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| Species | Dianmin |
| Order | Mechanoid |
| Classification | Construct |
| Sphere | Weather |
| Origin | A hypercircuitry experiment |
| Lifespan | 300 years |
| Habitat | Subtropical to temperate islands |
| Food | Electricity |
| Description | Dianmin appear to be slender humanoids, standing about 5' tall, with bronze plates covering a black plastic mesh body (which prevents their exterior from being electrical). Inside them are a complex network of circuits, processors, and memory storage systems. They have four arms and two legs. Their lower arms end in electrical tools. Their faces are smooth save for the eyes, which are glowing LEDs. They have outlets and ports along their sides that can connect to computers or power sources. |
| Procreation | New dianmin are built by specialized engineers at the request of dianmin couples. Dianmin are built to their full size immediately, but they must be trained for several years before they are considered independent adults. |
| Esoterica | Dianmin are beings of patterned aether and complex energy. They can use both well. They also use other forms of aether, Damaskian powers, other paradoxical energies, poioumenon, yahas, fortune, fate, misfortune, uafas, dream energy, arnum, quaestus, mashoaab, parasitic energy, cacophony, euphony, ethereal energy, glory, lhair, spirits, and gebvel. |
| Special Powers | Dianmin are electrical beings. They can control the electrical currents within themselves, even discharging it through their tool appendages to harm others. They are very fast, have tough exteriors, and can magnetize their upper arms. |
| Mind | The mind of a diamnin is the CPU in their core. It is very, very fast and can process data rapidly. It needs a lot of electricity to function. They do not have a hive mind, but they can connect directly to one another to share data. |
| Senses | A dianmin has all human senses, plus the ability to sense shifts in air pressure, the ability to sense electrical current (and analyze it), and the ability to sense heat. |
| Engineering | Hypercircuitry is required to alter, control, or influence a dianmin. One must have direct access to them, usually via cables connected to one of their ports, in order to interface with their circuitry and processing system. |
| Weaknesses | If their circuitry gets wet, it can short circuit them. Brown aether harms them. |
| National Culture | Dianmin live in mechanical port cities on islands. Each city has a group of power plants (hydroelectric, coal, nuclear, and/or wind) that power the whole city and the dianmin as well. These power plants are controlled by groups known as syndicates. The syndicates are very rich, very influential political groups that are beholden to the merchants and traders. The merchants and traders control the ports and shipping. There are some major unions within the cities that fight for better conditions, and some that are complicit in the power structure. Life in a dianmin city is a corporate nightmare. The syndicates, merchants, and traders run major businesses that control everything, including the police and emergency services, the repair shops, and other services. Dianmin have many distractions, including entertainments, sports, music, drug clubs, and casinos. Access to electricity is controlled by the syndicates. Their slogan is "work means power," meaning those who do not work do not get access to electricity. They also cut off power to those they deem to be criminals, their political enemies, and more if it suits them. They are ruthless. Dianmin do have genders, chosen when they are relatively new. These do not have anything to do with reproduction, but rather, their roles in social situations and at work. There are four main genders: baisen, who are more polite and supportive in social situations and tend to do service-oriented jobs; fen, who are more forward and direct and tend to work major industrial jobs; huansen, who are more introverted and thoughtful and tend to work computer jobs; and chenzen, who are more loquacious and energetic and tend to work for the traders and merchants. None of these are set in stone, and variations exist between them all. Romance between them is fluid and complicated, but same-gender romances are considered taboo. When a couple decides to take in a new dianmin ("child" is not a concept they have), they go to the engineers called the yunen who are responsible for making them and put in an application. Applications are rarely rejected. The couple must stay together and train the new dianmin for at least five years. If the couple breaks up, the new dianmin is discontinued, shut down, and recycled for another couple. |
| Religion | Dianmin do practice religion, which is pumped into their homes via television. They worship Dianlu, a metanetwork being that created the original electrical currents. Their religion is mostly a scam operated by the syndicates to pacify them and convince them to keep working. True believers, however, do have their prayers answered at times. This has led to lower class religious uprisings at times, but the syndicate puts them down. They give their priests and other religious figures devices to make up for their false faith. The core of the faith is the same slogan as the syndicates, "work means power." The devout dedicate their labor to Dianlu every day. Days of rest must be apologized for. |
| Outside View | Other nations view dianmin as just another nation among many different nations in the world. There are stereotypes about them (often crude sexual ideas that have no basis in reality or stereotypes about their intelligence), but they face little national oppression except from nations that seek to oppress everyone. A dianmin in other societies must find reliable sources of electricity, which can be very difficult. |
| Notables | Xiehuon, Dianmin Manifest, the Generator; Qintonnuren, Electrical Reever |
| Special Classes | Syndicate, Sailor, Trader, Merchant, Corporate Executive, Gambler, Entertainer, Athlete, Druggist, Musician, Electrical Engineer, Power Plant Worker, Yunen, Priest |
| Estimated Population | 8 million |
| Sample Statistics | PRO 9 Magnetism 11 |
GrandGuignol
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