UNIVER.SYS/Design Notes
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| This section is under construction. |
As mentioned in the banner above, UNIVER.SYS is still in development, although there are some solid themes in the overall universe, tone, and character designs.
Many of UNIVER.SYS' themes are inherited from its predecessor Silicon Medley. However, significant changes have been made, for example, the gijinka/personification characters are now referred to as Techne instead of being explicitly called OS-tans, as UNIVER.SYS is intended to not be directly connected to known OS-tan characters or worlds.
Why UNIVER.SYS?
UNIVER.SYS is a portmanteau of universe and the .sys filename extension. In real life, .sys often refer to core system files and device drivers of MS-DOS and Windows, although the actual main inspiration was IOSYS, a doujin circle known for their Touhou Project music remixes, which seem rather farfetched, or maybe not, considering their history on Flash animations, which was something the OS-tan community might be familiar with...
Character Designs
Characters in UNIVER.SYS are commonly dressed in outfits inspired by the time period they live in. For example, Techne from the 1980s tend to have their attire modeled after real-life 1980s trends or culture, in addition to taking notes from the technologies they personify. They may have different outfits for each decade they live in, or for a specific occassion or career.
Nevertheless, this is by no means a perfect representation of each real-life era. Occassionally, character designs took notes from a specific reference or media in order to make them stand out, or having many elements from different eras and references remixed into a new design. Some Techne may have a wardrobe that seem outdated, but it can be justified in-universe as personal preference.
Unifying Themes
Most Ensembles tend to have a unifying theme in their visual motifs. Some examples include Logiciel Techne having square/diamond patterns in their clothes, Warefarer Techne having a nautical theme and wearing jackets/blazers, and Virta Techne having a white and blue cross-shaped patterns and metallic accents.
Artistic Liberty
UNIVER.SYS is not historically accurate, nor it is intended to be.
While some people prioritize technical and historical accuracy in their depictions of personifications for many reasons, UNIVER.SYS does not aim to portray the Techne as they are in real life. Techne based on obscure technology or those deemed failures (e.g., Windows Me, Apple Lisa) are not relegated to their real-life status, considering they still have a legacy of their own and to avoid making the setting too bleak.
Another reason is that characterizations are adjusted to fit the creative and entertainment industry theme in UNIVER.SYS. It is possible to portray OSes or computers originally known in a certain field in a different light, such as being an idol, adventurer, etc.
Certain computers or OSes may not play a distinguished role due to not fitting into the intended theme of UNIVER.SYS or to keep the setting streamlined. They may have been amalgamated into composite characters, briefly mentioned by more prominent characters, or may not exist within the setting at all.