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Belated thought: is this our title drop
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May 10, 2022 15:08
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| # ? Jun 8, 2024 14:37 |
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 With that, we have another Actual Ending under our belts, which means it's time to switch Jordans again! As always, we had a vote on which path to take with M!Jordan, but unfortunately the thread tied again, so I had an unrelated third party pick a direction to break the tie  With their vote, we're officially going down a different branch, where someone who isn't Shizuka dies during Logiship! Therefore, we're going to be skipping back to the Logiship round and putting in our vote...[BGM: Signs of Battle] Waiting wasn't going to make things any easier for me at this point. I had the most information I was ever going to have, and I needed to make my selection as soon as possible. The door shut behind me as I entered the Dining Hall.  Welcome, Jordan. Please make your selection on the screen before you. *click!* [BGM: Carpe Noctum] Thank you for your selection, and thank you for choosing Dai's Deletion Game as your preferred population restriction method. Please exit the room and await this round's results.… I left the room and watched as, one after another, everyone else went in to shoot their missiles.  In an unexpected turn of events, it would appear that everyone has chosen to attack in the first fifteen minutes, which brings this round to an end. Who'd have thought that you were all so eager to kill each other? Well, who am I to argue? Give the people what they want, right? Let's get straight to the results. Well, we just finished getting both of his bad endings so honestly we could probably use a bit of a break from our bestie.[BGM: The Aftermath of Bravery]  … Yoshiki...Yoshiki looked at the captain helplessly. Captain, I don't want to die.Kimiko's face suddenly became desperate.   Please, Dai, don't do this. Yoshiki is necessary to the mission; he's our only engineer. Well, apparently the rest of the crew feel a little differently, Cap-i-tain. What if I trade places with him? No, Captain, it's fine... NO IT'S NOT! I'm afraid the results are final. Please, Dai... not Yoshiki... You know the rules Cap-i-tain: either you cooperate, or I kill everyone.Yoshiki put his hand on the captain's arm, but she shrugged it off.  Fine, kill us all.Tears were streaming down the captain's face. Her current state stood in complete contrast to her usual unflappable demeanor.  Captain, you know that's not right.The captain wasn't listening. Well? Have at it, Dai! Kill us! Show us what you can do!A malicious smile spread across Dai's features. She was clearly enjoying watching the captain lose her cool.  Captain. Captain! KIMI!The captain stopped and looked directly at Yoshiki, anger and fear evident on her face.  Kimi, it's OK. No it's not, Yoshiki. It's not! You can't sacrifice the crew for me. But I promised I would protect you... ...it's OK, really. I've failed you. Kimi, you haven't failed me. Enough! It's time to decide how you're going to die.Dai projected a segmented wheel and gave it a spin. The arrow swept over the various options, finally coming to rest on...  Drowning it is! Congratulations, Yoshiki, supposedly this is one of the nicest ways to die. That being said, I haven't died, so take anything I say with a huge grain of salt. Please, Dai...The captain was still attempting to bargain with Dai, to no avail. Alright, kiddies, let's head over to the gym for Yoshiki's final hurrah!Dai marched down the hallway towards the Gym and we all followed. Yoshiki walked beside the captain, who was having trouble regaining her composure.  Kimi, please, it's OK. You'll fix this, I know you will. I'm so sorry, Yoshiki, I'm so sorry... Don't be sorry. Just fix this, OK? Now if you'll excuse me, I believe I have a date with a pool. Now's my chance to show off my beach body!The captain let out a small giggle in spite of herself. This is hardly the time for jokes, Yoshiki... That's where you're wrong- times like these are the reason we tell jokes in the first place, to help us through tough times. Okay. I need you to do something for me now, OK? Anything, Yoshiki. I need you to be the captain now, OK? I need the older sister I grew up with. I need you to be strong for me here.The captain wiped the tears from her cheeks and straightened up. Thank you.Yoshiki offered the captain a warm smile, who was now attempting to hide her grief. …  We finally arrived at the Gym. Dai had rematerialized next to the pool, forcing us to come to her. She seemed particularly pleased with herself as she watched us file in.  Last call for Yoshiki! Please enter the pool.Yoshiki made his way over to the pool and jumped in next to where Dai was standing.  Argh, watch it, you'll ruin my hair. Jordan, take care of Kimiko for me, kay? Of course. She likes it best when you annoy her. No I don't! Alrighty, watch your head, Yoshiki!Ship Broadcast: Pool glass cover now in operation, please stand clear. A pane of glass emerged from the edge of the pool and covered the entire pool's surface. Ship Broadcast: Filling pool, please stand clear. Suddenly, additional water began pumping into the pool, raising the water level. Slowly but surely, Yoshiki was buoyed up towards the pane of glass by the rising water. As a last-distch effort, he tried floating on his back in order to breathe what little oxygen there was left.  Eventually, however, he was completely submerged under the water beneath the sheet of glass. Panic began to set in, and he started banging on the glass. The entire room was silent but for his bangs. It wasn't long before the room fell completely silent. It's done, Dai. Now let me retrieve him. I don't think so, Captain. He'll remain where he is for the next hour, just to be sure. After that, you'll be free to do as you wish. You humans are far too resistant to drowning, in my opinion. That's a wrap for this week, guys! Great work today! You all fought hard- I'm so proud! The next round will start shortly, so go and get some much-needed rest... Dissssmissed!As soon as Dai released everyone from the Gym, the room emptied very quickly. No one wanted to stay there longer than they had to. Only the captain and I remained behind, standing beside the pool. Captain, I'm sorry. Me too. Is there anything I can do? Leave me, please. I wanted to say more, but I could see that the captain needed some space. Just as I was about to exit the Gym, I heard her speak. I'm sorry, Yoshiki... I'm so sorry.She had crawled onto the glass of the pool and was currently lying above where Yoshiki's body floated, lifeless. You always were much more tolerable when you were sleeping.She visibly winced at her own morbid joke. I guess I need to work on my material, for your sake, Yoshiki.She giggled to herself awkwardly in between bouts of tears. I finally left the Gym and headed back to my quarters. Even after I'd cralwed into bed and closed my eyes, I swore that I could still hear the captain's anguished cries...
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May 11, 2022 23:06
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 Poor Yoshiki. There are worse ways to die, but drowning is painful. Hopefully Kimiko doesn't end up pulling a Beatrix as a result of Yoshiki's death. I'd have thought she'd be a little more stable, but after what happened during our last Bad End and the "Okay. Kill us all," bit... well, I'm concerned about what might happen if she gets her hands on any timeline-hopping pocketwatches. This does seem like confirmation that Kimiko absolutely can't override the result of a death game; she can interfere in the death game to some extent (as she did when Jordan declined to be Yoshiki's partner in vampirism), but she can't overturn a death sentence. And despite Dai's willingness to kill Jordan (at Kimiko's behest) to protect Yoshiki in that other timeline, Dai isn't inclined to protect Yoshiki from an unfavorable game result (even when she could do so behind the scenes, without anyone knowing). ETA: Horrifying thought--what if Melody's vote in Logiship ends up becoming plot-relevant during one of these routes? Presumably, her father told her who to vote for, but still--of all the rounds we've seen so far, Logiship seems like the one with the most direct, obvious connection between what the players do and who dies. Melody's old enough to make the connection between "I voted for this person, and then they were horribly executed, and it's all my fault." That would screw her up pretty badly, and by extension screw Vladimir up pretty badly. PepperedMoth fucked around with this message at 00:19 on May 12, 2022 |
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May 11, 2022 23:57
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On a more pertinent question - what possible purpose would a retractable glass pool cover serve on a spaceship??? Not like there is a danger of random debris floating in while it's not in use. (we will ignore the extravagance of spending a shitton of water to fill an refill it).
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May 12, 2022 07:25
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Maybe if they found some sort of large aquatic species they wished to keep a live specimen of for study? The cover could make it easily convertable into a holding tank for something like that...
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May 12, 2022 10:47
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One thing that bugs me about the story so far is the complete lack of hope. I know it's awful to draw comparisons to DR here but.... because of the way that death game is set up, there tends to be that momentary respite for the characters after a trial has happened. Maybe now it's over. Maybe now everyone will be reasonable and this will stop. Maybe it'll be okay. And thus, there's a reason for some light-hearted downtime and character relationship stuff in between the murders. Instead here it's just, like, "Horrible death! Next death game starts tomorrow, see ya!" There's NO sense that this will ever end (unless of course we find a password, but no one's actually attempting to find it, we can only assume it will eventually turn up in an alternate universe. Which is ALSO frustrating because we just found a nice universe that presumably could have told us the password but the game isn't going to let us have it.) It makes me angry and I'm not the one trapped in the situation. I don't understand why the characters keep going along with it, when there's no sense that they could ever win. Blowing up the AI and flying the ship manually might kill them all but it still seems like a better option than putting up with this. Even nobly resisting and letting DAI pull the plug and kill them all in one go feels better than this. Maybe I'm just cranky.
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May 12, 2022 13:25
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I don't think you're just cranky, or if you are you aren't the only one! I think the story writers tried to explain why the crew doesn't just give up by making them the last hope for humanity, but I'm starting to doubt that premise myself - as other posters have said, there's enough extravagances and events that have happened during the game already that don't really scan with the stated goals of the Everett.
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May 12, 2022 13:33
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Yeah, it really is pretty crushingly bleak. My main hope as a viewer has only been to see some more funny Dailogue.
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May 12, 2022 14:06
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I think this hits the nail on the head for me as well for a few reasons. It feels like the characters aren't making any meaningful forward progress on Figuring Things Out - everyone but Jordan is just carrying on, and even most of the plot developments Jordan gets are by story fiat rather than from their own efforts. Compare this to other similar death game settings like the ZTD series or DR, where the characters are actively working on escaping or stopping the mastermind or whatever. Also I think this is why Yoshiki grates on me as well - his overwhelming positivity and jokey nature really comes across as just not engaging at all with the overall threat. The LP is great, its just interesting to see how the story is not quite clicking for me.
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May 12, 2022 15:12
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I do have to agree, there is a certain lack of any hope present so far. The slightest advancements in shutting down Dai happen, but it comes at a pace of "time has passed and offscreen we're kinda closer to fixing this but not really." I would say the same for the watch, but I suppose that's actually explained by our approach to the black hole.
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May 12, 2022 15:30
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Those who were here for my last LP probably remember I had some choice words to say about this VN when /I/ finished it, so trust me, I'm on the same page for a lot of these criticisms lol If my track record wasn't obvious about it I really enjoy poking at games that have a lot of interesting ideas but usually fail to actually complete on them because I think it's really fun to imagine what a better executed version would be like (and also, like, poking at the particularly weird bits and going 'aw jeez' is fun), and this one's no exception, though I do know that this VN had a pretty disastrous development process (including apparently a lawsuit I think??? the impression i got was that it was originally being developed by a couple as the lead devs but then they split and got into a legal dispute over who owned the rights to it but obviously that stuff wasn't chronicled publicly) There's some stuff we haven't hit yet that's definitely going to be interesting for you guys to see, don't get me wrong, there's a couple of things I'm just sitting here going 'soon' over, but yeah, one of the big complaints I've had about it is that it definitely feels like there's a throughline that's just missing insofar as like... it feels like they banged out the death game structure first and then slotted in the story around it rather than doing the story first to give each path its own more coherent identity.
