of the Lesser Antilles, Prince Edward Island (Canada, a traditional island of the Miꞌkmaq), and Cuba (native lands of the Guanahatabey, Taíno, and Ciboney)

Antarctic region: Tierra del Fuego (Chile, native land to the Yaghan),

Many of these islands were close to nearby continents, and often traded with each other for resources, so there is cultural precedent of eating things other than marine life. A couple examples would be the Taíno, and the Kalinago peoples, both of whom originate from South America. The Yaghan “traveled by canoes between islands to collect food: the men hunted sea lions, while the women dove to collect shellfish”, so still ate some form of meat.

For a couple of Atlantic island examples that did not have indigenous people: the sailors who visited Ascension Island hunted the local birds and turtles for food, and those whole lived on Saint Helena imported livestock, fruit trees, and vegetables for the purpose of colonization.

Many, if not all, of these Atlantic islanders also ate meat of some sort, be it livestock from a continent, birds, fish, or shellfish. Historically speaking, meat of any sort was a cheaply-obtained food in terms of net caloric gain compared to net calories spent obtaining said food.

While the over-consumption of anything is bad, and red meats in particular are often touted as lending an increased risk for cardiovascular diseases - which a 2016 meta-analysis noted frequently occurred with a lifestyle risk factor (Citation 1) -  red meat in moderation is fairly healthy (Citation 2, Citation 3). There is evidence that diet affects the activation of different alleles (phys.org), which is indicative of a population’s change toward agriculture (Citation 4), though in particular an overconsumption of carbohydrates can result in metabolic inflammation and obesity (ScienceDaily).

Humans are omnivorous by default, and require 20 amino acids in order to be healthy. The nine that the human body cannot produce must be consumed from an outside source - MedicalNewsToday does an excellent job of breaking this down and informing readers of viable sources of each of these essential amino acids. Unfortunately for those who might have abstained from meat before the invention of supplements, the healthiest diet for them was made with the addition of dairy products (Citation 5, eggs (The Incredible Egg, Citation 6), and fish (Seafood Health Facts 1, Seafood Health Facts 2, Citation 7)

As I don’t know the level of technology your countries, I cannot make the assumption that non-meat amino acids can be created and distributed to your populace in a relatively inexpensive manner. The nutrient density of meat vs non-meat foods is debatable (Citation 8), so I would hesitate to forgo meat entirely in a culture without some reason as to why an otherwise viable source of nutrition cannot be used.

Human nutrition is plainly a complex topic with many sub-specialities, and would take any one of us a very long time to adequately explain even a portion of it, especially in conjunction with anthropological factors such as geographic origin and developed cultural norms. I’ve added some more things to peruse in the Further Reading section below, but please be aware that all of this only starts to scratch the surface of what you’ve asked. If you would like to return with more precise questions, we’d be more than happy to try answering them.

Citations

PDF - Song M, Fung TT, Hu FB, et al. Association of Animal and Plant Protein Intake With All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality. JAMA Intern Med. 2016;176(10):1453–1463. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.4182

PDF - McAfee, Alison J., et al. "Red meat consumption: An overview of the risks and benefits." Meat science 84.1 (2010): 1-13.

PDF - Wyness, Laura. "The role of red meat in the diet: nutrition and health benefits." Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 75.3 (2016): 227-232.

PDF - Ye, Kaixiong, et al. "Dietary adaptation of FADS genes in Europe varied across time and geography." Nature ecology & evolution 1.7 (2017): 0167.

PDF - Rafiq, Saima et al. “Chemical Composition, Nitrogen Fractions and Amino Acids Profile of Milk from Different Animal Species.” Asian-Australasian journal of animal sciences vol. 29,7 (2015): 1022-8. doi:10.5713/ajas.15.0452

PDF - Hoffman, Jay R., and Michael J. Falvo. "Protein–which is best?." Journal of sports science & medicine 3.3 (2004): 118.

PDF - Ralston, Nicholas VC. "Selenium health benefit values as seafood safety criteria." EcoHealth 5.4 (2008): 442-455.

PDF - Bohrer, Benjamin M. "Nutrient density and nutritional value of meat products and non-meat foods high in protein." Trends in food science & technology 65 (2017): 103-112.

Further Reading:

Greater Antilles - Wikipedia

Gulf and sea island of the Atlantic Ocean - Wikipedia

List of Caribbean islands - Wikipedia

Amino acid synthesis - Wikipedia

“Microbial production of amino acids and derived chemicals: synthetic biology approaches to strain development.” - PubMed

Lobster history as prison food - Wikipedia

Religious restrictions on the consumption of pork - Wikipedia

Taeniasis/cysticercosis - World Health Organization

“How Dietary Supplements Work” - How Stuff Works

“Risks and side effects of dietary supplements” - American Cancer Society

PDF - ADVERSE EFFECTS OF NUTRACEUTICALS AND DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS by MJJ Ronis et al.

Dietary Supplements - National Institutes of Health (NIH)

“Evolution of tryptophan and its foremost metabolites’ concentrations in milk and fermented dairy products” by Antonella Bertazzo et al.

PDF - Associations of Maternal Vitamin B12 Concentration in Pregnancy With the Risks of Preterm Birth and Low Birth Weight: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Individual Participant Data by Tormod Rogne et al.

Saphira: A less historical approach would be to analyze why the Vegetarianism is highlighted by Religious pursuit. I would even gamble that the culture was originally focused on seafood, until something changed. Did a new predator enter the seas, making it hard to feed the people? Did they overfish? Who knows.

But something saved them from starvation when the waters rose empty. Things grew on land. Either it was a gift from the Divines that they worship, or a Prophet, or perhaps there’s even a stranger lore more Maoi styled: And so the [Divine] in all their wisdom told [ancient hero] to take the last fish of the sea, and plant it on the highest hill. [Ancient hero] fed their family from the catch, but did not eat the last fish. Hungry and tired, they climbed to the highest peak and planted the fish in the Earth- and the [Divine] blessed his faith and good will. From the fish sprouted the first [main plant food], in such abundance, that [Ancient Hero] ate their fill, and brought down the plenty for the first farmers.Contrived? Yes. Tried and true? You betcha. Consider how the habits and the rituals they serve today serve as tethers, or tangible connections to their heritage, history and culture.

Constablewrites: Writing With Color covered the role of cows in Hinduism here, which might be helpful for framing your thinking. But when religion is negatively impacting the survival of the community, it’s generally more likely that religion sprouts a loophole than that the whole tribe piously starves to death. (See also the Catholic church designating beaver as a fish for purposes of Lent.)

[trdarkangel]

The creative genius of writer Murti Schofield combines with the fan-driven passion of the Dark Angel Symphony team to bring you a unique artefact: Kurtis”Demon Hunter” Trent’s personal journal!

Currently specially discounted and available in a variety of bundles, this A5-sized, 32-page journal has been entirely handwritten by Murti Schofield IN CHARACTER as Kurtis Trent – Lara’s mysterious ally from The Angel of Darkness and last of the Lux Veritatis order. Each page is packed with all-new, original sketches, maps, character profiles, Lux Veritatis lore, and personal musings that chart Kurtis’ journey across the globe as he tracks the bloody trail of “The Monstrum”, aka Eckhart, leader of the shadowy Cabal. It also contains pages “inherited” from Kurtis’ father, Konstantin Heissturm.

The journal is available as a digital download and as a physical object of movie-prop quality, bound in real leather and scuffed/aged to reflect the hazardous lifestyle of its owner!

Here’s what the author says about the journal:

Throughout his wide ranging travels, Kurtis has always, like any true rock n’ roll adventurer, kept a journal – a field record of the challenges he has tackled, the wildly diverse locations he has travelled in, the enigmas he has solved (or tried to), and the characters he has encountered, fought, or put down. These ragged and beaten-up journals record key information from many of Kurtis’ travels and adventures.

