NO SIGNUPS REQUIRED ONE SHOT IWAKU CHAT KATRINKA'S DATING SERVICE: THE VALENTINE'S GALA - WED FEB 28TH @ 12PM - 3PM CEN

ARE YOU ATTENDING?

  • Total voters
    5
Diana

Diana

LOOK HOW CALM SHE IS
Original poster
ADMINISTRATOR
MYTHICAL MEMBER
Invitation Status
  1. Not accepting invites at this time
Posting Speed
  1. 1-3 posts per week
  2. Slow As Molasses
Online Availability
10AM - 10PM Daily
Writing Levels
  1. Adaptable
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Female
Genres
Romance, Supernatural, Fantasy, Thriller, Space Exploration, Slice of Life


KATRINKA'S DATING SERVICE
THE VALENTINE'S GALA
IWAKU CHAT BOX
​

WELCOME TO KATRINKA'S DATING SERVICE!

We invite all users of the app and match making services to attend our VALENTINE'S GALA at the beautiful Peony Hotel! Come in your finest of formal fashions, themed to this season of love to have free drinks at our open bar or snack on our fantastic catering. Meeting face to face is a great way to socialize with potential new friends and perhaps... you'll meet the love of your life! It's the perfect meet cute!




EVENT INFO

WHO: Everyone is invited! Character Bios/Pics are not required, but totally encouraged! Post 'em if you got 'em.

WHAT: This is a REBOOT of an old series! I want to see some new characters or bring back an old character to try a new story for! You are most likely someone LOOKING FOR LOVE but you could easily be an employee of the service, events, or stumble in.

WHERE: Join us in the KATRINKA'S DATING SERVICE chat room. You'll find the link to our chats in the CHAT tab when it's time to play.

HOW: This is a SOCIAL SETTING WITH IMPROVISATIONAL GAME MASTERING. That means the object of this roleplay is to interact with other characters, and from those interactions I will create a plot and story around you. There may be action moments, where strange events will happen and your characters will have to work together to resolve it. With this ChaRP "lol random" behaviors are discouraged -- what your character says and does will have in game consequences, so choose wisely!

My roleplays are always NEWBIE FRIENDLY so even if you are terrible at roleplay or have never participated in a ChaRP before, this will be easy for you to get involved in. :D Ask questions, let me know when you need help. I often give tips and direction out of character in the main chat room when people need a little direction. You can also reference our MINI CHARP GUIDE!


 
Last edited:
  • Love
Reactions: Zarko Straadi
1707933102162.pngName: Averia Tan
Age: 23
Gender: Female
Orientation: Bisexual
Personality: Averia is focused and disciplined, a workaholic on a mission.
Bio: Averia was born in Singapore to a pair of high-achievers who wanted the same for her. She did not disappoint. When she developed a passion for science and technology at a young age, they provided her with expensive private tutors and set out to insure that she developed her talents to the fullest. She turned out to be a prodigy, graduating high school at the age of eleven.

The dark side: their ambition for their daughter did not leave room for mere trivialities such as friendship and play. Averia found refuge from the pressure they applied in the arcane realms of mathematics and computer science.

She was accepted at M.I.T. and poured herself into her studies. While college life offered a great deal more freedom than she'd had in Singapore, she was "just a kid" to her fellow students, and could not fit into social life.
It was only when she was close to getting her second Doctorate that she was in the same age group as the other students. She made several close friends, and together they decided to form an employee-owned tech startup called Cybersyn Technologies.

One of Averia's projects was an effort to develop "AEI," Artificial Emotional Intelligence, a machine intelligence that could provide empathetic companionship and help people deal with relationships and social life. The project proved too difficult initially, so Averia and her team decided to create a "narrow" version to start: an AEI matchmaking and dating app. Such a product would have a large addressable market and, if successful, could provide Cybersyn with the revenues to build more sophisticated AEI's as well as fund other research projects such as brain-computer interfaces.

The company partnered with Katrinka's Dating Service to develop and market the app. But there was a problem: Averia, the lead developer, had no experience with dating apps, matchmaking, or romance in general! And so, despite her misgivings, she found herself attending KDS's Valentine's Day Gala...
 
