INTROS + MONTHLIES

[trainmasters]

Who: Everyone
When: Day 59, morning
Where: the Aurora

[It's morning, though you might not know it from the darkness that remains outside. But there is an annoouncement on your Chain to brighten up the day regardless:]

WELCOME NEW HEROES

[This round's newbies are waking up in their rooms, in the usual nondescript undies or team pyjamas. They'll get their basic welcome message and a prompt to view the IC Guide.

As you go out to greet them, you might find that the entire train has been decorated! By whom is not readily apparent, but there's streamers and heart-shaped balloons adorning all the hallways and many of the additional cars besides which. It's festive!

You know what else is festive? The candy hearts sitting in bowls around the place. They all have generic, cute messages on them like "I ♥ You," "Be Mine," "Text Me," "Forever," etc. Try one out! Though you might find they carry some effects when you try one out....

♥ Pink Hearts These hearts will cause an empathetic bond! For the next few minutes/hours/rest of the thread, you'll find yourself connected with the nearest person in arguably the most intimate of ways....

♡ White Hearts You just can't help it after you chomp down on one of these hearts-- you've got a song on your lips bursting to come out! You may even feel up for dancing. Go forth and be your best, most musical sellf!

♥ Green Hearts You know what that person you're talking to RIGHT NOW needs? A hug!!! At least, that's the urge you'll get the moment you pop a green heart into your mouth. Although handholding also seems to get rid of the compulsion, so hey, there's options!

♡ Blue Hearts The very next thing you say after you eat one of these bad boys comes out in poem form! It doesn't have to be good poetry, mind you. Limericks, haikus, anything goes! At least it's mercifully brief?

And so it goes. Enjoy your icebreaker and make that fresh meat feel welcome!]

[[OOC NOTES: As the monthly prompt, the candy hearts will continue until next month's placements. If you have any questions, please ping the mods via the q&a. Thank you!]]

Comments

[schrodingerscockroach]

Because if I didn't, I'm probably start screaming and not stop for a while.

And there's things to be done. Might be trials. There's killer candy outside. Got a newbie. [Gestures to Roxas.] This is a thing I do and it wasn't messed with. Put everything aside until I can process it and no way I'm processing it right now.

[terribletwos]

I thought the point of having feelings was to feel them.

[ Says someone who only had said emotions for like half a year... He does know from like Axel that people hide parts of themselves sometimes. But then why would this guy admit that? It's too weird. ]

And I don't need any special treatment. I just want to do what I have to to help my friends. If you're in a bad place right now, I can see if someone else has answers. You can take it easy.

[ Having someone mess with your heart can probably do a lot of damage, even if you manage to retain it. ]

[schrodingerscockroach]

They are. But I'm not exactly the poster child of emotional health, but I am remarkably functional in most any situation no matter how messed up and terrible it is. [He raises an eyebrow.] Are you already sassing me, or was that a genuine question?

You're my teammate. I can't not help, it's a whole thing. That's still pretty intact. It's actually.....kind of amplified? [Rubbing at his temple.] Which is saying something because I went hard on that before.

Mostly I'm saying this if you DO decide to run off into the woods as a warning. No running off to your death because Dusk can't be nice about making sure you don't die.

[terribletwos]

I meant it. I spent a while not having emotions or being told I didn't have them. It's just weird to hear someone say they don't want them.

I'm not going to run off. You said we need connections if there's no trials to complete. I need to find people for that. And what's Dusk?

[schrodingerscockroach]

....and that's another on the list. [SIGH] Parents, or someone else?

And I never said I don't want them. Just that I need to choose functionality because I can't deal with the rush all at once. Big difference between want and necessity. Sometimes we want things that make doing what's necessary impossible, so we put off the want until those can coexist.

Teammates good step one. And I'm Dusk. Your other teammate is Meridian. She's a dragon, and very cool. There are also other people on the train, other teams.

1/2

[terribletwos]

Parents?

[ What are parents? ]

So people can just... turn them off?

[ Roxas tends to want and do in the same breath so this whole discussion is difficult for him to wrap his brain around. What is restraint?]

