revivalproject | [Event] The Day The Network Stood Still

[Event] The Day The Network Stood Still

The Day The Network Stood Still

The datapoints are a great equalizer, bringing all who come to them the same level of knowledge with the systems they are associated with. Or that's how they're theoretically supposed to work. Truth of the matter is that coming in with some level of competence and understanding can go quite far, and being completely oblivious can have its own repercussions.

Especially when one learns something is theoretically possible and wishes to understand the how of it. Usually such explorations of an apprentice in a skill tended to be better guided by a master to avoid disasters. Well, perhaps disaster is too big of a word to cover what happens from the exploration of the communications systems by Dedicate Initiate Lark.

All it take is looking into a hidden directory here, accidentally deleting some data there, a frantic bit of trying to fix the system from memory, and a true lack of knowledge of Ctrl+Z as a lifesaver. And just like that the communication system's user database was horribly tangled, posting was down, and poor Lark was none the wiser of the chaos she had inflicted.

And so it happened that there came a Day The Network Stood Still.

Well not fully still, but it's sure being difficult. The posting process for public messages is glitching out, video and audio and even text posts bouncing back with a 'System Error: Please Try Again Later' message. Over, and over, and over for hours. Good news? The direct message function still works properly right? Right?

Wrong. Any message sent directly to another He Row will find itself caught up in the error and delivered. But never to the right person. The good news is that once a conversation chain starts, at least the system is sending back and forth reliably. People will just have to live with their mis-sent texts getting out there to other people. Who knows, maybe it will be good for some laughs.

FAQ

When does this event take place?

This event covers one day and one day only. It starts at 5 AM Temba Standard Time, Tuesday April 12th and continues for 24 hours. We are posting it early, but it technically only takes place in that 24 hour window. Joining in late is allowed, don't think you missed the event just because you missed the specific in game day.

Can my character make a public post during this event?

No matter who your character is, what their powers are, or even what datapoint they took, there will be no ability to make public posts in any form on this day. It will also not be possible to send a direct message that actually reaches its intended target. Any message sent will get to a another He Row it was not meant for.

So what do we do?

If you want your character to receive a misfired message, post a new reply to this with the character's name as the Subject Line. If you have any rules about the sort of thing you'd prefer to avoid, please leave it in the body of the comment. Then wait for the messages to come in. We ask that you Do Not post your own initial comments there. This isn't Texts From Last Night. Think of it more as your character is reaching out to someone they're prone to messaging, and it just doesn't end up where they want it to go.

My character doesn't send a lot of private messages. How would I get them involved in this?

Part of the whole build up of this structure is that it's good for bringing in characters who might not send out messages themselves. Maybe they aren't sending many messages out, but if you want them involved, you can post a comment for them, and messages may come to them anyway. Who knows, maybe they can make a new friend/pen pal of sorts! Or just get caught up on the juiciest gossip they didn't want to know about.

I'm still not sure I understand the format of this. Any examples?

You're in luck. We actually did this about a year ago as a meme. So we have a functional example over here. Only difference here is that this time it's game canon.

Wait, so I can use this for AC?

Yes you can. But there are some important notes here. Your top comment serving as your character's 'inbox' for this? That won't count for AC. And the section of comments you give us for AC should have an average of three sentences per comment. This is part of our AC rules. If you don't have that, at least give us a longer chain so we can use that for consideration instead.

What about content warnings/other possibly triggering stuff?

Please do not send unsolicited triggering stuff, and remember not to send adult content texts to the few 'children' in the game. No racy pictures to Omega or Peter. When in doubt, remember you can message other people AND all players maintain a permissions post. Check those first before getting racy/potentially emotionally intense. You wouldn't trauma dump on someone you've never met before, would you?

Can we see who the misfired text is from?

No, that's sadly not possible. Even those with the Communications Datapoint, or insane hacking skills won't be able to decode the mess Lark has unwittingly made here. He Rows will have to use context clues, shared photos (if any are sent), or flat out being told who it is to know who they are talking to.

Can senders see that messages didn't get to their intended recipient?

Also a no here. The messages will label the person they are speaking to as if they were the intended recipient. As an example, if you meant to send a message to Lark and it went to Tommy, the message will insist that it's Lark who got it, and all responses would be labeled with Lark's name, even if it's Tommy.

Can I just play this out in my inbox?

Because of the nature of this event, we ask that all participation in it happen in this post. This allows everyone to engage equally. If you're looking to limit your interactions with it, then either focus on tagging out to other people, or when you put up your character's comment for this, indicate you would like no more than a certain number of people to respond.

Does my character have to keep interacting after they figure out it's the wrong person?

Absolutely not. Characters are still themselves. They can choose not to engage at any point. It is polite, though, to let the person know that your character is no longer responding. This lets people know that the thread is closed and not to expect more.

I don't know who to send something to. Help?

Well, use this Random number generator with the number of comments already posted, and use that to figure it out.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[All messages are welcome]

i have an idea. do you think if i offered to teach sign language people would come to it? especially if i offer food? doughnuts i think tony called them. it's getting very frustrating having to type veverything or writing if i cant find my device.

