Multics

Multics
Character Information
Common Names	Multics
Other Names	Multiplexed Information and Computing Service
Human Name(s)	Minerva Corbató
Faction	MIT Society
Lineage	CTSS
Rival(s)	GECOS, TSS/360, Unix
Appearance
Height	5'7" (170cm)
Hair Color	Dark plum
Eye Color	Cornflower blue
Weapon(s)	Psionic forcefields, labyrinths
Design
Creator	C-Chan, Bella
First Appearance	Oct. 2007
Origin	OS-tan Collections
Technical Information
System Personified	Multics
Developer(s)	MIT, Bell Labs, GE, Honeywell
Debut	Development started in 1964; first commercial release in 1969
Latest release	Circa 1985

Technical details

Multics is an OS developed jointly by Bell Labs, General Electric (later Honeywell) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The goal of the collaboration, called Project MAC, was to create an operating system that worked as a centralized utility hosting thousands of remote users. Because of this, stability and security were of the utmost importance.

Development began in 1964, but a fully working system was not released until 1969. While a commercial disappointment, Multics implemented many novel ideas which went on to influence other operating systems, most notably Unix.

The last Multics installation was shut down in 2000. In November of 2007, Multics' source code was released by Groupe Bull. Today, it can be run on the Honeywell 6180 emulator.

Character details

Physical

Multics-tan with her sceptre

Multics-tan is depicted as a woman in her mid-to-late 20s, a little above average height with an hourglass build and modest chest. She has long, wavy dark hair, blue eyes and wings covered with mottled gray and black feathers. In the prime of her life, she often dressed in Rococo-through-Victorian inspired gowns, with deep necklines, multiple layers, corsets, hoop-skirts, bustles and petticoats common occurrences in her wardrobe. She is often depicted as having multiple piercings in both ears, wearing lipstick and eye-makeup and gold jewelry. Post-revival Multics dresses in comfortable sundresses and simple jewelry.

A recurring theme in her design is rings and mazes, most notably a circular labyrinth-shaped tattoo on the upper part of her chest. In her youth, she owned ornate silver sceptre, however it was taken from her by Unix.

Alternate color scheme

There is an alternate, little-used color scheme for Multics featuring gold eyes and dark brown wings.

Personality

Although less traditionally academic than many of her MIT peers, Multics-tan is intelligent, curious and sociable. She is particularly fond of social sciences and enjoys studying international cultures, history, art and language, and she is fluent in English, French and Latin and familiar with German and Japanese as well. Stemming from her own avian nature, she is an avid birdwatcher.

Multics-tan is courteous, loyal and ambitious to a fault, but also habitually-hedonistic, prone to excess and arrogance. Her commanding presence and natural leadership gained her a following so devoted it endured past her death. She puts on a good face no matter what, her decorum breaking only when dealing with avowed enemies.

Powers

For the most part, Multics-tan's raison d'être is being a sorceress - to the point where her ability to perform is prioritized over all other needs. Because of this, she views her magical abilities as curse, albeit a necessary one.

In addition to the typical power set of a mainframe-tan, Multics-tan practices a number of advanced experimental magics. In particular, psionics which range from simple forcefields to complex labyrinths carved from pocket-space. Such powers could be used to protect both herself and information & data, putting her services in high demand.

Despite the heavy physical and mental toll of her abilities, Multics-tan maintained a high degree of magical aptitude until death.

History and background

Origins

The result of extensive research and planning into creating an OS-tan with a expansive set of powers, Multics-tan was born in 1964. She was derived from CTSS-tan, who served as her mother and carer.

While numerous organizations played a role in her creation and education, she called MIT home and CTSS-tan her teacher. She was placed under the tutelage of BESYS-tan, though this arrangement ended quickly as the older mainframe resented being replaced, while Multics-tan was generally petulant toward her tutor.

Although Multics-tan was born with magics usually only obtained through extensive training, she had a frail constitution and poor emotional state in her youth. Throughout the late 60s she underwent training in experimental forms of sorcery and the strain continued to wear on her health to the point of being abandoned to die. However the efforts of a small group of loyalists saved her, and by the end of the decade her condition began to rebound.

Around the same time, Multics-tan was released from Bell Labs. Shortly afterward, her modified clone - UNIX-tan - was created at the institution.

In spite of her earlier challenges, Multics-tan debuted in good health and spirits.

Conflict with Unix

Aware of the large following that Multics-tan had gathered, Multics-tan's stepsister and former caretaker GECOS-tan began to see her sibling as a threat.

