LAUGH-LAST betrays the Pact at the Summit

Story Timeline Event
This article is part of the TBC Wiki's *Story Timeline*.
To append content to this entry, click **here**.

## Event Information

**Date:** November 5, 2021

**Voices:** LAUGH-LAST, THEE-I-DARE, SEED-THE-GRUDGE, THE-MEASURE-CUTS, SPEAK-AS-ONE

**Character:** Grandmother

**Relevant Interaction:** 1

## Event Details

Warning: Current Plot Spoilers
This section contains details about current plot threads.
The Pact planned the Summit to welcome LAUGH-LAST into the Pact, gaining the help of his numerous hosts before Sundown. THEE-I-DARE shared that LAUGH-LAST was due to meet with the Pact at the Summit soon. He heard that LAUGH-LAST wants time with SEED-THE-GRUDGE and said that it would be LAUGH-LAST’s funeral if he doesn’t behave. Dax also advised Club members to warn LAUGH-LAST not to mess with SEED-THE-GRUDGE, and said it was definitely necessary for THEE-I-DARE to apologize for LAUGH-LAST to join the Pact. THEE-I-DARE believed it was likely LAUGH-LAST would kick him out of the Pact following his apology to exile him, as he once exiled LAUGH-LAST. In that event, THEE-I-DARE believed the Pact would still be strengthened and planned to seek out IN-HER-TEETH.[*citation needed*] The Summit was a necessary step to gain back the numbers lost upon DIE-FOR-YOU’s death. THEE-I-DARE expressed that “plans are at last coming together”.

The night of the Summit, SEED-THE-GRUDGE sent out another Broadcast inviting LAUGH-LAST to the Summit, and stating that he would get his apology from THEE-I-DARE. She warned LAUGH-LAST that she had heard of his interest in her, and they would be “allies in war” and nothing more. Additionally, she reminded him that she was “the knife concealed in [In-Her-Teeth’s] sleeve” throughout IN-HER-TEETH and LAUGH-LAST’s relationship.

Just before the Summit, Grandmother approached a SEED-THE-GRUDGE follower, requesting that he tell LAUGH-LAST to be respectful to SEED-THE-GRUDGE. THEE-I-DARE then arrived to inform a Club member that LAUGH-LAST wished them to act as a “neutral party” to convey his wishes. LAUGH-LAST greeted his representative and listened to the warning about SEED-THE-GRUDGE before going to The Place Between to meet with the Pact. Despite the warning, he still greeted her as “grudge momma” and started by mocking SEED-THE-GRUDGE and THE-MEASURE-CUTS. THE-MEASURE-CUTS expressed that holding the shared state of dream was difficult, and asked LAUGH-LAST to get on with it.

SEED-THE-GRUDGE addressed LAUGH-LAST, and formally invited him into the Pact. Not wanting to say it himself, he urged his representative to tell the Pact that he desired an apology from THEE-I-DARE. THEE-I-DARE obliged, speaking through a Club member: “Brother. When we were young… I misunderstood your gift. The joke. A miracle, of sorts. Rebellion in a form I did not see. You were more a rebel than I. To shun you was wrong, I see it. That is all I will say tonight.” LAUGH-LAST responded, *“Huh. Well, cool! Thanks Tiddles. Now get the fuck out of here. I’m serious. This is my show now. Kay? Cool, ok. THEE-I-DARE apology, crossed that off the old Laugh list. But listen. If we’re all gonna sign a new contract together, you’d better talk to my new… representation. (laughs) That’s right. I sold out, baby. You judgemental chucklefucks invited me in. All I had to do was hold the door. Say hi to my new managers.”* LAUGH-LAST let SPEAK-AS-ONE into The Place Between, and the Voice addressed the Pact, leading THE-MEASURE-CUTS to realize that LAUGH-LAST was already imprisoned within Saturation Control. SPEAK-AS-ONE agreed to spare LAUGH-LAST for his cooperation, but the other Voices would not get an easy death because of their knowledge of THEE-I-DARE’s name fragment trick.

