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

[mightymorphin]

Care to enlighten me then? 'Cause everyone I've talked to so far come from wildly different worlds.

I don't know what makes you think our real bodies aren't just hooked up to the computer that's running the simulation. Everyone I've talked to is afraid of this killing us without any proof that it's going to do that at all.

[murderingjustice]

the ignorance some of you is truly astounding. who do you think the locals are?

that is one possibility, too, yes. but the thing is, there is hardly any proof to back up your theory either. however, some of us have also seen what this world can be like when the fabric of reality is torn apart. several months ago a local terrorist blew up the city hall, which created a white void in the place of the building. no one could approach it without feeling excruciating pain and nausea. that could as well be what is waiting for us if we decide to break the reality.

[mightymorphin]

Have you tried talking to the locals lately? They're way less functional than we are. They keep talking in circles or walking through walls. And yeah, we're glitching too, but so far I haven't seen anyone mention the glitches sticking to them for very long. Unless you wanna correct me on that?

That's at least the first actual evidence someone's given me, so thanks for that. It still doesn't mean we won't be ejected when the program stops running. If we can shut it down at once, that would stop any additional chaos or side effects.

[murderingjustice]

of course. but they were not always like that. there was a time when at least some of them were normal human beings like us. i fear that could be our fate, too, if we do not make educated decisions.

of course, we might either become part of the systems coding and have our memories swept, be deleted and cease to exist along with the system, or your scenario. and unfortunately, do doubt it.

[mightymorphin]

They what? Seriously??

[This is absolutely the first time Morph's hearing anything like this.]

Look, if we're somehow part of the system and not real ourselves, then where's our bodies? Are you saying we all died? 'Cause the idea that we've been some sort of program all along doesn't ring true to me.

[murderingjustice]

yes. i believe they are the chosen who did not survive until their respectable cycle came to an end. now, it very well could be that this act of resetting would only serve as an act that leads to the end of our cycle.

back in my true reality i was able to travel between two worlds, one of them being digital. traversing there was completely physical act and as i entered there my own body would disappear from the real, more organic one. there were instances when areas of that world would collapse and disappear. if i had been caught in the rubble i would have been deleted along with that area.

that is, again, my own experience. it could very well mirror to nature of this world or not. whatever we decide to do it is going to be a leap of faith, but i for one would rather base my choice in as much evidence as possible than going with a gut feeling.

[mightymorphin]

But I thought people don't die permanently here. Or do you mean something wiped them out in a 'real' sense?

So... you were digitizing your physical body, but you did something to get there? If us getting out of here was as easy as finding a door or using a certain object, I'd be perfectly happy with that.

The problem is that we have a pretty slim window to make a decision, and if we miss our chance, when are we going to get another one? I know some of you have been here at least a year. That's a long time to be at the whims of whoever runs this place.

[murderingjustice]

sometimes they do. although, in their cases it seems like they have become part of the system's coding, imitations of their past selves. living ghosts, if you want to be poetic about it.

i suppose you could say that, although the mechanics of it were a bit more complicated and founded in cognitive spience. but yes, finding a portal or something alike to it would be ideal. and i am hoping that at least one of these terminals could hold answer that brings us closer to the truth.

and that year has taught some of us to be vary. i would hate to let my fate to be decided by someone who has no idea what they are doing. i'd rather kill that person myself.

[mightymorphin]

It's funny how you can talk about all this info you have, but no one can say for sure what the hell's going on here. Are you planning on taking another year or two to figure it out? While we're all getting brainwashed into killing each other again or waiting for more glitches to show up?

Don't let your mouth write a check you can't cash.

[murderingjustice]

It must be very easy for you to come and sit down on a table that has been set and prepared for you without you having to contribute. For the longest time we had nothing to go with and barely understood the workings of this world. Now we see there is a pattern, know how to play around the rules and are closer than ever to finding out the truth.

We need to make decision, yes. But I will not be letting a misguided fool with a bleeding heart to make that call, not when my own life is dependent on it.

[mightymorphin]

First I might get us all killed, and now I'm a bleeding heart? Which is it?

Considering I've been here for months and haven't heard ANY of this until now, you long-timers aren't giving me the impression that you really want any of the rest of us to help. Are we messing up your table settings? Using the wrong soup soon?

Go play with patterns all you want. The rest of us actually care about going home.

[not here, but was reading/listening]

[southernchere]

[ she could kiss them if her lips wouldn't give them the lights out. but she is super proud of this response. xoxoxoxo air kisses! ]