thefoundation | [CONTINUE + 3] Week 1 || Act: mingle

[ ... hm. ]

Oh? Perhaps it could be something like that. Though maybe a little more complicated all the same; even something like this entity should be able to have a body that can be located, after all.

And it using it's 'ability' to keep itself hidden from the 'characters' seems to be an explanation as to why no one would be able to find it at this time.

Allow me to raise a hypothetical, though.

Assuming that they do have a physical body, the next question is this: would we be able to locate it and would we even be able to actually access where they are?

Because it's possible that they aren't in this world - but they are using some sort of conduit because from our perspective, there is some sort of entity trying to destroy this world. Yet - there's something... 'off', too.

I assume that it is a body that could be located in the right circumstances, it's just accessing it to where they truly are that could prove to be an issue.

If, for example, they weren't truly in this world and using a conduit to access it...there are certainly ancient beings that can do that. Perhaps even a kind your group is familiar with, though I wouldn't exactly be able to say with a certainty that is the kind of enemy we're facing.

[ There were so many creatures capable of acting as if they were gods, and those below them were their playthings as well. Like witches, from time to time, he supposed. ]

Regardless, putting that speculation aside, what exactly do you mean by 'off'?

Yeah... that's the issue I'm getting at here. I'm not saying I want to do anything bad to the perp, though. Rather - I want to hear them out properly. See what their reasoning is.

[...]

The message at the end of the last trial.

It ended with 'good job', didn't it? The worst part is that it's text. When it comes to text, it's hard to tell what the 'tone' is, so I can't... exactly confirm, if it was being genuine or sarcastic.

A part of me wants to say sarcastic, but...

In the off chance that it's genuine... that changes the implications behind the words.

Edited 2020-09-03 05:54 (UTC)

[ A small chuckle left him at that. ]

I want to see such a creature meet an end for the trouble its caused, but I will at the very least allow them to speak so that we can have knowledge of its motivations.

[ Well, 'good job' could be certainly said non-sarcastically, though he wondered idly at it being genuine; it could be true that it was, though he couldn't help but take it as condescending anyway. ]

...And how exactly does it change anything at all? I'm interested in hearing your thought, after all.

Edited 2020-09-03 06:00 (UTC)

If it's a 'person', a 'player' - killing them isn't going to make us any better than we are. Killing is what got us into problems in the first place.

[Himeko decides to stress that point, considering how many times murder had been a factor in the last two years.

She's sick and tired of it.

If their motivations are something that pisses her off, she'll punch them in the face and yell if she has to.]

If it's genuine - I don't know the reason 'why', but allow me to propose a theory.

I'll go with the obvious: "we found the right culprit". That means we gave them the exact result that they were looking for - to solve the murder mystery that was presented in front of us.

Which potentially means this. The murders aren't done to prevent something - the murders are done for the sake of having us solve them, and submit votes for the culprit.

[ There's a brief pause. ]

As a King, to me their actions are punishable by death—and if you recall, it is their fault that we're facing the problem of 'killings' in the first place. It only makes sense that in the end, they've a taste of their own medicine.

[ This was sadly not something they will agree on; call it a lost cause, really. ]

...I'm still not entirely sure what they've to gain from us playing along other than them being able to seemingly make a move at a certain time to dispose of someone by throwing them into that core. But it's possible you could be onto something in that regard. Either way it seems to me the right answer regardless is that we shouldn't keep going along with this nonsense.

[ At some point, whether it was now or ... sometime soon, they had to put their foot down. ]

We aren't in those old ages anymore - and eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth don't apply here. If you want to disagree, fine - but simply know that I won't allow for it.

It doesn't give them a single chance to repent on their actions and look at things more carefully.

That is why I wish to know their intentions.

[Even if Gilgamesh might see it as a lost cause, Himeko... wants to believe. She wants to believe in the potential that whoever is behind this could potentially change their ways.

That she could possibly give them MERCY -

But maybe - just maybe, that's just wishful thinking.]

Allow me to think in their position.

Let's go with the hypothetical that they are a 'player' that was given the ability to possess the 'characters'.

But in this murder mystery game... you do not play as the detective. You play as the culprit. However - the 'characters' in the game would not want to murder people normally. Not even with proper motivation.

So you decide to manipulate the game and take control of a 'character' to murder them and watch the rest of the characters solve the mystery. But the fact that there are differences in each loop goes to show that it might not be that the 'player' cannot possess a person more than once, although that certainly could be the case. We have no way to confirm this for certain. But rather... because doing so is boring. Nobody wants to repeat the same thing repeatedly; it's not entertaining. Seeing the same result all the time isn't fun.

That's why certain games have a 'replay value'. Visual novels in particular are a good example for this, as many people tend to 'reload' from a previous save point in order to do other options. If they're a completionist, they'll do it so that they can get all the dialogue options, all the CGs.

Not to mention that people enjoy breaking games for fun, too. There are glitch hunters. People who try to find the secret assets of the game and find secrets, like stuff from the beta, or an older version of the game. Things that were scrapped in the process of creation.

I do think that there's a reason that they want to throw someone into the Core, but - I don't think it was for the reasons we thought they were. After all, they didn't aim for the culprit in that last trial. They aimed for Undyne, and then tried to gun for Red.

