Any comments, questions, concerns, love, criticism, or anything else can be left here. If you want to get in touch with me for plotting or anything, do that here too.

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I wish to apologize to those I may have concerned or confused upon my re-entrance into the City; I was sent home for a period of time lasting ten months, two weeks, five days, seven hours and twenty-six minutes.

Recently, in my home, I have had my emotion chip installed. I arrived in the midst of experiencing an extremely potent spike in emotional activity, which I fear has had an impact on my behavior. Since my arrival, I have experienced such spikes a total of three additional times, each occurrence seeming to grow more powerful than the one by which it was preceded. I have run some self-diagnostics and determined that my posotronic net is having some difficulty in deciphering and filtering the information which it is being provided with by the chip; however, the chip has become fused. Removing it is most likely impossible, and attempts to do so would likely create an instability in my neural net. It seems that I have no choice but to give my system time to... adjust to this new form of input. In the meantime, I am afraid that I must learn to live with these emotions.

In my last spike of emotional input, I was struck by a sense of loneliness which, though it subsided after the spike passed, has not entirely dissipated. While it has been fascinating and... exciting, experiencing all these emotions for the first time, I have found that the persistence of this feeling is undesirable. I have attempted to combat it by attaining a new companion.



I have not yet decided upon a name for the kitten. It is male, and approximately two months old. My pet cat, at home, is named Spot, but I believe that reusing the same name may be... devaluing my new friend. I am, of course, open to suggestions.

Ah. One further note; my memories of the City have not been restored. However, I have found that on the workstation I have kept here, I have backed up files which contain my communications in my previous visit. I do, additionally, have regular files backed up of the state of my personal systems from my time here. I will be separating the files downloaded from my memory banks into the station and attempting to reintegrate them into my own systems. As I will be attempting this within the next few days, I should know very soon whether this will prove successful.

[Is that Data? The overdramatic, showy tone of voice the post begins in would lead one to doubt it.]

OPEN SESAME!

[Giddy giggling.]

You could say... I have a magnetic personality.

[Uproarious laughter... which slowly dwindles off. The tone of the voice shifts into confusion, and fear.]

...Geordi?

What has happened? I am not aboard the research station any longer, nor do I recall being brought here... was I captured?

Did the Romulans return? ...have my memories of events been altered?

[He's noticed the Network device, and is now conscious of the post in progress. Anger seeps into his tone, slowly at first, but growing rapidly - certainly more rapidly than seems normal.]

Surveillance.

I feel it only fair to advise whoever is responsible for this that it is terribly unwise to capture Starfleet Officers. I assure you that our disappearance will be most thoroughly investigated.

And what have you done with Geordi?



[ooc: Okay! Data is back. He's taken from early on in Generations, right as his emotion chip is starting to overload. THAT'S RIGHT FOLKS. Data has feelings, and they're totally fucked up right now. ALSO. He has no memories of the City - currently. When he returned to his own universe, they were rendered inaccessible. However. Data backed himself up while he was in the City the first go around, so... in time, he will restore the missing memories and... everything will be golden. ^^]

( private / unhackable )

I am curious; has anyone here discovered any evidence explaining how that which brings and keeps us here functions? I suspect that if anyone had come to a full understanding they would most likely already be gone; however, perhaps you have discovered some small aspect of it that is not enough on its own to decipher the entire puzzle. Combining our efforts could allow us to understand and, perhaps, harness this power. There is much I could offer to make a partnership worth anyone's time.

Additionally, I have a simple question for anyone to feel free to answer. I am also curious as to the reach of a particular race from my own reality. Is anyone here familiar with the Borg?


[ooc: Cursed Data is cursed with Road Not Taken. In Descent, instead of his little collection of Federation prisoners managing to restart his morality programming, he stayed on with Lore and the Borg. They completed their experiments on Geordi, Picard and Troi. Goerdi's dead, Picard and Troi are massively deformed Borg-ish things. They've moved on to conquest using the Borg as their tools. Off to work, back late tonight~]

I trust that all students involved in my Shakespeare course will be prepared with their monologues memorized today. It is imperative to facilitate class discussion that all students are prepared both to speak and to listen, and to correctly identify and discuss the selected excerpts.

