piper90 | [encrypted][video] Chasing my thoughts around and around

Entry tags:

[encrypted][video] Chasing my thoughts around and around

Guess who spent the night overthinking instead of sleeping? That's right, it's this bitch.

[Stacia usually looks sleep-deprived and annoyed in the mornings, but she definitely looks moreso today. She muffles a yawn behind her hand.]

I've got some new information, and some follow-up questions regarding it. I'm gonna summarize what I think is important too; if you disagree with my assessment 1) bite me, 2) add it in yourself.

Our problem is a murder-y redhead with tattoos and fetish gear and the ability to pull weapons out of her ass and know how many people you've killed. She's obviously some kind of supernatural nasty who may have been popping up on the Rig to do murders for a couple years. Her name might be Belle, and we got a weird story about how one brother killed the other over her because she was hot, but also invisible. She seems to be working her way up the org chart in finance, but she's not adverse to killing and torturing outside of it.

As for the new stuff: I received a series of texts from a mysterious and unknown source the night Robbie, Rogue, Saturday, and Data were attacked; which is how I knew shit was going down. This source told me where they were and that they were being attacked, and when I asked if they could give me anymore information, I got some...I don't know, Shakespeare?

I saw pale kings, and princes too,
Pale warriors, death-pale were they all;
Who cry'd—‘La Belle sans Pitie
Hath thee in thrall!’

So my follow up question is: has anyone else seen any weird writing anywhere? Because our mysterious and unknown source is not answering my texts.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

That's a bastardized version of Keats. His version was La Belle Dam sans Mercie, of course.

Of course, that doesn't tell us much. It's essentially a poem inspired by a story about a knight who's romanced by a fairy. Things end poorly, as fairy romances are wont to.

I wonder why the specific name change?

Also, why is this encrypted? I'm not going to argue with the decision, of course, but it does seem a bit illogical given that one of them might know something.

Edited 2020-11-15 06:47 (UTC)

People who don't think that I'm a people don't get invited to my brainstorming sessions.

[Stacia rubs a hand over her face.]

Okay, so, if the name is different, either it's different in this reality or it means something. I don't speak French, but I assume it's "without mercy" and "without pity"?

Fair enough.

Yes. There's a difference in the meaning, of course. Mercy implies feeling sorrow for someone's plight and an underlying forgiveness, pity carrying more connotations of compassion or regret.

[She pauses, tapping her chin.]

I understand that you're tired. Have you checked the library yet? Or would you like me to go and see what I can dig up on anything with this "Belle sans Pitie" phrase?

"Without compassion" seems most accurate, given what we know of her.

[Stacia rubs her hand over her eyes again and dredges up as cute as possible a look to give Alia.]

I haven't checked the library yet, no. If you wouldn't mind going? I'm going to need coffee and to run some laps before I'm fit to interact with people without growling.

[ Well, since it appears the literary education angle of this has been covered already-- ]

A message from an unknown sender appeared on the wall during our altercation. I am lacking sufficient information to speculate on their identity, but they informed us that help would be arriving, and to say GW sent us at the right time.

I will also be transcribing the contents of the monitor the killer was accessing, for further investigation into potential motives.

[ Just leave it at that, Data. Nice and to the point, as intended. No need to sidetrack.

...

He can't do it. ]

"Bite me"?

Remember, that happens only if she pays you first.

I'll go through, but I can't promise speed by myself. Paper only turns so fast, after all.

Would you like another set of eyes?

[ And page-turning hands, ofc. ]

Very much, yes.

Then I'll be right down.

[ Hurray! She finally has a chance to do something useful, which she's felt very much not lately. ]

I'm already in the library, so I can help. I may not read as fast, but I'm good at research.

[Saturday is sitting in her infirmary bed, bandaged and typing away. Alexa reads what she says as soon as she's done, voice tinny and mechanical through the speakers.]

I'M NOT SURE HOW MUCH THAT'S USEFUL I LEARNED BUT SHE SAID SOMETHING ABOUT HOW LIKE THE REST OF US DO NOT MATTER OR SOMETHING. SO MY MONEY RIGHT NOW IS ON SOME KIND OF MENTAL OR SPIRIT CONSTRUCT OR MANIFESTATION OF SOMETHING. USUALLY AUTONOMOUS PERSON TYPES WHO THINK OTHER PEOPLE DO NOT MATTER CAN NOT SHUT UP ABOUT IT BUT SHE WAS VERY MATTER OF FACT AND UNIMPRESSED WITH HERSELF.

She's not human. Not fully I think anyway. For those that don't know yet, when I touch someone I take some of them into me, powers and such. But it's more than that, I also get their memories, thoughts and emotions.

This was dark, it was like watching a collector except she collected death and violence. It made me sick to my stomach just feeling it. And it wasn't rage, I've felt that and know the difference. She took pleasure in hurting and killing and making others do it too.

She's old I think, she felt...endless? I don't know how to describe it. But I'm not sure I could have taken her down at less than my full power and I've gone toe to toe with Thor.

