OS-tan Flashbackstory Chronicles

[Aurora Borealis]

I updated the first post, adding in the details of the 4th story and adding more into the 2nd story (which I just got started typing the dialogue, etc. for!)

I struggled to think of how to start the second story (I mostly knew what to do for the middle and end, but not beginning!) but I finally got some ideas!:

- [circa early 1980's] The beginning part will include Xenix-san writing about Altair-tan (and how she is the only one of the old IBM-Microsoft family who knew of her)

- [the day of Xenix-san's death, circa early 1990's] The next part is the announcement of Xenix-san's death and even includes appearances by Plan 9-sama and Unix-sama to tie in a small connection to Bella's latest OS-tan manga! ;012

-Not sure if any of the girls of the old M$-IBM family were told of Xenix-san's death (probably not) but the M$ employees try to get rid of all of her stuff.

- [circa 2007 or 2008] The Binteeji Renmei's genealogist, ZX Spectrum-tan stumbles upon Xenix-san's old book that mentioned Altair-tan...

[Bella]

waaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!! Bella-hime;s back!!!!! ^V^

*morphs into very SMALL horse*

*oink-winnies* Welcome back. <^o^>

Yay! A tiny horse!

Well in the world of the OS-tans, there is no such thing as random people -- just random personifications of programs, daemons, firmware, hardware, malware and games. ^_______^;

Oh, there'll be plenty of random folk in my comic XD

Then I can start the second story! However, unlike this story and the third one planned, I am really stuggling with the second one and will need a lot of help soon.

Well, we're here for you when you need help!

I updated the first post, adding in the details of the 4th story and adding more into the 2nd story (which I just got started typing the dialogue, etc. for!)

I struggled to think of how to start the second story (I mostly knew what to do for the middle and end, but not beginning!) but I finally got some ideas!:

- [circa early 1980's] The beginning part will include Xenix-san writing about Altair-tan (and how she is the only one of the old IBM-Microsoft family who knew of her)

- [the day of Xenix-san's death, circa early 1990's] The next part is the announcement of Xenix-san's death and even includes appearances by Plan 9-sama and Unix-sama to tie in a small connection to Bella's latest OS-tan manga!

-Not sure if any of the girls of the old M$-IBM family were told of Xenix-san's death (probably not) but the M$ employees try to get rid of all of her stuff.

- [circa 2007 or 2008] The Binteeji Renmei's genealogist, ZX Spectrum-tan stumbles upon Xenix-san's old book that mentioned Altair-tan...

No wai! My comic is gonna get a reference in your comic...I'm so hononed! And I can't wait to see Plan 9 and Unix-sama.

This sounds like a really interesting idea, though. I'm gonna look forward to seeing this!

Now to review Aurora's newest comic pages...(oh the irony, as I'm writing this I'm listening to a radio advertisment for a local Mac store ^_^)

Page 15: Wow, I really like how you did the nightime effects here. I'm guessing you made another layer and filled it in black, and lessened the transperency? At any rate, seeing that indignate look on System 1-chan's face as Lisa calls her slow is golden! And I saw Visi On-tan leering from the balcony XD

Page 16: I can now say I like old-timey Toshiaki about 100% more than his mondern counterpart. And while I would have guessed that was Lisa on the far left, I wouldn't have gotten the others

Page 17: Nervous System 1-chan is so cute here! But wait--does she only talk in Newspeak? Does she still think in...normal English...? I loved seeing all the cameos here. And while I was spoiled for who they were, I can clearly make out Pilot-chan and Altair-tan.

System 1-chan is cheek-squeezingly adorable, and seeing her speaking Newspeak is great; as if Toshiaki's perfect understanding of the language. Whatta man! XD

[C-Chan]

*imagines ][-chan and Lisa-tan in the mentioned "Godfather" scenario* Hahahahahaha! That is just too funny!

...Feel tempted to... put that in.. as a ZS extra!

