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cradleproject2016-08-01 02:45 am
al2955) wrote in cradleproject2016-08-01 02:45 am
WEEK 9
| the pygmalion. . . ONLINE  CAPTAIN'S LOG: WEEK (9) |
monday - thursday (21) survivors  Sunday's trial was only mere hours ago, but you find yourself faced with a new week on The Pygmalion. When you awaken, you will find the ship restored to its previous state, all areas interfered with during the murder looking mostly the same as they did before. Along with this, it appears there are new areas opened on the ship. It seems you have more exploring to do. The robot in the cafeteria has prepared another breakfast of various foods. (OOC: Please submit your murder proposals by 9 PM EST Tuesday.) taken list profiles private conversations setting rulebook murder proposals ENTER COMMAND_ |
EVENT
Good morning, travelers. As promised, I am here to announce your secrets. I do hope you are as excited as I am.
[ And Alice segues into methodically announcing everyone's secrets, including Arumat's and Hissrad's. Those that are displayed as videos flash on everyone's datapads as Alice announces them. ]
If you have somehow managed to sleep through this announcement, or if you have forgotten, a compendium will be placed in the conference room containing everything I have announced here today. Any videos that have been played can be replayed on your datapads. Do enjoy your day, travelers.
no subject
This is what needs to be done!
The voice calls out to a man on the other side of a window, he seems desperate and bartering to get the child back. The woman, drunk off her own revenge and righteousness steadies her pistol against the boy's head. The view changes to focus behind the woman, Elizabeth jumping down from a vent cautiously. Her hair still long, the girl was trying to find a solution to this - one that didn't end in blood. Her eyes shut as she hears the child scream, looking around frantically. She observes the woman who seems focused on the man.
You wanna get rid of the weed, you gotta pull it up from the root!
The woman's finger tightens on the trigger and instead, Elizabeth is heard muttering to herself: Oh my God, I have to - Do something. I have to stop her! Elizabeth looks around grabbing the only thing she could find - scissors. In an act of impulsiveness, Elizabeth lunges forward towards the woman known as Daisy Fitzroy. The feed cuts.
i mean here's the entire fucking scene ]
no subject
Hold on tight.
[The video containing Jessie’s secret starts with a gigantic birdlike creature. It flies upwards towards a dark, stormy sky. Below the bird, there’s nothing but snow on the ground below, some sort of rocky mountain in the background. The video focuses briefly on a boy and his pet. The yellow animal’s face might be recognizable to some, it was on the video screen that showed examples of who the participants could call during the week seven motive. The bird twists and turns in the sky, and eventually something else becomes visible.
Jessie and two others are clinging to the giant bird’s leg despite all the aerial acrobatics and danger. Nearby, two more oversized bird monsters soar closer and move back while attacking the bird Jessie is clinging to. The first fires flames incessantly at the bird, and the second fills the sky with lightning with a flap of its wings.
The first person to cry out is Jessie, her voice panicked and masked by the winds and attacks going on around her.]
We’re slowing Lugia down, the three of us are too heavy!
[The next person who speaks up is a man who wears the same R as Jessie does. His voice is panicked as well.]
Let’s try Weight Watchers!
[Jessie sounds more annoyed this time.]
It’s too late for that!
[The cat-like creature speaks last, his voice reaching a new level of frantic.]
I heard it’s never too late if you really stick to the prograaaaam!!!
[Regardless of their banter, the movements in the sky only get worse. Lugia, the bird Jessie mentioned, does an aerial flip to avoid some of the attacks, but its movements are sluggish, restrained. Team Rocket yells in both fear and exhaustion before they start to speak again, once more starting with Jessie.]
If we don't let go, they may not make it back!
Let's protect the world from devastation!
Guess we gotta let go...
Are you guys ready?!
Let's do it!
Team Rocket's blasting off for good...!
[And just like that James, Meowth, and, most importantly, Jessie let go of Lugia. The boy on the back of the bird calls out—"What are you doing?! Team Rocket!!!” as he watches them fall. Jessie quickly grabs onto James’ hand and Meowth’s with each of her own. James grabs onto Meowth’s hand as well, and they form a circle as they start to plummet to the frosty ground thousands of feet below them.]
Think we did the right thing?
[Jessie has tears in her eyes. She sounds accepting but worried; James reassures her.]
I know we did the right thing, Jessie. And it feels great.
Well, this is it, then...