  • Diana:
    WELCOME TO KATRINKA'S DATING SERVICE - THE VALENTINE'S BALL!
    Today at 12:28 PM​
  • Diana:
    https://www.iwakuroleplay.com/events/katrinkas-dating-service-valentines-gala.32/
    Today at 12:28 PM​
  • Diana:
    This is a modern setting where your character has come to a wonderful Valentine's Gala to meet new people! Or is it to cause trouble??
    Today at 12:29 PM​
  • Diana:
    TYPE SHORT TYPE FAST! If you write too much or take too long, you will miss the action and people may not be able to read your posts fast enough. Keep it to 10 sentences and under.
    Today at 12:29 PM​
  • Diana:
    Put you character name in the first sentence of your post so we know who is playing who. You can also use bbcode color to differentiate your posts from others!
    Today at 12:29 PM​
  • Diana:
    Game Master posts are in this bright bold yellow. Pay attention to those because they are guiding the story!
    Today at 12:29 PM​
  • Diana:
    My roleplays are always NEWBIE FRIENDLY, so don't worry about typos and mistakes. If you get confused or need a little direction, I am in the main chat to help!
    Today at 12:30 PM​
  • Diana:
    (◉,◉) (◉◇◉) (⊙,◉) (⊙◇◉)
    Today at 12:30 PM​
  • Diana:
    It's Valentine's Day and at the ballroom of the Peony Hotel there is a beautiful gala prepared! The finest of red velvets, soft pinks, and glorious golds adorn all of the decor. There's a dance floor and a live band playing covers of popular - but romantic - hits. A glorious buffet table of appetizers and no limit on choice of champagne or wine. Romance surely will be found here at the dating service's Valentine Gala!
    Today at 12:54 PM​
  • Zarko Straadi:
    Averia walked in, looking around, fighting an urge to get out her phone and start taking notes.

    "Well, no wonder it's frustrating," Cherilee said. "How did you expect to write the ultimate matchmaking and dating AEI app when you've never even used a dating app or played matchmaker for a friend? BAM!" she said, holding up her phone, its screen lit with an advert for their partner company's upcoming Valentine's Gala. "Here you go! Take the day off. Have some fun. Go through the experience. And don't even treat it like another day at work, observing and taking notes or whatever! It won't do you any good unless you go as an actual participant," she said, giving Averia a playful punch on the shoulder. "So no wearcomp, no tablet, no cyberdeck, and your phone is just for calls and maybe some pictures, like you'd take to show friends or put on Facebook."

    Averia opened her mouth to object, but she couldn't find a flaw in Cherilee's logic. She could count the dates she'd been on on one hand with fingers to spare. They ranged from 'awkward' to 'disaster,' and really, she'd always had more productive things to do than continue fumbling about.

    And so Averia found herself in a place that was strangely pink and littered with heart-shaped decorations, simultaneously nervous and bored.
    Today at 1:22 PM​
  • Zarko Straadi:
    Too bad Cherilee coudn't have come instead. She'd be better at this, Averia thought. But I guess that's the point. She's not lead dev on the AEI project. She sighed. So how's this supposed to work?
    Today at 1:24 PM​
  • Diana:
    "Come to these events often?" asked a man dressed in a maroon suit. One could not say he was a handsome man, but he had this open friendly cadence that gave him an air of charm. "They're a little nerve wracking..."
    Today at 1:25 PM​
  • Zarko Straadi:
    "Wha--uh, no," Averia replied, pulled from her thoughts by the unexpected voice. The man's suit struck her as a bit odd, but it did fit with the decor. Her own outfit was not at all coordinated with the theme. It was consistent with the futuristic vibe of the rest of her wardrobe though. "I've...actually never been to one of these." Wait, was that a pick-up line? she thought. It didn't have the smarmy, manipulative tint of the PUA type she'd ran into when the gang had headed out to a club together after work. 'Disaster' end of the spectrum. What do I do? "Um...do you come to these things often?"
    Today at 1:39 PM​
  • Diana:
    "Was talked into signing up but the lady herself," he said a little embarrassed by it, but still smiling all the same. "I got the whole speech about putting yourself out there and making connections with people. Can't find love if you don't cultivate the garden - or something like that? So you looking for 'the one' or just here for connections?"
    Today at 1:43 PM​
  • Zarko Straadi:
    Averia opened her mouth to reply when it hit her that she was probably about to give the wrong answer. "I don't know about all that. I guess I'm here to...see what all this is about," she said, then let out a sigh. It may be the wrong answer, but it was also the true answer, so... "My terminal goal is to solve the alignment problem in artificial intelligence, but I'm not supposed to be here for that. I'm with Cybersyn Technologies. We're working with these guys to develop an 'artificial emotional intelligence' meant to help people with dating and romance. Think of it as the ultimate wingman or wing-girl and matchmaking pal in your pocket, there to help you through one of the messier and more nerve-wracking aspects of the human experience.

