hadriel_logs | Event Log: Party Royale

Who: All characters participating in the event
What: The event log for the Party Royale event
Where: All over the city!
When: September 22nd-29th
Warnings: Paintball, loss of consciousness, and partying!

As is par for the course in Hadriel, at some point throughout the day- waking up, making breakfast, doing laundry- you find an item. This isn't just any item though, it's a tried and true paintball gun, shining and just waiting to be picked up. This gun never runs out of ammunition, never malfunctions, and almost always hits the target that you're aiming at, so say hello to your new best friend for the next week.

Touching or picking up the gun will fill you with a competitive surge, which will likely increase when you find the note that's left with it, saying nothing more than be the last one standing. With instructions like that, how could you lose?

Well, you could lose if someone else shoots you. But never fear, there's a plan for that too! Even if you embrace the throes of unconsciousness, the gods have got your back and will eventually teleport you into a grand party where prizes will be handed out based on how long you survived. Awesome! At this party is also the traditional copious amounts of food and drink, as well as everyone's favorite goddess Delight and everyone's slightly-less-favorite goddess Rage!

Happy paintballing, and may the odds be ever in your favor!

► This log covers September 22nd-29th.
► Feel free to make your own logs as well
► Please tag headers of threads with content warnings where they apply
► Please put your character's name and open/closed in the subject line of your starters!
► If you fall and break your neck or something because you can't die in paintball, please let us know here.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I help the clinic during new arrivals day, so I don't think I will need to use it then.

[She shrugs, checks to make sure the gun is not loaded, and then puts it in her jacket pocket.

And then, despite herself, she thinks about the event -- about the game she has been saying was fun. She can say that because no one died during it, but what if they had? She would not have known until she shot someone. And then what? She has shot and killed before when her life or the life of a loved one was in danger, but this was different.

She sobers from the pride of liking her prize as well as the one Sweets has shared with her, picking a stick of something that looks like celery off her plate as she thinks for a moment.]

I am... glad that those who were shot were only rendered comatose. I would be-- significantly less pleased with the outcome if it had been the result of shooting to kill.

[Lance is quiet, watching her reactions, and so isn't too surprised when what she says next is more serious. He lets out a slow breath, nodding a little, going more somber once again himself.]

I'm really glad too. If it had actually hurt someone, it would've been...

[Really bad. He doesn't take the whole coming back from the dead thing lightly; even if people live, that doesn't make the experience of dying less traumatic, and the last thing he wants to do is cause anyone physical or emotional pain for any reason other than self-defense.]

I've never been affected emotionally by one of the events, at least not to this extent.

[Maybe slightly during the party hard event, but even then he's not sure it wasn't just his own emotions going a little haywire considering how much stress he was under at the time. This event had definitely been different and the compulsion very strong, so much so that it had dampened his concern over the fates of those who lost at the game to an almost frightening point.]

This is my first time being compelled.

[She doesn't like it now that it's over. She doesn't like that she was able to rationalize following the compulsion when she wasn't completely certain about the end result for the people who got shot.]

Do you think it gets easier to resist the longer a person has been here?

It's possible. Being able to recognize the influence, and having practice controlling it, might make it easier for some; kind of like if a person is prone to anger, but learns to understand and control it in themselves.

[Except for one very big difference--]

But since this is external, not internal, it's still a very different situation. We don't know if they're amplifying parts of us that already exist or if they're imposing new effects on us; either way, if they're actually changing our brain chemistry or responses, then there's only so much someone can do to resist it.

[Which is something he doesn't want to think too much about, and isn't his area of focus at all, but maybe one of the psychiatrists here could figure it out.]

And that's all, of course, ignoring that some people are naturally more prone or resistant to these sorts influences and manipulation, some people have different or altered mental responses to certain factors due to mental illness or trauma, and a multitude of other factors to consider.

[It's a mess, basically, and there's no simple answer.]

[That sets her at ease. Psychology aside, it is logical. And even though it is not necessary because it changes nothing one way or another, hearing someone else say what you know to be true is reassuring.]

I would like to be able to resist the worst compulsions. If we were compelled to kill-- [She frowns and shakes her head.] That happened here once. I can't imagine what it must've felt like to... come out from under the compulsion and realized you'd taken someone's life. Even knowing it wasn't your fault, it must have been horrible.

Yeah.

[He can't imagine that, honestly; it'd be beyond horrible, and need some word he's not sure exists to really describe it. He also doesn't like that this event was so close to being the same case, because all that would've had to change was that the paint was fatal, and he's not sure if that would've been enough to counteract the compulsion to compete. He likes to think it would've, because he had been at least slightly concerned about the comas, and he'd avoided targeting anyone who wasn't participating in the game, so he wants to think that he would've been able to check himself if the event were truly dangerous.

But he doesn't know for sure, and remembers what he'd told Zack before about not knowing what you're capable of until you're in the situation. He really hopes he won't have reason to find out.]

Maybe now that we've experienced this once, though, we'll be able to recognize it better next time.

[And maybe they'll be also able to tell if certain types of compulsions are stronger or weaker than others; it's not like it would be too much effort to make him and Brennan feel competitive, after all, but other emotions or the like might be a lot more difficult to prompt in them.]

I hope so.

[It is a rare moment of vulnerability, of letting show just how uncertain she is and how much that troubles her.

It passes quickly though, washed down with a gulp of beer. Worrying about what could be in this place is quite useless, at least right now.]

I would like to save the scotch for a special occasion. My task is, therefore, to find such an occasion.

That's a good task.

[And a, tentatively, hopeful one, at least if she's looking for something worth celebrating. He presumes so, since it's not like she'd have to search too hard for a reason to drink the scotch out of depression.

Speaking of which, he wonders if any of the alcohol at the party will remain after the party itself is over.

And, not at all related, but--]

Sandy will be glad to see you.

[Good... or impossible? No, of course it is good. Even if it comes down to celebrating a successful evening in the kitchen, she will find something. (Well, cooking a good meal is not special for her, but it is an example, albeit a bad one.)

She brightens considerably at the mention of her fox.]

And I will be glad to see her! I have missed her.

[She has been trapped here, forced to party.]

I should bring her back some food from the party. [Some of the meat that Brennan herself will not eat.] Thank you for watching her while I was forced to stay in the colosseum.

There might be some fish somewhere; I bet she'd like that.

[Although probably any kind of meat would work. Hopefully the food remains after the party and doesn't disappear, also; he's tempted to shove whatever he can carry into his otherwise pointless trophy.]

It's no problem; it's not like taking care of her is exactly inconvenient. It's nice sort of having a pet, even if we would've rather still had you around.

[Although without Brennan being there Sandy had slept on his bed, which had been pretty great. He may or may not have actually been distracted from the competition, even, by cuddling the small animal; it was therapeutic.]

Edited 2017-09-29 18:54 (UTC)

Event Log: Party Royale

forever lamenting how hard it is to write how she's saying every little thing, weh

man I don't envy that struggle; for lance it's all the thinking ugh

rip in pieces us

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