hey only im allowed to test

Netto groaned as he forced himself to get up for a brief moment. There was way too much trash around the couch to justify someone coming over right now, and he could envision Rockman's snipping at him...

He scooped up at least three juice boxes, and two takeout containers, and another container from dinner half finished. He ambled towards the kitchen and dropped them off, catching a glint of himself in the reflection of his fridge. Ugh, he still looked like a mess, but he supposed Meiru saw all of his beating. Hopefully that didn't hurt his impressions too deeply.

[MSG: ] any time

He plopped back down on the couch, grumbling about his sore sides.

[MSG: ] I've got plentyy of folks looking out for me. Don't worry about that

Rockman flinched a little from Cometman's laugh. His arms fell to his sides, and he took a half-step backward. Just surprise at such a response, nothing more.

And then his brow furrowed, tilting his head at Cometman's sudden ask. He seemed to relax, too— his shoulders fell, and his stature seemed to loosen. Rockman was a very normal Navi, so he could easily answer whatever questions he had. ("One of the good Dr. Hikaris" was a strange thing to hear...)

"You seem normal to me," Rockman murmured, watching him touch the wrapper. "Looks like a compatibility layer? You're from a different...internet, I guess. You'd have to be."

Rockman had no reason to think Cometman was strange in some unique way, aside from the whole world-altering and time-altering properties. "I mean– hm."

...It was strange as hell that Cometman found it weird. That he had the sense to believe there was a wrongness in him, and that wrongness meant something. A program was a program and all it knew was itself, what use did it have for knowing of abnormality?

"I mean– doesn't that make sense to you? You're from a different place. Right? I guess— I'm surprised you actually...find it weird."

Rockman had the sense that Cometman was also like him, in that a cheerful operator went a long way into modeling normalcy. The cheesy grin looked a lot like that girl's (Ellen, he thought, who's name had escaped him entirely in the void of Serpentine).

"Glad you're...alive," Rockman said, then grimaced- what a stupid thing to say. Cometman may have had his own stumble, but Rockman was basically tripping and falling on his face. He folded his arms, almost visibly walling himself off. There was no reaching for this well of friendship to save Netto; there was nothing and static and unity. He had nothing in common with this guy.

(...Was he a navi? He was on the internet like a navi. But Cometman was asking about navis, and what they were, and Rockman was a navi and nothing else.)

"What- what did you want to talk to me about? Besides- the Colosseum. Something about navis?" His shoulders drew up, tense. For all his cool-headedness in text, his emotions were almost too plain for a navi.

Netto had to think for a really long time about the messages volleyed back to him. He stared up at the ceiling, trying to mull over the missing pieces he didn't have. Something aside from the whole mess with Alpha was bothering Meiru? Why? What could it even be???

Was it really just that- he got the short straw? No, that was pessimistic. Much more suited to his navi. He'd made some fuck ups, and didn't get along with everyone, but that was just how things went. Try as he might, he couldn't be close to everyone. Even if that stung.

But then Roll offered to connect him to Meiru, and that sounded...well, nice. At least he could shoot his shot, make it known he wasn't actually crazy, and if they weren't friends, then that was that.

[MSG: ] If she wants to, lol. its not really me who has stuff to talk about - i mean, not anymore lol
[MSG: ] no pressure, but im still a sack on my couch. shes gonna have to come here for an in person convo
[MSG: ] which is a good idea because im a bad texter

Why did he dump all that stuff to Roll? What a strange thing to do. Getting physically thrown around like a ragdoll was doing a number on his sanity. Oh well.

"Waiting long enough is right," she hums, "it's always been a waiting game."

You know she knows too much; somehow she is linked to the life tree of this world and it breathes and hums your gospel. She is disciple and prophet and messiah all in one; an agent, they'd started to call them. You know she is dangerous and even more-so now that she's produced something she certainly shouldn't have. But you don't really care. Because you are waiting.

She places your chips just so and the ball and wheel spin. They spin, and spin, and spin, the colors distracting and enticing. You both watch for a while. Then she watches you.

"Waiting for something you never even had," she says, as if finishing an unspoken sentence. "I'm not even sure why you crave this stuff." She raises the shot glass and swirls the liquid in it- you are certain of its contents now more than ever, as the faint purple-black glints in the light. It's the only thing that rips your attention away from the wheel.

