OS-tans and Tropes

Aurora Borealis · November 05, 2011, 08:19:25 PM

I LOLed at WMG that SAM and PDP-1 are the same character!

I really should draw those two together, for the heck of it. And maybe also add in System 1-tan because she's also a proud hammer-wielder in their size range.

The pic of PDP-1-tan used in that example is an old pic of mine, drawn last year, and it hasn't aged well.

Speaking of which, I decided to start over on that DEC-tan family portraiture because trying to revamp it in Inkscape was too inefficient. I just started sketching the new version and I already like how it's turning out.

Bella · January 16, 2012, 06:53:29 PM

I may begin collecting MORE tropes for my stories as I write more. @_@

WMG: MTS-tan is Inferno-chan's spirit animal.
Self explanatory.

WMG: DTSS-sama and GE600-kun - SECRETLY MARRIED.
I have no idea why... just woke up one morning with that thought rattling around in my brain. I might run with it.

Nichi · January 16, 2012, 06:57:59 PM

I've slowly worked on a list of tropes applying to the Director Who saga; which I intend on posting eventually

It's kind of fun to go through TV Tropes, see an article, and think "Hey; this applies to my story :3"

Bella · January 16, 2012, 07:35:51 PM

Indeed it is. ^^

Also, I really need to work on a fuller characterization for GE600-kun... maybe I'll take the discussion over to /More IBM-tans (since he's kind of an honorary IBM-tan?) *shrugs*

stewartsage · January 16, 2012, 08:08:31 PM

He's a GE-tan, he's the enemy of all right thinking IBM-tans. Or at least annoying to them.

Bella · January 16, 2012, 08:15:03 PM

Quote from: stewartsage on January 16, 2012, 08:08:31 PM
He's a GE-tan, he's the enemy of all right thinking IBM-tans. Or at least annoying to them.

I thought you said the IBM-tans didn't practice Fantastic Racism? >>;; At any rate, I know he'd get along well with IBM 7090-kun... maybe too well...

Any other thoughts for his characterization? I have some ideas of what he'll be like physically, but his personality and mentality I'm kind of lost on.

stewartsage · January 16, 2012, 08:21:08 PM

They don't, but stealing business from them is going to tick off most IBM-tans. They'd rather have the rental contracts. That being said, yes, I imagine the 7090/GE-600 relationship would be subject to much speculation and FoeYay.

Bella · January 16, 2012, 08:23:20 PM

Quote from: stewartsage on January 16, 2012, 08:21:08 PM
They don't, but stealing business from them is going to tick off most IBM-tans. They'd rather have the rental contracts. That being said, yes, I imagine the 7090/GE-600 relationship would be subject to much speculation and FoeYay.

Oh... I see.

OH GOD IS THIS GOING TO END IN A DTSS-SAMA x GE600-KUN x IBM 7090-KUN LOVE TRIANGLE?!

stewartsage · January 16, 2012, 08:31:44 PM

You can't connect every vaguely related -tan into a love polygon.

Bella · January 16, 2012, 08:36:10 PM

Quote from: stewartsage on January 16, 2012, 08:31:44 PM
You can't connect every vaguely related -tan into a love polygon.

Says the person who started the whole "throwing two (or three) random -tans into a ship and see what happens" trend. -___-

That said, if DTSS x GE600 = married couple (my subconscious demands it) and GE600 x IBM 7090 = weird ho-yaying subtexty stuff, then DTSS x GE600 x 7090 = SOMEBODY'S GOING TO GET LEAD PUMPED INTO THEM BY DTSS-TAN.

stewartsage · January 16, 2012, 08:53:33 PM

I did no such thing, except maybe a few times for my own amusement.

Bella · January 16, 2012, 08:56:17 PM

Quote from: stewartsage on January 16, 2012, 08:53:33 PM
I did no such thing, except maybe a few times for my own amusement.

Really then? 'w'

Bella · January 26, 2012, 02:53:31 PM

Random thoughts on character development: I used to think ITS-tan was http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Bifauxnen, but now I think she might lean toward http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AmbiguousGender.

While she's biologically female (and uses female pronouns out of sheer simplicity) I'm quite certain that she'd think of herself as agendered, in other words, psychologically neither male nor female. While her closer friends probably realize this, I imagine "outsiders" would think of her as being a tomboyish/androgynous girl and leave that at that. (Not that this would greatly bother ITS-tan, she IS extremely apathetic about what others think of her.)

And while we're on this subject, I'm thinking of giving CP/CMS a more Bifauxnen-ish twist when I draw her next - mainly because I think that would fit her personality well, not to mention the fact that the rest of the IBM System/360 OS-tans are quite feminine (in one way or another) and it might be wise to make her more androgynous for the sake of variety.

Bella · March 07, 2012, 07:52:14 PM

WMG: Animal features aren't a part of an OS-tan's biological nature, but her magical one
Multics' wings are rooted in her heavily magical nature, and Unix gained her wings (and possibly owl ears, though that's subject to some debate) when she absorbed part of Multics' powers ... wouldn't it stand to reason that animal features in other OS-tans would be magically-based too?

WMG: The Binteji Renmei is located somewhere in the American Northeast
We've never worked out where the BR is located, but from the various stories (and proposed storylines) involving it, it seems to be somewhere in the States, and someplace that's hilly, rural, able to support apple orchards and has a fairly cool climate. It's also indicated as being a half-day's train ride from Unix's home, which is heavily hinted at being someplace in the Mid-Atlantic (probably New York or New Jersey).
-This could explain the high number of East Coast natives in the BR (e.g., many of the DECs and Commodores settled there, as well as Multics, DTSS, EXEC and Adam-tan.)
-Sub-theory: It's in Rhode Island, because of the abnormally high concentration of computer museums and retrocomputer societies (and, by association, old computers) in that state.

Aurora Borealis · March 10, 2012, 03:55:17 PM

I don't know, sometime ago C-Chan said that the Binteeji Renmei was founded on one of Apple II-tan's apple orchards. Then again, I still don't know how to feel about OS-tan stories taking place in the real world, though personally I follow a middle-ground theory of OS-tans being able to live in both the real world and cyberspace. *shrugs* Anyways, I haven't given much thought to where the BR would be located.

Hmm... All OS-tans have innate magical abilities, right? And does your conjecture apply to characters who were created/born with animal features, like the OSX-tans, Plan 9-tan, etc.? If so, do you think all these animal-featured characters would use different, specialized forms of magic related to their features? Now I can't help but think of them being like the animal youkai from Touhou with powers and attacks related to their features! I would see these characters as being specialized by design, being born with a specific style of magic.

On the other hand, those OS-tan characters who don't have animal features tend to have a more generalized and not as powerful style of magic by default, but may specialize if they dedicate themselves to it- Using the Touhou comparison again, Marisa and Alice would be good examples, being (or have been, in Alice's case) human magicians who became as powerful as they did through vast amounts of training and research; Alice specializes in doll magic, Marisa specializes in huge freakin' lasers!

So as I see it, animal-featured and non animal-featured OS-tans would all have magic capabilities, but there'd be at least two different styles of magic and different schools of thought about how it should work.