[The Medic-shaped dent shuffles a little closer to Phil. Phil may still be sitting on the floor, but he's close enough for Medic to lean over a bit and kiss him on the head.]
I do have two partners back home, but I can assure you they dont mind this arrangement
I hope you realize that I still haven't forgive you for what you've done to me.
[He will accept this kiss, however.]
I don't think I've had a stable partner when I was in college, and she would rather die than see me again.
For most of my time loop, I would just have one night stands with whoever I could find in Punxsutawney. After a couple of years I decided to try seducing one of my coworkers. I wasn't thinking much of it when I started it out. I just thought it would be interesting.
...I think I ended up falling in love with her while she just learned to even hate the air I breathe.
[Medic flinches back a little at Phil's words, but relaxes- Phil's not saying he won't forgive him, just not yet. Which is fair. Medic can live with that.]
are you sure you can really fall in love with someone who's only known you for a day, even if that day lasted decades for you?
[Medic hums softly to himself. Well, if everyone's sharing their love[and "love" in Phil's case] stories, he might as well wax poetic a little.]
I have Mikhail- our Heavy Weapons Guy, my Misha. He could crush a man's head like a grape with his thumb and forefinger, and has a PhD in Russian literature. He's the first man who ever told me he loved me and meant it.
And Spy. He knows a thousand ways to kill a man and make it look like an accident, and does so in suits that cost more than an elephant's lungs on the black market. He has his issues, but he does care under that mask- both physical and metaphorical.
Rita said the exact same thing. Without the part of me knowing her for over a decade of course.
[It's a good thing that his back is turned to them, because he suddenly looks really sad.]
God, I guess I'm the lucky one huh? You two have people who love you and probably miss you. I could only imagine you two are feeling now about missing them.
Mikhail, huh? [It would make sense for Medic to not give out the Spy's name--not exactly a spy if people know your identity.] ...Wait, what's your name, then?
[At least Phil's finally letting on who Rita is, exactly, after stumbling into her room drunk and depressed a few weeks ago. Ripley frowns, resting her chin in her hand and crossing her legs.]
I was supposed to go on another contract for...three months. Then we'd move to Earth for good and I'd find another job. One that didn't involve the commercial military.
[Things happened, though. Ripley clears her throat. She doesn't like talking about this. Being emotionally vulnerable in this place could mean death. Not that death is that much of an inhibitor, from what she sees. She tries to turn the conversation towards Phil.]
...If you ask me, Phil, it sounds like you're missing Rita.
Right- I'm used to not giving my name out! We all go by our titles at the base. Most of them know my name, and I know most of theirs, but we still mostly call each other by the other names. It can be useful if we need to keep our identities secret for whatever reason.
But there's no real point in that now, I suppose. It's Ludwig.
[Hearing about Ripley's ordeal makes Medic's heart twist a little. She didn't deserve the hell she went through, let alone getting trapped in here- she should've had the chance to go home and be with her wife and kid. He reaches over and squeezes her hand gently, in what he hopes comes off as comforting and not overstepping things.
As for Phil-]
You're not going back to being alone in groundhog hell if I have anything to say about it.
"Ludwig"? You're telling me this whole time I could have been calling you that? Do you have any idea how weird it sounds for me to shout "Medic!" while in bed?
[Phil shakes his head.]
Miss her? If I went back today I'll tell you exactly what she would say: "Oh Phil why did you miss the groundhog report! You look like hell, you should join me and Larry for the party tonight!" and I would say-
[Phil stops suddenly, and is silent for a few moments.]
I would say "That would be amazing Rita. I would want nothing more in the world right now than to stay in this town and not have to worry about getting killed and just live my life in a timeloop."
[Despite the content of his words, Phil sounds completely sincere right now? There is even a certain sadness in his voice.
Phil clears his throat before he continues.]
Thanks Medic, but there seems something... morally questionable about it. If I never go back to Punxsutawney would my world just be trapped in a timeloop completely unknowing of their fate?
[She appreciates the gesture, really. Ripley flinches a little upon contact--it's sort of weird when an unseen force suddenly grabs your hand, but she then relaxes.
...Until Phil says that. She sits up a little straighter, glaring daggers at him.]
Do you mind?! For once--
[And oh. Oh. Christ, he sounds...hm. Ripley pauses, her eyebrows knitting together in concern. She nudges herself forward a little on the bed. When did this talk about baboon hearts become...this?]
As long as they're not being hurt or...if they're satisfied with it, I guess. I mean, if they're trapped, it's not like they can die or...be killed. [...] I don't know how time loops work.
