![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
15strangers week 2 tuesday
[Akane had needed a few moments to gather her strength enough to stand again. She felt hot, like flames were licking at her from another time, so she waited on the floor where she was until Roland had gathered what he wanted before she forced herself up, stumbling slightly as she did.
A part of her wanted to cry. She hated this. She'd always hated it.]
Sorry.
[Her voice is small, soft and low, but she gathers the strength and after a moment of consideration takes him back to her room, then moves the chair in front of the door.
Makima would have to wait a few minutes if she wanted to come back in, but this seemed like the best place for this. Zero already seemed to know, but the rooms were supposed to be soundproof, right?
She showed him in, feeling a little awkward about inviting a boy back into her room like this, no matter what the reason and the necessity for it. There weren't many places to sit in here, so she huddled on the bed, arms wrapped around her knees, looking down at them.]
Sorry, this... I don't want to tell this to everyone. Not right now. But.... But I haven't been honest, I guess.
I told you that I got taken from another Nonary Game, but... this isn't my second game. It's... it's the third.
A part of her wanted to cry. She hated this. She'd always hated it.]
Sorry.
[Her voice is small, soft and low, but she gathers the strength and after a moment of consideration takes him back to her room, then moves the chair in front of the door.
Makima would have to wait a few minutes if she wanted to come back in, but this seemed like the best place for this. Zero already seemed to know, but the rooms were supposed to be soundproof, right?
She showed him in, feeling a little awkward about inviting a boy back into her room like this, no matter what the reason and the necessity for it. There weren't many places to sit in here, so she huddled on the bed, arms wrapped around her knees, looking down at them.]
Sorry, this... I don't want to tell this to everyone. Not right now. But.... But I haven't been honest, I guess.
I told you that I got taken from another Nonary Game, but... this isn't my second game. It's... it's the third.
no subject
It's fine. There's no need to apologize.
[ Roland - and Loki - quietly followed along and once they reached Akane's room, he told Loki to wait out here until they were done and the alligator seemed to understand that. This truly seemed to be a fairly rattling matter, though at least he was fine to stand near the bed for the time being. Even if just to give her some space.
Then he registered what was said and his eyes widened a touch. ]
The third...? Goodness. So this has been going on for some time, then... [ That last part meant to be mostly musing to himself but that isnt important here. ] Why is it you don't wish to tell the others about this?
no subject
And....
And I died.
I was locked in the incinerator. I... remember being burned. I don't remember why I'm still... how I'm here, since.... since I should be dead.
no subject
You... were kidnapped, and forced to play one of these games... where you were burned alive?!
[ Yeah. Going to go a little pale because children were a bit of a soft spot for him and words couldn't describe exactly what he felt hearing that about what had happened to a child. ]
...That does fit with what that... illusory you had said to me. [ Roland's brows knit into a frown. Sometimes he hated how good his memory was. ] 'Imagine killing a twelve year old... or the same girl, nine years later'.
no subject
[For a moment she sounds distant, and slightly bitter.]
It wasn't quite the same as the game we're playing now. We had to solve puzzles in groups and try to find a way out. If you didn't, the doors wouldn't open. And... the ship was sinking.
The incinerator was the last room. Everyone else got out, but I got trapped, and... and it counted down, and then the fire came. And that's all I can remember.
And now you....
[Something in her voice finally breaks]
You saw me. I'm... I'm still burning, aren't I?
no subject
[ To feel that dreading sense of fear as time ran out and to be burned alive by the flames? But then it didn't explain how she was here now...but that 'other' her had said something about the same one years later so something odd was going on here and there was some missing pieces.
Something he suspected was due to their missing memories. ]
If you mean right now... no. You aren't.
[ There's immediate concern on his face once again, but not so much for him as he is for her. ]
She... this illusory you... she said that she was... always going to burn but you aren't on fire now and I will try to what I can to see that doesn't happen to you again.
no subject
After....
I get fevers. I did before, too, but now...
Sometimes it's like I can still feel it in there. It's like I can feel myself dying. Burning up.
no subject
[ Why yes, Roland is quite appalled that people who are meant to run a place of healing and respite did something so disgustingly appalling. ]
The fevers... ah.. yes, I do remember that happened to you the day we met. That... does seem like a reasonable thing to happen, given the trauma you experienced that day.