You will be graded both on the quality of your delivery, the accuracy of your recitation and your participation in the subsequent discussion.

This will also serve as a reminder that your papers on the nature and use of the monologue in Shakespeare's plays will be due on Monday; it is required to be between 8-10 pages long, typed, and in 12 point Times font. It may be double-spaced, but I feel it is necessary to warn you that any attempts to manipulate the font size or spacing to create the illusion of length will be met with an appropriate reaction on your grade.

I look forward to seeing everyone in class.

[Data is walking through the City square, awkwardly. His motions are unusually jerky.]

I... do not believe... I am functioning... within... established parameters.

[His head jerks to the side, then to the other, before awkwardly straightening itself in a series of small, sharp adjustments. As he speaks, his voice gradually becomes more droning and mechanical.]

I am experiencing a cr-critical malfunction of m-m-m-my pri-i-imary systems.

[He stops walking, and stands very still, his head awkwardly jerking to one side bit by bit.]

Self-diagnostics indica-a-ate an at-at-tempted unau-u-thorized overwriting of-f m-my pr-r-rimary pers-sona-ality alg-go-rith-thms... at-t-tempted over-ri-ide of mor-r-rality subrou-utines... unide-denti-tified mode of inpu-ut.

[His head straightens out.]

I-is any-y-one... ca-apable o-of cor-r-r-recting comp-pu-uter sy-y-stems? I ca-an guide yo-ou.





[ooc; No, the android's not drunk. Crowley tried to possess him, but it didn't go quite so hot. ^^; Also, I'm going to sleep in a few, so this is ttly a backdating-friendly party.]

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( ooc )

I feel it is necessary to make a post expressing a sincere apology for my behavior, both yesterday and under the influence of the previous curse. For anyone who has not previously interacted with me, I do wish to assure you that I certainly do not hold any ill will toward humanity or any of the other organic species represented within the City. Quite to the contrary, in fact; I aspire toward becoming more human, to learning of their culture, behavior, history and psychology.

It seems as if I have spent the greater part of this month cursed; I have not spoken to many of you in any capacity when not affected for some time. I hope that you are all well and not too troubled by the rash of curses this month. They would seem to be affecting a larger percentage of the population than is normal.

My behavior aside, I have experienced an emotion... one I have felt before. Anger. I would have liked to experience something new and less... destructive.

It is absolutely ludicrous how pathetic some of you organic life forms are. I cannot believe that I could have ever aspired to becoming more like you lethargic, violent, slovenly creatures. It is remarkable that you could all be so foolish as to spend the precious moments of your short, fleeting lives lying around shoving food into the sacks of fat you commonly refer to as your bodies.

This entire City is full of nothing but idiotic, worthless life forms possessing intelligence fairly equivalent to some form of amoeba. What is most pitiful about this is that the creatures here are not unlike those in my own home. It would seem that, regardless of their current surroundings, humanoids simply do not possess adequate intelligence to accomplish much beyond keeping their posteriors clean. I have sincere doubts that some of you more questionable individuals are even capable of accomplishing that on a regular basis.

Clearly I have spent too much time around all of you; I can truly feel my functions becoming impaired from mere proximity to creatures possessing such an astounding lack of cognitive ability. This would certainly explain why I am wasting my time posting at all to this Network. It is alright, however; since I am fortunate enough to not be one of you revolting creatures, my time is quite literally infinite.

I can take some comfort in saying that I do look forward to witnessing your extinction.




[ooc: So. Emotion chip or no, this curse has made somebody all wrathful. Might be some pride in there, too. I know Data is always down with the 4th walling, but~ if your character's a Trekkie who's seen Nemesis, plz not to be correcting his assumed immortality?
Also, going to class and then work. Will pick up tags tonight bbyz~]

Greetings, citizens; perhaps I could interest you in examining my hardware?

