train to nowhere, at least youâre there | tanuki | the end
[Â â«â«â« ]
Somehow, Mokichi feels happier than theyâve ever felt in their entire life.Â
Theyâre happier than when they played the guitar for their sister for the first time, happier than when they were singing and playing their heart out in the light music club at Yoshioka, and somehow even happier than the time they took those photobooth pictures with the coworker theyâd fallen head-over-heels for.Â
Mokichi feels the kind of happiness that swells up in your chest and makes you want to tell the whole world. Maybe even break into song, if they feel like it.
Theyâre happyâ happy because theyâre finally getting off that horrible crackling train, theyâre happy to be walking through the empty hangar, and happy to finally open the door to the outside world. With everyone. Alive. Together.
The warm, radiant sun shines on Mokichiâs face and they breathe in fresh air for what feels like the first time in a long time. And even though theyâre so happy to be leaving this death trap⊠as they enter the realm outside of the train⊠weirdly⊠weirdly⊠they think that theyâre going to somehow miss this life.
On the Yoshioka Express, or⊠er, what was it called now? The Hell Train to Fuckville? The name doesnât matter much now. On the train, Mokichi saw horrible and terrible gruesome thingsâ some things caused by their own handsâ but they also had some of the best times in their life were on here, against all odds.
Itâs like the end of a performance. An overwhelming happiness at a job well done, but a sadness knowing that this is the end of something you worked so hard for. The happiness in their chest becomes bittersweet, because they know itâs time for themâ for everyone to let goâ and face the world once again.
Itâs a laughable thought, right? Missing the place where you got your face bashed in with an electric guitar and where you sunk to the bottom of the ocean; a place where you watched so many others meet the same terribleâ maybe equally terribleâ or worse fate. Missing a place that hurt so many different people, in so many different times and places⊠A place that must have personally torn them apart from the inside in all those Mokichi-goes-missing scenarios from the sound of those notes⊠Itâs laughable to think theyâll miss that, and they know it.Â
But when allâs said and done, Mokichi Mamizuka is the sentimental type. They donât think too hard, but they have a big heart. Most know that. They know that. So, that will never change about them. This situation is no exception. Their heart begins to ache.
Their fear is that itâll all be gone once they say goodbye, wonât it? All the memories and the friendships⊠What will happen to them? This will be the last time theyâre all together like this.
Though, thatâs what it felt like on the day they graduated. And here they are now, 10 years later. Together again.
SoâŠ
The aching feeling fades, and the happiness fills their heart again.
Maybe that wonât be the case.
Because, honestly, maybe things canât just end here. It feels like theyâve grown a lot since they first set foot on the train all those months ago. He isnât the same Tanuki who boarded. So they think: maybe everyone else grew, too.Â
After seeing and after remembering everyoneâs smiling faces, remembering their high school days, saving their classmate who had been lost, and knowing that, as a group, they could choose mercy towards their other masterminding classmate after everything⊠so yeah, no maybes. Things wonât just end.
â
Eventually, people begin to depart from the hangar to take their well-deserved rest on solid ground, and Mokichi does too, but not before they take a glance at their now-working cell phone. Firstly, itâs a wonder the battery hasnât died yet but, well⊠itâs not that which shocks them.Â
The lock screen is filled withâ no, practically teeming with notifications.
Missed calls. Voicemails. Texts.Â
Oh, shit.
One phone charge later, and itâs time for Mokichi to return those missed callsâ and theyâre mostly from his sister and from his roommate, all with increasing concern. And when he finally calls them back, as best as Mokichi can in Mokichi terms, he tries to explain what just went on in the last few months.Â
Just why did he go missing for such an absurd amount of time? And with no contact?
How to put it? Well, there was the train, the other ghost train, the time travel, the robot dog and rabbit (who apparently had a romantic history), the jello incident, the moon, and most importantly, oh how could he forget, the morphogenetic field⊠thing.
âŠ
Perhaps itâs his bad explanation or just the outlandishness of the story, but needless to say, neither his roommate nor his sister fully believes Mokichiâs reasoning. And Mokichi just laughs to himself when he realizes. Well, why would they?Â
Itâs a ridiculous story, after all. Itâs the kind of thing that only happens to people in fiction.
When he initially tells his sister, she pauses, and then lets out the biggest laugh over on the other end of the phone. âYou really donât have to make stuff up about time traveling trains and did you say there were kissing robots, Mokichi? Also was that about ghost bones? Look, I missed you, and I was worried, but you couldâve just told me you got a boyfriend!â
Their face gets red and they practically yell back into the phone. âWhâ noâ thatâsâ thatâs not whatâs importantâ! Sis, it was real!!! The dog was a little conductor and everything!â
â
Soon after getting off the train to resume life as normal, Mokichi quickly decides to pack up their things and leave Sweden for good. The day they leave, he tearfully says goodbye to his roommateâ who gives him a customized holographic glitter GameBoy on his way out the door. Mokichi laughs, gripping it in his hands tightly, his nails painted with that signature holographic nail polish. They know him so well.
As he steps out the door of his apartment for the last time, Mokichi feels a newfound sense of optimism rush over him, just as he did when he left the train. Thereâs sadness, too, but Mokichi reminds himself that this is just another new beginning. Itâs not the end.Â
He knows heâll miss this place, but he and his roommate know this is whatâs best for Mokichi. At the end of the day, heâd come to Sweden to run away from his problems in Japan, and now he was heading out, on his way back to Japan to face the world head-on. However, more importantly, he needs to attend Kakeruâs movie premiere.Â
And following the movie premiere, the two of them decided theyâd run away together. Theyâd go wherever they wanted from now on and live their lives to the fullest. The idea is quick to fill Mokichiâs stomach with butterflies no matter how many times they think about itâŠÂ
When they get back to Japan, thereâs a bit of time between then and the movie career. They move back in with their sister for a bit. They pick up guitar again, too, and decide to revive their old NicoNico channel for fun.
But they know that a performer longs for the stage, and at some point, theyâll have to put themselves out there. Because, yeah, they really, really want to get back into performing.
But thereâs one important thing theyâve got to do before they hit the road. They had invited Lily to one of their shows at one point, and also promised to come see one of herâs. So, before he leaves Japan, he knows he has to make his way to Osaka one weekend for a special trip.
That weekend, he sees a show from the Ito Troupe, and makes sure to clap and cheer for his dear friend Lily as loudly as possible when the curtains fall. Afterwards, he meets backstage and hands her a bouquet from a florist they both know rather well, who has a store by the name of Hanayuki.
A few weeks after, Mokichi shows up to the premiere of Desperado with Kakeru. They promised him, after all, that theyâd live and get to this point with him⊠and once this is all said and done, the two of them can take on the worldâ find their own stage to perform on and live a carefree and normal train-less and time travel-less life together. Butterflies flitter in his stomach. He canât stop smiling while watching the movie.
