InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Wazza uppa?"

Anchor (Folken) (a_sad_clown) wrote in sabra_la_tau,
@ 2011-03-20 12:00:00

Entry tags:

!days 220-229, akin iyapo shing kaalnikanjlo, ashikawa mitsuru, edward elric, folken fanel, jace beleren, shinonome hangetsu, {chaz villette}, {doumeki shizuka}, {hoshimura makina}, {livio the double fang}, {natsume maya}, {the doctor}, {{{date masamune}}}, {{{leonard 'bones' mccoy}}}

Who: Folken, you?
Where: around the rocky cove
When: Day 225, afternoonish
What:

[You may have noticed a tall man in a loose shirt and trousers wandering the area. Though he walks slowly, he strides with purpose, somehow giving off a calm, serious aura. Except for how he keeps craning his head around to stare at everything from rocks to wildlife to grasses like an excited small child.]

...Hmm.

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	blue_mind_group 2011-03-20 07:38 am UTC (link)
	That's one of the things we should probably talk about inside. fortunately, we're getting close to Canis (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	a_sad_clown 2011-03-20 07:47 am UTC (link)
	following your lead (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	blue_mind_group 2011-03-20 08:05 am UTC (link)
	closing the door once inside Another thing to keep in mind: things that are said outside the dorms can be overheard. Most of what I'm going to tell you isn't sensitive, but some of it will be. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	a_sad_clown 2011-03-20 09:43 am UTC (link)
	Information that our enemies could use against us? Or information only meant for our team to know, to even be kept from our allies. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	blue_mind_group 2011-03-20 09:08 pm UTC (link)
	Neither. Information that the Judges might not want us to have. These dorms are warded against all outside perception, even theirs -- but if you say something outside, they can hear it. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	a_sad_clown 2011-03-21 04:11 am UTC (link)
	Ahh... Then, the things we do could somehow be a threat to the Judges? That implies that they are not all-powerful. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	blue_mind_group 2011-03-21 04:17 am UTC (link)
	They're extremely powerful but technically not omnipotent, though that's something of a fine line. And they need us; the games are a form of sustenance for them. I should probably start the history from the beginning. It's a bit long, so sit down. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	a_sad_clown 2011-03-22 01:34 pm UTC (link)
	settling in, attentive and ready to learn things (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

blue_mind_group
2011-03-23 03:27 am UTC (link)

*awesome.*

A long time ago, there was life on the surface of this plane. Human life, mostly, plus various spirits, elementals, demons and other sentients. They lived divided into nations; sixteen that we know of. Each of the teams we have today is named for one: Canis, Ursa, Cetus, Orion, Lacerta, Cepheus, Hydra, Vulpecula, Lynx, Corvus, Pavo, Delphinus, Lepus, Monoceros, Pyxis and Cygnus. They all had different cultures and customs, but they worshipped the same gods, and above them, the Old Man and the Old Woman -- the earth and the sun.

There came a time when the Old Woman grew angry; no one knows why. But in her anger, she threatened to burn away the surface of the plane. The gods, when they saw this, commanded all their worshippers to build a sanctuary that they would bless; a place to wait for the Old Woman's wrath to fade. It was a close thing, but the shelter was completed just in time, and the people were saved, at the price of being sunk deep into the Old Man's embrace.

But time passed, far more than the gods had claimed. And while the shelter had begun as a paradise, nothing lasts forever. Things began to fall apart and decay. The gods began to fade away, deprived of sustenance. Then, one day, a god named the Trickster, realized that his bride -- the Flowers -- had fallen deathly ill. So he found a plan to save her life, against her wishes: he held a game, pitting nation against nation. In that game, he grew desperate, and demanded human sacrifices in her name. And someone made them.

Flowers is insane, now. Dangerous, one of the worst. Trickster is dead; we denied him what he needed from us, our fear. And the Games go on.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	a_sad_clown 2011-03-23 03:12 pm UTC (link)
	takes a moment to absorb this; there are so many questions it's difficult to ask the right one The ringleader is dead, yet his legacy continues... If the pair most connected to these Games are no longer in positions to do anything about them, as it were, why do the Games continue? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

blue_mind_group
2011-03-23 03:19 pm UTC (link)

Careful with your assumptions. I said Flowers was insane, not that she didn't run Games. She does.