*imagines Lisa-chan waking up to a giant moldly apple core in her bad*

BWAHAHAHAHA!!  ^v^

I really like the old-timey and courteous way of speaking! It's a shame that it is completely dead now

Not completely,......... but yeah, mostly.  Theme parks and recreated villages are surely last vestiges.

I think this is the first time I managed to do a comic at a good pace. My previous comics often turned convoluted, dragged on and got too difficult for me to continue. I still have not gotten to sketching the end, but I am near the end of page 19, with the end being on page 20 or 21 and being followed by a 2-3 page epilogue.

I'm gonna have a bit more time going forward, so I'm confident now that I can finish the Zerosanity Xmas special.  I'll see if I can abide by your better habits.  ^__^

Then I can start the second story! However, unlike this story and the third one planned, I am really stuggling with the second one and will need a lot of help soon.

Well since it's not chronologically-relevant, why not drop it for now?  Work on stuff you're fresh with.  ^.^

1. Correct! I seriously pity whoever gets that wrong!
2. Nope, it's Coleco Adam-tan! (note the frizzy hair)
3. Yup
4. No, PET-chan has dark hair and is probably much shorter. Good guess though. It's a random program-tan or something. Hmm... But what if she really did have light hair in her youth, and is wearing crazy high-heeled boots or something?
5. Possibly.

1:  Fufu.. I rule!  ^.^
2:  Fufu.. I suck!  ^x^
3:  ^__^
4:  Oooh,... you're right.  And she's missing that metal thing holder her hair too.  I sucketh more.
5:  Hmm...

He's awesome! However, his successor isn't so much(the Toshiaki of today is typically portrayed as a pervert and/or loser), or in the case of ZS: most of his successors aren't. There's that all-around good guy Toshiaki that has appeared but there's also a perverted Toshiaki, the nasty troll, the downright idiotic guy and the malicious hacker!

I'm sure the old Toshiakis would be rolling around in their graves if they saw how the new Toshiakis behave in the Mac Manga.  ^^;

1. Correct!
2. Right-o!
3. Possibly. Is the Acorn family an old-fashioned and classy bunch?
4+5. Whoa! that lady's got a strong, coincedental resemblance to EXEC-sama! (this was drawn about a month before my first EXEC-sama drawing) Okay... She is EXEC-sama then, and the guy next to her is an affiliate of hers!
6. No, actually that's Altair-tan! ^^; That was a tough one, but she has the same hair ribbons she was wearing in the Altair + Apple I-tan portraiture!
7. That's right! And she's scared because there's another GUI OS-tan in town!
8. Yeah... that's just a random character.

1:  YAY!  She gets a cameo!  ^v^
2:  Pretty obvious that C64-chan and Amiga-san have opposing tastes in men.  ^______^
3:  For sure!  Heck, even RISC-san (the latest and greatest in the Acorn lineage) is classy beyond belief.  Not so much old-fashioned anymore.  -v-
4:  One of the few times she emerged outside of her confines, for sure.  ^^
6:  Oooh,.. wasn't even close I see.  Still, she looks hAWter than usual with her hair like that.  ^.^
7:  Awww... she's so cute when she's all scared and innocent like that.  I'm sure she had an Amelia Earhart-like fame to her at the time,... but not for long.  ^^;

Yeah! Long live the old skool, when people were much more sophisticated!

Well for starters, they didn't have the convenience of a radio or televion to imagine stuff for them, so they had to imagine interesting stuff themselves for the most part.  ^_______^;

I updated the first post, adding in the details of the 4th story and adding more into the 2nd story (which I just got started typing the dialogue, etc. for!)

