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PostPosted: Sun Jan 11, 2015 10:59 pm
by Monfrox
Swith Witherward wrote:
Monfrox wrote:Thanks, Swith. I worked pretty hard to not have plot holes and will be continuing to do so as I go.

I think I set the tone quite well with that song at the end there.

I wish I wasn't going to be gone so long. I would have joined. Meh, you'd be stalled.

I'll do a story with you one day. I promise.

PostPosted: Sun Jan 11, 2015 11:00 pm
by Giovenith
Ja, good job Mon.

PostPosted: Sun Jan 11, 2015 11:02 pm
by The BranRiech
Well, I might consider taking a break, and if I do, when I return, I'm going to run Bran's final arc. But I'd like to know right now, because I'm only bringing 5-7 characters with, I'd like to know who'd be interested in going.

But I need to go to bed now, so there's that.

PostPosted: Sun Jan 11, 2015 11:09 pm
by Torsiedelle
The BranRiech wrote:Well, I might consider taking a break, and if I do, when I return, I'm going to run Bran's final arc. But I'd like to know right now, because I'm only bringing 5-7 characters with, I'd like to know who'd be interested in going.

But I need to go to bed now, so there's that.


Torii!

PostPosted: Sun Jan 11, 2015 11:10 pm
by Monfrox
Giovenith wrote:Ja, good job Mon.

Thanks, Giov.

PostPosted: Sun Jan 11, 2015 11:16 pm
by Torsiedelle
Goodnight.

PostPosted: Sun Jan 11, 2015 11:28 pm
by Highfort
I figure since I'm going to do an apartment post next, I should probably list what I'm going to be doing, exactly:

Septimus' work on philothanatophy essentially revolves around downloading someone's (deceased) brain data into a new body and booting it up, hence why he needs the exact samples he had in the lab (he was working with a dummy clone body of Brother Titus, a disc drive containing Brother Titus' metadata recorded in binary, and well as a cat body he cloned to test if a downloaded mind would survive teleportation). He can set up the rest of the equipment himself using 21st century technology - he just needs a lot of processors (probably several server farms) to run the tests and download the body.

Would that work with established PL canon or will I need to modify anything?

PostPosted: Sun Jan 11, 2015 11:36 pm
by Germanic Templars
Well, got my laundry and I am now off to bed. Night all.

PostPosted: Sun Jan 11, 2015 11:48 pm
by Tiltjuice
Swith Witherward wrote:
Tiltjuice wrote:I got work in the morning early, so I'm headed out soon. Goodnight PL.

Yeah, I know I always say that, but I'll be back in an hour. :unsure:

*sets guard penguins at the door*

Don't let him back in, boys. The fate of the nation rests on your shoulders.

*hugs* Goodnight Tilt.


But...but... :p

No worries Swith. You'll have plenty of time to RP with Mon and everyone. :hug:

PostPosted: Sun Jan 11, 2015 11:50 pm
by Tiltjuice
Goodnight GT.

Agy, I don't think it would conflict with anything, but PL canon is a bit wide ranging and I don't have a reference book or the memory I used to have. Ask Cer is probably a good idea.

PostPosted: Sun Jan 11, 2015 11:55 pm
by Highfort
I'll ask him when he comes on some time, then. Thanks, Tilt! See you guys tomorrow!

PostPosted: Sun Jan 11, 2015 11:56 pm
by Tiltjuice
Highfort wrote:I'll ask him when he comes on some time, then. Thanks, Tilt! See you guys tomorrow!


*waves* You're welcome! Goodnight Agy and all others.

PostPosted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 12:27 am
by Swith Witherward
Highfort wrote:I figure since I'm going to do an apartment post next, I should probably list what I'm going to be doing, exactly:

Septimus' work on philothanatophy essentially revolves around downloading someone's (deceased) brain data into a new body and booting it up, hence why he needs the exact samples he had in the lab (he was working with a dummy clone body of Brother Titus, a disc drive containing Brother Titus' metadata recorded in binary, and well as a cat body he cloned to test if a downloaded mind would survive teleportation). He can set up the rest of the equipment himself using 21st century technology - he just needs a lot of processors (probably several server farms) to run the tests and download the body.

Would that work with established PL canon or will I need to modify anything?

We have plenty of those. Itum can borrow them from Ceril, since he never bothered to return them. They're mainly for comic relief, but they process much faster than most FT devices.

PostPosted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 12:37 am
by Highfort
I'm actually second-guessing my writing ability now because my head's so fried from the code I was writing earlier. I'd call it a night but I still have stuff to read for my writing class tomorrow and it's cut and dry. Only interesting stuff is MLK (man writes like a beast).

