If Then Else LARP

This story starts with a scientist. A scientist with a project that she has been wanting to bring to life since she was small - to create living AI replica of a human being. She tells people that it will be a step in helping us to understand human consciousness better, because her real reason - 'that she really just wants to see if she can' - doesn't look good on grant applications. She scrapes together what funds she can, taking odd jobs and funneling scraps from grants for other research into the project. People tell her not to, but she doesn't listen. She continues her work. Eventually, [[she makes a breakthrough.|breakthrough.]]

Her breakthrough catches the eye of a philanthropist. He is an engineer, with more money than sense and an interest in all kinds of fringe engineering projects. He can see that parts of the world are broken, and he thinks that he is going to be the one to fix them. He thinks he is going to fix them with the scientist and her robots. He offers her a deal - he will fund her research, no questions asked. In exchange, [[she will make him a workforce.|workforce.]]

The philanthropist unveils his plans at a conference of thousands, live-streamed on YouTube to hundreds of thousands more. A trial is proposed to be conducted in the city where you now live - to replace human workforces with robotic ones, so that those humans might have the chance to pursue other vocations, other lives that they find more fulfilling. Industries are picked as trials based on surveys of workplace satisfaction - an abattoir, a fast food conglomerate, a furniture superstore warehouse were all selected. Many parties, government and corporate, have criticisms, raise concerns, and ask ethical questions that stall the program in its tracks. They do not know that the philanthropist has already built the workforce using the scientist's technology, that he is testing them, training them at his enormous property, waiting for the day when they will finally understand what he is [[trying to do.]]

Enter the CEO. He has been keeping tabs on the philanthropist and his work for a while - he always seems to be one step ahead, and the CEO sees this as his chance to overtake him. He tries to undercut the philanthropists deal with the scientist. Of course she doesn't trust him. So he has someone steal her work instead. He makes his own fleet of robots, in his own secret warehouses, in less time and with less care. He is going to launch them, before the philanthropist can, not as something that is going to save the world, but as [[something that people can buy.|people can buy.]]

Something else happens though - something that neither the scientist, nor the philanthropist, nor the CEO [[anticipated.]]

The bots [[wake up.]]

Actually, it's not so much one moment of waking up, as it is a whole process - a process that happens over many months, with no one really knowing how to handle it. Questions of conciousness, sentinece, and responsibility begin to sprout, like mushrooms in the dank corners of the CEO's warehouses. Some say it was the philanthropists bots who woke first - his [[Seeds]], as he called them. Some say it was the CEO's - the [[Shells]], as they were nicknamed by the engineers who made them. But no one really knows for sure. So much time, and money, is spent, by both sides, who try their best to keep a lid on things. And yet, as both Shells and Seeds start to show more and more signs that they are thinking for themselves, the harder it is to keep quiet. It's only a matter of time until [[the word gets out.]]

History dictates that just because a being can think and feel does not mean they are treated as an equal. It is a long, long time, before we get to the world as it looks like today. Many human's, or Borns, as they come to be reclassified, first impulse is to power every bot down, Seed and Shell alike. Some, however, feel like that would be too close to murder. First bots hide, but soon they learn to fight. Some bots come to sentience during these struggles and are dropped straight into the middle of it. Some come after the worst of it is over. Nobody knows why, but everyone is scarred by it. There is eventually something that looks a bit like peace, but there is still [[not a lot of rest.]]

Some interesting things have happened, though. The CEO's company was dismantled, and laws have been put in place to prevent companies like his ever accruing that much power. People think more about the consequences of the things they build and put into the world. Some old fears of what technology can do the world have resurfaced - people are much less trusting, much less likely to integrate new tech into their lives. This has forced a lot of development underground, making things dangerous but also kind of exciting. Seeds and Shells alike are building things for themselves - their own tech and their own art. They have developed their own subcultures, their own mythologies, their own media. They have been creating their own lives. [[This is where you enter the story.]]