[Meowth also sounds like he’s about to cry. They all pull into a hug, each embracing the other as they fall.]
Let's not say goodbye.
Let's just say...
...we're gonna die!
[The video feed cuts.
Jessie's secret is heroism and sacrifice.
Her scream can be heard all over the ship, because she's standing in one of the bottom deck hallways when it goes off.]
[ooc; or you can have. the clip, i guess.]
no subject
because here is some seriously baffling bright neon nonsense on your datapads. like really. enjoy these clips from some embarassing bs. can she just cover your eyes. just yikes. honestly the whole bit is probably playing but these bits of trash are Enough. who let roxy be a mom that should be illegal (there's sound in this clip). megan stop we've seen enough homestuck STOP (and sound in this one).
anyway while it may not actually be disturbing it's clearly very embarrassing and roxy just looks. very red after watching it and seeing anyone else watch it. but after all your secrets she'll probs feel a lot better since her's is just dumb shit she didn't want dave to see with his shaded eyes. it's not her fault she doesn't have any decent secrets or family drama (she doesn't. have parents but that's not a secret uh.) I'm sorry.
alice's announcements for it are probably just quietly whispering "yikes" ]
no subject
the true identity of this killer, Alice says, is Grell Sutcliffe.]
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"They're on their way," the boy, Percy, yells, sword at the ready. "You've lost."
Luke smirks and when he speaks, it's not entirely in his own voice. "I haven't even started." He's quick, advancing at a blinding speed. A satyr appears, jumping in to protect the young boy and Luke tosses him aside with ease. The boy engages in combat but it hardly matters seeing how Luke counters the strike and disarms him, sending his sword into one of those fissures.
“STOP!” A blonde girl, one people may recognize as one of the girls for week 7's motive, suddenly bursts in. Luke turns and Backbiter glints as he slashes and Annabeth catches the strike with her dagger. The two of them are locked at a standstill, Annabeth's arms shaking and Luke trying to push down to disarm her.
“Luke,” she says through gritted teeth. “I understand now. You have to trust me.”
The body of Luke Castellan growls. “Luke Castellan is dead! His body will burn away as I assume my true form!” He tries again to dislodge his blade but the girl keeps him in check even as he forces Backbiter toward her neck.
“Your mother,” Annabeth breaks in. “She saw your fate.”
“Service to Kronos! This is my fate.”
“No!” There are tears in her eyes as she continues to struggle. “That’s not the end, Luke. The prophecy: she saw what you would do. It applies to you!”
“I will crush you, child!”
“You won’t,” Annabeth said. “You promised. You’re holding Kronos back even now.”
“LIES!” Luke's body pushed again, and this time Annabeth falls backwards as she loses her balance. With his free hand, a hand comes up and Luke strikes her face.
The rest of the video plays out, up through Luke breaking the possession, unstrapping his own armor and stabbing himself to purge the titan from him in a fiery explosion before he lays bloodied on the throne room floor, eyes blue again, and his dying words as spoken. The video only stops when Percy's broken voice addresses the gods who have since appeared.
"We need a shroud. A shroud for the son of Hermes."
Shortly after, Alice's voice will say: Luke Castellan was the hero of the Great Prophecy.]
no subject
from outside the cage, yuno smiles. she's relieved, and she says speaks. she talks about why they locked her in there; to ensure she was "elite", as incentive to keep her grades higher. to make sure she ate the perfect amount of calories. to keep her from sneaking out, or staying out past curfew. yuno even mentions that they kept count of the number times she was allowed to clip her nails or answer questions in a day. numbers. always numbers. never too much, only ever just the right amount, and going beyond that resulted in being locked up.
but one thing she says is clear as day.
"how does it feel to go through what i did?"
there is no answer from her parents, only clear, seething anger. yuno continues to smile, oblivious, hopeful. she adds that she only wants her mom and dad to come back to her like they once were: loving and doting.
her mother says only one thing.
yuno's response is immediate: she cries out, tears rolling down her cheeks, and runs out of the house, key in hand.
several days pass. her parents wither away, but yuno doesn't come home. soon enough... they stop moving, and it's only then that yuno returns home. she checks on them, smiling again, hope returned and--
there's nothing else. ]
no subject
Alice gets a bit gossipy when she shares that Emily has been thinking about hooking up with her ex for weeks while her boyfriend (who is totally a rebound, by the way) trusted her! You think a girl as straight forward as her would actually speak her mind or just move on!
