Backdated to 2 days into the second week of the month of the goat

[papacerberus]

As many of you already know, I retained the ability to discern the will of other creatures, and I have been employing that ability to gain knowledge of the Singer of the corrupted Song. It is a draining process, so I had to split it into two forays, and I reported the first a few days ago. I just finished the second one.

Just for the ease of listeners, this was what I discovered the first time: There were two wills, and one was dominating the other. The dominated will was bitter and anguished.

This time I focused my efforts more deeply on the dominated will. These are the results. The Singer has been...programed by that other will. There is room for disobedience to that programming, but the Singer shies away from contemplating it because of the painful consequences. The Singer also wills for an end, either for healing and freedom from the demands of the other will, or for death and the rest that brings, but does not strive towards those because the Singer believes both options to be impossible.

We can give the Singer hope for an end, and I believe we must. That anguish must be stopped, one way or another. Who is with me, and does anyone have ideas on how to undo programming of that kind?

Comments

[loyalrebel]

In simple terms, Convert changes the loyalty of the other being to a different one.

As I understand it, it is currently forcibly loyal to the Empress. I am going to attempt to give it a different loyalty, one that allows it the freedom to chose the course of it's own actions.

If it wishes to die or return to whatever depths it once called home, there will hopefully be no compulsions to prevent it from doing so. Whatever it does, it will do so on it's own terms if I am successful.

[thornsofmalkav]

Wait, you can use Convert to do that?

[SUDDENLY SHE'S FEELING BETTER ABOUT THE PLAN AGAIN.]

[loyalrebel]

I do not see a reason why it theoretically cannot.

Convert changed one's faction on The Grid and gave the receiver a new purpose.

If I give the Deepsinger loyalty to itself and the ability to do whatever it believes is best for itself I have faith that it will do so.

[thornsofmalkav]

Yeah, okay, that's the kind of Convert I can theoretically get behind.

[claudiometer]

And that would be why I said it's not a Completely Awful Plan, this once.

I still don't like it, but I can't blame you for wanting to start with something less drastic than 'fry the ocean.'

[loyalrebel]

No matter what I do, people will dislike my decision and that is their choice to have.

[claudiometer]

I won't stop you trying and I won't give you hell for it if it works.

[But hey, the mark of a good friendship is being able to tell the other person when you don't like their plan.]

[theflyingone]

From my limited experience with computers, I know they wish us to be very specific. [ Battling autocorrect was certainly a thing. ] Do you still have to indicate a loyalty? Can we not just erase the current one and allow it to carry on as before?

Even if we force it to be loyal to a concept such as freedom, or loyal to itself, it is still forced. This is why we did not go about in our own land telling people to give up their religions, though we believe them to be false. We have no idea what it was loyal to, if anything, before it became afflicted.

[loyalrebel]

If it is possible, I can try.

There are many contradictions in what we do and believe in. This is a situation where applying a force to negate one already being pushed is to the benefit of many. The creature will be free and no longer forced to terrorize innocent people, which will allow them the opportunity to rise up against the Empress who oppresses them.

[theflyingone]

Our usual way of doing things would be to kill the Empress. We never enslave another, even if it is to freedom.

When you Interface this creature, try to find a way to lure the Empress here, her weaknesses... Or all this will be for nothing when we leave. She will just enslave the creature again in the same way she did before.

[loyalrebel]

Yes, well. If you know where the Empress is and how to reach her without getting caught before we are dragged away by our hosts yet again then I support the attempt.

I suspect that the Empress would bring an army with her, and Crownbreaker is not equipped to deal with an army Altair. They will be given an opportunity to change that now, and if they take it then they do.

[theflyingone]

[ Sigh. He thought the Empress was a bit of a long shot, but that doesn't stop him wanting to fillet her. ]

This does not mean we enslave it because we are worried about whatever the Arcana impose on us. We do not enslave anyone. You will only Convert it if it is possible to lift the Empress's influence and allow it to return to itself of its own will. Otherwise, we kill it.

[ He usually phrases his thoughts to Malik as requests or suggestions, but he's decidedly firm here. ]

[loyalrebel]

I will do what is best when the time is at hand, it is all any of us can ever do.

If it is to die, it should be as quick and painless as possible. It has suffered enough in this world, it deserves that peace and mercy.

[theflyingone]

I will be there if I can.

[ If Malik had not had an argument with him about mind punching a few months earlier, Altaïr would have no misgivings. As it is, Altaïr still feels personally responsible for whatever might happen. Somehow, he feels that saying this is less of a promise of support and more of an omen. ]

Everyone here wishes for its death to be quick and painless... I still wish to kill the Empress; that would be the most effective solution. I fear that what the Arcana intend and what we wish do not align, but that is nothing new.