[2964] "I just want to live."

[madjack]

Enough chitchat, time to take hostages.

[madjack]

She's absolutely about to send Tony into his memories of Surma, that he probably won't want to leave, at least for a while. Gives Annie a vested interest in keeping the distortion going, and Omega leverage over Annie in terms of being able to pull him out of the happy ones and into the dark journey he took after her death.

[silicondream]

If Omega makes Tony into a damsel in distress, Annie might actually burn her face off.

Jul 8, 2024 7:28:37 GMT madjack said:

She's absolutely about to send Tony into his memories of Surma, that he probably won't want to leave, at least for a while.

If so, I think that's a very bad idea. Tony's a Carver, and even more prone than Annie to negative rumination.  There's like an 80% probability that his corner of the distortion would be all demons and ghost wives and dead daughters and reminders of his failures and...whatever the hell happened with the parents that he never, ever talks about.

We know where Tony's most relaxed: in the mundane wilderness, surrounded by absolutely nothing that might care what he's thinking or feeling.  An environment that's sentient and psychoreactive would be a nightmare for him.

*Edit* also, Tony violently hates fake Surmas. Omega's "eh, it's real enough" attitude is not something he could get behind. He wants truth, as Annie does.

[jda]

Jul 8, 2024 7:22:38 GMT madjack said:

Enough chitchat, time to take hostages.

Exactly.
Also, I thought, "oh no, she is going to disrupt Kat's work on Tony's hand", but then I remembered the left hand is the (yet) unmessed-with one.

[worldsong]

Honestly my first thought was that Omega would blip Anthony away because he would be very useful to Annie.

[lisanela]

Jul 8, 2024 7:37:10 GMT silicondream said:

We know where Tony's most relaxed: in the mundane wilderness, surrounded by absolutely nothing that might care what he's thinking or feeling.  An environment that's sentient and psychoreactive would be a nightmare for him.

It would be hilarious if Tony went to a desert and invented Coyote again by mistake.

[silicondream]

Jul 8, 2024 8:35:58 GMT worldsong said:

Honestly my first thought was that Omega would blip Anthony away because he would be very useful to Annie.

Narratively, I think that's the most likely next step.  Annie can't resolve this conflict if the adults resolve it for her.

[worldsong]

Jul 8, 2024 9:03:10 GMT lisanela said:

It would be hilarious if Tony went to a desert and invented Coyote again by mistake.

Given that the ether has no difficulty with moving backwards in time it'd be even funnier if Anthony ended up being the creator of the original Coyote.

Jul 8, 2024 9:17:42 GMT silicondream said:

Narratively, I think that's the most likely next step.  Annie can't resolve this conflict if the adults resolve it for her.

That, and Annie will have a hard time resolving the situation if Omega isolates her from everyone who could help her.

Because while Omega is acting very smug and contrarian I don't think she's hostile or malicious. She likes Annie because she's interesting, and she likes Anthony because he reminds her of her love.

So I don't think she's thinking of hostages, just "we want different things and I'm going to try and make sure I get my thing even if I have to sabotage your attempts at getting your thing, but I'm not going to harm you."

[pylgrimm]

Ah she's speedrunning from animosity to full on enmity. For a living computer whose first desire is to continue living, making an enemy of Annie (and by extension Kat) is very stupid.

[csj]

no artificial people have ever said "I want more life" before in a menacing way whatsoever

[imaginaryfriend]

"A warning, before you go any further. She will lie, she will cheat, and she will do everything in her power to stop you from slaying her. Don't believe a word she says."

[morrahadesigns]

I don't even know what to say at this point. Omega is selfish, and to an extent that is very understandable; she's spent her life in some form of captivity or another. I get it, but....you don't get to hold everyone else hostage so that you can run around playing at finally being "normal".

And what the heck are you about to do to Tony?!

I am still hoping that somehow this all works out to help Tony break free of the cage in his mind.

