(no subject)

[idolpro]

Who: You!
Where: Hotel!
When: Day 105!

[ Sure, you may be incapable of lying and also incapable of being emotionally honest and ALSO be completely amnesiac, but fanmail waits! For no one!

As usual, the lobby is flooded, preventing you from leaving or entering the hotel without wading through a bunch of boxes and mountains of cards. But - OWO? WHAT'S THIS?

Your phone buzzes, too! ]

Producers: LOL you guys that was SOOOOOOO BAD

[ Wait. That message is gone. What? ]

Producers: Congratulations, idols! You got to the next goal with your stunning performance! Wow, you're doing so great!
Producers: For 500,000 points, you can get something - or someplace! - nice. Maybe you want a spa? A cute cafe? Whatever it is, it'll be shared by your community, isn't that nice? And you get to choose what it is, too!
Producers: Suggest a location here, and we'll send an official poll sometime soon. You know how it goes!
Producers: Or do you?

[ Hm!

Submit #poll suggestions here! ]

Comments

done.

[puzzlers]

[ he snatches at the smol letters and pillow and just ??? ]

Make it bigger again! I can't read them like this and... [ this poor pillow, sobs. ] I can't believe you're a real wizard!

Re: done.

[liftoft]

Woah woah! I totally will! This just makes it way easier to bring it all with us, y'know? We can stick it in our pockets and don't gotta worry about dropping anything. It's gonna be okay man, take some deep breaths.

Re: done.

[puzzlers]

...oh. [ and now he's just going to attempt to hide behind the mini fanmails. ] M- Makes sense. [ sighs, his shoulders slumping. ] I'm calm. [ ish. ] I just... didn't want something happening to the stuff before I got a chance to look. Maybe it's got some more answers, y'know, though... everybody's been pretty helpful...

Re: done.

[liftoft]

Nah, hey, you're fine!

[ X knows what Yugi needs he needs a cool bro side-hug. Which is probably hilarious with their height differences but shh.]

I get it... This is all probably really stressful for you, huh? I wasn't really thinking of it like that, since this is way better than some of the other stuff that could have happened... But that doesn't mean it isn't still bad for you. I've been treatin' it pretty lightly! My bad. We can really sit down and talk about stuff if you think it'd make you feel better.

Re: done.

[puzzlers]

[ he's all about the hug, which no doubt looks ridiculous. x, you're the best. ]

Stressful. Confusing. And a bunch of other things I can't even put to words. I definitely don't doubt that it could have been worse. A lot of people were saying that the games could get bad, but... [ looks down at his feet. ] yeah. It's not like you know what's going on in my head. To be honest I'm not really sure I know what's going on in it. Nothing is adding up and it feels like I'm being tugged in a thousand different directions, but I don't know which one is the right one.

That might help... we could try it? Maybe we could look at our mail too. Did you get some?

Re: done.

[liftoft]

I got a pretty cool book, yeah! And you got it.

[ but first, turns the bro side-hug into a real-hug]

Like I said before, you 'n me are just getting to know each other, and we were amnesiacs to start with anyway, so I don't know how much about you I can tell you. But I'll answer anything I can! Or if you just wanna say whatever's in your head, I'll listen! Just lemme know what I can do for you and I will, 'kay?

Re: done.

[puzzlers]

You look to cook?

[ 10/10 - best hug!!! ]

It's alright. It's not going to last forever, m- maybe, but even if I have to start over again it's not the end of the world. Sure, it'll suck, but... at least I'm not- [ oh, wait. ] ...nevermind. [ looks aside with an awkward laugh. ]

But I just, nng... [ how to even right now. ] I'm worried about my relationship, whatever it is, with King. I have all these weird feelings I can't place and... my other self? What does that even mean?

[liftoft]

[ yes perhaps AlcheME should not have bet people's emotional honesty oops oops oops.

Sets aside plan leave-the-building for now, since Hug seems to be helping. He moves one hand up to pet Yugi's head, kind of tentative--he's a touchy person, but not usually in this precise way. But it feels right for this situation. ]

Honestly I got no idea, man. You were vague as heck about it when you were telling me about it. But uh... One of the games was us running around in each other's--psyches, or souls, or hearts, or whatever. Anyway, I was in Nine-Nine's - I'm pretty sure you guys are from the same place - and there were like six different versions of him running around in there, and there was some weird ancient-egypt feeling to it, too! Intensity had a hat! It was weird as hell, but best as I can tell, it's kinda like that. Except out here in the real world, you and King are two different people.

[ MASTER of explanations.]

