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Oni2 talk:Slaves of War/Polylectiloquy

2008-07-29T21:08:36Z

Imago:

The Imago wonders where exactly the game is being planned. The Imago wishes to be part of the story team. So requests the Imago. [[User:Imago|Imago]] 23:08, 29 July 2008 (CEST)

Oni2 talk:Slaves of War/Polylectiloquy

2008-07-29T21:08:21Z

Imago: New page: The Imago wonders where exactly the game is being planned. The Imago wishes to be part of the story team. So requests the Imago.

The Imago wonders where exactly the game is being planned. The Imago wishes to be part of the story team. So requests the Imago.

Oni2:Slaves of War/Polylectiloquy

2008-07-29T21:07:10Z

Imago:

<center><big>'''A proposal for an Oni 2'''</big></center>

Not so much of a story as a setting, at this point at least.

Framed as a Q&A with multiple possible answers to some Qs, when I can't make up my mind or want to see how a certain idea sounds when I write it out.

('''bold''' indicates an answer has been decided upon)

'''''How far after Oni should Oni 2 be?''''' 
: A. Starting right after Oni (days or months later) would be interesting. There would be a lot more energy at this time period than any other point we could place the sequel at.
: '''B. Long enough that the "new world" is shaping up (a few to several years), so we get an answer to Konoko's question at the end of Oni as to how society will turn out, or what the intermediate stage will be, anyway.'''
: C. So far after Oni that Konoko is gone and a new generation of characters can be introduced. It would be hard to pull people into a sequel without one familiar face (not that we couldn't work out something with clones or what-have-you), but this would free us from worrying about Konoko being too powerful for a sequel.

'''''What happened to the WCG?''''' 
: It falls apart when member nations fight each other to annex land with working ACCs.

'''''What happened to the TCTF?''''' 
: Also fragmented. The regional branches are now working for their own nations like National Guard forces.

'''''If Griffin's still kicking when Oni 2 takes place, what's he up to?''''' 
: A. He could be the head of his country's police (what country is that, now?)
: '''B. He might have disliked the new national thing and is heading his own "rogue" organization. What would it do?'''
:: 1. Work on getting Chrysalises to people.
:: '''2. Work on keeping Chrysalises from people. Those things are dangerous! If Mai is promoting the use of Chrysalises, this would make them enemies again.'''
::: I favor the notion of B2, which keeps Griffin as the enemy, but this time an enemy with a solid motivation, not just being a jerk (Oni 1's Griffin) or just a maniac (Oni 1's Muro). He knows that humanity can benefit from the Chrysalis in the short run but also feels strongly that giving everyone the Chrysalis will be opening Pandora's Box as the things develop inside people, so he fights to keep them out of the public's hands. This also places him in the anti-authoritarian* position, as a rogue or guerilla, which is quite interesting to imagine.

:::*When I say anti-authoritarian, that's only if the governments are giving Chrysalises to people. If the gov'ts decide that it's too dangerous to go the Daodan route, then Griffin won't have to fight the gov't, only the black market Chrysalis peddlers. That simply makes him anti-Syndicate, as he has always been. Then again, even though the gov'ts would probably refuse to give them to ordinary citizens because of the risks of having a revolt by an Imago-stage populace, they might give Chrysalises to key officials to guarantee their health if the situation is dire enough that using ACCs and breathing masks won't suffice to keep someone healthy. In that case, we're indeed back to a situation where Griffin has to fight to keep the Chrysalises out of the hands of politicians.

'''''What happened to the Syndicate?''''' 
: A. Broken into pieces by infighting and panic over Cataclysm; supplying arms to groups fighting to take over neigboring countries with working ACCs.
: '''B. Broken into pieces. One piece (Muro's surviving cronies) has the data on Daodans and is trying to sell it to nations or corporations. This might even give them the edge they need to become the main branch of the [[Oni2:Neo-Syndicate]]. They might have control over a whole nation or two. Heh. Syndicastan.'''

'''''How many ACCs were there, and how many broken?''''' 
: There's absolutely no facts to go on (is that true? I thought I saw a number in some manual or something), so we have to arbitrate. Let's say that a Europe-sized nation has 3-5 on average. They don't cover the whole country, so only parts are inhabited. So if half of a country's ACCs goes offline, and the neighbor country has some working ACCs, and they were never that friendly with their neighbors, they will probably try to win over that territory. Thus starts World War III, but in an every-man-for-himself way, not Allies vs. Axis or something similar.

'''''How bad is the pollution?''''' 
: Well, the tragedy of Jamie Kerr tells us that if those plants start spreading (probably they will, once the bad air spreads to encompass the areas that were protected by now-defunct ACCs), it's guaranteed death to live there. Some may try to burn back the growth a la [[Nausicaa]], and eke out an existence. Many others will flee the areas that are no longer protected by ACCs. They would of course migrate to areas with working ACCs, and there would be a crush of immigrants; lots of fighting and ugliness.

'''''How did the public get their Chrysalises? How did society change?''''' 
: It seems unlikely, as noted above under "What is Griffin doing?", that the governments would be okay with the general public having alien (as in, strange, not necessarily extraterrestrial) lifeforms in them, especially since the best-known Daodan host would be the anarchist Muro. So, if anything, only higher-ups and the rich will obtain Chrysalises, either legally or illegally.

: Besides the occasional purchase of a Chrysalis on the black market, the main solution for the [[BioCrisis]] will be the building of new ACCs. And that process is not going to be quick, that's for darn sure. Inevitably large areas where nations are poorer will get neglected. Most of Africa would die for sure; they may have originally received support from the U.S. and Europe to build the first bunch of ACCs, but when each nation has to look out for itself, Africa will be on its own (this is assuming that Africa's governments don't stabilize and gain wealth in the next couple decades). The overpopulated nations like India and China would suffer the greatest losses in population, but then again, they're probably going to be seriously industrialized well before then, and will have plenty of labor to build new ACCs with. Smaller and less-developed nations will definitely take it on the chin, assuming they didn't already when the original crisis started.
:: So if Africa is left out to dry by the wealthy countries, then black people would be rare in Oni 2? Interesting thought. It would make a black character all the more unusual.

'''''Where do the Chrysalises come from?''''' 
This is the elephant in the room, isn't it? Oni never tells us. But one option seems so likely that it blots out all others in my mind:
: The Wilderness. Normally the Daodan lifeform is nonsentient and lethal, like the plant that killed Jamie, but when grown with human DNA in them, they become accustomed to it and can eventually be safely implanted in a human.
:: But what do they look like, and what do they do out there? They could just be some flower or something, but it would be more interesting if they were more significant to the altered Wilderness, like the tree in [[Nausicaa]] (not to beat a parallel into the ground).
::When I say "like the plant that killed Jamie", I'm not necessarily saying that very plant was the Daodan, but if it was, it sure would explain how Hasegawa discovered the Chrysalis. He was a logical man. Even in his grief, he might have thought to take a sample of the plant with him back to a lab, where he could analyze it and find an antidote so no one would ever die again. He would have found that the plant resisted all hostile pathogens, developing immunity almost instantly. This would have started his Daodan Project.

'''''Can Chrysalises make a new human on their own without being implanted?''''' 
: Kerr says that the Daodan organism is a "hyper-evolved clone". Clones are independent -- not part of another lifeform, but a separate copy of it. Also, we're told that the Daodan gets implanted with a donor's DNA, and the implanting of the Daodan into a human was another step that was not originally intended to be taken, but was, at Griffin's order. This indicates that a Daodan clone is very possible. Additionally, it's odd that Kerr and Hasegawa knew this could be done, but would never have actually done it. Was there a Daodan clone out there, made by Mai's dad and/or Kerr?
:: See "Who was Mukade?" below for speculation on this.

'''''What ever happened to Dr. Hasegawa?''''' 
: It's lame to say he died somewhere along the way when Oni doesn't say he's dead, but then where is he, and why does everyone act like he's gone in Oni?
: Perhaps after seeing his technology abused by the Syndicate, he retired from the public, even hid. Now an old man, he lives with a little blonde-haired girl who looks strangely familiar…. (I would love this angle, but I hope no one accuses me of ripping off [[Gendo Ikari]].) But the question remains, Who side is he on?

'''''Did Muro actually die?''''' 
: If not, then he almost automatically would be the villain in Oni 2. He seems past redeeming. At the least, if there's a new big bad dude in town, he will join up with this new guy, all the while planning to overthrow him. But if he doesn't succeed in overthrowing the boss by the end of the game, it makes him seem weak compared to his old self.
:: If that's the case, we may want him out of the way so we can tread new ground. There seems to be little depth that could be built into his character without retconning and making him out to be somehow well-meaning, which seems lame.

'''''Did Barabas or Mukade die? Either could simply have been KOed. We're not told.''''' 
: '''A. "Yes" to Barabas, "No" to Mukade could explain the major [[Daodan]] spike after beating Barabas but none after beating Mukade. (Assuming killing leads to a Daodan spike, which Mukade himself indicated it did. This hypothesis would also mean that Muro is definitely dead.)'''
: B. "Yes" to both, and the difference in reaction was that Barabas was semi-Imago and Mukade was not.
:: But Mukade would have to be semi-Imago to have those powers. So this is not an option.
: C. "No" to Barabas and "Yes" to Mukade isn't desirable simply because Mukade is so much more interesting than Barabas that it is unfair to give us more Barabas and no Mukade in a sequel.
: D. "No" to both. The difference in reaction could also be that Barabas was a Daodan host and Mukade was an experiment of Navarre's (but then why does Mukade indicate he and Mai are the same and they both are being replaced by something inside them?). I just don't know what to do with Barabas, but I would love to see Mukade out of armor, as a new man. Whoever he is….
: E. "Don't know" to both. The difference may have nothing to do with who dies and who doesn't. After all, does the (presumably non-sentient) Daodan organism inside Mai know when someone is killed? Perhaps it would, if there was a release of some energy when another Daodan host died, but let's assume that it doesn't know, and see where that leads us. If it doesn't know, then the occurrence of a major spike has more to do with Mai's mental/physical state at the time. It could be pointed out that all three of the "triggers" for the major spikes are the defeat of someone who has something to do with Shinatama. Barabas has just kidnapped her when Mai defeats him, the room of baddies at the end of Chapter 7 are guarding Shinatama/keeping her from Mai, and Muro was the one who tortured Shinatama personally.
:: I made some interesting points with E above, but I still favor A, because it sets me up for the kind of Oni 2 that I want to write, one where Muro and Barabas are gone and Mukade still lives, and the explanation is a simple one (using E's back-pedaling disclaimer that the Daodan, even if non-sentient, could still detect and react to the death of a host by sensing a release of energy, or a cessation of life of another Daodan organism nearby, therefore, no reaction to Mukade's defeat means he still lives).

'''''Who really was/is Mukade?''''' 
: A. Straight, boring answer is that he was a ninja, experimentally modified by a Chrysalis. This isn't necessarily a bad answer, as if we want him to live, he can still be alive in Oni 2 and we can build on his character. It's only really boring if he died in Oni.
: B. More interesting answer is that he's related to Mai somehow. Since we don't know what happened to her dad, he could be Daddy.
:: 1. But that seems kind of clichéd, and since when did he turn from professor to master ninja?
:: 2. What if he is a genetic clone of dear old dad, but one gone horribly wrong? The clone was made to serve as a body for a Chrysalis, but was unstable. This would explain Mukade's fatalistic ready-to-die-when-the-Chrysalis-takes-over attitude in Oni.
:: 3. He could be a Daodan clone, a product of Hasegawa! Being raised as part of the Syndicate would have twisted him.
:: 4. He might be Bertram Navarre. One can still ask how a scientist becomes a ninja, but we don't know Navarre at all, so if we want to write him as an athletic guy, or say that he built a suit to help him fight, we can. This would also explain why he doesn't give Konoko a Daodan surge when he is defeated, if he was Navarre or a product of Navarre's own non-Daodan experiments. But he indicates to Konoko in their encounter that they are both Daodan hosts, so this is probably a no-go.
: C. He could be an artificial being. Hasn't anybody noticed? Of course, this raises whether he's an SLD and who built him...
:: 1. He's a robot built by the Syndicate. Easy answer, but doesn't explain his cryptic talk.
:: 2. He's a robot built by the TCTF as either a plant in the Syndicate or a precaution against Konoko. How he managed to hire Ninjas is a mystery, although he could have simply evaded them as enemies.
:: 3. He's an SLD based off Muro's mind and modified for combat. Again, simple, straightforward, and would explain a whole lot.
:: 4. He's an SLD based off Hasegawa's mind. This provides a logical explanation for his actions, although attacking his daughter would seem a bit off-base.
:: 5. He's an SLD based off Konoko's mind. Who has access to those engrams? Griffin. And he would want a quick-acting, fast termination in case Mai ever went rogue. Shinatama as a defense module would only go so far, after all, so he made and constantly updated a fighter SLD behind the backs of everyone. Of course, this again brings up the whole "How'd he get past the ninjas?" but it could be assumed that if the ninjas were artificial, as some speculate, he could have just hacked into their minds and made himself invisible to them.

'''''If still alive, what is Mukade doing?''''' 
: A. He might still be evil, but it seems like he would have self-destructed by now. That kind of personality couldn't last for years without mellowing. If still evil, he probably is running a branch of the disjointed Syndicate.
: '''B. He might have totally turned around after being broken at Konoko's hands. He doesn't even hold a grudge against her. He has resigned himself to serving the people by alternating Daodan harvesting and experimenting with [[Oni2:Neo-Agriculture]]. He is likely to want to avoid fighting so it doesn't bring back his 'bad tendencies'.'''

'''''What would Mai be doing as the Cataclysm happened?''''' 
: She and Griffin are the only ones we know of with the knowledge to work with Chrysalises. Well, the Syndicate might have Muro's data. Anyway, if we assume her views remain the same from the ending of Oni, Mai would be helping people get them, but not in a Florence Nightingale way; she's no doting nurse. She'd be wherever there's a fight over collecting Daodans from the Wilderness or quelling international issues one hotspot at a time.
:: She might also have issues about her choices at the end of Oni.
:: She definitely won't go by the name "Konoko" anymore, I think everyone can agree on that.

'''''Does Mai end up going Imago, at least by the time of Oni 2?''''' 
: A. Option 1 is that for some reason she doesn't, but the only way I can think of that it wouldn't happen is if she stopped fighting, and that seems unlikely.
: B. Option 2 is that she does, but she can un-transform too, so normally she resembles the Mai we knew. This is definitely the option that is most in line with animé tradition.
: C. Option 3 is that she is permanently transformed. So how does this affect her? It depends on what she looks like, right?
:: 1. Either she's hideous and she hides her visage like Mukade…
:: 2. Or she's not that different-looking, and goes around like normal. If she transforms like my sketch indicates (need to upload), then she could mask that transformation with sunglasses and a facial mask, like synthetic skin, that makes it look normal-colored.
:::: This option, C2, sets us up for a traditional animé-style revelation. At first we're told that she never transformed, for some unknown reason. Then, somewhere (probably early) in the game, Mai meets an adversary who's too strong for her -- or so it seems. Maybe he smashes her in the face, hard, and she hits a wall, and slumps to the ground. Her sunglasses fall off, and clatter on the ground. Meanwhile, your health is getting critical. Then she slowly stands up, face lowered, and says, "That hurt." She reaches up to her face, which seems to have torn skin hanging from it, and pulls it all off, then looks up, and we see her true, transformed face, with its real skin and her altered eyes. Suddenly she starts to glow with a Daodan overpower aura, and her health is fully restored, and now the bad guy is no match for her. She then can use this form (perhaps sparingly) throughout the rest of the game, now that it's revealed that she transformed a while ago and normally holds back in a fight, to keep her secret.

'''''Isn't a fully-developed Mai going to be too powerful to make the game challenging?''''' 
: A. Play [[wikipedia:Zone_of_the_Enders:_The_2nd_Runner|ZOE 2]] before you ask that question. You're massively more powerful at the end than you were at the start of [[wikipedia:Zone_of_the_Enders|ZOE]], wasting dozens of enemies with each attack. But the game's still challenging. The key is just having tons of enemies or one very strong enemy.
: B. She might not always be transformed or able to transform.
: C. There's the amnesia option proposed elsewhere, but amnesia wouldn't remove her strength, only her skill. Still, having to re-learn fighting would make the game more challenging. But I am not a fan of a contrived "restart" that wants to drag a character back to where they were.

'''''What would Oni 2 be about?'''''
: A. Well, it could be about more than one thing. I would like to see Mai trying to find her father. It should be for more than sentimental reasons, because those would seem trivial when the world is on fire. Perhaps she needs data only he has.
::Certainly if she's looking for him, she has to find him. It would be a total tease not to reveal what he's been up to all this time. Maybe finding him is just the start of Act Two, as his work (assuming he's still doing any) sets a new plot in motion.
: B. It could also be about a new development in the Wilderness….
: C. Perhaps Man is trying to burn away the mutated Wilderness to re-establish a normal ecosphere and Mai feels this is not the right path.
: D. Maybe the Neo-Syndicate is selling Chrysalises, and Mai and company are trying to prevent it.
: E. Maybe someone has released a virus that can kill the Chrysalis. Particularly if the Chrysalises being sold are based on one set of genes to speed up production, this puts the entire implanted population at risk of death, or at least the removal of their protection from the Bio-Crisis.
::Maybe, instead of killing the Chrysalis, it makes those implantees ''change'' somehow….

Shinatama

2008-07-29T18:53:08Z

Imago: /* Resurrection and second death */

[[Image:Shinatama Render.jpg|right|200px]]
[[Category:Added value]]

==Shinatama==
An [[SLD]] specifically designed to interface with [[Konoko]], the pink-haired Shinatama is one of the most tragic characters of the game.
===Advisor to the Heroine===
[[Image:30569-SHINlistening.TXMP.jpg|right|100px]]
Initially, Shinatama acted as the informant to Konoko via their neural link. At this time, her personality was similar to a bright and happy child, and she considered herself a sister to the up-and-comnig [[TCTF]] agent. She was also assigned the task of monitoring Konoko's [[Daodan Chrysalis]]. It was later discovered that she falsified these reports in order to protect Konoko.

Shinatama also alluded to the chrysalis indirectly by informing Konoko that [[hyposprays]] might affect her differently then other people. This, along with her warning the young agent about [[Comguys]] and the [[Deadly Brain]] clearly indicated their relationship was more then military professionalism. Her youthful personality was also demonstrated by her panicking when the Deadly Brain flooded the network with self-portraits.
===The [[Syndicate]] Assualt===
{|align=right
|http://geyser.oni2.net/oni1/shinatama/DarkShinatama.png
|}
Soon after the incident with the Deadly Brain, [[Barabas]] and a team of [[Strikers]] and [[Bombers]] raided [[Vago Biotech]] for "gene surgery equipment." Shinatama continued her role as advisor to Konoko, but of more particular interest was the fact that the SLD process was completely explained in the [[Data Consoles]]. Barabas and his crew escaped with the equipment, Konoko hot on their trail.

Shinatama tracked her to the airport, and reported, horrified, that [[Muro]] and his troops were killing off civilians at an alarming rate. Konoko managed to follow Muro and plant a homeing device on his escape plane. Muro, however, was informed that she was neural-linked to an SLD, prompting him to conduct an immediate assualt on the TCTF headquarters...
===Kidnapped, Tortured, and Blown Up===
[[Image:Chapter 6 .MISSION COMPLETE.png|right|200px]]
A massive group of Strikers, Bombers, and [[Furies]] led by Barabas assaulted the TCTF headquarters with astonishing speed and precision. Not only did they turn off the main defenses, they also blew a few critical rampways to the ground. Barabas himself managed to reach Shinatama, ripping her out of her alcove in the main computer. Konoko rushed to save her, but only just saw her getting handed off to Muro.

The SLD was taken to a nearby [[ACC]] by Muro, who plugged her into the generator, running thousands of volts through her body. He amusedly commented that her pain threshold was nonexistent. Having obtained the information from her, Muro left her in a highly damaged state. Konoko, who had come to rescue what she considered her only friend, was unable to move her without furthering the damage.

Shinatama attempted to inform her about the Chrysalis and it's impact, but only managed to pass on Konoko's real name, Mai Hasegawa, and the fact that there was something inside of her, before she received a self-destruct signal from [[Griffin]]. She attempted to slow it down, allowing Konoko a chance to escape, but the explosion was unavoidable. She was presumed dead. But Griffin had other plans.

===Resurrection and Second Death===
[[Image:Zhinatama.png|right|200px]]
Griffin had known from the beginning there was a high possibility the Konoko would spiral out of control, and had planned accordingly. He had designed the [[Omega Bunker]] complete with a Deadly Brain frame, and retrieved the shambled remains of Shinatama from the explosion site. He wired her up into the frame, giving her access to all the defenses and using her familiarity with Konoko as a critical part in his defense program.