    "Because if we can do that, it's a big step toward a general help-you-through-life digital assistant, an AI that can relate to human emotion--which means, an AI that won't turn against humanity or turn everything into paperclips.

    "Except, I can't be here for that, because how can I help create the ultimate dating app if I've never even done this sort of thing? So I'm supposed to..." Averia took a deep breath and let it out. "...not be at work, just experience this," she said with a gesture to the room, "like anybody else. Oh--I'm Averia. Averia Tan."
    Today at 2:10 PM​
  • Diana:
    "O-Oh," he said, once she'd actually stopped talking long enough to introduce herself. Somewhere along that speil of hers his eyes had gotten wider and wider and that friendly disposition of his looked as if he'd just gotten trapped in conversation with a weirdo. Still, he was incredibly polite! "That sounds like some pretty advanced work. I'm uh- I'm Jerry. It's nice to meet you, Ms. Tan."
    Today at 2:21 PM​
  • Diana:
    "There you are, Jerry. Have you met Madeline yet? Oh., of course you haven't she's right over there by the bar, why don't you go say hello? She tells me she's into 70s rock ballads!" That interuption came from the dame of the hour herself, Ms Katrinka Carrel, the host of the party, CEO of Katrinka's Dating Service and the newly launched dating app of KissMet. Looking like she was about to go to prom and win the crown in a magenta dress that most couldn't dare pull off. And she was sending Jerry away like he was a scared rabbit. "Ms. Tan! I'm so glad you accepted the invitation to my gala! How are you doing so far?" Of course by the way she asked, it as pretty clear she knew exactly how the woman was struggling, but was too polite to point it out.
    Today at 2:22 PM​
  • Zarko Straadi:
    Averia knew the Weirdo Look. It was one of the reasons she didn't really do this sort of thing. "Ms. Carrel, it's lovely to see you!" she replied. "Judging by the alacrity with which he went off to meet Madeline, not very well."
    Today at 2:30 PM​
  • Diana:
    "I wouldn't take too much offense by it," she assured the woman. "What we have here is an entire event full of people who are a little awkward when it comes to interacting with others. They're learning in real time how to have conversations... much like what you're needing to do with your A.I." Katrinka laughed easily and with all good humor about it, even waving a hand to dismiss it all. "It's such a smart move attending an event for research! I imagine you must have a check list or some goals you'd like to accomplish...?"
    Today at 2:37 PM​
  • Zarko Straadi:
    Averia laughed. "I would, except that the coworker who talked me into this made it clear that I'd be missing the point if I was all about checklists and observables and metrics. So, I'm trying to be here for the experience, like anybody else."
    Today at 2:43 PM​
  • Diana:
    Katrinka laughed too, understanding that issue all too well. "It is true that the experience is most important. Although, I'd say a little list here and there couldn't hurt." This conspiratorial turn of her tone and the gentle nudge of her elbow, hinted that mischief was soon to be afoot. "What things do you think will be important for an A.I. to learn?"
    Today at 2:52 PM​
  • Zarko Straadi:
    Averia smiled. "Everything! Well, I think coding it for curiosity is an important part of solving the alignment problem. But in this context, I think it's important for the AI--what we're working on right now is an 'AEI,' and artificial emotional intelligence--for it to be able to have theory of mind--the understanding that other beings have minds and feelings and needs and wants of their own."
    Today at 2:58 PM​
  • Zarko Straadi:
    "Since I have the inner experience of my own mind," Averia said, "
    and I can extrapolate that to you having the inner experience of your own mind, I can understand that hurting you would be bad, because pain hurts. If we can create an AEI with that understanding, and we can get there before someone else comes up with AI's that just want to target missiles or engage in high-frequency trading and drain the stock market into its owner's pocket, then we're going a long way to making sure that the power of AI will help humanity and the Earth instead of creating a cyberpunk dystopia or a barren rock."
    Today at 3:05 PM​
  • Diana:
    "That's certainly going to be a huge undertaking," she remarked, her own eyes going wide. Katrinka was invested though, and quite interested even if she didn't understand how the science behind it was going to work. "Emotional Intelligence is hard enough for us to learn as actual humans. I mean, just with me working with clients, I imagine you might have to go from the ground up with what the human experience actually is before you can even tap into more complex emotions! You may literally have to grow the program like a child!"
    59 minutes ago​
  • Zarko Straadi:
    "Exactly!" Averia replied. "A lot of developers try to come up with ways to control AI, because as soon as you have an AGI--an artificial general intelligence that can perform a wide variety of tasks and learn new skills like a human can--it will lead toward artificial superintelligence in no time flat, because AI's can learn fast, as in read every book ever written in milliseconds. But there's no way we can control something that's smarter than us, that's ridiculous!

