{2/9} - Two of Nine: A Nine Lives Forum adventure

[Lilium Mortem]

Content Warnings: Death, Cancer, Unreality.
This story may have more content warnings apply to it as it goes on, as it stands now, there are a few things I'd like to avoid all together, but as a world-building project, anything could happen. Content warnings appear at the beginning of new posts that introduce them, as well as the general content warning list, should another one come up.



-{2/9}-
Two of Nine: A 9 Lives Forum Adventure

You ever heard of Hikikomori? In Japan some kids are so crushed under the weight of responsibilities thrust on them by their parents and society they just shut themselves inside their rooms and refuse to come out. They stop social interaction and live off games, manga, anime, ect. I like to think of how lucky they are that their parents will bankroll that stuff for them. I feel like we’re kindred spirits.

I grew up on TV and video games. Books and internet message boards. I never liked talking with other people and detested school. I made no friends and stayed out of the way all up through high school. I engaged with fantasy worlds where I had power, and could understand people in a way that the real world made too confusing.
 
When It was time for college, when I had to make real decisions, I picked safe bets. I took gen ed courses to put off choosing my major for as long as possible, and when it came down to it… I realized I didn’t want to do anything. So I dropped out. I lived with my mom and got paid to move pallets in a warehouse. 
Now… I’m dying. They didn’t detect the tumor until it was too late. At first I was OK with it, OK with just ending a life that was never going to go anywhere. Then I saw my mom cry. People from work showed up and we’d talk, I hated it, but they cared. And then an internet friend showed up. Drove 30 hours from Detroit to get here. A guy I’d been raiding with in MMOs since high school. People cared, and I didn’t.

I can’t help but wonder what went wrong. Why could I never connect to people? Why didn’t I want to? I could see my life laid out before me and I only ever took the easy way out. What would it be like to put effort into life, into trying to connect with people?

I’m not ready to die. Not anymore. I can turn things around, Have friends, get to try D&D, Go back to school, and move on from the limbo I’ve placed myself in. I don’t want to die… no. I won’t die! I have a dream now, even if it’s the smallest of things! I’m going to connect with people and pay back their kindness!
  

{1/1}



{2/9}

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I can see myself, floating in an abyss. A cat shaped silhouette ill defined. It’s that dream again. I need to remember… who I am. Where was I born?
 
1) Foundry
This country/continent is one of the two major powers on the planet. The government is built off the ideals of Freedom and serving the direct will of the people. Corporations are beginning to thrive here as the lax intervention from the government enables them and Crime is higher than ever before. Still, It can be good place to live. Everyone is considered equal since their voices all matter. Poly-amorous Weddings were legalized recently, and the push for a government sponsored universal basic income experiment has been gaining traction. Social progress here is fast, and people accept who you are. Everyone is free, everyone has a voice.

2) Alloy
This country/continent is one of the two major powers on the planet. The government is built off the ideals of Safety and serving the best interests of the people. Prisons take dangerous criminals off the street… and not so dangerous ones. If you want anything done you have to navigate labyrinthine bureaucracy, people suffer under the weight of a system slow to move and slow to change. Still, it can be a good place to live. Guns are outlawed to everyone except specialized law enforcement and the military. You can walk through the busy streets of a city without fear. Strict safety regulations mean you never have to worry about an unsound foundation, or a train that hasn’t been serviced. It’s safe here, and quiet. Take things slow, and enjoy the ride.
 
3) Kingdom of Rose
The only surviving monarchy. A small nation overshadowed by the two global superpowers of Alloy and Foundry, The kingdom of roses makes it’s one way by trusting that people who dedicate their lives towards governing others have the experience to handle anything that comes their way. Each King or Queen chooses their replacement from a pool of candidates elected by the public in addition to a parliament. You need to serve in the military once you come of age, and government schooling reaches all the way up to college level. Corruption is a large problem despite the best efforts of the Queen to stamp it out, or some may say because of her. Despite this The kingdom is lush, and there are crown sponsored organizations that can help you along any path you wish to take. Life here is smaller than the other countries, and steeped in tradition, both good and bad. It can be a good life, for those that don’t need bustling metropolises or high speed rail lines, so long as they have their community and faith in the crown.