theafflicted | 03.50 - week three, saturday

03.50 - week three, saturday

W3 SATURDAY

Another Saturday rolls around. Some of you had an… interesting night, perhaps, but that’s still no excuse to sit out on your lessons. There’s another announcement, another time to meet before your lessons start today. This time is just a bit different, though. This time you’re not meeting up at campus. You’re told to meet up at the park in the Museum District - and, as always, you’re expected to show up. How you get there is irrelevant, but you better try to be on time.

Florence is waiting at the park, and behind them is another dark, ominous orb. Even as far away as you are, you can hear its whispers. It’s calling to you with promises it can show you a new life, a better life, it can make you someone better… But then Florence is speaking, as if they cannot feel the hear the whispers.

“I will be accompanying you on this lesson, as I said in the brochure I handed out on Thursday. I will do my best to assist you.” There is a pause, though their face voice remains emotionless. “It is hard to say what it will be like inside - however, your goal for this lesson is to close this place for good. I may be unable to assist with that personally, so we are relying on you.”

They take a step back, turning towards the orb.

“I would advise you to do what is asked of you while you are in there - and a word of warning. Through our observations, we have noticed something strange. This seems capable of creating replications of those who enter it.” They let that information hang for a moment, before continuing. “We are unsure what these replications are truly capable of, but please be careful.”

Then Florence gestures for you to follow, and they’re stepping into the orb.

THE RINGMASTER

The inside is still the same park, but it has been transformed into a carnival. There are booths with games and food set up everywhere, a large ferris wheel, a tent. It will be a familiar carnival, to some of you, but all the lights are off and there are no people there. There’s a tug, a pull, that draws you towards the main tent - to center stage. Stepping inside you will be greeted by someone dressed as a ringmaster, whose voice is lively and energetic despite how hollow they seem on the outside:

“Hello and welcome! It’s time for your performance! And every good performer wants to do what the people want, don’t they? There’s a list on those little tablets of yours, and you need to do whatever’s asked of you!”

The ringmaster laughs brightly, and it echoes throughout the tent. “The more you do, the more we’ll all enjoy it, and the better chance you will get to stay you! But if you refuse… Well, that won’t be any good, right?”

The ringmaster makes a wide, sweeping gesture with their cane.

“We’re very generous here, though, and realize some things are easier to do with others! That’s why one refusal won’t be an instant loss. We’re assigning task cards, you see. Kinda like bingo cards! Each time you do a task for someone or someone does one for you, you get 50 points! The more you do, the higher the score, and once you reach 200 points, you're capped! But every time you refuse to do something people ask you to do, even if you're at 200 points… you lose 100 points ! And if you don’t do anything, well, you get no points and you lose automatically! You also can’t just sit around doing the same thing with the same person over and over again! Gotta spice it up! The same thing over and over again is just boring.”

There’s a click, and noise starts up outside of the tent. It sounds like the carnival’s come alive.

“Your little tablets will track your points. I really do recommend playing along, because if you fail… You’ll lose something. Something that makes you you! A memory, a precious item, something that makes you who you are and can’t be replaced so easily… Who knows what’s at risk, here! Though who am I kidding, it might be more fun to see what you'll lose. Don't ya think? Maybe you should just give up now and we can all laugh about it!

Anyways, all you gotta do is live until the timer runs out. The timer, by the way, is gonna be at the top of your tablet thingamajigs.”

There’s a tip of the ringmaster’s hat. The timer reads 90 minutes.

“That’s all for now! Go find that pesky little robot who’s been snooping around if you want more answers, because I am very busy.”

THE AUDIENCE

Once the ringmaster’s done with their speech, you’re free to travel around the carnival and explore it. It’s an eerie, quiet place, but… you’re not alone, and it won’t take you long to realize that. Those of you who had seen this carnival before - Miach, Shinei, Herlock, and Xingqiu - probably won’t be surprised when the doubles show up. They’re near perfect recreations of you - but near perfect doesn’t mean perfect. Their mannerisms might be odd, or their movements might be jerky and uncanny… but at a glance, it’s impossible to tell who is the real one and who isn’t.