[puzzlers]

[ he doesn't seem to mind the contact. just kind of smiles up at x and tries to be encouraging, since he seems kind of nervous. ]

You don't need to try so hard. I appreciate it, really, but if I'm making you uncomfortable... [ he can leave. ]

[ his explanation really doesn't help make things any less confusing, but x is certainly trying and that means a lot. ] If that's the case, then it's possible I'm some sort of reincarnation of him. King, that is. And Anubis is Nine-Nine's... Intensity doesn't really seem like a hat person, but I'm glad he got something.

So, uhm, question... if I like King, then is it selfcest?

[liftoft]

[ that makes him laugh, deep and rumbly, chest moving against Yugi with this awesome height difference.]

I think the most you gotta worry about is probably narcissism. [ but it's clear he's teasing. ] You're both pretty great, so I can't blame you! I'm glad you've talked to Nine and Anubis. I was gonna suggest them if you hadn't! Anubis is pretty smart, so he's a good guy to ask about a lotta stuff.

[ keeps up with the petting, threading his fingers carefully through some of the strands at the back of Yugi's neck, trying to be comforting without messing up his hair.]

And nah, I'm not uncomfortable, it's not like that.

[puzzlers]

[ fff. alright, that gets a laugh out of him. ] I don't know about me. He seems great though. I... I kind of get the feeling I might be just... copying him. [ he might tighten his grip on x as he says that. ] My room had a bunch of stuff in it about us. [ fanmail, though he doesn't know that. ] And I think I might, ah, r- really, uhm, look up to him...

I didn't talk to Anubis and I only talked to Nine briefly. Maybe I should reach out to them both again though. [ shuts his eyes and blows out a sigh. ] If you're sure...

[liftoft]

I'm sure! This isn't somethin' I usually do, but it's not 'cause I don't like it. I just don't really got anybody who needs it, y'know? It's pretty nice!

[ and he will hug Yugi a little tighter, in demonstration ]

Anyway, what's wrong with copyin' somebody you look up to? It's a great way to start--eventually you'll grow in a different direction and be totally your own person!

[puzzlers]

[ he cracks a smile. ] I really appreciate it. This is a weird feeling. I feel empty because I don't know who I am and hollow because I feel like I'm dead. [ rubs his hands over his face. ]

Yeah, I guess so.

[liftoft]

Mm... I'm pretty sure that's all game stuff, so the good news is that'll all fade, but... So what if you're dead? I don't mean you shouldn't care about that, but if you're still here walkin' and talkin' just like the rest of us, then what's the difference?

[puzzlers]

I... hadn't thought about it like that... I guess I'm really not too different here, for whatever reason. And I'm not falling apart at the seams, so that's definitely good. I just need to shake these feelings, because I think they're what are holding me back.

[liftoft]

Yeah, exactly! Your enemy is worrying about who you think you oughta be, instead of just who you wanna be! As long as you can still think and feel, then who cares if you're dead! You can still do anything you want!

And I'll help you defeat that enemy of yours, no problem! Just leave it to me.

[puzzlers]

[ damn, that's a good pep talk. ] I just need to figure out who I want to be, but that shouldn't be too hard... I think. Heh, I think I'm my worst enemy at the moment, so does that mean you're going to have to defeat me?

[liftoft]

[ grins brightly, happy to have had the pep talk land as expected ]

Of course, but I can't do it without you! We're gonna defeat that part of you that's holding back!

[puzzlers]

How are we supposed to do that anyway? Seems like it might be difficult.

[liftoft]

Well, the first step is for you to really think about what matters to you. This you, right now. What kinda person do you wanna be, what sorta things are important to you to do or not do?

[puzzlers]

King is important to me, since he's my other self, even if I don't really remember that. But as far as what I want, hm, ...I don't know what kind of things I used to like, so maybe I could try a bunch of different things. If I can help it I definitely don't want to play anymore of those games. I don't really want amnesia for a third time.

[liftoft]

Mm... I dunno how possible that is. So far nobody's been able to avoid goin' to games, though we don't all end up at all of 'em either.

[ continues to pet Yugi, absently stroking his hair ]

But once you decide what's important to you, you'll have things to guide you when things get tough, y'know?

[puzzlers]

[ shoulders slump. ]

Not even hiding helps?

[ he nods. this doesn't sound too difficult. he just needs to find a place to start. ]

[liftoft]

For the un-fun games, most of the time you don't even remember consciously going to the game. You're just suddenly there, y'know?

[puzzlers]

... [ this sounds horrible. ] It can teleport people into the game? B- But that doesn't seem fair!