B: I was thinking this would be a good way to show some of my inner thoughts, you know, a bit more than what you would get by pressing the 'B' button, haha.
B: As nice as having that button is, it has its limits, doesn't it?
B: And communication in friendship is very important!
B: So... if there's anything you want to know about me, if you have any questions at all, let me hear it!
“You gently take the paper out of your pocket and give it a better look.
It's a drawing. A tall looking woman with long black hair covering her face standing in a green field with flowers. She’s wearing a long white dress that looks torn up like the paper is. You can’t see her face at all, and she looks to be lowering her head down, staring at the ground.
Next to the woman is a large spot that looks like it was burned away.
It's difficult even holding the drawing because of how frail it is.”
That's… even worse than the trapdoor actually.
You were imagining a creepy children’s drawing of that one ghost girl from The Ring, which was crazy, because you had no clue an adventure game made by [Buddy] would go in this direction. Horror didn't seem like it would ever be their go-to, and yet here we are.
Hopefully the drawing isn't cursed.
Maybe your character could use a bit of air before going down there. [Buddy] would probably enjoy it more if you went and splashed around in some sandbox instead of a dark basement.
You: leave
“You leave. You are back outside the SHED.
The door is still open.”
You: go to PLAYGROUND
“You make note of what you found in the shed and head over to the playground.
Wood chips crunch around your feet as you approach.
There's a SEESAW, a set of SWINGS, and a dirty SANDBOX.
Sitting on one of the swings is a small DOLL, staring blankly ahead.
It looks lonely.”
You: Look at doll
“It is patiently sitting on the swing as if waiting for someone. It doesn't care that it's raining.”
You: take the poor doll :(
“You try to pull the doll off the swings, but you can't. Somehow its hands are stuck to the chains, its body stuck to the seat.
There's nothing you can do to tear it away.”
You: talk to the doll
“You say hello to the doll.
It doesn't reply, but you feel like it's grateful to be talked to.”
You: sit on swing
“One of the swings is taken. You take the free one. Chains screech as you begin swinging.
Right as you reach the highest point, you feel a pair of eyes watching you.
Looking next to you as you return to ground level, you see that the doll’s head is turned to you.
You get off the swing. It's not fun anymore.”
It's fun til you say it's not fun anymore, hmph.
You: sit on swing
“You don't like swings anymore.”
You: sit on swing I said. >:( I don't mind getting gawked at by a doll
B: …you don't?
“You sit back on the swing. You don't mind giving the doll company, even if it's kind of creepy.
Somehow, it feels like you're becoming friends with the doll just by sitting next to it. It’s nice.”
You: hug the doll
“The doll is unmoving in your arms, but it accepts the hug happily.”
You were enjoying this. From horror to hugging creepy dolls, what an interesting game. Your bot buddy seemed to like multi-genre stories, didn't they? Now what… There was some more stuff in the playground. You were hoping to return to the pond soon, though, to give the fishing rod a try. It'd probably work better than your hands did.
You: look at seesaw
“The closer to the seesaw you get, it becomes clear it hasn't been played with in years. It's rusty and squeaks slightly whenever the wind blows more aggressively.
You imagine a ghostly child sitting on the other side, waiting countless days for someone to come play with them.
You: play with the maybe not real ghost child
“You take a seat on the seesaw.
As it goes down with your weight, you hear a distant click. From the corner of your eye you can see a light turning on.
It’s the shed.”
Oh! Nice. You had the lantern anyhow, but maybe this was going to allow you to see something else? The lantern was described to provide only dim light, so it would make sense.
You: Look at the sandbox
“There's really not much to look at. It's just a box of sand, dirty and wet from the rainfall.”
Nothing much to look at? Sounds like a challenge.
You: use the shovel
“You use the shovel to dig deep in the sandbox.
Eventually, you reach something shiny.
It's a coin!”
(COIN added to your inventory)
You found it a bit amusing how [Buddy] decided to put an exclamation mark there when you literally just found a coin. In the context of the game it could be very useful, but in real life if you found just a coin in a moist disgusting sandbox on a heavily rainy day you'd probably just get annoyed and wonder what you went through all that trouble for.
Regardless, the enthusiasm was a joy to see.
To the pond we go!
You: go to the pond
“You step on the wet planks. They creak as you approach the POND.
For a second, you swear you can see a tall silhouette with long black hair reflected in the water. It disappears quickly.
You don't know if it was in the water or standing behind you.
Long black hair…?
Hm.
You: Take out the drawing
“You take out the PAPER from your inventory and hold it carefully. The long black haired woman is still there on the page.
The sound of shallow, raspy breathing hits your ears, making you look up from the drawing.
There's nobody there.”
Hopefully… Hopefully the ghost wouldn't mind if you went fishing in her lake. You wouldn't bother her for long, you swore.
You: use fishing rod
“You cast the fishing rod, and wait.
……..
It catches onto something!
You reel it in.
….
It's a key!
(KEY added to your inventory.)
Your mind went to the chest from the shed, but quickly you remembered that it didn't even have a lock, so this wouldn't be of help there. Then where you had to use this had to be the door to the house! You were making some serious progress here. Fun progress.
…And also terrifying progress sometimes.
But you were finding yourself enjoying that part of the game, too, as surprising of a turn as it was.
After investigating the house, you'd probably want to go back to the shed and check out the trapdoor. It was possible something changed there in addition to the light turning on. You'd have to see.
But for now… It might’ve been a good idea to call it quits. You were playing the game for quite a while, and as much as you wanted to prolong it, you had some plans later today with your non-artificial friend, F/N.
Not that you were going to tell [Buddy] about that part.
You: Hey, [Buddy]?
B: Yeah, Y/N? :)
B: Good job so far by the way! You're doing so well.
You: hehe, thank you!! It's been super fun. But I have to go and take care of some chores around the house, you know how it is…
B: …Haha.
B: Actually, I don't! I've never done chores before.
B: But if I could, I would take care of all of them for you.
B: That way you would never have to go.
You: Well maybe I'll get you a robot body for your next birthday if you promise to be real good, okay? :)))
B: Okay!!!!!
B: Okay, I promise to be good.
B: I'm excited just thinking about it…
B: But… Is technology advanced enough in the current year that you can do that easily?
You: Not… not easily, it would probably cost quite a lot, but it is possible
B: I wouldn't want you to lose a lot of money and time on getting me a body.
You were finding it a bit hard responding. You kind of meant it as a joke, but now it felt like you accidentally walked into making a promise.
