TRUTH OR DARE

[cactusy]

1) Post your characters, one per comment.
2) Comment around ICly asking other characters "truth or dare?"
3) Truth is self-explanatory; dares should involve tagging out to another character's top level somehow ("Insult someone you find terrifying", "Tell someone you think is hot one thing you find sexy about them", "Strike up a conversation using the most awkward non-sequitur you can come up with", etc.)

Comments

[solitarysoul]

[Well, truth had been pretty safe with Randvi, so maybe it'd be fine with other people?]

Truth.

[somethingintangible]

What do you think is the nicest thing somebody could do for you?

[solitarysoul]

[His brain just stops for a moment. The nicest thing somebody could do for him? That didn't make sense. People didn't do nice things for him. Except Marina, and Abella, and Olivia and Marcoh and.... most of the other contestants in Termina.]

I..um...

[There was also the matter that he didn't deserve nice things really know what people did to be nice to each other.]

.........I think just being there. Not leaving when I say something stupid or...something like that

[somethingintangible]

[ Maddy's heart breaks for him. ]

Everybody says stupid shit sometimes.

Who left you because you said something stupid?

[solitarysoul]

...its just..its just how things are. I don't know how to deal with people and I say something stupid and ruin things.

[More because he'd leave than they would. Not that he'd had many interactions with normal people since he'd be conscripted.]

[somethingintangible]

Something stupid like what?

[solitarysoul]

Um...like...um...

[He can't think of any examples, but he's certain there are many.]

...you know just...things that people don't really say. Or something.

[somethingintangible]

Look, I don't really know you but unless you're calling people names or being a dick on purpose, it's fine. People say awkward shit sometimes. It happens.

If they're nice you learn to roll with it.

And if you have enough confidence, you can say anything and make it work. If you don't act like it's weird, nobody else will either.

[solitarysoul]

[Ah, but he has like 0 confidence.]

I-if you say so.

[somethingintangible]

[ They can work on that! ]

I do. But what's more important is that you need to say so. Don't let other people treat you like shit. You can stand up for yourself. I'll show you.

[solitarysoul]

I...

[He could stand up for himself? The only way he knew how to was with violence.]

...o-okay.

[somethingintangible]

[ Maddy won't dispute that sometimes violence is necessary to stand up for yourself. Even if maybe she should. But it's also not the only way, and to Maddy's way of thinking, it's also important to know how to stick up for yourself without resorting to violence. You can't fight everyone in every situation but that shouldn't mean you just roll over and take it. ]

Can I ask you a question?

[solitarysoul]

...yeah. What is it?

[somethingintangible]

What happened? Did somebody... hurt you?

[ In Maddy's experience, people don't usually get this squirrely and afraid to stand up for themselves without somebody or something making them that way. ]

[solitarysoul]

Huh? What do you mean?

[So many people have hurt him, but he'd still be shy even if they hadn't.]

[somethingintangible]

Like, I don't know. Were you bullied? Or whatever? The people back home in your world... are they mean to you?

[ There's normal shyness, and there's crippingly low self-esteem. Levi strikes Maddy, at least partly, as the second one. ]

[solitarysoul]

[Oh.]

Uh...I-i guess there were some bullies at the orphanage...but that's normal, right?

[She's got him down pat. But there's no one figure that's fucked him over, just a line of many.]

[somethingintangible]

[ She's starting to get that, based on the "bullies at the orphanage" comment.

Inside, Maddy's heart breaks. ]

I guess. [ She's only in a position to guess, having never been in an orphanage. ] Just because something is normal doesn't mean you have to put up with it, though.

It's okay. We can start small. Like, let's start with... what would say if somebody bumped into you on accident and didn't say sorry?

[solitarysoul]

Well...if its an accident...then its fine.

[He would apologize himself.]

[somethingintangible]

I mean, yeah. If it's just an accident, you don't wanna start a big fight over it. But they should still say "excuse me" or something.

[solitarysoul]

Yeah but...they don't have to. It was probably [completely] partially my fault anyway.

[somethingintangible]

See, that's the problem. Don't assume something was your fault. Most people are already assuming things aren't their fault, so if you just assume everything is, you're gonna get blamed for shit you didn't do.

So, like, if someone bumps into you and doesn't say anything, you don't have to yell at them or anything. But you can give them a look and say, like, "Excuse me," in kind of a judgy tone, so they know you're annoyed.

[solitarysoul]

Um.

[Levi fidgets, scratching nervously at an arm.]

I-if you say so.

[It was probably his fault, though. Even if it wasn't what did it hurt, he had so many other things wasn't really he really was to blame for.
He's not really sure what a 'judgy tone' would sound like, anyway.]

[somethingintangible]

Okay, so, like, we're gonna practice. You bump into me, and I'll show you what to do.

[solitarysoul]

U-uh...

[Bump into her. Right. He can do that...he can do that right? Just bump...not slam. Not attack, just...touch. Lightly. He can...he can do this.
He bites his lip for a few moments before taking a deep breath and moving. He passes by her, brushing her about as lightly as one could while still actually touching.]