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[arithmethodical]

[ She debates for a bit whether or not to do this with voice or audio, but she feels too shaky for either, and eventually loses patience with herself and the debate. ]

I've been asked by some friends of his to share information that Vision found about the ritual and how it might go. Might have to go.

I'm pretty sure we're all familiar with the prophecy by now, but if not, you can look at it here.

Vision found three things. First is that this thing, the ritual, the 12th of November kept coming up as the most significant time to do it.

Second is that the more imPorts who are there, the better chance it has of working. So show up if you can.

The third is the bell. There are two in Jeopardy it could apply to. The first one is the most obvious choice, the bell in the cathedral of the spider cult church. The other one is the Justice Building, which is apparently pretty much decorative. He wasn't sure if we're supposed to ring the bell at 3am on the night of the full moon, or if we ring the bell to get things started.

I did some of my own research, too.

[ There's a pause here, while she puts together her thoughts. ]

The rock known as the Altar out in the National Park near Jeopardy has no apparent connection to anything. No important myths, no significant legends. There's whispers about it being a place where people used to be sacrificed to guarantee crop growth, but I couldn't find anything else tying it to the prophecy.

The other thing. The twins. I tried to find out what I could about them. Their names are Layla and Sally Clapp. They aren't mystical. They're just two ordinary little girls. They dress differently so people will tell them apart, even though their parents want them to dress the same. They like spiders. They read books about them. They play kid games and have kid imaginations.

So who knows if they actually saw something or not. Who knows if they have some mystical connection to what's happening. They're a convenient fit to the prophecy. That's all.

Comments

private video;

[flightforfreedom]

Wait, wait, wait. Back up, Jess.

Twins as in literal twins. As in civilians. As in civilian children.

private video;

[arithmethodical]

Yeah. Literal seven-year-old human girls.

[ Her jaw works for a moment while she tries to get a handle on herself. She's scared, and Poe knows her well enough to see it. ]

Some anonymous researcher put up information about them, that they claimed to see a vision of that spider goddess and that their parents are going to have them baptized in its church.

video »

[forcelight]

I don't know about you, but I'd prefer a solution that doesn't require the involvement of innocent children.

[arithmethodical]

Some of us are working on another way.

voice;

[photophobic]

Is there are reason possible harm to these two innocent children matters more to you than the definite harm coming to all of them?

text; un: Julian Delphiki | Bean

[justlittle]

[ Under normal circumstances, Bean might use one of his pseudonyms for a response like this, but fuck it. The world might be ending, who cares if people know he's ten years old. ]

Has anyone considered asking the Clapp twins whether they want to participate in the summoning? This is their world too, they have some stake in this fight.

[arithmethodical]

[ Jess had thought of it, truthfully. Mostly after she volunteered to try and take the twins' place, and she'd called herself ten kinds of coward. ]

Would they even understand what they're saying yes to? Really understand it?

[hatejakku]

wait

whats supposed to happen to the kids?

i heard the prophecy thing, i get that, but is it true about the hosts? do they expect us to let them die?

[arithmethodical]

I don't know. That's part of why I don't want them involved. We have no idea if this whole thing ends with them possessed permanently or dead or... anything. We have no idea.

[nightmarist]

as i already explained to the giant bat, ritual sacrifice isn't supposed to feel nice

[arithmethodical]

So you're one of the people who thinks we should just use the kids. Not try to find another way.

Video |

[privatepurchases]

[Gabriel is trying to focus and it's weird because he should use the kids. They're probably the ones focused on the prophecy except-

Except he's met Adam. And Adam was a normal kid. And-

The guy on the video feed looks a bit more focused.]

Don't mistake the kids. The most ordinary looking kids tied into apocalypses tend to be the ones with powers who are capable of handling themselves. Trust me. I was in apocalypse planning before I was brought here.

[He rubs his chin and sighs.]

That said.

...If they are or aren't the ones that fit this prophecy I don't think they should be used.

Is there anyone with powers who can figure out if they're a part of it? Psychically? Sometimes people...tied into this dimension can tell. Or scan it.

Either way I'm not going to advocate for it without their consent.

[No fucking point if Adam is any indication.]

video

[arithmethodical]

[ AND LO, Jess has settled down enough to reply with video instead of text. She looks tired when her face comes on the feed, a little red-eyed, but otherwise calm. ]

I tried already. I'm not the best with it, my power, but I tried. I didn't get anything from them at all. Just... ordinary kid things. I'm with you, about not doing it without consent.

