Ava Grae wrote:we should hug! | Whitney, Ava — 09/23/2021 5:22 PM
Name: F. M. L.
Time: Day One
Status: Closed
Ava Grae wrote:we should hug! | Whitney, Ava — 09/23/2021 5:22 PM
Mr. Smith was dead. Mr. Smith was fucking dead, what the fuck.
[[Ava Grae: START]]
It had all happened so fast. One second they were just sitting there, wondering what the fuck happened. Then next, her teacher had a fucking bullet in his head. It was awful. Completely awful.
Waking up on some bathroom floor was something she actually felt grateful for. At least she didn't have to go far to throw up somewhere discreet.
She didn't care if someone found her like this, vomiting into a toilet, tears in her eyes. Not like anyone could blame her, as far as she was concerned.
Ahn Phan Phuc wrote:Yona || Ahn/Theo — 09/23/2021 7:15 PM
Ahn, however,
did mind the retching.
Whatever. Everyone has their own coping mechanisms. Maybe vomiting their brains out or that kinda gross shit was one of them.
"So, uh,"
(Man, talking to people sucked,)
"You doin' alright there buddy?"
(Wrong question. He didn't really give a shit. Maybe that's for the better?)
Nigel Sullivan wrote:Nigel Sullivan | Ahn Phan Phuc — 09/23/2021 7:22 PM
[B003 - SULLIVAN, NIGEL: CONTINUED FROM "We Tried Our Best, and That's What Matters."]
Nigel paused at the ajar door of the building, peering into the room from the street. He could hear the sound of illness from outside. His hand trembled as he moved to open the door, then hesitated.
"Hey, uh..."
He paused to keep his voice from breaking.
"Who's in here?"
He held the grip of the gun tightly and double-checked to make sure the safety was on.
Ava Grae wrote:we should hug! | Whitney, Ava — 09/23/2021 7:34 PM
In the back of her mind, Ava could acknowledge gratefulness over her previous choices. Most questioned her decision to go from long hair to a pixie cut, but it meant she didn't get puke in her hair, and that was about the only positive she had in this situation.
In the front of her mind, she just focused on aiming in the bowl.
She didn't try to pay attention to the contents of what was now in the toilet. All that do would make her stomach feel worse. Plus, it was hard to make out in the post-purging haze, but she could definitely hear voices. She needed to focus on something-anything-else.
She pulled her head up, looking at the doorway. A guy. What had he said? She didn't know, but she there was someone else. Another voice after his.
"Do you guys mind? I'm trying to mourn our teacher here."
Was this guys part of her class? Was the other, unseen guy? She didn't know. She didn't pay attention to the people in that class. May as well been strangers to her.
Ahn Phan Phuc wrote:Yona || Ahn/Theo — 09/23/2021 7:45 PM
"Uh, mourning, yeah. Sorry."
Damn, fuck his life. Fuck it with a rusty goddamn fork.
"Now, uh, no offense but... you got any ideas on how not to die here?"
Some kind of death game, yeah. Fortnite Battle Royale bitches, we're going to tomato town and-
alright he can't even make that joke anymore because he actually would die of cringe. And also like feel like a dick
Y'know what's worse than dying as a kid? Dying as a kid without even doing fun kid shit. Like taking heroin and having underaged sex. Yeah. That fun kid shit. Like, oh, yeah, mom, I totally should study for the university that I'll NEVER GO TO, not because he's dying here by the way it's because he wanted to just become an artist or whatever but like mom is a fucking bitch and made him be That Nerd in class. How did that pay off, huh?
(He was mad and not making sense and repressed, don't look at him weird, aight?)
Now that he saw someone puking, he actually felt... better? Not to be a sadist or anything? Is it bad of him? To be comforted by the girl vomiting? Because it's the nonconsensual version of some kind of pep talk, of, well, that person's doing worse than me so of
course I'm not the worst person in the room, that counts for something, right, except he's just being a major dick here.
Still not puking, though. So, take that fuckers. Like, FML, but at least somebody else's life is getting assraped worse, yaknow?
God, he's such a mess.
Nigel Sullivan wrote:Nigel Sullivan | Ahn Phan Phuc — 09/23/2021 8:26 PM
"Sorry, I..."
He hadn't meant to intrude on a moment of sorrow such as this. He remembered the teacher in question - he'd always enjoyed Mr. Smith's geography class.
"I just wanted to talk to someone. I'll leave if you want."
Nigel paused and looked at his feet.
Ava Grae wrote:we should hug! | Whitney, Ava — 09/23/2021 8:51 PM
She sighed. One wanted ideas on what to do here, the other sounded like someone had kicked his puppy or something. What was she to these boys-the blue fairy or some shit? Like she had all, let alone any answers?
A part of her wanted to tell them both to fuck off, but she knew she'd regret it. She didn't want to be alone right now. Not really. She'd seen someone die. Someone she knew, gone in a second.
She needed to not be alone. Right now, at least.
"Just...just give me a minute."
Maybe she looked pathetic, pulling herself to her feet, using the toilet as support. But ideas like shame weren't exactly considered in situations like this. It was live or die here, and Ava had no intentions on dying.
She grabbed a piece of the toilet paper, ripped it from the roll, and wiped away whatever remained on her chin before dropping it in the toilet bowl.
"Okay...who the fuck are you people?"
She would prefer knowing these peoples' names before talking to them. Sue her.
Ahn Phan Phuc wrote:Yona || Ahn/Theo — 09/23/2021 9:12 PM
"...
Anh. A-N-H. Don't look at me weird, I'm Vietnamese."
Third Gen, but still... he's got the eyes and all, yeah, and that stupid phuking name.
lol.
"And, like, if you wanna talk then feel free to talk. I'm cool with that, yeah, I'm cool with that but maybe she isn't? Doesn't matter. Do we share classes?"
Nigel Sullivan wrote:Nigel Sullivan | Ahn Phan Phuc — 09/24/2021 3:01 PM
Nigel hung the rifle on his shoulder with the sling it possessed - one which his dead acquaintance hadn't utilized. He held tight onto the strap with his right hand, then opened the door and stepped inside, his left hand up slightly.
