CHIRAL: SIDE Y

INPUT AGGREGATOR: hey yall ;)
INPUT AGGREGATOR: you posted a buncha stuff so
INPUT AGGREGATOR: i mean cus we got limited time until this time bullshit stops happenin i guess
INPUT AGGREGATOR: i decided
INPUT AGGREGATOR: to post most messages with like a 2 second delay, keep it quick
INPUT AGGREGATOR: lookin out for ya
INPUT AGGREGATOR: occasionally im treated pretty shoddy but i mean were all pals here lmao
INPUT AGGREGATOR: least i hope we are

Gene
>Gather yourself, time is short and you need to be coherent now.
>You looked within and found your way here.
>You don't know why, but you did.
>Now would be the time to figure that out.

The room shimmers in an off blue. Everything feels wrong, especially the air, which hums against you like sandpaper and makes your eyes water. It's like some parts of the universe are desperately trying to force you out of being here, while other parts are holding you in with shackles.

"It-- doesn't-- I don't think it matters how I got here," you manage. "I need you t-to try and... r-remember this entire conversation, and remember that, uh... that..." It takes a moment to think up where to begin. "...we're all in a simulation. A virtual reality! It's a fucking nickel all the way down! A-And if you could just tell us, tell me and Dink not to do that ritual thing, then..."

She giggles happily. "Obviously the ritual got you here. So either I'm gonna forget, or I'm gonna... conveniently forget. That's fate, Geney."

It hurts. All of it hurts. You feel like you're being ripped apart.

SpoilerShow

Please Do Not Trust Us
To Know What We Are Doing
We Might Think We Do

But We're New At This
The Things That We Think We Know
We Probably Don't

I Know It Might Seem
Like We Have This Shit On Lock
We Know Less Than You

Motivational?
No. We Cannot Afford That
You're Too Important

Remember That The
Antagonist Can Read This
And Might Mimic Us

What Better Way To
Get Someone To Do Something
They Want You To Do?

Fake The Results
Of Some Benign Thing That Had
Failed Earlier

Because Some New Guy
Overestimated His
Capabilities

If You Could Not Do
Something That's Apparently Us
On Your Own Console

Then Please Be Cautious
Take It With A Grain Of Salt
Wish I'd Thought Sooner

Stupid Poem Guy
Closing Barn After Cows Left
Too Little Too Late?

You glance back, still adrift in memory.



"Are... you sure you're ready, Eva?" Queue gently asks.

You nod firmly. Something tells you you've been waiting for this moment a long, long, long time. Perhaps longer than you realized.

He lets out a breath-- not a sigh, but one of fierce will. You hear his insectoid wings begin to buzz...



You hold onto your precise fore as if your life depends on it. He holds you under either arm as if both of your lives depend on it.

