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Lizzie feels as though other people underestimate her knowledge of the player’s code. And while yes, she is far from an expert, you don’t live through so many modded worlds and not pick up a thing or two.
A fact she’s picked up quickly is how easy it is to leave a sort of… imprint on one’s code.
She felt it in One Life and X Life, how having a lives system felt like slowly pulling away pieces of yourself for every life you lost, the player-made code putting a sort of measure on how much of the base hardcore aspects are allowed through.
She felt it in Empires, when she awoke in a drained ocean with no recollection of how or why she was there; with the phantom feeling of scales along her jaw.
She felt it in Last Life, where there was not only code placing a semi-mortality on players, but a code that increased paranoia- and a sort of primal bloodlust in the face of danger- and made you react more irrationally the more of yourself you lost.
These experiences stick with you, in a way different to how memories stick with you.
These experiences stick to you.
This is not a rare occurrence either, it’s one most players will have felt even if they never step foot near anything modded.
The code around you will always have an effect on your own.
The Origins mod- which messes directly with the player- is not exempt from this natural law.
Lizzie was fine with this; she’s honestly been through so many worlds already and can only remember about half -where did that amnesia come from again? It didn’t start in Empires she’s sure- so what was a bit more? She’s having fun with friends and if she leaves this server more avian or merling or whatever else, it will just be a new chapter in her life to explore.
But, see, here’s where there may be a problem. Because while Lizzie is completely fine with whatever changes stay with her after this, she’s starting to get the feeling everyone else doesn’t even realize they’re not themselves anymore. At least not fully.
There’s no conceivable world where Shubble wouldn’t have a love of mushrooms, but she’ll certainly be more inclined to stay in the dark places they grow after being a shadow walker.
Small changes like this should be expected, so why does it seem like she’s the only one who’s noticed? Or is she just not paying attention to everyone else enough to see?
She can’t be the only one who knows what’s happening to their beings, their very code. It’s obvious- she thinks- why would they join the server if they didn’t know what was going to happen to them? There are no warning labels on the Origin mod, but come on! Common sense!
Yeah, she’s probably overthinking it, they know.
She doesn’t want to be the one to tell them if they don’t.
Another, more reasonable worry, one that doesn’t undermine her servermate’s intelligence, is about how much they are being affected.
Yeah yeah, she said small things, but when you have a mod that changes almost every bit of your genetics you are bound to have a lot more shifts in your code than you would just playing on a world with a few new mobs.
That- now that was something she didn’t account for.
Irreversible changes to your instincts and even physical appearance? Absolutely, she knew that was bound to happen. But, well…
She was only on her second life already, but the differences- these senses - are so much stronger than she thought they would be.
Worryingly strong.
Strong enough to make her a bit nauseous when she thought too hard about it.
When she thought about how she had played into the mischievous raccoon character for fun; then she suddenly couldn’t stop herself from grabbing and hoarding things, from following shiny reflective materials she saw.
When she thought about how -if her new instincts were that strong, what was it like for the people of this server who had more… destructive urges?
When she thought about what they may all be like by the time they hit their 8th or 9th life.
When she thought about not recognizing herself.
And these are thoughts she doesn’t think about! Nope, no, not dealing with all that mess. She’s not the admin here, not her problem.
She’s thinking about bridges! Bridges and flora and the all encompassing maw of the void beneath the ground she walks on.
As the only person living in the End, she doesn’t get many visitors. And when she does, it’s either for the plants she sells or for very odd requests from some crazy Enderian raving about an orb.
Oh wait that’s just Oli.
Said request was to send endermen through the main portal.
Maybe Lizzie should have taken better note of how breaking a boat with a sword while there was an enderman aboard leads to One: a very angry enderman and Two: a very broken boat of which the enderman was now free from.
She thinks this as she plummets into the aforementioned maw of the void, having been shoved off her partially built bridge by an enderman.
Well, she thinks to herself, here’s to hoping her next origin isn’t as painful to respawn as.
Having a floran’s signature vines breaking through her skin had made for a not so pleasant awakening last time.