As to why they continue? Because they serve their purpose; the Judges gain what they need to survive from them. Trickster and Flowers may have begun them, but that doesn't mean they're the most connected. That's not to say that all of them require unpleasant things; there are Judges who want things that aren't unpleasant. All of them have the potential to be dangerous, but a relative minority are with any regularity.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	a_sad_clown 2011-03-23 03:27 pm UTC (link)
	I'm still missing something. The Games provide the Judges with sustenance... Is that of a figurative sense? or are they physically taking something from us, pleasant or no? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

blue_mind_group
2011-03-23 03:32 pm UTC (link)

More figurative. I don't completely understand it -- nobody does -- but the theory is that promoting the concept associated with a Judge helps them. A Judge like Messenger grows stronger when we learn and grow and communicate; his concept is communication. Trickster thrived on our fear and mistrust. It's not that they take something from us, but our lives and actions can strengthen or weaken them.

This, by the way, is definitely something you shouldn't talk about outside. Most of what I've told you so far is, really; King doesn't much like it when we speculate about things like this.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	a_sad_clown 2011-03-23 03:44 pm UTC (link)
	Fascinating...but understood. I can keep a secret...at least, I believe I can. How many different Judges are there, anyway? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

blue_mind_group
2011-03-23 03:54 pm UTC (link)

It's okay to talk about it with other Blanks, just not where it could be overheard.

*has to think about that for a few seconds*

Twenty-eight that we know of, plus three dead or inactive, and at least one god who left rather than become a Judge. In no particular order: King, Queen, Messenger, Beauty, Persona, Storyteller, Mirror, Game Master, Beast, Flowers, Haunted, Veiled, Angel, Clockmaker, Foreman, Gambler, Lover, Shadow, Soldier, Dude, Kid, Twins, Graces, Waterbearer, Huntress, Horn, Guardian and Librarian. Of those, the ones known to regularly be dangerous are Huntress, Game Master, Flowers, Storyteller, Persona, Mirror, and Horn in combination with certain others. The rest may or may not be, but tend towards harmless. Guardian watches over the Judges' enforcers, Ophiuchus; he doesn't run games. Waterbearer may or may not still be alive and sane, at this point; we don't know.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	a_sad_clown 2011-03-23 04:07 pm UTC (link)
	takes this in And the games they run can be any sort of contest at all? And do they limit their interference with us to these game times? I'm curious what all they need "enforced." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

blue_mind_group
2011-03-23 04:16 pm UTC (link)

*nods*

Almost anything, and more or less. Some Judges -- mainly Mirror at this point -- take penalties from teams that lose their games, and occasionally Judges will temporarily claim Blanks for tasks they need done, but otherwise, they mostly stick to the Arena. There are a few exceptions, and I'll get to those shortly.

As to what they need enforcers for...mostly it's to keep watch on us when they can't, give out tasks in exchange for luxuries and items, and stir conflict when possible. There's a list of rules they've emplaced, most of which are relatively pointless. We're not allowed to share food or supplies between non-partner teams without a fair trade, sleep over at a dorm that isn't your partner's, stay out after curfew, punch walls -- it sounds strange, but people used to do it to test innate abilities like strength and stamina -- kill outside the games, or visit a place we no longer have access to, which I'll also get to shortly.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	a_sad_clown 2011-03-24 02:19 pm UTC (link)
	Some of those do seem rather arbitrary. What happens if you break a rule? Does it make a difference whether it's intentional or not? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	blue_mind_group 2011-03-24 02:33 pm UTC (link)
	Mostly you get tased -- hit with a shock weapon -- but Ophiuchus has discretion to make things worse if they're feeling sadistic, which can be...problematic. It doesn't matter whether it's intentional or not, no. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	a_sad_clown 2011-03-24 03:18 pm UTC (link)
	Good to know. And these punishments aren't shared with the team, I trust? Not that I'm planning on courting trouble, but it's best to plan for every contingency. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	blue_mind_group 2011-03-24 04:57 pm UTC (link)
	Again, it depends on the person who's doing the punishment. Most won't; some will. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	a_sad_clown 2011-03-25 12:44 am UTC (link)
	nods There's a lot to look out for... (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	blue_mind_group 2011-03-25 02:23 am UTC (link)
	It seems like a lot at first, but in practice, it's not that bad. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	a_sad_clown 2011-03-25 02:32 am UTC (link)
	I hope so. ...No, I'm sure things will be fine. I believe I'm looking forward to getting into the swing of things. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	blue_mind_group 2011-03-25 03:16 am UTC (link)
	I think that's most of the briefing on Judges; I'll fill the rest in as we go along. Let's move on to teams, unless you have questions? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

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a_sad_clown, 2011-03-25 04:04 am UTC

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