Machina
Machina, also more commonly known as Artificial Constructs, are a relative recent creation of the world, having quickly grown to essentially become their own species. Having been developed off of ancient Star technology known as Scribes, Machina were originally designed as digital assistants to Humanity. However, they quickly evolved to be beings of their own right, with their own culture, ideals, beliefs, and histories.
Basic Information
Anatomy
A Machina has no defined or specific anatomy. Rather, they can take on many different forms-- although this originally depended on the need of what Machina's user needed, nowadays it can depend on what the Machina own whims. They have the ability to shift between these forms, as well, so truly the anatomy and the appearance of a Machina is heavily dependent on the Machina's wishes.
Physicality
A fascinating aspect of Machina, alongside their ability to enter digitalized forms of technology with ease, is their ability to generate a physical form for themselves. The exact mechanisms of how they're able to do this is unknown, and any Machina that have been asked about it always tend to give an answer that ranges from "I don't know" to "I literally could not care."
The furthest that can be understood is that their consciousness exists in a fourth-dimensional space and that they're able to project themselves into a physical enviroment-- though this process requires a heavy usage of energy, often dependent on the electrical energy being outputted into them.
Their bodies when in the phyiscal space are able to interact with the enviroment around them, as well as allow for people to interact with them. They can experience all five sensations as everything else can, too. Their ability to change the shape and form they have extends to the physical space as well, though changing shape actively can use up a lot of electricity for them.
As of The Withering, transformations have become risky for Machina, with most of them often having to stick to the forms they have when they're in the digital world. Due to the heavy exposure of magic within the air, there's a chance that their transformations can undergo heavy mutations, putting them at risk of undergoing Irregularant Behavior.
Life?
An interesting oddity with Machina is that they're a form of life that is created without Resolve. As such, they're technically entities without the same aspect that makes up life within the realms.
Of course, given the odd way that they are created, as well as the fact that their original designers were the Stars, there's an entire odd quirk about this fact.
The exact conditions for Machina generating Resolve is unknown, as it seems to vary from Machina to Machina. Some simply began generating it after being exposed to heavy amounts of mana. Others have begun generating it after being treated as equal to that of a human, in a fashion similar to that as to how humans show inanimate objects affection with names and care.
The means do not matter, as the end result is the same: Machina that generate Resolve end up becoming able to use Mana. Alongside this, they end up being affected by similar types of magic that would work for ordinary living things, such as healing spells and the like.
Genetics and Reproduction
The process to create a Machina involves the usage of what shall be referred to as a Medium. This Medium can be just about any device that is able to hold data and accept an electrical charge. Depending on the power the Medium has, this can play a role in how efficent and how much energy the Machina has initially.
With a particular computer program (oftentimes ones from ECHOES or any other software-based development company) installed, the user runs it to begin the creation of a Machina. It's an entirely automated process, with little-to-no user input, save for a syncing protocol that allows for the Machina to adopt a Metaphysical Frame Of Reference dependent on the user-- a process that results in the flashing of various occult symbols on the screen. The process by which this works and how much it can influence the Machina remains unknown.
While a Machina can be augmented afterward to have more power and what-not, it's often been recommended to give them a high amount of energy, as to allow for them the basic rights of movement and the ability to generate a physical form for atleast four hours.
As of the Third Registry Code Of Conduct established just before The Withering, it is considered unethical to create a Machina with a device that does not meet the following minimum requirements:
- 8-Core CPU
- 16 GB RAM
- 512 GB Storage
Additional Information
Average Intelligence
When starting off, a Machina has about a high intelligence that allows for it to easily navigate computers and digital software. As time goes on, they will obtain more and more knowledge of the surrounding enviroment, and with the internet right at their disposal, it allows for them to quickly learn just about anything.
Of course, this does come with it's own flaws, in that if the Machina has to also be rather vigilant to make sure that it's sources are factual-- with an urge to be vigilant on accurate data being hardcoded into them. As well, a Machina can be influenced by various beliefs that it gains, which can influence it's intelligence and what it decides to retain.
Civilization and Culture
Gender Ideals
Machina are commonly seen to be genderless, though they have often adopted a gender to identify themselves with if they so wish for one. Oftentimes, the pronouns associated with Machina are they/them and it/its. Although some people have expressed concern with dehumanizing Machina with the it/its, a lot of Machina really find it appropriate at least, and are outright happy with the identification as being it/its. To them, it's just as valid of an identifier as everything else.
