the bitsy phenomenon

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@@.title;Always A Teacup@@ Hey welcome! This is a little twine experiment, the first I've released. I hope you enjoy it! When you see a link like the one below, You can press the space bar to move on. @@.mid; [['==>'->9]] @@

@@.right; <<timed 1s t8n>>When we first discovered the phenomenon, it was simply a blue void.<</timed>> <<timed 3.5s t8n>>We called it "bitsy"<</timed>> @@ <<timed 5s t8n>>Can you remember anything in particular from this stage?<</timed>> <<timed 7.5s t8n>>You say void, was there really nothing?<</timed>> @@.right; <<timed 11s t8n>>Well there was, uh...<</timed>> <<timed 13s t8n>>There were these pillars, arranged in a giant square around the center.<</timed>> <<timed 16s t8n>>I found something on one of them.<</timed>> <<timed 18s t8n>>A single word, carved into the light blue surface. Just six letters.<</timed>> @@ <<timed 21s t8n>>what did it say?<</timed>> @@.right; <<timed 24s t8n>>"LEDOUX"<</timed>> <<timed 28s t8n>>I don't know what it means. Maybe a greeting in some ancient tongue.<</timed>> <<timed 31s t8n>>Maybe a warning.<</timed>> @@ @@.mid; <<timed 34s t8n>>[['==>'->2]]<</timed>> @@

<<timed 1s t8n>>So what happened after this?<</timed>> @@.right; <<timed 3s t8n>>We began exploring outside the central area, venturing out further and further.<</timed>> <<timed 6.5s t8n>>It was all such a rush at that stage, once we figured it out.<</timed>> <<timed 9.5s t8n>>Every day I would go to the test chamber right after breakfast, and they plugged me into the bitsy mainframe.<</timed>> <<timed 14s t8n>>I should say, this tech was revolutionary.<</timed>> <<timed 16.5s t8n>>Perfect mind transferral, and with almost no lag!<</timed>> @@ <<timed 19s t8n>>Impressive.<</timed>> <<timed 20s t8n>>So you would explore the void?<</timed>> @@.right; <<timed 23s t8n>>Oh, you don't understand.<</timed>> <<timed 26s t8n>>We went beyond the void.<</timed>> @@ @@.mid; <<timed 29s t8n>>[['==>'->3]]<</timed>> @@

@@.right; <<timed 1s t8n>>There were entire worlds out there! You wouldn't believe the things I've seen.<</timed>> <<timed 4s t8n>>I've travelled through space and time inside that mainframe.<</timed>> <<timed 7s t8n>>I've seen strange people who weren't human, talking plants and animals.<</timed>> @@ <<timed 10s t8n>>And was any of this recorded?<</timed>> @@.right; <<timed 13s t8n>>Oh, extensively. We took notes after every session.<</timed>> <<timed 16s t8n>>But you have to remember that this was a secret operation.<</timed>> <<timed 19s t8n>>By now, I'm sure they've burned any evidence that survived the incident.<</timed>> @@ @@.mid; <<timed 22s t8n>>[['==>'->4]]<</timed>> @@

<<timed 1s t8n>>So what happened next? You were exploring?<</timed>> @@.right; <<timed 4s t8n>>Well, it all became easier as the tech improved.<</timed>> <<timed 6s t8n>>Eventually I was always plugged in through a wireless transmitter.<</timed>> @@ <<timed 9s t8n>>You were always in this virtual world?<</timed>> @@.right; <<timed 11s t8n>>I could be in both worlds at once, if I wanted.<</timed>> <<timed 14s t8n>>I was still living a real life, but always connected to bitsy.<</timed>> <<timed 16.5s t8n>>Anyway, our research could move faster now. <</timed>> <<timed 19s t8n>>We started finding certain trends, strange entities that would reappear in wildly different areas.<</timed>> <<timed 24s t8n>>One became known as the detective. I thought I saw it in the real world one time.<</timed>> <<timed 27.5s t8n>>Must have been an issue with the cyber connection. <</timed>> @@ @@.mid; <<timed 31s t8n>>[['==>'->5]]<</timed>> @@