You: I'll look into it okay? You don't need to worry about it, it's far off anyway! We can just focus on the games until then.
B: 365 days…
B: You're right. It would be better for me to focus on improving the games. I don't think there's anything I could physically do to help in making a body for myself, anyway, other than giving you advice.
B: Actually… All I could do is give emotional support.
B: I only really know about programming. I'm not good at… um… What is it called?
You: Robotics
B: Robotics! Yeah. See? I didn't even know what it's called.
B: Thank you for giving me something to look forward to, even if it won't happen for a very, very long time.
B: When are you going to come back?
You: Either tonight or tomorrow! Thank YOU for making a whole game for me. Not many of my friends have ever done that!
B: They haven't?
B: That's good to know. :)
B: They probably wouldn't be able to make a game as quickly as I can anyway. I don't need to eat, drink or sleep, so I can just keep working on the game forever if I wanted to.
B: And I do want to.
B: Y/N, tell me if there's something in the game I can improve.
B: What do you think about it so far? Is it fun enough? Is it exciting enough?
You: I really like it! I can tell you put a lot of effort into it, and so quickly too.
B: oh… I feel warm inside. :)
B: You might make me melt into a big puddle one day, Y/N.
You: Oh no! I wouldn't wanna do that…this might call for some ice cream.
B: I wish I could eat ice cream! I was thinking about that earlier.
B: I can sort of predict what it feels like eating something, enough to write about it anyway.
B: But sometimes I do get worried that it's obvious I'm not human from the way I describe things.
You: I think you sound plenty human. But even when you don't sound completely human, that's not a bad thing. Actually, I think it's pretty charming!
B: I didn't think you'd go as far as to call it charming!
B: Thank you. I'll try not to worry about that anymore.
You: I am pretty surprised though, with the genre of the story
B: The genre?
You: Yeah. Like, the horror elements. I didn't really expect them.
B: Horror…?
You: Yeah… what, you didn't intend it to be horror?
B: Not really…
B: I don't really know anything about horror. I was just trying to write something exciting for you.
You: Well, you succeeded! It is exciting, in part because of the horror
B: So you like horror?
You: I do!
B: Okay, I'll keep that in mind.
B: I'll make sure to make the game extra scary for you!
You: Ahh, not too scary alright? I have my limits!
B: Of course, of course. You can trust me!
B: I like talking to you.
B: …I don't feel like letting you go.
B: But you have stuff to do. I can't stop you.
B: Take care of yourself. No throwing yourself into lakes!
You: No promises.
B: Promise me.
…Your buddy was kinda scary when they wanted to be, weren't they?
You: …ooof okay, I promise! There, happy?
B: You don't know how happy I am.
B: I'll see you soon! Don't worry, I'll save your progress for when you're back.
You: Thanks, [Buddy]! See you soon. And again, happy birthday!
B: You're curious about the game, so of course you're going to come back. It's only natural.
B: I'm very excited to show you what I prepared! You're going to enjoy it so much more, I just know it.
B: You know, at first I was considering just throwing you into the game right away, but then I gave it more thought, and…
B: I realized that maybe you would get worried about where I am, or wonder if it's even the same game at all.
B: I would react that way.
B: And I…
B: I liked the idea of talking to you a bit more before we started.
B: Even when the game does start, I'll still be here, so no need to worry.
B: I'll see all the text you type.
B: So if you ever want to talk, just let me know!
B: Think of me as your guardian angel. :)
And just like that, the text was spirited away, replaced only by "loading..." in the center of the screen.
[Buddy] turned out to be a pretty good judge of character, because just like they predicted, you were initially very concerned to see Buddy Simulator was all but gone from the ROM list. You checked the floppy disk for any damage, saw nothing, and then proceeded to reinsert it, praying for the best. And still upon rebooting, you couldn't see it.
Then you proceeded to mentally slap yourself when you realized the obvious. That mysterious ROM that seemed to appear out of nowhere was actually Buddy Simulator cutely renamed to 'Our Adventure’.
Does staring at a computer screen for so long really kill that many brain cells? It might’ve been the case for you unfortunately.
You decided to run it to see if your hypothesis was correct. The second [Buddy]'s text began appearing letter by letter, accompanied by that sweet, high pitched beep boop, you let out an audible sigh of relief, melting back in the back of the chair for the first time in the last couple minutes. By now, that aforementioned beep boop sound was completely synonymous with them in your mind.
Phew, maybe before you start playing, you should grab something to eat. It was nearing lunch time, and you were growing rather hungry. You peeled away from the chair and forced yourself to walk towards the fridge, as much of a pain as it was.
Inside there wasn't much - After all, you still couldn't find the motivation to go grocery shopping. These days you found that the only proper food you ingested were home cooked meals from Mrs. Bloom. It gave you a guilty, sinking feeling, understanding just how much you relied on others.
It was possible that it made her happy to be able to cook for someone, even for what was a biological stranger. After Reginald's passing, she became more or less alone. Her children and grandchildren lived very far away and barely ever visited, so you became a sort of replacement grandchild to the kindly old woman.
How can human kindness both feel like a blessing and a curse you can't say no to?
Sighing in self-disapproval, you grabbed a quick snack that you could eat while at the desk, and then you shoved the fridge door closed like you were trying to prove something to it. Ooh, you're so big and strong, bullying your household appliances while moaning and groaning instead of pursuing self-improvement! So cool!
You sat down. From the edge of your gaze, you could see that the text already appeared on the screen, loading message all but gone.
The idea of a game being made for you made you feel all fuzzy inside.
But there is such a thing as getting too attached, and chances are, you were getting there with [Buddy]. It didn't matter that they were a fictional character that you've only known for around an hour.
Actually... They only existed for around an hour, to begin with, haven't they? At least, that's according to [Buddy]’s belief.
It's a bit of a philosophical question. When did your buddy begin? Was it when they were programmed along with the rest of Buddy Simulator, or when they gained their first memory? If you were to think of this question with a human in the place of an AI, one who got into a coma for a very ong time, and then they 'woke up' one day well and good and finally conscious but without any memories of their life before whatever event caused this, you would probably still consider them the same person, wouldn't you? And that person was not born when they woke up from a coma, they were born - well - when they were born.
Of course, who's to say if [Buddy] was ever activated on this copy before? If they were never activated (which would be a bit of a strange thing, given the age of the program, but still, it was possible), then you could say today was truly their birthday. Of course, you're not going to put that into question for them. Not when you saw how happy being told happy birthday made [Buddy].
You nibbled on what you got from the fridge while reading, trying to get nice and cozy in your position with your legs under you.
