[ Sometime before chucking a puzzle box at Julius's head, Akane spots him out and about... Somewhere... I should have asked and didn't. Oh well! They haven't really talked since their first day here, when they were joking about what sort of situation they're in. So she figures she may as well just pick up, there. ]
So it's like an And Then There Were None situation.
[ It's a shame the reference goes right over his head because... JRPG world, who's Agatha Christie. Though who knows. Anyway um. Um. We can say it's the library through the gateway or the casino. ]
I... Don't think I'm familiar with that particular work, I'm afraid, but I think I understand what its premise might be, considering.
I haven't bothered much with the fiction sections here. [ But then again, the nonfiction sections are also somewhat unhelpful sometimes, so maybe he might as well read a novel or two while here. ] And I'm assuming it was never written on my world, because I've never heard of the title, let alone it being a classic.
It sounds fairly on the nose, though. [ ... ] I suppose they do end up dwindling to none in the end?
[ Fair point on the whole 'totally different universes' thing. ... But Akane shrugs, because she only knows about it through osmosis.]
I don't know. Never read it.
But--actually, I wonder if we'd be better off reading a ton of mystery novels. Do you think it would help us figure things out when someone gets possessed next?
[ guess they're both shrugging through that particular point!
Drolly: ]
Mystery, or horror? [ but more seriously, ] It might help. But Mary didn't act differently from normal or seem to remember anything that happened until the darkness was revealed in spite of itself. It might be that it got to her early and we didn't even have a baseline to compare with. Sol and Lune didn't specify exactly when the corruption occurred, did they?
I don't know, is the thing. It's why I'm asking. What if there might have been signs earlier in the week that we didn't know to look out for. And if so, could we have done something about it. Or is it really that rapid onset, a latent seed of infection that... what, seizes control of the host only during the more extreme darkness of that particular night?
Admittedly, I keep drawing parallels to other things I've seen before-- but given how unprecedented this likely is, I'd imagine too much confirmation bias is would be far from ideal.
It had to do with soul energy before, and a breakdown in whatever processes were involved in the proper purification and distribution of. [ Souls, yeah. ] You might have heard me ask Lune about it when they both first appeared to us.
[ You know, in a public thread, which is why he is being so candid about this in the first place! Even if he's still being incredibly vague about it. ]
But the thing about people seeming on the surface to be as generally fine as anyone else-- unaware, even-- until threatened with the means of their destruction... Well. Regardless of how it apparently happens, that kind of transformation is unfortunately something not unfamiliar to me, no.
That sounds tough to deal with. Or - I guess I know that it's tough, now that I've seen it first-hand, too. Has it happened to someone you know? A friend?
[ not the best way to pry for details, Akane. God. ]
[ said in the tone of someone who also finds it patently stupid, so,,, ]
Strength of will doesn't stop an infection. At best it just prolongs your ability to function before it's too much to deal with anymore. 'We're so sorry, your illness is terminal, but if you take good care of yourself from here on out you might be able to get five years instead of three.'
-- That's something a little different, but. Either way, talking down a divergence catalyst is a fool's errand at best.
Saix-san. He said it could be overcome with strength and bonds or something--but it's pretty idiotic. What do bonds help, when a person could be guilty and not even know it themselves? Trust in their usual character can't mean anything against a corruption like that.
Darkness, or... A "divergence catalyst." Or even just an illness... I don't think we can treat this like anything we're familiar with.
From an idealist's viewpoint I suppose those with strong enough bonds should be able to know when something's wrong, somehow. Though what good it does from there comes down to whether or not they'd be willing to say anything about it.
[ like how leaxel attempted to ignore what people were saying about mary until it all came to a head. ]
But, yeah. I doubt drawing too many parallels to what we've seen before will help. Though it seems the best thing to do regardless is treat them the same way as a catalyst: eliminate them, regardless of who or what they look like.
[ it'd probably be easier for everyone if the darkness didn't allow the victim to act so normal first. ]
[ Yeah, Akane doesn't buy that bonds help. All it's going to do is make you deny an unpleasant truth... ] Sure is scary to admit that, when any one of us could be the next one to kill.