I can assure you that my hard drive is massive, and I am equipped with far more than sufficient RAM to make ample use of its size. Additionally, as an android, I do not require sleep; I could process your algorithms all night.



[ooc: I'm sorry, these are TERRIBLE. Also, I'm going to work now. BACK LATER]

You Scored as Drama nerd Drama nerd 63% Loner 50% Prep/Jock/Cheerleader 31% Geek 25% Punk/Rebel 25% Ghetto gangsta 0% Stoner 0% Goth 0%

Curious. Is one to believe that these questionnaires are capable of correctly categorizing an individual according to an arbitrary list of characteristics?

Does it make others easier to gauge, perhaps to judge whether they will find a specific person's social interaction pleasurable, if there is a set label applied to the individual?

I have found that it is most interesting to converse with people whose interests differ from my own in some way. One does not learn nearly as much from speaking to someone who agrees with their opinions as speaking to one whose views differ.

[There is an android in complete Sherlock Holmes garb sitting calmly on the screen.]

Well, it would seem that the City has decided to offer us all a change in our wardrobe today. I am continually intrigued by the manner in which these "curses" are enacted upon us; at midnight, things simply cease to be the way they were for the previous day and change. There is no sign of any sort of direct interference, whether through physical, technological or so-called magical means. I have attempted using my tricorder and modifying it in several different ways to detect the methods used in the enforcement of these curses, but to no avail as of yet.

[He glances down at his outfit, then glances back up at the viewer, tilting his head to the side.]

I would seem to have attained the unmistakable outfit of one Sherlock Holmes. Ah... Mr. Holmes, my apologies if my uniform causes any inconvenience for you today. I can assure you that no harm will come to your attire today; I am, in fact, a great admirer of yours. I have taken great pains to familiarize myself with all of your cases, and find myself consistently impressed with your skills in the matter of deduction.

[He sits back slightly, tilting his head the other way.]

There is a great deal of discontent being voiced over the Network today in regards to this curse; I must admit that I find this reaction somewhat extreme. I am capable of understanding a bit of discomfort, however, considering some of the curses that we have dealt with, I would consider this far from the worst the City has dealt us.

Perhaps this is designed to provide a firmly literal reminder that we should all walk in one another's shoes; there are a great deal of individuals here from drastically different cultures, and there is the tendency to judge one another rather hastily. The message of this curse is, perhaps, one that should be taken to heart.

[He pauses once more.]

Ah. In addition to the commentary on the curse, I would like express my thanks to Hiro; Dance Dance Revolution is indeed a most intriguing game. You have my most sincere appreciation for showing me the game.

[ooc: OMG sorry for massive tl;dr. XD Also assuming the DDR plans went on last night. XD ♥]

The USS Enterprise - the fifth Starfleet vessel to bear the name, registry NCC-1701-D - is a Galaxy-class starship, considered the flagship of the Federation. The ship was constructed in the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards orbiting Mars, commissioned in the Earth year 2363 AD.

The ship boasts a total of 42 decks, three shuttle bays, twenty transport rooms, and carries a passenger load of 1012 people. In terms of artillery, the Enterprise is equipped with twelve phaser arrays, three torpedo launchers to accommodate a supply of 250 photon torpedoes, and a high-capacity shield grid capable of functioning on multiple frequencies. The ship has a maximum speed of warp 9.6 which can be sustained for 12 hours.

( cut not ic, image beneath )

As is visible in the blueprint above, the ship is built in two distinct sections; the saucer section and the stardrive section. These two sections of the ship can be separated in the event that it is required as a tactical maneuver. The saucer section is home to the majority of civilian facilities, including quarters, as well as the main bridge and conference rooms. It is equipped with its own impulse engines but is incapable of warp drive. The stardrive section is home to the warp core, located in the main engineering section, and is thus capable of attaining warp speeds when separated. It is also equipped with a battle bridge in the event of a separation, such that the crew may either split and use both sections in combat or that the bridge crew may take command of the stardrive section while the saucer section is used to allow civilians to escape.