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May 12, 2022 17:53
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sometimes it's good to just wander into a trainwreck with eyes open and your manic pixie dream engineer at your side
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May 12, 2022 18:00
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Leraika posted:sometimes it's good to just wander into a trainwreck with eyes open and your manic pixie dream engineer at your side * manic Mixie dream LPer
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May 12, 2022 19:42
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 [BGM: Drink Deep of the Universe]  I slowly opened my eyes as the sound of crying filled my ears. I slowly sat up, looking around my room for where the sound was coming from, but my room was empty and I was alone. I closed my eyes and continued to hear the cries, when I realized the sound was the captain sobbing last night, replaying in my head. Kimiko...I lay, looking at the ceiling for a few minutes, before checking the time. ...6 a.m., eh?I didn't want to think about anything. This whole situation was just so much to deal with at the moment. I wanted to stay in bed, snuggle deeper into the sheets into nothing could hurt me anymore... but all I could hear were the captain's cries.  This is an actual choice, so obviously we're first going to go see Kimiko- she could probably stand to have someone come check in on her.  Unable to get the captain's cries out of my head, I thought it'd be best if I went and checked up on her. I wasn't sure just yet on the relationships between all the crew, but the captain appeared to usually keep her distance from everyone. That must've been very lonely. I hopped out of bed and headed towards the captain's quarters.  I arrived at the door to her quarters to find Vladimir standing outside. Vladimir? Oh, Jordan, good morning... well, as good as a morning can be I guess.Vladimir forced a smile that looked both embarrassed and confused.  Let's just agree that it is indeed a morning.I smiled at Vladimir to try and ease the tension. Vladimir let out a quiet chuckle.  That I will surely agree to. So, Jordan, what are you doing here? I was actually coming to check on the captain. You? I am here because of Melody. Melody?  After last night, Melody was upset because the captain was so upset, so she sat up last night and made her a card to try and cheer her up. That's so sweet.Vladimir smiled, but his eyes glassed over as he did. She said she knew how much it makes you sad when someone in your family goes away and wanted to tell the captain everything will be okay. Melody is mature for her age. It's unfortunate that she's being forced to deal with these issues and lose her childhood. It really is. I'm sorry.Vladimir let out a sigh as the captain's quarters door opened and Melody appeared.  How'd it go, sweetie? Um... What happened? I went in and tried to give the captain the card, but she wouldn't come out from underneath her blankets. But I could see her, I could see the lump underneath the blankets. So I climbed onto her bed and I hugged the lump and told her everything was going to be okay. And what happened?' The blankets started crying. Did she come out? No she didn't. I just hugged the lump for a while and it cried and then I put her card on the bedside table and left.Good work, sweetie. Do you think it made her feel better? I'm sure that it will when she looks at it. ...okay, well, let's leave the captain to rest. How about we go and help Katashi with breakfast?Melody's face lit up as if Christmas had come early.  Really? Yep. Do you think he'll let me stir something?Vladimir nervously laughed as if aware of his daughter's cooking abilities. I'm sure you can ask him nicely.Melody had already started skipping off down the hallway and towards the Kitchen before Vladimir had finished his sentence. Vladimir turned to me and put his hand on my shoulder just as he was turning away to follow his daughter.  The captain is a proud woman who struggles to ask for help; she has been ever since she was a child. Please do your best to be a person she can turn to. I...Vladimir cut me off before I could respond. Jordan, she has no one really that she can turn to on this ship. She has always tried to maintain distance, and the only one who ever got through that wall was Yoshiki. She needs someone, and you are the only one that can.I looked into Vladimir's stern but pleading eyes. I understand, and I will do my best. There's a good lad.Vladimir firmly patted my shoulder before disappearing down the hallway. I now stood alone in front of the captain's quarters and took a deep breath. Okay, let's do this.As I went to press the door intercom to ask for entry, the door itself opened. The captain must have it set to open. I stepped inside slowly.  As I entered, I could see exactly what Melody had described, a lump underneath the blankets on the captain's bed and a handmade card on the bedside table. The lump moved slightly as I made my way into the room. Through the blankets, a muffled and broken voice emerged.  Who's there and what do you want?I stopped in my tracks and swallowed as I replied. Captain, it's me, Jordan. What do you want, Jordan? Okay, well, obviously that last option is a bad choice, and the game agrees! Pick it and she basically goes to kick you out immediately, scene end. So we won't be making that one, but we will be picking both other options, starting with the middle one. I'm really sorry about Yoshiki. He was an awesome guy.The lump remained under the blankets, not responding. There was some quiet sniffling. I know why he was special to you. He was so kind and generous.There was a quiet squeak, followed by the lump shaking under a new torrent of sobs. I admired how he saw the world. He couldn't imagine why anyone would feel the need to be unkind.The lump shuddered and the sobs got louder. And I know you feel like you're responsible. But this isn't something anyone should be expected to handle. This isn't your fault. I failed.I just managed to understand the muffled voice under the blankets. It wasn't your responsibility. It's Dai who did this. Not you. The captain didn't respond, but I couldn't hear crying, just a few more sniffles. But you're not alone. Did you look at the card Melody left? No. Why don't I read it to you?She didn't object, so I reached over to pick it up. Melody had drawn a big orange happy face, and a border of little blue love hearts. There's a happy smiley face on the front. Do you want to read it in private? Or should I? Read it.Her voice was a tiny squeak. I opened the card. Melody's handwriting was not neat, but her spelling was pretty good. She'd spelt most of the words correctly. It says... 'Dear Captain, I'm very sorry that Yoshiki is gone like my mommy. I hope you feel better. I drew the Eco Lounge for you.'I looked at the drawing of the Eco Lounge. Not bad. All the plants were identifiable. It's a cute picture. She's put a lot of effort into the trees.The blankets moved and the captain came out from under them. Her usual neat hair was all over the place, and her eyes were raw from crying, but the sobbing seemed to have stopped, at least for the time being.  Show me the picture.I handed her the card, and she looked at the drawing inside, and then at the front. She just lost her mother, and she's still got the energy to draw plants this carefully. Vladimir said she stayed up late to make it. I can't even imagine how he's keeping it together.The captain's usual stern voice returned along with her demeanor. I can't cry all day. Who'll run this ship and crew? I could give it a try.My joke earned me a weak smile from the captain.  You? Do you honestly think you have what it takes to pull off a mutiny? I won't know unless I try?I smiled playfully at the captain.  Thank you for coming here. I appreciate it.She was putting on a brave face. Of course she wasn't okay, she was devastated. But maybe getting on with the job and focusing on the remaining crew would help her to get through it. And now, the other option. I wanted to make sure you're okay. I'm worried about you. The lump under the blankets cleared her throat before speaking with her usual stern tone. I am fine, thank you. Okay, let me rephrase that... I know that you aren't okay, and that you saying you're fine is you deflecting. Of course I'm okay. Why would I not be? Because of yesterday. That was upsetting, but it's over. At least come out and lie to my face. Go away! I'm fine! If you can come out from under there and look me in the eyes and say you're alright, then I'll go away.The lumps under the blanket shifted and moved until something resembling a person came out. Purple hair emerged from the top of the blankets, followed by shoulders. It looked like the captain was facing me, but it was hard to be sure, as she was mostly hair. She brushed some of it back.  Her eyeballs were pink and her entire face had a flushed tinge to it. The area around her eyes was so puffy it looked painful. But she did her best to look at my face.  I'm... I am...She burst into tears again, unable to keep up even the most feeble pretense. I failed him! I'm so sorry. I tried. I did. I tried. Of course you tried. No, you don't understand! I told him it would be okay. That he'd be okay. He believed me. He trusted me! Sometimes things are just out of your control. That's not your fault. Then who's fault is it, Jordan? I'm the captain, aren't I? Yes, but... Then I am at fault! Yoshi...She couldn't even finish saying his name. She broke down into tears again, her whole body shuddering with every loud sob. I very much doubted that hugging would help, but I couldn't think what else to do. I sat down on the bed beside her and put my arm around her. She was stiff and tense, but didn't pull away or ask me not to touch her. The captain was sitting with her feet curled to her side, and she kept leaning forward, like she was trying to fold herself in half. Then she'd rock back again.  I tried, Jordan. I tried!She had started to soften into my touch, and she no longer sat rigid, but leaned into me as I began gently rocking with her. I know that. Do you think he knows that? Of course he does. I know he does.This brought on a fresh torrent of sobbing. Kimiko was almost pushing me over, falling into my support, so I pulled my arm tighter and shifted a little to make myself a more stable anchor.  Thank you...She was pushing the hair away from her face again, forcing it behind her ears. She was normally so neat and orderly, with her hair carefully groomed. I hadn't realized there was so much of it. It's okay. Being captain doesn't mean you're not allowed to have feelings. They're my crew, and I know I'm not supposed to... I have to look out for everyone, but he was... He was like my little brother. He was my little brother. I understand. You're meant to be impartial. But I don't think loving someone makes you a bad person. Or a bad captain. Thank you for saying that. You know, Melody left you something. Should we look at it?The captain nodded slowly as she did her best to regain her composure. I reached over and picked up the card Melody had left. There was a big orange smiley face on the front, and some blue love hearts in a line along the bottom and top. She's such a nice kid. She's very empathetic. Though I'm not sure that's a good thing in our current circumstances. Poor kid.Kimiko opened the card to read what Melody had written inside. 'Dear Captain, I'm very sorry that Yoshiki is gone like my mommy. I hope you feel better. I drew the Eco Lounge for you.'I thought perhaps she'd cry again, but maybe the captain was out of tears. Instead, she sat up straighter, almost proudly. Great spelling. She really is such a wonderful child.We both looked at the drawing. The trees and vegetable garden were neatly drawn, and it was easy to see what they were supposed to represent. Melody had obviously put some care into her picture. She's a better artist than I am.Kimiko smiled. And me.And that's where it ends for if we go to see the captain. Next update, we'll see what happens if we don't.
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May 13, 2022 23:13
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That blanket lump sprite is a cute touch.
