05.50 - week five, saturday

[afflictionmods]

W5 SATURDAY

True to her word, Lorelei makes an announcement to request that everyone reports to the courtyard at 9am. The announcement is made at 8am, and when characters arrive to the scene, there are walls that have been put up in the courtyard. The walls make cube-shaped rooms in a 6 x 6 formation, and Florence reads off the group assignments before they escort people into their respective rooms.

Lorelei appears on everyone's tablets again to explain the activity.

"Today's assignment will not be involved with the orbs. As I said yesterday, due to the survey results, we have decided to run a team building activity with a trust based exercised built in. Each of you are inside of a room with a panel. They are safe to step on, but I would not suggest tampering with them.

There are six panels ahead of you, and the goal is to make it to the end before time runs out. The way you make it out is by negotiating with another team and deciding whether to cooperate with them, or betray them in your group's best interests. It's structured similarly to the Prisoner's Dilemma."

She will then explain the rules, which consist of the following (all times are IC):

• You will have up to 15 minutes of discussion time with another group paired with yours. You can discuss a strategy, as you decide to either advance one or two spaces up.
  
  • If it's one space, the panels beneath you will activate traps that both groups will have to endure, but the pain will not be as severe.
    
  • If it's two spaces, both groups will have to roll a single number between 1-20 to determine if they can advance pain-free, or take the full extent of the traps' damage while only moving up one space. Unfortunately, the numbers are skewed: Numbers 1-7 will allow groups to advance without injury; 8-20 will result in the latter.
  
  
• After the first round of discussion, there will be an additional 10 minutes in which communication with other groups is cut off. You will have to decide what to do within your own group, though there's a catch.
  
• There is an option to betray the other group and advance yourself two spaces, pain-free and guaranteed, while leaving the other group in place to take their own trap's damage. If both groups choose to betray each other, however, nobody will advance and both parties will be hurt.
  
• After the round is over, groups will rotate and be up against another group.

And...that's that. Lorelei instructs Florence to get ready to begin the activity in five minutes.

OOC NOTE

Hey everyone, welcome to Week 5 Saturday's event. A quick note: We have set up "private conversations" for each group on the mod journal that we have linked to you in your respective chats. These private conversations are meant to be where discussions within your own groups are to be had; this is to allow people to hit the betray button more effectively, should anyone choose to do so. We are going by an honor system here re: peeking at other group convos, so try not to look at other groups' posts.

For every round, everyone will OOCly get 30 minutes for joint discussion, 30 minutes for discussion within your own groups, and 15 minutes to react to the results.

We will have between 4-6 rounds. We will gauge how many rounds are needed based on timing.

FULL NAV

(CODE)

Comments

RESULTS

[afflictionmods]

Joint agreement

[festiverogue]

One step!

[afflictionmods]

[ Both groups agree to cooperate and move forward one step. What awaits them before they move forward, though, underneath the platform that reveals itself is...bear traps. Smaller versions of 'em! They're weird in that they kind of spring up and clamp themselves onto the people in the room -- onto their shins -- and when they bite down they hurt. There will most likely be a bit of bleeding, and there is piercing damage as well as moderate pressure, but they should still be able to move forward.

But the good news is, they are both now in Space #2. ]

[festiverogue]

[Madara's not expecting bear traps, but he's got his teeth gritted so it's less a shout and more a grunt of pain. But he doesn't have the luxury of ignoring the situation or just dealing. He promised himself he'd protect Shizuku.

His first priority when he realizes they're staying put is to check Shizuku and see if he can get hers off of her legs. His voice is a little strained, though.]

It'll be okay... Just hang on...

[cheerfuldays]

( to her credit, she doesn't scream- though she's well aware it'd be forgivable, all things considered. but she managed to stop herself, even if she can't stop herself from tearing up. )

I- I know. Thank you, Madara...

[festiverogue]

[He forces a smile.]

That's what I'm here for.

[He pries the thing off and tosses it away, then works on his own.]

I think I'll carry you after this. [He pauses like he might be giving her a choice.]

[cheerfuldays]

Why do I get the feeling that isn't a suggestion?

( a little sigh, but she's gonna try to help with his too. once he's free, he's getting a hug. )

[festiverogue]

[Another smile. He only faintly returns the hug.]

