Christmas Eve in District 9 "The Heat They Didn't Program" The broth was far too salty, but it was the only way to feel any warmth in a district where even the sun was a pay-per-view simulation. Elias rested his fingers on the damp counter, listening to the hum of the cook’s servomotors. He wondered if the android, as it served him the noodles, was also programmed to feel pity for the men who hunted machines just to afford their rent. It was Christmas Eve -or at least that’s what the flickering holograms, projecting synthetic fir trees and forced smiles in the shop windows, claimed. The steaming broth in his hands couldn't stave off the cold that had settled deep in his bones, a chill that went beyond the street temperature, seeping in from his very soul. While the city celebrated its mockery of a holiday, amidst the constant drone of spinners and the distorted carols drifting from some alleyway, Elias watched the steam from his food mingle with his frozen breath, thinking about the few traces of humanity he had left. ------------------------ Medium: 3D-Digital – Cyberpunk-Noir Fantasy. Blender, Daztudio, Ps Dec-2025 ----------------------------- Model Genesis. HDRI stonemason, Contrast ,saturation and color adjustment in Ps. Iray render NO AI. Camera: Focal Length: 85 mm. Focal Distance: 2.92 mts. F/Stop: 45 Tone Mapping: Burn Highlights: 0.06 Crush Blacks: 0.05 Saturation: 3 Gamma: 1.7 Bloom Filter Radius: 0.8 Bloom Filter Threshold: 80k Bloom Filter Brightness Scale: 0.7 Spectral Rendering: Spectral Conversion Intent: natural Spectral Observer: cie1964 Lighting: 1 HDRI environment + Neon emiters