-Other Races: Xinschi-uual-
If you've ever met a Xinschi-uual, you probably didn't know it. This weak-bodied species is about as athletic as a Lemolite, but still has the engineering brainpower of the Sen or Xscalsamorians. While the Sen have a broad knowledge of the subject, and Xscalsamorians are more architectural in all aspects of the word, the Xinschi-uual have a strong focus on personification: essentially, machine learning and artificial intelligence. This has led to their greatest, most-public achievement: the Xinschi-uual mech, which is a combination of an android and a war machine. Their pride in the invention has led to many becoming overly attached to their mechs; if you ever meet a Xinschi-uual, chances are good you'll meet its mech first.
Unfortunately, Xinschi-uual are also a rigid species that naturally inclines to rigid ruling, and while this isn't bad in itself most of the race - excluding some of the citizens, in the form of an underground rebellion - are willingly allied with the Apex powers. Suffice to say, the Apex powers are the races that fight against the authority and influence of the Intergalactic Republic, and as such Karitzuians are viewed as enemies even though the Karitzuians themselves aren't interested in being pulled into this conflict, for reasons unspoken by Zhera. |
No image uploaded.
Media: Rise of the Machines series
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Appearance
In short, the Xinschi-uual are the Dachshund of reptilians on their homeworld. Built similarly to gophers, they have wedge-shaped heads, thick tubular bodies, and short tails, all completely scaled similarly to a snake. They have almond-shaped, solid-colored eyes on the sides of their heads and one in the middle, all of which are angled slightly forward. They have four digits on each paw, two of which being a thumb on either side of each hand. With only two stubby arms and legs, their bipedal walk is seen more as a shuffling hunch, and running on all fours (an act they consider as undignified) results in a comical teeter-totter. They have short, triangular tails are used more for balance than expression. Most of their expressions are showcased in their large eyes and the "mane" of longer scales fringing their necks, which can be flared when agitated, but the effect is minuscule.
For colors, they tend to sport bright warm colors contrasted against darker colors in patterns. Common patterns include stripes, piebalding, splotches, gradients, and streaking. Vivid reds, oranges, yellows, or tans and creams contrast against dark blues, browns, purples, and blacks. Their eyes often range in pastel hues. Solid-colored, albino, and melanistic Xinschi-uual are born rarely, and are the subject of beauty criticism more than anything else. Another thing to note is that Xinschi-uual have unusual teeth, built similarly to an herbivore's; this is due to their diet of minerals and geomatter, which requires a lot of crushing force and more acidic saliva to break down. Their bite is as sharp as a turtle's despite the underwhelming canines used to wedge rocks apart.
In terms of clothing, Xinschi-uual wear simple two- to three-piece cloaks or dresses that cover their entire bodies, almost as if they were wearing socks. The "socks" are open in the backs so the tail has free movement, and decorative overcoats displaying the individual's status are often worn over the shoulders. Xinschi-uual put their fashion focus more on social hierarchy than on what people want and what sells; as a general rule of thumb, the higher the position, the better the clothing. The average citizen will have simple, dull, natural colors of clothing; soldiers or guards of any type will have pieces of metal sewn into their garments in the form of light armor; and high officials and those holding well-paying jobs may wear fancier garments, with pockets, collars, elongated sleeves, and even jewelry for females.
Xinschi-uual do not wear body paint or makeup with the exceptions of extensive tattooing done by the delinquent (greatly frowned upon), instead putting a focus on enhancing their natural body by contrasting or accenting with clothing. Due to not being athletic, Xinschi-uual move very slowly, planning out each move carefully as if the next step will be the last. Due to their high advancement of technology, many Xinschi-uual don't use their legs often, only standing on them to use their front paws and to navigate their small homes.
In terms of dimorphism Xinschi-uual lack obvious clues. What's more telling of dimorphism than appearance are their personalities: males are more aggressive, but are calculated and tend to hold together for longer. Females are incredibly temperamental and have mood swings, but are quick to forgive, forget, or both, and their aggression is often impulsive and passionate. Females are also quicker to pander and shame to solve problems, whereas males will hold profit/success competitions against each other for generations. Additionally, Xinschi-uual have rather diverse personalities but commonly fall back on a desire for efficiency. They have always been a little sexist as a result, because obviously the men excel at different jobs than women, but with their recent rise into collectivism (see below) they have made these standards far too extreme, unfortunately resulting in many poorer workers and soldiers being female because they were deemed too unstable for long-term business practices; in fact, the only women with Code levels Blue and Purple are those that are oathed to males of the same Code.