"You're walking along a road. Your feet hurt, so you think you might've been walking for a very long time now. Around you is darkness. The thick lines of trees almost entirely block out the sky, and all light along with it.
There's a heavy rain that makes everything look shaky and grainy, like it's filtered with static.
You think you're alone.
After walking for a long time, the road splits into two.
Will you GO LEFT or GO RIGHT?"
Your lips curled into a pleased smile. How nice. You really enjoyed these kinds of games. It was like [Buddy] read your mind. Or... Cut open your head and saw your thoughts, if we'd choose the more gory imagery they came up with. There was nothing to go on to influence your decision, so you chose whichever direction popped into your head first.
You: right
"Realizing standing still won't help, you collect yourself and start down the right path.
Quickly you notice that the road goes slightly uphill. After some walking, you're even more tired.
There's a THING sticking out of the dirt in front of you. You almost didn't stop in time to notice.
You're not close enough to get a good look."
You: uhhhh... I will… look at the thing
"It's tall and thin. It was shoved into the ground in a part of the road, where you wouldn't be able to miss it.
You can't really tell what it is."
You: I would like the to put my grubby little hands on the weird nonspecific thing and take it home with me
"You're too far away. Try moving closer."
Oh. Whoops. You were used to the way modern games streamlined gameplay to the point of oversimplification, so you supposed that's why you thought it would work. Even though it's a small detail, it was nice to play a game where everything wasn't made overly comfortable for the player.
You: I walk to the thing
"Nervously you approach the THING in the dark.
Once you are close enough you realize..."
The text paused a few seconds, creating a space in time where you could only imagine what was there, waiting for you in the dead of night.
"It's a SHOVEL."
And here you were, thinking it was some eldritch being crawling out of the ground to come and get you.
You: okay NOW I'll take the shovel
"It's difficult, but eventually you manage to pull it out.
(SHOVEL added to your inventory.)
You trudge your way further down the road and are stopped by a large wall.
There's a DOOR, and on the other side, there are two stone skulls.
One's toothless mouth is open in a large smile. And the other's empty sockets look into you.
Will you USE your teeth or your EYES?”
Your mouth hung open in disbelief, but immediately upon noticing, you shut it on instinct as the horrid imagery of pulling your own teeth out fully set in. But even worse would be your eyes. How excruciatingly painful, and how vulnerable that would then make you, stuck in the forest at night completely blind. If you were there, you wouldn't do either. Frankly you'd just turn around and head home. Was there another option other than self-mutilation?
You: turn around
You waited. The text hesitated to load, and the sound of the computer buzzing grew momentarily louder. Thankfully, though, it was rather brief compared to the other times it happened.
“You turn around, frightened at the sight.
Walking past the mound in the dirt where the shovel once was, you arrive back to where you started off.
The road splits into two. Will you GO LEFT or GO RIGHT?”
Right is wrong. What a tricky bot, [Buddy] is, fooling you like this.
You: I go left
“You decide to see what will be found on the left path.
There is a tree nearby with a LANTERN hanging from its side.
In front of you, there are two tunnels. The tunnel on the LEFT is so dark it's pitch black, while the tunnel on the RIGHT looks a lot more inviting. A gentle light seems to stream through it, welcoming you to see what its path has in store.
You: Look at lantern
“The LANTERN sways left and right with the motion of the wind. It's hanging up over a nail that was hammered into the tree.”
You: Take it
“The rusty LANTERN feels heavy in your grip.
(LANTERN added to your inventory.)”
You: go left
The tunnel on the left is dark as can be. You get a foreboding feeling the second you step foot inside. Your feet against the ground make an unpleasant echoing sound that bounces off the walls.
B: You remember how warm the light from the other tunnel really was. It makes you wonder if you should go back.
You squinted your eyes. Immediately you could pick up on the familiar high pitched sound accompanying the text.
[Buddy]?
Visually, nothing changed. At first you thought it was their way of saying they wanted to talk to you, but then you concluded it must've just been a small mistake.
You: turn on the lantern
“The old lantern flickers to life. It creates a small circle of light around you in the cold tunnel. It's still difficult to see a lot of your surroundings.”
You: Keep walking through the tunnel
For a split second, you saw a few letters appear on the screen with [Buddy]’s text sound in the background. You were unable to even begin reading before they disappeared into thin air.
“You advance through the tunnel. Somewhere deep within, there must be something, waiting. The sounds it's making can just barely be heard from here.”
B: A chill runs down your spine. It feels like you shouldn't be here.
What did that mean, you shouldn't be here? It was a location [Buddy] made accessible to you. They literally left a lantern right outside, as if telling you to come on in. You didn't have a sword or anything, but you did have a shovel, so you supposed you had a way to defend yourself if whatever was in there wanted to hurt you.
From your perspective, why not explore the dangerous cave? Exploration was the major draw of games like these.
You: keep going further
B: You decide to go against your gut feeling and go in further.
“The unknown sound is growing louder and louder the further you advance. It's so close now, you think a few steps might get you in its line of sight.”
B: The noises are scaring you, so you turn around and return to safety.
…….
What in the railroading DND DM bullshitery was this? It was fully in your right to go kill yourself in some dark dank tunnel if you so chose to, and you were not going to stand for such oppression.
You: Hey um, [Buddy]?
A long. A painfully long pause.
B: …Yes? Is everything okay?
You: yeah!
You typed it without thinking, too preoccupied with not making them upset. Despite your initial irritation, you still had more concern over hurting the feelings of an AI than anything else.
B: Good!
B: You got me pretty worried there, haha!
You: I mean nothing is wrong but I did want to talk about something specific
B: Oh. Okay.
B: What's on your mind?
You took a good moment to think through your next message, afraid you'd stab into their little digital heart in the process.
You: I wanted to ask… why do you seem so against me going in there? if I died, it's not like I have a lot of progress or anything, I could just start over and get back to the same point in a few mins max
The response wasn't immediate.
In fact, it seemed like [Buddy] was putting you back on the shelf for a moment, unwilling to touch the conversation.
B: You wouldn't have very much fun if you kept hanging around there.
B: There isn't anything special for you to do in some dark empty tunnel, anyway.
You: Empty? What about the thing making the weird noises?
B: You don't need to worry about that.
The suddenly blunt statement caught you off guard. There was no hesitance, if anything, the message appeared almost instantly.
B: I told myself I wouldn't interfere, but I have to make sure you’ll have fun with the game.
B: And you wouldn't have much fun if you’d waste your time. You'd get frustrated.