And this is something that makes these doubles very, very angry.

They want you to fail, and they’ll do anything they can to ensure that happens. They’ll sabotage you - or your partner - all in an effort to make you lose points. They'll taunt you if it seems like you're ready to open up, they'll tell you about all the reasons why being honest is a bad idea. For physical prompts, they'll taunt you, call you a monster... They also seem to believe that if you fail, they’ll get to replace you. They will get a chance to get out of here and be the real one. They’re not always convincing, but they are dangerous, and there’s just as many of them as there are of you.

OOC NOTES

OOC: Here are some important things to note for today’s event:

- A simple breakdown of the rules is as follows:

You cap at 200 points, but you must maintain those 200 points until the timer runs out.
Mutual agreement on completing a task nets each person 50 points.
Getting turned down or refusing to do one makes you lose 100 points.
You cannot use the same person to complete all your tasks. You must have only one prompt per character that you cooperate with.

- The cards know, meaning that they'll know if something is not answered earnestly. Prompts that are answered falsely will not go away on your tablets. They will only go away if they are answered truthfully.

- Failure is NOT a bad end! In fact, we have some plans in the instance where not enough people pass the exercise. If 5 or more people fail the exercise, that is considered a group failure. Those who failed individually will face the consequences of losing the important memory/item/etc.

- We are asking people to make their own task cards. Here is a list of prompts:
You may also add one custom prompt tailored to your character, if you wish.

Please toss the prompts into the textbox at the top of this site. Under "Configuration Options", the card size should be 3x3 and the center space should have Normal selected. All characters will get a total of 9 prompts on their cards. It is okay to have prompts that your character would not do; it would just increase their chances of failure.

FULL NAV

(CODE)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[It's really, really close to the end, and while the clock ticks down, Cater can't say he believes that Idia actually... got everything on his card done. Or, well, if he got enough on his card done to pass. He'd like to believe he did, sure, but at the same time, he had left him talking about bad ends with his double as he looked at the carnival games, so there's really no guarantee.

...And after last week, it's the least he can do to check in and see what still needs to be done.]

Idia~ can Cay peek at your card~?

[Idia did part with his doppelganger for some time. He found other people. Still, the doppelganger waited by the carnival games like it knew he would be back.]

[and he was.]

[Idia nearly jumps a mile when Cater's voice comes up from his blind spot.]

Eh, huh- th- that- [a jumbled mess]

Y- Yeah! [he fumbles to show the card- while his own card is pretty sparse, he's at least marked things off on other cards to accrue some degree of points...]

"How sweet, y'gonna help him out? Y'did his laundry, bought him clothes, y'know I can't tell if I'm looking at a sweet little romance or arrested development. Hah! Maybe both!"

[Oh, Idia is... way jumpier than he usually is. That makes a certain amount of sense - especially with his doppelganger still lurking around - but Cater's mostly just... exhausted.

So a quick scan over Idia's card, a sigh, and-]

Hey, this guy is totally awful, right? Want me to get rid of him?

Eh, h- huh?

[He'd seen the mark on his card, after all, he just didn't really... think about getting it done. It was one thing to kill a boss in a game but having someone killed who looked just like you? Scary!]

"Hey, hey, better plan."

[the double leans forward, putting his hands out like presenting a deal,]

"Kill that one, take me back. I won't question a damn thing you do, we get through this, you get back to your usual life at school with no one knowing your business."

[Normal Idia's head spins. E- Excuse him?!]

Look, my card says to get rid of someone else's - [He'll even show it to him! Right there! N-never mind the "kill your own" box is already checked off. It's fine.] - And it's not like I'm not used to seeing duplicates of people go ~poof!~ into nothing! So if you look away, it'll be fine, right?

[And without their magic, he's fairly confident he can take Idia, too. He's not the strongest, but he's also not a skinny nerd.

Even with the double offering him a deal, which he actually just... ignores. Like the thing isn't even standing right there next to them.]

[Okay, this is- a lot?? For Idia??? Not only did his double just suggest he be killed, Cater's acting like this is- normal?]

