— audio, open.

[webshoots]

@ parker

Uh, hey. For anyone that's just arrived, my name's Peter and I've had the dubious honour of having been here since the beginning of this group, so if you've got any lingering questions about how, why and what, I can't promise I can answer them, but I can do a very good job at pretending I can answer them.

Failing that, if you haven't already seen them, there are a few guides on the tablet that cover what we've been through a little more succinctly, which—

[ followed by a pause and the vague sound of movement — for what it's worth, peter's outside, as evidenced by the sound of wind in the background. for the more observant, or perhaps those with super-senses (oy), it might sound as if peter's somewhere a little higher up. ]

—is actually kind of my point.

[ a beat. ]

What I'm getting at is: this isn't the first time we've been caught on the back foot by the spirits. I don't really want to get into whether their actions were right or wrong, or whether they're operating on a morality that we can't comprehend because that doesn't really matter. The point is what we've been doing hasn't worked, so maybe we need to rethink tactics.

—But does anyone else think it kind of weird how the importance of unity has been touted since the very beginning, and then suddenly we've got two different groups vying for our attention? [ a beat and a huff of breath that's almost a laugh. ] I'd say something doesn't smell quite right, but that might be tempting fate a little.

Comments

[webshoots]

[ oh, right. pluto's broadcast was before the most recent arrivals washed up on shore. ]

—Sorry, permanent darkness pretty much means I no longer have any idea of when one day ends and another begins. It's the Christmas holiday period taken to extremes. [ breath of a pause. ] A group that calls itself the Wild Hunt, led by a woman called Kimiko, and the Night Market, led by a woman named Pluto.

The Wild Hunt have just left, and the Night Market are on their way.

[immortalaccursed]

Ah, yes! I believe the dear soldier was telling me about this as I lay dreaming.

The Night Market has some plan we do not yet know about so that must make the Wild Hunt the group that aims to let the World Eaters do as they may.

My, we've quite a decision to make!

[webshoots]

[ "dear soldier", u wot. ]

Yeah. Got it in one. [ beat. ] Decision's probably overstating things — "allow intergalactic monsters to devour planets and people" isn't something that's managed to wriggle its way on to my posthumous bucket list.

[immortalaccursed]

Oh, come now, don't be so dismissive.

Did the Hunt ever explain their reasoning?

[webshoots]

Kimiko compared this world to an injured horse. I didn't get an answer as to why the rest of the universe doesn't matter.

[immortalaccursed]

Stars are born and stars die. There is a cycle to these things, is there not?

[webshoots]

Gas cloud, protostar, main sequence, red giant... I think I missed the class on "cosmic threats that consume light as a natural end to the life cycle".

[immortalaccursed]

Yes, yes, the sciences. Alas, science can only be applied to the worlds and cycles we know. Those of our homes...

If the Hunt truly believes that this universe has come to a natural end and we now exist on the back of a dying beast then I can somewhat sympathize with their point of view, callous though it may seem.

Death is a mercy and eventually a time comes when something needs to be allowed to die. Don't you think?

1/2

[webshoots]

Death is a what?

[webshoots]

It's not your place to make that decision for anyone else. Not here, not your home, not anywhere.

[immortalaccursed]

Oh, relax, dear boy.

I'm playing devil's advocate, as they say.

We need to look at least consider their position, no? Otherwise we'll never find a unity of purpose.

[webshoots]

Yeah, well, they say a lot of things. I'm sure there are a few other remarks attributed to a ubiquitous yet unspecified group that are applicable and relevant if we're going down that route. [ like that one about opinions GOD. ] —I've looked at considering it.

turns out I can't type, I swear I'm not on drugs

[immortalaccursed]

My point is, if we decide to paint the Hunt as mad men then we've painted them as our enemy.

And I fail to see how that would do us any good. Do you?

HAHA you should the number of edits i make on any given day tbh

[webshoots]

Your words, not mine. I can disagree with someone without raising questions about their sanity. [ something something entire rogues gallery would probably disagree but wevs wevs. ]

I also don't think we'd look any less questionable as a group if we all appeared to treat their opinion as an option. [ beat. ] That's got a saying too, you know. It starts with 'not' and ends with 'equal'. I'm sure you can fill in the blanks.

[immortalaccursed]

But are you treating their opinion as an option or writing it off completely? Thus far it seems to me people are leaning towards the latter. That could be a mistake... Remember, the Night Market's plan could be a poor one.

Ah, but I am new and I know little... Perhaps you've all formed your own course of action already?

[webshoots]

You can do what you like with their option. And sure, the Night Market's plan could be a poor one, but I don't see where we have to choose one or the other.

[ but — ugh. ]

If anyone's made a decision on anything at this point, they've come to it on their own.

[immortalaccursed]

You're correct! We don't have to choose! We may be able to find a way to meld one world view with the other or create our own.

Hear out both sides, I say, and fully align with neither. As we learn more of what they know we can plot our own course.

[webshoots]

Oh, for—, sure, of course you do.

So, new, comma, username, is that your real name or did you do that thing where you just hit 'next' to skip past the terms and conditions before realising that you probably should've read things a little more closely?

[immortalaccursed]

Oh, that...

My name is Ardyn. Ardyn Izunia.

I chose the user name I did because I'm not terribly creative. There's nothing more to it than that.

[That and he didn't want to use "ardyn" in case someone around here might recognize him... Those someones have already found him, though.]

[webshoots]

I wouldn't feel too bad about it. We had a guy here once who went with "hello".

[immortalaccursed]

Really? That's charming. Like a little greeting each time you check the network.