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farolero-posting · 11 months

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I think Cedric and Calamus should be friends and join the club of teenagers with way too much weight on their shoulders because holy shit they deserve good things.

I mean, one of those small details that I always felt were kind of sad was that line Cedric has about not knowing Calamus or Alula... which makes sense in a way, because it was the Author who knew them better. And yet both Cedric and Calamus feel close in age and have similar personalities I am genuinely surprised they weren't friends.

And now considering their circumstances... Both of them need to be the proactive sibling, ready to react to situations that are beyond what teens like them should be doing.

We... never get told what happened to Rachis, although context probably tells us he was one of the NPCs lost to the squares. But even if Calamus and Alula were not aware of that truth, they're both still functionally orphans, and Calamus has made it his responsibility to make sure Alula is okay because she is all he has left.

Cedric is one of the few people aware of being in a simulation, and this by itself is already really isolating. Cedric is also the one responsible for... pretty much ensuring that Niko made it to the city and fulfilled their mission, having to make up plans as he goes. Not to mention the knowledge that his father is gone for good now, and the grief that is tied to it.

And besides all of this, I just really think that these two are alike in personality. Both are really polite, hardworking and responsible. The only big differences are their sets of skills and that Cedric is more willing to take risks on the spot, while I feel like Calamus would be more cautious in his place.

But gosh they could be good friends.

#oneshot game #cedric #calamus #analysis #i am not the most skilled writer but boy do i wanna do something about this yknow #Something something i wonder if Rachis and the Author had a similar dynamic at some point #Oh. another aspect im considering too as a bit of a crack theory. or a way to get some conflict potential #like. we know the cedric we meet is technically a robot.#my personal take on that is that he is made from code and contains as many memories as the original cedric was able to transfer #but when it comes to have actually experienced those things... our cedric knows those are memories. but are not /his/ own. in a way.#calamus and alula have memories that were coded in them but without awareness of their situation they see all of that as real #but cedric knows he is code and thus. he has existed inside. but whatever came before was the memories he inherited but not his own actions #so he recognizes those names. but is actually not sure he really knows them the same way his memories know them #and cannot guarantee he can be the friend they have known him as. because he is who cedric was #but also his own thing #this is a mess to explain but do u see what i mean #like how real he sees himself and how real the future ahead is and who he is aaslkfja #ok im done with my break ignore this rambling. this probably makes no sense.#im just figuring out how i wanna write characters #fic: write your own path forward #< for personal organization

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weightless-feathers · 1 year

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Theories of Duke's and Kay's powers

After re-watching S1 (again), I've realized some stuff about the abilities of Duke and Kay. Which might explain why Duke is so introverted (and a couple of other things too).

I'd love to hear more thoughts about all of this, so feel free to leave your comments and opinions.

(I'm only taking S1 in consideration, therefore this has spoilers for all S1. Also this might be a bit long; you have been warned.)

DUKE

The way Duke fights and showcases his powers lead me to assume a couple of things:

He is able to, not only control energy, but also recognize and change its properties. This is why he managed to get rid of Selly's G-force Nanobombs, he instructed them to stop working.

He can only do this if the energy is: contained somewhere (the smaller and simpler the container is, the better he can use his abilities), instructed to do something (for example, inside a train the energy has to do certain things, like well, keep them alive), and in direct contact with him.

He is more sensitive than other trains to small changes in the energy around him. Is not just like when, for example, someone sees how much energy other train has left, no, Duke can tell exactly what is going on with them, this is very clear when:

In the middle of the second battle, he was able to tell Kay was reformated, which is weird because in EP3 Selly herself (mechanic and doctor) was unable to guess it just by looking at Kay.

Kay's engine was about to become "strange" before the Other World incident, and he tried to make Kay train with him.

So, where is this going?

