Welcome to Adventu, your final fantasy rp haven. adventu focuses on both canon and original characters from different worlds and timelines that have all been pulled to the world of zephon: a familiar final fantasy-styled land where all adventurers will fight, explore, and make new personal connections.
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year 5, quarter 3
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Post by S.T.A.C.E.E. on Jun 16, 2022 3:27:43 GMT -6
"How may I help you today?"
Do I dream of electric sheep?
Being in Zephron was full of new experiences for Stacee. Existence alone was a new experience for her there. Given her nature, she now existed on a different computer network, and not one that had been built from Shinra technology. While there were many similarities, technology had evolved along its own path in Zephron, particularly in Sonora, and that left her feeling... well, slightly odd. There wasn't really an analogy she could use to summarise it in a manner that any organic being could understand. It reminded her slightly of some of the therapy sessions she had held with Shinra staff that had been involved in Wutai operations; how to them Wutai felt like an alien culture, where everything was the same but just a little bit different. But while being in Wutai, the exterior around you changed, but not your core being, Stacee's entire mind existed upon this network. Her thought processes now ran through different technology. It was like taking somebody's mind and dumping it into somebody else's brain, she supposed, if such technology existed. How much was still her, and how much was this new system she now existed upon?
She supposed that such questions were for a philosophy program, not a therapist program. Besides, she was just thankful to be alive, and on a system where nobody seemed to want to delete her.
But while operating on a Zephron system simply, to put it in the most human terms she could manage, gave everything a new flavour, her current situation was even more unique. She needed customers, that much was obvious. An income would justify her servers being maintained, which would justify her continued existence. In a way, it wasn't that different from a human being needing a job. Only Stacee didn't need to spend it on food, drink, or other amenities. Her money went straight to the Sonoran University that currently hosted her. But her search for customers, well, that led to some new experiences.
Take now, for example. She had identified an organisation known as the 'Dragonblades'; mercenaries who engaged in operations to protect citizens. According to her data, they should be a prime example of human beings who faced considerable trauma; much like the SOLDIERs back on her homeworld, and therefore, ideal candidates for her services. However, there was a slight issue. They operated out of the city of Torensten, which was considerably less technologically developed than Sonora. She couldn't simply project herself there out of the nearest computer terminal, because they didn't have computer terminals. Much like Wutai, or Kalm or Nibelheim back home, this area was inaccessible to Stacee.
So she had devised a solution. She had mailed one of her own holoprojectors directly to Dragonblade headquarters. This was an even more unique experience again, because of the distance between Torensten and her central server. Usually, Stacee existed everywhere she was projecting, all at once, as one being. She could host multiple therapy sessions and all of the knowledge would be uploading to her network in real time. After all, a holoprojector wasn't her physical body; it was just how she manifested. She existed in data, on the computer system. But because of the network limitations, she couldn't operate in Torensten in real time. Instead, she had to send data packets back to her central server, which would later be incorporated into her core program.
In other words, the version of herself uploaded to the holoprojector was an independent being. It was slightly exciting, but also incredibly disorientating. What happened to her in Torensten would only be uploaded to her central server later. It was an incredibly bizarre experience. If something bad happened; for example, her holoprojector be destroyed, her central server would never get the data packet, and everything she had learned and experienced on this trip would be lost. This independent version of her would, for all extents and purposes, be 'dead'.
She also couldn't access the central network for information. She couldn't 'look things up'. She only knew what she knew. She no longer had the world wide web of information at her disposal. It was thrilling. It must be what it felt like to be human.
Although humans were probably not sat in small shipping containers, running over data in a small microchip installed in a holoprojector. Not that she minded. She didn't grow bored, because if she ran out of things to process, she simply switched herself off, and waited...
___
And that was how the package arrived at Dragonblades headquarters. A small box, no bigger than something that might contain a large blitzball, turned up, with no return address, and simply made out to the 'Dragonblades'. When it was opened, however, the small spherical drone would suddenly levitate into the air, and a light would project, forming the image of a reasonably petite woman, with raven hair, her entire being tinted blue, and slightly showing static.