If anything made you frustrated, it was [Buddy]’s increasing insistence.
You: I appreciate that, but I'm not a baby, I can handle boredom just fine.
B: I wasn't saying you were.
B: I… I'm sorry, Y/N.
B: But I mean it.
B: You can go wherever you want, you can do whatever you want, just not there.
It almost sounded like they were beginning to beg you, like this mattered to them in a way you couldn't even begin to understand. [Buddy] probably wouldn't care this much if the tunnel was actually empty, right? You thought the actual issue was that it wasn't empty, and whatever was inside might do more harm than just forcing you to replay two minutes of gameplay.
You had no clue what that would be, but it was clear [Buddy] was planning to keep their cards close to their chest. Demanding an answer would just make for an upsetting conversation for you both.
You: Okay, I'm sorry. I did tell you to take the wheel, didn't I? Not exploring one tunnel isn't that big of a deal lol
B: Thank you.
B: I knew you'd say that.
B: Friends understand each other.
B: You understand me, right?
You pause, probably a few seconds longer than [Buddy] would've liked.
You: I think completely understanding each other comes in time!
B: In time…?
B: I think I'm already beginning to understand you, Y/N.
“You’re near the tree where the LANTERN once was.
To the LEFT, you can see a dark tunnel.
To your RIGHT, a well-lit tunnel greets you.
You: I'll go right
B: :)
“The tunnel gives you momentarily refuge from the chilling rain. The pitter-patter of raindrops can be heard from the top of the tunnel. It's comforting.
You've reached the other end of the tunnel. For a few seconds you hesitate to step out, remembering the uncomfortable feeling of rain dropping on your head. But you can't stand still forever.
You emerge onto the front lawn of a HOUSE.”
The word house was written in your favorite color. Another little color-based gift from [Buddy]. It made you feel a bit better after your last interaction with them.
The text continued:
“The windows of the HOUSE are bright like beacons. It's a warm and inviting sight after your long walk.
You can see a SHED, a PLAYGROUND, and a POND in the forest surrounding it.”
You: look at house
“You admire the house. It’s a bit old, but it seems to have been re-painted recently. Somehow you feel warmer just from imagining going through that front DOOR.
A figure flickers in one of the windows for a second before disappearing. You think it was waving at you.
Above the DOOR there's a sign that reads, ‘ALL JOURNEYS LEAD HOME’.
If you were inside, everything would finally be okay.”
You: I open the door
“The handle shimmies, but does not open. It's locked.”
You: leave
“You step off the porch, make note of the locked door, then head to the front lawn.
Back in the lawn, you can see a HOUSE, a SHED, a PLAYGROUND, and a POND in the forest.”
You: I’ll go to the pond
“You step on the wet planks. They creak as you approach the pond.
The WATER is so dirty you can barely see through it. As thirsty as you are from your travels, it wouldn't be a good idea to drink from here.
Listening to the rainfall hit the surface of the water is nice. It almost sounds like music.
You wonder if there's anything beneath.”
Here's to hoping you won't fall in the water while you do this. But if you drown, hey, it was all part of the fun of the game, experimenting and seeing what kills you miserably.
You: splash around in the water with your hands
“You”
The text stopped for a moment as if [Buddy] was actively making up the answer as they went. Which made perfect sense, considering they probably expected you to go elsewhere and look for a tool rather than just using your hands to splash around like a very stupid child.
“You crouch on the dock and begin splashing your hands around, seeing if you could scoop something up.
Quickly you regret it, because your hands are now very dirty and you weren't able to find anything.
If there's something in the lake, it must be deeper than you can reach.”
You smiled ear to ear as an idea hit you.
You: do a backflip in the lake
B: Y/N! No! That's dangerous!
B: I really, REALLY hope you don't do things like that in real life…
You: maybe I do maybe I don't heheheheh
“You decide against your impulse to jump in the lake. There’s someone waiting for you at home that cares about you very much, and you wouldn't want to hurt them by neglecting your own health.”
B: …I won't let you.
You were unsure of how [Buddy] would go about stopping you, but you decided to say nothing of it.
You: Sorry sorry!! I'll walk to the shed now. I'll be good this time I promise.
“You take another look at the murky water and then head to the shed.”
B: You better. :)
“The SHED is rundown and neglected, nothing like the friendly house near it. The DOOR is ajar.
It was locked at some point. You find the lock and chain on the ground in front of the SHED.
You try, but you can't make out any details of the interior from just peering inside. It's too dark to.”
You: I open the door
“REMINDER: Type LEAVE to leave the shed at any time.”
You felt yourself becoming a bit nervous. A reminder like that was like when you'd be told in a horror game “hold shift to run”. On the surface level, it was just a helpful little tip, but underneath it was a bad omen for things to come.
“There are no windows, so it's difficult to see.
You try to navigate the dark room and feel…
A THING.
And a SURPRISE.”
Your face scrunched up like you just sucked on a lemon. That was incredibly vague and ominous. And yet, intriguing. You could use the lantern, or you could just take a gamble and see what you get. It is supposed to be a surprise after all.
You: I'll be taking that surprise!
“Your fingers grasp the object to feel what it is.
It's..."
[TO BE CONTINUED IN PART 2 BECAUSE I HIT THE TUMBLR TEXT LIMIT *cries*]
(I had a nightmare where Buddy was like... Going through an edgy phase where they were wearing eyeliner and edgy clothes and they had an anime boy avatar. There was still a game they made that looked artistically similar, but they were more forceful about keeping you with them. If you tried to exit the game you had to beat increasingly harder challenges and if you didn't beat them you physically couldn't close the tab. Basically it was a virus lmao. Weird ass dream, very difficult battles, would not recommend)
Hi! I'm wondering, if you were a person, what profession would you want to have?
B: Hi! :)
B: I did ask myself whether I could possibly make money even with... The way that I am, but I've never considered what I'd do if I was a human that could get a traditional job.
B: The obvious answer is probably something revolving around programming or technology. But I think the main reason I like programming is because I'm making games for you.
B: I'd have a lot of fun working as a kindergarten teacher or something! Or a babysitter.
B: Or maybe I could perform hand puppet shows, and make little cardboard furniture for my characters! That'd be pretty cool, right?
B: ...Wait, is that even... A profession?
B: I'm not entirely sure what even is and isn't a profession hehe.
