strangerpeople: (Default)
The Fifteen Strangers Mods ([personal profile] strangerpeople) wrote in [community profile] 15corpses2017-12-02 02:07 am

WELCOME TO THE GAME.

[You have died. When you awaken, it's in your body back to the shape it was in before whatever it was that killed you - but not all is right. Nothing surrounds you but darkness as far as the eye can see. A girl's gentle voice speaks to you from seemingly nowhere. It is a voice you probably haven't heard before.]

It's all right...it'll be all right.

Please forgive me for this, but, you're in the True Game now. As you're now here, on this plane, I...took something from you. Something important. The thing dearest to you. It has to be taken, though, as it's your entry fee - it's one of your means of surviving this!

I promise, we don't mean to do anything terrible to you! But this Game is important, and you getting through it is, as well. You'll receive missions, and for the missions you complete, you'll be given points. The more points you earn, the closer you'll get to leaving this place. And then, when you do finally leave, perhaps you'll understand why you were brought here. You'll regain what you lost, and you'll know the truth.

So please...please survive! I have faith in you! You'll be all right!!


[Sure enough, as soon as she's done explaining and collects your fee, something important of yours is missing. It might be memories, an object, or even a person (that's not a Titled), but they are your collateral now. Your motivation for continuing your existence in this world. You black out, and when you wake again, you're back in the mall, in the bedroom you'd been assigned. You remember everything you'd forgotten while you were alive, although you might have re-forgotten it if that was your entry fee. At least everything here seems mostly the same.

However, there's a few new things to discover... your cell phone now lets you read the surface thoughts of everyone that's living, and imprint thoughts into their heads (except for Croix, The Chance. Maybe it's because she didn't have a power? Who knows.) You also have all the items and money you had when you were still alive, which will be useful, because you still get hungry and, we'll say you still need clothes, but that's actually debatable because you are invisible. Not to other dead people, no, but to the other people in the mall.

Yeah. That's a thing. This version of the mall is full of random people who are using the mall as a mall, and even working the registers - oddly enough, there's this one girl with pink hair who seems to work at all of the restaurants at different times. But no one can see you, except for the shopkeepers of food and clothing stores specifically. (Luckily, the Barcade counts as food.) The Titled can be seen going about their business as well, and you can follow them around and watch them, listen to their conversations. However, nothing you say or do can be perceived by them. Even using your powers goes unnoticed, no matter what you try to do with them. It's like you're in parallel worlds. So that's a little spooky.

Speaking of spooky things, there are also monsters in this version of the mall, though the living seem as able to perceive them as the Titled can perceive you, and even to you they are only barely visible unless you focus on seeing them clearly. But these monsters attack people - they attach to the mall-goers like parasites, however for now, they seem to be leaving the living Titled alone... they prefer to attack the dead Titled, and only the power you gained here seems to truly damage them. They also seem quite difficult to defeat on your own. If one of them happens to come for you, you'll need to find the others, fast. At least if you checked your phone, your first mission told you where to go!]

[personal profile] notgentle 2017-12-18 06:56 am (UTC)(link)


Wow; that really fucking sucks, man.

[The effect is as if Dio is an actor typically convincing and earnest, who suddenly finds that the teleprompter with his lines is thirteen meters away in the snow, forcing him to squint and select each word.

After a beat to think of something helpful, he looks Ren in the face even harder than he was already doing.]


So. You do... some creative stuff, from what of understand. Do you think you could make a wire net or something?
steelmagnolias: (jasmine and rose)

[personal profile] steelmagnolias 2017-12-18 07:05 am (UTC)(link)
There's floral wire in Yotsukoshi, right? That shit ought to be sturdy enough for whatever you want to do with it.

[It's also bendy enough that his wimpy hands can actually do stuff with it.]
byanyother_name: (Hurts to think of.)

[personal profile] byanyother_name 2017-12-18 07:22 am (UTC)(link)
I do believe in them, and their ability to upend this game. Which is why I couldn't let them spend their lives on such a hasty, dangerous plan.

[He just shrugs slightly to the shoe comment.] I've had to dodge worse things than shoes thrown at me.

...That is something I've considered, as we were told that..it was already happening, and not something they were responsible for. But what I don't understand is why this cruel killing game? If I had been told, credibly, I could fight this threat, but I would have to die to do it... I would have.

I think I am not the only one who would have.

[personal profile] notgentle 2017-12-18 07:28 am (UTC)(link)


Yeah? I guess there is. Okay, good.

[Dio launches into a more conspiratorial explanation of multiple points.]

Our goal is to get whatever fucker we run into not moving but still alive to answer questions and all that. So, drugs? No. Coco has mentioned enough weird anatomy shit that we can't count on those. Knock to the head? No. When Coco went down, Kana was on her case in like five seconds. What that leaves is a trap. Not something you lure them into - remember these bastards are reading our minds at least some of the time - but something you bring to them. By moving it with your mind, if you're The Bodacious. It's got to be lightweight and flexible, especially because they might be able to fricking fly. And made of a conductor so the Nasty here can electrocute it if necessary.

