It's Curtains Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
stagemanagers) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
curtainsdown2021-06-12 11:09 pm
stagemanagers) wrote in curtainsdown2021-06-12 11:09 pm
Entry tags:
the mark of those who cannot be saved
[You remember dying. Maybe the memory is clear and bright and your body still aches from the cause. Maybe it was fast enough that you didn't feel it and don't remember what you went through. But no matter how you went out, that's no excuse for truancy! Which is to say: you are still in the school.
For those executed, you will wake up in your beds. The dormitories look exactly as they did when you first arrived, without any of the changes or personal effects you and your dormmates might have made. The only real difference is that the little cot in Ambassador isn't there.
For those who were victims, you will wake where your body was discovered. All of your injuries are gone, and you feel fine. It's almost like you're still alive - but you remember what happened to you. It couldn't have just been a dream, could it?
The school looks much as you remember it, save perhaps for a few key differences. For one, there's no groundhog murals anywhere. Where things were green on the other side, like banners or paint, you'll find that here they're blood red.
The doors, for the moment, are still locked. Looks like even death couldn't free you.]
Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5
(( ooc: Welcome to deadland, everyone! It mostly resembles the school here, and new floors will be revealed after new people die. For example, the second area will unlock after the week 3 dead arrive, and so on. Also, all dead characters will wake up at their actual canonpoint, with all lost memories restored. Have fun being dead! ))
For those executed, you will wake up in your beds. The dormitories look exactly as they did when you first arrived, without any of the changes or personal effects you and your dormmates might have made. The only real difference is that the little cot in Ambassador isn't there.
For those who were victims, you will wake where your body was discovered. All of your injuries are gone, and you feel fine. It's almost like you're still alive - but you remember what happened to you. It couldn't have just been a dream, could it?
The school looks much as you remember it, save perhaps for a few key differences. For one, there's no groundhog murals anywhere. Where things were green on the other side, like banners or paint, you'll find that here they're blood red.
The doors, for the moment, are still locked. Looks like even death couldn't free you.]
(( ooc: Welcome to deadland, everyone! It mostly resembles the school here, and new floors will be revealed after new people die. For example, the second area will unlock after the week 3 dead arrive, and so on. Also, all dead characters will wake up at their actual canonpoint, with all lost memories restored. Have fun being dead! ))
stage
But Discord knows how to get its attention. He has a trumpet from the band room with it for just this purpose. So, he waits a second. Then another...
And then just blowing into that trumpet.
The result is. Loud.
Hi.]
no subject
well you have its attention, now, with it spinning around to find the source and
scowling
ohai, Discord]
no subject
[Said the least sorry man in existence. And then he just casually throws the trumpet over his shoulder. Bye.]
But I guess you're not busy anymore now.
no subject
takes a breath
chills]
What do you want.
no subject
Just a friendly chat.
A little composing bird told me that you've been keeping a secret from everyone, about what happened during that connection.
no subject
You disagree with my reasoning.
[That's obvious. But it's obvious the SQUIP also expects to hear why.]
no subject
[Yeah, they both know they're stating the obvious here. Discord just has his eyes narrowed, putting his arm on the SQUIP's shoulder and leaning there.]
You think keeping this from everyone and using their desperation is the energy we want going into this.
no subject
What I want is for them to not rely on someone else to save them. Especially as I cannot give them an estimated time of arrival on the other units.
no subject
You understand the problem there, right?
no subject
If - [and it catches itself, no, it has to affirm it in its own mind, too] - when it succeeds. They will not be necessary. I do not want them to be necessary. I am believing that we will have enough power on our own, and they should believe, too.
[It's still not looking at him]
Revealing that there is a backup in place acknowledges the chance of failure. It makes it possible.
[Convoluted logic - even for a SQUIP. But look, when you're a SQUIP that's gone this deep in to things, you might make certain connections.]
no subject
[It isn't that he doesn't get it. Discord's more the lone wolf -- well, draconequus -- type, usually. He can do whatever he needs, all by himself, and needs no one to help him. ...Sometimes that isn't even true for him. It wasn't when he killed Salieri. It wasn't with Chrysalis. It isn't now, either.
But for everyone else, it's doubly true. Much as he hates admitting it, friendship is a... stunningly powerful force. Connection. Feeling like things might turn out okay.
A symphony of hope.]
The more hope everyone has, the better our chance of succeeding. We need that, more than anything. And here you have it, slim or otherwise, and you'd rather everyone tries making their own hope from nothing?
Believing in more than just ourselves isn't a weakness. It's a strength.
