foundationmods | Round 4 graveyard

[When your character dies, however that may be, they will feel themselves floating. For a moment or two they will linger at the site of their death, hovering just above everyone, watching.

Then they will feel a pull and they will get tugged all the way to the studio, through a wall, through the hall, through a door.

The place they end up in looks to be a backstage area. There is an area for storing supplies, a coat rack full of empty prinny costumes, a lounge area, and a place to rest. All of these areas are marked by a green border between the described rooms and the doors that go elsewhere. You will see prinnies come and go, hurrying around as they do their work for the day. But within those borders, some of the prinnies will take off their suits, revealing the human souls within. Men, women, old, young, there is a large mix. They are all very dead, though, and seem used to being dead.

And among all of the dead is one living girl, one who seems to be running the show behind the set. She can be found giving instructions to prinnies and telling them where to put things, but she will always take time to give everyone who arrives the same warning:]

Hi there! I'm Marona, and this is the backstage area. There's a lot to do yet, so if you could help us out I would really appreciate it.

All the areas with the green on the floor are safe to be in as ghosts. Your souls won't get pulled away as long as you stay in the safe areas. If you want to go outside of there, though, you have to put on a prinny suit. And if you do that, you have to follow the rules of the prinnies: no killing anyone, follow the orders you're given by the living, and try not to blow up too much.

If you have any questions, I'll be here! But you can come and go as you like. Just don't give Mr. Dazai too much trouble, okay?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Definitely isn't. Alcor leans forward onto his hands. ]

The latter. There were many, many meetings about how crucial he was to protect and coddle.

[ George snorts in laughter at that. ]

It is crucial for him to fulfill his objective, nothing more or less. I'm relieved to see he's finally getting into killing people.

Not that dying was very high on my list of enjoyable activities, but if we want to use this show to our advantage, there is no use in going halfway.

You would be hard pressed to instruct the group of that.

[ Alcor is very, very tired of save doezai 2k19! ]

He was the one who took this responsibility upon himself, and he was wholly incapable of fulfilling it from the very beginning as you saw. His recent improvements only seemed to have come about when he was pushed to his breaking part, as is typical in humans.

[ This might be a new tone from Alcor but it's one he's carried with him all along; for everything he is and isn't, being a deity level administrator has always been at the very core of his being. He was just selective on who he showed it to, until now. ]

I had no intention of opposing him nor the group in such a direct manner, but if I am put into a situation where I have no choice but to exert my free will, then I will do so.

[ George silently nods along with the litany about Doezai problems. As much as he and Alcor are at odds usually, this he agrees 100% on. It's refreshing to hear his annoyances echoed, even. ]

It pains me as well that we need to rely on him, but we have no replacement... So your explosion could have put all of us into serious jeopardy. Do you actually have any interest in our mission succeeding or are you just here to watch again?

[ It is refreshing and rare, and pretty much the sole reason he bonded with anyone at the house. Whether those bonds are good or not is arguable, but the pact has been sealed, in some cases with literal blood. ]

I am aware, George Ace. But if he was to succumb to something like this, if the group was to succumb to something like this, then they were all doomed from the start. Doting on the weak can be kind, but in other circumstances it only cripples them further. Growth is essential, and he has played the part of a weed in an ovveripe garden. [ Just so that's crystal clear, he knew he could have literally destroyed everything and was okay doing it, and moreover has no regrets now.

At the question, he smiles just a bit wide and a bit too curved. ]

I am done watching.

[ But what does that mean, really? ]

[ There's a pause as George considers all of this. His expression is neutral, usual smile taking a break for the moment. Alcor is... dangerous, that's for sure. He knew it before, but in the constant madness that is every group of agents, he could easily slip below the radar as powerful and eccentric. The category certainly isn't unusual. ]

I can certainly tell. And while I have no fondness for coddling anybody, I do think that sometimes it's simply pragmatic to not cut the last tie on an already damaged bridge. Does it need repair? Yes. Do we have the means to perform this repair right now? We don't.

I'm not willing to bet on the off-chance of finding alternate means after the bridge is already gone. So I have to ask now, are you planning to do anything like this again, given the chance?

[ Alcor tips his head; he doesn't disagree really and values pragmatism in his own way, but his goals are uniquely his own. He has no problems cutting the only bridge left and then sitting it on fire. It's what he was made for, after all. ]

That depends on the actions everyone takes going forward. However... currently I do not feel the need to take such a drastic action again. I observed his revival, and that was on his own merit: not due to the actions of others. As for the rest of the assembled group. I find it unlikely that many of them feel positive towards me, but I do not mind and it does not affect my opinion of them. They are free to do as they like, just like I was.

And although I accepted my death, I do not wish to stay like this forever. It is difficult to rule over a universe like this.

Then we're on the same page regarding the revival of the dead. I certainly have no desire to stay an indebted to penguin either.

This seems as much as I can reliably ask of you now anyway.

[ Reliably asking anything of Alcor seems like a joke. ]

[ He lets out a breath that almost sounds like the beginning of laughter, but reins it back in. ]

I am glad we have come to an understanding, George Ace. Though it has been a while since we spoken, I still feel more connected with you than most others here.

[ So maybe you can use that as leverage one day. ]

Round 4 graveyard

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