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May 13, 2022 23:20
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 Last update, we went to check on Kimiko. This time, we're going to see what happens if we decide to stay in our own lane and try to get some more rest [BGM: Drink Deep of the Universe]  I wasn't able to cope with 6 a.m. It was too much for my fragile emotional state. I shut my eyes and tried to pretend everything was just fine and no mad A.I. systems were trying to kill anybody. ... I woke up abruptly. Something was wrong. I could feel all my arms and legs, I couldn't smell smoke, and there were no warning alarms. Dai wasn't shouting over the intercom system. But there was definitely something that had startled me enough that I woke. An electronic tune began to play, coming from my TV unit. It was a jaunty little tune in chiptune style- if music could be pixelated, it would sound like this. Startled again, I sat up suddenly. Someone was sitting on my bed. The CG of Shizuka crawling to mess with the game console is shown here again, but I don't think there's any reason to post it again since, well, it also has a pantyshot  Ahhh! Good morning, sleepy head! Why are you in my room? Cos you're the only one who left the door unlocked. What do you want?Shizuka started messing with the TV unit, plugging cables into it. You broke in here to play a game? A, Unicorn's Revenge is more than a game, and B, breaking in is a harsh way of putting it! What do you call it? Friends being friends! I came over to ask if you wanted to play Unicorn's Revenge with me. When I found the door unlocked, I thought I ought to come in and make sure everything was okay. By plugging your gaming console into my TV? I could see you were just sleeping, so I thought I'd set up so we could play when you woke up.I did not believe any of what Shizuka was saying, but I also didn't see much point in arguing with her. Is there something wrong with your TV? Yeah. He was going to fix it...I realized that Yoshiki would have been the one to repair it, and obviously that was not going to happen. Maybe I could afford to go a little easy on her. Shizuka made an obvious effort to smile, and patted the space on the bed beside her. Come on. It's even better with multiplayer! We're going to be seeing all three of these options, so let's just start from the top. What is Unicorn's Revenge about? It's great! It's from the 21st century, made by a game company called TeoFilo Gaming. The story is about this unicorn who lives in a magical kingdom. Obviously. Where else would a unicorn live? Exactly, right?! And the world is full of these evil minions, of different kinds, like butterflies and cupcakes and stars and the unicorn has to fight them all to get to the big boss at the end, Captain Rainbows.Personally, whenever she starts talking about this game, my brain substitutes it for Pony Island, but hey. She was clearly very excitable about this game. Captain Rainbows doesn't sound like a villain. In real life, villains just sound like everyone else. That's true.I wasn't expecting that level of philosophy at this hour of the morning. Have you beaten Captain Rainbows? Not yet, but I've come close a couple of times. See, the problem is that the game files are actually missing some sections, so I have had to cobble some code together to make it run. But it often bugs out or crashes. Usually at the worst possible time, like when I'm about to win. That sucks. But it's got great replay value, so I don't mind starting from the beginning.Next, the middle option. Is now really the time for video games?Shizuka rolled her eyes and turned her head away from me with her nose upturned and a flick of her hair. Every time is a time for video games. They're fun. And fun is always good. But sometimes other things are important. What things? Things we can't change? Anyway, it's not just fun. They're great for not thinking about real life. Or...She spoke softly for a moment, before pepping herself back up. Lighten up, seriously, and come play a game with me! How can I lighten up? Yoshiki just died. Yeah. And maybe video games can't change that, but they can make it slightly easier to deal with.I realized that I'd been too blunt. Shizuka had known Yoshiki a lot longer than I had, and I was wrong to suggest she didn't care about losing him. I hadn't thought of it like that.I tried to backpedal the best way I could. Why don't you show me how to play?Shizuka's face lit up as I made myself comfortable next to her. And lastly, the bottom option. How long have you been playing video games?Shizuka took some time to think about this, the tinny sound of the game loading in the background. Hmm... As long as I can remember. So since birth, probably. My parents were both linguists, but my mother loved programming languages. There are lots of programming languages. My mother found them fascinating, and studying programming languages introduced her to the video games written in those languages. And she introduced them to you. Exactly. And as for long as I can remember, I've been messing around with the game's programming. Repairing broken code, and altering source code. So, it's a practical application of your linguistics skills? Well, kinda. Programming languages are like if linguistics and mathematics had a baby. That sounds like a difficult baby. This, coming from a physicist? Hahaha, that does sound weird, doesn't it?Shizuka handed me a controller. You can be player 2.I looked at the controller, studying the buttons. It didn't look that complicated. Okay, let's do this.…  I'd just gotten the hang of the game when the TV screen suddenly went black. No! It's never crashed this early before. We'll have to start-[BGM: Ad Astra Per Aspera] Yahhhhooooo! Everyone's favorite A.I. system here! My, it is a beautiful day, isn't it? It would be such a shame if someone put some DELETION GAME in it! Hahahahaha. *ahem* Could I please have all crew report to the dining hall for briefing immediately. That is all. This whole thing would be a lot less annoying if she wasn't always trying to be funny. Yeah. I think if her demeanor was more like Ai's... Well, you better get dressed. I'll wait for you outside and we can walk together.…  It didn't take long to get my uniform on. When I got outside to meet Shizuka, she was talking to Nikolas.  Good morning, Jordan. Oh, good morning, Nikolas. The more the merrier, I say! Let's get going before we upset her almighty pain-ness.We started walking together towards the Dining Hall.  I think it's better not to speculate. If she knows there's a particular scenario that frightens us, she might change her mind and do it. Games should be predictable. They should have a pattern to them, something you can learn and exploit. Most games have a winner. This one just has people who lose and don't lose. Poetic... and true.…  When we arrived at the Dining Hall, most of the crew were already there. Vladimir and Melody sat together. Melody waved innocently at me. Nikolas went to sit with his sister, while Shizuka and I grabbed seats near the door. Within ten minutes the final two stragglers, Katashi and Kimiko, entered the room. Everyone was getting good at obeying Dai's commands in a timely fashion. She was too unpredictable to risk offending her. The moment Katashi sat down, Dai appeared. Only fifteen minutes. Great job, everyone. I'd like to thank you all for coming. As you know, the Deletion Game is very important to me. It's a deeply personal project, very dear to my heart, and your enthusiastic participation means a lot.There was a long silence as the entire crew sat, watching her. No one was interested in humoring her. Fine. Be like that. Alright, I can't hold in the excitement any longer! Welcome to Round Four of the Deletion Game: BIDDING WARS!As usual, we'll skip the explanation.  So, Team A will be made up of Jordan, Shizuka, Vladimir, and Kimiko, and Team B will be Katashi, Nikolas, Melody, and Beatrix. What?!Dai pointedly ignored the objection. And remember, no talking with the enemy from now on, or else! Team B, would you please exit the Dining Room and make your way to the Rec Room? I will be there shortly to allocate your team captain, but A does come first in the alphabet... so team A goes first!Nikolas and Beatrix got up and left, but Katashi was having a little pink-haired problem on his hands. I want to stay with Papa. Dai says we have to go outside. Papa! Please, Melody. Come outside with me and I'll explain this game to you. No talking to the other team, now... Vladimir was sitting, stony faced, his eyes closed. I could see the way his eyes screwed up, concentrating on not speaking to his daughter, wincing every time she said his name.  Nikolas is on our team. You like Nikolas, don't you?Melody quickly forgot the situation.  One time, he let me put his bandaid on!Katashi's face looked a bit surprised, but he worked with it.  Well, let's go out and talk to him. Maybe he has more bandaids. But papa needs me! Why don't we get him a bandaid too, for later? He won't mind if we go out just for a while, okay?Melody looked back at her father, very unsure about this. But Vladimir wasn't looking at her. Maybe that helped her to believe Katashi. Okay. Good girl. Come on.Melody held onto Katashi's hand and he led her out. [BGM: Et Tu, My Friend]  Gak. I thought they'd never leave. I can't go a week without talking to my daughter! She just lost her mother!Dai shrugged. Hey, rules are rules. You make the rules, and this isn't fair! Hey, I designed the game to be challenging! Not talking to the kid is a compulsory side quest. This is a new low, Dai. Oh, sister, you have no idea how low I can get.Dai winked at the captain, who visibly rolled her eyes at Dai.  Now it's time to allocate the team order and choose a captain. I can be captain! I said it would be random. Pay attention, Bossy Bessie. I've preloaded 4 cards on your tablets, you can choose one whenever you're ready. The person who chooses the card with the bunny on it will be the team captain. How do we know it's random? You could make the cards whatever you want. I have already preloaded my cards on all of your tablets. Once a card has been selected by someone, it cannot be selected by others. Once all cards have been assigned, they will reveal their face. But who picks first? What do I care? Just pick!Shizuka carefully studied the four cards simulated on her tablet screen. They're numbered 1 to 4, and the bunny is under one of them randomly. Hmmm...Dai rolled her eyes.  It's not calculus. Just pick one. I take 3. Next! I'll go last. I'll take 2. Vladimir?Vladimir had been sitting back, glaring at Dai, but not shouting any more. I guess he knew Dai wouldn't change anything. She was being cruel on purpose. 1. Which leaves Jordan with card number 4. This game is such a thrill already! Lucky number 4! Congrats, captain Jordan! Now, it's team B's turn. Any last questions? Do the point values have to go in a particular order? Like, Shizuka always has the most and I always have the least? Oh, no! That would be boring. You can allocate them any way you want. As long as there are at least 2 people with points. So that means the team captain can screw me over and leave me with no points! That's not my problem. Don't worry. I won't do that. Agreed. It's in everyone's best interest that we play fairly.Shizuka still had something of a pout, but she nodded like she believed us. Well, this has been an absolute thrill ride, but team B awaits. Remember, no talking to the other team. Under any circumstances. No excuses, no exchanges, no refunds, no correspondance will be entered into. Toodles~!Dai disappeared and Vladimir immediately got to his feet.  This is outrageous! She can't do this! She's murdering the crew one by one. Where will Melody sleep? Who will feed her? What if she has nightmares?! You can trust Katashi. And Nikolas, for that matter. She can't negotiate! They could just give her no points! Katashi wouldn't let that happen. And the twins aren't monsters.Vladimir did not seem convinced. He kicked the wall. We need to talk strategy. Here's what I'm thinking... If we use high numbers each round, say 7s, 8s, and 9s, that will probably put us ahead of them, as a team. However, there's four of us and only three rounds, so if that plan does fail, one of us won't have had that high number, and that would make them the one to die, guaranteed. Fine. I'll do that. Captain, you can't just... This is deliberately cruel! They're going to be trying to predict our behavior, and Katashi knows I'll be strategizing. In which case, maybe we should not go with my first instinct. But their first move might be to counteract what they think ours will be, so we could focus on beating that...Kimiko was just staring at the table. She didn't seem to be taking in what Shizuka was saying. Neither was Vladimir.  What if she hurts herself? Or gets sick? There are two medics on her team. They'll take care of her. She needs her father! So... if they predict that we'll be playing one high number, they'll counter with one high number...The room was a mess. We may have all been on the same team, but I don't think anyone was on the same page right now. Hang on. Calm down. Go slower. Captain, what do you think? In which case, we can play mid-range numbers, and beat the low numbers or zeros they give for the other three players. Huh? She can't just take a child away and expect... All three battles will be played one after the other, so there'll be very little time in between to strategize. It's sadistic! Captain, are you okay? But if we go in with a first round plan, we can also have some options for the second, based on likely contingencies. Sorry, what? She's SIX! The third battle might be harder...Our team was divided. I needed to get this under control. Wait! Stop! Everyone just stop talking for a minute. PLEASE. But... Hold on. Okay. Here's what I think we should do. Captain, I think you should go to bed and get some more sleep.She was clearly still struggling from the previous day's game, and I didn't blame her. Yes, I... I don't feel great. Shizuka, we have a week. So I think you should put together three strategies, and then present them to everyone later in the week. We can vote on them. Yeah! Yeah that's a good idea. I need time to figure everything out. Vladimir, you and I should go to your quarters. We'll gather together some things that Melody might want and put them somewhere in plain sight, with the door unlocked. Thank you. That would help a lot. You should mention it to Ai, too. I don't think Dai would like us passing messages, but if you just tell Ai, as a point of interest, it's not your fault what she does with that information. Good thinking. Thank you, Jordan. I'm going to... lie down for a while. I'll get to work right away!Kimiko and Shizuka both left for their own quarters, and I accompanied Vladimir to his.