"My name's Nigel Sullivan. I was, uh, in AP Human Geography, if that helps narrow anything down."
It had been an unpleasant experience, the sight of his teacher's brain and bone matter exploding across the room in a fraction of an instant. It had been the first of two deaths he had seen so far that day, and he doubted either would leave his mind again.
"By the way, uh..."
He stopped and looked at his feet.
"...never mind."
Ava Grae wrote:we should hug! | Whitney, Ava — 09/24/2021 4:47 PM
Anh and Nigel. Anh and Nigel...nope, neither name rang any bells. Maybe they were in different cliques, maybe she just hadn't given enough of a shit to care about either of them. Whatever the answer was, it didn't really matter now. She was stuck with them for the time being.
"Ava Grae. And if we're doing spelling bee stuff, that's spelled G-R-A-E, not a Y. You can ask my parents why that is, if you ever get the chance."
Bad comment. Bad thoughts. Don't think about Mom and Dad right now-think LITERALLY ANYTHING ELSE
"Just-just ask the question. I don't care right now. Not like I have anything better to do."
Ahn Phan Phuc wrote:Yona || Ahn/Theo — 09/24/2021 5:57 PM
"Oof."
"That's unfortunate."
"The name, I mean, but... eh, we're deep in shit right now, too."
But it's easier to focus on the funny part, right? Like how some parents just give the most downright embarrassing names, or the fact that he had a different teacher for AP Geo so he never met Mr. Smith and now everybody's crying over him and Ahn just... has no idea who he is?
Yeah,
that.
Nigel Sullivan wrote:Nigel Sullivan | Ahn Phan Phuc — 09/24/2021 7:48 PM
Nigel sighed and turned his head to look back out the door. He closed it lightly and sat down on the floor. A distinctive frown formed on his face as his hand rubbed the small, still-bleeding cut on his cheek.
"Doesn't matter anymore. It's nothing of any importance anyway."
It mattered, and he knew it did.
"In my view, there's not much hope now."
He forced himself to smile anyway, a thin facade for his fear.
Ava Grae wrote:we should hug! | Whitney, Ava — 09/24/2021 9:41 PM
"Could be worse. They had another idea for my first name, but they decided to hold off in case they had another girl. Now instead of Amy spelled A-M-Y, my sister has to spell it E-M-I-G-H."
Oh my God, SHUT THE FUCK ABOUT FAMILY, ARE YOU TRYING TO MAKE YOURSELF CRY?!?
Deep breath in, deep breath out. You're okay, Ava, you're okay.
Nigel was deciding to be a downer, and honestly, she gets it, but now is not really the time to throw a pity party. Complain about the trauma once you were safe, not when everyone was in danger of killing each other.
And maybe that was hypocritical, since she was just emptying her stomach into a toilet. But that didn't mean she was right or smart when she did it-she was being stupid then too.
Maybe she should help Nigel not be stupid too.
"Don't say that. I'll admit, the situation is crap, but if we start talking and thinking like that, I'm pretty sure it's just gonna get a whole lot shittier."
Ahn Phan Phuc wrote:Yona || Ahn/Theo — 09/24/2021 10:57 PM
'Oh, wow. Poor Emigh. I'm so freakin' sorry.''
What else was there to do but to laugh? What else was there to feel?
Man, denial's one helluva drug. Doesn't mean he's sober though.
''Well, I mean, nothing here can get shittier. We're getting put through like Fortnite Battle Royale here. Doesn't mean we should, like, mope around or something.''
Back in school, he wouldn't have been so callous, wouldn't have said this. But he didn't have a future to upkeep. He was the nerd, the kid that those shitty stereotypical jocks would shove into lockers in those 80s movies, he was someone who lived in fear of his parents finding a stole can of beer or two underneath the bed.
He was nobody now.
''Do you think this is all a hoax? Like, not I know it probably isn't. Because I have, uh, illegal drugs on my person that they gave me. And this whole thing is waaayyyyy too high effort, but, still. Like, are they just bullshitting us?''
Brody Paxton wrote:Catche | Brody, Horace — 09/25/2021 10:11 AM
Suddenly, the door to the room slammed open, hard and a voice came in with it.
“Oh, this is very real.”
((Brody Paxton continued from “the c, the c, the shining c”))
Brody Paxton stepped into the room, dramatically pointing his katana at the three already inside before once again bringing it to rest at his shoulder.
“We all saw Mr. Smith die, and I found Bob out by the beach. That’s why we’ve gotta start making moves.” Brody stopped himself, remembering Monica’s advice.
“You know, doing… stuff.”
Monica Reed wrote:almostinhuman | Monica, Douglas — 09/25/2021 10:24 AM
((Monica Reed continued from "the c, the c, the shining c"))
Monica followed shortly behind him, less openly armed. She looked deeply unimpressed with Brody's theatrics.
"Don't point that at people, we're not trying to scare them."
She turned her attention to the others.
"He is right, though. This grim shit we're in, it's very real."
Brody Paxton wrote:Catche | Brody, Horace — 09/25/2021 3:41 PM
"... I was just trying to emphasize my point. Jeez."
Nigel Sullivan wrote:Nigel Sullivan | Ahn Phan Phuc — 09/25/2021 5:52 PM
Ava tried to console him, but his heart only sunk further into his boots. Anh claimed that it couldn't get any worse, at the very least. Nigel didn't believe that for a moment.
They didn't get it, that there was a point at which things could turn out kind of okay for him maybe, and that he had crossed it when he had murdered a classmate. He couldn't tell the truth as much as his heart ached for a confession.
In Nigel's mind, he had not yet hit the nadir - the way he saw it, the darkest hour in the story of his life had yet to come.
"The only place things can go from here is down, I think."
A nervous, crestfallen laugh escaped from his mouth.
Anh doubted the dismal reality of their situation. Nigel wished he could still have enough hope to imagine that it was all some hoax or horrible nightmare that he could snap awake from at any moment.
He couldn't make unreal the ceramic shards strewn about the rone of the forest or the drops of blood scattered across the right side of the dead boy's skull. He couldn't pretend.