ChatlogShow

Zack: Please Do Not Trust Us
Zack: To Know What We Are Doing
Zack: We Might Think We Do
Zack: But We're New At This
Zack: The Things That We Think We Know
Zack: We Probably Don't
Crast Pactian: well, you are figuring things out, just like us.
cripesalmighty: If you take a given person from a random dimension, they tend to be very misinformed and stupid. That’s just the norm.
cripesalmighty: Don’t feel bad. Your lack of information is norm all. Status quo.
Zack: I Know It Might Seem
Zack: Like We Have This Shit On Lock
Zack: We Know Less Than You
tiptopGipgop: Nobody here’s stupid. We’re just… really stressed, what with… all that’s happening down on the Nickel right now.
Zack: Motivational?
Zack: No. We Cannot Afford That
Zack: You're Too Important
1234567890: h0n35719 1 d0n7 11k3 7h3 1d34 7h47 w3r3 8r1n61n6 71m3 7r4v31 1n70 7h15 n0w
cripesalmighty: Time travel is the most fun that can be had by anyone!
YUPPERS: i CAUTIOUSLY DISAGREE
YUPPERS: with ALL FORMS of your SENTENCE.
Zack: Remember That The
Zack: Antagonist Can Read This
Zack: And Might Mimic Us
Hunk Chudfest: heiadnd otn’ta rhear rhihg micmickcing alla kie hear is hi himt ewllign em eyohe’s dogign to earmt rtrmke adn dkdidlld eme and tis rltike vifolklrent zAkMC BUT but ria tirhakjdm’da hre arlealyl gognna do it
Crast Pactian: please slow down a second and say that again, hunk.
Hunk Chudfest: its gongna eat mee: :(
tiptopGipgop: It seems like it wants to bring things… further down. Into the pit below the nickel, by the looks of it.
tiptopGipgop: That’s how it got the tube, and now it has control over tubes. I can imagine it’ll get ugly if it gets… say, the terminal, or… a person.
cripesalmighty: Oh, we get an antagonist later?
cripesalmighty: Wow, haha, haha, wow. We really end up moving up in the world from petty drama and messing around on Prospit and Derse.
YUPPERS: in NO FORM would i CONSIDER this HELL as a ‘MOVE UP’
YUPPERS: THOUGH YOU’RE FREE TO THINK WHATEVER YOU LIKE
YUPPERS: UP UNTIL THE MOMENT YOU END UP HERE.
Zack: What Better Way To
Zack: Get Someone To Do Something
Zack: They Want You To Do?
Zack: Fake The Results
Zack: Of Some Benign Thing That Had
Zack: Failed Earlier
1234567890: 11k3 c001 24ck5 r17u41 8u115h17?
1234567890: h3 5umm0n3d p1p35 4nd n0w 4n 393 7h475 m4k1n6 p30p13 71m3 7r4v31
1234567890: h0n35719
1234567890: fuck c001 24ck
1234567890: 1n h15 dum8 f4c3
Crast Pactian: why does it take so much for you all to calm down a moment?
Crast Pactian: yes, this situation is urgent and volatile, incredibly so, but you are getting us nowhere by insulting our benefactors.
Zack: Because Some New Guy
Zack: Overestimated His
Zack: Capabilities
1234567890: 3x4c719
Zack: If You Could Not Do
Zack: Something That's Apparently Us
Zack: On Your Own Console
Zack: Then Please Be Cautious
Zack: Take It With A Grain Of Salt
Zack: Wish I'd Thought Sooner
tiptopGipgop: It’s alright, PZ.
Zack: Stupid Poem Guy
Zack: Closing Barn After Cows Left
Zack: Too Little Too Late?
tiptopGipgop: It’s really alright.
tiptopGipgop: Let’s just make it through this alive.
Crast Pactian: what’s a cow?
cripesalmighty: Hey, just a little note for you.
cripesalmighty: I, Eva Xena Anno, am the best summoner and spellcaster this side of Prospit.
cripesalmighty: When Skaia shines, I can let all kinds of things through.
cripesalmighty: My CLOSETS MONSTER, however, comes without input.
cripesalmighty: Whatever you think you summoned, I’ve got a better feeling all you did was get its attention, and it nabbed you.
cripesalmighty: You’re part of the plan.
tiptopGipgop: I’d much rather not?

You read the chat as you descend. As you drop, you begin to think about your own messages-- and you begin to recall the exact thoughts as you sent each one. It's an odd feeling, seeing past actions with such repercussion. What strikes you as especially strange, however, is that even though you did your best to store all of it in memory, back then... it's only all coming back now. Months spent thinking, and the Gene in your room from now-and-then did not even cross your mind once.

It's odd.

It's good to think about, as the air grows thicker with cold.

