A playthrough of Love Sinks, a Wretched & Alone Game.
(Read previous week here.)
WEEK 7
Confessional:
Another group date. Ugh! It’s hard to have that intimate one-on-one connection with Nadreall, then share time with other guys. The good news, however, was that Freddy wasn’t on the date. The bad news . . . that meant he was going on a one-on-one. Grrrr!
Have you ever heard of Janice Helen Thompson . . . I meant before the show . . . Neither had I. In fact, I doubt any of the guys knew who she was, but we all nodded and feigned excitement when Nadreall introduced the group to her. She’s one of this decade’s top writers of romantic poetry, and that’s what this date was all about: love poems. She gave us a brief workshop then sent us off to write our own poems for the Princess. When we finished we were asked to read them to her in front of the entire group . . . yeah, everyone was thrilled. Can you hear my sarcasm? But there was a bright side. The person who Janice and Nadre agreed wrote the best poem would win the opportunity to take the Princes to a place of our choosing for an impromptu one-on-one date.
Finally, a challenge I’m trained for . . . No, I’m not a poet, but I do write for a living, which I should give me one up on the other guys. And this might be my own bias, but I think working in a mostly graphic medium has taught me to be a little more artistic and colorful than other forms of writing . . . You want to hear my poem? Okay.
She's a vision, painted by the aquamarine sea,
A stranger, uncertain of what the future might be.
She seeks a hero for her journey to start,
I'll be her guide with a Giant's true heart:
Like the Wind, I will carry you to the ends of this earth,
With a passion like a fire that burns in a hearth,
I’ll shade you as a mountain from storms that may rage,
And return you home safe beneath the waters and waves.
. . . Thank you. Yes, I did take inspiration from Golems. The giants and elements and all. And it worked because, Yay, I won. I got to take Nadrea to a place of my choosing and I knew exactly where. She wants to see the world. I promised to show it to her. If I can’t take her in person, then I’d give her the next best thing. VirtuZone!
VirtuZone is like next-gen VR entertainment and not just some basic headset and gloves. First, they scan your body and create an avatar that looks just like you. Next, they fit you in a full-body haptic suit. Real Ready Player One type stuff. This was all new to Nadre. She had never heard of virtual reality and didn’t know what to expect. I took her rock climbing in the Grand Canyon, explored caves in South America, stood on the streets in New York City, and even took a stroll on the surface of the moon. She loved it and I think it sparked more of a desire in her to see the real things.
Inspired, Nadreall wanted to share a little bit of her world with me, so we pulled up an underwater ocean simulation. Then she surprised me by suggesting we go full mermaid and merman, with tails and everything. We swam through coral reefs and among shipwrecks. We played tag with a school of dolphins. I couldn’t help myself. I swam right up to her and we kissed . . . Okay, actually, we bumped helmets. Talk about awkward. But we just took off the helmets and kissed for real. Magical! I literally felt electricity course through me. Ok, that could have been the haptic suit, but I’d rather think it was our connection . . . Of course, she gave me the date lotus at the end of the night. She’s it. She’s the one. I am definitely falling in love and I can’t wait to see where we go from here.
The Rolls:
Draw: 1 Card
Two of Hearts: You won the chance to take the Heir out to a place of your choosing. Where do you take them and what do you do?
Token Roll: 1
<There have been significantly few draws that relate to the transformation (diamonds). If this were real, I would have expected the transformation to be further along by now. I’m expecting a week that has a lot of transforming soon.>
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
WEEK 8
Confessional:
<I show off my skin that is beginning to take on a bluish tint.> You like my color. It just started setting in a few days ago. I'm told it’s one of the side effects of the pills. That’s why all the Atlanteans’ skin has an aquamarine color . . . I find it very sexy on Nadreall. The only drawback is that some of my favorite clothes clash, especially the oranges and browns . . . I’m not sure what I’ll do with them yet. For now, I’ll hold on to them, just won’t wear them. Wait until I get a second opinion from my friends and family . . . Oh, of course! If Nadreall likes them I’ll wear them every day. <laugh>
To be honest, I’m ready for this transformation to move a little faster. Many of the other guys are several steps ahead of me. In fact, I might be one of the last to get any of the procedures. Not sure what that means. Are the transformations happening in the order of Nadre’s preference? For instance, if she doesn’t choose you, you might not want to be a fish. In fact, you probably don’t. I hope that’s not the case. I like to think that I’m near the top of her list.