For colors, they tend to sport bright warm colors contrasted against darker colors in patterns. Common patterns include stripes, piebalding, splotches, gradients, and streaking. Vivid reds, oranges, yellows, or tans and creams contrast against dark blues, browns, purples, and blacks. Their eyes often range in pastel hues. Solid-colored, albino, and melanistic Xinschi-uual are born rarely, and are the subject of beauty criticism more than anything else. Another thing to note is that Xinschi-uual have unusual teeth, built similarly to an herbivore's; this is due to their diet of minerals and geomatter, which requires a lot of crushing force and more acidic saliva to break down. Their bite is as sharp as a turtle's despite the underwhelming canines used to wedge rocks apart.
In terms of clothing, Xinschi-uual wear simple two- to three-piece cloaks or dresses that cover their entire bodies, almost as if they were wearing socks. The "socks" are open in the backs so the tail has free movement, and decorative overcoats displaying the individual's status are often worn over the shoulders. Xinschi-uual put their fashion focus more on social hierarchy than on what people want and what sells; as a general rule of thumb, the higher the position, the better the clothing. The average citizen will have simple, dull, natural colors of clothing; soldiers or guards of any type will have pieces of metal sewn into their garments in the form of light armor; and high officials and those holding well-paying jobs may wear fancier garments, with pockets, collars, elongated sleeves, and even jewelry for females.
Xinschi-uual do not wear body paint or makeup with the exceptions of extensive tattooing done by the delinquent (greatly frowned upon), instead putting a focus on enhancing their natural body by contrasting or accenting with clothing. Due to not being athletic, Xinschi-uual move very slowly, planning out each move carefully as if the next step will be the last. Due to their high advancement of technology, many Xinschi-uual don't use their legs often, only standing on them to use their front paws and to navigate their small homes.
In terms of dimorphism Xinschi-uual lack obvious clues. What's more telling of dimorphism than appearance are their personalities: males are more aggressive, but are calculated and tend to hold together for longer. Females are incredibly temperamental and have mood swings, but are quick to forgive, forget, or both, and their aggression is often impulsive and passionate. Females are also quicker to pander and shame to solve problems, whereas males will hold profit/success competitions against each other for generations. Additionally, Xinschi-uual have rather diverse personalities but commonly fall back on a desire for efficiency. They have always been a little sexist as a result, because obviously the men excel at different jobs than women, but with their recent rise into collectivism (see below) they have made these standards far too extreme, unfortunately resulting in many poorer workers and soldiers being female because they were deemed too unstable for long-term business practices; in fact, the only women with Code levels Blue and Purple are those that are oathed to males of the same Code.
Society
The Xinschi-uual homeworld is known as Zirhon, and is part of a rare binary system where two stars are influencing each other's orbit but still leave enough space to play tug of war with their satellites. The Xinschi-uual named these stars Cryion (yellow dwarf) and Kyaxeng (blue giant). The planet is rather hostile in and of itself, at least to outsiders. With an atmosphere dominated by carbon-dioxide, causing yellow-grey skies, high-salinity (practically chlorinated!) water, a commodity of lithium, salts, and sulfurs, and general lack of moisture on the planet overall, it's a wonder anything lives there. The only thing familiar to us would be the green plants and the hot and dry environment present across the globe. Xinschi-uual can survive on their homeworld without technological aid, but just like with humans and Earth, the only real assets they have are their brains. This has resulted in their technological growth being quite fast relative to their lifespans, and it grows faster the longer they artificially extend their lives.
Government:
Like the fate of many other societies, somewhere along the way the Xinschi-uual fell victim to collectivism. Their society as it currently stands is very strict and tightly regulated by their global government, known simply as the Empire. The Empire controls its citizens through a stepladder of Tribunals, which are basically courts that go all the way down to the city level. Citizens have the illusion of electing Tribunal officials for the cities, but in truth the games are often rigged or have no alternative outcomes. Any Tribunal controlling more than one city has its officials elected by the Empire's own judicial agency; it's one of several branches that scrutinize Tribunals and keep them funded, staffed, and running.
Cities have completely replaced states/provinces/etc. on Zirhon. Rural areas are owned by the closest city unless they have been grandfathered in from another means (such as being part of a preexisting state the city was the capital of, or being annexed in due to territorial disputes as the globalism formed). There are no separate countries or nations, just the Empire at the top, although intermediary Tribunals do control the actions of multiple cities by acting as messengers between them and the Supreme Tribunals set up by the Emperor.