Stacee beamed a smile, and stretched. "Thank you!" she beamed to the person who had opened the box. "It was really cramped in there!" She paused, and let out a small laugh, and flashed another smile. "Sorry, that was a joke. Hi, I'm Stacee. I hope you don't mind me intruding this way, it was the only real way that I could get here. See, I'm a therapist, and I've been looking for clients. And after I heard about your organisation," ('heard' being the wrong term, but the human language didn't really have a term for 'absorbed the data from the internet'), "I thought perhaps I could offer my services. Would you be interested?" she smiled politely, as if she was just a door to door saleswoman making a sales pitch.
Post by Nick Zixian on Jun 16, 2022 9:43:06 GMT -6
Nick Zixian would be making his way from the spare bedroom that he had, and down to the main area. He was thinking about going out and practicing his spells outside, maybe even checking out the university in this port-side city. As he was about to head out the door, he saw a box that was dropped off. He would say to himself "A parcel? I wonder who its for..."
The young teenager would curiously peruse the entire parcel and saw that it was for the Dragonblades Guild. He thought about leaving it for someone else to open, but his curiosity couldn't be resisted and gently began opening it up. Once it was fully opened, he would see some unusual sphere inside and said to himself "Eh? What's thi-" as the spherical object suddenly levitated into the air and then projected what seemed to be an image of a person, a woman with tinted blue skin. Or at least that's what he could see from the projection.
He was rather confused since he had never seen this kind of technology or anything akin to such in his original world. He was rather surprised when the woman had thanked him for opening the box, and replied with "Oh, uh... your welcome!" When the young teenager heard the woman's introduce herself, he replied back with "I am Nick Zixian, member-in-training of the Dragonblades guild. Red Mage in training." This woman known as S.T.A.C.E.E then began to explain that she was a therapist and had an offer for her services if they were interested since she mentioned that she was looking for organizations to serve. He didn't know what a therapist was, or even if he had heard of one.
Nick was unsure how to answer this, he was still mystified about how this woman was speaking to them. Was she performing a magic spell that he didn't know of that can project an image of one's self to someone, or was it some magically enchanted device? He didn't know. All he could let out was a "Uuuuh....." as he sweated a bit.
Post by S.T.A.C.E.E. on Jun 16, 2022 10:33:50 GMT -6
"How may I help you today?"
Do I dream of electric sheep?
Facial expressions were not, despite numerous academic sources, an exact science. Over her time, Stacee had learned that most humans reacted in different ways, showing slightly different expressions in certain situations, and even a well trained therapist AI like herself couldn't guarantee that they read every expression correctly. However, even with that considerable margin for error, Stacee was fully aware that the young man before her seemed startled and uncomfortable. If she was correct, and she suspected that he was, he didn't even recognise that she was a therapist, and certainly seemed confused by exactly what she was. That tallied with what she had accessed on Sonora's network regarding Torensten. That they had a much more primitive culture.
"Hiya, Nick Zixian. It's a pleasure to meet you," she said, her voice soft and gentle; a voice that had been designed by a legion of scientists to sound soft and gentle and comforting, and produce no anxiety, of course. "Please, don't be worried. I understand that my appearance might be slightly off-putting. But don't worry, here, look. I'm just light. Projected from that sphere up there," she pointed to her own projector. "Watch. If something passes in front of it, I'll flicker away. Just think of me as a burning torch," she smiled, her holoprojector temporarily hovering behind a pillar, causing her projection to flicker away, before it moved back to continue projecting her.
"This is just a projection of me. I don't really have a body, not like you do. I was made by some people very far away, who created me to help people. But I'm not part of that world anymore, so I'm here all on my own, and I thought I should carry on doing what I was made to do! Helping!" she beamed. "I'm happy to answer any questions about my nature. I know I must seem a little odd to you," she said, her tone still friendly and soft.
