making your insomnia everyone else's problem [video]

[tr1xx]

[ It's late, like, super late. Like 'if any of us had a clock to go off it'd probably read 3am' kind of late. The stars are shining clear in the sky and the only light on the feed is from the Heartstone, not even a fire. Wherever Cammie's settled, she's not right next to anyone else in the group for some reason or another.

Cammie is also, notably, not on any watch rotation. Also also, she's totally human, aka: neither nocturnal, nor able to get by without sleeping at all. She's fastening her ears back around her ponytail, as the live feed starts, which means she probably at least gave sleeping a go—there's even some makeshift blankets wrapped around her shoulders—but she's awake now, looking tired as anything but perky, too. Only the particular observant may note the slightly haunted look beneath the teenage bravado and energetic way she speaks. ]

Christ, I'm bored. What's a girl s'posed to do around here when it's too dark an' cold out to go on a walk or somethin', eh? Call me addicted to technology all ye like, but the Ether's a blessin' when—

[ She coughs, does not finish that sentence. She admits she's up because of nightmares and precedent from home tells her someone will stage an intervention. ]

Anyway. Some of youse must still be up, aye? Anyone wanna play like— what did people play before the Ether... —2 truths 1 lie? Truth or dare? Hell, I'd say 20 questions but I think the multiverse makes that kinda complicated. Imagine someone picks somethin' only found in their universe. Practically amounts to cheatin' and ye might not even know ye doin' it.

...but, seriously, I'm goin' out of my mind doin' nothin' right now, surely I cannae be the only one?

[ There's a nonzero chance this broadcast wakes up people who weren't, actually, already awake at 3am, but Cammie's decided that's worth the risk right now. Sorry everyone. ]

Comments

[hallelujahjunction]

Oh, this is fun.

[Dan, like Cammie, is up late - and like Cammie, even if he tried to sleep, his nightmares would intrude alongside the natural rhythm of his body. But more than that, he can see that Cammie's up for the same reasons, and he has the tact not to mention that they have that sad, stressful common ground.

He's also a little tipsy at this hour, and he's sewing and tailoring some pants he found in a troll dwelling to fit his height (or lack thereof) as he talks.]

Two truths and a lie? I can start us off. I've never had a driver's license, I've had a love affair with the Jersey Devil, and I've been convicted of sixteen felonies.

[tr1xx]

[ Cammie flashes a grin, and she settles into a more comfortable position with her blankets tucked around her. She's delighted to actually be humoured here. ]

It's gotta be that ye've never had a driver's license. That's so, like, y'know, normal soundin' that it stands out, before even touchin' anythin' else.

[hallelujahjunction]

Nah, that one’s true. I was born off the grid and ain’t got no official documentation. The closest I’ve had are all fakes. [Dan grins.] Which narrows it to two.

[millenyal_pink]

[Elle too isn't sleep, but that's partly due to her crepuscular nature.]

Oooh! I want in. Uhh...

[Elle narrows her eyes.]

I'm going to go for the sixteen felonies. Wait, you seem like the kind of person who may have a fake driver's license. Does that count?

If it does, I'm going with that. If not, I'm sticking to the felonies thing.

[hallelujahjunction]

I’ve had fake licenses, you got me there, but legally I don’t exist. Born off the grid and been prudent enough to stay there.

[He counts on his fingers, thumb first.]

Possession four times, possession with intent to sell, grand theft auto, felon with a firearm three separate times, desecration of a corpse twice, breaking and entering twice, driving without a license with priors, impersonating a police officer, and a couple of DUI’s from when I was young and stupid, all under false identities. A lot of those sound less bad in the context of hunting ghosts and monsters.

My torrid love affair was with the Loch Ness Monster.

[hourglasshalfempty]

[A peeved, golden face comes into view. Raistlin wasn't sleeping, either, but that doesn't mean he wants his not-sleeping interrupted.]

Endeavor to continue investigating our immediate area. Find a book to read. Take up meditation. Only do it quietly, and without bothering the rest of us.

[hallelujahjunction]

Oh, go back to sleep, killjoy. Ain't all of us here feeling diurnal.

[hourglasshalfempty]

I would love to, but some inconsiderate person woke me to demand entertainment.

[he wasn't, but not for lack of trying, and that's not going to put anyone in a good mood.]

[the_hit_list]

[ Tim doesn’t like these kinds of games in particular, but he wants to be friendly. ]

I’m awake too. Which would you like to play, and who goes first? ]

[tr1xx]

[ Thank god for the friendlier folks. Cammie flashes a smile again. These honestly aren't really her usual kind of thing, but she has no better ideas and is so. bored. ]

Y'know 2 truths 1 lie's probably the safer of the two, plus I think ye have to know folks better for truths and dares to actually hit right.

[ What is Truth and Dare if not a way to put your friends on the spot with weirdly specific things? ...oops, now she misses her squad. ]

An' I'll go first, I guess? [ she counts on her fingers ] 1. I'm from Edinburgh. 2. I've actually been arrested and charged. 3. I designed an' built these ears myself.

[the_hit_list]

[ He thinks about it for a moment and then goes for it. ]

1’s the lie? I heard you say on these mirrors that tech’s your thing, and there’s a lot more to Scotland than Edinburgh. Getting arrested is the sort of thing people say in these games to confuse people, so it’s probably true unless you’re bluffing.

