synopsychic | (no subject)

So, about that color scheme.

Thing one, it's been a while since I did a lightcycle pitch, so: Anyone want a shiny light-up bikebaton to call their own before we looks-like head back to the Grid? First three takers, I still wanna eat and sleep this Liminal. If it is the Grid there'll probably be plenty of the things around, and if not, you have a cool fold-up bike.

Thing two, if anyone wants some Grid 101 I'll do my best, but since I think the only more Arcanapalooza jaunt we've had was whatever the hell they were all doing in Questing Country... it's a bit of a trip. Also my overlay managed to miss most of the action, so I'd be up for other people filling the gaps.

Thing three... by process of elimination Mei's almost certainly up this round, and I'd at least like to know what the crap's going on. In the quite likely event I end up not myself, could someone do me a solid and de-infiltrate me? [She knows this is hard to arrange beforehand, but she'd rather try - then it's at least out there that she wants the thing done.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh, you think we're heading to the Grid? I seem to recall that was supposedly almost as much of a mess as our most recent trip to Questing Country.

At least four of 'em put in some kind of appearance that I know of. I wouldn't be surprised if that number actually skews higher.

It did seem to be a place for some external-to-the-game shenanigans. Who was the fourth besides Magician, Lovers, and Hermit?

Devil did the actual-physical-presence half of what Lovers turned up to talk about, as I understand it.

Ah yes, they were almost as connected as Emperor and Empress, weren't they? I suppose that's one reason people were upset when one of them was un-eliminated.

So, as a magical witch who knows nothing about computers and scares most of the people who know about them, what can I expect from the Grid if I'm myself? If it was the internet I'd ask Thorne, but my understanding is that we're talking about what's inside an actual computer-box.

It is inside an actual computer-box, but 'programs manifesting as humanoid entities' isn't exactly standard function, for all the medieval crew that was here for it last time are completely convinced otherwise. [She's kinda given up on that fight. They're all as stubborn as they are brilliant.]

If you're investigating, you show up with no place in the order of operations and no apparent vocation, which is really weird to the locals.

Medieval crew that aren't demon summoners. I'm perfectly familiar with the idea of a concept or object having a human-like form without being a human, myself.

[Demons, programs, same idea. Just call them all daemons or something.]

So everyone - that is, everything inside the system, which we will consider as people - is part of a hierarchy if they originate within the system?

You also weren't here for it last time. Trying to get, say, Alcuin to budge on the issue is like pulling teeth.

...At this point, I think we're looking at 'yes and no.' Miners and Defenders - those are the two main factions that're everywhere - are very much part of the hierarchy. Cryptos, that being the group Hermit specifically made when he went there in the first place, are in the hierarchy but treat it more like guidelines than actual rules.

Naoto's overlay managed to make a faction with no Priority at all, last time, and I can't see it not having grown in our absence. I also don't think Automata have Priority, but they're essentially viruses and I don't know if their faction-Purpose is still 'fuck the Cryptos' or what.

Alcuin is the second most stubborn man I ever met. He's also a part-angel semi-married to a vampire, so you'd think he'd be used to things not fitting his mental paradigm. Then again, I had the advantage of living to the 1980s, so I at least know what a personal computer is.

This is quite a complicated society. I assume normal computers aren't like this, regardless of whether their components are anthropomorphized?

Pretty sure I would've noticed tiny people in any of my setups over the years.

I more meant that whatever makes Thorne's laptop run isn't sapient, factionalized, and full of complicated political quandaries, but I suppose they would have to be some form of "people" for that to happen anyway.

Pretty much. No, Grid stuff is not standard issue.

Hey, I know some computer architecture! My dad's a programmer. He taught me programming. [She has three dots in computers!]

... that said, Claudia's the real expert. You should probably learn from her.

I didn't mean to impugn your abilities, of course. I know both of you are responsible for computers even existing here. But an individual computer and a network or internet seem to be two different things, and I assumed the latter was your specialty.

Honestly, it was Claudia and Jules who set up the intranet. I was busy being a deposed goddess at the time.