[ Squint. Hang on, there was a thing back in the rest of what he was saying-- ]

Apocalypse planning?

text

[roughworkdone]

Sometimes a convenient fit is all you get. I don't see what the hesitation is here.

[arithmethodical]

I wanted people to know what they were doing, and who they were doing it to.

text;

[kryptomight]

I'm still new to all this stuff, but

Heroes aren't supposed to risk civilians, no matter what.

[photophobic]

Do you mean the two children, or the entire civilian population of the planet. Which would also include the two children.
Out of curiosity.

Anonymous

[by_candlelight]

If we need to use them for the world to survive, we need to use them. It's as simple as that. If you can guarantee a substitute would be as effective, then that's great. But in the mean time, they're the best bet we have, and if we're wrong they die anyway.

I'm torn on the release of that information about them. Aside from the names, which they need to be picked up as soon as possible because you just put them in a world of danger letting their identities out in public, I think it's important that people remember that these kids are in fact people. But at the same time, people are going to tunnel vision and forget how many other real, live, fully fledged people there are on the entire planet who will die, because those several billion people people are hypotheticals but these little girls have names.

[arithmethodical]

[ Fuck. She'd been so emotional about it she hadn't even considered the consequences of releasing their full names.

But she's starting to think that's a problem of hers, not thinking about the consequences.

This reply gets a very different answer than it would have a few hours ago. ]

If we're going to use them for this, we should at least know who the world will have to thank. If it even works.

text

[melodramagic]

has anyone tried contacting the parents of these kids?

[roughworkdone]

do you think they'll hand them over faster if we do?

text;

[goodtobebad]

of course! using kids~! great idea!

just like all the other times using kids has been a great idea

not

[arithmethodical]

Thanks for the input.

I agree.

So what's your alternative?

[fettchquest]

[Fett skips past the moral arguments raging in the comments. The answer is obvious enough: potential harm to two children is a small price to pay for preventing the destruction of an entire planet—if the two girls are actually the intended twins. It’s that last question that’s far more pressing in his eyes.]

A mind-reader could be useful.

Or someone with the ability to force out the truth.

[arithmethodical]

I tried. I didn't get much. But there are mind-readers a lot better at it than me.

I just don't trust the ones I know about.

( voice )

[sathan]

How do you know they don't have a power?

[arithmethodical]

[ A long delay before she answers. ]

I didn't sense anything strange about them. And I don't mean 'I hung around and they seemed normal', I mean I tried to read them and didn't get anything.

[plentystrong]

Yeah, the twins just so happen to like spiders.

... then again, they do live in Jeapardy with that weird spider cult.

[arithmethodical]

They just so happen to, yes. Which means the reliability of their 'vision' isn't exactly solid.

video;

[ambasciatore]

They're just kids...

What can we do to protect them? Hosting Clotho and Lachesis would be a terrible burden for children.

[ He sighs, rubbing his face. He doesn't look like he's been sleeping since he got back. ]

The Fates are my responsibility. What can I do?

[arithmethodical]

Take them somewhere secure. Somewhere safe, far away from Jeopardy.

Your responsibility? How so?

video;

[slapfight]

[Yeah, okay, she sees the kid thing has been well and truly covered and she lacks the capacity to really care about humans she doesn't know. She's sort of a PRESERVE LIFE AT ALL COSTS sort of gem, but also a pragmatist.

That being said:]

Who's going to ring the bells? Someone has to.

video;

[arithmethodical]

[ Some tired amusement! Along with the realization that it's a pretty good question. ] Volunteering?

A day later, or so. - [Text un - visionary]

[callmevision]

Thank you.

This event oncoming feels almost overwhelming. I believe we can stop it, but I am unsure how, now.

[arithmethodical]

No problem.

Yeah. I

I have no idea what we're supposed to do.

[ AND SHE HATES IT THANK!!! ]

text; un: dayspring

[timetravelandguns]

A rather succinct summation of things. Nice. Thank you for that, miss.

[ He sighs to himself. ]

Figures I would get here just as the world was ending.

[arithmethodical]

I get it. I've been here two months, and October was nothing but putting out the fires that led to this.

text; un: dreamthief

[pillz]

okay, hero. you win.

[arithmethodical]

[ Dottity dot. ]

What?