- you're sitting in the corner of the hideout you call home, watching your boss (an older man, both larger and older than you) drop gold coins into a chest. it's an unreal amount of money that he's counting, earned from the last job you did - and you can't help but feel like it's too much. it was too easy. something is wrong.
- you start to feel like this was some kind of trick. you need to get out, even if that idea is terrifying; working here isn't good, but it's all that stands between you and the streets. still, if you're right and this job was too easily accomplished, some kind of trap, maybe living on the streets again is better than getting caught up in whatever consequences are coming.
- you look around the room; none of the other crew members are particularly close to you, but there's one boy who's at least been civil, almost kind. it's a risk to involve him, but if you don't say anything, you have no idea what would happen to him. that doesn't sit right with you. and if he goes with you, you don't have to worry about being quite as alone.
- when you approach and tell him you think the two of you need to leave, he's confused, along with an awkward miscommunication about why he thinks you want to go somewhere alone with him. in the end, though, you convince him that this place isn't safe, that the two of you need to go now. you duck back into your small room to gather the few belongings you have. your mother's earring, a pebble from each city you've visited, a piece of obsidian your brother used to carry as a good luck charm.
- when you come out, you see the boy you just spoke with talking to your boss, and when the latter turns towards you with fury in his eyes, you understand immediately that you've been betrayed. he starts moving towards you, drunk and lurching, yelling - running away? off to betray me to the ministry, are you?
- you don't waste a second before you're sprinting towards the door, maneuvering around furniture and other occupants of the room. before you can reach it, he picks up a stool and throws it hard; when it hits you in the back, you're knocked onto the ground, dazed. and somehow - you use a power you've always had but don't understand. the pain lessens, giving you focus instead of overwhelming you.
- you push yourself to your feet, but it's at the same moment he makes his way to you, bridging the gap between you and backhanding you in the face, hard. it sends you to the ground again. some people are staring and some people are forcing themselves to look away, but nobody helps you as he lifts you up by the front of your shirt and raises his fist again.
- you reach for another power that you don't quite understand, and he pauses instead of landing another blow. he looks softer, more sympathetic. lowering you down, about to let you go - right before the power runs out. now there's another anger on top of his earlier fury; he knows that you tried to manipulate him somehow. he says something about how you've never respected him, how your brother never did either, how he's always been too easy on you, and he hits you again.
- you're on the ground once more in an instant. you can't breathe; the pain is back with a vengeance. your thoughts are a flurry - he can't kill me, he needs me, no he doesn't, he thinks i was going to turn him over to the ministry, he's drunk, he's going to kill me, he's going to kill me, he's going to kill me, please—
- he raises his hand again at the exact same time the door bursts open, stopping him for a moment. the memory ends.
- you're sitting in a room that's full of men who are, at the very least, ten or fifteen years older than you. they all seem amiable as they wait for three others, but being here still makes you anxious.
- after a while, the first of the other three enters; he seems unassuming. short, in workers clothes that are stained with soot. yeden, your mind supplies; you know his name even if you don't recognize him.
- it takes a while for the other two to enter, but they certainly make an entrance. kelsier is the kind of person that immediately attracts all the attention in any room that he enters. tall, with a charismatic smile, energetic and optimistic as he comes in. a natural leader, without needing to put much effort into that aura. his right hand man, dockson, comes in with him. you don't know any of the six men in this room very well, but you're already noticing some of the power dynamics at play. you also notice how happy everyone seems to see him, and think to yourself how no crew you've ever been a part of has ever greeted their leader so warmly.
- after the greetings end, another of the men, breeze, asks kelsier what the job that he's been keeping secret for eight months is, and kelsier tells them yeden is their new employer. the entire room seems shocked by this, and yeden remarks that maybe the other five have an issue working for someone who "actually has morals".
- there's a back and forth volleying of insults, and you glean that five of these men are thieves, while yeden himself is a member of the rebellion, a small force that's been unsuccessfully fighting against "the final empire". everyone regards this group as foolish and ineffective, and yeden admits that he only sought out the other men for their track record with success.
- when they press what exactly yeden wants their help with, kelsier answers - "we're going to help yeden overthrow the final empire".