A noise at the entrance informed Nigel of a potential threat, and what followed set him on red alert. He stood, leveled the rifle with his left hand, and aimed it at the intruder.
His finger hovered by the trigger and needled it gently - the only thing that physically stopped him from pulling it was the safety of the gun. The other boy was only a single motion of his thumb away from obliteration.
He knew that other things were preventing him, reasons that went further than a dial with text marked in red and white.
When the other boy rested his weapon against his shoulder, Nigel let the barrel lower. He kept his eyes intensely focused on the one, then two, people who entered.
"You two don't know the half of it when it comes to real," he muttered under his breath.
Ahn Phan Phuc wrote:Yona || Ahn/Theo — 09/25/2021 6:01 PM
''I know it's, like, probably real, jeez.
Doesn't mean I'll start doing stuff, ya know? But, like, god, imagine- we, like, all shoot each other dead and shit and then they just go 'oh its just a prank bro' and we just have a pile of corpses or whatever.''
A katana. A fuckin katana, pointed at them.
''Like what are you gonna do with this katana, huh? Are you gonna stab me with it? Someone else? 'Cause, like, they gave it to you for a reason, y'know. And as cool and animesque it is someone's gonna take it for a threat.''
Shrugging, he put on his best shit-eating grin.
''Not me, though. You're cool. Y'all are cool. I don't care if you stab someone else. Just, like, don't make it gross. 'Cause that's prolly what they want. Actually, no, they prolly get off from us murdering each other to death, too.
Man, can't we just start an agricultural society here or something? We don't have to go home.
Oh, and put that gun down.''
Ava Grae wrote:we should hug! | Whitney, Ava — 09/25/2021 7:11 PM
Jesus, fuck, everything is happening at once-
Anh laughed about Emigh's name-which honestly, fair-Nigel continued to be depressive, and then other people decided to show up and make shit a party-thank fuck neither of them had shown any lead based party poppers, otherwise shit probably would've gone down the drain even quicker.
Bob was aparrently dead, Rip. She didn't recognize Mr. Let's-Wave-Around-A-Katana-Like-That's-A-Great-Idea, but the girl looked kinda familiar-Monique maybe? Something that started with an M, she was pretty sure.
Everyone talked about how the situation was real, which like, fucking duh, when did you figure that out, when Mr. Smith's brains got splattered all over Stacy from Calculus? Swear to God, sometimes it seemed like Ava was the only one with a brain.
But she didn't talk shit yet-the sooner she did that, the more likely they'd hate her, and she's not interested in a four-on-one fight.
So Ava sighed and talked.
"I doubt that's gonna be an option at this point, as much fun as growing food and living here in peace and harmony and all that crap sounds.
"Of course now that we all know this is real, the question is what the fuck we're supposed to do now, because I'm gonna go out on a limb and say none of us want anything to do with the corpse pile this situation is gonna end in."
She paused for a moment.
"I'm open to suggestions, no stupid ideas and all that."
Brody Paxton wrote:Catche | Brody, Horace — 09/25/2021 7:31 PM
Shit...
These people were such bitches, really. The gun guy was out there trying to pull out some edgy psycho line, acting like his family had just died or some shit. They all had the same tragic backstory here, man. Maybe they were just intimidated by the sort of lone warrior aesthetic Brody had going on, though. He really couldn't blame them for that, though.
But today, Brody couldn't quite live up to that archetype. There were greater foes to vanquish than prideful idiots like the gun guy.
"Well I, Brody Paxton, and my assistant Monica here are trying to work on suggestions. And we thought it might be possible to find some very helpful... suggestions by exploring this city area." Brody explained, gesturing his hand through the air to indicate the space beyond this room.
"Of course, we would welcome many more to our clan. In challenges like this, numbers will be our ally, rather than elite skill." Brody tapped his head and gave a sage nod to the others in the group.
Monica Reed wrote:almostinhuman | Monica, Douglas — 09/25/2021 8:36 PM
Assistant.
Dick.
She'd been prepared for people to be on edge; it'd be weirder if they weren't. One of them having a gun was alarming, but at least he wasn't aiming it at them anymore.
It'd help if Brody was better at getting to the point. Right now he was selling this abysmally.
"If you're serious about not wanting to play by their rules, I think we can help each other. We've got some ideas regarding, well..." She idly tapped her collar. "Any extra input is welcome, though."
Such input would be especially welcome because she didn't have any actual ideas.
Nigel Sullivan wrote:Nigel Sullivan | Ahn Phan Phuc — 09/25/2021 10:25 PM
The more Nigel thought about it, the more tortuous the idea became. The idea that what he'd done, what had happened, that it all had meant nothing. His skin crawled at the thought, and he felt disgusted with himself for coming to a selfish conclusion. It was better for him that it was real.
Real.
He wanted it to be, and he needed it to be.
Anh told him to put the gun down, and he did. He slung it back over his shoulder, and his eyes drifted sheepishly at the ground.
"Sorry," he mumbled timidly.
"A little keyed-up, from everything going on."
The other girl mentioned their collars and reminded him of the shackle on his neck. He'd almost forgotten that it was there. He pressed his hand against it, and it felt cool to the touch on his palm. Now that he remembered, it felt uncomfortable against his neck.
"Anything's better than..."
His voice drifted off and then returned. He touched the bleeding cut on his face again.
"...than playing, like they want, you know?"
It sounded so hypocritical and hollow in his ears.
Ahn Phan Phuc wrote:Yona || Ahn/Theo — 09/25/2021 10:49 PM
CLAN???
CHALLANGES???
ELITE SKILL???
Wow. Oh wow. What in the fuck. This guy is on more substances than Ahn himself.
(the drugs he'd taken (and been forcibly administered) filtered out of his system molecule by molecule.
He's going to regret this.)
''Yeah. Like. We can, uh, find some animals and raise them, get a clean water source, eat any plants we can find and then grow the seeds... Did they say we have to kill each other? No. Did they say we have to do it to go home? Maybe, but we don't know if they actually can back that claim up.''
...
''But, like, if even one person wants to go more more than they want the rest of us alive... We're screwed.''