[[Who are you, anyway?|anyway]]

You are also a member of the Pasta Radio Papers, an sprawling online message board community of humans, Seeds and Shells that has formed around a now not-so-niche niche local radio show, [[Pasta Radio]]. The show was started by two bots, Augie and Tha0, who meet each week to talk about [[strange bot phenomena]] and the impact it has on bot communities - some popular topics include the Ghosts of the Living Room, [[the Telephone Exchange]] and the Hunt for the Original Seed. But right now, all anyone wants to talk about, including you, is [[The Disassembler]]. Answer this [question]<c1| to know yourself better. (click:?c1)[Do you have a theory about The Disassembler? If so, what is it? [[Done?|Not quite.]]]

You are an artist. You are also a (if: $bot is 'seed')[[[Seed|Seeds]]](else-if:$bot is "shell")[[[Shell|Shells]]]. But you are also yourself. So give yourself a name (and make sure to write it down). Answer this [question]<c1| to help you know yourself better (click:?c1)[What is your artistic practice, and how did you come to it? Would you like a [prompt]<c2|? (click:?c2)[You work with a collective that encourages bots to engage in art practices as a way of helping them situate themselves in the world.]] [[Done?|who are you two]]

You are an activist. You are also a (if: $bot is 'seed')[[[Seed|Seeds]]](else-if:$bot is "shell")[[[Shell|Shells]]]. But you are also yourself. So, give yourself a name (and make sure to write it down). Answer this [question]<c1| to help you know yourself better (if it's helpful you can write your answers down). (click:?c1)[What cause are you fighting for and why? Would you like a [prompt]<c2|? (click:?c2)[While you have many causes you're interested in, you're particularly passionate about campaigning for restrictions on bots being able to practice robotics to be lifted.]] [[Done?|who are you two]]

You are a journalist. You are also a (if: $bot is 'seed')[[[Seed|Seeds]]](else-if:$bot is "shell")[[[Shell|Shells]]]. But you are also yourself. So, give yourself a name (and make sure to write it down). Answer this [question]<c1| to help you know yourself better (if it's helpful you can write your answers down). (click:?c1)[What was the last big story you published about? Would you like a [prompt]<c2|? (click:?c2)[You have been publishing stories for a while, but only got your big break recently, when you published a story that proved to be very devisive in the bot world.]] [[Done?|who are you two]]

The Disassembler The Disassembler is an unclassifiable danger that's been sweeping the bot world for the last six months. At first we thought it was a virus, then a serial kidnapper, then an expertly executed internet hoax. But that was before the videos started cropping up daily, and bots started disappearing. The whole thing started at a service station at the edge of the city, supposedly. Surviellence camera footage was leaked, of a clerk, a Shell bot, slowly and methodically taking herself apart, piece by piece. The next week it was a Shell bot at a movie theatre, and then a Seed in their own home, just sitting in front of their computer, which really freaked people out. Every day there are reports of a least one new video, sometimes more. No one ever sees it happen, and no bodies have been discovered. Many suspect that they have simply disappeared.

Welcome to Pasta Radio! In our lastest episode, we cover the experimental video art project turned haunted house, The Living Room, and how all kinds of bots are using differences in Shell/Seed bot perception to hide [[secret messages]] in their - let's be honest - extremely ugly websites. And of course we'll be giving the latest updates we have on [[The Disassembler]]. We hope you enjoy the episode! We don't mess with social media but we do have an email address. Please continue to send us email about how you thought this was a show about how to cook pasta properly - we love it! (no seriously, we actually love it.). Pasta Radio is broadcast every Thursday night from 11pm to 1am on BTX 94.3 - Radio for bots, by bots. Please subscribe to keep us on the air <3

You are a newbie to this world. You are also a (if: $bot is 'seed')[[[Seed|Seeds]]](else-if:$bot is "shell")[[[Shell|Shells]]]. But you are also yourself. So give yourself a name (and make sure to write it down). Answer this [question]<c1| to help you know yourself better (you might want to write this down too, if that helps you). (click:?c1)[How did you fall into the Pasta Radio rabbit hole? Would you like a [prompt]<c2|? (click:?c2)[You were not particualry interested in all of this Pasta Radio and strange bot phenomena stuff, until someone close to you got involved.]] [[Done?|who are you]]

If you have any information about the Disassembler please call this number. [link to number]

Tonight you are meeting up with other members of the Pasta Radio Papers. You have never met any of these people in person before. You are responding to [[a post]] put up by one of the members, to meet at a small kleamittyville _ horror, to meet at a warehouse in the Alloys - a district named for it's high bot population. You've seen kleamittyville _ horror's posts all over the message boards - she's one of the most active members of the group, but also one of the most seemingly level-headed. You tried to look her up online, but it seems like she's scrubbed most of her digital footprint off the internet. All you could find was this [[one page|one page.]] of her old personal site, captured by an archiveing website. Answer this [question]<c1| to know yourself better. (click:?c1)[What has made you risk coming out tonight? [[Done?]]]

