NPC POST: voice;

[afterlifer]

[ There's a period of silence of nearly a minute after this voice post begins, just a few tapping fingers on keys here and there before the voice speaks up. ]

I've- I've continued to think about it. You all wanted to stay, to fight, to keep on existing here. Then you disappear, so many of you. You keep saying you want to stay, but then you leave, and you keep fighting me and you keep withholding her.

[ He clears his throat, as though trying to get himself to the point. ]

That program made her, but you all accept her. You think you can use her against me? You don't think she could be dangerous because your enemy wants her gone. I see, I see. But she is. She is, and we warned you, but if this world falls apart it'll be too late. Can't wait for you to realize she's wrong.

Those glitches... they're mine, you know. The last couple. If they happen on accident, they can happen on purpose. You just have to-- [ He snaps his fingers. ] click-! The right place.

No more hiding now if there's nowhere to hide. If you all want the world to fall apart, then so shall it be.

{{ MOD NOTES: This marks the start of the Boogie Wonderland event! For details, check out the monthly events post. Either the Programmer or Fantoche may reply if your character comments this post. If you signed up to have your character meet the Programmer, you have two choices on how to go about it:

If you plan to make a post or log during the duration of the event, the Programmer will reply to that log or post. If you do not want to do that, simply reply with an "action" tag in reply to this post and it will be forward-dated to some point during the event. The characters who are going to meet the Programmer are Accelerator, Misaki Yata, Kohaku, Mami Tomoe, and Celica A. Mercury.

Thanks and have a nice day! }}

Comments

voice;

[losthersheep]

No one is using Ai-san! The only one who is dangerous here is whoever you are. If you're causing all the glitches here, then why would anyone want to side with you?!

[ Mami is upset, saying that they are using Ai. Mami had no such thoughts in her head, she was just trying to be friends with the girl, when all this happened. And so now they are helping each other, and she doesn't take kindly to someone saying she is using other people. ]

voice;

[afterlifer]

Side with.. Side with me?

[ There's a brief pause before he laughs quietly, his voice crescendoing after that. ]

Haha.. who cares if you side with me? I just want this resolved and I'm tired of playing nice!

voice;

[losthersheep]

[ Mami is noly more annoyed with his antic, her hands balling up. ]

So am I. You can't scare me.

voice;

[afterlifer]

I'm not trying to scare you, I'm trying to get what I need. What I need, what everyone needs but you're all too stuck on the process to get there to see it. We're all stuck, though. Stuck in different ways. Stuck,and now stuck and lost. I've just as much chance as you do of running into that AI, as does that program I wrote.

[ His voice goes a little less serious, a little more like he's on edge. He doesn't like leaving things up to chance, but he's got more of a chance now than he had with that safety net of theirs up. ] Nothing like a gambit to see who finds the finish line first!

audio

[onewayroad]

Hey fucker. Sorry, but no one died and put you in charge of this place. Now quit with that hell of a tantrum you're throwing! Dangerous? Do you know that you're the one using that word? Awful fucking hypocritical of you to do so.

audio;

[afterlifer]

That "self-learning" thing? It is dangerous if she gets the wrong idea. She's not human, the one thing she can't learn is heart. Without an administrative override.. hehehehe.. it'd be far worse than me!

The one in charge-- the one in charge is the one who takes charge.

[onewayroad]

There may be things she can't learn or understand. She's bound by the limitations of her programming. Left alone, an AI or anyone else with a programmed personality regardless of how much of them is organic is going to come across data they don't necessarily have the capacity to analyze and understand the same way as a normal human.

[He recalls the Misaka clones and how much difficulty those girls had in understanding a number of concepts, things that normal people learned over years of growing up. The overall Whole Will of the Misaka Network's influence on them, as well as the noticeable developments of Last Order and Misaka WORST had shown him that delayed as they were, they were capable of learning these things, they just didn't know how to properly express or understand what they felt.

Maybe the programmer's and his NPC's programming capabilities were the reason the NPCs can't learn.]

But that's exactly why she needs to be nowhere near the hands of an idiotic little pissant like you. If you think and act wildly with no regard for others when using machines, weapons, whatever, then you end up with a wild outcome. She's better off surrounded by people who can correct for her mistakes without getting trigger happy on a large scale.

