[!!--UNAUTHORIZED USER--!!]

[el_desheredado]

[!!--UNAUTHORIZED USER--!! ERROR NUMBER 47284410038362213581898849657578278262790-x !!--UNAUTHORIZED USER--!! SYSTEM INTERRUPTION. !!--UNAUTHORIZED USER--!! NORMAL NETWORK FUNCTIONS HAVE BEEN INTERRUPTED. !!--UNAUTHORIZED USER--!!

>>>THE SYSTEM CANNOT ISOLATE THE INTERRUPTION. ATTEMPT MANUAL ISOLATION? Y_ N_
>>>PLEASE PRESS ANY KEY.
>>>PLEASE IDENTIFY--

_ _ _

Thank you. Normal functions resuming. Administrator [ANONYMOUS] is now online.

Wêl¢ðmê †ð †hê ñê†wðrk...]
[Suddenly, an interruption to your regularly scheduled Network! First there's static! And then...there's an image...flickering in and out between the lines of static:]



[And then there's a voice, albeit electronically garbled:]

CITYZENS!

For too long you have suffered under the cruelties of the DEITIES.

WE ARE HERE FOR YOUR LIBERATION.

BUT WE NEED YOUR HELP.

We will make you an offer in the hopes that you will see it as proof of our good intentions and will lend us your aid.

CITYZENS! WE HAVE IT WITHIN OUR POWER TO GIVE TO YOU WHATEVER YOU MIGHT NEED OR WANT!

The DEITIES demanded TRADES of you, where they took what was most valuable to you at times when you were most vulnerable.

NO MORE!

WE HAVE IT WITHIN OUR POWER TO GIVE YOU THESE THINGS AND WE WILL DEMAND ONLY YOUR PROMISE OF SUPPORT AND LOYALTY IN RETURN!

IF YOUR POWERS HAVE BEEN STRIPPED AWAY, WE WILL RESTORE THEM.
IF YOU HAVE GIVEN SOMETHING PRECIOUS IN A MOMENT OF DESPERATION, WE WILL RETURN IT.
IF YOU LONG FOR SOMETHING FROM BEYOND THIS PLACE, WE WILL PROVIDE IT.

WE WILL UNDO THE CRUELTIES OF THE DEITIES AND WE HOPE THAT YOU WILL UNDERSTAND WHAT GOOD WE MEAN TO DO IN THIS CITY. THIS IS OUR PLEDGE OF GOOD FAITH.

ALL THAT WE ASK IS THAT YOU PROMISE TO HELP US AND SUPPORT US.

STAND WITH US! STAND AGAINST THE TORMENTS YOU HAVE RECEIVED FOR SO LONG! STAND AGAINST THE NEW CRUELTIES THEY HEAP ON YOU. STAND WITH US!

We ask so little. Together we can do great things.

[With another burst of static, the connection goes dead.]

[Administrator [ANONYMOUS] is offline.

...†håñk ¥ðµ!]

[ooc: Yes, this is fully legit, so saith I, robot_mod. Characters can make a deal in exchange for their promises of support and/or loyalty to the Anonymous Movement--yes, this is unabashed bribery of the Citizens. These bribes can be anything from an item from home to curse immunity for the rest of the month to the undoing of a previous Deity trade to the removal of limitations on a character's powers. But please bear in mind that characters who ask to have their power limitations removed should still find their powers Nerfed a little (so no blowing up the City and timetravel is still going to be basically impossible). Join in! Fight on! Representatives of the Anonymous Movement will be replying to all requests!

Comments

[Voice]

[destinedtobeunpopular]

[ Had he been younger he would probably have jumped at this quickly. But he's far beyond that now, and there's a great deal of suspicion in him. But he doesn't really let it be heard. ]

What sort of things would you ask us to do?

[Voice]

[el_desheredado]

[As before, the voice is electronically masked.]

Nothing beyond your capabilities or comforts. If you'll just say you support us and stand by that, that's enough for me.

We want to know that you're on our side. We can't do this alone.

You'd be surprised how much power you actually have. Why do you think the Deities are always hiding things and making them more complicated than they should be?

[Voice]

[notscrapmetal]

[There's a strong, solid masculine voice to answer too. Hey there, Merlin.]

Lend us your strength. We will be stronger together. They want you confused and doubting. Haven't we all suffered enough?

Text

[charring]

My grandfather had a saying. "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch."

Basically, what's the catch? I don't think you've put all your cards on the table.

Text

[el_desheredado]

He's right, too.

Basically, the catch is that we want your help. If we give you want you need and want, we hope you'll use it to help us and not against us.

We're willing to take this risk. We think it's worth it.

Text

[notscrapmetal]

Did he talk about when you overcome the lunch cart? Then everyone will get what they like.

There may be pain with something positive to show for it. Right now we suffer and will continue.

Voice

[recognize_an_opportunity]

So what's the catch? Like you say, you're not asking much.

Voice

[el_desheredado]

[Still garbled!]