The two eventually leave Japan soon after, and Mokichi takes this opportunity to find that stage and perform in small venues when he can. And while heâs no Mercedes Luz, that doesnât matterâ superstar or not, heâs getting to do what he loves with the person he loves right there with him. So, for Mokichi? After everything? After numerous heartbreaks? After dying on a train, and not even knowing if heâd make it to this point? Yeah, this is way more than enough.
â
About a year and a half after the reunion-turned-killing-game, Mokichi returns to Japan with Kakeru and when they do, every person from the 20XX class of Yoshioka gets a personalized letter in the mail. Every letter is written in purple gel pen, and with concert tickets attached. Theyâre for an upcoming show Mokichi is headlining.Â
Oh, you have to go, right? Why not?
In the front row seats Mokichi has generously put you in, you find your classmates. Perhaps you take this chance before the show starts to catch up with your ex-classmates you havenât seen since the train, or maybe you decide to chit-chat with an ex-classmate you saw just the other day, but when the crowd files in and the show starts, a familiar purple-haired tanuki wanders onto the stage in a flourish of applause. He has an equally familiar striped scarf wrapped around his neck, and has an acoustic guitar covered in stickers slung across his body.Â
At the prospect of seeing youâ his beloved classmateâ in the front row and realizing you actually came to the show(!!!), Mokichi almost trips over some electrical cords while running up to the center of the stage.
Before another jello-ass-scale disaster strikes, Mokichi catches himself before he can and grabs the microphone. His voice is as soft and melodic as usual.Â
âAah, hello everyone! Hello! Wow! Itâs really so nice to see all of youâ Iâm Mokichi Mamizuka and I canât wait toââÂ
They stop, breathe in, and look down at the front row.Â
âOkay. Well, I actually, um, invited my high school class to this show. Maybe thatâs weird, but Iâd say weâre all still really great friends! Iâm really glad theyâre in my life, and I hope they feel the same about me. So, tonight, I wanna start with a song I wrote about this, uh⊠itâs about our 10th class reunion last year. Aheheh, well, Iâd explain it, but, yâknowâ not gonna! Uh, thatâs the thing about art⊠itâs gotta be mysterious. But theyâll know what I mean.âÂ
They quickly throw a wink down at the front row, and then take on a much more serious expression as they get ready to perform. Then, they put one hand on the frets of their guitar, while the other gets ready to strum.Â
âI hope you like it.â
Mokichi strums their guitar, and a pleasant, and strangely nostalgic melody fills the venue.
âThis is called⊠âThe Infinity Circuitâ.â
1 note
·
View note
Rock Parade (Blessed Sounds and Lights) || Larcei Epilogue
Nothing needs to change when the most you are is a cloud, floating gently along the sky's lining. Nothing needs to change when the most you are is a simple example of nature's force; unstoppable, though not inherently dangerous. Each cloud is functionally the same. Brought into existence as a gathering of water, which builds until... the water falls, or disperses, and thus the cloud ceases to exist.Â
And yet, we see so much more in them. We see them for their shapes and sizes. We see them for their time of arrival and time of departure. We see them for their blocking the sun or moon. We see them for their rain. We see them for their personality.Â
We see them as a lining in our otherwise boring day sky.Â
Clouds exist to be seen.Â
Larcei's ever hectic life continues, though in the way it should always have been. Living life comfortably with constant events- be it performing or recording, helping at her cousin's forge, making time for family back in Illinois, making time to go to family reunions... so on and so forth, Larcei's life continues to be as hectic as she wants it to be.Â
The day starts as typically as it can. Larcei, awake before anyone else at 11:00 AM. She cleans herself and her side of the room she shares with her fiancĂ©e, Cecilia Rosemary. Roam lazily to the kitchen to start coffee, which attracts the other three in the house. From there... she scolds the two who were supposed to run dishes and clean the night prior, and instead, did anything but. As per their daily rituals, rock-paper-scissors to decide who makes breakfast. Today, it's...Â
Kairi Betsuuta, the bassist.Â
From there, she waits for everyone else to get ready for the day. Her ever-memorable varsity jacket over a plain white v-neck, paired nicely with light blue high-waisted jeans littered with aesthetically placed holes which tuck neatly into black boots.
Even now, despite the time that's passed, she still can't bring herself to wear that hat. Creativity takes over most days, but for the sake of simplicity with her outfit, she simply ties her signature white locs back into a ponytail, clipping it with two heart pins. Finally, a well-loved locked to wear around her neck.Â
Before she leaves, she pays respect to locked box frame which hangs on her wall; a framed gift she received sometime ago.Â
Rock-paper-scissors again, this time for who stays and cleans while Kairi and Cecilia leave to serve at a nearby foodstall. Lucky Larcei, she's free as their fourth happens to lose. Aria Oratorio, their most unfortunate drummer.Â
And now, Larcei is free to venture.Â
Her first stop is to her cousin Kajiya's forge, where she makes attempts at offering to help. Not knowing the first thing about swordsmithing doesn't do her much good, usually relegating her to transporting. As soon as a circus is brought up, she disappears. Onto the next one.Â
Food- a foodstall. She stops by to bother her bandmates. Discounted food is always nice, though she can't stay long or else she gets them in trouble. You can only get so many discounts without a manager's approval, so it seems...
... one of her later destinations is a newly built hotel. One of the first internationally, but supposedly popular in the United States. With pride, the franchise is simply named with a family's surname.Â
Magnolia Estates.
She enters out of curiosity. In the lobby, she catches two businessmen striking a deal over what she assumes to be the hiring of a general manager. Which means, one of those men must be an owner of some kind- perhaps an individual owner of the building, or the newest heir to the real estate throne?Â
Immediate eye contact with hints of malice from the man answers the question fine enough for Larcei, leading her to turn and leave post-haste.Â
What comes next is clockwork.Â
Meet Cecilia and Kairi as they're leaving their jobs.Â
Head home.Â
Give them time to change.Â
Pack instruments and equipment.Â
Leave.Â
Perform.Â
Celebrate another semi-full showing over dinner, with Larcei choosing to keep to herself whether she sees any familiar faces or not.Â
Go home.Â
Unpack.Â
Sleep.Â
Clockwork. Day in, and day out. The exact same schedule for the musician with very little change between. Some days, she might be the one cooking or cleaning. Some days, she might be the one staying home. Some days, she might be the one working. Some days, she might choose to stay home and play Sonic games. Some days, she might choose to rest.Â
Day in and day out, the same. Exactly as she preferred it. Nothing overwhelmingly exciting, or dangerous. Nothing unfamiliar or overwhelmingly headache inducing. Nothing harmful, or life threatening. No life-or-death decisions. No relying on others to make the right choices alongside her. No more accursed, gruesome visions from times long passed.Â
Boring. Uneventful. Quiet. Limelight-lacking, and happy that way.Â
Not all clouds are meant to be seen as masterpieces. Not all clouds are meant to be seen as geniuses, or complexities. Not all clouds are meant to be seen as gifts to the world.
