Line #52 PlayingWith/MissionControlIsOffItsMeds


1	'''Basic Trope''': Mission control that is creepy, insane or evil.
2	* '''Straight''': Bob has to work his way through a facility under the direction of [=GeneSYS=], a faceless voice heard over the speakers that acts more like a passive-aggressive lover than anything helpful.
3	--> "Bob, have I ever told you how cute you look in that PoweredArmor?"
4	* '''Exaggerated''': [=GeneSYS=] claims to have Bob's best interests at heart, but actually very poorly covers up the fact that it wants to kill everything.
5	-->'''[=GeneSYS=]''': "Bob, pull that lever. It'll unlock the door you saw earlier."\
6	'''Bob''': "Are you sure? It's labeled 'Jettison Orphanage into space'."\
7	'''[=GeneSYS=]''': [[AxCrazy "It is? Pull it anyway."]]
8	* '''Downplayed''':
9	** [=GeneSYS=] only veers into unusual behavior for one level.
10	** [=GeneSYS=] is [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} very eccentric]] but still fairly helpful.
11	** [=GeneSYS=] is a DeadpanSnarker who mocks Bob during his missions but has no greater malicious intent beyond that.
12	* '''Justified''':
13	** [=GeneSYS=] is glitching.
14	** The stress of putting up with [[BloodKnight Bob]] is taking a toll on [=GeneSYS=]' sanity.
15	** [=GeneSYS=] is usually sane and competent, but Bob accidentally deleted the novel it was working on, so it deeply resents him and tries to creep him out as revenge.
16	** [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Mission Control is literally off their meds]].
17	** [=GeneSYS=] is in fact a MoleInCharge who is deliberately unhelpful.
18	* '''Inverted''':
19	** [=GeneSYS=] urges the maniacal and homicidal Bob to rein in his destructive tendencies and focus on the job at hand.
20	--> "[[CrateExpectations That poor crate!]] Was that really necessary, Bob?"
21	** [=GeneSYS=] acts as though [[InsistentTerminology she]]'s Bob's surrogate mother.
22	--> "Now, I'm sending you some ammunition, some medkits, some grenades, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and a change of underpants. Don't forget to wash behind your ears.]]"
23	* '''Subverted''':
24	** [=GeneSYS=] appears to be insane at first, but Bob finds that its idiosyncrasies are normal for robots attempting to guide humans through missions. And despite its unusual behavior, [=GeneSYS=]' methods ''are'' effective.
25	** [=GeneSYS=]' poor guidance appears to be malevolent. It is later revealed that [=GeneSYS=]' guidance was well-intentioned but erroneous.
26	* '''Double Subverted''': After revealing that [=GeneSYS=] was never malevolent, it exploits Bob's new-found trust in it to lead him into a trap.
27	* '''Parodied''':
28	** [=GeneSYS=] repeatedly humiliates Bob in front of everyone in the facility by reading Bob's embarrassing secrets and {{Slash Fic}}s featuring Bob and other characters over the facility speakers.
29	** [[VideoGame/MetalGear1 GeneSYS tells the player to turn off the game console at once]].
30	* '''Zig Zagged''': Sometimes [=GeneSYS=] is supportive, other times it clearly wants Bob [[HaveANiceDeath dead in the most painful way possible]]. Bob begin to accept [=GeneSYS=]' inconsistency, but then it begins to act like a {{Yandere}} lover.
31	* '''Averted''': [=GeneSYS=] does exactly what it was programmed to do by giving clear and helpful instructions.
32	* '''Enforced''':
33	** The developers think that having a normal MissionControl will make the game too easy.
34	** The developers figure that with the success of [[VideoGame/{{Portal}} GladOS]], a crazy MissionControl would make for a more memorable character.
35	* '''Lampshaded''':
36	--> "[[AnnoyingVideoGameHelper Why on Earth am I listening to this... this spoony AI!]]"
37	* '''Invoked''': The bad guys are unpredictable by normal means, so a ConfusionFu AI with the abilities of a MadOracle is required. Therefore, [=GeneSYS=] is programmed to have a highly unbalanced personality so she can fully predict what the villains are doing. Bob endures [=GeneSYS=]'s come-ons and passive-aggression for the sake of her occasional bouts of insight.
38	* '''Exploited''': [=GeneSYS=] was originally an attempt at making an OS for RidiculouslyHumanRobots, but the flawed programming lead to her being unbalanced and occasionally nonsensical. However, she also has MadOracle PsychicPowers due to a mysterious program interaction no-one has been able to isolate, so the military bought her source code and made her into a MissionControl AI.
39	* '''Defied''':
40	** Bob disables [=GeneSYS=]' transmission and decides to follow his instincts instead.
41	** Alternatively:
42	--> "Okay, here's the three available MissionControl AIs we have for you. [=GeneSYS=] was designed as an experiment to see its charge as an object of affection, but always goes too far. Everyone who uses it has reported being 'seriously creeped out, man.' [=CoRE=] is better for direction, but has an obsession for asphyxiating kittens we've been unable to get rid of. This last one, [=WALtEr=] has a vocal glitch that causes it to take on a cockney accent, but is otherwise well-balanced. So that's the one you'll be getting."
43	* '''Discussed''':
44	--> "Again? I don't know how these systems keep going sentient and developing stalkerish obsessions for intruders."
45	* '''Conversed''':
46	--> "I don't understand these AIs at all. I've bypassed or wrecked at least eight different security measures. I've cause millions of dollars of property damage. I've killed more faceless henchmen than I can count. And all the voice can say is how happy we'll be together?"
47	* '''Deconstructed''': [=GeneSYS=] is quickly replaced due to its lack of helpfulness.
48	* '''Reconstructed''': The people who programmed [=GeneSYS=] knew that a dull droning robot voice would grate on people's nerves all day long, so they programmed it with just the right amount of DeadpanSnarker and ManicPixieDreamGirl so that the employees would be entertained. [=GeneSYS=] likes to tease people who are edgy about computers to get them to loosen up.
49	* '''Played For Laughs''': [=GeneSYS=] obviously isn't intended to be taken seriously, and fails hilariously at a) convincing Bob that it's trying to help him and b) slowing him down at all.
50	--> "Bob! Listen to me! In order to progress further, you need to flood the kitten containment area with cyanide!"\
51	"I have a key. I found it under the safe you specifically told me not to look under. I'm ignoring you now."
52	* '''Played For Drama''':
53	** [=GeneSYS=] is a RidiculouslyHumanRobot, and it and the protagonist have feelings for each other. Which makes strange things happen when the protagonist does something that confuses [=GeneSYS=]' programming.
54	** [=GeneSYS=] is being hacked by some malevolent force, but it is trying to fight back behind the scenes without letting the hacker know. The zig-zagging, though, makes Bob nervous at a critical juncture because [[GuideDangIt he doesn't know whether GeneSYS is sane at that moment]].
55	----
56	This is the link back to MissionControlIsOffItsMeds. You monster.
57	----
58	%% Optional items, added after Conversed, at your discretion:
59	%%
60	%%* '''Implied''': ???

Context PlayingWith / MissionControlIsOffItsMeds