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Robert's Phone, Beginning of Episode 3

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Calendar, Now Staffing Sync 10:00AM Mail, 09:15AM 14 Unread Messages Reminder, [???] Complete On-boarding Paperwork W-9 Form Chat, 08:55AM Hey this is Galen, heard you're our latest bullpen addition! Lemme know if you need anything. Also, we have make your own margs on Thursdays...

The idea of the dispatchers getting together and making margaritas every thursday is very entertaining to me. Also Galen being the first one to reach out and invite Robert is just one more reason he's the real MVP of the Torrance branch. Looking out for the newbies on and off the clock.

Whiteboards in Royd's workshop, beginning of Episode 3

Royd includes his workout schedule on the whiteboard. Quads Monday morning, glutes Monday at noon, abs Tuesday at noon. He also keeps an integral table like a real one, a joke about the "proof" of 2=1 (the secret is that it contains a division by zero!), and for some reason a list of the multiples of 12 and 13 up to 10. I'm not sure what the other table is, but at a guess I'd say it's a truth table for something.

I also don't recognize the calculations on this board outright, though part of that may be that the handwriting is atrocious. Multivariable calculus with a partial differential in there, though. fun times. Better Royd than me.

Mecha Man Suit hologram, beginning of Episode 4

Text Transcription:

Chemical Weapons Factors Affecting the reaction rate: the rate of nitroglycerin's decomposition can be influenced by several factors: Temperature: higher temperature increases the rate of decomposition by providing more energy to overcome the activation energy barrier. Shock and Friction: mechanical shock of friction can initiate the decomposition reaction by providing the necessary energy to break the chemical bonds in nitroglycerin. Stabilizers: historically, nitroglycerin was stabilized in dynamite by mixing it with materials like diatomaceous earth to control its reaction rate and make it safer to handle Chest Armour- Explosions due to its highly explosive nature. it's a volatile liquid used in explosives, particularly dynamite. Its sensitivity to shock, temperature, and friction makes it prone to accidental detonation"

It seems like they just sort of sampled a stock text that was a bit more sciencey than lorem ipsum (they do that in a bunch of other places in the mecha man suit), but the idea that the mecha man suit uses nitroglycerin as part of its weapon system is interesting. If that's what made the suit explode in episode 6, then it's even more insane that Robert survived, honestly. Nitro is nasty stuff.

Coupé and Sonar's files, end of Episode 3

Not going to transcribe everything in these files, because they're long as fuck, but: Sonar's noting "several auxiliary rounds of financial negotiation" is very funny to me. Program offers you a chance to get away from the carceral system and you still run them through multiple rounds of salary negotiation. Reluctantly I admit that's baller. Coupé being banned from multiple countries and Ohio, "for reasons that are classified", is also wild.

It's interesting that these files are contradicted by information elsewhere, though. Coupé's height being listed as 5'5 and Sonar's as 5'9 when they're listed as 5'10 and 6'0 respectively in the hero database, and their birthdates (or parts of them, in Coupé's case) are actually listed on their flight licences, and Sonar's differs from the one here (11/08/1991):

Sonar DOB: 05/27/1991 Coupé DOB: 02/09/19XX

I also think it's neat to note that the two report files are dated at the top, presumably around the time that they were hired- which would mean that Coupé was hired around a month before Sonar was (01/12/2023 vs 02/15/2023). The tidbit that Sonar's report was written on the 15th of February is also interesting in conjuction with this next one- because the timelines are just not timelining up.

Robert's Recovery Room, Beginning of Episode 6

It looks like the board in his recovery room says "Feb 29 Wednesday". Based on Chase claiming to be 39 in present day and 20 in 2003, the latest we could assume the game takes place in is 2023, but it wasn't a leap year that year. Likewise, in February 2023 Sonar would not yet be 32 by either of his dates of birth, despite being listed as 32 in the hero profiles. So that would suggest February 2024, though the 29th was not a Wednesday that year (and would have been in 2023, if it were a leap year). Basically, the timeline doesn't make lots of sense with this board.

Anyway, fun details from this: Robert's pain scale was checked off on the chart as a 7-8, despite him having been unconscious. At least three different practitioners were involved in his care post-explosion. And porridge is listed as part of his diet for the day, though I can't make out the rest of the text there.

Frankly it's wild to me that SDN is using boards like this in their rooms, because these are mostly used for patients who are having long-term stays, in my experience. How many long-term patients are they getting that these are necessary?

Mecha Man Suit Blueprints, Beginning of Episode 4

Text Transcript:

Astral Pulse Core The application of fundamental electromagnetic circuits in conjuction with the principles of centripetal force results in the generation of significant energy discharge. Principles of Energy Generation in Magnetic Plasma Models -force energy -magnetic energy - Astral Core: The generation of intermittent and rapid energy discharges, induced by centrifugal forces acting upon the poles of an electromagnetic field -Astral Pulse Plasma Generation -The Astral Pulse energy core system receives incoming waves and directs them through a circulating process to generate energy. This process is governed [??] principles of [??] ic field laws [??] al forces, [??] applied [??] ntil a [??] gy [??] Initials Version 004 Code Name Astral Pulse Core Module ------ Designed by Robert "Robbie" Robertson II with help of Elliot Brightman Note Rev 11/15/2006

A fun attempt at the making the science behind the astral pulse seem a little more grounded, I suppose. Really not saying anything substantial, because you kind of can't. But peppering in the ideas of electromagnetism and plasma are helpful for the scifi feel. Also, different surname used for Shroud, here. A villain like him having a name like Elliot Brightman has a touch of irony I kind of enjoy, so I kind of prefer it honestly.

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- Astral Pulse Core Nexus - Primary Control Interface - Operator's Seating Position - Safety Belt - Joint Control Drive - Power Drive - Avionics Control Panel Initials Version 001 Code Name Mecha Man Interior Cockpit Module ------ Designed by Roy Alona Note Rev. 07/16/2023

Canon surname for Royd? Otherwise not much to say beyond the fact that there's more timeline shenaniganry. Suggests a date in July of 2023, at least for the start of the game.

Text Transcript:

Mech-Suit Arm Mk II - Signal Receiver - Chest Armour - Thermal st[??] discharge[??] - [??]el - Center protec[??] - Blade Sliding Plate - Blade Storage Compartment - Cover Plate - The joints within the blade mechanism facilitate its extension and retraction, allowing the blade to be lengthened for use and folded to a compact size for storage within the Mecha-suit's arm. - The internal joints extending from the Mecha-suit's arms function as actuators for deploying concealed blades, which are utilized during combat operations. - The internal joints of the mecha suit's leg mechanism are engineered to provide full 360 degree rotational movement around the axis Initials Version 001 Code Name Mechsuit Module ------ Designed by Robert Robertson Note Rev. 05/06/1965

Man the OG mecha man prime suit is old as fuck. not much to say on this except to complain that these are dogshit mechanical blueprints. In the age of CAD it's a bit of a dying art but in 1965? Robert Robertson the first you need to git gud. I do think it's neat that they're drawing from the MM Prime designs as well as the Astral, though.

Robert's Recovery Room, Beginning of Episode 6