the theatre

[productions]

the theatre



You awaken in a darkened theatre.

In front of you is an enormous cinema screen. On it plays everything that's currently happening in the mansion, accompanied by appropriate sound effects and background instrumentals when fitting. The seat you're sitting on is large and plush, and while there's many of them, there's enough room in the theatre for you to fully recline the seat into a comfortable bed if you wish. Under each seat is a sleeping mask and noise-cancelling headphones, in case you'd like to take a break from watching the show.

Follow the stairs up and you'll reach what should be the projection room. There are no projectors in here, however; it is simply a large and well-lit room above the main seating area, and a good place to hang out with your fellow eliminated contestants if shouting at each other across the aisles proves too much to handle.

If you leave the theatre through the door in the back, you'll find yourself in a hall. On one end is a concession stand. It's stocked with standard movie snacks - popcorn, candy and the like - but if you're feeling the urge for something else, you'll be able to find it stocked somewhere in the back. On the other end is a table with thirty wrapped bags and a placard reading 'A star for our stars! Please accept these lovely giftbags as a token of appreciation for your hard work, sponsored by [illegible smudge]'. Each bag has a tag bearing the name of someone in the mansion; you will only be able to open the bag with your name on it. As soon as you open it, any memories that have been taken from you, including those of the other people in the mansion that you may have forgotten, will be returned in their entirety. Within the bag are also objects from your home that you may want for your stay here, though you will find no weapons.

There are no other doors in the hall save for the one leading back into the theatre room. There are also no windows; it is impossible to tell where you are and what is going on in the outside world. Any attempts to break out will fail. So in the meantime, why not sit back and enjoy the show?

Oh, and one more thing. At midnight following each execution, once all those who've died that week have woken up, a video will begin to play on screen.

Comments

[notyetlost]

[Poland moves from the chair so quickly he trips over his own feet, falling into the aisle. He scrambles to right himself and runs for the doors in the back of the theater.]

[speakveryclearly]

[The memories hit her like a punch in the gut - with Kaoru she'd had the fortune of wanting to be a good ally in advance, not now - and she races, even by rainbow drinker standards, into the concession stand's back stocks. She comes back with a chocolate cake practically the size of her torso. Chocolate crumbs and icing ooze out of the sides onto the empty edges of the tray, making the plasticware a little messy, while the white icing is drizzled all over the surface in no discernible pattern. She sets it on the floor temporarily before rearranging a nearby seat into position to be used as a makeshift table, then gets started on the slicing. The division isn't as neat as it could be, because she keeps looking to Sonia's face for her reduction from "mortified" to "alarmed", for the right time to apologize that:]

I had absolutely no idea what this was but it contained chocolate so I reasoned it must be for you.

[souredsweet]

[Kaoru cups a hand around his mouth to call after him, expecting he'll be back soon enough regardless.]

Don't forget to grab your bag while you're out there! That is very important.

[souredsweet]

[all things considered, with the way her exit interview had gone, Kaoru isn't very surprised when his recollections of Sonia return to him in full. he watches passively as Kanaya vanishes and returns, and it's several long moments before he leaves his own chair to come sit next to her instead.]

I see that Kanaya has already beaten me to the cake. [he sighs, like it's some big important thing that he's missed out on.]

...Welcome to this side of the screen, regardless.

[balzams]

[Casually, Latvia slides in next to him and hands him a small paper cup with a little vodka at the bottom]

So...

Did you and Lithuania ever do it in the mansion?

[Welcome to the afterlife, Poland]

[balzams]

[For some reason it's always the executions that supposedly span thousands of years that get to him the most. It was difficult to watch for him, so he can't imagine how much Sonia must be affected by it. Latvia approaches a little cautiously and tries not to startle her]

Miss Nevermind, are you alright? Would you like me to get you a drink of water?

[balzams]

Exactly, even if they lose as long as the ending is dramatic enough it should get enough ratings to get us out of here. Although people do love seeing the underdogs win...