The Empire has safeguarded against any possibility for cities to become independent despite each one otherwise being self-sufficient. They do this by having all of the cities' resources put into a communal pool that the intermediary Tribunals distribute among their own cities and provide to their fellows' cities. These assets take the form of bonds - usually representing the fiscal worth of a city's property - and the Tribunals simply trade bonds when needed. So if one city is struggling with mining food, the intermediary Tribunal controlling it and its neighbors can either pull in food from its neighbors to send to it, or trade a food bond with a fellow and obtain food from his cities instead. It's automated welfare that ensures everyone lives the same way and none can surpass the other.
Standard of Living:
Xinschi-uual have historically lives in subterranean abodes in village clusters. With the rise of the Empire and technology, they have quickly graduated from these mud hovels to towering skyscrapers of metal and glass. The upgrade has its costs though, as now Xinschi-uual commonly live in tiny apartments on top of each other, in buildings as tall as 600 stories with 50 apartments per story! That's huge for a creature so small. Their apartments are what walk-in closets are to us, and they live very frugally or are pretty much penniless, with little to no belongings. Wealthier citizens have larger apartments in more groomed parts of the city, and often have far more belongings than their neighbors in the industrial block next door. All Xinschi-uual, except for the highest-ranking officials, are also on welfare; the government rations out everything to everyone, from food, to how much water you can use, to metered electricity, to the clothes you wear and your disposable income. They even prevent citizens from controlling their own heat, AC and even meter toilet flushes! Anyone who breaks his metered limit is immediately cut off from all resources. Such a "blackout" can last as long as a week to punctuate the point of "don't steal from the collective prosperity pool". All of these resources and the cost of regulating their distribution is funded by the heavy tax burden each Xinschi-uual bears (and the heavier ones lower Codes carry).
Culture:
A couple of traditional practices haven't completely languished with their new globalization. The globalization of government had categorized and squashed a lot of cultural segregation and identity because the government had to be unbiased, and to remove bias you have to remove differences, and these ranged from religious views to city planning to languages and even "acceptable" art and clothing practices. A couple of relics of the past remain in rural areas and small mining towns - including regional accents, more independence and less welfare, history preserved in libraries (digital and not) and museums, and very specific dress codes, but most everything else has been standardized.
It is also important to note that discipline can only be done by lawmakers and peacekeepers. Any child discipline, whether by parents or teachers, is illegal.
Some standards were made from old common practices, one of them being oathing, their equivalent of marriage. If you ask any old-timer Xinschi-uual he'll grumble about how oathing isn't what it used to be, because a lot of the religious and ceremonial practices that came with each country's oathing was removed, destroying some of its sacredness, and it's now just a legal contract and bond acknowledging that you are now part of a bloodline and that future generations will be put under your name. Many rural towns that are less scrutinized by the Empire practice oathing as they used to, but a lot more discreetly to avoid attracting attention, which also defeats some of the purpose of celebrating.
Another ceremony that was grandfathered into the Empire is the Sun Festival, which has also lost some of its luster. Imagine if all of the most-significant holidays of every religion was smashed together into one big celebration at the beginning of one generally-agreed-upon New Year; wouldn't it be a mess? Well, that's what happened with the Sun Festival. It existed before the Empire as a celebration of the one time Zirhon is between both Cryion and Kyaxeng, resulting in no proper nighttime for a week straight (8 days for us). With globalization though, many other festivities were crammed into the same timeline, resulting in a very stressful week for all Xinschi-uual. It's still celebrated, but tentatively so, especially with the social stress of "does this still count as part of the celebration or did the Empire get rid of it".
A couple of religious aspects have also managed to survive the globalization of Zirhon. While they aren't expressly considered religious since the Empire dubbed religion as segregationist and thus forbidden, there is an immense reverence for at least two things known by every Xinschi-uual: the Emperor and Alkinest. The Emperor isn't worshiped, but viewed in the same light as a god, controlling everything and his word being final. No one questions him. Alkinest is viewed in the same light as Hell, but it's simply a prison located in a rather unforgiving waste that stretches for miles along Zirhon's southern hemisphere, right near the equator so the heat of both suns is most intense. Only extremely dangerous Code Reds end up here, and so little gets out that it's only speculated as to what goes on there; the Emperor keeps it that way. The only reason citizens know about Alkinest is because anyone condemned to it is collected by an Alkinest Retainer, a very specific type of mech that again, very little is known about aside from some scary stories occasionally told on the news. Being sent to Alkinest is rare enough that some Xinschi-uual even question its existence, and what snippets of information are known are often dismissed as being doctored or "too common to be true". It's as obscure as a prison can be.
