Information
Cardia has a minion!
the Wind-Up Hydra
the Wind-Up Hydra
Cardia
Legacy Name: Cardia
The
Steamwork SerpenthOwner: Estelle
Age: 8 years, 5 months, 2 weeks
Built: April 22nd, 2018
Adopted: 8 years, 5 months, 2 weeks ago
Adopted: April 22nd, 2018
Statistics
- Level: 264
- Strength: 651
- Defense: 641
- Speed: 640
- Health: 631
- HP: 631/631
- Intelligence: 788
- Books Read: 757
- Food Eaten: 0
- Toys Played: 0
- Job: Astrodynamicist
What does it mean
to have a heart?
"Welcome to my home, Cardia!" Its owner, a man in his late seventies, rasped. He kicked off his worn, tan sandals into the corner of the landing, as he shuffled into the apartment, holding the thin metal door open for it with one hand.
Cardia stared at him, awaiting further instructions. The gears clicked at a rhythmic pace in its head. The smile on his face faltered. He coughed in his fist, jerking his head towards the door.
"You go inside first," he said.
Order received, Cardia slipped past his willowy frame, its belly scraping against tile. Its owner shuffled after them, muttering, "Is it broken?"
The door clicked shut behind them. He padded across gray carpet to flick a light switch on the far wall of the room. Dim lights flickered to life, tinting the cool shadows yellow. From its database: its owner lived alone.
It watched as he dithered and hummed under his breath, a lax expression on his wrinkled, spotted face. He walked with a slight hunch to his back, favoring his right leg over his left. From its database: he'd gotten into a motorcycle accident in his early twenties. The injuries he sustained left with him with a limp.
He pulled the magenta cap from his head, revealing sparse, white hairs underneath. He hung it on a coat rack by the door, next to the faux-leather couch. From its database: he'd been experiencing hair loss since his mid-fifties.
He shuffled to the couch in the center of the room, against a gray wall. It was made of black faux leather, cracks running down its side. Grabbing an arm, he eased himself down, settling into the middle. Cardia watched his expression flicker and sigh from relief.
He laid there, silent. It could hear the rumble of cars pass, in the streets below. Fake branches stood against the window that led to a concrete porch outside. It imagined that it was used by the real Cardia, the Serpenth whose heart it preserved.
The real Cardia had passed months ago.
The man peeked an eye open. A smile uplifted the wrinkles of his face. He patted the couch arm, gesturing for it. Cardia obeyed.
It slithered over, stopping a few feet away. The gears inside its head continued to turn.
“Put your head here.” He patted the couch arm again.
Cardia, processing his request, delicately rested its chin on the arm. It didn’t rest its full weight.
Reaching over, he patted its snout. His movements were jerky and stiff, as if unsure of himself. He stroked over the coils of its mane once, before returning to pat its snout again. “Good girl. I sure missed having you around. Too quiet by myself.”
The corner of his eyes wrinkled as he spoke. The gears in its head continued to turn.
The man dragged himself up, slowly, carefully. He shuffled over to the window. “I left all your things. Couldn’t really bring myself to throw it out… Good thing I didn’t.” He sniffed.
Cardia became aware of the sound of buzzing coming from the lights. It lifted its head.
“Don’t know if it’ll hold your weight, now that I think about it. Probably… probably won’t need your heat lamp, since. You know.” He waved his hand, snorting. “Maybe I should’ve thrown it out. Looks like you’ll need all new furniture.”
Cardia’s lenses flickered. He scratched the back of his neck.
“Gotta make dinner. What do you eat? Oil? I guess you don’t need to… The guys at Isaac Yun said I just need to make sure your tank’s filled every quarter or something.”
to have a heart?
"Welcome to my home, Cardia!" Its owner, a man in his late seventies, rasped. He kicked off his worn, tan sandals into the corner of the landing, as he shuffled into the apartment, holding the thin metal door open for it with one hand.
Cardia stared at him, awaiting further instructions. The gears clicked at a rhythmic pace in its head. The smile on his face faltered. He coughed in his fist, jerking his head towards the door.
"You go inside first," he said.
Order received, Cardia slipped past his willowy frame, its belly scraping against tile. Its owner shuffled after them, muttering, "Is it broken?"
The door clicked shut behind them. He padded across gray carpet to flick a light switch on the far wall of the room. Dim lights flickered to life, tinting the cool shadows yellow. From its database: its owner lived alone.
