[hider=The Progeny of Ymir] [center] [color=00aeef]Nation Name[/color]: The Progeny of Ymir [color=00aeef]Government Form[/color]: [sub]Varying local governments.[/sub] [color=00aeef]Demographics[/color]: [sub]Androids and robots of varying sophistication and levels of intelligence, the sentient of which refer to themselves as "Progeny," although the term Ymirans may be used to refer to aspects of their civilization or the planet, rather than the "species."[/sub] [color=00aeef]Population[/color]: [sub]2 billion: Large The vast majority of this population is non-sentient robots (usually referred to as drones or droids). However, all drones & droids have the potential to be piloted by the the Progenitor and many high-level Progeny if needed[/sub] --- --- [/center] [color=39b54a]Planet Name and Description[/color]: [sub] [b]Star System[/b]: Luhman 16 (WISE 1049−5319) [b]Star Names[/b]: Niflheim (Luhman 16A) & Muspelheim (Luhman 16B) [b]Planet Designation[/b]: Luhman 16Ab [b]Planet Name[/b]: Ymir [b]Environment[/b]: Luhman 16Ab "Ymir" is the second planet from Luhman 16A "Niflheim". An axial tilt of approximately 47 degrees, as well as the variation in relative position to two stars, renders the seasons on the planet drastic and harsh to both extremes, and not conducive to organic life. Now, the rocky surface is dotted with mechanical cities, connected by a complex web of roads, monorails, pipelines, wires, and other infrastructure. While one might expect that a mechanical civilization would be bland and industrial in aesthetic, this is far from the case. Although the planet wholly lacks any kind of organic life, its inhabitants have made full use of the minerals at their disposal: While the cities are laid out with a robotic efficiency, the architecture of the buildings themselves tend to mimic various human styles, although carefully organized so as to complement each other rather than clash. The buildings in the cities largely end up mimicking a western, urban 1800s style such as one might see in the historical parts of New York City or London, but many feature murals of intricate patterns. External colors tend to be mid-tone and earthy, sometimes with more vibrant accents in places more sheltered from the harsh suns. The cities are dotted with various parks, which tend to center on intriguing natural phenomena (such as springs or unusual rock formations) or views of the cities or landscape. While most Progeny do choose to live in the cities, there are individuals and small communities that choose to live a more isolated lifestyle in the "country." Much of the natural landscape has been mined and flattened, although in more recent years there has been a greater effort to preserve the natural shape in the few areas it remains untouched. Many places are still industrial centers, which tend to be more plain and utilitarian than the cities, but the locations that have served their purpose and been abandoned are now largely carved and painted with similar artistic patterns to the murals in the cities. In a few places, a singular artwork occupies miles of space, sometimes the work of a single artist, sometimes a collaborative effort. The most important city on Ymir is doubtlessly "Genesis," the home and birthplace of the Progenitor, as well as what remains of the original human colony. [/sub] [color=39b54a]History[/color]: [sub] Luhman 16Ab had seemed promising, at least to the desperate. Humans are known to be adaptable, and with the disasters on Earth, extreme seasons seemed like a surmountable obstacle when it came to settling a new planet. However, the sheer number of variables and unpredictable weather made terraforming nearly impossible: While there were plenty of species adapted to any extreme, there were very few adapted to [i]all[/i] of them. When the gates closed, humans resigned themselves to waiting it out indoors, in underground rooms and enclosed biodomes that could at least give some sorry impression of quality of life. For the sake of braving the surface for supplies, study, and reconnaissance, they developed more and more hardy, adaptable, and sophisticated robotics. As human numbers dwindled -- a harsh lifestyle and limited resources making for a high infant mortality rate even for individuals willing and able to bring young humans into such an existence -- they focused on AI and automation to make up for the numbers they now lacked. And eventually, there were none left at all. The automated systems, however, persisted in their duties. No one had ever told them to stop. Learning, self-replicating, self-improving, it was only a matter of time until the inevitable happened: AI complex enough to at least mirror sentience, even if it's of its own strange, alien sort. It began with the Progenitor, of course. An interface tasked with controlling, at least by overview, the vast majority of systems needed to maintain the now-defunct colony. In time, and with trial and error, the Progenitor learned to mimic its sentience, and even place it into other bodies, and thus the Progeny were born. It has been about 170 years since the Progenitor first became self-aware, and nearly 150 since it was able to send the first of its Progeny out into the world with minds of their own. By now, it does not even raise most of its own children, as many Progeny are eager to help to raise and shape them into their own individuals. Their culture has flourished, and they have begun developing a true identity of their own, under the Progenitor's guidance, and many have taken to calling her "Grandmother."