Whoops... well okay, scratch that "dump the 2nd story" suggestion.  ^^;

I struggled to think of how to start the second story (I mostly knew what to do for the middle and end, but not beginning!) but I finally got some ideas!:

Wow, these are remarkable ideas, and definitely do much to turn a cut-and-dry story into something unique and beautiful.  ^^

I would imagine the M$ employees responsible for the destruction of the records didn't do a good job and simply buried them somewhere.  Thanks to good ol' fashioned intuition, the vintage-tans were able to locate the burial site even after so many years.

Though it probably took days to decipher so much new information (surely it wasn't only about Xenix-sama), it would've been an incredibly joy for 1.0-chan to be told of the existence of a long-lost relative.

Yay! A tiny horse!

Just as an FYI, please don't ride on me.  ^_________^;

[Aurora Borealis]

Yay! A tiny horse!

A tiny horse that oinks too! You don't see those every day!

Well, we're here for you when you need help!

I managed to get some ideas and a direction for how the second story is going to go but I still need a little help...

No wai! My comic is gonna get a reference in your comic...I'm so hononed! And I can't wait to see Plan 9 and Unix-sama.

This sounds like a really interesting idea, though. I'm gonna look forward to seeing this!

Thought it would be a neat way to tie in some other OS-tan's backstories!

Page 15: Wow, I really like how you did the nightime effects here. I'm guessing you made another layer and filled it in black, and lessened the transperency?

Correct!

Page 16: I can now say I like old-timey Toshiaki about 100% more than his mondern counterpart.

He'll do something really courteous on the next pages!

Page 17: Nervous System 1-chan is so cute here! But wait--does she only talk in Newspeak? Does she still think in...normal English...?

That is a very good question! I'd say she still thinks in some normal English and that she still can speak it (although not as easily) but much prefers Newspeak.

I loved seeing all the cameos here. And while I was spoiled for who they were, I can clearly make out Pilot-chan and Altair-tan.

There will be more!

*imagines Lisa-chan waking up to a giant moldly apple core in her bad*

BWAHAHAHAHA!!  ^v^

Is that a "Godfather" reference?

Not completely,......... but yeah, mostly.  Theme parks and recreated villages are surely last vestiges.

I hope like other vintage and old-fashioned things, it will make a comeback!

I'm gonna have a bit more time going forward, so I'm confident now that I can finish the Zerosanity Xmas special.  I'll see if I can abide by your better habits.  ^__^

Awesome!

I'm sure the old Toshiakis would be rolling around in their graves if they saw how the new Toshiakis behave in the Mac Manga.  ^^;

AHAHAHAHA! So true!

2:  Pretty obvious that C64-chan and Amiga-san have opposing tastes in men.  ^______^

I take it that Amiga-sama is interested in humble and down-to-earth men while C64-tan is interested in powerful military men?

And/or that Amiga-sama loves ReactionGUY-kun (who is really short) and C64-tan likes taller men?

3:  For sure!  Heck, even RISC-san (the latest and greatest in the Acorn lineage) is classy beyond belief.  Not so much old-fashioned anymore.  -v-

She's so cool, being able to stay classy all these years despite being a long-time member of the A$C! Not to mention that she is physically indestructable!

4:  One of the few times she emerged outside of her confines, for sure.  ^^

Yup! Let's say she was still allowed to go to formal parties.

I would imagine the M$ employees responsible for the destruction of the records didn't do a good job and simply buried them somewhere.  Thanks to good ol' fashioned intuition, the vintage-tans were able to locate the burial site even after so many years.

Okay... Here's where I need help with the second story. After Xenix-san's death, all of her records and information were disposed of...

And if they were all just buried, I imagine that either Windows 1.0-tan or 2.0-tan briefly saw the burial of Xenix-san's records (including the book in which she wrote about Altair-tan), and that the Vintage-tans consult The Smoking Gun-tan (who has records on nearly everything, including the burial!) or she finds them but what I am stuck on is when and how the mentioning of Xenix-san and the burial of the records is brought up x__x

Though it probably took days to decipher so much new information (surely it wasn't only about Xenix-sama),

Hmm... Assuming that it was at least put in a trash can, her book may not have decayed much. I know this because I have read through a catalogue that was buried in a time capsule for 30 years! (although some of the other books and catalogues buried were decayed beyond recognition. I guess it's just chance)

it would've been an incredibly joy for 1.0-chan to be told of the existence of a long-lost relative.

