DAY 19 MONTH JELLY

[sciencegirl]

Video

[Entrapta plants herself in front of the screen, holding eight tools at once in various locks of hair with her protective bug-mask pushed up on her head. She's got gloves now and her orange hoodie is accompanied by a purple shirt (she traded for one early on). Because she's the height of fashion, obviously.]

Hiiii! I know there are some very competent builders and makers out there. I'm still finalizing my chores robot-

[Two little robot clampers reach into the bottom of the screen. They make little 'grabby' motions, then withdraw.]

-Everyone, say hi to Sandra! Sandra, beep hi to everyone.

[Sandra beeps. That probably means 'hello'.]

I collected some data from the last stop we were at, thanks to both on-site observations and salvaged scrap, and I've started to get a better handle on hard-light technology! Think of all the applications! We could make temporary protective shields when you don't have someone with those abilities around. Or even drones that can carry a holographic generator into a place where you wouldn't normally be able to access, and you could work on something through a VR headset. Or you could generate an illusion to hide a location while you rest and plan! And that's just a few examples. The potential for mobile field generators is endless.

But I need some help working out some of the missing information. Some of you even have your own version of that technology or have ways to adapt it to be compatible with magic.

[The links two tools together, because that's the way to symbolize compatibility here one would guess.]

I also wanted to ask some of the fighters what they'd want out of practice, if I were, say, to build something with very specific specs. I was talking to someone about that sort of thing and she's not wrong about training resources.

Comments

[Video]

[unfavorableinstigation]

[Nita gives a wave of greeting to Sandra in return - but for the most part, after turning on the feed she just listens, nodding intermittently with a curious frown on her face.]

That... I could see all of that being useful, yeah.

You want me to come over and share the specs of my shields? Or I could help test it, even.

[Video]

[sciencegirl]

That would be great!

I know that magical shielding has a level of resilience to it that I'd want to match. In my experience, magic users can become exhausted. So having technological back-up while they recuperated seems like a useful back-up plan.

Re: [Video]

[unfavorableinstigation]

[Nita nods.]

That's certainly true. You'd also want - a degree of flexibility, I suppose? So whoever's running the shield can choose how much to block. Atmosphere, water, light... different intensities for different situations.

[redarrowqueen]

Need an archer for weapons testing?

[sciencegirl]

Sure.

What sorts of arrows do you use? The archer back home was a pretty good inventor, a lot of his arrows had uniquely adapted to fit certain situations.

[redarrowqueen]

hang on a second. [Thea gets a few arrows (her own and some grabbed during missions) and holds them up.]

I'm going to get trick arrows before too much longer too.

[marvelous_murderbot]

[She is, of course, fascinated by the idea of robotic life forms from outside her universe - and how advanced they might be by comparison or not. But she's also trying to be helpful, and so.]

Well, where I'm from, they don't have hard-light holographics - but we do have personal energy shields. They'll protect you from energy weapons, which are incredibly common.

It's said that some of the older dueling cultures like the Echani or Mandalorians created shields for protection from physical blows in melees, and there were other specialized ones. The trick is having the right shield for the task, I suppose.

[sciencegirl]

I've developed some energy shielding before but I needed resources predisposed to run it. I've never tried to building it from scratch or using a whole different technology for it!

I want to hear all about these melee shields. And your version of energy shields! How much do you know about them?

[Even if it sounds like the melee shields are only by secondhand account, maybe the weapons deflectors have more observation.]

[marvelous_murderbot]

[Oh, good, she can be helpful. She brightens considerable.]

Oh, quite a bit. I used the energy shields frequently myself, and had to field-repair a number of them. You see, most of the weapons in my universe are energy-based.

[She brings one of her blaster pistols into view, by way of proof.]

These are powered by a sort of gas - though I can find substitutes, I believe. In any event they represent perhaps 95% of the weapons I've encountered. The melee shields were specialized to deflecting bladed weapons and other physical impacts - but that sort of combat is exceptionally rare, and the shields correspondingly so. I believe I only used one on...two separate occasions. But the principles are the same.

video;

[flatteries]

[ Entrapta, you truly are something else.