[crater]

Christ I don't feel there was so much a gulf between Annie and Omega that Omega needed to start fathernapping

[ctso74]

Jul 8, 2024 13:10:41 GMT imaginaryfriend said:

"A warning, before you go any further. She will lie, she will cheat, and she will do everything in her power to stop you from slaying her. Don't believe a word she says."

To linger on an ending is to rob it of its life.

[Gemminie]

After saying basically, "Well, you've got no proof that Zimmy's suffering and I've got no proof that she isn't, so hey, rather than gathering any information or whatever let's leave things as they are to see what happens so I can live my dream at what may or not be her expense," Omega goes on. Since Annie's the point of chaos that Omega's long foreseen, it's natural in Omega's reasoning that Annie's opinion would differ. She predicts that Annie will continue to do what she thinks is right, and that's the only kind of prediction she can currently make. She also lays out her own goals one final time: she wants to live, and she wants the Court's plan to happen.

Then she pivots to the topic of the distortion and begins a new thought: some people are OK with the distortion as it is, though she doesn't state who those people are, and so ... she leaves the thought unfinished (on this page) and grabs Tony's left arm.

I think approximately 100% of readers assume that Omega's about to BWIP somewhere and take Tony with her. Since she seemingly needs physical contact to BWIP someone with her, that probably means leaving Annie and Renard where they are. But where's Omega going to BWIP to? Most likely (in my opinion) to the people who are OK with the distortion, since she's still in the middle of the sentence in which she mentioned them. Who are these people? The tree people, in their Forest simulation? The Court people loading the ships? Or some other group of Court people who are on board with the program, in the midst of the distortion where Tony can't contact them, but perhaps Omega can sense them? Someone else we haven't thought of in a while, whose status we have no idea about?

And what are Annie and Renard going to do? They're probably in the area where Anja and Don are; it might be good to tell them that Kat's OK. What about Annie's other friends, like Janet and Winsbury, John and Margo, Parley and Smitty, etc.? At least some of them live around there.

I guess we'll find out ...

[Sky Schemer]

Get ready for more Tony Fun Time.

[Nika]

She is being so condescending and dismissive here,,, Honestly I am liking Omega less and less as this goes on.
I hope she can see reason eventually mayhaps.

[Sky Schemer]

Jul 8, 2024 7:28:37 GMT madjack said:

She's absolutely about to send Tony into his memories of Surma, that he probably won't want to leave, at least for a while. Gives Annie a vested interest in keeping the distortion going, and Omega leverage over Annie in terms of being able to pull him out of the happy ones and into the dark journey he took after her death.

I dunno. Part of me thinks that it's maybe a good thing that Tony is in this part of the distortion, thanks to his pilgrimage. If she does take him away from the Star Ocean, she may find out just what, exactly, the ether can make real.

Though she doesn't seem to have learned any lessons from her first, or even second, time through.

[pyradonis]

Oh, are they going on a date together? How sweet! <3 But maybe give Tony time to put on shoes for once.

Honestly, I personally like Omega as an antagonist.

[Sky Schemer]

Jul 8, 2024 15:25:57 GMT pyradonis said:

But maybe give Tony time to put on shoes for once.

Guy needs to get a pair of loafers.

[hoob]

Jul 8, 2024 16:00:02 GMT Sky Schemer said:

Jul 8, 2024 15:25:57 GMT pyradonis said:

But maybe give Tony time to put on shoes for once.

Guy needs to get a pair of loafers.

A pair of loafers would create unnnecessary distractions. I cannot focus on my work with the unceasing stimulation of shoes. There is already a cage around my mind, and I would not be able to stand having cages around my feet

[hoob]

Jul 8, 2024 14:52:56 GMT Sky Schemer said:

Get ready for more Tony Fun Time.

I think some scenes between just Omega and Tony would be really cool. I'm always down for more Tony development, and I think his thoughts on the court (and his complicity as an agent) would severely conflict with Omega's.