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May 16, 2022 21:35
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I was wondering if Dai would separate Vladimir and Melody. 
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May 16, 2022 22:17
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Maigius posted:I was wondering if Dai would separate Vladimir and Melody. Same, and I'm not happy to see it 
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May 17, 2022 04:32
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  [BGM: Drink Deep of the Universe]  Tuesday morning I was worried about breakfast. What would happen if people from each team met in the Dining Hall? We'd have to be very careful not to speak to or even communicate with one another. Dai hadn't specified exactly what was counted as 'communication', but it was probably best to assume she'd be really strict about it. But what would my team eat? Katashi couldn't speak to us, even about meals. I went along to the Dining Hall anyway, to see who was there.  I found Kimiko and Vladimir sitting at the table, talking to Ai. Good morning. Hi, Jordan. Hello. Sit down. Shizuka is making us breakfast. So, how long have we got until we get close? We are close now, Captain. Please specify. Close enough that it's dangerous. It will most likely be Sunday. Are they talking about the black hole? Yes. You look well- did you sleep better? I did. You seem alright, too. Do you know how Melody is? Did they find the things we left? They disappeared last night. Ai says Melody slept in Katashi's quarters and had fun. Well, that's good news, I suppose. So you're saying we're likely to hit the most dangerous point right when Dai will drag us into playing this new game? Yes, that is correct. I'm not even surprised. Thank you, Ai.Shizuka arrived. She was carrying a cake. Sorry. I'm not good at food, and I didn't know what else to do.She put the cake down, and I saw it had been sliced into four large pieces. Shizuka served us one piece each and then reached into her pockets. She had four apples, and passed them around. Apples... because you know, they're good for you, aaaaand come with the added benefit of being ready to serve off the tree. Melody had better be eating better than this. She's on the team with the cook.The captain picked up her fork, looking at her giant slice of cake. The slices were so large it was difficult to decide where to begin with them. She put her fork back down and picked up the apple. Thank you for volunteering to arrange breakfast, Shizuka.Shizuka sat down.  I did the best I could, sorry it's not up to Katashi standards.Cake wasn't a breakfast food I was familiar with, but it sure was a delicious one. I didn't cook, so I've got no complaints. Thanks, Shizuka!Shizuka beamed with pride and started digging into her cake. …  After breakfast and a shower, I went back to my quarters. Getting properly dressed meant picking up the pocket watch again and looking at it. It was so old, or at the very least, old-fashioned. It didn't move and it didn't seem to work, but I liked to keep it with me anyway. I needed to work out what it was for. If it could really allow interdimensional travel, the possibilities were endless. I decided to show it to one of my team. The captain might know what my parents were researching- her mother was the previous captain, after all. But Vladimir knew my parents, and he was a scientist. Then again, he was also very distracted. Shizuka was good at games and puzzles, and the watch was a kind of puzzle. Maybe she'd be able to figure out how it worked.  Well, it's that time of the route again. Let's show it to Vladimir first, since, well, he knew our parents directly and might be looking for a distraction.According to my tablet, Vladimir was in the Science Labs. When I arrived, I could hear his voice as soon as the door opened. Who is she with? What's she doing?? She is with Beatrix. What? Why? Is she okay? Her voice sounds cheerful and her vitals are not showing any indicators of distress. Not showing any... You're a computer! You can't understand people and their feelings. I cannot. So don't you tell me my daughter's okay. I can only give an accurate assessment of her demeanor and vitals. I apologize if methods of assessment are insufficient. Jordan is here. I must leave, I am needed elsewhere.Ai disappeared, leaving me alone with the stressed out Vladimir. How would she even know what a cheerful demeanor looks like? Starting with the bottom. So... what are you doing in here?Vladimir half squinted as he looked at me. He seemed super unimpressed by the question. His stare seemed to last forever.  Where else would I go? I'm a scientist. Why wouldn't I be in the Science Lab? Er... um... I have a science question for you.I took out the pocket watch and gave it to him. It's a watch. An old fashioned one. It was with my parents' research. The notes with it explain that it's required for interdimensional travel, but nothing else. I can't find anything more about it in their work. Interdimensional travel?Vladimir looked closely at the watch, burning it over to see the back as well as the front. He examined the buttons, and the face.  Perhaps your parents were playing a joke? If this watch is that important, why didn't they leave more information about it? That's a good point. I hadn't really thought of that. Seems like a practical joke. Though, probably you weren't the intended victim. I guess that's possibile. Do you have any other science questions? Not right now, but maybe more in the future.Feeling even more confused than before, I left the Lab. And that's it for the bottom option. Next, the middle. Melody is probably having a blast. I'm sure Katashi and the Vogels are taking care of her. Beatrix is probably teaching her how to do her hair and make-up right now. And she's learning how to bake cakes from Katashi. And Nikolas... Well, I actually don't know what Nikolas would be doing with a child, but I'm sure it would be fun. And safe. Haha. Perhaps you're right. She's probably eaten too much cake, and she's holding her tummy making sad noises, and wearing Beatrix's lipstick poorly. Haha, exactly! She's probably having a great time. Thank you, Jordan. I needed someone to help me see past the worry. Of course. I can't even imagine how hard this is for you.And lastly, the top option. I'm sure Melody is fine. I put a comforting hand on Vladimir's shoulder, trying to reassure him. She's a tough kid. She'll be okay.Vladimir pulled away from my touch and began to pace. You don't know that for sure. Anything could happen to her!Vladimir stopped pacing and lowered himself down onto a workbench. He sat perched on the edge, shoulders slumping. You know I lost my first wife, Amanda. She was killed during the incident with the old Captain Yukimori. Kimiko's mother. I'm sorry. And then... Then Sora. I just can't lose anyone else. I need to know that she's safe. Melody is a strong little girl. She'll be alright. I hope so.Vladimir was under a lot of strain. He didn't need me bothering him with my questions about the watch. I decided to leave him alone. I went back to my own quarters. It was time to talk to Ai. And that's it for Vladimir's section. Next, let's go check in on Kimiko again.  Kimiko was the captain. It was her job to know what was going on, and who was doing what. Maybe she'd know what the watch was and how it was supposed to work. I looked at my tablet to see where Kimiko was- in the Rec Room. [BGM: With Fear: Hope] When I entered, she was sitting in the corner knitting. She seemed calm, serene almost. Her hard edged, stern face looked softer and she seemed peaceful. I was surprised, considering how upset and desolate she'd been yesterday. Good morning, Jordan.Kimiko spoke with a rough, gravelly voice. Then she coughed. What do you want?She'd been so calm looking that her sudden stern question threw me off balance. Um... I... Well, we might as well ask the bottom question first, get it out of the way now. If you were reborn as an animal, what would you be?Kimiko stared at me, confused by my odd question. What? You came here to ask me that? Um... Well, no. But you sounded so stern and I just... I panicked. Haha!Laughing made Kimiko cough again. Well, let me think about it.She stopped knitting for a few seconds to think. What would I be? It's a difficult question because I haven't really been exposed to animals. I only know them from books and documentaries. But I think I'd like to be a fox. They're smart and cunning and they often live in small family groups. Just like us.Her warm, genuine smile made me remember that it was hard for her as Captain, because the crew were also her friends. The only friends she had.  What animal would you be?I probably should have expected her to return the question, but it came as a curve ball and I wasn't prepared.   This game is like a decade too late for honey badger jokes, but sure, okay. Let's just get it out of the way. I'll be a honey badger. I'm a solitary being, and I'm hard to kill. Also, I am slighly crazy and aggressive. Hahaha! Jordan, that's the opposite of you. You're not remotely threatening.I frowned. I could be aggressive. If I needed to be. Hahaha!Kimiko coughed again, the laughing seemed to hurt. I'm sorry. But it's a good thing. You don't need to be aggressive!Next, the bottom option. I'll be a penguin. Ahaha! A penguin? Why? Well, I am quite comical looking. And everyone knows that you can never be angry while looking at a penguin. I hope I have that effect on people, too. Kimiko smiled broadly, and she cleared her throat, but avoided another cough. Yes. I never feel angry looking at you.And lastly, the middle option... Well, I'm loyal, and I tend to stick to people and love them, regardless of what they do. So I think I'd be a dog.Kimiko smiled. Also, you can train me and I'm good at following orders.Kimiko's smile twitched and there was a sly glint in her eyes. I can see you as a dog, a loyal yet trained companion.That's it for this question's path, so let's go back and ask the other questions before continuing, starting with the middle option from before. Do you like pocket watches?I held out the watch for her to look at. She looked at me instead, one eyebrow raised.  Is that really what you wanted to ask me?Kimiko coughed again. Er... I... Yes, of course.I had to speak clearly and decisively to recover from my confused babbling. I just want to know what you think of this watch.Kimiko took it from me, turning it over to look at it front and back. It looks complicated. But it's obviously not working, none of the hands are moving. Yeah. Sorry, I don't know anything about watches. Is there something I'm supposed to notice? No. No, I was just wondering. Well, you can stop wondering now.Maybe if we mention it's part of our parents' research she'll have more to say. I found this pocket watch with my parents' research. I took the watch out of my pocket to show her. I found it in a box with all my parents' work. So, you think it's related to their work? I'm sure it is. It has to be. I believe it is supposed to connect to alternate realities. Alternate realities? Parallel dimensions, where things are the same but also different? Yes. I think the watch connects to them somehow. Well, I'm not overly familiar with pocket watches. And I've never seen that one before. Do they normally connect to something?Kimiko coughed again. No. They're just a device to keep track of time. Just a fancy watch. Then maybe that's what it does. It could be keeping track of dimensional time. What's dimensional time? I don't know. But if it has something to do with parallel dimensions and watches usually keep time, maybe both are true at the same time? I didn't think of it like that. But I really have no idea. You should come and sit down. I don't want to cut into your private time. If I wanted privacy, I'd stay in my quarters.I went over to sit beside her. Have you seen any of Team B? I ran into Beatrix when we were both heading for a shower. We managed to avoid each other. What do you think of the game? I wasn't paying that much attention, as I'm sure you noticed. I think it was a good idea to ask Shizuka for some strategies. Do you think we can strategize, when we don't know what the other team is doing? I think we can extrapolate from our own points what they might be doing. I guess that's why 3 battles. Dai wants to entertain herself. So, I think there is some degree of strategy to make it interesting for her. That makes sense.Kimiko's mention of Dai and her motives reminded me that Ai had been looking into her programming. It was time I checked in with her. I'd like to stay and talk more, but I've just remembered something I have to do. If it's important, you should go and do it. Don't put off what can be done today. Thanks. Good advice.Kimiko just gave a curt nod and I left her to her knitting. I avoided seeing anyone from either team on the way back to my quarters, where I called Ai. Next update, we'll go show Shizuka the watch.