[ For all he knew it was a PTSD thing though he didn't claim to understand it himself entirely. Just that it was a thing and could explain why she felt that way. ]
no subject
no subject
[ He made to resume petting the soft cat he was holding, behaving for the time being and content to stay where she was. It didn't mean Roland didn't look absolutely lost in this moment, however. ]
I'm afraid I don't entirely know what that means. Perhaps you would be able to explain it a little more simply to me?
no subject
[Hmmmmm]
Where are your thoughts stored?
no subject
In the brain, of course. Though I couldn't say exactly what part of it, however.
no subject
How do you know that?
no subject
[ He lowered his hand to keep petting the cat once again, to which she started purring contentedly. ]
I've truly never been told otherwise.
no subject
You can see me, sitting here in front of you, so you know I'm here, but if you closed your eyes I'd still be here, right? Or even if somehow you went blind right now. I'd still be here.
What if your thoughts are the same way? What if they exist outside you, and your brain is only the conduit by which you are able to access them?
no subject
[ Madam you are truly making him realize things he wasn't aware of but hey. A learning experience wasn't a bad thing! ]
no subject
But if that is the case, and everyone's thoughts are outside their bodies, what if there were a way to access the knowledge of someone else?
no subject
[ For all he's aware of, she's speaking of something modern that he just doesn't happen to know about yet. ]
no subject
Have you ever heard of a 【Ganzfeld experiment】?
no subject
[ He couldn't help the small, almost sheepish laugh. ]
Apologies for making you have to explain so much to me, Miss Akane.
no subject
It's all right. Not many people know about this where I come from, either.
A Ganzfeld experiment is a specific test. It requires two participants.
The first subject is placed in a sensory deprivation chamber. Those are areas that are meant to remove, as much as possible, access to any outside information that any of your senses might provide. When you are inside one, you cannot hear, or see, or feel, or taste, or smell anything in particular. It is as though you do not have any of your normal senses, with the idea of strengthening the sixth sense.
In another room, the second subject is presented with a series of objects, or pictures, and are told to examine them closely. The first subject has no way of knowing what these objects or items are. Despite this, some of the participants have been able to accurately describe the objects or scene that they have no access to, because another person has seen it.
There are other examples of similar phenomena. For example, there have been experiments where subjects were shown a puzzle and asked to solve it, after not having encountered it before, and then a separate group were asked to do the same thing after the solution was widely broadcast to a population on the opposite side of the world. The second group were significantly more likely to succeed, even though neither group should have had access to any of this information beforehand. But the number of people who knew the answer in the world as a whole had changed. The knowledge was more commonplace among complete strangers.
That, I suppose, is the best way to describe the morphogenetic field. It is a hypothetical biological and social field that contains the information necessary to shape the exact form of a living thing as part of its epigenetics, as well as its behavior and the way it coordinates with and interacts with other beings.
If we assume that there is a hypothetical pool of the collective thought and knowledge of all of humanity, or even more broadly, for all life in general, then learning more about it, and especially ways to access and influence it, seem... valuable.
And that's what the Nonary Game was about.
no subject
All of that being done in order to learn about, then be able to access and influence this collective thought and knowledge of all life? Cannot say I was quite expecting that.
[ A game filled with murder still never seemed right to him, or why some people would go to such incredible lengths for things like that. ]
no subject
There are two factors which can strengthen ability to access the morphogenetic field. Epiphany, and danger. A brilliant flash of insight when a solution becomes obvious to a complicated problem, as well as being in peril of your life.
So they... they did that to us.
So that the reactions would be... stronger.
no subject
[ A touch of something dark flashed across his face in that moment, as if recalling something inherently unpleasant. ]
I understand there are those who wish to push boundaries in the name of science but to endanger lives like that? Truly unacceptable.
no subject
[She sighs, finally, and curls up slightly.]
Sorry. It's....
I don't talk about any of this very much. It's... it's hard to talk about.
no subject
[ That darkness left his features, softening to a smile as he moved over to put a hand on her shoulder softly. ]
It's fine. You've done great so far, and i'm sorry to have made you relive such awful memories.
no subject
I'm.... worried. About why you saw that. Or how you did. I guess, though, that's just... what you do here, huh? W-what if it.... what if it's some kind of... portent?
no subject
The how...? You'd be correct in thinking it's something I... ah... do here. My title's power is the only reason I've been seeing a lot of strange things since my arrival, I assure you.
[ As that last question was posed, he blinked twice, then shook his head. ]
I don't believe that it is... but why would you think it was?
no subject
Like Futility.