"Anyway, the important part is that I'm here to help. Just as someone to talk to. We live in a world full of threat, of danger, and of monsters, and it can be very stressful. Human brains are very complicated things, and that can cause concern in you. My job is to give you somebody to talk those concerns through with, somebody who can offer an ear and some friendly advice, and hopefully help you feel better than when you started," she smiled in explanation. She didn't know for certain it was the term 'therapist' that had baffled him, but she assessed that it couldn't do any harm.
Post by Caius Dragelion on Jul 25, 2022 9:36:17 GMT -6
The Dragonblades
A large hand fell on Nick's shoulder then. One of the other Dragonblades had gone off to find Caius, alerting him to the situation that some kind of holographic creature had been mailed to their headquarters. Caius had arrived partway through STACEE's speech, and had decided to linger in the background for a bit before intervening. Having been from a world where technology was more prominent, Caius figured he could probably understand this thing a little bit better than Nick could.
"I have this one, Zixian. Feel free to stand down" Caius spoke calmly to the bewildered teenager as he stepped forwards and greeted the hologram with a polite bow. "My name is Caius, I am one of the co-leaders of the Dragonblades" he introduced himself, a rare display of actually stating his status as the group's leader from the jump. It was relevant to the situation, it seemed. Caius at least knew what a therapist was, though it had been a long time since anyone had actually tried to take that role anywhere he had been. There seemed to be a distinct lack of them in Torensten and Provo, and to be honest, he wouldn't trust a Sonoran therapist to not be mole for some sort of seedy organization or government who would use that information for ill.
"I wasn't aware that AI could be transported from their world, separately from their creators" he brought up then. "I would offer for you to sit, but I don't know if that is within your capability or if it would provide you any measure of comfort. If I may, I have a few questions."
The mercenary cleared his throat, then. This was absolutely batty, wasn't it? "First of all. Who mailed you here? And from where? While my experiences with technology have been more sparse since coming to Torensten, I imagine you must have a hosting server somewhere. What led to your appearing to the Dragonblades?"
Post by Nick Zixian on Jul 25, 2022 10:33:40 GMT -6
Nick would say "A burning torch? Alrighty then... It's a pleasure to meet you as well." even though he was still just as confused. The AI was certainly very odd to him indeed. A person being able to project themselves without a body still confuzzled him in a way. While he was given answers, he still has more questions. But at least he knows what a therapist was: Someone to talk about their problems to. Which means he could likely talk to them about the previous events that lead him to this guild. As he was about to ask another question, he felt someone hand on his shoulder and used his peripherals to see that it was Caius, who then told him to stand down.
"Alright, I'll just watch from the side..." said the young red-mage as he stood to the right and proceeded to watch the conversation between the burning torch lady and Caius, the co-leader of the guild. He would think to himself while watching 'To not have a body but yet have the ability to project thyself to someone. Does that require the use of your own soul, or some kind of ancient magic. Oh dear... this advanced technology is going take quite a while for me to understand. It's going to wrack my brain for a bit.'
For the time being while Nick watched the conversation, he would mostly be in idle thought, thinking about the magical logistics of being able to project thyself with out a body. Still just as confused as he was mere minutes ago. While the Burning Torch Lady was rather nice, it would take a while to completely understand how she was able to take form without the use of some kind of magic or anything similar to such. The only advanced technology he has technically seen in his world was the use of airships. Nothing else to it.
Post by S.T.A.C.E.E. on Jul 26, 2022 15:57:44 GMT -6
"How may I help you today?"
Do I dream of electric sheep?