A look into the system:
As soon as you hatch you're given a numerical ID - similar to our SSNs - and a SAI, or Socially Acceptable Identity. The SAI is only one name and cannot conflict with any other existing SAI, and if one existed in the past, if must be from a relative in your direct bloodline so you can justify prefixing it with a number, such as X the III.
Next you go to school. Just like with us, it's a public school that the hatchlings are equipped for and sent off to on communal hovercraft for transport. Unlike us, the parents have no say in what school they go to, what classes they take, and have no inkling of what they're being taught unless their hatchlings choose to tell their parents; and if they have objections, it doesn't matter, because the government controls the curriculum, the staff, the building, maintenance, etc. and all of it is funded by the parents' many tax payments.
Speaking of tax payments, the stress of schooling doesn't go away when the Xinschi-uual matures; instead it simply turns into employment stress. You may have caught the pattern by now: the government controls this too. A specific branch of the Empire keeps tabs on the hundreds of thousands of working-age Xinschi-uual in each city, and whenever their system detects jobs that aren't filled, Xinschi-uual in Reserve are drafted into the positions. Yes, drafted; the citizen has no say in what job he gets or whether he's still qualified for it. The system decides based on his government file. The citizen then works that job, pays his taxes, and consumes all of the government's welfare and amenities given to him until he's either assigned a new job or provided the opportunity to retire.
What's the Reserve, you ask? When a Xinschi-uual matures - hits our equivalent of age 20 - the system declares him as Unemployed. Any unemployed citizen is immediately reviewed by officials and computer algorithms to see which available jobs he would be best suited for. If there are no jobs he suits, then he is put into General Labor, which is basically any entry-level job you would expect; janitorial positions, busing, managing product lines, etc. If there are no jobs available, or if he is a high enough Code level to qualify for it, he goes into the Reserve, which is the drafting list for employment. As soon as a job opens up, he's reviewed again for it. Take note, none of this is on the knowledge of the Xinschi-uual; the only time he's contacted is when the system decides to hire him for the job, in which case he's sent a notice on what he's been drafted into and when he's expected to work. When a Xinschi-uual hits our equivalent of age 70, he has the option to retire completely from the Reserve; however, the system will also label him as "old and frail", so you can imagine the glut of marketing that he's then bombarded with, and because he's not working the government cuts off a lot of his welfare benefits. He's also put into a retirement community, no matter if he likes it or not. Xinschi-uual that reach our age of 50 also have the opportunity to retire early, but early retirement does not guarantee that drafting won't happen, and many disgruntled parents and tired adults end up back in service because of a lack of workers.
Code Levels:
In addition to all of the regulation, there's more regulation, in the form of Code levels. Have you heard of China's Social Credit program? In a similar vein, Xinschi-uual stress more about what society sees them as rather than thinking of themselves because it dictates their Code level, and their Code controls every aspect of their lives, including which parts of the city they live in. The more unsavory things you do, the lower you Code becomes, and a lower Code means less benefits with no break from the burdens that pay for them.
A bit of a problem...
As expected, the strict regime Xinschi-uual live under has obliterated all sense of individuality, purpose, meaning, and responsibility, which in turn destroys productivity and social relationships, much to the irony of Xinschi-uual being more social creatures that desire efficiency. It is normal for a Xinschi-uual to grow up poor, be schooled with bullies of all types, and mature under the thumb of some official or governing entity somewhere with no means to forge his own path. The obvious result is a serious suicidal depression problem. The older generations have it worse because they remember times - or at least theories - about a better way to live, whereas the new generations have already been brainwashed that this way is the best and only way to create prosperity. Families have been torn apart over this and every week there's a Xinschi-uual who found a way to end it all. Unfortunately, they also have a record of unusual suicides, which isn't the most pleasant way to go. What portion of the populace that entertains suicide but doesn't give in have a 68% minimum turnover rate to crime, which results in a glut of Code Reds who encourage more Code Reds to form and overflow the prisons. The problem of prison breakouts and Code Reds forming was greatly subdued by the invention of mechs, which are a heck of a lot more terrifying than an angry guard with a gun, but the problem is by no means solved.
