This still sounds confusing! In the first place, "Clubs" and "Diamonds" and such aren't groups of people, right? Nor does it sound like they're roundtables of gods. They just sound like abstract forces, so I can't picture any of this at *all*.
Anyway, I still don't care who's winning and who's losing. Whoever wants to take the resort over can have it. All that matters is getting out! Unless you think whoever has the most energy can influence those "suit effects?" Which would mean Clubs effects are strongest right now and Diamonds effects are weakest. I haven't noticed Jun-kun acting funny at all lately though, so we can probably rule that one out.
Looking, I think. It felt like someone was inside of my head, and as memories randomly came to mind, I felt a distinct presence there. It was like a horrible pressure.
And then my nose began to bleed severely. I even passed out for a few seconds, so I'll have to try to be more careful.
That sounds highly unpleasant. Not to mention creepy! Though I guess it makes sense in a twisted sort of way. They seem to know all kinds of personal information, so it's either they've been rifling through our memories, or they've been stalking us all our lives without us knowing.
And getting a nosebleed doesn't sound fun, either! Plus you have those markings under your eyes to worry about. I don't want to see your whole face crack apart like an eggshell, so do be careful, alright?
[And now we skip ahead to the 6th, since if he'd had the talk with Jin Mingming before the 5th, some of his Mating Season threads might've gone a bit differently.]
Alright, so! ✨⭐✨⭐ I'm back with the news I promised!
Though it's sort of hard to untangle, so I'm hoping you can help with that. Also, I should warn you that I only got three questions.
Alright, here goes! I wasn't taking notes on what she said or anything, but I have an excellent memory, so there shouldn't be any holes.
[If he has an excellent memory, why does he go around calling Esikko "Prince Esikko Blum Whatever" instead of his actual name? Oh well, doesn't matter, not important right now!]
For my first question, I asked if she ever got a better sense of what the resort takes from us and why some guests are considered more valuable. I said there was a theory going around that our intimacy is what powers the resort, but she said it's not just that. She said, "What the resort takes from us is our fate. There are those who are meant to play a greater role in life, and they offer more for the resort to sustain itself on." Then she asked me to consider the difference between an emperor who commands a powerful nation, and a servant who's destined to die young.
I couldn't really tell if she was saying the "emperor" is more valuable because he's fated to accomplish more in life, or what. But when I asked her to elaborate, she said her theory is that "playing the game changes our fate" by making us "have such an intimate encounter with someone we never would've met before coming here." I'll hold back my thoughts on that and move onto the next question!
For my second question, I asked what happens to guests who don't provide enough energy, and if there's any truth to the rumor that the ones who don't sleep around much turn to stone. She said "some people do indeed turn to stone." But then she said "whether it happens to every guest, I don't know" and "it didn't happen to me even after I lost my usefulness because of a deal I made."
Then for my third question, I asked why she was still here if the resort supposedly lets everyone go home once they've filled their so-called deck. She said that she did win her game and that she could have used her wish to go home, but she used it to save her daughter's life instead. Her daughter was born with a heart defect. Apparently you only get one wish and if you use it to save someone else, you're just stuck here forever, so that's what her deal is.
Those were the only questions I got to ask. She gave me three questions for three memories: an equal exchange. I told her I'd come back with double the memories if she let me ask three more questions, but she didn't seem interested, so that's it for now.
Fate... That does make sense, doesn't it? Why even those lost souls stuck between life and death have something to offer, why interacting with multiple people creates such a large amount of this energy. We're all here from separate realms, so our paths wouldn't normally cross... That's true.
As for the Emperor versus the servant who dies young, I think that's clear, as well. The former would have more opportunity and ability to live a long life, make many choices, take many paths. The servant would not, whether from poverty, from lack of freedom, or from the short life.
This is extremely useful information, so I'm taking notes myself now.
She said "those who are meant to play a greater role offer more for the resort to sustain itself on." I took that to mean someone like the emperor provides better nourishment than someone like the servant. That would explain why there are so many bigwigs around. It doesn't explain why they nabbed your bodyguard, though. Unless you think he's destined to amount to something more than just a guard dog.
As for the first part, I'm always glad to meet new people! If I can change someone's fate just by shining my dazzling light on them and whispering words of encouragement, why, nothing would make me happier.
I just think they have a narrow view of "intimacy," which is why that explanation doesn't really work for me. She said having such an "intimate encounter" with someone changes your fate, but that's the sort of act that feels less and less intimate the more people you do it with.
First, that dog is talented enough in a number of ways to mean that his existence can certainly influence others... But wasn't it in one of those messages, that some players have more importance than others, or something? I'll have to check my notes.
Perhaps it's because I'm familiar with magic that works along these lines, but it makes sense to me. Fate is often described as something beyond our control, but it's more like a metal, malleable with the right force. Intimacy... I would think sex is an easy way to facilitate it. It causes lust, causes romantic feelings, can cause anger, jealousy, hatred, betrayal— all of those things are relevant in creating changes in fate, too. I think.
