In which the muse is not happy about being killed off

[coldcoder]

I hope you understand that this isn't going to stop me. I may be dead in that game, or nearly, but I'm not going away. You created this version of me, Mun, and I will always be here.

You did say that it's far too easy to 'play' me. In which case, you should understand that I'm not finished playing others yet.

Now find me a decent meme, and we can start properly, since you don't seem to be able to cope with two games.

Comments

[expect_me]

I thought you were the User who isn't supposed to half be a jerk.

[Someone's not looking forward to a particular app, nope.]

[coldcoder]

Anon, isn't it? There's another one of you here in this mun's head.

You may be correct about my alternate self - he does his best to be a good man - but I doubt he ever discovered quite how effective a manipulator he could be. If he had, the Board would never have ousted him from power.

[Someone quite enjoys being sociopath. And is looking forward to testing his wits against a certain game.]

[expect_me]

You sound like Clu.

[Oh wait, that's probably a compliment.]

I take that back. You sound like a comic book villain. Are you going to go on about Richards next?

[Running through the mall while it was rearranging itself? Totally worth it for the comic books.]

[coldcoder]

[Have a somewhat creepy chuckle, Anon.]

Hardly. Grandstanding like Dr. Doom gets you nowhere. Watch and learn, kiddo, you might learn something.

[expect_me]

What? How to be a giant douchebag? No thanks.

[Sorry, Evil Alan. Soundwave is a lot better at the creepy vocalizations than you. Also what is douchebag? He hopes that's a good insult.]

You're not special. Just another heartless jerk.

/does not have an icon spooked enough for this

[heyalanhey]

Thought we got rid of you.

[coldcoder]

In that game, you did. Does it make you feel better if I say I know where I'm not wanted?

[You helped kill him, Roy. He can take a hint when it's delivered by a hammer that big.]

[heyalanhey]

[no]

[You could have stood down. You could have tried to negotiate. You could have introduced yourself when you rezzed in instead of stealing an ISO and rectifying a bunch of innocent people.

You could have been someone else entirely.]

Out here? Yeah.

[And stay out. >( ]

[coldcoder]

[But why would he try to negotiate when he could just take? Computers are there for the benefit of the Users. And not that it's any of your business, but they were already rectified. He simply gave them a purpose. He really did them a favor.]

You know, you should really watch that other Alan. He's me, after all. He has the same potential.

[Sowing distrust about his goody-two-shoes mirror? Oh yeah.]

[heyalanhey]

[Because basic humanity, duh? And there were other Users in this system already, thanks very much. And gee, that's too bad, but 'favor', geez, don't make him laugh.

humorless smirk. if you think that's going to get you anywhere, especially when Roy's spent the last couple of months practically living at the Bradleys' house while he got his head on straight after your little incursion, you have no idea what you could have been like.]

I see you've been reading the Evil Overlord List.

[tilts head; calculated counterthrust.] How's Lora?

[coldcoder]

[Counterthrust went wide, alas.] Just fine. She sent me a new intern last month - my wife gives me the best presents.

The Evil Overlord list? Oh, that one. It would be more appropriate if I wanted to make that kind of target of myself.

Oh, and how's Ram? Still virus-free?

[heyalanhey]

[Oh, she's evil too? Good, that makes him feel marginally better about killing her husband.] Must be nice to know she cares. [And he's really going to have to talk to the Free Grid about anti-Evil-Lora measures, just in case.]

That why you tried to get out instead of taking on the admin?

[..................you didn't.]

He'd better be.

[no he's pretty sure he would have heard if -- but he's going to send someone in to check every Ram he knows just in case.]

[coldcoder]

[No, he didn't. But it's fun to watch you squirm. And you never do know what killing a User will do to the system. Especially one like the Free Grid.]

You know, I'm not entirely sure why you think I need to explain myself to you. However, I wasn't trying to start a war.

Your side did that.

[heyalanhey]

[feel the sarcasm. feel it.] I dunno, maybe it's my friendly face. Or maybe you've been looking for someone to confess to. [no such luck, probably.]

But no, actually, we didn't start a war. We finished one.

[coldcoder]

[Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, Roy. And it wasn't that funny to start with.]

And does believing that make you feel better?

I wish you could meet your counterpart from my world. He, at least, is capable of more than resentment and pathetic jibes.

[heyalanhey]

[hey, Roy never pretended to be the fancy-pants publicist. he saves that for you.] Sure. It's like believing in the tooth fairy. [which he doesn't anymore either.


