Lost Video Island

[mistojen]

A/N: Again, all groupings, pairings, and outcomes have been randomly chosen out of a hat--I refuse to present any form of bias, because that will ruin the whole fun of the story. That said, enjoy!


When the players all pile out of the two vans, they are greeted by Ben, who is standing, arms at his sides, in front of a formation of tree stumps.

“What d’you think...?” Aislynn starts, but Warren shakes his head at her and she quiets, waiting for Ben to give his instructions.

As Ben steps aside, the group sees that the formation is that of a circle of eight large stumps surrounding a circle of four smaller ones. The outer ring of stumps are all about three feet high above the ground; the inner ring are half that high, if even that much. There are murmurs between team members as they look it over.

Jen and Claire stand on tip-toe behind Jack and Locke to see better.

“You have been randomly divided into pairs,” Ben starts. “On the red team: Aislynn and Warren. Jen and Marcus. Claire and Sawyer. Nikki and Charlie. On the blue team: Ruth and Paul. Steph and Jack. Sun and John. Kate and Colin.”

The large group of players reflexively splits and they partner up as Ben has announced.

“Now,” Ben says, waving an arm lazily back toward the series of stumps, “Each pair will stand together on a stump in the outer ring. This will be considered the first heat of the Challenge.

“At any given time, there are to be no more than three feet touching the stump. If, for example, Claire is standing on one foot and Sawyer is standing with both his feet touching and Claire would like to switch feet, Sawyer will need to lift a foot in order for Claire to set her foot down to switch. If, at any time, all four feet come in contact with the stump, your pair will be disqualified. If, at any time, one or both of you fall off the stump, your pair will be disqualified.

“The last four remaining pairs will move on to the second heat, with the same rules. The winning team will be the team whose pair is the last standing. Does everyone understand the rules?” Ben asks.

Slowly, everyone nods.

“Good,” Ben says, “everyone needs to get on their stumps, and when everyone is set up, according to the rules, I will begin the Challenge officially.”

“Wow,” Aislynn says softly, following Warren to the nearest stump. “Shouldn’t be too hard, right?”

“Let’s hope not,” Warren replies, getting himself on the stump and taking Aislynn’s hand to help her up. “You want to be the flamingo first, or should I?” he asks jokingly.

“Okay, Mamacita,” Sawyer says, as he helps Claire up onto their stump. “Here’s the strategy: if we stand back to back, we can lean on each other when we start to get tired.”

“Sounds okay to me,” Claire says, “should we lock arms or hold hands or...?”

“Let’s lock arms,” Sawyer suggests, “a little more stable, don’tcha think?”

“Okay, Steph,” Jack says as she steps up onto the stump with him. “I think our best bet is if we face each other and, like, hug onto one another, because then we’re taking up less space and we’ll have a little bit of leigh way on either side.”

Steph looks up at Jack and nods. “Sounds good.”

“You keep one foot up first,” Jack suggests, “you’re smaller and it’ll be easier for me to steady you than it will be for you to steady me. Just be sure to let me know when you need to switch.”

Nodding, Steph smiles. “Good plan.”



When Ben officially starts the Challenge, Claire and Sawyer, Jen and Marcus, and Kate and Colin have all taken the same strategy of locking arms together while standing back to back. Jen, Claire, and Kate each have one leg lifted off their stump.

Meanwhile, Nikki and Charlie took to standing facing one another while holding hands behind each other’s backs; Charlie has one of his feet off the stump. Ruth and Paul are facing one another while resting their hands on each other’s hips and Ruth raises one foot off the stump. Jack and Steph, along with Aislynn and Warren, and Sun and Locke have all chosen to stand facing one another, hugging to minimize the amount of space they take up on their respective stumps. Aislynn, Sun, and Steph have elected to, as Warren put it, play the flamingo first.



Ten minutes roll by and everyone is still standing.

“Sawyer, I need to switch again,” Claire says softly.

Before Sawyer can answer her, however, Claire starts to lose her balance and, reflexively, to steady herself, she plants her other foot down on the stump.

“Claire and Sawyer,” Ben calls out, “disqualified.”

“What the hell, Claire?” Sawyer asks angrily as he legs go of her arms and hops down. “You didn’t even give me a second to say okay and put my foot up!”

“I’m sorry!” Claire shouts back defensively, furrowing her brow with frustration, “I fell, okay?”

“One down,” Jack says confidently to Steph.

Steph nods and smiles. “Switch.”

Jack lifts one of his feet off the stump and Steph switches feet. When she’s balanced again, Jack puts his foot back down. “Tired?” he asks.

“Getting there,” she replies.

“Rest your head,” Jack offers. “We’re gonna be here a while,” he adds with a cocky grin.

“Marcus!” Jen hisses, “I have an itch! It’s really bad!” she squeals.