    "So it's like you said, we need to raise AI like a child, so that we're its parents instead of its enemies. It's definitely a huge undertaking. I could bore you to death with babble about neuromorphic hardware architecture and quantum computing for hours. Whiiiiiiiiiich is why I'm still single and terrible at all this," she said, gesturing at the room with its population engaged in attempted meet-cutes.
    49 minutes ago​
  • Diana:
    "It's fascinating, though!" she responded with a hearty laugh. "I don't understand a whit about neuromorphic hardware and quantum computer, but you clearly have a deep passion for it. Honestly, you're not single because of your passion for work. You just haven't met someone that will appreciation the conversation. ...and that is where I come in." she announced with a charming wink. "I know you're not here for actual match making, but at the very least I can help introduce you to other wonderfully intelligent people that will understand you. Really, I find that's where people get lost the most, in that they don't really have avenues for meeting new people. Or even know where to go or how to strike up the conversations!"
    44 minutes ago​
  • Zarko Straadi:
    "You're good!" Averia said. "Transmute a person's bugs into features, then connect them with someone for whom that's true. Just to be clear, I'm not not here for matchmaking, I just...didn't really think about that... So far, it's either I get the Weirdo Look, or somebody who's just looking for sex and doesn't care about the person inside the body at all. Not that you have to matchmake me either though. But...yeah, finding avenues for meeting new people and learning how to strike up conversations is kinda the basics of emotional intelligence." There I go again, steering the conversation back to my work. Maybe I wouldn't be such a great romantic partner anyway.
    30 minutes ago​
  • Diana:
    "Well then, a willingness to try is all we really need then! Love comes to those open to new experiences!" Pleased with this turn of conversation, Katrinka made a quick scan of who was presently in attendance at the Gala. "If I had known you'd be here and so willing to take some hands on research I might've made an effort to round up some of best potentials. I guess it wouldn't be a surprise to know that I get a lot of academics to the service. They tend to be a bit awkward when it comes to attending the larger social events, I'm afraid. I may just have to arrange a science fair!"
    22 minutes ago​
  • Zarko Straadi:
    Pyotr Bakunin walked into the gala, all but dragged by an eight-year-old girl in a pink lace pinafore, white opera gloves, and Mary Janes. Theoretically, he should have left Tatiana with a sitter, but: 1) This whole thing was her idea and he was here by her insistence, and 2) Anyone he met here might as well know from the start that he had a little girl. Anyone who couldn't take Tati wasn't the one he was looking for.

    "It's sooooooooooo beauuuuuuutiful!" Tatiana said, looking around the room in wonder. Her eyes landed on two women, one in a lovely gown, the other in...well, Tati didn't exactly know what to call that. "Look!" she said sotto voce. "Two pretty ladies! Let's meet them!"

    "The Katrinka's Dating Service Science Fair?" Averia said with a chuckle. "I guess it's not unreasonable, as long as everybody's careful not to impinge on their NDA's." Her eyes were drawn by a pair--not a couple, despite the setting--heading her way. "Huh, you might not be the only matchmaker on duty here," she added in a soft voice, for Katrinka's ears only.

    "Hello!" the little girl said with a hint of a Russian accent. "I'm Tatiana. You can call me Tati. This is my Dad. He's single." A look of pain and sadness swept across her face briefly before her joy returned.

    Pyotr's jaw dropped, but there was nothing he could do but blush.
    9 minutes ago​
  • Diana:
    "Don't worry, if there's anything I'm good at, it's knowing how to draw in the right sort of-- Oh! Hello there!" chirped Katrinka mid sentence. Eyes first examining the small girl - who certainly was not a client - up to her escort. Also not a client! Walk ins from her advertisements, perhaps?
    3 minutes ago​
  • Diana:
    WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN WITH THIS DARLING CHILD AND HER EMBARRASSED FATHER! IS THERE A NEW CLIENT FOR THE SERVICE? SHALL AVERIA FIND A NEW PASSION BESIDES HER CUTTING EDGE RESEARCH? FIND OUT ON VALENTINE'S GALA PART II!
 
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Name: Pyotr Bakunin
Age: 34
(bio WIP)























1707952937587.png
Name: Tatiana Bakunin
Age: 8
Bio WIP
 
Today must be rescheduled cause I have to do dumb adult things! D:< WE WILL HAVE MORE BALL LATER
 
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