un: blackhat | text

[equivo]

Before we all head into the labyrinth, I figure we should have a level playing field for making calls about risk.

If you die here, apparently you don't stay dead. You're down for two days or so, then you resurrect wherever your body happens to be. So it's probably a nice gesture, if you see a corpse in the maze, to drag them somewhere not totally inconvenient to wake up.

The temporarily dead also come back fully healed of injuries, but the penalty is some kind of personal loss. Think scars, tattoos, a digit, possibly more intangible qualities, etc. I have no idea what the rules are on that, so if anyone has any useful speculation, consider the floor open.

In fact, if anyone is familiar with this kind of thing back in your universes, you're invited to share with the class. The more we know about resurrection in general, maybe the more we can figure out about how it works here. Bonus marks if you have first hand experience.

Comments

[equivo]

I think I prefer dragons when they're fictional.

[ Not that he's speaking from personal experience, or anything. ]

If the first person who made it to the end put a mark by the exit, then you'd at least have a headcount. Assuming there's only one exit, and assuming you could get everyone to do it, so actually, no. That'll be a problem.

Place me at 'smart enough to do what the AI who controls everything says'. Even if you set basic decency aside, if she says we don't make it out alone, we don't. That means you don't want to be the guy nobody likes or trusts. Not trying to sound callous, just saying: even an asshole should want to play the game right.

[counterstep]

what's fiction for you could be real in another universe, especially here
I wouldn't discount the possibility so readily, if you want to be prepared

yeah it would be nice if people were actually reliable as a whole, wouldn't it

yeah I get you
and they should as it's the best strategy to save your own skin in all this anyway
especially because the nice helper lady likes leaving out details while pretending she's only trying to help us

[equivo]

I was talking to a guy trying to call his dad in literal hell the other day. I'm kind of past ruling things out, at this point. Just hoping I get lucky on this one, I guess.

Oh, you've noticed that too? Not suspicious at all.

Wonder what the twist will be this time.

[counterstep]

( what. )

what

well
I guess it takes all kinds to save a world

yeah definitely not suspicious or weird at all how she always shuts down conversation when you ask something she doesn't want to answer too

honestly, with it being a labyrinth 'filled with challenges', I dunno if it's even gonna need much of a twist
this kind of stuff is so popular in books and movies that the twist basically writes itself into the whole scenario

[equivo]

Weirdest part was he doesn't seem like that bad of a guy.

If we're being fair to her, that's probably not a choice. Someone else programmed her. So that's whoever is being evasive.

Do you think that's where they're getting their inspiration? I guess it'd make sense. How else do you learn about humans if not looking at their stuff?

[counterstep]

may I ask who this person is?

if she's being exactly what she was programmed to be, I'd still say it's fair to be critical of her for it
her functioning exactly as she's meant to mislead and manipulate, and we can't assume that everyone's going to be able to see through that when she persists in asserting authority

yeah, feels like it
though I dunno if only humans are the ones that get stuck here either
I'm sure there are some universe that are only aliens
in their case
just the name of whatever they call themselves cause they wouldn't be aliens to themselves

[equivo]

[ Krouse weighs the value of discretion. It wasn't like Fabian wasn't telling everyone and their dog about it, so: ]

Fabian Aramais Seacaster.

I'm more critical of her as a program than a person, is what I'm getting at. But you're right. It's not a distinction most people will get, let alone care about. Why should they?

True enough. We're a diverse crowd. But whoever we are, I get the sense we're not like whoever put us here.

[counterstep]

hell of a name, that

yeah, I understand
I don't entirely disagree, but considering she's still effectively acting as propaganda, I think the moral weight still ties directly with her existence as a whole

we're lucky if Echo is really some sort of AI
but who really knows
it's the multiverse
anything can happen, apparently

[equivo]

Hell of a guy.

[ That's funny. ]

Fair enough.

Has Aurora even said Echo is an AI? All I've seen is 'Echo is Echo'. Could be they're something beyond our comprehension. Some cosmic entity from beyond the stars. Or just a very private individual.

[counterstep]

( ...yeah, that's kind of funny. )

she hasn't, but the regular implication that Echo is an entity that is wise beyond any of our cumulative years is persistent with everything she says about him

[equivo]

Yeah. It is.

But if you were running a battle royale for the fates of people's universes, you'd probably want them to think that, wouldn't you?

[counterstep]

can it really be a battle royale if the key they keep trying to impress is teamwork?

[equivo]

So far.

But I take your point. I just don't exactly have a movie reference that fits this scenario.

[counterstep]

movie reference?

( that was a movie reference??? /old )

[equivo]

Battle Royale? Horror movie about teenage delinquents fighting to the death?

It's not exactly mainstream. I guess not everyone's heard of it.

[ It's taking all his teenage self-restraint not to be a little bit of a dick about this. Not like he can assume every universe even has the same movies, to be fair. ]

[counterstep]

dunno if that exists in my world

( it does. )

I'm not exactly a resource of modern culture where I'm from either though
at least not in terms of pop culture

[equivo]

More of a classics kind of guy?

[ Krouse thinks he can respect that. ]

Most pop culture is a waste of time anyway. You're not exactly missing out.

[counterstep]

I'm glad you said it cause I was definitely thinking it

( people get so defensive about pop culture mattering, too. it's weird, when the next new fad is always bound to come along in another couple weeks. )

let's just say I'm much more familiar with black and whites, but I have tried my hand at familiarizing myself with what younger people consume to better navigate online conversations and understand modern norms

( he trawls reddit, in other words. )

[equivo]

[ Did Echo pick up somebody's grandpa? For some reason, that seems perverse.

A very spry grandpa, though, if he's so gung ho about monster slaying. ]

You've clearly picked things up. I wouldn't have guessed you were of an earlier generation until you told me.

[ He's not just a grandpa. He's a cool grandpa. ]

[counterstep]

( it takes all kinds, no? )

thanks
helps that I've always learned quick

well and the fact most of my work revolves around recon probably helps also

[equivo]

[ Recon? Krouse briefly and absurdly pictures an old man in a cardigan painting his face with camouflage and dipping into the bushes. ]

So the prospect of going into the labyrinth probably doesn't faze you for a second.

If I see you in there, I might grill you for tips. I'm Krouse, by the way.