(no subject)

[sicklysweet]

Who 🍰 owen & frenemies
What 🍬 area explores, depressing conversations, quests???
When 🍭 August
Where 🍫 Lumina Cloth, et cetera
Content Warnings 🥧 Owen, discussions of suicide/suicidial ideation, violence & death, potentially other things that will be updated as needed.



Wildcard me! This will also be where I put open prompts, should I write any unrelated to the event. I might also add more top levels in the body! Hooray! Feel free to hit me on the plotting post, or on discord and plurk, both revelries.

Comments

>anaido, suicide cw continues,,,,

[sicklysweet]

[Continued from here.]

Just because it has a nice ring to it doesn't mean it's true.

[But he will lead Anaido away from the party, only sparing one glance behind him to make sure he's actually being followed. There's not a lot of quiet places around Lumina Cloth, but he takes them away from the casinos and towards one of the arenas, currently empty.

He takes a seat in the stands, finally looking at the older man.]

...You said you sometimes feel like giving up on life. But have you ever tried?

[Just immediately asking the most personal question he can in that conversation, I guess!!]

it SURE DOES...

[wowcool]

I'd like it to be. Though not a real detective. Maybe one from the stories.

[He follows dutifully, though, falling silent as he goes along - when Owen sits, he stands, a little gangly awkward guy, before deciding to sit down as well.]

Mm. [He's clearly a little uncomfortable, but he feels like he has to answer.] Not actively tried. But I sure have thought about it more often than not.

[sicklysweet]

[Owen's first thought is of Poirot, and he imagines Anaido with a silly little mustache for a moment.

That would probably be too weird.]

What's keeping you from trying, if you're thinking about it so much? Are you afraid of what comes next?

[wowcool]

No, I don't really care too much about the concept of an afterlife.

[It's never been some major concern whether his soul goes to heaven or hell or nowhere.]

I think I just distract myself. My own brain is like a pedestrian walking into a road to stop the speeding car and managing to stop it last minute. Plus, I just don't want it to hurt.

[sicklysweet]

So it's a fleeting fancy.

[He crosses his legs, leaning forward and resting his arms on his knees, turning his gaze on the empty arena.

This is too much for - what, his second conversation with someone? But it's so strange, and there's something about Owen that's... concerned, even if he'd never admit it. Maybe it's because of his own experiences, or maybe it's just how Anaido seems to swerve between idiotic and eerily perspective that it feels like just being upfront and open about things is going to be less painful then trying to hide things.]

...Depending on what you do, it won't be painful. I tried, before, and while it clearly didn't work out... the worst part was waking up in hospital afterwards, still alive and still feeling miserable.

[He huffs, still looking forward.]

After that happened, I moved to America. Got handed money to go wherever I wanted to, and since then I haven't tried again - can't afford the hospital bills if I just fail again.

[Plus, now he has his dogs. Three living creatures that are depending on him, but he's talked about them enough.]

~8/4, oh no melon

[userunfriendly]

[ On the one hand: the "freedom" keyword appearing from a dodgy account like that should have been the reddest of red flags.

On the other hand: what's the point in playing an exploration game and not exploring? The worst that could happen (or so assumed the innocent Michel of five minutes earlier) was getting PK'd. He would respawn none the worse for wear after only a mild inconvenience. So he idly randomizes Hidden Joyous Freedom, fully expecting that even if others were trying the same keyword, they were unlikely to land at the exact same dungeon. The odds are -- what, one in four-hundred, approximately?

The fault is probably Michel's, for forgetting that he's never been a lucky man. He blinks at the Macabre Dancer who seems to have loaded into the same level, taking a moment to skim through the player information. ]

You. The yaoi man.

[sicklysweet]

[The drop of the keywords is suspicious, but the reaction from those who tried the keywords... It all made Owen curious. He had to see for himself, because everyone else was being so cagey. It can't possibly be that bad, but if it is... he still wants to know.

So he loads into an Area, picking the keywords at random, and fully expecting he'll be alone - which is probably for the worst, with his limited combat options, but it would still be fun.

Except he isn't alone.]

...I wasn't expecting to see you here, Mr. Winter.

[He wasn't expecting anyone at all - but it could be worse! It could have been the admin.]

[userunfriendly]

The odds were certainly against it...