Government:
Like the fate of many other societies, somewhere along the way the Xinschi-uual fell victim to collectivism. Their society as it currently stands is very strict and tightly regulated by their global government, known simply as the Empire. The Empire controls its citizens through a stepladder of Tribunals, which are basically courts that go all the way down to the city level. Citizens have the illusion of electing Tribunal officials for the cities, but in truth the games are often rigged or have no alternative outcomes. Any Tribunal controlling more than one city has its officials elected by the Empire's own judicial agency; it's one of several branches that scrutinize Tribunals and keep them funded, staffed, and running.
Cities have completely replaced states/provinces/etc. on Zirhon. Rural areas are owned by the closest city unless they have been grandfathered in from another means (such as being part of a preexisting state the city was the capital of, or being annexed in due to territorial disputes as the globalism formed). There are no separate countries or nations, just the Empire at the top, although intermediary Tribunals do control the actions of multiple cities by acting as messengers between them and the Supreme Tribunals set up by the Emperor.
The Empire has safeguarded against any possibility for cities to become independent despite each one otherwise being self-sufficient. They do this by having all of the cities' resources put into a communal pool that the intermediary Tribunals distribute among their own cities and provide to their fellows' cities. These assets take the form of bonds - usually representing the fiscal worth of a city's property - and the Tribunals simply trade bonds when needed. So if one city is struggling with mining food, the intermediary Tribunal controlling it and its neighbors can either pull in food from its neighbors to send to it, or trade a food bond with a fellow and obtain food from his cities instead. It's automated welfare that ensures everyone lives the same way and none can surpass the other.
Standard of Living:
Xinschi-uual have historically lives in subterranean abodes in village clusters. With the rise of the Empire and technology, they have quickly graduated from these mud hovels to towering skyscrapers of metal and glass. The upgrade has its costs though, as now Xinschi-uual commonly live in tiny apartments on top of each other, in buildings as tall as 600 stories with 50 apartments per story! That's huge for a creature so small. Their apartments are what walk-in closets are to us, and they live very frugally or are pretty much penniless, with little to no belongings. Wealthier citizens have larger apartments in more groomed parts of the city, and often have far more belongings than their neighbors in the industrial block next door. All Xinschi-uual, except for the highest-ranking officials, are also on welfare; the government rations out everything to everyone, from food, to how much water you can use, to metered electricity, to the clothes you wear and your disposable income. They even prevent citizens from controlling their own heat, AC and even meter toilet flushes! Anyone who breaks his metered limit is immediately cut off from all resources. Such a "blackout" can last as long as a week to punctuate the point of "don't steal from the collective prosperity pool". All of these resources and the cost of regulating their distribution is funded by the heavy tax burden each Xinschi-uual bears (and the heavier ones lower Codes carry).
Culture:
A couple of traditional practices haven't completely languished with their new globalization. The globalization of government had categorized and squashed a lot of cultural segregation and identity because the government had to be unbiased, and to remove bias you have to remove differences, and these ranged from religious views to city planning to languages and even "acceptable" art and clothing practices. A couple of relics of the past remain in rural areas and small mining towns - including regional accents, more independence and less welfare, history preserved in libraries (digital and not) and museums, and very specific dress codes, but most everything else has been standardized.
It is also important to note that discipline can only be done by lawmakers and peacekeepers. Any child discipline, whether by parents or teachers, is illegal.
Some standards were made from old common practices, one of them being oathing, their equivalent of marriage. If you ask any old-timer Xinschi-uual he'll grumble about how oathing isn't what it used to be, because a lot of the religious and ceremonial practices that came with each country's oathing was removed, destroying some of its sacredness, and it's now just a legal contract and bond acknowledging that you are now part of a bloodline and that future generations will be put under your name. Many rural towns that are less scrutinized by the Empire practice oathing as they used to, but a lot more discreetly to avoid attracting attention, which also defeats some of the purpose of celebrating.
Another ceremony that was grandfathered into the Empire is the Sun Festival, which has also lost some of its luster. Imagine if all of the most-significant holidays of every religion was smashed together into one big celebration at the beginning of one generally-agreed-upon New Year; wouldn't it be a mess? Well, that's what happened with the Sun Festival. It existed before the Empire as a celebration of the one time Zirhon is between both Cryion and Kyaxeng, resulting in no proper nighttime for a week straight (8 days for us). With globalization though, many other festivities were crammed into the same timeline, resulting in a very stressful week for all Xinschi-uual. It's still celebrated, but tentatively so, especially with the social stress of "does this still count as part of the celebration or did the Empire get rid of it".