Good news I guess is that someone else is working opposed to her, there were notes or something that came up behind her while we were fighting. Telling us to hang in there, that they would get help. I don't know who that was but I think they are probably the only reason we're alive.

Sorry I can't be of more help, still sorting things out in my head. Ask questions if you have them and I'll do my best to answer.

I know your injuries must have made it difficult to concentrate in the moment [After all, he was the one that had treated them] but can you remember the exact wording of the message?

Edited 2020-11-17 17:24 (UTC)

I'll try, give me a second.

[ Rogue practiced what the Professor had taught her. Clear her mind, let go of emotion and fear and tap in to just memory. Recall the image, the moment without the pain. She raised her hand up as if writing the words out in the air in front of her. Not that anyone else could see, but it worked for her.]

Getting Help.
Don't die.
Talk to K after this.

Any idea who K is?

He's the guy who runs the library. He's apparently dating the nurse that calls herself Special K and someone else I didn't meet.

[ She almost snaps at him before she recognizes the tone and the quizzical expression of someone who is asking a genuine question rather than a sarcastic one. She's used to getting it on people who were born wolves (or frogs), but it's familiar enough. ]

It's..."bite me" is generally used as a response to a perceived insult. Before the perceived insult is made, in this case. I'm indicating that I'm not in the mood to be questioned on my interpretation of what is and isn't important enough to include. But the second part is meant to demonstrate that I acknowledge that it's possible I missed something, because I'm tired and cranky.

Does that clear things up?

Also, the transcript of what she was looking at does seem like it could be useful, thank you.

[gasp]

Alia, are you besmirching my reputation?!

Depends.

Have you had your coffee yet?

Don't know them, but someone should probably see what they know about this.

Sorry I can't be of more help.

I have not! But I suppose I should go get some.

By all means, do so. And no, I certainly wasn't besmirching anything!

At least not until you've had a drink.

You've given us a lead and confirmed what Saturday was told. That is absolutely a help.

Yeah, that’s what it said. It was more distracting than anything.

There wasn’t anyone writing. It was like someone had telekinetically hung the letters in the air.

Casper the friendly poltergeist, maybe? I mean, I've never MET a poltergeist that was that friendly, but there's a first time for everything. That said. It kinda sounds familiar.

[ There it goes... beyond the stars... completely over his head. Data still gives it a relatively lengthy run through the ol' processor, to no particular avail. ]

I believe I am lacking some appropriate context. A humorous remark?

Ah. Yes.

...You really are a rather limited android, aren't you?

Good, glad I could contribute something. I just wish I could make more sense of what I felt.

[Stacia blows a raspberry at Alia, but goes to get herself some coffee regardless.]

We could have one of the people in the library talk to him, or --

Hey Lonestar, you about? We might want an anonymous, secure channel shortly.

[ Surefire ways to get the Data version of perking up: humoring the questions while he does his one-handed medical record display write-up for attachment. ]

That clears things up greatly. Thank you, Stacia. For what it is worth, I found your summary quite informative. When there are many variables at play, it is important to examine them from many individual viewpoints. Mysteries are rarely solved through a singular approach.

My examination of your comm revealed that your mysterious contact didn't communicate by any electronic means. We may be looking at magic. Or something else. But it wasn't technology. K might be the only one with an answer.

I'd normally say it'd be a bad idea to reveal we can communicate like this but K might be an asset, if we're careful about not giving him any specific names by staying anon.

His search history is interesting. He regularly accesses what little internet is left in this world, hidden by multiple vpns and proxies. With emphasis on searching for recovered archives and servers. He must have had to have someone code these programs for him custom because they're not commercially-created ones.

Some of these books are definitely on the rig's banned list. Someone found an archived copy of the...The Anarchist's Cookbook?

There's also a great deal of searching about...methods to block communications signals. Stored with a corrupted fragment of schematics from the Labs about our internal shock collars. It looks like he was trying to repair the file but its corrupted beyond repair.

It might be safe to loop him in.

Edited 2020-11-20 07:27 (UTC)

In many ways, yes. Social constructs like humor are something that I often struggle with in my efforts to become more human.

Although I cannot say that I have encountered a life form for whom limitations of some kind are not a concern, my shortcomings are often unique by comparison.

You really are a puzzle. Don't take offense to this, but robots, let alone Reploids, have been able to recognize and respond to humor for nearly 200 years in my world. It's curious to me why you'd be created without the ability to do such. You're advanced enough that it seems like you should.

Were you created as an experiment to see how such things might... naturally evolve in an artificial intelligence?

I don’t think I’ve MET a poltergeist, although I’ve totally seen Poltergeist. I’m not sure how good it is as a reference material, but they don’t seem friendly.

I know what you mean, it’s nagging at my brain. Okay, seriously - Matilda?

You're the best <3

[That's...a lot of information to have on Librarian K. Interesting. She'd known Lonestar was a computer wizard, but that's still some impressive hacking. Did he find all of that out just now, or has he been working on the Jorgmund staff all this time?

Something to think about later.]

[Surefire ways to get on Stacia's good side: praise her for something she's done. She preens at Data's flattering assessment of her analysis.]

