The Human Game: A Shrine for a Fake God

>”You want to punish us. All of us. For doing bad things, I guess.”



You’re so frustrated. You feel a certain pain in your chest as what seems like a mountain of emotions that you’ve been holding back for so long rushes out of you. You’re so tired. You’re so scared. You’re so angry and mad with this monster man, who seems to want nothing but see you and the rest suffer.

ABIGAIL: I don’t know!
ABIGAIL: I don’t know, okay!

The tears keep on flowing. You don’t want to be here! You want to be home!

CANCEL: I don’t care about your tears, child.
CANCEL: Answer me.
ABIGAIL: You…you just want to punish us.
ABIGAIL: You just want to judge us for everything bad we ever did!
ABIGAIL: But who allowed you to do that?
ABIGAIL: You can’t…you can’t just...
ABIGAIL: Nobody has the right to be some punisher who punishes everyone else…
CANCEL: A punisher? Is that what you think I am?

>”But it’s hard to say…you never actually call yourself the villain, yet your actions seem intended to make people think that's all there is.”



Now that you think about it, isn’t that odd? To ask something like that? Like Cancel just wants to confirm that you think he’s bad.

Like he really, really wants you to think he’s the villain…?

ABIGAIL: …Maybe you are a punisher!
ABIGAIL: B-but maybe that’s what you want!
ABIGAIL: I don’t know why, but…it’s strange.
CANCEL: Oh? What is?
ABIGAIL: You do so many bad things. And you don’t say you’re bad, but…
ABIGAIL: You seem to want people to think you’re bad.
CANCEL: I want people to think I’m bad?
ABIGAIL: No, no, I…I don’t know.
ABIGAIL: Like…I don’t know. It’s too simple to just think you’re evil.
CANCEL: …
CANCEL: Haha, is that so, Ms. Faust?
CANCEL: Let me tell you the things people have claimed me to be!
CANCEL: To some, I am a conductor, I am a punisher, I am a villain, I am a judge, I am an arbiter!
CANCEL: To others, I am a nightmare, I am a witch, I am the end of all things, I am a demon!
CANCEL: To several, I am the devil’s chosen one, I am a monster, I am the voice in your head that whispers your misdeeds to the world!
CANCEL: And to some individuals, I am a fallen angel sent down to cleanse this world, I am the dark salvation needed to purify those who are darkest!
CANCEL: I am all of these things, yes! But also, I am none of these things!
CANCEL: How easy it is, to be slated into a part in everyone’s personal stories!
CANCEL: I almost feel flattered.
CANCEL: But ah, how humanity amuses me and disgusts me with the idea that everything needs to be so organized…so black and white…
CANCEL: But I suppose I’ll confess. Of course, in this game, I am playing a role.
CANCEL: Just as you and the others are playing a role. A game would not be a game without such a thing.
ABIGAIL: …What is your role, though?
CANCEL: Now that…that is the question, isn’t it, Ms. Faust?

CANCEL: This game has many layers to it, you know. So many mysteries to uncover…
CANCEL: And I suppose one of those happens to be “what is the role that Cancel is playing?”
CANCEL: Nobody has guessed at it correctly, of course. Game after game after game…not a single one.
CANCEL: And though while I detest the idea of roles, this role of mine is necessary.
CANCEL: The Human Game would not exist without me. And in a way, I would not exist without the Human Game.
ABIGAIL: I-I don’t understand.
ABIGAIL: You’re evil. You like seeing us turned into monsters…
ABIGAIL: You punish people. Doesn’t that mean you’re evil?
ABIGAIL: But you’re doing this for a reason?
ABIGAIL: …But why? What reason could you ever have to do such terrible things?
CANCEL: There you go, searching for answers in the endless darkness.
CANCEL: Many people assume that I had something bad happen to me, and that is why I am the way I am!
CANCEL: A tragic past made me into the monster they all see me as! Such a suitable explanation!
CANCEL: Hahaha, what a ridiculous thought!
ABIGAIL: Yeah, just because bad things happen to people doesn’t mean that they’re bad!
ABIGAIL: …Right?
CANCEL: Oh, if you’d like to think so.
CANCEL: Though, we all have our personal motley of demons from the past that like to haunt us, Ms. Faust.
CANCEL: Even I suffer from this malady.
CANCEL: Even I.