Some are simply meant to be seen. Some are simply meant to be acknowledged, and loved. Some are simply meant to be made from, carry, and delivery water. Many might argue this, but it hardly matters.Â
Whether some like to admit it or not,Â
All Clouds are meant to be seen.
All Clouds are meant to be Spotted.Â
All Clouds tell stories. Some more grandiose than others.Â
Some Clouds have stories that none would believe.
Some Clouds share those stories.
Other Clouds are simply meant to be observed, and admired for their simplicity.Â
Not all Clouds have names you'll remember.
But all Clouds have names.Â
And maybe, some time in the future,Â
You'll see one that reminds you of someone.
0 notes
bright side of life | gilles epilogue
Blowing the whistle on his former employers is among the first things he does. And it is ultimately a simple affair. Of course, the lab he and his âsiblingsâ were made in had been dismantled years ago when it was decreed economically unsustainable to try and make any more batches of clones, but the paper trail was eventually tracked down and confirmed.
That, and all the âspecimensâ were still alive and ready to testify for varying reasons, ranging from âyou know my existence IS a bit fucked upâ to âi just want to work here please godâ or something along those lines.
And then he disappears. He came into public existence for just a while as a âcertain manâ blowing the whistle on one of the most alarming cases of human rights violations in the history of corporate espionage⊠And then he just disappeared. His name wasnât mentioned, pictures werenât posted, and when people tried to find whoever this man was, he was gone like the wind.
At another place and another time, he contemplates freedom.
You know, for as much as he dreaded the idea of being used, the idea of just doing things because someone else planned for them to happen, he never hated his work conceptually. He enjoyed doing what he did, and he was damn good at it. Being another person was an unfortunate hanger-on to the fact⊠But doesnât becoming âfreeâ also mean you have to become yet another new person?
No, that wasnât quite right. He was just becoming the person he was meant to be before everything else. The person he was born to be.
Although if youâd asked him before, âthe person he was born to beâ was not the kind of guy he expected to find sitting on a couch, arm locked around the shoulder of someone else, enjoying a quiet Saturday evening watching TV. Heâd always assumed things would be a bit more⊠Exciting.
But then again, it is only Saturday.
On another day, an art gallery might report of an unsolved theft performed with the utmost care with no sign of the perpetrator. And in the coming days, the same gallery might report of the painting being returned unharmed, only for the same station to report, years later, that the very same painting was but a skilled forgery.
On paper, heâs unemployed. He paints sometimes, more just to try and relax himself than for profit. He helps around whenever Koyo needs him- be it stuff like lifting the whole couch because he dropped the remote under it, or helping him around with his business. He doesnât mind it- the role of a âhousehusbandâ probably fits him better than most other roles.
He contemplates changing his name to something entirely different, but he always hesitates and thinks. A name means much, he thinks, and so he keeps contemplating on it. He will never escape the jokes made by the other survivors of that event, and heâs come to accept it with muffled amusement. Worst comes to worst, if Saya tries to abuse her âbest friendâ privileges to try and call him Guy Pipesgoode again, heâll just throw her out the window and let nature sort out the rest.
They travel for a while right after all of these events, and eventually they settle. Koyoâs art career is something he supports in his⊠Own, perhaps slightly criminal ways, but nevertheless, he never feels prouder than when he does watching him paint with his heart put into it. At times, they might end up seeing Ume and her polyculeâs children- and he really canât count the times Sayaâs dogs have tried to eat his slippers.
Of course, he doesnât keep contact with everyone. Some people probably just donât want to hear from him. But even with them, he is at least polite enough to follow them on Facebook and whatnot, observing the flow of their life in a way he never could have previously. Apologies to Mugen and Katashi for a passive aggressive comment here or there about whatever theyâre up to at the moment.
And⊠Thatâs it.
Really. Nothing too grand. Okay, well, art theft on a grand scale might seem grand to the ordinary person, but to him? Itâs so ordinary. No more going back to the same building to live there between missions. No more thinking about security measures. No more checkups with a certain doctor, even if he does visit him in jail often enough- just⊠A domestic, slow life.
And, eventually- in his 40s, perhaps- he wakes up one day, and heâs finally figured it out. He rolls over, shakes Koyo by the shoulder until heâs awake, the 7 AM light barely shining in, and he speaks up with that certain kind of glee only a man whoâs finally got it all figured out can have:
âHow about David?â
0 notes
despite everything, it's still you. | mm epilogue
It doesnât take long to shut TAP down. The place was designed to be pulled apart anyway, so itâs only a week or so before the last gold plated toilet is boxed up and shipped to a clueless eBay seller. The train- shining jewel of human ingenuity, unknowing venue of a million killing games, overall tacky piece of shit- is carefully dismantled and scrapped for parts, although the whereabouts of the actual time machine components is a secret known to Lindsay alone.
âŠWell, maybe not just Lindsay. One of the low-level employees saw Employee 001 grab a stack of notes and walk off muttering something about an âinfinite wife timeloopâ, but they didnât give it that much thought.
Three days after the Hunt for Red- er, the Yoshioka Expr- er, the Hell Train to Fucksville rolls to its final stop, MEATCOPTER69 springs back to life on all social media. Sorry for the absence, meatlings, but guess what? Thatâs right- thereâs a volcanic island in the middle of the Pacific and itâs about to host the grandest, stupidest influencer tournament ever. The Meatlympics are Manifesting.
Fourteen days after that, the entity known as âMEATCOPTER69â, or Lindsay Tsai, tragically- but, like, kind of awesomely- perishes in a massive explosion at the closing ceremony. It runs on the news for weeks. All of Lindsayâs social media accounts are set to âarchivedâ. Long-suffering roommate Akihiko Yamada makes a mint selling most of Lindsayâs belongings to crazed fans. Heâs fine with it, after all. âLindsay Tsaiâ is dead, but someone else lives on.
(Somewhere, among the countless articles covering the Meatlympics Tragedy, a fascinating op/ed is published in the Taipei Times by one Emily Tsai which recounts the troubled past of her now-dead younger sibling. By the time it gets translated and spread among the English meatling fanbase, however, many of them have already made peace with the fact their idol probably wasnât that great of a person.)
Over the next few weeks and months the anonymous backers of the Tsaimeline Alteration Project begin to reap their rewards. A copy of Citizen Kane with them in the background. A realistic prehistoric echidna fursuit. The full, 60-edition run of Sex Thanos. What looks to be, for all intents and purposes, THE original Red Octobers. How these things came to pass, who knows? Forgeries, perhaps? Or did someone shove the time machine into the back of a Honda Civic to get the job done? It doesnât matter. Time rolls on, and the final threads are tied up.