"Not like it's yours. It was your little lover boy's. You didn't even get a taste."

testing again to see if it picks up replies

i looove testing

EDIT: still love it

EDIT: love it less

EDIT: death

"Just us, darling." Her voice isn't very loud, and it shouldn't be heard over the sound of the casino, but it's all you can focus on. "Not many get the privilege of playing at my table."

She has a light lisp; her fangs affect her voice, and they glint in the light as her tongue flickers out to wet her lips. Serpentine idly plays with the roulette ball in her hand, rolling it over her fingers, humming softly. "Do you want a refreshment? You can relax, Enzan."

She says your name with a sort of purr, which seems uncharacteristic for her snake-like features. She doesn't hiss, but she does allure, and she looks at you like you are the whole universe. Like you have hung the stars and moon for her. Like she would do anything for you.

Her hand clicks; beside her a useless servant arrives- navi or human, it doesn't really matter- with a plate in their hand. When lowered, it reveals a small shot glass full of...something. But you know what it is, don't you? Like your focus bled into Serpentine, it now bleeds into her glass, as she takes it up in her hand- she doesn't even need it, what a waste.

"None for you?" She asks- she knows, of course. She knows what she's doing to you. You get the sense she likes it, and demands more of your pride to be played as bet on the table; lacking that, maybe it's your dignity she wants.

Netto blew out an unexpected held breath. He would have to forward the apology, once Rockman was - well. Whenever he would be done hanging out with Blues. And Roll was right on the nose- which mirrored their own, honestly. Meiru and Roll had always been so damn smart, and Netto was too dense to realize that until long after they lived far away.

[MSG ] I think you're probably right
[MSG ] I mean, like. Not to defend myself too much here
[MSG ] But everyone met me under a really bad circumstance, lol

Netto ran a hand through his hair, trying to figure out his next words. What was too much? She was a navi, and she wasn't necessarily a friend. But that also meant he had very little to lose by saying "too much".

[MSG ] You can only be so well adjusted under stress when your brother and your friends get chewed up and spit out, you know?
[MSG ] And all of that happening when I got on leave for the first time in years. Basically I mean, like, you're right, I think. I'd like to think you're right.

He shuffled, sighed, wishing this conversation was not happening over a text message. He was a bad texter- Laika and Enzan had a lighthearted hatred of their groupchat, because Netto constantly left cryptic messages in it. He just wasn't very good at texting!

[MSG ] And I think the other-mes think I'm like- perfect.
[MSG ] I'm what they should have turned into. A good son, a good friend, a good soldier.

Yeah, maybe this was too much. But now he was going and he really suddenly couldn't stop, just like when he was talking to that Rockman.

[MSG ] But like- there's a lot they don't even know. They just assumed that from duress and the way I look. I get it, I don't begrudge them, but- it's not my fault? I guess? It's not my fault all of that awfulness from my world spilled out into everyone else. It's not my fault anyone got infected with my awfulness or whatever.

There was a longer pause between messages. Netto had gotten up, despite his body's protest, to lean against the windows overlooking the view he'd been so obsessed with when he got the place. Felt like he barely looked out of them anymore. Then, in rapid fire:

[MSG ] And like, your poor operator had to see me going fucking crazy.
[MSG ] Pardon the language.
[MSG ] I just think it's apt.
[MSG ] Like I said. I didn't mean for all that to - infect everyone else. It's not my fault. But I guess- I guess, with all the people in that chat and all, we've all seen all this shit. I must look like an enemy anyway. And I don't do myself any favors, with my stupid little outbursts.

Netto tapped his foot, and ran a hand through his hair again.

[MSG ] It's hard to reach out when you're already on the back-foot. So, I guess- um. I appreciate you reaching out ahead of me.

Cometman was huge. This made Rockman a little internally frustrated, as he only had a vague recall of what he looked like back in the Colosseum. Certainly not so huge. Reminded him a lot of navis like MagnetMan, of whom he had no idea how it was practical to be that huge. Rockman stepped back to give him the room to come into himself.

Awkwardly, he shuffled on his feet. He blew a strand of hair out from his eyes. For all intents and purposes, he was quite the different Navi than Cometman had seen in the Colosseum; less bitey, less controlled, and certainly more grounded in reality. In fact, he didn't look much like his bark; he wasn't even making eye contact with Cometman. Just staring a little bit past him.