D- Does he go "poof"? [he stammers, turning to look at the double]

"You're too chicken to find out." [the doppelganger says, looking directly at Idia. He doesn't address Cater as a coward. After all, he clearly discovered it himself.]

"But wow, you're really ready to just drive a knife through me, huh? Got some bubbling resentment? It's a good flavor."

[This is a lot! In general! And it's super not normal, but if he doesn't act like it's normal then the pressure will break him down, and if Idia is replaced...

Well. He can't say they're friends (yet), but he can say he doesn't want that to happen.]

He's... full of ink. Or something like it...

[Like a blot creature, he wants to say, but... how much does Idia know about all that? He can't say, so best not to risk it...]

But, eh... resentment? Maybe for you... not him, though. You're a bad copy, is all, and I gotta take some personal offense to that, right?

[Idia is turning to grab tightly onto Cater's sleeve when he drops that casually because his mind goes the same places,]

H- Hey, people like you shouldn't be messing around with blot! [Well, at very least, they couldn't use magic right now to make it worse, but- that also meant he had no idea what would happen if it did accumulate! Death? An Overblot without magic to fight it?]

R- Really, it's fine, we'll find some other way to get the points...

[The doppelganger stares, then cracks its neck with a pointed loud noise before jerking its way slowly back to the original position like a gnarly wind-up toy.]

"What would a good copy be? Another worthless shut-in that can't actually take action to save a life? One that can't make it through a sentence without stammering or mumbling? Sometimes the sequel is better than the original."

Eh? Blot? So you know about it?

[Well that's... something. It's a bit surprising to hear, but that doesn't really deter him from staring down the doppelganger warily.]

I'm... pretty sure that's not what these are made of, but... it's similar. And... and I don't want anything to happen to you because he's still around.

[That sure is an admission, huh? Both to himself and to Idia - he hadn't really wanted to say as much out loud, because he wasn't certain of how he was feeling about this whole ordeal, but... there it is. Out there in the open, said in first person, even.]

Is that... weird? You'd be worried about me, too, if mine was still around... right?

[Maybe he wouldn't be, but... he has to hope so. And, hey, maybe asking for confirmation of that is a little manipulative, but the situation isn't normal, either.]

Eeh... Sure, sometimes the sequel is better, but you're more like a direct to VHS sequel though.

[He bites down on the "of course" that's forming in his throat. It wasn't exactly a hardcore "teen interest" subject, was it? Cater has a point, the double could just try to cut out the middleman... literally. It just hadn't happened yet. Then again, he let him wander around, too, content in the knowledge that inevitably he would come back.]

[Idia can't be sure what his double knows.]

I- I mean, I don't... know wh-what yours was acting like. If, if it seemed like it wanted to hurt you...

[Then, obviously, that was bad.]

"You know, Cay, that didn't say anything about if it replaced you. You really wanna bring home the guy like that?"

[It wasn't at all a "teen interest" subject, so why they both know about it is... something best left to be discussed later, probably. Hopefully not at all, but... well. No one could guarantee anything, here.]

It was... a bad fake. And that hurt enough, for me, but you're not used to seeing more of you around, so... I have to protect you, right? That's what we're supposed to do, as partners?

[Among other things. But right now? He feels something like a duty to protect him. He couldn't really even say why. It just... felt like the right thing to do.]

[A bad fake, a bad fake, he said that time and time again. What the heck does it mean?! The best thought Idia can relate to it was that it was something like seeing a shoddy knock-off of official merch? A M*rio with a purple hat? And, sure, it was worth roasting, but- killing?]

"You're just putting on a face because you want him to forget you crying your eyes out last weekend."

[the double creaks his neck back and his eyes roll in a single synchronous circle]

L- Look, I just- ... a- are you really going t-to be okay doing this?

[The real Idia tugs at Cater's sleeve, silently asking for him to look him in the eyes.]

[It means he's a bad fake! It's... hard to explain if you're not intimately familiar with self-doubles, though, so. Uh. Good luck, Idia. It is pretty much like a bad knockoff merch item, though, for otaku terms.]