Emily, for the record, is just sort of covering her eyes. Mostly from annoyance that this is what's getting aired out there but there is some embarrassment.]
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no, instead her secret is far more shameful. specifically, it's regarding the fact that while her boyfriend was in the hospital recovering from a near-fatal gunshot wound, she had affairs with several others - namely, his best friend and another mysterious, handsome man. at the very least, you'll see that these weren't just mindless forays - she had deep, lasting bonds with both of them. not that that's an excuse.
she sighs, mostly out of shame. this isn't something that she wanted aired, but she'll own up to it. ]
no subject
Jason Todd cried like a child after discovering his father never avenged his death, and there are plans to rectify that.
Looks like we have yet another dead(?) guy on this ship.]
no subject
That seems to be it? Maybe he didn’t have as many secrets as he claimed. Dorian might have something extra on his tablet though. ]
no subject
Thank you for the tip, Alice, but I'm not interested in any further sordid details.
no subject
The video shows a young man sitting working at a computer, and it's clearly Jack, though quite a bit different from how anyone has seen him. There's no mask and no scar, but from his sharp facial features to his mismatched eyes, there's no doubt of who it could be. He seems to be engrossed in his work, but it's interrupted by the sound of the door opening. The camera pan back to show an older woman standing in the doorway.
"John," she starts, and the young man turns slowly to look at her. His expression is drawn and cool, which might seem an odd reaction for looking an elderly lady.
"What did I tell you this morning? The dishes aren't clean."
"Grandma, I-" he starts as he stands from the chair, but he ends up sighing as he looks down towards his feet, "Sorry. Just- Just got caught up in my work. Uh, I'll take care of it right now, so—"
Jack walks quickly to the door, but his grandmother grabs his arm before he can push past. She turns, and in her opposite hand is a rather frightening looking axe. She shakes her head.
"No, John. This is the second time this week. You have to learn discipline—"
She flicks a switch on the axe, and the blade starts to whir loudly. Jack starts to pull away with open fear in his eyes, but the video cuts out with grandma's words:
"I'm doing this because I love you, John. Remember that." ]
no subject
"I regret the minute I squirted him into you."
He doesn't sound angry. There's been no fight. It's a factual statement delivered with only bitterness in his voice. Adam looks up from his car and the rest of the house comes into view; it's a double-wide trailer and the kitchen, the master bedroom, and the living room are all in that one, cramped space.
The adults standing there are shadows of Adam, his features clearly taken from both of them. The woman says, "I didn't imagine it this way either." The feed ends.
From the AI: Adam Parrish was abused and unloved by his parents. ]
no subject
Towards the end of the valley lies a waterfall. A group of people run towards it as quickly as they can, among them Adelina and another young woman. Her sister, her Meryl. Both of them are moving as swiftly as they can, but the other young woman seems ill, fatigued, struggling just to keep walking. Adelina, for her part, has also seen better days. There's blood dripping steadily from a wound in her face, deep scratches on the arm that isn't holding her sword, claw marks on the other arm, and bruises everywhere. Her clothing is wrecked as well; tattered, burned, stained with grass and dirt and blood. Where the garment has been burned away there are marks on her legs, bright red burns. She keeps running as fast as she can.
Suddenly, an ogre approaches, slow but huge and strong. She tries to outrun him, attempts to sprint faster, but he reaches down and picks her up. She takes her sword and stabs at his fingers and hands once, twice. He makes a noise of pain, but doesn't let go. He starts to squeeze. The pain in her ribs and chest grows stronger, almost unbearable. She can't hold it in - she screams, a pained, shrill sound that carries over the din of the battle. Loud enough for the other young woman to hear. She stops in her tracks, turns away from the waterfall, starts moving back towards her. She comes back to help her as Adelina screams something above the sound of the fighting all around her - keep going. The sun starts to rise.
Meryl falters, falls to her knees, then to the ground. Adelina, panicked, stabs upward this time - when her blade meets the monster's face, it finally releases her, dropping her onto the ground. She leaves the sword. It doesn't matter anymore, and she's crawling as fast as she can manage to the figure laying there. She turns her over, expression horrified and desperate, mouth moving to form the same words over and over. Don't die. Don't die. Don't die. She's already starting to cry. Meryl came back to save her. She would have kept going if she didn't scream. She delayed her, gave her a reason to hesitate when they had no time.
