No more poison killin my emotion I will not be frozen

[afterlifer]

WHO: EVERYONE
WHAT: Interactions
WHEN: August 28 – September 1
WHERE: Anywhere and everywhere in this afterlife
WARNINGS: Cussing
SUMMARY: INTERACTION LOG you know the drill.

28th: Today seems as though it’s a normal day, right? Wake up, take a shower, walk outside to head to class and… the NPCs aren’t moving. Stopped mid-step they’re completely frozen all over the school grounds. Some may be in class already and frozen at their desks, others might’ve been frozen as they were walking to or around the school. Maybe you were outside just inside to see them come to a sudden halt. After an hour, they’ll return to normal and continue on as though nothing happened.

29th: The school festival is a month away and it’s time to start planning for it! Classes will get a free period to plan for it today and clubs will need to get together and talk about setting up special activities for the students if they want to participate. GET HYPED.

30th: Do you hear that? Outside of your dorm—in the hallway! It sounds like pitter patter of little feet running up and down the halls… a bunch of them too, and there’s even some little barks here and there. Open your door and SUDDENLY LITTLE SHIBA INU AND GOLDEN RETRIEVER PUPPIES RUNNING ALL ABOUT. Don’t deny them love, they’re ever so playful and fluffy.

31st: It’s so close to your day off—but the teachers decided they’re going to end this week with a math test. Ew, right? Hope you studied or this is going to suck.

1st: Even in the afterlife your uniform and clothes get a bit dirty from time to time, and it’d be pretty gross if you didn’t wash your underwear so go on, wash your clothes! Or… don’t. The washer’s broken—actually waters starting to spill out of it!!! Now you’re standing in a puddle, oops.

As always, remember there are basketball, kendo, drama and baseball clubs now so practices can be set up whenever you want! And if you want to do something outside of what we've provided, feel free to do so.

Comments

28

[tenminutes]

They're not even human, you don't have to check if they're okay.

[ The fact that she was still moving told Yuri that she wasn't an NPC just off the bat, so she didn't bother to talk and figure it out first. ]

[deviantlyhates]

Oh, no, I'm not making sure if they're oka-- [ Saying this in the middle of a knee-jerk reflex. ] H---hoh...! Did you see that? His leg didn't even move--!

[ Wow so scientific. ]

[tenminutes]

I'm telling you they're not human anyway. There's something weird going on, they're totally frozen. I tried shoving one over and he didn't even really fall over earlier, he just kind of stood there unless I tried to pick him up.

Are you a doctor or something? Most people don't think to go for the knee-jerk normally.

[deviantlyhates]

Yes, and that's what makes them so very interesting! Why even bother with this illusion if they're so obviously not? What makes them behave so mundanely? I wonder if they do this often, or--... Or if they have anything else about them that's different. Any quirks, any anomalies in any individual. Perhaps the similarities only go skin-deep?

[ Now she looks at Yuri. ] Ah, if you have any more information-- perhaps of knowledge that's been gathered beforehand by other investigators?-- I would appreciate if it could be shared...!

[tenminutes]

You're pretty new, huh?

[ She doesn't have all of those answers, but she does have quite a few. She's shared most of the information that she knows about them before, so there's no way that this person was there before she did that post. ]

Do you know what a computer or an NPC is? [ Before she gets started explaining this, she's got to figure out just how much she needs to explain here. ]

[deviantlyhates]

Yes! Absolutely yes!

Aah--- a computer and an NPC are both new terms I've just learned from a peer who also happens to be here. Mm, the technology here is a couple grades above that of back home. Although honestly, he couldn't tell me much about that, either. [ Pause. ] If I'm following the basic definition, however, I'd assume that these NPCs are programmed to behave in set pathways when given specific stimuli.

[tenminutes]

NPC is a term that refers to video games or computer games. It means non-player character. They're basically like background characters who have human-like lines, look human, but after a while you'll start to notice they're not quite abnormal enough to actually be human. They don't have souls, so to speak, and if you wrong them they'll forget about it as soon as it's righted. That's what we call these guys here, since they fit the description.