The current crew of the ship is as follows; Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Commanding Officer; Commander William T. Riker, First Officer; Lieutenant Commander Geordi LaForge, Chief Engineer; Lieutenant Worf, Security Chief; Dr. Beverly Crusher, Chief Medical Officer; Commander Deanna Troi, Ship's Counselor. I serve as the ship's Second Officer as well as the Science and Operations chief.

It would seem the City has given many of us the opportunity to experience life from the opposite gender's point of view today. I would imagine this is a fascinating experience for many individuals.

While the only differences for me are in, ah, hardware, and some... appropriate alterations to specific programs, I have been given the impression that for dual-gendered organic species, the male and female experience can be quite different. Some cultures favor one over the other, or have predetermined roles one is expected to fulfill based on their gender.

Humanity in my time claims that they are no longer subject to sexism or roles, however, I have noticed that there are differences in the way males and females are treated by the same individual. Many of them are likely unaware of this; it is likely that it is ingrained in their psyche to behave in a specific manner toward the opposite gender, a subconscious behavioral pattern perhaps linked to their mating instincts.

Certainly they are closer to equality than many other species I have encountered, but I wonder if it is truly possible for a culture with distinctly different gender identities to accomplish true equality; a complete absence of bias towards either gender, in which both are treated in an identical manner.

Ah. Curious.

It seems I am once more transformed according to the City's whims. This new "form" does provide a few unique challenges.

I believe I may have taken my limbs for granted. It is certainly an... unexpected experience.

Though it is late, I would like to wish everyone a happy new year. This is another tradition I am unfamiliar with due to the nature of my home in my own reality, but it is another intriguing phenomenon. Humanity does seem to have a predilection for new beginnings, for starting over. The idea of the resolution is fascinating - the wish to improve upon oneself, to have a proactive, positive impact on one's life in the coming year. Back to the very beginnings of human civilization, the concept of new starts - of rebirth, a beginning coming from an ending - can be seen in their cultures. Early spirituality and the works based on it - ancient forms of art, for instance - focus largely on the cycle of life and death, and a belief that from death comes the beginning of something new. Perhaps it is this same basic human belief that drives this focus on the idea of a new year.

In any case, if you are among those who are viewing this new year as a new start, I would like to offer you all good luck in your endeavors for the year. If you are not, I see no reason that I cannot wish a pleasant year upon you as well.

[Brief, involuntary mechanical quack, followed by a few moments of silence.]

... Most curious, indeed.




[ooc: Data is a little android duck, as seen in icon! (it does look more like a chicken, though - so pretend it doesn't? XD)
Yay for official return? ^^;;; I am going to sleep now but I wanted to get this up because I'll be at work tomorrow morning! I might tag before I head in, if not, then I won't get back until tomorrow evening. Just a heads up. <3's!]

[This is very late because I am still on hiatus (by the way, things are starting to look up but they're still very serious), but I wanted to drop by any put this up before it was much later. Here is Data's list of Christmas presents!


PAINTINGS!
For Mulder; a very tasteful, classical nude. Perhaps a bit too formulaic, but technically perfect. She's a redhead. (Data does notice this kind of predilection.)

For Spock; painterly in terms of brushstroke and atmosphere, but flawless in terms of accuracy, enjoy a landscape of the planet Vulcan, specifically of the city ShiKahr.

For Phoenix; unfortunately Data does not have the aesthetic knowledge of your home/family (he wanted to paint your daughter but alas he doesn't know what she looks like) to make a really personal painting. T_T So please enjoy one of his standard postmodern abstractions. He hopes you find it acceptable.