It watched as he dithered and hummed under his breath, a lax expression on his wrinkled, spotted face. He walked with a slight hunch to his back, favoring his right leg over his left. From its database: he'd gotten into a motorcycle accident in his early twenties. The injuries he sustained left with him with a limp.
He pulled the magenta cap from his head, revealing sparse, white hairs underneath. He hung it on a coat rack by the door, next to the faux-leather couch. From its database: he'd been experiencing hair loss since his mid-fifties.
He shuffled to the couch in the center of the room, against a gray wall. It was made of black faux leather, cracks running down its side. Grabbing an arm, he eased himself down, settling into the middle. Cardia watched his expression flicker and sigh from relief.
He laid there, silent. It could hear the rumble of cars pass, in the streets below. Fake branches stood against the window that led to a concrete porch outside. It imagined that it was used by the real Cardia, the Serpenth whose heart it preserved.
The real Cardia had passed months ago.
The man peeked an eye open. A smile uplifted the wrinkles of his face. He patted the couch arm, gesturing for it. Cardia obeyed.
It slithered over, stopping a few feet away. The gears inside its head continued to turn.
“Put your head here.” He patted the couch arm again.
Cardia, processing his request, delicately rested its chin on the arm. It didn’t rest its full weight.
Reaching over, he patted its snout. His movements were jerky and stiff, as if unsure of himself. He stroked over the coils of its mane once, before returning to pat its snout again. “Good girl. I sure missed having you around. Too quiet by myself.”
The corner of his eyes wrinkled as he spoke. The gears in its head continued to turn.
The man dragged himself up, slowly, carefully. He shuffled over to the window. “I left all your things. Couldn’t really bring myself to throw it out… Good thing I didn’t.” He sniffed.
Cardia became aware of the sound of buzzing coming from the lights. It lifted its head.
“Don’t know if it’ll hold your weight, now that I think about it. Probably… probably won’t need your heat lamp, since. You know.” He waved his hand, snorting. “Maybe I should’ve thrown it out. Looks like you’ll need all new furniture.”
Cardia’s lenses flickered. He scratched the back of his neck.
“Gotta make dinner. What do you eat? Oil? I guess you don’t need to… The guys at Isaac Yun said I just need to make sure your tank’s filled every quarter or something.”
The ethics of owning a Steamwork pet has been a hotly-contested topic in recent years. Steamwork pets were introduced in 2010 by Isaac Yun, owner of Full Steam Ahead. He carries on the legacy of Vernon Yun, his father and creator.
Yun claims that Steamwork pets are just as loving as real pets, making one the perfect lifelong companion. Each pet is coded with species-specific behavior, meant to mirror their real counterparts perfectly.
A year later, Steamwork pets became a popular choice for housing the remains of late pets. The trend became popularized by pet owner, Amelia, who placed a custom order with Full Steam Ahead for a Steamwork Ruffie after her Ruffie, Dana, passed. Amelia, who is a software engineer, later programmed her Steamwork Ruffie to have the same "memories and personality as the original Dana." She also placed the ashes of the late Dana inside of the body of the new Dana, claiming that "it was like having [her]with [her] again."
Full Steam Ahead saw a sharp increase in orders that hasn't declined since, as owners customized their Steamwork pets to mimic their late pets.
Ethical concerns arose in 2017, as more and more owners witnessed their mechanical companions display behavior and intelligence far beyond their coding. Some have deviated so far from their original coded personality that it begs the question: Have Steamwork pets gained sentience?
Katica Louis, owner of ten Steamwork pets, weighs in on her own experience.
"When Steamwork pets were first released, everyone thought that they were all metal and plastic, programmed to do our bidding," she said. "I thought that too, of course. How could a machine have feelings? Which, no offense to the owner of Full Steam Ahead."
Louis goes on to recount her first order. "I didn't have the time or space to take care of my own pets, you see. I've always wanted a Mallarchy, but my work has me all over the place. From Atebus to the Arctic Frost–it gets lonely, honestly. When I was back in Ziara, I commissioned Full Steam Ahead to build a Steamwork Mallarchy."
"I wanted a Steamwork pet for a few reasons aside from, you know, companionship. I mean, I wasn't expecting much from a machine, but at least there'd be something with me. With a Steamwork pet, there's no clean-up or feedings. Sure, there's some smog and smoke and oil and... okay, well there is some clean-up. But nothing gross at least."