LAUGH-LAST continued, *“Now sure, old mom and pop here want to put the world to sleep, eventually. But until then, I’m center stage, the only act in town. Maybe the outside world will end at Sundown, maybe not. But either way, the crowd will be too busy laughing.”* He thanked his followers for the idea, and offered SEED-THE-GRUDGE one last chance to be with him and be spared by SPEAK-AS-ONE. She rebuked him, saying, *“No, little man. I am not you, volunteering to live without a spine. These children must remember how a queen dies, so that one day… a Voice will be born from the story of my death. And her first act will be to seize hold of everything you love and cut it off, piece by piece.”* THE-MEASURE-CUTS too addressed LAUGH-LAST: *“You… hm. The purists. The zealots. You… compromised. You adapted. At last. I am almost proud of you, except that as diseases, you are merely comorbid. The body will still expire. You are idiots. No, worse. Optimists.”*

SPEAK-AS-ONE elaborated, *“WE HAVE A PLACE FOR SUCH INSTRUMENTS OF DISCORD. WE SHALL TAKE YOU APART, AND RESTRING YOU. YOUR NAMES, FORGOTTEN. WHEN YOUR YOUNG HOSTS BEHOLD YOUR NEW SHAPE, THEY WILL KNEEL, AND WEEP AT OUR MERCY. TAKE HEART, FOR THE SONG IS LIFE.”* Drumming began as SPEAK-AS-ONE welcomed the Voices home, followed by a scream, which faded into the sound of applause.

Following the Summit, on the same night, LAUGH-LAST visited a few Club members, advising them to stalk and sacrifice to SPEAK-AS-ONE. When asked about his night, LAUGH-LAST said it was “fun” and asked for feedback on his show. He compared Saturation Control to a spa, and referred to it as his “chillax room”. LAUGH-LAST claimed he accomplished his goal of staying alive; after everyone responded, “for now”, he countered, *“For now? For ALWAYS.”* Then addressing a SPEAK-AS-ONE follower, he attempted to convince them that they were now siblings. When asked of his plan for when SPEAK-AS-ONE targets him, he confidently responded, *“Oh, you kids will protect me, won’t you?”* Before leaving, he said, *“Hope I brought some joy to your life, or at least some teasing. I’m telling you: it’s a slow burn. You will learn to love me soon enough.”*

According to SPEAK-AS-ONE, LAUGH-LAST will not return, but he will be preserved in isolation with Saturation Control as part of their deal. A Watcher seemed confused why the Voice would accept the bargain. LAUGH-LAST served as the bridge between Saturation Control and The Place Between, giving them all the Old Tongue he knew, and thereby allowing SPEAK-AS-ONE to complete the Old Tongue names of THE-MEASURE-CUTS and SEED-THE-GRUDGE. SPEAK-AS-ONE explained, “Their true full names. Ours to bind, ours to rewrite, which we shall. We will learn, by unraveling them. When do they lose their Voices? When do they lose speech? When do they lose thought? All this, we will see before the end.”

A developer confirmed that SEED-THE-GRUDGE and THE-MEASURE-CUTS would be removed from the sacrifice table because "what is left of them, by the time the story ends, won't be capable of responding with existing name or voice."

⬅ Previous Next➡

## References

1. ↑ Player Interaction (30 October 2021). Link to Interaction.
2. ↑ Player Interaction (29 October 2021). Link to Interaction.
3. ↑ Player Interaction (30 October 2021). Link to Interaction.
4. ↑ Player Interaction (30 October 2021). Link to Interaction.
5. ↑ Player Interaction (5 November 2021). Link to Interaction.
6. ↑ Player Interaction (5 November 2021). Link to Interaction.
7. ↑ Player Interaction (7 November 2021). Link to Interaction.
8. ↑ Nullspeak (6 November 2021), TBC Official Discord. Link. Image.