Nah, I don't care if he forgets about that or not anymore... It'd be better for him if he did, because I was super uncute, but...

[But he's accepted that Idia saw, and he didn't seem to care, so... It's fine.]

Don't worry~

[And, hey, he'll do Idia one better - grabbing the hand that's tugging his sleeve and giving what he hopes feels like a reassuring squeeze as he does look him in the eyes.]

It's not... fun... to do, so don't think I'm getting some kind of kick out of it, but... I'll be okay! I'll... tell you why later... if you really want to know...

[Cater takes his hand. He's serious and Idia's not sure how to deal with that emotionally. He's certain and determined and...]

[... kinda... cool...?]

Um, [Idia's the first to break eye contact, looking down at their shoes.]

... I'll get you breakfast... again...

[and he loosens his grip, shifting so that he's looking away from where his double stands. The double who is making an absolutely sour facial expression.]

"Groooooss! Are you guys done being perfect students? It's gonna make me gag."

[Kinda cool! High praise!]

You'd really leave the room for that? In the morning? It's a deal~

[And he'll give Idia's hand a reassuring squeeze before letting go, shifting his attention right back to the double and just. Casually walking up to him, intending to take him by the arm and pull him a little further away from the real Idia.]

Yeah, yeah, we totally are, and your shitty vhs runtime is almost up, yanno?

[It's extremely high praise because it's a shift happening on a level Idia doesn't really understand. But, yes, Cater and what he does to protect Idia is worth leaving the room in the morning. Just, maybe he'll do that run and then immediately go to bed after.]

[The double isn't really pleased with how this has gone. He knows, he knows that Cater has the determination to do it. He knows from the black gunk on his jeans.]

"Does it make you feel good? To protect someone? It's not like it'd be the first time he saw it."

[Cater doesn't even really understand the shift, either, just that it's happening, and he doesn't... actually mind it. If he has to let one person in from home, then so be it. Idia isn't the worst choice.

And left alone with the double, he can take out any lingering frustrations he might have on it.]

Nah. But someone has to do it, right? And I can't just let you get away with being so bad at this. It's kind of my thing, yanno?

[Casually ignoring the implication Idia's seen death already. That's for Idia to share.]

Want your own spot to die, or do you wanna be left with mine? I bet you two would have been real cutesy partners if we let you replace us, right?

[It can't hurt that Idia does have a truly punchable face when he's smug. The way his lips curl, the way his teeth glean, the way his eyes flare open...]

"I mean, hey, if he succeeded, more power to him. He'd probably annoy the shit out of me. We could put on a good show, though! You know about that. Putting on a good show."

[The double is at least forcing Cater to kind of drag him along- not openly resisting but making sure that it's a conscious weight.]

"Speaking of, what you feeling? Hanging, decapitation, firing squad, boiling, drowning, electrocution, burning, buried alive, poisoning, stoning, dismemberment, crucifixion, pick whichever you like♪"

[A truly punchable face. Moreso when it's not quite right.]

Yeah, yeah, I do~ Too bad no one's gonna see your curtain call, right~?

[And for all he says he hates to exert himself... he does pull him along with a certain amount of relative ease. Sure, they don't have their magic (he wouldn't really stand much of a chance if they did...), but he is still an athlete, and Idia is a skinny nerd.]

Those will all take way too long, yanno? I was thinking~ I'd just bash your head in~ Totally uncute and totally ungraceful, but you don't really deserve better~

[Down a dark alley between some stands... he's pretty sure this is where he left his own double and, more importantly, the impromptu weapon that dispatched it so easily.]

[Hypothetically, the doubles could fight. They were trying to replace their originals. For some, that might lead into being violent. They were chained, though, by the fact they were based on someone. For everything that was horribly wrong there were a few things right.]

[Idia gave up easily.]

[The sight of a body and a pool of ichor doesn't seem to unsettle him. He doesn't want to show fear as much as anyone else.]

"Gotta say, you'd get a lot farther with me than with that guy."

