And no one is reporting on it.
Are you actually surprised?
Considering the nature of their threats, it’s clear that QUINCY doesn’t want to take the blame.
What a fucking coward.
Do we have any sources there?
I’m posting from the site, it looks like someone’s inside the bank with a huge bomb threatening to blow up the building.
Any demands?
They want QUINCY to quit and the White Knights disbanded.
wow
So they’re actually helping the protestors?
uhm…That’s not the way to help the people.
What if this is just a huge false flag to blame the opposition?
I wouldn’t be surprised.
This fucking place, lol.
Let’s wait for more info.
This thread is closed
Streaming-chan went nuts last night, where the hell is she now?
I don’t even recognize the place she’s at right now.
It doesn’t look pretty either.
At least she’s getting some rest.
What did I miss?
Streaming-chan went to Valhalla, got a bit drunk and got the hell out of there all hyper, tried to steal snacks from a vending machine but the thing defended itself with an electric shock.
I’m going to marry Streaming-chan!
That’s freaking nuts.
You just don’t mess with those things.
She fell asleep from the shock.
As expected of Streaming-chan!
I just hope nothing happens to her while she lays there.
falls asleep at a shoddy backstreet in glitch city
She’ll be fine.
This thread is closed
I’m fucking crying right now, let me tell you the story.
Waiting for OP to deliver…
I’m here…anyway, here it goes.
I was going home after buying groceries from the store, I was very tired because I had to line up for hours just to buy milk, and when I’m finally out of there a group of three White Knights stopped me and starting asking for my ID, and also wanted to see my bag to check if I wasn’t a scalper, and once they saw everything was in order…they asked me for a military service ID, and just…what the fuck? why would I have that on me? and there’s no enforced conscription anymore, IT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE, and because I didn’t have it on me they asked for money or else they’d plant drugs on me. I of course refused, but they’d lose their patience and one of them hit me right in my temple with a gun, I was bleeding like crazy on the floor so they just took my groceries and left…
Holy shit man…I fucking hate this place, I hate it so much…I WANT TO LEAVE THIS FUCKING HELL HOLE, I’m so tired of this shit every fucking day.
This thread is closed
Hijacked screens at downtown Casanova announced what seems to be a terrorist threat aimed at the Apollo Trust Bank. The information suggests that a currently unidentified bomber is currently inside the building.
The White Knights’ Counter Terrorism Unit responded to the threat immediately. However, the bank was then locked down by an external network attack.
”We might be dealing with a dual threat here”, CTU’s Chloe Bauer told AE. “The bank has been sealed shut using its own Disaster Prevention System. However, none of the terminals at the bank were working at the time; The building is basically sealed at this point. The hostages are trapped.”
Hi everyone.
We take your security seriously here at The Augmented Eye, and we have the obligation to disclose that recent articles on Alice_Rabbit were vandalized by who we think is Alice_Rabbit themselves, or a very good impersonator.
We want to extend our apologies and inform that we’ll be limiting our coverage of Alice_Rabbit to just factual news and not entertainment pieces.
Sincerely, the AE Staff.
Even though most countries in the world have adapted their economies to solve the ongoing problem of climate change, Glitch City still relies on ancient technologies in order to keep costs low and profits high.
As a result of this backwards policy, it seems as though we’ll be experiencing a huge increase in air pollution next year.
”Our contamination levels will force the whole population to move away from a lot of areas within the city. The soil is dying at an alarming pace,” said experts in a report.
Having to buy special raincoats and umbrellas does suck, but experts say you better get used to it.
“Things at the Apollo Bank are getting ugly, so that means more people will be looking for a drink.”
“sigh You can take a break, you know? You’re quite the hard worker.”
“And the streets are not exactly…safe right now.”
“They’ve never been when you get down to it.”
“And besides, I can’t afford to not come with the bar closing soon.”
“I wonder if any bar has used impending closure as a means of getting their employees to work.”
“Seems like the total opposite would happen.”
“Not to mention I get bored out of my brains in my apartment, so I’d rather come here, anyway.”
“What did you say?”
“Nothing important.”