So, at some pointâŠ
At some point thereâs a nice little apartment in a place far removed from the hellhole of Los Angeles. Thereâs a careful assortment of plants on the balcony that arenât too hard to care for. A collection of weird shit on the mantelpiece, juxtaposed with expensive furniture and two purebred pomeranians waddling about the living room. A scorched pan left to soak in the sink after a cooking attempt gone wrong; novelty-print toilet paper in the bathroom, because at the end of the day, you canât truly scrub ironic shitposting out of your soul.
And thereâs a woman. Short and slim, black hair in loose curls, orange eyes gleaming with delight. Sheâs draped over the arm of the couch, ordering takeaway as one of her two dogs tries to chew on her foot. Tonight, probably Thai food. Tomorrow, Koyo and Guy are in town, so sheâs taking them out to dinner. The day after that is raid night, but more importantly, sheâs got wedding plans to discuss. And the week after that⊠Well, theyâre long overdue to visit Ume, so sheâll need to find someone to dog-sit. It couldnât be a more mundane, normal existence if you tried.
But thatâs fine by her. As long as she has one thing, nothing else matters. And that one thing-
- âSaya?â
She lifts her head. A voice calls from the bedroom, where they still need to finish unpacking all their furniture.
âHuh? What?â
- âDid you figure out what weâre having?â
âOh- yeah, sure, red curry. What do you want to watch while we eat? I have seven different insipid reality competition shows for you to choose from, babe.â
Thereâs a bit of choked laughter from the other room.
- âChrist. Itâs your choice, then.â
âOkay!â
She smirks and orders food.
It arrives in due time, by which point she and her fiancĂ© are already curled up on the couch. One dog is asleep between them while the other one is begging for curry far too spicy for it to eat. Project Runway (season 11) is blasting on the TV; Saya, who watched this a million times in the background when she was trying to perfect time travel half a decade ago, knows all the dramatic twists by heart. But thatâs fine too. Itâs another cozy night in. Itâs another normal night for a normal couple, living their normal lives.
In time, she will get married, and sheâs going to hurl the bouquet directly at Koyoâs head. In time, the confused looks she gets on the street, the people asking if sheâs related to âthat influencer who exploded on an islandâ will fade away. In time she will grow old, and her husband will grow old, too.
Hibayashi Saya will be the rich aunt to her classmateâs children, the eccentric patron keeping many Vriska fan artists Patreons afloat, bankroller of whatever weird and wacky pursuits her classmates want to pursue over the years. In ten more years she will host another reunion that isnât on a train, and Umeâs kid will find her Chanel lipstick in her purse and eat the whole tube, and sheâll just smile and nod.
In time, nobody will ever remember tragic and poisonous Lindsay Tsai. But they will remember Saya. Not for inventing time travel, or for generating an unfathomable amount of clout, or for successfully putting a hit out on Andrew Hussie. But for being a good friend, for being happy, and- most of all- for being in love, love, love, the only thing she ever wanted in the first place.
(And in time, she is eventually going to wake up and see Takako at her front door holding a ten foot crab from three hundred million years ago, but thatâs a problem for another day.)
0 notes
The Choice || Endgame 8/8
[âȘâȘâȘ]
âI believe⊠this is our final goodbye. Hopefully, the restoration of the field will hold...â
Rinpaâs voice rings out behind you, but what he has to say is of little importance. Your watches-- now defunct-- are effortless to remove, should you choose. There is no threat of poison, no invisible boundary that youâll be punished for crossing. In fact, TAP arranges for each of you to return home, safe and sound.
But never the same.
Despite your knowledge, the media initially seems to have little to say about time travel, or any sort of morphogenetic field. Maybe itâs better that way, or maybe youâre doing everything in your power to change that. Regardless, life seems to do its best to grant you a sense of normalcy.
But how does one go back to normal, after experiencing the span of the multiverse? Where do you go once you travel to the center of the lemniscate? What is left to see when that lemniscate bursts? When youâre the one to heal it?
For some of you, there is no normal to go back to, so you simply make your own.
But now, for better or for worse, youâre no longer alone with that decision.
You have a choice, and this time, the stakes arenât always going to be life or death. Thereâs no oncoming trolleys, thereâs no metaphorical lever to pull to make you complicit in deadly collateral.
For the rest of your lives, you have the freedom of choice after choice after boring, beautiful choice, and the consequences are just as dull and mundane as you could ever hope for. You never have to think about that horrible train, or the morphogenetic whatever for that matter, ever again.
One of those choices is to read a trending article about increasing reports of recurring nightmares. You might choose to read about strangers around the world experiencing disturbances in their sleep, calling them âvisionsâ of a broken moon, an ashen hellscape, an abandoned laboratory.
Or maybe you choose to close the tab, and roll over, and go back to sleep.
Itâs a beautiful morning.
The choice is yours.
[INFINITY CIRCUIT: END]
0 notes
You Can Always Come Home || Endgame 7/8
You feel it, when the field fixes itself.
You feel, too, that youâre not meant to be hereâ but not in the unsettling, wrong sense that had greeted you, nor in the disconcerting sense youâd felt as the timelines converged on the train, throwing everything into disarray. It feels wrong in a way thatâs comforting, almost: this is something beyond you. You no longer need to bother with it. Everything is fine.
Thereâs a pulling sensation, and just like that
youâre back on the train.
[âȘâȘâȘ]
Rinpyon, on the table, collapsesâ its screen goes black. Smoke pours from its neck, the collective power of the entire field and every timeline having been too much for it to handle.
And then⊠the air is still and silent. The table and chair beneath you are comfortingly solid. The walls are sturdy, and as you watch, they donât flicker.
There are nineteen faces around you. You all look at each other, taking in this new sensationâ new in that youâd grown so used to the pervasive wrongness that had plagued you since the timelines had begun converging that itâs almost jarring to feel normal. No longer do you feel out of place. No longer do you feel as though the floor beneath you could suddenly vanish, transported to another time and place. No longer do you have to worry about being dead, or dying.
For one of you, Akitoshi Hibayashi, no longer do you have to worry about vanishing from this timeline, forgotten by those who care about you. For another, Lindsay Tsai, no longer do you have to worry about your past mistakes requiring your death to fix. For the rest of youâ
Itâs as if your memories have been rewritten, but only in the way of things now feeling right. You remember, simultaneously, a high school graduation with everyone present and the game that had brought you to this point. You remember the overwhelming sensation of the morphogenetic field, and the memories youâd set in place to repair it. The pain of the past months of your life hasnât been erased, but you know now that the horrors are over. Youâre here, on the train. Your friends and loved ones are around you.
