A personal dictionary of sorts…

Ever wonder how sci-fi writers keep all of their fictional terms and events straight?

Our solution was a glossary containing any terms, phrases, abbreviations, and events

that do not currently exist in this context within the present day.

““The only way to define your limits is by going beyond them.” -Arthur C. Clarke

Official Southbridge Glossary

Resistance: (Pg.2) The group against the Total Transparency Act which makes the use of personal storage devices illegal. 

Controller, Datachip Controller, Datachip Remote: (Pg. 2) A small black box with a various number of buttons on it. A datachip remote that affects the hosts’ body when triggered. [can be used to shock/taze in the most basic form, through the most advanced form- sending host into flashbacks, seizures, etc.]

Datachip: (Pg. 2) A chip implant in the right arm just above the wrist that allows for all of your personal data to be stored on to the cloud eliminating the need for personal storage devices.

Volatile Offender: (Pg. 6) Someone who has removed their datachip. A criminal offense. Following which the host’s information is wiped from The Cloud making them inoperable in society ending your “conscious human life.”

Rebel: (Pg. 8) A member of the resistance.

Extraction: (Pg. 8) The act of removing your datachip. An act that leaves you as useless as a coma-induced person on life support. “Full-vegetable.”

Stray: (Pg. 12) Slang for Volatile Offender.

Data Hoarder: (Pg. 15) Someone who explicitly refuses to comply with the Total Transparency Act. They hoard data off The Cloud. This would classify them as a Rebel. AKA Prowler

Cyber Ops: (Pg. 19) A division of the Transmission Army. A government-run collective that manages and maintains The Cloud’s performance and operations

Transmission Army: (Pg. 19) A branch of the military that governs the Cloud.

P1056: (Pg. 31) A controlled explosion.

Baker 9: (Pg. 31) The sector within Southbridge where the Radio Tower is. Baker refers to the age- the second season=2nd version of the world, 2nd letter=B, B is for Baker. 9 refers to the plot of land within the Baker world.

Mechanical/Viral Infections: (Pg. 40) A viral infection is like which we know it today, a mechanical infection is similar- produces slightly different symptoms and is caused by malfunctions within a data chip. Like reverting firmware to a previous, outdated version, or not updating the firmware within a proper window. Can cause sudden vomiting and convulsing among other symptoms. The main tell between a Mechanical and Viral infection is the lead-up time to when the symptoms present themselves. Viral is a slow ease into infection where Mechanical is instant. A Mechanical Infection is not contagious and can only be obtained by malfunctioning datachip technology.

OS 3.6 Infection: (Pg. 40) A popularly known infection from an old version of firmware (version 3.6). This is commonly seen in members of the resistance. 

Stratus: (Pg. 45) The production company that produces “The Domain” the TV show set in Southbridge.

EPMT: (Pg. 47) Emergency Physical Medical Technician. Since there are now two types of infections and vastly different approaches to treat them, there are two divisions of EMTs- Physical and Viral. Brandie claims she is a EPMT- what we know was a standard EMT (medic).

Prowler: (Pg. 57) Slang for a Data Hoarder. Someone Participating in Rebel behavior.

Registered Document: (Pg. 61) A public document allowable by the Total Transparency Act due to its content. Any document that is printed and available to the public must go through a registration and approval process before deeming it legal and making it accessible to the public.

Clear Sky: (Pg. 66) An internal newsletter distributed throughout the rebel community.

Ancillary: (Pg. 67) Contestants on the show, The Domain. (This does not include Brandie who is only posing as a contestant, not an actual contestant). Only used internally throughout Stratus. To the public they are simply contestants.

Plant [Plant Map, Planting]: (Pg. 72) To “plant” is to place a recording device. A “plant” noun. Is a recording device such as a hidden mic or camera used by the production company to make the tv show. A “plant map” is a map of said plants.

Overcast, Overcast Industries: (Pg. 92) Lawson Garber’s company that developed the datachip technology. They also own Stratus and “run 1/3 of the world.” 

Northern Sector: (Pg. 94) An undeveloped plot of land outside of Southbridge within the domain.

GORP: (Pg. 106) Steve’s special smelly mung bean trail mix. 

Personal Storage Devices: Anything that is capable of storing information privately instead of through the cloud. This includes tape recorders, notebooks, physical paper files, etc. All which are illegal as declared by the Total Transparency Act

Barrier: (Pg. 126) The boarder of the space within The Domain which is planted.

Blockers, Datachip Blockers: (Pg. 138) A device that disables the ability for The Cloud and Surveyors to track and share your data. Typically worn as a disguised smart watch.

High Fog: (Pg. 138) Code phrase, used as password for blockers

Surveyor: (Pg. 139) A device used to track data chips.

Retina Modification: (Pg. 141) The process of permanently perfecting eyesight- an improved Lasik type surgery thanks to the technology at Overcast.

EMP: (Pg. 151) Electromagnetic Pulse, A device that kills an electronic device via a short burst of electromagnetic energy. Such a pulse’s origin may be a natural occurrence or man-made and can occur as a radiated, electric, or magnetic field or a conducted electric current, depending on the source. See also, EMP Gun.

“Where does the fog roll in?”: (Pg. 155) A phrase used by the resistance to identify other members. The proper response is- “The fog rolls high, High Fog. Separated from the clouds, clinging to the ground.” or “Rolls high” for short.

EMP Gun: (Pg. 161) A weapon developed by the Transmission Army to disengage datachips at long range.

Solitude: (Pg.179) Season 1’s theme of the show. Where each contestant lives the entirety of the show isolated.

Retrieval Team: (Pg. 180) Group assigned to remove contestants from the game that have been “killed off.”

Outbreak: (Pg. 181) the future season 3’s theme involving a sickness- possibly “zombies.”

Judicial Duels: (Pg. 181) A live fight-to-the-death style game show Miles is developing for Stratus.

Nephele Operation: (Pg. 182)  An operation of the Cyber Ops division of the Transmission Army dedicated to the search for and deactivation of resistance members. After a specific combination of actions through a chip’s interface, Cyber Ops are granted unrestricted access to the chip whose host is under investigation for suspicious activity. This was Nadine’s job before Southbridge. Her employment here also motivated her involvement with the resistance. 

The Domain: (Pg. 201) The TV show produced by Stratus and Overcast Industries.

Glass Doors: (Pg. 204) An old TV show produced by Stratus. Brandie was a story producer on this as well. She fell in love with a contestant on the show and choked up when it was time to kill off that character.

Re-implantation/ Modification: (Pg. 206) A strategy implemented by Overcast to modify a host’s data chip for their own personal form of slavery. Detaining former contestants to utilize them as maintenance workers within the compound.

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