“Gil isn’t back yet?”
“Nope. I wouldn’t worry too much about him though.”
“If you say so…”
“Say, what’s this bottle?”
“A client gave it to me yesterday…a gift of sorts, I’m guessing.”
“Oh, cool.”
“It’s some sort of rum.”
“Rum? Nice!”
“Want me to serve you a bit of it?”
“Hm…yeah, sure!”
“Alright!”
“Anytime.”
“Okay then…”
“Time to serve mix and change lives.”
“Wait…that’s not how it goes.”
“…”
(“sigh No one here to retort.”)
(“Man, it feels lonely without Gil here…”)
(“I just hope the restlessness in the streets doesn’t lead to dangerous or weird types coming in here.”)
(“Holy shit, that was a record-breaking jinx!”)
“W-Welcome to Valhalla. What can I get you?”
“I’ll have a Blue Fairy.”
(“Don’t make a joke about becoming real… Don’t make a joke about becoming real…”)
“On it.”
“Nice, yeah. This is the thing.”
“So…um…how are you gonna…?”
“Oh…you can grab stuff. Should’ve figured as much.”
“You can drink stuff?”
“And eat. I have the same system Lilim do.”
“Can I ask you something um…er…Misssssssssssss…”
“Call me Taylor. Just…Taylor.”
“And yes, a cutie like you can ask me anything.”
“Ok Taylor.”
“You have to be the first person I’ve met that didn’t go “Okay, Just Taylor”.”
(“Nah, too easy.”)
“You are…a brain in a jar, right?”
“I’m sure not a hologram, of that I’m sure.”
“Yup, I’m a bonafide human brain in a jar.”
“So… How…? Why…?”
“What? Does my handsomeness make you speechless?”
“You’re not something a girl sees every day. And that’s saying quite a bit in these parts.”
“Fear not! For I have a speech prepared for these situations.”
“A speech?”
“You’re seeing one of the 5 Great Living Bottled Brains of the world.”
“We are brains living in conditions that allow us to exist as any other humanoid creature.”
“All while computers in our jars scan our activities.”
“In a slow but steady manner, we are helping the world understand the inner workings of nature’s most complex computer.”
“I’m guessing you prepared that after being asked the same question too many times, huh?”
“Not out of exasperation or anything like that, mind you.”
“I just wanted to have something thoughtful prepared.”
“Look! I even have a couple of pamphlets with me.”
“You want one?”
“Sure…”
“What brings one of our world’s five brains in jars to this place though?”
“Oh, I’m from around here, actually.”
“I just wanted to take a walk for the first time in…quite a bit of time.”
“Have you come here before?”
“Sadly, no. Otherwise I’d remember a cute face like yours.”
“Speaking of which, can I have your name?”
“Um…it’s Jill.”
“Jill? That’s a really cute name.”
“Thank you.”
“Say, weren’t you scared of going outside today? What with the commotion around and all…”
“It didn’t stop you from coming here either, did it?”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
“It’s gonna take more than cryptic but ominous news to stop me.”
“You’re awfully energetic, did you know that?”
“Sorry, does that bother you?”
“No, not at all. Just that I figured a brain in a jar wouldn’t be so…happy.”
“While I was alive, my body got to a point where there wasn’t much I could do.”
“This new state of existence allows me to accomplish more than I ever could before.”
“Plus, I’m doing something that’ll help people in the long run.”
“Wouldn’t you be happy?”
“I wonder…”
“Do you wanna make me happy, Jill?”
“Depends on what it takes.”
“Don’t worry. Just give me a Beer.”
“Alright, then yeah. I’ll make you happy.”
“Ah yes…no matter what happens, Beer’s always good.”
“Hey, Taylor. May I ask something a bit…indiscreet?”
“You can ask anything you want.”
“While you had your other body…were you male or female?”
“Hm…that’s actually quite the question.”
“Especially considering I don’t really know the answer either.”
“You don’t?”
“I mean, I remember my name WAS Taylor.”
“In fact, I remember every detail of my life, but that’s the one thing that’s a bit blurry.”
“Blurry?”