Always been screwed.
It'll be a delusional future. Under the rule and thumb of red room dark web fortnite playing sadistic fuckups.
But it'll still be a
future, and he's desperate enough to want this one.
Just think about it.
It'll be
beautiful.
Just think about it...
Ava Grae wrote:we should hug! | Whitney, Ava — 09/26/2021 12:31 AM
Thank you Monica for being actually sensible, if everyone here was just going to act like a bunch of crazies Ava would've elected to skipping the bullshit and just finding a nice cliff to jump off of.
Was that a joke in bad taste? That depended on whether or not she was joking, and at this point she had no idea. Seriously, a clan? THIS WASN'T SOME SHITTY MOBILE GAME, BRODY!
Be cool, be cool. It'd be best to at least get one ally from this situation, and currently it looks like she could get multiple, so it's probably for the best that she just keep calm and roll with the punches.
"I'm not exactly a tech whiz, but I'm willing to help where I can. Better than having to kill people or anything."
Anh had a bit of a point, but there was also a counterpoint.
"We might just wanna cross that bridge when we get to it. If all we think about is doom and gloom and the bad shit that could happen, we may as well take the gun and take ourselves out to skip the suffering, and I don't plan on dying here if I can help it."
Brody Paxton wrote:Catche | Brody, Horace — 09/26/2021 4:15 AM
None of the three introduced themselves after Brody had done his part to get that ball rolling. Real rude of them, but it was fine. The group itself was of mixed utility regardless.
The first guy was still brooding about something. Maybe somebody attacked him or something? But that was kind of what was going on out here? If Guy #1 had been stupid enough to try to convince himself that this wasn’t real only to get himself sliced it would kind of make sense, but it was still pretty lame. It was the beginning of this thing, front-loading angst this hard wasn’t gonna be good further down.
Guy #2, on the other hand, was afflicted by some kind of madness. In its early stages, of course, but soon enough he’d be frothing at the mouth, his eyes going distant, while he repeated certain phrases and tried to kill everyone. Brody had seen it all before. A shame.
Guy #3, the girl guy, was pretty decent, though. Not, like, in terms of skill, but in terms of not being out of her mind.
“Well, I believe, that our next move was to do some scavenging.” He declared confidently before turning to Monica.
“Uh… right?” He asked in a whisper.
Monica Reed wrote:almostinhuman | Monica, Douglas — 09/26/2021 7:25 AM
No one called her on it. Good. She'd bullshitted her way into having three less people who wanted her dead. Maybe even into actually getting the collars off, if everything went smoothly.
"Scavenging sounds good." She nodded Brody's way. "Access to electric currents, useful tools... anything that might seem a plausible solution. Just, ah, avoid being too open about what we're up to."
Perhaps a bit late for that; they hadn't been especially coy.
"We don't know how closely they're listening."
Nigel Sullivan wrote:Nigel Sullivan | Ahn Phan Phuc — 09/26/2021 11:52 AM
Hopeless dreams of an idyllic life on the island seemed to have filled Anh's mind, and Nigel wanted so badly to believe that it could happen. That they could lay down their guns and live peacefully, forget the battle lines that their captors have drawn between their classes.
As much as his heart ached for peace, he knew it wouldn't happen. They had condemned them to a warzone - this was their battle to fight. Like the boy in the forest, people would grasp and claw at the fading light of their lives until the last breath.
"I wish, I wish we could. Maybe if we tried, but yeah, there's the risk. We can't ever be sure anymore," Nigel muttered as his eyes shakily traced the outlines of the tiles of the floor.
"I dunno. It's like, I want everything to be okay again. To be normal again, like none of this had happened. But, like, the captors, they wouldn't let us camp out here and live as we want, you know? But on the other hand, fuck, like..."
He wiped the cut and his eyes in one motion.
"...we can't go back, you know? We can't turn the clock back a couple of days and pretend everything didn't happen here, return home and forget that we'd been here. We can try, and maybe it's worth a shot, but it can't ever be okay again, and it can't be right again unless we make it."
He traced the square patterns on the floor, right to the left, then down, then left to right. The reminder pounded at his skull like a jackhammer.
Tad Livingston wrote:Undead Sweetheart | Tad, Evan — 09/26/2021 5:58 PM
"The world is mine, the world is mine, mine~"
A soft, loud, confident voice was singing as the footsteps were creaking on the wooden floor downstairs.
"Gonna win, win, win. Just so the world is mine~"
Ahn Phan Phuc wrote:Yona || Ahn/Theo — 09/26/2021 8:07 PM
''What song is that?''
Ugh. Please don't tell him that somebody is having fun. Not just because that'll be fucked, but because someone would be having a better time than him right now. And that's just horrible.
Ava Grae wrote:we should hug! | Whitney, Ava — 09/26/2021 8:29 PM
'Assistant my ass. I'd bet actual money he's only still alive because Monica was waiting to find actually competent people before pumping full of lead.'
Cruel, almost definitely, but Brody was quickly proving himself an idiot that thought he was better than everyone else, and as far as Ava was concerned that kind of person just lead to trouble, and a situation like this was enough trouble for a lifetime.
She gave a small smile to Monica. "Sounds like a plan. Ava, by the way." Maybe Monica already knew that, like how she already knew her name started with an M, but hey, always good to be safe over sorry.
Nigel continued to be depressive as shit, and at this point someone else could coddle him-there was only so much Ava could do before she just tried to smack the guy and tell him to shut up, and she had no plans on gaining a hole in her stomach.
Plus, it didn't help that they had company, and not good company if the singing was any indication-you don't go around singing on murder island unless you wanna get shot, or you've gone seriously loopy and plan on doing the shooting. Probably not entirely acurrate, but enough that she felt like the point stood.
The smile quickly disappated from her face, Ava unzipped the bag hanging from her shoulder and sent a hand into it to rummage for whatever her weapon was.
"No idea about the song, but we might wanna bail before Mr. Sinatra decides to come a knocking.
"Just a hunch."
Brody Paxton wrote:Catche | Brody, Horace — 09/27/2021 9:26 AM
At the sound of the strange voice, Brody leapt into action, heedless of the others. If there was one thing that he knew, it was that confidently singing a song about winning in the middle of a death game was not a good sign.