“So get it!” Marcus hisses back, furrowing his brow.

“It’s on my baaaack!” Jen whines starting to rotate her shoulders against his in hopes of getting it.

Marcus starts to wobble a little. “Hey, easy...” he says warningly.

“I can’t get it...” she pouts, arching her back slightly and shimmying herself back and forth against one of his shoulder blades.

“Jen, stop,” Marcus says forcefully, “we’re gonna fall!” But it’s too late, and one of Marcus’s feet slips off the edge of the stump, causing them to wobble and fall, landing in an tangle of arms and legs on the ground.

Jen blushes and bites her bottom lip. “I’m sorry...” she says softly as she stands and then helps Marcus up.

Marcus just sighs and shrugs. “Too late now,” he mutters.



Forty-five minutes into the game, Steph and Jack have fallen when Jack lost his balance as Steph was switching feet again.

The minutes seem to crawl by.

“Switch,” Colin says, and Kate lifts one of her feet off the stump so that Colin can set his back down. They have been taking turns being the one standing on one foot.

“Kate and Colin,” Ben calls out, “disqualified.”

“Why?!” Kate shouts, refusing to move and holding Colin still by freezing in place and not allowing him to unlock his arms from hers.

“Your foot was not fully off the stump when Colin set his foot down. Disqualified,” Ben repeats and Kate angrily lets go of Colin and jumps off the stump, stomping away to cool off in private.

“Those of you still remaining have made it to the second heat. You may come down off your stumps and sit for five minutes before the second heat begins.”

The four remaining pairs, Charlie and Nikki, Aislynn and Warren, Ruth and Paul, and Sun and Locke, slowly step down from their stumps and all of them drop down to an Indian-style sitting position on the ground.

“I’m not even tired yet,” Aislynn whispers to Warren, “you?”

“Not even close,” he replies with a grin.

Those that have already been disqualified are sitting and laying around lazily. Charlie sits with Claire beside him, her head on his shoulder, and Jen on the other side, laying on the ground with her head on his thigh. Sawyer sits alone, still brooding over being in the first pair to be disqualified.

Marcus, Colin, and Steph converse leisurely, off to the side, while Jack and Kate each make themselves comfortable with their backs leaned against abandoned stumps from the first round.

“All right, those in the second heat, mount your stumps,” Ben says.

Jen opens her eyes and looks over, stifling a giggle at the slightly ambiguous remark before closing her eyes again and yawning. At this point, the game has been going on for nearly an hour and a half and she’s been out of the game for most of it. She opens her eyes once again, sitting up slowly, and when Charlie vacates his position between herself and Claire, Jen lays back down, resting her head on one arm and rolling onto her side to watch.

“This one’s a lot smaller...” Aislynn whispers to Warren as they approach their stump, “do you think our strategy will last?”

Warren shakes his head. “No, I have a better one.”

Charlie, Locke, and Paul help Nikki, Sun, and Ruth up onto their respective stumps, and all of them resume their previous positions, only this time, Paul and Ruth have elected to both stand on one foot because the space is smaller. Sun is standing on Locke’s feet and Nikki has taken the role of the one-footed person in the pair, instead of Charlie.

“Warren and Aislynn, you’ve got thirty seconds to get on the stump or you are disqualified,” Ben says calmly, starting a stop watch.

“You’re sure you can do it?” Aislynn asks, raising her eyebrows.

“Yes,” Warren replies forcefully, standing on the stump already, “I’m sure. And it’ll work, I know it.”

Aislynn pauses for another second, stealing a glance at Ben who nods down at his stop watch. “Ok...” she says softly, resigned. She steps up onto the stump with Warren’s help and then when Warren lets go of her and puts a hand on his hip, she slides a foot through the loop left between his arm and his side. Putting her hands on his shoulders, Aislynn boosts herself up and Warren wraps his other arm around her other leg, so that she is sitting piggy back and there are just Warren’s feet on the stump holding them up. “I hope you can hold me up, Warren,” she says in his ear, “I don’t want to hurt you...”

“I’m fine,” Warren snaps, “don’t worry about it, okay?”

“The second heat begins now,” Ben says.

“Gosh, this stump is way smaller!” Nikki whines.

“Shut up,” Charlie mutters, “just stand still.”

“My foot hurts,” she pouts, “how did you do it last time?”

“I just bloody stood there, all right?” Charlie snaps. “Just...stand there.”

“I need to switch,” Nikki says, cocking her head to the side.

Charlie stares at her. “Are you kidding me? We just started.”

“I told you my foot hurts,” she snaps.

“Oh, bloody forget it,” Charlie says and lets go of her. “I can’t stand here with you whining in my face. I don’t want the money that bad,” he grumbles and steps down off the stump.

“Charlie and Nikki, you are disqualified,” Ben announced.

“Charlie,” Nikki whines as she steps down, “why’d you do that?”