“Yeah, the team that put me here said that it might be a side effect of the whole process…”
“But my family and friends say that even in life I didn’t put too much thought into questions about gender.”
“So, in the end we’re back to square one.”
“Wait, you don’t have pics or anything else?”
“To be honest, I’ve chosen to not look too deeply into my old identity.”
“Partly because I’m happier in this ambiguous state.”
“But also because I have this gut feeling I’m not psychologically prepared to see what I looked like.”
“I don’t know…I feel like if I do I might…crumble.”
“Damn…”
“Just out of curiosity, in a third person scenario…how should one refer to you?”
“By my name.”
“I guess that makes sense…”
“If you absolutely need to use pronouns, refer to me like you’d refer to any other house appliance.”
“A TV or anything like that. An “it”.”
“Are you okay with that?”
“In the end, even if I can speak, I’m just an object.”
“That’s actually something I’ve internalized a long time ago. Even with my original body.”
“I-I see…”
“If that doesn’t make you comfortable, feel free to use neutral pronouns.”
“To be honest, you can refer to me however you want. I don’t really pay mind to that.”
“But this isn’t about what makes me comfortable…”
“You know what the downside to this body is?”
“I can’t get drunk.”
“If you want to call that a downside…”
“If you wanted to drink alcohol for the taste, there are many alternatives.”
“Drunkenness is part of the whole experience.”
“Why though? Lilim can get drunk with no problem.”
“Yeah, but in their case, their brain’s a computer attached to their body.”
“Getting drunk causes their brains to reduce the input speed to their bodies.”
“Depending on the model, their “drunk-subroutine” might throw in a different behavioral cycle, even.”
“It’s hard to get drunk when the whole point of you being in a jar is figuring out how exactly YOU work.”
“Hm…yeah, you’re right.”
???: “Hey Jill!”
“Oh, Alma.”
“Welcome to Valhalla. What can I get you?”
“…happy?”
“Not when you put it that way.”
“Why, hello there, beautiful.”
“Hm? WhoAAAAAAAAH!”
“You hurt my feelings with that, darling.”
“S-S-Sorry, you don’t see talking disembodied brains every day…”
“I mean, I did work a summer in Lilim maintenance but even then, those were talking heads…”
“Oh, don’t worry about it. At least you’re not running or fainting.”
“Your name was Alma, right? I’m Taylor.”
“N-Nice to meet you, Taylor.”
“Say, Alma. Can I buy you a drink?”
“Sorry, I only date people who’re at least 50% organic…and have at least one face.”
“Hm…I know just what to strive for, then!”
“Just kidding. It’d make me happy to make you happy by buying you a drink. Does that bother you?”
“I guess if Jill’s the bartender, I don’t have a problem with that.”
“Awesome! I’ll pay for your next drink then.”
“What will you have?”
“I’ll have a Cobalt Velvet.”
“And you, Taylor?”
“I’m fine, actually.”
“You’re gonna have me drink alone?”
“I don’t wanna drink that much.”
“Okay, then…”
“Hope you enjoy it.”
“You know, you’ve been nicer to me these past minutes than at least three guys have been in the last year.”
“Judging from the way you two talk, I’m guessing you’ve been a client here for a while now, right?”
“Only for about half a year or so, if memory serves right.”
“Really? One would think it’s been longer.”
“sigh It feels like it’s been longer.”
“Shut up, you love me and you know it.”
“So, you just started coming here and that was it?”
“Well, the first time I came here, the other guy…speaking of which, where’s Pablo?”
“Gillian.”
“Archimedes.”
“Dunno. Adventuring or something.”
“Anyways, the other guy served me the first time I came here. Nothing unusual there.”
“The next time I showed up, Jill here was the one serving and…I don’t know, I feel like she just gets me.”
“There’s this…chemistry. We…click.”
“”We click”, she says…”
“The fact that I feel more chemistry with her than with many other people is kinda sad, though.”
“It’s always good to see a nice friendship.”
“Sadly, it’s getting late and I’ve gotta go.”
“Please come again.”
“That Taylor sure was nice.”
“A bit weird at first, though.”