You're supposed to be logical. Use this to your advantage.
no subject
Its nails dig in to its palms hard enough to cause pain before it notices. It scowls at nothing, then forces itself to relax again. Jeremy is only holding it back, at this point; it has to continue from its still-lingering bitterness. Another breath, and the tension in its shoulder eases.
The others have each other. But it...even with Elizabeth's company...]
I am.
[And now it looks over its shoulder]
Did he also tell you how I described the experience?
no subject
no subject
The synchronization worked, but the code was flawed - you saw it. Once the music began and I began to perform...[It raises its hands, not in the up-up pattern, but with its palms upwards and fingers slightly curled. A different pose. While I'm alive, I can try not to fall while flying...]...I was unable to stop. I was hardly aware of anything else, except the intent behind it; to find the others. To connect.
You also saw how it required immediate debugging to break me out of it. [Hands drop] All that, Discord, for restoring a connection I could naturally do, and boosting it. [It turns towards him, now.] Imagine what we are going to do when we attempt to make a change beyond any conceivable scope. And with Salieri, Elizabeth, all of us part of the performance - we could break reality. Shatter the Wizard's script to pieces, edit to our leisure- or we could cause the ripples like the Leading Player mentioned before, destroying countless others in the process of ourselves.
Who would save us then? The other SQUIPs? [It throws a hand to the side] Perhaps after these bodies had crumpled from exhaustion, if not disintegrated entirely, they might have a prototype to alter in their own realities. They do not have a being of pure chaos working alongside them, nor a man able to stand between such and order and create a balance. They do not have someone who can create music through their body alone, or someone who sees a heart in circuits, or children who can move past their egos and will define the world. They have one being that can affect reality on dimensions incomprehensible. We have two.
We are our best chance.
[For all the SQUIP is intent on this? Discord may be able to pick up something Salieri did, earlier. Something that the SQUIP is trying very hard not to acknowledge, itself, because such would also lead to admitting the possibility of failure.
The SQUIP is afraid.]
1/2
This isn't about us being our best chance. We are, of course. We will do this and we will succeed, that's just simple.
But hope will bring everyone to that finish line so much better than whatever you have in mind. But then, you're not feeling hope yourself right now, are you? No, just the opposite... If anyone here is letting desperation cloud their judgement, well. I can take a guess.
2/2
You know, I don't mean to alarm you
If you ask me I'd say, from my point of view
You thought up these charming little lies
How do you justify, I just don't have a clue
But you've got this ugly little secret
You're tired of feeling awful small
S̷̡͎͚̹̖̖͜ò̧͉̕ ̵̡͔̬̟̼̯̲̺̟̤͜ý̴̝͖͇̙̰̠̲͘o̼̻͚̯̗̼͓u͔̫̻̰ decide to go make this call to hide away
[And oh, he sees exactly what's going on here. Isn't it just so obvious?]
Because you're nervous from the preview
You overthink them, others like you
"We don't need them", this new breakthrough
Oh don't disturb them, let's not challenge your stratagem
And once the project has deflated
Don't forget just who created
This big mess you've gone and displayed
Did I mention, you're just afraid
[The grin only grows wider now.]
Your precious logic is a little... addled, it seems.
no subject
So quietly;]
There is something inside of me
That makes me reinforce my walls
The thing my eyes don't want to see
That will obliterate my code
[Simple...acknowledgement. Acceptance. But more than that- it tosses up its hands in a frustrated gesture]
And I have utterly no idea of how any of you function like this.
[yes, it's Tired, but at least it can still be extremely matter-of-fact about it. And irritated! Did we mention irritated.]
no subject
[Sometimes, feelings blow. A lot. He's not going to deny that, the negative ones aren't exactly a blast. Nor were they anything he worried about for the longest time, but, well. Here they are.]
Your fear is getting in the way of your faith. After all, if you really believed, completely and utterly, that we can do this... well, there'd be no problem passing on information.
But, that's fine. You can work through your doubts and I'll help you take a plunge.
I will just tell everyone.
no subject
It arches its brow, visibly surprised.]
You are going to tell them that there are other SQUIPs working on this project, and that they should feel hope for it.
[Discord Sus]
no subject
Give people something to boost their spirits and be at their best.
[Just smiling, carefree.]
Now that's how you manipulate people into being better.
no subject
You are certain it will have a more positive than negative effect. You can tell me this without any deceit or doubts whatsoever, even with being who and what you are.
[It's not that it doesn't trust Discord, much less that it doesn't trust Discord doesn't want out of here. But if it's going to simply accept this happening, then it needs something solid.]
no subject
Preferably by someone who knows how emotions work.
no subject
Then I will trust your judgement. At least this way, there is only one who needs to be further convinced.
[Read; itself]
no subject