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Post by Doctor Nanjo M.D. on Sept 18, 2023 21:43:52 GMT
[Chapter 2 - requested by Felix]
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Post by Neotelenta on Sept 18, 2023 22:52:53 GMT
Felix will find Lyric walking down the path and catch up with her.
"Here." he says, handing her a walkie talkie. "I'll probably need to buy some batteries and give those to people in case the walkie talkies get used a lot, but I'll do that later." he thinks out-loud.
"Anyways, you said you wanted to talk earlier. What's up?"
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Post by JoyTheBard (Slezak) on Sept 19, 2023 3:33:15 GMT
Lyric is trying to hum some of the bird calls she's been hearing when Felix sees her.
"Oh, a walkie talkie? Sure! Thanks," Lyric states, gleefully accepting it, "Oh, I didn't have a specific topic in mind. I was just opening up an invitation for us to maybe get to know each other better. Or discuss hobbies, or get each other's thoughts on our current situation."
She examines the walkie talkie, attempting to get a handle on how it works for when they need to use it.
"Or . . . okay, one thing I'm really curious about: you've had a lot of drive recently. You got us these walkie talkies, you're making food for us, you repaired the burned-out mansion to make it at least inhabitable again. I wanna know if you have some sort of game plan. If so, I'd like to help make it happen. If . . . that's too forward, we can talk about something else."
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Post by Neotelenta on Sept 19, 2023 12:07:54 GMT
Felix seems to take that inquiry seriously as he takes a deep breath of the natural air around them. "...To be honest, my game plan is to keep everyone alive at whatever cost. It keeps me busy, and it might keep others from losing themselves to our situation if they can be afforded even the smallest luxury of a warm meal and proper sleep conditions. I've already made a to-do list of things I need to do around this new location." Felix takes out a note and hands it to Lyric. He seems to look very focused at that note, however, and his eyes shift around to look at the surrounding area.
When Lyric opens it, it reads: [#spoiler="note"]"Don't react too strongly to this note. Something is wrong with the game, and not just with the murder aspect. We need to find the 16th participant. I think Bogota is them, but the actual game master is either one of us, or has yet to show their face. If you find or notice anything worth investigating, let me know.[/spoiler]
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Post by JoyTheBard (Slezak) on Sept 19, 2023 15:56:02 GMT
"How proactive and thoughtful! You've really got it together, Felix."
Lyric opens the note and sees that it's a paragraph of text rather than a list.
She blurts out, "Wait, this isn't-" but as she starts reading and realizes what's up, her eyes quickly flit back and forth, and then begin scanning down the page. She wonders if Felix forgot about the chipped brains thing, or maybe he thinks it's a bluff? But the things they took out of Hisoka and Jackson . . . Lyric catches herself staring at a blank part of the page, and raises their gaze to meet Felix's again. She smiles, folds the note to conceal the text, and hands it back to him.
"Sorry, your formatting threw me off a bit. Then, I started considering the materials we'll need. Certainly, I think I can help with a few of these things. Now, let's see . . . ."
'C'mon, think! What would've actually been on his to-do list? How can I discreetly help with the investigation? What materials would he actually need that he doesn't already have?'
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Post by Neotelenta on Sept 19, 2023 17:47:33 GMT
"Yeah, the most important thing I want to try checking out before the other things is what's in the lake." Felix quickly responds as he takes the note back. "The other items I can take care of, but to your point, I'm also not sure of what we'd need. Scuba-diving gear is expensive, and a magnet on the end of a fishing line wouldn't be quite enough. I'm thinking maybe if we get a water-proof camera and send that down, we can see what's down there?" Felix shrugs.
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Post by JoyTheBard (Slezak) on Sept 19, 2023 18:48:03 GMT
"What's in the lake, huh. That would indeed be a good thing to check. But why do you think you'd need scuba gear? Is the lake that deep?" Lyric begins, seizing the opportunity to latch onto Felix's change in topic, "I don't suppose you thought to bring a waterproof camera with you. I know I didn't. Earning enough points to buy one might prove difficult, unless we do something to get real popular real fast."