“Apparently one of five brains being studied by scientists or something.”
“There’s a summary of it in this pamphlet.”
“Let’s see…”
“Oh yeah, I’ve heard of them before. Can’t believe I actually met one.”
“Say Alma, how many people are there in your family? Just curious.”
Some minor misgendering up ahead.
“Well, aside from my mom and dad, we’re five sis-…sorry, four sisters and one brother.”
“Funnily enough, we all have names that start with the first five letters in the alphabet.”
“So you’re the eldest one?”
“No, I’m actually the middle kid.”
“You’re the middle kid but your name starts with an A?”
“Don’t think too much about it. I never said the order reflected our ages.”
“My sister Carlotta’s the eldest one, then there’s Dayana just before me.”
“Then comes Eva and at the bottom lies Bele-…”
“ahem Sorry. The youngest one is Bernardo.”
“You’ve never been alone, I’m guessing.”
“Can’t complain about that, I guess…”
“It helps that we were never five in the same house.”
“By the time Evita and Bernie were born, Dayana and Carlotta had already moved.”
“Speaking of family. Today, I came because I needed a break from everything that’s been going on with them.”
“Do you live with them?”
“No, but Evita and Bernie do. Not to mention I visit them almost every day.”
“Anyway, my second-eldest sister, Dayana, just separated from her husband.”
“It’s not even been a week but she’s already got some other guy in her bed.”
“She left her kid with her husband’s parents and pretty much forgot about them.”
“Nevermind the fact that they need to go to school and all that.”
“Damn…”
“Dayana’s life has always been messy, but these days she’s really making it big.”
“She wants “time for herself.” To “live her life.””
“She didn’t think about that when she married the guy at 20.”
“She didn’t think about that when marrying a guy she had only known for three months.”
“You should take your own advice.”
“Hey, I’d never marry someone who could catch my attention so quickly, okay?”
“Sure, there was that one time when it almost happened, but I blame the damn stadium kiss cam.”
“Kiss cam?”
“I was going out with a guy my little sister introduced to me.”
“Seems he was her friend’s brother or something.”
“We went out a couple of times and he invited me to a basketball game.”
“The mood was nice but then later, the kiss cam focused on us and instead of kissing me, he proposed!”
“I almost got caught in the mood and accepted.”
“Huh.”
“So I take it you rejected him…in a stadium…on the fucking kiss cam.”
Normal response to manipulative behavior like that, imo.
“We went out for like 3 weeks!”
“I don’t know. Maybe he wanted to get in my pants with the old “sex on the wedding night” line.”
“But I honest-to-god can’t understand why he thought it would be a good idea.”
“That sounds too convoluted, you know? Proposing and waiting for the wedding night just for sex.”
“Never underestimate the lengths a man is willing to go to get you in their bed.”
“I’ve seen more convoluted plots over the years.”
“I’m feeling tempted to ask. But I’ll pass.”
“Want anything else?”
“Hm? What’s that bottle?”
“Oh yeah, it’s just some rum a client gave me yesterday.”
“A gift? What did you do?”
“A good enough service, I’m guessing.”
”Ca…ci…que.”
“Huh, interesting name.”
“What does it mean?”
“Cacique’s the name of the chieftain in some native tribes.”
“I see. Do you want me to serve you some of this?”
“I’ll pass. I don’t have too many good memories where rum’s involved.”
“Get me a Fringe Weaver instead, will you?”
“Alright.”
“What kind of memories do you have with rum?”
“Nothing you need to worry about.”
“Okay.”
“Alright, now’s my turn to ask questions.”
“About what?”
“What kind of family is your family?”
“Well…”
“I’m an only child. My mom and dad split amicably.”
“My mom is a violinist, so she was always away from home with the orchestra.”
“I spent most of the time with my dad, my aunt, and my grandpa.”
“Aside from that, I’d say my childhood was quite uneventful.”
“Huh…didn’t you get something like your mom’s artistic vein or something?”
“I played the violin until I was around 16, I think.”
“What made you stop?”
“I don’t know. I just kinda said “That’s it!” one day and stopped.”