“Hey, stranger!” He called, peeking his head out of the room, lowering his katana into a ready stance, spreading his legs. “Announce yourself, are you friend or are you foe? We have numbers here and are armed. If you still have, like, any sanity, I suggest you approach peacefully or flee while you’ve got the chance!”
Tad Livingston wrote:Undead Sweetheart | Tad, Evan — 09/27/2021 10:08 AM
"BANG. You're dead, dumbass!"
A rubber band came flying towards Brody's face out of nowhere.
Brody Paxton wrote:Catche | Brody, Horace — 09/27/2021 2:22 PM
“S-Shit!” Brody felt something connect with his face and his mind shifted into a different gear. The swordsman had been awakened.
Stepping out from the room, he swung the katana in a controlled upward sweep, followed by a downward slash. The reaction was reflexive, and it was possible there was no one there. But Brody had spent untold hours studying the blade, and that training did not teach him to be complacent when attacked.
Monica Reed wrote:almostinhuman | Monica, Douglas — 09/27/2021 2:29 PM
Monica watched as the boy she was trusting her life with, the supposed leader of their escape effort, got shot by rubber bands and swung his katana around like a LARPer.
They were so screwed.
Tad Livingston wrote:Undead Sweetheart | Tad, Evan — 09/28/2021 2:45 PM
"Pffft...."
The boy was standing off to the side more as he watched Brody swinging the sword around as if he was the protagonist in some shitty fantasy anime and he was shaking with laughter. His free hand was slapping his own knee as if this was the funniest shit he had ever witnessed.
"Hahaha! What the fuck was that weebo bullshit?!!" He touched at his side, his eyes were watering a bit from laughing too hard. "Holy... holy shit. What a fan-fucking-tastic show from the supposed hero, I assume."
((Tad Livingston continued from What You Are In The Dark))
Tad wiped a tear from his face and he grinned at Brody with a satisfied smiirk being present. He couldn't see the the other people that were with this guy yet.
Ahn Phan Phuc wrote:Yona || Ahn/Theo — 09/28/2021 5:38 PM
"Weebo?
You mean weaboo?
(Fucking dumbass.")
Both of them, in fact. Both of them.
Ahn rolled his eyes. Conceited, overtly serious jackass, and thinks-everything-is-a-joke, last words would probably be 'try me I dare you' jackass, and himself, who admittedly is probably also being a jackass.
Ava Grae wrote:we should hug! | Whitney, Ava — 09/28/2021 6:46 PM
'Holy fucking shitballs, is there one boy in this shitshow of a situation that can just be reasonable in the fucking slightest?'
Something cold and metalic was in her bag, and Ava gripped it as tight as possible. Shape suggested it was a gun, and finally she felt like she had some form of good news. Something like a sword may be useful, and definitely preferable to some stupid shit she could've been given, but a gun was better, hands down.
The problem at this point was everyone else. So many fucking people-two other guys were fine, five in the area was a pain, especially with the different personalities, but manageable if she was willing to get gray hair in her teenage years. Six people though, and one clearly having gone off his rocker already?
Yeah, she's done here thank you very much. She wants off Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.
Standing next to Monica, Ava kept her voice quiet enough that only the other girl should've heard.
"Not against abandoning the rest of them if you aren't."
Nigel Sullivan wrote:Nigel Sullivan | Ahn Phan Phuc — 09/28/2021 7:46 PM
A song emanated through the building. Nigel didn't recognize the point of origin, but the cheeriness of the delivery set him on edge. Ava seemed to have concluded with Monica and suggested they leave - something which Nigel would be more than happy to do.
The boy with the blade in his hands was quickly proving himself to be just as dull as his sword was sharp, and the melody that hung in the air made his skin crawl. The matter only worsened when Brody confronted the stranger and received a rubber band to his face for the trouble. The projectile hit his forehead and bounced into the room, where it landed by Nigel's feet. Nigel was, in a way, relieved - either the stranger didn't have the will to fight, or he didn't have the means, and both of those options left survival as a likely possibility.
His relief ended mere seconds after, however. Brody reacted and swung his sword around like a leading character from an Akira Kurosawa film. None of his attacks seemed to hit a target - they cut only through the air and the group's faith in his insistent and ill-advised leadership. The stranger reacted only with incredulous laughter and mockery, which prompted an insult from Ahn on his pronunciation.
Nigel had a bad feeling about this. Soon enough, there'd be blows, and he'd have no choice but to step in - something which he was keen to avoid. He glanced at the entrance, then back at the three others who he believed he could trust to remain decently sane.
"I don't know about you, but I'm not dying over this," he said, loud enough for the other three to hear.
"We need to get the fuck out, A-S-A-P."
Brody Paxton wrote:Catche | Brody, Horace — 09/28/2021 8:55 PM
Brody paid no heed to the discussion within the room. There was serious business at hand. The laughter and activity of the stranger had drawn Brody's eyes to his proper position, position shifting tp properly face the newcomer.
"You laugh, but this is serious business right here. People are dead and you think it fun to play practical jokes and scare those you've been trapped with. Disgusting." Brody spat, shaking his head.
"Now, who are you? Identify yourself and make it clear whether you mean harm to me or my allies here?" He demanded, taking another step closer, katana steady in his hands, focus and grip never faltering.
He hoped that the others stayed back. The boy with the gun was far too quick on the trigger.
Monica Reed wrote:almostinhuman | Monica, Douglas — 09/28/2021 9:43 PM
Monica was dumbfounded. It was like peeking through the window of an anime con, except there the guns and katanas probably weren't real. This display would be cringy if the stakes weren't so high.
Scratch that. It was cringy because the stakes were so high.
Ava wanted to leave, and Nigel echoed the sentiment. And really, they weren't wrong. Brody was fucking dumb, embarrassingly detached, and probably kind of a danger to them and himself, even if he meant well.
But a pang of guilt nagged at her; it felt like abandoning a puppy on the side of the road. Ditching him very likely meant leaving him to die. If this was how he reacted to a rubber band to the face, he was utterly unprepared for when actual fucking danger came his way.