I wish I had more time to post. I feel so bad just pulling out of the communal dining scene because I didn't have any time. >.>

PostPosted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 12:42 am
by Monfrox

PostPosted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 12:47 am
by Swith Witherward
Highfort wrote:I'm actually second-guessing my writing ability now because my head's so fried from the code I was writing earlier. I'd call it a night but I still have stuff to read for my writing class tomorrow and it's cut and dry. Only interesting stuff is MLK (man writes like a beast).

I wish I had more time to post. I feel so bad just pulling out of the communal dining scene because I didn't have any time. >.>

King was a god.

Don't feel badly. It was starting to break up anyway due to Mon's adventure starting.

I'm determined to finish Neste's app, no thanks to Cer bitching me out in TG. However, I'm bleary eyed. Writing ability, schmiting ability.

PostPosted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 2:14 am
by Swith Witherward
I went back through old RPs and notes. You know, folks, I think I'd enjoying actually RPing rather than running a 2D character to keep things afloat. I'm officially parking my characters (GT, we'll need to get your characters mended so I can do that with Blythe and Xanthe) and will only run Naomi, Neste and (if needed as a CoOP tool) Minerva. All three are my favorite characters, and all of them are dusty.

Alright, with effort this time, because I need to recapture her sipirt:

Do not remove this search tag: #PLAPP
Your NS Nation's Nickname: Swith

Character Name: NST 3v1 (Neste Trilb)

Character Gender: Female

Character Species (nation personification, human, alien, etc): higher construct

Character Physical Description (height, weight, apparent age, actual age): Neste is capable of mimicking a variety of creatures but she most commonly adopts human or lizard form.

Lizard: technically, not an actual lizard. She's mammalian, and has the breasts to prove it. The N-Series overall reptilian appearance is based upon a now-extinct sophont species; it's utilitarian in nature. Neste, like all of her sisters, stands roughly 5' in height and weighs 110 pounds. Her coloration is predominantly white due to age and time in stasis (pigments fade over time). Her eyes, which have been described by others as "soulful" or "doe eyes", are golden in color due to the deposition of the lipochrome in the iris; the eyes are similar to human eyes in that the white conjunctiva is visible. Her ears are thin and elongated, and she's capable of swiveling them (doing so is considered undignified). Her short horns are a soft cream in color. She is currently tail-less and sans the normal mane of feathers that constructs grow and shed once a year. N-Series are toe walkers; the foot is elongated and the heel doesn't touch the ground. This is the N-Series true form.

Human: Neste appears to be in her twenties, although she is actually much older due to long periods of stasis. Her height and weight are the same as in lizard form. She's typically pale skinned although she's capable of adjusting her skin tone. Her dark hair hangs in curtains to frame her face (perfect to hide behind) when not pulled back and held in place by clips; it tends to curl at the ends. The human form is the least draining form a construct can take.

Several characteristics are present regardless of her form. A series of ports, used to interface with her exoskeleton and other Swithwardian tech, runs bilaterally down her spine. The ports remain in a closed state unless she's interfacing with something; they're a soft blueish color and frequently mistaken as tattoos by those unfamiliar with biotech. Her number series is tattooed near her clavicle as well as the on her right side inguinal region. The numbers and letters are accompanied by NiSci glyphs. She has small, greyish dots splattered on each side of her head and along her neck, and freckling her fingertips and palms; these are sensory organs.

URL to Character Picture, if any: Lizard form, post-molt feathers; human form.

Primary Skill or Power: Psionics.

Power Weaknesses/Flaws: Neste must shield herself when around other beings. The purpose is to preserve their minds and to prevent intrusion upon their thoughts, but this comes at the cost of raw energy. Prolonged contact with people drains her, and actively using her ability while outside of her exoskeleton could have the potential to kill her, depending upon the intensity of the action. Carpules are the only thing that allow her to sustain her shielding or psionic talents.

Secondary Skill or Power: Genetic manipulation

Power Weaknesses/Flaws: As above, prolonged use of this ability will quickly drain her.

Character Background/Biography:
Construct background:
Higher constructs (machina mortifero) are engineered creatures containing a storehouse of genetic information gathered from various sources. The higher construct is able to absorb genetic samples from unfamiliar or new species, sequence it, and intertwine it with their own strands. In this manner, the universe is cataloged and preserved. Unfortunately, these constructs were fashioned at a time when the Nifidium Convocation acquired data and leveled planets through nefarious means. Neste is a weapon in that regard, capable of sweeping through a setting to process genetic material in order to warp biomatter it into a drone swarm under her direct psionic control. N-Series were built for the singular purpose of annihilation.