“What about cousins or the rest of your family?”
“I see very little of them, actually.”
“Mainly because my dad moved away from most of them. Most of my mom’s family live in France to boot.”
“So your mom’s French?”
“Yup.”
“Can you speak French?”
“Mon aeroglisseur est plein d’anguilles.”
“Ooooh, what does that mean?”
“Rubbish? I don’t know. I can’t speak French.”
“I did try though, but college started and I stopped taking classes.”
“Funny thing, I actually have a cousin from my mom’s side that lives close by.”
“But you’ll be hard-pressed to make me spot him in a crowd.”
“You’re kinda lucky, you know? All of my mom’s side of the family lives here.”
“The chances of me meeting someone I’m related to on the street are ridiculously high.”
“But yeah, that’s the primer on my family. Nothing too interesting, sadly.”
“Your mom’s a French violinist and you call that uninteresting?”
“I’m wondering if your family has ever made a fuss about you being a hacker.”
“”Hacker” makes it sound too exotic. It’s like if I called you a mixologist.”
“Please don’t, ever. Sounds like something somebody would say to make “bartender” sound sophisticated.”
“See?”
“I mean, “hacker” is a good way to summarize it, but it’s not the best. I’m a security consultant.”
“People want to find flaws in the security of their systems and I do my best to pinpoint where it breaks.”
“Be it Glitch City or anywhere else in the world. They need security, I’m their woman.”
“You’ve told quite a few stories about cracking into databases to retrieve info like some sort of mercenary, though.”
“…that doesn’t change the fact that “hacker” is not the best term to use.”
“Makes the whole thing sound illegal when it’s actually an honest job.”
“Didn’t you tell me you once secured some incriminating pics from a guy’s cellphone?”
“A MOSTLY honest job. Sheesh.”
“What made you become a hacker, by the way?”
“I’ve always been a sucker for puzzles.”
“Even as a kid, I always had a sudoku or crossword with me.”
“But at some point, they started feeling kinda same-y.”
“So…when I started college, I took a course on system security. It felt like the kind of puzzle I was looking for.”
“I mean, there are all kinds of things involved in breaching net security.”
“You need to attack the stuff from different angles.”
“And it’s something that’s always evolving. The whole point of everything is to strengthen security.”
“Every time you think you’ve got the gist of it, they change everything.”
“So it’s kinda like an always-evolving puzzle.”
“A puzzle I help make harder at that.”
“Huh…I didn’t think about it that way.”
“It is less action-y than what movies make it up to be, though…”
“No real-time frantic typing. Nothing like that.”
“Still, seeing my code break through something… It’s an amazing feeling.”
“Will you have anything else?”
“Hm…I’ll have a classy drink. Any classy drink.”
“Here goes nothing…”
“Yup, just what I needed. Thanks.”
“Say, Jill. What’s the worst that could happen if you don’t get your drinks right?”
“Well…people have the right to not give me money.”
“If they don’t pay for it, I don’t get my bonus.”
“No bonus means less money and no tips…which doesn’t help because I have to pay bills.”
“Oh, I see…”
“Do you have to make an effort to pay your bills?”
“Nope.”
“You have no idea how much I hate you right now.”
“Well, my job pays pretty well, and I’m not the kind to spend too much on things other than food and bills.”
“Maybe maintenance on my hands and new equipment, but aside from that…”
“Oh, I know! If you have trouble with bills, why not live with me?”
“We could be roommates!”
“Dunno.”
“Moving my stuff through the stairs because the elevator’s broken…”
“Having to move my liquor collection…”
“Nevermind the fact that my cat’s a shut-in that got VERY upset the one time I moved some furniture around.”
“The idea of moving just gives me a headache.”
“You shouldn’t take things so seriously when I say them, you know?”
“I don’t, but I’ve thought about it before.”
“Now, I need some air. I’m gonna take my break. You wanna come?”
“Are you inviting me to the back of the bar? You should invite me to dinner first.”
“Every minute you waste making jokes is time taken from my break.”
“Fine, let’s go.”
“Boss, I’m taking my break. Call me if anyone comes in.”