Scattered Things
It's definitely odd to see so many retail and office spaces closed downtown. Wrrf. Even businesses that are open are going to be suffering from all this. About the only places I can think of that aren't going to take a major downturn in revenue may be shipping and grocery stores - and that assumes they aren't directly hit by infection issues.
Steven Universe came to a full end this last week. Appropriately enough for a series that dealt heavily with relationships, identity, and helping people work through their problems, the final arc leaned heavily into Steven himself needing to find his way.
It felt a little too simple for me, though. I feel like it may be unfair of me to say, considering this is a series in which many things span beyond the 15 (10?)-minute episode run time. Many issues have been resolved quicker than they probably "should" have been. I'm not sure if maybe it's just because it feels close to home, but shining a light on Steven's own need for support doesn't seem like enough to really get over aimless self-identity issues.
That aside, I'll always have a respect and a soft-spot for the series, I think. It tackled a lot of valuable themes. Maybe it simplified them, but still.
Cyberpunk Thoughts: As mentioned previously, the Magnum Bullets video put me in a decidedly cyberpunk head space for a while, which led to replaying Deus Ex games, rewatching parts of Bubblegum Crisis, and peering through RPG stuff.
Some of a character came to mind, though I don't really have a full mental image, or name, or even a complete grasp on where exactly I'd put her (as there are some very big differences in some cyberpunk settings). But I thought of a loyal company employee who deals more with making cybernetics/weapons than using them (though with some experience from testing such) until getting caught up in an attempted raid on the company (whether you call it a shadowrun or just corporate espionage). In the process, her sister is killed, but she doesn't give anything up. The company takes that as loyalty and augments her.
From there, though... she could be either willing corporate agent or start unraveling threads regarding who was behind the attack and go rogue for revenge...
Case File Review for <Redacted>
Background:
Subject has been a technical researcher at <Redacted> facility for approaching three years, involved in numerous projects including cybernetics and defense systems development. Subject has maintained a consistent rating of good or better on evaluations and has received positive remarks for work initiative.
Incident Summary:
At approximately 21:30 on <Redacted>, Subject's residence, shared with Subject's sister, was invaded by a hostile group which kidnapped both individuals. Security at the site was compromised, preventing archival recordings and slowing reaction time. Subject reported at least three hostiles present at the time of initial contact, though later evidence indicates involvement of mores.
Subject and their sister were forcibly relocated to a warehouse located at <Redacted>, where the kidnappers employed methods of coercion and torture with the apparent goal of securing research data and access codes from Subject.
Later data reconstruction from the site confirms this interrogation led to the murder of Subject's sister, but no leak of proprietary company information.
At approximately 23:45, a <Redacted> reaction team arrived and breached the site. The kidnappers refused to comply and engaged the reaction team with small arms and explosives. In the exchange, two reaction team members suffered minor injuries, six kidnappers were confirmed eliminated, and Subject suffered additional injuries in one of the booby-trap detonations.
Upon situation report, <Redacted> authorized immediate medical full-case and cybernetic augmentation for Subject, performed at the <Redacted> facility.
Augmentations:
Subject received full cybernetic replacement of right hip, eye, and lower arm/hand. Bone lacing and muscular enhancement was installed to compensate and ensure systemic stability. In addition to pre-existing datajack, a chip slot and matching skill wire suite was installed.
The level of functionality from these enhancements, authorized by <Redacted>, makes Subject suitable to reassignment in an active, operational role rather than continuing in research and development.
Steven Universe came to a full end this last week. Appropriately enough for a series that dealt heavily with relationships, identity, and helping people work through their problems, the final arc leaned heavily into Steven himself needing to find his way.
It felt a little too simple for me, though. I feel like it may be unfair of me to say, considering this is a series in which many things span beyond the 15 (10?)-minute episode run time. Many issues have been resolved quicker than they probably "should" have been. I'm not sure if maybe it's just because it feels close to home, but shining a light on Steven's own need for support doesn't seem like enough to really get over aimless self-identity issues.
That aside, I'll always have a respect and a soft-spot for the series, I think. It tackled a lot of valuable themes. Maybe it simplified them, but still.
Cyberpunk Thoughts: As mentioned previously, the Magnum Bullets video put me in a decidedly cyberpunk head space for a while, which led to replaying Deus Ex games, rewatching parts of Bubblegum Crisis, and peering through RPG stuff.
Some of a character came to mind, though I don't really have a full mental image, or name, or even a complete grasp on where exactly I'd put her (as there are some very big differences in some cyberpunk settings). But I thought of a loyal company employee who deals more with making cybernetics/weapons than using them (though with some experience from testing such) until getting caught up in an attempted raid on the company (whether you call it a shadowrun or just corporate espionage). In the process, her sister is killed, but she doesn't give anything up. The company takes that as loyalty and augments her.
From there, though... she could be either willing corporate agent or start unraveling threads regarding who was behind the attack and go rogue for revenge...
Case File Review for <Redacted>
Background:
Subject has been a technical researcher at <Redacted> facility for approaching three years, involved in numerous projects including cybernetics and defense systems development. Subject has maintained a consistent rating of good or better on evaluations and has received positive remarks for work initiative.
Incident Summary:
At approximately 21:30 on <Redacted>, Subject's residence, shared with Subject's sister, was invaded by a hostile group which kidnapped both individuals. Security at the site was compromised, preventing archival recordings and slowing reaction time. Subject reported at least three hostiles present at the time of initial contact, though later evidence indicates involvement of mores.
Subject and their sister were forcibly relocated to a warehouse located at <Redacted>, where the kidnappers employed methods of coercion and torture with the apparent goal of securing research data and access codes from Subject.
Later data reconstruction from the site confirms this interrogation led to the murder of Subject's sister, but no leak of proprietary company information.
At approximately 23:45, a <Redacted> reaction team arrived and breached the site. The kidnappers refused to comply and engaged the reaction team with small arms and explosives. In the exchange, two reaction team members suffered minor injuries, six kidnappers were confirmed eliminated, and Subject suffered additional injuries in one of the booby-trap detonations.
Upon situation report, <Redacted> authorized immediate medical full-case and cybernetic augmentation for Subject, performed at the <Redacted> facility.
Augmentations:
Subject received full cybernetic replacement of right hip, eye, and lower arm/hand. Bone lacing and muscular enhancement was installed to compensate and ensure systemic stability. In addition to pre-existing datajack, a chip slot and matching skill wire suite was installed.
The level of functionality from these enhancements, authorized by <Redacted>, makes Subject suitable to reassignment in an active, operational role rather than continuing in research and development.
*earperk and oooh*
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