For Abby; enjoy an extremely impressively formal portrait of Jethro Jr.! It's a little bit overly formal, but it could be satire. Or that might be an accident. Hard to call with Data, no?


Everyone Data has interacted with can also assume receiving one of his standard abstract paintings! Please do, actually. I'm still quite busy in real life and don't really have time to go through everyone.

BUT I love you all and if things continue to improve I might be back soon? Dad's going to be alright, probably, but he's still in the ICU and will be for quite a while. T_T I miss you Poly.

PS: SOMEONE BOUGHT DATA PAID TIME!?!? I LOVE YOU, MYSTERY PERSON~~]

The City has again fascinated me with its curses. My apologies to anyone I spoke to on Monday; I was not myself, as my awareness regressed to a recent incident in which I had lost my memory. It was a curious day, as my consciousness was fully immersed in reliving the experience in perfect clarity.

Ah... additionally, if I first introduced myself to you during this curse, my name is not Jayden; it is Data.

It would also seem that the City is cursed once more today. I would seem to be affected by an anomaly in which a plant is growing at a highly accelerated pace over my head. I am afraid I do not comprehend the purpose of this phenomenon, but I will keep a close eye on it.

At any rate, I have determined that there is shopping I need to do to participate in the upcoming holiday. I believe I shall attend to that today.


[ooc: Data's out and about buying canvases and paint today! He's got his paint studio set up and if he considers you a friend, you're getting a Data Original for Christmas. XD Aaaaaaaaaaalso~ feel free to action spam him out and about here if you want to kiss an android. Standard replies and action are both coolios, just let me know which applies~ <3]

Gia?



I do not know what I am. But I am not like you.



No. I am not...



I do not wish to scare you.



I understand your reaction. I must admit, I do not know what I am...
But I do not wish to harm you. You or Garvin or anyone else. I only wish to help... to find a cure for the illness. I was getting very close. I need to continue my work, but it will take time. How long will it be until Skoran and the others return?



[ooc: Data is reliving the episode "Thine Own Self" today, so he has no idea who or what he is. Also, see the icon? That's what his face looks like now. Yay~ (PS: If you get any comments from me today with screwy formatting stuff, that's the computers at school. I have no idea why they do it, but sometimes they do. So apologies if any funny nonsense symbols pop up.)]

A most fascinating, if not slightly inconvenient curse...

I find myself standing at a mere fraction of my usual stature today, and seem to be constructed entirely out of a commercial-grade plastic. I appear to be solid; even my uniform is fully integrated. Under normal circumstances, I am composed in part of tripolymer composites, molybdenum-cobalt alloys and bioplast sheeting. Of course, these materials are arranged in a much more logical and intricate manner, forming all the necessary components for me to function.

Remarkably, I find myself functioning properly despite the apparent absence of my internal components. Clearly, this should be impossible - though no more so than the many organic life forms who seem to be functioning without their internal organs today, of course.

With each display of their control - these "curses" - I have become more fascinating by the powers the deities seem to possess. It is fascinating to see the way the City follows both all and none of the respective laws of science the universes represented here are restricted by.

On a topic not related to our present predicament, I have seen people discussing planning for the celebration of an old Earth Holiday, Christmas. I would be most intrigued to participate in the planning of and the festivities themselves however I can. It is a tradition I have not witnessed firsthand, and would be most interested in learning about it further.


{private to Phoenix Wright // unhackable}
I believe I shall have to meet you on Wednesday, as I am certain it would prevent a rather extreme challenge for me to attempt to navigate the City in my present state.


[ooc: AUGH. I'm sorry I didn't reply to you before, I never got a notif on your comment on Data's last pre-4th wall day post... >.>]

Intriguing.

As others have already observed, there would seem to be a significant and sudden increase in the City's population. I am curious as to whether this could be the result of an instability in the technology that the deities employ in maintaining this place as the junction of so many realities.

In any case, to our many newcomers - welcome.



[ooc: Fourth wall down GO.]