I think Duke can literally feel how other trains feel, he's basically an "emotional reader" where, even if he doesn't want to, he can sense the internal state of anyone that's around him. This must be very overwhelming for him, to the point he just doesn't want to be around too much people (also this is why he doesn't show up on the race events as Alf pointed out in EP16, having to interact with some many people must drain him a lot). He sees how others just don´t like him that much, (something that was happening even before the accident), which must be a pain to deal with, especially since he has done nothing to gain such reputation (which he held even before the virus incident). Despite all of that, he still likes to help others, which is honestly very kind of him.

In addition, his base seems to be made to have as less stimulants as possible, no colors, no stuff in general. He already deals with too much changes and feelings, so he needs a quiet and simple place where he can just rest from everything.

Oh and before the incident I'd assume he used his powers for healing reasons, simmilar to what he did in EP29, where he managed to woke up a train by giving him some kind of "electric shock". The virus made him use that ability to damage Kay's engine in a more specifc and dangerous way than any other train could have done, he focused the electric damage in order to burn Kay's engine, or at the very least leave him more exposed to regular attacks.

Though, this power could be the main reason why he survived after the final episode, he managed to wrap the energy around his engine and protect it from over-heating. He must have an insane control over all of his body, which means that he will use the energy in the best way possible, making his engine very efficient, and almost as fast as Kay's.

On the brightside, this means that the trains he actually interacts with (aka Kay and Selly) mean a lot to him. So much so that he can just relax with them, as he knows they care about him and, regardless of how they might feel at the moment, they still respect him as a co-worker and as a friend.

In conclussion, Duke can:

Know how trains around him feel.

Probably guess when someone is lying to him, though he wouldn't have a 100% accuracy.

Heal (and hurt) other trains through energy manipulation.

Control the energy inside himself for efficiency or protection.

KAY

I think that weirdly enough, Duke's and Kay's powers are pretty simmilar, it's just that they're focused on different aspects of the energy. Duke interacts with "living" things, while Kay interacts directlly with the enviroment around him. I'll have to specultae a bit more here since despite everything Kay's properties are more ambigous than Duke's.

From what I can tell, the requirments for Kay to use his abilities are:

The energy needs to be flowing freely, if it's being being used by someone or something (a train, a smaller machine, etc) he won't be able to use it, however this has an excepting which I'll go into later.

He should have his equipment on, otherwise he won't have total control over his powers (this is why he lost control on EP25, rather than enhancing, his equipment seems to lock his whole potential because otherwise he won't be able to use his special capabilities without hurting himself).

Preferibly the energy should be strong and connected to other flows of energy (basically, the more areas that are connected through the tunnels, the more powerful he becomes).

But how does this affect the areas and Kay himself?

First, the fact that he can use and change the properties of abnormal amounts of energy means that he can also change the space (and maybe even time in most extreme cases) he is in, that's why he can open tunnels and connect different areas.

The levels of electric flow of the different zones probably affect his mood and behaviour too. He needs to be in constant movement to maintain his engine functioning correctly, which means that, the more contact he has with different kinds of energy (and areas), the better he feels. He needs adrenaline and stimulants (like training) to be at his best physical and mental capacities. That's why his base is basically a rollercoaster, it just makes the start of his days a little easier.

On a side thought, it appears as if the energy itself seeks for him, he's a pretty much a magnet that can store huges amounts of energy, which would explain how he managed to go back into the rails on EP1 (and EP25) despite being out on outer-space/void.

About him traveling to the Other World on EP25; that's the best example of what happens when he's not in full control of things, Duke was able to tell something was going to happen (due to the things I've mentioned before) and wanted to prevent it, but he didn't thought that Kay would lose control so quickly.

I wonder, if Kay was able to literally rip a whole in space-times and hop to another dimension, what else is he capable of? Are there more trains like him? Is him somehow related to Alpha?

And here comes the exception I talked about a while ago, Kay managed to use Alpha's cargo, or at least the energy inside of him, this was probably because: A. It produced so much energy that it basically became an "area" on it's own, B. For some reason, the cargo allowed Kay to use the energy on it (simmilar to what Duke did when he helped Kay with the Intercontinental Railroad construction).

