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

[foundationmods]

Monday comes onto the snowy town once more, though it still looks as if it's 'night' as ever.

Then again, you are underground. That's just to be expected, considering no natural light can get down here in the first place. The Monsters around you are just as friendly as ever, despite this being your fourth 'time' trying this monday.

There doesn't seem to be many Monsters here...or at least, you think there was more before? Huh.

Well, whatever.

You still have a mission - And with three trials under your belt, you're now a little closer to figuring things out.

...How much longer will this repeat?

FUN VALUE: 7
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[dereban]

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.

[le_mat]

... 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.

[dereban]

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.

[oceanicbutterfly]

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.

[dereban]

... 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.]

[oceanicbutterfly]

[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.]

[lovecolored]

[ 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.

[dereban]

... 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.

[lovecolored]

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?

[dereban]

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.

[white_camellia]

...So your pride takes priority over the world, is it...?

[Sorry Inaba, she is absolutely interpreting that in the worst way possible. Deliberately? Who knows?]

[dereban]

There's a reason why I'm integrity, I suppose.

But... I was also thinking that there's a possibility that if we do get that 'good ending', the world ends anyway.

We just won't be aware of it.

[white_camellia]

So the world ends either way, is what you are saying.

In which case, the conclusion is that we are to simply accept the death of the world. If we do nothing, it will end. And according to your theory, if we do something about it, it will end anyways.

Is there an actual point to exploring where this theory goes?

[dereban]

No - it's not that "if we do something about it", but rather "if we do something that follows the script".

I'm saying that - and I've been saying this for a while now is that... I think we should attempt to do things that don't follow the normal "conventions" to solve things. If that makes sense?

1/2

[oceanicbutterfly]

Something like what we did in the game show.

[lovecolored]

[ ............ ]

I'd agree with somethin' like that, in normal circumstances. I don't wanna be in anyone's script, either, dude.

[ said softly: ]

But if the whole end goal of this for the thing wantin' us to be in a story and then defeatin' it and killin' it--what was the point of it all? Why bother goin' to all this trouble if it just ends with its own death? I get that some folks like causin' a lotta havoc just for the hell of it, but why plan for your own downfall? It doesn't make sense to me.

[white_camellia]

[...Well, that brings back awkward memories.]

...It is not unheard of, unfortunately.

[improbablenotimpossible]

...This... feels familiar too...

[sageking]

Familiar to what, exactly?

[lovecolored]

[ you can practically see the question marks above her head. spill. ]

[dereban]

Because without it, there wouldn't be a plot.

A... reason, I suppose, to move things forward, is what I'm thinking. Of course, this is all just speculation on my part. I don't know if I'm right. Hell, I'm willing to throw in the towel if I'm proven wrong.

[improbablenotimpossible]

[He mulls over the discussion, his fingers steeple together]

...There might be worse consequences if we do the 'expected heroic' thing. If we truly are the 'heroes' in this incident.

[dereban]

Well, I mean... if it's a game and we're deemed the heroes, what happens after you defeat the great evil?

The game ends. True and total finality.

It's possible that like... it won't necessarily be a 'bad' ending? So it's possible that it could be good. But it's possible that things could go to even more shit. It's - a lot of it is speculation, though.

[improbablenotimpossible]

When something ends, you generally put it aside...

[dereban]

Yeah.

And if there's no replay value, you tend to not pick it back up for at least a couple of years. It'll just wind up collecting dust.

Maybe someone will come back to it at some point, but - if that happens, you don't start where you left off. Because there's nothing after the end. There's no script for it, no dialogue.

... you'd go back to the beginning, or an earlier save point.