WEEK THREE: MINGLE

[gatonina]

WEEK THREE

▽ FULL NAVIGATION ▽ LOCATIONS ▽ STATUSES ▽ IC PROFILES ▽ IC RULEBOOK ▽ MURDER PROPOSALS ▽ PCS ▽ CURFEW ▽ AUDIENCES ▽ CAMP STORE ▽ REPORTING

POPULATION: 35 Rise and shine, everyone! At 7:00 AM on the dot, those who are asleep will be roused from their slumber by the sound of a bugle call. It seems that breakfast is now served in the Mess Hall. How nice! It's up to you to decide if you want to continue sleeping or not... But maybe it's a good idea to grab a bite and explore your surroundings. After all, it seems the fog has receded enough to reveal a few new locations. Regardless of what you do, be sure to check the weather before stepping outside. You never know when you might need an umbrella! Once you're up and at them, though, there are a few points of interest this week. If you swing by the Director's Office, you will find Black Shadows manning the receptionist's desk or flitting in and out of the rooms down the hallway. This week's tasks are now available, and you can check them out on the announcement board in the waiting room. Should you visit the Camp Shop, Purple Heart will be handling all transactions at the checkout counter. Even camp directors hold down normal jobs, you know. Strangely enough, Winter Wizard doesn't seem to be stationed at any set location. Maybe it's their week off? Oh, well. Seems like if you want to get ahold of them, you'll have to pay your respects to the bunnies. As you explore the camp, however... You may find yourself confronted by scenes from a not so distant past. Or, perhaps, the so-called-movies playing on the big screen are completely foreign to you. But that's not all you will have to deal with this week. Continue skimming the edges of the forest, and you will find yourself going down memory lane. Literally. Speaking of walking down memory lane, it seems the theater and the portal aren't the only places to relive some fond memories... or revisit ones that are better left in the past. Yes, it's memshare week. It doesn't matter if you cover yourself up from head to toe, or pirouette away from anyone who might make physical contact with you. Simple proximity OR eye contact is enough to get the ball rolling. As soon as this simple condition is met, you will find yourself reliving the other party's memories from their point of view. These memories can either be canon memories, or memories from the game they were previously in. Regardless of what the case may be, this effect will last until Week 4 officially begins. Have fun, everyone!

Comments

[machinetranslation]

[he nods and begins shuffling towards the lake along the dark, snowy path]

Only recently, Miss Flayn. I'm afraid it took some time to restore my systems to full power after a few harrowing weeks, but now I should be able to operate continuously even throughout the night.

I...wished to do something to try and prevent more needless suffering. Although I must confess I feel quite powerless in what I am able to do. I don't even have access to non-visible light ranges anymore.

[fishingforcompliments]

[IKI................. CRIES ABOUT THE GOOD BOT]

...that must be frustrating.

[poor c-3po. feeling powerless is awful - and honestly? she can relate.]

Well... if you would like company on these patrols, please do let me know. I... tend to have some trouble falling asleep, so I would be glad to accompany you.

[machinetranslation]

While it is certainly more pleasant to have your company, Miss Flayn, organic beings such as yourself need consistent and full rest every day. Is something preventing you from sleeping? I could speak with your fellow cabinmates.

[fishingforcompliments]

Oh - no, it is alright. It is nothing you need to discuss with them... in truth, I have always had some trouble sleeping.

[...]

But I get enough rest when I need it, so please do not worry.

[machinetranslation]

[is worried]

Well, should there be any way I can be of assistance, please do let me know. There are a number of different strategies for easier sleep that I learned while in service to Princess Leia. She also sleeps far less than she ought to.

[his polite chiding wraps up as they approach the lake, and he silently scans his vision across it before turning back to Flayn]

There doesn't seem to be anyone out here tonight. Perhaps this week's weather has had something to do with it. Have you noticed any unknown visitors or other strange happenings, Miss Flayn?

[fishingforcompliments]

[c-3po is the last person who gets to worry when he's among the five who will be turning up DEAD.]

Ah... no, I have not noticed anything like that. I would agree with you that the weather is most likely keeping people indoors. [...] I hope it keeps them indoors all week.

[please. god. why would ANYONE sleep outside during MURDER.]

[machinetranslation]

[Threepio similarly cannot fathom the lackadaisical approach towards safety here at murder camp]

I do believe that would be for the best. The majority of these unfortunate incidents have happened outside at night, after all. Why anyone would engage in reckless behavior in such a dangerous environment is beyond me.

You haven't been making any such unaccompanied trips, have you, Miss Flayn?

[fishingforcompliments]

[she shakes her head immediately]

Of course not. [...well. she was outside by herself, just now, before running into him. but.] I made sure to always to be accompanied by someone on those nights.

[machinetranslation]

Well that is certainly a relief. I don't know if I could bear anything happening to you again after your experience on the island.

