December 18, 2003

[tatu anime image]

Saalon is sadly mistaken. t.A.T.u. Paragate (however you capitalize it) will be a plotless, pointless anime with weird pseudo-sexualization but no overt sex. This, I foretell.

I still want to see it, though.

And, hey, Texhnolyze (the latest ABe/Ueda/Konaka project) and Kino’s Travels (by the director of lain) are coming out in a couple of months. Can’t wait.

Blast. Blast, blast, blast. The internet connection at work died intermittently yesterday, preventing me from posting to this journal.

So, here’s my response to the writing challenge (the 500-word monologue); feel free to post your own response.

And without further ado…

To one side of the avatar’s window appeared a dark green rectangle containing public-key encryption data. Thomas arched an eyebrow. This guy was either paranoid or part of something really big. Thomas enlarged the encryption window and touched the glowing “OK” button. It disappeared, as did the avatar’s window. A fraction of a second later, the avatar’s window re-appeared with a red border.

The avatar nodded in satisfaction. “I need you to access this system and find a particular file.” As he spoke, another window appeared next to his, containing connection data for another VR system. Thomas squinted at the text.

“It doesn’t even have a domain name?” he asked, incredulous. “Whoa. Is this a workplace? I don’t root around in places that can put me in jail.”

“But I reallly need you to find this file,” the avatar whined. “You don’t understand. This is important.”

“I’m sure it is,” Thomas replied. “Not interested. Bye.”

He motioned with his right hand to close the connection as the avatar blurted, “Ten thousand!”

Thomas paused. “What?”

The avatar fidgeted. “I’ll pay you ten thousand dollars.”

Thomas was many things. He was addicted to the seductive immersion of VR. He tended to overeat. He was very smart. And he was very, very curious. These qualities combined to make him one of the best VR detectives in the business. And right now, this potential client held Thomas’ curiosity.

Leave a Reply

I work for Amazon. The content on this site is my own and doesn’t necessarily represent Amazon’s position.