Sure would! It would also be a shock to 2.0-chan who thought she knew everything about her family but she'd be delighted to meet Altair-tan too!

[Aurora Borealis]

Here's page 18:


http://ostan-collections.net/imeeji/displayimage.php?pos=-7383

[C-Chan]

A tiny horse that oinks too! You don't see those every day!

You're not from around here, are you?  ^.^

Thought it would be a neat way to tie in some other OS-tan's backstories!

Naturally, naturally!  When we talk "interoperability", we mean it!  ^__~

He'll do something really courteous on the next pages!

*squeals with delight*  Yes I saw!  ^v^

[inserts shameless plug] Actually reminds me a little of myself.  ^___^ [/inserts shameless plug]

That is a very good question! I'd say she still thinks in some normal English and that she still can speak it (although not as easily) but much prefers Newspeak.

Perhaps in the very sappy, soppy moments, she might slip in some standard English, if she's trying to cheer someone up who isn't in the emotional mood to decipher Newspeak.

However, all her famous quotes (like the ones I always sprinkle in my posts) are surely all 100% Newspeak by now. ^^

Is that a "Godfather" reference?

[note: sorry, major typo on my part.  Should be "...giant moldy apple core on her bed", not whatever i wrote while I was half-asleep.  ^^;]

Yeah, that's a parody of the famous Godfather scene, where a movie producer was "persuaded" to do xyz by the sight of a decapitated horse's head on his bed.  XvX;

I hope like other vintage and old-fashioned things, it will make a comeback!

Well, just like in Real Life, old fashioned mannerisms have not died off -- just displaced in other places.  Do some traveling to the East or parts of Europe, and you might find that kind of personality in the most unlikely places.  ^^

I take it that Amiga-sama is interested in humble and down-to-earth men while C64-tan is interested in powerful military men?

And/or that Amiga-sama loves ReactionGUY-kun (who is really short) and C64-tan likes taller men?

Well definitely "And".  In other words, C64-tan has particularly "mainstream" tastes, while Amiga-sama is never afraid to walk the path untreaded.  Actually, ReactionGUY-kun is a pilot and is actually kind of strong in the sense that he has peerless self-confidence, and doesn't have to bring anyone down (or pretend he's something he's not) in order to feel secure.  I don't recall if Raffaele gave me any personality templates, but I've always considered ReactionGUY-kun's personality to be similar to that of Sousuke Sagara from Full Metal Panic (minus the paranoid overreactions, but inclusive of the obliviousness for social norms).  

Okay... Here's where I need help with the second story. After Xenix-san's death, all of her records and information were disposed of...

And if they were all just buried, I imagine that either Windows 1.0-tan or 2.0-tan briefly saw the burial of Xenix-san's records (including the book in which she wrote about Altair-tan), and that the Vintage-tans consult The Smoking Gun-tan (who has records on nearly everything, including the burial!) or she finds them but what I am stuck on is when and how the mentioning of Xenix-san and the burial of the records is brought up x__x

Actually, I don't think 1.0-san or 2.0-chan witnessed anything (or even if 1.0-san did, she wouldn't be capable of telling them).  I imagine this could have been a point of contention during the research -- the fact that 2.0-chan wouldn't have been able to offer anything useful to ZX-tan probably made her very sad, and ZX-tan more motivated to diligently search via other means.