... Roxas.

[terribletwos]

—Huh, our team has a dragon?

[schrodingerscockroach]

....who...raised you? [Why does the concept of PARENTS, confuse you?]

No. Most people can't. It's something I learned how to do because it was either find a way to function, or die. And it's come in handy over and over, to keep myself and others alive, so now I'm really good at it. But it can also kind of make me an asshole.

Trying to work on that, but... [Shrugs.]

Nice to meet you, Roxas.

Yes. She's very feathery.

[terribletwos]

[ Raised? What are these concepts? ]

Well, when I was first... created, I guess, I stayed with the Organization for about a year. If that's what you mean by who told me I didn't have feelings. We were all told that. I spent most of that time with Axel and Xion, my friends.

[ Unsure what asshole means but assuming simile to jerk from context. ]

I don't know if I want to get good at something like that. I'm still getting used to stuff.

[ Recognizing his feelings for feelings. Without the influence of digital mind tampering. ]

Uh, yeah... I've never seen a feathery dragon before.

[schrodingerscockroach]

Created.... [Okay, but is that a LIE, or TRUTH?] Are you not human? Because if you have dietary restrictions, or weird biology, it's nice to know that in advance.

[Also people in charge of this Organization is going on Dusk's kill list because wooboy, that is a lot of Not Okay.]

You shouldn't. You really, really shouldn't. [Because getting good at it means TRAUMA.] It's just a thing I do. You don't need to.

Neither have I, before the train. I think.

[terribletwos]

Not... entirely. But I have a replica body now so it should work mostly the same? The guys who helped me get it didn't have a lot of time to explain.

[ They were kind of in the middle of a war between Light and Darkness...

Also, he basically has only ever eaten ice cream so...]

What I used to be is even more confusing. It can wait until after we save everyone.

[ Because clearly they're going to do that RIGHT NOW. ]

[schrodingerscockroach]

So clone body. Right. [Hopefully their clones are better than his clones. He wonders if he could get 80H to subtlety check? She'd definitely help out?]

[Or would she?]

[....later.]

That's going to take time. I've been here a few weeks. Aurora has been functioning about two months.

1/2

[terribletwos]

Yeah, I think it's something like that. It's all really new. Like a day ago.

[terribletwos]

Two months? Have we saved anyone?

[schrodingerscockroach]

...Jesus Christ, the timing. [S I G H.]

We saved a planet a few days ago.

[terribletwos]

[ But his friends weren't on that planet... ]

Right...

Is there any way to save people faster?

[schrodingerscockroach]

Supposedly if we save these prisma stars, that should save everyone. And unlike all our homes, that's only a handful. But it takes time. They've all been overtaken by darkness.

If there's a faster way, we don't know about it yet.

Charging off on your own definitely isn't it.

[terribletwos]

So if we save all the stars... everyone will be all right?

[ There's that innocent plea again. Is this really the only way to see them again? ]

It's not like I can go anywhere without a ship.

[schrodingerscockroach]

That's the plan.

....but like I said, you're not the only with friends. A lot of us have friends we want to see again. A lot of us have done crazy, impossible things.

And we're in this together. We're going to get your friends back. It just takes time.

[terribletwos]

[ Time is another weird concept to him. Everything has always seemed so transient. Even if he wanted it to last more than anything.

Now, he wishes for once that he could speed time up. ]

I'll do whatever it takes. To get everyone's friends back.

[schrodingerscockroach]

...

[And he smiles. Just a bit. It's tired, he's obliviously exhausted, but there is some emotion there.]

And we'll gets yours. Okay?

[terribletwos]

Thanks...

But you really should take it easy. You look worn down.

[schrodingerscockroach]

[He chuckles.] Yeah, I think I'm gonna hear that a lot.

We'll see. Right now, this is easier than most things.

[terribletwos]

I guess having something to focus on keeps you grounded.

I don't like stopping either.

[schrodingerscockroach]

It really does.

Neither do I. Trust me, I get wanting to rush. But a lot of the time with things like this, there is a whole lot of waiting.

And then rushing when it all likes to explode.