[morrahadesigns]

Jul 8, 2024 15:25:57 GMT pyradonis said:

Oh, are they going on a date together? How sweet! <3 But maybe give Tony time to put on shoes for once.

Honestly, I personally like Omega as an antagonist.

She's definitely working well as an antagonist. I certainly feel antagonize by her. 

[stef1987]

I agree with Omega, or more-so disagree with Annie
Annie is so ready to trade Omega's life for Zimmy's, without even knowing if Zimmy is in need of rescuing (though let's be honest, she probably is).
She didn't for a second think about Omega.

Though I also feel like if the distortion so easily made Omega be able to live like a normal person, they could find a way to do the same thing without the distortion. (like maybe if she just went away with the court)

[drmemory]

Look, Omega is the first and only member of the court who has actually openly explained what she thinks and what is going on. It isn't fair to blame her for everything the court is doing and has done! She seems to honestly believe that the court has done a lot of good for a lot of people, and wants them to succeed.

Possibilities:

1. Omega is lying about all of this, and is evil. I don't think that is the case - she's too open and blunt. She's about as well-socialized as Annie, actually. Maybe a little less so, even though much older - her actual experience talking to actual people while being a person is incredibly limited. Anyway, I think she's telling the truth as she sees it.
2. Omega is being misled by the court. They are evil. This seems more possible than the first possibility. We know that some court members have done some evil things (e.g. Jeanne and her lover). That doesn't mean that the court is entirely or even predominantly evil.
3. The court itself is being misled. Either by external entities (like the ones that tricked Tony) or by Coyote. Who knows?

I'm sure there are other possibilities. I'm just suggesting that we shouldn't put too much weight on Omega for the actions of the court. Look at it this way - when Omega was alive in the past, she was basically not a functional person, as she has admitted. When she was in the machine, well, only a few bits and pieces of her were in there, and she certainly didn't get more practice adulting in that state! Now, right now, is the first time she's been able to walk around freely and talk to others.

She's a bit naive and awkward but I think she's telling the truth, as she knows it. She probably doesn't even understand why Annie (agent of chaos) is upset - in her role in the court she's used to trying to help the court help others and she is much more used to the calculus of the greater good than she is used to having friends. In fact, I'd bet she has none - Charles was the closest she came and he is long dead.

Even though she's being beaten emotionally by Annie, she's still going to try and find out how the bubble is affecting others. I think she's going to take Tony on a magical mystery tour to see some of those she thinks will be happy in the distortion. I'd guess that if it turns out they aren't, and if she finds Zimmy and Zimmy is tormented, she is likely to change her mind, and either end the distortion or at least negotiate an early end (like as soon as the court ship leaves).

If she lives through this, she'll have a chance to get some life experience and grow up. At this point, she's got the perspective of an old woman who has seen a lot of stuff happen but wasn't able to participate in any of it. Her knowledge base is strongly based on what she could see with her sensors and on what the court told her. So she knows a lot of the players and what is going on but lacks practical experience. Please try to be kind! Disagreeing with Annie does NOT make her bad!

[drmemory]

Alternatively, she may be about to show Tony how to step out of his mind cage while in the distortion, but I don't think she has the emotional nuance to understand the problem, much less how to fix it. Oh well. She seems to like him just how he is, so not a problem for her, but if she understands the problem it is for him I'm sure she'll try to help.

Tony can probably figure it out for himself if he gets the right info, though.

BTW, they really are still in the distortion. Otherwise, no Omega poiting.

[morrahadesigns]

Jul 8, 2024 17:33:12 GMT drmemory said:

Look, Omega is the first and only member of the court who has actually openly explained what she thinks and what is going on. It isn't fair to blame her for everything the court is doing and has done! She seems to honestly believe that the court has done a lot of good for a lot of people, and wants them to succeed.