Glad I could help. My social group back home is pretty multi-cultural, so feel free to reach out if you've got questions about something someone says. I'm used to explaining slang terms.

Ah, I've heard an explanation of this insult, due to contact with individuals from 21st century Earth. Originally the insult had the intention of telling the target to bite them in an unclean part of the human anatomy, due to the unpleasantness of the act. However, in common parlance, not all individuals intend it with the exact same literal meaning anymore.

Regardless of whether or not the attacker meant it in its full sexual context or not, due to the origin of the phrase or because biting in general can be seen as a sexual act, Alia's joke was a ribald reference to the concept of sexual prostitution. She was facetiously suggesting that you shouldn't supply such a service without at least charging financial compensation first. It wasn't meant to seriously insinuate you would engage in such a transaction; instead it was a humorous innuendo.

Alia is sentient but created by humans. Humans find double entendres entertaining. Even when they're not sexually risque, they find amusement in the dual meaning of some words and phrases. A non-sexual form of that humor would be a pun.

[ Knowledge is power dot wav. Learning is his favorite. ]

I see. Sexual humor and wordplay. It is a common theme through famous historical works in humanity. I understand Shakespeare was particularly so inclined.

[ .......... ]

Yes. Very entertaining.

[ He fails to simulate said entertainment.

If you don't approach jokes you don't get with the polite air of a distracted college professor, do you even have a right to not get jokes? ]

Intriguing.

Was this a single reference you didn't understand or are you unable to understand humor in general?

I've managed to grasp so far that your knowledge base and socialization seems to be an ongoing process rather than preprogrammed, so I'm curious how far along it is for you.

Even organics sometimes have issues with it. Due to the way I was raised, I had difficulties with some forms of socialization myself. Sarcasm was something I grasped from an early age by emulating those around me, but I was dismissive of other forms of humor and didn't see the value until my late teens.

Edited 2020-12-04 04:52 (UTC)

I would appreciate that. I am normally able to rely on my friends and colleagues to pursue the understanding of terminology or social context that I am unfamiliar with. Without that input, adapting can be... a much greater challenge.

[ People on the Rig are all about asking the Real Questions. Data has no offense to take. ]

That is possible. My construction and programming are the culmination of my creator's life's work in cybernetic achievement. If he had a purpose in creating me beyond that achievement, I do not know. My neural pathways are designed to evolve with my experiences, in a sense. I am able to learn, to adapt to new information. To grow. I do not believe that to be incidental.

Humor is something I have only recently attempted to begin pursuing. I find that while I am able to learn about the theory and composition of many forms of humor, I am still lacking in its other requirements.

Humor is one of my more recent explorations of humanity. It is often used as a means of interpersonal bonding. I wished to share in that experience. I have found that apart from studying the theoretical application and construction of 'jokes,' however, there are certain social aspects to it that I am not currently able to master.

Sarcasm has been a particular struggle for me. It is very... tonal.

I have devoted my free time to more traditionally artistic creative pursuits for the time being, although I have not abandoned my interest in humor entirely.

With time, I am hopeful that I will develop a truer understanding.

Hm.

[There's a strong temptation to crack him open, see if there's improvements to be made, see if his creator made some mistake. It feels like he has, Data feels incomplete to her.

But that's not right. He's no robot, he's a person that, as awful as it seems, has been purposefully limited by his creator. And she's not about to interfere with an experiment like that.]

If I could make a suggestion? Don't try to understand humor. Catalogue it, remember it, even examine it. But so much of humor and its subtleties are cultural and, from what I've seen, you have no culture of your own.

You obviously lack a full understanding of human culture so far. Humor, for the most part, has its foundation so firmly in culture that, without fitting into at least one, it may well be impossible to grasp. There are some jokes that some cultures might find hilarious and outsiders just wouldn't understand.

Perhaps once you've more fully assimilated into a culture, you'll understand it more.

I see.

It is not likely I will take your advice in the long term, but it is well-founded. For the time being, I have devoted more of my resources to creative pursuits than to this particular interest.

Makes sense. Just so you know, if someone gets mad about you asking them questions, either they're a jerk or they think you're making fun of them. Sometimes people intentionally ask questions with obvious answers to tease the other person. Like, for a moment there, I thought you were making fun of me and saying I was being a brat. If you explicitly indicate that you're seeking further context for the remark, it will help you sidestep defensive reactions and get you more information more quickly.

[She thinks back over the words she just said, checking them for possible points of confusion.]

A "jerk" is an annoying person, if you haven't encountered that word before. And a "brat" is a rude child.

[ He makes a thoughtful sound while he absorbs that information. Truly so much of a day in the life of Data is learning fresh social navigation. ]

Thank you. I understand it can take significant effort to make these considerations. I will remember your advice going forward.

Any time! Like I said, I'm used to doing this kind of thing.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

[encrypted][video] Chasing my thoughts around and around

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

[Text]

text

text

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

[text]

no subject

no subject

[text]

Text

Text

no subject

no subject

[text]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Re: Text

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject