01 March 2020 @ 01:58 pm
REUNITED AT LAST


[Living and dead have reunited. That is all well and good. However, all these trains and cars and starships mean nothing by themselves - many of you may be wondering precisely where they are headed, and the answer presents itself soon in the form of a yawning portal in the middle of space. Yawning, calm, so as not to be mistaken with the writhing and twitching of the wefts - it seems to belong, or at least to be accepted as a cosmic inevitability. And this is what all of the dubious spacecrafts sail into for now - it is just barely large enough for all of them to go in one at a time, and to come out on the other side of the wormhole.

That appears to be some kind of airspace. Those curious about the place they're going may want to open the stained glass windows of the trains to get a much better view of the scenery they're descending on. The landscapes are mostly gorgeous, looking from a distance as though they were painted with watercolors, although some may think it also looks a bit, well, haphazardly patched together. For the trains, there is a floating dock above the land that looks brand new, and an elevator to take down to the ground. All other ships can find an easy landing space in the meadow, like the weird UFOs they are. Nevertheless, there is a path to follow from there, leading to a castle in the distance. It is a path lined with wonderful flowers and trees... and also a chaotic smattering of other trees that don't look like they quite belong. Sheets of dry lasagna make up the bark of the spaghetti trees, their inexplicably cooked pasta hanging like a weeping willow as marinara drips from their meatball fruit. The smell is overpowering, but don't let that ruin the trip. "In fact, it would be better if you let it work up an appetite", the cheerful voice of 707 suggests as he leads the pack up the trail like a hyperactive boy scout leader.

Finally, the doors of the castle open up. The halls are full of doors, each glowing from within - some of you may recognize the names of your homes, and others may not. But going past them, there is an enormous arch that is named The Hall of the Beginning as indicated by the carvings on it. Inside is a table that will be familiar to one of the strangers. It is the table that the original 15 Titled met at the beginning of Nirn, and it's overflowing with a feast even more grandiose than the last time. All of the drinks and cuisine you've been missing for so long is here - from sugar-spiced coffee and bubble tea, delicious scones as good as an aunt's, ridiculously spicy takeout wok, popcorn, philly cheesesteaks and the most perfect star shaped peanut-butter-jelly sandwiches known to man, a big toblerone on a long silver platter, three types of ramen, beer, so many grapes, melon bread, something labeled "dead chicken" that is obviously just a regular roast chicken.... it definitely seems like there were too many cooks here, but cooks with their heart in the right place. Some other favorites of the strangers will also be among the chaos if they look hard enough, but certainly, somewhere, it was deemed that they should have a celebration feast.

But then, you are not strangers any more, are you? Everyone here is a familiar face now, and there are even more familiar faces waiting around the table. The ones who wrote the letter, 707, Halley, Maka, Alexis, and Cardia are already there coming and going, but occasionally many others will stumble through one of the many doors. People from the games who had not fallen to IT. People from home, people you love. What we have here is a nexus and a party all in one. Here, there will be as much time for goodbyes as you like - or, as the hall suggests, new beginnings.]
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F̶̡̯̻̠̤̻͔͋͊ͬͦͤ̊ͯ̆Ḭ͙̜̺͇̽͟ͅN̷̰̥̥̹̱̐͛̎͞A̮͋̎͛͊L̛͚̱̯͈̄ͧ̿̂̋́͡ ̵͓̜͑͊͐ͨ̎̀̚͡Ț̸̢̥̥̲̼͔̻̟̣͂R̦̭̥͇̓ͧͣ̉͠Į̮̻̪͙̺̘͈̰͉̋ͮ̆ͩ́̔̉͌Aͩ̒ͤ͏̖̼̣L̫̥̰͉ͥ̂̐͐̓͑̑̚͢


[It is time.

Though there was no timer, the time was clearly nearing its end. The darkness that encompasses this place becomes even darker as the hours dragged forward, until even the lights of the City's skyline seems to darken along with it. You can almost feel the Noise watching, an infinity set of eyes in the void beyond staring back, as everyone pulls together again to proceed down the street.

The brightest building in the sky is the dome, now. There's no barrier preventing you from going beyond the Central Building now. There's no need for it-the City is completely empty, its streets devoid of life, as everyone inevitably finds their feet bringing them to the dome.

IT IS )
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F̨I̛NA͞L ̨̢͟I̴͜N҉V̵̛ES͡T̴̕I̸͢G̷Ą͜T͘̕I͝O̶̢N͘҉


.................. )
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22 February 2020 @ 11:39 pm
F̀I҉̵N̶ÁL͘ ̵̧̀WE҉̧̀E͞K̷̨


[. . .



