I guess if you're not that technology level, they're comparative to like a guy in a tavern who only gets one or two lines in a fiction novel.

[deviantlyhates]

Mm, that is definitely how they act! Do any of them have any individuality, or is it a hive-mind phenomena, or...?

[tenminutes]

Maybe kind of like mini-hives? So say you're assigned to a specific class, all of the ones in that class will recognize you and might even know a little bit about you-- nothing personal, but things like if you usually show up late or if you like math or history better. Really really general things. If you go to another class they probably won't have any idea who you are beyond a last name since all of our names are in the school's rosters. If you play decent music against the rules, most of the teenagers will be attracted to it and most of the adults will try to apprehend you for it. It's consistent. They're able to differentiate between good and bad music though, so they can tell if something is actually good or not. If it wasn't an accurate response, they wouldn't be fulfilling their purpose.

[deviantlyhates]

--Oh--! To be able to do something like that....!

They really are incredible! Ah, but what purpose do they serve is the question I want to know. Are they just extra filling for this environment-- to wander the halls, to attend class, to hold rudimentary conversations-- or is there something else? No doubt they can be used by those here. And-- and... are they psychically human as well, or is their image only skin deep?

[tenminutes]

This place is designed to help people move on in normal situations, so he NPCs are supposed to provide normalcy of environment in order to make it feel like we've finally reached a place where we can just be normal and happy. So I'd say "normalcy" for normal functions. Which is kind of ironic given what happens when things go south.

I've never taken one apart. I suspect they'd regenerate now that I know more about them, but they won't defend themselves if you attack them individually so it feels wrong.

[ Yuri crosses her arms, shifting her weight to one hip. ]

What's your name by the way?

[deviantlyhates]

'When things go south'? Are they ever hostile? Has anyone else you know of ever investigated their internal structures? So they can regenerate-- but hm; has their regeneration time ever been measured? Back at home, there are these beings that can regenerate within a minute, and-- [ Wait no. She asked another question! Focusing is good, Hange, Yes. ]

--Oh, yes. Mm. just call me Hange. And you?

[tenminutes]

You can regenerate too, you know. If you got eaten alive by the Master of the River you'd be fine once you went out the other end. Maybe a little smelly.

But the "going south" I was talking about has more to do with the environment's reaction to certain uh.. circumstances. If someone here happens to experience love and that love turns to emotional pain, there's a large chance that person can get stuck here. If they get stuck, the NPCs lose shape and turn into giant shadows that if they so much as grab your hand and you can't destroy it before they get you, they'll swallow you up and you can say goodbye to your memories, your personality.. and you'll become just like the NPCs.

[ Yuri smiles and holds out her hand for a shake. ] Yuri. That or Yurippe's fine, whichever you prefer. Yuri's my actual name, Yurippe's a dumb nickname someone made up but it grew on me.

[deviantlyhates]

Yurippe, then! Mm, I've heard about that, ah, healing aspect we've gained ourselves as well. But-- this 'Master of the River'? That's something I wasn't briefed about. That, and I haven't learned much about those shadows other than the losing one's memory risk to them. My peer-- Levi-- he's not the most apt at giving oral reports.

[ Grabbing that hand and giving it a firm shake....! ] So-- whatever else you can tell me would help much! The information you've given so far has been more than enlightening...!

[tenminutes]

Nice to meet you Hange. The Master of the River is basically just.. well, a giant fish. A human being doesn't even stand as tall as its eye as far as I can tell. It usually doesn't attack unless you catch it on a fishing line, but you might see it under the surface from time to time. I know Levi, he's offered to help train some of the newer members of the Afterlife Battlefront in combat. [ In exchange for her teaching him how to use atomic restructuring, of course. ]

I've got a voice recording explaining mostly everything I know on the network if you want a straight briefing as of last month. Otherwise, I can answer any questions that you've got.

