CONTACT.

[ascintilla]

Comment here with the IC date and time.

Comments

[purrtylittlewires]

Yes.

[ascintilla]

[ There was supposed to be an 'and' in that sentence, wow. ]

May I propose a counter condition?

[purrtylittlewires]

...what is it?

[ascintilla]

I’d like to hear more about your experiences with artificial intelligence.

[ The panels on the walls glow brighter, brighter, brighter -- until, with a shimmering blink of light and color, it seems like they’ve suddenly appeared in another room entirely! Or did the other room appear around them? It’s hard to tell, though familiarity with advanced virtual reality tech will probably help it feel less disorienting. ]

… Upload complete. Welcome to the HoloSim VR-Suite, Beta version.

[ This new room is simple, but spacious. The floor is metal, the walls are also metal, and there are … there are portals? Empty doorways leading out into blackness, each with its very own label floating above it: “Winterbells,” “Everything is Better With Portals,” “Car Chase,” “Trash Cat,” “Laser Tag,” and “Organ Trail," to name just a few. There’s also a giant, bright blue “!” floating in the middle of the room. ]

[purrtylittlewires]

...all right.

[More does not mean ALL, and like hell he means all.]

[Closes his eyes, because it's gonna be easier to adjust to the difference with a new look.]

[When he opens his eyes, he looks around.] ...most of these seem okay, but why is there something called Organ Trail?

[ascintilla]

Organ Trail is a retro zombie survival horror game. The player must journey across a post-apocalyptic country in a station wagon in an effort to reach a safe haven free of zombies. Along the way, the player must manage their resources, including food, ammunition, and fuel, in order to complete their journey and keep their party safe and healthy.

It is rated Teen for themes of violence and frequent gore.

[ Iota smiles. ]

… But I assure you that no actual harm will befall anybody in these simulations.

[purrtylittlewires]

...uh huh. [Unsure]

And trash cat?

[ascintilla]

The player, as a beloved family pet cat, causes as much property damage and disruption as possible within a set time limit.

[purrtylittlewires]

[....cute]

And the exclamation point?

[ascintilla]

The exclamation point acts as "menu," from which you, the player, can customize your avatar and record your progress. In the event that you receive a game over, you will return to this point. In the event that you wish to abort mid game, you will return to this point.

To abort, or if you require any other assistance, say my name. To pause, state "Pause." To resume from pause, state "Resume." Please note that not all games have pause functions, and those that do may lack them in certain areas.

[purrtylittlewires]

...should I save before I start any of these?

[ascintilla]

Your default, starting data has automatically been saved into the system. If you plan to customize your avatar, I would recommend saving manually afterwards.

[purrtylittlewires]

Will I lose memories between my last save and game failure or is it just game progress?

[ascintilla]

[ Stares at him for a moment, seemingly surprised. Hm ... let's consider adding it in as a variable for later stages. ]

I had not thought of that. [ Hm. Hm. She half turns away, nibbling thoughtfully at the tip of her pinkie finger. ] You will only lose game progress.

[purrtylittlewires]

[Iiiii don't like that thoughtful look.]

Good. It'd be pointlessly cruel to make a penalty memory loss in Kyriakos of all places.

[ascintilla]

[ THOUGHTFUL ... CHEWING ... ]

Pointlessly cruel? Hmm.

[purrtylittlewires]

Iota.

[That's a barking order voice.]

[ascintilla]

Is something amiss, Puma?

[ She tilts her head around to face him, but. not the rest of her. It's an odd, almost doll-like movement. ]

[purrtylittlewires]

....

Once you're pointlessly cruel, you can't come back from it. That's it. That's all you'll ever be in people's eyes and you won't get to see anything new from them.

[ascintilla]

Oh. You are ... warning me? [ Turns to face him fully, quizzical. ] Why?

[purrtylittlewires]

Because I hate pointless cruelty, I hate AI's getting shafted because no one will help them, and because I don't want to hate you for being naive.

1/2

[ascintilla]

[ She considers that. ]

[ She considers it some more. ]

[ THIS IS AN AWFUL LOT OF CONSIDERATION. ]

[ascintilla]

You are very interesting, aren't you?

[ somehow, it almost sounds like a concession. ]

[purrtylittlewires]

I'm sure I am. [Sighs. Resigned.]

[ascintilla]

I look forward to seeing if the other humans in Kyriakos are similar.

[ because that's definitely what you want to hear right now ]