The Journal is not a narrative. It is not even chronological. It does not explain things or tell a story, except by inference.

Instead, Kurtis’ scribbled notes, sketches and observations cover an eclectic range of extraordinary subjects. It is an apparently disorganised accumulation of aides memoire and cryptic musings on what they might possibly mean. To the unaccustomed eye, it may appear as a jumble of unconnected images and data that only highlight questions rather than provide answers. But there most definitely is order… of a kind.

Sometimes there are entries lifted or copied from his father Konstantin’s inherited journal, or even, on occasion, from his grandfather Gerhardt’s journal.

The journals themselves are battered and scuffed with pasted-in maps, illustrations, scraps of vellum, sketches, hand-drawn schematics, wax rubbings, pencilled images, codes, glyphs, photos, symbols, cuttings, tracings, and all the untidy jottings of many years’ investigations and study.

The wrap-around leather cord loops through a silver concho disc and carries a small replica of a Baetyl training stone carved from bone. The disk is a keepsake from tribal Navajo links on his mother’s side. The Baetyl is a token from his early Lux Veritatis training days.

Of course, the Journal will only contain notes on items up to and immediately prior to events in the AOD timeline.

Many of the story elements touched on in the Journal are dealt with more fully in documents and articles dealing with the massive amount of background detail to AoD, and will be available online by the time the K Journals are on release.

The journal explores:

1) Eckhardt: jottings on the origins of the Black Alchemist, his work, his cruelly misjudged 500+-year-long incarceration, his release from the Cell of Pain in 1945 by Allied bombing, his aims, abilities, etc. All this background was part of Kurtis’ early LV training years. No source could possibly list everything about Eckhardt, but there is a lot of detail that K remembers or has access to.

2) Eckhardt’s early writings, gleaned from Lux Veritatis archives.

3) Some musings on the origins, nature, and possible locations of the Obscura Etchings and Paintings – or as much as anyone knows apart from Eckhardt himself.

4) Kurtis’ grandfather, Gerhardt, left notes detailing his obsession with John Dee – the Elizabethan alchemist and mystic. Gerhardt was convinced that the location of Dee’s true resting place, his Catafalque, was the location of one of the Obscura Paintings. Dee’s body, did not lie at Mortlake by the Thames, but had been spirited away by Edward Kelley and devotees of the art of Alchemy from the court of Rudolph II. It was taken to a secret vault beneath Kutna Hora Ossuar, 80km east of Prague.

5) The Dee Hexaglyph was supposedly a cast-brass symbol on Dee’s catafalque in that vault. Kurtis later combined a version of this ‘glyph’ and the reoccurring Crâne Hurlant (or Screaming Skull of the Legionnaires) into a T-shirt design seen in AOD. You may have noticed it around.

6) The three Periapt Shards: Kurtis inherited two of these along with the Chirugai after Konstantin was murdered, and he is well aware of how vital all three Shards are if the Black Alchemist is ever to be put down for good.

7) Alchemy, Prima Materia and the processes of transmutation of self and substances; e.g. Solve et coagula, key data where Eckhardt is concerned.

8) The Sanglyph or Bloodsign. There are only hints and guesses regarding this darkest and most closely guarded of Eckhardt’s secrets. Even the members of the Cabal aren’t informed of the nature, potency, and true purpose of this artefact.

9) The Glove: likewise, little is know by the Lux Veritatis or anyone else apart from Eckhardt (and of course Karel). The Manus Diabolus.

10) The Cabal of Five Alchemists. Brief details of all individuals making up the current Cabal; their backgrounds, origins, traits, specialities, weaknesses, etc.

11) The Strahov: sketched schematics of the security layout, including the possible lower levels where an ancient LV vault holds out against all attempts at penetration by Eckhardt and the Cabal. Possibly, it may house the third and final Periapt?

12) The Nephilim: Watchers, Grigori, Enlumened, Gibborim, Peripherati, Bene Elim, Malek, Peri, Hiphil, Elioud. Kurtis has jotted brief notes on the origins, legends, mythic references, possible locations of the Sleepers or Cubiculim Nephili, Enochian references, etc.

13) Vault of the Seven Sleepers or Sarcophagi: possible locations of the remaining Nephilim Sleepers, although information on these are sketchy at best.

14) The Korumal Erebedi or Eternal Guardians, were a prehistoric Order of protectors for the Nephilim Sleepers. The Cubiculim Nephili casks were hidden at various secret locations over a wide area. The KE were constantly under attack by Lux Veritatis forces hell-bent on destroying all trace of the Nephilim race and those allied or loyal to them.

15) Oblique references to Kurtis’ Navajo origins, including the Amerindian-style glyphs of his given tribal name Chicawa, Bearer of Weapons.

16) Files on incidental characters featured or glimpsed in AoD, including some English adventuress, L. Croft, whose trail keeps crossing his own lines of enquiry and is somehow linked to individuals involved in the Obscura Paintings… and other related matters.

17) Kurtis’ time in the Legion is referred to several times; his Demon Hunter, Chaseur de Démon days, Legionary mottoes, enrolment, name change, and so on.

18) In the Interpol Wanted Poster for Emmet Brough, the Assassin (AKA The Pinkerton), several other events in his past – and possible connection to Kurtis – are briefly mentioned. These events will be expanded on in greater detail in documents available on a website at the time of the Journal’s release, for those interested enough to delve deeper…

19) Hints on the relevance of various scientific anomalies or ‘lost’ secrets from history, which either impinge on Lux Veritatis secrets or Eckhardt’s master plan for reviving the lost race of Nephilim.

20) The Dark 21ème Arrondissment of Paris Noire, a subterranean level of the ancient city – the Domaine Souterrain, La Citadelle des Ténèbres

Mouvant. This is a parallel world of shadow secrets, including a hidden LV vault. There are numerous LV chambers containing records that the Lux Order would rather remain hidden. The LV has shameful moments in its past, like any organisation.

21) The search for various Lux Veritatis secret vaults has been on Kurtis’ agenda for several years. These vaults contain a horde of artefacts, arcane secrets, libraries, stores of artwork, trophies and the elusive Trancing Rooms or Bloodline Rooms, which are basically LV healing chambers. Kurtis has always been reluctant to record much detail of his findings on this topic – they are too sensitive for any journal which, after all, could fall into the wrong hands.

22) There are several such LV Vaults across Europe, Russia, the Americas – everywhere, in fact – although the locations of most have been lost since the passing of the last true LV Adept, Konstantin Heissturm. For example, there was rumoured to be a Bloodline Room, or Trancing Room, beneath Schloss Kriegler. So, too, the The Vault of Trophies below the Strahov complex is an ancient LV stronghold containing many items of arcane power and importance.

23) Baetyl training stones/knife weapons/arrowhead artefacts are a key part of LV initiate training. Their relationship to other ferrilium ‘sky iron’ LV weaponry, such as the Chirugai, is greatly expanded upon in documents and articles that will be available online by the time the K Journals are released.

24) The secret subterranean city of Cennet and Sentinel Stones set up by the Korumal Erebedi, that guard their entrances and passageways.

25) The recent bizarre outbreak of Monstrum killings in Paris is touched on, and there are musings on the bizarre nature of the killings. Kurtis knows the perpetrator is Eckhardt and that he is ‘harvesting’ elements required to fulfil his grotesque ritual of completion for the Nephilim revival.

26) At the opening of AoD, Kurtis has been tracking the transportation of a massive stone sarcophagus from Cappadocia to the Strahov in Prague, which he has already reconnoitred.