When everyone wakes up as the new week dawns, they will be in for a nasty surprise. After all, IT does not forget-and IT does not forgive.

There were nine strangers in this place-but six of them are suddenly missing from their homes.]
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22 February 2020 @ 11:15 pm
[It's Link who's in the dining room this time, the wall leading to it perfectly clear so he can be seen. He's sitting with a large plate of sandwiches, though the triangles are perfectly cut with no crust and with no dripping peanut butter or jelly.]

[In contrast to his usual pleasant look, he looks... somber. His shoulders are hunched and his hair is starting to pull out of its neat ponytail. He's breathing slowly, and just gestures towards the sandwiches.]
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T̢H̶͏É͠ ̵̢͜T̸͘H̸̶͞I͢ŔD ̵E͘͢X͘E͠͝C͞U͟͠Ţ̡I̕Ò͢͞N


[Just as before, as time runs out, an alarm blares, and the dot matrix screens on the podiums of the suspects flash. The suspect with the most votes flashes red three times.]


[Once more, the true culprit is marked with a blacker-than-black X.]

Congratulations, Strangers. Those of you who've voted are unanimous and correct. King Milton is guilty of murdering Vita Clotilde-Morris and Jonathan Morris.

[Hiyori's voice is like chipper ice. The details aren't coming out this time, apparently. There's a pause. Hiyori gets up to put a hand on Link's shoulder with a gentle concerned expression on his face. Then they speak in unison.]

Sit back, relax, and enjoy the execution! However you see fit!
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T̢H͜E̵͟ ͏́͡TH͘͢I͠͞R͜͡͝D̷̶ ̛͞T̴R͏̨Į̷A̵̧L̡̨̀


Attention, Strangers. It's time for the trial now.

Please bring whatever you see fit and not anything against the rules.

[And so it is, that the Strangers must come once more to the elevators, to the room where the force field sits and their podiums wait. Three more people are now Xed out, as if they never existed.

Once everyone is in place, five podiums light up red.]


THE BRITTLE
THE DISCORD
THE ENEMY
THE FORLORN
THE JOVIAN
Once again, two bodies have been discovered. It sure is tragic. Please remember to vote accordingly.

[There is no hesitation, no pause, before the clock begins, and the ticking echoes through the chamber. The evidence is there for the remaining Strangers to see, and organize. Voting must happen to ensure justice. What else is there to say, then?

The trial for the murders of Vita Clotilde-Morris, the Bad Luck, and Jonathan Morris, the Double, has begun.]
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Ţ̷H͠E̕͜͝ ̛T̡͏̀HI͜͢R̨̨͟D̴̡͏ ̀͟I̶͡NV̕͝È̷͜S̴T̡I̵͞G̶̕A҉T́͡ION҉͏̷


[Good morning again. It's Friday, and you know what that means.

Maybe people should start looking to see if anyone's taken Kyuubey at face value.]
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16 February 2020 @ 01:20 am
W҉͘E͜͠͝E̕K̡̛͡ ̡͟4̸


......... )
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15 February 2020 @ 11:30 pm
[When people are returned to the main floor, they will find a trail of cupcakes from the elevator to the dining room. There is a table of drinks, pills, and cupcakes and cakes from the automat.

And on the table, in the center, is this asshole, with a party horn in its mouth. Despite that, it talks into everyone's mind.]


As you strangers tend to have a tradition of parties after an execution, I took the liberty. The plates and cups are over there.

[. . .

be merry I guess]
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T҉͝H̸E͏ ̡͝SĘ̴̵C̵O͘̕͞N̡͞D̷ ͢͏Ȩ͟X̢͡Ȩ͏̕C̡UŢ̕I҉̨ON


[Just as before, as time runs out, an alarm blares, and the dot matrix screens on the podiums of the suspects flash. The suspect with the most votes flashes red three times.]


[Once more, the true culprit is marked with a blacker-than-black X.]

Congratulations, Strangers, on yet another unanimous correct vote... and this time, you also figured out what actually happened!

It took you a while, but your deductive reasoning skills finally kicked in.

Kyuu-lun's duties will continue to be fulfilled by their many comrades.

That was extremely rude of you, you know! Fortunately for you it doesn't count for this.

All that counts is that Kurama shot and then fatally slashed Lala Hagoromo.

I guess all that's left to say is...

[They speak in unison.]

Sit back, relax, and soon enough you’ll get to enjoy the execution!
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T͝HE͘ S̴̸E҉̶̀C͜Ơ̷̢N͏D̡͟ T҉̧R͘I͟A̧͟͠L̢


Heyyyyyyyyy, Strangers! How's Valentine's Day going? Unfortunately we have to start the trial soon if you want to get any dinner dates in before midnight!

