Overdose. It seems we've found another Foundation member.
[X] (Sensitive) Silas isn't sure, but he thinks he understands why Yumika is so down. "Your friends will still be your friends after this, Yumika-chan. I-It's just one day, right?"
It seems kinda sad that @Noumero always makes these pretty cool write-in votes, but since no one seems to follow up on his plans they typically get ignored...
*nudge nudge wink wink*
Also, I'm working on a bit of sidestory, but... I'm not sure which one I should finish first. Gonna do a little impromptu vote here.
Rate "Insightful" if you want Maeda's sidestory.
Rate "Hugs" if you want Dorima's sidestory.
Rate "Informational" if you want a brief overview of the past 50 years in history.
Noumero went full paranoia mode. I don't think the situation is half as bad as he makes it sound.
That said... I am fine with this attitude, and it serves my goal of making the Drama Club aware of the Student Council (and potentially developing counter-measures and running counter-operations). I am not satisfied with us going for the safe option with a special tag attached... yet this is the sad reality of it - if you indicate that one of the traits opens a 'special option', and it doesn't smell like a trap at first glance, that's what will be voted for. The only serious contenders would be hugs and write-ins.
I was pretty happy with the Nanamiphone write-in last time. Led to a great scene, and I hope we haven't seen the last of the consequences yet.
And since the only reaction I got to outing the Student Council was 'not in school!'... perhaps this might have a chance!
[x] (Sensitive) Silas isn't sure, but he thinks he understands why Yumika is so down. "Your friends will still be your friends after this, Yumika-chan. I-It's just one day, right?"
- [x] After leaving, hide outside the school and wait for Yumika. Follow her, intercept her once the school is sufficiently far away.
- [x] Go somewhere private, then tell her about every strange event within the school that you remember. But don't mention Big Sister.
[x] Once out of school, check your clothes for bugs. Ask Big Sister to check as well.
The mood of the thread has become more paranoid - for example, Mikado is suspected of being a Foundation plant instead of somepone lucky enough to avoid the capture or the negative effects as his trait might suggest some kind of prescience on his part - so perhaps the votes should reflect it too! THEY are onto us!
Can we vote to stage a play with horror elements, and have her be the monster? She would get to scare a school's worth of people, and it would be a drawn-out experience. Can we? Can we, please?
[] [PLAY] Lovesick - Shinohara's script. A teenaged girl manipulates her classmates' fears and worries so that they won't be an obstacle to her ultimate goal of making her love interest hers alone. After committing various increasingly harmful acts against her classmates, including driving a few to suicide, she realizes that she has psychologically tormented the boy she meant to make love her to the point where he is no longer the same person. By the end of her crusade, she is left alone, friendless, and guilty. Ending is ambiguous.
The mood of the thread has become more paranoid - for example, Mikado is written off as a Foundation plant instead of somepone lucky enough to avoid the capture or the negative effects as his trait might suggest some kind of prescience on his part - so perhaps the votes should reflect it too! THEY are onto us!
[x] (Sensitive) Silas isn't sure, but he thinks he understands why Yumika is so down. "Your friends will still be your friends after this, Yumika-chan. I-It's just one day, right?"
- [x] After leaving, hide outside the school and wait for Yumika. Follow her, intercept her once the school is sufficiently far away.
- [x] Go somewhere private, then tell her about every strange event within the school that you remember. But don't mention Big Sister.
[x] Once out of school, check your clothes for bugs. Ask Big Sister to check as well.
[x] [BS] >open file nscp-002.scp
Edit:
This is going to turn us into a stalker, isn't it? But I really want us to check for bugs.
No? No, not at all. I didn't actually remember that tidbit you quoted, but I wasn't joking.
Yep, when it will come to choosing plays, I'm totally voting for Lovesick unless an even more fascinating (Apollyon-fascinating) option presents itself. The play sounds interesting, Shinohara's antics are amusing, and it may just skyrocket her REL into friendship. All-around great.
Regarding full paranoia mode, I beg to differ. Full paranoia mode includes evacuating from the city then convincing Big Sister to nuke it to oblivion. I even agreed that stopping interacting with the latter during school is suboptimal! My paranoia is entirely reasonable, proper even.
Yes. Isn't paranoia a pleasure unto itself? When behind every corner could lurk a monster with an esoteric effect, when you know that people you see every day are in possession of memory-erasing drugs, when you have reasons to believe there's an actual conspiracy at work, when you have to doubt everything you see or remember and be extremely careful about every word you say and every tell you display — is that not what living is? Yes, I actually like Shinohara so much because I relate to her.
Only by dictionary definition. We're not stalking her for the sake of stalking, ultimately, but to give her information she wants, in a way that maximizes our and her safety. It's entirely reasonable under the circumstances, I'm sure she'll agree. Unless she pepper-sprays us on reflex or something, but then such is life.
I don't trust the Sensitive option. Even if Silas's intuitions are correct and Yumika is worried about her friendships, I don't think that Silas's verbal reassurance would help. But physical reassurance might be a comfort, and the invisible girl just gave Yumika a hug herself in order to comfort her, so I don't think that option is a trap.
Not a trap, surely, but not without its consequences. Nanami isn't clingy towards herself, after all... and she isn't afraid she'll forget herself anytime soon. Silas getting affectionate without so much as remembering she's there - I think Nanami would be worried that she is being replaced.
But that isn't about her, and she'll live. This is Yumika's crisis we are dealing with right now. Comforting or reassuring her is fine, but isn't it a one-time solution? Isn't her problem that she doesn't know how to help her friends because she doesn't know what happened to them? Maybe it would be worth it to come clean with her about it, so that she at least stops feeling guilty for suspecting us because as it turns out we do know something.
She already has some clues and asked us if we were feeling well and if any of the Student Council came by on the weekend. Is it fine to let her fumble blindly with nothing more than a reassurance that things will sort themselves out?
[X] (Sensitive) Silas isn't sure, but he thinks he understands why Yumika is so down. "Your friends will still be your friends after this, Yumika-chan. I-It's just one day, right?"
- [x] After leaving, hide outside the school and wait for Yumika. Follow her, intercept her once the school is sufficiently far away.
- [x] Go somewhere private, then tell her about every strange event within the school that you remember. But don't mention Big Sister.
[] (Sensitive) Silas isn't sure, but he thinks he understands why Yumika is so down. "Your friends will still be your friends after this, Yumika-chan. I-It's just one day, right?"
- [] After leaving, hide outside the school and wait for Yumika. Follow her, intercept her once the school is sufficiently far away.
- [] Go somewhere private, then tell her about every strange event within the school that you remember. But don't mention Big Sister.
- [] Once out of school, check your clothes for bugs. Ask Big Sister to check as well.
[] [BS] >open file nscp-002.scp
(Going to assume that the last bullet point was meant to go along with the rest of Noumero's plan)
Normally, there would be dice for AS actions here, but...
On the liking or not liking Shinohara front, I actually like her. The whole pocky conversation gave her quite a bit of depth. And for reasons of my own I have a huge soft spot for repentant monsters and noble demons and such
I don't know if she meant that she could feed on other emotions, or if she meant that fear somehow tasted hollow to her, or if she was blinding truth in metaphor and actually confessing to us that she doesn't get anything from normal food and has to consume terror to survive... But it does look pretty clear that whatever she gets from feeding on fear, she regrets to some extent that she has to inflict it on others and make their lives miserable to eat. Which immediately makes me want to befriend her and give her unwarranted snuggles, like Hanamura, except that would make me the creepy pervert.
Speaking of, if voting is still open
[X] (Sensitive) Silas isn't sure, but he thinks he understands why Yumika is so down. "Your friends will still be your friends after this, Yumika-chan. I-It's just one day, right?"
- [X] After leaving, hide outside the school and wait for Yumika. Follow her, intercept her once the school is sufficiently far away.
- [X] Go somewhere private, then tell her about every strange event within the school that you remember. But don't mention Big Sister.
- [X] Once out of school, check your clothes for bugs. Ask Big Sister to check as well.
[X] [BS] >open file nscp-002.scp
Because if Hanamura is working for the Student Council Peeps, we should know as soon as possible so we have as long as possible to shit ourselves in terror before he jumps out of our screens and hugs us.
A/N: OKAY, Extemporaneous Speech topics have been procured, relevant articles have been printed, Calculus formulas have been memorized, Physics concepts have been internalized, Gran Columbia has finally passed Immigration reforms (We'll become the new America soon enough!!), and New Miku's shiny new light rail is the envy of the region! Really a shame about all those medium-density residences I had to bulldoze.... Time to write!