"Welcome," he said, though it felt sort of stupid to say. Cometman had been to this world before. Wasn't a first time. "Sorry about the whole, like, fight to the death type thing. Not my idea of a pleasant day, that's for sure."

It was becoming more and more obvious to Rockman that all his life, he was using Netto as a proxy to socialize. It was a lot easier then, when they just bounced off of each other. He was terribly adrift on his own. And terribly awkward.

@role

You weren't meant to end up here. You aren't even sure how- lead feet stuck in the same place, a mind full of cotton- it's like you come to, sitting in this chair. The lights and sounds fill your senses first before anything else comes online- you are keenly aware of the smell of floor cleaner and leather, the sound of racketeers and gamblers, and the dazzle of blinking lights.

You know you weren't supposed to be here, but you were. No use in fighting it, right? The roulette table spins in front of you, a repetition of red and black and red and black and red that draws your focus away from the other crowds. You've just been seated and you've bought in. You're not a gambler, you never were, but here you are. Something must be a truth here; and it's not yours.

The dealer smiles at you. You take too long to recognize her, like your mind is in some horrible haze. Her features appear to you one by one- scaly white skin, a lack of iris, and a jacket that undulates an equally distracting pattern.

Serpentine leans in, looking sweetly as ever- she doesn't seem to focus on anyone but you. There's no one else at the table but you.

"Hello darling," she hums, a sweet voice nearly swept up in the current of the Casino. "You're a little lost, aren't you?"

Would you even admit to such a thing? You've already bought into the table.

Netto cradled his PET, mulling over each response as they came in. It was pulling him from his funk, to talk to someone who seemed so damn normal in the face of it all. At least, it was a good distraction. Something to turn his energy to.

[MSG ] I'm not really sure yet why it...called such a...random group together. Sorry you had to get involved. And that it scared your folks

[MSG ] I owe your operator an apology, especially. I'm sure Enzan was a dick to her

There was a long enough pause to indicate he was debating how to say my Enzan, not yours, I don't really know yours that well, all things considered but he got distracted too quickly by Roll's lack of knowledge about that weird virus.

[MSG ] My Rock told me he'd had a...accident, when a hangout turned sour. He didn't have an operator during a tough fight and had to rely on some...old tricks? And it got out of hand.

[MSG ] Between you, me, and your Rockman, he's been kinda mopey about it for a while. So- I mean, he's sorry. He's working on it. You know? We all got things we're working on.

He grimaced typing it all out- he really did talk too much.

[MSG ] Were you- reaching out, for any particular reason? Just to say hi?

Her Rockman? Netto debated the merits, for a moment, on whether or not that possessive was in the world-defining way or the romantic way. He supposed it could have been, and he was almost certain that was the case, but he had no proof. Maybe he was about to gain it?

[MSG: ] I'm ok. Out of the hospital
[MSG: ] I'm sorry I haven't reached out to you and your operator. Are you all okay? You did good work against Serpentine.

(His fingertips twitched– just typing the name felt like incantation, like he would summon her with just those letters.) He quickly added:

[MSG: ] It was nice to chat with your Rock.
[MSG: ] He's sweet.

He felt a sudden urge then to add again:

[MSG: ] Is he alright? He was in a bad way when I saw him.
[MSG: ] I mean, he was okay. Just stressed. I know he had an encounter with, um, my navi.

He was clearly a somewhat anxious texter— it wasn't that he was afraid of Roll, he just had a lot to say. He kept double-texting, mindless of the annoyance.

[MSG: ] Who is extremely sorry for the whole thing, by the way. Um. And so am I, for the— netbattle. You did beat my ass, though.
[MSG: ] Sorry, lol, I've got too much to say.

Hi folks! Most of you will know this information already, but I'd like to keep up posting here for archival and visibility purposes.

If you haven't heard yet, we have a wiki! This is where our character & instance info will live, alongside archives of our threads!

Much like the forum, this will be publicly available through the Tailscale links. I am personally hosting the wiki through Docker (for the technically curious, it's through docker-compose). The wiki is backed up to my NAS, and then also to remote storage. This is currently Google Drive, but it's encrypted as it goes, so Google isn't scraping the data I back up.

