TRAUMAPROM

[badbite]

[One moment, you're chatting, eating, or trying to find a way out of this strange garden. The next? The whole world seems to spin around you, colors blazing and swirling, sound muffled—it feels like you're going to faint—

. . .

Seconds later, it's over.

And you're somewhere else entirely. It looks like you're trapped inside a dome of frosted glass; nobody can see in, you can't see out, and should you try to break it, the only thing your efforts will earn you is a bruise.

It's a small space, which you're sharing with one other person—perhaps they're very, very special to you, perhaps they're not. Either way, other than them, all you'll be able to find is a long, sharp knife, and a vial labelled with naught more than a skull and crossbones.]

[From the moment the partners find themselves in their rooms, they're aware of the following:

✰ The pair must decide which one of them will live, and which one of them will die. This decision must be joint. Refusing to choose mean that they will both die.

✰ Once that's been decided, they have the opportunity to make an offer of something else in an attempt to save themselves! Offers may be made individually or as a pair, but they will be judged as a pair.

✰ At the end of this experiment, offers will be judged. The top 50% will be accepted, and those people will be spared.

✰ Should you fail, the partner slated to die will have a few choices on how it happens. They could kill themselves, have their partner do it, or allow Vanessa to do the honors. Unless your character is the type to immediately suicide, please wait until part two for any killing.]

(pasted from the main post.)
Main post + setting description | Questions? | Rules: IC & OOC | Decisions

Comments

[ofhounds]

We're offering up my head.

[badbite]

. . . . eh?

What?

[ofhounds]

Mine, not yours.

Got it?

[badbite]

But—but big brother, that means you're going to die!

[ofhounds]

That's my burden to bear, not yours.

[badbite]

I. . . I don't understand, what do you mean burden?

[ofhounds]

You don't need to understand, 'long as you agree to it.

[badbite]

I. . . I. . . .

( looking at a loss—very clearly torn on wanting to live and not wanting to be the one to consent, to agree to something this awful )

I. . . I don't want to. . . . I want to go home. . . .back to Holly Heights. . . .

[ofhounds]

So go back there. ( and his voice softens, just a bit. ) You've got people who'd miss you back there, right?

I've lived long enough.

[badbite]

M-mmm. . . I m, miss everyone already. . .

Isn't. . . Isn't there anything we can do? Maybe, uhm. . . the glass. . . and the knife. . . .

[ofhounds]

Nah. These places don't let you go that easily. It's decide or die, decide and die, or don't decide and die anyway.

Poison and a knife--they're laid out just to kill each other, or ourselves with.

[badbite]

( looking quite aghast )

D-do I have to kill you?

[ofhounds]

Couldn't even if you tried.

[badbite]

( her eyes widen and her tiny fingers stretch out— )

Big brother—


Are you like me?

[ofhounds]

( and he raises a hand, pulls at the bandages around his neck. )

Close.

[badbite]

( a bit. . . hopeful. . . . )

Close?

[ofhounds]

( there it is--the metal plate digging into his neck, bolted down into flesh and bone.

it hurts more now than it has in years. )

Don't get your hopes up. I'm not good for you.

[badbite]

( immediately reaching up with both hands, sorry heine )

You're like me! Are you an older model?

[ofhounds]

( ttaking several steps back, thank you. )

No.

[badbite]

( . . . .

coming closer )

Then you're a newer model?

[ofhounds]

( retreating!! )

Neither.

[badbite]

( you can only go so far before you hit glass, mister. )


. . . . Then. . . .

Are you. . . my model?

[ofhounds]

( but he can walk in circles around the edges. )

Doesn't matter.

[badbite]

. . . ( stares. . . . . . )


. . . . you are.

( big, wide eyes ) You are!

[ofhounds]

It doesn't make any difference.

[badbite]

( what was that, start crying out of happiness and relief??? ok. )

That's so great. . . . s, someone made it out. . . .

[ofhounds]

No.

( it's not great. it's terrible. he should have died there with the rest of them. and yet-- )

It should have been you.

[badbite]

Huh?

. . . oh—I did make it out! I did. . . I don't know how, but uhmmm. . . I went to a place called Holly Heights. It's above ground!

[ofhounds]

That's great.

[badbite]

And so did Giovanni, and Heine! And Arthur, but he. . . . I dunno where he went.

But it's safe. It's a really nice place! There's ice cream and flowers and pizza! ( taking this opportunity to. attempt to take his hand ) We could. . . We could go there, big brother!

[ofhounds]

( nnnope, taking several steps backwards. and shoving those hands into his pockets. )

Heine and Giovanni. ( a beat. ) We won't both get out of here alive.

[badbite]

Mm! They're our brothers, too! Big brother, you kinda. . . ( a tilt of her head, and she presses her lips together. )

Do you. . . . hate Lily?

[ofhounds]

I don't hate you.

[badbite]

. . . but. . . . you won't let me touch you, and you won't hold my hand, and you keep avoiding me. . . . and you keep talking about dying and not surviving. . . .

( the longer she speaks, the more watery her eyes get, and she sniffs. ) Did. . . Did I do something wrong? I'm sorry. . .

[ofhounds]

( there's a moment where he considers turning around and leaving it, like this. let her think what she wants, it's better for her. let her tell whatever the hell it was controlling this that killing him is fine, putting a bullet in him is fine, so she can walk out. don't let her know. let her have her peace of mind, for now. while she still can.

but he can't do that. there's a part of him that's still much too selfish to pull shit like that. a part of him that does give a damn. and so he moves forward, carefully--oh so carefully--rests a palm against the top of that all too familiar blond hair. )

I don't hate you. I couldn't hate you. It's you, who should hate me.

[badbite]

Eh? ( she tilts her head, eyes still watery, but a hand reaches up to touch the back of heine's hand, ) Why?

[ofhounds]

You'll understand, someday.

[badbite]

[ofhounds]

That face isn't going to work on me.

[badbite]

Mmmmmmhh.

( huffs, taking his hand off her hair to hold onto it with both of her tiny hands )

[ofhounds]

Lily.

( ttime to yank that hand back. )

[badbite]

—ah!!

( nooooo reaching for it )

TURN IN

[badbite]

Heine is offering up his head. This means he will die!!! permanently, because otherwise he's a zombie.

this is super easy for him. this is maybe a 1 on the scale, if 0 existed it would be 0.

on the other hand for lily it is a 10 to watch him give that up because that shit is awful yo

also they couldn't choose who would die if this deal failed because lily wouldn't agree

[infiniteregress]

Hmm . . . I'm afraid that you've been outbid. You have ten minutes, or I'll take matters into my own hands.

[You have ten minutes to decide how to die and to put that plan into action! When that time runs out, water will begin to trickle in the room from the floor, faster and faster and faster—after ten more minutes, the room will be completely flooded. The person chosen to survive will instinctively know that they won't have any trouble breathing.

Once the person slated to die is dead, their body will vanish, and the water will recede. With a sickening lurch, the survivor will find themselves back in the garden, with the corpse of their partner nearby.]

((Here))