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briareos hecatonchires |
Briareos is the "handle" I use online sometimes. He was also the inspiration for my domain, briareos.org. So who's that guy in the picture up there?
The classical version
Briareos was one of the three Hecatonchires (the other two were Cottus and Gyges), which were born of Gaia and Uranus. They were stronger, more overbearing, and more fierce than even the mighty Cyclops. They had 100 arms and 50 heads each. After getting tossed into Tartarus by Uranus (who took a strong dislike to him), he was rescued by Zeus and helped in the fight against the Titans.
I identify with this version mostly because I seem to have dozens of little projects or ideas going at once and having 50 heads and 100 arms would really help me get everything done that I want to do.
Note: This is not the guy in the picture above, just a background on the name itself.
The Appleseed version
Briareos Hecatonchires, or Bri for short, is a character from Masamune Shirow's manga, "Appleseed". He was human until age 26, when he was caught in a near fatal explosion. Bri was transferred into an advanced cyborg body with the new "Hecatonchires" operating system, so called because the octopus-like wired brain operating system has an almost limitless number of I/O ports. Briareos could actually operate 100 separate limbs with his OS, hence the name "Hecatonchires" (now aren't you glad I put the classical version first?). The only parts of him that remain human are his central nervous system and memory. His brain was augmented with a processor that generates information through concepts (not traditional computer coding).
Just like all normal humans, Briareos must eat, drink, and sleep. His body is much like a human's, and he can still bleed (doesn't sound very advanced, does it?). His skin is synthetic and "elastic" much like a human's skin, and his muscles are very much "human" as well (albeit stronger and more responsive). Bri is quite strong, and at least 2 1/2 to 3 heads taller than Deunan Knute, his partner (both domestic and professional) and a rather comely lass he usually appears in pictures with. He often uses very large handguns and rifles which would be extremely difficult for the average human to fire, since he is far stronger than normal people. Some of the weapons he uses were designed to be used on vehicles, like machine guns and anti-tank guns. You can see some pictures of him here.
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