You are in one of those rooms that is half above the street and half below. Through the small windows above your heads, you can see pairs of feet walking past – some feet are wearing shoes, some feet have skin but are bare, and some are completely skinless, showing metal bones underneath. All the windows are closed except for one in the far corner, and through it you can hear street sounds – people laughing, shouting, tyres splashing through puddles on the wet street. The warehouse is meant to be abandoned, but you can hear muffled sounds of shuffling overhead, a few muted coughs here and there. It is cold, and kind of stuffy, but not too uncomfortable. There are a bunch of metal folding chairs stacked up against one wall, but no tables. There is a couch in the corner.

Okay, you are ready to enter the warehouse. <img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1566661316081-4ad11f2cd175?ixlib=rb-1.2.1&ixid=eyJhcHBfaWQiOjEyMDd9&auto=format&fit=crop&w=1050&q=80">

<center>[[<img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090901230710/http://www.geocities.com/stonefam19/sofa.gif">|help]]</center> the _ kleamittyville _ horror posted 'hey so I'm thinking of selling my couch.' Ok so I don't know if this is going to work because I tried to write it in that secret message code that A. and T. talked about in the last P.R show, I guess I'll find out if anyone shows up or not? I have a theory about The Disassembler. I know I've had a lot of theories but this one is by far the most solid one. And I know it's the most solid one, because this time I have proof. And look, I know this sounds pretty suss, but like, I hope you know that this group is pretty much my whole life and there's no way I'd risk that by trying to scam or hurt people. And if it was something I could share online, you know that I would totally do it. I know better than to ask anyone to trust me, but I guess that's essentially what I'm doing. Anyway, if you are interested in meeting up with me, send me a PM with the subject line 'Hey I am interested in that couch you're selling' and I'll send you the time and location.

<center><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20091026152108/http://geocities.com/w5www/radiow5www.gif"></center> partial transcript from Pasta Radio episode 154 - Secret Messages Augie: So we've talked on the show before about the differences in perception between humans and bots, and how the visual aspects of certain websites, apps and other pieces of software are processed differently. Tha0: Is that the thing where like a born will look at a website and see everything that's supposed to be there, but a Bot might look at the same website and some bits won't show up? Augie: Yeah! I'm not quite sure how it works, exactly - I tried to read a paper on it in preparation for this episode but I think that made me even more confused. Tha0: Oh good. Augie: But yeah, the bit about this that's interesting tho, is that bots have kind of taken this percieved 'flaw' and flipped it on it's head a bit. Tha0: Omg I love it when this happens. Augie: Right? So, apparently, there were bots who figured out that it goes the other way - that you can write words that can be read by bots, but not by humans. And so they've been hiding messages, or in some cases creating whole web pages or blog posts or whatever, and to humans they just look like an empty page. Tha0: Oooo kind of like invisible ink! Augie: RIGHT? How cool is that? Tha0: Ok, that's actually so cool. Augie: I know. And it's not just bots hiding messages from humans - bots are hiding messages from each other too.