Irregardless of that... I do think that the trials themselves are unimportant. I am of the personal mind that the answer to "who is the culprit" does not matter - even more so if they're possessed. Which is why I believe we should try and avoid doing things that might be given to us on a silver platter. I want to force a stalemate.

You can try to prevent it if you so wish. I already told you that I will allow them to explain their intentions; following that I will kill them by my own hands once the best opportunity presents itself. I won't back down no matter who dares to intercede.

[ As in he will fight them if he had to. He's done it before; he'll do it again.

Gilgamesh can't possibly see it within himself to grant such a being MERCY. They didn't even know their reasons, and even after knowing such things, they must receieve an adequate punishment for being a threat to humanity, and doing what they've done to them.

Regardless, he's listening closely to what she's saying here. ]

So then once again it comes to the conclusion I reached:

We don't play along in the trial, thereby forcing a 'stalemate' of sorts. In that case, however, we'll need to be prepared for opposition against those who preside over the trial.

Including very well the need to possibly fight them as well. Which may not be ideal unless we've a plan.

When it comes to that, then - I will personally interfere.

[They are talking about this in front of everyone's salad oh my god -

Someone please stop this. This is a bad idea.

Nevertheless, there is a determined glint in her eyes. There certainly is no sign of fear in them, and she keeps her voice steady.]

And that's correct. I personally think that at the very least, we should try and speak to them and convince them.

Given that we've lost the one that normally precedes over the trials... I think Undyne might be the one to replace that 'role'. And Nanaka mentioned a meeting with her, correct? There's a possibility that we might be able to reason with her.

[She wants to hope for that.]

If we do wind up fighting, it's true that we shouldn't go in blindly, at the very least.

When it comes to the monsters I refuse to FIGHT them for real. I don't care if it's us or them, they're civilians.

But I'm kinda with his Majesty when it comes to the puppetmaster- it can talk so it should know better. And... sometimes you have to put a bullet in God.

[he mimes taking a shot, eyes steely]

Do we really know that for sure?

I refuse to kill anyone, even a god, and I won't hesitate even once to stop anyone who tries -

[...]

At least, not without hearing them out.

Just because something speaks means that it should know better? That's like saying... okay, let me use this as an example, I suppose.

Anyone playing Grand Theft Auto should know better when they decide to 'kill people'. But does that make a person who plays that sort of game 'evil'? If they see this world as a 'game', how do we know that they don't have that sort of mindset? I'm not saying that it's good, or that I like it. I'm saying that it's unfair.

Are gods not allowed to repent now? What gives us the right to murder someone, regardless of their standing? Do you really think that makes us better than them?! This is something I cannot agree on.

Edited (fuck i forgot a whole ass sentence) 2020-09-03 21:07 (UTC)

... if it's willing to talk I'll listen. I know with Sol they didn't know what they were doing either, so it's possible.

But you didn't talk to it like I did. That thing... it had malice. It was getting off on this.

You're my friend, and I respect your opinions. So if you want to give it a chance I will. But... don't get yourself killed trying, please.

I didn't.

[She'll press on the point that she didn't talk to them.]

But we all saw what it said during the last trial, right? Don't you think that's already weird? We don't even know if it's a single thing or not.

[If it's a game --

There might be multiple players. It's not uncommon for people to trade off controllers if they're playing as a group for a single player game. If, to them, that's what it was.]

... I can't promise anything. Because I don't want to say anything that could turn me into a liar.

I just - I don't think it's as simple as saying that this is the "villain we have to defeat". Because if that's the case... killing it is also another trap.

You can promise you won't try to do it alone.

[Karen actually literally steps forward.]

I don't want to kill anyone, either, not as long as we have other options. Even if it is malicious, I want to believe there's some way that can change. Maybe that's just another case of me being out of place in a world like this, but that's how I feel... and it's worked before.

... thank you.

[It's a low whisper, but appreciative nevertheless, even if she didn't ask for it.

Himeko was completely prepared to potentially have the world against her. And she would have been fine with that.]

[Karen smiles at her in return.

It's her real opinion, it isn't just that she didsn't want to leave Inaba to stand alone... but she sure didn't.]

[ raising her hand ]

Sorry, but I'm with Goldie Boy and Ren on this.

Why should we even give this thing the benefit of the doubt? It's killin' us. It took our powers away. It laughed at us when we tried to interfere.

I've fought enough gods to know that there's plenty of 'em who think humans and other mortals are just cute li'l dolls to dress up and play house with. And none of them had this same raw power that this thing does. Whether or not it's "sorry" and might wanna "repent" in the future doesn't really matter right now, because right now we gotta stop it, and stopping it might have to involve killin' it by necessity.

... The problem I personally have with that is the fact that killing it might be a trap in of itself.

I'm not saying I'll like the entity - or entities. But think about it: if we're hypothetically the 'heroes' that can loop through time, isn't it obvious that we need a "villain to defeat"? It's possible that if we kill it...

We might potentially be walking straight up into its plans.

Okay, let's say that's the case. What's the bad ending we get for killin' it? What's the bad thing that happens to us?

My best guess?

There isn't one. However - do you really want things to go as scripted? Do you just want the simple, "okay we got a happy ending because we walked right into it", just as the mastermind behind this planned? Fuck that.

I refuse to be played by the game.

If I want a happy ending, I'm gonna make it myself, goddamn it. With my own choice. Not with what the 'plot' wants me to do.

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