Slarm, aka Slime Arm

[FreshRefreshments]

Mechanically, you can make a slime-person to cut off their limbs and attach as prosthetics. Apparently, this is only supported mechanic wise, as they would fall right off into a puddle if you really did that. So, in order to better fit an idea for slime arms, I made this. 

 

The arm is in a metal frame, allowing it to hold the slime in place and connect to the nerves of the muscles, while taking up little enough space to clearly see the slime within. Some slime arms might have glitter injected into the arm to be shinier, but the outer membrane would be more solid, hardened up. 

 

What is the point? To look cool. Bishop specifically caters towards expensive, pretty looking prosthetics, so why not slime arm prosthetics? They exist to look nice. They'd also be relatively lightweight, since its a metal frame and what amounts to gelatin. 

[Hendricks]

The image sold it for me. A prosthetic that can’t be emp’d is also good. Plus something different is always nice. 

[FreshRefreshments]

Well, it still has some technology in the frame itself. Its in essence, as little of a prosthetic as you can possibly make- and filling the holes and excess areas with hardened slime to look unique. I cant tell whether it'd be really cheap (due to the lightweight frame) or really expensive (due to the dangers of xenobiology required to get the slime-person parts), but I think every prosthetic has the same general code. This would be no different mechanically.

[Hendricks]

Make it very delicate if possible. It can’t be empd but it’s slime it should be very fragile even with hardened places. 

[Doxxmedearly]

Slarm.

Idea is cool. Look is sick. Rich fashion prosthetics going beyond just metal? Love it. Very sci-fi, pretty unique. It's a cool way to see xenobio research have an effect off-station.

This does raise some lore questions for me, which isn't a bad thing. But it makes me realize how little we've established about slime? We know it's deeply connected to skrell lore, sure, but I mean more like... Is NT the only corporation outside of Jargon that has access to research slimes? If not, then as written it makes sense for Bishop. If so, then maybe it's NT partnering with other corps to co-produce these, which I also like. I mean, we've been researching slimes since Exodus (I think?). Surely NT's monetized by now, and this seems like one of many ways they would have.

But then also we have exactly how skrell might react to this. From the wiki re: Slimes.

Quote

The slimes are still a heated topic of discussion for Skrell, with multiple conspiracies and debates about how they should be treated, dealt with, or included. Some Skrell view them as remnants of those lost in the Rebellion, while the other extreme is calling them bioweapons leftover by Glorsh.

What do you think would be the fallout from this, if it were suddenly to become a fashion item? Could be interesting.

Overall, I like the idea. I'm sure those who don't have my peanut brain and understand lore better will comment with how it fits.

[FreshRefreshments]

My idea was monetized by Zeng-Hu honestly, as another lightweight prosthetic, but NT or Zeng work. 

Conflict is not an inherently bad thing. Many Skrell might greatly disagree with what they see as effectively turning the remnants of a rebellion long lost into a mockery of fashion they are forced to go along with. Many groups frown upon the use of prosthetics in the first place. Is this worse? Better? Not really a variable? Thats up to an individual to decide. 

I think by and large the two main ideas are; using a resource given by a horrible war to manufacture prosthetics that both look classy and are functional to the veterans of said war, or a disrespectful mockery of those who lost their lives only to be turned into something aesthetic. But an individuals reaction is up to peoples characters.

[MattAtlas]

Aren't slimes very closely related to phoron? If they are, wouldn't this be a "rich person item"?

Because I would absolutely support that more than just another reskinned prosthetic. Slarms are pretty cool and open the gate to other weird shit like weaponized diona prosthetics.

[Kaed]

I think this is an overly silly idea, and I'm not sure how you would interface a slime with a vertebrates nervous system.

The only reason you can transplant a slime arm right now is because all humanoids are based off of the same code and it's incredibly lazy and easy to work with but doesn't always make sense.

To be honest I'd rather not this be a thing, slaves are not supposed to be a public resource, it's a semi secret research facility that even has them.

 

Edited August 5, 2019 by Kaed

[FreshRefreshments]

You are not interfacing slime with the nervous system. 

You're interfacing a very barebones prosthetic with your nervous system, and dressing it up in cool looking slime. Its fitting a slime-person arm into a regular, exceedingly basic prosthetic to make it much more worthwhile. 

[Kaed]

8 minutes ago, FreshRefreshments said:

You are not interfacing slime with the nervous system. 

You're interfacing a very barebones prosthetic with your nervous system, and dressing it up in cool looking slime. Its fitting a slime-person arm into a regular, exceedingly basic prosthetic to make it much more worthwhile. 

You could fill that with a silicon-based colored gel if you wanted to, there's no reason this extremely rare creature needs to be used to fill it.

[FreshRefreshments]

Theres no reason to light up a prosthetic in fancy lights and shiny chrome, except for posterity (I think thats the word.). Its, lore wise, an implication for slime people. Someone can brag about how rich they are by having slime arms. Maybe high class suits in Eridani use it to flout their position. Its the same reason to choose Bishop over other models. 