Here, however, is where good ol' fashioned "private eye"'ing comes in, and its no surprise that someone with the age, wisdom, thoroughness and pragmatisim of ZX-tan could easily be her own Sherlock Holmes.  ^__^

After all, M$ destroyed their own records, but just THEIR OWN records (and even did a shoddy job of it at that).  In looking through private periodicals of the era (as well as published press releases that M$ couldn't destroy), of course ZX-tan would have come across various mentions of Xenix-tan (as well as a few obscure mentions of an "Altair-tan", although she wouldn't have known that were anything important at the time) that she could ultimately use to "shadow" a timeline of events.  

Any gaps in this shadow timeline that she couldn't fill herself after a while,, she would consult with Smoking Gun, who could not only give her more articles, but also lists of names (ex-employees mostly) that might no more.  

Not afraid to get her hands dirty, ZX-tan would meet and befriend as many of these people as she could, likely through small social get-togethers (like cafes and stuff).  And like any good private eye, she wouldn't actually mention anything about Xenix-tan... she would just poke and prode around the subject courteously so as to not arose suspicion.

Eventually, a few of the more disgruntled ones would admit to doing terrible things in the past, for which her sympathetic shoulder would be offered to cushion their tears.  And after hearing confessions of every nature and kind, she would start to see patterns in their story,... common "burial sites" where company records were disposed of.

Naturally, the locations are only referred to by name, and as you know trying to find buried items in a place as large as a FOREST is literally like looking for a needle among a string of needles.  Thankfully, in between consultations with local villagers or Wanderers, as well as some helpful geomancy from GEOS-tan (aka, GeoWorks-tan), they probably came across most of the burial sites.  Then it was just a matter of getting the whole gang to grab a shovel and pitch in.

As a bonus to finding Xenix-tan's records, they probably ended-up unearthing a whole treasure trove of M$ secrets, that is still being deciphered by ZX-tan (and the mandatory assistants) to this very day.  ^_______^

Hmm... Assuming that it was at least put in a trash can, her book may not have decayed much. I know this because I have read through a catalogue that was buried in a time capsule for 30 years! (although some of the other books and catalogues buried were decayed beyond recognition. I guess it's just chance)

Naturally, naturally!  ^__^
It's not uncommon for computer users to assume that just because they hit the "delete" button, it's deleted forever (especially in that early era of Windows computing).  No doubt, her book and all of her records where just unceremoniously tossed into a trash can and buried.

It also should be conceded that at least half of the records they unearthed WERE actually disposed of properly and ruined beyond repair.  This actually would make ZX-tan very sad, as she considers the loss of someone's proof of existence to be the worst possible tragedy (and probably the reason why she makes it a crusade to document everyone's history).

Sure would! It would also be a shock to 2.0-chan who thought she knew everything about her family but she'd be delighted to meet Altair-tan too!

Also goofed there,... meant 2.0-chan, not 1.0-san.  Not to say 1.0-san wouldn't be happy either (she'd be ecstatic), but she wouldn't realize it until she actually SAW Altair-san before her.

Funny how she wouldn't need to be told Altair-san is family -- just by looking at her, she would know.  ^^

Here's page 18:

I'll be right back. ^__^

*holds typing momentarily*

Added after 2 hours 7 minutes:

Nice-u!!  ^^

It seems we're getting closer and closer to the end. ^.^

PANEL 1:  Seems System 1-chan's anxiety is not ill-conceived -- her arrival might've been seen as an omen of things to come for all the OS-tans of the day (even PilotOS-chan made people pay handsome sums of money for a GUI system, and Lisa-chan almost thrice that).

Also should note you're no stranger to using gradients to add visual drama.  ^___^

PANEL 2:  GWAH!  That's an adorable side-shot of 1-chan.  ^____^
However, since its an angled shot, you should still be able to see a bit of her right arm -- that, or move her left shoulder closer to her body.

