15strangers | (no subject)

W̡͜E̶EK ̵̕2̕͠

[The blight would not stop.

The world's leading experts have been trying to find a cure, to no avail. Th blight keeps changing, keeps foiling all attempts at being fully understood. It's almost sentient, or at least more sentient than any disease that's been encountered before. People fear the disease jumping from what's left of the grapes into other plants, into animals, or even humans.

You can only watch as entire economies and ecosystems collapse. You can only bury your head in your hands as your own business comes to its end. The destruction of the clusters of grapes has not simply destroyed the wine industry, either-other businesses are being destroyed by the plague. Food, transport, retail, nothing is untouched.

You look on your own vineyard, its yield almost entirely blackened and dead.

This can't keep going on.

-

A week has passed since everyone's arrival. No one has died, yet. But surely no one is holding their breath to see if they would survive this unscathed. They are veterans of the game, and they must know that whoever it is that is in charge demands their pound of flesh. The question is when it will happen.

It is the second week, after all-and when the second week of the game comes, death is not far behind. Not even when you wake up, feeling something different in your mind as you remember the truths you originally woke up with, deep in your mind. You feel...lighter, somehow, when you realize there is a change.

Even so, there are 15 strangers left in this place.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[He's actually doing the math on this and he doeSN'T LIKE THIS ]

There's less of them than there are of you all, as it turns out... What if the distribution ends up unfair...?

There's already going to be some people with more pets than others whether it's cats or other animals. We can figure it out.

[the sock exchange is a thing my guy]

[Putting hand to forehead.]

But... If it went that far... the last two would have to go back and forth again... Why would you do that to them...?

Back... and forth?

[Eric tilts his head so he's looking up at him from his spot at the ground but also kind of leaning away. The lap kitty yawns.]

Uhhh. What the hell are you talking about?

The more times it changes, the more it hurts. Haven't you ever stood on your head and then gotten right-side-up again too fast, Prince Eric?

[The cat titled #7 begins to walk back and forth over his lap.]

If you drop a cat face-up close enough to the ground, you know, it doesn't land on its feet.

Wait, you're gonna keep calling me that?? [He let it slide the first time because it was sarcastic enough, but wow. He's not sure if this is better or worse than being 'Mr. Sparkles']

That sounds bad, but it doesn't explain why they'd have to go back and forth in the first place, or why it'd have to be two... Do you mean you have to at least have cats for you and Link?

...I can be negotiated with, but the absence of a surname in the final resident profile made us think it was unfair to differentiate you... Queen Ambrosine, Enforcer McBurn, there are similar cases.

[This is a distraction from the cats though... Hiyori clearly does not like that he is losing.]

It's not... Strictly necessary... After this, we'd probably give up... But this is what I mean. Our group's initial acquisition of the cats was switch #1. You and Caleb Widogast's recent rebellion, switch #2. When we originally reclaimed one each, that was switch #3. So for you to get those two specifically again, would be switch #4... Doesn't that make sense?

[that sure is an explanation.]

Huh. I don't know if I should be insulted or proud that no one in any of these game's been able to figure out what my last name is.

[might as well keep it that way though, even if it lands him with a weird title.]

... Sounds like you think it's only fine when you guys do it.

What, would you have taken Mira's if you could...?

[He shrugs lightly.]

And likewise you think you're "saving" them, don't you? It doesn't matter, we guess. We do have other places to stop today. Can't fight the good fight here forever.

That's for me to know, but I will say her old man isn't trash like mine.

[so he's moving on now, huh? Eric stays put, hugging the cat. They definitely saved them no matter what Hiyori thinks!!]

See ya.