[ Enough so that, at least for a few seconds, he has to be justifiably suspicious. A glitch? Or some kind of way to see where other players went?

...Even to Michel's paranoid nature, that seems a little extreme. If anything it's most likely the system just didn't seed its random numbers particularly well. He'll test that later, if he's in the mood. ]

Here to look into the keyword, I assume?

[ Should he wonder how and why he's become "Mister"? Hm. ]

[sicklysweet]

Of course. I had to see for myself what everyone was throwing a fit about.

[He looks over Michel, checking out his stats real quickly.]

You’re lucky someone with healing spells ended up in the same Area as you.

[Though it’s up in the air if he’ll actually… heal Michel…]

[userunfriendly]

And you're lucky to run into someone who can do damage.

[ More a reflexive grumble than anything. Owen is max level, and Macabre Dancer is a good combination with Blade Brandier. He's tentatively satisfied with this luck, actually. ]

Do you see any reason not to run it together?

[ Owen's just going to get a party request as he asks, actually. More efficient. ]

>pete, anaido; exploring 3gether

[sicklysweet]

[Dungeons are an integral part of the MMO experience! Even if sometimes it just results in you getting murdered, or something even worse happening...

Still, dungeons are also a good excuse to work off the weird vibes, and dragging one of the moderators in with you is... well. Pete's there? So that's the end of that.

They enter the murky forest, and Owen looks around, mildly unimpressed.]

Well, this place looks lovely.

[Does anybody want Owen to lead the way because that might be a bad idea.]

[wowcool]

It's alright.

[He says, like it is - he really should be more effusive about all of this, but he feels like he can't.]

I can lead, if you all want. If I die, then that's better for both of you, hm? You can avoid things.

following antics and shenanigans

[tablescraps]

( When Owen awakens from his katamari-induced death in Lumina Cloth, he'll notice he's on the ground, on one of the steps of the plaza that leads to the chaos gate. He'll also notice his hand is currently holding something.

It's another hand! Another cool hand, though surely not as cold as Owen's own. It's attached to un Mithrun, sitting on the steps, currently navigating through his UI elements (he's sending messages to players. He, in fact, even sent one to Owen earlier! But maybe Owen isn't checking his inbox just now, for some reason).

He glances over when he notices Owen stirring. )

Our hands are stuck.

( No further commentary. He looks back to messages.

tl;dr got unglitched, went on an area run, saw owen still on the ground, and the rest is history. the timing worked out only because it's funny, )

[sicklysweet]

[Well, dying means being unconscious, which means Owen is just sprawled out in his apartment until the time it takes for Typhon to notice and pull and gnaw at his setup until his headset comes off, all while Cerberus is remarkably unhelpful and jumping on him. It's a shock to suddenly wake up, but he still has time to spare checking messages and herding his dumb dogs (affectionate.)

So he's AFK a bit longer then it takes just to respawn, which is unfortunate for him because he's allergic to handholding.]

...I can see that.

[Though he's still shaking his hand to free himself, because it's not like he can just trust Mithrun to be telling the truth.]

[tablescraps]

( You know what I realize my grasp of the game mechanics in my first comment is fuzzy too but its fine... Anyway..........

Their hands wave around as Owen shakes them, but, alas, they are firmly held. Mithrun doesn't seem to mind, though. )

This probably won't last any longer than 24 hours from when I first took your hand. It shouldn't be that hard to wait it out.

[sicklysweet]

[It's fine, it's fine...... we're just doing our best.]

...And how long ago did you take my hand?

[Twenty-four hours? The thought of spending 24 hours literally attached to someone sounds like hell on earth. He can't even imagine spending 24 hours with someone while simply sharing the same room... That would only end in tears or bloodshed.

Why was he put on this earth just to suffer?]

[tablescraps]

( tbf it's on you for being so sexy when you suffer king )

Around 14 minutes ago, so we have 23 hours and 46 minutes left.

( Owen seemed like he'd been dead for too long, being still in the same spot he'd been left in post katamari Area shenanigans when Mithrun came back around again, so he was trying to check for a pulse. )

I did wonder what might happen if one of us tries to log out.

( He isn't really interested to help himself; he's just interested in seeing if it introduces a glitch of some kind. )

>matoba, yaoi quest

[sicklysweet]

[He said he’d meet Matoba at the dungeon for the quest, so that’s exactly where he is. It all seems a bit ridiculous, but he can’t let “Hien” down…!

