WEEK FIVE

[al2955]

the pygmalion. . . ONLINE CAPTAIN'S LOG: WEEK (5)

monday - thursday (33) survivors It had been merely a week since the last trial, but you find yourself faced with a new week on The Pygmalion. When you awaken, you will find the handcuff around your wrist gone. The robot in the cafeteria has prepared another breakfast of various foods. (OOC: Please submit your murder proposals by 9 PM EST Tuesday.) taken list profiles private conversations setting rulebook murder proposals ENTER COMMAND_

Comments

[antietam]

Something like that, I'm afraid. [ A look of true sympathy like he hasn't looked through the entire book already. ]

They're called memes. Essentially, a funny image or song or video that's repeated to the point of being unfunny. The people in charge seem to be fascinated with them.

[tevinteriscoming]

I'm glad to know those in charge are so fond of jokes. It makes me feel much better about our current circumstances.

[Adam your looks of sympathy are so hard for him to endure. He's not an old man confused by tablets and memes, he's a young and brilliant man who happens to be from medieval times.]

[antietam]

[ No he understands the struggle, grandpa. He understands. ]

If you look near the back, there's a page that seems to explain things. I mean, partially. [ He'll reach over to flip through to it. ]

I'm curious about what you get from it.

[tevinteriscoming]

Oh, fascinating. [He's relieved to finally read something he can understand. Sad, but true.] So this is the purpose of the preoccupation with these little cartoons, then? Repetition, art imitating itself to create new art, or, er, new cheeseburger cats, when copied through the lens of divergent experiences?

But then, what, I wonder, is the reference to natural humans. As opposed to...perhaps whatever sort of being Alice is, yes? She's referred to herself before as an Artificial Intelligence meant to mimic humans, evolving to become more human.

[antietam]

Yeah, I think that's it exactly. She's essentially an artificial human as opposed to... us. [ He skims through one more time. ]

But would that suggest that she wrote this? Or that there are similar artificial beings who did?

[tevinteriscoming]

What's the point of writing down in a book information you already know? Books are for the edification of others. This isn't for Alice, and I can't imagine she wrote it for us, either.

But perhaps Alice is the fruits of the labor by someone who found this book interesting enough to include in a library. It does sound like a recipe for an experiment, does it not? Learning empathy through observing art, or literature. Or perhaps engineering and observing weekly exercises in temptation and pathos, each wrapped up in a pithy quote suggesting a source of inspiration?

Just a thought.

[antietam]

[ Adam nods along and sits down on the floor with his coffee like he's used to. ]

That's exactly what I was thinking. What buttons do they have to press in order to get humans to kill? [ Sips his coffee. ] Apparently, anything, given our track record. But I can't tell if the people who don't kill are winners or losers.

[tevinteriscoming]

Are there really winners and losers in an experiment? Get the bait or don't, either way, we're all vermin.

[antietam]

[ He's quiet for a few moments. ] You don't think there's any light at the end of the tunnel? No prize for making it out alive?

[ He wants to know if it's stupid to hope. ]

[tevinteriscoming]

[Well. Shit.]

Oh, don't mind me. I always assume things will turn out for the worst. But I don't think there's any prize making it through their obstacle course, no. That isn't to say we can't find a way to defeat them on our own terms.

[antietam]

Mostly, that's just called being realistic. [ And it's hard to see anything good coming from this. ]

I guess doing nothing every week is getting to me. We don't seem to have made any progress.

[tevinteriscoming]

No, we haven't. [Frustrated sigh. Not at Adam, though. His inability to do anything is beginning to get to him.] I can't imagine there will be much among the books we've been granted that will help us, either.

I keep hoping a solution will present itself, but as of yet, I've no grand strategy, I'm afraid.

[antietam]

Can't expect you to figure everything out. [ What a suck up. ]

I think we need to put all of our strengths together, but even then... The best chance is probably convincing the AI to help. I mean, it's still learning.

[tevinteriscoming]

The expectations do become quite burdensome, but I live to serve.

[Ah, yes. Poor, noble, long-suffering Dorian. You rest now, Dorian. You've earned this.

Adam knows the exact way to suck up to Dorian, though. Even if he's a little sarcastic about it, that goes over extremely well.]

You're not wrong. She can be reasoned with, in a way. She can even lie. Perhaps there's more to her.

[antietam]

I can't say I'm familiar with this sort of technology, though, so I wouldn't even know how to start. [ And he knows you aren't, Dorian, don't worry. ]

There are some people on the ship who know more, but it'd need a lot of cooperation.

[tevinteriscoming]

If we're to have cooperation, perhaps we'll need some heroic efforts to coordinate our efforts.

[antietam]

I'm not sure how heroic anyone here can be... [ They all seem pretty shitty. Except! ]

You and Bull seem pretty used to it, though.

[tevinteriscoming]

Bull and I do? [Laughing] I'm absolutely certain that's the first time anyone has said as much about me. Likely him, too.

It must be catching.

[antietam]

Places like this really bring out who people are on the inside, right? Unfortunately, I think for a lot of us that's a dog eat dog mentality.

[tevinteriscoming]

I don't know that anyone is any way on the inside, really. I've been surprised too many times to believe that. What's being done to us is meant to prey on our instincts for fear, or for self-preservation, or cynicism; I couldn't tell you that I've never in my life given into similar instincts, or taken actions that have not done me credit.

...But look at me, waxing philosophical when I only intended to pay you an apparently all too subtle compliment. Never allow me to talk about myself, I won't ever stop.

[antietam]

[ Compliment?? He thinks back and—oh. He gets flustered and looks down to his coffee mug. He's definitely never been called heroic, so that didn't register at all. ]

Oh, sorry. I just didn't—I mean, thank you. [ Ugh move on. ] I would like to hear more about you, though. Where you come from and your magic.

[tevinteriscoming]

I would be more than happy to tell you about either of those things. What would you like to know?