Laser Tag Log!

[mooninthewater]

Who: Everyone who signed up for laser tag! (And maybe some others who are lurking!)
What: Laser Tag!!!!!!!!!!
When: July 4th
Where: Throughout the ship! Mostly held to the upper decks.
Warnings: None to start! Though, CWs and such will be added to tag titles as they pop up!

Mizuki has invited everyone who's signed up for Laser Tag (and those that expressed interest in helping him to referee) to join him at the Service Desk at noon. There, Mizuki has brought all the equipment he has received (and he is almost looking at Friday with excited gratitude about it), and waits for the room to fill up with people. Don't worry, he's not about to cause too much trouble for Friday, he just needs time to talk to everyone about the game.

First, he explains how the game works. Usually, in a team setting, there would be a base or nexus to defend, buuuut since he didn't get a whole arena for them or anything, they're just going to have to go by Last Man Standing rules, which is to say, whichever team either eliminates all of the others first, or at least has the more members by the end of the two hour mark (because, uh, we can't be here all day!!), is the winner. You have "two lives," which essentially means you have to be shot twice to be "out". Remember: your guns and chest plates are the equipment, so you can't shoot someone in the head and expect that to work. Shooting the chest plate is the only way to register another person is being shot!! So, in short: aim for the heart!!!!! If anyone asked if there's a prize for winning, Mizuki simply says "You'll see~!"

There's a few rules he goes over as well.

Number one, the guns are not real. He figures the lot of you know this, but feels the need to reiterate, just in case. The most harm they will do is hurt someone's eyes if you shoot a laser into them. That said, do not try to shoot lasers into someone's eyes.

Number two, this is meant to be fun, so no actual fighting. Playful banter is absolutely allowed, but the second things get physical, Mizuki will intervene.

Number three, magical or supernatural abilities, like teleporting and super speed and invisibility, are not allowed! Furthermore, any attempts to cover your chest plate will be penalized and you'll have to have one arm tied behind your back for the rest of the game.

Number four, while the whole ship will act as their arena, do not bother the passengers who do not wish to participate. That is to say, avoid the cabin hallways, cabins, and library for courtesy's sake.

Number five, avoid getting the the equipment wet! It's not really water proof! (You should probably be making the effort to avoid water, anyway.)

Number six, do not attempt to hide for the duration of the game. One, that's boring. Two, if you stay in place for longer than five minutes, your gear will make an alarm sound to alert other people to your whereabouts.

Multiple offenses of the rules will earn you to wear the cone of shame!!! He wants everyone to have a good time!!!

Mizuki himself will be acting referee, and probably "keep an eye on everyone while camouflaged". So don't think he's not watching!

For the teams, he draws names from a small bowl to randomly select who will be going where. The teams are then sorted and Mizuki hands around the equipment to everyone. Group 1 gets blue colored gear, and Group 2 gets red colored gear.

Friendly fire is, in fact, enabled. So try not to shoot your teammates!

He informs everyone that Red Team will all convene on the sports deck and Blue Team will convene at the lounge. Each will have 15 minutes to talk tactics with their teams, get themselves situated, and then the game will have officially begun!

Have fun~!

(( Note: To find out the winners, I did a coin flip, with the winners being Group 1. Feel free to play this out and figure out if your character survives or what have you at your own discretion, though! ))

Comments

Blue Team Pre-game

[mooninthewater]

[ Welcome to the lounge! You have some time to talk shop before the pew pews begin. Or figure out how to put your harness on for 15 minutes I’m not your mom. ]

[sabigoe]

[ The day that laser tag takes place is the same day that Fio picks up her newest package of nightmares from the sundries shop. But just as she's about ready to open the box in her cabin, she remembers the game she signed up for takes place today. She can't be late! And so, she tucks away the package safely in the back of the closet (to be forgotten for about a whole month...)