When Konoko confronted Griffin, he retreated into the bunker, forcing her not only to combat TCTF agents, but her friend as well. Shinatama, aware that she was helping to kill the person she viewed as a sister, begged for death all the while. Eventually, Konoko managed to shut down all the defense mechanisms, and Shinatama broke free of the frame, walking toward Griffin with all the speed her skeletal body could muster.

Griffin shot her.

==Added value==
It is interesting to note that the only being [[Konoko]] ever cared for, plotwise (with the near-exception of Kerr), is : a) not really human, technically; b) basically a part of Mai herself.
===Simulated [[life]]===
An SLD's body is made of synthetic tissue about as complex as that which makes up the human body. The brain's complexity, in particular, is remarkable. For all we see, robots (electronic brains) only serve as work force in Oni, while tactical thought and fast reflexes are left to human-like brains (humans, cyborgs, Deadly Brains, and SLDs).

It's important to note that an SLD's brain and body are biological (as opposed to robots, SLDs are ''grown'', not ''built''), and that their brain is not physically "donated" by a human (as is the case for a Deadly Brain or a cyborg).

SLDs ''are'' standalone biological lifeforms. Modeled after Man, but with no human parts. Engineered to a large extent, but still wholesome individuals rather than results of a series of patches and upgrades.

===Human-primed===
The biomass of an [[SLD]]'s brain is able to imitate the neural structure of a human brain, but the nurturing process is sped up dramatically, and goes as follows :
*There's the senseloop, somewhat akin to popular concepts of computer-assisted learning. High input of data, which help the SLD to compensate for the lack of ''memories''.
*And there's the priming, which at the time of Oni requires an SLD to be patterned after an existing human brain (that's true for [[Shinatama]] ''and'' [[Tanker|Tankers]]).
Fact is : Shinatama was primed with such a human "seed". And she was patterned after no one else but [[Konoko|Mai]]. They don't share memories (not like Mai has a lot anyway), but Shinatama's emotional pattern, at the core, is not synthetic. It's human, and it's Mai's.
===Backup of Mai's innocence===
In a way, while the human Mai got corrupted by her upbringing at the [[TCTF]] (as a "violent cop") and the implantation of the [[Daodan|Daodan Chrysalis]] (which further catalyzed [[violence]]), Shinatama retained her [[innocence]] integrally through it all. Interesting point is : that innocence, too, was no one else's but Mai's.

Thus Shinatama can be seen as a ''backup'' of Mai's "true nature", before her personality got alienated by her adolescence, early adulthood, life at the [[TCTF]], and [[Daodan]] symbiosis. Her death would mean the complete destruction of that backup.
===Violent nurturing===
Not only is Shinatama an extract of Mai's ''nature'', she was also directly affected by Mai's ''nurturing'', except for the most physical part of it (field action) and of course the [[Daodan]] symbiosis. "I've seen everything you've seen, felt everything you've felt".

If you think of Shinatama as a backup of Mai, then Shinatama's point of view is a bit disturbing : it's as if the ''innocent Mai'' was following the evolution of an increasingly messed-up ''projection of herself'', live, non-stop, in subjective view and in such detail that she's virtually ''right there'' in the middle of the action, where people are killed and things are blown up.

Thus, another characteristic trait of Shinatama's innocence is that she's in a non-stop senseloop made of the violence actually encountered and generated by Mai : the [[human]] she was patterned after.

Shinatama never killed anyone, and still her existence is filled with that half-virtual violence. Violence ''unto'' Mai is violence unto Shinatama. Violence ''by'' Mai... for Shinatama, is like seeing through the eyes of a maniac/murderer, seeing her own hands kill people, not being able to look away, not being able to do ''anything but watch''.

In that, Shinatama is very different from other legal SLDs (who coordinate firemen and such). Not only does she oversee the operations of violent cops, she ''sees through the eyes'' of one such violent cop, who additionally happens to be a projection of ''herself''. A projection in space, but also in time.

===Not growing up===
We don't know ''at what point'' Shinatama was brought into existence. It would seem that she and [[Konoko]] have known each other for a while, possibly since the very moment Mai was "adopted" by the [[TCTF]].

Shinatama's body doesn't age, and her emotional patterns had no reason to evolve much, either (save for the violent nurturing above). If she was patterned after Mai when Mai was, say, seven... then that explains her "annoying" childish ways.

It also brings about an interesting consideration... At the start of [[Griffin]]'s [[Daodan]] project, Mai and Shinatama are like ''twin sisters'' (more like clone sisters, actually). It doesn't take long, however, until Mai ''outgrows'' Shinatama and becomes a "big sister" for her. Eventually, we end up with a Mai about three times the age of the one who used to be her biotech twin.

That's an original way to look at their "family" relationship, and how it evolved over time. How did Mai feel about "leaving Shinatama behind"? How did Shinatama feel about Konoko "drifting away" from her?
===More than [[family]]===
There's a complicated emotional bond between Mai and Shinatama, that goes beyond partnership or even the usual concept of family. No wonder Shinatama "fixated" on it.

The way Mai and Shinatama share nature and nurturing, one of them physically implicated and evolving, the other almost out of space and out of time, is an appealing element of Shinatama's background, and also of Mai's.
===Free will and rationality===
While subject to something like Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics, it is clear that ''nothing's clear'' about an SLD's degree of initiative, free will, or even ''rational thinking'' (which is the only guarantee of predictability and control).

Thus an SLD can not, technically, disobey a direct order, but it can circumvene an ill-stated directive. And Shinatama had been doing just that when falsifying her reports on Konoko : that would mean that lying, for instance, is not ruled out by an SLD's design.

As for irrationality : for example, there was an objective reason why Shinatama disobeyed Griffin in the Omega Bunker (emergency overrides had been switched off without Griffin knowing), but why did she start walking towards him in the first place?

That "Omega Security Mode" just doesn't make any sense... It ''would'' seem that Shinatama's complexity, her uncommon emotional background, her inner conflict (between innocence and violence), and possibly Mai's "conflicting input", made her behave in an irrational way.

That goes back to the [[Daodan#Loss of control|Daodan as loss of control]]. Extremely sophisticated individuals such as legal SLDs, by their very depth, are prone to escaping prediction and control.

However, if the scientists were to master every aspect of Shinatama's design, she wouldn't have been more efficient than an average computer or android. There's an unavoidable risk here, and the best one can do is to acknowledge it.

One characteristic of the human mind is abstract thought, and if some of it filters into an SLD's brain (and it does), why couldn't they get subjective, or illogical, or crazy?

That "excessive humanity" in man-made machines is often addressed in sci-fi. Non-trivial approaches are rare, though. All the more appealing to read a lot of complicated stuff into the SLD concept...
===[[Pain]] and [[Death]]===
How much can Shinatama suffer and how many times can she die?

Whether she experiences actual bodily harm, or is subjected to Konoko's, she can take a lot more than a regular human being, or so it seems.

However, it's not clear whether her "innocent nature" is unaffected by violence, pain and, ultimately, death. Does she remain an accurate backup of the stil-human, seven-year-old Mai no matter what happens, or is a little bit of Mai (and humanity) stripped away every time Shinatama experiences stress, pain, physical harm or "death"?

If it's the latter, just what happens to Shinatama if her synthetic, simili-human body and brain is damaged, then completely destroyed, and all that remains is her projection in "cyberspace" (to which she was wired all her life)? What could be the features of that projection?
===[[Disembodied Soul]]===
(apart from theology, the name echoes a [[Disembodied Soul#Bungie|humorous concept of Bungie's]] : ''this'' is not too funny, though...)

Without an anchor to her pattern donor or to humanity as a whole, without even her synthetic brain (which made her apt to experience human emotions after having been "taught" what they were), there's a good chance that Shinatama will distance herself from mankind and become more calculated, bitter, cold and cruel.

Her free will, and her ability to circumvene orders, will most probably remain, but without a "sister soul", her motivations will be somewhat disconnected, "by default", from human-like emotional stakes... She will go progressively out of phase with mankind, becoming a side observer and a critic (or worse) rather than "part of it".
===[[Oni2:Characters/Hikari|Hikari]]===
Owldreamer's concept of Shinatama, now an electronic ghost, creating a flesh-and-blood [[avatar]] of herself is appealing in the way that the avatar can be seen as the disembodied, seen-it-all Shinatama's ''anchor'' to humanity and to [[Konoko|Mai]]. Hikari's own inner universe is yet another field of investigation, but she's already a powerful character through what she means to Shinatama : without an anchor such as the neural link to Mai, or an avatar such as Hikari, Shinatama is the Disembodied Soul described above.

----

==Related==
*[[SLD]]
*[[TCTF]]
*[[Konoko]]
[[Category:Characters]]

File:Zombie Shinatama.png

2008-07-29T18:19:29Z

Imago: The price of control.

The price of control.

User talk:Imago

2008-07-29T18:05:29Z

Imago: New page: == Thugs == They are called thugs in the game data. And Comguys are the "console activators". Again, confirmed in the game data. Gumby 21:10, 28 July 2008 (CEST)

== Thugs ==

They are called thugs in the game data. And Comguys are the "console activators". Again, confirmed in the game data. [[User:Gumby|Gumby]] 21:10, 28 July 2008 (CEST)

User:Imago

2008-07-29T18:05:19Z

Imago:

I am the ever changing.

I am the one you cannot conquer, the one you cannot rule, the one you always fear.

I am life everlasting.

I am Daoden. And soon... I will be complete...

Oni2:Slaves of War/Polylectiloquy

2008-07-29T17:22:58Z

Imago:

<center><big>'''A proposal for an Oni 2'''</big></center>

Not so much of a story as a setting, at this point at least.

Framed as a Q&A with multiple possible answers to some Qs, when I can't make up my mind or want to see how a certain idea sounds when I write it out.

('''bold''' indicates an answer has been decided upon)

'''''How far after Oni should Oni 2 be?''''' 
: A. Starting right after Oni (days or months later) would be interesting. There would be a lot more energy at this time period than any other point we could place the sequel at.
: '''B. Long enough that the "new world" is shaping up (a few to several years), so we get an answer to Konoko's question at the end of Oni as to how society will turn out, or what the intermediate stage will be, anyway.'''
: C. So far after Oni that Konoko is gone and a new generation of characters can be introduced. It would be hard to pull people into a sequel without one familiar face (not that we couldn't work out something with clones or what-have-you), but this would free us from worrying about Konoko being too powerful for a sequel.

'''''What happened to the WCG?''''' 
: It falls apart when member nations fight each other to annex land with working ACCs.

'''''What happened to the TCTF?''''' 
: Also fragmented. The regional branches are now working for their own nations like National Guard forces.

'''''If Griffin's still kicking when Oni 2 takes place, what's he up to?''''' 
: A. He could be the head of his country's police (what country is that, now?)
: '''B. He might have disliked the new national thing and is heading his own "rogue" organization. What would it do?'''
:: 1. Work on getting Chrysalises to people.
:: '''2. Work on keeping Chrysalises from people. Those things are dangerous! If Mai is promoting the use of Chrysalises, this would make them enemies again.'''
::: I favor the notion of B2, which keeps Griffin as the enemy, but this time an enemy with a solid motivation, not just being a jerk (Oni 1's Griffin) or just a maniac (Oni 1's Muro). He knows that humanity can benefit from the Chrysalis in the short run but also feels strongly that giving everyone the Chrysalis will be opening Pandora's Box as the things develop inside people, so he fights to keep them out of the public's hands. This also places him in the anti-authoritarian* position, as a rogue or guerilla, which is quite interesting to imagine.

:::*When I say anti-authoritarian, that's only if the governments are giving Chrysalises to people. If the gov'ts decide that it's too dangerous to go the Daodan route, then Griffin won't have to fight the gov't, only the black market Chrysalis peddlers. That simply makes him anti-Syndicate, as he has always been. Then again, even though the gov'ts would probably refuse to give them to ordinary citizens because of the risks of having a revolt by an Imago-stage populace, they might give Chrysalises to key officials to guarantee their health if the situation is dire enough that using ACCs and breathing masks won't suffice to keep someone healthy. In that case, we're indeed back to a situation where Griffin has to fight to keep the Chrysalises out of the hands of politicians.

'''''What happened to the Syndicate?''''' 
: A. Broken into pieces by infighting and panic over Cataclysm; supplying arms to groups fighting to take over neigboring countries with working ACCs.
: '''B. Broken into pieces. One piece (Muro's surviving cronies) has the data on Daodans and is trying to sell it to nations or corporations. This might even give them the edge they need to become the main branch of the [[Oni2:Neo-Syndicate]]. They might have control over a whole nation or two. Heh. Syndicastan.'''

'''''How many ACCs were there, and how many broken?''''' 
: There's absolutely no facts to go on (is that true? I thought I saw a number in some manual or something), so we have to arbitrate. Let's say that a Europe-sized nation has 3-5 on average. They don't cover the whole country, so only parts are inhabited. So if half of a country's ACCs goes offline, and the neighbor country has some working ACCs, and they were never that friendly with their neighbors, they will probably try to win over that territory. Thus starts World War III, but in an every-man-for-himself way, not Allies vs. Axis or something similar.

'''''How bad is the pollution?''''' 
: Well, the tragedy of Jamie Kerr tells us that if those plants start spreading (probably they will, once the bad air spreads to encompass the areas that were protected by now-defunct ACCs), it's guaranteed death to live there. Some may try to burn back the growth a la [[Nausicaa]], and eke out an existence. Many others will flee the areas that are no longer protected by ACCs. They would of course migrate to areas with working ACCs, and there would be a crush of immigrants; lots of fighting and ugliness.

'''''How did the public get their Chrysalises? How did society change?''''' 
: It seems unlikely, as noted above under "What is Griffin doing?", that the governments would be okay with the general public having alien (as in, strange, not necessarily extraterrestrial) lifeforms in them, especially since the best-known Daodan host would be the anarchist Muro. So, if anything, only higher-ups and the rich will obtain Chrysalises, either legally or illegally.

: Besides the occasional purchase of a Chrysalis on the black market, the main solution for the [[BioCrisis]] will be the building of new ACCs. And that process is not going to be quick, that's for darn sure. Inevitably large areas where nations are poorer will get neglected. Most of Africa would die for sure; they may have originally received support from the U.S. and Europe to build the first bunch of ACCs, but when each nation has to look out for itself, Africa will be on its own (this is assuming that Africa's governments don't stabilize and gain wealth in the next couple decades). The overpopulated nations like India and China would suffer the greatest losses in population, but then again, they're probably going to be seriously industrialized well before then, and will have plenty of labor to build new ACCs with. Smaller and less-developed nations will definitely take it on the chin, assuming they didn't already when the original crisis started.
:: So if Africa is left out to dry by the wealthy countries, then black people would be rare in Oni 2? Interesting thought. It would make a black character all the more unusual.

'''''Where do the Chrysalises come from?''''' 
This is the elephant in the room, isn't it? Oni never tells us. But one option seems so likely that it blots out all others in my mind:
: The Wilderness. Normally the Daodan lifeform is nonsentient and lethal, like the plant that killed Jamie, but when grown with human DNA in them, they become accustomed to it and can eventually be safely implanted in a human.
:: But what do they look like, and what do they do out there? They could just be some flower or something, but it would be more interesting if they were more significant to the altered Wilderness, like the tree in [[Nausicaa]] (not to beat a parallel into the ground).
::When I say "like the plant that killed Jamie", I'm not necessarily saying that very plant was the Daodan, but if it was, it sure would explain how Hasegawa discovered the Chrysalis. He was a logical man. Even in his grief, he might have thought to take a sample of the plant with him back to a lab, where he could analyze it and find an antidote so no one would ever die again. He would have found that the plant resisted all hostile pathogens, developing immunity almost instantly. This would have started his Daodan Project.

'''''Can Chrysalises make a new human on their own without being implanted?''''' 
: Kerr says that the Daodan organism is a "hyper-evolved clone". Clones are independent -- not part of another lifeform, but a separate copy of it. Also, we're told that the Daodan gets implanted with a donor's DNA, and the implanting of the Daodan into a human was another step that was not originally intended to be taken, but was, at Griffin's order. This indicates that a Daodan clone is very possible. Additionally, it's odd that Kerr and Hasegawa knew this could be done, but would never have actually done it. Was there a Daodan clone out there, made by Mai's dad and/or Kerr?
:: See "Who was Mukade?" below for speculation on this.

'''''What ever happened to Dr. Hasegawa?''''' 
: It's lame to say he died somewhere along the way when Oni doesn't say he's dead, but then where is he, and why does everyone act like he's gone in Oni?
: Perhaps after seeing his technology abused by the Syndicate, he retired from the public, even hid. Now an old man, he lives with a little blonde-haired girl who looks strangely familiar…. (I would love this angle, but I hope no one accuses me of ripping off [[Gendo Ikari]].) But the question remains, Who side is he on?

'''''Did Muro actually die?''''' 
: If not, then he almost automatically would be the villain in Oni 2. He seems past redeeming. At the least, if there's a new big bad dude in town, he will join up with this new guy, all the while planning to overthrow him. But if he doesn't succeed in overthrowing the boss by the end of the game, it makes him seem weak compared to his old self.
:: If that's the case, we may want him out of the way so we can tread new ground. There seems to be little depth that could be built into his character without retconning and making him out to be somehow well-meaning, which seems lame.

'''''Did Barabas or Mukade die? Either could simply have been KOed. We're not told.''''' 
: '''A. "Yes" to Barabas, "No" to Mukade could explain the major [[Daodan]] spike after beating Barabas but none after beating Mukade. (Assuming killing leads to a Daodan spike, which Mukade himself indicated it did. This hypothesis would also mean that Muro is definitely dead.)'''
: B. "Yes" to both, and the difference in reaction was that Barabas was semi-Imago and Mukade was not.
:: But Mukade would have to be semi-Imago to have those powers. So this is not an option.
: C. "No" to Barabas and "Yes" to Mukade isn't desirable simply because Mukade is so much more interesting than Barabas that it is unfair to give us more Barabas and no Mukade in a sequel.
: D. "No" to both. The difference in reaction could also be that Barabas was a Daodan host and Mukade was an experiment of Navarre's (but then why does Mukade indicate he and Mai are the same and they both are being replaced by something inside them?). I just don't know what to do with Barabas, but I would love to see Mukade out of armor, as a new man. Whoever he is….
: E. "Don't know" to both. The difference may have nothing to do with who dies and who doesn't. After all, does the (presumably non-sentient) Daodan organism inside Mai know when someone is killed? Perhaps it would, if there was a release of some energy when another Daodan host died, but let's assume that it doesn't know, and see where that leads us. If it doesn't know, then the occurrence of a major spike has more to do with Mai's mental/physical state at the time. It could be pointed out that all three of the "triggers" for the major spikes are the defeat of someone who has something to do with Shinatama. Barabas has just kidnapped her when Mai defeats him, the room of baddies at the end of Chapter 7 are guarding Shinatama/keeping her from Mai, and Muro was the one who tortured Shinatama personally.
:: I made some interesting points with E above, but I still favor A, because it sets me up for the kind of Oni 2 that I want to write, one where Muro and Barabas are gone and Mukade still lives, and the explanation is a simple one (using E's back-pedaling disclaimer that the Daodan, even if non-sentient, could still detect and react to the death of a host by sensing a release of energy, or a cessation of life of another Daodan organism nearby, therefore, no reaction to Mukade's defeat means he still lives).