Meryl looks at her for a moment, whispering something, before her eyes slide closed. Adelina, somehow, finds the strength to stand. She stands up and backs away hurriedly from the figure. From her sister's body. She had been crying, but now she starts wailing, sobs wracking her body as she stands in place. A final cry of pain, the sound carrying out across the entirety of the field, raw, hysterical—
She doesn't see the boulder until it's too late to possibly avoid it. It crashes into her chest, knocking her back with violent force. She can't move from where she lands after the momentum from the impact stops. Her eyes close as well as the sun continues to climb higher, as rain begins to fall over the valley. Neither of them rise from where they lay near the waterfall.
The video ends after a long moment.]
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no subject
fuck you i'm making my own jokes game canon]
no subject
most of the video clips, however, are of "training". they start from when dave was a baby (at which point bro was throwing him off roofs). bro, the weird ninjaesque figure in shades, seems to spend most of his time flashstepping around dave and frequently engaging him in fraught sword strifes that dave always loses hard. being beat up and lying around with that stupid calm expression is a thing that happens way more than it should.
there's no accompanying text. just scene after scene from thirteen years of training to be a soldier that equated to being beatdown on the regular with little to no actual parental interaction of a normal sort from his bro. bro doesn't seem to have much to do with taking care of dave, if the images of dave having to figure shit like laundry out on his own and hoard food in order to have any were anything to go by. maybe there's a reason dave clings to roxy and her attention so much?
there is however music. clearly that makes everything better, right. ]
no subject
And then—
It's Clover in the next scene, standing beside a boy only a few years older than her wearing a blue vest. She looks younger than she is in big bushy pigtails, but it's hard not to recognize all that pink. She's red-eyed with tear tracks on her face, her expression of recognizable blank, dead grief. When they step forward, the camera shows a corpse on the carpeted ground: an old man in a captain's uniform wearing an odd watch, expression still twisted into horror, blood pouring out of a wound cleaved into his side. At the boy's command, Clover helps turn the corpse over onto its back.
The boy is inspecting the body, and though there's no sound, he's seen talking, his back to Clover as he gestures to and prods at the corpse, hands moving animatedly as he speaks. But Clover isn't watching him. Beside the corpse sits a small, bloodied hatchet.
With the boy looking away from her, and something in her stare starting to sharpen, the very edge of Clover's mouth starts to twitch into something slowly becoming a smile.
And nothing comes next.]
no subject
* “There seems to be bad blood between you and your family,” the woman remarks.
Dorian laughs loudly, though without much humor to it. “Interesting turn of phrase. But you’re correct. They don’t care for my choices, nor I for theirs.”
Still, despite his frustration, Dorian makes the decision to go to the meeting - at least, he comments, if there’s a trap, they ought to spring it before a less obvious one is tried.
* The video shifts to a dingy poorly lit tavern. and deserted. Dorian and the Inquisitor step inside, but it’s immediately obvious it’s deserted; whatever retainer was meant to be waiting here to meet them never seems to have arrived. That is, until a man dressed in robes walks down the stairs, speaking Dorian’s name.
Dorian turns, and quickly grows tense, uncharacteristic anger showing plainly on his face. “Father. So the whole story about the ‘family retainer’ was just…what? A smoke screen?”
* Rather than respond to him, the man turns to the young woman, addressing her politely. “I apologize for the deception, Inquisitor. I never intended for you to be involved.”
Dorian doesn’t give her a moment to respond, or for his father to continue talking, emotion thick in his voice. “Of course not. Magister Pavus couldn’t come to Skyhold and be seen with the dread Inquisitor. What would people think? What is this exactly, Father? Ambush? Kidnapping? Warm family reunion? Talk, tell me how mystified you are by my anger.”
* Both Magister Pavus and the Inquisitor look uncomfortable with the sudden outburst, although she at least tries to calm the situation, asking Magister Pavus to please explain why he’s brought Dorian here. He begins to speak, perhaps to answer or to calm Dorian down, but Dorian interrupts him, explaining sharply to the Inquisitor, “I prefer the company of men. My father disapproves.”
* Magister Pavus seems weary and irritated, as though Dorian’s obvious anger is embarrassing to him. “This display is uncalled for.”
“No, it is called for. You called for it by luring me here.”