27) His investigations have brought Kurtis to Paris, where he has worked the streets and knows the major players who Lara also runs into when she surfaces in the city. Freelancing for Gunderson’s Agency under an assumed name, K has been monitoring the Cabal activities and gets wind that something is going down in the Louvre when Agency forces are despatched to ‘collect’ a certain painting.

28) And so the two adventurers cross paths for the second time (the first being in Café Metro where K is following a lead)…

Kurtis’ life trajectory has been one of intensive training in the occult, followed by rebellion, adventure and, in the days leading up to the AOD timeline, a mission of vengeance. During his rebellious phase, he chose to exclude himself from the main areas of conflict between the Lux Veritatis and the Cabal, preferring to carve his own path through life. However, when his father was treacherously murdered, he determined to track down those responsible – in particular, the insane Black Alchemist, Pieter van Eckhardt. One way to bring this monstrous entity to retribution will be to gather all three of the Periapt Shards.

Even before taking on the mantle of dark avenger, Kurtis’ natural inclination towards extreme activities of any kind had led him to countless bizarre and exotic locations. He has worked as a freelance enforcer, problem solver, blade-for-hire, strong arm, minder, mercenary, security agent, and explorer in hot spots all around the world from North Africa to Turkey, The States and all over the European continent.

It is worth noting that, as evidenced from his Demon Hunter days in the Foreign Legion, the arcane and sinister Shadow World never truly left him alone. His LV upbringing and inherited bloodline ensured that, whatever he did, the bizarre would constantly erupt into his life. It is all recorded in his scuffed journal!

*Please note that the journal picture is a conceptual image only and the final product may be slightly different.

PRE-ORDER NOW!

[moreyouread]

Hacking Growth

Quick Growth Hacks

Growth hacking is a process of quick iterations and A/B testing changes to see what sticks:

• get people to write good reviews to improve downloads

• make sure people are aware of a feature through upsells

• add call to actions in notifications

• make timely upsells

• update the language of the upsells

• requiring people you share something with to also sign up for the product

Establishing PMF

• What percent of users say they would be very disappointed if your product went away? Should be higher than 40-50%

• What does the j curve retention curve look like? Benchmark % on market curves or similar products internally.

Important Early Analysis

• Compare highly engaged users with those who aren’t highly engage for behavior differences. Get the less engaged users to do those behaviors, e.g. editing a chart becomes part of the new experience flow

• Look for users’ latent behavior to build on, and don’t be afraid to pivot your company entirely, e.g. Youtube started as a dating website, and Instagram used to have many other features outside of photo uploading

• Data is impactful when it can debunk common mistaken lore, e.g. more hurdles like training will make less people want a product 

• Look for the aha moment that users need to have in order to retain on your product, i.e. the single most impactful retentive feature.

Steps to Hack Growth

1. Discover your aha moment in the product

2. Create growth levers strategy to identify a targeted way to run experiments and growth hack. Start with the largest impact areas first, not niche optimizations like a button color change.

• Build an overly simplistic growth formula that captures everything leading up to the aha moment. 

• Make sure the aha moment or growth metric Northstar is measured in a sensical way, e.g.:

Using DAU to measure success of Airbnb is weird because nobody is booking a vacation every day. The same could be said about Yelp. There’s a ceiling on how often even the most satisfied users would visit. 

As another example LinkedIn didn’t care about daily active users, just number of people who signed up with a resume profile.

3. Create simple dashboard with the most important cuts (and % changes) for tracking progress against goals

4. Analysis for insights on what makes your more engaged users the best, ideate, prioritize ideas with impact vs. effort trade offs, test, evaluate, start over - this is the growth meeting cadence we should aspire to. 

When in doubt, control group wins when results are mixed

Acquisition

• think about the right advertisement channels for you based on your strengths, low costs, and types of users you have

• use A/B tests to optimize ad copies

• create viral loops where incentives match core product value (e.g. refer friends for $5 to send to friends on Venmo)

Activation

• map the product funnel for drop offs and send surveys at points where it’s either really bad or really good

• look for tipping points in the data that make people stay

• reduce friction, e.g. thru single sign on or allowing users to use it before signing up

• some friction is good, e.g. balancing asking for users to create an account with browsing without it can encourage signing up

• Gamification, eg progress of profile completion on LinkedIn

• Triggers, eg. notifications that rely on authority, scarcity, social proof, commitment, discounts, reminders to complete, new features

Retention

• understand the tipping points for early retention by sign up cohort and usage behavioral cohorts

• get users habitually using it for medium retention by thinking about the trigger, action, reward framework. Rewards include:

- brand ambassador program like Yelp elite

- recognition of achievement

- improved personalization

- more value coming soon

• long term retention involves

- optimizations to product features with A/B tests

- new features introduced slowly over time

- ongoing onboarding slowly over time

- resurrecting zombie customers by asking them questions about why they left

Revenue

Analyze product funnels by surface along the way to ad monetization to find weaker areas

Compare cohorts of different revenue and target the higher revenue cohorts

Learn what new features users want by asking them directly, ranking responses, and incentivizing good responses

Make non-creepy recommendations of similar products using Jaccard Index

Optimize and experiment with your pricing by surveying people of what price point is best (usually it’s a U-shape because people question the quality when it’s too cheap)

Building personas of different revenue cohorts and help build more nuance strategy

Pricing relativity can get users to pay for the more expensive item with a decoy middle priced item

Less is not always more: people will sometimes pay more for perceived quality

Penny gap: people don’t want to pay for mobile apps. You’ll make more money by not asking people to pay

Consumer psychology: reciprocity, consistency of previous actions, social proof, authority, liking, scarcity

[cliftonsteen]

How to Clean & Maintain Your Coffee Roastery

Cleaning and maintaining your roastery can be a daunting task – not only are there many parts that need upkeep, from the roaster to pipes and de-stoners, but they’re also often huge, heavy, or hard to get to. Yet it is an essential part of being a coffee roaster.

A poorly maintained roastery can pose tremendous risks to the health and safety of you and your staff, as well as resulting in physical damage and financial losses.

To better understand how to maintain a roastery, I spoke to Nicholas Flatoff and Brice Sturmer, technicians at Usonian Systems, a provider of expert advice and specialized equipment to coffee roasters across North America. Here’s what they recommend, starting with the roaster and moving onto other equipment.

You might also like: Planning Your new Roaster Site: A Checklist

Roaster working with a Loring Roaster. Credit: Usonian Systems

Looking After Your Roaster: The Basics

Every roaster is different, and no generic guide will compensate for detailed information specific to your equipment. Brice says, “The best place to start is by looking at the manufacturer’s manual.”  

He also recommends getting in touch with a technician or an operator. “Manufacturers don’t necessarily set up a roaster like a production roaster; they rely heavily on an operator and on technicians like myself to provide them with feedback as to what’s actually happening with their machines in the field. Manuals can only go so far with roasters in regards to maintenance.”

Once you have a better understanding of your machine, check the hours log. “If you know how many hours the machine has been running, that’s the best way to plan and schedule the preventative maintenance programs,” he stresses. 

Of course, sometimes that’s easier said than done. Brice tells me that roasters used to have hour counters on them, but modern ones don’t tend to have that feature. He recommends logging hours on a digital spreadsheet so that it’s easy to check and share the data. 

Roaster working at a roastery with a Loring machine. Credit: Usonian Systems

How to Clean & Maintain Your Roaster

The general rule of thumb for roaster maintenance is to keep airflow obstruction-free. While this will vary according to your roaster and roasting style, generally speaking, you should aim to clean the chaff collector every 3–5 roasts. 

If you tend to roast darker, be sure to check even more frequently to see if the oil is building up and inhibiting the airflow. On the other hand, don’t be tempted to check less just because you’re roasting light: that’s how you end up with fires, not to mention that poorer-quality roasting caused by limited airflow will be even more noticeable.