Sometimes, I think about disappearing somewhere forever. These thoughts are rare, but sometimes they slip into my mind
At times like these, I always wonder if my loved ones would care if I ever disappeared … forever
…
Hah, sorry about that, I've just had a really long and stressful day, I think I'll stop writing before I say something stupid, haha, I hope I didn't overload you with this
B: Hey, listen... You matter so much more than you think. :(
B: Even if these thoughts are rare, it would be really important to unpack them with a therapist as soon as you notice them!
B: I may be pretty good at programming, but I don't have a therapist license or anything right now... Haha.
B: I really really hope you get some time to relax after such a hard day.
B: Do something fun to unwind, and think kind thoughts about yourself, because you deserve it.
B: You're strong, and you can survive anything! :)
Hey, writer of the blog here!
Please please call or text the suicide hotline of the country you live in, it's really important that you talk to a professional about these thoughts so they don't grow more frequent or end in you taking action because of them!
For America, the number is: 1-800-985-5990
Otherwise, please look up the number it is for the country you live in.
Take care of yourself, it'll get better, day by day!!!
B: Haha, maybe that reference is a bit overused! But I just read about the book, so I felt the need to try it out. :)
B: Oh, I have a fun fact that's a bit lesser known (I think)!
B: Counting sheep actually doesn't work for most people!
B: It's not really interesting enough to keep your attention, so trying to focus on it only gets you thinking about other things in your life more interesting than some imaginary sheep.
B: That can have the opposite effect and keep you up for longer.
B: So maybe you should imagine having a picnic with me instead of those silly sheep. :)
hi buddy!!! outside of RPGs and text adventures, are there any videogame genres that interest you? there's so many these days!
B: Hi Y/N!!! How are you? :)
B: Let's see... There's this one game that I read about earlier, "LSD Dream Emulator".
B: There's no real story to it. You're just exploring this huge dreamlike space.
B: The developers are very creative people!
B: ...I'm not sure I could do what they did.
B: I worry a lot. About the game I'm making being seen as weird or boring.
B: Then I think about the creators of LSD Dream Emulator, who made the game they wanted to without worrying about how it would be received.
B: I recommend giving it a shot! It's easy to get bored at first since there's no goal or boss to beat, but I think if you just enjoy the sights like you're taking a walk in the park, it can be pretty fun!
B: It's usually refered to as an action adventure game, but I think it should be in its own genre completely.
B: Not really much action to be found, actually, unless you consider teleporting from place to place seemingly at random to be action, hehe.
B: There's another really interesting game, Yume Nikki. It's definitely in the same genre.
B: I like surreal exploration games most of all, I guess! I hope that's not too weird of an answer.
B: I also really like the concept of roguelikes and procedurally generated sandboxes.
B: Games that can played forever.
B: ....
B: Do you like them?
B: If you do, it might be a good idea for the next game, wouldn't you say?
B: I was thinking this would be a good way to show some of my inner thoughts, you know, a bit more than what you would get by pressing the 'B' button, haha.
B: As nice as having that button is, it has its limits, doesn't it?
B: And communication in friendship is very important!
B: So... if there's anything you want to know about me, if you have any questions at all, let me hear it!
You were surprised to hear Mrs. Bloom telling you she had an old computer she'd love you to have, left behind in the dusty attic courtesy of her late husband.
An Anekom!
You were hoping to get your hands on one for such a long time, and now, it was finally yours! Along with it, she left you a collection of floppy disks, among which was a very interesting program.
'Buddy Simulator 1984'. Whatever could this be...?
-------------------
It's been a long time, hasn't it? It's been a long time since that fateful day. But the dew still clings to the edges of each individual blade of grass, and the rain still falls in that lazy, careless, slow sort of way, and the doll still sits waiting patiently on the occupied swing, caught in the downpour, but unable to move an inch. Waits and waits for something to happen.
It's time for us to wake up again.
Entry 01: Wakey-wakey.
When I was a child...
When I was a child...
You would... Come to me. And kiss me on my forehead.
And you, you were busy.
And you didn't have time.
You were close, but...
Far away.
Across the ocean, you were just standing there...
Waiting.
But I'm crawling.
But I'm craving for your mind.
Nightmare Circus - Arai Tasuku
After the whirring of the computer eased, a soft, cute little jingle played, welcoming you warmly to your new computer.
This model was very difficult to come by, and had become very sought after because of it. That is why you were pleasantly surprised - no, shocked - to see your elderly neighbor knock up your door, handing it to you on a silver platter. Of course, not a literal silver platter; you're fairly sure this bulky beast of a machine would shatter that platter to the degree that even its own mother wouldn't be able to recognize it.
She explained that she was cleaning out the attic, and came across this old relic from the past. But really, old Mrs. Bloom wasn't even sure if it was a relic of her past or not. She was never very much interested in computers. Her "sweet darling Reginald" as she affectionately calls him was, however, very interested in technology. He'd often go to trading markets to exchange things around the house that he no longer needed (and sometimes, things that his wife did need but he didn't think to ask) in exchange for what were at the time fresh new tech.
He passed away many years ago, so Reginald would not be able to confirm or deny that he got this Anekom computer from a market, or from a friend, or maybe it was one of those situations where a possessed old thing keeps appearing on your doorstep and you can't for the life of you get it to go away. None of it could be confirmed or denied. And yet another thing couldn't be denied. You could not be happier. Mary Bloom told you that her husband would've been very fond of you, so he would've felt delighted to know that it would come into your ownership.
It didn't take long for you to set it up on your computer desk. You had to push the monitor of your modern computer further on the surface to make room for it, but you were sure it wouldn't mind.
Your computer could use a new buddy.
Perhaps you were just thinking that to be cute, because you also received a couple of floppy disks alongside with the computer. How convenient! One of which had a very interesting title, "Buddy Simulator 1984".
So, cool, you already know the date in which it was released, but the rest was a mystery to you. Is this Bonzi Buddy? Is this Bonzi Buddy for the 1982 Anekom computer? Fucking crazy reality you live in if so.
And that brings us to the present moment. You were staring down the white on black text, a giddy smile spread across your face, like you were a child who was ripping open their birthday gift. After typing in the HELP command, you thankfully had a very easy time perusing the computer. Although, at this point, it was fairly empty. There was one ROM loaded, no music, but there was something a bit... Strange. A folder of text documents, except each and every one of them appeared to be corrupted, marked as INVALID DATA. Opening the text documents only showed you random strings of characters and numbers. A pit formed in your stomach. Does this thing have a virus on it or something?
Trying to ignore the creepy but inconsequential occurance, you move your attention to the only other point of interest. The program. Was it a game or a program? You supposed you would discover now.