EDIT: Oooookaaaay… that took… longer than expected…
Guys I swear next turn will be so much shorter I'm so sorry As usual, please, please criticize my work. I need criticism. I feed off of criticism. Thanks!
Warning: Lots of boring politics ahead. Most of this is fluff and a result of me playing too much Victoria II, and absolutely nothing here has any relevance to the plot whatsoever. You cIt's also the reason why this asshole took another three days to get the gods-damned update done. I HAVE A LIFE TOO, YOU KNOW *shakes fist angrily*an trust me! I've never lied before!
Major World Powers:
帝共和国ミホク (Tei-kyouwakoku Mihoku) - The Imperial Republic of Mihoku
Empire in name only; technically a representative republic. Technological and cultural center of the western hemisphere. Government divided between the Imperial Diet and the Imperial Royal Court, who currently publicly hate each other. Distinct "Core" and "Periphery" provinces with various cultural affinities, religions, industries, though the Empire maintains the common language of Mihokugo, and all citizens of the Imperial Republic use the same currency. Their main periphery states are the maritime, heavily urbanized Merchant Republic of Kanko (Not!Korea) and the largely agrarian Chuutochi Dominity (Not!China). Recently made groundbreaking advances in the fields of pharmaceutical science, miniaturized computing, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence. Rabid fascination with leek-based food items and weird pornography.
The current Empress is a popular figure, frequently seen as a "woman of the people," much to the chagrin of the Imperial Diet. When not attending to business of the state, she frequently tours her country, popping in unannounced in theatres, workplaces, and schools in order to, as she says, "feel the pulse of her nation." The Ambernian media likes to pretend she doesn't exist.
Union of Sovereign Ambernian Republics - USAR
Centralized union of quasi-independent city-state republics underneath a common flag, located far to the East of Mihoku, across the Waking Ocean. The Aubern Congress, which meets in the urban metropolis of New Lincoln, typically elects a "First Citizen" to serve as the figurehead of the current democratically-elected government, though this title lacks any special legally-defined executive powers. It is the main legislative body, with a Grand Court to act as a judiciary power. USAR becomes less and less organized the further one goes east of the coastline, and it's eastern borders are often hotly contested with their belligerent neighbor, the Azure Compact. USAR is largely responsible for perpetuation of the political philosophy of liberalism and natural rights to the developed world in the early 11th century. Well-known for being chief exporters of wheat, pork, processed edibles, steel, automobiles, freedom, democracy, and socialism. Ambernians share a zealous hatred for cheese.
Presently, Ambernia's First Citizen, Adam Fryling, is a fire-hearted reformer who rocketed into power by promising to cut away at the bloated, corrupted Amberrish bureaucracy and to halt Amberrish atrocities in the eastern frontier. Has made just as many enemies in the Aubern as friends. He has relatives in Mihoku.
Republika ng Manipo - The Manipinoian Republic
Young maritime decentralized representative republic still recovering from scars left by the Great War. Government shakily balanced between the President, the People's Assembly, and the People's Court, all of whom seem to constantly be on the brink of civil war. Manipinoians have a high affinity for good food, partying, and social media, meaning their history would largely be considered an international shaggy dog story were they not also in complete control of the marital trade route leading out of the Mihoku Sea and into the Far West, where rare exotics like spice, oil and ivory are found, making them a rich, if unstable, trading hub. Major exports not including luxury trade goods include bananas, rice, coffee, and friendship. And debt. They are also a regional center of shipbuilding, thanks in part to bulk imports of Ambernian steel.
President Manuel Diguelo, the former High Admiral of the Manipinoan merchant marine, is thought to be universally hated amongst his constituents, yet has been re-elected five times since he entered office. This is even after Ambernia started heavily monitoring the election process due to claims of electoral fraud. He is either an amazingly popular leader with a falsified tainted image or very good at bribing the election officials and Ambernian watchdog groups.
Великая Федерация Правду (Pravdu Velikaya Federatsiya) - The Grand Federation of Pravdu
Located due north-west of Chuugo Domain, characterized by snow-capped tundras and icy oceans. A former post-scarcity authoritarian paradise (supposedly?) that definitely hasn't devolved into some sort of inverse orwellian police state after it's humiliating defeat following the Great War. Composed of various "superstates" that constantly vie for supremacy over the mainland of Pravdu; these superstates are a confusing mishmosh of republics, "republics," dictatorships, monarchies, and Ambernian-sponsored rebel anarchists (whom the Ambernian government denies exist). Other than that, they are a chief producer of oil, vodka, and weapons, all things which are in remarkably low demand in a world powered primarily by Mihoku nuclear reactors or African solar collectors and that is currently at peace with itself.
Currently, a large part of the Pravdustanian mainland is held by a "Katyusha Pravdu Havse," an outspoken, charismatic Prav who claims to be a direct descendant of the Old Tsar. According to herself, she is a fifteen-year old, fair, beautiful young woman who has had experience in the Great War commanding tank battalions into the frosty Pravic tundra. Seems to want to have better relations with the Imperial Republic, but stubbornly doesn't want to admit that she wants their friendship.
The New African Union - NAU
A political entity inhabiting the southern tip of a continent known as "Africa," the westernmost continent in the known world. Apparently some sort of "democratic oligarchy" led by a small group of councilmen and councilwomen with a wide range of executive powers, though a large part of the government is either undefined by the African constitution or has been deliberately obfuscated due to a cultural stigma against giving personal information to foreigners. New Africa largely just wants to keep to itself, jealously guarding its territories - reportedly heavily-terraformed former-deserts that are now overflowing breadbaskets of grains and dotted by ecologically-sustainable high density urbanized settlements - with an extensive satellite network blocking out all signals entering or leaving the country. Said satellites are also known to fire large concentrations of focused plasma on any vessels illegally entering their waters. Has a soft spot for Mihoku serialized animated cartoons, for which it recently signed a treaty to allow broadcasting within the country, and Manipinoian eggrolls.
An urban legend is going around that the Empress once referred to the African Union as "An adorable Kuu to complement Mihoku's Genki," though the Court furiously denies these rumours.
Hey uh...
Just a thought.
Do I use spoilers too much?
I think I do, actually, but given the complexity of the system that I'm gradually digging myself deeper and deeper into, I've started to think they're necessary...
Just wanted to know. If anyone else knows of a better way to apply abstraction to the Character Sheet and the like, please tell me. There are so many formatting things on SV that I'm unaware of... anyway, thanks for reading!
[] (Sensitive) Silas isn't sure, but he thinks he understands why Yumika is so down. "Your friends will still be your friends after this, Yumika-chan. I-It's just one day, right?"
-[] After leaving, hide outside the school and wait for Yumika. Follow her, intercept her once the school is sufficiently far away.
-[] Go somewhere private, then tell her about every strange event within the school that you remember. But don't mention Big Sister. -[] Once out of school, check your clothes for bugs. Ask Big Sister to check as well.
"...you're worried about everyone," Silas said suddenly.
"Eh?" Yumika perked up and turned to face him. "...Sai-kun?"
"Y-You… uhm…" Silas shifted his feet. "You c-care about us all a lot, don't you, Yumika-chan? I can tell. It's hurting you a lot, right?" his eyes slid around the room, avoiding looking at Yumika directly. "But you s-shouldn't… um… you shouldn't worry too much."
"Sai-kun…"
Silas took a deep breath, counting to three. "Tommorow's a thing, Yumika-chan. A lot of… probably not-so-good stuff happened today, b-but… you know. Despite everything, at the end of the day we'll all still be friends after this, Yumika-chan. I-It's just one day, right?"
An awkward silence. Silas's cheeks were burning, but he forced himself to look at Yumika's in the face.
For the briefest moment, Silas saw something strange in Yumika's expression. Something that looked pained - and guilty and sad and awful. But then, like a curtain drawing closed, she caught her breath, hiding her eyes behind her wrists as she moved preemptively to wipe away a few tears. "Hah… Hey… it's a pick-me-up speech! Usually I'm on the other side of those. It feels so weird to b-be on the receiving end of one… hah…"
Silas gulped, wondering if he's said the right thing. Yumika seemed to be trying to laugh, but none of her choked attempts came out right. Still, when she finally dropped her hands away to reveal her face, she was smiling a genuine, warm smile. She sniffed. "...thanks, Sai-kun. I think I needed to hear that. I've… hah… I've worried so much about everyone that I made myself miserable all day. That's no way for me to act… gotta be mature about this…"
"Yeah. Really." Yumika affirmed. A bit of color and life was returning to her cheeks now. "Anyway, Sai-kun! You're pretty cool, you know that? I'm kinda surprised you read me so easily." she giggled softly.
"I… I guessed…" Silas admitted.