'''''Who really was/is Mukade?''''' 
: A. Straight, boring answer is that he was a ninja, experimentally modified by a Chrysalis. This isn't necessarily a bad answer, as if we want him to live, he can still be alive in Oni 2 and we can build on his character. It's only really boring if he died in Oni.
: B. More interesting answer is that he's related to Mai somehow. Since we don't know what happened to her dad, he could be Daddy.
:: 1. But that seems kind of clichéd, and since when did he turn from professor to master ninja?
:: 2. What if he is a genetic clone of dear old dad, but one gone horribly wrong? The clone was made to serve as a body for a Chrysalis, but was unstable. This would explain Mukade's fatalistic ready-to-die-when-the-Chrysalis-takes-over attitude in Oni.
:: '''3. He could be a Daodan clone, a product of Hasegawa! Being raised as part of the Syndicate would have twisted him.'''
:: 4. He might be Bertram Navarre. One can still ask how a scientist becomes a ninja, but we don't know Navarre at all, so if we want to write him as an athletic guy, or say that he built a suit to help him fight, we can. This would also explain why he doesn't give Konoko a Daodan surge when he is defeated, if he was Navarre or a product of Navarre's own non-Daodan experiments. But he indicates to Konoko in their encounter that they are both Daodan hosts, so this is probably a no-go.
: C. He could be an artificial being. Hasn't anybody noticed? Of course, this raises whether he's an SLD and who built him...
:: 1. He's a robot built by the Syndicate. Easy answer, but doesn't explain his cryptic talk.
:: 2. He's a robot built by the TCTF as either a plant in the Syndicate or a precaution against Konoko. How he managed to hire Ninjas is a mystery, although he could have simply evaded them as enemies.
:: 3. He's an SLD based off Muro's mind and modified for combat. Again, simple, straightforward, and would explain a whole lot.
:: 4. He's an SLD based off Hasegawa's mind. This provides a logical explanation for his actions, although attacking his daughter would seem a bit off-base.
:: '''5. He's an SLD based off Konoko's mind. Who has access to those engrams? Griffin. And he would want a quick-acting, fast termination in case Mai ever went rogue. Shinatama as a defense module would only go so far, after all, so he made and constantly updated a fighter SLD behind the backs of everyone. Of course, this again brings up the whole "How'd he get past the ninjas?" but it could be assumed that if the ninjas were artificial, as some speculate, he could have just hacked into their minds and made himself invisible to them.'''

'''''If still alive, what is Mukade doing?''''' 
: A. He might still be evil, but it seems like he would have self-destructed by now. That kind of personality couldn't last for years without mellowing. If still evil, he probably is running a branch of the disjointed Syndicate.
: '''B. He might have totally turned around after being broken at Konoko's hands. He doesn't even hold a grudge against her. He has resigned himself to serving the people by alternating Daodan harvesting and experimenting with [[Oni2:Neo-Agriculture]]. He is likely to want to avoid fighting so it doesn't bring back his 'bad tendencies'.'''

'''''What would Mai be doing as the Cataclysm happened?''''' 
: She and Griffin are the only ones we know of with the knowledge to work with Chrysalises. Well, the Syndicate might have Muro's data. Anyway, if we assume her views remain the same from the ending of Oni, Mai would be helping people get them, but not in a Florence Nightingale way; she's no doting nurse. She'd be wherever there's a fight over collecting Daodans from the Wilderness or quelling international issues one hotspot at a time.
:: She might also have issues about her choices at the end of Oni.
:: She definitely won't go by the name "Konoko" anymore, I think everyone can agree on that.

'''''Does Mai end up going Imago, at least by the time of Oni 2?''''' 
: A. Option 1 is that for some reason she doesn't, but the only way I can think of that it wouldn't happen is if she stopped fighting, and that seems unlikely.
: B. Option 2 is that she does, but she can un-transform too, so normally she resembles the Mai we knew. This is definitely the option that is most in line with animé tradition.
: C. Option 3 is that she is permanently transformed. So how does this affect her? It depends on what she looks like, right?
:: 1. Either she's hideous and she hides her visage like Mukade…
:: 2. Or she's not that different-looking, and goes around like normal. If she transforms like my sketch indicates (need to upload), then she could mask that transformation with sunglasses and a facial mask, like synthetic skin, that makes it look normal-colored.
:::: This option, C2, sets us up for a traditional animé-style revelation. At first we're told that she never transformed, for some unknown reason. Then, somewhere (probably early) in the game, Mai meets an adversary who's too strong for her -- or so it seems. Maybe he smashes her in the face, hard, and she hits a wall, and slumps to the ground. Her sunglasses fall off, and clatter on the ground. Meanwhile, your health is getting critical. Then she slowly stands up, face lowered, and says, "That hurt." She reaches up to her face, which seems to have torn skin hanging from it, and pulls it all off, then looks up, and we see her true, transformed face, with its real skin and her altered eyes. Suddenly she starts to glow with a Daodan overpower aura, and her health is fully restored, and now the bad guy is no match for her. She then can use this form (perhaps sparingly) throughout the rest of the game, now that it's revealed that she transformed a while ago and normally holds back in a fight, to keep her secret.

'''''Isn't a fully-developed Mai going to be too powerful to make the game challenging?''''' 
: A. Play [[wikipedia:Zone_of_the_Enders:_The_2nd_Runner|ZOE 2]] before you ask that question. You're massively more powerful at the end than you were at the start of [[wikipedia:Zone_of_the_Enders|ZOE]], wasting dozens of enemies with each attack. But the game's still challenging. The key is just having tons of enemies or one very strong enemy.
: B. She might not always be transformed or able to transform.
: C. There's the amnesia option proposed elsewhere, but amnesia wouldn't remove her strength, only her skill. Still, having to re-learn fighting would make the game more challenging. But I am not a fan of a contrived "restart" that wants to drag a character back to where they were.

'''''What would Oni 2 be about?'''''
: A. Well, it could be about more than one thing. I would like to see Mai trying to find her father. It should be for more than sentimental reasons, because those would seem trivial when the world is on fire. Perhaps she needs data only he has.
::Certainly if she's looking for him, she has to find him. It would be a total tease not to reveal what he's been up to all this time. Maybe finding him is just the start of Act Two, as his work (assuming he's still doing any) sets a new plot in motion.
: B. It could also be about a new development in the Wilderness….
: C. Perhaps Man is trying to burn away the mutated Wilderness to re-establish a normal ecosphere and Mai feels this is not the right path.
: D. Maybe the Neo-Syndicate is selling Chrysalises, and Mai and company are trying to prevent it.
: E. Maybe someone has released a virus that can kill the Chrysalis. Particularly if the Chrysalises being sold are based on one set of genes to speed up production, this puts the entire implanted population at risk of death, or at least the removal of their protection from the Bio-Crisis.
::Maybe, instead of killing the Chrysalis, it makes those implantees ''change'' somehow….

Daodan Chrysalis

2008-07-29T13:22:54Z

Imago: Redirecting to Daodan

#REDIRECT [[Daodan]]

Furies

2008-07-29T13:20:32Z

Imago: Redirecting to Fury

#REDIRECT [[Fury]]

Shinatama

2008-07-29T13:20:02Z

Imago: /* Kidnapped, Tortured, and Blown Up */

[[Image:Shinatama Render.jpg|right|200px]]
[[Category:Added value]]

==Shinatama==
An [[SLD]] specifically designed to interface with [[Konoko]], the pink-haired Shinatama is one of the most tragic characters of the game.
===Advisor to the Heroine===
[[Image:30569-SHINlistening.TXMP.jpg|right|100px]]
Initially, Shinatama acted as the informant to Konoko via their neural link. At this time, her personality was similar to a bright and happy child, and she considered herself a sister to the up-and-comnig [[TCTF]] agent. She was also assigned the task of monitoring Konoko's [[Daodan Chrysalis]]. It was later discovered that she falsified these reports in order to protect Konoko.

Shinatama also alluded to the chrysalis indirectly by informing Konoko that [[hyposprays]] might affect her differently then other people. This, along with her warning the young agent about [[Comguys]] and the [[Deadly Brain]] clearly indicated their relationship was more then military professionalism. Her youthful personality was also demonstrated by her panicking when the Deadly Brain flooded the network with self-portraits.
===The [[Syndicate]] Assualt===
{|align=right
|http://geyser.oni2.net/oni1/shinatama/DarkShinatama.png
|}
Soon after the incident with the Deadly Brain, [[Barabas]] and a team of [[Strikers]] and [[Bombers]] raided [[Vago Biotech]] for "gene surgery equipment." Shinatama continued her role as advisor to Konoko, but of more particular interest was the fact that the SLD process was completely explained in the [[Data Consoles]]. Barabas and his crew escaped with the equipment, Konoko hot on their trail.

Shinatama tracked her to the airport, and reported, horrified, that [[Muro]] and his troops were killing off civilians at an alarming rate. Konoko managed to follow Muro and plant a homeing device on his escape plane. Muro, however, was informed that she was neural-linked to an SLD, prompting him to conduct an immediate assualt on the TCTF headquarters...
===Kidnapped, Tortured, and Blown Up===
[[Image:Chapter 6 .MISSION COMPLETE.png|right|200px]]
A massive group of Strikers, Bombers, and [[Furies]] led by Barabas assaulted the TCTF headquarters with astonishing speed and precision. Not only did they turn off the main defenses, they also blew a few critical rampways to the ground. Barabas himself managed to reach Shinatama, ripping her out of her alcove in the main computer. Konoko rushed to save her, but only just saw her getting handed off to Muro.

The SLD was taken to a nearby [[ACC]] by Muro, who plugged her into the generator, running thousands of volts through her body. He amusedly commented that her pain threshold was nonexistent. Having obtained the information from her, Muro left her in a highly damaged state. Konoko, who had come to rescue what she considered her only friend, was unable to move her without furthering the damage.

Shinatama attempted to inform her about the Chrysalis and it's impact, but only managed to pass on Konoko's real name, Mai Hasegawa, and the fact that there was something inside of her, before she received a self-destruct signal from [[Griffin]]. She attempted to slow it down, allowing Konoko a chance to escape, but the explosion was unavoidable. She was presumed dead. But Griffin had other plans.

===Resurrection and second death===
{|align=right
|http://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/thumbnail/1019018509-00.jpg
|}
==Added value==
It is interesting to note that the only being [[Konoko]] ever cared for, plotwise (with the near-exception of Kerr), is : a) not really human, technically; b) basically a part of Mai herself.
===Simulated [[life]]===
An SLD's body is made of synthetic tissue about as complex as that which makes up the human body. The brain's complexity, in particular, is remarkable. For all we see, robots (electronic brains) only serve as work force in Oni, while tactical thought and fast reflexes are left to human-like brains (humans, cyborgs, Deadly Brains, and SLDs).

It's important to note that an SLD's brain and body are biological (as opposed to robots, SLDs are ''grown'', not ''built''), and that their brain is not physically "donated" by a human (as is the case for a Deadly Brain or a cyborg).

SLDs ''are'' standalone biological lifeforms. Modeled after Man, but with no human parts. Engineered to a large extent, but still wholesome individuals rather than results of a series of patches and upgrades.

===Human-primed===
The biomass of an [[SLD]]'s brain is able to imitate the neural structure of a human brain, but the nurturing process is sped up dramatically, and goes as follows :
*There's the senseloop, somewhat akin to popular concepts of computer-assisted learning. High input of data, which help the SLD to compensate for the lack of ''memories''.
*And there's the priming, which at the time of Oni requires an SLD to be patterned after an existing human brain (that's true for [[Shinatama]] ''and'' [[Tanker|Tankers]]).
Fact is : Shinatama was primed with such a human "seed". And she was patterned after no one else but [[Konoko|Mai]]. They don't share memories (not like Mai has a lot anyway), but Shinatama's emotional pattern, at the core, is not synthetic. It's human, and it's Mai's.
===Backup of Mai's innocence===
In a way, while the human Mai got corrupted by her upbringing at the [[TCTF]] (as a "violent cop") and the implantation of the [[Daodan|Daodan Chrysalis]] (which further catalyzed [[violence]]), Shinatama retained her [[innocence]] integrally through it all. Interesting point is : that innocence, too, was no one else's but Mai's.

Thus Shinatama can be seen as a ''backup'' of Mai's "true nature", before her personality got alienated by her adolescence, early adulthood, life at the [[TCTF]], and [[Daodan]] symbiosis. Her death would mean the complete destruction of that backup.
===Violent nurturing===
Not only is Shinatama an extract of Mai's ''nature'', she was also directly affected by Mai's ''nurturing'', except for the most physical part of it (field action) and of course the [[Daodan]] symbiosis. "I've seen everything you've seen, felt everything you've felt".

If you think of Shinatama as a backup of Mai, then Shinatama's point of view is a bit disturbing : it's as if the ''innocent Mai'' was following the evolution of an increasingly messed-up ''projection of herself'', live, non-stop, in subjective view and in such detail that she's virtually ''right there'' in the middle of the action, where people are killed and things are blown up.

Thus, another characteristic trait of Shinatama's innocence is that she's in a non-stop senseloop made of the violence actually encountered and generated by Mai : the [[human]] she was patterned after.

Shinatama never killed anyone, and still her existence is filled with that half-virtual violence. Violence ''unto'' Mai is violence unto Shinatama. Violence ''by'' Mai... for Shinatama, is like seeing through the eyes of a maniac/murderer, seeing her own hands kill people, not being able to look away, not being able to do ''anything but watch''.

In that, Shinatama is very different from other legal SLDs (who coordinate firemen and such). Not only does she oversee the operations of violent cops, she ''sees through the eyes'' of one such violent cop, who additionally happens to be a projection of ''herself''. A projection in space, but also in time.

===Not growing up===
We don't know ''at what point'' Shinatama was brought into existence. It would seem that she and [[Konoko]] have known each other for a while, possibly since the very moment Mai was "adopted" by the [[TCTF]].

Shinatama's body doesn't age, and her emotional patterns had no reason to evolve much, either (save for the violent nurturing above). If she was patterned after Mai when Mai was, say, seven... then that explains her "annoying" childish ways.

It also brings about an interesting consideration... At the start of [[Griffin]]'s [[Daodan]] project, Mai and Shinatama are like ''twin sisters'' (more like clone sisters, actually). It doesn't take long, however, until Mai ''outgrows'' Shinatama and becomes a "big sister" for her. Eventually, we end up with a Mai about three times the age of the one who used to be her biotech twin.

That's an original way to look at their "family" relationship, and how it evolved over time. How did Mai feel about "leaving Shinatama behind"? How did Shinatama feel about Konoko "drifting away" from her?
===More than [[family]]===
There's a complicated emotional bond between Mai and Shinatama, that goes beyond partnership or even the usual concept of family. No wonder Shinatama "fixated" on it.

The way Mai and Shinatama share nature and nurturing, one of them physically implicated and evolving, the other almost out of space and out of time, is an appealing element of Shinatama's background, and also of Mai's.
===Free will and rationality===
While subject to something like Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics, it is clear that ''nothing's clear'' about an SLD's degree of initiative, free will, or even ''rational thinking'' (which is the only guarantee of predictability and control).

Thus an SLD can not, technically, disobey a direct order, but it can circumvene an ill-stated directive. And Shinatama had been doing just that when falsifying her reports on Konoko : that would mean that lying, for instance, is not ruled out by an SLD's design.

As for irrationality : for example, there was an objective reason why Shinatama disobeyed Griffin in the Omega Bunker (emergency overrides had been switched off without Griffin knowing), but why did she start walking towards him in the first place?

That "Omega Security Mode" just doesn't make any sense... It ''would'' seem that Shinatama's complexity, her uncommon emotional background, her inner conflict (between innocence and violence), and possibly Mai's "conflicting input", made her behave in an irrational way.

That goes back to the [[Daodan#Loss of control|Daodan as loss of control]]. Extremely sophisticated individuals such as legal SLDs, by their very depth, are prone to escaping prediction and control.

However, if the scientists were to master every aspect of Shinatama's design, she wouldn't have been more efficient than an average computer or android. There's an unavoidable risk here, and the best one can do is to acknowledge it.

One characteristic of the human mind is abstract thought, and if some of it filters into an SLD's brain (and it does), why couldn't they get subjective, or illogical, or crazy?

That "excessive humanity" in man-made machines is often addressed in sci-fi. Non-trivial approaches are rare, though. All the more appealing to read a lot of complicated stuff into the SLD concept...
===[[Pain]] and [[Death]]===
How much can Shinatama suffer and how many times can she die?

Whether she experiences actual bodily harm, or is subjected to Konoko's, she can take a lot more than a regular human being, or so it seems.

However, it's not clear whether her "innocent nature" is unaffected by violence, pain and, ultimately, death. Does she remain an accurate backup of the stil-human, seven-year-old Mai no matter what happens, or is a little bit of Mai (and humanity) stripped away every time Shinatama experiences stress, pain, physical harm or "death"?

If it's the latter, just what happens to Shinatama if her synthetic, simili-human body and brain is damaged, then completely destroyed, and all that remains is her projection in "cyberspace" (to which she was wired all her life)? What could be the features of that projection?
===[[Disembodied Soul]]===
(apart from theology, the name echoes a [[Disembodied Soul#Bungie|humorous concept of Bungie's]] : ''this'' is not too funny, though...)

Without an anchor to her pattern donor or to humanity as a whole, without even her synthetic brain (which made her apt to experience human emotions after having been "taught" what they were), there's a good chance that Shinatama will distance herself from mankind and become more calculated, bitter, cold and cruel.

Her free will, and her ability to circumvene orders, will most probably remain, but without a "sister soul", her motivations will be somewhat disconnected, "by default", from human-like emotional stakes... She will go progressively out of phase with mankind, becoming a side observer and a critic (or worse) rather than "part of it".
===[[Oni2:Characters/Hikari|Hikari]]===
Owldreamer's concept of Shinatama, now an electronic ghost, creating a flesh-and-blood [[avatar]] of herself is appealing in the way that the avatar can be seen as the disembodied, seen-it-all Shinatama's ''anchor'' to humanity and to [[Konoko|Mai]]. Hikari's own inner universe is yet another field of investigation, but she's already a powerful character through what she means to Shinatama : without an anchor such as the neural link to Mai, or an avatar such as Hikari, Shinatama is the Disembodied Soul described above.

----

==Related==
*[[SLD]]
*[[TCTF]]
*[[Konoko]]
[[Category:Characters]]

Shinatama

2008-07-29T13:19:32Z

Imago: /* Kidnapped, Tortured, and Blown Up */

[[Image:Shinatama Render.jpg|right|200px]]
[[Category:Added value]]

==Shinatama==
An [[SLD]] specifically designed to interface with [[Konoko]], the pink-haired Shinatama is one of the most tragic characters of the game.
===Advisor to the Heroine===
[[Image:30569-SHINlistening.TXMP.jpg|right|100px]]
Initially, Shinatama acted as the informant to Konoko via their neural link. At this time, her personality was similar to a bright and happy child, and she considered herself a sister to the up-and-comnig [[TCTF]] agent. She was also assigned the task of monitoring Konoko's [[Daodan Chrysalis]]. It was later discovered that she falsified these reports in order to protect Konoko.

Shinatama also alluded to the chrysalis indirectly by informing Konoko that [[hyposprays]] might affect her differently then other people. This, along with her warning the young agent about [[Comguys]] and the [[Deadly Brain]] clearly indicated their relationship was more then military professionalism. Her youthful personality was also demonstrated by her panicking when the Deadly Brain flooded the network with self-portraits.
===The [[Syndicate]] Assualt===
{|align=right
|http://geyser.oni2.net/oni1/shinatama/DarkShinatama.png
|}
Soon after the incident with the Deadly Brain, [[Barabas]] and a team of [[Strikers]] and [[Bombers]] raided [[Vago Biotech]] for "gene surgery equipment." Shinatama continued her role as advisor to Konoko, but of more particular interest was the fact that the SLD process was completely explained in the [[Data Consoles]]. Barabas and his crew escaped with the equipment, Konoko hot on their trail.

Shinatama tracked her to the airport, and reported, horrified, that [[Muro]] and his troops were killing off civilians at an alarming rate. Konoko managed to follow Muro and plant a homeing device on his escape plane. Muro, however, was informed that she was neural-linked to an SLD, prompting him to conduct an immediate assualt on the TCTF headquarters...
===Kidnapped, Tortured, and Blown Up===
[[Image:Chapter 6 .MISSION COMPLETE.png|right|200px]]
A massive group of Strikers, Bombers, and [[Furies]] led by Barabas assaulted the TCTF headquarters with astonishing speed and precision. Not only did they turn off the main defenses, they also blew a few critical rampways to the ground. Barabas himself managed to reach Shinatama, ripping her out of her alcove in the main computer. Konoko rushed to save her, but only just saw her getting handed off to Muro.

The SLD was taken to a nearby [[ACC]] by Muro, who plugged her into the generator, running thousands of volts through her body. He amusedly commented that her pain threshold was nonexistent. Having obtained the information from her, Muro left her in a highly damaged state. Konoko, who had come to rescue what she considered her only friend, was unable to move her without furthering the damage.

Shinatama attempted to inform her about the Chrysalis and it's impact, but only managed to pass on Konoko's real name, Mai Hasegawa, and the fact that there was something inside of her, before she received a self-destruct signal from [[Griffen]]. She attempted to slow it down, allowing Konoko a chance to escape, but the explosion was unavoidable. She was presumed dead. But Griffen had other plans.

===Resurrection and second death===
{|align=right
|http://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/thumbnail/1019018509-00.jpg
|}
==Added value==
It is interesting to note that the only being [[Konoko]] ever cared for, plotwise (with the near-exception of Kerr), is : a) not really human, technically; b) basically a part of Mai herself.
===Simulated [[life]]===
An SLD's body is made of synthetic tissue about as complex as that which makes up the human body. The brain's complexity, in particular, is remarkable. For all we see, robots (electronic brains) only serve as work force in Oni, while tactical thought and fast reflexes are left to human-like brains (humans, cyborgs, Deadly Brains, and SLDs).