This is something Inigo already figured out earlier, but he can't help but look baffled at both the sight of the little robot and just.. everything the other is saying. This is way above Inigo's single braincell's capacity of thought, but he's impressed all the same. ]

You.. truly can do a lot. [ Give him a moment, his brain is still processing all this. It's buffering. ] Not only did you make that chores robot, but you could really make all of those other things too?

[sciencegirl]

Oh yeah! I can make those. [She tosses her wrench up and catches it with the hair that's been holding it.] I've made things like them before. But here I have access to some of the best minds I've ever encountered! I could do even more with their help, and maybe even faster!

[The train should have asked before taking them, but she can't deny being pleased to have met all these people.]

I do have the parts set aside for that mini-ballista by the way!

[flatteries]

.. Wait, you do?

[ Inigo was already surprised a moment ago, but maybe even moreso at this. It sounded like she had been so busy, he really didn't think she'd remember!

But it's a good kind of surprise. The kind that makes him smile a moment later, even with a tiny hint of something pink on his cheeks. ]

You remembered? I can't believe you had the time to gather those parts between everything else! That's so sweet of you!

[Video]

[makeadragonwannaretire]

[Azula is still figuring out this new technology so she takes entirely too long to adjust her camera.]

So, you are offering to build us things to train with?

[Video]

[sciencegirl]

Yes! Well, just a prototype at first. But absolutely! Some of the people here are so incredibly powerful, I can't wait to see them in action or see them get stronger! I'm going to have to build to match.

[Video]

[makeadragonwannaretire]

Well I do like your enthusiasm.

And can your creations withstand damage from intense amounts of heat?

Or even lightning?

[bakegarasu]

It needs to be a lot more durable than what the training dummies are made out of now. I know my blade's unusually sharp but it's too easy to damage them to the point they're unusable.

[sciencegirl]

You really do! I've made robots with the capacity to self-repair before, so I feel like it'd be necessary in this case. I want it to be able to engage with someone for as long as they need it.

And don't worry! I'll use failsafes. I've already got some great ones in mind.

[bakegarasu]

That's good. I... don't really know much about science or robots or whatever. I don't really know what you could make them do.

[subcircuits]

[As soon as he hears Entrapta on the ICP Devero drops whatever he's doing, wherever he is, and rushes over to the screen. And just in time to see little clampers come into view. Awww.] You have to let me meet Sandra when she's done. Please.

[Okay, onto business.] We don't have anything like that hardlight tech where I come from, but drones? I can help you with drones. Being able to project a useable body somewhere that we can't get to physically would be fantastic.

[Not that all of her suggested applications aren't, but that one in particular is right up his alley given the nature of tech where he comes from.]

[sciencegirl]

You can meet her any time you like! She's in beta testing phase. She still needs some help and I still would like some input.

[Sandra throws a sports bra across the background of the video. Sandra is imperfect with her laundry handling.]

I know, right! Let's do it. What are the drones you usually make like?

[subcircuits]

[Devero covers his mouth and chuckles when he sees the undergarment go sailing past behind Entrapta.] Looks like you've still got some calibrating to do, huh? I'll make sure to stop by.

Well, I don't make them, they're just everywhere on my world. And I've modded my share of companion drones, I mean, who hasn't? But we use them in serious applications too, of course-- filmmakers mount their cameras on drones, the Reclamation Corps will scout out ruins from Before with remote-piloted rigs, all the biodiversity people use them to work with wildlife in the field...

[Yeah, he's ticking things off on his fingers as he lists them.]

Hell, even Babysitter has a remote piloting function, it just has an absurdly limited range.

Video

[thawed_pride]

Tactile illusions are the specialty of a close associate of mine, back home. I'm not nearly as skilled with illusion magic as he is, but I am quite experienced with combining magic and technology.

[sciencegirl]

That's great, though! Those observations might be able to fill in some gaps. I theorize that everyone has access to the physics and magic of every source universe that the Void draws from. We might not be able to master powers related to other universes, but technology we mutually develop can make subtle use of its properties!

video;

[paopuofyourlife]

Looks like you are hard at work.

[She will also give a small wave for Sandra, because why not really.]

[sciencegirl]

Yeah! Everyone here is so great. They have amazing experiences and powers and technology. It'd be a waste to not take advantage of it.