[mingle, backdated to Wednesday] What always ends in bloodshed begins as just a game

[madgiganticfeelings]

[So that certainly was a little afternoon adventure, wasn't it? Those hanging around the ballroom might have noticed two absolutely drenched teen girls just... appear out of the floor, shivering and shell shocked. Christine, once they get on solid ground, pretty much falls to her knees to just... stare into space for a minute.

What is this week, honestly?

But as crazy as this all is, Christine knows they have to talk about this with everyone, as soon as possible. So once she helps Nana find some dry clothes and has a little destressing session with The Dads (TM), she's pinning up a note in the hallway.]

Time for another meeting! Nana and I will meet you all in the ballroom around 7. A lot happened these last few days that we need to discuss. Refreshments will be provided, but bring something if you like!

[Christine will be in the ballroom in her Juliet dress (sadly, her cloak is still in the dryer), holding her binder and a weird old flip phone. Hopefully, this goes at least a little more smoothly than past gatherings!]

((Feel free to make prompts before or during the meeting, depending on if you're unlucky enough to see the gals ascending from the trapdoor. I'll be making a few comments myself to cover all the conversation topics. Have fun!))

Comments

Star Names

[musacal]

Also I um... I have a suspicion that we aren’t the first group of people to go through something like this.

[ She pulls out the two gold stars from her pocket and holds them up. ]

I found these in the Phantom’s desk. As you can see these are... a lot like the same ones on our doors. One says Raoul de Chagny, the Charming Rival, who was the Phantom’s rival for Christine’s love in the original Phantom of the Opera story, and the other says Magdalene Defoe, the Diva, who Christine identified as someone from Shilo’s world? The whole... title format is really similar to the ones we have too.

The Phantom mentioned during our first trial that he did not invent this format. This is why I think there were other “murder games” before ours, with these people.

[37773972]

[oh lord]

God, how many people have gone through this?

[musacal]

Who knows...

We can’t even say for sure if these were both in the same group or not...

[37773972]

[Stephen just looks ill]

[mcfife]

So he is following in someone else's footsteps...

[The wizard behind all of the impossible things happening could be anywhere.]

Do you think he started this with the people of his universe?

[musacal]

[ She shakes her head. ]

No, or at the very least not whatever instance of it happened with Raoul.

I can say pretty confidently that the Phantom would never refer to the count as “the Charming Rival”, not with how much he hates him.

[mcfife]

...Yes, that makes sense. [He would never compliment someone he hated.] And you found nothing else about those before us? Where they were supposed to stay?

[musacal]

Nope, nothing else. Just the stars.

[etincelledefierte]

[Claudine's quiet, for a long moment.]

...I think you're right, as much as I hate to think we aren't the only ones who have been through this. Was there anything in there about the date of that other "murder game"? Just so we have something of a timeline...

[musacal]

[ She shakes her head. ]

Not that I could find, unfortunately; it was just these. Sorry...

[etincelledefierte]

It's okay. It was just a thought.

[isawallflower]

There definitely were others.

[ Riley's more or less much more quiet than she usually is at meetings. Maybe this is because all the others she's run herself. ]

He told me there are rules you have to follow, involved with...these shows.

[musacal]

“These... shows”? That’s how he referred to it?

[isawallflower]

Yes. Some of the...weirder things here- it's because it's happened before. Like... [ She exhales through her nose. ] Like memories getting repressed. It's because that's how it happened before.

[justmeheere]

Oh, uh. He doesn't. He doesn't control that. The memories coming back, I mean.

[isawallflower]

[ ....... ]

He doesn't?

[justmeheere]

No, the. The SQUIP got super. Super fucking pissed at me, when. Uh. [It's Riley he's talking to so he's just gonna. Talk around. What happened.] Like, I know I said it gave me back. I have? Most? Most of my memories. But the SQUIP edited them for, uh. For stuff it didn't. Didn't want me to know? And it was. It was not happy? With the memories I got back.

[37773972]

I am going to find whoever gave you that thing and punch them.

[mcfife]

I knew The Phantom wasn't the wizard

Did he say who does it? How do they come back?

[garbageface]

Did he say what the rules were? Are there others we don't know?

[isawallflower]

[ She shakes her head. ]

Not- not...exactly. Just that...he has rules. Personal rules. He can't explain anything to us that'd break them. Not that I think he'd even want to.

[recessives]

[ Okay, never minding how Christine knew- ]

Mag- like Blind Mag? But... she's definitely around in my world.

[madgiganticfeelings]

Y-yeah, I thought so. Uh, wasn't sure how to bring it up with you?

[Because uh. Well. No one wants to hear their life is a work of fiction.]

[recessives]

[ I mean look there's been enough meta around, as long as you don't go trying to spoil her. ]

So... does that mean she got out somehow?

[ Oh You Sweet Summer Child. ]

[madgiganticfeelings]

I... uh, I don't think I should really get into all the messy details. It's like, the grandfather paradox, maybe? If you know all the answers, how would you do everything exactly the same?