- silence. dead silence. nobody moves, nobody breathes for at least a few seconds. it ends with a single, disbelieving "excuse me?" from one of the men, and kelsier reiterates that point. their plan is to supply this man with an army, and provide him a way to take control of the city you're currently in, the capital.
- silence, again, broken this time by yeden's laughter. he says he never should have agreed to this, and breeze mentions that people have been trying to overthrow this empire for a thousand years. a debate begins, and you learn a few more things.
- the rebellion up until this point has lacked vision or a strong means of making effective plans. it's partially due to the "skaa", who you know are the lowest class in society (essentially slaves, and a group that everyone in this room including you belongs to) being unwilling to rise up any longer due to how poorly rebellions have gone in the past.
- kelsier, you think as you watch this, is a good liar, but you're having trouble figuring out his motivations. only a fool would believe this was really possible, but you can't see what else he might be getting out of it, especially once he says they've already received payment. it's a payment that another member of the group immediately says is too small for an operation of this size.
- in response, kelsier mentions that there's something else they stand to gain - if they manage to take the city, they can take the treasury and something called atium, located in the ruler's palace. the six of them discuss the finer points of the plan, but some of them remain uncertain, but kelsier is able to convince all of them to agree.
- one man walks out, though, saying the plan is impossible and that all of you will hang. yeden remarks once he's gone that he's too dangerous to be left alive now that he knows the entire plan, and you find yourself agreeing, but nobody follows him regardless.
- last, kelsier turns to you and asks if you're in. you're surprised; you didn't agree verbally like the others, but that's because you imagined he already knew your answer. this, somehow, is the safest place for someone like you.
- "i'm in." you answer, and the memory ends.
Edited 2025-09-23 05:13 (UTC)
day 289 - camera post (cw climate disaster, allusions to abuse)
- you're in your room in a mansion at the beginning of this memory, and you notice someone on a nearby balcony outside - kelsier, your mentor. for a moment, you're reluctant to disturb him, but he sees you through your window and gives you an easy smile. you head out to his side.
- when you look outside, though, you don't just see him - instead of a pleasant blue color, the sky is tinted orange, and there's a black color mixed in from the little flakes of ash falling down from high above. there isn't any shock about this or discomfort as you come to his side; for you, this is normal.
- as you join him, he looks out to where the sun burns red in the distance, and asks you "does it ever look wrong to you? the dry plants, the angry sun, the smoky-black sky?" you shake your head, confused, asking him how something can be wrong if it's simply the way things are. when he says the world shouldn't look this way, you ask how he knows that.
- carefully, he unfolds a faded piece of paper. it's old, thin and delicate enough that you're almost nervous to see him touch it. there's a drawing inside of something you've never seen before, but anyone seeing this memory will easily be able to tell that it's a flower. looking at it, you think that it looks like something out of a fable. too delicate, unable to survive in this world.
- kelsier tells you that these used to grow "before the ascension", but this memory doesn't explain the context of that phrase. he explains that references to these plants can be found in old stories and songs, something his wife was fascinated by prior to her passing. he tells you that she collected the picture you're holding now, and when she was killed, a mutual friend found it in her things and passed it along to kelsier.
- you ask him why he keeps the picture now after "what she did", something not explained here, and he makes a remark about you listening at doorways when you shouldn't. still, he goes on to say that he keeps it, asking you "if you stop loving someone just because they betray you?" he explains that's what made the betrayal hurt so much; that he loved her, and he still does.
- you can't quite wrap your head around that. you ask how he could still love her, and how he could still trust people, along with whether he learned anything from whatever her actions were.
- he tells you that if he was given the choice now between knowing her, betrayal included, and never knowing her, he would choose the former. that he risked and lost, but the risk was still worth it. he explains it's the same with the current crew that he leads, the one you're part of; that he would rather choose to trust instead of spend time worrying about being turned on again.
- when you tell him honestly that you think he sounds foolish, he turns away from the sky to look back at you, asking you, is happiness foolish? he asks where you've been happier - here with him now, or back with your last crew?
