It was a rather hot day in this corner of Goiky.
These things happened, of course. These things happened regularly. Just another one of the many, *many* inconveniences that came with the pain of living, as if the Battle for Dream Island: The Power of Two wasn't already *more* than enough for them. Even when they were in-between episodes, even when nothing was in their itinerary, even if they didn't need to do anything, the universe still managed to find ways to bother and harass them for just *existing*. That's just the way life was, it seemed. Things were gonna be thrown at you, curveballs were gonna knock you off your feet, you're gonna stumble, you're gonna fall, you're gonna crumble, you're gonna die. Then you're gonna get recovered, and you're gonna start the whole cycle all over again. And even though absolutely *nobody* wanted this to keep going, even though it's been years and years of competing and there's *still* been nothing good, no reward for their continued fighting, even though they all shared much the same sentiment of growing weary and tired of all of this, of their fears of something painful and terrible happening to them outweighing their desire to win something, *anything*... The world was a harsh and cruel prankster. They wanted much the same escape, the same refuge from all this pain and misery, and yet they were never able to put those thoughts into words, into actions. They were never able to band together to put an end to this nonsense. They were unable to declare that there was to be no more, that they were *done*.
After all, the Battle for Dream Island is exactly that: a battle. It's a show that is fed and perpetuated by them, the hapless living objects serving as contestants, being willing to do whatever it takes to win whatever's up for grabs. They'll go through challenges, they'll risk their lives (many times over, even)< they'll fight against former friends and allies, they'll betray their current teammates, they'll accept banishment to some otherworldly realm, all for the sake of having a *slightly* better chance of winning The coveted Power of Two, a prize that will most likely never see the light of day, given the track record of all the other rewards. Without that, *surely*, all this pain and suffering would come to an end; well, at the very least, it'd be *significantly* lessened. If they put aside their differences and grievances, decided that they'd no longer split up into arbitrary teams and fight each other for the sake of the amusement of unknown, uncaring voters and viewers, then any and all power the competition had over them would immediately cease. Sure, there might still be other problems after that; they've had a *very* close look at just what these algebralians are capable of, and it isn't exactly beyond them to resort to desperate measures to get them to fall in line. But *surely* they knew that if they did that, that'd just make them *less* keen on competing, on following any of their orders. The contestants had *all* the bargaining power.
If only they could actually make use of it.
Unfortunately, it didn't seem like that would be the case. The conflict and division brought by the Battle for Dream Island seemed to run too deep; the years and years of competing had allowed it to truly set in, becoming integral to their decision-making process, warping the definitions of normal and reasonable. It has driven them to madness many times over, making them do all sorts of crazy, irrational things all for the sake of putting smiles on those unseen viewers, people with no compassion or empathy, somehow *happy* to watch them suffer and writhe. And that terrible mindset, that infection, seems to have spread to them as well. They'd do *whatever* it takes in order to win, no matter what the prize may be, no matter how many bridges they have to burn. And all that the few people that are actually aware of this depressing status quo can do is just sit back and watch. Watch as everyone continues to destroy any and all happiness and enjoyment in this world.
Pin would *especially* feel that sentiment.
For all her life, she had prided herself in being this brave, heroic leader. Someone people could rely on in their darkest moments, someone to drive them, push them into becoming the best possible version of themselves. But these past few episodes have been a horrific tumble, an impromptu, painful reminder of reality.