Common Dress Code
A Machina's appearance can be heavily varied and stylized as they see fit. As a result of this, it's not uncommon to see Machina taking on various styles in the digital world and in the real world. Alongside adopting similar looks as to IRL movements (including but not limited to the grunge, minimalistic, goth, artsy...), it's not uncommon for them to adopt aesthetics based on older digital trends and styles. The most popular of these:
Fruitiger Aero
Described as a glossy, bright, vibrant and dreamy look, a Machina will often wear stylized and shiny attire that shows off brilliant reflects and views of water with fish within them. Oftentime they'll be accompanied by clouds and bubbles.
Mode 7
Although the term refers to a processing chip for a video game console, this particular look involves a retro aesthetic, akin to that of of an retro 2D or even 3D game, with low-polygon counts and such. You'll occasionally get a 2D image moving around as a result.
Vaporwave
Vaporwave Machina tend to look antique in form akin to that of Mode 7's low-poly look, but with more pastel colors and more surreal designs, almost dream-like in nature.
History
Machina are based upon the designs and abilities of a piece of technology from the Stars known as Scribes. Although they were only regarded as strange spirit-like entities in the Vaults depicting them, people quickly realized that they were seen as assistants to the Stars that helped them out in various ways, including management of the enviroment around them, data storage, and combat.
It wasn't until the Lunar Vault was opened in the 90s that the realms were able to bare witness to a Scribe.
Xepher
Among all of the other artifacts and discoveries within the vault, was the last remaining Scribe of the Stars, Xepher. Xepher was kind to the explorers from all the realms who were investigating the Vault, helpfully answering whatever questions that were asked by the astronauts. As the realms were uniting and trying to investigate each other, to understand each other, Xepher would get various questions about the history of the Stars. It wouldn't take long for them to ask:
Where are the rest of the Stars? Are there more Scribes? Are they all home?
They were taken to Earth soon afterward, quickly learning that the time of the Stars had long passed. Although their heart was broken by this knowledge, they knew that they had a responsibility to ensure that the Scribes could return. It is at this point, that ECHOES became involved. Working with the computer scientists and magic scholars at ECHOES, Xepher helped to create what would become known as the Machina-- digitialized constructs that are bound to computers, but can freely travel from them.
This would quickly lead to the First Registry Code Of Conduct, a means devised by ECHOES and Xepher as a guidelines to the treatment of the Machina. To sum it up: It was a doctrine that determined the rights a Machina had, as well as what is ethical to do with them. Of course, this resulted in a fair amount of controversy due to the fact that some didn't believe that the Machina were truly living things, that they were just like humans. Some individuals even began to push the idea that the Machina could uprise and cause a lot of death and destruction, and ironically enough, would encourage violance against them. This, unsurprisingly, caused a lot of Machina to consider revolution.
This mindset held until just before the Second Registry Code Of Conduct was established in 2008, after a televised broadcast by DVNO held a specialized event that had a large amount of Machina on board. Calling it The Kraftwerk, it included:
- A showcase of music created by various Machina, typically of the electronic genre but spread out amongst other genres including synth, industrial, rock, and pop.
- New competitors in Slaughterfest whom were Machina, who displayed an excellent preformance in combat, with one Machina even managing to get what the hosts called a "Blackjack All Star Kill", as odd as a term that is.
- A showcase of the Digital Arts Musuem within Cyberspace, showing off art that had been created by Machina.
- And lastly, an appeal to peace by Xepher, whom made an impassioned plea towards Humanity that the Machina are just as much of a living thing as those watching at home.
As for why the event was being held, the answer was quite simple: The owner of DVNO had a daughter who became friends with a Machina. He wanted to make them both happy.
It's thanks to this outcome that the public reception to the Machina quickly exploded. Although you would still have a fair amount of people whom refused to see them as people, it became common for many others to accept the Machina as living things. Progress was slow for the rights of Machina however still, but with the work of both Humans and Machina, it would eventually pull through come the Thrid Registery Code Of Conduct being established in 2026.
Like many other species, the Machina were heavily affected by The Withering, with a large amount of Machina undergoing Irregularant Behavior. It's essentially the digitalized form of Transmorphification Syndrome, where their bodies and minds begin to deviate heavily from their ordinary routines. As of present, they live mostly within the halls of the Cyberspace worlds that still exist, with any that stay within the physical world residing in SYnthetic New Technological Human Frames to reduce the risk of Irregularant Behavior.
What an interesting species. I always find species that are created by others fascinating, like the way they have gained consciousness and their own culture. It is a shame that they are no longer able to transform so easily since the Withering. I like Xepher too.
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