There was also a worryingly high chance Brody was actually gonna attack this guy, which'd probably get him or Brody or both of them killed. The dude was a dick, sure, but she wasn't super keen on standing by and letting that happen. The boy on the beach was more than enough.
"... Just gimme a minute, y'all. But be ready to bolt." Hopefully that wasn't too alarming. Hopefully they didn't just run off without her.
She stepped out of the bathroom, behind Brody. It gave her a good look at the other dude, though he was unfamiliar to her. It probably didn't matter, though; they weren't gonna be around each other too long, one way or another.
"Heeeey, Brody, bud?" She put a gentle hand on his shoulder, trying not to spook him. "You're overreacting. It was just a rubber band."
Tad Livingston wrote:Undead Sweetheart | Tad, Evan — 09/29/2021 9:24 AM
"Oh shit. Oh noooo. I said it wrong." Tad was fake-apologizing as he heard the other boy in the bathroom. Actually it seemed like there was a lot of voices in there. What the hell was going on in that bathroom? "Are ya'll having a party or something in there?"
Tad was now staring at the katana guy who was rightfully angry with him and Tad almost was tempted to walk up to him and tower over him like a complete dick. But yeah, he was not that suicidal and he didn't want to get another scar, thanks.
"God, you need to chill, my man. As if I didn't know that this was all serious. I'm not that dumb." Tad clicked his tongue slightly and he pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand. "I rather keep a happier mood than be a depressive baby any-day."
Identify myself? What are you? A cop or something?
And then a girl came out of the bathroom and was trying to calm katana guy, who was now known as Brody, down.
"Yeah, chill. Listen to.... whoever she is. And I am not gonna tell you my name. I have my reasons."
Also it was too bad that Brody wasn't alone because Tad would have definitely made mincemeat of him if he had been.
Ahn Phan Phuc wrote:Yona || Ahn/Theo — 09/30/2021 7:25 AM
[Ahn needed a moment to process how fucked he was.]
Ava Grae wrote:we should hug! | Whitney, Ava — 09/30/2021 3:59 PM
Okay, so maybe she needed to work on her volume control. Things to think about in the future. But hey, if Nigel was being smart and acknowledging the situation was going to shit and they needed to leave five minutes ago, she wouldn't complain about it. Maybe there was some hope for him after all.
Too bad Brody was way too far gone. She didn't care if it was being on the island or just being insane beforehand, he was acting like a fucking anime protagonist or some other stupid bullshit, and Ava was feeling more and more like he was just gonna be a problem.
But when Monica went to try and talk with insane asylum escapees one and two, what left her mouth wasn't 'For the love of God no, please don't risk getting killed because of this dumbass, I beg of you.'
For some reason she said, "Alright, fine, try to be careful or something."
Maybe she just liked having someone actually, definitively sane on her side. Maybe she didn't want either of the assholes on the other side of the door getting a kill and hoped Monica was able to defend herself well enough. Maybe she actually wanted to save a good number of people, whether they were batshit crazy or perfectly normal. Or maybe she just genuinely didn't want any more people she knew dying.
Probably that last one honestly. Even if she only knew the guy for two seconds, the idea of Brody's blood becoming the new mural on the walls made her stomach drop. She was human, after all.
So she stood there, back to the wall, next to the door, still out of sight of the apparently less crazy guy as she agreed with him.
"Gonna have to agree with Mr. Rubber-Band-Shooter. It might be best if we all walked away from this situation, you know, alive."
Not that she wasn't prepared to try the alternative, given the gun in her hands.
Nigel Sullivan wrote:Nigel Sullivan | Ahn Phan Phuc — 09/30/2021 6:31 PM
Nigel didn't want to be here anymore.
The situation was growing tenser as the standoff continued, and he could sense that his allies were growing nervous. His finger needled the trigger, idly tapping against the polymer.
Nigel didn't want to be alone, either.
He wanted things to turn out okay. His brain told him to leave, but his heart told him to stand ready. He frowned, then turned to Monica, who requested a minute, presumably to talk down Brody, who brandished his sword like a ronin at the stranger, and that the rest of the group prepare themselves to leave.
"Stay safe," he mumbled as his eyes drifted away from her and back towards the floor.
All of them, the stranger included, had a reason for wanting Brody to back down. None of them were interested in dying - Brody was the most significant risk to life out of anyone in the area.
Nigel wondered what would happen if this went wrong - if the stranger drew a real gun while they were distracted or if Brody turned his blade against them for their desire to back down. A dead boy in the forest came back into his mind. He knew it would be his responsibility to remove the safety and pull the trigger if the rest of the group came under attack, to become a murderer again.
He couldn't afford to think like that. He knew it would only drive himself further into despair - he needed to focus on the present, not the future.
In the present, he waited.
Brody Paxton wrote:Catche | Brody, Horace — 09/30/2021 9:35 PM
Brody felt his body tense up as a hand touched his shoulder, thinking that the attacker snuck behind him somehow. However, as he started to turn, he heard Monica speaking up instead.
It was then that the attacker appeared more properly, mocking Brody for daring to react to an attack and accusing him of being disconnected from reality. Brody was certain that, if the gun boy had been hit in the face with a rubber band, he would have started firing off randomly. Rubber band boy was certainly lucky that Brody had greater control of his sword arm.
Monica was right. This wasn’t worth a fight.
“Very well. I’ll take you at your word.” Brody gave a slow nod, his eyes narrowing as he stared down rubber band boy. “But for someone that says they know what’s happening here, you’re sure acting pretty stupid. Starting shit and then getting confrontational and everything is going to get you in trouble with people with less self-control than myself.”
With that, Brody turned to re-enter the bathroom with Monica, only to stop himself, thinking of something, turning back to rubber band boy, and pointing.
“Know your genre. This is no comedy. We’re in a horror.” He thought it sounded pretty cool.
And then he stepped back into the bathroom, significantly more relaxed.