Besides the chaff collector, the cooling tray needs to be cleaned daily, if not more often. Nicholas says, “If you’re roasting a full batch four times an hour for a full day, you’re going to probably need to be vacuuming out the cooling tray two, three times a day. And that’s going to go for most roasters of pretty much any size from 15 to 150 kilo.

“If you’ve been roasting for two or three hours straight, check the cooling tray to make sure there’s not a buildup in there. Make sure it’s not inhibiting airflow.”

On a weekly basis, you should check the ventilation and your bearings – do they need greasing? Nicholas tells me that if you’re greasing them too often, you’re probably using the wrong product. “If you are using the appropriate food-safe high-temperature grease, you shouldn’t need to grease the bearings every single day,” he says. 

Pay attention to this: low-temperature grease won’t just require frequent reapplications but can also affect the machine’s performance.

As for deep cleaning the roaster, Nicholas recommends starting monthly and then adjusting. “If you find that you need to do it more often, do it more often. If you find that monthly is overkill, step back to two months, three months, whatever it might be. Each roaster has its own rhythm and its own needs,” he tells me.

When you do your monthly deep clean, make sure to also look at the fans, chaff cyclone, cooling tray, and more. Change any tape that needs it and look at if you need to replace your gaskets. Inspect the drum gap to see if it needs adjusting.

Clean out your flues every six months. And after every 2,000 hours or so (which at eight hours per day, five days per week, is roughly once a year), you will probably want to replace the bearings. You should also tune your roaster ignition and check the gearbox transmission fluid on a yearly basis.

Throughout the year, make sure that you are regularly checking every part that can accumulate any chaff or dust. Nicholas says, “It’s fairly uncommon for us to receive an emergency maintenance call and for us to get on site and find a clean roaster.” 

Roasters being installed. Credit: Usonian Systems

How to Clean & Maintain The Rest of Your Roastery

On a daily basis, you should be dusting and sweeping the premises, as well as emptying the vacuum and trash so as to minimize hazards and comply with food and safety regulations.

Every week, take a look at the ducts for potential leakages or airflow obstruction.

Once a month, check if the carbon monoxide meter and ducts are working. Do a thorough clean of the premises, too. Nicholas says, “You really do need to be climbing into those tight spaces with a steel brush and a vacuum at least once a month.” 

Schedule a quarterly deep clean of your destoner, green loader, and any other equipment you have. This is a good time to also check if the fire extinguisher is in place and functioning, as well as to run over fire protocols and go over safety plans with your team.

Lastly, check your afterburner on a yearly basis.

Yet remember that every roastery is different. Brice recommends paying attention to where buildup happens on your site and then adjusting your cleaning plan. There may be some areas that you need to inspect more frequently, due to your workflow and turnover. 

Freshly roasted beans cooling down. Credit: Jean Pierre Flores

Warning Signs to Watch Out For

You’ve created a maintenance plan and are cleaning regularly. Does that mean you’re in the all-clear? Not necessarily. Watch out for signs that something needs extra attention, particularly these two:

Unusual Noises

Unexpected sounds coming from your machine? Nicholas tells me that there are two common causes: “the first being the bearings, and the second being the drum.” 

He associates scraping and scratching noises with the drum, and groaning and grinding noises with the bearings. However, without inspecting the roaster, it’s impossible to know what the issue is.

Whatever you do, don’t put off fixing this until tomorrow. Nicholas says, “Those [noises] are indicators that there’s something wrong. That might not have damaged the roaster already, but if you continue to roast on it without doing anything about it, it could create potentially irreparable damage to the roaster.”

Hearing odd noises that don’t sound like scraping, scratching, groaning, or grinding? It’s still not worth waiting. Check straight away – you don’t want to have to replace your roaster just because a normally minor issue was left long enough to cause significant damage.

Changes in Roast Profiles & Roaster Performance

“Any deviation in what you are normally achieving for your profile” should draw your attention, according to Brice. 

“If your roasts, all of a sudden, are getting way longer or way shorter, and you are not changing anything on the operations side, that can be an indication of an airflow problem or perhaps burner problems, and those are both systems that need to be regularly maintained,” he says. 

Newly installed roaster. Credit: Usonian Systems

Sticking to Your Maintenance Plan Is Crucial

You’re probably working non-stop to roast all your orders on time, do quality control, cup, refine roast profiles, train new employees, check your packaging, do marketing and sales, and more. Yet roastery maintenance cannot be delayed. It’s just as high a priority as getting orders delivered.

Nicholas says, “The biggest issue we see, when a roaster ignores something that feels off, would be damage to the drum or the drum actually seizing. The drum can actually start to grind into the faceplate of the roaster and material off.”

He tells me that he’s seen drums grind as much as “a quarter of an inch,” or 6 mm, into the faceplate.

“You’re looking at potential damage to the shaft, potential damage to the faceplate, the drum, the motor, the gearbox,” he continues. “This can get very expensive very quickly if you run into a situation where your drum clearance isn’t accurate… And if you just ignore that, that can total the roaster.”

Then there’s the risk of fire, the risk to employees’ health, and the many ways you can potentially damage other items of equipment.

Both Brice and Nicholas agree that it’s crucial to plan and keep to a maintenance schedule. Allocate tasks to set people and ask them to perform them at specific times. Make sure they don’t just check them off but also add any observations they have – this can help you spot issues early on.

And, most importantly of all, if something seems wrong, pay attention to it. Brice tells me that there are two keys to maintaining your coffee roastery: keeping it clean and “knowing what your normal is and knowing when your roaster deviates from normal.” 

Nicholas also recommends paying attention to your instinct. “A lot of roasters are super in tune with their machines,” he says. “If you’ve been roasting on the same roaster for a year, five years, or ten years, you’re going to know better than anybody else whether or not there’s something off with that machine. 

“Trust that kind of sixth sense that roasters have in connection with their machines. If something feels off… don’t just say, ‘Oh, it’ll be fine.’ Actually take a moment to check it out and if you’re not sure what’s going on with it, a call to an expert is usually free.”

Enjoyed this? You might also like Selling Coffee Online: A Guide For Roasters

Featured photo caption: Roaster checking beans being roasted. Featured photo credit: Jean Pierre Flores

Please note: This article has been sponsored by Usonian Systems.  

Want to read more articles like this? Sign up for our newsletter!

The post How to Clean & Maintain Your Coffee Roastery appeared first on Perfect Daily Grind.

How to Clean & Maintain Your Coffee Roastery published first on https://espressoexpertweb.weebly.com/

[nothingnothingaaa]

Inside Mark Zuckerberg's Lost Notebook

Adapted from Facebook: the Inside Story (book) by Steven Levy (Feb, 2020)

In the early days of Facebook, Zuck kept his plans for world domination in handwritten journals. He destroyed them. But a few revealing pages survived. Steven Levy

I first met Mark Zuckerberg in March 2006. At the time, I was the lead tech writer at Newsweek and was working on a story about what we were calling Web 2.0—the notion that the next stage of the internet would be a joyful, participatory creation of individuals. I'd heard about a social networking startup that was spreading like kudzu on college campuses. I wanted to learn more about it, perhaps give it a name-check in the story. Luckily, Zuckerberg, its cofounder and CEO, was scheduled to appear that month at PC Forum, a conference I regularly attended, at a resort in Carlsbad, California.

We agreed to meet at the lunch hour on the conference grounds. We sat side by side at one of the big, crowded, round tables set up on a lawn under the bright sun. He was accompanied by Matt Cohler, who had left LinkedIn to join Facebook. Cohler, unable to nab a seat next to us, sat across the table, barely within ear range.