But being behind does have its advantages, the main being able to see how the transformation affects the others. Take the gills for example. Everyone had a really difficult time with that, probably the worst part of the transformation so far. When they tested the gills, they couldn’t figure out the breathing. Most still tried to breathe through their mouth and nose. I’m assuming due to habit? They would end up with a mouth full of water and having to surface real quick. Wayne was the scariest. The safety crew had to drag him from the pool and give him mouth-to-mouth. So, knowing this, I did a little research to figure out ahead of time how gills work and when it was my time to get in the pool, I took to it right away. I did have one false start, but soon got the hang of it and was swimming back and forth completely underwater. I enjoyed it so much that after about 30 minutes they practically had to force me from the pool to get ready for the date.
The transformation is making me think of life in a new way. I came across this photo on my phone. <I show the producer the picture. It’s of me in my bedroom back home. The only item of note for this scene is a small aquarium on my dresser.> It made me think of my fish. I’ve never been much of a pet person . . . I like animals, but I always seem to have so much going on that I don't need the added responsibility of taking care of a dog or cat. Fish, however, is easy. Pretty much feed ‘em and let ‘em be. When I wanted to relax or just give my mind a break I would sit on my bed and watch them swim around. When I saw this picture, after getting out of the pool, I realized I might soon be living in their world. Much bigger, of course, but swimming underwater, like you’re in space. Would life be easier . . . harder? If I took them with me and let them out, would they stay with me or just swim off . . . Oh yeah, they would certainly swim off. I’m no fool. But, it’s fun to think about having a fish friend, you know, like Flounder . . . You don’t know Flounder? The little mermaid? Hmm, not a Disney fan, I guess.
. . . I guess you’re talking about Freddy? Yeah, that was one heck of a shake-up. He said something that really upset the Princess . . . Obviously, I don’t know all the details, but when he left the room for his time with Nadre, a couple of the other guys approached me to tell me what he said to them. Apparently, he believed the only reason I was on the show and wanted to win -- his words, not mine -- was to see Atlantis and get story ideas for the comic. It was his intention to share his suspicions with Nadreall. I guess he was trying to get me kicked off the show . . . Was there any truth to it? Well, in a way, but not how he thinks. Several of us were sitting around talking about what we were most excited to see or curious about Atlantis. Matt R likes to study cultures, so he wants to see how the Atlanteans live. Leon is a real beachgoer, so living in the water is really attractive to him. For me, it was having a new experience that may inspire my writing. While I was sharing this, Freddy walked into the room. All he heard was my part of the conversation and not all the background leading up to it. Either he misunderstood what I was saying, or he’s just a BEEP and wants to bad mouth me to Nadreall to turn her against me.
. . . Oh, yes! I was very concerned, but then he came storming into the room with Nadreall close on his heels, yelling at him things about being self-centered and arrogant. Freddy kept going out the front door. The last thing Nadre yelled was, “By the way, you look like BEEP in blue!” <snicker> Then she walked into the living room, clearly upset, and talked to all of us. “I am curious about the surface world,” she said. “I want to know how you live and what you’ve created. And I would expect that all of you would be equally curious about my world. In fact, if you aren’t, I don’t understand why you are here. This is a commitment. To me, to my people. I’m looking for a mate. And Atlantis is a part of me. You can’t accept me without accepting my home. Any of you who would condemn or criticize another for wanting to embrace Atlantis and make it A part of themselves just doesn’t get it and aren’t worthy to be welcomed by me or my family. If that’s any of you, if anyone feels ashamed to come to Atlantis, you can leave right now. I don’t need you wasting my time.” Then she left. I hate seeing her upset, but at the moment, I was more thrilled that Freddy was gone.