[Doxxmedearly]

People have been doing unnecessary things for status when there's a perfectly serviceable alternative freely available for millennia. That tracks with me and goes along with what Matt said and the OP- it's meant to be $$$$$ from what I'm understanding.

[Kaed]

But slime people don't exist outside of research facilities like the Aurora... it's not like there's a mass production line of people being turned into slimes to harvest their limbs.  It's a silly mechanical gimmick for xenobiologists, not a species.  They don't exist outside of someone being turned into one by a slime infection.

Furthermore, there is zero way to moderate slime limbs being used in game, we don't have an economic framework for 'super pricey shit only rich people have'.

Edited August 5, 2019 by Kaed

[FreshRefreshments]

And is there anything wrong with a gimmick being given greater purpose given what implications it can cause? Skrell are even currently studying slimes, im sure on a much larger scale than we do due to their inherent friendliness with the creatures. If they can be made on the Aurora, they can be made elsewhere, and theres nothing stopping other places from using this. 

Maybe the fact they're in research facilities adds to their expensive nature.

[Kaed]

Where are they getting the slime people though.  Again, slime people only exist via infection, they aren't a naturally occurring or reproducing species.  You would have to have a person turned into a slime just to harvest their limbs every time.  Who are they using for this?

Honestly, given that this outdated slime mechanic is starting to develop weird lore ideas I'd much prefer slime people be removed entirely and maybe do a full xenobiology rework, hm.  That's off topic though, I just want to say this idea doesn't really make sense if you think about it too hard in the context it's presented in.

[FreshRefreshments]

Slime People- entirely inert slime people, with no mind of their own, are made from Mutation Toxin. Injecting it into monkeys turns them into Slime People, with no indication of any thought or higher function at all. Monkeys born from monkey cubes, which exist entirely for experimentation or research. I once saw a Xenobiologist make about 20 of them, for an albeit dumb reason, but the capacity to make slime people is far, far from impossible.

[Kaed]

6 minutes ago, FreshRefreshments said:

Slime People- entirely inert slime people, with no mind of their own, are made from Mutation Toxin. Injecting it into monkeys turns them into Slime People, with no indication of any thought or higher function at all. Monkeys born from monkey cubes, which exist entirely for experimentation or research. I once saw a Xenobiologist make about 20 of them, for an albeit dumb reason, but the capacity to make slime people is far, far from impossible.

Now that's just mechanics and IC disconnect.  How does a 40 lb monkey turn into a 150+ lb slime person because an ounce of slime juice was injected into them? Where does the extra mass come from? It only works like that because there's no 'slime monkey' race just like how all slime people look like slimy humans, because there is no slime unathi or slime skrell in code

[Doxxmedearly]

Why does it have to be a slime person's arm at all, besides the existing mechanics of attaching a slime arm to people? Could it not just be mass of a dead slime, since the prosthetic is doing the actual function, while slime serves as a fashion statement?

Or is there something I'm missing?

Edited August 5, 2019 by Doxxmedearly

[Kaed]

3 minutes ago, Doxxmedearly said:

Why does it have to be a slime person's arm at all, besides the existing mechanics of attaching a slime arm to people? Could it not just be mass of a dead slime, since the prosthetic is doing the actual function, while slime serves as a fashion statement?

Or is there something I'm missing?

Now see, this makes sense. I can get behind this as a concept. Though I still think it would be functionally identical in appearance to having colored silicon gel in your prosthetic.

Edited August 5, 2019 by Kaed

[Doxxmedearly]

29 minutes ago, Kaed said:

Now see, this makes sense. I can get behind this as a concept. Though I still think it would be functionally identical in appearance to having colored silicon gel in your prosthetic.

Just like cubic zirconia for diamonds?

Or any number of name brand versus generic alternatives, ranging from food to medication to clothing?

90% of people couldn't spot the difference between a knockoff of a $3000 purse and the real thing, but people who buy the latter do so not because of the item itself, but because it shows off how much they can spend. This is the type of ridiculous fashion statement that fits perfectly with our setting. Sure, I could use silicon gel like some sort of dreg rat, but my business made record profits this quarter so I opted to have one custom-made from real slime to match my eye implants. 

Edited August 5, 2019 by Doxxmedearly

[MattAtlas]

36 minutes ago, Kaed said:

Now see, this makes sense. I can get behind this as a concept. Though I still think it would be functionally identical in appearance to having colored silicon gel in your prosthetic.

There is literally a dude IRL who uses a super expensive car frame as a WALL DIVIDER in his motherfucking living room. This isn't an issue.

[FreshRefreshments]

Sure, it can be dead slime. It would be hardened anyway to be clear and hold in place, and any damage done would simply crack it, which could be welded over like glass. Instead of shattering like treated or pane glass, it'd act like laminated glass, therefore still allowing welding brute damage to make sense. I'd probably also add some to the hand, just for imagery sake.