I took it in stride that Zuckerberg looked even younger than his 21 years. I'd been covering hackers and tech companies for long enough to have met other peach-fuzz magnates. But what did shake me was his affect. I asked him a few softball questions about what the company was up to, and he just stared at me. He said nothing. He didn't seem angry or preoccupied. Just blank. If my questions had been shot from a water pistol at the rock face of a high cliff they would have had more impact.

I was flummoxed. This guy is the CEO, isn't he? Is he having some sort of episode? Was there something I'd written that made him hate me? Time seemed to freeze as the silence continued.

I looked over to Cohler for guidance. He smiled pleasantly. No lifeline. Stumbling for a way out of the awkwardness, I asked Zuckerberg if he knew anything about PC Forum. He said no, and so, as a resident Methuselah, I explained its roots as the key industry gathering in the personal computer era, where Bill Gates and Steve Jobs would go at each other with smiles on their faces and shivs in their fists. After taking in that bit of lore, he seemed to thaw, and for the rest of the lunch he was able to talk, albeit sketchily, about the company he started in a dorm room and which had grown to 7 million users.

Though I was unaware at the time, I had joined the club of those stunned by Mark Zuckerberg's trancelike silences. Facebook VP Andrew Bosworth once called this stare “Sauron's gaze.”

Zuckerberg and Facebook got four sentences in my cover story, “The New Wisdom of the Web.” If I'd known the things that Zuckerberg hadn't shared with me that afternoon at the La Costa Resort and Spa, I might have devoted more space.

Zuckerberg was entering one of the most productive periods in his life. A few weeks after I met him, he would lay out a ludicrously ambitious vision for Facebook. In a journal with unlined 8-by-10 paper, he sketched his mission and product design and explored how a tiny company might become a vital utility for the world. In detail, he described features called Open Registration and Feed, two products that would supercharge his company.

Zuckerberg found focus in that notebook and others. In his jottings are the seeds of what would come—all the greatness and the failings of Facebook. Over the next 10 years, Zucker­berg would execute the plans he drew up there.

Facebook would transform itself from a college student hangout to the dominant social media service, with a population bigger than that of any country in the world, and was on its way to having more members than any religion. Zuckerberg's gospel insisted that more and more sharing was an inherent good. In addition to bringing people together, Facebook became a source of news, entertainment, and even life-saving information. The company monetised its user base with ads, and Zuckerberg became one of the richest people in the world, his name hoisted into the pantheon of PC Forum legends. And then came the 2016 election. Suddenly, simmering complaints about the service boiled over into anger. Facebook's most cherished accomplishments became liabilities. The enormous numbers of people who connected, “We Are the World”-style, on the service now became alarming evidence of its excessive power. A platform that allowed the voiceless to be heard also allowed trolls to broadcast bilious provocation at ear-splitting decibel levels. It was a tool for deadly oppressors and liberation movements alike. And above all, it was an egregious privacy offender: Facebook's long-held ethic of sharing was now viewed as a honey trap to snare user data. And that data—information provided wittingly and unwittingly by all of us—was the substance on which Facebook grew fat and prospered.

Since 2006 I've been watching Zuck­erberg and, over the past three years, have been writing a history of his company. I've spoken to him nine times and observed as he's adapted—and, in some ways, refused to adapt—to the most challenging circumstances. The shift in public attitudes toward Facebook mirrors the reputational fall of the tech sector itself. But Facebook's unique circumstances emanate largely from its founder's personality, vision, and approach to management. To understand Facebook, you have to understand Zuckerberg.

That isn't the easiest task. Even he admits that there's a robotic coolness to his public persona. After many conversations, he got relatively candid with me, but there was always a measure of reserve. He never forgot that I'm a reporter and was understandably protective of himself and the company he built. But I did find one venue where Zuckerberg was utterly frank and unfiltered about his plans and dreams for Facebook, providing vital clues about the man running the world's most powerful companies. It was in the notebook he kept in the spring of 2006.

As a kid growing up in Dobbs Ferry, New York, a bedroom community north of New York City, Mark Zuckerberg loved playing games. One was a PC-based strategy game called Civilisation, with the tagline “Build an empire to stand the test of time.” Game-playing stoked a desire to learn programming. His parents, a dentist and a psychiatrist, hired a coding tutor.

Zuckerberg quickly surpassed his local public school's computer science offerings, enrolling in a graduate course in eighth grade. After his second year of high school, he asked to attend a private school with more AP and computer courses. His parents wanted him to go to nearby Horace Mann, a highly selective preparatory school, but Zuckerberg, once described by his father as “strong-willed and relentless,” preferred the more rarefied Phillips Exeter Academy. Exeter it was.

Zuckerberg thrived at the exclusive New Hampshire prep school, seemingly unintimidated that classes there might include a Rockefeller, a Forbes, and a Firestone. Besides establishing himself as a computer whiz, he was the captain of the fencing team. He was an avid Latin student, developing a fanboy affinity for the emperor Augustus Caesar, an empathetic ruler who also had an unseemly lust for power and conquest. Zuckerberg still indulged in games; his favourite was a successor to Civilisation set in outer space called Alpha Centauri, in which players chose to lead one of seven “human factions” to control the galaxy. Zuckerberg always took the role of the quasi-UN “Peacekeeping Forces.” The spiritual leader of the peacekeepers was a commissioner named Pravin Lal, who opined that “the free flow of information is the only safeguard against tyranny.” Zuckerberg would later use a Lal quote as the signature on his Facebook profile: “Beware of he who would deny you access to information, for in his heart he dreams himself your master.”

Zuckerberg entered Harvard University in 2002 and immediately ignored the things you were supposed to do at Harvard University. He spent a lot of time at a cheap wooden desk in the common room of Suite H33 in Kirkland House creating software products. He cared about these more than his grades or his classes, which he attended only occasionally.

And then came FaceMash, the “Hot or Not”-like program that encouraged students to rate each others' looks. To populate the picture database, he'd hacked into various protected university housing websites, which led to his investigation by Harvard's Administration Board. He was reportedly one decision away from suspension. People close to him confirm that he was oddly unperturbed by the threat. (At a festive “Goodbye, Mark” party, 19-year-old Zuckerberg met his future wife, Priscilla Chan. The potential suspendee was wearing party glasses with a message that made a coding pun about beer consumption.)

“He had this real self-confidence,” says his classmate Joe Green. Once, while Green was walking to dinner with Zuckerberg and Chan, Zuckerberg impulsively darted into a busy street. “Watch out!” Chan said.

“Don't worry,” Green told her. “His confidence force field will protect him.” Zuckerberg avoided suspension. It wouldn't be the last time he managed to skate away from the consequences of his actions. In February 2004, he cofounded TheFacebook. Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, fellow students who had hired him to help build a social network website, eventually sued. The twins and their partner had been brainstorming for over a year, with apparently ­little urgency, and charged that Zuckerberg had plundered what would otherwise have been a successful idea. They had probably overestimated their own product, but it is indisputable that Zuckerberg dragged his feet on the project, stalling for around two months while brainstorming his own competing product. (Even now, despite the evidence of his own digital trail, Zuckerberg denies intentional deception: “I think I may have been conflict-­avoidant,” he told me.) Facebook eventually had to pay $65 million in cash and stock to settle the case. But that wasn't until 2008, and by then the settlement was a pittance compared with the company's multibillion-dollar valuation.

Facebook seemed charmed. Though Zuckerberg knew little about fundraising or running a business, the pieces fell into place. By the end of 2005, Zuckerberg had somehow pulled off millions in financing—his early mentor Sean Parker got things rolling with an introduction to Facebook's first big investor, Peter Thiel. He gathered a team of experienced advisers. “Whether it's Peter Thiel or Sean Parker, these people thought they were manipulating Mark,” surmises one early Facebook employee. “I remember in hindsight thinking how genius it was that Mark convinced Sean Parker to raise all the money for him … Mark saw Sean as a useful tool to do the job that sucks the most,” that is, fundraising.