CANCEL: …

CANCEL: Anyways!
CANCEL: Ms. Faust! Enough chitchat!
CANCEL: You are here to become my truthbearer.
CANCEL: Are you ready?
ABIGAIL: I, uh…
CANCEL: Now, now, don’t hesitate. You were the one who chose this little route.
CANCEL: What I didn’t mean to tell you, though, is that there is one condition to this truth.
CANCEL: And that is, I will tell you the truth. Part of the truth. A snippet of it.
CANCEL: Then, I want to hear your answer to a certain question regarding what you’ll do with the truth, knowing what I just told you.
CANCEL: Will you share it with the rest? Will you keep it to yourself?
CANCEL: You can answer however you’d like.
CANCEL: But you must heed your answer. Then I’ll finish sharing the rest of the truth with you, and you must keep your word and do whatever you said when you meet with the others.
CANCEL: Share it, or keep it. Or whatever you will answer to me now.
ABIGAIL: What happens if I do the opposite of what I said…?
CANCEL: I’ll punish you.
ABIGAIL: That’s not fair! How am I supposed to make a choice about sharing it or keeping it secret if you’re only giving me part of the truth!
CANCEL: I claimed I would share the truth. I never claimed I would make it fair, haha!
ABIGAIL: …
CANCEL: Now then, here is your part of the truth, dear Ms. Faust.
CANCEL: There is a person among your group who has a dangerous weapon in their possession that can hurt many others.
CANCEL: I do not know if they have any intention of using it now. They may decide to never use it in any capacity during this game.
CANCEL: But the matter of the fact is, they stand as a direct threat to the rest if they make a choice to use it.
CANCEL: This is a weapon that can hurt many people at once. It would also very likely kill them.
CANCEL: This is the truth, Ms. Faust.
CANCEL: And I know the identity of the person, and the nature of the weapon, and I will tell them both to you.
CANCEL: But before I do, I must know what you will do.
CANCEL: Will you share this fact with the others? Keep it to yourself? Or do something different?
CANCEL: If you share it, the person in question may panic and use their weapon. But if you don't share it, perhaps you will not prevent a tragedy...
CANCEL: But if you decide to only allude to it partially, maybe that will only make the rest lose trust in one another...
CANCEL: Remember, if you don’t heed your answer…I’ll punish you.
CANCEL: Truthbearer, what will you do, with your truth?

Author's Note:

SpoilerShow

gee i wonder what sort of game i'm addicted to currently that has certainly not had an influence on this update, no sirree

the weapon that Cancel is referring to is NOT Seth's knife that Daniel currently has in his possession. It's something ENTIRELY different.

also while I'm here THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR MAKING THE HUMAN GAME A FEATURED ADVENTURE FOR THIS WEEK, god bless everyone who likes this little horror webcomic/forum adventure of mine, you're all the real MVPs

So that was interesting. I'd fallen way behind on keeping up with the Cancel's computer tumblr thing so I went back to read through it all. I got to the first "audio" link to a YouTube video of an old-timey song, and there were these weird mechanical distortions to it. Assuming it was deliberate, I went on and reached the next such link. I found it had the same sort of distortions and got a bit suspicious, especially considering that none of the comments on the video acknowledged this. It turns out something had gone wrong in connecting my headphones to my computer, causing the distortions. What's odd is just how perfectly these distortions fit, to the point where I didn't even question them the first time.

IT'S INFLUENCE IS SPREADING (no, but that's kind of weirdly cool)