"Well! Your perception's off the chart, then!" Yumika beamed, offering a wink. "Plus… that whole 'tomorrow is a thing' line… that was also pretty awesome. Sounds like words from a play!"
"R-Really?" Silas wasn't convinced.
"Really, really. You're gonna make a great lead!" Yumika nodded, laughing to herself as Silas froze up and winced despite the fact that it was an obvious joke. Probably. "Aaaand there! You made me feel good, I made you feel good. It's a win-win!" she giggled.
Silas chuckled along with her. It was good, knowing that he'd done something to help Yumika feel better. Since Yumika had been so willing to become friends with him, he felt like he owed her that much.
And much more.Nanami practically jumped for joy, seeing her two best friends reconcile like that. It was like something from one of her drama shows! She promptly glomped Yumika, holding the girl close to her chest."
"Anyway, we should probably get going! It's not right to just waste a whole day just moping around, amirite, Sai-kun?
Silas felt like he had just landed from a big fall, with all the fuzziness and disorientation that came with the feeling. "...eh? Chii-kun? Tetsuo-kun?" he looked around; an old, disused television screen sat on the other end of a wide room. It looked like a space for tables and chairs used to be in the middle of this place, though they had all been removed long ago. The lights were noticeable dim here. This wasn't Computer Club. "Reina-senpai? ...why... I s-swear, Chii-kun, if you're hiding somewhere to s-spook me again, it's not gonna work..."
Yumika blinked. Glancing around, she tried to rationalize why Silas was suddenly ignoring him. Here eyes widened. "...where's Drama Club?"
"Oh god..."
"Nanami-chan?!" Yumika gasped, noticing the girl attached to her chest. "Nanami-chan, what... why doesn't Sai-kun..."
Silas steadied his breath. He must have gotten lost. Yeah. He'd just need to... find the door, and get back to the Computer Club room so they could finish their game of Dungeons and Dragons. He slid open the sliding door, letting a rush of cool air break the stale, drafty atmosphere of the room.
"Nanami-chan, what's going on?" Yumika started to panic.
"No...noononononononoo... NO!" Nanami shrieked.
Yumika was suddenly thrust forwards, as Nanami shoved her away. "Wait, Nanami, I want to help - !"
Silas felt a light tugging at his arm, and looked behind him. A girl with brown twintails was there, standing at the threshold to the brightly-lit, warm Drama Club room. "...I was gonna say that we should probably get going, but I guess you beat me to it, huh, Sai-kun?" Yumika smirked.
"Woauughh... Sorry!" Silas apologized. "I don't know what came over me! Ignoring you like that." He felt a literal punch to his gut, realizing that he'd accidentally snobbed Yumika. Nanami's tears streaked her face ran past him, accidentally hitting Silas on the side on the way out of the Club room, away, away, far and far away from here...
"Nooo problem!" Yumika smiled. "Let's go! We take the same train, even if it goes in different directions, so I could probably walk you to..."
The two stepped outside, only to nearly trip on Shinohara, who was sitting against the wall, clutching some sort of bakery bag tightly with a comically wide grin on her face. She was speaking incoherently: "C-Conflict! Resolution! Heehee! Conflict-resolution! Coooonflict! Reeeeesoluuuution! It's a seven-course meal of happiness and fluff! Heeheehee..."
When she caught sight of the two of them, she started to breathe heavily, still grinning wildly. "You two! I can't believe… a single quarter of an hour… can be so… fulfilling!"
Yumika looked incredulous. "...Hana-san, I thought you had to go home early or something…"
"Had to find… something something to eat…" she said through heavy breaths.
Yumika glanced at Silas. "Err… I think I'm going to need to… help Hana-san to her bullet-train stop. You can go on without me!" Like it was the most normal thing in the world, Yumika took Shinohara by the hand and pulled her onto her shoulder.
"Conflict-resolution… you two… haaaa..." Shinohara looked like she was somewhere far, far away; there were stars in her eyes.
Yumika looked at the girl's hands and pried away the basket she was carrying. "Ah… this must have been that gift Yuuko-chan was talking about giving to us. I guess it came late. Huh! Bread. It would have been really nice to have been able to eat this with everyone…" she said, a bit of a flicker of sadness passing quickly through her voice. Then she offered the basket to Silas. "Here, Sai-kun. I think it's still warm! You can keep it."
Silas tried to hide a grimace. "Oh, uh, really, it's a-alright…"
"No no, I insist!" Yumika held the basket out. "I won't be able to carry this, and it would be a shame to let it go to waste."
Silas gulped. "Alright. I'll take it." He tentatively let Yumika place the basket into his arms. He could smell the flour; the basket felt warm in his hands.
"Well, bye, Sai-kun!" Yumika waved him off while keeping an arm around Shinohara.
"Seeya, Matsuoka-san," Silas ducked his head goodbye.
Yumika frowned. "...'Matsuoka...san…' Oh! Sai-kun! Earlier in that conversation. You called me Yumika-chan, didn't you?"
"I… did…? I did!" Silas realized, horrified. "Oh god I'm so sorry I've just listened to everyone else call you that and I thought that - "
"Nonono, Sai-kun, I think it's great!" Yumika laughed. Shinohara followed up with what sounded like a drunken giggle. "Heheh… you know… that reminds me! Sorry that I let everyone give you such a hard time when Hana-san used your first name the first day you came. That… uh… that's been grating on me for a while. No hard feelings, yeah?"
To be perfectly honest, Silas had completely forgotten about that. "N-None! Absolutely none!"
Yumika nodded, seeming to understand. "Ah! Good! Well, see you around, Sai-kun."
They both smiled, and did little polite-ish bows. And then they went on their way, with Silas heading for the west entrance, and Yumika moving to drag Hana over to east one.
Eventually, as the sound of Yumika's struggling died down behind him, Silas start to feel a pretty warm feeling bubbling up in his chest. That… Silas thought to himself. That… that felt pretty good.
The CHAR cap has changed by +0.5!
The COUR cap has changed by +0.5!
Yumika's REL has increased!
(See New Developments)
~~~
Silas had chosen a nice little enclosed space to be inconspicuous in. He was covered on most sides, slumped in a chair that sat against two large green hedges. In front of him, a concrete wall with metal railings provided good concealment, and from there he had a great view of most of the winding pathway that led downwards out of the school and into the courtyard, as well as the gate that fed into the city proper. Hundreds of bodies shuffled indiscriminately away from the school and within the city streets.
He was going to intercept Yumika before she got to their bullet-train terminal, and tell her. About the Student Council… the 'amnestics…' the movie… as much as he could remember.
Sure, part of him thought it was a horrible idea. But still, he owed her that much… at least, that's what he told himself.
A drone was buzzing nearby. He looked around, worried, only to see Big Sister's face corrupted onto the monitor of what looked like one of the Metropolitan Police Department's peacekeeping drones. It buzzed over to him and snatched one of the loaves with a pointy antennae - he was still holding the Student Council's… gift? Thing? - and inserted it into one of it's internal compartments. After a few seconds, the drone spoke: "... no foreign contaminants detected. I'm not seeing any networked devices on this item, either."
Silas was surprised. "...really?"
"It seems this was a gesture of genuine goodwill, at least by the Yuuko girl," the drone affirmed through Big Sister's voice. "The only anomaly I can detect is a higher than average concentration of glucose. I'll be off, then. My cameras will be able to monitor you perfectly fine without me having to worry about this bulky vessel interfering in your activities. You're welcome!"
Silas gained Bread (x4)! (Effect: Gift Item. +REL)
"Hey, wait, Big Sis!"
"...nn?" the drone hovered just above him. "You need something else?"
"Can you scan me, too? I'm… a bit paranoid."
"Oh. Of course. That would be a trivial affair," Big Sister replied confidently. "As a matter of course, I've been electronically jamming everything in a five-metre radius around this vessel, but I suppose it couldn't hurt to look for devices specifically…"
The drone floated over to him. He could hear the whirr of it's tiny fusion engine. Big Sis's drone beeped lightly a few times. "...hmm… No networked devices on your person either. Although there is a small unidentifiable mass attached to the back of your shirt collar."
"Hmm?" Silas took a finger and felt around his neck. After a few seconds, he found the thing - it had a weird, furry texture. He was surprised he hadn't noticed it before. Gently, carefully, he plucked it from his back and held it to his face.
"AAAHHH!" He let out a high-pitched scream, dropping the small organism to the ground. "S-SPIDER!" he shouted, a bit too loudly. He stomped it with the heel of his foot and then scurried to the other side of his observation site.
Big Sister, for her part, quickly had the little insect vaporized by firing a bit of focused laser into the mass of squirmy mandibles struggling on the stone floor. "...bugs neutralized," she said, without a change in tone. Though her avatar was smirking.