"Oh and Steamwork pets can't get 'sick' like a regular pet does. If something breaks, you get a replacement part. Boom, easy. Everything is fixable. They'll live forever, if you take care of them. You can customize them too. Ever wanted an Orca the size of a Popoko? It'll be costly, but you can do it. Among other things, I heard they're pretty useful for people with health problem. I heard there's this Cadogre that's built with a monitor that keeps track of their owner's health. So, yeah, very customizable."
"When I got my little Ducky–don't laugh at the name, please–I was just expecting a cute little robot, you know? But Ducky, she's so feisty." Katica laughed. "She never listens to me. She chewed through all my pens once. I got mad and yelled at her–and I think I spooked her. She ran away every time she saw me for a few days after that. It made me feel bad, so I apologized."
"Then I thought, 'am I really apologizing to some metal tin?' It was ridiculous. Like, was I going to apologize to my microwave for closing the door too hard next? I just thought Ducky had a really advanced AI, but..."
"When I got my second Steamwork pet–a Popoko–Ducky got jealous. Really jealous. She threw so many tantrums–tearing up my work, biting all my pens and pencils–I was starting to think I should've gotten a real Mallarchy instead!" She laughed again.
"I separated them for a while. I spent a lot of alone time with Ducky. I monitored their interactions–all stuff a real pet owner would do. And that got me thinking... what if Ducky was sentient? What if she felt like we do–emotions and all?"
"To test my theory, I got a third one–a Feli. When I made my request, I asked them for a personality similar to Ducky's. I wanted to see if Ducky's behavior really was a result of her programming. And you know what they said? 'We can't influence a Steamwork pet's personality. Though they're programmed with their standard species' behaviors, their personalities are a direct result of their environment and owners."
Katica frowned, crossing one leg over the other. "So, this whole 'Pet Preservation' thing doesn't sit right with me. All it is just transferring ashes–and maybe a few hairs. The body is made from scratch, which is the same process as building a new Steamwork pet. Basically, you're getting a whole new pet; not the one you already had."
"There's this idea that little Fido gets to live forever, but it's not really Fido. At least, I don't think so. And I think more people are realizing that. Which, unfortunately, leads to some of them being dumped."
"I own ten Steamwork pets and they all have such different personalities. They're all incredibly intelligent and they each have their own dynamics with each other. Not all of them get along. Some of them get along better than others. My Mallarchy and Popoko are best friends–it's like they'd forgotten they'd ever hated each other."
"So, now you have all these unprepared, grieving owners with all new pets; but, they treat them like old Fido. Which, no judgement. I get it. Loss is hard and I don't blame anyone for being unable to deal with it. However, is that fair to their [Steamwork] pet? What happens when they gain their own personality? Will their owners still love them? Will they be upset? What about the pets, themselves? How would they feel, knowing they're a replacement? I know I'd be upset and worried I'll be abandoned."
"There's just too many unknown variables. To anyone who plans or is considering to go through with Pet Preservation, please; do your research and ask yourself if this is really right."
Yun claims that Steamwork pets are just as loving as real pets, making one the perfect lifelong companion. Each pet is coded with species-specific behavior, meant to mirror their real counterparts perfectly.
A year later, Steamwork pets became a popular choice for housing the remains of late pets. The trend became popularized by pet owner, Amelia, who placed a custom order with Full Steam Ahead for a Steamwork Ruffie after her Ruffie, Dana, passed. Amelia, who is a software engineer, later programmed her Steamwork Ruffie to have the same "memories and personality as the original Dana." She also placed the ashes of the late Dana inside of the body of the new Dana, claiming that "it was like having [her]with [her] again."
Full Steam Ahead saw a sharp increase in orders that hasn't declined since, as owners customized their Steamwork pets to mimic their late pets.
Ethical concerns arose in 2017, as more and more owners witnessed their mechanical companions display behavior and intelligence far beyond their coding. Some have deviated so far from their original coded personality that it begs the question: Have Steamwork pets gained sentience?
Katica Louis, owner of ten Steamwork pets, weighs in on her own experience.
"When Steamwork pets were first released, everyone thought that they were all metal and plastic, programmed to do our bidding," she said. "I thought that too, of course. How could a machine have feelings? Which, no offense to the owner of Full Steam Ahead."