With time, you stand and gather your things. You make your way to the door of the Yoshioka Express one final time, stepping out onto the platform. Together, the group of you proceed out of the warehouse, through the abandoned facility and to the door, now able to be unlocked. You step outside, into the sun and fresh air.
It was the morning, when you all boarded the train so many months ago. Now, the sun slowly begins to set over the horizon. You stand together, some hands clasped in hands, some arms around shoulders, and though the connection of the field has faded, you all feel the same, refreshing sensation: peace.
Youâve reached your destination.
0 notes
Hopes & Dreams || Endgame 6/8
You feel something swell in your subconscious.
Youâre more certain than everâŠ
Itâs the final stretch.
In quick succession, you see IUSTISE brushing some ash off of a custom tailored outfit for
You remember Katashi Aoyama. You remember his sweeping, grand gestures when speaking to the class, and how whether he was on a stage or merely having a conversation in the hallways, he naturally created a spotlight for himself, dimming the halls as to become the sole source of glittering light. You remember his voice carried down the hall, through the theatre, across the courtyard, dramatics intertwined so lavishly you wonder if he wrote a script for himself. You remember the blue ribbon from his hair, and the ceremony that followed it's culling, the shedded tears and the goofy celebration. Maybe you remember how goody-goody he could be, calling out on your -- their -- cheating, demanding justice in grades. Maybe you fought him about it. Maybe it's only now you realize that he only wanted you to succeed on your own merit.
You see MONET painting the awful, lonely landscape of the apocalyptic
You remember Koyo Yanagihara. You remember his constant smile, though perhaps less unsettling at the time than itâs been in the present. You recall that, despite the unsavory crowd he hung around with, he was always happy to talk to anyone, whether in detention or when competing for the top grades in the class. There was a near-miss, where it seemed like he might not graduate with the rest of you-- but when he returned from the hospital weeks later, none of his pleasantness had waned, even if he was a bit more quiet. It seemed like what he wanted most was to be friends with everyone, so itâs no wonder he would invite you all to a reunion years later for the chance to see you again.
You push your consciousness further through, and see TSUBAKI dressing an animatronic
You remember Shizuo Sasaki. You remember seeing him constantly in the garden, white hair and gold eyes shining brightly in the sunlight. Maybe you even listened to one of his many rambles on the various plants and flowers Yoshioka was growing. A warm smile comes to your mind, as does someone who would constantly drop what he was doing to help anyone. And how could you forget his younger brother, constantly following after him - and doing that weird chuuni bit, too?
The pressure from the field is diminishing.
In each of these timelines, you realize, thereâs been the constant presence of MEATCOPTER69, alive or
Youâve always remembered Lindsay Tsai, despite everything. You remember the studious, introverted bookworm who would turn down your invitations to social gatherings. He had to devote to his studies, and you remember the results. Top marks across the board, but at what cost? Maybe you remember not bothering to engage with him at the time, or maybe you tried with minimal success, or maybe you were one of the few people to have a meaningful conversation with him. But even if his presence was minimal back then, it still was, and you know deep down that it wouldnât have been the same at all without him. You know it like you know your own self, and after a moment of resistance, the universe starts to believe you.
You see GONBE, with Rinpa at his side, begin the process of shifting back to
Finally, completely, you remember Akitoshi Hibayashi. You remember him taking class casually-- too casually-- that same grin on his face as heâd pipe up to say something off the cuff to piss you off -- make you laugh -- cheer you up -- leave you wondering just what the hell he was talking about. You remember the sound of a recorder echoing down the halls, sometimes grating, sometimes skilled, always quintessentially him. And even if the memories are tainted now by what heâs done, you remember back then just how easy he was to be around, no matter who you were. You remember that he was around. Youâll remember that he will be around. And you remember, right now, that he is around.
You remember.
You remember.
You remember.
And the field remembers, too.
0 notes
Don't Give Up || Endgame 5/8
You can feel it.
Youâre almost there.
But youâve got some more remembering to do.
It doesnât stop, as you see MOTHMAN pouring over schematics you couldnât possibly
You remember Keiji Tsutsumi, whether he wanted you to or not. You remember his bleached hair, his defiant gait, his sneer and cold shoulder. You mostly remember his test scores, top of the class and expectedly so when the picture of him rattling out numbers and terms your brain doesn't even know how to process comes to mind. You remember fights, heavy in swears and jeers as he's lifted by his collar and slammed against a wall, spat at yet unphased and grinning as his words confuse the attacker -- or you -- until a certain blonde rushes in to calm things. Most of your memories of him involve a blur of blonde hair, in fact, as without his second part he's buried in his work, hidden off to the side, avoiding interaction. You think about reaching out, or you did, and it's only now you find him reaching back.
Yet another timeline unravels, showing BIGFOOT looking around the laboratory for
You remember Kazuya Sato. You remember that lazy smile, those heavy lidded eyes peeking over the top of a magazine he's showing you, opened to an article about a haunted shrine nearby. You remember him asking and you declining -- accepting -- sputtering an excuse -- boasting how unafraid you are -- and then tagging along with him after school regardless. You remember the seance he held in third year, more serious than you thought he'd be, hopeful for something, for someone, but smiling along as others goofed off around him. Maybe you remember watching him bike to and from school, uphill in the winter, bundled up like a snowman himself, teeth chattering long into the school day. And of course, like someone else, you remember a delinquent-looking boy by his side, so consistently with him you'd assume they moved hand-in-hand, or he had grown a second shadow. You know he'd be excited about that if it did happen.
Ysee ARACHNIDA, arms outstretched as she twirls under the red and broken moon with horrific delight at
You remember Ume Karasu. You remember her braids bouncing as she laughed, peals of giggles bubbling up at the strangest of times. But you also remember how genuine she was, despite it all. You remember her showing up to every event, every game, every performance -- a figure in the crowd you could always count on, whether you wanted to or not. You remember the rotten apples and the awful food and the love that she so carefully poured into every gesture, backwards and broken as it was. Maybe it repulsed you, or maybe you learned to appreciate it, find solace in the consistency. If there was ever one thing you could rely on, it was that venom smile and glowing red eyes, complimenting you even on your worst days for merely being at your worst.
In yet another timeline, you see CLOUDSPOTTER arguing with a small version of
You remember Larcei Magnolia, and you especially remember her name now. Despite her best efforts to blend into the background, you remember bumping into her in the hallways -- front gate -- rooftop -- music room -- and the brief conversations she powered through to move on. You remember seeing her name on the program of events, but sometimes completely missing her when she goes up, so out of the limelight she could have been behind the curtains the whole time. You remember, possibly, her friends she spent much more time with, people you didn't know and only saw with her, rough looking students that always seemed half-asleep. Maybe you remember wanting to talk to her, to them -- and maybe you did-- but getting hardly any progress of stepping into that world of hers. You know now Larcei is a face youâll always see on stage, light on her or not.