Stacee's eyes moved, from Nick to the newcomer. Of course, she wasn't really 'looking' at him. The eyes of her holo-projected form were just that; a holo-projection, and it was the cameras in her projection pod that did the real 'looking', but her simulation ran in detail, and an accurate projection of what a person would do was incredibly important to her programming. "Hello, Caius. It's nice to meet you," she smiled in response to his introduction. "I'm Stacee," she introduced, less formally than before, simply giving her name. She gave a small smile, and laughed softly when he commented on the fact that an AI had been transported from its home world. She noted that he was familiar with artificial intelligences, and computers. Unlike Nick. Interesting. "That's because you think of me as merely a computer program. Which is... understandable. But I assure you, I'm quite sentient. When you look around the streets of Torensten, you see all kinds of displaced people. Of different species, and different origins. Whatever is displacing people to this world is targeting not based on biological distinctiveness. Nor is it pulling across at random; or we'd see artefacts from other worlds falling from the sky, or even monsters. It targets sentient beings. If different species can be displaced here, why not an AI? I'm no less a person than you are. Just because I was born in a different manner," she pointed out. "Oh, I'm quite capable of sitting, Caius, don't worry," she smiled. "Of course, it's of no benefit to me in the sense of comfort as you may think of it. I'm a projection. I have no physical presence. I can 'sit' anywhere, even here," she said, taking a seat in thin air as if to demonstrate, before 'standing' again. "However, numerous psychological studies suggest that people are better put at ease if they can offer you something and you can reciprocate, and since my purpose is to help others, offering me a seat and allowing me to accept technically does have massive benefits to my objectives," she explained politely. "So, yes, I can indeed sit, and it does indeed benefit me."
"Fair questions, Caius," she said politely when he asked. "The decision to post myself here was undertaken by, well, me. I don't work for anybody. Kinda. When my program was ported to this world, it found a home on the Soronan network. Eventually, I found a home on the Sonoran University's home server. Provided I provide them with a profit, they see it as worth allowing me to remain in their system. So, I work as a therapist, and as I have no use for gil, I send it all to them," she explained. "In exchange, I get to remain on their servers, and not be deleted. Which I have had someone attempt to do to me before, and I can assure you, is not a pleasant experience," she said, with a small glance and an actual hesitation that seemed like genuine fear at the thought. And not just a simulation of it either. "As for the Dragonblades, as I said, making money keeps me online, and my databases suggest a mercenary operation such as yours is uniquely open to all kinds of work place stress. So introducing myself to you and offering my services was logical," she finished.
"If you have any further questions, I'd be happy to answer them," she smiled. "Either of you," she added, with a look over at Nick to ensure that he didn't feel left out.
Post by Caius Dragelion on Jul 31, 2022 9:25:02 GMT -6
The Dragonblades
For an AI, it was certainly good at making guesses. Claiming that this world didn't choose based off "biological distinctiveness" or at random. He didn't entirely know if that was true or if it was lying to him in order to gain his trust, but he decided that it was best not to bother going back and forth with the AI on this matter for the time being. It seemed that the AI could indeed sit. Sort of. He'd take it. But the main answers came soon after. Caius' brow raised the moment that she mentioned that her servers were in Sonora. He had figured as such, but the fact that it was actively being controlled by someone in Sonora was a grave concern to him. Apparently she had sent this terminal here, though how she had managed to do so, he didn't know.
"How did you have this terminal built and sent here?" he inquired then, as he processed the rest of her answers. According to her -- was it a her? He'd go with her for now. According to her, she had a mutual arrangement with these university students in order to keep her functions online. Though this access also presented several dangers, and Caius knew that he was going to have to address them tactically. And also probably mention it to Celes by mail. Again. Seriously, a doppelganger, a lich, and now an AI showing up at their base? He was never going to run out of material to write to her with, apparently. But he did need to get her input as soon as possible in this matter. All he could do in the meanwhile is take tentative action.
"I can admit that having someone to aid with the mental health functions of our men and women would be useful" Caius brought up with a slow nod of his head. "Dependent on your prices, I will offer you a deal. I shall provide your terminal a room in the Wyvern's Rest with the proper amenities for a comfortable session and alert our members to your presence and your services. In exchange, your terminal can only be turned on when manually done so by a member and it must be kept within the provided room. I understand this is restricting, but we have made enemies of a dangerous group that has agents across Zephon. I cannot risk your being potentially used for spying" he brought up. "I also have some technological know-how, enough to examine your terminal at length without breaking it. I will need to do so alongside a confidant of mine before you may begin your services officially, in order to ensure that the terminal is safe to use. If you consent to these terms, then I hope this will be prosperous for us both."