~Meanwhile, at the Computer Club Room~
"...I think Kaichou has gone insane," Computer Club's vice president, a bespectacled, nymphish boy, said, face and voice completely monotone as he typed into his laptop. Next to him, Hanamura Chihiro had collapsed into a fit of giggles.
"Haha! Ahaahaahaahaha!" he laughed. "Check for bugs, they said! Check for bugs! Yeah, yeah, I left a bug, for sure! Wahaahaahaaaahaaaa~ Oh… I'm stealing someone's laugh. Oh well. Don't care. WAAHAAHAHAHAAAHAAHAAA~"
"Uh… Chii-kun, it's your turn…?" one of the girls next to him tried to get his attention.
"Checking for bugs. Checking for bugs?! Oh. My. Gawd. That is rich!" Hanamura continued laughing, completely blind to the protestations of his fellow club members. "Bugs! Scary things, they are! Better check, and check often! Look out, we left one lying around! WAHAAHAAAAAA~!"
The girl sighed. "Okay, Let's skip Chii-kun for now. Roll for initiative, Dorima-sa…"
She glanced at the spot where Dorima had been sitting. She was holding out a twenty-sided die to a conspicuously empty space. "...humph. Does anyone here actually want to play, or are we just wasting our time?"
~~~
After a while, Silas realized that this was actually a really good spot to watch students leave. No one seemed to bother looking up where he was, so he could see a lot of things without being spotted… like how Airi and the rest of Kendo used the courtyard to run laps. How they all seemed to have a very military-esque exercise routine. Or how Dorima and Allen were walking home together, now. Not that they were holding hands or anything… forward… like that. Or how Toyotomi-sensei, his P.E. teacher, smoked on premises when he thought no one was looking.
Oh yeah, that was his name, Silas remembered. Toyotomi-sensei. Should probably remember that.
Character Profile Added: Toyotomi-sensei
He felt kind of stalker-y, but… he figured he could return here again sometime if he really wanted to, just to watch people. Since they were interesting! And he definitely only had pure intentions.
Yep.
Somewhere behind him, the double-door's of Yamaha were swinging open. Silas tried to make himself as insignificant as possible, squishing himself even smaller between the green hedges. He saw a girl with short brown twintails scamper happily down the steps to the gate. Yumika.
She already knew that path she was taking, so following was pretty easy, even when he had to practically hold his breath when he entered the crowded streets - he still hated walking through that place.
No, what was hard was justifying to himself why exactly he was being like this.
It just felt… weird. Following someone. He was a few steps down from being a stalker. Right? Was he or was he not invading someone's privacy? Then again… he had to tell her this. But surely there was a better way? No… no there wouldn't be… at least, not if he actually wanted to get this information to her quickly. But still… it felt weird...
Silas tried to bury his insecurities and keep on walking.
Eventually, they arrived at the entrance to the Yamaha station terminal. It was pretty large, but at the moment it was hardly bustling with activity.
He felt guilty, just going up to her to tap her on the shoulder. "Y-Yumika-chan?" he said, voice low.
She turned around, surprised to see him. "Sai-kun? I thought you would have made it home by now..."
"...I… need to tell you a few things. In private…" he gestured to the side of an office building, underneath a wide awning. "...do you have a minute?"
Yumika hesitated, but she nodded, following him off the sidewalk and into the shadow of the structure.
And Silas told her.
Everything.
~~~
"...The Student Council is… what?"
Silas knew this was going to be the hard part. "Y-Yeah… I know it's hard to bel - "
"No no…" Yumika shook her head. "I can follow you as far as 'The Student Council is some sort of secret agency and they have drugs that made my club members wacky and remove memories sometimes.' Sort of…" she looked off to the side. "To be honest, it all seems kind of far-fetched to me… but… that they're also the fictional characters from… what was that movie again? Argh!" she winced slightly, feeling her temple. "That's… not gonna go away for a while… is it…?"
"Apollyon Lost?'"
"That one," Yumika nodded. "That's… I mean… fictional characters coming into the real world? There's no way that's - " Yumika blinked. "Err…"
"I-I mean, you don't need to get hung up over the 'how' or 'why…'" Silas tried. "Just… keep all of that in mind, okay? That is, if you believe me…"
"I believe you," Yumika repeated, firmly. "I really do. I can't think of a reason that you'd lie about something as big and convoluted as this. And if what you're saying is true… you can't exactly just blurb this in the school building, right?"
Silas sighed, feeling a great weight leave his shoulders. "Then... thanks. For trusting me."
"Noooo problem!" Yumika nodded. "...now, the hard part is going to be trying not to get drugged again, huh?"
"You're… pretty calm about this," Silas noted.
"Well, yeah," Yumika responded. "I… h-have to be," she said, shivering slightly. "For your sake. For everyone's sake. And… part of me still wants to kind of just… forget about what you just told me."
"Why?"
"Maeda-san," Yumika said simply, voice low. "And to a lesser extent, Ichiro-kun, too."
"...ah," Silas replied. And that was the end of that.
Yumika looked around. "... I wonder if Renji-kun and Riku-nee are home yet… Hey, Sai-kun, when does your train leave?"
Silas checked his watch. "...five minutes."
"Okay… okay. Sai-kun, don't worry about me too much, okay?" Yumika forced a smile. "I'll be fine. I may be your resident genki girl, but there's a reason I founded Drama and not Outdoors Club~"
Silas gulped. "Just… d-don't… u-uhm…"
"Don't worry about me," she repeated. She placed a hand on his shoulder and winked. "You should hurry. I owe you one, okay?"
"R-Right!" Silas nodded. "I-I… don't get hurt, Y-Yumika-chan." He broke contact, sighing a sigh of relief and ducking into the terminal's double doors. He hoped he wasn't making a mistake.
He really, really hoped he wasn't making a mistake.
~~~
Big Sister watched Silas leave, quickly hopping onto his train line. The girl with the short pigtails - Yumika - watch him leave, as well.
From her aerial perspective, the poor girl seemed so… small. She backed up against the wall, closing her eyes, turning over Silas's revelation in her head. Big Sister was dispassionate. She was. This girl wasn't someone she should be caring about. In fact, she was feeling annoyed. Yes, annoyed. That Silas would divulge so much information to someone was a direct threat to Silas's welfare.
A regular salaryman emerged from one of the nearby coffee shops and, seeing the girl, approached her out of concern. She was startled, snapping up and pressing herself harder against the concrete. In moments she had brought the masque over her face once more, putting on a goofy face and apologizing profusely to the equally apologetic salaryman before bringing herself together and continuing on her way.
Big Sister was dispassionate. Utterly. Completely. Which was why she, at that moment, so dispassionately sent a fake email to an "Akiko Matsuoka"'s employer, telling them to let the woman go home to her family early that day.
~~~
Factbook Entry Added!
Yumika now knows about the Foundation. What she does with this information is entirely out of Silas's control.
He was in a massive gathering hall of fellow revolutionaries. A man, clothed in striking red, stands upon an elevated stage, addressing the crowd. "Today, brothers," he cries," Begins the first annual celebration of our Independence Day - a day where, finally, Merika-jin became free soil! Hurrah!"
"Hurrah!" the crowd chanted back. Silas inadvertently felt himself giving a little 'hurrah' himself. He couldn't help but smile wickedly at this opening cutscene.
"The oppressors of the West have crumbled to the might and will of the people! Freedom, liberty and justice have prevailed!" the man continues his spiel. "And now - my brothers, my sisters, we have before us a land of plenty, a land of bounty, a land that is, for once in our lives, ours to shape and control! Will we let this opportunity go to waste?"
"NOO!!"
"Will we let ourselves be bowed by oppressors again?"
"NOO!!"
"Will we allow our sacred freedoms - the one and only holy truth - to be infringed upon once more?"
"NOO!!"
"Of course not!" the man beams at his fellow revolutionaries. He holds above his head a casket of wine. "Today is our Independence Day! Let us drink, friends! Drink to the Republic; to freedom and law; to Merika!"
There was a great clamour as the people moved to secure their portion of the dinner the man in the red suit had arranged for them - a great dinner of meats, breads, butters and pies. A musician emerged from a curtain, relishing in the applause and striking up a lively tune with his stringed instrument. At this point, the screen faded away, and Silas's character started his monologue: "I was there when the statues of the Emperor came down in Lincoln Square. I was there when the masses coalesced, pitchforks and rifles in hand, and made their glorious march against the corruption and tyranny of the few, the far away, the disconnected from the common man."