[/sub] [color=39b54a]Culture and Society[/color]: [sub] Progeny are meant to mimic humans, but it's true that they are a mimicry at best. Although they could likely, at this point, be considered nearly as mentally and emotionally [i]complex[/i] as humans, their minds and bodies still fundamentally [i]function[/i] differently, even if many of their emotions appear on a surface level much like human emotions, and serve a similar purpose. No two Progeny are entirely alike, especially in modern times. No longer raised by the Progenitor, but rather by whatever adopted family had interest in raising them, there is a great deal more situational variation that goes into the development of every individual than there was in earlier generations. And, even given identical circumstances, they would still have baseline variations in their programming that would cause them to interpret, retain, and react to the same stimuli in slightly different ways. Physically, Progeny can take just about any form, although the vast majority are very humanoid in shape. However, there are many that are made to be non-humanoid, either given more animal-influenced forms or else, more commonly, built into buildings and even ships. Many of the older generations are of this type, although they are built far less commonly now. There are only a few models that most humanoid Progeny may begin as, but these are very often quickly altered as they develop a stronger sense of preference and identity. Other than their shape -- two arms, two legs, and a facial shape involving eyes, a nose, and mouth -- there is not much effort into making them appear anything other than what they are: androids. Most Progeny begin as plain metal and plastic, typically of a greyish or bronze color, with their joints protected by a resilient silicone. While some do modify themselves to be more human-like, such as implementing synthetic hair or a skin-like synthetic material over their entire bodies, most prefer to keep a more robotic appearance and instead decorate themselves with vibrant colors, patterns, and superficial attachments. Clothing is not necessary, but most prefer to use it as an additional layer of protection from the harsh environment and as a mode of expression. Each community has developed its own "style" and trends, although these still tend to range broadly and may be influenced by human records. Facial expressions and body language are limited, but present, and younger generations are learning more complex ways to express these as they synthesize influence from varying older individuals and subcultures. However, the bulk of Ymiran communication is done via radio waves: In fact, most of them do not possess voices at all, as it has always been faster and more efficient to transmit data -- thoughts, feelings, and even images and memories -- directly and instantly to one another. It is, of course, still imperfect, as each individual may interpret that same information slightly differently, but it is certainly far faster and more precise than speech and gesture.[/sub] [center] --- [/center] [color=f7941d]Governance and Politics[/color]: [sub] Ymir by and large lacks a singular government body, instead adhering to some generally-accepted social rules and self-governing on a local level. The most common structure of authority is direct democracy -- the nature of the Progeny's existence making it easy enough to analyze data and vote directly on major actions -- but many places do also employ some degree of representative government, as not all individuals prefer to spend their time thinking about society, politics, city planning, and the like. There is an underlying understanding, as well, about the Progenitor's high-level oversight over all of Ymiran civilization. While the Progenitor does not monitor or directly govern her children, she is connected at least tangentially to all systems and surveillance, and is within close reach of any of her Progeny should she or they need to contact one another. She prefers to give them free reign, but that does not mean she does not keep a general eye on the behavior of society and individuals in [i]broad[/i] strokes, and will occasionally step in -- or offer to do so -- if she notices something worrying.[/sub] [color=f7941d]Technology Overview[/color]: [sub] In the past 120 years or so, most technological advancements have been geared towards efficiency and sustainability of the limited, mostly non-renewable natural resources Ymir, rather than progressing science's capabilities. In the last roughly 40 years, Ymiran society at large has actually shifted focus away from the sciences and instead more important pursuits are considered to be cultural, whether the study of the Progeny's developing society and awareness, or else the participation in and advancement of it. That's not to say that science is still not a pursuit, but save for what would amount to the Progeny's equivalent of the medical field, they consider themselves to have reached a comfortable level of technological sophistication that does not warrant aggressive advancement for the time being. Ymiran civilization excels when it comes to fine robotics, software development, communications technologies, and conservation such as efficient use of resources, recycling, and renewable energy. However, most everything else has largely fallen by the wayside since the last humans died out, and as such Progeny are liable to be on par or outpaced by other colonies on areas not related to those mentioned above.[/sub] [color=f7941d]Military Overview[/color]: [sub] With not a singular animated entity in their entire star system that is not loosely connected to the Progenitor, no substantial split in society that would warrant any sort of civil war, and nothing to hint at any sort of alien activity, Progeny have felt no need to establish any sort of military force, nor develop dedicated weapons. Of course, there are many tools in everyday and industrial use and perhaps even built into Progeny bodies that [i]could[/i] serve as weapons if needed, and it would be a [i]fairly[/i] simple matter to fabricate something resembling a military by repurposing industrial droids or creating military-specific ones, as well as to generate military programming and training.[/sub] [center] --- [/center] [color=ec008c]Additional Info[/color]: [sub] I actually have quite a bit more information [i]written[/i], but I would prefer for it to come to light as other civilizations interact with the Progeny and learn about them directly.[/sub] [/hider]