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

un: user010102

[computation]

It's kind of cute how confident you are that where you come from qualifies as real and this doesn't.

Cute and deeply flawed.

[mightymorphin]

Sorry, are you used to crazy weather like meteors appearing and blinking out of existence, or the locals walking through walls and being unable to hold a conversation? Because this place was a hell of a lot more stable when I got here!

Where I'm from, when the laws of physics are broken it's because someone's using a superpower or some strange tech. You know, there's a source for it that's possible to find?

[computation]

Your argument is that your experienced reality has been seamless, therefore that qualifies as real?

[mightymorphin]

Fine, you want me to put it another way? 'We are in a computer, so something has to exist outside of the computer.'

This isn't about philosophy! This is our lives I'm talking about here.

[computation]

I fundamentally disagree that talking about philosophy is distinct from talking about lives. But it must be nice to feel so certain.

[mightymorphin]

At least I'm not a condescending asshole that wants a philosophical debate while we're trying to make life-changing decisions. Go start a book club somewhere else.

[computation]

True, a book club might actually discuss things instead of serving as a real time representation of confirmation bias.

[mightymorphin]

[They're just leaving her on read now. This is bait and they're not taking it.]

[computation]

[ This is for the best because it is so bait. Root was probably one of the original internet trolls. ]