Monica Reed wrote:almostinhuman | Monica, Douglas — 10/01/2021 6:37 AM
god what even is with this boy a minute ago you were swinging a real fucking sword around like it was a stick you found in the woods and now you're spouting cheesy one-liners god fucking damn do you even know where you are you goddamn clown
...
Whatever. At least he wasn't about to hack this other little shit to death anymore. She'd known him all of thirty seconds and already her impression of him was worse than even Brody. Hopefully he'd skedaddle and let them get to shit that actually fucking mattered, finally.
She glowered his way briefly, to indicate he wasn't wanted, before heading back to the bathroom.
Tad Livingston wrote:Undead Sweetheart | Tad, Evan — 10/01/2021 2:54 PM
Tad felt himself cringe. Also the girl was giving him the stink eye and he couldn't help but chuckle a little. Man, what an interesting group. He couldn't wait to take them out one by one. Tad was enjoying this game a lot more than he should.
"Oh wow! You really are a hero cliche, Brody!" He yelled as he peek into the room and he fired another rubber band at someone randomly.
And then he ran off, laughing like a cartoon villain.
((Tad Livingston continued elsewhere))
Ahn Phan Phuc wrote:Yona || Ahn/Theo — 10/01/2021 4:05 PM
Like alright he didn't wanna agree with the guy who's taling the whole thing as a joke and also laughs like some sort of guy pretending to be a cliche villain snorting helium and replicating a hyena or whatever the fuck but like
But like Brody really is a cliche, just... not a hero cliche, he's just a freakin asshole.
''So, uh, that happened!''
He shrugged.
''Do we do anything? Can we make, like, smoke signals? All I have is drugs right now.''
Ava Grae wrote:we should hug! | Whitney, Ava — 10/01/2021 4:24 PM
And then Ava shot the laughing idiot in the back after he hit her in the face with a rubber band.
Not really, but holy shit was she tempted. At the very least she wanted to fire a warning shot into the ceiling, but she was not about to scare people off over being a petty bitch.
Instead her scowl only deepened as the dumbass Joker wannabee made his exit, laughing all the while. What a fucking creep.
But there was other shit to focus on now. Actually important shit. Brody, dumbass as he was, joined them back in the small room, not raring to kill any of them. They all wanted to focus on the important stuff, so it was talking time.
"You can say that again." She said with a sigh. That shit did indeed happen, after all.
"I don't think smoke signals are gonna help. Unless we're somewhere help can walk or drive to, the only attention we might get is others stuck here, and with guys like that?"
She pointed a thumb to where crazy boy had run off to.
"I think we're better off without that kind of attention."
Nigel Sullivan wrote:Nigel Sullivan | Ahn Phan Phuc — 10/03/2021 7:49 PM
Nigel inhaled and took in oxygen, then exhaled and released it. He sighed in audible relief at Brody's decision to back down. The rifle was allowed to fall to his side on the strap. He didn't care enough to listen to Brody's monologue. It didn't matter - he didn't have to see another death, not yet at least.
He didn't have to cause one, either.
Not yet.
Not yet, again.
Monica returned to the room, and Nigel was glad for it. She had proven herself to be even-keeled, even more so in comparison to the reckless, wanton stupidity of the stranger - who had quickly exited - and Brody, their self-proclaimed messiah.
"It fucking did, yeah," He said, responding to Anh's idle comment, which had barely registered in his mind, "At the very least, all of us came out of this more-or-less okay."
He was glad for that if nothing else. It helped reduce the feeling of overwhelming uncertainty. Ever since he had awoken, he had seen nothing but death, and he had expected at least one body to have resulted from this confrontation.
Instead, he felt a relative calm, a little bit of peace in their warzone in the sea. It helped put his mind slightly more at ease, though the tension still bit at him.
"I don't know. I don't think we should leave everybody else behind, you know? Like, even if they've done something horrible..." He said, then paused as the words hung in his throat.
"...they were our classmates, our friends, you know? That means something. Or, well, it meant something once. It's not any of our faults that we're here."
It didn't vindicate him, but that was okay.
It wasn't his fault that he woke up on the island.
It was his fault that he didn't play.
He stopped the train of his thoughts before it careened further into the abyss of his mind.
"I don't know. I'll let you all decide. It's not my place to argue."
He didn't have a right to talk anymore.
Brody Paxton wrote:Catche | Brody, Horace — 10/04/2021 2:13 PM
No one in the group had any idea what they were doing, which was understandable. Everybody was scared and worried, particularly with that asshole spouting some weird nonsense when he walked off. That’s why the group needed cool heads to help them out.
“Well,” Brody began, relaxing a bit, “I think there’s one matter we need to attend to before anything else.” He explained, gesturing towards the metal that circled his neck, matching the others.
“Which is why I was thinking we should do some scavenging… for ideas. I was thinking here and the factory were probably the best place for, uh, brainstorming.” He added with a nod and a confident grin, convinced he’d been appropriately subtle this time.
Monica Reed wrote:almostinhuman | Monica, Douglas — 10/04/2021 3:03 PM
After the weirdo left, everyone was antsy to get moving. Understandably so; every second lost was a second closer to their whole plan blowing up, perhaps literally.
Brody actually had the right idea of things; scavenging for methods of removing the collars was Priority #1, and the city and factories were the best bet for finding what they needed.
"We should tackle them both at once, in separate groups. This shit's probably time sensitive, I figure."
The factory, from what Monica remembered of the map, was clear across the island, through a forest that took up most of the central terrain. Likely not an easy trip, especially for this lot who largely seemed a hair out of shape. She wasn't sure who between the four would be the most pleasant company; Ava seemed abrasive, Nigel seemed depressive, Anh appeared barely together at all, and Brody was, well...
"I can handle the factory, I suppose. Anyone else up for the hike?"
Ahn Phan Phuc wrote:Yona || Ahn/Theo — 10/04/2021 7:54 PM
"I'm lowkey lazy as fuck, but, like, sure."
Woah, that was a nice stretch. His elbows popped.
"Not like there's anything else morally acceptable to do here."
Well, it's not like they've been
aiming for moral acceptability. But that's far, far beyond the point, right? And it's not like they're, uh, stupid teenagers and also the people manage to get their hands on a whole ass city so like trying to get the collar off is the equivalent of lighting the dynamite's fuse, but, well...