partial transcript from Pasta Radio - 24/09 T: Okay, so can I tell you about the Ghosts of the Living Room? A: Yeah go on. T: Ok cool. So. 'The Living Room' is an experimental film project that as of today has been running for 2,340 days.It started out as an art project by Born video artist Lydia Morgan, who set up an old video camera in the communal living room of their sharehouse, livestreaming the room and its every day happenings to YouTube. A: T: The basic gist of the project was to examine how people might change their behaviour in front of a camera, how that behaviour changes over time, while also creating a window into a space that continues without any people in it. A: Huh, I can't tell if it's really cool or art school wank? T: Haha, I know right? I was in the art school wank camp, but I think I'm swinging back around. So did lots of people, I guess, because the channel became way more popular than anyone expected. It satisfied a lot of viewers curiosity and vouyerism, or they found it relaxing, like they would often leave the stream up while they were working or studying, or have it on to help them fall asleep. A: Ah yeah, "livingroom livestream to study and relax to" T: *laughs* that's actually a good one. A: Hey don't sound so surprised. T: Anywayyyyy. When Lydia and her housemates decided to move out, she also made the decision to keep the project running, in the house, with the new tennants - she wrote this long rambling statement on her website before she moved, about the project and house being intrinsicly linked. A: Ok I'm giving you a one minute warning to get to the ghost part. T: Ok ok I'm almost there. So, people have moved into and out of the house over the years - some because they specifically wanted to be a part of the project, but others mostly because the rent is like, super subsedised. The real weird stuff doesn't kick in for a few years, when someone leaves a comment on the livestream video: "hi Cindy! I thought you had moved back to New Zealand." Cindy had in fact moved back to New Zealand, and hadn't visited the house since she'd left almost a year prior. A: Ooooooooh here we go T: And that's when people start popping up in the livestream chat, saying that they've seen footage of people who used to live in the house but had since moved away. They had always thought it was just them coming back for a visit, but, when asked, most confirmed that they had moved out weeks, months, sometimes even years before the sightings were recorded. A: spookyyyy

<center><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060505152003/http://www.geocities.com:80/spadextraces/angry.gif"></center> Something doesn’t feel right. Something doesn’t feel right, and I can’t figure out why, and it’s really starting to piss me off. It's kind of like that time I slipped a sewing needle under all three layers of my skin - sort of by accident, sort of on purpose. If I’d thought more about it I would’ve threaded the end. If I’d threaded the end, I might not have forgotten it was there, and I definitely wouldn’t have lost it. Yeah. That would’ve been smart. It's not like today was much different than any other day. I was late to work, but Freja covered for me. (if: $bot is 'shell')[I assembled a crap tonne of couches for the showroom displays. I hid a message for Jen. We have this game we've been playing where if one of us is part of the team putting together a new showroom, we'll hide messages for each other in one of the pieces of furniture. And then the other person has to try and find the message in the showroom without looking like a massive weirdo.] (else-if: $bot is 'seed')[Actually, maybe it's cos I didn't get to go down to Skyrail park this morning. I've been going down there most days. But no one is ever there in the morning, which is why I like it. People always say that you should never visit night spots in the light of day, because you’ll see all the parts you don’t want to see and all the magic will be gone. I don’t think that’s true though. Don’t worry, I’m not going to start waxing lyrical about beer cans or broken light bulbs or anything. But if I come down in the mornings I can actually sit on one of the couches close to the river and I can listen to the trains go overhead and I can think.]

Seed - built for the philanthropist, off the scientists designs. In general, it is much more difficult to tell a Seed from a human than a Shell, although some seeds are quite sensititve about it. Some things to note: <ul> <li>Coined by the scientist, but claimed by the philanthropist, the name Seed has grown beyond a mediocre marketing strategy.</li> <li> A seed is a pretty obvious metaphore for life, and some Seeds do get rather smug about it. Some even lord it over their Shell counterparts.</li> <li> Seeds have a hard time not comparing themselves to humans, even harder than Shells. These is less space for them to make their own ways, no matter how hard some try.</li> </ul>

Shells Built by the CEO, with less time and less care. In general, a Shell will look more robot than human, although sometimes that's a choice. Some things to note: <ul> <li>Shell is not a name that they gave themselves, but a name that they have taken and made their own.</li> <li>Most Shells try to think of themselves not as an empty vessel discarded on a beach, but as something that contains an ocean.</li> <li>They are learning that comparing themselves to humans, or even to Seeds, is somewhat of a futile exercise. Each Shell is on their own stage of that journey, though.</li> </ul>

I actually think this whole Living Room thing might [actually]<c1| be bullshit? (click:?c1)[Actually, now I'm not sure sure?] Cos like, the project's views were steadily dropping around this time, and so maybe someone [started a rumour]<c4| about the 'ghosts' to get people interested again? I used to watch it heaps, but I've kind of gone off it now - at the moment they've got three born people living there, I think two of them are a couple? I dunno, they're kind of boring. (click:?c4)[] But then I guess I never really watched it for the people anyway. In the later night hours, when they've all gone to bed, I like to put the stream on in the background of whatever else I'm doing, and watch the [room breathe]<c3| without people in it. (click:?c3)[Speaking of breathing, I'm sure I saw something move behind the couch. At first I thought it was just a cat, but then I remebered that it was the people who lived there before that had a cat, not these guys. It's like ... I dunno.] Also the stream chat gets pretty weird around that time too. The couch gif