But now they've made mention of a mastermind they have to introduce them now no matter what. There's no point in foreshadowing it if they're never going to show who it is.

[motheringnation]

Poland, I'm so sorry!

[Ukraine has located him at least and is standing by worrying.]

Have you opened your bag yet?

np

[motheringnation]

You're welcome.

[She'll hand over the folded blanket with a smile. It's mostly green but some purple mixed in as well. It's a medium sized knitted blanket and very soft.]

I hope you like it.

[notyetlost]

[Poland's standing in the hall lobby, looking winded-- he's run the entire length of it at least twenty times looking for a door or a window or anything he can escape from.

His body jolts abruptly at the sound of Ukraine's voice and he turns around.]

W-where--?

[speakveryclearly]

[Actually seeing it, for whatever reason, gets her pretty emotional. Her eyes twitch like she's going to cry in a bittersweet happy way or something, but the tears don't come. As she wraps it around her shoulders she tries to play it off as a joke.]

This will really come in handy to keep my skin from disturbing the rest of you at night.

[speakveryclearly]

The mastermind, whoever he or she is... has to have been here all along. Kaoru and I remember that for a fact - we received instructions at times from that vile person.

One way or another that identity will be discovered. The numbers are too small now for nothing to occur.

[balzams]

Exactly, they'll show themselves sooner or later.

Just as much as we want high ratings, they want high ratings as well. By threatening us with permanent death they're essentially making us part of the same team. Revealing that there is in fact a mastermind is a hook for the audience in order to encourage them to keep watching. The audience at home want to find the identity of the mastermind as much as we do, whether they want to see the remaining people win or lose.

The producers might think that we're dispensable but the audience isn't. They'll give them what they're looking forward to. Have you ever read a book that built up to a big event that never happened? They're not satisfying to read at all.

1/2

[notyetlost]

... [Poland's back in the theater, clutching an unopened gift bag and looking upset. Still an improvement over how he was when he first arrived, anyways.

At least now he doesn't have to be wary of random liquor in dubious cups anymore. He takes it from Latvia, downing it in one go.]

2/2

[notyetlost]

[Or at least that was his intent, until Latvia made him spray it back out.]

W-what kind of question is that?!

[balzams]

It's been two weeks! I've had nothing to do but watch you two awkwardly flirting and disappearing behind closed doors.

I'm sure the audience at home is talking about it, the least you can do is tell me.

[speakveryclearly]

They were pretty rare on my planet, mostly because such awful authors were customarilly killed by imperial decree.

[notyetlost]

There's like nothing awkward about how I flirt-- [Poland coughs, rubbing at his neck aggressively.]

...I'm not the protag in one of your weird romance novels!

[balzams]

I wouldn't say protagonist, you two were definitely more of a sub-plot than a main plot but still...

[He eyes Poland's gift bag nervously]

You haven't opened it yet, have you?

[notyetlost]

[Either way, Poland's storyline ended more abruptly than he was prepared for.]

N-no.

[After eight weeks, Poland managed to narrow down that the memories he'd forgotten had to have been something quite difficult for him in his history. He's reluctant to sucker punch himself like that so soon after dying.]

[balzams]

[Oh thank goodness he wasn't too late. Latvia had been waiting for this moment and he wasn't going to let Poland take it away from him. He had to act fast though, and he looked Poland dead in the eye as he blurted it out]

You've been cheating on your husband with your husband the whole time.

1/2

[notyetlost]

[If there was ever a statement to pull Poland out of his melancholy-- that might be it.]

...

2/2

[notyetlost]

What?

[How much of this vodka have you been drinking Latvia?]

[balzams]

Lithuania was the person you were married to, at least for a little while.

Pretty sure you're not married anymore though...

[A lot but not too much, boredom drinking is surprisingly not fun here]

[notyetlost]

...you're crazy. That's like. Not even possible.

I'd never met him before eight weeks ago.

[Oh god did his husband watch this and file divorce papers already-- HOW PETTY.]

W-what?!