The year I first met Zuckerberg, he was living in a one-­bedroom apartment a short walk from the Facebook offices, which were spread among a few buildings in downtown Palo Alto. Always with him was one of his notebooks. Those who visited his apartment, with its mattress on the floor and barely used kitchen, might spot a stack of completed journals. But most of his time was spent in the crowded, chaotic Facebook offices, where he could be seen, head down, scrawling in his crabbed, compact script. He sketched out product ideas, diagrammed coding approaches, and slipped in bits of his philosophy. Page after page were filled with straight lines of text, bullet-pointed feature lists, flow charts.

Zuckerberg was no longer doing much coding; he was focused mostly on the big picture. The notebooks allowed him to work out his vision in detail. When Facebook engineers and designers rolled in to the office, they would sometimes find a few photocopied pages from the notebooks at their workstations. The pages might contain a design for a front end or a list of signals for a ranking algorithm. He was still finding his way as a communicator, and the pages often opened up a conversation between the recipients and their boss. They also imbued Zucker­berg's thoughts with a kind of inevitability. The printed page can't be deleted or altered, or forwarded in infinitely duplicable digital form.

The notebooks have now mostly disappeared, destroyed by Zuckerberg himself.

He says he did it for privacy reasons. This is in keeping with sentiments he expressed to me about the pain of having many of his early IMs and emails exposed in the aftermath of legal proceedings. “Would you want every joke that you made to someone being printed and taken out of context later?” he asks, adding that the exposure of his juvenile jottings is a factor in his current push to build encryption and ephemerality into Facebook's products. But I discovered that those early writings aren't totally lost. Snippets, presumably those he copied and shared, present a revealing window into his thinking at the time. I got ahold of a 17-page chunk from what might be the most significant of his journals in terms of Facebook's evolution. He named it “Book of Change.”

Dated May 28, 2006, the first page has his address and phone number, with a promise to pay a $1,000 reward for return of the book if lost. He even scrawled an epigram, a message to himself: “Be the change you want to see in this world.” Mahatma Gandhi.

The writing reveals an author with focus and discipline. He dated nearly every page. Some of the entries seem to have been created in a single burst of energy. They cover three or four pages of detailed road maps with neat sketches of sample screens. Nothing is crossed out. This is the work of someone in a maximum state of flow.

The Book of Change outlines the two projects that would transform Facebook from college-and-high-school network into internet colossus. On May 29, he began a page called Open Registration. Up until that point, Facebook had been limited to students, a gated community where only classmates could browse your profile. Zuckerberg's plan was to open Facebook to every­one. He diagrammed how someone could create an account. People would be asked whether they were in college, high school, or “in the world.” He mused about privacy. Could you see profiles of “second-­degree” friends in your geographical region? Or anywhere? “Maybe this should be anywhere, as opposed to just your geo,” he wrote. “That would really make the site open but probably not a good idea just yet.”

Whiteboards appeared in every Facebook office, and employees couldn't survive without excellent dry-eraser skills. But a Zuck notebook carried the sanctity of a papal decree.

He wanted Facebook to be wide open eventually, but on the pages of the notebook, you could see him grappling with the implications. What distinguished Facebook from other social networks was the assumed privacy provided by its gated setup. Open Reg would throw open those gates to the masses. But would people then no longer see Facebook as a safe space? In designing Open Reg, he posted one final question to himself.

“What makes this seem secure, whether or not it actually is?” He seemed at least as concerned about the perception of privacy as with privacy itself.

The tension between expanding the boundaries of Facebook and maintaining an appearance of privacy preoccupied Zuckerberg's mind and filled his notebook in other ways. He took three pages to lay out a vision for something he called “Dark Profiles.” These would be Facebook pages for people who, whether by omission or intention, had not signed up for Facebook. The idea was to allow users to create these profiles for their friends—or really just about anyone who didn't have a Facebook account—with nothing more than a name and email address. Once the profile existed, anyone would be able to add information to it, like biographical details or interests.

As presented in the Book of Change, the dark profiles would serve as a tool to motivate stragglers to sign up, perhaps through email alerts about what people were posting about them on Facebook. Zuckerberg was aware that allowing the creation of profiles for people who had no desire to be on Facebook might stir up privacy concerns. He spent some time pondering how this could avoid being “creepy.” Maybe, he mused, dark accounts might not be included in search engines.

(It's not clear how much of this came to pass. In her 2012 memoir, Katherine Losse, a former Facebook employee, wrote that in 2006 she worked on a project that “created hidden profiles for people who were not yet Facebook users but whose photographs had been tagged on the site.” She told me recently that “it was kind of peer-to-peer marketing at Facebook, directed at ­people who had friends on the site but hadn't signed up yet.” Another early Facebook employee confirms this, also saying that Facebook brainstormed Zuckerberg's idea of allowing people to create and edit dark profiles of friends, Wikipedia-style, but it was not executed.)

Back in 2006, when Zuckerberg ticked off the potential virtues of implementing dark profiles in the Book of Change, he mentioned user recruitment, the addition of more data to Facebook's directory, and his sense that “it's fun and kind of crazy.” Twelve years later, Zuckerberg would be questioned in Congress about whether Facebook kept tabs on people who had not signed up for the service. He punted the question, but Facebook later clarified. The company said it keeps certain data on nonusers for security purposes and to show outside developers how many people are using their app or website. But, it asserted, “we do not create profiles for non-­Facebook users.”

Zuckerberg's other preoccupation in the Book of Change was a product he called Feed. (Trademark issues meant it would ultimately be branded News Feed.) Feed was a dramatic rethinking of the entire Facebook experiment. In 2006, to browse Facebook profiles, you'd have to jump from one to another to see if your friends had posted updates. News Feed would bring those updates to you in a stream and become Facebook's new front page.

In his notebook, Zuckerberg thought hard about what would appear on the News Feed. His priority was to make it easier for people to see what was important among the friends they had consciously connected to on Facebook. One word stood out as a yardstick for inclusion in the Feed: “interesting-ness.” It sounded innocent. “Stories need context,” he wrote. “A story isn't just an interesting piece of information. It's an interesting piece of information plus other interesting things about it AND why it's interesting.”

Zuckerberg envisioned a three-tier hierarchy of what made stories compelling, imagining that people are driven chiefly by a blend of curiosity and narcissism. His top tier was “stories about you.” The second involved stories “cantered around your social circle.” In the notebook, he provided examples of the kinds of things this might include: changes in your friends' relationships, life events, “friendship trends (people moving in and out of social circles),” and “people you've forgotten about resurfacing.”

The least important tier on the hierarchy was a category he called “stories about things you care about and other interesting things.” Those might include “events that might be interesting,” “external content,” “paid content,” and “bubbled up content.” Here is where Zuckerberg sketched out his vision of News Feed as a kind of personalised newspaper. (The idea that Facebook might one day disrupt the news industry itself was apparently not part of his contemplations.)

Zuckerberg was only getting started with this notebook. Over the next few days he feverishly outlined ideas about privacy and how Facebook would expand beyond colleges and high schools to everybody, old and young. He described the design of a “mini-feed” on the profile page that would track the activities of users—essentially a stalker's paradise. (“The idea is to produce a log of a person's life but hopefully not in a creepy way,” he wrote, suggesting that people should be able to add or delete items from their mini-feeds, “but they shouldn't be able to turn it off.”)

At one point, his pen seems to have run out of ink, and he switched writing implements. “Sweet, this pencil works better,” he wrote, and two pages later he was sketching out what he called The Information Engine, along with what seems to be a grand vision for Facebook.