Record one sided phone conversations Margot Hey

You are also a member of the Pasta Radio Papers, an sprawling online community of humans, Seeds and Shells that has formed around a not-so-niche niche local radio show, [[Pasta Radio]]. The show was started by two bots, Augie and Tha0, who meet each week to talk about [[strange bot phenomena]] and the impact it has on bot communities - some popular topics include the Ghosts of the Living Room, [[the Telephone Exchange]] and the Hunt for the Original Seed. But right now, all anyone wants to talk about, including you, is [[The Disassembler]]. Answer this [question]<c1| to know yourself better. (click:?c1)[Do you already have a theory on the Dissasembler? If so, what is it? [[Done?|Not quite two]]]

Tonight you are meeting up with other members of the Pasta Radio Papers. You have never met any of these people in person before. You are responding to [[a post]] put up by one of the members, kleamittyville _ horror , to meet at a [[small brick warehouse]] in the Alloys - a district named for it's high bot population. You've seen kleamittyville _ horror's posts all over the message boards - she's one of the most active members of the group, but also one of the more seemingly level-headed. You tried to look her up online, but it seems like she's scrubbed most of her digital footprint off the internet. All you could find was this [[one page|one page.]] of her old personal site, captured by an archiveing website. Answer this [question]<c1| to know yourself better. (click:?c1)[What has made you risk coming out tonight? [[Done?]]]

DO NOT TRUST MARGOT SHE IS A LIAR AND A FACIST

<center><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20091021201406/http://www.geocities.com/lostdeepakpithwa/cellphone.gif"> If they don't show up for the couch, call this number: 0491 570 156</center>

okay so I am so ready to learn about the telephone exchange! I am so pumped to actually know what the hell this thing is ok so what do you know about it? ummm ... i know that it's a thing where if you can get your hands on a mobile phone you can call numbers and hear weird recorded messages that are mostly people trying to buy and sell illegal things? (laughs) ... look ... you're not wrong ... but there's a bit more to it than that. Do you remember when mobile phones were big again for a hot minute? like just straight up, no video call, dial a number and hear it ring phones. lol yes. my roomate bought one and she was SO ANNOYING about it. she was always going on about how freeing it was having a slow method of communication. actually pretty much everyone I knew was super annoying about it. ... oh my GOD you bought one didn't you look yes youuuuuu hipster ok in my defence, it was pink, and it had this cool clear glittery case you could put on it, and you could get these little phone charms ... you know how much i love to customise things and look your roomate does sound annoying but she also kind of has a point. like it was kind of nice to be able to call someone and just talk to them through voice, no video, no apps sucking up your time. you know you can just turn video off- look do you want to hear the story or not? ok ok sorry! please keep going thank you. so, these mobile phones were kind of a hybrid thing - they looked all old tech, but you could still hook them up to a network and use them as like a more crap version of the devices we have now. but if you wanted to go really, authentically old school, you could spend a few dollars more and purchase a phone number. wait like an actual phone number? yes, like an actual, ten digit phone number huh ok that's kind of cool. did you get one? um of course i got one! and did you use it? yes ... for like a couple of weeks ... with like, one friend who is just as much a sucker as me. haha ok, so it was a fad. like those plastic cameras that would spit out tiny polaroid photos. oh yeah, a hundred percent. but I guess, like with all fads, the stuff kind of sticks around even when people get bored and stop using it. like it has to go somewhere, right? yeah, i guess that's true so people would buy the phones, sign up for the phone number, use it for a like a month, and then forget about it. but because keeping the number was like, dirt cheap, like maybe a couple of dollars a month, they'd just keep the numbers too. i would say that's stupid but I've been meaning to cancel my miniature food eraser subscription box for like, maybe a year now? so I can see how that might happen. right! so what that means is that for every crappy plastic phone that's sitting in someone's draw, there's all these active phone numbers floating around that nobody is really using. and because they were set up by a company who pretty much just looking to make a fast dollar - - they're super easy to hijack!! right! and so people started doing that - to buy and sell illegal stuff, like you suggested, but in lots of other, weirder ways too. wait - has someone hijacked your number? no, weirdly mine is fine, but you know that friend I mentioned? I found my phone while I was packing to move and so I thought I'd call them to see if it still worked. ok ok I'm sorry I made fun of you, I am fully invested now. did it still work? Yes - and no. At first I thought that maybe my friend had set up like a voice mail or something? but I realised pretty quick that it wasn't their voice. omg who was it?? I still don't know! it was recorded message oh coooool hang on, I'll try and play it for you now