Conclussions:

Kay not only enjoys adrenaline and training, he needs it to keep his engine (and himself) "healthy".

Kay is more powerful the more energy he has access to (or the more area's energy flows are connected to each other).

Kay can lose control of things unexpectedly.

His engine appears to carry some mystery, and maybe Alpha has something to do with it.

More notes:

All of that was the reason Kay able to hold the energy of all areas and use it in a single attack on EP2, he transformed everything into a huge circuit with him as the "on and off" mecanism.

Before that event, he probably asked Selly and Jeffrey what would happen if he ever did that a movement like that, they probably told him something like -Kay, DON'T EVER DO THAT YOU FUCKING IDIOT, YOUR ENGINE IS GONNA GET FRIED! YOU WOULD GET A LOT OF DAMAGE EVEN IF YOU WERE AT YOUR BEST PERFORMANCE.- and then he replied -I'd never ever do that guys, I promise... BUT JUST IN CASE I'M GONNA GIVE IT A COOL NAME!-

And this is were the ability "overdrive" goes into place. I've searched and over-drive has two main meanings, when we talk about machines, is the point of maxium power and/or best use of energy of the engine. If we talk about people, it's the moment where you are left completely exahusted and cannot keep going any longer, basically, you drive yourself to exhaustion. So he literally surpases his engine's regular capacities in order to use all of the areas' electricity, or at least most of it, leaving him too tired to even move after that. That's also why in the second battle Duke apparently drained most of the energy of the available areas, he didn't want to risk Kay doing something simmilar again.

I know I've been hoping through a lot of topics during this analysis, so I want to close it with a more wholesome thought. The kind of bond that Kay and Duke share makes so much more sense to me now, let me explain. Kay is different from the rest because he geniunely needs and enjoys adrenaline and training, that's what his engine demands. Duke needs some distance and a quiet space for him to feel alright, that's just how his powers work.

They understand very well what is like to be pretty different from the average robot-trains, and take time to support eachother as there's no one else than can understand them so well in this specifc aspect of their lifes.

Before the accident, Kay probably tried to do most of the social stuff for Duke (while also giving him), while Duke helped Kay with the most boring and repetitive tasks so Kay didn't get too frustrated.

I like to imagine them having a conversation like this: Kay: "What did I say Duke?"

Duke: "We are not like the average robot-trains..."

Kay: "And?"

Duke: "And... that's okay."

Kay: "AND THAT'S FRICKING AWESOME!"

Duke: "Y-YEAH, yeah?"

Kay: "YES!"

#robot trains #robot trains kay #robot trains duke #robot trains theories #robot trains season 1 #I didn't expect for this to be so long.#Yes #I am aware I'm overnalizing everything #but that's just how my hiperfixations are.

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arospecsyourblockdudes · 2 years

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Sheriff Jimmy Solidarity is not a toy.

He doesn’t know where people got that idea from. It’s insulting, really, to be compared to something as simple as a child’s plaything. Something small carved from wood or sewn together from scrap fabric or something even just a rock or some sticks stuck together. Jimmy is a more complex being than that.

Well, he’s lying somewhat. He knows where people got the idea. Easy mistake to make, automaton, toy. He gets it! The Sheriff is not an unreasonable man.

He doesn’t get it

It was all fine and well until that stupid, tiny, ugly, scrawny god showed up and decided to start poking a bit of fun. Oh, here’s a man who runs on gears, isn’t it funny, let’s call him a toy and get everyone else in on it. Haha, they have a laugh, they’re meant to move on.

Jimmy knows that people tend to move on from stupid jokes like that. But he can see it, every time someone comes and tells him no, he isn’t a toy, not at all. He can see that little spark of glee in their eyes, not even bothering to hide it.