Cripes ChatShow

>Open A Chat With
>CripesAlmighty In Private
>EXA In The Past

Zack Is A Plural
Collective Term For A Bunch
Of Somewhat Helpful

People From Somewhere
Extra-dimensional To
Where Everyone Is

Gene And The Others
Were Rescued From The End Of
The Whole Universe

At The Hands(?) Of A
Thing. The MOCHA ENDING Is
What I'm Told It's Called

By The Heroes Of
The Game. Who Then Put Them On
A "Nickle" In Space

Where They Had Their Own
Game To Play. War Strategy
Or Something Like That

Then Two Of The Teams
Started To Kill Everyone
The Red And Blue Teams

Seemingly Without
Provocation Or Reason
Rational Thought Ceased

Most Everyone Died
Only Nine People Survived
One A Captured Red

That's Where We Come In
Zack, Like A Bolt From The Blue
Shows Up Unannounced

Under A Dead Guy's Name
Flailing Like An Idiot
We Find Some Stuff Out

The Game It Turns Out
Creates Instances Of All
The People Playing

To Fill Its Roster
"Surprise, You're All Virtual"
Not Fun For Any

Zacks Are Because Of
An Input Aggregator
The Dead Guy Plugged In

To Their Own Console
In The Reality Up
A Level From This

Which Might Also Be
Virtual For All We Know
Signs Point To Maybe

Our Job Is To Get
Fifty-Three People And Raise
Them Up A Level

We've Made Some Progress
And Probably More Mistakes
Things Have Exploded

Cripes Is In The Past
The MOCHA ENDING IS Here
Being Obnoxious

A Beast Made Of Tubes
Future You Is Going To
Club It, Precisely

Now You're Up To Date
With The News Of The Future
I Might Have Missed Stuff

Privatelog (CripesAlmighty)(PastExa)Show

Coolzack
>...
>Heroes lost.
>Salvaged all they could, gathered 52 people to survive.
>Built a sanctuary for people to hide away from Mocha Ending.
>Heroes died distracting Mocha Ending, if somehow not dead they certainly aren't in helping.
>It worked for a time, but with a price.
>Layered dimensions, higher beings commanding lower sessions through games, with no idea they were anything but games.
>Of 52 players, all but 9 dead.
>Without assistance, soon to be all but 7.
>Cripes and Hunk trapped below area, hiding from p
>Sorry, hiding from "tube" monster in room that fell down there.
>Monster is currently trying to push room off safe platform into void.
>Cripes performed ritual to create Eye to help.
>Eye wouldn't obey, Cripes looked inside to find control.
>Ended up Astral/Temporal/Spatially projecting to you.
>Must be reason for showing up there.

Past Exa
> Coerce information from this "Gene"

