Week 6, Saturday

[foundationmods]

[After a tense night and a quiet morning, everyone will get an email at 11 am. The email comes straight from MC.]

Meet me in the studio at noon.

[It's probably best to follow those instructions.

When they get to the studio, they will find that twelve podiums have been arranged in a semi-circle on the stage. Each person can take whichever one they want, they aren't assigned.

There is the box of prinny jurors once more, but this time the twelve prinnies seated there might look familiar. In addition, there is a new spot next to the prinnies where a single stool behind a small table is left empty.

Given that the seat John used previously is taken up by MC, John looks at the group awkwardly before going to sit on that stool.

It's time to begin the final trial.]

VOTE HERE

Comments

[foundationmods]

[They can use an item and heal up! The team HP is back to 20.

MC will respond to the main idea people seem to be getting here.]

I wasn't alone, since the two of us were always together. It's a bit crowded sometimes, even if he usually lets me 'take control', but we make it work. After all these years, we have grown accustomed to it.

That's the secret, too: he doesn't age, so our body doesn't age either. Some of the Foundation's experiments did temporarily halt that, allowing me to grow into an adult, but the Foundation found the fact that we didn't normally age to be quite useful to them. And in turn, we decided to use the Foundation, climbing the ranks and gaining the ability to control our own destiny.

That's why the Foundation doesn't have hostile takeovers, you know. The leaders don't age, so they never get old and die. And if the people in control never retire, then their ideas and methods persist. The others still call me 'the new kid' even though I've been a leader like them for over 500 years.

[MC raises his trident to attack, slashing through the last free hit.]

The Foundation's old ideals have no room for mercy. Every attempt to save someone means that a new person could someday take power. That's dangerous.

[darkova]

[Ingway doesn't pick an option, but:]

Ah, is this why people of this world often say 'eat the rich'? I'm starting to see the merit of all this violent revolution some suggest.

[Maybe literally. Darkova hasn't eaten in weeks even if it's sleepy]

[oceanicbutterfly]

They say what?!

[EXCUSE YOU KAREN IS THE RICH]

[darkova]

[He just laughs]

I doubt it's to be taken literally.

[prayerwheel]

Please don't eat anyone.

[ although after they get out she really has to talk with John about purging Darkova for good, come to think of it ]

[darkova]

I won't. Old meat is tough and gristly.

[houndumb]

[Enough with the listens, it's talk time.]

Ugh, so you're just all old geezers... That explains a whole fucking hell of a lot.

[The exasperation is stronger this time? Tinged with minor bitterness, but he doesn't seem especially surprised here.]

The older you are, the less you're goin' to figure out what actually matters! And you get stuck in your stupid-ass ways. Sounds like some demons I know, too.

[darkremnants]

That's stupid.

[ >Talk ]

That means you're all stuck in the same place. Never growing, changing, or learning. Your world has become narrow.

[failsaw]

[That's familiar, isn't it? That's the same old shit Giriko's been dealing with for centuries longer than this kid's been around. Time to talk some more.]

My world's like that, you know? A god in charge, and nobody taking a stand against the shit he keeps pulling.

So what's your plan, new kid? You just gonna continue their shit? You just gonna keep up their ideals?

[arraignments]

Do you agree with their ideals?

[dereban]

. . .

[ a sigh,

followed with talking: ]

Even if the two of you are together it doesn't make it any less lonely.

[ she says those words calmly, quietly, softly. ]

If their ideals have no room for mercy, aren't they contradicting themselves? Fucking hypocrites. They truly don't understand the meaning of protect, do they? Sometimes, things have to change. If things remain stagnant, then. . . it's all going to blow up on themselves in the end. They'll just end up destroying themselves.

[oceanicbutterfly]

[Talk.]

The world has changed so much in just ten years... I can't imagine exactly the same approach staying appropriate for five hundred.

[allmyfriendsaredead]

[>Talk!]

Then why cling to the old ideals? After what you've gone through, do you really think this system is sustainable?

...She wasn't as old as you. But I knew someone who lived for a long time... who will probably continue to live for a long time, even. [Or so she thinks.]

Somehow, she was more reasonable than the others in authority. But the only reason for that is because she realized things had to change. She was the one who scolded the others for allowing fear to rule them.

[prayerwheel]

[ Talk ]

The same old thing for thousands of years, hmm...

[ her world hasn't changed much at all in that time span, either ]

[duskhound]

[Talk still, yes.]

That really does sound like a serious problem to me, though. no matter how old you are, things are still constantly changing, aren't they? Isn't it natural for methods to change as well? Debating about how someone new might take power is kind of pointless, since if the methods themselves don't change... The organization's going to get left behind.

...And I mean, personally, I feel that because the Foundation is so important, Mercy is even more important. I feel like the Foundation's truly lost their way if they reject mercy as incompatible with keeping people safe.

[prayerwheel]

Isn't the motto supposed to be "Secure, Contain, Protect"?

[ emphasis on the last word ]

They haven't been doing much of that, lately.

[arraignments]

I pointed that out while Akira and I had a similar chat with a certain someone.

It would be a shame to see our words going to waste, but they call them stubborn idiots for a reason.

[visionem]

[ > talk ]

And what have you right now isn't dangerous? Stagnancy is as much of a death in many ways.

[foundationmods]

[Everyone's words get MC to pause. He is quiet for a moment, and when he speaks again, it is with the other voice.]

I ruled for many, many unaging years before that child found me. The Underground stagnated, and no real change was ever made. We remained locked away for years and years, all because of a folly caused by my lack of understanding.

The Foundation stagnates just as my kingdom did. I can see it clearly. That child, however, is hesitant.

Show us the power of your mercy, and let us see if it can defeat our power.

[And with that, he swipes down with a crushing blow, dropping the team's HP to 15.

But with no 'mercy' button to hit, how will the group show any mercy...?]

[arraignments]

[ Ow, rude...??? ]

[failsaw]

[Shit, that's a hit.]

I ain't usually one for mercy, yeah? You fuckin' know that.

But the Foundation needs to change. [Just like Giriko's world, this place is rotten to the core. Just like Giriko's world, this place needs someone to shake it up.

Don't make her wait another eight hundred years for change Arachne.]

Come on, kid. You know that.

We've shown you mercy already, you two, and that other guy, and a fuckload of other people. Shit, nobody even went after me when they knew I tried to kill someone.

You want us to ignore the opportunity to attack and give you a present or shit? Here.

[Time to use that feed command, maybe? Here's some snail pie.]

[darkremnants]

[ Flinching at that.

ALSO GESTURES AT CHAINSAW

>Feed
Get your pie on. ]

[dereban]

[ EAT THE GODDAMN PIE, MC

honestly just +1ing the feed option here because for once Giriko is right here. ]

[houndumb]

The power of your goddamn broken videogame menu?! I fucking swear--

[There's a yelp when the blow comes, because now they're out of minor cutscene DPS and halfway into the leagues and what the hell is even going on in this fight anymore--

ARE THEY SERIOUSLY SNAIL PIEING HIM RIGHT NOW]

ARE WE SERIOUSLY SNAIL PIEING THIS DAMN FIGHT RIGHT NOW???

[>FEED THIS IS STUPID!!!]

[merirut]

[>Talk]

...And? What do you think of the Foundation?