- (the mention of your last crew brings flashes forward, like visions you see on the back of your eyelids. beatings from men twice your age, pain, fear—)
- you don't answer his question. you don't have to; he knows you would choose to be here with him any day over where you've been before. it makes an uncomfortable feeling settle in your chest, the idea that you're happier here. the crew you're in, the job you're planning, is temporary and fading. you will lose this, sooner rather than later. with your continued silence, the memory ends.
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day 285 - dating gameshow (cw abuse, alcohol)
- you start to feel like this was some kind of trick. you need to get out, even if that idea is terrifying; working here isn't good, but it's all that stands between you and the streets. still, if you're right and this job was too easily accomplished, some kind of trap, maybe living on the streets again is better than getting caught up in whatever consequences are coming.
- you look around the room; none of the other crew members are particularly close to you, but there's one boy who's at least been civil, almost kind. it's a risk to involve him, but if you don't say anything, you have no idea what would happen to him. that doesn't sit right with you. and if he goes with you, you don't have to worry about being quite as alone.
- when you approach and tell him you think the two of you need to leave, he's confused, along with an awkward miscommunication about why he thinks you want to go somewhere alone with him. in the end, though, you convince him that this place isn't safe, that the two of you need to go now. you duck back into your small room to gather the few belongings you have. your mother's earring, a pebble from each city you've visited, a piece of obsidian your brother used to carry as a good luck charm.
- when you come out, you see the boy you just spoke with talking to your boss, and when the latter turns towards you with fury in his eyes, you understand immediately that you've been betrayed. he starts moving towards you, drunk and lurching, yelling - running away? off to betray me to the ministry, are you?
- you don't waste a second before you're sprinting towards the door, maneuvering around furniture and other occupants of the room. before you can reach it, he picks up a stool and throws it hard; when it hits you in the back, you're knocked onto the ground, dazed. and somehow - you use a power you've always had but don't understand. the pain lessens, giving you focus instead of overwhelming you.
- you push yourself to your feet, but it's at the same moment he makes his way to you, bridging the gap between you and backhanding you in the face, hard. it sends you to the ground again. some people are staring and some people are forcing themselves to look away, but nobody helps you as he lifts you up by the front of your shirt and raises his fist again.
- you reach for another power that you don't quite understand, and he pauses instead of landing another blow. he looks softer, more sympathetic. lowering you down, about to let you go - right before the power runs out. now there's another anger on top of his earlier fury; he knows that you tried to manipulate him somehow. he says something about how you've never respected him, how your brother never did either, how he's always been too easy on you, and he hits you again.
- you're on the ground once more in an instant. you can't breathe; the pain is back with a vengeance. your thoughts are a flurry - he can't kill me, he needs me, no he doesn't, he thinks i was going to turn him over to the ministry, he's drunk, he's going to kill me, he's going to kill me, he's going to kill me, please—
- he raises his hand again at the exact same time the door bursts open, stopping him for a moment. the memory ends.
day 287 - balatro 2 (cw slavery)
- after a while, the first of the other three enters; he seems unassuming. short, in workers clothes that are stained with soot. yeden, your mind supplies; you know his name even if you don't recognize him.
- it takes a while for the other two to enter, but they certainly make an entrance. kelsier is the kind of person that immediately attracts all the attention in any room that he enters. tall, with a charismatic smile, energetic and optimistic as he comes in. a natural leader, without needing to put much effort into that aura. his right hand man, dockson, comes in with him. you don't know any of the six men in this room very well, but you're already noticing some of the power dynamics at play. you also notice how happy everyone seems to see him, and think to yourself how no crew you've ever been a part of has ever greeted their leader so warmly.
- after the greetings end, another of the men, breeze, asks kelsier what the job that he's been keeping secret for eight months is, and kelsier tells them yeden is their new employer. the entire room seems shocked by this, and yeden remarks that maybe the other five have an issue working for someone who "actually has morals".
- there's a back and forth volleying of insults, and you glean that five of these men are thieves, while yeden himself is a member of the rebellion, a small force that's been unsuccessfully fighting against "the final empire". everyone regards this group as foolish and ineffective, and yeden admits that he only sought out the other men for their track record with success.
- when they press what exactly yeden wants their help with, kelsier answers - "we're going to help yeden overthrow the final empire".
