dreamsland | day five

dreamland day five

24 players remaining.

As the voting period comes to an end, a bell goes off from the ticket machine, and the metal bars blocking the tunnel at the end of the Hall of Mirrors lifts. A voice speaks over the loudspeaker:

"Attention, guests! Please make your way onto the ride! For your safety, keep your hands and arms inside and do not attempt to leave your seat!"

Through the tunnel, single cars on a track stop and wait for each remaining player to step on. Don't dawdle, or your bracelet will begin to beep a warning. Once in a car, the safety bar locks you tightly inside, unable to move.

The car trundles along a dark, twisting track, nearly veering into cartoonish obstacles, but veering away at the last moment. Music and cackling laughter echoes loudly through the ride as you drive faster and faster. Suddenly, your car veers off to the left, through a courtroom, where a towering cartoon judge threatens to bang a gavel. Your car jerks and evades, but somewhere, before one car can pass, the gavel comes down and the car spins off to the side, through a dark doorway.

Each car comes to the end of the ride, but doesn't stop, and instead jerks into motion and, even faster, veers through the ride a second time. This time, your car does not enter the courtroom, but the doors to your left nonetheless open, showing instead of a courtroom a red room burning with cartoon flames. Above the flames hangs a corpse in a noose.

The body of Ibuki Mioda hangs from a red rope noose, as a cackling voices pronounces: Guilty!

The ride turns away once more, and comes to a stop. A list of votes has been posted on the wall. You now have the rest of the evening to explore the park, before night comes again.

One more thing: because of the successful execution of a VIP today, you now have a chance to vote for a MVP.

MVP vote
character statuses
private conversations
graveyard

This is a general post-vote mingle encompassing the time from the end of the trial (about 5 PM until the fireworks at 11 PM). You are encouraged and welcome to backtag discussions in this post until the next day post, or to have afternoon private conversations.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Natalia is also somber as she heads back to the barracks after that execution, so when Clash bumps into her, she immediately reaches out to steady the other girl. ]

Clash? [ She's concerned after the way she acted at the trial. Some people did point out that defending Ibuki so strongly didn't exactly look very good for her, but... Natalia can't help but feel sympathy for her. ]

[ She doesn't want to be bothered right now, but Natalia's voice pulls her from her thoughts. She moves her hand away from her face and lets it fall to her side. ]

Have you come to lecture me about acting the way I did too?

[ She sounds like a petulant child, but she doesn't mean any malice behind it. In fact, she's relieved to see her with the way she isn't sharply turning away and leaving. ]

No, I think you've been lectured enough today. Besides, there's nothing I can say that you haven't heard already.

[ Despite her scolding words, her tone is less angry than it is frustrated and it's not directed at Clash either. What this place has done to them all, forcing friends to turn on each other - not knowing who to trust... It's unforgivable.

She can't really say she approves of the way she went about it, but it would just be cruel, to rub it in now. It's done. ]

I'm sorry, Clash. I know she was your friend.

She was more than a friend.

[ Clash looks down at the ground, suddenly feeling like she's twelve and being scolded by Video's mom. ]

She was the only person who made me feel like I belong somewhere. Not even the Misfits did that...

But, don't tell them I said that! I still wanna be a part of them!

[ That gets a smile out of her. ]

I won't say a word. [ Not that she knows who the Misfits even are but. If she did, she wouldn't! ]

It may take some time, but you'll find where you belong. If she truly was your friend, that's what she would want for you as well. I'm sure of it.

[ She shakes her head. There's a bit of desperation in her voice. ]

I know where I belong and it's with them! But...

I thought that I could introduce them to Ibuki. I really thought we were gonna get out of here together and the Misfits would us as bandmates. I just... I wish I could see her one more time to tell her how much she means to me.

[ Her smile falters slightly. ]

You argued so hard for her sake. I don't think there was a single person there today who couldn't see how much she meant to you.

[ Clash swallows, brushing stray tears off of her cheeks. She's stopped crying for now. ]

Even if everyone ends thinking I'm a VIP... I don't care, because they can't I abandoned her just because of this stupid game.

[ Good thing too because Natalia already gave her handkerchief to Mabel. Although her words are making it difficult for Natalia to hold her tongue again because it's hit a sore spot that's still fresh.

So she doesn't. ]

Do you think any of us want to turn on each other? To send the people we've become friends with to their deaths? But they're murdering innocent people! Kind people, like Mahiru... Children, like Dipper, and trying to pin their crimes on those they know are innocent, like Legion. [ They spent so long focused on Legion..... ]

How can you not care about any of that?

I knew you wouldn't understand.

[ She crosses her arms and looks away with a frown. ]

We've killed innocent people too you know and we were aware of it. The VIPs don't know that they killed Dipper, but we willingly killed Levi. We willingly killed Francis and Nui. Everyone acts like we're so much better than the VIPs when we're just as bad as they are!

We're trying to find the VIPs, not purposely target innocent people!

[ DEEP BREATH... ] I know that innocents have died because of us, but even so... Even so, that doesn't mean we just stop fighting back! We all have lives and people to get home to!

You do, too! Don't you want to go home and see the Misfits again?

Of course I do! I don't want to give up either. If there's anything Ibuki's taught me, it's that you shouldn't stop fighting even when things get bad. It's just... they don't remember. How are they supposed to know they're killers when we've willingly killed innocent people too? At least the VIPs are standing up for themselves even if they're being brainwashed to forget!

Nobody wants to willingly kill, but let's face it — all of us have. Acting all high and mighty about everything isn't gonna help.

Of course we have! Do you think I learned archery to shoot at trees? I've shot my arrows at people.

[ But this, of course, is different from fighting in battle. ]

But the difference between us and the VIPs is that we never asked for this! We never wanted to play this twisted game, until they began to target us. Right now, we're fighting for our lives!

You don't think they are either? You think Ibuki or Edea wanted to die? They had to fight for their lives not knowing what happened to them!

Everyone's acting like they're monsters when they're not even consciously killing people. Would you want someone to think of you that way?

[ At the mention of Edea, her expression tightens. ]

We don't know that. We don't know for certain anything about why they're doing what they're doing. All we know is that it's us against them, and neither of us will back down without a fight.

[ Her voice is firm. So much has changed since that first day they arrived... ] Edea was my friend, as Ibuki was yours. But that doesn't change that they were also VIPs.

No, it doesn't, but it doesn't mean we should turn our backs on them either. I may not have voted for her, but I never acted like Ibuki was innocent either when any one of us could be a VIP.

[ She sighs again and lets her arms fall to her side. ]

All I'm saying is that there's no use between comparing us and them. Everyone was all up in arms after Dipper died, but barely anyone seemed upset at Levi's death... or even Yuya's. We should stop the VIPs, but we shouldn't act like we're not the ones at fault here either. Whoever's doing this to us is forcing us to do all of this for a reason.

Edited 2014-10-08 19:15 (UTC)

[ Natalia also backs down slightly at the reminder that this is something that goes beyond just them vs. the VIPs. ]

... You're right. I promised Edea, before she died, that I would work to find a way to end this game. But we're no closer now to understanding any of this than we were when it started.

Wether we eliminate all the VIPs or not doesn't guarantee any answers, just "winning" and even that doesn't feel like it would be winning.

As much as we gotta focus on them and the bomber, we should at least try to think of a way to stop this thing without having to kill more people.

day five - aftermath

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oops say should be in that last tag

s'all good

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