imeeji_frontstage | Go Fish: Trauma Edition

Who: Naughty little fishes
Where: Game Tower
When: Day 527

[So there you are, minding your own business on a completely normal day.]

[Then you blink —

[— and find yourself, and many other idols, in an unfamiliar room.]

[The room is large and round and made of glass, like a globe. ...No, like a fish bowl.]

[On the other side of the glass walls, you can see indistinct shapes moving around, but the glass distorts the light so much that anything farther than arm’s length is just vague smears of colors and shadow blending with your own reflection. But something is there. Possibly a lot of somethings. ]

[Two formless shapes approach the glass, and as they do, their images resolve into the shapes of a pair of twins, one grinning while the other pointedly looks away from his brother. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the one who actually looks cheerful about being here is the first to speak up:]

Guess what~? You’ve been chosen to play in our very first game. Isn’t that exciting?

[He throws his arms out theatrically.]

Especially after soooo many boring games. The audience is looking for excitement and thrills here! Why not take the chance to really cement yourself as the fan favorite while you have the chance? Heck, it might even fix your little... “problem.”

[There’s a beat of silence, and he moves to elbow his brother who shoots him a “hey what the hell?” look before reluctantly facing the gathered idols.]

...Make sure you protect yourselves. Otherwise...

[He just lets the thought trail off before looking away again. His brother leans on him, resting an elbow on his shoulder as though waiting for him to continue before finally giving up and shaking his head with a sigh.]

You heard him! Give this game all you’ve got - got it?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ ...He needs to keep his focus on Doc, but it's a struggle not to look up at her.

Redoubling his efforts, so that he can — a few minutes later — sit back and murmur, ]

There. That's as good as I think we're getting without him being [ alive ] awake to tell us if anything still hurts.

[ She chances a look over at Doctor, instantly regrets it. Before he was dead and deformed, but now he's just dead -- which isn't worse, but it's sure not much better. ]

[ The strangled sound she makes is probably heartbreaking ]

...Thank you.

[ Wiping his hands off again, but he startles a tiny bit and points a smile at her. ]

Anytime.

I'm sorry if I made things harder. Just... how do you do this?

Maybe I'll have to get used to it, I don't know. I've never seen him die before. And in most games we don't have to watch.

You didn't make anything harder.

[ He definitely looks somewhat the worse for wear, but that's whatever. ]

Most games, yeah. This wasn't the first one where they thought it'd be fun, though.

[ He's seen other people's memories of the aftermath of games like this. ]

[ uuuuugh ]

Hopefully it doesn't happen often.

First time since I've been here, at least.

[ Now, he should be finding a pep. Someone to apply the energy recharge so they can get Doc back on his feet. But it's... he might need a moment before he can actually stand up. This is not the kind of exertion that energizes him. ]

[ just hovering nearby, trying not to seem as concerned as she is ]

My new unitmate had on pep! clothes. Hopefully he got randomized into the right power set.

[ Tiniest bit of relief in his posture. ]

—Fingers crossed.

It'd fit today perfectly if they took my 6,000 points and he ended up unable to raise the dead anyway.

[ ...Well, his smile slips. ]

We'll make it work.

Mm. [ She leans down to gather Doctor up, very gently, and predictably this makes her start crying again but she's planning to ignore that. ]

Falling in love is such a dumb idea. [ She doesn't actually mean it just right now this very second it kinda sucks ]

Definitely seems like there must be some kind of serious evolutionary advantage.

[ To explain away the dumb? He doesn't know. He's just hoping to make her smile a tiny bit. ]

[ a little huff is the closest she can get to humor right now ]

Considering I usually mate with my enemies I'm not sure how that tracks.

[ ~~is this news to him I feel like it's need to him~~ ~~but his reaction would be the same basic thing of~~ ]

...are you sure they're supposed to be your enemies?

Yeah -- but I don't want to get into it right now. Sorry, I'm not really thinking about what I'm saying.

[ Given that she's holding Doctor's corpse this might be understandable ]

[ Okay putting one hell of a pin in that, then. ]

—We can definitely talk about it when you want to. [ Correctly quickly: ] If. No obligation.

Thanks. [ For not pushing it. Not her best topic. ]

I'm not trying to keep secrets or anything. It's just not relevant here. So you're not worried.

[ Mmm. ]

Your call, but things that bother you are always gonna be relevant from where I'm standing.

It only bothers me sometimes. Little reminders of what I am that make me feel gross.

...You probably don't love hearing that I know, but if I'm going to change my mind about accepting myself it's not going to happen right now.

I don't love that you feel that way. There's a difference.

[ Squeezing again. ]

[ She nods and tries not to jostle Doctor's corpse, like it matters. ]

It's just a lot, and this place never gives me a second to breathe to figure out what I think about it.

Of course not. Their cute little idols getting a break wouldn't be entertaining.

Go Fish: Trauma Edition

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Re: Endgame // vague bodyhorror

Re: Endgame // vague bodyhorror

Re: Endgame // vague bodyhorror

Re: Endgame // vague bodyhorror

Re: Endgame // vague bodyhorror

Re: Endgame // vague bodyhorror

Re: Endgame // vague bodyhorror

Re: Endgame // vague bodyhorror

Re: Endgame // vague bodyhorror

Re: Endgame // vague bodyhorror

Re: Endgame // vague bodyhorror

Re: Endgame // vague bodyhorror

Re: Endgame // vague bodyhorror

Re: Endgame // vague bodyhorror

Re: Endgame // vague bodyhorror

Re: Endgame // vague bodyhorror

Re: Endgame // vague bodyhorror