trans_9 | Kid really needs to learn to watch where he's going [Open like an open thing]

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Kid really needs to learn to watch where he's going [Open like an open thing]

"You've gotta be kiddin me!" Alex shouted, shaking this video screen he was holding. "My own AI! Stop that!"

Apparently he was having trouble getting through one of the levels of his own game.

Sure it was using basic text for it's graphics, but he was a programmer, not a graphic's artist. Besides, since he just had different symbols for different units and different colours for different armies and some symbols set aside for use with terrain, there was no need for fancy graphics.

So distracted by his strategy game he nearly walked into one of Stacy's fleshy walls as he wandered down the hallway, stretching his legs. He had spent his time from when he got on the ship until now programming this thing and convincing people from the engineering department to made the equipment he needed. He was damn well going to enjoy this game, even if strategy wasn't his thing. In fact, the only reason why he had made a strategy game at all was because he had an idea earlier for a new algorithm that would more efficiently analyse enemy movements and know how to react better. This was of course, best suited for a.)a fighting game- which would require a graphics artist for it to be really playable- or b.) a strategy game.

So here he was, forty battles in, fighting an AI who seemed to know what moves he would make before he did.

"Come on! Get out of my friggin head you pile of bytes!"

Yup, he was far too into this game to notice much of anything around him. Even the walls sometimes got in his way. He didn't much care- usually you were left alone if you appeared very busy, and this game was getting to be such a pain now, he had to focus on it. For all he knew, he was about to walk straight into someone. Given the sheer number of people on the ship, this was bound to happen.

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"That's right! See this?" She waved the umbrella. "This is my old body. I spent a hundred years like this, and then one day I woke up with this body! So I'm not a human, I'm an umbrella!"

The umbrella stuck its tongue out and smiled as if to say hello.

Alex raised an eyebrow and paused a moment, contemplating the whole idea. All he could come up with after that time was "W-well, that's a n-new one."

He was really amazed at was that he wasn't completely floored by this revelation. He was getting a little more used to how things worked on this ship. That didn't mean he could quite wrap his mind around the idea. "Wh-what was it l-like- I mean! I-I mean i-if you d-don' m-mind me a-asking...."

Kogasa blinked, surprised. It was the first time she'd ever been asked that question, and she didn't really have an answer prepared.

"Well...I guess it actually really sucked. I couldn't move, except when the wind picked me up or someone carried me...except no one ever carried me, so I only moved on the wind. I was forgotten, see, and my owner never came back for me...and I guess nobody wanted a purple umbrella!" She said it with a smile, but it was more subdued than normal. "I spent a hundred years drifting around, and then one day I woke up like this. It was really weird, but...I'm glad it happened! I met some interesting people because of it!"

[I tried to keep it as vauge as possible. I would have IMed you first but contacts of new players aren't up yet. My aim is phoenixaenigma or darkenchantrez. Info about Alex's powers are here ().]

Alex noticed the shadow around the girl, and gave her a weak, reassuring smile, "I-I'm glad too. Y-you're really nice. A-and now y-you c-can have more f-friends! Wh-who you c-can talk to! I-I'd be h-happy to h-have a p-purple umbrella, s-specially if sh-she's as n-nice as you."

[I'm totally fine with this, no worries! But if you ever want to talk again, my AIM is celsiuscaliber :D]

Kogasa grinned, then grimaced, and smiled again. "I like being called nice, but youkai aren't supposed to be nice...aaah, whatever! It's okay if a few humans think I'm nice! Right?" She turned to the umbrella, which grinned in agreement.

"Well, if you ever need an umbrella here, I'd be glad to be of assistance! It's what I was made for, after all!"

Alex smiled brightly at her and pet Alice's head, "I-It looks like w-we have a n-new friend Alice!"

"Yaaaaaay! You hear that? We have three friends now!" Kogasa and her umbrella high-fived, which basically meant Kogasa slapped its tongue. "Eww, gross. I should clean you today." She wiped her hand on her plantsuit and turned back to Alex.

"So what were you doing before you fell? It sounded like you were having a hard time with it..."

Alex laughed at the pair, thinking how in a weird way the reminded him of Alice and himself.

Upon being asked about his game, he held up the system and explained, "I-it's this AI I w-was t-training. I-It does strategy. I-it l-learns s-strategies a-and f-figures out th-the b-best responses. I-it a-also l-learns t-to p-predict and nullify strategies b-before th-they come t-ta fruition."

"Wow, that's really cool!" Kogasa exclaimed, even though she didn't understand some of what Alex was saying. "Could it figure out how to dodge danmaku too? I bet if I could do that, it would surprise a lot of people! Can you show me how it works?"