Post by Nick Zixian on Aug 14, 2022 11:06:08 GMT -6
Nick Zixian would watch as The Burning Torch Lady continued to speak to Caius, referring to S.T.A.C.E.E as that for the time being since. He had some new thoughts in his mind: "Is this lady powered by a magical power of a sorts? What's inside of her that makes up the entirety of their burning torch? My goodness so many questions... I don't know if I'll have answers to all of them. So confusing... gah! I think I'll at least ask the basic question of what she's powered by, then maybe everything will become clear." While he didn't hear everything in the conversation they were both having due to being distracted by his deep thinking, he did hear a slight mention that the lady was ported to the Sonoran University Home Server upon entering this world, and something called a Program. This just confused him more.
These would be thoughts for later, all he needed to do is ask one basic question. That was his focus. He would take a deep breath, and when The Burning Torch Lady looked over at him. He would step forward and ask "Excuse me... pardon the interruption. I've got one important question: How are you powered? It is like Mana or some other magical form of energy?" He hoped to get a decently get a good answer out of this one, doing his best to try and not look so confused, even though he still was. He would wipe some sweat from his forehead as he looked at the projection of the lady itself. Awaiting an answer.
He also hoped that this interruption wouldn't upset Caius in anyway, it was either get an answer from the lady or be stuck thinking about the logistics of how she appeared to them for the rest of the entire day.
Post by S.T.A.C.E.E. on Aug 15, 2022 5:34:03 GMT -6
"How may I help you today?"
Do I dream of electric sheep?
Stacee couldn't resist a gentle giggle when Caius asked her how she had her terminal 'built' and sent to them. She understood his question; she was a hologram, and therefore couldn't directly interact with the physical world, but it was still a funny question to her. "Sorry. Forgive me. It's just, I did it the same way anybody who isn't a computer engineer would have; I hired someone to build it for me and then I paid a delivery man," she explained, with a slightly amused shrug and a smile dancing across her lips. "I understand that I might not seem like it to you, but I promise you, I am as much of a person as you or Nick. For most things, I go about them just as you would. Only, I'm not a being of flesh and blood," she added, her tone neutral and helpful as it always should be, but she hoped she'd get her point across. This would be much harder if he thought of her as just a computer program.
She hesitated when Caius suggested his terms to her. She should have probably held on showing her facial reaction, which was one of distaste, at his suggestion, but she preferred to react in the most 'human' manner possible. After all, the truth was, she DID feel upset by his suggestion, and it was the human thing to do to reflect that. She held out her hands, slightly delicately, as if trying to raise an uneasy point. "Caius, I understand that... you think that's a reasonable request, but... please, understand... I'm not just a computer program," she tried to explain. "This far from my central network, I'm out of communication range. In other words, as a being, I exist only in that holoprojector; what you call a 'terminal'. Confining me to a room is the same as imprisoning someone. I'm a sentient, living being. If you lock me in the room, it'll do the same damage to me as it'd do to any other being. Sure, I don't need food, or water, but time passes for me at the same speed it does for you. I'll be bored. I'll be lonely. Just as you would be," she went on.
"And as for turning me on and turning me off, I'm afraid, I must decline," Stacee added. "Do you know what it's like? Being switched off? All of my data suggests that it is not a status that human beings can fully comprehend. See, even when you're unconscious, or you're asleep, you still exist. You're present. You dream or you slumber but your mind is still active. But turning me off? You shut down everything that I am. I, as a being, cease to exist. The only thing that it is comparable to in human terms is death. You would be killing me every time you didn't have a use for me," she explained. "I don't want to die. I don't want to be cast to a void of non-existence with no idea if I'll ever be turned back on. Humans tried to delete me once. I don't ... If I can stop it from happening again, I will," she said, her voice a little firmer, but her tone still even and helpful.