The Overseer construct program was short lived (lasting only a few centuries) before it was deemed too expensive to maintain. All N-Series were slated for destruction. The emergence of a new enemy, the Ba'a (machine species), necessitated the need to restore them to their exoskeletons. They were reconditioned to be more effective. The majority of N-Series were destroyed by the Ba'a war machine, or else crippled to the point of uselessness. Many of these damaged constructs found homes within the diplomatic branches but a few intact ones, like Neste, were kept in service much longer than necessary.

While in circulation (a state whereupon the construct operates as a ghost in a shell), the N-Series does not age. She loses her sapience and the ability to think freely. Some do have "breakthrough" moments while in circulation, but these constructs are subjected to reprogramming if such a state is detected.

The Overseer construct program is still operating in the Nifidium Convocation, although the Convocation no longer engages in genocide (unless provoked) and prefers to regulate itself to the role of star shepherds and lore keepers. Some witherwards have removed themselves from the Convocation in a bid for freedom. Swith Witherward, where Neste was assigned, gained its independence in 2012. Neste and her sisters were "freed" rather than destroyed. A law was passed shortly thereafter prohibiting them from touching screwdrivers (anti-machine reconditioning was a bad idea on the Nifid's part).

It is important to note that higher constructs were never intended to be self-aware; they were intended to operate similar to any programmable machine. Few witherwards see them as sophont beings. Even within Swith Witherward, there is division amongst scientists with one camp accepting the construct's sophont state while the other insist that the construct is nothing but an AI or else simply mimicking sophont behaviors. In truth, not all N-series are sophont; it is only the NS*, NR*, and NL* batches that posses this quality.


Neste:
Despite her age, Neste has only a total of 28 years outside her exoskeleton; she's socially stunted. Couple that with two decades of being treated like a tool whenever she ventured into society, and you'll find yourself with a timid, self-doubting and mistrustful creature prone to irrational fears. Like all her sisters, Neste is overly curious, and eager to learn and please.

Neste served with the military as an Overseer before rotation to diplomacy. She was assigned to Lord Grevin Sage for two months before her selection to serve in an ambassadorial capacity (bad idea, sending an N to a planet that might possibly contain a lot of machines). She is unaware of how she arrived in Bielefeld and has gaping holes in her memory.

(As we discussed before, I had brought her in to thwart Dani. I'm fine with keeping that bit of canon. I don't think anyone caught on that she was the same construct that appeared in Personification Player, and only NVE would have been familiar with her by name or series number at the time.)

Why the character is in Bielefeld/Occupation: Unbeknownst to her, she was brought in (and had memories stripped out) in order to be used against any new Drone attacks. Using constructs in such a capacity is against Swithwardian law, but the Nifid are under no obligation to go by any protectorates' laws when it comes to military function or protecting the planet.

URL to Apartment Picture: http://cdn.home-designing.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/9-Oversized-pendant-shade.jpg

The back garden walk-out is similar to this.

Link to RP examples: (this MUST be a DIRECT LINK to your IC post in an RP, NOT a link to the RP thread itself. If you don't have examples, make your biography good.)

IMPORTANT:
One paragraph that sums up your character. This paragraph is what we'll use on your player tab on the first page of the thread. This MUST be brief. Your tab will contain a link to your application so people will have full details:

Neste Trilb
A lost Swithwardian construct.

PostPosted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 2:27 am
by Monfrox
Swith Witherward wrote:I went back through old RPs and notes. You know, folks, I think I'd enjoying actually RPing rather than running a 2D character to keep things afloat. I'm officially parking my characters (GT, we'll need to get your characters mended so I can do that with Blythe and Xanthe) and will only run Naomi, Neste and (if needed as a CoOP tool) Minerva. All three are my favorite characters, and all of them are dusty.

Swith's back, baby!

PostPosted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 2:28 am
by Swith Witherward
Monfrox wrote:Swith's back, baby!

And better than evah!

PostPosted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 2:34 am
by Highfort
The description... such exposition. It's so beautiful ;-;

If I wasn't so exhausted I'd offer a toast. *raises arm weakly* To Swith!

PostPosted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 2:36 am
by Monfrox
Swith Witherward wrote:
Monfrox wrote:Swith's back, baby!

And better than evah!

I'd really like to see Naomi with Brit after this trip is done. Someone's gotta know what happened.

PostPosted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 2:48 am
by Swith Witherward
Highfort wrote:The description... such exposition. It's so beautiful ;-;

If I wasn't so exhausted I'd offer a toast. *raises arm weakly* To Swith!