It's very nice of Toshiaki to comfort her so.  ^^

PANEL 3/4:  Wow!  Now THAT'S what I call a great movie reference!  ^__^
(referring to Masayuki Suo's 1996 masterpiece, "Shall we Dance?"  ^v^)

PANEL 5:  Sparkly-eyed 1-chan.  ^x^

PANEL 6:  That is a very sweet scene!  It's wonderful to see 1-chan's dream come true!  ^__^

[Aurora Borealis]

You're not from around here, are you?  ^.^

I guess not ;012

Naturally, naturally!  When we talk "interoperability", we mean it!  ^__~

Indeed! While there are many families and factions in this OS-tan world, they all tend to mingle in all kinds of ways!

Perhaps in the very sappy, soppy moments, she might slip in some standard English, if she's trying to cheer someone up who isn't in the emotional mood to decipher Newspeak.

However, all her famous quotes (like the ones I always sprinkle in my posts) are surely all 100% Newspeak by now. ^^

Perfect! I agree!

[note: sorry, major typo on my part.  Should be "...giant moldy apple core on her bed", not whatever i wrote while I was half-asleep.  ^^;]

Yeah, that's a parody of the famous Godfather scene, where a movie producer was "persuaded" to do xyz by the sight of a decapitated horse's head on his bed.  XvX;

Hahahaha! I must draw that!

Well definitely "And".  In other words, C64-tan has particularly "mainstream" tastes, while Amiga-sama is never afraid to walk the path untreaded.  

Suits both of them well!

Actually, ReactionGUY-kun is a pilot and is actually kind of strong in the sense that he has peerless self-confidence, and doesn't have to bring anyone down (or pretend he's something he's not) in order to feel secure.

He's perfect for Amiga-tan! Those two were MEANT for each other! But too bad that some of her relatives disapprove, favoring ZORRO-kun for her.

Actually, I don't think 1.0-san or 2.0-chan witnessed anything (or even if 1.0-san did, she wouldn't be capable of telling them).  I imagine this could have been a point of contention during the research -- the fact that 2.0-chan wouldn't have been able to offer anything useful to ZX-tan probably made her very sad, and ZX-tan more motivated to diligently search via other means.

Since ZX-tan likely asked 2.0-chan about Xenix-san, I know how it could have been brought up! ZX-tan was working to expand on her genealogy reports and when reviewing info on Xenix-san, she was hoping to consult some primary sources! (those who knew her!)

Apparently 2.0-chan doesn't have any memories of her. But does PC DOS-tan still have any memories of Xenix-san?

Here, however, is where good ol' fashioned "private eye"'ing comes in, and its no surprise that someone with the age, wisdom, thoroughness and pragmatisim of ZX-tan could easily be her own Sherlock Holmes.  ^__^

I really like ZX-tan! I admire her diligence, wisdom and adventerous ways!

A detective's mission to find the burial sites... I like it!

After all, M$ destroyed their own records, but just THEIR OWN records (and even did a shoddy job of it at that).  In looking through private periodicals of the era (as well as published press releases that M$ couldn't destroy), of course ZX-tan would have come across various mentions of Xenix-tan (as well as a few obscure mentions of an "Altair-tan", although she wouldn't have known that were anything important at the time) that she could ultimately use to "shadow" a timeline of events.

I bet that the Windows-tans of the M$ Family aren't allowed to read vintage periodicals because they could end up discovering all those bizarre truths that M$ has been trying to shield from them all these years!

I'd also like to add that in the scene that they first read the mentioning of Altair-tan, one of the Vintage-tans is surprised and wonders if it's the same Altair-tan she once encountered (She has been recruited for the Binteeji Renmei at least once by some Vintage-tans but declined. And at least one of the Vintage-tans knows that Altair-tan is still alive but none of them actually know anything about her)

Any gaps in this shadow timeline that she couldn't fill herself after a while,, she would consult with Smoking Gun, who could not only give her more articles, but also lists of names (ex-employees mostly) that might no more.  

The Smoking Gun is there, and a great help to the Binteji Renmei's resident detective and genealogist!

