R1 DEADLAND

[lockdownmods]

[it’s strange, for the people who were already dead, the shift in scenery is sudden and complete. For those who have just arrived? It’s like you’re back where you left?

How strange.

But if you ever need her, you can always reach out to the guardian of this place.]

LOCATIONS
Note: locations lag a week behind the living counterparts

Comments

[starswink]

[He's started to mutter quietly to himself, holding his head.]

Could V have done this? If I wasn't good enough to protect RFA... Maybe none of it's real and I just got thrown away...

[supportrole]

H-hey, come on. What are you talking about? You're definitely real, even if this might not be.

Did that V guy even have anything to do with the kind of technology they're talking about here?

[starswink]

Yuuki...

[Yoosung lowers his hands to nod weakly. Even if this Yuuki is a simulation and so is he, he should at least acknowledge it when he affirms his existence.

But Yoosung's paranoia towards V was not just ingrained, but enforced. His eyes shift around as he considers this question. Conspiracy theories run rampant.]

Sort of... Seven trusts him unconditionally and does anything he asks. He's a hacker and I know he can make AI too. He's more of a genius than any of these guys at Fayflower are, so if they can do it, I don't doubt that he could. ...Seven's not a bad guy, but Saeran kept saying V betrayed the RFA and was tricking him this whole time. If that's how it is, I was the only one who suspected V of wrongdoing from the beginning, so wouldn't it make sense to get rid of me? If we were being brainwashed to just have the parties, and I was never supposed to see past it.

[Well, it is probably HIGHLY questionable who has been doing the actual brainwashing in this story. But thinking about the party makes him remember her.]

No... this is crazy. I mean... it was all for the coordinator... she loved me.

[Kind of strange that he'd call a girlfriend of any length by her title though, huh?]

[supportrole]

O-oh.

[ He was assuming there was less justification for that paranoia than that, so now he's not really sure how to go about refuting the idea.

There are... a lot of questions he should probably ask about the whole RFA party thing, but he also doesn't want to accidentally open up old wounds given what little he does know. ]

The coordinat-- oh, you mean your girlfriend?

[ Yeah, just a little strange. Has he ever actually said her name...? ]

[starswink]

Oh....

[He looks a bit crestfallen at this question.]

Well, she wasn't actually my girlfriend yet, but yeah.

[supportrole]

Oh. I thought--

[ Huh. Well... he'd been willing to give up his life for Kunikida himself, and they weren't dating either. They probably hadn't even known each other nearly as long! ]

Well, you don't necessarily need an official label for your relationship as long as you love each other, right?

[starswink]

[That's a nice sentiment even if decrying labels wasn't really what was going on.]

Yeah. I just wanted to ask her to be mine for the first time in person, that's all.... she said she'd wait for me to ask.

[supportrole]

[ Maybe he missed the part where they were long distance before, but this still sounds... relatively legit...? He didn't necessarily say they'd never met IRL before this, just that he wanted to ask when they were together in person, so... ]

Yeah, see, that totally counts.

[starswink]

You're right. I just have to believe in that...

[But when he's doubting nearly all of his reality right now, that's a little tough. Yoosung wants to let it go, but he's always had a problem with that.]

...It's still... one hell of a coincidence that all of that happened right after she showed up though. And V was the one who insisted we let her join... he had to have done something. I just...

[He trails off, because what can he really do while he's stuck here?]

[supportrole]

I obviously don't know much about what was going on with all of that, but I mean... is the guy who was saying that stuff to you that trustworthy?

[starswink]

[Ah. There's a slight deer in headlights moment here, and then his shoulders sag. He's... got a point there.]

... guess I got used to agreeing with him.

[supportrole]

[ ...Mm. Mishima hasn't really been sure of a lot of what he's been saying up until now, but this part... ]

Yeah, and you don't have to now. Like, maybe it's true and maybe it isn't, I don't know, but find that truth for yourself if you're concerned about it. And even if the answer ends up sucking, you've got people who really like the you that exists here and won't like you any less either way.

[starswink]

[Finding the truth himself... it sounds good, but Yoosung already knows how difficult it is to pull that truth out. V really was hiding something from him, like Saeran's entire existence, Mint Eye, and everyone else just kissed his ass and told Yoosung to sit down... and now, even all of that might be buried under the rubble of his bombs. Which is not to mention the fact that he can't get there at all from here. So this concern is just going to have to sit on him like a weight and make him nervous until he can force himself to just stop thinking about it, or until they can finally leave, whichever happens first. But... Mishima's right. He can't forget his support system, and that at least lifts some of that weight.]

Y-Yeah... I do. I don't think I can do it without you guys to come back to so... I hope we stick together.

[It hurts. Thinking about her... about how things turned out. But this AI existence is reality. He should embrace it with his friends, who he loves with all of his AI feelings.]

No matter what...