You know. Nothing else to do, except, like, shoot people, and that's lowkey fucked, man.
"So... factory-
"-yeah. I've done some lego robotics when I was twelve."
Ava Grae wrote:we should hug! | Whitney, Ava — 10/05/2021 1:43 AM
Jesús H. Gomez, what is with this guy? One minute Nigel's all doom and gloom, they're pretty much screwed and all that. The next, it's trying to help every Mr. and Missy that's stuck here and thinking they could actually get out of this slice of Hell. Can he not just pick a god damn side or something?
Sigh. Whatever. It wasn't like she was fully against what he had to say-the idea of leaving pretty much everyone to die here didn't really sit well with Ava, even if some of them did go psycho. It would probably be good to get some more peaople with them. At least a couple more sane people.
"Maybe, but we'd have to be careful with people like that. I'm not risking someone dying because we went and trusted Slashely McStaberson."
At least Monica was still being smart. And Brody was showing himself to actually possess something resembling a brain. She wasn't so sure on splitting up, but hey, this wasn't a horror movie or some other stupid shit. They'd probably be fine.
And who to go with? Easy. Monica was actually smart, and while Anh was spacey, Ava was about 70% sure he was on something at the moment, so he would probably get better with time.
"I'm up for the trek. Seems more likely to find something useful there than here, honestly."
She looked to the remaining boys. "Think you two can handle yourselves while we're gone?"
The fact that she said that without a condisending tone should've earned her an Oscar.
Nigel Sullivan wrote:Nigel Sullivan | Ahn Phan Phuc — 10/07/2021 5:00 PM
The group had decided to splinter into two groups - one would remain in the city while the other would scavenge the factory. Nigel felt little at ease at this prospective course they had decided to take.
He'd watched enough horror movies to know that the "split up and search for clues" approach was how people got themselves killed. Nigel swallowed his fears - complaint would only cause bad feelings towards him. He couldn't afford to lose the trust of his only allies, the people he needed to protect.
Ava added a note about being cautious with prospective allies, one to which Nigel agreed. He knew first-hand that others had already started to play, to kill.
Like he had.
He didn't think they could afford to trust those who went out of their way to kill when other options had arisen. Trust would need to be proven, earned, rather than given, even in doubtful cases.
"Yeah, I agree there. We've got to draw a line somewhere," Nigel said hypocritically.
The groups were, of course, divided unevenly. There was a total of five people, split into one group of three - Monica, Ava, and Anh, who would scour the factory - and one of two - himself and Brody, who would explore the city - there was no possible even way to divide their numbers.
"Yeah, that works about right, I guess," He said, a hint of discomfort in his voice.
While the prospect of being along with Brody, who had been proven unreliable, did not rest happily in his mind, it seemed they would likely have the less intensive role in the group.
"One thing, though. I say we should pick a time - something like six or seven o'clock, and link back up here by then. The group shouldn't stay split up for long - strength in numbers, you know. If that's alright with everyone else, that is."
Brody Paxton wrote:Catche | Brody, Horace — 10/09/2021 5:00 AM
“It’s settled then.” Brody declared with a nod, internally preparing himself for this next leg of his journey.
“We’ll scout our individual destinations and reunite here with our new knowledge.”
He turned to the boy with the gun. He was not… an ideal partner for this, certainly not as even-headed as Monica, but Brody could hold his own, regardless.
“We should start with any workshops, tool shops, the like. That’s where my brain works best.” He said with a rather aggressive wink.
Monica Reed wrote:almostinhuman | Monica, Douglas — 10/09/2021 8:28 AM
Ava and Anh were quick to sign up to go with her. Fair enough. Any two of this crowd were probably roughly of equal use, and they'd be less... flamboyant than Brody. Certainly less likely to cause the kind of trouble they'd just witnessed.
"Roger," she nodded, already turning to leave. "There's no sense in dillydallying. We've got a rough journey ahead."
She gave a last look to Brody and Nigel. "We'll see you two soon."
She was not as confident in that as she sounded.
((Monica Reed continued elsewhere))
Ahn Phan Phuc wrote:Yona || Ahn/Theo — 10/09/2021 8:33 AM
Ugh, god. Not to advocate for violence but if a gunfight breaks out he'll hope Brody's the first to get shot.
...
((Uh, yeah, so, apparently he's continuing with these losers now?))
Ava Grae wrote:we should hug! | Whitney, Ava — 10/09/2021 12:10 PM
Nigel agreed, Brody didn't make a fuss about the groupings, and it was time to be off. At least not everything here was going to be difficult.
Ava gave a sort of mock salute to the pair as she followed Monica and Anh, gun still held tight in her right hand, even if it was just pointing at the floor.
"Good luck, try not to...you know."
[[Probably one of the nicer goodbyes she'd said in her life]]
Nigel Sullivan wrote:Nigel Sullivan | Ahn Phan Phuc — 10/10/2021 2:22 PM
Nigel nodded at Brody, though a hint of reservation permeated the action. He didn't trust him, not after the confrontation with the stranger and the way he'd acted. Not entirely, at the very least. At the very least, however, he seemed to be sane at the moment, and that was more than Nigel had the right to demand.
He turned to the other group before they departed, taking his last looks at Monica, Ava, and Anh. He wished he could have joined them, but he didn't say it.
"Good luck," he said, "and see you soon."
He saluted back at them with two fingers, index and pointer. He then turned back to Brody.
"Let's go."
[B003 - SULLIVAN, NIGEL: CONTINUED IN "Stand Your Ground".]
Brody Paxton wrote:Catche | Brody, Horace — 10/11/2021 6:09 PM
"Divide and conquer, my friends. Together, we will forge our own destiny, heedless of the wishes of anyone else. This is how we win." Brody declared with gusto, throwing some bass behind his voice as he thrust one finger in the air, arm outstretched over his head, that it might pierce the heavens through this lowly bathroom.
"We need no luck. Our faith in ourselves is what will see us through." He gave a nod to Nigel, before seting off with him.
((Brody Paxton continued elsewhere...))