Eventually, she arrives at the Service Desk to pick up her equipment and listen to the rules. Afterward, she moves with the rest of the Blue Team to the lounge. Her whole team seems to be much taller than her, which is unsurprising. She's used to it by now. It's kind of like how all the bigger children in her neighborhood always towered her whenever they played snowball fights together. Except here she gets to play with a fake laser gun for the first time ever. ]

Hi everyone, my name's Fio. It's my first time playing this kind of game.

[ An introduction, for those who do not know her. She beams happily. Tactics? Okay, she'll talk tactics: ]

Let's do our best!

[opheliac]

Yeah, yeah, YEAH! — We're totally gonna win! Nooooo question!

(she is standing very proudly and cocky, too.)

You got an expert on your side so this is gonna be a real breeze...!!

(if only she could twirl the gun around with her index but that would mean the table being all twisted and forming into all sorts of knots. jinx then peers down over at her little sister with a big grin.)

Ya want me to teach you real quick? It's super easy.

Red Team Pre-game

[mooninthewater]

[ Welcome to the sports deck! Please do not deck each other here. Talk tactics. Get your harness secured. Lie down on the ground until the game starts. Whatever suits your fancy! ]

[pineapplesalmon]

César doesn't know another about battle tactics besides playing some civilization simulators. This isn't going to help in this case. Someone's going to speak up, right? When he accidentally makes eye contact with someone, whether known to him or not, he shrugs.

"Ah, I'm a scientist. 'Fraid all I can do is listen to orders and be pointed in the right direction for this."

He's wearing his vest already over his green turtleneck and brown pants with black equestrian boots. No Christmas tree jokes, please.

[truthkills]

"Man, 'orders.' You make this sound so serious." Kiriya laughs. "The point's to have fun, right? I figure we work up a lil plan or two and just go out there and have a good time."

[colorwheels]

I've actually played this a few times.

[ Alex supplies helpfully to the group as she clips her chest plate on. ]

Those times were completely disorganized chaos though, so... Keep moving and stay low and we might win by sheer dumb luck?

[pineapplesalmon]

César laughs. "I've played once... and honestly, that's the way it's supposed to be."

He holds out his fist for a fist bump. "Good luck!"

[myagic]

Is this really all there is to it? Chaos and luck?

[Rita's not exactly in a hurry to put her on vest on, still carrying her equipment under one arm.]

Seems like a pretty weird game to me... And there aren't even any little explosions or anything when you fire these...

[Yeah, she...she sounds a little disappointed...]

Re: Red Team Pre-game

[prince_of_beasts]

Dimitri's been pacing since he got his vest on, which he managed faster than you might expect for someone who's never seen one before -- the armor he's used to is worse.

"I'm not used to this style of combat, and I'm afraid I'm still unfamiliar with the ship's layout. Can anyone think of any choke points? Defensive holdouts, or any place to create them? We could use furnishings to barricade some of the rooms, but I can't say which would be the most advantageous." He goes back to pacing, one hand flapping at his side. "And holding defensive positions won't be enough -- it sounds like this game requires more aggressive tactics."

He turns to the rest of the team. "Any suggestions? ... this would be easier with a map."

[saltwaterlungs]

"Not a whole lot of choke points. The elevators make everything harder."

Darcy's never really done this sort of thing before, doesn't have a mind for tactics, but she's willing to listen to the people that do. Dimitri seems to have an idea what he's doing, so she sidles up beside him to offer her opinions.

"We could try laying an ambush somewhere like the theater. The only issue would be working out how to lure people in. It'd be good to start off with, anyway, get a lot of early points."

[myagic]

[During the rules rundown, one thing sticks out to Rita...]

What do you mean, no magic?

[This has suddenly become a lot more boring!!]

[topside_cupcake]

Caitlyn was glad to have something a little familiar to do for a change. She checked the equipment several times before putting it on and checking the sights. It wasn't quite like the competitive shooting she was used to, but the ideas did carry over.

"Something like this recoil wouldn't be an issue, the weight was a lot less as well, so you would need to aim a little lower since there won't be as much fall as with normal ammunition.

