USER #030066

[passio]

Black-as-can-be cats arrive a-pair,
Up on a rooftop, a plaintive eve,
And on the tips of their pointed tails hung
A wispy crescent-moon, looking hazy.
'O-wah, good evening,'
'O-wah, good evening!'
'O-wah, o-wah, o-wah!'
'O-wah, the man of this household is bedridden.'

A poem by Sakutaro Hagiwara, that I heard once from a friend. It seems things have calmed down since #FFFFFF arrived, but I wonder if that's the end of it.

How is everyone's literary analysis? I think we should be prepared for more mysterious messages, and maybe there's a way to prevent it before it gets bad.

Comments

[passio]

[ it's not fine... ]

I don't know about that. It may be hard on us... but I don't think they're having fun either.

[good_ideas]

what if the cats were in heat though

[passio]

[ ................. ]

Do you think they were?

[swordfucker]

[...Optimistic. And it's enough to get Guren to pause his anger, at least.]

What about it says they're not? Can you really tell either way?

[passio]

There's nothing about it... it's just hard to imagine that #FFFFFF is enjoying themselves.

Even people with god complexes are suffering, I think.

[messianic]

[That's too sad, Dex, no....]

Hm... that probably depends on the person delivering the poetry, right?

But music... I guess I like everything, really. I haven't encountered any music I haven't liked.

What about you?

[swordfucker]

[...Oh god damn it, this made him have a gay thought about Kureto. He doesn't need more of those.]

They are suffering, in their own ways. Maybe even just like the rest of us.

There are some things that can't be changed, I guess. It's just difficult to imagine someone forced into that role here, where our "place" hardly seems to matter at all. But I'm sure we don't know the half of what's going on.

That's even more frustrating.

[passio]

I don't know much. In my world, there's just one song left.

It's nice, but...

[passio]

[ it's fine because he's having a gay thought about the archangel. hooray, trauma! ]

I guess we haven't been here that long, compared to some of the bones we found. This world went on before us and will probably go on without us.

Maybe... they're lonely.

[swordfucker]

[Ugh, this gay sappy shit... It's so touching he wants to puke? He honestly loves it, but he's also physically recoiling from his screen at being seen with any of this.

The thing is, he agrees. He does. There's so much more, though, and getting into that is just— he's tired thinking about it. So, instead:]

Then maybe they should have just asked us to play cards or something.

[passio]

Would you have done it if they had?

[ there are plenty of people here who most certainly would tell #FFFFFF to fuck off if a card game for funsies was proposed. ]

[swordfucker]

[Ugh]

Okay, okay, I get it.

Maybe they're lonely. Maybe they're barely in control of themselves and this is just how the world works, eating at colors and soul until there's nothing left. Maybe they just want to help this town. I've thought about it endlessly since that message first appeared, but there's no clear answer as to what the point is, what they want, or if they want anything at all. It could even be a cry for help.

But it doesn't matter when I don't know how to help them.

[good_ideas]

why else are they being so loud in the middle of the night right?

[Has she ruined this poem forever yet]

[passio]

[ the answer is surprising, and yet not at all—it's like guren to think ceaselessly on something and then only ever say that he's annoyed about it. dextera has gotten that impression, at least. ]

I guess not.

There's not an answer that any of us can give to that, at least for now. In the meantime... do you plan to play along?

[passio]

[ not forever... just for today... he doesn't want to think about cats in heat!! ]

They could just be crying.

[parodeity]

now it sounds like youre trying to trick me into homework

[swordfucker]

Yeah. There's nothing to be learned from doing nothing. You too, right?

[passio]

The only thing I know how to do is listen.

[ a depressing answer?? but a yes, all the same. ]

[passio]

Do you... want me to give you homework?

[swordfucker]

[That's sad... and he's focused in on it immediately, of course.]

Shut up with that, that's not true at all.

[passio]

[ dextera actually flinches away from the computer when he reads this, since he can hear guren's quick scolding in his mind. if he were to answer immediately, he might protest, but it's the current distance between them that saves his ass. ]

You have a lot of faith in me. Thank you.

[swordfucker]

[That's right... It does save his ass. Even with that overly calm answer, Guren is frowning at the screen, worried that he hasn't changed that way of thinking at all. It's usually not so easy to, after all.]

Of course I do. I don't just throw that around to anybody, either, so take it seriously. I mean it.

[He can tsun about a lot, but something like that gets admission of care... as long as it's spoken (or written) all tough like this.]

[passio]

[ he hasn't changed it!! sorry!!! they managed to bond quite a bit with the furniture yelling at them, but old habits die hard. in this case, his memories start with being told he's good for nothing but service. ]

I know you do. I mean it too, after all - thank you, Guren.

#E07CA0

[thriftea]

that's really good advice! it's important to stay sharp.

do you know many more poems? i think some of my friends miss having new things to read, so i hope they see this. even if it IS a little sad :(

[passio]

It is sad, isn't it?

I don't know if I know anything else in its entirety, but... I think those would be sad, too. It might be for the best. Do you know anything happier?