It's important to note that an SLD's brain and body are biological (as opposed to robots, SLDs are ''grown'', not ''built''), and that their brain is not physically "donated" by a human (as is the case for a Deadly Brain or a cyborg).

SLDs ''are'' standalone biological lifeforms. Modeled after Man, but with no human parts. Engineered to a large extent, but still wholesome individuals rather than results of a series of patches and upgrades.

===Human-primed===
The biomass of an [[SLD]]'s brain is able to imitate the neural structure of a human brain, but the nurturing process is sped up dramatically, and goes as follows :
*There's the senseloop, somewhat akin to popular concepts of computer-assisted learning. High input of data, which help the SLD to compensate for the lack of ''memories''.
*And there's the priming, which at the time of Oni requires an SLD to be patterned after an existing human brain (that's true for [[Shinatama]] ''and'' [[Tanker|Tankers]]).
Fact is : Shinatama was primed with such a human "seed". And she was patterned after no one else but [[Konoko|Mai]]. They don't share memories (not like Mai has a lot anyway), but Shinatama's emotional pattern, at the core, is not synthetic. It's human, and it's Mai's.
===Backup of Mai's innocence===
In a way, while the human Mai got corrupted by her upbringing at the [[TCTF]] (as a "violent cop") and the implantation of the [[Daodan|Daodan Chrysalis]] (which further catalyzed [[violence]]), Shinatama retained her [[innocence]] integrally through it all. Interesting point is : that innocence, too, was no one else's but Mai's.

Thus Shinatama can be seen as a ''backup'' of Mai's "true nature", before her personality got alienated by her adolescence, early adulthood, life at the [[TCTF]], and [[Daodan]] symbiosis. Her death would mean the complete destruction of that backup.
===Violent nurturing===
Not only is Shinatama an extract of Mai's ''nature'', she was also directly affected by Mai's ''nurturing'', except for the most physical part of it (field action) and of course the [[Daodan]] symbiosis. "I've seen everything you've seen, felt everything you've felt".

If you think of Shinatama as a backup of Mai, then Shinatama's point of view is a bit disturbing : it's as if the ''innocent Mai'' was following the evolution of an increasingly messed-up ''projection of herself'', live, non-stop, in subjective view and in such detail that she's virtually ''right there'' in the middle of the action, where people are killed and things are blown up.

Thus, another characteristic trait of Shinatama's innocence is that she's in a non-stop senseloop made of the violence actually encountered and generated by Mai : the [[human]] she was patterned after.

Shinatama never killed anyone, and still her existence is filled with that half-virtual violence. Violence ''unto'' Mai is violence unto Shinatama. Violence ''by'' Mai... for Shinatama, is like seeing through the eyes of a maniac/murderer, seeing her own hands kill people, not being able to look away, not being able to do ''anything but watch''.

In that, Shinatama is very different from other legal SLDs (who coordinate firemen and such). Not only does she oversee the operations of violent cops, she ''sees through the eyes'' of one such violent cop, who additionally happens to be a projection of ''herself''. A projection in space, but also in time.

===Not growing up===
We don't know ''at what point'' Shinatama was brought into existence. It would seem that she and [[Konoko]] have known each other for a while, possibly since the very moment Mai was "adopted" by the [[TCTF]].

Shinatama's body doesn't age, and her emotional patterns had no reason to evolve much, either (save for the violent nurturing above). If she was patterned after Mai when Mai was, say, seven... then that explains her "annoying" childish ways.

It also brings about an interesting consideration... At the start of [[Griffin]]'s [[Daodan]] project, Mai and Shinatama are like ''twin sisters'' (more like clone sisters, actually). It doesn't take long, however, until Mai ''outgrows'' Shinatama and becomes a "big sister" for her. Eventually, we end up with a Mai about three times the age of the one who used to be her biotech twin.

That's an original way to look at their "family" relationship, and how it evolved over time. How did Mai feel about "leaving Shinatama behind"? How did Shinatama feel about Konoko "drifting away" from her?
===More than [[family]]===
There's a complicated emotional bond between Mai and Shinatama, that goes beyond partnership or even the usual concept of family. No wonder Shinatama "fixated" on it.

The way Mai and Shinatama share nature and nurturing, one of them physically implicated and evolving, the other almost out of space and out of time, is an appealing element of Shinatama's background, and also of Mai's.
===Free will and rationality===
While subject to something like Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics, it is clear that ''nothing's clear'' about an SLD's degree of initiative, free will, or even ''rational thinking'' (which is the only guarantee of predictability and control).

Thus an SLD can not, technically, disobey a direct order, but it can circumvene an ill-stated directive. And Shinatama had been doing just that when falsifying her reports on Konoko : that would mean that lying, for instance, is not ruled out by an SLD's design.

As for irrationality : for example, there was an objective reason why Shinatama disobeyed Griffin in the Omega Bunker (emergency overrides had been switched off without Griffin knowing), but why did she start walking towards him in the first place?

That "Omega Security Mode" just doesn't make any sense... It ''would'' seem that Shinatama's complexity, her uncommon emotional background, her inner conflict (between innocence and violence), and possibly Mai's "conflicting input", made her behave in an irrational way.

That goes back to the [[Daodan#Loss of control|Daodan as loss of control]]. Extremely sophisticated individuals such as legal SLDs, by their very depth, are prone to escaping prediction and control.

However, if the scientists were to master every aspect of Shinatama's design, she wouldn't have been more efficient than an average computer or android. There's an unavoidable risk here, and the best one can do is to acknowledge it.

One characteristic of the human mind is abstract thought, and if some of it filters into an SLD's brain (and it does), why couldn't they get subjective, or illogical, or crazy?

That "excessive humanity" in man-made machines is often addressed in sci-fi. Non-trivial approaches are rare, though. All the more appealing to read a lot of complicated stuff into the SLD concept...
===[[Pain]] and [[Death]]===
How much can Shinatama suffer and how many times can she die?

Whether she experiences actual bodily harm, or is subjected to Konoko's, she can take a lot more than a regular human being, or so it seems.

However, it's not clear whether her "innocent nature" is unaffected by violence, pain and, ultimately, death. Does she remain an accurate backup of the stil-human, seven-year-old Mai no matter what happens, or is a little bit of Mai (and humanity) stripped away every time Shinatama experiences stress, pain, physical harm or "death"?

If it's the latter, just what happens to Shinatama if her synthetic, simili-human body and brain is damaged, then completely destroyed, and all that remains is her projection in "cyberspace" (to which she was wired all her life)? What could be the features of that projection?
===[[Disembodied Soul]]===
(apart from theology, the name echoes a [[Disembodied Soul#Bungie|humorous concept of Bungie's]] : ''this'' is not too funny, though...)

Without an anchor to her pattern donor or to humanity as a whole, without even her synthetic brain (which made her apt to experience human emotions after having been "taught" what they were), there's a good chance that Shinatama will distance herself from mankind and become more calculated, bitter, cold and cruel.

Her free will, and her ability to circumvene orders, will most probably remain, but without a "sister soul", her motivations will be somewhat disconnected, "by default", from human-like emotional stakes... She will go progressively out of phase with mankind, becoming a side observer and a critic (or worse) rather than "part of it".
===[[Oni2:Characters/Hikari|Hikari]]===
Owldreamer's concept of Shinatama, now an electronic ghost, creating a flesh-and-blood [[avatar]] of herself is appealing in the way that the avatar can be seen as the disembodied, seen-it-all Shinatama's ''anchor'' to humanity and to [[Konoko|Mai]]. Hikari's own inner universe is yet another field of investigation, but she's already a powerful character through what she means to Shinatama : without an anchor such as the neural link to Mai, or an avatar such as Hikari, Shinatama is the Disembodied Soul described above.

----

==Related==
*[[SLD]]
*[[TCTF]]
*[[Konoko]]
[[Category:Characters]]

Shinatama

2008-07-29T03:38:06Z

Imago:

[[Image:Shinatama Render.jpg|right|200px]]
[[Category:Added value]]

==Shinatama==
An [[SLD]] specifically designed to interface with [[Konoko]], the pink-haired Shinatama is one of the most tragic characters of the game.
===Advisor to the Heroine===
[[Image:30569-SHINlistening.TXMP.jpg|right|100px]]
Initially, Shinatama acted as the informant to Konoko via their neural link. At this time, her personality was similar to a bright and happy child, and she considered herself a sister to the up-and-comnig [[TCTF]] agent. She was also assigned the task of monitoring Konoko's [[Daodan Chrysalis]]. It was later discovered that she falsified these reports in order to protect Konoko.

Shinatama also alluded to the chrysalis indirectly by informing Konoko that [[hyposprays]] might affect her differently then other people. This, along with her warning the young agent about [[Comguys]] and the [[Deadly Brain]] clearly indicated their relationship was more then military professionalism. Her youthful personality was also demonstrated by her panicking when the Deadly Brain flooded the network with self-portraits.
===The [[Syndicate]] Assualt===
{|align=right
|http://geyser.oni2.net/oni1/shinatama/DarkShinatama.png
|}
Soon after the incident with the Deadly Brain, [[Barabas]] and a team of [[Strikers]] and [[Bombers]] raided [[Vago Biotech]] for "gene surgery equipment." Shinatama continued her role as advisor to Konoko, but of more particular interest was the fact that the SLD process was completely explained in the [[Data Consoles]]. Barabas and his crew escaped with the equipment, Konoko hot on their trail.

Shinatama tracked her to the airport, and reported, horrified, that [[Muro]] and his troops were killing off civilians at an alarming rate. Konoko managed to follow Muro and plant a homeing device on his escape plane. Muro, however, was informed that she was neural-linked to an SLD, prompting him to conduct an immediate assualt on the TCTF headquarters...
===Kidnapped, Tortured, and Blown Up===
[[Image:Chapter 6 .MISSION COMPLETE.png|right|200px]]
===Resurrection and second death===
{|align=right
|http://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/thumbnail/1019018509-00.jpg
|}
==Added value==
It is interesting to note that the only being [[Konoko]] ever cared for, plotwise (with the near-exception of Kerr), is : a) not really human, technically; b) basically a part of Mai herself.
===Simulated [[life]]===
An SLD's body is made of synthetic tissue about as complex as that which makes up the human body. The brain's complexity, in particular, is remarkable. For all we see, robots (electronic brains) only serve as work force in Oni, while tactical thought and fast reflexes are left to human-like brains (humans, cyborgs, Deadly Brains, and SLDs).

It's important to note that an SLD's brain and body are biological (as opposed to robots, SLDs are ''grown'', not ''built''), and that their brain is not physically "donated" by a human (as is the case for a Deadly Brain or a cyborg).

SLDs ''are'' standalone biological lifeforms. Modeled after Man, but with no human parts. Engineered to a large extent, but still wholesome individuals rather than results of a series of patches and upgrades.

===Human-primed===
The biomass of an [[SLD]]'s brain is able to imitate the neural structure of a human brain, but the nurturing process is sped up dramatically, and goes as follows :
*There's the senseloop, somewhat akin to popular concepts of computer-assisted learning. High input of data, which help the SLD to compensate for the lack of ''memories''.
*And there's the priming, which at the time of Oni requires an SLD to be patterned after an existing human brain (that's true for [[Shinatama]] ''and'' [[Tanker|Tankers]]).
Fact is : Shinatama was primed with such a human "seed". And she was patterned after no one else but [[Konoko|Mai]]. They don't share memories (not like Mai has a lot anyway), but Shinatama's emotional pattern, at the core, is not synthetic. It's human, and it's Mai's.
===Backup of Mai's innocence===
In a way, while the human Mai got corrupted by her upbringing at the [[TCTF]] (as a "violent cop") and the implantation of the [[Daodan|Daodan Chrysalis]] (which further catalyzed [[violence]]), Shinatama retained her [[innocence]] integrally through it all. Interesting point is : that innocence, too, was no one else's but Mai's.

Thus Shinatama can be seen as a ''backup'' of Mai's "true nature", before her personality got alienated by her adolescence, early adulthood, life at the [[TCTF]], and [[Daodan]] symbiosis. Her death would mean the complete destruction of that backup.
===Violent nurturing===
Not only is Shinatama an extract of Mai's ''nature'', she was also directly affected by Mai's ''nurturing'', except for the most physical part of it (field action) and of course the [[Daodan]] symbiosis. "I've seen everything you've seen, felt everything you've felt".

If you think of Shinatama as a backup of Mai, then Shinatama's point of view is a bit disturbing : it's as if the ''innocent Mai'' was following the evolution of an increasingly messed-up ''projection of herself'', live, non-stop, in subjective view and in such detail that she's virtually ''right there'' in the middle of the action, where people are killed and things are blown up.

Thus, another characteristic trait of Shinatama's innocence is that she's in a non-stop senseloop made of the violence actually encountered and generated by Mai : the [[human]] she was patterned after.

Shinatama never killed anyone, and still her existence is filled with that half-virtual violence. Violence ''unto'' Mai is violence unto Shinatama. Violence ''by'' Mai... for Shinatama, is like seeing through the eyes of a maniac/murderer, seeing her own hands kill people, not being able to look away, not being able to do ''anything but watch''.

In that, Shinatama is very different from other legal SLDs (who coordinate firemen and such). Not only does she oversee the operations of violent cops, she ''sees through the eyes'' of one such violent cop, who additionally happens to be a projection of ''herself''. A projection in space, but also in time.

===Not growing up===
We don't know ''at what point'' Shinatama was brought into existence. It would seem that she and [[Konoko]] have known each other for a while, possibly since the very moment Mai was "adopted" by the [[TCTF]].

Shinatama's body doesn't age, and her emotional patterns had no reason to evolve much, either (save for the violent nurturing above). If she was patterned after Mai when Mai was, say, seven... then that explains her "annoying" childish ways.

It also brings about an interesting consideration... At the start of [[Griffin]]'s [[Daodan]] project, Mai and Shinatama are like ''twin sisters'' (more like clone sisters, actually). It doesn't take long, however, until Mai ''outgrows'' Shinatama and becomes a "big sister" for her. Eventually, we end up with a Mai about three times the age of the one who used to be her biotech twin.

That's an original way to look at their "family" relationship, and how it evolved over time. How did Mai feel about "leaving Shinatama behind"? How did Shinatama feel about Konoko "drifting away" from her?
===More than [[family]]===
There's a complicated emotional bond between Mai and Shinatama, that goes beyond partnership or even the usual concept of family. No wonder Shinatama "fixated" on it.

The way Mai and Shinatama share nature and nurturing, one of them physically implicated and evolving, the other almost out of space and out of time, is an appealing element of Shinatama's background, and also of Mai's.
===Free will and rationality===
While subject to something like Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics, it is clear that ''nothing's clear'' about an SLD's degree of initiative, free will, or even ''rational thinking'' (which is the only guarantee of predictability and control).

Thus an SLD can not, technically, disobey a direct order, but it can circumvene an ill-stated directive. And Shinatama had been doing just that when falsifying her reports on Konoko : that would mean that lying, for instance, is not ruled out by an SLD's design.

As for irrationality : for example, there was an objective reason why Shinatama disobeyed Griffin in the Omega Bunker (emergency overrides had been switched off without Griffin knowing), but why did she start walking towards him in the first place?

That "Omega Security Mode" just doesn't make any sense... It ''would'' seem that Shinatama's complexity, her uncommon emotional background, her inner conflict (between innocence and violence), and possibly Mai's "conflicting input", made her behave in an irrational way.

That goes back to the [[Daodan#Loss of control|Daodan as loss of control]]. Extremely sophisticated individuals such as legal SLDs, by their very depth, are prone to escaping prediction and control.

However, if the scientists were to master every aspect of Shinatama's design, she wouldn't have been more efficient than an average computer or android. There's an unavoidable risk here, and the best one can do is to acknowledge it.

One characteristic of the human mind is abstract thought, and if some of it filters into an SLD's brain (and it does), why couldn't they get subjective, or illogical, or crazy?

That "excessive humanity" in man-made machines is often addressed in sci-fi. Non-trivial approaches are rare, though. All the more appealing to read a lot of complicated stuff into the SLD concept...
===[[Pain]] and [[Death]]===
How much can Shinatama suffer and how many times can she die?

Whether she experiences actual bodily harm, or is subjected to Konoko's, she can take a lot more than a regular human being, or so it seems.

However, it's not clear whether her "innocent nature" is unaffected by violence, pain and, ultimately, death. Does she remain an accurate backup of the stil-human, seven-year-old Mai no matter what happens, or is a little bit of Mai (and humanity) stripped away every time Shinatama experiences stress, pain, physical harm or "death"?

If it's the latter, just what happens to Shinatama if her synthetic, simili-human body and brain is damaged, then completely destroyed, and all that remains is her projection in "cyberspace" (to which she was wired all her life)? What could be the features of that projection?
===[[Disembodied Soul]]===
(apart from theology, the name echoes a [[Disembodied Soul#Bungie|humorous concept of Bungie's]] : ''this'' is not too funny, though...)

Without an anchor to her pattern donor or to humanity as a whole, without even her synthetic brain (which made her apt to experience human emotions after having been "taught" what they were), there's a good chance that Shinatama will distance herself from mankind and become more calculated, bitter, cold and cruel.

Her free will, and her ability to circumvene orders, will most probably remain, but without a "sister soul", her motivations will be somewhat disconnected, "by default", from human-like emotional stakes... She will go progressively out of phase with mankind, becoming a side observer and a critic (or worse) rather than "part of it".
===[[Oni2:Characters/Hikari|Hikari]]===
Owldreamer's concept of Shinatama, now an electronic ghost, creating a flesh-and-blood [[avatar]] of herself is appealing in the way that the avatar can be seen as the disembodied, seen-it-all Shinatama's ''anchor'' to humanity and to [[Konoko|Mai]]. Hikari's own inner universe is yet another field of investigation, but she's already a powerful character through what she means to Shinatama : without an anchor such as the neural link to Mai, or an avatar such as Hikari, Shinatama is the Disembodied Soul described above.