Privatelog (Zack)Show

CoolZack: ...
CoolZack: Heroes lost.
cripesalmighty: Haha, obviously.
cripesalmighty: They were never really destined to be able to win.
cripesalmighty: That’s why they’ve stayed in the session for twelve years.
CoolZack: Salvaged all they could, gathered 52 people to survive.
cripesalmighty: Hm. Wait.
CoolZack: Built a sanctuary for people to hide away from Mocha Ending.
CoolZack: Heroes died distracting Mocha Ending, if somehow not dead they certainly aren't in helping.
cripesalmighty: The second Krokian god?
CoolZack: It worked for a time, but with a price.
CoolZack: Layered dimensions, higher beings commanding lower sessions through games, with no idea they were anything but games.
cripesalmighty: Seems convoluted.
CoolZack: Of 52 players, all but 9 dead.
cripesalmighty: Slow down a sec.
CoolZack: Without assistance, soon to be all but 7.
CoolZack: Cripes and Hunk trapped below area, hiding from p
cripesalmighty: Yeah, you’re going to have to slow down. Who’s Hunk?
CoolZack: Sorry, hiding from "tube" monster in room that fell down there.
CoolZack: Monster is currently trying to push room off safe platform into void.
cripesalmighty: You are incredibly bad at slowing down. What’s the pipe monster?
godzack: giv it a sec
godzack: theyve got a buffer of commands n shit like seven miles long
godzack: im postin em real quick cus i know you dont have much time yeah
CoolZack: Cripes performed ritual to create Eye to help.
CoolZack: Eye wouldn't obey, Cripes looked inside to find control.
CoolZack: Ended up Astral/Temporal/Spatially projecting to you.
CoolZack: Must be reason for showing up there.
cripesalmighty: No, definitely not.
cripesalmighty: My monster only takes, it doesn’t receive.
cripesalmighty: I don’t know why it took this Gene specifically, what with you being in a game and all, but I figure it’s gotta be necessary for the TISANE ENDING.
cripesalmighty: Whatever that eye was, I don’t think it’s what you think it is.
Zack: Zack Is A Plural
Zack: Collective Term For A Bunch
Zack: Of Somewhat Helpful
Zack: People From Somewhere
Zack: Extra-dimensional To
Zack: Where Everyone Is
cripesalmighty: Everyone knows dimensionality isn’t a limit.
cripesalmighty: Unless you continually add dimensions, then you would be approaching a limit, but that’s a mathematician’s story for another time, eheh.
Zack: Gene And The Others
Zack: Were Rescued From The End Of
Zack: The Whole Universe
Zack: At The Hands(?) Of A
Zack: Thing. The MOCHA ENDING Is
Zack: What I'm Told It's Called
cripesalmighty: So Gene’s telling me. I can’t believe it got to the Session.
Zack: By The Heroes Of
Zack: The Game. Who Then Put Them On
Zack: A "Nickle" In Space
Zack: Where They Had Their Own
Zack: Game To Play. War Strategy
Zack: Or Something Like That
cripesalmighty: ...hm.
Zack: Then Two Of The Teams
Zack: Started To Kill Everyone
Zack: The Red And Blue Teams
cripesalmighty: Teams?
Zack: Seemingly Without
Zack: Provocation Or Reason
Zack: Rational Thought Ceased
cripesalmighty: That’s truly unfortunate.
cripesalmighty: Thankfully I don’t die, so I can practically rest easy.
Zack: Most Everyone Died
Zack: Only Nine People Survived
Zack: One A Captured Red
cripesalmighty: I hope it’s Mulligan.
Zack: That's Where We Come In
Zack: Zack, Like A Bolt From The Blue
Zack: Shows Up Unannounced
Zack: Under A Dead Guy's Name
Zack: Flailing Like An Idiot
Zack: We Find Some Stuff Out
cripesalmighty: A dead guy’s name? Haha, wow, you’re hard to follow.
cripesalmighty: I can’t believe my future is so absolutely needlessly inane.
Zack: The Game It Turns Out
Zack: Creates Instances Of All
Zack: The People Playing
Zack: To Fill Its Roster
Zack: "Surprise, You're All Virtual"
Zack: Not Fun For Any
cripesalmighty: Wait.
Zack: Zacks Are Because Of
Zack: An Input Aggregator
Zack: The Dead Guy Plugged In
cripesalmighty: Hold a moment.
Zack: To Their Own Console
Zack: In The Reality Up
Zack: A Level From This
godzack: ill pause for u ok
cripesalmighty: My monster has never retrieved anybody from a computer.
cripesalmighty: A virtual space. Those aren’t real people, real souls.
cripesalmighty: Er-- no offense meant! This just seems completely out of the ordinary.
cripesalmighty: Like it’s playing a prank on me with your lives.
Zack: Which Might Also Be
Zack: Virtual For All We Know
Zack: Signs Point To Maybe
cripesalmighty: Wow.
Zack: Our Job Is To Get
Zack: Fifty-Three People And Raise
Zack: Them Up A Level
cripesalmighty: I thought you said you had nine?
Zack: We've Made Some Progress
Zack: And Probably More Mistakes
Zack: Things Have Exploded
cripesalmighty: Whelp.
Zack: Cripes Is In The Past
Zack: The MOCHA ENDING IS Here
Zack: Being Obnoxious
cripesalmighty: Yes, Gene is here in the past, but…
cripesalmighty: If you escaped the MOCHA ENDING, how’s it there?
cripesalmighty: I understand why in some way my monster might see the point, but surely the MOCHA ENDING would just destroy whatever you’re contained in.
Zack: A Beast Made Of Tubes
Zack: Future You Is Going To
Zack: Club It, Precisely
cripesalmighty: I’ll try and remember!
Zack: Now You're Up To Date
Zack: With The News Of The Future
Zack: I Might Have Missed Stuff
cripesalmighty: That’s OK, it’s only several people’s lives, including my own.
cripesalmighty: Though I guess if it’s virtual me, albeit with the memories here, she’s only a small part of my possible futures, so losing her wouldn’t be that big of a pain.
cripesalmighty: Heh. That’d be bad if she heard it, huh?
cripesalmighty: Why’s she typing so oddly, anyway?

Not only did you have the primary chat, but Zack was also messaging you rapidfire. It's one of the longest single chatlogs you'd ever see in your life.

"Gene," you said, "tell me the date the MOCHA ENDING gets here."

She replied with, "I-I only know the human year."

"I can connect the dots."

"Two thousand three-hundred fourteen," she said. "2314, in N-November."

Interesting.

You thought for a moment, in consideration, calculating-- how much time did you have, precisely? How long from that moment was it?

Author's NoteShow

That's a TIME PROMPT, by the way. Feel free to input how long from the flashback that the MOCHA ENDING arrives.

Hey, funny note-- the year is actually the source of all this number fun, as it's the current date where I live. I figured it'd be a good fit for this, too.