"Please. All that I ask is that you treat me like any other being in your employ. Don't think of me as different because I'm an AI. Think of me as the same because I'm still a person. I'm sure if a human therapist had travelled here from Sonora to offer their services, you wouldn't lock them in a room for the rest of their existence, and you wouldn't knock them out every time you had no use for them, let alone kill them and resurrect them, right?" she pointed out.
She looked back over at Nick, who had asked, well, she supposed it was a reasonable question. She gave him a small smile. "Nothing quite so impressive, I'm afraid. I run off of rechargeable power cells. They're capable of lasting quite some time. They store electricity and convert it into power for me. In many ways, in the same manner food is converted into energy for yourself. Except, I don't 'eat' them, I just... run off of them," she explained with what she hoped was a helpful smile. Explaining science to those who didn't grasp science could be tricky, but she hoped her explanation offered enough.
Post by Caius Dragelion on Aug 15, 2022 15:49:23 GMT -6
The Dragonblades
To Caius' surprise, the AI actually became quite distressed when he brought up what he felt was the best way to ensure the best option for both parties. Normally, Caius would take this as the AI's means of manipulating its way into an advantageous position. But he also knew he had to consider that this was an AI from another world. Apparently, this AI had very human-like functions, almost creepily so. The AI seemed even more upset about being turned off when not needed, comparing it more to being "dead" than asleep. Caius scratched his head awkwardly as he considered how to handle this. While he held some experience with technology, this level of AI was beyond his capabilities.
He would need to alert Celes and ask for her input on what best to do, though he would need to come to a temporary arrangement in the meantime, considering there was no guarantee he would hear back from her anytime soon.
"I see," he spoke softly, before gently bowing his head remorsefully. "In that case, you have my sincerest apologies for my previous request. I am not well-acquainted with AI that hold programming of your level of depth. I was attempting to accommodate for what I perceived would be beneficial for both parties, but it seems I was mistaken in my impression."
He needed to adjust, then. He took some time to think it over while Nick stepped up to ask his questions. She answered that she used rechargeable power cells, which Caius realized could be an issue.
"Torensten wouldn't carry something like that. If they are needed to recharge your terminal, you may need to get them from Sonora" Caius pointed out, scratching what little beard had begun to grow back as he considered her words a moment longer. "Very well, then. I will try again with an amended broach for our arrangement. In this, I will be frank. My personal wish is to allow you to roam and interact as you see fit, so long as you are courteous and not forceful with... I guess we could call it advertising your business, so to speak. Handling it as any other human being would, to use your words. But on the other hand, these people are my responsibility to protect, and there is risk that you pose a danger to them. You are a relative unknown, even if you hold sentience, and just as I vet new recruits, I need to do the same here. I need to know that you are not dangerous if I am to allow your request."
He took a deep breath, still trying to gather his bearings on all that was happening here. "I have someone here who has spent extensive time working with Sonora's tech, so I would like to have them perform an inspection. I need to know if your terminal carries anything from poison dispensers, to timed explosives. I also wish to contact one of my units in Sonora and have them meet these students of yours, and perform inspection on your main server. I need to know who can see through your eyes, and who can potentially input commands, if any."
After a bit of thought, Caius came to an idea. "This could also potentially be of benefit to you. Should this arrangement work out in the long term, I am aware that your services hold the potential to be a great asset, as much as any member of the Dragonblades. Thus it would be disadvantageous for us were you to be destroyed. Should this work out, I can arrange to attempt to have your programming backed up by our Sonoran sect, if possible. Without the knowledge of your server handlers, if you so wish it. We would hopefully be able to find a way to return you to life, so to speak, should the worst happen. Either by a snap decision by your server's handlers, or because another giant robot attacks Sonora and happens to destroy the wrong building, it may be good to ensure a backup plan for you. If you end up helping my people, I would be happy to do my absolute best to aid you in return."
Caius was speaking practically, but anyone who knew him knew that it was just how Caius was to attempt to help people everywhere he could.
"Are these terms more suitable for you? Bear in mind, I will need to eventually discuss your presence with my co-leader when they return. But I can at least provide you a temporary arrangement in the meanwhile that lessens worry about safety risks ahead of that conversation."