[Aaaaand Medic's giggling into his hands. This is one thing he loves about you, Phil- you manage to say the stupidest shit and pull him out of his own head before he gets too somber.]
you never asked!!! besides you're
not exactly the first person to do that
;)
[He sobers back up quickly, though.]
if they're never aware of it, they'll never be unhappy about it, so what's the issue? Besides, you don't know- maybe the loop really was targeted around you, and you coming here means the loop has no purpose and ends?
They can't die, at least not die in a way where they don't come back the next morning.
It just... doesn't feel right? Just because they don't know what's happening doesn't mean they still aren't being tortured. They'll never be able to experience another damn day beyond Groundhog Day.
What if we're living in a timeloop right now? Even if we're not aware of it, it's still torture. We would never get out of this resort. We would never know anything beyond this.
We have memories--I think--of times where we weren't here, though. And memories from home in which, you know, we weren't in a loop. That points to the fact that this isn't a time loop. Right?
[your experiences are not universal]
Also, I don't know about you guys, but I don't think I've pissed off any elder time gods, lately. Unless an alien counts as an elder god. [A pause.] It was pretty pissed off.
i did piss off satan but he'd be going against our contract if he had anything to do with this so i think we're good there
The torture only matters if we remember it, my friend. If we remember it or have sensation of it. If there's a loop here, we have neither.
[Spoken like a man who has some knowledge of the ins and outs of torture]
but I agree with Ripley- it wouldn't even make sense for them to put us in a loop. It would prevent them from getting the bloodshed they want, after all
That's not how timeloops work. I didn't experience it from the eyes of someone who doesn't know what's going on, but they have zero idea they're in one. They have all their memories in place from before the time loop, and they are firmly convinced that February 3rd will come.
[... But the last thing Medic says gets to him. He turns around slightly and idly tries to grab Medic's hand.]
I don't know, it keeps lingering at the back of my mind that somewhere, somehow, we'll be sent into a loop. I don't know when it would be. Maybe the moment we're all dead? That way they'll get all the bloodshed they'll ever want. And we'll never figure out how to escape.
[That's not a question. Ripley shakes her head, sighing.] What the actual hell is your life back at home? Besides the gravel war bullshit?
[But regarding Phil's timeloop thing--]
Like...a reoccurring nightmare, basically. Except we don't know about the nightmare. [...] What good would that do? Wouldn't it be easier to just print out a fresh batch of bodies instead of manipulating the whole goddam time stream?
... I really need to keep better track of who all knows what about my life, don't I
That's the gist of it, yes. Does it help if I tell you that he pales in comparison to the centuries-old wizard who forces us to play bumper-cars to the death?
[After all, he figured out how to trick the devil, but no one knows how to make Merasmus stop taking out loans with various mafias.]
Messing with time like that is dangerous. Not even the Australians really bother with figuring out time travel, and they'd be best equipped for it. I doubt our captors would consider us worth the risks.
Really? Because if I was in charge of time, I could think of at least five good reasons to put you in a time loop.
[...She's beyond the point of questioning things, to be honest. Fuck it. Sometimes you come from a place where your entire crew gets killed by an alien, and sometimes you play bumper cars with a wizard.]
I don't know how relevant the bumper cars are to our situation at hand, but maybe another time. Unless the wizard in question dispensed some wisdom on how to kill monsters posessing people.
[Just to Ripley:] i'm not saying he doesn't have his flaws but perhaps telling the man who just dug himself out of a time loop that spanned an entire decade that he deserved it isnt the best way to go about things
[C'mon Ripley he's just barely managed to get the bastard to stop wallowing in self pity ALL the time]
If I could find Merasmus' spellbook, maybe, but I doubt it. Most of their spells involve making our heads very small or forcing us to swim through an ocean of urine.
The year Merasmus figured out that ocean spell was the same year they forced us to fight to the death over tickets for a giant strongman machine at a carnival they built using money loaned from the Japanese mafia, all to spill blood for an ancient Sumerian clown god named Bonzo
[She snorts.] If politicians got stuck in their own time loops, maybe we could actually have some change around here that didn't come at the expense of human life.
[But Medic is right, of course, regarding Phil. Ripley nods, folding her legs up and resting her head on her knee. She pauses, raising an eyebrow towards Medic.]
...You know, I think the more I learn, the less I understand.
I don't know, however long I stayed in my timeloop I'm pretty sure any of them would have been stuck way longer, I don't think they could ever get out.
[Bonding over how shitty politicians are is mlm/wlw culture.]
Agreed with Rips. Medic are you sure you're not from some backwards version of reality?
