You're My Friend, They're My Friends (IC Intro)

[whimsicalism]

Whatever you were doing before, wherever you were before this moment it doesn't matter. The world seems to grow dark around you: an almost inaudible giggle floats to your year before you lose consciousness completely. Other it belonging to a child there's no defining characteristics of the voice. Maybe you just imagined it? Even if you did, one thing is clear when you wake up.

You're not where you were before. The bedroom you find yourself is plush and well decorated, almost like a fancy hotel or apartment. That might be little comfort considering that it's clear that you don't recognize it. Before you rush off to explore your surroundings there's a message pinned to the door to the hall.

From the desk of the Queen:

Hello, my friends dear.

I can only hope you enjoy your new life here. For those you stirring from sleep, this is my promise that I will keep: I will let you go if that is what you desire but the price for it will be quite dire.

For my rules are quite clear that I don't wish you to leave. Yet I will, if you can take the grief.

If you wish to know my name and the reasons to my game, meet in the audience hall for tea. Tea, yes, a grand tea party for my grand guests! Cake and sweets are what we need to meet. In an hour we both will be there, no peeking before!

Signed,

Instead of a signature, there's a small feline paw print underneath as well as some strange sort of heart crest?

There seems to be others moving outside your room. Perhaps it's time to explore, to see if anyone else knows what's going on. Don't slip on the playing card (an ace of hearts, with the heart shape replaced by the strange crest). That there's a scribbled phrase of 'dormez-vous? dormez-vous?' on the card but surely one of the others slipped it under your door.

This Castle seems like a strange place ot live in... yet for now it's quiet and peaceful, even if the Audience Hall is locked.

Comments

[immaculacies]

Hm, it's a basic principle, don't you think? Even if most people never see another world for themselves, the concept of parallel worlds is becoming mainstream even in mundane science nowadays.

Why? What world do you come from?

[whimsicalism]

[You have about six or seven shards of black plastic and one shard of clear. As well as that sliver of tape.

Not much to assemble here... you can try, though? I guess? If you want?]

[strictura]

[ Obvious... if the things on that profile are supposed to be obvious, does that mean that this kid really is supposed to be that Gilgamesh, from the Sumerian epic? That doesn't make any sense, though, unless he really is dreaming up all of this... ]

Yes, that seems to be the case.

It's... wrong, though. There isn't supposed to be a game that pits children against each other like this.

[soverainty]

[Hmm. Well, it looks like there's also like, VHS tape debris on the floor so maybe that's what happened... Who even knows anymore. Did someone throw a tantrum in here or a tornado ran through here or something... It's kind of ominous, actually. She looks around at the empty room with what might be a spot of trepidation.

That being said, she's still going to stay close to the TV once that gets going! Which movies were watched all the way through? Maybe she'll figure out how to rewind eventually...?]

[ballooncaged]

...

[...]

...

[...trying to shove it deeper but noticing the weird notch shape, putting her fingers into it to make sure, frowning fiercely]

Ugh!!

[flips it back to right-side-up right-face out and shoves it in all at once. AT LEAST THE COVER OF THE SLOT GOES DOWN SMOOTHLY OVER THE TAPE NOW.]

[theawfulaccount]

[ When it comes to not dwelling on the topic of parents, Violet is all too glad to give it her best effort. ]

An "empress," over here. [ She frowns. ] Though I would hardly invoke the Artful Dodger to describe someone wealthy.

[scratchitti]

Wait I can... you know what, never mind. You're right.

[Stick it to the snobbish rich people, kid. He feels that]

[ballooncaged]

Hmmmmm... But what about a tax dodger?

[Walking all the way over to get a close look at Gavroche's portrait and seventy pounds? She mouths "holy moly".]

[scratchitti]

Yeah, I can. It's just Japanese to me.

[whimsicalism]

[It doesn't seem like there's much debris left after what Dark Dream picked up, at least! Something about carpet near the jukebox looks a little different, though.

Many. A lot of stupid teenage romcom nonsense, some fictional accounts of pets or animals, some action movies, some musicals. Even some movies about war, despite them now being on the bottom. Basically, it looks like someone either didn't care about rewinding what they watched or didn't know how to. Maybe both.]

[imozon]

[Dark Dream just... stares at her.]

You didn't even know me, and you really just helped me.

[strictura]

[ He could certainly buy being watched -- he'd already been ratted out to that no-good Servant without his knowledge, after all --
but the thought of someone actually seeing his thoughts is more of a stretch... or so he hopes.

Then again, with brainwashing and memory erasure already out there as real and usable techniques... ]

I... suppose neither of those is impossible, though I'd prefer to believe the former.

[imozon]

[Listen. She is not smart.]

[scratchitti]

[He has a wrist cuff, but it doesn't have a watch on it that she can see]

Oh uh... no not really. It's more like numbers directly on your skin. Like a tattoo that mov- wow, I sound crazy.

[immaculacies]

In the cloud, is it... I see.

[ Likewise, even for a girl gifted with omniscient eyes, it's a bit much for her to understand the specifics. But the subject of technology has never mattered much to Manaka, and in that classic magus way, her contact with even VCRs was limited to what she might encounter in the world outside her home. ]

Well... It's a castle, isn't it? [ Something about that makes Manaka giggle. The tips of her fingers touch together. ] What kind of technology do you think about when you imagine a place like that? It's probably a wonder that it even has a VCR at all!

[immaculacies]

So it was another person, you mean.

[scratchitti]

["Ugh, don't act like I'm going to try and sniff it!"]

Yeah, I saw what I need to see.

[scratchitti]

Right.

[It's More Complicated than that, but also not a lie]

[littlebratziska]

Interesting. I was speaking German.

Clearly... when we were kidnapped, you were fitted with some kind of experimental translation device!

[Franziska no]

That leads to the question of why. Tell me, do you know where we are, or what has led to it?

keeps picturing all these hall encounters like passing Pokemon trainers

[soverainty]

[Niko is pacing down the hall at one side, keeping out of the flow of traffic because she's busily walking and peering between the strange set of rules and equally strange playing card with its incomprehensible little message all at the same time.

Occasionally she'll lift the hand with the playing card like she's about to run it through her hair or wave at somebody, and that's how Nagisa catches her: one hand up, fingers wiggling a little.]

Ah! I didn't see you there. Sorry. [totally contrite even though she probably wasn't in that much danger of walking into him -- she definitely lowers her hand, though] Honestly, I was wondering if it all was a game? But it's hard to tell. Most games aren't this realistic.

[scratchitti]

["I guess it's no weirder than saying Reapers."]

Alright, I'll buy it for now. Storybook characters can be creepy so I guess I can see a demon going for something like that.

[imozon]

You did it!

[POSITIVELY ELATED.]

Now we push the triangle button, right?

[scratchitti]

["Makes as much sense as anything else"]

Not a clue.

[ballooncaged]

[kodaka 🤝 uchikoshi
our canons are science fiction but l o l]

I don't know... watching manually just makes me think they'd have to look even more to get the important stuff. But I guess it's creepy either way.

[immaculacies]

[ Valid, valid. And it's enough for the point of comparison that interests Manaka, anyway. ]

Just like the Queen that's supposed to be behind this one... Hm, okay! It sounds like your point of reference is closer than mine, then.

What do you think? The same sort of game at its core, or too different to be related?