"W-well," Alex pondered for a moment, not realizing it was odd that the girl was familiar with danmaku, "S-since t-they flow in patterns, y-yeah, it'd be n-no probl- w-wait..." Now it sinks in that she might be from the Touhou series. He never paid much attention to the story, after all. "Y-you know d-danmaku?"

He racked his brain until he vaguely remembered her sprite. Wasn't she one of the bosses? Well, that explained why she knew danmaku. "B-but, y-yeah, I-I'm sure m-my AI c-could a-avoid it."

"Yeah, I know danmaku! I thought everybody did," replied Kogasa. "Well, I guess there are some humans that can't, but I'm not a human, so..." She waved her hand dismissively. "Whatever! On to the point!"

She peered at the video screen. "If I could beat that AI thingy in a danmaku battle, would you be surprised?!"

He considered it for a moment before saying, "W-well, I w-wouldn't be s-surprised f-for the f-first battle or two, b-but... after it's g-gotten enough d-data, I w-would be r-rather s-surprised."

The karakasa clenched her fist in determination. "Then that's what I'll do! I'll beat your AI thingy! I didn't manage to really surprise you today, after all!" The umbrella smiled mischievously, giving a silent approval of Kogasa's plan.

Alex laughed a bit, "W-well, I'd h-have ta l-load it i-into the sensorium f-for you ta f-fight it normally. A-and I g-guess I'd h-have ta g-give her s-somethin' t-ta fight with. I-in this v-version both players h-have the same a-armies." It was actually starting to sound like a pretty good idea.

"Oh, yeah, if you put me up against my own danmaku it would end in a tie," Kogasa said, nodding. "I bet you could come up with some awesome patterns, though! I'd offer to help, but then it wouldn't really be fair because I'd know what the patterns were..." She seemed disappointed at that, but she perked up again in an instant. "But it's more fun to be surprised anyway!"

"W-well, h-how would y-you feel about a ch-changing danmaku? O-or I c-can p-program it to ch-change danmaku b-between b-battles i-instead of d-during. I-it'll f-figure o-out the p-patterns o-on it's o-own once I s-set the parameters." He was looking up at the ceiling, his eyes flicking back and forth as if he was reading something. He was, in a way, as he was already writing the code in his head, seeing it run before his eyes.

Again, she only understood about half of what Alex was saying, but she nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, if it changed every time that would be really awesome! It could even be used for practice and stuff if it did that."

Alex was getting in the groove of programming. He gently punched his fist into his palm, smiling widely, "Y-yeah, I c-can definitely m-make it so that it'll k-keep figuring out how ta improve, an' then I c-can also k-keep an eye on it an' t-tweak it so that it k-keeps you on your toes.

This idea was sounding better and better! "I bet I'll get so good even that Moriya shrine maiden will be surprised at my skills! You must be some kind of genius!" Kogasa's eyes sparkled with excitement, and the umbrella licked Alex's face and grinned widely.

Alex rocked backwards from he lick, a little creeped out at first- but then he decided to think of it as getting licked by a giant dog. Between that and the complement he turned red, right up to his ears. "N-nah, i-it's nothing r-really! I-it'll help m-me test out the AI t-too!"

"All right! How long do you think it will take until it's ready? I want to start a project soon so I might not be able to start right away." She paused. "Well, I could put off the project...but it's important! So yeah, if it's done by then I'll start as soon as it's finished!"

Alex counted on his fingers, thinking, "I... I c-could probably h-have th-the changes s-set in a w-week, a-and it s-shouldn't be t-too hard to get i-it working in t-the sensoriums... I-is there any way you w-want y-your o-opponent to look?"

"I want it to look like the Moriya shrine maiden! She's got green hair and yellow eyes and she's wearing shrine maiden clothes and hair ornaments that look like a frog and a snake! She was really mean to me..."

The umbrella licked her face encouragingly.

Alex smiled brightly, "I c-can do that! I k-know what she looks like, it'll b-be no problem!"

"You do? Have you met her before? Is she here?! I really want to get her good! If you see her, tell her that Kogasa is going to surprise her when she least expects it!"

It was an entirely counterproductive action, but Kogasa didn't see that.

Kid really needs to learn to watch where he's going [Open like an open thing]

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Alex sees bad emotions, let me know if you have an issue with this post.

It's no problem at all! o/

^_^

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He's a very gentle canon puncturer.

^_^

Well, he generally hates seeing people upset. Unless you are a doctor. Kogasa is not.

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