Not afraid to get her hands dirty, ZX-tan would meet and befriend as many of these people as she could, likely through small social get-togethers (like cafes and stuff).  And like any good private eye, she wouldn't actually mention anything about Xenix-tan... she would just poke and prode around the subject courteously so as to not arose suspicion.

Good strategies! But I wonder what she would say exactly to get them to talk?

Or how about using good old fashioned interrogation? ;012

Eventually, a few of the more disgruntled ones would admit to doing terrible things in the past, for which her sympathetic shoulder would be offered to cushion their tears.  And after hearing confessions of every nature and kind, she would start to see patterns in their story,... common "burial sites" where company records were disposed of.

ZX-tan is so nice! And because of her kindness, no interrogation was required! ^_^

Naturally, the locations are only referred to by name, and as you know trying to find buried items in a place as large as a FOREST is literally like looking for a needle among a string of needles.  Thankfully, in between consultations with local villagers or Wanderers...

Sweet! Opportunities for many wanderers to get cameo appearances! (although one of them will not be Altair-tan for really obvious reasons but one of the wanderers to appear will be QL-tan!)

as well as some helpful geomancy from GEOS-tan (aka, GeoWorks-tan), they probably came across most of the burial sites.  Then it was just a matter of getting the whole gang to grab a shovel and pitch in.

GEOS-tan is a geomancer? Awesome!

GEOS-tan will be one of the next chibi OS-tans I'll draw.

As a bonus to finding Xenix-tan's records, they probably ended-up unearthing a whole treasure trove of M$ secrets, that is still being deciphered by ZX-tan (and the mandatory assistants) to this very day.  ^_______^

Bwaahahaha! I wonder who would be assisting ZX-tan with the deciphering!

No doubt, her book and all of her records where just unceremoniously tossed into a trash can and buried.

It also should be conceded that at least half of the records they unearthed WERE actually disposed of properly and ruined beyond repair.  This actually would make ZX-tan very sad, as she considers the loss of someone's proof of existence to be the worst possible tragedy (and probably the reason why she makes it a crusade to document everyone's history).

I felt sad over the decayed stuff from the time capsule I helped unearth so I can relate to that.

Also goofed there,... meant 2.0-chan, not 1.0-san.  Not to say 1.0-san wouldn't be happy either (she'd be ecstatic), but she wouldn't realize it until she actually SAW Altair-san before her.

Funny how she wouldn't need to be told Altair-san is family -- just by looking at her, she would know.  ^^

So sweet!

It seems we're getting closer and closer to the end. ^.^

Just two more pages to go! Or 4-5 if I decide to do the epilogue.

PANEL 1:  Seems System 1-chan's anxiety is not ill-conceived -- her arrival might've been seen as an omen of things to come for all the OS-tans of the day (even PilotOS-chan made people pay handsome sums of money for a GUI system, and Lisa-chan almost thrice that).

Not to mention that she was likely being compared to Lisa-tan, PilotOS-chan and Visi On-tan meaning that System 1-chan certainly needs to live up to her hype! And this is also why she has the tendency to push herself to her limits (also referring that the original Macintosh had a full-fledged GUI while having only 128 KB of RAM, which was barely enough!)

PANEL 3/4:  Wow!  Now THAT'S what I call a great movie reference!  ^__^
(referring to Masayuki Suo's 1996 masterpiece, "Shall we Dance?"  ^v^)

Whoa! Truth be told, I did not know of "Shall we Dance?" at all! But what a wonderful and bizarre coincidence!

PANEL 6:  That is a very sweet scene!  It's wonderful to see 1-chan's dream come true!  ^__^

*sniffle* yes it is!