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Post by Neotelenta on Sept 19, 2023 19:29:33 GMT
Felix shakes his head. "Considering this was a TV show, I didn't exactly think there would be any shortage of footage or cameras, for that matter. We'll need to save up some points for one, I think. That said..." Felix turns to the nearest camera nestled in one of the trees and gets a mischievous grin.
"This is a pretty strange game. You don't suppose Bogota hid something in the lake, do you? If any of you are seeing this, congratulations. You're tuned into the lake exploration division. If you could, please provide Lyric with your utmost attention and we'll keep you posted on what we find. Provided Bogota gives us enough time to do so, of course." Felix concludes and gives his little two-fingered salute before turning back to Lyric.
"I'm not a salesman, but if anyone out there is interested in this, that should hopefully be enough to buy a waterproof camera and some fishing equipment, if we can't find any."
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Post by JoyTheBard (Slezak) on Sept 19, 2023 19:42:24 GMT
"There's some fishing equipment in the Boathouse, actually," Lyric notes, "Surprised you missed that."
After Felix's promotional routine, inspiration suddenly strikes and Lyric busts out an energetic pop ditty.
"What's in the lake? How long will it take To find out how deep this goes? I guess nobody knows! Gotta get to the bottom of it, ooh, Gotta get to the bottom of it, yeah!
Take the plunge with us and you just might discover What lies out there, deep in the water Down at the bottom of it, ooh, What's down at the bottom of it, yeah!"
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Post by Neotelenta on Sept 19, 2023 19:48:56 GMT
Felix chuckles lightly and enjoys the song.
"I should clarify. I don't trust the existing fishing equipment to get the job done, but I could always be proven wrong." Felix smiles.
"Anyways, on a different topic, I guess I should ask. If you win this game, what do you plan to do with the money?"
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Post by JoyTheBard (Slezak) on Sept 19, 2023 20:14:21 GMT
"We could always test it out, like tie a heavy rock to it and see if we can let it down and reel it back up without the line breaking," Lyric suggests. His other question gives her pause.
"Oh, hmhmhm. I'm not thinking that far ahead, Felix. For now, I just want to survive, and I do not feel right benefiting off of others' losses. There's also no way I'd kill for the top prize. That said, if I could walk out of here with a few million, I guess . . . I'd keep enough to live comfortably for a while, but I think I'd also like to scale up my work. Turn it into something farther reaching than just helping a couple people turn their dreams into reality every so often. Maybe I could inspire some positive change."
She smiles at him. "And what about you? What'll you do with your winnings?"
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Post by Neotelenta on Sept 19, 2023 21:15:32 GMT
Felix is perplexed. “Didn’t…think that far ahead? What do you mean? How and why did you initially join this game? Like…before this whole murder issue happened, surely you had SOME idea of what you wanted?” he scratches his head.
“Oh, me? I’m not winning. Not this time, I’m afraid.” Felix smiles sadly. “There are too many people here who are desperate. Perhaps not you, but…enough to where I’d rather lose by helping someone else who will put their money to the best use. To explain this mentality would take quite a lot of time, but just know it isn’t something to worry about.”
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Post by JoyTheBard (Slezak) on Sept 19, 2023 21:29:48 GMT
"Well, don't you remember? Everyone on Garry Gallaway's shows ends up a winner--even the one in last place--if nothing else from the fame they receive," Lyric explains, "I was never planning on going for first place; I came here to stir things up, make things more interesting, and inspire people to go for what they want. It's kinda my thing."
"As long as 'losing' doesn't include dying, I'm . . . in your camp, too, if you couldn't tell. And anything anyone ever says is 'nothing to worry about' is definitely something to worry about. Obviously . . . you're under no obligation to explain, though."
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Post by Neotelenta on Sept 19, 2023 21:40:37 GMT
Felix nods and chuckles. "True. That is very true. With how much energy you typically exude, I couldn't tell if you had a goal to achieve, or simply being here WAS the goal. That makes a lot of sense, though."