A couple of religious aspects have also managed to survive the globalization of Zirhon. While they aren't expressly considered religious since the Empire dubbed religion as segregationist and thus forbidden, there is an immense reverence for at least two things known by every Xinschi-uual: the Emperor and Alkinest. The Emperor isn't worshiped, but viewed in the same light as a god, controlling everything and his word being final. No one questions him. Alkinest is viewed in the same light as Hell, but it's simply a prison located in a rather unforgiving waste that stretches for miles along Zirhon's southern hemisphere, right near the equator so the heat of both suns is most intense. Only extremely dangerous Code Reds end up here, and so little gets out that it's only speculated as to what goes on there; the Emperor keeps it that way. The only reason citizens know about Alkinest is because anyone condemned to it is collected by an Alkinest Retainer, a very specific type of mech that again, very little is known about aside from some scary stories occasionally told on the news. Being sent to Alkinest is rare enough that some Xinschi-uual even question its existence, and what snippets of information are known are often dismissed as being doctored or "too common to be true". It's as obscure as a prison can be.
A look into the system:
As soon as you hatch you're given a numerical ID - similar to our SSNs - and a SAI, or Socially Acceptable Identity. The SAI is only one name and cannot conflict with any other existing SAI, and if one existed in the past, if must be from a relative in your direct bloodline so you can justify prefixing it with a number, such as X the III.
Next you go to school. Just like with us, it's a public school that the hatchlings are equipped for and sent off to on communal hovercraft for transport. Unlike us, the parents have no say in what school they go to, what classes they take, and have no inkling of what they're being taught unless their hatchlings choose to tell their parents; and if they have objections, it doesn't matter, because the government controls the curriculum, the staff, the building, maintenance, etc. and all of it is funded by the parents' many tax payments.
Speaking of tax payments, the stress of schooling doesn't go away when the Xinschi-uual matures; instead it simply turns into employment stress. You may have caught the pattern by now: the government controls this too. A specific branch of the Empire keeps tabs on the hundreds of thousands of working-age Xinschi-uual in each city, and whenever their system detects jobs that aren't filled, Xinschi-uual in Reserve are drafted into the positions. Yes, drafted; the citizen has no say in what job he gets or whether he's still qualified for it. The system decides based on his government file. The citizen then works that job, pays his taxes, and consumes all of the government's welfare and amenities given to him until he's either assigned a new job or provided the opportunity to retire.
What's the Reserve, you ask? When a Xinschi-uual matures - hits our equivalent of age 20 - the system declares him as Unemployed. Any unemployed citizen is immediately reviewed by officials and computer algorithms to see which available jobs he would be best suited for. If there are no jobs he suits, then he is put into General Labor, which is basically any entry-level job you would expect; janitorial positions, busing, managing product lines, etc. If there are no jobs available, or if he is a high enough Code level to qualify for it, he goes into the Reserve, which is the drafting list for employment. As soon as a job opens up, he's reviewed again for it. Take note, none of this is on the knowledge of the Xinschi-uual; the only time he's contacted is when the system decides to hire him for the job, in which case he's sent a notice on what he's been drafted into and when he's expected to work. When a Xinschi-uual hits our equivalent of age 70, he has the option to retire completely from the Reserve; however, the system will also label him as "old and frail", so you can imagine the glut of marketing that he's then bombarded with, and because he's not working the government cuts off a lot of his welfare benefits. He's also put into a retirement community, no matter if he likes it or not. Xinschi-uual that reach our age of 50 also have the opportunity to retire early, but early retirement does not guarantee that drafting won't happen, and many disgruntled parents and tired adults end up back in service because of a lack of workers.
Code Levels:
In addition to all of the regulation, there's more regulation, in the form of Code levels. Have you heard of China's Social Credit program? In a similar vein, Xinschi-uual stress more about what society sees them as rather than thinking of themselves because it dictates their Code level, and their Code controls every aspect of their lives, including which parts of the city they live in. The more unsavory things you do, the lower you Code becomes, and a lower Code means less benefits with no break from the burdens that pay for them.
- Code Red is used for criminals. If you went wrong too far or too many times, you turn into a Code Red. Code Reds have varying degrees of danger that the Empire labels them with; depending on the degree, being seen can mean as little as being thrown in debtor's prison or be as extreme as on-sight execution. The more serious the degree, the more likely it'll be that you'll have full-blown mechs chasing you instead of armed officials on hovercraft. Code Reds can take no jobs and are always kept imprisoned, usually in stasis pods but sometimes in lower-tech prisons with less privacy; or, Heaven forbid, Alkinest.