High ground with a good view will provide the best place for a crack shot. We'll need someone to watch their back though."

Keeping your weapon tucked close offered a little more security here as well, and minimized the chance of giving away your position. But also allowed for raising and firing quickly as well.

"As long as we have each other's back we should do just fine."

[truthkills]

Kiriya's got his equipment on and is all but bouncing with excitement. This is just a consequence-free round of fun, as far as he's concerned. "I don't know about you, but I think my plan is just not getting shot. Keeping it simple, you know?"

The Game

[mooninthewater]

[ Don’t get too crazy, kids! (Just kidding, go nuts.) ]

[Before the Game Even Starts]

[makesomedeals]

[Max looks at his fake laser gun as they start to head off to their appointed areas to get suited up.

He looks over at Ebalon.

He looks back at his gun.

He lasers that moon throwing asshole right in the eyes.

You know, to make sure his equipment is working.]

[wimdy]

[ guess who's actually a really good shot well all right, he's an archer and maybe that kind of skill doesn't or shouldn't translate over into laser tag sharpshootery. unfortunately, it totally does for venti. he'll be pretty formidable with the laser gun and might just either:

1. shoot your character down with a playful laugh
2. just glancingly accidentally-on-purpose miss you and let you go (most likely to people like fio or probably jinx)
3. team up with someone on red team? he can totally also teach people how to shoot and aim properly
4. he'll totally try to aim and shoot down kaeya and diluc and clarke to be honest. nothing personal, he just thinks it'll be funny because he's an idiot.
5. idk someone just shoot him already, he can get taken off guard and though he's small and agile he's still perfectly target-able. ]

[sabigoe]

[ And Fio roams around the ship, obediently going by the rules, and trying to aim at the chest with her laser gun. She's being careful not to go for the eyes... she doesn't want to hurt anyone! It's probably hard for her anyway, since she does have to aim a little more upward. Innocently grinning the whole time, even if she doesn't see anyone else in the vicinity. Look, she's very excited to be playing this for the first time!

Regardless of whether she knows you on the Red Team or not, she's going to try shooting for anyone on the opposing side. Or maybe she'll accidentally aim at someone on her own team while their back is turned... oops! ]

alex chen » red team

[colorwheels]

[ 'is it really an advantage to have played laser tag before if it wasn't on a boat?' is not a question Alex ever thought she'd be asking herself. but here she is, creeping around the halls of the ship, toy gun in hand and arms up to protect her chest as she peeks around corners.

she plays totally fair, even doing her best to keep her empathy at bay enough to not give away the location of anyone who might be coming near. still, it's not always something she's capable of and it's possible to pick that there's something odd about the way she reacts to people around her, always seeming to notice them just a few seconds too early. any other red team she greets quickly too, happy to give out tips or suggestions of where she's seen someone.

it seems Alex has finally found a new outfit too! it's hard to be sneaky in distressed jeans. ]

GIVE PEACE A CHANCE | jeff | no team/bystander

[cacophonish]

Jeff may be a hot mess on even his best days, but you know what? He's got principles. He's a principled dude.

...kind of. Sort of. Sometimes.

So. Jeff's aware of the shipwide game of laser tag, and while he definitely didn't sign up for it because competitive games freak him out and he's a huge wimp out of a sense of principle, it's kind of hard to avoid it while he's out loitering around the ship.

Maybe he's bumped into you while you're hiding out somewhere, waiting to ambush another player. Maybe you've just run past him, on the hunt. Maybe he accidentally walked into the middle of a laser-fueled firefight. In any case, here's Jeff's contribution.

"Whoa... hey, c'mon, dude!" Or dudes, if there's, like, more than one player around. "This stuff's, like, fucking army propaganda. War games are so violent..."

Yeah, we've got a conscientious objector here.

Rita >> Group 2 / Red Team

[myagic]

[Rita is used to ranged fighting...with her magic. This weird gun? Not so much. And right off the bat, she's irritated that the rules forbid her from using her magic, when that would've made this game way more interesting, in her opinion! Anyway...