- silence. dead silence. nobody moves, nobody breathes for at least a few seconds. it ends with a single, disbelieving "excuse me?" from one of the men, and kelsier reiterates that point. their plan is to supply this man with an army, and provide him a way to take control of the city you're currently in, the capital.
- silence, again, broken this time by yeden's laughter. he says he never should have agreed to this, and breeze mentions that people have been trying to overthrow this empire for a thousand years. a debate begins, and you learn a few more things.
- the rebellion up until this point has lacked vision or a strong means of making effective plans. it's partially due to the "skaa", who you know are the lowest class in society (essentially slaves, and a group that everyone in this room including you belongs to) being unwilling to rise up any longer due to how poorly rebellions have gone in the past.
- kelsier, you think as you watch this, is a good liar, but you're having trouble figuring out his motivations. only a fool would believe this was really possible, but you can't see what else he might be getting out of it, especially once he says they've already received payment. it's a payment that another member of the group immediately says is too small for an operation of this size.
- in response, kelsier mentions that there's something else they stand to gain - if they manage to take the city, they can take the treasury and something called atium, located in the ruler's palace. the six of them discuss the finer points of the plan, but some of them remain uncertain, but kelsier is able to convince all of them to agree.
- one man walks out, though, saying the plan is impossible and that all of you will hang. yeden remarks once he's gone that he's too dangerous to be left alive now that he knows the entire plan, and you find yourself agreeing, but nobody follows him regardless.
- last, kelsier turns to you and asks if you're in. you're surprised; you didn't agree verbally like the others, but that's because you imagined he already knew your answer. this, somehow, is the safest place for someone like you.
- "i'm in." you answer, and the memory ends.
day 289 - camera post (cw climate disaster, allusions to abuse)
- when you look outside, though, you don't just see him - instead of a pleasant blue color, the sky is tinted orange, and there's a black color mixed in from the little flakes of ash falling down from high above. there isn't any shock about this or discomfort as you come to his side; for you, this is normal.
- as you join him, he looks out to where the sun burns red in the distance, and asks you "does it ever look wrong to you? the dry plants, the angry sun, the smoky-black sky?" you shake your head, confused, asking him how something can be wrong if it's simply the way things are. when he says the world shouldn't look this way, you ask how he knows that.
- carefully, he unfolds a faded piece of paper. it's old, thin and delicate enough that you're almost nervous to see him touch it. there's a drawing inside of something you've never seen before, but anyone seeing this memory will easily be able to tell that it's a flower. looking at it, you think that it looks like something out of a fable. too delicate, unable to survive in this world.
- kelsier tells you that these used to grow "before the ascension", but this memory doesn't explain the context of that phrase. he explains that references to these plants can be found in old stories and songs, something his wife was fascinated by prior to her passing. he tells you that she collected the picture you're holding now, and when she was killed, a mutual friend found it in her things and passed it along to kelsier.
- you ask him why he keeps the picture now after "what she did", something not explained here, and he makes a remark about you listening at doorways when you shouldn't. still, he goes on to say that he keeps it, asking you "if you stop loving someone just because they betray you?" he explains that's what made the betrayal hurt so much; that he loved her, and he still does.
- you can't quite wrap your head around that. you ask how he could still love her, and how he could still trust people, along with whether he learned anything from whatever her actions were.
- he tells you that if he was given the choice now between knowing her, betrayal included, and never knowing her, he would choose the former. that he risked and lost, but the risk was still worth it. he explains it's the same with the current crew that he leads, the one you're part of; that he would rather choose to trust instead of spend time worrying about being turned on again.
- when you tell him honestly that you think he sounds foolish, he turns away from the sky to look back at you, asking you, is happiness foolish? he asks where you've been happier - here with him now, or back with your last crew?
- (the mention of your last crew brings flashes forward, like visions you see on the back of your eyelids. beatings from men twice your age, pain, fear—)
- you don't answer his question. you don't have to; he knows you would choose to be here with him any day over where you've been before. it makes an uncomfortable feeling settle in your chest, the idea that you're happier here. the crew you're in, the job you're planning, is temporary and fading. you will lose this, sooner rather than later. with your continued silence, the memory ends.
day 295 - core traits event
day 300 - questions game