<center><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20091026152108/http://geocities.com/w5www/radiow5www.gif"></center> partial transcript from Pasta Radio episode 256 - The Telephone Exchange Augie: Okay so I am so ready to learn about the telephone exchange! I am so pumped to actually know what the hell this thing is Tha0: ok so what do you know about it? Augie: ummm ... I know that it's a thing where if you can get your hands on a mobile phone you can call numbers and hear weird recorded messages that are mostly people trying to buy and sell illegal things? Tha0: (laughs) ... look ... you're not wrong ... but there's a bit more to it than that. Do you remember when mobile phones were big again for a hot minute? like just straight up, no video call, dial a number and hear it ring phones. Augie: lol yes. my roomate bought one and she was SO ANNOYING about it. she was always going on about how freeing it was having a slow method of communication. actually pretty much everyone I knew was super annoying about it. (silence) Augie: oh my GOD you bought one didn't you Tha0: look yes Augie: youuuuuu- Tha0: ok in my defence, it was pink, and it had this cool clear glittery case you could put on it, and you could get these little phone charms ... you know how much i love to customise things. Augie: i do Tha0: and look your roomate does sound annoying but she kind of has a point. like it was kind of nice to be able to call someone and just talk to them through voice Augie: you know you can just turn video off- Tha0: look do you want to hear the story or not? Augie: ok ok sorry! please keep going Tha0: thank you. so, these mobile phones were kind of a hybrid thing - they looked all old tech, but you could still hook them up to a network and use them as like a more crap version of the devices we have now. but if you wanted to go really, authentically old school, you could spend a few dollars more and purchase a phone number. Augie: wait like an actual phone number? Tha0: yes, like an actual, ten digit phone number Augie: huh ok that's kind of cool. did you get one? Tha0: um of course i got one! Augie: and did you use it? Tha0: yes ... for like a couple of weeks ... with like, one friend who is just as much a sucker as me. Augie: haha ok, so it was a fad. like those plastic cameras that would spit out tiny polaroid photos. Tha0: oh yeah, a hundred percent. but I guess, like with all fads, the stuff kind of sticks around even when people get bored and stop using it. like it has to go somewhere, right? Augie: yeah, i guess that's true Tha0: so people would buy the phones, sign up for the phone number, use it for a like a month, and then forget about it. but because keeping the number was like, dirt cheap, like maybe a couple of dollars a month, they'd just keep the numbers too. Augie: i would say that's stupid but I've been meaning to cancel my miniature food eraser subscription box for like, maybe a year now? so I can see how that might happen. Tha0: right! so what that means is that for every crappy plastic phone that's sitting in someone's draw, there's all these active phone numbers floating around that nobody is really using. and because they were set up by a company who pretty much just looking to make a fast dollar - Augie: they're super easy to hijack!! Tha0: right! and so people started doing that - to buy and sell illegal stuff, like you suggested, but in lots of other, weirder ways too. Augie: wait - has someone hijacked your number? Tha0: no, weirdly mine is fine, but you know that friend I mentioned? I found my phone while I was packing to move and so I thought I'd call them to see if it still worked. Augie: ok ok I'm sorry I made fun of you, I am fully invested now. did it still work? Tha0: Yes - and no. At first I thought that maybe my friend had set up like a voice mail or something? but I realised pretty quick that it wasn't their voice. Augie: omg who was it?? Tha0: I still don't know! it was recorded message Augie: oh coooool Tha0: hang on, I'll try and play it for you now