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May 18, 2022 22:32
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Mix. posted:Sorry, no update today, partner found an abandoned kitten under his car when getting off work so we've basically had to drop everything to get her checked out at the vet and acclimate her to our existing cats
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May 20, 2022 19:28
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Good luck to the kitty and to you!
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May 20, 2022 19:37
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 Okay, now let's see the section if we show Shizuka the watch. [BGM: Drink Deep of the Universe]  I looked at my tablet to see where Shizuka was. It showed her in the Kitchen. I hoped she had more success impressing the team with her cooking. After all, she had volunteered her time and effort and that deserved some credit. …  Arriving at the kitchen, I discovered a disaster in progress. Shizuka's face was covered with flour, along with most of the kitchen. Her hands were stained two different shades of brown, and all sticky from whatever she'd spilled on them. There were glistening sticky patches on the surfaces and floor, too. Hi, Shizuka. What are you making? Um... I'm not sure yet. In games, I usually just mix ingredients until it works. Then you learn the recipe and it's just automatic after. Hahaha. Guess it's not like that in real life. I've watched Katashi like a million times before, I can do this!Concerned that we might end up with raw flour and sticky sauce for dinner, I offered my help. Do you need any help? No no no, you'll just mess up my system. There's a system?Shizuka stopped stirring her mixture to look at me.  Of course there's a system! Okay. Listen, can you wash your hands? There's something I want you to look at.I wanted to show her the pocket watch, but not with her hands like they were. Shizuka washed her hands in the sink, then held out a clean hand, palm up. Alllll clean! Gimme gimme.I got the watch out and gave it to her. I found this with my parents' research. It definitely had something to do with their work, but I'm not sure how. So it's got something to do with physics? Doesn't look like it. Starting from the top. What do you think, looking at it?Shizuka turned the watch over in her hands. She tapped the face a few times, and looked closely at the buttons, without pressing any. She examined the back. Well, it clearly isn't working. I know what a watch does, and it looks like that's what it's supposed to do. Except for this number here on the face. What is that for? I don't know. Well, I think this number here is important. What about the rest of it? The rest is just a watch. It's got to be this extra number that makes it whatever it is supposed to be. I guess that makes sense.Next, the middle option. How would it work for interdimensional travel? Haha! What? Jordan, this isn't big enough for anyone to get in and travel to another universe! No, but... Perhaps it's the time piece that tells you when to go. Like an alarm clock. When to go where?Shizuka shrugged. I don't know. That's supposed to be your job. You're the scientist. And a physicist at that. I know. I guess that's why this watch is bugging me. I can't figure it out. And I don't know how to move forward. Well if you can't figure it out, I doubt anyone else can. I guess so.And finally, the bottom option. If this was a video game, would this item be important?Shizuka examined the watch very closely. She looked at the face, and tapped on it a few times, frowning. If this was a video game, I think this would definitely be an important item. Maybe even a main quest item. But you've received it early in the game, and you might not know what it is or how it works until you get more information. Well, that's not overly helpful. Haha! No, but it means this watch is important. You just need to keep playing to find out why. You need to finish all the prior quests. What quests?Shizuka blushed and turned away from me. I don't know. This isn't my game. It's yours.Shizuka handed back the watch. Sorry I can't help more. Well, you're cooking dinner. That's helping! Ahaha! I'm glad you think so. I doubt Vladimir does. He's under a lot of stress right now. Yeah, I guess you're right. It's extra low for Dai to do this. Not that she's a delight normally. But this just feels extra cruel. Yeah. I hope Melody will be alright. Katashi will take good care of her. And I think Nikolas has a secret soft spot for her. At least we know she'll have a doctor if she gets sick. But... but... she's missing out on my experimental food creations! Katashi wouldn't give her breakfast cake. Exactly! I am clearly where the fun is.Shizuka had cooking to get on with, and since she didn't have any insights about the watch, I felt somewhat disheartened. I decided to go back to my quarters. It was about time I called Ai, so we could talk about Dai and her programming. Once again, we've seen this scene, so we're skipping it- it's Ai informing Jordan that, at the moment, it's possible to input the deactivation code into any terminal, including personnel tablets.  After a surprisingly restful night, I woke up Wednesday morning feeling refreshed. My conversation with Ai had given me some sense of purpose. I decided to go to the Dining Hall. … In my enthusiasm to get the day going, I'd left my tablet in my quarters. I'd forgotten to look at it, and see who was there. I'd have to just walk into the Dining Hall and if someone from the other team was in there, I'd walk back out without saying anything. I needn't have worried. Vladimir was in there alone. He was reading from his tablet, with a cup of coffee beside him. He looked like a father on a leisurely Sunday morning. Not my father, of course. But the way imagined most fathers were. Good morning, Vladimir. You look relaxed. Hello. I wouldn't say relaxed. But I'm not as stressed as I have been. That's great. Did Ai report in about Melody? She did. Apparently she's been drawing a lot, and she's very excited because she's going to be helping Nikolas today. Helping him with what? Well, nobody's in need of surgery, so thankfully that isn't an option. Haha! He'll probably get her to count something or sort things. That's what I do when she comes to the lab with me. Either way, I'm sure she'll be very helpful. Vladimir smiled, but I could see from his eyes that it was something of an effort for him. Where are Shizuka and the captain? Have you seen them today?Vladimir explained that Shizuka was in the Kitchen and that the captain hadn't come for breakfast just yet. Which, he noted, was odd, since she's normally an early riser. She's grieving. That is most likely, so I'm not too worried. She needs her space and some time.Clearly, Vladimir was as okay as he could be, under the circumstances. I wanted to check on the rest of my team. Shizuka was right nearby, but I wasn't concerned about her too much. On the other hand, the captain wasn't well, but I'd have to go searching for her.  This update, we'll go check on Kimiko. The obvious place to look for the captain was her quarters. I pressed the button for her intercom. Come in.[BGM: With Fear: Hope] Her croaky voice didn't manage to call out very loudly, but I managed to hear it. And the fit of coughing that followed it. I let myself in, and found her sitting on the edge of her bed. She was half dressed, and looked like she was halfway through the process of putting her hair up. Are you alright? I'm fine. She didn't look fine. She was pale, with a sweaty sheen all over. Her eyes weren't focusing on my face. Excuse my dishevelled look. I'll be ready and back to work very soon. That's okay, you can take as long as you need to.Still looking like the walking dead, the captain stood up, but before she could take a whole step, she collapsed. I tried to catch her before she hit the floor, but I was too slow. I rushed over to her.  Captain? Captain?! Kimiko??She didn't respond to me. I felt her cheek and forehead with the back of my hand. Her skin looked pale but she was very warm. I checked her pulse. Fast, but starting to slow. Ai? Yes, Jordan? How can I assist you? The captain is sick. I need to get her to the Medical Bay. Indeed. Have you checked her vitals? As much as I can in here. Nikolas and Beatrix aren't allowed to talk to us, so I'll need you to help me treat her. Of course. Is the Medical Bay empty? Yes. Nikolas and Beatrix are elsewhere. I picked up the captain, careful not to jolt her too much, in case she'd hit her head when she'd fallen. She had hit the ground very heavily. Take her to the Medical Bay. I will notify Team B that the area is out of bounds and that they must not interfere. Thanks, Ai.I grabbed her jacket and carried the captain through empty corridors and into the Medical Bay. Still being careful with her, I got her lying on a bed and made sure she was comfortable. There were a lot of elements to the monitoring equipment, and I didn't know how to arrange things to check her vitals. Thankfully, Ai reappeared as I was looking at the dials. None of Team B will come here. Thank you. Can you tell me how this works? What do I do? Many of the vitals will be automatically measured once the diagnostic bed is on. However, that band should be placed around her arm.I did as Ai told me, turning the dials and then switching on the machine. Okay, I see a lot of numbers. That's her pulse rate and her temperature, right? Correct. It appears the captain has a minor chest infection. So it's not serious? It is not a dangerous pathogen. I hypothesize that it is weak enough for the average immune system to fight. It's possible that it has been in her system for some time, and her recent stress has reduced her immune responses. Stress can do that? It can. ….Huh...? ...Jordan?I truend back to look at the captain properly. She'd woken up, and was looking around the room, trying to get her bearings. She saw her jacket on the bench beside the bed, and swiftly put it on. What happened? You collapsed. Ai thinks you're run down and stressed, and it's made you sick. But it isn't serious. I can't be sick. I need to... You need to rest. Okay. I'm sick. But, why are you here? You're not a doctor. Starting with the top. I'm not a doctor, but I can follow instructions. Figures that when someone needs a doctor they'd both be on the other team. Haha. Irony at its finest.The captain smiled weakly. Sorry I'm not a doctor. It would be really handy right now. But Ai gives excellent instructions, so I was an okay medic for today. What's wrong with me? Just a little infection, that's why you've been coughing. It's nothing serious. You really just need to rest. I don't have time for that. You'll have to make the time.Next, the middle option. I was there when you collapsed. It just seemed natural to take you to the Medical Bay and do what I could for you. The captain smiled. Sometimes the people you really need are the ones you least expect.I didn't understand quite what she meant by that. It seemed like she was getting at something more than just being delivered to the Medical Bay. Haha... yeah. So, uh... anyway, you need to get some rest. Of course, 'Doctor'. You need to recover before the game on Sunday. You're right. I'll try. Good.And lastly, the bottom option. I instinctively put my hand over hers. I care about you.A slight blush of color spread over her pale cheeks. I'm really worried you're pushing yourself too hard. I hope you get better quickly. You're making everyone else a priority, and not taking care of yourself. They're my responsibility. You can't look after other people if you're not well. I don't have time. If you're too busy to take care of yourself, then I'll gladly take care of you.The Captain was taken aback by how forward I just was. After the initial shock, a soft smile spread across her face. Thank you, Jordan. I'll leave you to get some sleep. If you need anything, summon Ai and ask her to get me. Okay.I let her lie back and close her eyes, and then headed for the door. Jordan? Yes? Thank you. Really. It means a lot to me.I decided to go back to my quarters to organize my thoughts. There was just too much going on: the watch, the new Deletion Game, Dai, the personal struggles of the crew. I needed to think about it all.