[the grin, never leaving his face, although his eyes do fixate on the corpse]

"But, I get it! You're a sucker for things that are pathetic. You like those little dogs that can barely stand up right."

[Some doubles probably did fight. Unlucky, then, for Idia's that he was based on, well, Idia, where all he had were words to try and wheedle his way to safety.

Words that were, provably, not going to work.]

Eh, I doubt it. He's a lot less pathetic than you're giving him credit for.

[A shrug that's more akin to a roll of his shoulders as he picks up the same tent pole he used over an hour ago, tests his grip a little-]

And, hey, if I was such a sucker for pathetic things, I'd be letting you off the hook, here. Last words? Come on, do your worst, I'll let you have one more snarky remark.

[Okay, so maybe he lost just a little bit of his nerve seeing a corpse instead of a scattered pile of cards like he's more used to, but. Well. He can talk like he's fine while he gathers himself, that's the one thing he's actually good at.]

[There was a fun universe where this could be an out-and-out brawl, if they all had access to magic. Instead, it's a showdown, to be ended with a wet smack of metal into person.]

[the smile fades]

[It's either the seriousness of the situation or its exerting its influence to at least look more like the real Idia while he speaks.]

"You can treat "me" nicely all you want. You can protect "me." You can let "me" see the bits of yourself you hate. None of that is going to change the fact "I" will leave you."

[If they had magic, he wouldn't be doing this. He's not foolish enough to go toe to toe with Idia - fake or real - at the top of his game. Without it, he's just a skinny nerd with a cowardly streak.]

Yeah. I know. That's not news.

[Everyone left him, eventually. (Or, more accurately, he left everyone. The double couldn't even get that detail right.)

But, well - he'd given it one last chance, and it wasted it, so with a hard and fast swing, the pole meets the doppelganger's head with a sharp crack once, twice... until it ceases movement entirely.

The real Idia will, likely, feel a dull ache in his hands and wrists from repeated impact, and a sharper pain in his shoulder, from what likely feels like a nasty bruise as the movement aggravates the injury, though he's done and headed back before he gets a chance to come check on him... hopefully.

Either way, the next time he sees him, there's a fresh splattering of black on his clothes and hands, and he looks just that much more exhausted.]

He won't be following us back.

[The double's skin cracks like a porcelain doll. Cater can't really appreciate the horrid crags formed with the way he follows up. Swing, swing, swing.]

[Back at the ring toss, Idia can feel the pain. It's an ache. If it were something sharp, he might worry. Instead, he has time to ruminate with his thoughts. In the end, he just let Cater handle it. What kind of partner was he? What kind of partners were they? He barely even knew what Cater liked or wanted. And, inevitably...]

[... it's a lot of work, for something that couldn't last. He closes his eyes, thinking over the conversations he'd had. Don't tell him. I hate that part of myself, too. He clearly didn't hate himself enough to hurt "himself" though. He clearly didn't love himself enough to assert that he couldn't be replaced.]

[There's the sound of footsteps and Idia pulls his head up from where he was hanging it.]

... u- um. ... Good work.

[Is that what you say in a situation like this?]

[It's a lot of work, for something they don't even know if they'll remember, in the end. But that's... fine. It has to be. Slowly but surely, they're becoming better partners - probably, intentionally or not - and slowly but surely, they'll drift apart, too. Sure, if they remember all this, they might try and keep in touch online after the end of the school year, but...

Well, that never lasted, either.

Idia couldn't hurt "himself". Cater could hurt "himself" and something he could pretend was another like it. He could claim it was all an insult - how dare they take his magic and then present him with a poor copy of it? - while knowing the truth was something... deeper, more ugly. And people would probably believe it, too, even when the veneer of his usual facade was just beginning to crack under the stress of being here.

Case in point: when he returns to Idia, he just kind of... slumps against him, putting his forehead on his shoulder.

They're not affectionate. Not really. But sometimes... sometimes he just wants a physical presence. He just has to hope Idia understands just enough to not shove him away.]

Thanks~

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Murder pt.2.................

electric boogaloo

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