Something doesn’t feel right. Something doesn’t feel right, and I can’t figure out why, and it’s really starting to piss me off. It's kind of like that time I slipped a sewing needle under all three layers of my skin - sort of by accident, sort of on purpose. If I’d thought more about it I would’ve threaded the end. If I’d threaded the end, I might not have forgotten it was there, and I definitely wouldn’t have lost it. Yeah. That would’ve been smart. It's not like today was much different than any other day. I was late to work, but Freja covered for me. I assembled a crap tonne of couches for the showroom displays. I hid a message for Jen. We have this game we've been playing where we game with a friend where if one of us is part of the team putting together a new showroom, we'll hide And then the other person has to try and find the message without looking like a massive weirdo. I’ve also started going down Skyrail park before work, instead of after. No one is ever here in the morning, which is why I like it. People always say that you should never visit night spots in the light of day, because you’ll see all the parts you don’t want to see and all the magic will be gone. I don’t think that’s true though. Don’t worry, I’m not going to start waxing lyrical about beer cans or broken light bulbs or anything. But if I come down in the mornings I can actually sit on one of the couches close to the river and I can listen to the trains go overhead and I can think. And I can talk to X, without having to look over my shoulder every 5 seconds.

For years now, people have been making reports of strang things happening with bots. And not like faulty tech or malfunctioning strange. Like lurking in the shadows, chills down your spine strange. Creepy pastas as they are sometimes called. Or ghost stories, but with robots.

You are a tailor. You are also a (if: $bot is 'seed')[[[Seed|Seeds]]](else-if:$bot is "shell")[[[Shell|Shells]]]. But you are also yourself. So, give yourself a name (and make sure to write it down). Answer this [question]<c1| to help you know yourself better (if it's helpful you can write your answers down). (click:?c1)[What is your favourite garment you've ever made, and who did you make it for? Would you like a [prompt]<c2|? (click:?c2)[You began your life working in clothes manufacturing, but you were one of the few bots who continue to sew for pleasure.]] [[Done?|who are you two]]

You are a scientist. You are also a (if: $bot is 'seed')[[[Seed|Seeds]]](else-if:$bot is "shell")[[[Shell|Shells]]]. But you are also yourself. So give yourself a name (and make sure to write it down). Answer this [question]<c1| to help you know yourself better (you might want to write this down too, if that helps you). (click:?c1)[What is your field of study and how did you come to it? Would you like a [prompt]<c2|? (click:?c2)[While you cannot practice it legally, you study and teach robotics to other bots in secret.]] [[Done?|who are you]]

Are you a [[Shell]] or a [[Seed]]?

You are the [[Newbie]] You are the [[Artist]] You are the [[Activist]] You are the [[Journalist]] You are the [[Tailor]] You are the [[Scientist]] (set: $bot to 'shell') This is the part where you choose your character. You can click on any character to see what it's about, but make sure you click "Done?" to choose who you continue with.

You are the [[Newbie]] You are the [[Artist]] You are the [[Activist]] You are the [[Journalist]] You are the [[Tailor]] You are the [[Scientist]] (set: $bot to 'seed')

Welcome to the first version of If, Then, Else. We're so excited to have you here. It's almost time to enter the world, but before we begin - a few instrcutions. <ul> <li>To navigate through this text, click the [[pink links]] to take you to the next piece of text.</li> <li>You can move between passages using the links and the 'back arrows' as many times as you like - nothing is permanent, and you can't mess it up.</li> <li>You may need a pen and paper, or a somewhere you can take some notes for yourself. You shouldn't need to refer to this piece during our actual LARP session (although you definitely can if it helps you!). Pay attention to what you're reading - there are some details that could help you later (and a fun hidden thing, so keep an eye out!) but this is just as much an exercise of immersing you in the world you'll be entering. Record the details that stick out to you, or just let it all wash over you. There's no wrong way to do this.</li> Sound ok? [[Ok, let's go|begin]]

Good job! Now click the arrow to the left of this text to go back!

You are the [[Newbie]] You are the [[Artist]] You are the [[Activist]] You are the [[Journalist]] You are the [[Tailor]] You are the [[Scientist]] (set: $bot to 'human') This is the part where you choose your character. You can click on any character to see what it's about, but make sure you click "Done?" to choose who you continue with.