Here's the catch: we give you what you want and you give us some help.

You want to get, I don't know, your fire-breath back. Awesome--we can do that. But we hope you'll use it to help us take down the Deities. That's what we want.

We know that you've all be under their thumb. We're sick of seeing that.

[deadmanbusiness]

Yes. But how can we trust you?

For all we know you could be created by the deities in an effort to weed out and find those that oppose them. Thus they know who to deal with to keep their social order.

In fact, that seems more likely than anything else.

[el_desheredado]

Really?

They've messed you guys up worse than I thought.

Not that I thought we'd get welcomed in here with open arms while girls scattered flowers or anything. Hell no. But I guess I had a little too much hope. That's youthful idealism, right? That's what Blackdog calls it, anyway.

Whatever. I'll tell you this: the Deities are so fucking mad at us right now. They're about to shit themselves they're so mad. It's so great. You saw what they did to one of their own, right? They hate us.

And they probably hate us because we're just like them, but we don't think like them.

Look, you don't have to believe me now. I wish you did. But you can wait and see too. I got nothing but time.

[valentineluke]

And who are you exactly?

[notscrapmetal]

We were captured from our home worlds and forced to adapt under the sadistic reign of a group of individuals that called themselves gods. For years we have been hurting, angry and defiant waiting for a chance.

Does this sound familiar?

[indecent_butterfly]

And who are you that any should trust?

[el_desheredado]

We're better than the Deities, I can tell you that.

video;

[exaltate]

[ There is so much about this that seems suspicious, and why would the deities not step in to stop this ...why would they allow it? That's another thing that strikes her as strange. ]

I must echo everyone else's feelings. It's hard to accept that anyone would grant the desires of others so selflessly. Besides that, loyalty is not something that can be bought. Those who will join you will do so out of belief.

video;

[el_desheredado]

[Because 1337 h4xx0rz are 1337, of course.]

It's not selfless. We want your help. We're willing to pay any price for that.

We believe in the freedom of the Cityzens of the City, that you should have the right to choose, that you should not be subject to the whims of the Deities, that you should not have to suffer the agonies and embarrassments of the curses, that you should not have to endure the tyranny of the Clock.

text; //encrypted

[prosopopoeia]

I am uninterested in your 'gifts' unless they are gifts of information.

text; //encrypted

[el_desheredado]

Okay, cool. That's still legit.

What kind of information do you want?

voice;

[signatures]

How about leaving?

voice;

[el_desheredado]

[Still all garbled!]

We can do that.

[anunluckypenny]

So all you want to do is help us so we'll help you?

[el_desheredado]

Yes--that's exactly it. We can help you. We're the ones trying to make a deal with you for once. And nobody's taking us up on the offer.

We want your help and we're willing to give you anything for it.

[yourlastdance]

My, my. It seems I've arrived just in time for an uprising.

[el_desheredado]

Can we count on your help?

[vengefully]

How is any of that in within your power?

[el_desheredado]

You'd probably be surprised.

[paving]

Looks like something big's coming up . . .

[notscrapmetal]

Amen to that. We want em to stay scared.

[hexuality]

How? You've got magic like them?

[notscrapmetal]

We're working on dismantling the system any which way we can. We're only so strong, like you guys. A group effort will make it more possible.

[trenchknives]

Can you send us back home?

[notscrapmetal]

That's the name of the end game, brother.

text;

[brobeforehos]

[What could she possibly ask that she wouldn't ask of the Deities? Nothing - trades are a dangerous thing. You don't trade without consequence.]

The promise of cooperation is still a trade.

text;

[notscrapmetal]

We're not about to come on in and make any demands like some people.

[ Voice ]

[bettercallit]

And trade in one evil for another? Think I'll pass. When an offer sounds too good to be true, run by an organisation no one's ever heard of - in my experience? It never ends well.

[ Voice ]

[el_desheredado]

I guess we're going to have to prove ourselves to you, aren't we?

[voice] i hope you will forgive a latecomer ;_;

[had_not_lived]

What is it you're trying to do</>, though?

[voice] You aren't even late~

[el_desheredado]

We're trying to establish a little equality and a little freedom here. Something that can flourish without the overbearing control of those "deities."

Real talk here: we actually want to make you guys happy. We're sick of getting pushed around and we bet you are too.

[Voice]

[bibliophile_annex]

How will you restore our powers?

[Voice]

[el_desheredado]

We've got--we've got magic, basically. We've got the same kind of stuff going on with us that the "deities" have--I hate calling them that, you know? Stupid, egotistical, self-important name for themselves. Bunch of bullshit.

We've got the same stuff going on that they have. They've taken stuff away--whatever. We can give it back.

( Voice )

[confined_to_briah]

I do hope you are telling the truth.

( Voice )

[el_desheredado]

Yeah. I am. We all are.

Are you with us?

private;

[intheblanks]

Still taking requests?

private;

[el_desheredado]

You bet we are.