redactable | WEEK SEVEN: MINGLE

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mingle

WEEK SEVEN: MINGLE

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ sometimes you trigger a boss battle ]

[ anyway, zuko's first instinct after his fellow red yells at him is to kick the closest corpses away from the monster -- but he's got one of his swords out in a flash. xie lian is struggling a little bit, gunsagi's covering him -- hc's got himself covered, so he does his best to parkour away from the head going for him and slash at the one going for usagi! teamwork. ]

[ he's going for its eyes, for the record, and i rolled a 14 ]

[ The good news is that this is only a mini-boss battle.

Which is to say, Xie Lian could've gotten a good hit, but then he rolls a sad, sad 7, so he just kind of uselessly slashes along the monster's head. Annoying, but it doesn't do much.

However, Usagi, with an 18, is lucky enough to randomly pull out a flame gun from the assortment of weapons in the backpack! Because I'll be honest, a normal gun would be pretty useless right now. She fires, shooting a beam of light that burns through the neck trying to eat Xie Lian. One head down! Despite Hua Cheng's fears, it doesn't regrow another one.

Hua Cheng stabs through a mouth, killing that head and dripping black goop down his sword.

Zuko stabs the eyes, causing that head to roar and swing around blindly. The head that was originally going for Zuko, before he parkour'd away, instead swerves for Xie Lian.

Also, important question: where is the unconscious falcon during all of this. ]

Edited 2020-11-19 01:50 (UTC)

[ well that's fine!! sometimes you just have to yeet a gun bag and it throws off your aim!

however, this time, i rolled a seventeen. so! xie lian's strike bounces off the top of the one monster, and he leaps back when it does. he's able to do some wuxia bullshit so his feet hit the wall, and uses the momentum to push back off and this time slice across the neck of the monster attacking him to try and take its head clean off, too. ]

[ Since it's dead, it's fine - he guides its momentum so that he can just drop it out of his way, to put a foot on the side of its jaw and pull his sword out with a fun gross noise. Usagi is... shooting guns, and Xie Lian and Zuko are both doing great, so he's not worried about them.

... he is worried about Usagi, but that's normal. ]

[ ........she did it? she did it! she absolutely was not expecting the legit firebeam of doom and yelps. miraculously, she doesn't drop the gun.

so with that, she shoots again at a 15 this time. ]

[ good job everyone! also zuko is still cradling and protecting poor lil sleepy falcon. he's just doing all his fighting with one arm. it's fine. he'll die before the bird does ]

[ now zuko's going to parkour jump up and over the heads -- whatever's still alive, he'll try to jump on top of and stab.... with a 9. hm ]

[ Xie Lian slices off the head! Just one more head to take care of, and it looks like Zuko's got it—wait, no, he doesn't.

The stab annoys it, but it's not down for the count, as it tries to swing its head and smash Zuko into a wall.

Usagi's shot lands, burning through another part of its body. This, at least, seems to slow it down as it swipes a blade-like hand at Hua Cheng. ]

[ we love monster goop! xie lian lands on the ground in front of usagi, sword up, other hand ready to guard, if necessary. a quick assessment of the situation, and, he calls out - ] San Lang, on your right!

[ --and then scurries to go help zuko, who is holding that poor falcon. he's practically vaulting over the corpse pile in the room to jab the monster in whatever body part's the closest with a quick sword strike and a solid 15.

let him assist his son!!! ]

[ Considering they're all a bit preoccupied, Hua Cheng can't completely mask the flinch in his expression when Xie Lian calls out to him. Gege is distracted it's probably fine.

But he still follows through on the warning, with a - rolls, a 15 also, wow, how romantic. He pivots to block, either with his saber or with his silver bracer, whichever the monster winds up hitting first. ]

[ with her beginner's luck, she will continue to keep pulling the trigger but... alas, I got a 7. which absolutely means she's about to eat shit on a mini boss so rip ig. ]

[ the monster hits zuko, but he braces for the hit, shielding the falcon, and hits the wall. listen i dont care if zuko gets the shit kicked out of him no one touches this bird ]

---Oof.

[ that's going to bruise! but he's up right away, gripping his sword and going for the other side of the head xie lian isn't attacking -- in tandem -- with his sword. pretend that makes sense i rolled a 14. ]

Edited 2020-11-19 03:09 (UTC)

[ You all did well, so once they attack, they ultimately succeed in killing the monster! They might have to slice it up in pieces, though, just to be on the safe side. But once it's dead, it collapses back into the odd black goop.

... Except for Usagi's 7, so her aim is off and she accidentally shoots a beam of fiery light in (rolls RNG) Zuko's direction. He might want to dodge.