It’s also a good time to wear the bunny suit he got from the casino, because he hopes it’ll annoy Matoba.]

You kept me waiting long enough.

[Is how he greets Matoba when he arrives, though he hasn’t even been here long…]

💅

[worldbent]

[He didn't really have any serious intentions of doing the quest with Owen, but... a challenge was issued, explicitly or not, and far be it for Matoba Seiji not to meet a challenge.]

[What he isn't expecting to meet is Owen in a bunny suit.]

...Hm, [Is all Matoba verbalizes when he materializes in from the gate, looking Owen up and down with a dryly raised eyebrow, as if inspecting a piece of fine china for flaws. Then,]

One moment.

[He goes into his inventory for a moment, scrolls around, and equips the maid dress skin.]

[Seemingly satisfied, he exits back out of his inventory and readies his combat menu.]

Shall we?

[sicklysweet]

[bitch]

If you're satisfied.

[Owen still looks better!! He has legs for days!! Not that it's a competition, but his arrogance is unshakeable.]

You don't mind taking the lead, do you? I know being in charge is probably very scary for you, but one of us has damage spells and the other is a support class~

[worldbent]

[Heh......... Stay in denial, old man!!]

[As long as Owen is annoyed by this, he's pleased! Same bitch. Anyway, Matoba has a good laugh at the expense of Owen's insult, finding it really funny for some reason, and gestures along as he starts to lead them through the tundra. He's done a tundra run already, and he's Water element, so this is fine.]

If you're so frightened, I suppose I must be the one to be brave, hm? Just remember.......

.....Your low defense applies to my attacks, too.

[Behave or he'll merc you, bitch. Mercifully, they don't have time to banter for long, because they've caught the attention of a roving pack of Scorpion Tanks!]

Time for you to get to dancing, [He calls as he begins queuing up Givak Kruz spells to tear through the scorpions' armor.]

>hien

[sicklysweet]

[Solo runs are a bit more difficult then going with a party, but it is kind of nice to do things at his own place and explore more of the game. It's nice to just not have to worry about company, though being alone does make the odd, disembodied a bit spookier. Can't exactly ask if anyone else heard it, after all.

Still... a blessing? Owen doesn't feel too terribly different after leaving the Area - he already has more confidence then he should, and successfully completing a solo run as a class not intended for solo play would be enough to have him feeling good. The blessing does help, though, even if it's not blatantly obvious there's been a change.

Though it's why, when he spots everyone's favorite (only) administrator, his good mood doesn't dampen. He can handle dealing with that sourpuss! He's not even mad about the panty shot! (He's a little mad about the panty shot.)]

Well, well. I wasn't expecting to see you out here, Mr. Administrator.

[In this nebulous location that exists as a plot device.]

I've heard you joined Fandaniel's guild. Would you mind escorting me there?

[He says this like he's fully expecting Hien to decline, but he won't know how much the admin will let him bother him until he tries!]

[selfconcept]

[ When he sees Owen, he feels the urge to just... leave. He'd rather not confront him again after thinking back on his own thoughts and such (yes, Hien thinks. Amazing). Hien just sighs and... huh.

...

Something feels strange. Something feels awful.

It's like he's ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ ]

You don't even know the way to a guild that you joined?

[ Despite that, here he is, doing it. He's leading the way... ]

[sicklysweet]

I've only been there the once.

[He absolutely knows the way! Hien can just think he's directionally challenged, though. That's not his business.

He's... surprised that Hien is actually leading him, though. Weird. Maybe he feels bad for what happened last time? It seems absolutely preposterous, though. Hien doesn't seem like the kind of person who feels a lot of guilt or regret for what he does, at least for things like being obnoxious to people in an MMO.

There's probably something else. Maybe he wants to PK Owen and thinks the guild are a nice, private place that Owen offered up on a silver platter. That seems more likely.

Ah, well. He'll just make the most of this little jaunt, then.]

I'm surprised you joined, though. It doesn't seem very... professional.

[selfconcept]

I never said that I was professional. That's your own fault for placing such expectations on me.

[ He continues to walk ahead and not turning to face Owen. He seems like his usual self through the snark and such. "A duty to help the players," sure, sure. Whatever works. ]