Almost as if waiting for you, you see UNLIMITED RANGER fighting the fabric of timespace itself as he returns to
You remember Mugen Kizaki. Of course you remember him. You remember, more than anything, his evergreen smile as he would greet you each morning in class, booming and bright and the classroom sunshine, gleaming even on the rainiest of days. You remember his persistent enthusiasm for class projects, for class events, and how he attempted to rope you in and involve you, no matter how reclusive you tried to be -- shoving pencil crayons and markers onto you desk to help make posters, taking your hand and leading you out to where the class was making cultural festival booths, dropping tools into your arms before you could even utter an excuse -- a remark -- a question. Maybe you joined him with equal enthusiasm, or maybe you managed to slip away. You remember he never held it against you if you did. You remember now, looking back, how different life was leading up to graduation -- overcast in weather and taking steps away, his voice missing where you always remembered it should be.
You remember...
1 note
·
View note
Reunited || Endgame 4/8
The timelines are thinning.
Alone, you would have long since succumbed.
But youâre not. And youâll never be alone again.
Yet another timeline wraps around your mind, with CLARION pouring over notes and trying to comprehend
You remember Aurora Kannon. You remember squeaking sneakers on the gym floor, diving to save a volleyball and sending it in a pretty arc to the setter. You remember the cheers -- yours -- theirs -- and the hugs when they won.You definitely remember her voice, hot like a whip when it cracked through the halls, the courtyard, the side corners on campus. You remember tears pricking her eyes while she winds her arm back and smashes it into another girl's face, you in the crowd -- watching a wobbly feed on a cell phone -- pressing on a video player on Twitter. Maybe you remember her sitting with you at lunch, weaving in and out of groups nonchalantly, talking about anything at all, to anyone at all. Maybe it meant more to you than you were willing to admit at the time.
Still, you see MERCEDES surrounded by red ash as she wanders
You remember Mercedes Luz. You remember someone far more tame than the star that gleams across top 50 charts around the world; a clumsy flirt to the girls, serenading them from the ground level outside, up to the classrooms several levels above him. You remember the bodies squished together to peer out the window at her, squeeing, laughing, rolling their eyes. Maybe you remember seeing her at tryouts for soccer -- swimming -- basketball -- volleyball -- everything -- chin tilted up, winking, and grinning just before he fell flat on his face. You remember the music, the guitar riffs, the singing, and performances filled with love and sweat and dreams he would one day fulfill.
Another timeline clips into view, where you see SWEEPER staring deeply into that horrible, broken
You remember Guy Cleansgoode. As tempting as it is to remember Rodney from Alabama, or Gilles Mann, your memory of that enthusiastic and eager classmate prevails. You remember laughing, good-spirited, as he beat his fist against his chest and declared his plans to be a boxer, top chef, movie star, surgeon, CEO, inventor, everything, anything, big and bright and ambitious. You remember his grades -- high but not top, his worth ethic making it far too easy for him -- her -- them -- you -- to kick up your legs and bum off as he finished the group project all by himself. You remember the devotion to everything, and the days after exams when you watched -- listened -- spoke to him, about how he did a good job when he felt he didn't. Your memory would not be complete without him.
Another timeline, and you see HELLRAISERâs eyes light up, announcing to the empty ashen world that itâs time for
You remember Tomie Katsukawa, and she made goddamned sure of that. You remember that big, sharklike smirk whenever she had an idea, remark, reference to some twisted plot or scene from a horror movie. Sharp smile and even sharper eyes honing in on you from across the hallway, ideas already spilling from her mouth in excited, passionate rambles as she flags you down. You remember watching her shoot footage of others, or of you, and you remember fog machines and props swiped from the drama club storage to cover a spring evening in eerie plumes of fog, someone tugging a staggering, distorted figure across a grassy field. You remember her laugh, booming over students' shrill shrieks at something gross, her shouldering through to get a better look at it, snap some pictures, spout some extra icky facts and details about whatever was found. You grimace -- smirk -- turn away -- ask questions -- and she reacts to them with amusement all the same. It's no wonder that the entire country would come to remember her, too.
Yet another punctured timeline, and you see FRANKENSTEIN laughing, or maybe crying, as they plan
You remember Alice Kishinami. You remember their quiet demeanor, sure, but you also remember the eccentric spark that had them questioning everything that fluttered by them; curious and eager in the name of research and discovery. You remember walking by the science room after evening club activities, the light still on and her form hunched over a notebook, scrawling and scribbling and then reaching out to drop something in a test tube. Maybe you remember doubletaking when you saw them squatting with delinquents, coughing out smoke -- maybe you remember being the one to give her the cigarette, being the one to find her skipping class and doing things with reckless abandon. You remember the dedication, the fire in their eyes, the feeling that there might have always been time running out.
You remember...
0 notes
Memory || Endgame 3/8
You see a timeline where SLIDE is forgotten, left to wander aimlessly in
You remember Jinki Noguchi. You remember the flying chairs and clattering desks knocked to their sides, his fist twisted in his -- hers -- their -- your -- shirt collar, as his growl prompts another classroom fight. Maybe you remember him balancing on the two back legs of his chair, half sprawled out on your desk waving a crumpled thousand yen bill in front of your nose, sliding his unfinished homework closer to you. Maybe you remember the rooftop guitar strumming, the jumping of fences and laughter when the chain on his pants got caught on a twisted wire, the spending five minutes counting coins on a WcDonaldâs checkout counter for a large fries, the bumming off a cigarette from him, or him to you, the sitting in dingy arcades under burnt lights as he kicks the side of the machine for his tokens back.
You see another timeline where HIMAWARI is stranded, smile waning as the weeks of isolation
You remember Hinata Fukumoto. You remember her laugh, the crinkle by her eyes when she smiled, and how she was always eager to volunteer to sweep the floors or clean the chalk from the brushes when you were running late for something, her waving her hands slowly in front of her face and oh, no, donât worry at all! Or maybe you remember her in art class, paint splattered in places you didnât even know you could reach with just a paintbrush in hand, and then watching others -- you -- spend hours after class picking paint from her hair that she'd missed. Or you remember her sitting out on a bench in the courtroom before school, her book bag neatly by her side and notebook on her lap, how she perked up when she heard her name being called. Sitting next to her, gentle and patient as she helped you through your algebra. If anyone deserved to be the class representative, it was certainly her.