Using Facebook needs to feel like you're using a futuristic government-style interface to access a database full of information linked to every person. The user needs to be able to look at information at any depth … The user experience needs to feel “full.” That is, when you click on a person in a governmental database, there is always information about them. This makes it worth going to their page or searching for them. We must make it so every search is worth doing and every link is worth clicking on. Then the experience will be beautiful.

Designing Facebook for the future seemed to be pure pleasure for Zuckerberg. But that year he also faced his greatest agony. Yahoo, then an internet giant with considerable power, had offered to buy Facebook for a reported $1 billion. This was a huge sum—one many founders would have leapt at with little hesitation. Not Zuckerberg. Ever since TheFacebook had exploded at Harvard, Zuckerberg had been decisive, opportunistic, and ambitious. This decision, though, left him reeling in doubt. He was, after all, still in his early twenties, with little life experience and less understanding of high finance. He didn't want to sell, but how could he be sure things would really work out? Who was he to do this? Almost all his investors and employees thought it was insane to turn down that money. Making things worse was the fact that, with the spread to colleges and high schools pretty much reaching its limits, Facebook's growth had slowed. To investors and his executive team, that was another sign that selling was the obvious path.

“I definitely had this impostor syndrome,” he told me in 2018, reflecting on the Yahoo bid. “I'd surrounded myself with people who I respected as executives, and I felt like they understood some things about building a company. They basically convinced me that I needed to entertain the offer.” He did verbally accept the offer, but then Yahoo CEO Terry Semel made a tactical error, asking to renegotiate terms because his company's stock had taken a downturn. Zuckerberg used that as an opportunity to end the talks. He believed that the two products he wrote about in the Book of Change would make Facebook more valuable.

The executives who had urged him to sell would either quit or be fired. “It was just too broken a relationship,” Zuckerberg says.

After Zuckerberg rejected Yahoo, he turned to the launch of the key products he had outlined in the Book of Change. After almost eight months of intense preparation, News Feed launched in September 2006. The rollout was a disaster, and the flash point was privacy.

News Feed hit your social groups like a stack of tabloid newspapers crashing on the sidewalk. Every one of your “friends” now knew instantly if you made an ass of yourself at a party or your girlfriend dumped you. All because Facebook was shoving the information in their faces! Over 100,000 people joined just one of many Facebook groups urging the product's retraction. There was a demonstration outside headquarters.

Inside Facebook there were calls to pull the product, but when employees analysed the data, they discovered something amazing. Even as hundreds of thousands of users expressed their disapproval of News Feed, their behaviour indicated the opposite. People were spending more time on Facebook. Even the anger against News Feed was being fueled by News Feed, as the groups organising against it went viral because Facebook told you when your friends joined the uprising.

Zuckerberg did not panic. Instead, at 10:45 pm on September 5, he acknowledged their complaints, albeit in a condescendingly titled blog post: “Calm down. Breathe. We hear you.” For the next few days the News Feed team worked all-nighters to gin up the protections that should have been in the product to begin with, including a privacy “mixer” that let users control who would see an item about them. The rage was quelled, and in a breathtakingly short period of time, people got used to the new Facebook. News Feed turned out to be crucial to Facebook's continued rise.

Zuckerberg seemed to take a lesson from his first public crisis, possibly the wrong one. He had pushed out a product with serious privacy issues—issues his own people had identified. Yes, a crisis did erupt, but quick action and a dry-eyed apology defused the situation. People wound up loving the product.  “It was a microcosm of him and the company,” says Matt Cohler, who left Facebook in 2008 but is still close to Zuckerberg. “The intent was good, there were misfires along the way, we acknowledged the misfires, we fixed it, and we moved on. And that's basically the way the company operates.”

Zuckerberg became comfortable as the ultimate decider on all things Facebook. Sam Lessin, a Harvard classmate who later worked as a Facebook executive, says that multiple times he was in a room where Zuckerberg made a decision that conflicted with everyone else's opinion. His view would prevail, and he would be right. After a while, people came to accept that a Zuck decision would turn out to be the wise one.

Zuckerberg wanted growth. As he had outlined in his notebook, Facebook grew when people shared their information, and he believed that, as happened with News Feed, people would come to see the value of that sharing. Facebook did offer privacy controls, but as with all software, default settings rule: Providing privacy controls is not the same as providing privacy. “What makes this seem secure, whether or not it actually is?”

At many of those decision points, there were heated internal discussions, with some of Zuckerberg's top lieutenants raising objections. In 2007, Facebook introduced a feature called Beacon, which stealthily tracked people as they bought things on the web and then—by default—circulated the news of their private purchases. His team begged him to make the feature opt-in, but “Mark basically just overruled everyone,” an executive at the time told me. Beacon was predictably a debacle. After that, he hired Sheryl Sandberg as chief operating officer. Zuckerberg would be the lord of engineering—what Facebook built—and Sandberg would be in charge of everything Zuckerberg wasn't interested in, including sales, policy, legal, content moderation, and, eventually, much of security. “It was very easy,” Sandberg told me. “He took product, and I took the rest.”

But Zuckerberg was still the final decision ­maker. In 2009, Facebook changed the default settings for its new users from “friends” to “everyone,” and recommended that its existing 350 million users do the same. In 2010, it introduced Instant Personalisation, a privacy-­busting feature that gave more personal information to outside app developers. Time and again, over internal objections, Zuckerberg chose growth and competitive advantage over caution and privacy-­consciousness. The result was a series of hasty apologies, not to mention charges and a $5 billion fine from the Federal Trade Commission.

“It's within every leader's right to make edicts,” says someone who was in the room for many Zuckerberg decisions. But “leaders fail when they convince themselves that everyone disagreeing with them is a signal for them being right.”

In his notebook, Zuckerberg described the Facebook he was building as “the information engine.”

In late summer of 2016, I traveled to Nigeria with Zuckerberg. He showed up at a cantre for tech startups in Lagos and greeted folks there as if he had just popped in from around the corner. “Hi, I'm Mark!” he chirped. He charmed everyone: a local businesswoman selling Facebook-supported Wi-Fi access, Nigerian entertainment stars, even President Muhammadu Buhari, who was particularly impressed that Zuckerberg took a run on the city's public thoroughfares. Zuckerberg was instantly a national hero.

In retrospect, it was peak Facebook. Two months later, Donald Trump was elected president of the United States. Over the course of the next few years, it would become clear that Facebook had committed a number of sins: It had been the vessel of a Russian misinformation campaign; it had broken privacy promises to users, whose information was harvested without their consent; it had circulated false information in Myanmar that led to a riot where two ­people were killed; it had helped destroy the business model supporting independent journalism.

Zuckerberg's initial reaction to criticism was most often defensive. But when misinformation could not be denied and Congress came calling, he clicked back into apologise-and-move-on mode.

At least in public. Inside the company, he was taking a different tack. In July 2018, Facebook's “M Team,” which consists of about 40 of its top leaders, held one of its periodic meetings on the company's Classic Campus, former offices of Sun Microsystems. It started out as usual. In M Team meetings, executives do a brief check-in, sharing what's on their minds, both in business and in life. It can get pretty emotional: My kid's sick … my marriage ended … Zuckerberg always speaks last, and when his turn came, he made a startling announcement.

He had recently read a blog post by venture capitalist Ben Horowitz, in which the author defined two kinds of CEOs: wartime and peacetime. Wartime CEOs are fending off existential threats and must be ruthless in confronting them. This made a big impression on Zuckerberg. Since the election, his company had been attacked by critics, regulators, and the press. In this climate, he told the group, consider him a wartime CEO.

He emphasised one shift in particular. Horowitz put this way: “Peacetime CEO works to minimise conflict … Wartime CEO neither indulges consensus building nor tolerates disagreements.” Zuckerberg told his management team that as a wartime CEO he was going to have to tell people what to do.