How do you know you're not all from backwards versions of my reality???
ha
no you're probably very right about that
[He doesn't seem too bothered, though. After all, he's spent his whole life living there. Sometimes your friend pissed off his wizard roommate who took the eye of your other friend and sparked a lifelong feud that happens every Halloween.]
the true worst case scenario is for a bunch of politicians to all get trapped in a timeloop, all aware of it, and have to work together and agree on something in order to escape it
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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Glad you recognize me as the most competent person in this damn resort.
[She'd be more humble if it weren't Phil.]
Medic here is probably a better candidate than me, though. I'm married, and I have a kid.
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[The Medic-shaped dent shuffles a little closer to Phil. Phil may still be sitting on the floor, but he's close enough for Medic to lean over a bit and kiss him on the head.]
I do have two partners back home, but I can assure you they dont mind this arrangement
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[He will accept this kiss, however.]
I don't think I've had a stable partner when I was in college, and she would rather die than see me again.
For most of my time loop, I would just have one night stands with whoever I could find in Punxsutawney. After a couple of years I decided to try seducing one of my coworkers. I wasn't thinking much of it when I started it out. I just thought it would be interesting.
...I think I ended up falling in love with her while she just learned to even hate the air I breathe.
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[He. Really is a mess, isn't he?]
I met my wife Alex through work--we were assigned to the same ship. We were both co-pilots. One thing lead to another, and...well.
[Ripley points a thumb at the photo of her wife and her daughter on the nightstand.]
Of course, that was before-- [A pause.] --before I came here.
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are you sure you can really fall in love with someone who's only known you for a day, even if that day lasted decades for you?
[Medic hums softly to himself. Well, if everyone's sharing their love[and "love" in Phil's case] stories, he might as well wax poetic a little.]
I have Mikhail- our Heavy Weapons Guy, my Misha. He could crush a man's head like a grape with his thumb and forefinger, and has a PhD in Russian literature. He's the first man who ever told me he loved me and meant it.
And Spy. He knows a thousand ways to kill a man and make it look like an accident, and does so in suits that cost more than an elephant's lungs on the black market. He has his issues, but he does care under that mask- both physical and metaphorical.
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Rita said the exact same thing. Without the part of me knowing her for over a decade of course.
[It's a good thing that his back is turned to them, because he suddenly looks really sad.]
God, I guess I'm the lucky one huh? You two have people who love you and probably miss you. I could only imagine you two are feeling now about missing them.
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[At least Phil's finally letting on who Rita is, exactly, after stumbling into her room drunk and depressed a few weeks ago. Ripley frowns, resting her chin in her hand and crossing her legs.]
I was supposed to go on another contract for...three months. Then we'd move to Earth for good and I'd find another job. One that didn't involve the commercial military.
[Things happened, though. Ripley clears her throat. She doesn't like talking about this. Being emotionally vulnerable in this place could mean death. Not that death is that much of an inhibitor, from what she sees. She tries to turn the conversation towards Phil.]
...If you ask me, Phil, it sounds like you're missing Rita.
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But there's no real point in that now, I suppose. It's Ludwig.
[Hearing about Ripley's ordeal makes Medic's heart twist a little. She didn't deserve the hell she went through, let alone getting trapped in here- she should've had the chance to go home and be with her wife and kid. He reaches over and squeezes her hand gently, in what he hopes comes off as comforting and not overstepping things.
As for Phil-]
You're not going back to being alone in groundhog hell if I have anything to say about it.
mild nsfw because phil is a bi disaster
[Phil shakes his head.]
Miss her? If I went back today I'll tell you exactly what she would say: "Oh Phil why did you miss the groundhog report! You look like hell, you should join me and Larry for the party tonight!" and I would say-
[Phil stops suddenly, and is silent for a few moments.]
I would say "That would be amazing Rita. I would want nothing more in the world right now than to stay in this town and not have to worry about getting killed and just live my life in a timeloop."
[Despite the content of his words, Phil sounds completely sincere right now? There is even a certain sadness in his voice.
Phil clears his throat before he continues.]
Thanks Medic, but there seems something... morally questionable about it. If I never go back to Punxsutawney would my world just be trapped in a timeloop completely unknowing of their fate?
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...Until Phil says that. She sits up a little straighter, glaring daggers at him.]
Do you mind?! For once--
[And oh. Oh. Christ, he sounds...hm. Ripley pauses, her eyebrows knitting together in concern. She nudges herself forward a little on the bed. When did this talk about baboon hearts become...this?]
