one 🍪 text;

[algoritmi]

hello̶̙͙̦͍̱̱̰͔̞͇̘̬̦̤̞̫̖͙ͩ̎͠͡͡l̵̸͖̲̻̟̮̫̠̩̞̪̯͎̮̰̘̹͉ͪ̐̄͗̍͊̽̃ͮ̀̈́͒ͦ̽̏̌ō͖̹̖̦̯̹͒̍̈͑̚ͅ ͖͕̬̿͊͋ͣ̓̀ͦͪ̃zion.

i'm afraid i come with more ̧͑͒́͜ ̈́̀͋ͣͦ̿́͘͜1́bad n̖̟̹̱̲ews. the time is coming that your people will need your help, and the vast majority of you will choose to give it. this time will come quickly and vio͔̱̰̗̮̞ͤͦͦ̊ͩ̕͜lently and without warning shots. it will seem disconnected from the deeds of neo decades ago, and the council two months ago. it is not. i wouldn't worry you with the long view, though. there will be time for that.

for now, i will leave you with some numbers. y̪̑̑̏̽̅ȏ͇̦̟̅͗́̅̇̔u ͈̤͚̭̫͉͙̘͙͉̮̲̞̒ͯͩ̈́̒̊̚k͉̙̝͖̲̣̬̭̲̦͙̪̭̭ͥ̉̾̓̿̄̄̑͊̈́̈̿̐͊̅̍͌now how much we like our numbers, but i think y̳͙ͤ͗̿̊͋͛̉ͬ̇ou'll find these helpful too.

one is a necessary sacrifice. you w̺̤̟͋i̻̭̻͎̤ͬll survive if you have f̱̲͇̺̗̥ͮ̀͒͒̋̎ͪ̂̌̽̿ͭͮ̉a̬̞̩̞̳͈̿i̦̲͉̞̺̹͋̏̾̔͛̒̉th. it will bring you closer to us, but you will do it for humankind. don't overthink it. this isn't a mǎ̌tter of one comma the.

two emp charges ̭͕͉̩͕͗̎̏̋̈w̙̳̭̯͓̑̏͂ͣ̋i͔̪ͅll not be enough.

three of you are necessary. to cli͓ͨ̾̂ͣ̓ͨm̺͇̺̟b̲̲̜͇͙̲̼ a̲̲̜͇͙̲̼ḇ̠̲̯̙̯͑͛̐ͩ̑͋͂ove the f̉ͮlames you must stand each foot on the shoulder of a crewmate. should you succeed, this will change the course of limitless tomorrows. it'll be s͇u̥͓̬̖̲̹btle, but sure.

fọ̝ͪ̊̉ͮ̑ur look closely here. this will be the salvation̬ o̥̞̖̳̝͈̗͐ͫf the day.

y͓̳̦͕̬̠̱̒̅ͯ̈́̌͌o̖̼̊̅͌̂̾ͦu w̮͉͖͔̮̳̄͌̄ill be wondering to what extent th͢e͙ͤ́͐͊ͦͅ architect and i are involved. the answer is: other ț͎͔̗͖̺̺̇̎̃̋͆ͪh̘̖̹̙a̗̗̣͉̠ͭn̪ͯ́̍̊͛̑ ͖̥̫̞̮̗̓̅̔ͅt͖̳his message and the one he will write you later, not at all. some of you have been wondering what the truce meant, and i will be the first to tell you: it meant change. for us, as well as the humans of earth. we are not they.

as a matter of fact, they’re much older.

ṁ̘̖̣̼̖̈́ͭ̆ȳ̥̱̲̦͐̎̈̋ condolences and congrat̖̗̥̟ͥ́ͬ̄͂ͯͬu̳̫̜̲̻̙͌l̙̱̝͂͑̓̌ͬ̈a̻͓̖̿̄͛ͬ̆ti̺̩̖̫̪̳͂ͮ͊̔ons in the coming battle.̗̬̞ͬ͑̆̅ͪ

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OOC: Plotting post goes up on Saturday, 6/13.

Comments

ok!!

[scission]

I've heard of them as glitches, if that's what you mean?

If it's the sort of battles we're usually confronting, winning might be necessary to learning anything. Or at least, living long enough for the lesson to be worth something.

[algoritmi]

yes, that is wha̰̙̮̮͉ͩ̄̔t̹̜̹̤͔͙ i mean.

and yes, that too.

it's a hot kettle, no doubt about it, but there's hope.

[scission]

I have a feeling your role requires you to say things like that.

[About hope.]

[algoritmi]

it is certainly pa̬͔r̞̲̼͕̗̥̖t̯̥͎̫̳ of my purpose.

pragmatism, i think, is part of yours.

[scission]

That's a generous enough assessment that I might have to take it as a compliment.

[Considering all the other traits she could mention instead.]

[algoritmi]

[Well, you know. It didn't seem like the place to discuss homicidal shapeshifting.]

it is. a͓̞ͬͅl͖̞̦̻̖̗̣ͧl that hard-won life experience isn't about to expire, let me assure you.

[Reassuring for sure.]

[scission]

Oh, I'm fully aware of that.

[He was never going to be able to leave his past behind. Not completely.]

I'm more concerned about which parts may become relevant.

[algoritmi]

fi̻͍̣̲̲͒̒̐ͥ͑ͧͦg͈͔͛̓̔̂͊̿͌h͚ting, i can tell you that much.

what are your other concerns?

[scission]

I'm hardly going to point you towards them.

[algoritmi]

mǡ̰͈̩͍̟ͮ̐̏͊̎yͫ̾̀be next time, if a little bit of my advice pans out?

[scission]

Maybe. Though I'd question how important they are if they aren't popping up on your radar unprompted already.

[algoritmi]

i'm not that kind of fortune teller.

the ͉̪͙̼͐͑̆k̻̳͓̱͊̄͂͆i͕̟͔̝̞̊̊̐͋ͩ̚nd of fortune teller i am, your concerns and preoccupations can be very important.

[scission]

Most fortune tellers are interested in concerns and preoccupations. It allows them to tell people what they want to hear, to make up for their lack of psychic skill. Yours, though, I had the impression had some grain of truth.

[algoritmi]

i suppose that's true enough.

̽̐ͨͣ̋͛̒m̒̊̍͐̇̚y ability to predict what's to come begins and ends with the choices made by people like yourself. hence my interest.

your concerns and preoccupations guide those choices.

sȕͮ̑ͪͩ̌ppose, for example, you didn't give a rat's ass about redemption anymore.

[scission]

And suppose if I had ended up that way due to you telling me redemption wasn't possible.

Your power isn't just in prediction.

[algoritmi]

oh, my goodness.

do i ͇̓͊͂̿s̰̹̩̱̠̱͂̐̈́̒̚̚e͖͎͈͖̥͚̽̐ͦͥem like the type who would do that?