Core to Overwatch

When you have a core group of about 50-75 characters, a nameable bunch in the 250 range, and a total cast enumerating several thousand, keeping track of everyone's well-being is a task no human can ever hope to manage. 

In the original floorplan, there was only one Door which could be altered to open onto the ten or so plots I had at the time. It was simple and elegant, and traffic was negligible enough that no one ever had to wait to get in or out. However, as plots exploded outward I found I needed to grow as well. Each plot got its own Door, with its own location. I grew hallways in Escher-esque formations to allow people to travel at will. 

With this increase in Doors came an increased need for security. People were getting in and out of places they shouldn't be. For the safety of everyone, I installed the Core. 

I needed something infallible and unswayable. Core is just human enough to understand how the flow of people operates, while being comprised of enough machinery to make it utterly impassive. Core watches the traffic and data that thousands of characters throw up on a daily basis so that I don't have to. The easiest metaphor to make is that it sees something like the Matrix, and watches it for those little blips in data that comprise breaches in protocol and security. It operates 24/7 and maintains everything from keeping my Mind built and stable and the Doors functioning, to making sure the kitchen always has a fresh pot of coffee. 

Core is physically maintained by a funny little man known to me only as the engineer. He was a transplant from a glorious, longstanding plot, wherein he worked on the power source and main computer for a spaceship, known as M.A.I.D. 

When the ship was eventually destroyed for the advancement of the plot, the engineer, distraught at losing MAID, asked to be given a similar job elsewhere. I eventually decided to put him in with Core. Core doesn't need him to keep running as it is 100% self-sufficient, but it keeps him happy and if Core were capable of emotion I think it would be happy too.

Interestingly enough, while I consider Core a genderless being, irregardless of its appearance, he is convinced it is female and uses female pronouns, as well as talking to it as if it were human. We all have our oddities I suppose C: 

He's also helped modify its appearance sort of on a combination of his whim and Core's proclivities. Don't even ask me where the antlers came from, I think I went through a horn phase and it rubbed off on Core.

"Core to Overwatch" is an interesting turn of phrase. When I am in a heightened emotional state, particularly a negative one such as sad or angry, characters can tend to get excited and start breaking boundaries. In these times, Core must work particularly hard to make sure all laws are kept (a total meltdown could be catastrophic). Overwatch refers to this heightened attention to detail.

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I'm actually really happy with this piece. I whipped it out in only a couple of hours and the drawing process went really smoothly, even the mechanical bits c:

Ref: fav.me/d1fbgfe