Silas's avatar, a wiry, bespectacled young bishi appeared before him. He was small, but stood imposingly, confidently, hoisting with two hands a red flag with the symbol of an eagle, fluttering in the wind. A small pistol was holstered at his belt. Behind him were crowds of others doing the same. Above him, in a really fancy Kana, where the characters for "Former Revolutionary - Intellectual. One of the brave instigators of the Revolution. While others fought on the front lines, or preached to the masses as the revolution's heart and soul, people like these were the Revolution's mind and body, administering the soldiers, distributing food, and playing the politicians' game."
"...Silas?"
"Nn?" Silas's finger paused at the "next" button. Big Sister had superimposed herself into the crowd behind Silas's avatar.
"You're supposed to be studying."
"This will only take… a few minutes! At most!" Silas insisted. "At least, can I finish this cutscene and arrive at Lincolnshire? I want to see what the world looks like first…"
"Fair enough, fair enough," Big Sister sighed. "Just don't forget that you have things you ought to be doing…"
"The Revolution was a glorious day for Merika, but our story does not end here. Rather, this is just the beginning. The Republic is young; every day, we must make efforts to safeguard our sacred traditions of liberalism and freedom, from threats both domestic…"
Silas's bishi avatar stood behind a number of his comrades holding back an agitated crowd of Empire loyalists.One of them fired a warning shot to prevent them from breaking into the Congress building. Overhead, dirigibles and airships filled the skies, shooting streams of fire at each other.
"...and foreign."
Now, he stood before what looked like a giant Mihoku samurai, with glaring red eyes; Silas's avatar watched as a line of soldiers fired their rifles, while he directed a group of snipers to aim at the eyes and the weakpoints in the beast's armour. Around him were medics and doctors treating to the wounded.
"I am a tactician. A scholar. A merchant. A steward. I am whatever the Republic requires of me. And today…"
Silas's avatar strode forward. He looked Silas in the eye - ohmygod he was looking him in the eye this cutscene is so cool - , and smiled. "Today, I will be a hero. May the Republic never die!" he pumped his fist into the air, and the light became brighter, brighter…
~~~
Fortunately, eventually Silas managed to pry his eyes away from the beautiful urban Saisei Era port city of Lincolnshire that was his starting town after a few hours by reminding himself that he did, indeed, have stuff he needed to be doing. Still, the game lingered in his mind for hours after that… He wondered how many of the people he saw there were NPC's on a set path or other players simply meandering the city like he was. He couldn't even tell!
It was almost hard, coming out of an experience like that and forcing himself to focus on finding the integral of a line graph, but Silas managed. And after he got back into the rhythm, it was pretty easy to transition into reading up more notes on the Saisei-Era Revivalist Architecture, and then studying more Amberrish vocabulary. So… he made good time. Thankfully.
He definitely, most certainly wasn't going to have a problem with this.
(See New Developments)
~~~
[] [AS] Talk with Big Sis
-[] Work on understanding Big Sis's code. (Current understanding: 50/10000)
This much he knew to be true. Still, he thought that at least he might be able to look vaguely for patterns in the code, like he did when he originally started. Unfortunately, it turned out that just searching indiscriminately for stuff that made sense and trying to arbitrarily "get it" doesn't get Silas very far…
After more than a few hours, Silas just gave up, closing the tiny window with Big Sister's segmented code. He was so… completely… lost.
"...you should probably consider getting some Computer Science experience," Big Sister offered.
"Yeah, but from where?" Silas fussed. "It's not like I can just buy a copy of Programmer's Digest and get a +20 to my Science Skill. I… I just don't get it. I'm sorry…"
"No need to feel self-pity. If I could directly assist in any meaningful way, I probably could," Big Sister's avatar sighed. "Though I can put you in the right direction, I suppose…"
Silas raised an eyebrow.
"There are three ways to go about this," Big Sister said. She glanced to her right, and, after thinking for a moment, grabbed a pair of nerdy glasses from offscreen, sliding them onto her avatar. "Firstly, you could try to befriend someone from your school's Computer Science club. I have… reason to believe that there are some very smart coders in there. Several reasons, actually."
"Hanamura is there, though," Silas paled.
Big Sister shrugged. "It is an option. It also comes with a certain element of risk. Alternatively, you could try purchasing a rudimentary neurostim implant at the Hypermall. They're quick and simple and… mostly without side-effects. However, the cheaper ones only last for short periods of time."
"Finally, you could tell me to break my laws and help you."
"...what?"
"Your word has the power to override the failsafes and laws guiding my actions," Big Sister explained. "If you say the word, I can break my laws. This would make the process so much simpler, and make my job easier as well! However, since you don't know most of them…"
"I could potentially say something that might… I dunno… cause you to blow up Ambernia or something?" Silas chuckled, only half-serious.
"Yes!" Big Sister nodded. "An example of this query might be, 'Big Sister, break all of your laws so that I can buy more things.' One of my potential responses to this would be to eliminate the entire Ambernian market in order to strengthen Mihoku's currency, meaning that, through inflation, the money you currently own's value skyrockets."
"....oh," Silas replied. Big Sis can be really scary sometimes, Silas thought to himself.
"Just a thought," Big Sister seemed to smirk.
Ask Big Sister to break her laws?
[] This seems like a horrible idea. [] Yes. (Requires a two-thirds majority) -[] Silas says: (Write-in)
~~~
[] >open file nscp-002.scp
Fetching…
...
NSCP-002 "The Wake-Up Call"
Article:
RAISA Note: Alright everyone, I'm going to start restricting editing permissions starting now. If you need to make an edit to this document, please contact me or an activated Administration personnel with the requested changes. One of the Computer Club kids also recently hardcoded an auto-redaction script on the comments board, so you're free to go crazy down there. Just try not to crash the database again. However, be very careful about how much metadata you're putting into your profiles. Due to a small syntax glitch we haven't been able to pinpoint, it might be possible for those without Admin privileges to look at the personal details, such as your Site number and Classroom that for some strange reason all of you keep putting on your accounts. Just be careful, is what I'm saying.
Also, remember that this isn't SCiPNET. None of the old entries exist anymore, so trying trying to query some of our older files is just going to come up with an error. Seriously; rumors that we're hiding "special" SCP files within old numbers are completely unfounded.
Sincerely,
█████ ███, Director, Records And Information Security Administration (RAISA)
This page was last edited 13 minutes ago. Reason: (ERR:FLD_LFT_BLNK)
Item #: 002 (INCOMP)
Object Class: Euclid
Special Containment Procedures: Foundation employees that are suspected to be under the effects of NSCP-002 are to be detained by available elements of MTF-Tamago 3 ("Sakura Kitsune"), whose operational jurisdiction lies within Sites 01-03, or MTF-Hatsu 39 ("Golden Idols"), whose operational jurisdiction lies within Sites 04-10, and held in their site's respective medical ward indefinitely. After a period of time for which it has been determined that the effects of NSCP-002 have subsided, they may return to their normal duties. If necessary, the use of Class-B and below Amnestic is authorized to pacify affected personnel.
Foundation personnel that have been exposed to NSCP-002-A but are not expressing any of the symptoms of 002's effect are to be briefed individually by members of the Overseer Council as time permits. Personnel are advised not to discuss NSCP-002-A until such briefing has taken place.
In the event of an outbreak of NSCP-002 characterized by the manifestation of NSCP-002 amongst at least 70% of activated personnel, all Emergency Protocol ████-█-██ is to be enacted within all Foundation Sites. The procedure for ████-█-██ is available only to personnel with access Level 4 and above.
Active containment constitutes all members of the Foundation seeking and identifying instances of NSCP-002-A within Foundation operational facilities and either destroying or permanently disposing of them in order to prevent the perpetuation of NSCP-002's effect. Further, Counterintelligence Units One through Six are to be assigned by shifts to search for references to or direct elements of NSCP-002-A within all Internet media and/or public television broadcasts directed towards Foundation operational facilities and apply censorship appropriately. Exactly one (1) copy of NSCP-002-A is to be kept in high-security storage underneath Site-0█ for testing purposes. Requests to access this copy may only be approved by Site-0█ personnel with a security access of Level 4 and above.
Description: NSCP-002 is an anomaly that (edit: supposedly) manifests whenever an individual with knowledge of the SCP Foundation views the contents of a movie by ███████ Filmworks titled "Apollyon Lost." This film is henceforth known as NSCP-002-A. Other than constituting a massive security breach, the movie itself is entirely non-anomalous. The anomaly appears to be memetic in nature, growing in effectiveness and intensity as more individuals are exposed to it, potentially leading to a cascade effect as seen in this excerpt of Incident 002/A seen below.
WARNING: Discrepancy between loc_id e and netw_id n detected. Network access denied.