I mean, yes? I'm super easy to bribe with food myself. And learning a new language isn't that hard. Well maybe it is for some people.

And now I need to figure out how to make donuts.

i thought the replicator couldmake donuts? i figured you were easier to bribe with ale or maybe fighting - wait yo already know sign. dont try to trick me. if the replicator can make donuts do yo uthink theres chocolate with sprinkles? i want to try them.

[Dude probably is going to hate how instantly Tommy's text responses come back, isn't he? Like, sorry for the flex dude.]

Yeah, but in limited quantities. And people would probably expect them every class. Which means you'll need more than your allotment, unless someone's parting with theirs for you. I can't do chocolate with sprinkles, but I can probably work up some fruity glaze ones. I'm really trying hard to keep the diner working up to the standards other people set.

Fuck I need cook books.

_{[How can Bull type so fast? What the hell?!]}

right. limited quantities. wait when did you start running the diner? i thought you were helping with hunt things? do you help the diner on the side?

[Fucking magic, little elf]

Um, since Eli Vanto left? Place has been mine since, like, Day Seven or some shit. Not that I do the math. Had some people help over the years, but now it's just me myself and sometimes that Lady Lark.

We need a real fucking chef.

And I don't hunt. Promised I wouldn't kill things. It's like, my hero code or somehing.

this... this isn't bull then. which is obvious now because bull really likes hitting things. and i have no idea who eli vanot is. miss lark is nice tho. we live on different floors in the hotel. sine this isn't bull, who is it?

Nope, sadly not.

Wow man, didn't say I don't enjoy hitting things. Just that I don't kill. When it's as easy to do as it is for me, it's more important you're careful. Because you could get caught in it or some shit.

It's Tommy. And you're Lerith. We've talked before. You're the only one I know who can sign.

bull, from what i know in haven, hits to kill. but i think he's fighting demons so there's that. sorry i misunderstood you. frown face oh. wow you figured it out easier than i did. bull knows sign though! apparently he's from my future in our world and learned it. thats what gave me the idea about teaching others. if i could cook dishes here i could probaby help. i know some basics from. uh. before getting to haven.

Dude, don't WRITE frown face. Go :(

Because it LOOKS like a frowning face.

Ah man, more timeline BS. Oh well, at least you have someone to talk to. But I'll learn too. And if you know how to cook, or at least prep, you're hired.

oh. i thought htey just showedup. whoops. could you show me? i think i know but i want to know what your prep way is since it might not be the same? maybe it's better than mine : ) :)

Nah, man, that isn't how it works, mostly because the Agrii system isn't great. Maybe someone could make them for us though.

I mean, prep is mostly a lot of cutting and stuff, but yeah, I can show you.

we dont' have any system like this in thedas. still trying to learn some things on it. you give me plants or horses and i'm good. this stuff is still weird. yeah i can help out then. i've been spending some time at the greenhouse but helping out in the diner is good too. maybe meet more people. no slavers here compared to thedas

I mean, you can definitely join us on farming, and there's always the glownies. And the other heards. I have no clue what happened to the nerfs or whatever those things were though.

If you'd prefer to pick up more greenhouse duties then that's fine. It's spring, lots of weeding and seeding to do.

miss lark told me about the glownies. i should go to the farm to help too. i can do greenhouse and diner duties.

_{[Lerith sends that, looking out the window of his hotel room down in the direction of the diner. He then types up another message to send 'quickly'.]}

i want to go outside more. i don't need to hide here. no one's going to spring out and drag me back into slavery here so i don't need to. so i'm not going to. not while i'm here anyways.

Don't overwork yourself, Lerith. Not everyone runs on only four hours of sleep.

But you should go out more. There's no one here that will hurt you. And if they try, I'll fuck them up. No one gets owned. Period.

i won't i promise. i at least know where my limits are when it comes to how long i can work. i run on six hours of sleep. see this is why i should work at the diner with you. bring in food from the greenhouse and prep. and if anyone tries anything you could help if you're there. and you're right. no one should be owned. but that's not how it works in tevinter

Well I don't know where Tevinter is but they need their asses kicked.

More hands always helps for me. My attention span can be shit sometimes.

northern thedas. it's a country ruled by mages that keep slaves. some houses are okay. mine was not. i would like to see their asses kicked though. they need it. specifically the house i escaped from. well then i will help. and maybe kick your ass when your attention span wavers. : ) how about a trade actually? i help you out at the diner, and i can do the sign language thing there? maybe once a week?

Sounds good and fair. But you gotta tell me....

Does sign have a way to do 'nicknames'?

yes they are called name signs. when you're more...fluent and i know someone better i usually give them a name sign. that could give you a goal at least - to see what kind of name i can come up for you

Is it wrong for someone who isn't like you but speaks your language to give name signs?

i was tauht by another slave but im not sure of all the etiqute of the languge. maybe it is wrong? i wont be ipset if you do it

Cool. I like naming people.

Tommy | OTA

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