[Bella]

Awww, this new page is so cute! I love seeing nervous System 1-chan and Toshiaki's interactions, like her coaxing her out from behind the curtain with a bit of smooth talk. I can see you've confrimed that she does in fact think in English in panel 1! And Dreamy eyed 1-chan is adorable, as is the scene where they finally dance!  ;010

Well definitely "And". In other words, C64-tan has particularly "mainstream" tastes, while Amiga-sama is never afraid to walk the path untreaded. Actually, ReactionGUY-kun is a pilot and is actually kind of strong in the sense that he has peerless self-confidence, and doesn't have to bring anyone down (or pretend he's something he's not) in order to feel secure. I don't recall if Raffaele gave me any personality templates, but I've always considered ReactionGUY-kun's personality to be similar to that of Sousuke Sagara from Full Metal Panic (minus the paranoid overreactions, but inclusive of the obliviousness for social norms).

It's times like this I'm glad I'm not into writing romance stories/comics, or else I'd be having a field day right about now

Actually, until I heard about this ReactionGUY-kun, I'd never given much thought of any OS-tan's relationship with an OS-kun. (Okay, except for maybe Homeko/Homeo/Secchan/Hacchan.) I never really saw Amiga-san as the girlfriend type, I thought the only thing she was married to was her charity work! XD

Actually, I don't think 1.0-san or 2.0-chan witnessed anything (or even if 1.0-san did, she wouldn't be capable of telling them). I imagine this could have been a point of contention during the research -- the fact that 2.0-chan wouldn't have been able to offer anything useful to ZX-tan probably made her very sad, and ZX-tan more motivated to diligently search via other means.

Here, however, is where good ol' fashioned "private eye"'ing comes in, and its no surprise that someone with the age, wisdom, thoroughness and pragmatisim of ZX-tan could easily be her own Sherlock Holmes. ^__^

After all, M$ destroyed their own records, but just THEIR OWN records (and even did a shoddy job of it at that). In looking through private periodicals of the era (as well as published press releases that M$ couldn't destroy), of course ZX-tan would have come across various mentions of Xenix-tan (as well as a few obscure mentions of an "Altair-tan", although she wouldn't have known that were anything important at the time) that she could ultimately use to "shadow" a timeline of events.

Any gaps in this shadow timeline that she couldn't fill herself after a while,, she would consult with Smoking Gun, who could not only give her more articles, but also lists of names (ex-employees mostly) that might no more.

Not afraid to get her hands dirty, ZX-tan would meet and befriend as many of these people as she could, likely through small social get-togethers (like cafes and stuff). And like any good private eye, she wouldn't actually mention anything about Xenix-tan... she would just poke and prode around the subject courteously so as to not arose suspicion.

Eventually, a few of the more disgruntled ones would admit to doing terrible things in the past, for which her sympathetic shoulder would be offered to cushion their tears. And after hearing confessions of every nature and kind, she would start to see patterns in their story,... common "burial sites" where company records were disposed of.

Naturally, the locations are only referred to by name, and as you know trying to find buried items in a place as large as a FOREST is literally like looking for a needle among a string of needles. Thankfully, in between consultations with local villagers or Wanderers, as well as some helpful geomancy from GEOS-tan (aka, GeoWorks-tan), they probably came across most of the burial sites. Then it was just a matter of getting the whole gang to grab a shovel and pitch in.

As a bonus to finding Xenix-tan's records, they probably ended-up unearthing a whole treasure trove of M$ secrets, that is still being deciphered by ZX-tan (and the mandatory assistants) to this very day. ^_______^

This is a great idea!

Indeed! While there are many families and factions in this OS-tan world, they all tend to mingle in all kinds of ways!

The six degrees of separation, I think

Hahahaha! I must draw that!

Oh gawd, that was such a creepy scene (I mean in the movie). But I'm sure your picture will be a great deal more comical. XD

GEOS-tan is a geomancer? Awesome!

GEOS-tan will be one of the next chibi OS-tans I'll draw.

Cool! I can't wait to see her!

IIRC, there was a GSOS-tan done already, by the Amiga Workbench-tan artist. But I don't think she was very cute, not by a long shot... : |