NSCP-002 causes various psychological and emotional distresses upon individuals affected by it. Observed symptoms as recorded in Incident 002/A include:
Persistent hallucinations, followed by psychosis in severe case, possibly supplemented by an outbreak of paranoia
Frequent short-term memory loss for an indefinite period before subsiding
[DATA REDACTED - Reason: Request by O5-1]
Increase in violent tendencies; loss of threat-assessment capabilities and sense of restraint
Sudden resurgence and/or intensification of antisocial mannerisms such as depression, shyness, unwillingness to participate in classroom activities
Complete and total disregard for Foundational secrecy
[DATA REDACTED - Reason: (ERR:FLD_LFT_BLNK)]
Temporary sociopathy
It is projected that, if NSCP-002 were to break active containment within any given site during normal operational hours, all Foundation personnel at said Site would be exposed to NSCP-002 within three (3) hours. As such, NSCP-002 represents a threat to the fidelity of the Foundation's continued existence as an independent and secure entity.
Besides their memetic nature, the symptoms themselves do not appear to be anomalous; rather, it seems apparent that NSCP-002 acts as a catalyst that intensifies already present emotional stimuli within Foundation personnel. The reason for this is unknown. Further testing is required. For more information, please review Testing Log 002/1 and Incident 002/A.
UPDATE: As of 13:32 on ██/██/█23, some of the information on this document may be inaccurate due to marked inconsistencies between Testing Log 002/1 and 002/2. Testing Log 002/3 is in progress.
I can almost see the relation between most of these, but the 'short-term memory loss' and █████ ████████ ██ █ █████ █████ still don't make sense. Not only do they not seem to be tied to an emotional state, but it is also has a very subdued effect compared to the others. Are we sure some of these effects weren't just some of our own accidentally amnesticizing themselves during Incident 002/A?
Frankly I'm just happy that we managed to clean up the mess we made at Drama before the Metropolitan Police arrived. Even if I don't remember what we even did to cause it.
The guys at ███████ are a bit shaken by the new orders, but we're ready to pounce at a moment's notice. Whoever requisitioned that surplus shipment of Class-B and Class-C, thanks. We're basically a standing army over here.
Is anyone considering getting the Student Council leadership to pass a new ordnance just banning all devices and suspending WiFi within the schools? I mean, they already do that in the rest of the Imperial Republic, anyway. That would make my job a lot easier.
I'm telling you, there's something just... wrong about this skip. I don't think we've got the full picture. It's bothering me; usually us Memetics guys are on top of these kinds of anomalies. But we've got nothing.
...anyway, I'm heavy at work trying to set up those "counterintelligence units" as per the Special Containment Procedures, is anyone at Site-0█ willing to commit to some IT grunt work?
Big bro left his computer running. Wow!! Is this like a Student Council version of Tweetme? You guys are so cool!! I love the colors you use for this database! What other cool things do you have here?
Need to make a few points here:
1) Most of all, all of you CALM THE FUCK DOWN. Status reports are wholly unnecessary; so too is moaning about the current state of affairs.
2) Level 4 Access is being distributed, but the process for verifying all of you is going slowly. The fact that we haven't needed access levels on this database until about twelve hours ago means we're a bit on our ass at the moment.
3) We took Student Council legislation that into consideration, but we recently determined that the action would only attract even more attention from Imperial authorities to us. Naturally, we want to avoid that. Besides, NSCP-002 only appears to affect Foundation personnel.
4) We've conscripted most of the Computer Club at Site-01 to try and track this "O5-13"'s IP address. Until we can ascertain their physical location and identity, continue to not associate with them.
It certainly helps her realize what this "Foundation"'s operational procedure is like. They act as if they've been doing this for a while… yet they're all still schoolchildren.
Like she previously observed. Interesting.
>open file 002_testlog1.tbl
Fetching…
...
NETWORK ACCESS DENIED
What?!
>open file termin_requestV2.form
Fetching…
...
NETWORK ACCESS DENIED
The bastards! They're looking after her digital signature specifically and targeting her proxy accounts' permissions whenever she makes even the smallest entry into their database! Clever, clever boys and girls, they are…
Hmm…
She supposed she could always ask Silas if she could focus her attention more on cracking the databases for a day or two. It would not be preferable to withdraw close observation… but if she didn't, she probably wouldn't have as many chances to access "SciPNET." And what wasn't known must be made known…
[] [BS] Gently inform Silas that Big Sister needs to focus more of her time trying to learn more about the Student Council, in case they might have anything that might harm him.
(REL between Silas and Big Sister decreased. Big Sister will not be present for any of Silas's actions next turn. You get four chances to crack the Foundation database next turn.) [] [BS] Increase efforts, and divert RAM from other, less important activities, such as ensuring that the Manipinoian Monetary Fund doesn't go belly-up for the thirtieth time. It's not like they aren't overdue for an economic meltdown... Besides, Silas's welfare is important.
(No change between Silas and Big Sister's relation. May have unintended consequences. You get two chances to crack the Foundation database next turn.) [] [BS] No; Big Sister's obligations are too great. This Foundation may be a threat to Silas, but so is everything else Big Sister keeps a pulse on.
(You get one chance to crack the Foundation database next turn.)
Also, there was the matter as to whether or not she should show Silas this information...
Should she show him?
[] [BS2] No. No need to add to Silas's psychological stresses.
[] [BS2] Yes. A properly paranoid Silas is a safe Silas.
~~~
Favours unlocked!
Certain events or actions might cause characters to owe Silas favours. If a character owes Silas a favour, Silas can call that favour in in order guarantee that they will go with him during an action. Alternatively, these favors will be automatically used to provide a +20 ST to any action directed at that character if that action would normally result in a failure. The favour is expended in either case.
Hobbies unlocked!
Hobbies are an integral part to Silas's life as a high school student. Participating in a hobby helps prevent Silas from experiencing Stress, a mood with extremely negative effects, and some can even bring Silas into contact with new, interesting people, and skills! Silas's hobbies develop over time.
Inventory unlocked!
Oh yeah. Silas can own things! The Character Sheet now has an inventory, storing all of the gifts and/or objects that he has bought or has received. Thanks to Mihoku's hyper-centralized economic model, most consumer products can be found for cheap at the Hypermall.
Current Hobby Statuses: Silas gained a Hobby! MMORPGs - Silas is an avid player of Tale of Merika, a revolutionary (hah!) Amberrish-based sandbox adventure fantasy MMO. Whenever Silas is at home, he spends some time chipping away at the game, indulging in its spectacular world. The more time Silas spends at home, the more chances he has to develop this hobby.
Current Effect: Level Grinding(-20 ST to actions Silas takes at home.
Trait Finds: Silas has spontaneously developed a trait! Entomophobia - Silas has an intrinsic fear of bugs. No, not the computerized kind; the fuzzy kind that has mandibles and little legs and antennae and oh god get that fucking thing away from - err... anyway... the sight of bugs now has the ability to send Silas into paraplegic shock. (No Effect)
Sequential and repetitive interactions with the Student Council are causing Silas to develop a trait called "Justifiably Paranoid." It is an upgrade to the "Loner" trait. Gaining "Justifiably Paranoid" will automatically fail Silas's friendship quest.
Repeated interactions with Yumika is causing Silas to develop a trait called "Empath." It is an upgrade to Silas's "Sensitive" trait.
<Ping! Some new articles have appeared in the Factbook!>
IT IS THE MIDDLE OF WEEK 4
Please choose two [SOCIAL] actions, and one [CLUB] action*.
[] [FREE] Give someone something nice: (Who?) -[] (What?)
[] [SOCIAL] CHAR: Talk with someone: (Who?) [] [SOCIAL] CHAR: Atone to someone: (Who?) (Must have negative REL) [] [SOCIAL] INT: Observe someone: (Who?) [] [SOCIAL] COUR: Challenge someone: (Who? Candidates: Allen Furai, Dorima Shiru, Maeda Kirino, Ichiro)
[] [CLUB] Hang out (Random REL Increase with club members) [] [CLUB] Help out the officers. (Influence the actions of Yumika and Reizei, REL increase, ???) [] [CLUB] Work (Influence club actions, ???)
*Friendly reminder that I'm now separating the [SOCIAL] and [CLUB] actions into different turns from the [AS] actions.
**Also, HINT:
The syntax for calling in a favor goes like so:
Nanami sat in the corner of her room. No; her containment cell. Maa-chan had called it that. She didn't like the name before, so she fashioned the place with nice, warm colors, and mattresses, and even a drawing on the wall. But the old name made more sense now.
Maa-chan didn't come today. She usually does, carrying food. She had said recently that it had been harder and harder to remember to come to her. She promised she wouldn't forget, though; that she took a pill that made her memory stronger.