Either way, everything falls silent. Dead Demans, dead monster, lots of gross goop (here's hoping it didn't splatter on anyone's clothes), and no Goat. Well, this was an unproductive trip. Eventually, though, they'll hear a voice calling from outside. ]

Hellooooo? Anyone there?

[ If they go to check it out, they'll find a human on a hoverboard. As soon as they exit, he points what looks like a firearm in their direction, before he relaxes. ]

Phew, you're humans, right? Or at least not Demans, whatever.

[ Oh, and a weird black thing might have followed them outside from inside the house. ]

Is everyone alright?

[ assuming zuko is not headless now that he's been shot at

anyway. we're fine. i think. so!

stepping out of the room with the others carefully behind him, xie lian glances up to see the human calling out! i was going to make a joke about hoverboards being wild technology but actually, that's the closest thing to flying on a sword he's seen here so far, so! xie lian, not nearly as ruffled as you would expect by someone on a hoverboard, bows to the young man, still holding his sword, though it's pointed downwards.]

Not Demans, no. We just finished fighting with several of them. Hello, young friend - have you seen a man carrying a black sword, like mine?

[ xie lian's gaze flicks briefly to the little black thing - he doesn't initially react to it, though he does hold his hand out sort of near it if it's hovering by...? ]

[ Good fucking luck, Zuko, hopefully you are good - if not, do you need an assist? You can have an assist. ]

Fine here, gege - put the guns away for now, Gongzhu. [ Nudging Usagi, so she knows he's talking to her, because while he's going to cover up his reaction he hasn't forgotten hers earlier at all.

... admittedly, he's not putting away his sword as he eyes the weird black thing. Especially when Xie Lian holds his hand out. If it tries to like, bite his hand or something... Hua Cheng will just slice it in half, or something. As he sidesteps any black goo anywhere. ]

[ SORRY ZUKO.....................

she starts at the apparent nickname when hua cheng gives her the okay, but luckily she remembers how to flick the safety back on before tossing it back into the bag. blease take these away.

otherwise, it's time to go back to hanging with to dad 2! and hopefully not running for their lives from this weird black thing. ]

[ zuko rolled a 9, so he will get grazed on his shoulder as he attempts to dodge. ow!! but he will push through the pain to size up the hoverboard dude and the weird black thing. ]

[ not making a move yet.... ]

[ Well.

A few things happen! One, the black thing opens up to reveal a toothy mouth, and it sure tries to bite Xie Lian's hand. Two, Hua Cheng slices it in half before it can succeed. Three, this doesn't stick, as it just reforms back into a black blob. At least it doesn't try to bite anyone again and is just chilling there.

As for the human: ]

Sword... Oh, you must mean Mr. God! Pretty sure no one else but him and, uh, you guys, I guess? would be using a sword nowadays. Nah, I dunno where he went. Probably headed to Zone 1 with Rano, though?

I'm on my way there too, actually—to carve a path of light! [ He fingerguns at the group with his hand not holding an actual gun. ] Wanna come with? I could use the help, and I got a good feeling about you guys.

[ hua cheng like :gooseknife:

oh, my. xie lian pulls his hand back before it gets bitten, and then san lang just kind of slices it - he gives him a grateful smile, opens his mouth to thank him, and then remembers his name issue from earlier. he then decides not to say anything, instead returning his attention to this nice young man.

so. "mr. god"... xie lian nods his head, lifting his hand to his mouth to slightly hide his smile at the nickname as he sheathes his sword. better than the other one? ] En, that's him.

If you would be so kind as to allow us to join you. [ with a bow of his head! ] We would be honored. Right?

[ @ everyone else? ] My name is Xie Lian - it is nice to meet you.

[ I'm so glad that this thing in its resting state reminded me a closed langolier so I inherently did not trust it. Thanks, Stephen King!

Hua Cheng gives it a stinkeye - which is the only eye he has, anyways - when it reforms, not sheathing the sword, but not going to attack it again. So long as it behaves itself, he won't have a reason to slice it in half. But he thankfully decides to move on past! The whole name thing! Because he can tell Xie Lian noticed.

Better to focus on this for now, and herding an injured Zuko, since Sipp is going to go to study and we are taking care of him. Good luck on your test tomorrow, Sipp! ]

It sounds like that's where we need to go. [ vibing ] Xue Yu.

Mm! We'd love your company.

[ meanwhile she'll be here also fussing over Zuko because she feels bad. GANBA SIPPU. we'll take very good care of him. for now. ]

I'm- [ mii music.mp3 ] Serenity. What's your name??

[ good luck sippu ]

Sweet! I'm Lexter. Nice to meetcha.