[afterlifer]

Oh. Oh, Accelerator! I think you're mistaken. I want to delete her. That AI won't be surrounded by anyone, you don't have to worry about that.

[ The voice hesitates for a moment, as though he's trying to decide whether or not to let him in on a secret. Then he suddenly yells. ]

I'm telling you, I'm trying to protect all of you but you're all too stupid to let me! You want to stay here right?! But an AI who makes its own decisions, like that, what if she realizes the true purpose of this place!? To make all of us fit to be flushed. To have who we are ripped out and into a billion pieces and leave the people who matter behind, that little speck that's leftover going so far away..

[ He seems to trail off, actual pain in his voice for a moment before his voice gets stern again. ]

I won't leave this place and I won't have anything put this world in danger in a way that can't be fixed.

voice;

[violined]

[ That voice. He's only heard it once before and that's been quite some time ago, but there's no way he'd forget it. The amount of hatred Kohaku feels for this guy he's never met is almost irrationally high. ]

More than the world, you are the one who should fall apart first, asshole.

voice;

[afterlifer]

Sca-ary.

That program says you didn't enjoy your time as an NPC much, Kohaku. Should I write you a new one?

voice;

[violined]

There is nothing you could rewrite for me to make me feel good. My salvation or whatever is none of your fucking business!!

voice;

[afterlifer]

Perhaps I'll rewrite that little knack for trouble! The whole foolish club of yours, changing your purpose as you see fit.

All you have to do is hand over the AI and this ends. I could have sworn the lot of you swore not to interfere with the NPCs, but here you are keeping one hostage from me.

voice;

[happyends]

.. No way.. [ Madoka's voice is a little bit tiny, but how else is she supposed to react to a message like this out of the blue? Her worrying senses are going into overdrive here. ]

Why does it have to be like this..? A-- Ai-san has a right to exist along with the rest of us here, right?

text;

[afterlifer]

That was not the intended purpose of creating her. She has strayed from her purpose, and she continues to evolve. While the AI poses a potential threat right now, ultimately that will become a more immediate one, and at that point, it will be too late. I'm sure I've explained this fact to you all many times before.

[happyends]

But don't you think there is a reason all of us want to keep Ai-san around..

[ It's not just since it's convenient or anything and that she can do a lot for all of them - it's since Ai, all this time, has seemed just as much like a person to her as most regular people have. They can't just abandon her like that then, right? ]

She's our friend. Friends don't leave each other alone or hand the over to other people.

[afterlifer]

Do you believe this "friendship" is mutual?

action; 22/6

[violined]

[ When the Programmer had said the world would fall apart, Kohaku prepared for the worst.... but his worst hadn't actually been as bad as the reality they were then confronted with. The part of it that got on his nerves the worst was just how ridiculous it was.
It's one thing to find your way through a grimdark world where everything wants to kill you and another to find yourself completely beat by a series of occurrences that, on their own, would have been more funny than threatening.
But with them just not stopping, Kohaku's not been getting a lot of rest. He's also entirely out of weapons, safe for one last knife that he's not been throwing at random things out of fear to be unarmed.

When a giant soap bubble suddenly rises from the floor, closes him in and proceeds hovering a few inches over the floor with him in it... he doesn't even resist anymore. A bubble is not a shadow, it's not going to kill him now. Kohaku takes a deep breath and is almost tempted to close his eyes and just.. sleep. ]

voice;

[afterlifer]

[ Almost as if to interrupt any chance of Kohaku sleeping, a door opens and shuts with the kick of a heel. A boy with his hands in his pockets stands there, eyes falling on the boy in the bubble.

The Programmer was the only one who knew how to systematically work through the glitch, but catching the NPC was something that could only be done if they physically went to fetch her. Running into Kohaku, however, was an unfortunate coincidence. ]

You don't look like much to worry about now though.

[ There's a smile on his lips as he walks up to pop the bubble with his finger before Kohaku can react. ]

[violined]

[ He instantly recognizes the voice. How could he not? Which makes suddenly falling to the ground even more annoying, embarrassing and generally impractical. Figures that the second he tries to relax something even worse than before comes up.
And something even more incredible. His heart nearly stops at the pure realization that who they have been searching for for so long is right in front of him. And he's in literally no state to capture him like he should.