Particularly on those nights, I would encourage you to remain inside whenever possible and inform anyone you come across to do the same. Should I see anyone I am determined to do my best to bring them inside.

[worked out well!]

[fishingforcompliments]

[iki i swear to god if c-3po got murdered because he was trying to usher a murderer inside to safety i will fly to new zealand and end you]

I do not disagree with you there. [even though she's definitely slept in some outdoor areas of the camp before. never alone, at least.] I think it would be safer for all of us if everyone would agree to just... stay inside.

smiles with innocence

[machinetranslation]

Indeed. I believe such precautions would certainly make things easier on the Directors, as well as avoid any unfortunate misunderstandings and misplaced suspicion.

That's kept me out of trouble so far, anyway. [ha...]

IKI!!!!

[fishingforcompliments]

Well, I hope you remain out of trouble! Many of us would be quite upset if something happened to you, you know.

[ha ha.]

:) :) :)

[machinetranslation]

Oh I had quite enough excitement on the island, Miss Flayn. I should hope not to be any further involved with such things. I can't imagine that anyone would have cause to target me.

How have you been feeling? I trust you've at least been eating well? Hydrating?

[what's that? flayn wanted someone new to fuss over her now that she's been away from her brother for a few weeks? great!]

:( !!!!!!!!!

[fishingforcompliments]

Ah - I have been!

[...she's been eating, anyway. and hydrating. eating well? ...maybe not. she's not a great cook, but it's fine.]

There is more variety of things to eat here than there was on the island.

[machinetranslation]

Well, that is a relief to hear. I confess I have been somewhat worried about the state of your health given everything that's happened. Then again, I'm not entirely sure how things work here compared to the island, or whether any of it is even happening in a physical world.

[fishingforcompliments]

...

[she reaches over and taps his arm. he feels pretty solid to her...]

It feels as though we are in a physical world, though. Why would we not be?

[machinetranslation]

[He has had trouble explaining virtual reality concepts to the people he's encountered so far, so he decides to go with something 'simpler' for ease of communication.]

There are a number of things happening here, and before, that defy any natural explanation and of which I have no record of occurring anywhere in the known Galaxy. Combining these impossibilities with the presence of pre-programmed rules and game-like systems lead to the simplest explanation: which is that we are being subjected to a created and controlled situation.

[Threepio getting into some meta weeds here]

[fishingforcompliments]

...

[yeah, no, she still doesn't get it. sorry.]

"Created and controlled"...? Yes, but... we are still physical beings, are we not? And the world around us feels very real.

[machinetranslation]

[hmm...it's so exceedingly rare to run into humans with zero sense of anything remotely technological. His programming literally prevents him from being (purposefully) offensive to humans so he can't talk down to her as he might a primitive species or fellow droid. Perhaps another method.]

Have you ever had a dream you were certain was real until waking? From my understanding, within such dreams humans can experience physical and emotional sensations which are, at the time, felt as if they were real.

With certain technologies, the human mind can be made to experience things which similarly feel real, but are not. Most often, such devices are used for entertainment. But I've heard tell of other, less reputable uses which I can't bear mentioning.

[fishingforcompliments]

...

[oof. yikes.]

Is there... any way to tell if such a device is being used, from within it?

[machinetranslation]

[haha he was trying not to make it sound horrifying but discretion isn't particularly his strong suit, especially when it comes to describing things in a way that doesn't spook the oldes]

It's extremely unlikely, I'm afraid. If there were any way, I'd have been able to analyze such by now. Our only hope is to either navigate the game as presented to us, or discover the systems behind it and either end or disable it. Easier said than done, of course.

[very comforting, I'm sure!]

[fishingforcompliments]

...well, I would rather not navigate the game as it is presented to us.

[She refuses to lose that many people.]

[machinetranslation]

Indeed. Even if these deaths aren't permanent in the biological sense, the associated pain and trauma certainly seems to be.

My theory, at least, is that generating those negative feelings is the goal. Based on my conversations with the Directors and observations, at least.

[fishingforcompliments]

Oh? Which parts of your conversations made you think that?

[flayn gathering deets a few weeks late... it's fine,,]

[machinetranslation]

Oh, well a number of things, I suppose. They spoke about whatever malevolent force it is that's manifesting here and controlling everyone's actions being a reflection of the emotions and experiences of those here.

I've heard from Master Luke that there are places where such emotions can influence latent energies, which eventually may even take on a will of its own if given enough power. "The Force," as he calls it, seems to be able to control the actions of organic beings, throw around objects, provide foresight. All manner of inexplicable things that I wouldn't believe if not for my experiences with Master Luke these past few years.

This is, of course, assuming we're in a physical location and not trapped in some artificial game built for someone's amusement. [he offers a rigid shrug which is probably not at all comforting]