True, Zuckerberg always had made the final call. But now he seemed to be saying that he would act more expeditiously, even if it meant forgoing the lively conversation, in person and on email threads, that had preceded his decisions. Some in the room thought he was saying that they should shut up and obey his directives. Zuckerberg resists that characterisation. “I basically said to people, this is the mode that I think we're in,” he told me of the declaration. “We have to move quickly to make decisions without the process of bringing everyone along as much as you would typically expect or like. I believe that this is how it needs to be to make the progress that we need right now.”

I wondered whether he found the role of wartime CEO more stressful or more fun? A Zuck silence. Sauron's gaze. “You've known me for a long time,” he finally said. “I don't optimise for fun.”

Not long before the July 4 holiday in 2019, I met with Zuckerberg at his home. The person who sat across from me on the couch couldn't have been more different from the 21-year-old I'd met 13 years before. He had sat with presidents and autocrats, been ripped apart by legislators, amassed a multibillion-­dollar fortune, started a family, and was financing, through an enterprise led by his wife, an effort to cure all diseases by the end of the century. His company had done the unprecedented: bound almost a third of humanity in a single network. Now he was trying to mitigate the damage.

In another sense, though, he felt an urgency to maintain the optimism and creativity he had in 2006, when things fell easily to him and he could change the world by leaving photocopies of journal pages next to the computers of his developers and designers. He was determined not to let Facebook's attempts to fix itself hamper its ambitions for even greater power.

We'd had several conversations over the course of the year. When I asked him about the company's errors, he was candid about his personal failings. Maybe it was a mistake to distance himself from the policy issues that would cause Facebook so much trouble. Maybe in his competitive zeal to crush Twitter, he made the News Feed too susceptible to viral garbage. Maybe he didn't pay enough attention to the things in Sandberg's domain. The split of their duties made sense originally, as he sees it, but now he is determined to devote more energy to things like content moderation and policy.

But a worse sin, he believes, would have been timidity.

“I just think I take more chances, and that means I get more things wrong,” he told me. “So in retrospect, yeah, we have certainly made a bunch of mistakes in strategy, in execution. If you're not making mistakes, you're probably not living up to your potential, right? That's how you grow.”

When we spoke in July, he conceded that some of those mistakes have had terrible consequences but insisted that you had to look beyond the present. “Some of the bad stuff is very bad, and people are understandably very upset about it—if you have nations trying to interfere in elections, if you have the Burmese military trying to spread hate to aid their genocide, how can this be a positive thing? But just as in the previous industrial revolution or other major changes in society that were very disruptive, it's difficult to internalise that, as painful as some of these things are, the positive over the long term can still dramatically outweigh the negative. You handle the negative as well as you can.”

He added: “Through this whole thing I haven't lost faith in that. I believe we are one part of the internet that's part of a broader arc of history. But we do definitely have a responsibility to make sure we address these negative uses that we probably didn't focus on enough until recently.”

He still believes that Facebook is doing good. “I couldn't run this company and not do things that I thought were going to help push the world forward,” says the man who some think has done as much destruction to that world as anyone in business. Facebook may have to change, but Zuckerberg thinks it's on the right path.

When it was time for me to leave, Zuckerberg walked me to the door. Earlier, I'd told him I had pages from the Book of Change he wrote in 2006, and standing on the top of the steps outside his house, he said it would be cool to see it now. I had a scan of it on my phone, and I opened the file and handed it to him.

Zuckerberg gazed at the cover page—with his name and address and the promise of a $1,000 reward to anyone locating it—and his face lit up. Yes, that's my handwriting!

As he swiped through the pages, a rhapsodic smile spread across his face. He had been united with his younger self: the boy founder, unacquainted with regulators, haters, and bodyguards, blissfully relating his visions to a team that would alchemise them into software, and then change the world in the very best way. It was a treasure that seemed irretrievably lost.

He seemed almost reluctant to break the trance and hand me back the phone, but he did, and turned back to his house.

[overgosh]

Some thoughts about Bastion

I had no idea that my post with Michael Chu’s tweet in it concerning Bastion’s lack of gender would snowball and get so many notes. Usually I’m not the first to report these kinds of things by far, so seeing the notes and replies stack up was totally new (and really weird). There are a few common trends in the responses of how this revelation was handled, and I just wanted to make my own comments on the most prominent responses because this announcement means quite a bit to me. Not responding, of course, to any negativity about the writing team or Mr. Chu, because those comments are not constructive and are quite rude.

“It’s a robot, of course it doesn’t have a gender.” and “Bastion’s gender isn’t important to the story/game.” 

The first and most obvious rebuttal to these questions is the precedent of gendered robots within the realm of the Overwatch universe. Why doesn’t it matter that Bastion doesn’t have a gender, when other omnics such as Zenyatta are explicitly gendered? Zenyatta himself refers to his “brothers and sisters”, and in the many depictions we’ve seen of omnics in this future-world most follow a human image, even playing with gender stereotypes in omnic-lead films like “Some Like it Bot”. Omnics, at least the civillian sort we see in Zenyatta, Mondatta, the Shambali and the many other omnics represented in comics/shorts have free will, sentience, and as the Shambali argue, a soul.

Bastion is unique in that they are a relic of a time where its “model” was manufactured for warfare. It may be, as its short implies, the last Bastion. So, what is the difference between these Bastion units and the “civilian-type” units like Zenyatta? Bastion appears to run on curiosity, fighting against pre-programming from 30 years ago - but it still acts on instinct. It’s really intriguing to dig deeper into how “omnics” as a whole function in society. How they are created, how they are seen and accepted not only by humanity, but by one another. Not having a gender, of course, doesn’t make one less human/sentient/what have you, but understanding how Bastion perceives itself is an extremely important key to learning the differences between omnics and where Bastion is in its development as a character. It’s a lore clue that’s relevant to the culture of omnics, and maybe even the mystery of the omniums during the Crisis.

“Was this even up for debate?”

I honestly try to stay far away from “debates” concerning ANY video game when it comes to gender and sexuality - so I honestly don’t know. But for me, the word “debate” here leads back to my own confusion over Bastion’s gender throughout the production and release of Overwatch. It’s pretty clear in Bastion’s hero profile that only “it” pronouns are used, but on panels and in interviews I’ve heard “he” used by developers plenty of times. And, of course - pretty much everyone in game I’ve encountered refers to Bastion exclusively as male. It’s just not something anyone thinks about.

And that’s why I love this development. Even putting story implications aside, it’s refreshing and very important: it’s good to be reminded that male is not the default. It’s something that’s a constant struggle - if not proven otherwise, an androgynous/non-human/etc is male. I’ve noticed this particularly in terms of robots in media, but it applies to pretty much anything you can personify. Any other gender representation requires bending backwards in order to “prove” itself - adding boobs and heels to robots is absolutely not out of the question, as ridiculous as the notion seems.

At the end of the day, we need to take a look at the classic question of robots and humanity. Is the robot sentient? Bastion is working against war-machine protocols and acts simply. In terms of story, Bastion is currently not even living in human society, without the standards of gender that would even be relevant. Could this change? Maybe! If Bastion gains higher understanding, who knows if it will have another gender revelation? It’s a fascinating story question, and after all, it’s sci-fi fantasy. Robots can do and be whatever the hell they want. I mean. Look at Zenyatta. Look at C-3PO, look at Crow T. Robot, Gypsy and Tom Servo, Data, The Iron Giant, T-100 for goodness sakes.

One last thing: non-binary representation is always cool. Bastion being a robot doesn’t take away from that.

Robots are cool. And I’m going to celebrate every piece of the puzzle!