----

==Related==
*[[SLD]]
*[[TCTF]]
*[[Konoko]]
[[Category:Characters]]

Talk:Female fronted

2008-07-29T02:33:56Z

Imago: New page: The Imago wishes to know what relevance this article has to either the ingame universe or the programming patches. So inquires the Imago. ~~~~

The Imago wishes to know what relevance this article has to either the ingame universe or the programming patches. So inquires the Imago. [[User:Imago|Imago]] 04:33, 29 July 2008 (CEST)

Talk:Main Page

2008-07-29T02:31:13Z

Imago:

__TOC__
==Diversification of Names==
The list under Names includes varying entities. The Imago suggests splitting into: Characters, Groups, and Objects, allowing Added Value a separate listing. So proposes the Imago. [[User:Imago|Imago]] 04:31, 29 July 2008 (CEST)
==Standerds==
:Mayhap we should set some standerds for article creation/modification. For one, NO m-rated language.[[User:The Deadly Brain|The Deadly Brain]] 19:18, 25 May 2007 (CEST)

:I beg to disagree. Clean language is not an option.
:The best we can do is blank out certain characters.
:So I hope you're all right with s##t and f##k etc.
:Peace
::[[User:Geyser|geyser]] 22:16, 25 May 2007 (CEST)
:In any case, such a rule would have to be motivated.
:Are ''you'' offended, or do you want to protect others?
::[[User:Geyser|geyser]] 22:16, 25 May 2007 (CEST)
:BTW, there ''are'' stand'''a'''rds in terms of spelling ^^
::[[User:Geyser|geyser]] 22:16, 25 May 2007 (CEST)
:I know for a fact children younger then ten visit this site.
::[[User:The Deadly Brain|The Deadly Brain]] 23:22, 25 May 2007 (CEST)
:#Do you mean from {{OCF}}? (we're not indexed on Google yet)
:#All clear. But it's as I said. "Bleeping" at most.
:You can be the bleeper-in-chief if you want ^^
::[[User:Geyser|geyser]] 00:59, 26 May 2007 (CEST)

----

==Expansion==
it could use a bit of enlarging... and detailing... this site ain't a direct-copy of the game (even though it might seem so ;P), so... :)
[[User:EgonFreeman|EgonFreeman]] 1:33, 9 Jun 2006 (CEST)
:Well, feel free to contribute... that's how it works. All the detailing and enlarging is done by me ATM, but it's not supposed to stay that way...
:I know there are things like chapter summaries and character profiles missing, but... there are other priorities, including Oni-related ones :)
:I may be trimming the Main Page soon (it's a bit confusing at the moment). More images, less text. Links to namespaces and such.
:[[User:Geyser|geyser]] 02:30, 14 Jun 2006 (CEST)

==Proposal for New Main Page ([[User:Iritscen/MainPageProposal]])==
:Sorry, geyser, I should have discussed it first, but I thought, it's better to show than to tell, and if you didn't like it, you could revert... also, I copied because I didn't want to make you move things back if you wanted to revert (and because some things were getting moved to separate pages, not just moved together)...
:anyway, it sounds like you prefer the main items to be the only items on the front page, and each links to its own page, right? "Making of", "Basic", etc. are the only level that shows here. Is that right?
::[[User:Iritscen|Iritscen]] 17:27, 16 January 2008 (CET)
#You could totally have "shown" here in the talk page, or (better) in your user namespace, with only a link to that new page design here, like: [[User:Iritscen/Main Page]]
#That's right. The main page should be a "portal to portals" with most of the details moved to those other portals. What we have now is something resembling a "site map".
:We'll see about reverting. The wiki is important, but I will sorta have to focus on modding this week, so I'm not sure I'll have the right inspiration to help you guys.
:As for the splitting stuff off to separate pages, please let's not have too much of that. Mini-pages actually make the wiki harder to browse and more annoying to read.
::[[User:Geyser|geyser]] 17:40, 16 January 2008 (CET)
Okay, what if the main page looks as it does now (but maybe a nicer arrangement of the titles), and then each of those links to some fairly large pages -- no mini-pages. If you don't like that, I will revert to original Main Page and go do something with the Images section... future changes will indeed be previewed in my namespace. Sorry, I forgot my wiki etiquette. --[[User:Iritscen|Iritscen]] 17:47, 16 January 2008 (CET)

@Iritscen: That sucks. Would you please change that back and use a playground first as geyser had suggested it above? [[User:Ssg|Ssg]] 18:21, 16 January 2008 (CET)

:Well, since you asked nicely, sure, I'll do that. --[[User:Iritscen|Iritscen]] 18:22, 16 January 2008 (CET)

Thank you. (Wow, now that was really a fast response. :-) I've nothing against a new main page, but it's not a good choice to replace a full working site with an "under construction" one. [[User:Ssg|Ssg]] 18:38, 16 January 2008 (CET)
:You're right, I was expecting a quick reply from geyser, but it seems he's moved on to something else. When he responded I was going to start fixing things up. You just happened to come along in the meantime. As he's pointed out, I should be doing things like that in my namespace; see User:Iritscen/MainPageProposal from now on.
:Anyway, we should still get a sense of what kind of page people want. A very simple one with groups like "Making Of", "Basic Info", etc., or can we have subgroups like in the Proposal? --[[User:Iritscen|Iritscen]] 18:55, 16 January 2008 (CET)

Oh... I'm sorry. Didn't know that it was already in work. However, your new main page looks good. IMO you can replace the main page.

One suggestion: Add an equals sign to every group and subgroup. F.e.: <nowiki>=Help= to ==Help==</nowiki>. IMO it looks better, because the page has not so much dividing lines. [[User:Ssg|Ssg]] 11:20, 17 January 2008 (CET)

:Okay, I did that, and agree it looks better. But Ssg, geyser does not agree that the page should be so long, which is why I want to arrive at a consensus before replacing what's on the Main Page. I think the page can be that long, but maybe he thinks it's unwieldy or intimidating.

:Also, I am trying to add this code at the top of the page:

:<nowiki><center><div style="font-size=162%;">Welcome to OniGalore, the wiki for all things Oni.</div>
:[[Special:Statistics|{{NUMBEROFARTICLES}}]] articles in total</center></nowiki>

:Two problems: 1. It does not change the font-size! and 2. The article count looks wrong. Look at the statistics page. There's a bajillion pages and it says only 90 are probably "real content". Is that true? --[[User:Iritscen|Iritscen]] 16:14, 17 January 2008 (CET)

Replace the equals sign between "font-size" and "162%" with a colon:

<center><div style="font-size:162%;">Welcome to OniGalore, the wiki for all things Oni.</div>
:[[Special:Statistics|{{NUMBEROFARTICLES}}]] articles in total</center>

The "90 articles" is right, I guess. IMO Wiki takes a namepsace as one article. So f.e. the whole OBD sites are only one article. Well, that's what I think. I've no idea, if that's right or not.

I like the long main page, because it contains all information I need. I don't have to search for something and I don't have to guess where something could be located. Nevertheless, to shorten it I would move the external links to a seperate site, because that's a topic that can run up to a lot of entries. The link to the "External Links" can be placed in the "Further Content" section. [[User:Ssg|Ssg]] 18:57, 17 January 2008 (CET)

:THANK YOU. That was driving me crazy; I think our wiki's syntax is a little different from Wikipedia, or else I'm just confused. But the tags work now, and that's what matters. I agree with your input on the External Links (it's not really appropriate to have external links on a wiki's front page, now that I think about it), and am adjusting accordingly. --[[User:Iritscen|Iritscen]] 19:45, 17 January 2008 (CET)

::It is probably because wikipedia is updated :P...OniWiki is ollllddd [[User:Gumby|Gumby]]

==Vote for New Main Page==
Please add your opinion below. All in favor of the page at [[User:Iritscen/MainPageProposal]] write '''For''' and optionally give a comment. Otherwise write '''Against''' and please explain why. Remember to sign! We need to get this matter settled so I can move on to other things on the wiki and stop glancing at the talk page looking for changes.

'''For'''. But I ''am'' a biased party :-3 --[[User:Iritscen|Iritscen]] 16:15, 28 January 2008 (CET)

'''For'''. The new page is hawt [[User:Gumby|Gumby]] 08:42, 30 January 2008 (CET)

'''For'''. I like it :) [[User:Tyr|Tyr]] 16:57, 30 January 2008 (CET)

'''Err'''. How is it different from the old one? [[User:Geyser|geyser]] 16:26, 31 January 2008 (CET)
::Stuff got moved around, and a new intro, methinks
::http://wiki.oni2.net/w/index.php?title=User%3AIritscen%2FMainPageProposal&diff=7480&oldid=7479 if it helps :P [[User:Gumby|Gumby]] 20:03, 1 February 2008 (CET)

'''For'''. Maybe we should move the "help" section to the 2nd or 4th position, so that the "basic content" is followed directly by the "further content". That makes more sense, IMO. [[User:Ssg|Ssg]] 14:37, 2 February 2008 (CET)

;Kkk.
:K guys, looks like long silences attract spam. What do you think about a 3-column layout such as [[User:Geyser/Main|THIS]]?
:Of course, you could add items to every list, but I'd rather keep them short and redirecting elsewhere.
:If I don't have a reply by the end of the weekend, I'll make [[User:Geyser/Main|this]] the new main page, fa fa fa fa fa! ^_^
:The old one (or maybe Iritscen's revisited version) will be moved to [[Main Page/Site map]] or something.

'''Mmh'''... not bad either. If we use this, you should add a "valign=top" so that the entries of the last row are always on top. [[User:Ssg|Ssg]] 19:07, 2 February 2008 (CET)

;Hmm...
:Added the valign thing. Needless to say, you're welcome to fancify the colors, reshuffle the lists etc... at any time.
:That page also relies on 4 pages that don't exist yet: [[ONi]], [[ONi for fans]], [[ONi for players]] and [[ONi for modders]]...
::[[User:Geyser|geyser]] 00:32, 3 February 2008 (CET)
;Oh...
:Oh indeed. As for that spam we're getting, it's not clear whom we owe this new source of comfort.
:We were never indexed on Google, so it must be a problem of linking here from one place too many.
:Did someone add a link to the wiki from a site hosted on a public server, or something like that?
:Interestingly, the IPs are very specific, with a single set of spam per IP. That's a "good " thing.
:If we keep getting more of that, we will probably restrict editing access to registered users.
::[[User:Geyser|geyser]] 00:32, 3 February 2008 (CET)
:OK, who do we know in Odessa, Ukraine? ^_^

I've added a lot of [[links]]. [[User:Ssg|Ssg]] 01:08, 3 February 2008 (CET)

Why not to [[OniGalore:Community_Portal]]? [[User:Geyser|geyser]] 01:44, 3 February 2008 (CET)

Oh... forgot about this site. (There is no link to it on the main page.) Sorry. Nonetheless, I prefer the name "links". So I would suggest to close the "community_portal" page and use the "links" page.
*To your main page proposal: Why are the entries of the 1st and 2nd rows links? ([[ONi]], [[ONi for fans]], [[ONi for players]] and [[ONi for modders]]) Do we need these? What's your idea for the content of these?
*To the colouring offer: Believe it or not, but the colour you've chosen looks good to me. :-) [[User:Ssg|Ssg]] 15:02, 3 February 2008 (CET)

;Crap.
:It's getting flooded in here. Will definitely clean this up after setting up the new Main Page layout.
:There are nice links to "Community portal" and "Current events" in the wiki's main navigation box...
:These pages are there by default, which is why I'm using them rather than pages called "Links" etc.
:So, closing [[OniGalore:Community_Portal]] is not an option, but we can make [[Links]] redirect there.
:I strongly object to an "exhaustive" collection of links (the "links to programs", for example)...
:Such lists are useless to newcomers, and only serve as bookmarks to people who know where to look.
:If a program is worth linking to, develop on it, either on its own page, or in [[Programs]] or such.
*[[ONi]] and the other three are supposed to be portals in article form (with sentences and lists).
:They would describe the main fields of interest and provide links to more detailed "articles".
:Simply put, they are expanded, verbose versions of the mini-lists in the Main Page portal.
*Heh, I'm just using [[Template:Table]], so the color is yours. I thought of livening it up.
:(you know, with different colors for the columns, a background picture, some mini-thumbs)
::[[User:Geyser|geyser]] 18:10, 3 February 2008 (CET)
----
;To a public server?
:Could be almost every fan site which isn't on oni2.net. (Links which I set to the wiki: a more or less dead webspace*, a private wiki*, a privat forum**). Or do you mean link from a public server? Maybe it works that way too. (I've a link on animexx.onlinewelten.com** to my oni2.net webspace which is linked to the OG.)
:<nowiki>*</nowiki> - not indexed by google <nowiki>**</nowiki> - indexed by google, but restricted area excluded for logged in members
:However, it seems like a silly bot which attacks only the "Talk:Main Page". So why not set it under protection?
::[[User:Paradox-01|Paradox-01]] 14:46, 3 February 2008 (CET)
:Yes, I meant "from" (sorry about the "typo").
:I enabled protection for this page.
:You have to log in to edit it now.
::[[User:Geyser|geyser]] 22:58, 3 February 2008 (CET)
;For/against...
:Well, I think both pages are better than the old. But I trend to geyser's because it's more compact.
::[[User:Paradox-01|Paradox-01]] 14:46, 3 February 2008 (CET)

----
===Vote Canceled===
:At the risk of sounding bitchy... you guys really got off track here. You're talking about spam (where?), and portals, and forgetting to sign so I have no idea who's saying what. Now geyser has introduced a new main page in the middle of the vote, so the vote has been totally derailed. This means everyone's vote is now obsolete, because it may or may not have been made after seeing geyser's new page. *sigh* If we're going to try this democratic thing properly, we need everyone to please vote again in the next section. It's not my fault. --[[User:Iritscen|Iritscen]] 18:44, 4 February 2008 (CET)

:I'm sorry I spoiled your vote (perhaps intentionally: I'm a dictator after all, albeit an enlightened one). Note, however, that every single person either signed or logged in.
:You could thus always get an idea of who's talking, with a quick look at the history. BTW, the recent spam would also appear there, as it was plaguing this very page.
:You shouldn't overestimate the democratic aspects of wikis. Just because Wikipedia does things a certain way doesn't mean we should mimic them: not at all...
:All those encyclopedic standards, for example, are completely irrelevant to a project wiki, which should just be decently informative to its supposed visitors, period.
:I also think it's quite appropriate not to enforce scholarly objectivity in the articles. As long as "personal essays" and occasional wacky stuff do their job, let them be.
:Bring in organization if you like, but spare us the tedious bits. In other words: take the "fun" out of "functionality", and I might buy myself some extra guts, my [[friend]] ^_^
::[[User:Geyser|geyser]] 23:09, 4 February 2008 (CET) 
::Perhaps you noticed my bringing in a template, huh? :-) Don't worry, I am not going to be a wiki-Nazi who insists on WP-style writing everywhere. I am all for some whimsicality in this wiki. But at the start, it seems to me that the wiki was basically your baby, and while I don't want to take it away from you (not that I could, Mr. Admin!), if we don't open it up for others to contribute, it can't represent the community as a whole. But if an article is written in 1st person, then it naturally makes anyone else hesitant to touch it, so they can't contribute. That was the purpose behind the template.
::I'm sure you won't mind others taking some of the burden off your shoulders and helping you finish up the wiki; I just want to assure you that that's really my only goal in everything I do here. I also don't intend to put every single thing up to a vote; it's just that the Main Page is an important matter and I think we need input on what design would be most user-friendly. --[[User:Iritscen|Iritscen]] 15:28, 5 February 2008 (CET)

==2nd Vote For New Main Page==
Please vote for the old (current) [[Main_Page]], or for my [[User:Iritscen/MainPageProposal|proposal]], or for geyser's [[User:Geyser/Main|proposal]]. I guess it will save time to just say '''OP''' for the original (current) page, '''IP''' for Iritscen's Page, or '''GP''' for Geyser's Page. --[[User:Iritscen|Iritscen]] 18:44, 4 February 2008 (CET)

;IP.
:I do appreciate geyser's new page, but I think the formatting is not really proper wiki-style. True, it's our wiki and it can look however we want it to. I just prefer a vertical layout to a horizontal layout. Also, the comments on each item in GP are a bit untidy and make it look cluttered because they broaden the overall table.
::[[User:Iritscen|Iritscen]] 18:44, 4 February 2008 (CET)
;GP.
:(I don't think either Iritscen or I are in a position to vote, but his critique deserves a response)
:No comment on your preferences, but IMO a home page should offer an overview within a page or two.
:Optimally, the user doesn't need to scroll at all to start navigating (more or less my suggestion).
:As for "proper wiki-style", you should have a 2nd look at Main Pages elsewhere... anywhere.
:They are typically very small: either tight paragraphs or tables, directing to only a few pages.
:Finally, my table spans the whole page: the comments wrap around instead of "broadening it up".
:Also note that the comments don't wrap at all unless your horizontal resolution is 800 or lower.
:I wouldn't say the table looks cluttered on a 1024x768 monitor, which is quite something.
:If by "untidy" you meant the wacky randomness of some comments, it's an intended feature.
:Of course I can't claim to be a master of silly jokes à la Bungie (nor do I want to).
:But the wiki can be made more appealing/intriguing if it's spiced up by such things.
::[[User:Geyser|geyser]] 23:26, 4 February 2008 (CET)
::I'm not going to keep critiquing your page and start sounding like a politician doing attack ads; the vote isn't up to us, anyway; but just to be clear, you are right that your table is wiki-like. But the advantage of my vertical approach is that the Table of Contents is used to jump to wherever you want. You also don't have to categorize yourself first when trying to find a link ("Am I a fan, a player, or a modder?"). You just look for the subject you want to read about in the TOC and click it.
::And it's okay to be a little silly, but the comments in parentheses are basically explaining what each link is, which looks like clutter to me. If the links are not explanatory enough for a newbie, than you and I are doing something wrong and the links/pages need to be named better. --[[User:Iritscen|Iritscen]] 15:42, 5 February 2008 (CET)

;?P.
:Ooh... I can't decide. Both are good. Seems that we have to wait for some more opinions...
::[[User:Ssg|Ssg]] 12:34, 5 February 2008 (CET)

----
===Vote Canceled===
Okay, let's forget this whole thing ever happened. --[[User:Iritscen|Iritscen]] 19:30, 6 February 2008 (CET)

==Beyond the vote==
:@geyser: The table doesn't look good in 1440x900. I suggest either to put the table into another table or to put the content of the last row into separate tables and center these. Also I don't like the look of the part above the table (introduction, welcome pic). That should be polished somehow.
::[[User:Ssg|Ssg]] 12:34, 5 February 2008 (CET)
:As for both layouts being good, my suggestion was to keep them both. Iritscen's can go either below the table or on a separate page (like a site map).
:As for the looks in 1440x900, I'm not sure what you mean. If you object to the lists being flushed left in wide table columns, then I kinda disagree.
:If you embed the lists into centered sub-tables, the width of those will depend on the content, so it will be different for the three columns. Ugly.
:IMO, left-aligned lists are OK and anything else will look worse. Might be wrong. Anyway, you are free to polish anything you feel like polishing.
::[[User:Geyser|geyser]] 14:39, 5 February 2008 (CET)

My vote goes neither to Geyser's nor to Iritscen's proposal. What we have here is not a choice between two alternatives. We rather need a blending of both.
Iritscen organized the main topics way better than Geyser. However Geyser's layout is absolutely more user friendly... even a lazy person like me is allowed to spot everything that's worth of interest at a first glance.
Somebody just grab Geyser's layout script, and figure out a way to put in the bottom table all the topics as Iriscen said. Also, Iritscen you may think of a better welcome message for the page header. The note about the search function is annoyingly obvious, just delete it. And remove that bloody drawing of mine! Bring back Lorraine's art or just leave no pictures, it will look fine as well.
::[[User:Guido|guido]] 13.15, 6 February 2008 (CET)
:What do you mean by the "bottom table"? I'm curious.
:"A better welcome message"... yeah, I ripped that thing off wholesale from Wikipedia, I'm not defending it. I'll see if I can think of something better.
:"The note about the search function"... yeah, it's a little patronizing, I thought the same thing.
:"Remove that bloody drawing of mine"... I really like it, but perhaps a piece of "canon" art is called for on the Main Page. I'll browse through our Images gallery for something of Lorraine's.
::[[User:Iritscen|Iritscen]] 15:21, 6 February 2008 (CET)
:Guido and ssg both have really weird ways to refer to those three lists: "bottom table", "last row"... for sake's sake, it's the actual table, guys!
:Welcome messages are hard to get right, which is why no one seems willing to take the responsibility of actually sitting down and writing them. ^_^
:I know for a fact that many people are unaware/oblivious of the direct-hit a.k.a. "Go" feature. I explained that in some more detail. Enjoy.
:Guido, your drawing is staying. It's up to you to remove or replace it, but as far as I'm concerned I'd only take the thumb-frame away.
:Apart from being just plain nice, it makes us stand apart from all those who don't know better than to recycle Lorraine's art forever.
:BTW, the opportunity to liven up the wiki with contextual illustrations still holds. Help yourself to the image gallery, everybody.
::[[User:Geyser|geyser]] 18:18, 6 February 2008 (CET)
:About the comments in brackets. When they are humorous rather than informative, and don't contain hyperlinks, we can replace them with hoverboxes, like this: [[Iron Demon|Iron Demon]]
:There are plenty of other ways to improve "my" table, but I woundn't cram all of Iritscen's "site map" into it because: 1) it will never encompass the variety of the wiki's content; 2) in the attempt to do so, it will grow larger and larger, so that "even a lazy person like [Guido] is able to spot everything that's worth of interest at a first glance" will no longer be true.
::[[User:Geyser|geyser]] 18:18, 6 February 2008 (CET)
::Okay, I will implement the hover boxes. That seems like a good compromise. --[[User:Iritscen|Iritscen]] 19:11, 6 February 2008 (CET)
:::Hoverboxes added. I also removed some lower levels of hierarchy (or should I say arboresence?) in the Main Page because that kind of detail is unnecessary (that's what my Main Page, er, Site Map is for!) --[[User:Iritscen|Iritscen]] 19:32, 6 February 2008 (CET)

==On The New Main Page==
Well, this is it. We've just witnessed a mental breakdown. Someone call the men in white coats for geyser. --[[User:Iritscen|Iritscen]] 17:43, 6 February 2008 (CET)
:Also, am I the only one who has a big problem with "ONi"? I suppose if I weren't lazy I would change it to "Oni" myself and get in a revert war with geyser, but instead I'm being diplomatic by asking for other people's opinions. --[[User:Iritscen|Iritscen]] 18:27, 6 February 2008 (CET)
::And so it begins...luckily for me, I won't have access to the forum for a few days. geyser, I apologize, but I am hardheaded :P[[User:Gumby|Gumby]] 20:02, 6 February 2008 (CET)

That chibi Shinatama is cute. Just wanted to say that. --[[User:Iritscen|Iritscen]] 17:14, 12 February 2008 (CET)