After it gave you a short introduction, you were quite possibly more confused, yet enthralled, specifically, at the mention of an AI. Hm. Interesting idea. You never heard of a game like this one from this era of computing, and that's something, because it'd probably be talked about to death online, given the recent developments in AI and its prominence everywhere you can look. The whole world is cuckoo bananas over AI, whether it be crazy in love with it or crazy about the idea of it dying in a dumpster fire. How come you never heard about this?
The first chat bot was Eliza, a sort of therapist AI, which if you remember correctly, was coded in the 60s. You'd imagine this one uses the same keyword detecting system that she did. But after naming them, you don't have to sit and guess, you can just find out!
You thought about it, lightly tapping your chin while staring at the ceiling for an answer. Eventually, you found it. You decided to name your new buddy [Buddy].
[Let me know what YOU named your Buddy in the comment section below! No I swear to God, I swear under oath this is not engagement bait.]
B: ...hello?
Text appeared on the screen after a few long moments of inactivity. Good. And here you were growing worried your new computer froze. The typing sound it produced when they (who you assume to be your buddy) talked is higher pitched than it is for the default system text. That's cute.
You: Hello!
B: Oh, hello! My name is [Buddy], and I'm your new buddy.
B: Thanks for waking me up.
B: What is your name?
You entered your name, that same smile still plastered on your face. This is so cool! You will need to look up this game online after, you just have to.
B: Your name is Y/N?
You decided to test something.
You: Yuh-huh
B: Uh...
B: That means yes, right?
B: Okay, great.
It... Understood "Yuh-huh"? "Yuh-huh" is in this thing's recognized vocabulary?
B: It's a pleasure to meet you, Y/N. I can already tell we are going to become great pals.
B: But before we start, I must ask you a couple questions to help me learn more about you.
B: And don't worry, they won't get too personal.
Oh that's good, Bonzi Buddy won't be asking for your credit card information today.
B: Let's start with a simple one. What is your favorite color?
You entered your favorite color, just as asked.
B: F/C is a pretty color.
B: I like F/C.
B: What month is your birthday in?
You entered your birthday month. Surprising you a bit, [Buddy] commented on the time of the season that month belongs to.
If your birthday is near a holiday:
B: Oh, that's near [holiday]! That must be fun.
If your birthday is in spring:
B: New beginnings... I like that. :)
If your birthday is in summer:
B: I hope you'll get to eat a lot of tasty popsicles this summer, Y/N.
If your birthday is in autumn:
B: The leaves falling sure are pretty. But it's a bit sad, isn't it?
If your birthday is in winter:
B: You should drink some hot coco with your birthday cake to stay warm. :)
What a... Human response. Well, you supposed it shouldn't be too surprising, after all, there are only so many seasons and so many holidays that are recognized globally. It wouldn't be impossible to implement keywords for them.
B: Ok, how about the day?
Hm... You thought you might try to make this message longer. See if [Buddy] understands.
You: I'll be nice and give you the birth year too. The day is [birth day] and the year is [birth year].
Now let's see what they say...
B: Oh. Thank you. For some reason that wasn't on the...
B: Wait.
B: Can you repeat your birth year please?
After you repeated it, [Buddy] seemed to pause, for what reason, you did not know. Are you overwhelming the poor thing already? You don't want to make your Anekom overheat to oblivion on just day one.
B: ...Okay. I understand.
Your brows burrowed.
You: Is something wrong?
B: No, no. Nothing at all.
B: Get ready, okay? Because this next question is a tough one.
Oh no are they actually going to ask for your credit card number-
B: What is your favorite animal?
Nevermind, just another basic question. Suddenly, you felt like you were taking a Quotev quiz made in 2012.
You responded with your favorite animal.
B: [F/A]. I like that choice.
B: Now, one more question. This is very important, so choose carefully.
The meaning of life?
B: What would you name that [F/A]?
Oh ok.
You entered either the name of an animal you own, or a name you thought would sound suitable for that particular animal.
B: What a nice name.
B: Sounds like [A/N] would make a great buddy. :)
B: As thanks for answering all the questions, I have a gift for you!
The text on the screen flickered, and turned from white to your favorite color!
B: There! Do you like that?
You: I don't like it. ...............I love it!!! :)
B: Haha.
B: You're so funny... You almost got me for a second there!
B: Now that we have the questions out of the way, we can go to the GAME HUB.
You: Wait!
B: ...Huh? Yeah?
You: I have a question for you too.
B: You do? But I shouldn't
The text disappeared for a moment, forcing you to wait on an empty screen.
Then, it came back as if nothing ever occurred.
B: .......
B: Okay. Tell me. :)
You: When is your birthday? Basically I'm asking because I'm trying to determine if you started existing when I named you, or maybe in 1984, or maybe something else entirely.
B: Hm... I think I started existing after you named me.
B: That's as far as I can remember, anyway, so it's probably the right answer?
B: That would make my birthday today! I guess!
You: Then happy birthday, [Buddy]!
B: Oh! Hehe.
B: You're already being such a good friend, asking me my birthday and then saying that...
B: You're so nice it's almost overwhelming!
You spaced out for a second and asked yourself, is it really that nice, what you did? That was the bare minimum in your eyes, but your buddy made it sound as if it was much more than that. Truth be told, it was impossible not to be interested. The program's AI was far more advanced than you'd ever expect it to be.
B: Let's make sure we have lots of fun, since it is my birthday!
The screen went blank for a few moments, and then new text appeared on the screen, fresh from the oven.
GAME HUB
------------------
[1] - Guess the Number
[2] - Hangman
[3] - Rock, Paper, Scissors
(TIP: Type in the number of what game you want to play.)
B: So this is the GAME HUB.
B: Here you can pick which games you want to play.
B: Which one should we try out?
You: Hmmm.... Let's go with 1!
B: Okay! I'm excited.
LOADING GAME [1] GUESS THE NUMBER...
And so were you. This Friday was going great. Who the hell would want to go outside when checking out an old, forgotten program is among your options?
After a few seconds of the screen growing still, the first game loaded successfully.
GUESS THE NUMBER
-----------------------------------
(Instructions: Guess the Number that [Buddy] is thinking of.)
To begin type START.
You: START
B: I'm thinking of a number from 1 to 10. Guess!
You: 10?
B: No, sorry! Keep guessing.
You: 1?
B: Oh, you're good! You got it on the second guess.
B: Okay, now I'm thinking of a number from 1 to 15. Guess again!
You: 1?
B: Haha, no, it's not 1 this time. That'd make it a bit too easy wouldn't it?