It's almost scarier to think of that than of being killed.
And despite it, they keep telling us that bonds keep the darkness away. That learning to work together with the other people here will defeat the corruption.
Trust despite any fear or wariness; trust your partner, a stranger before all of this happened. You wonder at some point if it's all supposed to be some sort of test, or social experiment.
Mary certainly tried to make her fair share of friends. [ he points out, though whether or not she was completely successful in that is another story.
he settles back... frick we still haven't decided where they are. I guess all their talks happen in the middle of the void now. anyway he settles back a little. ]
If the pattern is as simple as the loners, though, then I suppose we might as well look out for Saix or myself.
[ You were in chat, you saw how many people raised their hands for characters who think they have no friends. That doesn't narrow things down at all!!! ]
[ why did we decide to app a bunch of friendless losers!!! ]
But now our odds of guessing right are so much better. Aren't you reassured by that?
[ when they both just put their names on the shortlist of people who, if the darkness follows the criteria they said it would, would be the first targets for corruption.
hm, is the humor getting a little black in here or is that just the darkness. ]
What's most likely to happen is that we'll run around all day of any more trials anyway, and only figure out a name by the skin of our teeth in the end.
[ the real friends were the something something we made along the way.
Akane laughs. It's a little grim, but it was a good joke!! ]
This time it's not that easy. [ Not that 'figuring it out barely barely barely in time' is easy, but. ] The number of partners don't add up. There are going to be innocent sacrifices.
... Unless a whole lot of people helped with the killing. [ you included. ]
... What, to clean up loose ends? [ hm, yeah, going to have to explain that one a little, Akane. ] Those would still be innocent sacrifices, wouldn't they? The only thing you're changing is the timing of when it happens.
It's just rough when we know we can only form one new partnership... Only one person gets to decide, but everyone'll have different ideas about who to save.
But if you think about it, saving someone is only temporary when we're in a situation like this.
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timeasmymeasure
Week 1 | Wednesday Morning
Date: 2019-06-13 12:09 am (UTC)So it's like an And Then There Were None situation.
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Date: 2019-06-13 12:19 am (UTC)I... Don't think I'm familiar with that particular work, I'm afraid, but I think I understand what its premise might be, considering.
[ Hell yeah context clues. ]
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Date: 2019-06-13 12:29 am (UTC)But... A group of people are killed off, one by one. That kind of thing.
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Date: 2019-06-13 12:36 am (UTC)It sounds fairly on the nose, though. [ ... ] I suppose they do end up dwindling to none in the end?
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Date: 2019-06-13 12:49 am (UTC)I don't know. Never read it.
But--actually, I wonder if we'd be better off reading a ton of mystery novels. Do you think it would help us figure things out when someone gets possessed next?
no subject
Date: 2019-06-13 01:10 am (UTC)Drolly: ]
Mystery, or horror? [ but more seriously, ] It might help. But Mary didn't act differently from normal or seem to remember anything that happened until the darkness was revealed in spite of itself. It might be that it got to her early and we didn't even have a baseline to compare with. Sol and Lune didn't specify exactly when the corruption occurred, did they?
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Date: 2019-06-13 01:40 am (UTC)[ But, hm. Akane blinks at that. ]
... You think she might be have been corrupted before she killed? Like, way before?
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Date: 2019-06-13 03:12 am (UTC)I don't know, is the thing. It's why I'm asking. What if there might have been signs earlier in the week that we didn't know to look out for. And if so, could we have done something about it. Or is it really that rapid onset, a latent seed of infection that... what, seizes control of the host only during the more extreme darkness of that particular night?
Admittedly, I keep drawing parallels to other things I've seen before-- but given how unprecedented this likely is, I'd imagine too much confirmation bias is would be far from ideal.
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Date: 2019-06-13 03:15 am (UTC)Has stuff like this happened to you, before?
