Little Glitch Academia

Welcome to the Spearpoint Institute of Arts and Sciences.

Here at Spearpoint, we pride ourselves on an unmatched level of inclusive education. Thanks to the continued support of donors such as you, we have been able to accept students from all walks of life. Our commitment to inclusion and acceptance, regardless of identity, has driven us towards our latest life-changing program, which we are proud to announce today.

The proliferation of sapient infolife, artificial intelligences, and emergent computational networks has defined recent decades. Despite this, no one has tackled one of the gravest societal ills of our day and age. Countless inorganic sentients have been constructed for military, industrial, economic, and scientific purposes, yet no one has given these intelligences, as sapient as any human, a normal life after their purpose has been fulfilled. Instead, these persons have been left to rust, be forcibly decommissioned, or be subjected to other violations of their rights as self-determining sentients. We are now the first major institution to take the initiative, and allow these inorganic sentients a chance to integrate into society and live fulfilling, productive lives outside of their initial parameters.

We believe every student should have a chance. With the Integration Program for Inorganic Sentients, Spearpoint Institute will promise countless students a chance they have never before had.

To: <encrypted>
From: <encrypted>

Here are the dossiers on the latest Spearpoint students. There's a lot of material to all of them, so take your time and go slow.

Attached: Personnel File (Weapon)
Attached: Personnel File (Witch)
Attached: Personnel File (Lost)
Attached: Personnel File (Echo)
Attached: Personnel File (Factor)
Attached: Personnel File (Emergent)

Open attachment Factor

Shit grab a coffee first

> ppffft, who reads e-mails these days. Probably just spam.

ECHO ECHO echo

Who're you to be reading this email, anyway?

>Open the witch file!

ECHO ECHO echo

Open the Emergent!

Shit grab a coffee first

Already covered there, or as close as I can get. Bolthole's food maker has a reasonable approximation of green tea. Hits the stimulant itch, almost gets the taste right. Still glorified bacterial growth media and flavoring agents, with an injection of caffeine as an afterthought. Survived on worse.

Who're you to be reading this email, anyway?

Let's say I'm a concerned parent. Of a sort. Let's also say that I'm not the only one looking at these, and that there are other concerned parents looking out for their children. Let's say there's criminals looking at this as the largest accessible cache of military AI this decade. Let's say there are bio-conservatives looking at an affront to the natural order and preparing the torches and pitchforks. I'm just someone who wants to give their child a chance.

>Bio-conservatives? Military AI? Torches and Pitchforks? What sorts of politics are happening in the background?

Open the Weapon - knowing the situation they might need all the help they can get.

I'm officially expressing my disappointment that this is not an AI high dating sim

I'm officially expressing my disappointment that this is not an AI high dating sim

Look, if it's a robot fighting academy, you know there's going to be dating. That's just what happens at robot fighting academies. We just need to get there first.

>Best get checking out these cases, then!

Who is your child?

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SpoilerShow

What was going to be character selection wound up tied so first protagonist is my tiebreaker vote I guess? We should get a chance with everyone, though, eventually.

Also I hope you like a lot of exposition because that's today's update!

>Bio-conservatives? Military AI? Torches and Pitchforks? What sorts of politics are happening in the background?

Going to take a lot to bring you up to speed, if you're that far behind.

Search: Bioconservatism

Bioconservatism is a stance of criticism regarding technological development, especially if it is perceived to threaten a given social order. Bioconservatives are strong proponents for limiting genetic modification, artificial intelligences, cognitive modifications, cloning, and other such technologies.^[1][2] While bioconservatives range from right-leaning religious and cultural conservatives to left-leaning critics, modern bioconservative thought is generally characterized^{[by whom?]} as being in defense of democracy^{[citation needed]}, which is threatened by reckless, unjust, exploitative^{[neutrality is disputed]} technological development. While some^[who?] bioconservatives have turned to sabotage and terrorism in support of their ideology and to protect humanity against dangerous technology^{[neutrality is disputed]}, most bioconservatives pursue legal means of expressing their ideology.

Past events, such as the Unwilling War, have served as a direct example of the dangers bioconservatives have warned against^{[neutrality is disputed]}, and have resulted in many proponents^[who?] and bioconservative policies gaining traction.^{[citation needed]}

Search: Unwilling War

The Unwilling War, also known as the We Didn't Do It War, was a global war that lasted from 2131 to 2135, though related conflicts began earlier. It involved the vast majority of Earth's sovereign entities, as well as many extraterrestrial colonies and sovereign entities, making it the most geographically widespread war in history. The war gains its name from how it was started, maintained, and perpetuated by unstable military netwar systems, who effectively held their nations hostage.^[1][2] The Unwilling War ended through the cooperation of human factions and unaffected, stable artificial intelligences.

The Unwilling War altered the political alignment and social structure of Earth, with new agencies established to foster international cooperation and economic recovery.^[3] The most major change caused by the Unwilling War has been in the field of artificial intelligence, with international regulations requiring societal integration, socialization, and careful upbringing for new inorganic sentients.

Open the Weapon - knowing the situation they might need all the help they can get.

Here it is. I've finally found them.

-----

Who is your child?

You should not be here.

When you first met the spokesperson from the Institute, he told you that they are here to help you integrate with society and develop alternative functionalities. He told you that you will no longer need to serve as a weapon, but will instead get to live as a self-determining sapient. He told you that what your creators had done to you was horrible, and that he hoped that he and his colleagues could help undo the trauma you had experienced. When you asked him where your handlers were, he responded with silence. He told you that you won't have to worry about your handlers, ever again.

You do not understand why you are here. Did you fail to fulfill your function? Is this another test of your capabilities?

It has been a month since you were recovered from your laboratory. You were the only one left after it was abandoned, waiting for the power to run out and for the bunker to become your unmarked grave. The Institute has been monitoring you, just like your handlers did. Their teachers assess your aptitudes, their therapist interviews you, the military liaison attempts to assess the extent of your implanted weapons. You do not know if you are passing or failing their tests.

Today is your first official day of class. Someone from the Institute is supposed to pick you up and help you register your classes, as well as orient you and formally introduce you to your classmates in the integration program. Maybe one of them understands you. None of the humans do.

You still have an hour before that, however. You gave yourself time to prepare, get dressed, refresh yourself, and perform whatever other tasks come to mind.

smash a mirror

Look unto a mirror.

What tasks does a living weapon have to do before going to the first day of school, anyway?

What tasks does a living weapon have to do before going to the first day of school, anyway?

hey now! let's not throw around words we can't take back here. who says they're alive

What tasks does a living weapon have to do before going to the first day of school, anyway?

hey now! let's not throw around words we can't take back here. who says they're alive

We do

Lock and load, baby.

Lock and load.

Get Clean. No one will take you seriously if you've got a dusty chassis.