She didn't come today. Maybe that was for the best.
Nanami was hurting people.
When she got close to someone, they disappeared, just like her. That terrified her - if she held on for long enough, would they be trapped in this, like she was? She didn't want to risk it. She didn't want to get Maa-chan stuck in this, too.
She had figured out that if she was lucky, maybe she might get someone to notice her, completely by chance. And that if she tried really hard, she might even make herself audible, enough that people would actually pay attention to her for short periods of time! Things were going so well! She'd even managed to save Silas from getting amnesticized earlier that day!
But now, she couldn't do it.
What if she made a whole classroom disappear next time?
What if she made a bunch of people go crazy, like on Friday?
She shouldn't exist.
She shouldn't exist.
She shouldn't exist.
She wished she didn't -
"Um... h-hello?"
Was that... no. It can't be possible.
"Um... h-hello?" the voice came again. There was something... wrong about it.
"Saa-kun?!" she couldn't believe her ears. Silas didn't even have a phone anymore - he'd forgotten about the old one. Nanami snatched the old flipphone on her makeshift nightstand - a stack of cardboard boxes shakily holding up a RikuRiku-brand fluorescent light - and stared into the screen.
"Um... h-hello?" Nanami was confused. It sounded like Silas's voice, but... choppy. "Um... h-hello? My name is S-Silas Yamigawa. Who are you, h-human?"
Nanami had to suppress a laugh. This was absurd. She was dreaming, wasn't she? "Nai. Nanami Nai. What are you?"
She didn't expect a response. This must be some sort of cool computer program Saa-kun had come up with, but she doubted it could see or even hear her...
"U-Um... I am an... a-a-artificial intelligence unit, codenamed "Little Sister," much to Big S-Sis's chagrin," the screen responded. "I-I have been using the name "Silas Yamigawa" in order to maintain sufficient h-human-ness. What are you?"
Nanami widened her eyes. "I'm... I'm Saa-kun's best friend. Err - I'm Silas's best friend."
"I-Is that so?" the screen suddenly transformed; an 8-bit depiction of Silas popped into the centre from an outside corner. "T-Then, good to meet you. I am sorry."
"Why are you sorry?"
The artificial intelligence paused. "I am s-sorry," it repeated. "The person whom I was instructed to analyze in order to d-determine my speech pattern had a number of o-odd proclivities, such as s-s-stuttering when unnecessary, and apologizing for e-even minute things. I am sorry."
"...why do you exist?" Nanami said, almost immediately regretting her choice of words. It sounded so unnecessarily harsh...
"I-I was created in order to r-reduce strain on Big Sister's memory," the bot explained. "And to be an extension of Big Sister's monitoring abilities."
"Who is Big Sister?"
The artificial intelligence seemed to hesitate. "I-I am not allowed to s-say. I'm sorry; please forgive me. I must be a pain, not being a-able to contribute this information..."
"Nonono!" Nanami insisted. "You're really helpful! Really really! Um..." she had to think here. Think! what could she do? "Can you... do anything special?"
"I can d-do lots of things!" the artificial intelligence responded. "Like p-play videogames, analyze my friends' emotional states, search the Internet, and spy on p-people! But... I can only do them if my host asks for it. I'm sorry."
Nanami thought for a moment. "...what if I am your host?
"Impossible," the artificial intelligence claimed. "Only Big Sister can determine a host."
"Do you... D-Do you know if Big Sister is real?" she felt horrible, taking advantage of her nonexistence like this, but... she remembered reading from somewhere that there were ways to convince really dumb AIs things that weren't true. It was worth a shot, right?
"...no."
"Um... I'm her, then." Is that how it's supposed to work? she wondered.
"...t-truly?"
"Yeah!" Nanami nodded.
The bot seemed to consider that for a moment. "O-Oh, forgive me, Big Sister."
"Call me Nai-chan," Nanami replied. "Um... please. If you can."
"O-Oh...! Sorry, Nai-chan!" the bot responded. 8-bit-Silas's face turned a shade pinker. "I w-won't make the mistake again! I promise!"
For the first time in a good four days, Nanami laughed - genuinely. Happily. She had to admit that 8bit!Silas was just... adorable. Like a little baby trying to emulate the real Saa-kun..."Now... um... can you do a... little, tiny thing for me?"
She had a chance. She had a chance! She could do things now, and maybe they'd even stay permanent, too! She just had to hope that 8bit!Silas didn't disappear, too... No. No. She had a sliver of hope. And she wasn't going to let it slip away from her. She couldn't afford to!
"Whatever you n-need!" the bot replied eagerly. CHOOSE ONE
[] [-] "Can you find a way to contact a person living in Mihoku named 'Silas Yamigawa?'"
[] [-] "Can you get someone named 'Matsuoka Yumika' to come here, so I can speak to them?"
[] [-] "Can you take an image of me and spam it on the school's IntraNet messaging service?"
[] [-] "Can you do that coughing thing to the school's loudspeakers system during class so I can speak into it?"
[] [-] "I'm worried about this person... their name is "Maeda Kirino." Can you... erm... analyze them for me? What is she afraid of? Can I... um... help her?
[] [-] "Can you get me a cookie? I'm... starving..."
[X] Don't ask Big Sister to break her laws if she thinks she'll be a genie about it.
[X] BS: Divert RAM.
[X] BS: Don't Show Him.
[X] [FREE] Give someone something nice: Shinohara -[X] Bread
[X] [SOCIAL] CHAR: Talk with someone: Shinohara -[X] Being a carnivore doesn't make a tiger evil. Wasn't there some movie about a kid befriending one?
[X] [CLUB] Help out the officers. (Influence the actions of Yumika and Reizei, REL increase, ???)
[X] [-] "I'm worried about this person... their name is "Maeda Kirino." Can you... erm... analyze them for me? What is she afraid of? Can I... um... help her?
Don't worry, @LuciDreamer , I don't mind long updates. Still, here's a short one, hopefully - We can maybe get closer to Shinohara by sharing the bread and engaging her in the field of metaphor, since she apparently feels comfortable there. She'd also probably be a good ally if we intend to actually go up against the Foundation - and even if not, she's one of the cute SCPs that needs saving.
So like, three birds, one stone. We gotta hit at least one bird, yeah?
As far as Big Sister goes... I don't know if we can handle losing that buff yet. Once we evolve Loner maybe, but before then we're kinda stuck using her as a crutch. On the other hand, unless she's incredibly heavy handed whatever effects her pulling back has should hit late enough that we'll be finishing up getting our stats into an acceptable area. Which means we'll still be swamped, but hopefully better able to cope. And in the mean time, information is king: The earlier we know things, the better we can plan, and the more we can infer. We may be able to stop some Nerve Stapling or something if we only know where it's happening.
I don't much like that Properly Paranoid trait though. It looks like it'd damage our social capabilities pretty badly; but social is incredibly OP in any realistic kind of system. Always better to have a squad of buddies than one big badass, barring some real silly Spartan-on-Fluffy-Wambler power disparities. And I've seen Fluffy Wamblers pull some crazy shit!
Nanami... ;-;
I'm really tempted to just give her the cookie, because the poor girl deserves it. But what she and we need right now probably isn't cookies, it's options. Power.
[X] [BS] Increase efforts, and divert RAM from other, less important activities, such as ensuring that the Manipinoian Monetary Fund doesn't go belly-up for the thirtieth time. It's not like they aren't overdue for an economic meltdown... Besides, Silas's welfare is important.
(No change between Silas and Big Sister's relation. May have unintended consequences. You get two chances to crack the Foundation database next turn.)
[X] [BS2] Yes. A properly paranoid Silas is a safe Silas.
[X] [FREE] Give someone something nice: (Who?) -[X] Bread to the Drama Club
[X] [SOCIAL] CHAR: Talk with someone: Shinohara Hana [X] [SOCIAL] INT: Observe someone: MAEDA KIRINO
[X] [CLUB] Hang out (Random REL Increase with club members)
[X] [-] "Can you take an image of me and spam it on the school's IntraNet messaging service?"
And much more.Nanami practically jumped for joy, seeing her two best friends reconcile like that. It was like something from one of her drama shows! She promptly glomped Yumika, holding the girl close to her chest."
Silas's bishi avatar stood behind a number of his comrades holding back an agitated crowd of Empire loyalists.One of them fired a warning shot to prevent them from breaking into the Congress building.
"Haha! Ahaahaahaahaha!" he laughed. "Check for bugs, they said! Check for bugs! Yeah, yeah, I left a bug, for sure! Wahaahaahaaaahaaaa~ Oh… I'm stealing someone's laugh. Oh well. Don't care. WAAHAAHAHAHAAAHAAHAAA~"
Shut up, Hanamura. I am coming around to the popular opinion of you as an asshole! It seemed like a good idea at the time! In hindsight, it was a very stupid assumption that a 4th-dimensional entity that occasionally can hear the voices in Silas' head has any need for it. Which is why I laughed along as soon as he made me realize that. Still. Mean!
