ALCHEME

[idolpro]

This room is not real.

That's the first thought that crosses your mind as soon as your consciousness comes back up. You're not even sure if that's your own thought, but the feeling doesn't leave no matter how much time has passed. The room looks nice and cozy, but everything feels wrong. You don't belong here, you're you, aren't you?

Aren't you?

You'll soon notice that there are other things that just isn't right. You can talk, but is your mouth moving? You can see, but are your eyes blinking? You also have ball joints. Nothing hurts, and you're fine, but it's a little weird.

Comments

[irregular]

I guess...?

Thing is, some of the units we got here - they're gonna want to win. Baritones plays real hard in these sorts of games. Same with Taisho. I mean... I'm fine keeping shit small to start with. Seeing what kinda state we're in next round. But I don't wanna see you guys get hurt because we didn't think big enough.

[featherbeaned]

It's not like I wanna see you guys get hurt, either. We're a unit - a team. You're important to me.

[ She actually looks serious for once. ]

I want to keep being "me", with my own feelings. Nobody else's.

[irregular]

Then... what'd you think?

We're gonna try protecting something. You got any preferences?

[featherbeaned]

I think we should take colour vision, and protect our voices and our courage.

[irregular]

So...

Tea - I don't wanna make you do something you ain't happy with. But... that's all these games fuckin' are.

[featherbeaned]

You don't have to tell me that, K.

[ SIGH ]

I'm just saying, those're my preferences. I'd rather start small and then adjust if we've gotta, and I'd rather not go for feelings stuff if we can help it.

[irregular]

Then we won't. If we all ain't happy, we won't do it.

[featherbeaned]

Right, right.

We can always do other stuff later.

[irregular]

Ain't no point going harder than we gotta before we got some idea how everyone else is playing, right?

[featherbeaned]

Something like that.

[ Flips her hair over her shoulder ]

If we have to go hard, we have to go hard. I'm just. [ Pauses, gathering her thoughts and trying to find the right words for them. ]

Like I said to N: it's fucking with people's ability to feel their own feelings that's squicking me out. I don't want to rip people's arms off, but I'd go for that over emotions.

[irregular]

How so?

I - I ain't saying you're wrong. I just wanna understand. Make sure we're on the same page, kinda thing... I mean, I've been thinking it was the soft option? I, uh - we kinda hit zrael with something like that one time, and like three of 'em, lost limbs at once, so...

[featherbeaned]

It's. Mmm. Putting it into words is hard.

Emotionally kneecapping your opponents is a good strategy. Take away their anger or whatever, and maybe they won't play so hard, which means we'd be safer.

But then we'd be more angry, more spiteful, or whatever. That might change how we play. Prob'ly that's gonna happen anyway, depending on what the other teams do to us, but the idea of starting out that way just makes my skin crawl. Changing people's feelings isn't a "soft option" to me.

Then again, I'm just me. For some people, physical trauma is gonna be worse. Or losing a sense could be worse.