Sorry. It's just how it is.

[The amount of pain he'd endure for the people he cares about is... Demonstrable.]

Besides, this isn't your fault. You didn't have anything to do with what happened. I did. So let me take care of you a little.

[cheerfuldays]

We all agreed together.

( she won't have him blaming himself for this! but she's also relented to being Scooped :tm:. she gets the feeling she can't argue that too much after bear traps. stubborn man... )

[festiverogue]

[He's talking about the incident that prompted this trial. Not the decisions being made here.]

Regardless, I've got you. I think I've got a thing of tea left, too, if you want it before bed.

[cheerfuldays]

( oh right we're being super punished- )

Mm. That sounds nice, honestly. Let's see what other things we'll need by the time this ends, too.

( comfort food... will probably be necessary. )

[tosa]

(He'd prepared to just endure whatever happened but this still isn't what he expected. He hisses and it's obvious he's in pain because... obviously it hurts! But he's more worried about Ryouma.

He can't help anyone until he helps himself first so he's going to try to pry his trap off of him first. It's just survival training stuff, sorry.)

Hey. (He grits his teeth as he forces it apart,) If ya need help getting free--

(He's working on it? Ah, wait,)

It's not too hard but how's everyone?

(Need help? Etc?)

[ignihidden]

[Experiment Data #1: The trap comes from the floor. So, maybe cavalry-battle-style could have worked? But would the "horses" have been able to keep standing and supporting another person...]

[That's happening all somewhere in the background while in the foreground of his mind is PAINED YELPING.]

... wh- wh- why do they make beartraps this small?!

[not the problem right now but he can't help but just say shit]

[magicam]

[...Well, it stood to reason that the traps would come from the floor or ceiling, but still... tiny bear traps? Ridiculous...!

Anyway. Simultaneous pained yelping!]

This is super just to get back at us...!

[Closer to the problem, but. You know.]

[ignihidden]

[Idia's heart jumps that Cater is also on team "we are being punished" but also like he is being attacked by beartraps.]

M- Maybe we should have broken some more little rules just to feel like we deserved it...

[magicam]

[He is!! He saw/heard what y'all did!! But. Beartraps.]

Cay didn't even do anything bad in the first place!! Totally unfair...!

[ignihidden]

W- Well, yeah, nice guys finish last.

[gotta live that dickish life otherwise you're gonna get STEPPED ON for NOT KIDNAPPING A MAN]

... u- um, let me have a look at them, i-it's easier to look on someone else's...

[Although kneeling with beartraps? ALSO A REAL PAIN IN THE ASS.]

[magicam]

...Was the intern even a nice guy?

[If he works for these people...? Anyway, he'll meet Idia in the middle and stand on one foot so he doesn't have to, like. Kneel down all the way. It's fine. Probably.]

[ignihidden]

... maybe? I don't know, I didn't talk to him.

[Idia didn't participate but, like, he accepts he participated in the SPIRIT of the kidnapping by bringing down popcorn and drinks. Besides, even if he was wholly uninvolved he still would have gotten punished so might as well own it at this point.]

[Anyways, study time! Spring-locking things are a bit older tech-wise than he's used to dealing with, but,]

... if I press... this... [applying pressure to both sides, it seems like it's starting to unhinge but... his unforceful nerd hands!]

[magicam]

Gonna end up believing this whole thing was his idea...

[Something something revenge?

Anyway. At least it... loosens a little? Even with Idia's spindly nerd hands? That kind of helps somewhat...]

[ignihidden]

Nah, the sadistic nerd power play has to come with some big announcement of "fwahaha, now you'll rue the day!"

[he knows because he's the sadistic nerd]

[Anyways, he finally managed to apply enough pressure and once the jaws are clearly away from Cater's skin and clothes he yanks the thing back and tosses it behind them.]

[magicam]

...What if the doors don't open at the end until everyone gets there? What if he comes on the screen like "fwahaha now the traitors have to experience punishment until everyone arrives?" brr...

[That uh. Also seems like a sadistic nerd thing to do.

...Not enough to not consider betraying, if the right team comes up, but. You know.

Anyways. Gonna help Idia with his traps now that he knows how it's done, too.]