[ Off they go! The journey will, in some ways, feels like a blur—both like it felt longer than it really is, and that it's longer than it felt. Which is to say, I'm not going to make you reenact an entire season from this canon, but they will sense that they experienced the following:

Lexter, as it turns out, is a chatterbox, so he'll also explain some things! The Demans are a race that first appeared and attacked a couple of years ago, and while no one's quite sure where they came from, it's well-known they used to be human.

They also really fucking suck, in Lexter's unbiased opinion. A year ago, they carried out a large scale massacre, and now this entire place is under their rule. Humans are killed, kidnapped, used in experiments, treated as livestock, etc.

As they pass through the "zones"—gates that divide each section—and head further into the heart of the land, the group will have seen scenes of desolation, as if this entire place is a warzone. There are no humans who live within these walls (aside from Lexter himself, anyway). All the "free" humans would be in the outermost aka least dangerous zones, forming the militia against the Demans, however futile their efforts largely are.

All the while, the black blob thing trails behind them.

Once they approach the gateway to Zone 2, Lexter starts talking about his past. His mother went missing during the first Deman attack, and he became estranged from his father then. Still... ]

... That's my dream—that even if it's not with my family, one day we'll all get to go home, just sit down at a table, and have a meal together. It might sound pretty underwhelming, but... that's all I want, really.

What about you guys?

[ lexter's unbiased opinion is something! generally, massacre is frowned upon. xie lian listens quietly to his entire story, tucking his hands in his sleeves as he tries to take in the world around them.

so many things about goat's memories are so wildly different from his own, but... as lexter chatters about his family, it's clear that some things never really change. people are still people, no matter what, aren't they? what a nice young man. 10/10. ]

I think that is a perfectly wonderful dream, my young friend. Sometimes the simplest happinesses are the ones we treasure the most, in times of great strife - they are a beacon of hope that shines in the darkness.

[ pulling his gaze away from the gateway, he tilts his head at the question, thoughtful. ] Our dreams and wants, hmm....?

[ hmm.... ] ...My dream, then, is the common people. [ to "save the common people", a xie lian who did not know the common people once said. that dream has matured quite a bit, since, but the heart of it is the same. ] That is to say - to help as many people as I can. It may not always be successful, but... even if I can just reach one person - there is nothing in this life or any that has mattered more to me than that.

[ and today, that person is going to be mr. god. and... any other people they can help, in this strange adventure from someone's memory. ]

[ Wow, this is very reminiscent of the chatterbox boy from Banyue. Hua Cheng half tunes him out when it's not particularly relevant - Lexter's personal standing in all of this, really, because he's not True Protag coded so he doesn't necessarily care even with his character development - and instead focuses on their surroundings and the orb as they go.

The question gives him pause, but not for very long. That's always been simple, to him. He looks at Xie Lian when he answers, disgusting. ]

My dream is his, and him. [ (If your dream is to save the common people, then my dream is only you.)

Anyways, wow, neat gateway! Looking at that now. ] Though I suppose no harm comes in taking care of things while we're here.

[ it's fine, leave it to the protags to chatter right back at our npc, usa especially. but to save us all we'll skip right over what nattering it took to get us here and get straight to the point. which is really just usagi glancing at hua cheng and then xie lian with a faint smile on her face, eyes crinkling in delight. she knows better to say it out loud but hua cheng is very cute. ]

My dream is to protect those I can, so we can live happily.

[ her's on the other hand has changed a little since her initial dream of protecting the whole planet thanks to a heavy dose of murder reality but the core goal is certainly still there. ]

[ Lexter nods in approval at everyone's good and nice dreams.

Once they reach the gate, though? Everyone will find themselves transported. Specifically, they're all now in what looks like a modern fighting ring, all dressed neatly in suits. Any weapons they had on them previously are mysteriously gone!

They're not alone in the ring, either. There are about four Demans, but there are also some familiar faces. Anyone from home, dead or alive, whom they might be willing to punch in the face but wouldn't necessarily try to strangle on sight—they may very well be one of their opponents in this crowded space.

Surrounding them in the bleachers is a roaring crowd, also dressed up. It's composed entirely of Demans.

Lexter's not in the ring, instead sitting at a table nearby (on which the black blob chills, because they can't seem to get rid of it even when magically shifted to a new situation).

Amidst the cheers, the announcer speaks. ]

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for! It's the final match of the Gentleman's Pub, the hottest thing here in Zone 2!

You know the rules! No weapons, only your good ol' fists! If you're knocked out of the ring or down for the count, you're out!

Last ones standing are granted the amazing privilege of advancing to Zone 1, and an audience with Lord Ares himself!

Now... start!

[ With that, the fighting begins, as the other opponents begin punching each other.

Despite the announcer's words, the four will find that they (and only they) have no way of exiting the ring, as if blocked by a barrier.

Lexter nervously mouths good luck at them from where he's spectating, because this NPC is useless with the weaponry ban. ]

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