The Show:
Several minutes before the confrontation Darin discusses in this confessional, Freddy and Nadreall are having a one-on-one conversation while sitting on a sofa in another room. Early on in the conversation, Freddy brings up a “concern” he has about one of the other contestants. The Princess urges him to reveal more, at which point he says he doesn’t believe Darin (You) are here for the right reasons. The only reason you are on the show is to gather ideas for your graphic novel and use this show to promote it. Nadreall nods her head and appears to contemplate what was said before responding.
Nadreall: First of all, thank you for your concern and for having the courage to tell me this. Actually, Darin and I have already discussed his novels and how he gets inspiration for his stories. He may have already been thinking about using Atlantis in his stories, but I think I was the first to bring up the idea of him using my home for a storyline.
Freddy: Oh. Really?
Nadreall: Yes. I am excited that he wants to learn about my home and share it with others. Do you have any interest in where I come from?
Freddy: Uh, of course. I want to know you. I want to know your home. I’m very interested.
Nadreall: Are you sure? Do you know anything about me? What’s my sister’s name? Or my mother’s for that matter?
Freddy: Uh, uh . . .
Nadreall: Where did I like to play as a child? What do I love most about living in the ocean?
Freddy: I know those things. I’ve been listening to you. I just don’t remember right now, we’ve talked about a lot.
Nadreall: Yes, we have. But you wouldn’t have known any of those answers even if you were listening because you never ask anything about my life. All you want to talk about is yourself, what you do, what accomplishments you’ve made.
Freddy: Of course I talk about myself. You’re looking for a partner. Isn’t knowing more about me important if you are going to choose me as your husband?
Naderall: That’s it right there. Choosing you as my husband. Everything you say comes across as you are trying to convince me about how good a husband you’d make. What makes a good relationship is knowing about each other and you don’t seem to want to know anything about me, except how pretty I am, or how amazing a person I am, or how great a kisser I am.
Freddy: <impish smile> Well, you are.
Nadreall: <totally oblivious to his charms> And if you think that I don’t know about your dislike of Darin, Matt, and several of the others, you are sadly mistaken. I hear bits and pieces here and there. How no one is as good as you. The other guys are basically little boys, not men. “The Princess knows she’s in the presence of Greatness whenever I walk in the room.” You are arrogant, egotistical, and done here. It’s time you leave.
To emphasize this, Nadreall points to the door. Freddy, looking disgusted, gets up and leaves which leads to the events previously described in Darin’s confessional.
<Note: The above scene would almost never happen on our real life dating shows. Instead, the Bachelor or Bachelorette would trust everything they are being told, possibly go to the other person to get their side of the story, then be utterly confused over who to believe because they never take the next logical step which is talking to the other contestants in order to verify who is telling the truth.>
The Rolls:
Draw: 6 Cards
Two of Spades: While rearranging items in your contestant room, you find a picture of a pet. You suddenly realize they won't be able to join you under the sea. How does that feel?
Five of Clubs: The film crew caught another contestant talking trash about you to the Heir. They look upset and leave the room quickly. What did they say and was it honest? Roll for balloons. 3 Down to 12 balloons.
Ace of Diamonds: Your body reacts positively to one of the changes, causing it to go smoother than expected.
Set this card aside. On any subsequent Diamond card, you may choose not to roll for balloons and instead discard this card.
Two of Diamonds: After daily doses of small pills, your skin tone takes on a bluish tint. Some of your old clothes look awkward against it. Do you get rid of them? Roll for balloons. 2 Down to 10 balloons
Four of Diamonds: Some of the other contestants are changing more quickly than you are. Do you feel left behind? Roll for balloons. 5 (use one of my hearts to cancel this roll) Still at 10 balloons.
Ace of Clubs: This episode provided the audience with a redemption arc for you and improved their interest in you as a person. (In case it isn't clear, I presented this as Naderall not falling for Freddy's antics and kicking him off the show.)
If you have already drawn the King of Clubs, you may shuffle it back into the deck.
Token Roll: 6 Remove one token. 9 Remaining.
(Read the next week here.)
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