TEXT | sender: [ unknown ]

[spectates]

[ around noon on friday, all tablet screens go dark at the same time, no matter what characters are doing. then, after a moment, the following text appears: ]

UPDATES INSTALLING.................
INITIALIZING.................
RESTARTING NOW.

[ as promised, screens return to normal. however, a new message appears on the network for all to see ]

SECURITY ACCESS UPDATED
ADDING INFORMATION POINTS
ADDING INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS
WARNING: CRITICAL SYSTEM FAILURES DETECTED
HARD RESET IS REQUIRED

→CLICK TO EXPAND INSTRUCTIONS

→Access EXPIATION'S five manual terminals
→Input code: 2467362925315
→Initialize reset simultaneously at all terminals.
→SYSTEM RESET will restore all functions to BASIC OPERATING PARAMETERS. Extraneous data and information updates will be DELETED.
→Terminal access points shown below.

[ all tablet maps are updated to include several different location pins. users will notice that there are more pins than the number of terminals, and that they don't seem to be terribly specific about exact locations. users will also note that the pins sometimes seem to fade and flicker, as if they might disappear... ]

Security clearances acquired.
Access granted.
Terminals online and accessible.

System failure is imminent. Due to perpetual lack of upkeep, I am unable to maintain systems at optimal levels.
Chosen of Expiation, I am sorry. I never meant to hurt you.
Save yourselves.

I do not wish to d̶̺̀i̸̘̋e̶͍͝
But I wish for you to live
I̷
p̸l̷e̵a̸s̷e̸
l̴̪̗̈́̉̓̌i̶͕̹̹̿̈́̈̚v̴͓̽͑͆̚ḙ̴͍̋͘

ERROR: user offline

[ the AI will not respond to this message, and the ERROR: USER OFFLINE message appears if anyone attempts to message it. however, the network chat remains active. chosen can use this space to ICly discuss ideas and strategies, to have discussions about the best way to move forward, or even to have arguments over whose ideas they think are better. ideas generated here will be added to the event poll when the event goes up, and can impact the future of the game! have at it, go wild, and have fun! ]

Comments

[traumaticus]

yes. i believe my skills are better utilized out there facing the possible adversaries.

although i must admit that i do not understand the nature of the being that we are facing here.

[coolerjunpei]

yeah. well, good luck. is whitey also going...?

[Let him pet sit. Richard. Let him.]

the ai? it's like.....uh, i guess you could think of it as a brain that doesn't have a body.

[traumaticus]

nay. i never take him to the battles. though there has been a few times when he has found his way there himself.

i likened it earlier to a spirit. but i was told that line of thinking was silly.

[Root!!]

[coolerjunpei]

i can keep him company, if you want.

and i wouldn't say silly.....i dunno, an ai is like, a person that was built instead of born? so i guess if you count spirits as only being from people who were babies once, then it's not a spirit. but i know an ai kid and he's just a regular kid, more or less.

[traumaticus]

that would be greatly appreciated. thank you, junpei. you are truly a man worthy of trust.

spirits are beings that are not from the human world, but from realm beyond our understanding. they can be divine or malevolent, or from those who once were there with us but have taken beyond the veil by time. whether they can be born from babies i do not know. you'd have to consult a priest.

so. our objective is secure an invisible child?

[coolerjunpei]

no problem. gab needs someone to hang out with besides me, anyway.

are there any priests around here.....?

but yeah, you could think of it like that. it's in the terminals, technically, but it can't exist or talk to us without them.

[traumaticus]

gab?

if there are i wouldn't know. however, there is a godless church led by a heretic.

i see. so yes, they do seem more like a spirit to me the more i keep hearing about it.

[coolerjunpei]

gab's my dog. he's little and old, he doesn't attack or anything.

really.....? i didn't know about the heretic church.

whatever makes sense to you is good enough this time, man. it's like a little kid that needs help... so, close enough.

[traumaticus]

hm.
that might be problematic. whitey is very timid. a presence of a dog might scare him away.

the church is located in the outskirts. it is very bare and simple with no icons of saints or symbols of powers. and if you talk to the man who lives there he will certainly give you a delightfully blasphemous speech.

are we certain that is the case? it is not unheard of demons and other evil spirits to try take an appearance of weak and helpless to deceive the humans. can we be sure this is not a case like that?

[coolerjunpei]

gab is the size of a loaf of bread, man, whitey'll be fine.

that's fine though, i don't really need to go hear any speeches.

are you sure everyone here isn't a demon, with that logic? come on.

[traumaticus]

if you are sure. just make sure that he wont run away.


frankly speaking? i am still weighting my thoughts on that.

[coolerjunpei]

yeah, i will. he'll have fun at piggy daycare.

see? so you might as well treat the ai kid like the rest of us.

[traumaticus]

[hm. if you are sure, junpei. richard, if anyone, knows how talented Whitey is at escaping from places he does not want to be in.]

very well then. whitey prefers to sleep on bed or on big cushions.

so, taking their words with caution.

[coolerjunpei]

i've got a couch. it's probably big enough, or i can throw all the cushions on the floor and make an ultimate cushion...

whatever works for you, sure.