Okay, here's a more constructive comment. I propose that we (by which I mean geyser, since he's the expert in tables) make a second table below "Oni" for "After Oni..." where we can put the items in See Also. It seems disorganized to have a little section like that after a big table. The second table could bring those items out in more detail (specifically, breaking out "Oni 2" to be a little more specific). Just an idea. --[[User:Iritscen|Iritscen]] 17:25, 12 February 2008 (CET)

:Well, as far as I'm concerned, the Main Page is functional enough as it is
:(however, I still can't forgive how you replaced Upgrades with Daodan DLL).
:If you think about "Oni 2" in terms of "added value", it is not "after" Oni.
:And the projects under "See also" are really miscellaneous curiosities ATM.
:When Konoko Payne goes beyond the proof-of-concept stage, I'll reconsider.
::[[User:Geyser|geyser]] 23:00, 25 February 2008 (CET)

==Chibi Image==

Why is it all pink when I see it on the main page, but all colorful when I click on the image?
:--Gumby
:Me too. Gumby, what browser you're using. I've mozilla firefox.
:Same effect for an image by Iritscen. Please check [http://wiki.oni2.net/Image:PKV_01_-_Front-On_Konoko_%28F-PS%29.png THIS] and confirm the error.
::--[[User:Paradox-01|Paradox-01]] 21:15, 25 February 2008 (CET)
Being colorblind, it's hard for me to see that Shinatama is "all pink" on the main page, but she doesn't look nearly as good as on the image page: [[Image:Chibi_Shinatama_Final_by_RedDog.png]]. Even aside from the color thing, she might need to be sized down in a proper graphics app like Photoshop rather than leaving the scaling to the wiki. --[[User:Iritscen|Iritscen]] 21:38, 25 February 2008 (CET)
::Perfect, Gumby! Nicely fixed. --[[User:Iritscen|Iritscen]] 21:40, 25 February 2008 (CET)
:It is ''not'' a perfect fix, it's a dirty hack around a flaw in the outdated MediaWiki engine.
:I asked Alloc to update the engine and I'd rather if you had some patience until he does so.
:Sigh. I'll leave the resized PNG for now, but eventually I'll revert to the one I uploaded.
:Wikipedia scales PNG nicely, so there's no reason why our wiki shouldn't. Just be patient.
::[[User:Geyser|geyser]] 23:00, 25 February 2008 (CET)
:"dirty hack"? Pshaw, that took a lot of work...like...copying the image...and uploading the image :P I understand the want for the PNG to work properly though. I once asked Alloc about the wiki's age and there was some reason he didn't want to upgrade it...probably too much work...xD. I wanted to have support for lowercase titles, but the wiki is too old :P. And, I use IE7 at school. Let me check using Opera (Wii browser) for the glitch...
::[[User:Gumby|Gumby]]
:I have Opera, and the glitch is there. Moreover, you have to realize that the scaling glitch is server-side.
:It's the wiki's engine that generates the scaled versions of the images, when processing wiki text into HTML.
:It's those automatically generated images that are wrong, and they'll be wrong no matter what the browser...
:Upgrading the wiki means quite a lot of work for the admin, and a downtime, too. Dunno when that'll happen.
::[[User:Geyser|geyser]] 06:06, 27 February 2008 (CET)
:Yeah, I know, it doesn't hurt to check though...:D
::[[User:Gumby|Gumby]]
==Talking Heads Xplode==
:The wiki now scales PNG properly, however previously generated thumbs may need to be purged (the easiest way is to reupload the image).
::[[User:Geyser|geyser]] 12:45, 2 June 2008 (CEST)
:Now that the PNG scaling problem is fixed we can re-upload all of the [[Images/In-Game/Talking_Heads|Talking Heads]] images as PNG right? The JPEG artifacts look really bad, especially when scaled. I'd be glad to help.
::[[User:RossyMiles|rossy]] 11:46, 3 June 2008 (CEST)
:Great. Let us know if you have problems exporting them from Oni. As for the naming convention, please use [[:Image:TXMPSHINlistening.png]] etc. It's also best to add the category tags <nowiki>[[Category:Portraits]][[Category:In-game art]]</nowiki> to the upload summary. After you're done, we'll delete [[Images/In-Game/Talking_Heads|Talking Heads]].
:Maybe "Portraits" (or "Small portraits") is not the best pick, but "Talking heads" is pretty bad as well. Oni calls them "cinematics", even more counter-intuitively. They're "insets" and "popups" (or "fly-ins") to me, so maybe the least confusing category would be something like "Cutscene pop-ups" or "Inset portraits".
:If we don't want to stress the function of those images in Oni, then "Small portraits" is probably good enough. If we want to stress that they're backing up the voice-overs, maybe I'd use "Voice-over art" ([[Voice actors|deliberately confusing]], sorta).
:Off topic: I didn't bother to give you feedback on your user page, since you apparently got in touch with SFeLi. As for Daodan discussion, you've probably spotted [[Daodan DLL]] by now.
::[[User:Geyser|geyser]] 14:31, 3 June 2008 (CEST)
==Welcome statements==
:I removed this from the top of the Main Page because I thought it was redundant, feel free to reinject it in the main text somehow.
<center>''This wiki is a community-wide effort. If you're a new or returning Oni fan, perhaps you can take the time to [[Current events#To-Do|contribute]] towards making this wiki more complete.''</center>
:Whatever you do, make sure that Shinatama doesn't interfere with the table on 1600x#### or wider. Move the haiku around if you have to.
::[[User:Geyser|geyser]] 12:45, 2 June 2008 (CEST)

Data console

2008-07-29T00:10:42Z

Imago:

Consoles are interactive displays, resembling small computers, that [[Konoko]] can use to perform a variety of tasks. There are three types of consoles: Control Consoles, Data Consoles, and Alert Consoles.

==Control Console==
These consoles provide effects, such as unlocking doors or deactivating electric fields. All control consoles are needed to complete the game, and this type of console is by far the most common. They are usually distinguished by symbols on their screen, and sometimes are not shaped like regular consoles.

==Data Console==
The second most common console in the game, Data Consoles provide useful background information in the form of text. All this information has been faithfully transcribed [[Quotes/Consoles|here]] for your reading pleasure. Data Consoles are not necessary to win the game, but reading one does automatically pause the game for the duration of the reading.

==Alert Consoles==
The least common and easiest to identify, Alert Consoles are a bright red in color. [[Comguys]] will rush to the nearest alert console when they spot Konoko, summoning reinforcements if she cannot stop them in time. Ironically, Konoko herself can also activate these consoles. Aside from summoning enemy units from other areas of the map, these consoles have no effect.

Comm Trooper

2008-07-28T23:43:48Z

Imago:

[[Image:Comguy.png|right|100px]]
Communications officers, or Comguys, are [[Syndicate]] troops with computer training. They are infamous for rushing to [[Alert Consoles]] in order to summon more troops to the area. Apart from this, they serve little purpose ingame, and are quickly dispatched. Comguys, unlike many of [[Muro]]'s troops, do not display color differentiation. They may or may not be expecting [[Daodan Chrysalises]]. They will sometimes wear goggles.
==Taunts==
This section needs to be filled in.
==Moves==
This section needs to be filled in.
==Trivia==
The alert consoles could be activated by [[Konoko]] even after the comguy was terminated.
[[Category:Characters]]

Comm Trooper

2008-07-28T23:38:05Z

Imago:

[[Image:Comguy.png|right|200px]]
[[Category:Characters]]

Talk:War on spam

2008-07-28T21:14:24Z

Imago:

==Spam==
;On the recent spam bot from Odessa, Ukraine, IP 85.255.120.###
:I guess it's a spambot/[http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=skiddie skiddie].
:If you google for one of these IPs, google spits out a lot of infected sites.
:Maybe Alloc can set up a word filter for the wiki.
:See also http://www.stopforumspam.com/forum/f1-General-Discussion for other ideas.
:[[User:Ssg|Ssg]] 11:22, 6 February 2008 (CET)
----
:An obvious fix for that is to protect the whole wiki, i.e., only authorize edits by registered users.
:Then there's the obvious escalation: smart bots that register tons of dummy accounts and post through these; these are rather nasty.
:We certainly have a lot to learn from other wiki runners, and in particular from Wikipedia folks: they have lots of scripts that try and outsmart those smart spam bots.
:There are other solutions that can be implemented for communities such as ours. As the coadmin of seriousengine.com, I've been confronted to the smart bots lately, and the basic idea is to authorize only those users who also have an account on the community forums (in our case, that would be {{OCF}}), or users explicitly authorized by an admin. This basically boils down to a privately-edited wiki, with a "closed" group of edit-capable users, to which spam bots can never access. I'll keep you up to date on the solution being implemented at seriousengine.com
::[[User:Geyser|geyser]] 17:17, 6 February 2008 (CET)
----
:That spambot is still annoying. Are there any upcoming defence steps?
::[[User:Ssg|Ssg]] 17:29, 9 March 2008 (CET)
:Oh, it's not all that annoying. "You ain't seen nuthin' yet..."
:As long as we only have this one "pet", I'd do nothing at all.
:Protecting pages, or the whole wiki, can lead to escalation...
::[[User:Geyser|geyser]] 18:00, 9 March 2008 (CET)
----

==Beans and spam==
:I see that we're still getting vandalized. Really, is barring anon edits a bad thing? I know there's the ''possibility'' of bots registering and then editing, but we can easily stop that with capchas (hopefully not the really hard kind, even I can't do those, and I'm more or less a human being!). Let's not be held back by fear, from trying to fight spambots. Remember, the only thing to fear is fear itself. And clowns. Fear and clowns. --[[User:Iritscen|Iritscen]] 16:07, 28 March 2008 (CET)

::I investigated a bit on http://www.getnet.com/cgi-bin/trace? and http://logbud.com/ip_whois...
::That guy use a proxy network.

IP 86.96.226.15
Leads to:
Country United Arab Emirates
City Dubai
Organisation Emirates Telecommunications Corporation 
Keywords on that side: ETISALAT, EA1251-RIPE 
ETISALAT and RIPE
Leads to:
IP 213.186.116.247
Country Ukraine
Organisation UTEL Internet Services
mnt-by: '''AS6877-MNT'''

By the way, AS means: autonomous system [AS] (numbers)

IP 200.216.186.35
Leads to:
Country Brazil
Organisation Telemar Norte Leste S.A.
aut-num: AS7738 
AS7738
Leads to:
IP 213.186.116.247
Country Ukraine
Organisation UTEL Internet Services
mnt-by '''AS6877-MNT'''

:::--[[User:Paradox-01|Paradox-01]] 17:52, 28 March 2008 (CET)

:::Are we definitely of the opinion that this is a bot and not a person? I mean, I thought spambots were supposed to, you know, advertise something, like posting links to places you can buy V**gra. But I have heard that a lot of spam comes from Russia/Ukraine... --[[User:Iritscen|Iritscen]] 17:55, 28 March 2008 (CET)

::::Well, the spam came from the same country but from different sources. The first was most probably a bot.
::::But the second is still unclear. "He" deleted a section and left one address at first (look up history, get address and insert it on http://logbud.com/domain_whois, surprise: that side is hosted in the USA). Then he came back to delete the same section. Just strange. In both cases he left an additional ''signature'': "dH0cf7" and "HfpZ3o sd89f984q34slf". Do you ever seen text like this?
:::::--[[User:Paradox-01|Paradox-01]] 18:37, 28 March 2008 (CET)

:::::Yeah, I did see that address, but I forgot about it. And I did see that strange text. I don't recognize it. I tried viewing it with different encodings, but that doesn't work. (I thought maybe it was supposed to be Cyrillic.) If I had way more free time, I would try to decode it. But I don't :-) --[[User:Iritscen|Iritscen]] 20:00, 28 March 2008 (CET)

----
==Spam spam spam spam eggs bacon and spam==
We are still experiencing vandalism of the [[OniGalore:Community Portal]] page. I don't know whether to call it spam, because it doesn't seem to be advertising anything, but it's bad and I'm sure we all want to stop it. Let's discuss this further on the War on spam page.
:;Iritscen, 28 March 2008
Spamwatch update (4/16/08): Seems that it's been a couple weeks since we had spambot activity. Not long enough to get our hopes up that it's done, but at least the bots are on a break or something. At this rate there's no need to block registration or anything.
:;Iritscen, 16 April 2008
Actually, not many people seem to have noticed, but anonymous edits have been disabled as of April 4, 2008. The only spam bots we can have now are of the kind that register a user name. So relax, but keep your fingers crossed, as that kind of escalation will be likely as the wiki gets more popular. Spam and its escalation is the key reason why I am ''not'' making a point of boosting our search engine rankings...
:[[User:Geyser|geyser]] 16:33, 23 May 2008 (CEST)
::Hmm, someone was looking at my userpage recently... :-) -- just for the record, I am not advocating the taking of any action to increase page rankings; I just think it's interesting to observe whether there's a natural up-trend as we add more content, so to observe a trend I have to start tracking now.
::And I'm glad to hear about the blocking of anon edits. --[[User:Iritscen|Iritscen]] 17:22, 23 May 2008 (CEST)
----
;And there we have it...
:[http://wiki.oni2.net/w/index.php?title=Talk:Main_Page&oldid=10153#I_challenge_you_to_a_game_of_trivia.21_Click_here First non-anon spam]
::[[User:Geyser|geyser]] 00:13, 2 June 2008 (CEST)
:::Yikes. It only took less than two months since anon edits were blocked.
::::[[User:Iritscen|Iritscen]] 15:23, 2 June 2008 (CEST)
:::::No surprise, but it sucks to be right. Cassandra Syndrome.
::::::[[User:Geyser|geyser]] 16:40, 2 June 2008 (CEST)
=We have a problem=
Exactly four hundred and twenty five wanted pages of a problem. Unnecessary links should be terminated ASAP (i.e. anarchy, what was THAT about?!) and all links that wish to be preserved should have at least a place-holder article. This may not be spam, but it's certainly like it. So commands the Imago. [[User:Imago|Imago]] 23:14, 28 July 2008 (CEST)

Daodan

2008-07-28T21:01:39Z

Imago: /* Efficience and loss of control */

[[Category:Added value]]
==Facts==
===Daodan latency etc===
Recurrently mentioned by [[Shinatama]], [[Kerr]], and the rest of [[Griffin]]'s scientific crew, from {{C1}} on. Not very informative to the player at that stage, but the unfamiliar name suggests something out of the ordinary, i.e. more exotic than regular biometric data.

High Daodan latency is bad, low latency is good (27.5 is normal, 29 is a bit alarming). Also mentioned are "bioplasmic waveforms", which are expected to be stable.
===Progress===
Arguably, [[Muro]]'s "An android... Interesting... They must be using it to monitor her progress." doesn't refer to the progress of the Daodan integration process. At that moment (arguably) Muro is not interested in [[Konoko]] appearing as a rival to himself, i.e. as another Daodan.

More trivially, the neural link allows [[Shinatama]] to not only gather precise biometric data, but also to visualize Konoko's immediate environment : "I've seen everything you've seen". Thus "monitoring Mai's progress" can amount to making data like Mai's exact location and environment available to [[Griffin]].

The neural link also acts like a portable scanner that Shinatama can use to analyze situations that are outside Mai's own field of vision (but still in close proximity to Mai), and feed Mai back with appropriate tactical information. Examples of such tactical computers include Halo's Cortana and Serious Sam's Netricsa.

OMG, this is off-topic. Bound for Shinatama's page or something.

===Aggressivity===
The Daodan catalyzes physical performance, but also affects psychics : one becomes addicted to effort/violence, headstrong, and easily aggressive.

TCTF HQ terminal goes here.

(the Daodan is not mentioned in the context, but the player already suspects, after the first chapters that Mai is not 100% normal i.e. that she's enhanced in some way)
===Daodan spike===
Starting with her second and last encounter with [[Barabas]], [[Konoko|Mai]] goes through a violent physical experience after every boss fight (with the notable exception of [[Mukade]]).
:Looked at another way, the major spikes only happen in three places: after beating Barabas a second time, after beating the room of bad guys at the end of Chapter 7 (ACC Exterior), and after beating her brother at the end of the game. Three times is hardly a large enough sample from which to assume that it's only boss fights that do this to her, especially since a Fury and a couple of Strikers are hardly a real boss fight, and the real boss fight with Mukade triggers no such reaction. This leaves the question of what specifically causes the major spikes.

The experience takes the form of a violent spasm, during which Konoko (uncontrollably?) raises her arms in the air then spreads them apart. A blue glow appears all over her body, and the sighting of this aura-like entity is accompanied by a soft humming-whistling. The fly-in panel of her face shows glowing skin and eyes, an "animal" smile, and the corresponding voiceover bears close resemblance to a female orgasm.

The spasm, known as a "powerup" to modders, is not referred to as a "Daodan spike" ingame. Rather, it's described as "consistent with the waveforms of a Daodan spike, but far more powerful." Probably a "regular" "Daodan spike" is like an adrenal spike, but "far more powerful" already ^^

It's interesting to confront the above symptoms with the concept of [[wikipedia:Ecstasy_of_St_Theresa|ecstasy]].

===Chrysalis===
First mentioned by Shinatama during her talk in {{C8}} : "They used me to monitor the growth of the Chrysalis inside you". Developed on by [[Kerr]] and his colleagues in {{C12}}. The "growth" process takes dramatic proportions in later descriptions.

Mentioned by [[Muro|Mutant Muro]] : "I am very impressed with what you have been able to accomplish without drawing on the full power of your Chrysalis."
===Mukade===

He doesn't name the Daodan explicitly during his encounter with Mai, but his allusions bear close resemblance with the descriptions of the transformation process occurring in {{C12}} and {{C13}}.

===Hasegawa===
In his diary, [[Hasegawa]] alludes to the Daodan project as a "something" that he will do to "excuse his survival" after Jamie's death, also saying "if something isn't done we are all doomed".

===Sytropin===
A medicine to slow down Konoko's transformation.
See [[Quotes/Consoles#Sytropin|Chapter 12 : SINS OF THE FATHER (consoles)]]

===Transformation===
Introduced By [[Kerr]]. Stressed as alarming by TCTF scientists in {{C13}}. After you see [[Muro|Mutant Muro]], you know why ^^

===True nature===
Kerr says that the transformation cannot change the symbiont's personality but vice versa. He claims the final form (Imago stage) as an expression of the person's "true nature" (which shall mean the unaltered personality).
See [[Quotes/Speech#Scanner_room|Chapter 12 : SINS OF THE FATHER (speech)]]

===Chrysalis removal===
TCTF-own researchers failed to remove Daodan tissue by invasive and exploratory surgery. They name two reasons:
# The dadoan cells are actually replacements for their originals, so the researcher cannot rip them out without having compatible tissue as new replacements.
# The Daodan tries to replace damaged tissue almost instantly, that makes a mechanical removal difficult.

Other ideas are:
# to overload the Daodan's recuperative capacity but which is supposed of having a fatal effect to the host also
# or to inject cell clusters which would attack the Daodan cells only. (It's unclear how the Daodan could react to this threat.)
See [[Quotes/Consoles#Chrysalis_Removal|Chapter 12 : SINS OF THE FATHER (consoles)]]

===Imago stage===
The only mention of this stage by name is in [[Quotes/Objectives#Chapter_14_:_DAWN_OF_THE_CHRYSALIS|the last chapter's objectives]].

Wikipedia [[wikipedia:Imago|defines]] "Imago" as the "last stage of development of an insect", the completion of a metamorphosis; in other words, the adult stage. There also exists a [[wikipedia:subimago|sub-Imago]] stage in one order of insects -- mayflies.

----
----

==Added value==
The Daodan concept is easily the most original and powerful in all of Oni. It neatly maps onto society, technology, personality etc, and it can also be considered on its own, as an appealing sci-fi concept and the embodiment of not-so trivial dilemmas (ethical and other).
===Autoevolutionary process===
The Daodan is designed so as to ''run free'' : to come up with an adapted response to complex or unforeseeable challenges, to "react as it sees fit". There are virtually no limits imposed to that "hyperevolution" by the designer. Rather than making the "patched" humans able to withstand certain types of toxins, they idea is to provide a dynamic cure for any toxin there will ever be. Which sounds very nice, but brings about a few disturbing aspects...
===Mender and catalyst===
The Daodan can either "reinforce" existing bodily structures, or "replace" them with radically new ones. This dual selection process is mainly triggered by externally applied "stress or harm". The overall, long-term effect is to "distill the quintessence" of the host, to express its "true nature" as Kerr puts it.

Practically, though, the "patch" is gradually extending throughout the host, redefining the "nature" of the host organism as it does so. That's quite close to massive cyborgization of a human body : enhancing it with synthetic patches until the body is one big patch surrounding a vanishingly small human core.
===Smart cancer===
Nanotechnological medecine, in cyberpunk and such, often features smart, hyperminiaturized robots that deal with diseases at cell level. Those robots, however, are specialized for a specific type of activity, as they are, from A to Z, the product of human designers and engineers.