"And no, I'd rather not die. I meant moreso how you've just put it. Being here is an honor in of itself. I never actually applied to be here. I was selected. They wouldn't tell me why, but maybe they wanted to make sure at least *someone* would give Bogota the time of day, or cook meals for everyone when no-one else has the energy to? I can't say." Felix shrugs.
"I already have everything I want. Everything I need, too. Except for the fact that most people around me don't seem to get what THEY want or need. That troubles me. If for some strange reason I win, I'll have to do a lot of thinking, but I hope that people are less inclined to murder if they feel they can...I dunno, feel like they don't need to kill to get out of here. It's only 80 days left at this point. Basically a morbid kind of summer vacation."
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Post by JoyTheBard (Slezak) on Sept 20, 2023 0:05:10 GMT
"You were selected? By whom?" Lyric asks, "Though I guess getting here in ways different from directly submitting a video shouldn't surprise me; we did have someone who claimed to have been kidnapped. Of course, we were never able to confirm that. But yeah, you're definitely right about this being some sort of twisted summer vacation. Everyone thought this would be a fun reality show with fun challenges and fun backstabbing--not literally, obviously.
"You know, you and I both seem to be cut from a similar cloth. Once I got to a place where I could start helping people, that's what I've been doing. Though, if it wasn't for you, would I have cooked for everyone or bought walkie talkies so everyone had a direct line of communication with everyone else? Probably not. Which, I guess is why I found you so inspiring. I help people and improve morale in my own way, so I know if we work together, we can get the rest of us out of here."
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Post by Neotelenta on Sept 20, 2023 14:21:29 GMT
"I'm not actually sure, but I have my suspicions. I got a letter in the mail like everyone else, but there was a strange man I helped out one day." Felix recalls. "He was sitting by himself at a diner I happened to eat at for lunch and he was getting rather upset with his computer. I happened to know what the solution to the issue was based on his muttering. He asked me my name, and I left, since I was done eating, but...I don't know. Maybe that was coincidence? Most everything else in my life has been this way. Coincidence, that is. Things out of my control seem to go well for me. I know I'll never be able to repay most of the people who have helped me, so I make it my mission to at least pay things forward."
"In any case, yeah, I have to agree. You're strangely similar to me. I didn't think there were many other people out there with...well, with circumstances that lets them live life similarly to me. That's pretty cool. I hope we can work together to get out of here, too."
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Post by JoyTheBard (Slezak) on Sept 20, 2023 17:06:02 GMT
"That really does sound like coincidence," Lyric muses, "But, considering the strange events of this show, it's certainly hard to rule out anything. I don't think I'm ever going to understand what the criteria are for making someone part of a death game, though. Never thought something like that could even happen outside of fiction."
"If the helpers help each other, perhaps together we can help even more people!" Lyric proclaims, and begins to ponder, "Hm, what if we actually just sailed out to the middle of the lake to see what we'd be able to find with our own eyes? Unless you've already done that."
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Post by Neotelenta on Sept 20, 2023 17:23:13 GMT
"I'm not sure what a game master hopes to get out of this, but it must be something that they haven't been able to get through other means. They're either very desperate, or clinically insane. Or both." Felix shivers slightly.
"I haven't sailed out there yet. But...I'm gonna miss not having a camera if we're taking the trouble to go out there." Felix ponders before his eyes light up. "Hey, you don't suppose we can ask Bogota to buy a USED camera, do you? Y'know, from Craig's list or Ebay or something? Surely we could get one for less than $100 that way?"
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Post by JoyTheBard (Slezak) on Sept 20, 2023 18:10:31 GMT
"I guess it doesn't really matter what they want. We're here now, and all we can do is keep our eyes peeled for any way we can get an upper hand," Lyric states with a shrug. They look around at the trees alongside the path they've been standing on for a few minutes, and the partly-cloudy skies above them.