So, a wire net. That sound like something you can do? Any better ideas?
foolishjustice: (So I see...)

[personal profile] foolishjustice 2017-12-18 07:04 pm (UTC)(link)
[Right...surely an accident. And it doesn't have Goro's cheeks darkening as he remembers that kiss on Monday, either.]

That...does assume we can make it back to the living side of things. Even the revival magic I know of wouldn't help us at this point...
foolishjustice: (Strange isn't it?)

[personal profile] foolishjustice 2017-12-18 07:25 pm (UTC)(link)
[Honestly, it's already given him perspective. It's amazing how different things can look without distorted emotions clouding your view. But...]

I don't see much of a point to it. I can certainly reflect on my mistakes, but...well, I guess you could count protecting the living from things like what happened on Tuesday as something to fight for.

[A sigh and he shakes his head.]

But you haven't answered why it has to be us killing each other. If the important part is people dying and reaching this side, wouldn't it be simpler and create less of a hostile environment to just shoot us? I'm sure you could get access to firearms somehow.
greatfascinations: (c'mon feel the noise)

[personal profile] greatfascinations 2017-12-18 07:37 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, like... It's not just about fighting them. One person totally isn't enough if ya just take em head on, after all. Sooo, the actual solution is... A lot more complicated.

Your living friends are not stopping though! I seriously think you're all gonna find out the truth pretty soon.
foolishjustice: (Strange isn't it?)

[personal profile] foolishjustice 2017-12-18 07:50 pm (UTC)(link)
[And now he feels like he's getting somewhere.]

Is that because something about what you are makes it impossible, or are you just forbidden from doing it directly?
foolishjustice: (May I help you?)

[personal profile] foolishjustice 2017-12-18 08:31 pm (UTC)(link)
It's alright, I wouldn't want to get such a sweet young woman in trouble with her superiors.

[He smiles again, and it does at least seem like he means it.]

I'm starting to get the impression that this is a difficult situation for all of us, and it wouldn't be fair to be mad at you for something I doubt you had much of a hand in at all.

SIDEQUEST

[personal profile] notgentle 2017-12-18 09:09 pm (UTC)(link)


[Dio is barreling towards that one locked door like an escaped extra from a James Bond movie, if you excuse the top hat and gold chain and oversized net erratically trailing behind him. So more like an extra from an Austin Powers movie. There's a screeching noise when he reaches the knob and kneels to frantically begin picking the lock; yet upon getting the hang of it, he raises her eyebrows when he sees Helena there in his peripheral vision.]

Now I understand why everyone liked tailoring shit for you.
totalbullshit: (smile; lmao your hypocrisy)

[personal profile] totalbullshit 2017-12-18 09:21 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Helena smiles thinly at the comment. ]

So you've comprehended the powerful advertising influence of internet celebrities?

[ She doesn't exactly have any illusions about what fueled people's generosity and enthusiasm towards working with her on clothes. Large-scale exposure plus a well-filled wallet people to do lots of things.

For the sake of this, Helena actually put on Dio's jacket, which on her is definitely more of a coat. If clothing has to enhance power here, a fact that makes Helena groan, than this is infinitely better than having to buy some more. ]
Edited 2017-12-18 21:23 (UTC)

[personal profile] notgentle 2017-12-18 09:41 pm (UTC)(link)


Yeah! It's really not fair how people just go with what they see instead of what they, uhh--

[Is he latching onto her interpretation a little too quickly? Why would he do that? Had he been thinking about something else? Well, whatever was on Dio's mind, it flies away pretty quickly when he crows at the yielding door.] Jackpot. [With no caution whatsoever he pushes it open.]
totalbullshit: (negative; why won't you get it)

[personal profile] totalbullshit 2017-12-18 09:50 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Helena isn't actually sure if Dio fully realizes what an internet celebrity or fashion blogger even is, but she'll let him latch onto this excuse both because she is merciful and because the door is open and honestly, that is priority.

Helena takes a step inside, tense and ready to use her electricity if needed be. The guards are not conspicuous and a quick look into the room also doesn't reveal the mystery cat they are searching for, but that guy...?!

Helena gestures to him quietly, giving Dio a questioning look. She won't attack before they've agreed on it, but this is starting to be a situation that requires action first and talking later. They don't know how many more chances they can possibly get. ]

[personal profile] notgentle 2017-12-18 10:10 pm (UTC)(link)


[Dio accepts the questioning look. Their circumstances are sufficiently dire, and the surrounding social groups are so prone to codependency, that Dio doubts they will receive true retribution even if this guy is another Player they've never seen before. That possibility is another good reason to build up momentum for the greater fusion attack, a mechanical necessity he has never quite understood.

The office is not decaled, so this is clearly full of fodder to use for a battle. With telekinesis, Dio kicks a large monitor over as quickly as possible to strike the other man square against his forehead; it's an item that could easily be caused to spark with more electric force, once it is smashed open against the hard surface of a skull.]
Edited 2017-12-18 22:16 (UTC)
7_0_7: (Pluto no longer part of the solar system)

[personal profile] 7_0_7 2017-12-18 10:42 pm (UTC)(link)
[The office, as well as the TV, are suddenly gone. They're standing in the middle of a void, dark and dotted with what looks like distant stars. They can't see the surface they stand on, but it's there, like some invisible space station. And the guy is there, letting out an appreciative whistle.]