[unsealthecatbox]

[This one is getting woken up, certainly. Ange blearily hears what's sounding through the mirror, recognizing the voice. Ah. That one. She covers her eyes with an arm, seriously considering ignoring this completely.

...

...on the other hand, she owes her. Brushing it aside would be great, but, well, Ange knows she's outmatched in so many ways in this world, with its magical problems and creatures and she may need help in the future, so getting along with others for orientation and assistance could be good. Sigh.

...

Ange picks up the mirror, although she doesn't turn it towards her, still with an arm on her eyes]

If you don't mind playing games with a beginner I guess I can indulge you.

[tr1xx]

Dinnae mind at all! Haven't played any of these things in donkeys myself, honestly. Ether's usually right at my fingertips.

[ Well, it hasn't been for months now, but she's clinging to how things were back at home as much as she can. One day she'll be back there again. She tries to believe that. ]

[unsealthecatbox]

Two truths and one lie...that shouldn't be too hard.

[Ange vaguely recalls her classmates playing it at some point. The idea was to not make it obvious which one is the lie, wasn't it?:]

I study at a prestigious all-girls boarding school, writing poetry is my hobby, and...

[...a third thing, a third thing...it takes her a moment to think of something to say]

...I once jumped from a third floor running away from pursuers.

[ferengineer]

2 truths and a lie...hm. I'll bite. I'm missing a leg, I once remote controlled someone's dead body, and my favorite drink is prune juice.

[tr1xx]

Y'know the prune juice thing's normal enough to be a red herring but I'm gonna go with that anyway for the same reason I didn't go with Tim lyin' about not likin' pineapple on pizza.

[ What? She has a pretty picky palate and doesn't like the sound of prune juice at all. She's also deliberately being a bit of a little shit, in the case she's wrong on any food judgements. ]

[ferengineer]

It's actually root beer. Though one of the officers I served with can't get enough of the stuff.

The leg's been replaced by a biosynthetic one, and the dead body was because I was doing a prisoner exchange and my cousin Gaila accidentally shot the guy we were exchanging for my Moogie. Er, my grandmother.

[furtitude]

What the hell are all the things you listed?

[Most of the games he plays with Gary are games they made up.]

[He perks up a little, though, figuring out maybe they're just different word games a few people know.]

Are those games you do just by talking? My dad and I have some of those, like "This is Serious." I can teach people how to play that one.

[millenyal_pink]

Okay, I'll bite-- how do you play "This Is Serious."?

[furtitude]

Okay, so you keep acting like there's some big crisis, and make stupid intense faces at each other like everything's all dramatic.

You have to keep escalating it and making it sound dumber and dumber and make dumber and dumber faces.

Then whoever laughs first loses.

[He turns to his dad, who's also awake. Little Cato had woken up from a nightmare earlier and they'd been quietly talking, with Gary trying to help Little Cato chill down and go back to sleep.]

[The mirror catches a paw lightly poking Gary's cheek. Bat bat bat.]

Dad. Dad. I wanna show Elle how to play "This is serious."

[skinlotion]

Sleep is overrated.

[Mona's still finding herself waking up, like clockwork, just before the time when the generator would shut off back in the dollhouse. Old habits are hard to break. She tosses her horribly dyed blonde hair over a shoulder and settles in for some lyin'.]

Alright, two truths and a lie. My mother buried me alive, I was kidnapped out of my own backyard a week before starting high school, and I should be in prison for murder right now.

[Amazing, the sort of things people are just coming out and saying to strangers. Mona's sure some of the others are lying on all three.]

[tr1xx]

[ Blink. Blink. ]

...see, I'd make that argument with my friends at home, but they think me not sleepin' is a problem. Like I'm not young enough to swing it.

[ It's both an attempt at friendly chatter and buying herself a second, because all three of those are. Well. A lot. How do you judge which of those is the least likely? You can't even really pick the one you hope isn't true when you kind of hope none of them are. ]

Uhhh. The murder one?

[ The only logic being that'd be a hell of a thing to come out with to people off the bat with no context. ]

[skinlotion]

No. I was kidnapped a week before 10th grade, not 9th.

[She says it idly, propping her chin up on her fist.]

But don't worry. I was framed. The bitch I supposedly killed is still alive.

[remaininghalf]

[Mio is awake as well, and she is kind of thankful for it despite the boredom. She has been developing an aversion to sleep lately. That's sleep curses for you. Not that she is going to talk about it, saying it would mean that everyone knows what she's done.]

I'm awake. I'd say let's go for a walk, but it might be dangerous, so...

[She thinks about the suggested games. Both involve truth, and inevitably she gets horrified at the idea of possible horrible scenarios. Of course, she believes Cammie is courteous enough not to ask uncomfortable questions.]

Let's...Chat, I guess?

[tr1xx]

Aye, I'd be up an' walking about if it weren't so damned dark outside. That's what I used to do back on the rig if I ran outta other stuff, just kinda... wandered the halls.

[ Which didn't exactly do anything to make her feel more at ease and get back to sleep, considering the rig wasn't the most welcoming place, but it was still better than lying there or risking waking Jaime up once he moved in. ]

Shame, really. The woods are a lot nicer than the rig ever was. Dinnae remember the last time I saw so many trees, or wild animals, or... well, anythin' like this.

[ Her world may be kind of in the middle of a climate disaster. ]