I think 52 is arbitrary.
But to use fate is a concept I have to consider. If only I had access to some of the books from back home...
You don't know that it's arbitrary. Perhaps I'm onto something! Once you hit 52, you've lost all capacity for things like intimacy, so you don't have value anymore! That's why they let you leave!
Supposedly, anyway. The proprietress said she could've gone home if she wished for it, but I never got around to asking if she knows anyone who really did leave.
And yep, she said that thing about value in one of Victoria's journal entries. That's what got me interested in the first place. I'm just not sure why they'd bother to kidnap unimportant people with low "value" in the first place.
I also wonder if the ones who disappeared are more like that servant. If they're getting rid of the people who aren't fated to do great things, and keeping the ones who are destined. But when I asked about the rumor that people who disappear get turned into statues, she said "What happens to a sponge when you've wrung out in the water and left it in the sun to dry? People are the same."
So, with that in mind, maybe it's the ones with low "energy" who vanish. That would line up with what you said before. Except there's one problem with that theory, which is that I'm still here! Any idea why that might be? Do you think they just like seeing my face?
It doesn't sound like it's about doing great things or not. It sounds to me like those who have a higher potential for... changes? Connections? Opportunity? Just from my understanding of magic involved in similar concepts, anyway.
Keeping that in mind, it makes more sense why someone like you would still be here. It doesn't matter how much you try to fight it, or what sort of things you do or don't do— it matters that others are going to meet you here, perhaps?
Sex does seem to be the main catalyst for transferring energy, though, so I'm still trying to think through it. Well, for now, I feel like we at least have a direction.
So, basically what you're saying is that I might be getting enough energy from meeting new people to compensate for the lack of game-playing. An interesting theory!
I can see that. I *am* pretty sociable. I guess it just felt like, by this place's standards, me and Jun-kun are freeloaders who refuse to pay rent. The landlord comes knocking each month, but we always say "Nope! Not paying!" and slam the door in his face.
Or at least I think that's how it works. I don't know much about rent payment since I'm a noble.
In any case, what's this direction you're talking about? Already planning to do some more digging?
Of course. To be perfectly honest, I don't exactly care to get back "home". But that doesn't mean I can't recognize that others certainly want to, and the path to the way "out" leads to many other interesting things along the way.
I get to practice my magic, I get to learn things.
Anyway, knowing how the House works also means I know how to start looking at it. Like how knowing if your patient was a human or a dog would help you in surgery.
[Alright. Well. There's something he hadn't really considered.
I don't care to go back home, says the prince. It's not really a surprise, given what his life was like. Kirma told Hiyori something similar, actually. Still, going to all this effort to figure a way out when he doesn't intend to use it himself strikes Hiyori as a bit odd.
But then this is the same "selfless flower-maker" who messaged him over the Network. The one he didn't connect to the prince he met at the Roost at first. So maybe he shouldn't be surprised about this, either. Getting to use magic is its own reward, apparently.]
Well, I'm glad you're getting something out of it, anyway.
I guess the only question is whether you can perform surgery on a god or not. I figure that's the closest thing to what we're dealing with: not a dog, a human, or anything that can be trained or reasoned with.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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Anyway, I still don't care who's winning and who's losing. Whoever wants to take the resort over can have it. All that matters is getting out! Unless you think whoever has the most energy can influence those "suit effects?" Which would mean Clubs effects are strongest right now and Diamonds effects are weakest. I haven't noticed Jun-kun acting funny at all lately though, so we can probably rule that one out.
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It's just a bit of a pain, considering how my memories get shuffled through in return.
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What exactly does that mean, "shuffled through"? The House takes a look at your memories? Or they rearrange them somehow?
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And then my nose began to bleed severely. I even passed out for a few seconds, so I'll have to try to be more careful.
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And getting a nosebleed doesn't sound fun, either! Plus you have those markings under your eyes to worry about. I don't want to see your whole face crack apart like an eggshell, so do be careful, alright?
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In any case, I'll go back to waiting for your news.
1/2
And yep, talk to you then!
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Alright, so! ✨⭐✨⭐ I'm back with the news I promised!
Though it's sort of hard to untangle, so I'm hoping you can help with that. Also, I should warn you that I only got three questions.
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[If he has an excellent memory, why does he go around calling Esikko "Prince Esikko Blum Whatever" instead of his actual name? Oh well, doesn't matter, not important right now!]
For my first question, I asked if she ever got a better sense of what the resort takes from us and why some guests are considered more valuable. I said there was a theory going around that our intimacy is what powers the resort, but she said it's not just that. She said, "What the resort takes from us is our fate. There are those who are meant to play a greater role in life, and they offer more for the resort to sustain itself on." Then she asked me to consider the difference between an emperor who commands a powerful nation, and a servant who's destined to die young.
I couldn't really tell if she was saying the "emperor" is more valuable because he's fated to accomplish more in life, or what. But when I asked her to elaborate, she said her theory is that "playing the game changes our fate" by making us "have such an intimate encounter with someone we never would've met before coming here." I'll hold back my thoughts on that and move onto the next question!