I'm too sleepy to grasp a glass, but I'll see your toast and raise you two pats of butter and some jam. :p


Mon, sure thing!

Edit: mission accomplished. I found the thumb drive with the post I'd written. Let us rejoice! It only needed a bit of editing, and that took me a good goddamed hour. Proof that my brain needs to retire.

PostPosted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 3:47 am
by Highfort
I'll be damned if I'm going to bed having not written something proper for the evening, so, have a one-shot, courtesy of Septimus' past.


The Cat Incident

Septimus peered out the thick, heat-resistant windows that provided the only soft light that penetrated his otherwise-dark study in the Lazarus Labs. Built in the southern tip of habitable space in Kashtilag, it was surrounded by oceans of lava that rose from deep within the planet's core, humming to its molten pulse. The sky was overcast in clouds of ash, as it usually was, and the lava's glow provided barely-enough vision for him to look over old papers.

"Septimus," Brother Titus called out from the far end of the hallway, his voice echoing through the empty room, "The cat is ready. Shall we?"

Septimus looked up from his papers with a tired smile, "I've been waiting for this. She feeling alright? Not nervous or anything?"

"She's a cat," Titus laughed, "She's been trying to get away from me all evening, slippery little thing. Let's just get her through, record the data, and I'll buy you a beer, no?"

"I figure you owe me sixteen or something," Septimus got up from his desk and arranged the papers to read in the morning, clicking on the holographic console to darken the windows and block out the bleak view. The room was bathed in a comfortable darkness. Heavy, metallic footsteps resounded across the marble floor as he strode toward the hallway, Titus giving him a nod as he peaked through the door, before leaving to make some last-minute preparations in the lab.

The cat was a tabby, a stray one of the lab technicians had picked up on her way to work from the Academia, and she was a curious one to boot. She'd already pissed in Brutus' tea, ripped Septimus' best formal-wear to shreds, and nearly gotten herself irradiated wandering around in the power core.

To be fair, that old thing was supposed to be replaced with geothermal, anyways, so Septimus chalked it up to the tabby understanding the importance of keeping things updated. He paid for the vet, himself.

"Let's see how our little feline friend is doing," Septimus rolled his shoulders as he took his usual seat in the observation chamber, a thick, radiation-and-heat-proof window separating him from the experiment room. Hopefully, this little kitty would get lucky and not end up like the mice did, last time. And, hopefully, one day he'd get to make the trip himself.

"Teleport Pod One and Two, powered," he tapped on the console and watched the two pods within the room begin to glow, a soft thrumming of the generator breaking the silence, "Titus, is she in position?"

"Sentia's in TP One," Titus raised the cat so Septimus could see it before laying her inside the little white pod, the tabby mewling all the while in protest, "Closing the chamber."

"Don't give them names," Septimus gave him a cold look, "You know what happens when you name them. They are test subjects, they might die. We are not to care."

"Hey, I wasn't the one who paid for her vet," Titus pulled the thick, metal cover into place, sealing in the tabby's meows and mewls for freedom. He tapped the pressurizer to begin pumping in a steady oxygen flow and quickly vacated the room, switching on two floodlights to focus on the chambers as he did so. Septimus tapped the console, and the chambers began spinning, the pressurizer's hose letting out a hiss as it whirled around.

"Cats are hard to find," Septimus began upping the power supply as he heard the hiss of the observation door opening, "Saving her from death by radiation was a matter of convenience."

"You're not gonna convince me you didn't give two shits about her, Sep," Titus took a seat next to him, smiling beneath his own breath mask, "Everyone knows you were nervous as fuck when she was hooked up to the feeding tube and anti-radiation drugs. You wouldn't eat or sleep for hours, even when you started thinning because your generator was eating you. Face it, you give a shit about people."

"Shut up," Septimus raised the power once more, several critical status alarms going off, "Ignore them. It's time."

"Pressurizing TP Two," Titus tapped on his side of the console rapidly, numbers flashing by as the second pod's pressurizer hoses began to hiss, signaling the flow of air, "One psi... two psi... Pressure equalized and holding at three psi... Ready for transfer."

"Committing transfer," Septimus clicked the big red button - the only physical button on the entire console, and custom-ordered by Tarsus to boot - and held his breath.

A crackle.

The floodlights died as arcs of electricity flew off of both pods, the room falling into total darkness as power flow spiked and short-circuited the experimental chamber. Titus let out a depressed sigh. Septimus could only manage a quivering gasp.

"Don't get too attached, right?" Titus lay a mechanical hand on Septimus' good shoulder, "I shouldn't have named her. I'll go check the damages."

"No," Septimus let out a sigh, "I'll do it myself. Go get the backup generators started... Check if we blew any fuses."