[deviantlyhates]

--Now that something I'd definitely want to look into, too! [ And she smiles at the mention of Levi actually applying himself. It's a good thing! ] The Afterlife Battlefront? Now, if the NPCs here are not hostile as far as I could tell, what would knowing combat help with? Aside from those shadows, I mean. Of course, I'd help where I can as well if it's for a good cause.

[ She nods. ] Mm. Well, you're already answering a bunch of questions I have-- but such a report would be helpful to have on hand, too.

[tenminutes]

Supposedly it's pretty tasty if you can eat it. He can regenerate too. My guess is that fish is like us, except a fish. And really big. [ Yuri didn't actually eat any, she was too busy getting knifed. ] Mostly just the shadows, since at least minor self-defense is important to get yourself out of situations like that and guns are pretty effective but not every human who comes here is exactly friendly to start off with either.

[ Yuri's got to figure out how to explain this in the right way for a second, so there's a brief pause. After all, some people don't see things the way she does. Most people don't see getting stabbed in the chest or shot at as something so easily forgivable, especially the newer people here. ]

The one thing we all have in common is that our lives were pretty crappy. They weren't fair and for the most part, none of us had much control over what happened even if we spent a lot of time grasping for it. Some people come from worlds of horror where they don't even feel safe sleeping in their own homes at night and they go into self-defense mode when they're dumped in a strange place, possibly not even having memories of dying or sometimes worse if they do. If my people can't at least protect yourself long enough to get to me so I can figure out how to deal with the situation, then it's my failure as the leader. The people who freak out like that aren't necessarily bad people either and some have even joined the SSS, but sometimes they can be dangerous until everyone comes to an agreement. Especially if they aren't found by someone right away and think they're alone and abandoned because they landed here in a place where humans don't normally go.

[ She nods. ] It's just under my name if you look it up when you get to a computer on the network.

[deviantlyhates]

'Pretty crappy'. Mm, I can see that. And I've always vouched for the idea that almost everyone should learn basic self-defense, or at least have the opportunity to do so.

If you know all of this and are a leader of some organization here, I take it you've been here a while?

[tenminutes]

I'd feel a little better about it if they did at least.

I'm not sure if I should be proud to say it or not, but I've been here the longest out of all of the current dead residents. Well, all but one but he's not exactly identifiable yet and willingly chose to give up himself, so I don't know that he counts.

[deviantlyhates]

How many are in this group?

It's possible to stay here for a very long time then. In all of your time here, has it always remained the same setting, or have any changes been made? Are we expected to go about this school life passively or to, ah, 'disappear' any time soon?

[tenminutes]

10 right now, with a few individuals teetering on the edge of joining. [ She's got some persuading to do. ] There used to be upwards of 60, but there was a situation. Most of the original members have willingly accepted their lives. There are only 3 of the originals here now, all three of which have already met the requirements and are a little confused about how it's even possible that we're here.

That's where the danger comes in if you don't want to disappear. It's your choice, but there are two ways to go about disappearing: Live life normally for long enough until you feel satisfied with having lived like a normal person. Which means if you do things normally, you'll disappear. The other is to find peace and accept whatever happened to you. This world is designed to be a place to move on from, but I won't stop anyone from wanting to stay either. I didn't stay here for so long because I was trying to get out, after all.

1/2

[deviantlyhates]

Sooo..... if I'm processing this correctly-- Mm. I'd say it's fairly safe to say that this environment, although peaceful, is far from 'normal' for those of my world. Ergo we may not be at risk for disappearing in that way. I'm not too familiar with the concepts of the afterlife; again, most from my world have only been introduced to a religion within the past five years--

[deviantlyhates]

---But if this place is available to us after death, even if only temporarily, making the most of it [ abusing it ] isn't entirely unappealing...! There must be other things to do here besides going about a school life or combat, yes?

[tenminutes]

You can do whatever you want pretty much. What were you thinking of?

[deviantlyhates]

I have two topics of interest, but one seems more plausible to look into than the other. One are these NPC beings. The other is the shadows.