The Daodan is essentially different in that it is 100% biological : it's even different from 3rd-party grafts and implants, because the tissue is originally that of the host himself. That, and the fact that both tissues ''do'' end up very different, makes the Daodan readily identifiable as an extreme form of [[wikipedia:cancer|cancer]]. Basically, the Chrysalises implanted to Muro and Mai were comparable to ''tumors'' (aggregates of cancer cells), and the different growth processes occuring then are equivalent to direct invasion and metastasis.

Cancer disrupts the fundamental equilibrium between cell division and cell death, and thus affects the organism's integrity. The Daodan does pretty much the same (note the connection of the aforementioned equilibrium to the "stability" of a host/[[Daodan]] "symbiote"). However, the initial mutation isn't random, and the process is considerably different from a proliferation of tumors, and does not result in death the way regular cancer does.

The Daodan is ''smart'' about its progression through the organism. Its core "hyperevolutionary" design is an autoadaptive upgrade of the host, which results in assimilating, "reinforcing and enhancing" existing structures, rather than going for any vital space it can get. A sort of dynamic integrity is thus maintained (if things go well, that is), and then it results in increased resilience and preservation of the host, rather than its death.

The Daodan ''serves its host as best it can''. Which is more or less the altruistic goal claimed by Hasegawa.

So, is everything fine? Not really...

===Efficience and loss of control===
The key idea of the Daodan design is that in order to achieve outstanding performance (efficiency, power), you have to ''give up control''.
That's what [[Kerr]] and his colleagues keep talking about, that's what [[Muro]] and [[Barabas]] and [[Mai]] illustrated, each in their own way : Muro escaping the [[Syndicate]]'s control in pretty much the same way as Mai escaped [[Griffin]]'s, [[Barabas]]'s more complicated case being a forced (and failed) conciliation of power and control.

Point is : with the Daodan, one should always expect the unexpected. The fact that the ''theory itself'' denies any kind of accurate control and prediction is what makes the Daodan so different from any other prototype technology. Whatever widget comes up in sci-fi, even if it never served before, one always knows what it's ''supposed'' to do.
With the Daodan, one doesn't have such luxury.

And so the very notion of "competence" doesn't really apply : [[Kerr]] is the most competent guy we see, and just what diagnoses and forecasts does ''he'' make?

What comes closest to competence is the awareness of the theory's self-imposed limitations. What comes closest to incompetence is the overlooking thereof. Rather than the overlooking of a particular element of a hypothetical control/confinement scheme, it's the illusion that control/confinement schemes are ''at all viable'' which is irresponsible. And that's pretty hard to overlook.

''Confidence'' in the upgrading process is another delusion, more comfortable and ''easier'' to overlook. Thus it is more suitable for a global-scale altruist such as [[Hasegawa]] or [[Kerr]]. Assuming that the Daodan can do no wrong is just as irresponsible as claiming full control of the consequences, be they good or bad. But in the first case, the false belief is more irrational, and thus interferes less with objective reasoning.

As for [[Muro]], he's aware of the problem, but doesn't care much about control. [[STURMANDERUNG]] is supposed to bring about eternal life ''and'' anarchy for the survivors.

===Alienation and loss of humanity===
The "power VS alienation" dilemma is best illustrated by the [[Barabas#Added value|Barabas]] experiment.

Alienation as such is best explored through the characters of [[Mai]] and [[Muro]].
====Hyperevolution of Man====
Effectively, there's a hell of a gap between a thoroughly upgraded (hyperevolved) human being and a regular human, both physiological and psychological. Actually, there's no well-defined limit or goal to the Daodan process.

So much of a difference that the Imago can be regarded as another race, another species... which is close to the basic concept of ET intelligence, no matter if the Daodan's origin is entirely human or not.
====Inner struggle====
At any given moment, the upgraded (hyperevolved and hyperevolving) biomass and the still-completely-human cells are distinguishable. There's the human host and its hyperevolved clone, the Chrysalis.

There is no ''merging'' between the "tumors" and the intact organs. As the process progresse, the human host loses its integrity as organs are "hogged" by the Daodan biomass. There's an invader, an invaded and a front line, rather than a transformation occurring uniformly over the whole organism.

Given enough time, the process extends to all of the host's systems (again, there is ''no'' limit to the field of action of the "patch"). That means the nervous system and the brain will be subject to an upgrade, too.

The biological struggle at cellular level (the host's immune response to that strange invader : an upgraded copy of itself) is a bit tedious. Once the smart cancer begins to upgrade the host's brain (who said it doesn't need uprading? sure does!), the picture gets much more juicy.

Basically it's the old clon'o'phobic dilemma (what happens if your clone or double kills you and usurpates your identity?), except the killing and usurpation happens inside one single body.

====Love====
Transiting to the Imago stage has been compared to falling in love. Passion dramatically enhances the sense of power, while dulling things such as common sense. In a way, "true lovers" don't belong to this world : they're beyond the community, beyond reason, etc.
===Goal===
The process has no declared goal other than a relentless mending of defects and catalyzing of resources. This results in a constant evolution towards "something" (perfection?).

One can then wonder what the finality is, if any. Is it the Imago stage (whatever it is?)? Can one ''avoid'' transiting to the Imago stage? If so, could ''that'' be the goal : balancing between human and Imago?

===Repeated Imago===
The Imago theory, upon reflection, brings up some unusual points. If the purest Imago state is acheived, then the Chrysilis has nothing more to adapt from. Does it simply die, or could it survive? If it lived, could it possibly be inserted with another Chrysilis?

If so, then one must wonder at the monsters that may occur...

===Meaning===
Different people with different backgrounds and motivations will likely fail to consider the Daodan concept from a philosophical or scientific point of view, and will attribute a very practical value to the entity and process, depending on what the Daodan means to them in the context.

A Daodan can thus be regarded as a tool, a weapon, a cure, an antidote, a threat, insurance, sacrilege...

===Symbiotes===
====[[Konoko|Mai]]====
====[[Muro]]====
====[[Barabas]]====
====[[Mukade]]====

===Imago===
====[[Muro]]====
====[[Barabas]]====

----

==Related==
*[[Konoko]]
*[[Hasegawa]]
*[[Muro]]
*[[Mukade]]
*[[Barabas]]
*[[Daodan]]
*[[Names|Other names]]

BGI

2008-07-28T21:00:59Z

Imago: /* Status and role */

[[Image:BGI_logo.png|128px|thumb|logo by [[User:Geyser|geyser]] [[:Image:BGI_logo.png|(details)]]]]
'''BGI''' is among the most diffuse entities in Oni, essentially because it was supposed to play a bigger part in the plot than it eventually did.
[[Category:Added value]]

==Facts==
===Chung's datapad===
{{:Quotes/Consoles/level_1e}}
===Shuttling contraband===
===Suspected Syndicate front===
===[[Deadly Brain]]===
===Musashi blast doors and BGI vehicles===
===BGI HQ===
In a [[Lost Chapters|"Lost Chapter"]], the already rogue [[Konoko]] was supposed to raid the BGI's HQ. The raid involved blowing the whole place down, and fighting the [[Iron Demon]].

----
----
==Added value==
===Initials===
Quoting [[Hardy LeBel]] from the old {{OCF}}:
:''I shouldn't tell you this, but BGI was the placeholder name that we started using in the story documents before everything was finalized. It stood for Bad Guys International.
As we know, "BGI" was retained for the final release of Oni, although the humorous "Bad Guys International" interpretation was never mentioned.

Here are other fair enough guesses of what '''BGI''' may have "actually" stood for:
*Big Guns International
*Bad Guy Industries
*Blackwater Gone Insane
*Be Good, Inc.
That's all half serious, but "Be Good" is a nice slogan.
===Status and role===
As can be inferred from Konoko's statements, BGI is some kind of "shadow front" : a big industrial consortium (probably multinational) that's pretty much legit, but is nevertheless suspected to deal with the infamous [[Syndicate]].
Whether it actually does and at what level and to what end is again sorta diffuse : is it opportunistic/mercenary, or is it subordinated to Muro?

It's also not clear whether [[Konoko]]'s and [[Griffin]]'s zealous crackdown on BGI is supported by the rest of the [[TCTF]] and [[WCG]].
There's a subtle balance of power between the WCG and the Syndicate, and both sides (especially the WCG) are interested in preserving it.

BGI is an ambiguous organization, poised between WCG and Syndicate, halfway between legal and illegal : a third party of its own.

It would seem to [[User:geyser|me]] that even as the core of Muro's Syndicate got corrupted by [[Muro]]'s [[megalomania]] and the [[STURMANDERUNG]] perspective, BGI managed to retain the spirit of the pre-Muro Network and Syndicate : they stayed focused on steady business, as opposed to maniacal violence and global biological terrorism.

As long as it helps shuttle the Syndicate's contraband, BGI actually stabilizes the bipolar structure. The Syndicate keeps itself busy and feels in power; the TCTF get a chance to reinforce their credibility as crime-fighters. Same for weapons, and the insecurity they generate : conflict helps the WCG to constantly reestablish itself in the public's eyes as the only alternative to chaos.

Naturally the people behind BGI would be aware of that stabilizing role, and it would actually be quite understandable that the prospect of an all-out crisis (collapse of WCG's authority, anarchy brought about by [[Muro]]) should keep them "doing the Devil's work" : obstinately promoting skirmish-scale violence looks like the only way to keep Oni's world together.

===Another idea===
:''This idea will make its way into the [[Anniversary Edition]] in some form or other...
After the [[Syndicate]] is contaminated by [[Muro]], since BGI are favorable to stability and so is the [[WCG]], what makes sense is a pact between the two. The WCG can not undergo militarization at the same rate as Muro's Strikers, but it can turn a blind eye at BGI and even encourage the creation of (perfectly illegal) technology supposed to deal, in time, with whatever threat Muro represents (cyborg supersoldiers rivaling [[Barabas]], Muro and [[Mukade]], weapons rivaling the [[WMC]]). Thus the WCG doesn't technically have an army, but it counts on the unofficial BGI rather than on the [[TCTF]] to stabilize the situation. [[Griffin]], however, is unaware of these developments and thinks the only chance to restore balance is to "fight fire with fire", i.e., to make [[Konoko]] into the same kind of human weapon as Muro is. The WCG can't let Griffin know about the pact with BGI and will thus seek other ways to disrupt the [[Daodan]] project, either through investigations questioning the project's ethics and safety, or through sabotage. And of course things will ''really'' go wrong when Konoko encounters and disrupts the very entity that was supposed to counter Muro: BGI.

Rooftops

2008-07-28T20:48:10Z

Imago: Redirecting to CHAPTER 10 . CAT AND MOUSE

#REDIRECT [[CHAPTER 10 . CAT AND MOUSE]]

Rooftops

2008-07-28T20:47:04Z

Imago: Redirecting to Cat and Mouse

#REDIRECT [[Cat and Mouse]]

Fury

2008-07-28T20:32:25Z

Imago:

[[Image:Fury Render.jpg|right|200px]]
Furies are female [[Strikers]]. Like their compatriots, they share a green/tan-blue-red coloring system, but are a bit more agile in battle, having a few unique attacks of their own. It is unknown why there is a gender division in [[Syndicate]] ranks. Perhaps the unique female musculature is required for certain combat maneuvers that aid in the defeat of opposition. Perhaps [[Muro]] has a perverted view regarding the finer sex. Whatever the reason, Furies leave their faces unmasked. They may or may not have been promised [[Daodan Chrysalises]].
==Taunts==
This needs to be filled out.
==Moves==
This needs to be filled out.
==Color Variation==
===Green===
===Blue===
===Red===
==Trivia==
In [[Dream Diver]], the Furies initiate a period of Big-head models.
[[Category:Characters]]

Talk:Mad Bomber

2008-07-28T19:12:53Z

Imago:

We need a render. So says the Imago. [[User:Imago|Imago]] 20:35, 28 July 2008 (CEST)

Render = screenshot? [[User:Gumby|Gumby]] 20:42, 28 July 2008 (CEST)

Renders are images of the 3d models of the unit. Each of the Syndicate forces page has a Render thus far. A screenshot of one Bomber will do. So acquiesces the Imago. [[User:Imago|Imago]] 21:12, 28 July 2008 (CEST)

Talk:Fury

2008-07-28T19:09:13Z

Imago:

I wish to clarify: Are the female strikers Furies, or are they the as-of-yet unnamed soldiers who activate security consoles? So queries the Imago. [[User:Imago|Imago]] 20:39, 28 July 2008 (CEST)

Yeah they are.

But what of these console activating soldiers? Who are you talking about? [[User:Gumby|Gumby]] 20:41, 28 July 2008 (CEST)

I think you mixed up Thugs and Comguys :) [[User:Gumby|Gumby]] 20:44, 28 July 2008 (CEST)

The Console activation solders wear grey armor with red highlights. One is featured third from right in the following image:

[[Image:3D rendered group picture 1600.jpg|200px]]

These soldiers are as of yet unnamed. So clarifies the Imago. [[User:Imago|Imago]] 21:09, 28 July 2008 (CEST)

Comm Trooper

2008-07-28T19:02:16Z

Imago: /* Trivia */

[[Image:Thug_Render.jpg|right|200px]]
The term Comguy may be in reference to the actual job of these individuals, as they have been seen to work for the [[TCTF]] as well as the [[Syndicate]]. Also supporting this theory is a lack of color differentiation, a staple in the criminal troops of [[Muro]]. Nevertheless, in all the encounters with these people, they have been shown to have at least basic martial arts training, suggesting that they were intended to function in an environment with hostile soldiers surrounding them. They are little more then civilians, however, and are quite easy to dispatch. Oftentimes, they wear goggles or welding masks.
==Taunts==
This section needs to be filled in.
==Moves==
This section needs to be filled in.
==Trivia==
*It is interesting to note that the uniform of the Comguy changes color in accordance to their allegiance. While most of the Comguys encountered wear a blue shirt, the ones working for TCTF wear green ones. This uniform difference might be a battlefield reminder of who not to shoot.
*Comguys are sometimes referred to as Thugs.
[[Category:Characters]]

Thug

2008-07-28T19:01:29Z

Imago: Redirecting to Comguy

#REDIRECT [[Comguy]]

Comm Trooper

2008-07-28T19:00:52Z

Imago:

[[Image:Thug_Render.jpg|right|200px]]
The term Comguy may be in reference to the actual job of these individuals, as they have been seen to work for the [[TCTF]] as well as the [[Syndicate]]. Also supporting this theory is a lack of color differentiation, a staple in the criminal troops of [[Muro]]. Nevertheless, in all the encounters with these people, they have been shown to have at least basic martial arts training, suggesting that they were intended to function in an environment with hostile soldiers surrounding them. They are little more then civilians, however, and are quite easy to dispatch. Oftentimes, they wear goggles or welding masks.
==Taunts==
This section needs to be filled in.
==Moves==
This section needs to be filled in.
==Trivia==
It is interesting to note that the uniform of the Comguy changes color in accordance to their allegiance. While most of the Comguys encountered wear a blue shirt, the ones working for TCTF wear green ones. This uniform difference might be a battlefield reminder of who not to shoot.
[[Category:Characters]]

Thug

2008-07-28T18:59:40Z

Imago: Undo revision 10703 by Gumby (Talk)

[[Image:Thug_Render.jpg|right|200px]]
The term Comguy may be in reference to the actual job of these individuals, as they have been seen to work for the [[TCTF]] as well as the [[Syndicate]]. Also supporting this theory is a lack of color differentiation, a staple in the criminal troops of [[Muro]]. Nevertheless, in all the encounters with these people, they have been shown to have at least basic martial arts training, suggesting that they were intended to function in an environment with hostile soldiers surrounding them. They are little more then civilians, however, and are quite easy to dispatch. Oftentimes, they wear goggles or welding masks.
==Taunts==
This section needs to be filled in.
==Moves==
This section needs to be filled in.
==Trivia==
It is interesting to note that the uniform of the Comguy changes color in accordance to their allegiance. While most of the Comguys encountered wear a blue shirt, the ones working for TCTF wear green ones. This uniform difference might be a battlefield reminder of who not to shoot.
[[Category:Characters]]

User talk:Gumby

2008-07-28T18:59:05Z

Imago:

I see you have moved the Comguy article to the Thug article. The Imago wishes to know why this was done. It also inquires as to what the term Comguy refers to in the opinion or yourself. So speaks the Imago. [[User:Imago|Imago]] 20:54, 28 July 2008 (CEST)

As the article mentioned above was linked to from the Syndicate page by the term Comguy, the Imago will revert the article to its position as the Comguy article. The Imago understands that the render is referred to as Thug, but indicates this may have been dramatic license on the part of the image uploader. The Imago also recognizes the possibility these entities were referred to ingame as Thugs, but wishes to see more conclusive evidence. So speaks the Imago. [[User:Imago|Imago]] 20:59, 28 July 2008 (CEST)

User talk:Gumby

2008-07-28T18:54:11Z

Imago:

I see you have move the Comguy article to the Thug article. The Imago wishes to know why this was done. It also inquires as to what the term Comguy refers to in the opinion or yourself. So speaks the Imago. [[User:Imago|Imago]] 20:54, 28 July 2008 (CEST)

Strikers

2008-07-28T18:52:04Z

Imago: Redirecting to Striker

#REDIRECT [[Striker]]

Ninja

2008-07-28T18:51:33Z

Imago:

[[Image:Ninja_Render_2.jpg|right|200px]]
Introduced in the [Cat and Mouse]] chapter, Ninjas are presumably [[Syndicate]] affiliated, as they share the green/tan-blue-red variant colorscheme of [[Strikers]], albeit in a muted form. The lack of visible skin has led many to speculate that Ninjas are, in fact, automatons of some sort, which would explain their lack of hostility towards their targets. If this is so, one must wonder wether [[Mukade]] himself is an automaton. The headsets of the Ninjas have many different variations.
==Taunts==
This needs to be filled in.
==Moves==
This needs to be filled in.
==Color Differentiation==
===Green===
===Blue===
===Red===
==Trivia==
The Ninjas are the only enemies that are known to be able to jump ingame. All other enemies can be avoided by standing on a convenient crate.
[[Category:Characters]]

Talk:Fury

2008-07-28T18:39:08Z

Imago: New page: I wish to clarify: Are the female strikers Furies, or are they the as-of-yet unnamed soldiers who activate security consoles? So queries the Imago. ~~~~

I wish to clarify: Are the female strikers Furies, or are they the as-of-yet unnamed soldiers who activate security consoles? So queries the Imago. [[User:Imago|Imago]] 20:39, 28 July 2008 (CEST)

Talk:Mad Bomber

2008-07-28T18:35:38Z

Imago: New page: We need a render. So says the Imago. ~~~~

We need a render. So says the Imago. [[User:Imago|Imago]] 20:35, 28 July 2008 (CEST)

Striker

2008-07-28T18:31:09Z

Imago:

[[Image:Striker_Blue_Render_2.jpg|right|200px]]
Strikers are the primary assault force of the criminal [[Syndicate]]. Like all members of the syndicate, Strikers come in three colors: Green/Tan, Blue, and Red. The facial models of individual Strikers also vary widely, but it is the color that differentiates their level of power. Strikers are formidable combatants, and are therefore used primarily in large groups, typically at least four. They may or may not be members of the group that [[Muro]] intended to offer [[Daodan Chrysalises]] to.
==Taunts==
This section needs to be filled in.
==Moves==
This section needs to be filled in.
==Variations between colors==
===Green===
===Blue===
===Red===
==Trivia==
Strikers were the only characters to have a mini-me appearance ingame. This occurred in the [[Dream Diver]] chapter.
[[Category:Characters]]

Striker

2008-07-28T18:27:20Z

Imago:

[[Image:Striker_Blue_Render_2.jpg|right|200px]]
Strikers are the primary assault force of the criminal [[Syndicate]]. Like all members of the syndicate, Strikers come in three colors: Green/Tan, Blue, and Red. The facial models of individual Strikers also vary widely, but it is the color that differentiates their level of power. Strikers are average combatants, and are therefore used primarily in large groups, typically at least four. They may or may not be members of the group that [[Muro]] intended to offer [[Daodan Chrysalises]] to.
==Taunts==
This section needs to be filled in.
==Moves==
This section needs to be filled in.
==Variations between colors==
===Green===
===Blue===
===Red===
==Trivia==
Strikers were the only characters to have a mini-me appearance ingame. This occurred in the [[Dream Diver]] chapter.
[[Category:Characters]]

Thug

2008-07-28T18:21:08Z

Imago:

[[Image:Thug_Render.jpg|right|200px]]
The term Comguy may be in reference to the actual job of these individuals, as they have been seen to work for the [[TCTF]] as well as the [[Syndicate]]. Also supporting this theory is a lack of color differentiation, a staple in the criminal troops of [[Muro]]. Nevertheless, in all the encounters with these people, they have been shown to have at least basic martial arts training, suggesting that they were intended to function in an environment with hostile soldiers surrounding them. They are little more then civilians, however, and are quite easy to dispatch. Oftentimes, they wear goggles or welding masks.
==Taunts==
This section needs to be filled in.
==Moves==
This section needs to be filled in.
==Trivia==
It is interesting to note that the uniform of the Comguy changes color in accordance to their allegiance. While most of the Comguys encountered wear a blue shirt, the ones working for TCTF wear green ones. This uniform difference might be a battlefield reminder of who not to shoot.
[[Category:Characters]]

Striker

2008-07-28T18:07:31Z

Imago: /* Trivia */

[[Image:Striker_Blue_Render_2.jpg|right|200px]]
Strikers are the primary assault force of the criminal [[Syndicate]]. Like all members of the syndicate, Strikers come in three colors: Green/Tan, Blue, and Red. The facial models of individual Strikers also vary widely, but it is the color that differentiates their level of power. Strikers are unformidible in combat, and are therefore used primarily in large groups, typically at least four. They may or may not be members of the group that [[Muro]] intended to offer [[Daodan Chrysalises]] to.
==Taunts==
This section needs to be filled in.
==Moves==
This section needs to be filled in.
==Variations between colors==
===Green===
===Blue===
===Red===
==Trivia==
Strikers were the only characters to have a mini-me appearance ingame. This occurred in the [[Dream Diver]] chapter.
[[Category:Characters]]

Striker

2008-07-28T18:05:22Z

Imago:

[[Image:Striker_Blue_Render_2.jpg|right|200px]]
Strikers are the primary assault force of the criminal [[Syndicate]]. Like all members of the syndicate, Strikers come in three colors: Green/Tan, Blue, and Red. The facial models of individual Strikers also vary widely, but it is the color that differentiates their level of power. Strikers are unformidible in combat, and are therefore used primarily in large groups, typically at least four. They may or may not be members of the group that [[Muro]] intended to offer [[Daodan Chrysalises]] to.
==Taunts==
This section needs to be filled in.
==Moves==
This section needs to be filled in.
==Variations between colors==
===Green===
===Blue===
===Red===
==Trivia==
Strikers were the only characters to have a mini-me appearance ingame. This occurred in the [[Dreamdiver]] chapter.
[[Category:Characters]]

Striker

2008-07-28T18:04:00Z

Imago:

[[Image:Striker_Blue_Render_2.jpg|right|200px]]
Strikers are the primary assault force of the criminal [[Syndicate]]. Like all members of the syndicate, Strikers come in three colors: Green/Tan, Blue, and Red. The facial models of individual Strikers also vary widely, but it is the color that differentiates their level of power. Strikers are unformidible in combat, and are therefore used primarily in large groups, typically at least four. They may or may not be members of the group that [[Muro]] intended to offer [[Daoden Chrysalises]] to.
==Taunts==
This section needs to be filled in.
==Moves==
This section needs to be filled in.
==Variations between colors==
===Green===
===Blue===
===Red===
==Trivia==
Strikers were the only characters to have a mini-me appearance ingame. This occurred in the [[Dreamdiver]] chapter.
[[Category:Characters]]

Striker

2008-07-28T17:51:06Z

Imago:

{|align=right [[Image:Striker_Blue_Render_2.jpg]]|}
[[Category:Characters]]

OniGalore:Current events

2008-07-28T17:45:50Z

Imago: /* Coverage of Oni content */

{|align=right
!WIKI WORK IS FUN!
|-
|[[Image:Penny_Arcade_-_EvilCorp_Too.png|250px]]
|-
!ENOUGH FOR A JOKE OR TWO THEN IT GETS BORING
|}
__TOC__

These are only suggestions, although some are more obviously needed than others.

Whatever in this list looks interesting to you, feel free to tackle it, even if you only have a little time here and there.
:However, if you are leaving a project half-done until you can resume it, please note that under the item in this list.

Thanks for whatever you can do to contribute.
:If you've not confident about editing a wiki, check out our [[Help:Contents|Help]] page, and [http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Help:Wikitext meta.wikimedia.org] for further reference.

===General wiki maintenance===
# Just browse [[Special:Wantedpages]], and pick an interesting topic to write about!
# [[wikipedia:Royal_we|We]] are in the process of replacing the system of subpages under Images with categories. So, for instance, the [[Images/In-Game/Talking Heads]] should all be in the category [[:Category:Talking heads]]. Then we can delete the Talking Heads subpage. Image categories will be listed on [[Images]] for convenience.
# If an image is neither used to illustrate a page [[Special:Uncategorizedimages|nor categorized]] (not used as an article of its own right, which can be justified in some cases), then maybe it's not getting the attention it deserves, or maybe it's useless/redundant. Feel free to do something about such "out-of-the loop" images or just point them out.
# Categorize [[Special:Categories|categories]]. We don't want to go nuts here, of course. Wikipedia has a crazy-complex tree of categories. We don't want that. All we want are a second level of categories that separate the base level of categories. So, when we look at the main Categories page, we don't see categories like "Art by Guido" next to "Tables". Unless you have a good grasp of what each template does, you can just leave this to me ([[User:Iritscen|Iritscen]]).
# Set up handy [[wikipedia:Redirect|redirects]]. These can be great time savers.

===Coverage of Oni content===
# The canonical version of Oni is English, so if your language version mistranslated something important, we'd like to know about it. Check out the canonical quotes [[Quotes|HERE]] and point out discrepancies [[Talk:Quotes#Discrepancies|HERE]].
# Some characters pages are stubs and/or feature inaccurate/incomplete information: [[Kerr]], [[Hasegawa]], [[Griffin]]... Try to objectively present the content actually present ingame. Most of these characters appear in the [[Character]] category. You can speculate and elaborate in the [[:Category:Added value|Added value]] section (typically the second half of a page). See [[Muro]] for an example.
# Some [[Chapters|chapter]] pages may have incorrect/incomplete plot summaries: they're also supposed to be concise, linking to other pages whenever the summary or the [[:Category:Added value|Added value]] section starts growing out of shape.
# Places (like [[Regional State Building]]) and entities (like [[BGI]]) typically deserve a page of their own, meant to take some load off the Chapter summaries, both in terms of "facts" and "added value", while providing more or less technical trivia.
# It would be nice to have a frame-by-frame overview/analysis of the following: [[1998#Trailer]], [[1999#Trailer]], [[Intro AMV]], [[Outro AMV]]. Please name the representative screenshots of [[Intro AMV]] and [[Outro AMV]] in accordance with [[CHAPTER_00_._COMBAT_TRAINING|THESE]] [[CHAPTER_14_._DAWN_OF_THE_CHRYSALIS|TWO]] pages.
====and beyond...====
# Use [[Lost Chapters]] to elaborate on what may have happened to Konoko in the time gaps between the original chapters (e.g., between {{C|12}} and {{C|13}}). You can also elaborate on sequels/prequels/interquels/paraquels, which may fit under a general philosophy (to be detailed [[Oni2|HERE]]). Depending on the nature of your stuff, it may end up as more than fan fiction, either by being implemented in the [[Anniversary Edition]] or by inspiring dôjinshi-oriented artwork.
# Plagiarism is not nice, but "Oni 2" can still be influenced by anime/cyberpunk/other references. See [[Oni2:Influences|HERE]] to review the influences so far, elaborate on them some more, or point out new ones.

===Adding to the databases===
# Despite its relative simplicity, [[BSL]] is vastly underdocumented. Most of the stuff is well-known to experts, but designing a comprehensive guide that will get novice scripters started and keep them going requires didactic skills and ''lots'' of patience. There are a few programming language basics that someone ought to say a few words of wisdom (like [[BSL:Functions|functions]] or [[BSL:Operators|operators]]). Long-term goals are: a cross-referenced set of mini-tutorials that document the [[BSL:Preset|preset]] functions and variables in a standalone way (see, e.g., [[ai2_allpassive]]); maybe a functional breakdown of the original scripts (see, e.g., [[BSL:Tutorial/airport1_level_logic.bsl|HERE]])
# There's still progress to be made in the field of [[OBD|binary hacking]]. Note the "OK?" column on [[OBD:File_types]]. Any page not marked with a happy face still has data stored within that file type that is not understood.
# Aside from doing actual research on Oni's binaries, you can also make sure that each [[OBD:File_types|file type's page]] in the [[OBD]] namespace actually explains what that file type is for, to help out newbies. An overview at the top of each page will make things much more user-friendly.

Ninja

2008-07-28T17:42:04Z

Imago: New page: Category:Characters

[[Category:Characters]]

Fury

2008-07-28T17:41:51Z

Imago: New page: Category:Characters

[[Category:Characters]]

Tanker

2008-07-28T17:41:29Z

Imago:

[[Image:Tanker_Render_2.jpg|right|200px]]
__TOC__

A Tanker is an [[SLD]] grown by the Syndicate (see [[Quotes/Consoles/level_3a]]). Although not perhaps the case in the final version of Oni, Tankers were originally envisioned as artificially-created wrestlers for use in entertainment (see quote [[User:Paradox-01/quotes_old_questions|HERE]], search for "wrestler"). Indeed, the moves and taunts they use in-game are reminiscent of professional wrestling. However, these Tankers serve the Syndicate and can be formidable foes.

=Taunts=
*Can't top Tanker!
*Oh, yeah!
*''Come on''!
*Blockbuster!
*Nuclear tackle!
*Where did you go?
*That hurt!
*How'd ''that'' butt-kicking feel?

=Moves=
'''Washing Machine (over-the-shoulder pile driver)'''

Lifting the opponent over his shoulders, the Tanker leans forward, driving their head into the ground.

'''Headbutt Disarm (trapping headbutt)'''

Grabbing the opponent's arms and pulling them around his shoulders with his back to the opponent, the Tanker then headbutts backwards, striking the opponent in the face.

'''Blockbuster (discus-style double sledge)'''

Spinning in place to build up momentum, the Tanker interlocks his hands and brings down a horizontal two-handed blow.

'''Nuclear Tackle (dropkick)'''

A running two-footed jump-kick.

'''Corporate Elbow (elbow drop)'''

A move used on supine opponents, dropping the elbow first onto the opponent's midsection.

'''Full Body Massage (triple front knee strike)'''

Grabbing the opponent's head and pushing it down as he knees upwards, yielding three devastating blows to the chin.

'''Face Slam (bound leg throw)'''

The Tanker uses his incredible strength to grab an opponent's legs from behind, lifting him back over his shoulder, and throwing the opponent forward while still holding the legs, striking the opponent's head into the ground.

'''Headbutt'''

Grabbing the opponent's shoulders, the Tanker delivers one direct, powerful headbutt.

=Varieties and their differences=
==Green==
==Blue==
==Red==
[[Category:Characters]]

Thug

2008-07-28T17:40:32Z

Imago: New page: Category:Characters

[[Category:Characters]]

Striker

2008-07-28T17:40:16Z

Imago: New page: Category:Characters

[[Category:Characters]]

Mukade

2008-07-28T17:39:13Z

Imago:

{|align=right
|+'''a mystical knight without a face or a voice he can never die
|http://geyser.oni2.net/oni1/mukade/TXMPBOSS2nametag.jpg
|http://geyser.oni2.net/oni1/mukade/TXMPBOSS2face.jpg
|-
|colspan=2 align=center|http://geyser.oni2.net/oni1/mukade/MuKaDe.gif
|}
[[Names|Other characters]]
==Facts==
[[Image:Chapter 9 .MISSION COMPLETE.png|thumb|320px|Splashscreen before {{C|10}}...]]
===Appearance===
Mukade wears integral black armor (which leaves no exposed skin, as opposed to [[Ninja]] and [[TCTF SWAT]]) and speaks through a vocoder. [[Konoko]] presumably doesn't unmask him after breaking his neck. Thus he doesn't have an identity at all and he is defined primarily by what he said and did.

===Role in Oni===
====Mission objectives====
:Add quote here...
====Diary entry====
:Add quote here...
====Speech====
"Does your blood burn when you kill? Mine does!"
:Add full set of quotes here.

====Interviews====
;Hardy LeBel commenting on Mukade's visceral link to [[Konoko|Konoko]]
:Add quote here...

===Name origin===
====Insectology====
{|align=right
|http://geyser.oni2.net/oni1/mukade/MuKaDe.gif
|}
Or rather arachnology.

As you see, MUKADE doesn't have a kanji of its own, instead there are 3 minor pictograms, meaning literally "a hundred feet". So it means "centipede" or "scolopendra" quite literally.

Latin name is [http://pds.exblog.jp/pds/1/200501/16/81/c0034881_1625357.jpg Scolopendra subspinipes japonica]. Yeah, Mukade is kinda cooler. Real ones are 10 cm in average, 20 at longest.

OK, scolopendras are creepy (did you click the link above?), but just wandering through [http://nephila1.exblog.jp/ that blog] I highly recommend. Be warned, there are absolutely AWESOME photographs of ''SPIDERS''! And butterflies :)

;People talk
:'''''Mukade??? They are among the most horrible things on earth. They are giant centipedes that leave huge welts when they bite. And they are fast. I had more than a few in my place. They liked to hang out in my sink drain and they'd come out whenever I turned the tap on.'''''
There are lots of other thrilling comments like that one, on quite a lot of forums, from people living in Japan or people having lived there for a while...

Somewhat more helpful for anyone who want to learn more about MUKADE are :
;[http://www.takipedia.org/wiki/Mukade Takipedia]
:'''''There are hundreds of types of mukade in the family, however the most common mukade in Japan are the tobizu 鳶頭, the aozu �?�頭 and the akazu 赤頭. The tobizu has a black body and a distinct red head and yellow legs. It would probably be quite hard to miss one of these beauties crawling along your ceiling.
;[http://homepage.mac.com/swhenneberry/OnMyMind/C40673818/E1060299329/ Some guy's blog].
:Amazed by how many people googling for MUKADE were directed to his blog, he kindly gathered information from Japanese sites dedicated to those things and translated it.
:'''''They come in two varieties, either the Omukade, where "O" means big, and the Aomukade, which means "blue" (there is also a Tobizumukade, but it is considered the same as the Aomukade)
:'''''The Omukade get to be about 15 cm (with 21 pairs of legs), and are found in southeastern Japan. This seems to be what I have in the house...
:'''''The Aomukade and Tobizumukade get to be around 10 cm as adults
:'''''Yes, mukade care for their young, which are carried as eggs under mommies belly. The mother will nurture the young until they are self sufficient. I have heard that when you find one Mukade, that you will soon find another, as they apparently come in mating pairs. I believe this to be true, as I have found a pair of biggies within a close timeframe each year since I have lived out here.
:'''''They are pretty much blind, but are very sensitive to vibrations (translation, they "see" just fine in the dark, when you can't!) and they hunt small insects at night
:'''''If you touch one by accident, it may bite you. If you get bitten it does hurt quite a bit, as they are poisonous, and you will likely experience swelling, redness, and possibly scarring. I have been bitten once, but it was a small bite, and although it hurt like hell (it woke me from dead sleep) there was no swelling, and just a bit of redness. However, if you get a good bite, you may want to go to the Doctor. Much like a bee sting, it can bring on "Anna-wears-plastic" shock, which is just not good for you. (Sorry, I have NO idea how to spell that, so you work it out!)
:'''''If you keep it as a pet (I actually found a link to a guy who does!), you can feed it "pink mice", or crickets. Apparently, a 10 cm Mukade can escape through a 2 mm opening...
So...
:'''''Sleep tight. Don't let the bedbugs bite'''''
Looks like that nursery rhyme is ''exactly'' about those charming pets.

====Mythology====
{|align=right
|align=right|http://geyser.oni2.net/oni1/mukade/hidesato.jpg
|-
|align=right|http://geyser.oni2.net/oni1/mukade/omukade.jpg
|}
A giant (and overpowered) version of that thing also used to be a (malevolent) fantastic creature in Japan
;Tawaratoda the Mukade-slayer
:'''''Not far from Hamamatsu, a town located east of Kyoto in the province of Totomi at the east road of Japan, there’s a town called Tschitta. Near this town there’s a bridge leading over the Yokatagawa. The length of this bridge seems even more remarkable as it is cut into two parts by an isle in the river.
:'''''Near this bridge, which is called Tschittanohashi, “Bridge of Tschitta�? because of the close proximity to the village, once lived a gruesome monster, a huge millipede, or, as the Japanese call this, a Mukade, this is also why they call the hill he lived on “Mukade-hill�?This poisonous millipede made the (army-road) insecure and noone dared to oppose him.
:'''''He was especially dangerous at night-time when he grew so courageous that he even attacked the breed of the dragons who lived under the bridge. He killed the helpless cups without any fear of the big dragons’ might. Because of this, a grim war between the dragons and the Mukade began.
:'''''Despite their divine might, the dragons couldn’t do anything against the Mukade in his hiding place and so he always won and he continued his nightly raids until the dragons got some unsuspected help.A hero from the line of the Minamoto called Tawaratoda heard of the people’s pain that was caused by the Mukade and bravely he went to the monster’s lair and killed it with his arrows. He fired them so strongly that they went through the Mukade’s thick skin and finally the beast lay dead on the ground before the hero.It is said that the dead monster’s length extended that of two adult men.
:'''''When the dragons and oceangods heard of this great deed, they came to the hero, praised him and told him that he would live for a long time. They also prophesied that his kin would have the greatest might on earth.
:'''''And that’s how it happened, because 250 years later, Yoritomo from the same family monopolised all worldly might as the Shôgun and later two times one of his subfamilies, the Aschikaga and the Tokugawa, succeeded in gathering all this honour and thus the ruler’s might for centuries.
(Thanks to Adorage for submitting that one on Oni Central Forum)

;[http://www.biwako.ne.jp/~romulus/mukade/program/programj.html A shorter version]
:'''''A long time ago a huge centipede, that could wrap itself seven and a half times around Mt. Mikami, appeared. It crawled out of the fields, destroying the rice fields and eating all the fish in the lake and rivers, endangering the people of Yasu. A great warrior, Tawara no Tota Hidesato, was on a journey in the Yasu area. He was asked by the Lake Goddess to defeat the cruel centipede. After a fierce battle, Tota defeated the centipede and the people were safe once again.
;[http://www.geocities.com/kusakumo/mythologies.html#anchor114724 Yet another short version]
:'''''Oo-mukade(giant centipede) has been featured in the ledgend of a 12th century warrior named Toda Tawara.In his story, the mukade was suppose to be slain be the hero for the Dragon King of Lake Biwa. The hero killed the mukade using only 3 arrowas which were shot at the eye of the mukade, only the 3rd one, which had saliva (saliva is thought of as having magical proerties) on the arrow head finished it off. The Oo-mukade appeared on blue Seed episode 12 (I think),which was btw, one of the episodes that starts to show the whole plot of the series....yeah, that episode kicked ass.
;[http://hometown.aol.com/delenndax7/trivia2002.html And another one]
:'''''In Japanese Mythology, Oo-Mukade was a terrifying, giant centipede the size of a mountain. It lived in the mountains of Japan near Lake Biwa. The dragon king of the lake asked the famous hero Hidesato (some sources say Tado Tawara) to kill it. The hero fired three arrows at the monster's eye. The third arrow, which was dipped in Hidesato's bodily fluid, killed the monster by penetrating its brain. The dragon king rewarded Hidesato by giving him a "bottomless" bag of rice which fed his family for centuries. The bodily fluid on the arrow is said to have magical properties against centipedes. WHAT WAS THIS BODILY FLUID? Saliva
;[http://www.kunisada.de/Kunisada-musha-e/mushae-3.htm And finally...]
:'''''TAWARA TODA HIDESATO. Fujiwara Hidesato is shown bestriding the Mukade, a giant centipede that had been terrorising the waters of Lake Biwa. At the request of Riujin, the dragon-king, he slew the monster with an arrow moistened with his saliva, for which he was richly rewarded.
Awesome resource on samurai and other "musha", that last one...

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==Added value==

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==Related==
{|align=right
|+Art by [[User:Guido|Guido]]
|[[Image:Mukade00.jpg|thumb|100px]]
|[[Image:GUIDO Mai Tandem 2.jpg|thumb|158px]]
|}
*[[Konoko]]
*[[Muro]]
*[[Mukade]]
*[[Daodan]]
*[[Names|Other names]]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcY9yGTJ0zY Serious Konoko Ep. 9 - Nothing Special]
[[Category:Characters]]