[week two - thursday]

[hypertoxic]

[ It's about an hour before curfew by the time Vriska wanders back to the huts. The ... things she's been seeing? Whatever is up with that? have been surreal, but so far she's keeping her cool. In fact, by the look of her, you wouldn't really know anything is wrong.

But the moment she spots Akira she'll make a beeline for him. And then do her usual thing of kind of draping on him in some fashion. ]

Are you seeing this weird fakey bullshit? This is definitely not just me, right. Are we collectively going crazy or what.

[ ... blunt, as usual! ]

Comments

[jokered]

[at least by now, he's pretty used to vriska just doing that? so. it's probably fine.]

We're collectively going crazy. [which is to say it's not just her.] ...Or the tweedle asshole bots are messing with us, somehow.

[hypertoxic]

That second one sounds pretty likely to me! Well, they both do, actually. Haha.

[ .... ]

It's pretty fucked up if they can mess with our heads! But between you and me, I don't think this is happening for no reason. I just can't figure out why! Hahahaha, it's hard to think straight when you keep seeing creepy fakey bizarro bullshit!

[ uh. ]

[jokered]

[okay, vriska.]

I'm sure it's for a reason. And.. I don't think it's going to be a good one either.

[a pause, and then:]

It's Thursday.

[hypertoxic]

It sure is Thursday, [ she drawls. ]

So what, they're setting us up to accidentally murder someone who happens to be standing in the place of a hallucination?

[jokered]

Would you put it past them? Because I wouldn't.

[he's.

definitely still pissed about haru, unsurprisingly.]

[hypertoxic]

[ ... yeah. yeah, that's not really a shock. Vriska will watch him for a moment, serious and thoughtful, and then sigh. ]

No. I wouldn't either. Remember what they said last week? About trusting each other? I'm sure the real point of that is actually to undermine our ability to trust one another so we're all paranoid and looking out for ourselves. Delusions will definitely help with that!

[jokered]

[to that, he can easily nod in agreement.]

They're going to mess with our heads any way they can to make us play their game. Anything to break our trust.

[he frowns, taking a moment to consider it.] I wonder how many people would be easily broken by that.

[hypertoxic]

[ ... more somberly: ]

There will be a few. I'm sure before the end we will have all dealt with a few shocking betrayals absolutely no one saw coming.

[ She'll finally let go of him, pulling in a deep breath to sigh through her nose as she pulls her hair back over her shoulders. ]

The best we can hope for is to try and minimize the damage as much as possible.

[jokered]

I think so too.

[he pauses, thoughtful, as he thinks of her words.]

How would you feel about it? Betrayals like that. [oh?]

If it's really like some people think—like they're going to corner people into playing the game, I mean.

[he's curious. he has thoughts of his own, of course—but he thinks vriska would react differently to them than most people would.]

[hypertoxic]

[ That just gets a resounding shrug. ]

Depends on who's doing the betraying.

[ .. that's .. sensible? ]

Anyway, there will probably at least be some of that. People getting cornered, I mean. But I'm willing to bet plenty of people here would turn on the rest of us in a heartbeat with the right incentive! Money, power. Even fame! Who knows what those Chiefs might be willing to promise us to make this game as entertaining as possible. And a betrayal would generate some pretty great drama.

[jokered]

[hm. he considers that before nodding his head.]

I wonder if that's much different than being cornered, though. I don't think you're wrong, either way.

[maybe he's just not sure how many people would kill for positive reinforcement unless they were already pretty easily inclined to do so?

he's just considering the options here—the whole situation is going to be a dumpster fire no matter who kills, and who dies, he thinks.]

[hypertoxic]

[ Her smile quirks into something crooked. ]

Maybe not, in the end! The outcome is still the same. You can buy anybody with the right currency, and that currency doesn't have to be tangible! It can just as easily be fear, or love. Manipulating a group like ours won't be hard.

[ ... ]

What would you do? If we were all betrayed.

[jokered]

[he shrugs.]

I guess it depends. I wouldn't be out for revenge or anything, but depending on why... I'm not sure how betrayed I'd even feel.

[if someone did it for money or fame, he'd be pissed. but if someone's being threatened or blackmailed into it, it's harder for him to not at least understand that sentiment? even if it's not something he really agrees with at all.]

[hypertoxic]

[ that gets a laugh, albeit a quiet one. ]

We feel pretty much the same about it! I have been backstabbed enough in my life to at least expect it, especially in a game like this.

[ Taps her fingers on her lips, observing him with interest. ]

Is it that you're enough of a realist not to put faith in everybody that's here, or enough of an optimist to believe that anyone who does will be forced into it?

[jokered]

....Wouldn't the latter be pretty nice?

[he's absolutely not that much of an optimist. he definitely believes that there are people here that would kill for their own reasons without the chiefs motivating them.

he doesn't like it. but he still believes it.]