The Fifteen Strangers Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
strangerpeople) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
15strangers2018-07-15 08:49 pm
strangerpeople) wrote in 15strangers2018-07-15 08:49 pm
WEEK 1
[Well, this is...happening. This is a thing. This is your life now. The Commander is expecting you to just up and kill one another, and then try to get away with it. No big deal, right? You guys can handle this. You won't fall for what she has. She's clearly an idiot. A loud idiot, but still an idiot. She's not going to get one over you.
...Right?
In any case, the Commander's quarters are now open for anyone who decides they can actually stand to be in the same room as her, but beware - any favor you might ask of her is going to come at a price, and who knows what she'll ask you to do if you decide to gain a boon from her. Unless you're a suck-up like Baku - then she'll apparently be flattered. Maybe that's a good tactic to use?
Whatever you do, try not to murder the bread again. The Bread Did Nothing Wrong.
There are fifteen strangers in this place.]
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[ He's quiet for a long moment. And then, a wry smile. ]
It's far too late for that kind of information for someone like me, but... you should be careful, saying things like that. You'd almost make people believe you. That they could be helped.
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I'm not the type to give up on anyone, no matter what.
[ Even if... he can't even begin to remember why he believes this so firmly, there's suddenly something akin to a fire in his eyes. ]
Nobody is beyond helping.
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... I don't think you could help me even if you wanted to. I would never let someone else into my mind on the best of days, anyway. It's not exactly what I would call a safe space.
[ He has vivid memories of some of the final days of his life. They weren't exactly pleasant. He spent a lot of time getting ill from how distorted his view of his surroundings had become. ]
I certainly wouldn't recommend eating if you were doing such a thing, at any rate.
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[ The smile he gives is just a touch distant, over hearing the last part. He won't say it couldn't be the worst thing he's ever seen, but he's aware he's probably seen enough to warrant questions regarding his sanity, these days. ]
CW for suicide beyond this point
[ He seems dumbfounded. Like he doesn't really know how to react to that. ]
... Where were you five years ago? If I'd known someone might have been able to simply... fix it... maybe I wouldn't have had to...
[ He trails off. ]
I HATE THIS
... That genuinely has his chest tightening up, and his throat goes dry. Just like that, his brow tightens, and he has to fight his own expression. ]
C...
[ His voice is quiet and he holds a blink. ]
I can't fix everything for a person... What I fight for, is helping the person find the strength within them. To... push themselves up, even though it hurts. People who go through a Change of Heart don't always-...
[ Now it's his turn to trail off, though it's just for a short while. ]
... they have to work hard to pick up the pieces.
[ After another moment... ]
Either way, I still say it's not too late for you.
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No, I shouldn't have been so foolhardy. It's... stupid, isn't it? To think someone already in pieces might be glued back together. The world doesn't work that way. Besides, it isn't as though I made NO effort. She saw to that. I made nothing BUT effort, after effort, after effort.
[ ... Who is he even talking about? Hard to say. ]
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It's not stupid. As long as you still exist, at all... there's a chance for you. I'm...
[ The smile he gives is gentle. ]
Just so we're clear, my mind has already been made up: I'm not giving up on you.
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Why... are you trying so hard? To help me? I... I don't understand. That's not what people do.
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Put simply? [ holding a blink for just a moment, and then smiling softly. ] Because I want to.
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[ He's admonishing him, but to be honest, he's actually... somewhat relieved someone here is like that. It reminds him of Charlotte. ]
That's how you get hurt.
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[ There's a difference in his mind, at least. ]
It's foolish to have some sentiment that you'll get a return on what you're doing. I mean... it's preposterous, isn't it? The idea that someone can just be "fixed" by "stealing their distortions". I mean... it... it should be.
[ His hands clench into fists at his sides. He's quiet for a moment, and then he adds, as if he's saying something he knows only too well: ]
"The Defective will amount to nothing."
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... Abuse is absolutely not just some part of life. [ there's some fire in his words, and it should be clear he fully believes them with everything in his being ] Abuse is something that happens to some people, but it's something that should always be stopped, the second it's noticed!
[ Oh boy... Akira is genuinely upset. He immediately forces himself to take a deep breath. Then, he speaks in a much softer tone. ]
Sorry...
[ Akira's glancing to the side for a moment, his lips drawing together tightly. He doesn't have the Metaverse. Doesn't have his friends. All he has... are his words. ]
Getting hurt, though... is something that happens. Something that's not always our fault. The only thing optional is suffering, but even that... is something we occasionally need help with.
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[ C is... a pacifist by nature, really. He isn't a fighter, not like Akira. If he sees someone getting hurt, his first thought is simply, "but that could also be me". ]
Because from where I stand, that's not... how it works. If you help someone being eaten alive, you'll only be the second victim.
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[ His jawline clenches for a moment. ]
But I fully believe change can happen when just one person decides that enough is enough. And that's exactly why I fought as hard as I did to make a change in my world's society.
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[ He smiles. No, it was over. And there was nothing to be sad about. He's no protagonist in some grand narrative. He's no hero. ]
Perhaps if you had been there, maybe she would not have been. But... where I'm from, all I can see are people that stand infected by malice and the human disease of hatred. Hating those you don't think are good enough. Hating those that you don't feel fit in.
... I was always a class ghost. I regularly saw other students beaten up, but if I'd said anything, they would have brought it down on me instead. My girlfriend liked to gather blackmail on them just to keep checks and balances. She'd never turn it in to the teachers.
[ He just... sounds tired. ]
I couldn't do anything. I had someone to take care of. ... Don't we all? Even now, my role is passive, Mister Kurusu. I am no one's hero. If someone were to strike me, I would not strike them back. If someone were to hate me, I would let them. And so they have. I could not even save a life when given the opportunity.
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I believe... it's not just about what you haven't done. It's not just about the mistakes we've made or the things we failed to accomplish. It's about what we choose to do with the knowledge gained from our past. It's about what steps we take into the future.
You can't move forward if all you do is stare behind you.
[ With a soft exhale, he shakes his head. ]
And I fully believe, when you move your eyes forward, you'll be able to accomplish great things.
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[ He asks it, watching the other's expression with faint interest. He wants to know what he thinks. ]
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Considering the masterminds of the mall...? A lot, apparently.
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[ So he says, but he's busy being God after he died. ]
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You're talking to a high school student who had four part-time jobs, lead a group of thieves, and still found time to help out at the cafe he lived in the attic of. [ flashing a small, somewhat teasing grin ] I... might be one of those people who don't know the proper meaning of sitting and relaxing.
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[ Seriously. ]
You need to take a break.
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[ He seems to be seriously considering this... ]
Sometimes... there were nice meals...? Those felt like breaks. Also, I did take the time to grow closer to my Confidants. Granted, building those bonds helped strengthen my power as a Wildcard...
[ So, that was... technically work-related, too...? Huh. ]
I play video games.