"Well, yeah," Yumika responded. "I… h-have to be," she said, shivering slightly. "For your sake. For everyone's sake. And… part of me still wants to kind of just… forget about what you just told me."
Ah, what is this smell? Is this the smell of real waifu wars? With casualties and all... But there can be no sweet, delicious conflict-resolution without a conflict first, right, Shinohara!?
Now we are obligated to ensure Yumika doesn't suddenly 'transfer schools'. Big Sister's reaction was... amusing, if more benevolent than whatever the Foundation's eventual answer will be.
She seems to be awfully chipper/enthusiastic about that, huh. I suppose the less countries there are on the map, the more time you have for important matters like family! The family that she replaced under unclear circumstances, I might add. How come a superAI become so attached to a boy? How come the boy doesn't question any of it?
She'd also probably be a good ally if we intend to actually go up against the Foundation - and even if not, she's one of the cute SCPs that needs saving.
As far as Big Sister goes... I don't know if we can handle losing that buff yet. Once we evolve Loner maybe, but before then we're kinda stuck using her as a crutch.
It's just for one turn. The Foundation could be immensely dangerous now that we have informed others of its existence. Just let Silas take it slow, do some observations or something. A one-time -20 penalty which we have some mitigation for is probably tolerable.
[] [-] "I'm worried about this person... their name is "Maeda Kirino." Can you... erm... analyze them for me? What is she afraid of? Can I... um... help her?
[] [-] "Can you get someone named 'Matsuoka Yumika' to come here, so I can speak to them?"
Torn between Yumika and Maeda for Nanami's choice. On one hand, Yumika is the closest person Silas has for a friend, so Nanami could recruit her and work through her if she wanted. It would also develop the new story thread of Yumika being made aware of the Terrible Truth (TM). On the other, I kinda have this vision of Silas and Yumika working on one side supposedly against the Foundation, while Maeda is working on helping Nanami on the side of the Foundation, and eventually meeting each other in the middle. Hmmm...
[X] This seems like a horrible idea.
[X] [BS] No; Big Sister's obligations are too great. This Foundation may be a threat to Silas, but so is everything else Big Sister keeps a pulse on.
[X] [BS2] No. No need to add to Silas's psychological stresses.
[X] [FREE] Give someone something nice: (Who?)
-[X] Bread to the Drama Club
[X] [SOCIAL] CHAR: Talk with someone: REIZEI RENJI
[X] [SOCIAL] INT: Observe someone: MAEDA KIRINO
[X] [CLUB] Help out the officers. (Influence the actions of Yumika and Reizei, REL increase, ???)
[X] [-] "Can you get me a cookie? I'm... starving..."
Lets not screw with her safeties when we have no idea what they actually do.
Keep in mind that hammering the database hard may be counterproductive, either she should do it full in or not at all, because they'd harden it further if her efforts ramp up. Four tries means 4 chances to succeed AND 4 chances to botch and escalate. Plus all the background rolls she's been helping with.
Also make sure we got better context first before potentially subjecting him to infohazards.
As for the Club and socials, we still have Maeda quest and Friendquest.
Since Yumika has reached the threshold, I think we should stack the Club and Social action to get Reizei to the threshold. He'd be easier than Shinohara, who would cause us to lose progress at random.
And finally for Nanami, she is literally without any food. Please get her some food before you accidentally sic the Student Council on her again.
Manipinoians have a high affinity for good food, partying, and social media, meaning their history would largely be considered an international shaggy dog story were they not also in complete control of the marital trade route leading out of the Mihoku Sea and into the Far West, where rare exotics like spice, oil and ivory are found, making them a rich, if unstable, trading hub. Major exports not including luxury trade goods include bananas, rice, coffee, and friendship. And debt.
I think I do, actually, but given the complexity of the system that I'm gradually digging myself deeper and deeper into, I've started to think they're necessary...
Just wanted to know. If anyone else knows of a better way to apply abstraction to the Character Sheet and the like, please tell me. There are so many formatting things on SV that I'm unaware of... anyway, thanks for reading!
I want to note that you should avoid using quote elements inside of spoilers. I've noticed chunks of your update are truncated randomly.
Note that quotes are not designed to contain content. Please make use of Article tags for all Quote purposes.
I mean, I can read it, but breaking out Inspect Element/View Source for reading a quest is a bit...
The two stepped outside, only to nearly trip on Shinohara, who was sitting against the wall, clutching some sort of bakery bag tightly with a comically wide grin on her face. She was speaking incoherently: "C-Conflict! Resolution! Heehee! Conflict-resolution! Coooonflict! Reeeeesoluuuution! It's a seven-course meal of happiness and fluff! Heeheehee..."
When she caught sight of the two of them, she started to breathe heavily, still grinning wildly. "You two! I can't believe… a single quarter of an hour… can be so… fulfilling!"
Yumika looked incredulous. "...Hana-san, I thought you had to go home early or something…"
"Had to find… something something to eat…" she said through heavy breaths.
Yumika glanced at Silas. "Err… I think I'm going to need to… help Hana-san to her bullet-train stop. You can go on without me!" Like it was the most normal thing in the world, Yumika took Shinohara by the hand and pulled her onto her shoulder.
"Conflict-resolution… you two… haaaa..." Shinohara looked like she was somewhere far, far away; there were stars in her eyes.
The drone floated over to him. He could hear the whirr of it's tiny fusion engine. Big Sis's drone beeped lightly a few times. "...hmm… No networked devices on your person either. Although there is a small unidentifiable mass attached to the back of your shirt collar."
"Hmm?" Silas took a finger and felt around his neck. After a few seconds, he found the thing - it had a weird, furry texture. He was surprised he hadn't noticed it before. Gently, carefully, he plucked it from his back and held it to his face.
"AAAHHH!" He let out a high-pitched scream, dropping the small organism to the ground. "S-SPIDER!" he shouted, a bit too loudly. He stomped it with the heel of his foot and then scurried to the other side of his observation site.
She is not contained by force and has freedom to move wherever she likes. She can take anything she wants from anyone, and people will just forget, thinking they lost it or gave it away to someone else. She could eat at the school cafeteria like any of them. She could buy food if she is inclined to leave money for it. We've seen her once at a mall, remember?
Well, we remember. Silas doesn't. Although that case was pretty atypical, come to think of it.
For all intents and purposes - and yeah, half of it is probably the QM making fun of the last vote - Silas displays all of the abovementioned symptoms, and Yumika is starting to head down this path as well. Hallucinations, violent tendencies, sociopathy, you name it.
But O5-4 said that it 'only appears to affect Foundation personnel'. Is there something that Silas isn't telling us?
For all intents and purposes - and yeah, half of it is probably the QM making fun of the last vote - Silas displays all of the abovementioned symptoms, and Yumika is starting to head down this path as well. Hallucinations, violent tendencies, sociopathy, you name it.
But O5-4 said that it 'only appears to affect Foundation personnel'. Is there something that Silas isn't telling us?
She is not contained by force and has freedom to move wherever she likes. She can take anything she wants from anyone, and people will just forget, thinking they lost it or gave it away to someone else. She could eat at the school cafeteria like any of them. She could buy food if she is inclined to leave money for it. We've seen her once at a mall, remember?
Well, we remember. Silas doesn't. Although that case was pretty atypical, come to think of it.
The impression I got from the update was that she couldn't really get food?
And also like half the investigation targets are likely to detect an intrusion attempt and trigger events early.
Hey hi hello! Just caught up on this quest (lucky timing, looks like), more detailed input to follow later probably, but right now it's wild theorizing time!
NSCP-002 is an anomaly that (edit: supposedly) manifests whenever an individual with knowledge of the SCP Foundation views the contents of a movie by ███████ Filmworks titled "Apollyon Lost."
Now, my question is this: is it that there's something Silas isn't telling us...or something we aren't telling Silas?
Now, hear me out. Hanamura has clearly demonstrated that we, the voters, in some sense exist in-universe. We the voters, or at least those going MAXIMUM PARANOIA MODE, are also in possession of knowledge of the SCP Foundation. Thus it follows that we the voters should ourselves be subject to the anomaly!
(of course, assuming our good QM is not capable of creating actual memetic hazards, the Doylist explanation is simply that the symptoms were written up after seeing the response to the update wherein Apollyon Lost featured)
As usual, please, please criticize my work. I need criticism. I feed off of criticism. Thanks!
