WEEK SEVEN: MINGLE

[retellers]

WEEK SEVEN: MINGLE (21 remain) Rise and shine, gremlins. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and it's the start of a new week. To the participants, yesterday's events may seem distant now—albeit not as distant as their life before this. Whether or not they notice, they will have lost a memory upon waking up. As usual, the participants will find that their lodgings have changed, and should anyone check their PHS, Chiron, Ochako, Soo-won, and Dorothy's profiles have been removed. They may also find that they have difficulty recalling complete details of the past weeks. Furthermore, it looks as though the rules have updated. Not everything is the same as the previous pattern, though. The barrier to the north is back up, and once more, what lies beyond is an empty field. In contrast, however, participants may notice that they can finally access a place they haven't been able to before... Additionally, it looks like the Leaders aren't around. No matter where the participants look, they're nowhere to be found. Should anyone try calling for them in the Planetarium, there will be no response—not even a message telling the participant that they're busy. Finally, everything around the participants begins to... glitch? Buildings may suddenly blink out of existence and then back in, random items like chairs or cups may suddenly distort even while they're being used, and looking at any particular thing for too long may give someone a headache. It's worse than it was that one week, though: participants will find that it's happening to themselves as well. Body parts might suddenly glitch out of existence then back in, and there will be a shot of pain when it occurs. It'll happen randomly, but it also seems to occur more often if they're touching something or another person.

NAVIGATION locations ₓ˚. statuses *+:｡ ic profiles :ₓo ic rules ･ﾟﾟ･｡ audience requests murder proposals ｡✧o private conversations ･ﾟo｡ curfew ･ﾟ✧ memories

Comments

[stillnot]

[ clem just

shoots the monster? she's impatient and has ammo. it's fine. ]

[retellers]

[ -500hp

the ghost dies :( why you gotta do spooky jack-o-lanterns like this. why does it have such terrible stats, damn.

Anyway, up they go! The second floor has more rooms, including a bedroom with a secret stone staircase that spiral downwards that's currently open. Convenient? Perhaps! Leave me alone, there's a lot to get through, I'm not playing explore the mansion for days. Anyway, dice roll said you didn't get an encounter on the second floor either. Boo. ]

[uhhhmagic]

[Just blinking when Clem just shoots a ghost. That's fine and normal probably. Hm.

Anyway, to Lup:]

We've met.

[Aaaaaand going to just wander down the staircase. Normally he'd have issues with going in first, but. Fuck it!]

[evocationary]

-- Well, I guess that works.

[ dead ghost. she just shrugs at taako, and follows him down the staircase, shifting to keep her shotgun up and ready if she needs to. ]

[reconnective]

[a glance at the dead ghost and then a glance at clementine. ] Nice shot.

[but he'll follow after the twins. normally he would go look around but zia said no so to the stairs and down it is! except as he walks, he seems to pause a little.]

...I think I've been here before.

[stillnot]

[ she looks a little bit pleased with herself. ]

Yeah? Anything we should know?

[ she thinks she's heard this story already, but isn't sure what parts of it might be important. but yes we are speedrunning so down we go. ]

[retellers]

[ the basement will look a little different this time for Sora! Well, not the spiraling stone steps, those are the same. There's a locked door to the side, and the rest of the basement is a lot more spacious than Sora might remember it. Or have told the others about it. Straight ahead, there's a laboratory, though there does not seem to be any kind of odd tube containers for Sora to note this time, and then there's a corridor filled with bookshelves that connects to some kind of study.

But probably of more note in the study is a tall man with very long silver hair and an even taller sword and I just realized Sora knows him so I can't even do a fake reveal for next tag but anyway some kind of asshole reading books in too much leather and looking unhinged. He does not seem to have noticed them. ]

[uhhhmagic]

[Turning to hiss a whisper at Clem:]

Hey! Shoot that fucker too!

[evocationary]

[ lup does not know who this guy is but like, he looks like an edgelord, so that informs her decision.

she angles her shotgun at him. doesn't... shoot him yet? clementine is a better shot, honestly. ]

[reconnective]

Be careful. [it's what he says before they get down the stairs, and by then he realizes that this isn't the exact same. regardless, he pauses as they enter the basement and he immediately narrows his eyes.]

Do not shoot him yet. [this is muttered to both lup and clem both, but he steps forward just a bit, tilting his chin up and making sure he's in a good enough position to grab his swords.] What the hell is Sephiroth doing here?

[i can't get him to say fuck, so everyone has to allow me a hell thanks to his outside influence.]

[stillnot]

[ she wasn't going to shoot him, god! ]

Wow, language.

[retellers]

[ I can't believe Ty would cuck me from having someone shoot Sephiroth like this? Wow?

Anyway, Sephiroth does not seem to notice their presence, too taken by the various journals he's reading and mumbling about. There's something... off, about the entire scene, the more they look? He'll be standing at a bookshelf one minute, and the next he'll be sitting at a table with two different books in front of him, and then on the ground with like, seven more books. Being a nerd is terrible. If they look at the clock in the study, they'll see that time is jumping forward, too, every time, he moves.

The entire time, he does not acknowledge them at all, which is... something. ]

[uhhhmagic]

Yeah, language! What kind of a name is fuckin' Sephiroth? Seems like a real weirdo. I'm going in. Just shoot him if he does any funny business.

[Can we just please shoot him. Whatever, let's not plan anything. No point in asking any questions about the why, we gotta do this CYOA!!!! Just walking into the room.]

[evocationary]

You can say fuck, we're not going to call the police.