Another timeline weaves into focus, with DESPERADO tediously building a
You remember Kakeru Kinokyu. Seriously, how could you not? With a lightning-strike heart to his firecracker personality, a story always followed him wherever he went. You remember him hanging from trees, upside down, tangled in branches, laughing and laughing and didja get that on camera? You remember the trips to the nurseâs office -- watching him leave with someone -- huffing as you walk with him -- him grinning at the nurse when she asked what he did this time. You remember his hand shooting up when a student was asked to volunteer for something, or jumping forward in the gym before anyone else could, ready to demonstrate anything, whatever, he would figure it out along the way. You remember that for every bruise or scrape he had that day, he always had a smile and a story to go with it. I mean, you saw the video, right?
But then you see SAEMI studying that awful, abandoned lab in the
You remember Lily Nakahara. You remember a tiny figure in the back of the class, the end of the line, folded in on herself in a crowd, trying to shrink beyond what little her presence already was. You remember her peeking into the drama club sometimes, her eyes glittering, her lips pressed tight shut. Those same eyes you see in every theatre performance looking up at you -- sparkling at the stage from your audience row. Maybe you remember actually reaching out, startling her like a mouse, assuring her during exam week, or nudging her to pursue her interests. And maybe you wouldnât realize for years to come how much it meant to her, the gentle conversations, the smiles and waves, the acknowledgment and encouragement. She would bloom into something so gorgeous, so kind, years to come.
Even still, you see TANUKI holding their head as the pressure of the
You remember Mokichi Mamizuka. You remember them being late to class most of all, and all the different ways he tried to sneak in: crouched over and shuffling -- hidden behind his textbooks -- gunning straight to his desk -- ducking behind others -- but always catching the attention of the teacher, whether or not their back was turned or not. You remember them sleeping, behind their books or buried in homework, conked out long after class had already ended, or during lunch when balancing games would take place, where others -- you -- would make towers on their head until they woke up. Or maybe you remember him asking for homework help, study help, hands pressed together in prayer and bent over at the waist, begging and grinning lopsided up at you -- him -- her -- them -- when he got a yes. You remember jam sessions in sunrays out on the grass, and the lazy strums on a summerâs day in class, eyes closed and humming.
You remember...
0 notes
But The Earth Refused To Die || Endgame 2/8
You open your eyes-- but maybe youâre better off leaving them shut, because they wonât do you any good here. Your senses are overwhelmed by a sort of metaphysical pressure-- itâs impossible to describe at first. Only after choking past the initial wave do you begin to recognize the presence of knowledge, of information, flooding into your mind without ceasing. Formulas, events, secrets-- your mind somehow strains to process and understand the constant influx, but you remember the reason youâre here.
(La la la laâŠ)
And that memory serves as an anchor, keeping you grounded while this unknowable force threatens to overwhelm you.
A voice whirls around your consciousness; it feels like light in the form of jellyfish ribbons, or the halfmoon bettaâs tail fin. Washing a silk scarf in a river. Hanging up sheets on a windy day.
Except you are the current, you are the breeze.
And a womanâs voice echoes around you, blanketing you in support when your memory may fail you. She sings differently than she did at the talent show, or through tears -- this feels like starlight, fireflies that dance by you.
You see everything, and nothing, and something beyond this world, this time, this cosmos. And you see her, and you donât see her, and her voice wraps around you and carries you on the path youâre meant to follow. Sheâs there with her arms outstretched, dressed in sunlight, her hands held out for you to take. I know the way, she sings, I have been here before, and I will not let you drown.
Take a breath.
Let it out.
And if you are lost, I will be here to bring you back, as you once did for me.
The information begins to take form in your mind-- almost like film strips superimposed over each other, playing and overlapping endlessly. You can see-- you can feel-- holes torn through them, and only now can you truly see the damage.
This is what I saw, another voice says. A friendly voice, a familiar voice.
Timelines that were meant to run peacefully parallel to each other have interwoven almost beyond recognition, but with Rinpyonâs reversing the flow of information, you stand a chance to avoid becoming entangled in the void of timespace.
With purpose, you recall.
0 notes
SAVE The World || Endgame 1/8
The plan youâve all come up with has been outlined by Akaji: use your connection to the timelines where you were in his place to access the morphogenetic field, and then convince it that everything is normal here. If you succeed, both Akaji and Lindsay should be able to coexist in the same timeline, and your ordeal should be over. The splintering of the timelines should fix itself, and there will no longer be a risk of you all being flung out of time if things worsen further.
...Thatâs if it works, though. It seems a bit far-fetched-- using the power of friendship, like some sort of JRPG? Could that sort of thing actually work?
[âȘâȘâȘ]
Youâve felt it, though. As this journey has gone on, your connections have grown stronger-- in both the literal sense, with your ability to send messages back and forth growing full-fledged, and in the less literal. Youâre closer, arenât you? Even as your trust in each other has gone up and down through the pressures of the killing game, this high school class has grown into a group of friends and even family. Ones determined enough to go against what seems ordained by the timelines and the universe itself in order to get everyone out alive. Determined enough, or at the very least stubborn enough when facing down an unlikely option.
So if anyone could do it, it would certainly be you, right?
â... âcourse it could,â Akaji says, standing up once more and turning his head to another part of the room.
Rinpa has been sitting to the side this entire time, his paws folded together pensively. Rinpyon, beside him, looks uncharacteristically solemn.
âHey, you two.â Thereâs something like affection in Akajiâs voice. Itâs the first time youâve heard him address either of them like this. âYouâve been listening, yeah? Think you can help me out one last time?â
Rinpa sighs, heavily. âIt is⊠potentially possible to reverse the flow of information from the field, but⊠Iâm not capable of it⊠it would be a task more suited to one already displaced in timeâŠâ His clock-eyed gaze drops over toâŠ
Rinpyon. The rabbit creature only half of you know, and who those half generally hate. It has a smile on its screen face. âItâz okay! I can do it! Iâm not even supposed to be here anyway, ROFL. I was born in the wrong era...â
Despite the annoying X3 expression on its face, Rinpa still looks sad. âI wish there was some way we couldâŠâ
Rinpyon reaches over to give him a tight hug. âDonât worry! Itâs my job to help you guyz out! Maybe Akaji can rebuild me later? That would be totally epic! XD!â
...It seems you may never be free of it. The two robot creatures exchange a hug for a moment longer before Rinpyon steps back and hops up onto the table in front of you all.
Akaji nods at it, then turns to you all with a grin. âYou guys ready?â
The screen on Rinpyonâs face suddenly blacks out. A second later, lines and lines of unreadable information begin to scroll across it, faster and faster until you feel as if theyâve gone beyond the screen, and are filling your entire field of vision instead. Itâs becoming more and more difficult to see the train, and you shut your eyes against the onslaught of information. The last thing you hear is Rinpaâs voice:
âYou know what you have to do, rightâŠ?â
All throughout this game, Rinpa has been telling you that you need to remember. Youâve received glimpses of what it is you forgot, but not the full picture. And again in this trial, Akaji has told you his goal was to make you remember. And now, youâre close.
Youâre so close.