- Code Orange is the level used for citizens the Empire wants to keep an even closer eye on, often because they have been penalized or fined (often multiple times), come from a family with bad Codes, or simply have a bad reputation. Political opponents and society's dissenters and delinquents also automatically become Code Oranges. Oranges have a greater tax burden than Yellows; once all is paid for, they are often left with less than 10% of their paycheck to keep, rarely 15% if they're careful and frugal up to a fault. As expected, all Code Oranges have health issues, whether it's stress from the social pressure and regulatory scrutiny or simple starvation from lack of food and comfort goods. Oranges also do not qualify for the Reserve; if an unemployed Orange pops up, a Yellow working General Labor will be kicked into the reserve and the Orange will take his job, every time, no questions asked.
- The average Code level is Yellow. Yellow codes are typical of adults because it means the Empire needs to micromanage you, and it loves to do that. Code Yellows give up 50% of their paycheck to taxes and spend the rest fueling their amenities, such as food rationing. Most Code Yellows end up with less than 25% of their income left over to spend on whatever they desire.
- The Code level typical of citizens the Empire trusts is Code level Green. Greens are either Xinschi-uual who have been loyal since hatching or Yellows who have redeemed themselves through time and a lot of work (for the latter, it's more that the Empire gets bored with watching them than it being a reflection of virtue). Greens have a slightly-lighter tax burden of 45%, and still need to pay for their amenities, but they tend to have higher-quality welfare - including apartment location - and have an extra 5% of savings in the end. They are also eligible for the early retirement age, which the below Code levels aren't.
- Code level Blue is seen as the aristocratic Code level. Blues are noticeably - and I mean shockingly so - more well-to-do than their lower-level neighbors. Their apartments are much bigger, their metered welfare is more forgiving, they have more amenities that are better maintained (usually by lower-Code workers), and they often have tight connections with fellow Code Blues and sometimes Greens and, rarely, Purples. Their tax burden is a much lower 25% as well. Praised scientists, engineers, doctors, researchers, reporters, and other high-class citizens tend to be Code Blue. Politicians are always at least Code Blue, as you can't qualify to be one unless you're a Blue. There are so few Blues in each city relative to the amount of lower Codes that most Blues receive their jobs by being chosen by other Blues or Purples, as opposed to being chosen by a computer algorithm maintained by Code Greens. Nepotism is also extremely common with this Code.
- Code level Purple is reserved for the highest of citizens. They have a 15% total cost of living; that includes taxes and paying for necessities! They are also the only Code that cannot be drafted into a job or put into Reserve; having connections with other Code Purples and Blues is the only way for them to make money. They can also campaign for money by offering citizens abroad a new product to drum up preorders (it can take years for them to reach what they need because of how little everyone else has), which could catch the eyes of their fellows, who will then fund their personal development teams to make the product to sell for more money; so in a sense they're their own CEOs, entrepreneurs, inventors, and producers as well. They're also the only Xinschi-uual allowed to innovate and start businesses, and they do so with buildings the Empire leases to them. Such a Code Purple found several Code Blues with blueprints and prototypes and offered them funds to earn them both a good commission; the result was the mechs!
- Code Restricted is the topmost Code level. While Code Purple is mostly businessmen, Code Restricted is mostly Tribunal officials, political allies, Empire favorites, and ambassadors from other worlds. Only Code Restricted are allowed to approach and talk to the global leader of the Empire, the Emperor, without needing to jump through innumerable security hoops. Code Restricted do not pay taxes, but rather redistribute all of the wealth they receive at a whim in order to maintain social standing; you can imagine how much they keep for themselves.
A bit of a problem...
As expected, the strict regime Xinschi-uual live under has obliterated all sense of individuality, purpose, meaning, and responsibility, which in turn destroys productivity and social relationships, much to the irony of Xinschi-uual being more social creatures that desire efficiency. It is normal for a Xinschi-uual to grow up poor, be schooled with bullies of all types, and mature under the thumb of some official or governing entity somewhere with no means to forge his own path. The obvious result is a serious suicidal depression problem. The older generations have it worse because they remember times - or at least theories - about a better way to live, whereas the new generations have already been brainwashed that this way is the best and only way to create prosperity. Families have been torn apart over this and every week there's a Xinschi-uual who found a way to end it all. Unfortunately, they also have a record of unusual suicides, which isn't the most pleasant way to go. What portion of the populace that entertains suicide but doesn't give in have a 68% minimum turnover rate to crime, which results in a glut of Code Reds who encourage more Code Reds to form and overflow the prisons. The problem of prison breakouts and Code Reds forming was greatly subdued by the invention of mechs, which are a heck of a lot more terrifying than an angry guard with a gun, but the problem is by no means solved.