Find her:
a. Not being particularly stealthy in her eye-searingly bright choice in Tommy Bahama outfits, skirting the edges of the pool deck;
b. Rapidly shooting if she spots anyone from the blue team (besides Fio, probably...), either missing her target or getting a lucky shot;
c. Fussing with the vest, which she doesn't particularly like;
or d. bring a wildcard--partnerships, banter, antagonizing, etc!

If she gets angry enough, she's pretty likely to throw the "no magic" rule out the window...and she's much better at aiming her spells.]

clarke griffin » blue team

[skaikru]

( this isn't a testament to how she's somehow come to live for war and conflict, but it also... kinda is. catch her:

a: the strong offense prompt — fresh off the starting line, sure, clarke treats this as a game. there's no real stakes, only pride on the line, and once her teammates scatter it's increasingly easy to resist the urge to friendly fire (hi stede, hi jinx) and focus on the objective. but ask natsuno yuuki and he'd tell you that clarke griffin is incapable of chilling out and just playing a game without an undercurrent of caustic competitiveness.

bold and brash, there's no masking her steps or peeking around corners. just all out warfare from the second the game starts. clarke might even chase after other players. specifically trying to score an early point against murderbot, undine, darcy, rita, or dimitri. she also has no respect for dibs, sorry max. it's on sight for ebalon too.

—

or at some point after absolutely obliterating venti, where her vest blinks to signal she's down one life:

—

b: the co-op mode prompt (blue team only, she'll carry you guys it's fine) — blue vests. it's like looking across a battlefield hazed over with mist and catching sight of an ally in your darkest moment. and clarke's heart soars because the oft spoken rule of war is: strength in numbers, overwhelm and have more firepower.

whether you're pinned under enemy fire, doing your own bit of skulking about looking for a kill, running scared, hiding, meandering, or taking a proverbial water break, the righteous hand of laser tag god is suddenly at your shoulder in the form of a 5'5" blonde who looks ready to raze the entire ship in order to crush red team. )

How many kills have you had? What do you think their number's at?

( unless of course, you're fio, who gets the kid gloves and a (not at all unnerving) smile: ) Are you having fun? No one's picking on you, are they?

( or stede bonnet, who will unerringly be ignored and left to the wolves.

c: the double tap prompt — that's it, no prisoners, let's finish this. this is clarke, peering around corners or crouching behind environmental shields, fully entering her stalking phase. doesn't every teenage girl have one of those?

...no? well... concerning.

if you're on the red team and suddenly get the distinct impression eyes are fixes between your shoulder blades as you jog down a hallway, it's because they are. look around, maybe catch a hint of blonde hair disappearing around a corner, but no one's there when you double back to investigate. an elevator dings in the distance, a door closes, someone coughs out of your line of sight.

and then your being shot at. not just a single blow either, as soon as the laser gun recharges — the proverbial rack of the slide — clarke's trying her darndest to hit you again square in the life point tracker.

there's not a lot of room for talking, but if you run and hide, she'll follow. dehydrated enough to lie unimpeded, she'll even beseech — )

Come on, the game's basically over. You did good, I think you're the only one left on red team.

( d: the feint prompt — but with her back pressed in a corner, walls closing into a chokepoint, or just taken by surprise, clarke will acknowledge she's caught. surrender is a part of any conflict, and she'll obligingly raise both hands, finger still on the laser gun trigger and very casually pant out, )

Woah. Can we talk about this?

( but either you better shoot first and now, or she'll be dropping her gun level with your chest before the this is even all the way formed on her tongue, firing indiscriminately, and then pitching herself sideways in an attempt to seek cover. this is the prompt for rule breaking physical violence, too, sometimes you just gotta grapple. is it a cone of shame or a cone of guerilla tactic competence. )

—

( e: the wildcard option — y'all know me, i'm easy like sunday morning, throw me a random prompt or tweak my set ups and i'll roll with it! )

[on the blue team] looking for show-offs

[broshaw]

[Sharky is playing but like, in a very chill way. He showed up just in time to put on a vest and he's basically just making his way slowly around the decks, keeping an eye out for red vests and otherwise just sorta taking in the mood.