As long as they're not being hurt or...if they're satisfied with it, I guess. I mean, if they're trapped, it's not like they can die or...be killed. [...] I don't know how time loops work.
brief nsfw implied as well
you never asked!!! besides you're
not exactly the first person to do that
;)
[He sobers back up quickly, though.]
if they're never aware of it, they'll never be unhappy about it, so what's the issue? Besides, you don't know- maybe the loop really was targeted around you, and you coming here means the loop has no purpose and ends?
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[He flashes Medic a look.]
They can't die, at least not die in a way where they don't come back the next morning.
It just... doesn't feel right? Just because they don't know what's happening doesn't mean they still aren't being tortured. They'll never be able to experience another damn day beyond Groundhog Day.
What if we're living in a timeloop right now? Even if we're not aware of it, it's still torture. We would never get out of this resort. We would never know anything beyond this.
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I hate you both so much.
[Take it to your own bedroom, guys!!!!]
We have memories--I think--of times where we weren't here, though. And memories from home in which, you know, we weren't in a loop. That points to the fact that this isn't a time loop. Right?
[your experiences are not universal]
Also, I don't know about you guys, but I don't think I've pissed off any elder time gods, lately. Unless an alien counts as an elder god. [A pause.] It was pretty pissed off.
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The torture only matters if we remember it, my friend. If we remember it or have sensation of it. If there's a loop here, we have neither.
[Spoken like a man who has some knowledge of the ins and outs of torture]
but I agree with Ripley- it wouldn't even make sense for them to put us in a loop. It would prevent them from getting the bloodshed they want, after all
tomorrow will still come, Phil.
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[... But the last thing Medic says gets to him. He turns around slightly and idly tries to grab Medic's hand.]
I don't know, it keeps lingering at the back of my mind that somewhere, somehow, we'll be sent into a loop. I don't know when it would be. Maybe the moment we're all dead? That way they'll get all the bloodshed they'll ever want. And we'll never figure out how to escape.
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[That's not a question. Ripley shakes her head, sighing.] What the actual hell is your life back at home? Besides the gravel war bullshit?
[But regarding Phil's timeloop thing--]
Like...a reoccurring nightmare, basically. Except we don't know about the nightmare. [...] What good would that do? Wouldn't it be easier to just print out a fresh batch of bodies instead of manipulating the whole goddam time stream?
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That's the gist of it, yes. Does it help if I tell you that he pales in comparison to the centuries-old wizard who forces us to play bumper-cars to the death?
[After all, he figured out how to trick the devil, but no one knows how to make Merasmus stop taking out loans with various mafias.]
Messing with time like that is dangerous. Not even the Australians really bother with figuring out time travel, and they'd be best equipped for it. I doubt our captors would consider us worth the risks.
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[Wait-]
Except that Cookie Monster guy told me that being put into timeloops is a thing the universe does? Spreading karma through the universe or something
Sometimes you need to rob a bank to get out of it.
[Aaand probably more importantly.]
Medi-Ludwig, I have no idea if I want to hear about the wizard making you play bumper cars or not.
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[...She's beyond the point of questioning things, to be honest. Fuck it. Sometimes you come from a place where your entire crew gets killed by an alien, and sometimes you play bumper cars with a wizard.]
I don't know how relevant the bumper cars are to our situation at hand, but maybe another time. Unless the wizard in question dispensed some wisdom on how to kill monsters posessing people.
unsanitary mention
[C'mon Ripley he's just barely managed to get the bastard to stop wallowing in self pity ALL the time]
If I could find Merasmus' spellbook, maybe, but I doubt it. Most of their spells involve making our heads very small or forcing us to swim through an ocean of urine.
It's not fun :/
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Like every politician in the world.
[And then he just... is baffled at Medic.]
... Medic
Whatever world you're from deeply concerns me.
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then they made us collect rubber ducks
That's still not the worst Halloween of my life
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[But Medic is right, of course, regarding Phil. Ripley nods, folding her legs up and resting her head on her knee. She pauses, raising an eyebrow towards Medic.]
...You know, I think the more I learn, the less I understand.
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I don't know, however long I stayed in my timeloop I'm pretty sure any of them would have been stuck way longer, I don't think they could ever get out.
[Bonding over how shitty politicians are is mlm/wlw culture.]
Agreed with Rips. Medic are you sure you're not from some backwards version of reality?
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ha
no you're probably very right about that
[He doesn't seem too bothered, though. After all, he's spent his whole life living there. Sometimes your friend pissed off his wizard roommate who took the eye of your other friend and sparked a lifelong feud that happens every Halloween.]
the true worst case scenario is for a bunch of politicians to all get trapped in a timeloop, all aware of it, and have to work together and agree on something in order to escape it
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