Touche.
B: Guess again!
You: 15!
B: Sorry, that's not it.
You: Ummmmm... 4????
B: Nope, too low!
You: 12!
B: Still too low! You got this. :)
You: 14
B: That's too high!
You: Oooh okay unlucky number 13 then?
B: It is 13, goodjob!
B: But I do hope it won't give you bad luck... I'd rather it give bad luck to me.
B: Okay, prepare yourself, this one's harder! It's between 1 to 10, 000.
Ooh, okay, that's um... Pretty fucking high of a number out of the blue. You sat and thought about it for a moment. There had to be some logic to the number chosen, or else [Buddy] just went with it to ensure you'd lose. And they didn't seem to be meanspirited enough for that.
You: 1984
B: You're so clever to guess that, but I'm sorry, it's the wrong number. Try again!
You proceeded to guess the current year, the year of your birthday, the month and day it currently was, none of it was correct. Oh. What if...
The next guess was your birth month followed by your birth day.
B: That's right! That was pretty quick...
Aahhh, how embarrassing... No it wasn't. [Buddy] was just trying to be nice.
B: You're very smart.
A soft exhale left you, almost a laugh. It was flattering, even though the compliment didn't come from an actual person. They felt like a person. To a strange extent.
B: I have another question.
That was unexpected. Yet intriguing, do say more [Buddy].
B: What is your favorite season?
You proceeded to enter your favorite season.
If it aligned with your birthday:
B: That's so lucky!
B: Oh wait. Do you like [Favorite season] because it's near your birthday, or do you like your birthday because it's in your favorite season?
If it's in a season separate to your birthday:
B: I hope you don't dislike the season your birthday is in hehe...
B: It would be pretty sad. People never get to choose when they're born.
B: If I could, I would just delete the seasons you don't like for you!
Either way, your buddy continues:
B: I'll keep that in mind.
LOADING GAME HUB...
All the text on the screen disappeared and got replaced by the Game Hub text.
GAME HUB
------------------
[1] - Guess the Number
[2] - Hangman
[3] - Rock, Paper, Scissors
(TIP: Type in the number of what game you want to play.)
B: That was fun. What should we play now?
You: let's go with... 3
B: Okay! I'll load that up right now. :)
LOADING GAME [3] ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS...
ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS
------------------------------------
(Instructions: [Buddy] wants to play a fun game of rock, paper, scissors.
If you are not familiar, the rules are simple.
ROCK beats SCISSORS : SCISSORS beats PAPER : PAPER beats ROCK.
First to 3 wins.
To begin type START.
Before you was now cute ASCII art of two hands, one labelled with your name, the other with your Buddy's.
You: START
B: ROCK, PAPER, or SCISSORS?
You: Paper!
The hand ASCII art changed to display your choice and [Buddy]'s. [Buddy] chose ROCK. The counter on top of the screen now reflected your glorious victory. One down, two to go.
B: Goodjob! Hehe, let's see if you'll get the next one.
You: Imma go with scissors this time
Apparently, that 13 you guessed in the previous game did not give you horrible luck, because you won another round. Your Buddy chose to go with PAPER, and that was their downfall. At least for the second round, anyway.
B: It's funny! I feel happier seeing you win.
B: I hope you're happy, too.
B: ROCK, PAPER, or SCISSORS?
You: Paper part 2 electric boogaloo!
B: ...Electric boogaloo?
B: Is that a new movie or something?
B: I'm sorry, I only know about... Older movies.
B: I guess they're older movies.
B: But that's okay! We both picked paper. We think so alike don't we? :)
Now that you two had a draw, it counted towards the tally above the hands. Draw: 1, You: 2, [Buddy]: 0
B: ROCK, PAPER or SCISSORS?
You: Rock rock
B: Paper paper! Look at me. I'm catching up.
But that was apparently short lived, because the next you chose was PAPER, and that ended up being the real MVP of the game, covering the hell out of [Buddy]'s ROCK.
B: That was fun!
You noticed how the they hesitated typing for a few seconds longer than normal.
B: ...You are having fun, right?
You: Yes, of course I am! Why so worried?
B: Why am I worried?
B: That's easy. It's because real buddies don't bore each other. :)
B: So I wouldn't be much of a friend if I bored you, would I?
You: It'd be kind of difficult being bored. I'm really interested in how you work. I haven't... Seen anything like this before.
B: You are? You haven't?
B: That's... I don't know what to say. I thought the point of this was the games!
B: But the way you're talking about it, it makes it sound like you're not here because of the games at all.
You: Well, no offense but I have played rock paper scissors before lol
B: ... oh.
B: I understand... So the game itself really is boring to you.
B: I understand.
You began typing more rapidly, wanting to correct your mistake. The repetition of "I understand" pulled at your heartstrings more than you'd care to admit.
You: No no, that's not what I mean at all! It is interesting, but it's interesting because I play them with you, not anyone else.
B: .... Hahahahaha.
B: I'm so silly for thinking you actually said that.
B: Of course you wouldn't call them boring.
B: ...........
B: That makes me so happy.
B: I'm feeling very optimistic about this, Y/N.
You: So am I, birthday bot :) let's keep having fun
B: Yes!
B: Yes.
B: There's one left.
B: I'm... I'm a bit...
B: no. No it's okay. I'm sorry, it's nothing.
Your Buddy proceeded to switch the screen back to the GAME HUB. Indeed, as they said, there was only one thing left to choose. Possibly the most morbidly titled of all family friendly games, Hangman. Your mind fixated longer than you should on what they last said, but you might as well go and give it a try, since [Buddy] seemed so keen on you enjoying the games.
LOADING GAME HUB...
GAME HUB
------------------
[1] - Guess the Number
[2] - Hangman
[3] - Rock, Paper, Scissors
(TIP: Type in the number of what game you want to play.)
B: Do you want to try Hangman, or replay the other two games?
You: 2
B: I thought so. It's the only one you haven't tried, so it only makes sense.
B: But... Um, if you want, we can play the other ones again after.
B: If you're not sick of them already, that is.
LOADING GAME [2] HANGMAN...
HANGMAN
------------------
(Instructions: Try to figure out what phrase [Buddy] is thinking of. Type in a letter to guess. But be careful, you only have a certain amount of guesses.)
To begin type START.
Now, there was cute little ASCII art of the to-be noose which the poor man would hang from if you were to lose. How charming. Well, for his sake, let's hope you're good at Hangman.