That’s the thing of it, isn’t it! Jimmy knows a lot about people! He had to, being made to be the Sheriff after all. He’s able to recognize facial expressions, tone of voice, and body language, even small shifts, and identify the proper corresponding emotion. The whole range of them! He’s able to hold proper conversations with anyone on any subject and he can retain that information. Some things get lost, but if he can put the data somewhere external it’s not really much of an issue, is it? His memory capabilities are better than most people’s! How’s that for a toy, huh?

You’d never even guess, not unless you were familiar with robotics. Or, well, his gears make noises and so does his cooling system and coal engine, and sometimes his clock goes off which is embarrassing, but really. Just visually. Jimmy wasn’t conscious when he was being built, but he knows the process was extensive. A lot of thought and care went into the protector of Tumble Town, yessiree.

Jimmy knows he shouldn’t let it get under his skin, so to speak. The toy comments. The little giggles. It’s all just harmless jokes, and Joel the worst and smallest god is just that. Some stupid god, too big for his britches. He knows this, but still.

Emotions are way too complex and mismanaged (and yes, he has feelings, there was a decent amount of magic involved in creating him, let’s see a toy have half of that). Sometimes he blocks off that bit of his programming, just for a bloody rest of it. How people live with these things all the time, he doesn’t know.

Jimmy supposes it’s a point of pride. Being so carefully and lovingly crafted for a specific purpose, only to be compared to a child’s plaything. It might be hurtful if it weren’t so damn infuriating. As if that stupid god has a quarter of the programming knowledge Jimmy has.

If he did, he’d still be the same. Gods don’t change.

Oh, he wishes he could give back as good as he got to that little god. After all, Joel is no better than a child what with the tantrums he throws. What if Jimmy went around treating Joel like he were a small child? Really get to him. Maybe put up a few witty comics on the Stratos walls. Jimmy has a few ideas shored up for them.

Unfortunately, Jimmy is bound to the letter of the law and “eye for an eye” and “petty revenge” is not the way of it. Probably for the best, or else everything would just be pure chaos. Exactly the opposite of what Jimmy was made to enforce.

So he can do the next best things. Firstly, he can dish out appropriate consequences to that god. Jailing him, however temporarily it was. Suing him over nonconsensual use and profit of his image and name. Even if nothing comes of it, it’ll show the god that he isn’t lying down and taking it, no sir. And Joel can laugh and evade the consequences all he likes, it just proves Jimmy right in the end. That he is a pathetic, ill-tempered egomaniac. Either way, the Sheriff wins.

Secondly, he can refuse to show any respect to the god. Why should he? He isn’t getting respected back. So, sure, the others can boost his ego and give him little prayers all they want, Jimmy won’t stand for it. Joel may be a god but he’s the worst one.

In the end, Jimmy knows he’ll come out on top, no matter what anyone else thinks. With their giggles and jokes and little statues meant to insult him. Jimmy doesn’t need them.

He knows who and what he is. He is the protector, architect, and current acting mayor of Tumble Town. He is The Sheriff. And Joel can crow on and on about how gods are above the law, and maybe he’s right but Jimmy has the last laugh.

He’s well aware of what he is, and he is not naturally made, with engineering and programming and magic all. And he, by that, is exempt from any god’s rule.

#empires smp #a little sheriff character study for u #YEAAAAHH he’s got a bit of an ego in my mind it’s fine #he’s a cowboy so it excuses it #anyway I like the idea that he’s a robot and Joel teases him and he gets SO pissed off #he’s like I AM MORE THAN A TOY U FOOL #plus I think like Joel going I’m above the law and Jimmy responding with yeah and I’m above the gods next #would be kinda hot and epic of him #robot fully aware he’s a robot and taking advantage of the fact that he is outside God’s domain is a cool character type I think #should do that more instead of them freaking out abt not being human enough or whatever #as if humans r the ultimate life form #the sheriff cannot be judged by any god do u think he cares to be a person #i love the concept that he was a guy who got turned into a toy but I also like this #fully mechanical automaton sheriff who is aware of it and highly proud of how he was crafted

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