He tries again, telling Dorian this is not what he wanted, before he’s interrupted again. “I’ve never been what you wanted, Father. Or had you forgotten?”
* “Dorian, please, if you’ll only listen to me —“
“So you can spout more convenient lies?” He seems done trying to speak to his father, turning instead to the Inquisitor, as though to explain himself. “He taught me to hate blood magic. ‘The resort of the weak mind.’ Those are his words.” And now, speaking to his father again. “But what was the first thing you did when your precious heir refused to play pretend for the rest of his life?” His voice breaks as he speaks, anger giving way to hurt. “You tried to change me!”
His father looks sad, but seems resigned that Dorian isn’t going to allow him to speak. He still keeps trying. “I only wanted what was best for you.”
At that, Dorian storms on his father. “You wanted the best for you! For your fucking legacy! Anything for that!”
* But rather than wait for him to say anything else, the Inquisitor takes his arm, says that it’s time to go. Dorian is still furious, but it fades from loud and intense to bitter as he agrees. They’re done here. She and Dorian walk out of the tavern together, without another glance behind them, as Magister Pavus watches sadly.
* In the library, however, the Inquisitor finds Dorian in a different mood, melancholy and thoughtful. He speaks quietly to himself as she enters. “He’s a good man, my father. Deep down. He taught me principle is important.” He means it, plainly, but then again, “He cares for me, in his way, but he won’t ever change. I can’t forgive him for what he did. I won’t.”
* The Inquisitor still seems concerned, asking after how Dorian is doing, and what exactly he meant when he said his father tried to change him. “Out of desperation,” Dorian says, though his voice is tired and clearly hurt. “I wouldn’t put on a show, marry the girl, keep everything unsavory private and locked away. Selfish, I suppose, not to want to spend my entire life screaming on the inside. He was going to do a blood ritual. Alter my mind. Make me…acceptable. I found out. I left.” He can’t answer whether the ritual itself would have worked, though. “It could also have left me a drooling vegetable. It crushed me to think he found that absurd risk preferable to scandal.”
The video fades out as Dorian stares out the window, lost in thought, bitter feelings mixing with regretful ones. “Part of me has always hoped he didn’t really want to go through with it. If he had…I can’t even imagine the person I would be now. I wouldn’t like that Dorian.”
After that, the feed cuts. Alice’s voice announces: Dorian wishes he’d listened to what he had to say.]
no subject
Far above this, a now current age Judar watches this happen with an unusually resigned expression on his face. A young boy floats next to him, his face open and kind. He offers words of understanding, of pity, of forgiveness and redemption. You were kidnapped at birth. You're an unlucky person. What they raised you to become isn't your fault. Everyone will understand. You can start anew. With each statement, Judar's expression grows more and more upset, clearly caught in a major internal struggle until the boy delivers his coup de grace.
'That's why...you should come to our side and become our friend! Cut ties and create a proper kingdom. Isn't that your true wish?'
Judar shakes his head. 'You're wrong--' Then he flinches hard as a bloody gash abruptly opens up on his stomach, falling silent. When he speaks again, his voice is quiet and accepting. 'No...it's just as you say, Aladdin.'
The boy beams, holding his hand out -- and lets out a shocked gasp as Judar lunges, impaling him through the middle with his staff in one smooth thrust. He smiles up at the boy, his face eerily calm and empty.
'The thing is, I get it. I gotta cut ties to Al-Tharmen and take your side. But y'know...no matter how hard I try to calm myself, something inside me is screaming it won't forgive them.' Judar's face finally twists into an expression of pure hatred and rage. 'I can't move on! I can't forgive them! Hah, why should I forgive them at all?!'
The video cuts off here, with Alice announcing Judar is obsessed with vengeance and rejected his chance at starting fresh.
But honestly, none of this dumb backstory matters, because the only important thing that happens here is that wherever he is, he immediately goes bright fucking red when he hears himself admitting that he really wanted to be friends with the shounen heroes all along.]
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"As loudly as he tries to claim otherwise, Machias Regnitz doesn’t hate Jusis Albarea. In fact, a part of him even feels like they're more alike than previously realized ever since he eavesdropped on him sharing intimate details about his life in the middle of the night. Not that he'll ever admit it."
Of course, it may not matter now when the next thing that happens is a tablet being violently chucked across the parlor (again) and Machias leaning over his seat, a single aggravated hand over his face. ]
That's not true! Would you stop bringing that up already?!