Okay, really? Sharky figures there are a lot of weirdos aboard who are gonna take this shit waaaaay too seriously, which means he has a chance to sort of... you know. Like. See what other people are all about when it comes to combat. He's used to firefights in general, and of course, he's played laser tag before. He assumes one of those statements is true for just about everyone who signed up, and in that case, he'd bet good money that these are the guys who might also shoot him if a situation goes sideways.

He'll get tagged out eventually, but at least he might learn something. It'll be good news (they're all terrible shots and/or are taking this not seriously at all), or it'll be bad news (they're all bullet-bending badasses with crazy psychotic streaks). Either way, he'll have a little more situational awareness!]

Caitlyn Kiramman | Red Team

[topside_cupcake]

Securing the high ground:
So while she wasn't hiding, Caitlyn did start off the game by strategically finding herself on the upper decks, in places where clear lines of sight were abundant. Allowing her to get a few easy hits in against the blue team without them knowing exactly where it came from. But she also remained mobile, not staying in one spot for more than a minute or two, and occasionally moving into one that would oversee the previous for those that were investigating.

She also was sure to offer cover fire and support for any of the blue that might have been caught in a corner or needed help. Popping up long enough to drive back if not disable the threat.

Co-op mode: Red Team Only
[As the game went on Caitlyn did gradually become a little more anxious, the reality of coming face to face with Jinx in a situation like this was definitely less than favorable for either of them. As they work together she'll give them a brief crash course on hand signs, and properly clearing corners and checking doors. After all once you're kidnapped out of your own shower, you become a little more cautious.

Unlike many of the others in the contest, with Caitlyn each time it was one shot, one hit, never taking more than three shots or seconds to secure the target. The size of the vests are actually slightly bigger than the ones she was accustomed to, and the movement wasn't that much more of a complication when you understood how someone moved. Every now and then she would hit the wall next to the person she was aiming for to get them to turn and present a better shot at the vest.]

You have to wait for the right moment, without missing the window. There's only a split second.

Bruised Ego: post Jinx fight CW: Spoilers for Arcane S1E9, Description of minor injuries, mentions of death.
The altercation with Jinx left her with a busted lip and more than a few bruises. She wasn't even certain if the event was still going, but she was still on her feet and the vest and gun were still strapped to her as she sat in the hallway curled up. She needed a moment. The tears that were coming from her eyes weren't necessarily from the scratches and possibly bruised ribs she had, but from the anger and frustration that was still overflowing. As far as Caitlyn knew, the last thing she had seen prior to waking up was Jinx killing the council, including Jayce and her mom. She could see the missile, helpless to change anything, only able to watch the detonation steal her family away.

She still has the gun in her hand, though her wrists are resting on her knees and her head is hung down. Everything hurt, she was tired, and yet Caitlyn still wanted to go after her; to bring her to Justice. No more second hesitation, no more second chances or doubting what a monster she was. She was a pretty easy target just sitting there for anyone to take out, but the game was the last thing on her mind now.

High Ground

[makesomedeals]

Max is taking this 'friendly game' far too seriously. Put a gun in his hand and he becomes a maniacal villain instantly. So he is keeping to the shadows, staying behind cover, only appearing to fire off a few shots before sinking back into the more interior spaces of the ship.

He's a little at a disadvantage since his eyes glow red and the lights in his head would line him up for sniper shots if it wasn't the vest everyone was supposed to be aiming for. Another Blue gets tagged, and Max backs up, a little unsure where it came from, the diodes of his eyes scanning around looking for the culprit.

Crouched down he's at a bad angle to shoot, but he hasn't spotted Caitlyn yet.