"There's a drone in the garage," Lyric remembers, "Could we see if it's one that has a built-in camera, and maybe try to modify it somehow so it's waterproof? Or is it yet another thing around here you wouldn't trust? Besides, we could try asking Bogota about getting a used camera for under $100, but that would require him to do work, and I think we know how well he'll respond to that."
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Post by Doctor Nanjo M.D. on Sept 20, 2023 20:44:54 GMT
Felix gets back a camera that looks like it’s been violently thrown against a wall and a note that says, “Today’s weather: Sunny.”
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Post by Neotelenta on Sept 21, 2023 2:06:17 GMT
"Perfect! This...This'll do." Felix says, but it's evident that he's slightly disappointed, but you can't tell with what.
"As for the drone, we'll hold onto that. While I don't expect another fire, I do want to make sure it doesn't get damaged and it does have potential use for collecting important information." Felix nods, remembering the drone.
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Post by JoyTheBard (Slezak) on Sept 21, 2023 2:38:33 GMT
"Does . . . Does the camera work, at least?" Lyric asks, trying to get a good look at it in Felix's hands, "And I suppose it would be wise to keep an eye on that drone and, as you said, make sure it doesn't go missing or suffer any damage."
"So how're you planning to do this? Just hold it underwater and drive around and hope the stored recording survives? Or are you going to hook it up to your laptop somehow so we can see a live feed?"
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Post by Neotelenta on Sept 21, 2023 2:50:54 GMT
"I'll have to test it first, but yes, I don't want this to be carelessly damaged."
"I'm going to see if anyone in the group is a swimmer. I'll have them try to record stuff with the camera first. We'll see if it can even record footage underwater. If that works, then we'll take it out on the lake and see if we can attach it to a fishing line and drop it into the depths. SD cards aren't susceptible to water for short amounts of time, so even if the camera gets water in it, whatever footage is on the camera will still be good. My game plan isn't that special. But exploring the limitations of this place and the items provided seems prudent."
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Post by JoyTheBard (Slezak) on Sept 21, 2023 3:17:49 GMT
"I see, I see. Yeah, the camera looks pretty beat-up already," Lyric notes, stepping back, "It'll probably take you some time to seal it better.
"So, in the meantime, do you want to talk about something else? Like . . . Ooh! How about we trade questions and answers? I'll start: What's the most fun technology project you've ever worked on?"
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Post by Neotelenta on Sept 21, 2023 12:09:35 GMT
Felix nods and smiles. "Sure! Um...Hm..." Felix takes a hot second to think about that.
"A couple years ago, I helped design and make an auto dice calculator. Basically, it's a little tray that has light sensors connected to the bottom platform. When it scans the number or the dots on dice, it'll know to add up the numbers on the opposing side and it'll give a little LED display of the dice rolled, along with a display and voice prompt saying the total. I'm actually a little proud of that one. It's helpful for people who are blind or lazy at math, but want to play games that involve dice." Felix chuckles.
"Have you ever performed on-stage, and if so, what was your favorite performance?"
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Post by JoyTheBard (Slezak) on Sept 21, 2023 15:04:11 GMT
"Oh wow, that's brilliant! I've heard of assistive technology before, but not so much in the space of playing games," Lyric comments, "It makes a lot of sense though; people with disabilities deserve to have fun too!"
Lyric's player, who is legally-blind, would find something like this extremely helpful. She thinks something like that could be accomplished with something like a top-down camera combined with OCR and Arduino or a Raspberry Pi, perhaps.
"Hm, let me think about that for a moment," Lyric states, folding her arms and tilting her head, shortly thereafter making an 'I've got it!' pose, "Well, I've only ever performed at local places, but I think I do a pretty killer '90s set. Definitely gets the late teens and young adults in the crowd singing along!"
She goes back to thinking about her next question. "Ah! Do you have any siblings?"
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Post by Neotelenta on Sept 21, 2023 15:31:43 GMT
Felix's player wanted to make this as a senior design project for college, but it was turned down under the premise of it being 'for games' and 'not helpful enough to society'. It still haunts him to this day.