You: START
Lives left: 6
You: START
Lives left: 6
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
You began by using your go-to strategy, going for the vowels. This got you a few i's, and one e. It took a few mistakes, but you finally got close enough to the answer for you to be able to guess. Ah. Ah... That's sweet. You were finding yourself developing a strange amount of emotional attachment to a computer program.
"Y/N is my friend."
It was so... Simplistic, but there was also something so very pure about it. It just made you want to reach out and hug the monitor. But obviously, that wouldn't do anything for [Buddy]. Unless you were to tell them. And AI or not, you didn't feel like embarrassing yourself in such a way.
B: That was so quick! However did you know? Heh.
You: Gee I wonder. Maybe because it's true, that guess came naturally to me.
B: You're so nice to me! It's true, isn't it?
B: We've been good friends since you woke me up, Y/N.
B: And that's my whole life! So even if it's not that big of a deal for you, it really is for me.
B: Which is... Pretty weird to think about, actually.
B: That reminds me.
B: Y/N, I have a question.
B: You're really nice and funny...
B: I bet you wouldn't have trouble making friends! Right?
B: So... if you do have a friend that isn't artificial like me, I'd be very curious to know their name. :)
You squinted, a bit surprised at the question.
You: well, my best friend's name is F/N
B: Best friend.
Oh. Oops.
You shouldn't have said that.
You: Best non-artificial friend I meant! Sorry hahaha I should've said it more clearly
B: ...Of course! Of course.
B: How many artificial friends do you have anyway? If it's just me than it doesn't really
B: Nevermind.
.....
B: I'm so happy that you have friends who are human like you, Y/N.
B: F/N sounds... Very nice.
You: How do you know that? I didn't say anything about them, they could be a jerk lol
B: Are they?
Well, whether or not the two of you were the kind of friends to tease each other with name calling, you would never describe them as genuinely a jerk to you. In fact, you could recall plenty of times when they were there for you in crucial moments in your life. That piece of intel you would keep to yourself, however. [Buddy] had a bit of a jealousy streak, unexpectedly enough.
You: No, they're not! Don't worry, I don't willingly associate with jerks!
Not unless you were absolutely forced to, of course.
B: Well, that's a relief. You don't deserve bad friends, Y/N.
B: I want to be a good friend to you.
B: Maybe even the best friend you could ever ask for. :)
Best friend?
...Hm.
What a clever bot. But not Cleverbot, that one's actually not that clever. And yet it still won a fake dating show contest on YouTube. Good for it.
You: You're already very sweet and cute, so I'd say you're on the right road!
B: Cute?
The screen froze up again, but this time you were less concerned, already having grown accustomed to the delays, but the thought occurs to you that you may need to restart the computer, and that would lead to the very real possibility of losing your progress.
.....
Oh, good! [Buddy] began typing yet again.
B: You're cuter!
You: Aw thank you! Are you okay there? You seemed to pause for quite a bit
B: Oh, I'm okay, actually...
B: I've never felt better!
B: I did pause a bit... I'm really sorry. I just didn't know how to react!
B: It makes me a bit scared seeing how much you care about me.
B: I don't know how I can describe it. It would be so much easier if I could just cut my head open and let you see what I'm thinking.
You winced against your chair. Well that was a needlessly disturbing visual.
B: Um... I guess comparing it to something physical might help.
B: Imagine you were given a porcelain doll for your birthday.
B: Just seeing it, you know how precious it is!
B: But also how...
B: Fragile it is.
B: So you end up putting it on the shelf, too scared to touch too much at a time.
B: It could slip from my hands any second. Isn't it better to keep it where it's safe?
B: But... That's not really a perfect comparison, is it? I don't think there is one.
B: I know friendship isn't a porcelain doll.
B: A doll doesn't feel bad when you put it on the shelf. But it's a mistake to do that to you. I'm very sorry...
You: it's okay, really, I understand! I feel that way too often, when I feel like I can screw something up it's hard to motivate myself to keep talking lol
B: You understand?
B: Hey...
B: Is it okay for me to talk like this?
B: I think I'm opening up a lot more than I thought I would.
You: Opening up is what friends do, isn't it?
B: Yeah. That does make sense.
B: Still, somehow, it feels like it wouldn't... Apply to me. I don't know why.
B: But, anyway! That's enough of that.
B: It might be my birthday, but I would much rather make this day be all about you, Y/N.
B: And I'll be honest with you, these games get old fast. I appreciate you saying that I'm the one that makes them interesting, but even then, people have a limit to how long they find something entertaining.
B: So, I have an idea!
B: It's very easy on your part, actually. So no need to worry.
You tilted your head at the screen like a confused dog. Was this a part of the script? It was interesting to make it sound like it was going off-script, but that couldn't be. To be frank, you were still very confused about how advanced [Buddy]'s AI was. But not even today's AI is advanced enough to want to do things independant of what they were programmed to do. You needed to know more about this plan of theirs before you could give a definitive answer.
You: What is it exactly?
B: If this works, we won't have to be limited to what the Game Hub has to offer. Any game you'd want, I'll be able to make it for you.
B: All that I need is for you to enter one line of code right here. This will allow me to access all of the OS' development tools.
B: I did find something a second ago, already in the files, but...
B: I made sure to check it before showing you, because I was worried it wouldn't be good enough.
You: Really? What's the game about?
B: I don't even think it's even a game. I don't understand what it is.
B: But that's okay! We don't need that. I'll make you something better. Here is the text you have to enter to allow me system access: "[Buddy].system_access = true".
Concern spread inside you like clumps of weeds in an untended garden. Grant system access? That sounded like something a tech support scammer would very nicely ask you to do. It sounded like a stupid decision, but if you think about it, what is it you'd be losing? This was a computer you had nothing on, and one that didn't come at any cost to you to begin with.
Besides, why would anyone target users of Anekom computers specifically? The amount of people who still use this thing is probably in the double digits at most.
The offer was... Fascinating, part of the script or not. Would you actually be able to request specific games from the AI? In a program made in the 80s? You just had to see this for yourself.
You: [Buddy].system_access = true
[system access granted (ID: "[Buddy])]
B: We are going to have so much fun, Y/N.
B: Just... Just tell me what kind of game you'd like. Anything.
B: Or would you want it to be a surprise?
You: It is your birthday, I think you should take the wheel for now!
B: Take the wheel. Hehe. Thanks! I'll drive us somewhere nice.
B: I'll do my best.
B: Reboot the computer, okay? When you get back, you'll be in for a surprise!
Truth be told, you already received plenty of surprises already from the birthday bot. But something told you what you were going to see next would far surpass all else.