So one last timeâŠ
You finally remember.
0 notes
MANIFESTING | GONBÄ | TRIAL 6.15 | RE: OPTION 3
Akaji lets out a hum, leaning back.
âAlright, let me get this straight. You guys wanna use the timelines where you were the missing students to hook yourselves up to the field, and then use the timelines where everything is normal there to convince the field that everything is normal here?â
Thereâs a pause.
And then, after a moment, he snorts.
âI mean, it sounds crazy, but this is coming from the guy who set up a death game to cement himself in reality. And itâs not like the timelines arenât already overlapping, so sure, we might as well use that to our advantage. Letâs give it a shot, yeah?â
â⊠unless, uh, anyone else has any other better ideas. Ideally ones that donât involve killing one of us. But weâre kinda running out of time, so if not⊠we can probably hook you guys up. Power of friendship, letâs go.â
0 notes
happy feet 3 (???) | tomie
Tomie is â oh, god, she feels soppy and sappy and encouraged by the contributions of Gilles Mann and Kakeru Kinokyu. What is happening?
Mutual killing is one hell of a drug.Â
Itâs no surprise, of course, that she feels a swell of fondness toward Lindsay and Lily when they each speak up. There are some lingering questions about who, exactly, she has to jump for making each of them cry. Does she have to kick Lindsayâs ass? Akajiâs? Does she have to kick her own ass?Â
Sheâll figure it out later. For now, she looks at Lindsay â
âOf course weâre going to power of friendship this shit! Youâve got a whole train of people who either never got good at being told what to do or got really good at it, fucked their lives up, and decided they were done. Weâre not getting all the way to the end and then deciding to take marching orders from a field. Or a pair of weepy little dorks in fancy little outfits.â
She smiles so wide at both of the aforementioned dorks that her eyes are forced shut. ^^
âBut you two have to help us out, okay? You know how to get in, so help us get in.â
It occurs to her that this may be the Cabin in the Woods ending.
At the end of that movie, the two surviving characters decide the system of human sacrifice that keeps their reality intact isnât worthwhile. Theyâre told to kill each other. They say no. They pull down the pillars instead.Â
And the world ends. Marty and Dana, final boy and final girl, share a cigarette and get wiped out by the fist of a forgotten god before they finish it.
Joss Whedon, who wrote the movie, has described this ending as reflective of a childish, impractical, fuck-the-system mentality that twenty-somethings like Marty and Dana tend to have. Itâs not really worth it. Itâs just the kind of thing you believe before you grow out of it.
But, honestly?
If thereâs one principle Tomie lives and writes by, itâs fuck Joss Whedon.Â
Sheâs going to try. And it will be worth it.
0 notes
Back to the writers' room || Saemi || Trial 6 || Re: third option real?
For what at least feels like the first time since this trial began, Lily breathes a sigh of relief.
Sure, the option of literally murdering Lindsay was still very much on the table, but now it doesn't seem so... inevitable? People were looking for other options? Lindsay, inventor of actual time travel, so sure he had exhausted all other possibilities, was looking for other options? There's no guarantee any of them will work, of course, but even just the possibility that maybe no one has to die and that things might turn out okay is enough to make her--
She's already crying. Well, you know. She just hopes that maybe people will finally be able to work together... and find a way to get everyone out of here safely. Like she'd been wishing they'd do from the beginning.
"Th-the morphogenetic field..." she mutters, dabbing her face with her sleeve again. She's trying to calm down, she promises. "Right... there must be, um, a lot of timelines out there that are just... normal. Where none of this... none of this happens, with the time travel, and the killing game, and the... you know. W-we should... try to use those, right...? A-and maybe, um, convince the, um... th-the field, that everything is normal...? That, um, would feel better to me, than trying to convince it that Tsai-san is gone, but... m-maybe there's already too much damage done for that... I'm not sure..."
She says, as if there was a chance of her ever being sure. She's far from a stranger to being indecisive to her own detriment, but she'd rather it not be a detriment to everyone else, as well...
"...E-either way, we, um... have to get better connected to the field to do this, right...? Hibayashi-san had to use... use a killing game to do that. H-how are we supposed to... y-you know, without, um, trying to kill each other...?"
0 notes
marchacroche | mm.9
That's enough crying. Lindsay grumbles and calms down enough to talk.
"...Actually, Kakeru, you're not incorrect. There's a million zillion parallel timelines in general, including ones where nobody got deleted at all. There's ones where, uh-"
He pauses. He's too embarrassed to say anything, but he's definitely thinking of the alternate timelines where Lindsay (1) and Akaji got together at some point in time before time travel got invented and everyone got saved a whole lot of heartache.Â
"...I just... never have the need to invent time travel. There isn't an 'original' timeline to speak of, just an infinite amount of parallel ones where slightly different things happen every time. In the ones we're all used to, my life fucks up and I invent time travel over and over. But there's a million more where, uh... my life doesn't go so bad. So..."
...He feels a little silly that a whole scope of solutions are being suggested now that he hadn't thought of before, but, to be fair, he never would have thought about these in the first place. He never would have considered his classmates would actually be willing to put time and effort into manifesting a reality where both he and Akaji get to walk away in one piece.
"...That... it might be possible, I think. What you're suggesting. And what Guy's suggesting, too. It's not like the morphogenetic field is a living entity, so I think you could try to trick it? We would need you all to get properly connected, though. And... it'd be hard. Jesus Christ, you're really gonna power of friendship this shit."Â
0 notes
eternally wandering | gilles 6.mmfuck | re: the 'patch'
Alright, so his idea was getting some support. That's good. He was very much prepared to retreat back to doing absolutely nothing if anyone laughed at his idea of going all power of friendship on this. He's rubbing his temples to think.
"... Alright, what if we took a bit of Kakeru's idea? Is there any way for us to tap into the other timelines? Just for a moment. I- what if we tapped into the timelines where all of us, each one of us, had to... You know. Do what Akaji has done. So we could sync up with the morphogenetic field there? So that we could all get that same, uh... Attunement to it?"
Of course, he has no ideas on the "how" of this plan, but he can leave that to Akaji and Lindsay. Surely, if they've done all of this, they can figure out some timeline drifting.
Surely.
"... And once we're all tapped in." heh, TAPped in "... I, hm. If we could focus the field to try and quite literally overwhelm it for long enough that it stops noticing Lindsay..." He closes his eyes and thinks. "Then wouldn't that make it think he's dead, and we can hop over that requirement? We could overwhelm his 'signal' with our collective own 'signal' and make the field think he's gone." He tilts his head. "After all, it's not like the field has eyes or ears. It's just got the connection, right? So if it thinks that connection's gone, it should be fine. Right?"
NOW is the time he looks between Akaji and Lindsay. alright. go on. explain if thats possible his theory time is over
0 notes