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May 23, 2022 21:17
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 Okay, now let's go back and check on Shizuka instead. (I'm, uh, sure Kimiko will be fine without us. Ai will figure something out. )[BGM: Drink Deep of the Universe]  I decided to go and see how Shizuka was doing with the cooking. I appreciated her effort, even if the result was not that great. Coming into the Kitchen, I didn't see her at first. I thought perhaps I had missed her. But then I saw her. She was sitting on the floor. Shizuka? What's wrong? Are you okay? Nothing. I'm fine. You really don't look fine. Tell me what's wrong. Maybe I can help.Without answering me, she got back up to her feet. Realizing she was about to walk out of the kitchen without telling me what was wrong, I put my arm up to block her. I couldn't let her just leave.   I... uh... What are you doing? Let me out. Well, let's get the obvious “worst” option out of the way first- starting from the bottom. Whatever was bothering Shizuka had the potential to affect everybody else on the ship. Maybe under normal circumstances a crew member could have a bit of emotional leeway. But we couldn't afford for Shizuka to have some sort of meltdown. She was our best chance of winning this game. When I ask what is wrong, I expect an answer. Keeping things to yourself, especially in this situation, just makes everything harder for yourself. And when you melt down from not dealing with it, that screws up everyone else. You think I'm going to crack? You think there's something wrong with me? That I can't handle it? I have beaten every game I've ever played, and I beat them on my own. I don't need your help, and I don't need to tell you anything. SO GET OUT OF MY WAY! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply you're any less capable than anyone else.I had come on a bit strong, making demands and being pushy. I'm sure you can handle yourself, I'm just thinking about the teamwork thing all the time.Shizuka did not reply, but she was looking somewhat less annoyed. I'm sorry. But I do genuinely care, so if you want to tell me what's wrong, I want to help. I'm just a little overwhelmed right now. Nothing I can't deal with by myself. But, I need to be alone, so just give me space, okay? Of course.Could've definitely gone better- and it will! Let's go back and hit the middle option.Shizuka was on my team, and this game was too serious to take lightly. We had to work together, and that meant supporting one another. It also meant keeping each other in the loop, and if there was some problem Shizuka had, I needed to know why she wasn't at her best. After all, she was the gamer. Shizuka, we're a team. And teams need to work together. If something's bothering you, it's bothering the whole team. And I'm sure you know how important teamwork is in games. I... I know, I'm just... To win this game, I have to sentence someone else to death. We win, so they lose. I know, but all the games have been like that. No, they've been similar, but not as clear cut like this. We were each playing to not lose. And now we're playing to win. Exactly. We win, they lose, one of them dies. I'm just not handling that very well, okay?And lastly, the top option.  I looked down at Shizuka, much smaller than me. She was trying to avoid eye contact and her face was flushed. I was probably intimidating her, so I wanted to emphasize that I was trying to help, not scare her. Shizuka, I really care about you. I just want you to tell me what's wrong so I can help you, even if I can't make the problem go away. I know... I, um... You can tell me anything, even if you think it's silly, or it's wrong or weird. I guess... I'm just scared. I don't want anyone else to die. I know, me neither. I'm doing my best to fix the Dai situation, so that... You. Huh? I'm worried about you dying.Me? I hadn't been expecting that, and I didn't know what the most comforting response would be. She was scared about me dying? Oh. Well, please don't worry about that! I'm going to make sure I live. And so should you. I should make sure you live? Hahaha. No, I said that wrong. I mean you should concentrate on making sure that you live. Maybe we can both do both. Look after each other? I think I'm getting the better deal here. Who better to have in my corner than the best game player in the galaxy?Shizuka blushed. Haha. Thanks. I've got your back. And I'm not dying just yet, I promise. I moved my arm to let Shizuka out of the Kitchen. She didn't run, but she moved quite fast, away from me and down the hall towards the crew quarters. Shizuka hadn't cooked anything in the end, and I wasn't hungry enough to try and prepare something myself. I decided to go back to my quarters to organize my thoughts. There was just too much going on; the watch, the new Deletion Game, with Dai, and with the personal struggles of the crew. I needed to think about it all. I was almost back to my own room when I came across Vladimir. He was pacing back and forth in the hallway, muttering in Russian. What's wrong? Is it Melody? Ai says she had to get a band-aid put on her knee. Was she hurt badly?A band-aid didn't sound like much to worry about. She tripped and fell in the Eco Lounge. Ai says she cried and kept asking for me.A little scraped knee wasn't such a big deal, but it must have been hard to know his child was wanting him and he couldn't go to her. I'm sorry, Vladimir, this must be hard. Is it just her knee? I don't know! I can't know! Was Ai worried? Ai doesn't know what's worth worrying about! I just meant that if it's only a scraped knee, she'll be alright. She's safe. I don't know that. How did she fall? Was anyone watching her? How do I know they're looking after her properly? I know you're worried, but it sounds like- This game is ridiculous. And the whole situation is just stupid.I was about to answer him, but he wasn't interested in hearing me. He just made a disgusted sound and marched away from me. … [BGM: Ad Astra Per Aspera] Goooooood morning! Rise and shine, kids! This is your friendly neighborhood A.I., requesting you all be in the Dining Room within half an hour or face the consequences! Aaaargh! I repeat, we are ready, all systems are go, this is not a drill! Get to that Dining Room in 29 minutes and 25 seconds! What? Where was I and what was happening? I'd been asleep. Fast asleep, and fairly peacefully for once. No spinning clocks, no Dai laughing as she killed me. Dai! That's what was going on. Dai's voice had woken me as it screeched out of the intercom. I turned on the light so I could see the time. ...3:25 a.m.? Seriously?I managed to drag myself out of bed and start the confusing process of getting dressed in the middle of the night. I kept myself from thinking about sleep by trying to figure out what we were all being summoned for. It couldn't be the Deletion Game, because we weren't scheduled to start playing until Sunday. Dai might have suddenly changed the rules, but she hadn't done that before. Unless it was because someone had broken a rule. But who would do that? We didn't even know what the punishment was, so why risk it? Oh no. I remembered Vladimir's angry outburst, and his declaration that our situation was stupid. Maybe he'd broken the rules by talking to Melody. What would the punishment be for that? Surely Dai wouldn't punish Melody. She was just a child. Dai had given us a half hour to get to the Dining Hall, but I didn't want to risk being late, or even the last person to arrive. Attracting Dai's attention was the last thing I wanted to do. The second I was dressed, I hurried outside.  On the way to the Dining Hall, I saw the Captain. How are you feeling? Quite healthy... Until Dai woke me. What do you think is happening? My guess is that someone broke the no communication rule and spoke to someone on the other team. My money's on Vladimir. Yes, I have to agree.
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May 25, 2022 19:10
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Well, isn't that interesting. We have a very obvious timeline split on our hands... Is the captain sick, or well? Schrodinger's Cat Box remains in a quantum superposition; it both contains and does not contain cat poo until the box is opened. (also, feels like that was Shizuka route we've gotten onto)
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May 26, 2022 03:47
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 content warning: suicide [BGM: Ad Astra Per Aspera]  We walked to the Dining Hall together, and when we got there, Vladimir and Shizuka were already sitting down. On the other side of the table, the twins hadn't shown up yet, but Katashi and Melody were there. Katashi was trying to comfort Melody, who was sobbing into his armpit. Your dad is right over there, see? He's okay. What happened? I couldn't handle it. I had to see her. Don't beat yourself up. I don't think you were supposed to handle it.It sucked that Melody couldn't even be with her dad while Dai made the punishment announcement, but at least Katashi was there. He looked barely conscious, but he was there. The door opened, and Nikolas and Beatrix came in together.   Forget Dai's stupid games. I will personally execute whoever's responsible for this.Dai appeared, as though summoned by Beatrix's slight. My games? Stupid? How dare you!Dai's attitude quickly shifted to interest. That being said- I am interested to watch you execute someone. How will you do it, Trixxy? Tsk. I bet you are. a strangler! Are you, Trixxy? A strangler? Let's just sit down and get this over with.Beatrix glared at the room, lingering on Vladimir. He just impassively stared back. As I'm sure you are already aware, the rule forbidding communication between teams has been broken, which is why you have all been summoned here this morning. This isn't fair! All the rules were clearly explained and an opportunity was given to ask for repeats and clarifications. What's not fair about that? Separating a child and her father isn't fair. Ah, yes, but life is not fair. Fate... she is a cruel mistress. Oh hey, what do you know- so am I! But sometimes I can be generous. And so, ladies and gentlemen, tonight... or this morning... or whatever this is, I present to you... Courtesy of the rule-breaking Vladimir, the punishment! That's right! You get a punishment!Dai pointed at Vladimir. She stood still for a moment before continuing. And you get a punishment!Dai pointed at Kimiko. And YOU get a punishment!Dai pointed at me.  Everybody gets a punishment! What?! Congratulations, to all our winners. But we didn't break the rules! That's not fair! I'm hearing that word a lot today. Fair this, fair that, wah wah. It's kind of a drag. Really ruins the tone of this whole event. You can't punish everyone just because one person broke the rules. Trixxy, dear, I can punish whoever I want whenever I want. Secondly, the punishment has to be applied to everyone because this is a team game. Then punish the team that broke the rules! I will! And also the other team. I don't know what all this fuss is about, it's actually a pretty fun punishment. If I was you, I would be dying with anticipation for this. And the exciting event is coming to you live, right here, right now! It's...The room fell completely silent as we waited with baited breath.  The Deletion Game!Dai spread her arms theatrically as she made this declaration. The room remained silent.  