Possibilities:

1. Omega is lying about all of this, and is evil. I don't think that is the case - she's too open and blunt. She's about as well-socialized as Annie, actually. Maybe a little less so, even though much older - her actual experience talking to actual people while being a person is incredibly limited. Anyway, I think she's telling the truth as she sees it.
2. Omega is being misled by the court. They are evil. This seems more possible than the first possibility. We know that some court members have done some evil things (e.g. Jeanne and her lover). That doesn't mean that the court is entirely or even predominantly evil.
3. The court itself is being misled. Either by external entities (like the ones that tricked Tony) or by Coyote. Who knows?

I'm sure there are other possibilities. I'm just suggesting that we shouldn't put too much weight on Omega for the actions of the court. Look at it this way - when Omega was alive in the past, she was basically not a functional person, as she has admitted. When she was in the machine, well, only a few bits and pieces of her were in there, and she certainly didn't get more practice adulting in that state! Now, right now, is the first time she's been able to walk around freely and talk to others.

She's a bit naive and awkward but I think she's telling the truth, as she knows it. She probably doesn't even understand why Annie (agent of chaos) is upset - in her role in the court she's used to trying to help the court help others and she is much more used to the calculus of the greater good than she is used to having friends. In fact, I'd bet she has none - Charles was the closest she came and he is long dead.

Even though she's being beaten emotionally by Annie, she's still going to try and find out how the bubble is affecting others. I think she's going to take Tony on a magical mystery tour to see some of those she thinks will be happy in the distortion. I'd guess that if it turns out they aren't, and if she finds Zimmy and Zimmy is tormented, she is likely to change her mind, and either end the distortion or at least negotiate an early end (like as soon as the court ship leaves).

If she lives through this, she'll have a chance to get some life experience and grow up. At this point, she's got the perspective of an old woman who has seen a lot of stuff happen but wasn't able to participate in any of it. Her knowledge base is strongly based on what she could see with her sensors and on what the court told her. So she knows a lot of the players and what is going on but lacks practical experience. Please try to be kind! Disagreeing with Annie does NOT make her bad!

She has seen literally everything up to the point of Annie not dying. She isn't naive, nor is she blind to what the court has done. She is fully aware of every evil thing they did, but like with Zimmy, her stance is "that's just one person". She leans very hard into the stance of "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." While Annie takes the stance that harming one to help others is wrong because all that "good" you're doing is built on the premise of pain caused to others. 

I don't hate Omega, but she is not innocent, or naive. 

[Sky Schemer]

Jul 8, 2024 17:33:12 GMT drmemory said:

Even though she's being beaten emotionally by Annie, she's still going to try and find out how the bubble is affecting others. 

She already knows one of the NP is dead because of it. But, hey, she can form her own body now so it's a fair trade, I guess.

[eyemyself]

Jul 8, 2024 7:22:38 GMT madjack said:

Enough chitchat, time to take hostages.

Hostage or plausible potential ally?



Omega is giving me "habituated to being the smartest person in the room?" vibes, which I suspect may be her fatal flaw. She's had centuries of knowing what everyone is going to do and being able to predict everything vs. the relatively infinitesimal time Annie has been around creating chaos in her predictions - which she seems to mostly react to as thought it's a fun diversion rather than a serious threat to her plans.

That's the Tony she knows, the one who reached this point in his life without Annie. It makes sense that Tony, in a timeline where both his wife and daughter were dead, would be 100% on board with the Court's project. He'd probably resent the ether for the role it played stealing them from him. Tony in a timeline with a living daughter he almost killed in his quest to get Surma back? Who would never be allowed to depart for the new world because of her strong connection with the ether? Who he feels deep guilt and anguish over failing to connect with? That's a very different man. And if Omega is still operating under the assumption that Tony, or anyone close to Annie, will behave the way she foresaw he would in a world without Annie, she may be making assumptions that will undermine her goals in the end.

[The Anarch]

Omega seems to have some serious consent issues.