The wiki and forum continue to be on an approval basis; Anna and I approve all members, and we aren't currently looking for new ones. (Though, if you think someone is a good fit for the group, please don't hesitate to reach out!)

@snoruntpyro is also a moderator of the wiki. This doesn't change the current moderation structure (Anna and I are still moderators of this space, just like we are on Discord), but Pyro has quite a bit of wiki experience and is able to lend a hand when I'm not able to. So if you have wiki questions, myself or Pyro are a great place to start!

If you're worrying right now about learning how to use MediaWiki, fret not! It's an extremely well documented piece of software (because it's the same software Wikipedia runs on), and I am happy to lend a hand to anyone who needs help setting up pages. There are already plenty of templates, and a lot of good information in the Style Guide.

As of writing this, we already have 50 articles- character sheets, threads, and instance pages included! I'm really proud of the work we've all put in to making a little corner of the internet really ours. So, thank you for coming on this little journey with me!

The more that Rockman read the texts, the more furrowed his brow became, and the more the familiar feeling of dread crawled up his throat. He swallowed, even though he didn't have to.

What we are? What a bizarre thing to say. A navi just knew. What the hell would be the purpose of a navi who didn't know– they wouldn't be very useful, that's for sure. Rockman tapped his foot as he tried to figure out what he should say, how he should swerve out of the trajectory of this impending…thing.

Well- first, the talking part. Cometman asked him about talking to people, his operator, which he found woefully naive, never mind the sword in his side or the pain in his head. He laughed, though the sound was sort of distant to him.

[MSG: ️] I talked to my partner.

Vague enough, and true. More like he shouted incoherently, and Blues listened, because he always listened. Cometman didn't need to know that partner didn't mean his operator in that context. As little personal information as possible…

You really are an antisocial freak, huh. [MSG: ️] I don't need your help. A friendship with the approach of fixing someone sounds kinda shit.

Ugh. The sting of guilt hit him like a lead pipe.

[MSG: ️] …It's nice of you, but I don't need your help.

He was still tapping his foot.

[MSG: ️] We can talk, I guess. If you want. My Net is open.

testing again

Me when I'm testing

"Cometman?" Rockman mumbled to himself, not daring to speak too loudly as he observed Blues and Enzan in a meeting. Some stupid investors, some overseas stuff to make them stay late— but now his attention was drawn into his texts.

He did remember Cometman. He remembered his voice in the cacophony of all of them under Serpentine's influence, alongside his operator's. He remembered the way they fell slowly under the influence, then all at once; both her and the other her, echoing back and forth, their insecurity a perfect knife.

And he remembered their attacks against him, and he remembered– well, he remembered too much. He blinked a few times as if to clear it from his mind. He shot a quick message to Blues to indicate he was going to take a quick walk, and he exited the IPC network.

[MSG: ️] I'm fine

Pause, pause.

[MSG: ️] I mean, from that. All good here. Why do you want to meet?

Prickly prickly. Maybe they just want to know why you were such a psycho? Rockman blew a scoff from his nose.

Netto was finally back in his apartment— it took a lot of reassurance to both Enzan and Pen that he was fine and didn't need supervision, the doctors had cleared him and he felt perfectly able to go from couch to bathroom to bed. He was still sore, still with plenty of bruises that had no name, and scars to match– but he was fine now.

Really, he was more worried about Rockman, who'd been silent and dazed since their whole ordeal. He was away with Blues, and Netto respected their distance; he couldn't imagine what it was like, really, to go through all of that by yourself.

On the couch, he glanced up at the ceiling. His apartment was quiet, and the final rays of the day were streaking into his windows. He had half a mind to fall asleep, too sore to force himself to move to his bed and too full of ennui to even care. Apparently— the doctors had told him— it was normal to get a little funky after getting hurt so bad.

Breaking up his thoughts was the sudden cacophony of noise– his PET rang twice over to him, and he scooped it up with a wince. The message made his eyebrows raise. Roll? That Roll? The one that had a hand in beating their ass?

Damn. Right. He supposed they'd be wondering about him– more likely, looking for answers. He typed up a reply: [MSG ] Oh, hi! What's up?

Though he did find it extremely strange that Roll of all Navis was reaching out to him. Not her operator? Not Rockman or his?