"Huh! That's fun! Sounds like it was a good crowd." Felix smiles. "I rarely ever go to music performances, but the friends that do always seem to enjoy them. If we get out of here, I want tickets to yours, okay?"
"Siblings? I do, actually. A younger brother and younger sister. My sister's 21, and she's honestly smarter than most of the guys in the family. She works for NASA right now as an intern. My brother's 18 and still trying to figure life out, but he really takes to machines and mechanical aspects. I'm betting he'll get into the automotive industry at some point. I get along with them pretty well." Felix laughs.
"How about you? What's your family like?"
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Post by JoyTheBard (Slezak) on Sept 21, 2023 16:25:11 GMT
((Oof. Leave it to academics to be a bunch of no-fun guys.))
"Oh trust me. If we make it out of here alive, all the survivors will be on the VIP list," Lyric says with a laugh, "Assuming any of you want to come visit little ol' me."
In response to hearing about Felix's siblings, Lyric fist-pumps and exclaims, "Woo! Always love hearing about women in STEM! And I can relate to needing to 'figure things out.' I think there's too much pressure on people having it together right outta high school. Life should be about exploring all the possibilities."
Lyric nods. "I expected that. I'm an only child, and my parents are pretty much the exact opposite from me. They're content living their lower-middle-class lives not really going anywhere, and wanted to rope me into it, too. I think some people wouldn't be so afraid of rocking the boat if they could just learn how to swim. In the purely metaphorical sense, I mean--I'm well aware there are plenty of people who can't swim for very good and legitimate reasons. Anyway, I'm digressing. You'd think my family would be cooler with a surname like 'Eventide,' but here we are. I mean, maybe some of my aunts, uncles, and cousins are cool. I don't really talk to them. Also, it's interesting. That's 3 for 3 when it comes to people who get along well with their siblings here; Hisoka wanted to save his brother, and Decker has a pretty good relationship with all his siblings, too."
The next question idea comes to Lyric fairly quickly. "Are you musically-inclined at all? Play any instruments?"
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Post by Neotelenta on Sept 21, 2023 18:33:58 GMT
"Mhm, I agree. I'm glad he's able to figure out what he wants to do. My parents are really cool. I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world."
"I see." Felix responds to Lyric being an only child. "I think it's a case of people being comfortable with what they perceive to be 'working'. It's a shame that they aren't considering other potentially more beneficial means of living. But to each their own."
"That's a good question!" Felix responds to the music question. "I was in Concert Band when I was younger, all the way up through high school when I was in Marching Band. Started on trumpet, but it hurt to play when I had braces for a short time, but I switched to mallet percussion and never looked back. My dad had taught me how to play the piano, too, but I'm not that good at it. When I was in college, I took up computer-generated music for a time. Worked with trackers and had a decent enough time, but..." Felix shrugs. "I'm not nearly as musically-inclined as I am people-inclined. It's hard to want to create something when you're able to make people smile by creating things that are a lot cheaper and simpler. Like words, or memories. My biggest artistic expression is in my daily interactions with people, and it took me a while to understand that about myself." he smiles.
"What's your favorite comfort food?"
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Post by JoyTheBard (Slezak) on Sept 21, 2023 20:35:30 GMT
"That's always a nice change: someone being successful because of their parents rather than in spite of them," Lyric notes, "But yeah, you're right. If my parents are happy, so be it. I'll try to be happy for them, despite knowing they have to have dreams of their own they're forgoing."
Lyric's smile broadens as Felix's explanation of his musical journey continues. "Conversations and interactions with people as an art form? That's some insight I didn't know I needed to hear! I like to hope that I do that too, with my musings, and my music, hmhm. Of course, Hannah--my guitar--has been a big help."
"My favorite comfort food?" Lyric repeats to stall for a second, "It's gotta be tuna noodle casserole with plenty of cheese and a butter cracker crust. What's yours?"
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