“This still okay?” Sun asks, looking up at Locke.

Locke smiles down at her. “You’re fine, Sun. I barely feel you there.”

Grinning to herself, Ruth lets her eyes stray over to Charlie and Nikki as they separate and sit to watch the rest of the game. “And another one bites the dust,” she whispers to Paul who smiles in return.


Half an hour later, the three remaining pairs are still holding strong.

“Still okay?” Aislynn asks Warren.

His feet are aching and his neck is starting to hurt from the awkward position. His back is slowly growing sore from having to arch it slightly to keep Aislynn on balance. “I’m good,” he lies.

Sun gasps suddenly and Locke looks down at her. “What’s wrong?”

“I’ve got a cramp in my leg,” she hisses, reaching down to massage it.

Locke flinches a little as her toes dig into the top of his foot when she moves. “Take it easy, now, Sun...” he warns as she wobbles slightly.

“I’m okay,” Sun assures him, but when she tries to recenter herself, she wobbles heavily to one side.

As Locke tries to steady her, Sun’s foot slips off the edge of the stump and her toe grazes the ground before she can pull it back up on the shorter stump.

“John and Sun, you’re disqualified,” Ben announces for the group.

“And then there were two,” Paul says, taking his hands off Ruth’s hips to wipe the sweat from them onto his own jeans and then carefully replacing them. “I need to switch,” he tells her.

Steph, Colin, and Marcus pause, mid-sentence, upon hearing this and turn to watch as Paul switches feet. They are watching to see if he will slip and end the game.

As Paul sets his foot gingerly back down, it slips slightly and he and Ruth both wobble dangerously.

“Whoa, whoa...” Ruth says quickly as she struggles to regain her balance.

Aislynn and Warren watch with wide eyes, waiting, each holding their breath in anticipation.

Jen nudges Claire and nods in their direction. “Hey, we might win this!” she squeals.

“Oi,” Charlie calls out, taking his arm out from around Claire’s shoulders and standing quickly. “Don’t fall!” he mocks, grinning.

“Paul, hold on right here!” Ruth yells, taking his hands in her own and setting them on her waist as she starts to steady herself again.

“Sorry, sorry,” Paul replies, “I thought we agreed hips.”

“Well, it wasn’t working.”

Paul nods and the two of them stop rocking precariously on their stump. The disqualified players sigh and go back to their own personal conversations now that the excitement is over.


“Warren?” Aislynn asks as she rests her head on his shoulder, eyelids fluttering. Two more hours have passed and neither of the remaining two pairs is seeming to lose their battle.

“Hmm?” Warren asks, bending his knees slightly, hoping that his legs will stop shaking.

Aislynn yawns and closes her eyes. “Still okay?”

“I’m getting really tired,” Warren finally admits.

“I wish they’d just fall already,” Aislynn mutters.

“Paul and Ruth, you are disqualified,” Ben’s voice interrupts.

“Why?” Paul asks, furrowing his brow.

“For a second,” Ben replies, “all four feet touched the stump. Congratulations, Aislynn and Warren, the Red Team wins.”

The rest of the Red Team jumps to their feet, cheering as Warren lets Aislynn down and then comes down off the stump, collapsing to the ground to rest his legs.

Claire and Jen hurry over to Aislynn and Warren as Aislynn squats down beside Warren to see if he’s all right. The other two girls throw their arms around the pair as the rest of the team rallies around them with words of congratulations.

“Blue Team,” Ben calls out to get the attention of the group, “you will have until tomorrow morning to decide who amongst you will be going home. Red Team, you, too, have a decision to make. After the Blue Team votes for one of its members to be ousted from the game, you must choose who amongst you will sit out of the next Challenge in order for there to be an even number of players on either team. Until then, the vans will take you back to the huts and I will see you at 10:00 tomorrow morning.”

A/N: this is the last of my pre-written stuff. I can't go any further until I hear back from those of you incorporated into this story. Red Team, please PM me your vote for who will sit out the next challenge. Blue Team, please PM me your vote on who to send home. I will NOT be sharing these votes with ANYONE. Both teams, if you would like to make alliances (with other members of EITHER team), now would be the time. Votes that the Losties make will be chosen out of a hat, unless someone would like to make an alliance with them, in which case, send me a PM and their vote will automatically match yours. If more than one person PMs me that they would like an alliance with the same Lostie, I will choose from a hat which of the LVIers trying to claim the Lostie that the Lostie will join the alliance with. Any questions should be PMed to me, as soon as possible. Discuss your voting strategies with one another, if you like, but once you've sent your vote, NO ONE WILL SEE IT, except me (btw, I have every intention on finishing this fic, even if I am voted out at some point early on in the game, so please don't worry about voting for me and knowing that I will see you did so--there will be no hard feelings, I assure you). The sooner the votes are in, the sooner I can write the next section, so everyone should hop to it! Lastly, when I receive the last vote from the LVIers, I will send out a mass mail to let you all have one more chance to change your vote--you will have 24 hours from the time I send out the mail to do so, or else your vote will be set in stone and I will begin pulling Lostie votes out of a hat so that I can start writing the next section. Consider these stipulations final until further notice--when the game changes, the voting will as well.
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[Rocksiren]