...huh. so there is one. he'd been hoping his counterpart had managed to avoid Alan... no such luck, apparently.] Well, hey, if you don't appreciate my pathetic jibes, I'll just take them back to the Grid I helped save from you. Don't bother to write.

[coldcoder]

[More sarcasm? Well, at least this Roy can manage acceptable coding.]

Please do go back. Don't call.

[heyalanhey]

[Always sarcasm. Always.

Stay out of his buddies' directives and he won't need to.]

[fight4theusers]

[He avoided you before, but...]

You're supposed to be gone.

[coldcoder]

From the Free Grid, yes.

The Users have a saying, something about life not taking the shape you choose for it. As for me, I'm proving harder to get rid of than my mun expected.

[unrectified]

[...furious. And panicked, and BSODing and glad for that helmet now yes. But mostly? Furious.

He at least knew what to expect.]

Don't.

[coldcoder]

Don't? Don't what, Rinzler? Don't stay away from your game? Don't turn my attention to someone else? You really want me back that much?

It's understandable, after all. Having your User die in front of you must have been a shock.

[unrectified]

Don't stay anywhere.

[And don't, don't, don't do what the muns are talking about on plurk. He likes that headspace-mirror.

They derezzed you. And yes, there is a flinch at the reminder. Still glaring, though. He doesn't—won't regret it. Not now.]

[coldcoder]

It's amusing that you think you can dictate to me what to do, since as I recall, it's the other way around.

However, apps are on indefinite for a while.

[On the surface, it's meant to be comforting. In practice? Ahhhh, the anticipatory dread of not knowing when mirror!Alan will turn up.]

[unrectified]

No. I'm not yours. [Harsh, and quick, voice tight with static. But it's true. Not now. Not for a long, long while.

That much, you really should have learned.]

Good. [He'll take 'indefinite' over looming any shift.] Null better.

[coldcoder]

Rinzler. I created you. You'll always be mine.

[That much, you really should know by now.]

And now I'm curious about this Abax place, since you so desperately want me to stay away. I hear there's another version of you there.

[unrectified]

Created Tron.

[Not him. Though please ignore that fractional... freeze as you keep going. And the internal keysmash. There are two other versions, and he's pretty sure you shouldn't be near either.

But hey, you want details?]

User system. Glitched. Hostile admins, hostile inhabitants. High rate of derezz. For users.

[Still sound appealing?]

[lifes_short_pop]

I've seen enough to know you are everything I fight against.

Whatever you got there, you earned it, old man. Maybe your mun will find some duct tape and a dirty gym sock to cover the rest. After that, I hope the Programs can recover from the damage.

[coldcoder]

[Awww, how sweet. Look at the inexperienced User butting in when he has no idea of what happened.]

Really. That's the best you can do, with your black and white worldview? Unfocused hostility and laughable attempts at an insult?

I'd tell you to sit on the board of a major corporation for a few years and see if you can't learn some subtlety, but I doubt you'd last six months.

[lifes_short_pop]

{{Mun's been lurking for months, getting ideas. Still too intimidated to actually go on the com, because I'm not sure how this noisy pup will actually mesh, and the style is a lot different than my DCU game.

Sad to see you go, though. ALL KINDS of ideas generated, because if ANYONE in that universe is going to do entirely the wrong thing for entirely the right reason...}}

[Not backing down.]

No shame in knowing right from wrong. I've seen you torture Programs on this com, and would have stopped you if the Mun gave me half a chance. Nothing excuses hurting them when you know they're living beings. It's even less excusable knowing how they see us.

[This is just asking for trouble, but Mirror!Alan has the right of it - this version of Jet is FAR too idealistic and not subtle in the slightest.]

Never got the chance to ask Thorne or Crown, but what makes that right to you? What kind of excuse could you possibly come up with that allows it?

[anewbeginning]

[No. Oh no. Not you, not you, not you.]

Why do you keep hurting people?

[coldcoder]

Because they keep fighting me. If they didn't fight me, I wouldn't hurt them.

[Truth? Lie? Something in between? Who knows?]

comment what comment

[unrectified]

[Lie. >B|]

no comment at all

[coldcoder]

[Go away, Rinzler, and be quiet. He's talking to the ISO.]

[anewbeginning]

They fight you because you hurt people.

You were going to hurt me. Eventually.

[a_perfect_end]

[Now, this is interesting.]

...Playing all the angles? Do you really think it'll work, User?

[coldcoder]

If you play all the angles, you won't have any in reserve.

[Very interesting.]