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Date: 2019-06-13 03:24 am (UTC)[ You know, in a public thread, which is why he is being so candid about this in the first place! Even if he's still being incredibly vague about it. ]
But the thing about people seeming on the surface to be as generally fine as anyone else-- unaware, even-- until threatened with the means of their destruction... Well. Regardless of how it apparently happens, that kind of transformation is unfortunately something not unfamiliar to me, no.
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Date: 2019-06-13 04:17 am (UTC)[ not the best way to pry for details, Akane. God. ]
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Date: 2019-06-13 06:58 am (UTC)[ he's ... surprisingly? flippant seeming about it, so. no harm no foul...? ]
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Date: 2019-06-13 08:12 pm (UTC)Is there a solution? Is there a way to fix people?
Someone told me that a strong heart could fight off darkness, but that sounds stupid, to me.
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Date: 2019-06-13 09:14 pm (UTC)[ said in the tone of someone who also finds it patently stupid, so,,, ]
Strength of will doesn't stop an infection. At best it just prolongs your ability to function before it's too much to deal with anymore. 'We're so sorry, your illness is terminal, but if you take good care of yourself from here on out you might be able to get five years instead of three.'
-- That's something a little different, but. Either way, talking down a divergence catalyst is a fool's errand at best.
no subject
Date: 2019-06-14 02:10 am (UTC)Darkness, or... A "divergence catalyst." Or even just an illness... I don't think we can treat this like anything we're familiar with.
no subject
Date: 2019-06-14 11:05 pm (UTC)[ like how leaxel attempted to ignore what people were saying about mary until it all came to a head. ]
But, yeah. I doubt drawing too many parallels to what we've seen before will help. Though it seems the best thing to do regardless is treat them the same way as a catalyst: eliminate them, regardless of who or what they look like.
[ it'd probably be easier for everyone if the darkness didn't allow the victim to act so normal first. ]
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Date: 2019-06-15 01:17 am (UTC)It's almost scarier to think of that than of being killed.
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Date: 2019-06-15 01:24 am (UTC)Trust despite any fear or wariness; trust your partner, a stranger before all of this happened. You wonder at some point if it's all supposed to be some sort of test, or social experiment.
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Date: 2019-06-15 01:56 am (UTC)But that would make a terrible social experiment. Expecting everyone to just get along so well...
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Date: 2019-06-15 02:02 am (UTC)he settles back... frick we still haven't decided where they are. I guess all their talks happen in the middle of the void now. anyway he settles back a little. ]
If the pattern is as simple as the loners, though, then I suppose we might as well look out for Saix or myself.
[ is that a joke. who knows. ]
Though I doubt it's anything that easy.
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Date: 2019-06-15 02:20 am (UTC)Saix-san, you, Cinnabar-san, me.
It's still just a guessing game, anyway.
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Date: 2019-06-15 02:28 am (UTC)But now our odds of guessing right are so much better. Aren't you reassured by that?
[ when they both just put their names on the shortlist of people who, if the darkness follows the criteria they said it would, would be the first targets for corruption.
hm, is the humor getting a little black in here or is that just the darkness. ]
What's most likely to happen is that we'll run around all day of any more trials anyway, and only figure out a name by the skin of our teeth in the end.
no subject
Date: 2019-06-15 02:52 am (UTC)Akane laughs. It's a little grim, but it was a good joke!! ]
This time it's not that easy. [ Not that 'figuring it out barely barely barely in time' is easy, but. ] The number of partners don't add up. There are going to be innocent sacrifices.
... Unless a whole lot of people helped with the killing. [ you included. ]
no subject
Date: 2019-06-18 07:44 am (UTC)... What, to clean up loose ends? [ hm, yeah, going to have to explain that one a little, Akane. ] Those would still be innocent sacrifices, wouldn't they? The only thing you're changing is the timing of when it happens.
no subject
Date: 2019-06-18 06:56 pm (UTC)It's just rough when we know we can only form one new partnership... Only one person gets to decide, but everyone'll have different ideas about who to save.
But if you think about it, saving someone is only temporary when we're in a situation like this.
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