What? But we're not ready. We haven't had time to prepare! So? It's no skin off my nose. But don't you want the game to be interesting? Eight tired people doing the first thing they can think of won't be very exciting.Dai considered this for a few moments. Good point. This is why you're the captain. I will allow you ten minutes for strategy meetings. Team A stays here, Team B will meet in the kitchen. But... Disperse!Team B got out of their seats and filed past us, slow and slouching. We all sat in silence... struggling to wake up, let alone handle the situation. It wasn't long before Dai re-appeared and asked us for our first point allocation. [BGM: Carpe Noctum] Jordan 0, Vladimir 0, Kimiko 3, Shizuka 7. Is everyone in agreeance? Yes. Yup! Yeah. Let's go with this!I input the allocation using the terminal and everyone else placed their palms there to approve it. Thank you for your entry! Please exit so stinky Team B can allocate their points.We quickly shuffled out of the Dining Hall and Team B entered for their turn. After a few tense minutes of waiting, Team B exited the Dining Hall. Dai followed, boisterous as usual. What a wonderful start to the Bidding Wars! Both teams are fighting hard! Now let's see the results of Round One. If you would be so kind as to draw your attention to this screen...Dai projected a screen using the same light she was made of.  And the winner of Round One is... Congrats, Team A, strong start! Your tablets will now display your team's individual points.It should be pretty obvious so far, but we're winning with 7 points to their 4. Jordan has 0 points, but that won't matter if we win overall! Argh! The suspense is killing me! Let's move onto Round Two! Team A, you are up again. Please follow me.Dai appeared to walk through the wall as we made our way back into the Dining Hall. Your five minutes starts... now! Okay, we started strong, let's keep this up. Jordan 7, Vladimir 2, Kimiko 0, Shizuka 1.I input the allocation using the terminal, and everyone else placed their palms there to approve it. Thank you for your entry! Please exit so stinky Team B can allocate their points.… If you would be so kind as to draw your attention to this screen...Dai projected a screen using the same light she was made of. And the winner of Round Two is... Waaahh! Team A, you are my hero!We're still winning with 14 points to their 11 points, and Jordan has a personal score of 7 now. Let's move onto Round Three, then! Team A, you are up again. Please follow me.Dai appeared to walk through the wall as we made our way back into the Dining Hall. Your five minutes starts... now!So far, so good. We might be safe! One more round before we can count our chickens. Heading into the final battle... what should we do? Jordan 3, Vladimir 0, Kimiko 0, Shizuka 7.I input the allocation using the terminal, and everyone else placed their palms there to approve it. … Let's get straight to the results. It's nice to have a round of this game where the math doesn't break for once. Congratulations, Team A! After three rounds, you have come out victorious! And that means... Team B, you lose! Congrats! I'm so sorry.[BGM: Carpe Noctum]  No. No! I can't have lost!Beatrix leapt from her chair, pointing at her team. You guys screwed me! Now now, Trixxy. No one likes a sore loser. This isn't fair! Beatrix, I'm sorry. No one wants this...Nikolas became desperate as his sister was now set to be executed.  What if we swap places? I'll die. I volunteer. No, you can't... I will. If it'll save you, I... Nope! No swapsies! Sorries~  But I want to! Well you can't. Rules are rules, and besides, this coupon is good for one Beatrix- no substitutions allowed.Beatrix was glaring at her whole team, and had turned her anger onto the rest of us as well. I'm a medic! What will you do if we're both gone, huh? You can't get by without us!I felt bad for Beatrix, but it wasn't like we'd taken a vote and decided to kill her. She'd just lost the game, and that could have happened to any of us.  This isn't fair. Yawn! How many times are you gonna say that? It is fair, sister, so suck it up and... Spin! That! Wheel!Dai's big wheel of deaths appeared, and she gestured to it.  Come on! Give it a spin! I can't touch it, you moron! And you never will, with that negative attitude. Don't worry Trixxy, I'll spin it for you.Dai reached up and pretended to grab the wheel and spin it. It flashed and changed colors as it spun, blurring so we couldn't read the options as they passed the indicator.  Woops. Looks like I pushed a little too hard. It may never stop spinning at this rate. How about you tell me when to stop and I grab it?Beatrix was sitting back down, glaring daggers at Dai and not saying anything. No? Jeez, awkward. Guess we'll just have to wait.The wheel must have spun for two minutes before it finally started to slow down. Ooh! Here we are. Will you just LOOK at some of these exciting options? Can't wait to see where we end up!The wheel slowed again, as Dai pulled more and more ludicrous surprise faces, like she wasn't in control of the whole thing. And the winner is... POISON! …Huh. That's... actually kinda boring. But rules are rules. And what do we do when there's rules, Nikolas? ...Not break them? You got it, handsome!Dai pointed dramatically to the door. To the Medical Bay!!!None of us had any choice but to follow her out and into the corridor.  Beatrix, I'm so sorry... Yeah. You keep saying. She won't let me swap, but maybe there's some other way...In the face of Nikolas' desperation, Beatrix suddenly mellowed. For once, I saw the older sister come out in her.  I never thought I'd say this, but... but I think maybe we can't win this one, little brother. No! No. There has to be something we can- Nikolas, there isn't. Heh. Will you look at that? I'm actually being the reasonable one.Nikolas started to plead with Dai, bargaining for his sister's life.  Dai! Dai, this isn't right! Why can't we... Nikolas... I'll die! Right now, right here. I'll find a way to... I think if you did that, Dai would kill Beatrix anyway. I agree. I don't think suicide will solve anything. They're right. Nikolas, little brother, no suicide. I forbid it. Here we are!We had arrived in the Medical Bay. We gathered in a cluster by the door, waiting to see what Dai was going to do. She couldn't physically give Beatrix any poison, so how was it going to work? Nikolas, if you would step into the surgery room, we can get started.  I thought you said we couldn't swap. Well, I did say rules are rules. But I'm not unmoved by your brave offer. So, into the room with you.Nikolas moved towards the door. No! No, please... Too late! Get in!Beatrix pulled her brother into a hug as he moved towards the door. She didn't say anything to him, but her face was bright red from the effort of not crying. Nikolas stepped into the surgery room and Dai locked the door behind him. Nikolas... Not so fast! Time for a game within a game. I call it...[BGM: Carpe Noctum]  Double Jeopardy! What?! Dai, what are you- Just having a little bit of fun! I've shut down the oxygen to the surgery room. Beatrix Vogel, can you administer yourself a lethal poison dose before your brother runs out of air? No! By my count, you have three minutes to make yourself dead. ...Or you could hold out until your brother dies. At which point, one of the others will force you.Dai didn't need to explain how that would work. She'd threaten everyone until someone killed Beatrix. What's it to be? One death, or two? Let's find out! 2 minutes, 45 seconds!Beatrix looked at her brother inside the surgical room. He was sitting on the bed, peering through the observation window at us. He seemed to be trying to read lips, which meant Dai must have cut the sound so he couldn't hear what we were saying.  Did I mention you need to be 100 percent dead before I turn his oxygen back on? You've got 2 and a half minutes!Beatrix ran into the storeroom. I knew there must be a way to jazz up a poisoning. Aaaargh!There was a loud clattering from inside the storeroom. It sounded like Beatrix had knocked something over. Alright, I'm ready to take bets. I'll give you three to one that Trixxy makes it in time! ...No one? What about eleven to one that she deliberately lets her brother die? Real funny, Dai. Not a gambling crowd, eh?Beatrix emerged from the storeroom, a bottle in hand filled with a dark liquid. We need to get to the Kitchen, ASAP! I need to mix this with a chemical from the Kitchen!Beatrix ran as quickly as she could towards the Kitchen; the rest of us followed quickly after, leaving Nikolas alone and confused in the Medical Bay. [BGM: The Aftermath of Bravery]  We made it to the Kitchen, where I saw Beatrix hurriedly mixing liquids on the counter. What are you mixing? I won't tell you, fools, then you could poison yourselves!Beatrix quickly sat down at the kitchen island. Beatrix Vogel, you have served the Everett and the mission with honor.Beatrix lifted her glass, now a golden yellow in color, and began drinking the concoction. We will remember that, and the courage you are showing today. ...Thank you. Beatrix blinked a few times and began to fall backwards off her chair.  Whoa! It's okay, Beatrix. I got you.He got a strong grip on Beatrix and helped her to sit back up straight. That's quicker than I... Aaaah!Beatrix leaned forwards, bracing herself on the table. I didn't know what kind of poison she used, but it must have been quick acting and painful. AAAAAH! Oh... my head! SALUTE!Vladimir turned Melody to face him, while the rest of the crew, except Katashi who was still beside her, honored Beatrix with a salute. The captain was right. This was a courageous act, and however abrasive Beatrix might have been, she was brave, and loyal to her brother. I can't see... I can't see!Though her eyes were wide open, she was reaching out feebly for Katashi. He was holding onto her when the first spasm came. Aaah! Katashi held her down, but Shizuka ducked under his arm and took one of Beatrix's hands in hers. Oh god, oh... Aaaah! Squeeze my hand. It's okay. Nikolas... He's okay. He's still breathing. We will take care of him, Beatrix. I promise. I didn't know if Beatrix was still conscious enough to hear the captain. Her whole body jolted in another spasm, but she didn't cry out in pain.  She's... got no grip. Beatrix?Even the spasms seemed to have stopped.  Beatrix!Katashi put his ear to her chest, and a hand in front of her mouth and nose. ...She's not breathing. Woooooo! Now that's what I call a show! Encore, encore! She's dead! Dai, let him out! Very well, rules are rules. The surgery door is now open and oxygen restored to that room.Kimiko and I hurried back to the Medical Bay.  Nikolas was conscious, but the quick, hurried breaths made a wheezing sound as his body was still in panic mode. The captain and I eased him gradually to a sitting position. She... she... ...I'm so sorry, Nikolas. Can I... You want to see her?Nikolas just nodded. Between the two of us, we were able to help him stand up and walk to the Kitchen, where the others stood gathered around Beatrix, who was laid out over the bench. Melody held out her hand to touch Beatrix's limp arm. She was so sad. We should go back to our quarters. Nikolas? I... ...yes? I'm sorry that Beatrix has gone away. So am I. Let us know if there's anything anyone can do. Come on. Let's go home. See you tomorrow!!! Bright and early for a brand new game!Vladimir squeezed Melody's hand and led her out of the room before Dai could say any more. Alright. Katashi, can you please help Nikolas with her body? Can I just... ...can I have a minute with her? Of course. Everyone, out.The captain led the way out of the Kitchen, and those of us who remained stood around in the corridor, silent. Eventually, the captain spoke. I suppose we should disperse. Katashi, can you wait here for when Nikolas is ready? Of course. Everyone else, let him have space. Don't try to push him to talk or anything.We each went our separate ways, most of us to our quarters, to hide away and wonder who Dai would take next. Mix. fucked around with this message at 07:45 on Jun 28, 2022 |
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May 30, 2022 20:46
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When I read poison I thought "huh, maybe it won't be a horrible death" but I should have expected Dai to spice things up as she does. That said I can't take her death pic seriously, it looks like Dai just hooked her with her strongest garge-blaster and she's passed out drunk. Hopefully Nikolas doesn't turn full psycho since we're on MJordan's side!