This is SO much fun! And mucho kudos for making me a sarcastic bi-otch and hahaha for putting me on LOCKE's team (Hobbes is out there, somewhere, laughing)...
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"You are just an encyclopedia of weirdness." ~ Supernatural

[mistojen]

sorry--I didn't put anyone on anyone's team...pulling the magic name slips out of my hat did it. Glad you're liking it so far!

Hope I can get everyone's votes soon, so we can continue the game
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avatar: Plastic!Winchester Theater by anteka @ LJ; icon by me
sig by AlcoholicPixie

[Fan4Lost]

Jack so wanted to touch my boob there.

I'll get my vote in after i mull it over for a little while. not too long though!

[Aislynn]

OMG, when I ended up on Warren's back, I nearly fell out of my chair laughing! Oy, poor Warren!

However, I must note that in a situation like this, I would totally try to nab Warren as my partner because he's, like, wise and learned about these sorts of Survivory things!

*is so excited that she actually got to win one*

Jack is SO after Steph...

I LOVE this, Jen! I'll get you my vote in just a minute!

[Rocksiren]

No it rocks, really! Also Pauly and I on the same team...awww- my virtual crush revealed. Also lol to Charlie "theyre just kids!" Paul and I are 24! And also, lol I am not fat but I really like to eat, so yeah Id be going for the beer and the fridge. And AWWWWWW YEAH to my girl Ais for usurping Kate- aww you ho-bag.

And hey hey for any drinking games coming, with our group (LVI) and their group, it would be hilarious. Jens a psychic, I swear- and the thing about a boyfriend wanting to see ME and his girlfriend "bathe" each other actually happened (what happened is that he wanted it, we didnt do it ). Awww reading this is like being on my Archaeology digs again...those were good times.

Im realllllllllly tempted to make illustrations for this- if its cool with Jen, everyone send me a link to a picture of you. Im really being serious- get me those pictures! DONT make me go into the post a pic thread and get em!

And we was robbed Pauly, lol. You know we were feeling each other up there, right? Im jk Paul, I sware Cant wait to read the next one, and all you GET ME THOSE PICTURES!!!
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"You are just an encyclopedia of weirdness." ~ Supernatural

[mistojen]

Steph, yeah...he probably did

Ais, I was going to have the winner take that strategy of one person on the other's back before I even chose out of the hat that you and Warren would win. When I chose you two out...I laughed.

[Rocksiren]

Its awesome Jen, really.

Guys wouldnt it be funny if Charlie and Paul had a "British slang off"? It would be like that scene in GOLDMEMBER. And I swear its not a suggestion, just a random thought...and with that:

MORE MORE MORE!

And please explain "Drinking jenga"- never did that one.

Oh lordie, hookups with us and the LOST crowd...hmmm...Paul with Kate? Ais with Sawyer (of course!). lol.
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"You are just an encyclopedia of weirdness." ~ Supernatural

[Aislynn]

[Rocksiren]

Diet cherry coke eh? Is that hard to find? Yeah Ais, dont start (as Ruth starts on her third beer- its light beer okay!). Its been a really rough day, a stressful episode of LOST is coming up, Im bored AND from Buffalo (jen knows what that means). We are like a smaller, very unemployed, worse weather having Chicago- we are very blue collar (but I have a BA). Ah well, I ramble...
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"You are just an encyclopedia of weirdness." ~ Supernatural

[Aislynn]

[Rocksiren]

Youre sleeping with the Coke delivery guy arent you? Im seriously just kidding.
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"You are just an encyclopedia of weirdness." ~ Supernatural

[Aislynn]

[Rocksiren]

LOL1

Hey is "fish biscuit" your pet name for Sawyer now?
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"You are just an encyclopedia of weirdness." ~ Supernatural

[mistojen]

You guys are seriously cracking me up on this page

Ais--good to know. Anyone else a non-drinker?

Buffalo isn't NEARLY as boring as Corning. What do WE do on a rainy day? The GLASS MUSEUM (oooohhhaaaahhhhseriously,itsstillinterestingeventhoughi'vebeenthereeveryfieldtripofmyyounglife...)

OH!

ETA: Drinking Jenga, the best game ever invented.

If you're wanting more info, I'll PM you a list of what the different writings on MY Drinking Jenga game at home are (Haha Viewer Discretion Advised )

...ETA again: way to answer before Ruth is done editing her post, Jen
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sig by AlcoholicPixie