Louis goes on to recount her first order. "I didn't have the time or space to take care of my own pets, you see. I've always wanted a Mallarchy, but my work has me all over the place. From Atebus to the Arctic Frost–it gets lonely, honestly. When I was back in Ziara, I commissioned Full Steam Ahead to build a Steamwork Mallarchy."
"I wanted a Steamwork pet for a few reasons aside from, you know, companionship. I mean, I wasn't expecting much from a machine, but at least there'd be something with me. With a Steamwork pet, there's no clean-up or feedings. Sure, there's some smog and smoke and oil and... okay, well there is some clean-up. But nothing gross at least."
"Oh and Steamwork pets can't get 'sick' like a regular pet does. If something breaks, you get a replacement part. Boom, easy. Everything is fixable. They'll live forever, if you take care of them. You can customize them too. Ever wanted an Orca the size of a Popoko? It'll be costly, but you can do it. Among other things, I heard they're pretty useful for people with health problem. I heard there's this Cadogre that's built with a monitor that keeps track of their owner's health. So, yeah, very customizable."
"When I got my little Ducky–don't laugh at the name, please–I was just expecting a cute little robot, you know? But Ducky, she's so feisty." Katica laughed. "She never listens to me. She chewed through all my pens once. I got mad and yelled at her–and I think I spooked her. She ran away every time she saw me for a few days after that. It made me feel bad, so I apologized."
"Then I thought, 'am I really apologizing to some metal tin?' It was ridiculous. Like, was I going to apologize to my microwave for closing the door too hard next? I just thought Ducky had a really advanced AI, but..."
"When I got my second Steamwork pet–a Popoko–Ducky got jealous. Really jealous. She threw so many tantrums–tearing up my work, biting all my pens and pencils–I was starting to think I should've gotten a real Mallarchy instead!" She laughed again.
"I separated them for a while. I spent a lot of alone time with Ducky. I monitored their interactions–all stuff a real pet owner would do. And that got me thinking... what if Ducky was sentient? What if she felt like we do–emotions and all?"
"To test my theory, I got a third one–a Feli. When I made my request, I asked them for a personality similar to Ducky's. I wanted to see if Ducky's behavior really was a result of her programming. And you know what they said? 'We can't influence a Steamwork pet's personality. Though they're programmed with their standard species' behaviors, their personalities are a direct result of their environment and owners."
Katica frowned, crossing one leg over the other. "So, this whole 'Pet Preservation' thing doesn't sit right with me. All it is just transferring ashes–and maybe a few hairs. The body is made from scratch, which is the same process as building a new Steamwork pet. Basically, you're getting a whole new pet; not the one you already had."
"There's this idea that little Fido gets to live forever, but it's not really Fido. At least, I don't think so. And I think more people are realizing that. Which, unfortunately, leads to some of them being dumped."
"I own ten Steamwork pets and they all have such different personalities. They're all incredibly intelligent and they each have their own dynamics with each other. Not all of them get along. Some of them get along better than others. My Mallarchy and Popoko are best friends–it's like they'd forgotten they'd ever hated each other."
"So, now you have all these unprepared, grieving owners with all new pets; but, they treat them like old Fido. Which, no judgement. I get it. Loss is hard and I don't blame anyone for being unable to deal with it. However, is that fair to their [Steamwork] pet? What happens when they gain their own personality? Will their owners still love them? Will they be upset? What about the pets, themselves? How would they feel, knowing they're a replacement? I know I'd be upset and worried I'll be abandoned."
"There's just too many unknown variables. To anyone who plans or is considering to go through with Pet Preservation, please; do your research and ask yourself if this is really right."
full steam ahead
copyright © 2010-2018 yun enterprises
memory test: ok
version: 17372
id #5936569
build: steamwork
Species: serpenth
gender: null
owner: estelle
ln: cardia
current date: april 22, 2018
current time: 09:00:01
Now booting...
copyright © 2010-2018 yun enterprises
memory test: ok
version: 17372
id #5936569
build: steamwork
Species: serpenth
gender: null
owner: estelle
ln: cardia
current date: april 22, 2018
current time: 09:00:01
Now booting...
Spotlight
Current Status
My Keepsakes
Ethical Concerns
Pet Treasure
Steamwork Serpenth Schematic
Simple Steamwork Serpenth Figure
Yunium Key
Clockwork Heart
Heart Beanbag
Shengui Guo Bathhouse SimuLife Chip
Simple Components
Malfunctioning LED Mask
Panzer Hydra Gas Canister