PC: Shen Qingqiu

[westedge]

Comments

[westedge]

[ please help him, and also i'm in tears. in that case, jonas is tilting his head and taking another look. ]

All things considered, it probably fits right in to stuff. I've...never been to a house like this before. I mean treehouses exist and everything but nothing this put-together.

[peakfan]

[ sqq looks back at the surrounding acres, quietly comparing to the opulence of modern china and what he knows of more average housing. it really is quite different, huh? ]

I suppose to one unused to it... Though before my own arrival, even I've only seen this type of housing in museums, tv dramas, and stories. We're so much farther into the past than my own era.

[westedge]

[ can he enter the house. he's going to try that. ]

Man, what even is your actual era? How much of the modern world do you really know about? I don't think I ever really asked about it.

[peakfan]

[ he can! it looks like a regular ye olde `i have money` levels of opulence with dark lacquered wood and elegant decorations. there's even a five star michelin level breakfast laid out on the dining table, simple yet flavorful, and heavenly enough to take you to a new world.

meanwhile, sqq, fanning his fan and burning braincells trying to think of a universal experience he can fall back on. hm]

...... Windows 10 is the bane of my existence.

[ #nailed it.

surprise!! he's a millennial. ]

[westedge]

[ first of all he's immediately looking around because wowee, what's it like to be rich. secondly, he's also eyeballing the breakfast, kind of trying to wrap his head around how nice of a spread it is and wondering if vr food gives anything in particular.

and then sqq says that, and jonas pauses to look at him. before he just stars laughing. ]

Yeah, I'd be a Mac guy if I could for that reason. [ this is so funny. ] So sounds like we're really not that far apart after all. But considering your...you know, everything, it makes sense to play dumb.

[ continue to be a ye old. ]

[peakfan]

[ he spreads his breadsleeves because uuuuh yea he's a little out of date rn ]

In all sense of the word, I am, from a place far beyond the modern world. All I have left are the memories of the place I was born.


[ he sounds a little sad about it but like, what can he do to change it? complain to the manager? hasn't worked thus far ]

[westedge]

[ there's a little frown at that. ]

Do you even really know how you can ever go back? I know you're supposed to, like, fix things in the story or whatever but when does the story end and free you?

[peakfan]

My original body is dead. [ gently ]

Unless something akin to divine intervention occurs, I'm stuck where I am. But....

[ he. grimaces a little. about that ] I might be.... a little dead where I was too?

[ oops ]

[westedge]

Oh. Sorry, I didn't...think about that. [ whoops. but he also raises an eyebrow. ]

Are you saying might be because you are and you don't like saying so, or because you're not actually sure now?

[peakfan]

[ he's sweating ]

Well........ I was in the process of being removed from the novel for losing all my points?

[westedge]

...you know, between you and Netzach, I'm starting to realize I really do not have a solid grasp on how books work.

[peakfan]

[ chortles ]

You need to read more light novels. All of this would be pure tropey nonsense after a few of those.

[westedge]

And I would if I had any idea what a light novel even was. Other than not a very thin book like I would have assumed it was. It's...kind of out of my wheelhouse here.

[peakfan]

[ snoorts ]

I'm sure I saw a ton in the library. They're quick reads with certain story tropes like "I fell into a sewer and ended up in a fantasy world!" or "Last Night My Neighbor Got Turned Into A Cat and I Accidentally Adopted Them". They're very popular in asia and there's a whole subsection online for people to write their own. Those, however, can go over a million words and more.

[westedge]

A million words. [ that's. that's too many, thank you. ] I guess...if I ever run out of stuff to do here, I'll go back to the library and see what I can find. Tropes aren't always so bad, you know? There's a reason they're popular and keep showing up.

[peakfan]

[ don't marathon it all in one go like he did and then mcfuckin die. 0/10 experience ]

Exactly. They're pretty lighthearted too so it'd definitely be a nice distraction in a hell place like this.

[westedge]

And it's not like we can't use all the distractions we can get anyway. Not that reading's ever been my go-to but there's a first time for everything.

[peakfan]

It also works as a great excuse when you don't wanna do shit.

[ not that he would know! haha! ]

[westedge]

Then maybe I'll actually try it for myself. At least until I decide if I want to hide in a VR simulation myself all day or not.

[peakfan]

That's legitimately what I've been doing. [ he doesn't fingergun but the vibe is there ] It's truly a strange experience being a ghost in your own home.



[ has he.... vr'd his old modern apartment? maybe so! ]

[westedge]

[ well that's depressing. ]

I don't think anybody's gonna call you out on it, you know? Most of us are probably missing things that're familiar. And...if anybody has an excuse I'd say you've got a good one.

[peakfan]

[ count on me to make you feel a sad ]

It's not particularly something I want to be announcing. Not to mention...I shouldn't be anyway. That place, that time isn't accessible anymore.

[westedge]

I meant the idea behind it, not actually telling people what it is you actually miss. [ a beat. ] Even if the place isn't accessible anymore that's even more of a reason to visit it here while you can. I've thought about going back to my old house from before my dad and I moved. Just to see if I remember everything.

[peakfan]

[ a wry smile forms because well honestly ]

Who needs to remember a shrine to Binghe when I can recall the person himself?

[westedge]

[ an owlish blink follows. ]

Have you actually tried creating a person in the VR system? I mean I assume you meant remember in the metaphorical sense, but...in general.