User:Rizzonen/UNIVER.SYS Compendium
The UNIVER.SYS Compendium
“I am afraid to say that the history of entertainment is also the history of imitation.”
UNIVER.SYS is a project about characters inspired by technological artifacts, which include operating systems and computers. Major themes of UNIVER.SYS are about entertainment, self-discovery, camaraderie, and what it means to create ones’ legacy in the world.
That being said, I am not the first to have created a work involving gijinka (personifications). The act of personifying inanimate objects and concepts had been around since time immemorial, and notable examples existed in modern pop culture. To be specific, the technology gijinka concept were already conceived more than a decade ago.
When Microprocessors Went Moe
“OS-tan (Japanese: OSたん) is a popular series of gijinka characters drawn by Japanese amateur artists, with their personality traits based on various computer operating systems.”
My first encounter with the world of gijinka media was through OS-tan, an Internet meme first emerged in 2003 from Futaba Channel, which lead to a trend where technologies were reimagined as anime-style characters. While OS-tan was far from being the first work about gijinka based on operating systems, they arguably spread the trend beyond the Japanese internet space.
From my observations of the OS-tan phenomenon, it was clear that community participation played a central role in its development. There was no pressure for internal consistency, allowing for a wide range of creative portrayals. However, as OS-tans’ popularity spread to Anglophone audiences, a more rigid attitude towards "canon" began to emerge, losing its intended flexibility.
There Is No One True Canon
“canon (n.): an accepted rule or guide about how people should behave or about how something should be done. ”
The notion of a singular, inviolable "true canon" echoes the original definition of canon, rooted in religious texts deemed authoritative and unchangeable. In Western civilizations, the idea of canonicity plays a significant role in shaping understandings of history, literature, and even law. Within fan culture, "canon" typically refers to the official and accepted elements of a fictional universe, forming the backbone of its continuity.
Many expansive fictional settings, such as those in comic franchises (e.g., DC, Marvel, Archie Comics) and speculative fiction (e.g., Star Wars), operate with multiple layers of canon. These settings often delineate between what is considered "highest" canon and what is deemed "non-canon". But when it comes to concepts as diverse as gijinka, the question arises: Who holds the authority to declare a "true canon"? Is it even possible to identify a single, overarching "universe"?
To quote SCP Foundation's Canon Hub:
“It's not that we don't have any — It's that we have a multitude which touch, cross, and dip into each other. It's up to you, as the reader, to decide what you believe and what you embrace as the heart of the universe.”
In other words, there is no singular, authoritative canon that every author must obey, especially in a community-driven concept. Each artist's interpretation stands as its own "canon," and UNIVER.SYS is no different.
Some members of the technology gijinka community may regard specific interpretations—such as those originating from Futaba Channel’s OS-tans, and, to some extent, interpretations closely related to or derived from it—as the "true canon." While it’s entirely valid to prefer certain interpretations, problems arise when this preference leads to the belief that all other portrayals must conform to this perceived "true canon."
Regarding Fanons
In response to the UNIVER.SYS Compendium, some might argue that my stance implies that "fanons" (fan interpretations tied to existing universes) are somehow less valid, and that is not my intention. I believe that both original universes and fanons have their own merits.
Fanons allow creators to delve deeper into established universes, exploring untold stories and character dynamics. Creators my reinterpret existing characters or create their own “fan characters” in that established universe. Moreover, fanons can provide a sense of continuity and connection to the original inspirations. In the context of UNIVER.SYS, its predecessor started out as a fanon of an OS-tan-adjacent universe, before it was rebooted into an independent universe.
Artistic Freedom
Due to the popularity of the OS-tans and other notable works involving technology personifications, there was a common assumption that only one interpretation of a certain technology is valid, as if there cannot be multiple personified portrayals coexisting. However, this is far from the truth.
An example that came to my mind are two different portrayals of Internet Explorer: Inori Aizawa and Internet Explorer-chan. They both personify the same browser, but they exist in entirely different contexts and serve distinct purposes. Neither character pushes for technical or historical accuracy, illustrating that personifications doesn’t have to conform to strict standards.
Scope and Complexity
Scope and complexity are crucial metrics in worldbuilding, particularly for character universes. The Futaba Channel community, for instance, lacked a complex or expansive setting for their OS-tans, which fostered diverse character portrayals, and is not tied to specific worldbuilding rules. UNIVER.SYS in general, has no one overarching plot, as every character tend to have their own storylines.
Other universes, however, may prefer broader scope, potentially including an overarching plot or delving into complex concepts. In computing history (and history in general), certain events, entities, or topics are considered controversial, requiring careful research to portray them. While these may intrigue some, they might not resonate well with others, and including them in a respectful manner is a tricky task. This is something UNIVER.SYS does not address in its setting, not out of dismissing history, but rather to prevent the setting from being too convoluted.
There is no issue with portraying complex topics, controversial events, or even contentious entities. However, it is crucial to consider the potential consequences of their portrayals and to adapt them in a manner consistent with the respective universe's setting and tone.
Credit Where Credit Is Due
I cannot deny that UNIVER.SYS and its precursors are, in part, influenced by the works of other creators, and may not have existed if I had no knowledge about existing portrayals. Some aspects of UNIVER.SYS may echo concepts previously popularized, such characters based off of obsolete technology. However, I didn’t attempt to include every old concept verbatim. I only added elements that fit the tone and setting of UNIVER.SYS, rather than adhering to them for the sake of accuracy or to meet perceived requirements.
Some characters in UNIVER.SYS represent multiple releases of an operating system or computer hardware to avoid redundancy, whereas other settings often had characters dedicated to individual releases. This approach reduces the risk of lesser-known releases becoming overlooked, while also streamlining character development and narrative coherence.
My approach was not to replicate or continue pre-existing ideas in their original form, but rather to present my own take on the concept of technology gijinka.
Conclusion
Ultimately, the value of any creative work lies in its ability to inspire, engage, and resonate with its audience, and the beauty of the gijinka concept is that it can be whatever the creator wants it to be.