For my second question, I asked what happens to guests who don't provide enough energy, and if there's any truth to the rumor that the ones who don't sleep around much turn to stone. She said "some people do indeed turn to stone." But then she said "whether it happens to every guest, I don't know" and "it didn't happen to me even after I lost my usefulness because of a deal I made."
Then for my third question, I asked why she was still here if the resort supposedly lets everyone go home once they've filled their so-called deck. She said that she did win her game and that she could have used her wish to go home, but she used it to save her daughter's life instead. Her daughter was born with a heart defect. Apparently you only get one wish and if you use it to save someone else, you're just stuck here forever, so that's what her deal is.
Those were the only questions I got to ask. She gave me three questions for three memories: an equal exchange. I told her I'd come back with double the memories if she let me ask three more questions, but she didn't seem interested, so that's it for now.
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As for the Emperor versus the servant who dies young, I think that's clear, as well. The former would have more opportunity and ability to live a long life, make many choices, take many paths. The servant would not, whether from poverty, from lack of freedom, or from the short life.
This is extremely useful information, so I'm taking notes myself now.
1/2
[He does not feel helped, in other words.]
She said "those who are meant to play a greater role offer more for the resort to sustain itself on." I took that to mean someone like the emperor provides better nourishment than someone like the servant. That would explain why there are so many bigwigs around. It doesn't explain why they nabbed your bodyguard, though. Unless you think he's destined to amount to something more than just a guard dog.
As for the first part, I'm always glad to meet new people! If I can change someone's fate just by shining my dazzling light on them and whispering words of encouragement, why, nothing would make me happier.
I just think they have a narrow view of "intimacy," which is why that explanation doesn't really work for me. She said having such an "intimate encounter" with someone changes your fate, but that's the sort of act that feels less and less intimate the more people you do it with.
2/2
Is THAT why they cap it at 52?
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Perhaps it's because I'm familiar with magic that works along these lines, but it makes sense to me. Fate is often described as something beyond our control, but it's more like a metal, malleable with the right force. Intimacy... I would think sex is an easy way to facilitate it. It causes lust, causes romantic feelings, can cause anger, jealousy, hatred, betrayal— all of those things are relevant in creating changes in fate, too. I think.
I think 52 is arbitrary.
But to use fate is a concept I have to consider. If only I had access to some of the books from back home...
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Supposedly, anyway. The proprietress said she could've gone home if she wished for it, but I never got around to asking if she knows anyone who really did leave.
And yep, she said that thing about value in one of Victoria's journal entries. That's what got me interested in the first place. I'm just not sure why they'd bother to kidnap unimportant people with low "value" in the first place.
I also wonder if the ones who disappeared are more like that servant. If they're getting rid of the people who aren't fated to do great things, and keeping the ones who are destined. But when I asked about the rumor that people who disappear get turned into statues, she said "What happens to a sponge when you've wrung out in the water and left it in the sun to dry? People are the same."
So, with that in mind, maybe it's the ones with low "energy" who vanish. That would line up with what you said before. Except there's one problem with that theory, which is that I'm still here! Any idea why that might be? Do you think they just like seeing my face?
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Keeping that in mind, it makes more sense why someone like you would still be here. It doesn't matter how much you try to fight it, or what sort of things you do or don't do— it matters that others are going to meet you here, perhaps?
Sex does seem to be the main catalyst for transferring energy, though, so I'm still trying to think through it. Well, for now, I feel like we at least have a direction.
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[Give him a moment to think on that.]
So, basically what you're saying is that I might be getting enough energy from meeting new people to compensate for the lack of game-playing. An interesting theory!
I can see that. I *am* pretty sociable. I guess it just felt like, by this place's standards, me and Jun-kun are freeloaders who refuse to pay rent. The landlord comes knocking each month, but we always say "Nope! Not paying!" and slam the door in his face.
Or at least I think that's how it works. I don't know much about rent payment since I'm a noble.
In any case, what's this direction you're talking about? Already planning to do some more digging?
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I get to practice my magic, I get to learn things.
Anyway, knowing how the House works also means I know how to start looking at it. Like how knowing if your patient was a human or a dog would help you in surgery.
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I don't care to go back home, says the prince. It's not really a surprise, given what his life was like. Kirma told Hiyori something similar, actually. Still, going to all this effort to figure a way out when he doesn't intend to use it himself strikes Hiyori as a bit odd.
But then this is the same "selfless flower-maker" who messaged him over the Network. The one he didn't connect to the prince he met at the Roost at first. So maybe he shouldn't be surprised about this, either. Getting to use magic is its own reward, apparently.]
Well, I'm glad you're getting something out of it, anyway.
I guess the only question is whether you can perform surgery on a god or not. I figure that's the closest thing to what we're dealing with: not a dog, a human, or anything that can be trained or reasoned with.
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1/2
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Well, good luck with that! I can't do the things you do, but I'll be cheering you on from the sidelines. ✺◟😊◞✺
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Thanks.