"Will do."

Septimus trudged across the precariously-positioned walkway, his eyes focused on the eternal darkness beneath it. Why the Lazarus Board had decided, without his permission, to construct the observation and experiment rooms within a giant, near-bottomless chasm, he didn't know. And the lack of things to look at only made his walk toward the inevitable more depressing and drudging.

Standing in front of the sealed, titanium door, Septimus hesitantly reached out his hand to pull on the manual release. The door let out a soft hiss as he pulled it aside, revealing the two pods within. He squinted. He didn't see any smoke, dark as it was, and he didn't smell any nor did the foul odor of rotting flesh reach his nostrils. Could it be?

The floodlights blinded him as they came on, Titus letting out an affirmative grunt as the generators came back online. There was smoke and the walls were singed by the lightning hits, but neither pod was scorched. Septimus tentatively approached the first pod. He slid the door open. Nothing.

"Titus!" he smiled to himself in disbelief, "Titus! It worked! She's not here!"

"Could've been vaporized," Titus looked on from within the observation chamber, "Let's not get too hasty now."

"No! There's no ash, nothing!" Septimus turned to the second pod, which he realized probably had no air given the pressurization hoses were blown, "Shit! She's probably suffocating in there!"

"Sep, don't get your hopes up," Titus raised his hands, "Methodically, like we practiced."

"Aw, to hell with method!" Septimus ran over and began yanking at the pod's cover, "I didn't live 800 years by sticking to the method!"

Titus was about to let out a protest before he gasped, Septimus ripping the pod door open with his hands as he stuck his head inside.

"Sep?" Titus stood up and began walking toward the room.

"She's... She's not here," Septimus let out a cry of confusion, then gulped, "But... that's impossible. That doesn't make any sense."

"Sep, she probably died in transit," Titus lay a hand on his shoulder once more, "Come on. We'll clean up and try again this weekend. Lemme get you that beer I owed you, alright? Come on."

"No, that's impossible," Septimus began pacing, a habit that annoyed all of his associates, though Titus had grown used to it, "I did the math. Conservation of matter means that if she was removed from the first pod, she must re-materialize somewhere else. Either that, or her atoms are repainting one of our satellite dishes right now. She had to re-materialize before she died, if she died."

"Listen to yourself!" Titus let out an incredulous snort, "She didn't have to. The math doesn't say she had to. You just want to believe she did! Look at yourself, Sep! You're succumbing to wishful thinking! Look at it rationally!"

"I am looking at it rationally, damn it!" Septimus glared at him, "There's no way she could have-"

A meow pierced the air and both men fell silent. Septimus felt his back for the source of the meow.

"Slippery little bastard," Titus' lips curled into a smile, "She probably climbed over you when you were looking for her, you dumbass."

Septimus swiveled his mechanical arm to reach for her, cupping her gently in his hand. She was a small thing, probably not fully grown yet, but she'd made it. She was alive, fur, eyes, cute little face, and all. And she didn't look worse for wear, to boot.

"You know what this means, don't you?" Septimus stroked her and she purred as he smiled at Titus.

"I'll break out the cognac," Titus turned to the door, "Ophelia will be ecstatic when she learns about this! Finally, we didn't kill a cat trying to get it through!"

Sentia let out a curious meow.

"Oh, come on, now," Titus rolled his eyes, "It's not like we expected you to die. I wouldn't have named you otherwise."

"I think I'll keep her," Septimus nuzzled the cat against his metallic cheek, "You think they'll mind?"

"After they get a picture or two with the first animal to make a successful teleportation?" Titus scoffed, "They won't give two shits. Fame is fleeting."

fin

PostPosted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 3:54 am
by Swith Witherward
That's brilliant! I wish I had one tenth your wordmaster skill.

You should ask Cer to allow the cat. Unless it's now dead?

PostPosted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 3:57 am
by Highfort
Swith Witherward wrote:That's brilliant! I wish I had one tenth your wordmaster skill.

You should ask Cer to allow the cat. Unless it's now dead?


Oh, no, Sentia's very well alive. Well, technically speaking, undead. She's the cat Septimus is using to test whether one can transport a resurrected mind through a teleporter. She died of natural causes a while ago but as her data was recorded in the Infinity Circuit - one of the few animals to have the privilege of recording due to her special status as the first successful teleportee - he's been using her as a model for his future (hopeful) resurrection of Titus and Ophelia.

Of course all this is still in the skunkworks since I need Cer to look over my proposal and approve it before I move forward with anything. I'll probably have Sep spend the next few days getting to know his building-mates rather than working on any serious experimental stuff.