(no subject)

[opening_act]

Who: Exael and the Unlucky Contestants
Where: The Game Tower
When: 86, Evening

[ Between one step and the next the walls (or streets, or open air) around you changes. The sight before you is a room inside the game tower, a new pressure at your neck. Reaching up or looking at the people around you reveals it to be a collar, titanium with a small green blinking light set in the center. ]

[ the screen flickers on, on your cellphone. It's a half-second, blink and you miss it— Exael, chewing on a nail, looking uncharacteristically nervous— then the moment's gone and she waves both hands and smiles for the camera. ]

"Ladies, gentlemen, honored guests! Units of all stripes and sizes! I come offering you a game and a few familiar words, rearranged for the occasion!"

Her carnival barker demeanor shifts for a moment as she lowers her head to say: ] "Glory to the highest, and on earth peace—" [ her head snaps up, her pigtails bouncing with it, and she's grinning again, all pomp and energy ] "even if we're not getting much down here! So let's kick up a ruckus, put on a show, and see how much good goodwill alone can manage! If you wish to save your fellows, now is the time speak!"

[ The rules appear on your phones. ]

[ Rules ] [ Rooms ] [ Results ] [ Endgame, Revivals & Winners ]

Comments

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[rollwithdisadvantage]

He's ... well not honest, but blunt.

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[rollwithdisadvantage]

Letting me down assumes I care enough about their opinion.

[dragonheartedgirl]

I didn't say they couldn't!

1/2

[ifshebleeds]

Reviving the dead is hard, but it isn't impossible. Even if we're not talking about clinical death, which is reversed by medical professionals all the time. See, when your body dies and is irrecoverable, one of two things happens. Either your soul burns away and you cease to exist, or you end up in an afterlife.

In the latter case all you have to do is locate the soul and bind it to an appropriate vessel. Regardless of the difficulty, it's possible. If something exists, you can always recover it.

In the former case, while the specific line of consciousness no longer exists, you can use various means to rebuild an exact or even near-exact replica of a person. If you then provide it with the right memories, you have something that is indistinguishable from the original. The person themselves won't notice, and anybody who doesn't know what happened wouldn't never have any way to know without being told. I don't remember much, but that sort of thing was really common when uploading physical consciousness to a digital medium first became common, before neuron replacement was a thing. Nobody really knew what to expect, but people who desperately want immortality always do stupid risky things to escape death. But using that early tech basically just killed you and made a copy that was essentially the same as you to everyone but yourself. But since you didn't exist anymore, that knowledge didn't exist either. The 'you' that existed before the transfer died and was brought back as the 'you' that existed after. The only difference is from the perspective of a stream of consciousness that's no longer relevant to anything in any version of reality. The only evidence left is a brief lapse of consciousness on the part of the revived. It's the same as waking up from a nap.

As far as the universe is concerned, your soul faded and popped back into existence. It's not a miracle at all.

[ifshebleeds]

[ and then she just like, shudders? like a huge chill went down her spine. ]

Oh, sorry. Was I talking just now? I didn't notice.

[dragonheartedgirl]

[ honestly she didn't ignore him, she argued against him--convinced him you all would be fine!! which is even worse in her estimation. but... it feels ugly to tell him that. she doesn't want him to think it was because Bad End wasn't important. Instead-- ]

Even so--I'm still sorry. I truly believed someone else would prioritize you.

[ She shouldn't have spoken up. In so many different ways. ]

[motorcycle_noises]

[ He lifts a hand up and pats Hiryuu's head once, briefly, before shoving the hand back in his pocket awkwardly. ]

Hiryuu-san. It's not your fault. You didn't know, you only could have guessed-- and it's not a crime to guess wrong. Don't beat yourself up too much, okay? I promise I'm not angry.

[dragonheartedgirl]

It's okay. You didn't make any sense anyway.

[ a bunch of us just had out heads blown off. it's okay to have some crazy talk after something like that... probably. ]

[ifshebleeds]

Oh, yeah. That happens sometimes apparently?

Anyways, relying on miracles is stupid.

[we_meet_again]

Unfortunately not. The best we can do is focus on the things we can do, and do it the best we can.

But you're not alone, Wednesday. We're all in this together. We all help each other out.

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[we_meet_again]

[he's just quiet for a moment]

I'm... really upset that you guys slipped through the cracks. I hope nobody on Bad End thinks it's because nobody cares about you. I swear I will kick down your door and shout embarrassing things at all of you if that's the case.

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[puzzlers]

[ he turns his head just enough to gaze sidelong at his other half, his own hand coming to rest against king’s cheek. ] Are you warm enough? [ he’ll raise his own temperature just a smidge, since they’re sitting so closely. ]

[eatsthecanary]

But you don't want them to?

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[puzzlekeeper]

I am, yes. Thank you, partner.

[ Yugi has found a way to cheat winter and it's one of the best things to happen in a while, honestly. ]

You know, with this new power of yours, we could stay out as long as we wanted.

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[puzzlers]

Good. I’m glad. [ he couldn’t have asked for a better ability. now he’ll be able to make the winters infinitely more tolerable for king. ] Mm! and you knoooow… we should spruce this place up a little bit. Make it our own little secret hide-a-way! to kind of just… get away from it all.

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[puzzlekeeper]

Mm...

[ He glances around. The building is definitely nothing more than an empty husk, but that also makes it ideal for repurposing. ]

Some blankets and cushions wouldn't be amiss, and perhaps some kind of lighting...

[asonoficeandfire]

It's fine.

[gonna let him do whatever]

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[puzzlers]

I don’t think it’ll take much and I have some points to spare! [ he pulls out his phone and starts browsing the shop. this is something to take their mind off of things too. ] It could be fun! and… and it’ll also be nice to be able to something that’s just for us…

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[puzzlekeeper]

[ Shifting so that he can watch Yugi's phone screen from where he's leaning. ]

It would also mean not needing to put either of our teams out after bad games.

[ Kind of feels bad about imposing on Pep!pep! after the Hunger Games still tbh... ]

[dragonheartedgirl]

[ it's okay I have the ability to be angry enough for the both of us and a third, undecided party. ]

You're a very kind person, Sanguine. Has anyone told you that?

[dragonheartedgirl]

Maybe, but the source of the magic that healed me and the magic that SensitIV possesses has the same source. So I don't see that it really makes much of a difference.

[we_meet_again]

[his hug tightens a little more]

I hope nobody in your unit thinks that just because this happened, it means nobody cares about you.

You all know you're loved, right?

Re: RESULTS, END GAME

[puzzlers]

[ points out a couple of things they could get for their hideout. ah, no, don’t feel bad--! no one in pep minds seeing you, king! b- but it’ll be nice not to have to worry about imposing. ]

Do you see anything you like?

[dragonheartedgirl]

I just--don't want to be another thing that stresses them out. This place--is bad... and everyone is burdened.

[ so there you have it

by implication she does see her emotions/self as a burden. ]

[eatsthecanary]

[ yeah uh ]

So you do see yourself as a burden.