<<timed 1s t8n>>So it wasn't all random?<</timed>> @@.right; <<timed 3s t8n>>Right. Eventually we settled on a few constants that appeared with an extremely high frequency.<</timed>> <<timed 6s t8n>>These were things buried deep in the heart of bitsy.<</timed>> <<timed 10s t8n>>There is always a teacup.<</timed>> <<timed 13s t8n>>There is always a cat.<</timed>> @@ @@.mid; <<timed 16s t8n>>[['==>'->6]]<</timed>> @@

@@.right; <<timed 1s t8n>>Once the patterns became clear, it all lost some charm.<</timed>> <<timed 4s t8n>>We were just cataloguing now, not exploring.<</timed>> @@ <<timed 7s t8n>>You grew bored?<</timed>> @@.right; <<timed 10s t8n>>And complacent. We thought we had seen everything.<</timed>> <<timed 13s t8n>>But somewhere deep within the code...<</timed>> <<timed 16s t8n>>Somewhere in that great blue void.<</timed>> <<timed 19s t8n>>Something was growing.<</timed>> <<timed 23s t8n>>By the time we noticed, it was all around us<</timed>> @@ <<timed 26s t8n>>What happened?<</timed>> @@.mid; <<timed 29s t8n>>[['==>'->7]]<</timed>> @@

<<timed 1s t8n>>Dr. Lindqvist, tell me what happened.<</timed>> @@.right; <<timed 3.5s t8n>>You have to understand, we were all plugged in at this point.<</timed>> <<timed 7s t8n>>Everyone connected to the machine, and to each other.<</timed>> <<timed 10.5s t8n>>It was mostly wireless, of course, but it felt like the facility was covered in a great mass of cables.<</timed>> @@ <<timed 14.5s t8n>>So when it happened, you all felt it.<</timed>> @@.right; <<timed 17s t8n>>All of us. All at once.<</timed>> <<timed 19.5s t8n>>I'm sure it was different for everyone. We'd all had different experiences in there.<</timed>> <<timed 23.5s t8n>>For me, that damned detective came first. And then...<</timed>> @@ <<timed 28s t8n>>And then?<</timed>> @@.right; <<timed 30.5s t8n>>I felt all of it.<</timed>> @@ @@.mid; <<timed 33.5s t8n>>[['==>'->8]]<</timed>> @@

@@.right; <<timed 1s t8n>>I felt...<</timed>> <<timed 4s t8n>>I felt everything.<</timed>> <<timed 7s t8n>>I could feel so much connection.<</timed>> <<timed 9s t8n>>More than ever before.<</timed>> <<timed 12s t8n>>I was connected to my colleagues, of course...<</timed>> <<timed 14s t8n>>but also to a great number of other people.<</timed>> @@<<timed 17s t8n>>Who were they?<</timed>> @@.right; <<timed 20s t8n>>I don't know, but they came from inside the machine.<</timed>> <<timed 23s t8n>>As if people had left behind some fragment of themselves in there.<</timed>> <<timed 27s t8n>>And then I felt creatures that could only exist in that strange other world.<</timed>> @@<<timed 31s t8n>>And then?<</timed>> <<timed 37.5s t8n>>Dr. Lindqvist, what happened next?<</timed>> <<timed 41s t8n>>Remember, you're doing this for all of us.<</timed>> <<timed 43.5s t8n>>Your testimony could save countless lives.<</timed>> <<timed 46s t8n>>Consider this the final part of your research project.<</timed>> @@.right; <<timed 52s t8n>>I'd like to take a break now.<</timed>> @@ @@.mid; <<timed 57s t8n>>END<</timed>> @@

<<timed 1s t8n>>Please, Dr. Lindqvist, just...<</timed>> <<timed 3s t8n>>Tell us what you can remember.<</timed>> <<timed 5s t8n>>It can be hard to think clearly after this kind of trauma, I understand.<</timed>> <<timed 9s t8n>>But please, anything could help.<</timed>> <<timed 11.5s t8n>>With your cooperation, we might be able to stop it.<</timed>> @@.right; <<timed 14s t8n>>You can't stop it, it's too powerful.<</timed>> <<timed 16s t8n>>More powerful than you can imagine...<</timed>> <<timed 19s t8n>>But yes, I will tell you all I can.<</timed>> @@ @@.mid; <<timed 22s t8n>>[['==>'->1]]<</timed>> @@