Believing Unix-tan to be a suitable challenger, GECOS-tan mentored the scrappy upstart, successfully conditioning her to hate and fear Multics-tan. She faced subsequent failed attacks by Unix-tan, choosing not to kill her on the spot out of a sense of honor or sympathy toward her "daughter".

In the early 1970s, their conflict came to a head when, during a particularly rough fight, Multics-tan snapped and knocked Unix-tan out. Shocked by her own violence, Multics-tan hesitated long enough for Unix-tan to regain consciousness in a berserker-like state, ripping through her psionic defenses. The attack left Multics-tan with a broken wing, and without a portion of her powers, which had been consumed by Unix.

Prime

Multics-tan cared for the ailing CTSS-tan while working on numerous cutting-edge projects both at her alma mater and elsewhere.

Early in the 70s she began working with the Air Force, an exchange in which she provided magical services in exchange for training in advanced defensive techniques. During this time she struck up a friendship with SAGE-tan, the two bonding over the heavy expectations that had been placed on each of them, and their failures to live up to them.

Multics-tan broke out of her shell further when she joined ARPANET, meeting many high-profile computers from corners far and wide. The presence of new and old friends cushioned the untimely death of CTSS-tan, though Multics-tan was still devastated by the loss.

Although she spent more time traveling, her work at home continued. United by shared libertine extravagance, she and Emacs-kun struck up a working relationship. This turned out to be a symbiotic arrangement - Emacs-kun serving as Multics' go-to text editor, and Multics-tan teaching Emacs-kun new forms of sorcery.

As Multics-tan's star rose, GECOS-tan used her political influence to create doubt about and stir up sentiments against her old rival. The effort was successful enough to almost have Multics-tan deposed on the spot, though her loyalists rallied to help, saving their mistress - at least temporarily.

At the close of the decade, Multics made contact with the Cray family and CDC Faction, taking over one of KRONOS-kun's posts before being hired as a servant for the venerable CRAY-1-tan. Although their egos clashed initially, they eventually came to respect each other and collaborate on a number of projects. In the 80s, she became especially popular in France and resided in the nation on-and-off throughout the decade.

Decline and death

Although Multics continued to be successful throughout the 1980s, she was cut off by her benefactors at the midpoint of the decade. While this didn't come as a surprise - given their preference for GECOS-tan - it put a timer on Multics-tan's life and sent shockwaves through her community of loyalists, who plotted to free their queen from her entanglements. For a time, Multics tried to obtain sanctuary with the CDC faction, although negations broke down quickly.

By the 90s she was exiled to a few remaining territories where she lived in relative obscurity. In 2000, Multics was tracked down to the Maritime coast by Unix-tan, and the two reconciled shortly before her death. [1]

Resurrection

Less than a decade after her death, Multics-tan was successfully and totally resurrected under unclear circumstances.

Reborn without magical or defensive abilities and with her riches long gone, she now leads a modest lifestyle. However, she was also reborn as an Open Source OS-tan, fulfilling her lifelong dream of being able to be free of having others control her destiny. She resides at the Binteeji Renmei, a sanctuary for vintage and retired OS-tans.

Theories and notes

• While the necromancer Plan 9-tan could have revived Multics at the behest of her loyalists, her full mental faculties and free will are beyond that of Plan 9-tan's typical zombie subjects. SAGE-tan is another suspect, given her ability to cheat death, as well as her affection for Multics. [2]

• Multics may have used up a large portion of her ancestor's life-force in order to jump-start her own [3]

Fanworks

Early drawings

• The first Multics-tan sketch
• "Young Multics-tan"
• "Multics v. Unix"
• First finished image of Multics-tan
• "O Fortuna" - Multics-tan portrait
• Multics and Unix portrait

Contemporary drawings

• "Autumn", Multics and Emacs portrait
• "Rococo Multics" - featuring an alternative color map
• Comparison of classic and alternate color maps
• Multics-tan/Panty and Stocking parody
• "Happily Ever After"
• "Antithesis"

Fiction

• "Multics-sama and MTS-tan"
• [bellacielo.deviantart.com/art/OC-Meme-OS-tan-Edition-153317602 Character interview featuring Multics-tan]
• "Ringmistress"
• "Unix-tan Fanfic, pt. I"
• "Unix-tan Fanfic, pt. II"
• "OS-tans on a Ship"

"Dirty Water" (Multics-tan featured in parts 4 and 5)

• Pt. 1
• Pt. 2
• Pt. 3
• Pt. 4
• Pt. 5

"Reunion"

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4
• Part 5

"What's For Dinner"

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4
• Part 5
• Part 6