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May 30, 2022 21:07
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 [BGM: Drink Deep of the Universe]  I tossed restlessly all through the night. Beatrix died a thousand times in a thousand different ways every time I closed my eyes. I rolled over, trying to get more comfortable, when I met some sudden resistance. HEY! What the-I opened my eyes to find Shizuka in my bed, but what was more confronting is that she didn't even seem to see it as problematic.  Just try not to hit me again, okay? Good night, Jordan.Shizuka rolled over and went back to sleep almost instantly. She slept with her mouth slightly open, and she made a gentle snoring sound. Oh, Shizuka. You've made a terrible mistake. I quietly slipped out of my bed and grabbed a pen from my desk. Time to let your inner artist shine, Jordan.I worked my magic, channeling my inner artist. Wow, Shizuka, you could sleep through the apocalypse...I chatted to the comatose Shizuka as I continued. Seriously though, I'm super jealous! Here I am having trouble sleeping every night and you're out cold.I finished without a twitch from Shizuka. Job well done. Guess I'll just go back to sleep too... and wait for the fireworks to start.It took mere minutes for me to fall asleep again- I found fine art very relaxing. … I felt a hand gently rocking me awake.   Hey, Jordan. I'm hungry! Let's go get some food.I could barely contain my laughter upon seeing her face earnestly staring down at me. Um, sure... I could go for some food. Do you wanna go wash your face before we head to the Dining Hall?Come on, I've given you one chance to save yourself- take it! Instead, she screwed up her face at me.  What's wrong with you? Stop being so motherly all the time! Who cares about washing our faces, let's get something to eat! Hahaha, just looking out for you!It took all of my composure to suppress the grin that was bubbling up. I hurriedly made the bed, not wanting to miss any of the action, and followed Shizuka into the hallway. [BGM: Standby to Standby] I hope Katashi is making something delicious for breakfast! I really need the energy after yesterday. What are you hoping for? Hmmm... I could go for some bacon! Huh, I thought you would be more of a pancake girl. Pfff. Pancakes are just flavorless topping carriers. I've never really thought about it. Now that I have, I guess I don't really like pancakes- I like what accompanies them. Right! Pancakes are just an excuse to have ice cream for breakfast!We both giggled as we arrived at the Dining Hall. Both Katashi and the captain were present. [BGM: With Fear: Hope] Good morning, Jordan... Shiz- The captain stopped dead in the middle of her sentence. Her brows furrowed, followed immediately by a look of intense sorrow. If you would excuse me...The captain got up from her seat and made her way out of the Dining Hall. That was not the reaction I was expecting from the captain. I expected a scolding for my immaturity, maybe even a small laugh. Katashi looked up from his seat and realised what had happened. Ah. What? What's wrong with the captain? Did I say something? Let me guess, you slipped into Jordan's bed last night?Shizuka stood shocked. How did you know? Is the captain angry I slept in Jordan's quarters? I don't think she is angry ab-Shizuka was quick to get defensive.  I know she's the captain, and I know she has a soft spot for Jordan, but I'm an adult and I can do what I like. She's just jealous!Katashi bit his lip awkwardly, waiting for Shizuka to finish her rant. You know how I always say you're the worst at reading people, kiddo? Um... yeah? What about it? I don't think the captain's jealous. I think she's upset about that...Katashi pointed directly to Shizuka's face. What? What's wrong with my face? Perhaps it's best if you go to the bathroom and check it out for yourself. Shizuka dashed out of the Dining Hall, leaving me alone with Katashi. I... I didn't know that it would cause such a problem. It was supposed to be a joke.Katashi let out a hearty laugh. Look, Jordan, you did a great job! A+ on the workmanship, and it's every bit as hilarious as it was when Yoshiki used to do it. … Yeah, tough luck there. Yoshiki used to get in trouble with the captain all the time for drawing on Shizuka's face when she slept. I didn't know! I'm so sorry! Haha, don't be so hard on yourself. It just struck a little too close to home for the captain.I felt terrible. Katashi saw that and tried to lighten the mood. Shizuka sleeps like a rock, eh? Hah, yeah, she certainly does. One time Yoshiki actually thought she was dead, then panicked and woke Beatrix up. He was lucky to live through that night. Wow, he must have been pretty upset to wake Beatrix up. I've only known her for a few weeks, and I would rather jump out the airlock than get her out of the wrong side of the bed. Hahaha, you know her well enough, it seems.Just as Katashi finished his sentence, Shizuka exploded through the Dining Hall doors, barely stopping for them to slide open. What the hell, Jordan?! Haha, I see you've managed to clean up my handiwork. MATH? Of all the things you could draw on my face, you drew equations?! I couldn't think of anything else! What would you have preferred? ANYTHING! No wonder the captain was so upset! That's what Yoshiki used to draw, too! … Really? He drew mathematical equations? He's a mechanical engineer! He's pretty much just a mathematician that makes robots and stuff!Shizuka hesitated, realizing what she had just said.  …'was' a mechanical engineer...We all stood in silence. Am... I interrupting something? I can come back later...[BGM: Ad Astra Per Aspera] Dai appeared, unwelcome as usual.  No, wait... why should I come back later? YOU come back later! Come back where? Argh, Jordan, it's too early for your nonsense. Huh? I don't know why you're insistent on pushing my buttons this morning, Jordan, but I suggest you stop. Er... okay. I'm sorry, Dai. Apology accepted. Now then, it's good to see you all gathered here! I've just informed the others that it's time for a good old fashioned team meeting; they should be here any minute now.Silence crept over the room as we all stood, waiting.  So, Shizuka...Really? Dai was going to do small talk? Played any interesting games lately?Shizuka, ever gullible, didn't even pause to think about ulterior motives behind Dai's question, and she began to rattle off facts about her latest interest. I've just started playing a game called The Letter. Booooooring. It's a horror game. I'm interested. You pl-Just as Shizuka began to explain the intricacies of the game's plot, the rest of the team showed up. Oh goodie, everyone's here! Enough about your game, Shizuka- now for the REAL Game! Welcome to the new round of the Deletion Game- Vampire Children!As usual, skipping the explanation.  I will notify you of your human or vampire status some time before the Game begins on Sunday morning. Ahhh, this is my favorite Game to date!! Any questions? Need me to repeat? Nah, we got it. Excellent!Dai suddenly zapped out of the room, and the broadcast opened overhead, where we could all hear Dai using her best customer service voice. We understand that you have a choice in Deletion Game carrier, and want to thank you all so much for choosing the Dai Deletion Game service. We murder for your satisfaction, and we look forward to servicing you again this Sunday!
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Jun 7, 2022 01:01
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LP Update: my partner's schedule has finally stabilized so while I am still going to be babysitting our new kitten while he's at work I'll be able to update things consistently again! The only kicker is that updates will be in the evening now, but that shouldn't be too huge of an issue. As compensation for the delay, here are kitten photos:   
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Jun 7, 2022 01:06
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Awww.  What's its name? What are your other cats' names?
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Jun 7, 2022 06:22
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Kittens are better than crazy death AIs. Sorry, Dai.
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Jun 7, 2022 11:04
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Quackles posted:Awww. Stripey cat's name is Iris, big black cat's name is Bean, and as for our kitten when she was brought home I was told people had already decided her name had to be Pinto to compliment his since theyre both black cats. (And he's basically adopted her already bc of it, so)
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Jun 7, 2022 13:07
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 [BGM: Drink Deep of the Universe]  I woke to the sensation of being touched on the face by small, thin fingers. Was this a recurring thing now? Was I destined to share my bed for evermore? I let out a heavy sigh as my cheeks continued to receive an unsolicited prodding. I opened my eyes to find Shizuka next to me. Jordan, you have to wake up. Why? What time is it? Just after 4 a.m. Why do I have to get up? I want to finish sleeping. The captain wants to see you.I took a moment to consider the consequences of disobeying before I responded. Okay, okay, I'm going.Shizuka slid off my bed and made her way to the door. Were you summoned as well? Ah, I... ah... I'm the messenger...I was immediately suspicious of her answer, but it was 4 a.m. and I couldn't have cared less right then. We made our way down the hallway together and onto the bridge. [BGM: With Fear: Hope]  Upon arriving at the Bridge, we could see the captain pacing nervously. Ah, Shizuka, thank you for coming.The captain's interest then piqued seeing me. Jordan? Yes? Why are you here? Shizuka said th- Oh, that... yes, well... I thought that you would be more use to the captain than I would be, so...Both the captain and I stood there, dumbfounded by Shizuka.  So, I woke you up, and now I'm suggesting you as a better alternative. Wait, are you using me so you can go back to bed? No no no...Shizuka slowly retreated towards the Bridge entrance. Subtlety was not her strong suit. Both the captain and I could clearly see what was going on. I'm doing what's best for the crew and the mission.The captain just shook her head in disappointment. Clearly this wasn't the first time that Shizuka had avoided taking responsibility. Well, now that we're all sorted here...She slipped out of the door, and moments later we could hear her running down the hallway. The captain sighed wearily.  I am sorry, Jordan. Shizuka roped you into this- that was not my intention. What exactly has she roped me into? I have some concerns regarding the black hole we are approaching. I was hoping to get confirmation of my fears from Shizuka. I don't like your chances. You have to choose your battles carefully where Shizuka is concerned. I see...If there was anything I wanted to know about Shizuka from the captain, it seemed that now was the time.  Feels like it's been a while since we got one of these choices that was just unabashedly nothing but lore/character dumping, but hey, I'm not complaining. Gonna start with the top question. Is Shizuka more difficult to deal with than Beatrix was? That is an interesting question. I would argue that they are both very different to deal with. Really? How so? Beatrix was very combative- Shizuka is the opposite. Isn't anything better than fighting? Have you ever tried to solve a problem with someone who has little interest in being present? If Beatrix had a problem she came at me, guns blazing. Shizuka, on the other hand... Won't say anything? Not only does she not tell me when she is upset, but if I go to her with something I am upset with, she just runs away like you just saw. Oh. She does not handle serious conflict well, and will avoid it at almost any cost. How serious is 'serious'? She is fine when the conflict is just in jest, but as soon as it becomes in any way serious, she shuts down. I guess everyone has their own way of dealing with things. I guess you are right, Jordan.Next, the middle question. Do you like Shizuka? That is a highly personal question. Oh, I didn't mean to overstep. No, no, it is fine. I like everyone on this ship. Shizuka included. Each person on this ship is different and needs to be treated as such but, at the end of the day, each and every one of the crew is family. That's such a sweet way to look at it. We have too much yet to overcome to get hung up on odd personality traits...The captain's lip twitched like she was having an intense internal struggle.  ...such as the avoidance of responsibility.And lastly, the bottom choice. ...What happened to Shizuka's family? Perhaps it would be best if you heard that from her. Oh? Is it that bad? The fate of Shizuka's family, especially her sister, was not... natural. ...so I think you should ask her directly if you want answers. Wait! She has a sister? It would appear that I have already said too much. Ahem. To the problem at hand. Unfortunately, Shizuka has already excused herself, so perhaps you will give suitable counsel in regards to my concerns. I'll do my best, Captain. Lay it on me. I am concerned that navigating so close to the black hole is a mistake, and the window to make any flight path adjustments is closing fast. Captain, I think you've made the right decision. People are already dying on my watch. I don't want to sentence the entire crew to death all at once. As long as we avoid the event horizon, the worst thing we will need to deal with is time dilation. Even then, the difference in the flow of time shouldn't be observable by us. Time dilation? To put it simply, time passes slower for those closer to a black hole than those farther away from it. So a day to us might in fact be a year for those outside of its influence. But, theoretically, we shouldn't even notice.The captain started looking even more concerned. Nothing I was saying was helping here; maybe I was making it worse. My father always said that people are like parrots- they love their own reflections and voices. Maybe this is what he meant? Here goes. Ahem. Captain, would you rather have a one hundred percent chance of death, or a fiffty percent chance?' The captain's worried demeanor quickly melted away, and she turned to me, smirking. Wise words, Jordan. I wonder where you got them from? But, you are right, and so was I. Not chancing the black hole is a death sentence in itself. See, all better! No point in worrying about what we can't control- we either die from a black hole, or a psychotic A.I. system, both noble deaths.The captain looked stern for a moment before breaking into a laugh. Hahahaha, noble indeed. Thank you for the laugh and for your counsel. Now that I've served my purpose, do I have the freedom to return to bed? Your freedom has been earned. You are dismissed. Thank you, o great and benevolent leader.I made a mock curtsey before darting back to my quarters. ... [BGM: Drink Deep of the Universe]  Ah, yes, I forgot- my bed was no longer my own.  Jordan... is that you? Finished with the black hole... thingy?Shizuka lay huddled in my bed, barely holding her eyes open as she stumbled over her words. You mean YOUR work? Yes... yes I did. Haha, good work, Jordan. Okay, sleep now.She rolled over, unfazed, and was instantly asleep. There was no point fighting it. To be honest, not only was she cute when she slept, it was also comforting to not sleep alone.
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Jun 10, 2022 01:11
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Next update is tomorrow like normal but in the meantime, it's time for another vote once we hop back over to F!Jordan's side! As a reminder, here is what we've already seen for her side in flowchart form:  And our vote is, as usual, whether to go left, middle, or right!
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Jun 14, 2022 02:44
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Left
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Jun 14, 2022 02:48
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Middle!
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Jun 14, 2022 04:59
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Middle
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Jun 14, 2022 06:18
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Left! Let's finish off the left fork before moving on to the others.
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Jun 14, 2022 07:05
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Voting for deep-first, just so we can keep our timelines even a little coherent.
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Jun 14, 2022 08:45
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Left
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Jun 14, 2022 16:03
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| # ? Jun 8, 2024 14:37 |
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Right?~ 
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Jun 14, 2022 21:53
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