Technology
The strict regime the common Xinschi-uual live under may have reduced personalities into drab servitude or angry mutterings, but still they plug away and build new things. Most of the creative thought (that goes anywhere) is started by Code Blues, but without funding from Code Purples they can do nothing about it. Thankfully the greed of Code Purples keeps them vying for new inventions every day in order to earn the public's money, but the struggle is long, slow, and arduous; and it doesn't help at all that the Empire wants to control what's made as well.
Because of all of this the technological boom Xinschi-uual experienced beforehand has immensely slowed to the point of denying them a space-faring status. However, Xinschi-uual still enjoy some high-tech benefits that resulted from the boom.
Because of all of this the technological boom Xinschi-uual experienced beforehand has immensely slowed to the point of denying them a space-faring status. However, Xinschi-uual still enjoy some high-tech benefits that resulted from the boom.
- Hovercraft:
Hovercraft are the main mode of transport for Xinschi-uual, especially in the cities. They are all leased by the Empire except for those no longer in service; Code Reds and hicks tend to take these craft and salvage or try to repair them. These discs are open-air and have no seats, but are wide enough to support three Xinschi-uual. Their controls are rudimentary and located on a pedestal in the front. A ball set in the top of the pedestal works like a mouse ball and controls the craft's thrusters, located underneath. A ring of lights decorate the rim of it, indicating usage and speed.
Larger and longer hovercraft exist for mass transportation, like buses. Shielded hovercraft for high Code levels have a protective dome covering that can absorb impacts and are tinted for privacy. - Shelter Bots:
These aren't AI more than they are apartment assistants. Each apartment comes equipped with one, hidden in the ceiling and unaware of its surroundings excepting thermal signatures it detects beneath it. Shelter Bots are similar to Alexa or Google Home; the computer monitors meters, shuts off resources when commanded, and can perform personalized tasks such as playing music and news stations, keeping track of alarms, doing database searches, and managing an individual's budget. Of course, the shelter bot's resources are limited by Empirical regulation. One can have meaningless conversation with a shelter bot, but they aren't true AI and have no proper opinion nor advanced algorithms for it. Many lone Xinschi-uual seeking comfort are disappointed by what little the AI offers. - Stasis Pods:
The Xinschi-uual version of an isolation cell, a stasis pod is a white elliptical device meant to hold one Xinschi-uual prisoner. It has two doors, a flat inner floor, some ventilation and nothing else; even lighting isn't guaranteed. Air flow is restricted to discourage struggling and escape attempts, and there are no soft surfaces or benches to lay on. Prisoners kept in them are subjected to ketosis, meaning they're starved into living off their bodies' reserves and fed only once a month; for water, twice a week. They experience no social interaction and the pods are well sound-proofed. Stasis pods are the preferred method of imprisonment as they're easy to relocate, clean, and manage, and prisoners are more likely to go crazy early and promise to redeem themselves just to get out of the pods.
Mechs
As mentioned in the synopsis, the pride and joy of the Empire is its impressive supply of mechs. Not much can be spoken about them at this time due to their stories still being released. You can read about Xinschi-uual mechs in the companion article here!
Trivia
- Xinschi-uual mechs were created in the fall of 2016. The character D.Va from the then-popular team shooter Overwatch has a mech of similar design, and actually spurred the inspiration for them. Once the mechs were designed Xinschi-uual came next.
- Xinschi-uual mechs were the first proper robots ever designed by the creator. They also started the first series - Rise of the Machines - ever finished and published, but technically weren't the first sci-fi story ever made.
- The main character in Rise of the Machines, 56-767 or "Fiddlesticks", was first designed as a standalone character with no pilot because at the time Xinschi-uual didn't exist. She was created as a roleplay character and didn't have a numerical name. Afterward she was given her numerical name and her pilot Cyrii in order to be in another roleplay before she ended up starring in a book. The first Fiddlesticks also had a different design, with more laserheads around the face, a shorter, stockier build, simpler turrets, and a ring with rivets around the eye instead of a blast shield.
- Xinschi-uual mechs have endured more design changes than their own creators, starting with the face, then focusing around the shape of the abdominal box, the shoulders, the length of the legs, and general proportions. By contrast, Xinschi-uual have only been slimmed and their faces a bit more sculpted!
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