He swallows hard as he struggles to get back on his feet as fast as possible and get a good luck at who's in front of him. That's what he looks like.. he looks... normal. No surprise he had been hard to find among the NPCs, when the only thing setting him apart from them was the look he had in his eyes now. ]

Oh no, if I were you I'd start worrying now.

[ He has one whole knife left, okay?! Very intimidating compared to the normal dozen. ]

action;

[likeacrow]

[On one hand, Yata can't even say he's surprised when the ridiculous shit in the afterlife starts up again, but on the other, expecting it doesn't make it any less frustrating. When he wakes up that morning, he goes to brush his teeth only to find that his toothpaste tastes a lot more like strawberry jam (actually, it is strawberry jam), the skateboard he'd made via atomic restructuring had become weirdly rubbery and impossible to ride, and his socks have somehow become glued to his feet. It's really annoying, and the more Yata encounters things acting in ways they shouldn't, the more he's tempted to just sit the hell down and not move until it's all over.

Fortunately (or unfortunately), he hadn't resolved to do that sooner, so when he steps through the bathroom door after a bath, he ends up in one of the school hallways. As soon as Yata realizes where he is, he lets out a loud tch.]

I'm gettin' real tired of your shit, Afterlife.

[Yes, he's talking to the entire afterlife as if it's a person.

On the plus side, at least he's not indecent. He wouldn't even dream of leaving the bathroom without a shirt as long as he's living with a couple of girls.]

action;

[afterlifer]

Aren't we all?

[ The voice came from behind him in the hall. A boy with both of his hands in his pockets, looking somewhat bored with the whole thing. The glitch itself was his creation, so he's not complaining about it no matter how annoying it's gotten at times. But even without the glitch, well.. He's been tired of this for a lot longer. ]

Have you seen a girl with long brown hair around?

[ Might as well play it safe until he can tell if this boy will recognize his voice or not. ]

action;

[likeacrow]

[Yata turns right around when he hears the boy speak up. ...he's a little embarrassed, actually, because he thought he was by himself, but he brushes it off quickly enough.]

No, why?

[He doesn't recognize him right away, but his voice sounds— familiar.]

6/22

[onewayroad]

[Slumped against a wall in some room or another, Accelerator is frazzled and a bundle of nerves as he tries to stay alert. Tries to stay awake. It's been about a day and a half since he last slept, and even that wasn't for more than a couple hours. He's taken small half-naps here or there to try and lessen the mental burden, to minor effect at most. The half-empty canned beverage in his hand is labeled as some random something or other - he'd found a trick: vigorously shaking a canned beverage before opening it would make the contents turn into hot tea. Not his preference, but it's drinkable and tea has caffeine.

His gaze flicks from one side of the room to the other periodically. He takes a long sip from the can, slowly finishing it off and tossing the can aside. It rolls along the floor, running into a desk leg at which point the can grows six pairs of legs and starts crawling away like an insect. If Accelerator notices that, he doesn't appear to care.]

[afterlifer]

[ It may crawl away, but the litter bug certainly didn't get far. A metallic crunching sound caused the little faux-creature to stop dead in its tracks, crushed into the floor by a boy's foot. His hands in his pockets, he took a few steps forward with his eyes trained on Accelerator. He knew Accelerator would realize who he was within moments of hearing his voice, so he didn't say anything yet.

He needed to check this room and given who Accelerator was, there was a chance that the NPC wouldn't be far. Perhaps Accelerator was just done with everything enough that he wouldn't take heed of a poor wandering "NPC." ]

[onewayroad]

[On hearing the crush of aluminum, Accelerator blinks, narrows his eyes, and flicks his gaze in the direction of the sound. The litter bug of a can had crawled just outside his immediate field of vision, but the footsteps approach him and the lower half of someone's body becomes visible once he turns his head. His hand slowly reaches for his gun, but doesn't pull it out. Instead he lifts his head some, looking up.

It's clear that he's paying attention, but not nearly alert as he could be.]