[ lup tells sora, before following after taako. she wants to look at what sephiroth is reading, but also like, if he time jumps into a place in front of her she'll just shoot him with her shotgun?

they've got shit to do probably, hope wolf doesn't like this guy ]

[reconnective]

[zia really wants us to shoot sephiroth and that is completely valid. also he's just going to glare at every person in this room, including sephiroth.]

I'm not going to say it. [like this is a threat? but he catches a glance at the clock, lifting his eyebrows a bit.] What's going on...?

[he'll take a step forward though, which is a convenient time for his leg to glitch out and there's a stifled sort of yelp of surprise and pain as it flickers back. he regains his footing, but he's looking up again.]

Cloud and Sephiroth have some pretty bad history. [this is all said quietly because he's not even sure if this sephiroth is real...or not.] Pick a direction, lab or we try to break into that other room.

[or taako can go straight ahead!! that's fine!!]

[stillnot]

I don't think he can say it. [ clem don't make fun of your ?boyfriend? while he's actively getting hurt.

once she's sure sora is recovered from that glitch, she's heading for the locked door to just. kick at it to test how sturdy it is. should have brought the axe. :( ]

[retellers]

[ Clem goes off to try to kick a door open! It does not work. It's a very solid door. It will, in fact, never open. Not that it matters, because Lup shoots him with a shotgun when time glitches out at her, which causes the entire scene to kind of... fracture? Into pieces? Around them? This was a choice the rest of the team has to live with and I'm very happy about, because shooting him is always the right answer no matter what happens.

But the fractured pieces leave nothing but a dark void and an odd, green light around them, slowly encompassing everything. It feels suffocating, and like they're moving in slime, slowed and weighed down both. All sounds and senses are muffled.

There's a light out in the distance in front, but it seems very far away right now. Everything feels far away, to be honest. And yet-- they'll remember, vaguely, one person. One presence, urging them to keep going. It's a familiar one to each of them, even if they can't quite recall their name right away. But it'll come back.

And then they're back outside the gates of the mansion and the entire town is on fire now. People who were definitely not there before are now lying down on the street, stabbed and sliced, bleeding out.

That's neat. ]

[uhhhmagic]

[see taako was right shooting him was the correct answer

Anyway, what the absolute hell! Lup may or may not remember him but he's still grabbing her arm when they show up in a town on fire and full of dying people! What!]

What the fuck was that Nick Kid's Choice Awards montage! Um-- Last time this happened to me, we had to run for the well?!

[evocationary]

[ lup is not expecting everything to like, shatter - so she shrieks and also grabs onto taako. ]

This - what, this happened to you before? [ ??? ] Oh. Shit, oh, shit, this is...

[ she's... pretty sure wolf told her about this, and she looks real upsetti for a second before starting to shove taako off towards the well.

she misses, though, because her arm glitches out! fun. ]

[reconnective]

[he doesn't shriek with the fracturing but he's immediately reacting and grabbing whoever's closest to make sure they all stick together, the weird slime-like encasing slowing all of them down before they're booted outside, right into the fire. also people are dead? people are most definitely dead even if sora's checking to see if any of the stabbed ones can be saved.

he...doesn't say anything, if only because he doesn't talk a lot in times of crisis which means he's immediately bolting for the water tower to see if he can do anything to get more water over the town. farewell! i just realized he's once again running straight through fire i hate this game.]

[stillnot]

[ wow it's a good thing clementine doesn't remember ░░░░░░░░░░ because otherwise this would be hitting her right in the trauma!!! lucky.

she trusts sora to take care of himself, so she's sticking with the twins to make sure neither of them fall down a fucking well. ]

We should get out of here.

[ like, towards that big structure in the distance? ]

[retellers]

[ The well is still empty. This was a great choice. It's fine, it's just the buildings that are on fire, there's nothing dangerous about THAT. Maybe the silhouette of Sephiroth that seems to be in every single fire is a problem, but that's a problem for other people. Or them. Depending on how concerned they are by the giant sword and the omnipotence of his creepy presence. It's fine they have a shotgun.

Speaking of other people, Sora runs to the water tower, which means he has to climb quite a ways-- and he might be a little concerned at the young brunette girl simply sitting at the water tower like nothing is wrong? Hm.

Also, bummer, everyone on the streets is super dead. that's fun and cool ]

[uhhhmagic]

[this is probably a lot easier if you've ever played a single final fantasy. Thankfully, Taako's forgetful sister doesn't shove him headfirst in the well, so that's going really well I think. As for the fire, that's also probably fine? He has no reason to stick around here. Grabbing Lup's hand and tugging her towards that . . . water tower? That's where Sora went anyway. Clementine can handle herself she's fine she's got a gun and workin' legs.]

Fully agree! Serpentine! Serpentine!

[evocationary]

[ we're doing great with the not death thing so far. she just grits her teeth at the ow of losing her hand momentarily. and then lets taako drag her off because i cannot believe sora just went off into the fire by himself?

or like, I can, but. ]

Did we just let Sora go off into the fire on his own?

[ ???

she grabs clementine's hand, though. come along. we're going to the water tower, I guess. ]

[reconnective]

[he doesn't mind running because his priority is to put out the fire somehow, see what else is available, and avoid sephiroth as long as possible. this means he's not entirely aware of everyone following him and he's running until he gets to the tower and stops.

is. this brunette familiar? i know the answer's yes but i'm letting you have a dramatic reveal, even if sora's standing at the base of the tower and staring at her.]

Hey! What're you doing here? The whole town's on fire!