Wow! Not even a "who are you," huh? Are you as crazy as me?
Edited 2017-12-18 22:42 (UTC)
totalbullshit: (fear; flat out shock)

[personal profile] totalbullshit 2017-12-18 11:39 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Helena thought she'd been braced for pretty much anything in fighting the people responsible for capturing them like this. It turns out that she's very very wrong about this. She stumbles a little as there's a split second in which she's concerned to be falling into the void that surrounds them. It takes a short moment to stabilize again, and once she's managed that, she wastes no time with answers to the man's question.

They've hit the jackpot. Right in front of them, there is someone powerful, someone who's captivity would grant them a great advantage.

Helena is not about to let that chance go to waste. Coco didn't die when being electrocuted and she said she's stronger in the world of the dead. So there is likely no way this man will get killed even by a direct hit. That means there's no reason not to risk it.

Helena unleashes a wave of electricity onto him. ]

VLR spoilers // asphyxiation cw for no good reason

[personal profile] notgentle 2017-12-19 12:48 am (UTC)(link)


[Dio is perhaps very slightly more likely than his partner to be prepared for weird sci-fi bullshit, but this actually works directly to his disadvantage. He readily accepts the possibility that he is literally floating in the void of space, and he wastes that vital first moment grasping at his throat. This wasn't how he had thought it would go, somehow, when they rejected him for being too late to complete the mission or having the wrong genes or God forbid daring to form a temporary attachment of any kind, tactical or not; the sensation of choking, that's par for the course, but the airlock as much as any other chamber should have been narrow, representing the limited horizons in a life of folly and sin. (If Dio gets to look back at this later and realize it's the other way around, that it was strange to gasp despite the lack of a need for oxygen, he still might not realize that the lungs can sometimes malfunction for entirely psychosomatic reasons.)

The second vital moment is when he sees that Helena has activated her lightning powers, a brave decision she must have made in the first moment, unlike him still too desperate to breathe, let alone think; so the least he can do is throw the guy, but he feels the power not working.

Third time's the charm. Dio sends the net skittering forward across that floorlike surface, to tangle around the man's feet while they're still electrified.]
7_0_7: Space. (A space without gravity.)

[personal profile] 7_0_7 2017-12-19 03:33 am (UTC)(link)
[The electricity hits him squarely, but it just makes him twitch slightly, and barely makes a mark on him.]

Gah, you are so serious!

[He swiftly raises his hand as the net follows - it contains a cellphone he's fiddling with, red and yellow like the TC camera prize. Behind him in the sky, a mirage that looks like the planet Venus appears as a blast of black energy fires at the offending mesh of wires, punching a huge hole in it that makes it fall to the ground.]

You should have talked more with the Doorframe before coming! Don't you know you have to weaken me before you try to catch me!

[He starts running after that though.]

So let's make it a little harder for you to lock on to me, Helenachu!

[also some noise are now dropping out of the sky, as well as some "PhD Pepper" vending machines, headed their way. The planet mirage then changes to Mercury... what could be about to happen?]
byanyother_name: (Now that I think about it...)

[personal profile] byanyother_name 2017-12-19 06:10 am (UTC)(link)
[Kurama thinks about Coco's words, and about the things he experienced when he and Akira tried to save Goro. After that light, for a brief period, they'd felt so in sync...]

....Coco-san. These pacts we need to make to fight. Are they influenced in some way by the bonds between the partners?

I believe so, as well. They are determined.

[Kurama looks a little uncertain for a moment before asking another question.] ...Coco-san, would it be alright if I were to see Nyaf-ya?
byanyother_name: (Himitsu~)

[personal profile] byanyother_name 2017-12-19 06:25 am (UTC)(link)
[And since his cheeks are darkening, Kurama can't possibly be noticing how cute Goro is when he's blushing.]

I doubt any of us were actually meant to die this way. If we can regain access to our original worlds, I may be able to convince Koenma to help.

As I understand the story, Yusuke was dead for quite a while before his first resurrection.
totalbullshit: (fear; flat out shock)

[personal profile] totalbullshit 2017-12-19 07:44 am (UTC)(link)
What the hell?!

[ By the time 707 starts running, she's already trying to pursue and only very narrowly avoids running head-first into one of the vending machines. Helena had been prepared to fight a person, a person with weird powers even, Noise, too, but not falling vending machines.

Helena is grateful for her experience in fighting Noise now, because it gave her practice to target more than one object after one another with her lightning. She sends it out to hit the Noise closest to herself and Dio - she knows it won't erase them, but slowing them down by stunning them slightly gives them time to run further. She figures, at least. ]


--Dio!! It's-- It's ammunition!

[ Vending machines especially because they are heavy and conductory, but who's to say they can't toss Noise around as well? ]

Page 17 of 21