[45] Death sucks.

[notarrowette]

[...Oh Barge. Cissie is frustrated and disappointed. This is all her, no nanomites, just... Cissie in a Bad Mood. (She is affected by the flood, though.) She didn't realize that Chang's duels were actually happening. She's been fuming about this since she saw Slade's post.]

Can someone explain to me why there are fights to the death

Comments

[most_feared]

Have you talked to Chang yet about what death means in his culture and to him personally?

[notarrowette]

I did say I'd take explanations.

[SORRY K--she's in a baaaad place.]

[most_feared]

He has his reasons. His entire culture is based on the honor that comes in death, and screaming at him that his beliefs are wrong aren't gonna do a damn thing because they're not. Death brings his people together. Death can forge peace between them. The acknowledgement of the possibility of death, mutual mortality between two individuals, is a form of respect. And when he dies, he's supposed to go to an eternal battleground.

It's different from how we think. It's an insult to him.

[He's speaking on his behalf, because he knows Chang won't defend his beliefs, at least that he probably won't.]

It's not about making life mean less. He's still fighting for his life, or else he'd just be [Burning himself alive all the time] losing consistently. It's different.

...

...

I'm sorry they didn't tell you about those people that you lost.

[notarrowette]

I'm not screaming--that's not what I meant--I wasn't trying to insult him...

[PARDON HER. She has to go cry a little now. Because DEATH is a touchy, touchy, touchy subject and she never should have said anything and CHANG DIED and she kind of likes him even if she doesn't understand him and KAY IS UPSET WITH HER. EVERYTHING SUCKS. She can't even touch that last part right now.]

[whattheytellyou]

I don't know about everyone else, but I'm with you on this one.

Are you all right?

[Private]

[notarrowette]

...Not really. I'm not thinking very clearly; I didn't mean to say all of that. And I have a feeling this is either going to get ignored or it'll piss people off.

[Private]

[whattheytellyou]

People need to stop murdering each other like it's a game without any consequences.

Let them be pissed off.

[Private]

[notarrowette]

That's all I meant. I wasn't trying to insult Chang. Aren't we supposed to be stopping this kind of behavior? I just... don't get it.

VERY MUCH PRIVATE

[ihavettk]

[Oh man, Kon does not know what to say to that. On the one hand, well, he didn't exactly choose who to tell that he'd died. On the other hand, that excuse only would work if he'd thought to tell her that he was alive again.]

I'm sorry, Cissie. You're... uh, we suck. And as much as the people not staying dead here thing is good, you're right that it shouldn't just be for fun.

Are you okay?

VERY MUCH PRIVATE

[notarrowette]

[Cissie feels REALLY BAD, Kon. Because it wasn't your fault she couldn't go to your funeral and she found out you died on tv. But it still sucked and--yeah. That "SUPERBOY LIVES" headline was both awesome and painful.]

I'm working on it. ...I didn't mean to say all of that.

VERY MUCH PRIVATE

[ihavettk]

Sort of guessed that. But... it's okay. I mean, that you said it.

[Though he feels pretty bad about it too now.]

I didn't mean for you to not be told, you know.

VERY MUCH PRIVATE

[notarrowette]

I know. It wasn't your fault.

[VIDEO]

[takingacut]

Hey, quick question. How many of these "fights to the death" does this place see in an average week?

[SHE MAY BE RETHINKING HER DECISION TO COME ABOARD]

[VIDEO]

[notarrowette]

[STARING. ALL THE STARING. Poor Bigger, you're going to develop a complex. The Amanda Complex.]

Um. ...This is kind of a new development. People do die... pretty often around here though, but like I said--it isn't permanent.

Re: [VIDEO]

[takingacut]

...oh-kaaay...let me ask you another question.

[At least she already sort of knows why she's getting the looks of HORROR :/ ]

What has this "Amanda" done to make you and all your buddies stare at me like I'm the antichrist before I even get a chance to introduce myself? This is honestly the shittiest welcome imaginable.

[VIDEO | PRIVATE TIME]

[notarrowette]

[Aaand now Cissie looks sheepish. Sorry, Bigger.]

I'm sorry. She's... she was my best friend's first inmate, and she kind of... lied, betrayed and backstabbed her--she saved her life just to earn her trust so she could hurt her later. She sets up these "games" that basically torture or kill people, and she targets people she thinks need to learn a lesson--I'm not sure on the details, but she's done it three times, and that's even with people watching her. She really likes to brag about it after, and now there's another person here and it's sounding like they belong to some kind of cult or something.

...I'm really sorry about staring.

Private

[future_games]

[He's not even going to bother arguing kthx. :[ He already got in enough trouble for death tolling it up the one time he did.]

It does matter, though. We're lucky enough to have the death toll, but it doesn't always make it any easier to deal with the aftermath of it all.

Private

[notarrowette]

[Good job, Isaac. She likes you alive, okay?]

Yeah, exactly. ...Sorry for... all of that. I didn't mean to say some of it.

Private

[future_games]

[But he isn't alive. :c Technically.]

I think it's good that you did. Are you alright?

Private

[notarrowette]

[...DETAILS. :| They can fix that.]

...You do?