Trash Squad Day 1 - SPEED DATING

[chinhotta]

Alright, kiddos!! Gather up in the cafeteria for your first event!

[ The cafeteria tables are arranged differently now, long tables pushed to the edges of the room and filled with finger foods and drinks, and the center of the room open except for a bunch of tall, small round tables which are empty except for a stack of cards, but about the right size and height for two people to put drinks on as they stand around.

Vanilla is also standing on one of the tables with a bullhorn. ]

We're starting with a classic! Speed dating! You'll have five minutes each round! When the horn goes off, that's your cue to switch it up and talk to someone else! If you need some conversation starters, try one of the questions on those cards!

...Or don't! You can do whatever you want, I'm not your mom. I'm going with 'uncle' for now!

( The structure here is pretty casual:
- Make a top level
- Tag some people! Optionally, start off with a question from the deck of suggestions!
- Thread! You can ask more questions if you want.
- Try to keep threads around 10 comments from you maximum. This isn’t a hard limit, but assume a bullhorn goes off around there to signal a switch.
- Pace yourself, kids, this runs until Thursday. )

---

Game navigation
SUBMIT YOUR HOT OR NOTS HERE by Thursday, 6pm PST!

Comments

[liftoft]

If you're gonna put a price on your life, I'd hope you'd pick something higher than just forty thousand, y'know? That's not a good exchange rate at all.

1/2

[counterfaith]

[counterfaith]

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Even that much would be more than enough for me.

[liftoft]

Don't give me that kinda shit!

You're alive! Even if you don't think much of yourself, the fact that you're alive is valuable! You can recognize that enough to know you could trade it for other people's lives, so don't tell me it's not! But once you give it up, that's it. So, you'd be happy dying if you could save just forty thousand people? What about the next forty thousand? Or even just the next person in line--you don't wanna save them too? If you've already given up your life, then that's it--but as long as you're alive, you can help an infinite number of people! I don't wanna hear you say you'd settle for less!

1/3

[counterfaith]

[ his fingers, laced together and on the table, grip more tightly and dig into his knuckles - until they're two separate balls of white-knuckled death grip, trembling on the surface of the table. he mutters, unintentionally quiet but his throat has closed up from the - ugly, ugly feeling, the black welling up in his chest. it comes out, throaty and ugly, as he stands abruptly ]

As if you could understand something like that weight to bear! You—

[counterfaith]

[ —and abruptly, he stops, as if startled by the tremor in his throat, by the volume of his own voice, by the too-loud beat of his own heart. he freezes, hands against the table,

and then, as if nothing had happened at all, he sits back down, carefully scooting the chair forward and sitting properly. softly, without any life to it at all, he murmurs. ]

. . . No, of course, you are right. It isn't enough to be satisfied by such a number. . . that's right, after all, that is why I. . .

[counterfaith]

[ and finally, he looks up, a bitter smile on his expression. the hostility, the anger, the ugly has melted away, leaving nothing but poorly-hidden pain. ]

. . . My apologies for my outburst. This is somewhat of a sensitive subject for me - shall we change the subject? A different question, perhaps?

[liftoft]

Nah. If you're mad, then I wanna hear why.

Listen, I'm not saying you're worth the number of people you can save or that you should feel bad for not being able to save everyone. Honestly, if you're asking me, then I don't think there's anything wrong with not trading your life away, no matter how many people it'd save. People aren't objects, you can't measure lives one to one like that.

[counterfaith]

I'm not angry.

[ with a soft look, pulling his elbows on the table to cradle his chin with the backs of his hands ]

Nor do I think you are implying such to induce guilt. No, I'm thankful - your words are firm, but kind.

[liftoft]

Mm. You're right, too--I don't have any idea what it's like to have to bear that kind of burden. Not many people should, and everything... and whatever choice anybody'd make in that situation, I'd say it was the best choice, 'cause shit if anybody's prepared for that.

[counterfaith]

. . . It's a difficult position to be in.

Well, but in any case, this is hardly a conversation appropriate for a date.