I know some of you have a very special day near today, too! So let’s get a move on, shall we? You know the drill! Though you know… since we saw one of those clues, you can bring your pets in today.

[And so it is. Just like last week, the elevator shoots everyone down to the trial room. Lala's podium, now, is Xed out in red. And like last week, five of the podiums' dot matrix name plates suddenly flash with a red border.]

THE BRITTLE
THE CIRCUIT
THE ENEMY
THE NOODLES
THE UNKNOWN
[And clashing with the borders whether red or not, on each Stranger’s podium is a little piece of candy: A gray heart, printed with a message in nearly black capitals. These candies are similar to the pills in that they taste like nothing at all rather than sand; while a pill is meant to serve as a full meal, one candy is about as filling as a single apple.

The messages are as follows.]



KING:
BEST
FRIEND
ARTHUR:
LOOKING
GOOD
OSOMATSU:
ONE OF
A KIND
ESTELLE:
BRIGHT
SPARK
MCBURN:
NEVER
MEANDER
JONATHAN:
DOUBLE
THE FUN
AMBROSINE:
QUEEN OF
MY HEART
CALEB:
HOT
KARMA:
YOU’RE
A DOLL
VITA:
TRUE
BLUE
BEAUTY
KURAMA:
FOXY
ERIC:
SEW NICE

I'd call what you had to look at "inhumane", but Lala Hagoromo wasn't human, was she?

Now, now, Hiyori. I’m not human, either.

Doesn't change how sad it is that she lost her chance to be happy... Oh, why don't you give them a good look at what you have there, Link?

[Link holds up the heart labeled "OUT OF / THIS WORLD". The hosts are visible behind the glass of their sterile observation room this time by the way.]

We made too many because we hoped all of you would finally join in on the fun by today... So, if you retire, culprit, you can eat this one!

[...Well, maybe the evidence will cause the Hosts to eat their words. BOOM. Burn........or...well, it doesn't matter. The clock is ticking.


The trial for the murder of Lala Hagoromo, The Chance, has begun.]
 
 
T͝҉̡H͝E̵̢ ͝͝S̶Ę̡͞C͜͡҉OND̵̴ ̢I̶͢N͏V͝E͏̨̛ST͞I͢͞G̴͏A̛̕T͡ÌON͟


[The day has come.

..Valentine's Day, of course! Or should we now call it...ValITine's Day? Well, it doesn't matter. It's a Friday.

Hopefully, the Strangers got through this week without killing. But perhaps it's best to be sufficiently paranoid and check first, hmm?]
 
 
09 February 2020 @ 12:08 pm
W̛E̷͞E̶̵K͏͘͠ 3̸̡


...... )
 
 
09 February 2020 @ 12:01 am
[Well. That had certainly been... a thing.]

[Between fractured relationships, revalations about each other, and the sheer horror at whatever the hell that execution was, the living Strangers still need to recover.]

[No one seems to be in the mood for a gathering as they all leave.]
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T͠H̷҉͝E̴ ̨F̀I͘R̀S̴̵̛T ́́̀Ȩ̢X̸̢͢Ę̴Ć̶U̵̢͟T҉ÍO̢N̵̢͘



[Finally, as time runs out, an alarm blares, and the dot matrix screens on the podiums of the suspects flash. Soon, the two suspects with the most votes flash red three times.]


[After the third flash, a black X forms on the matrix screens of the true culprits. Somehow, the black Xes seems to subsume even the black of the screen itself, as if desiring to stain the culprits themselves with their crime.]


Congratulations, Strangers, on levying a vote that’s not only unanimous, but entirely correct!

Given your apparent confusion, we’ll explain what happened that night.

Kazuaki Nanaki set out that night with a gun, determined to kill. We'll preserve the same privacy he enjoyed in life, about why.

When Akira Kurusu saw him coming, he defended himself with the taser as well as the knife.

Our leader's observation has left us with no doubt that Akira Kurusu didn't intend to kill, and you can see the stab wound wasn't at all deep!

But he still sustained fatal wounds from the taser, and with the damage from the electrocution to his heart, Kazuaki Nanaki only walked as far as his house.

[In unison.]

Now sit back, relax, and soon enough you’ll get to enjoy the execution!
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T͢͝H̶͝E̵͞ ͜F͞͏IRS̛͜͡T̢͞ ̸͝T̵̶̢R͠IA҉̵͜Ļ̷


[As soon as the investigation has wrapped up, the voices of the Hosts suddenly echo through the City.]

Hi, Strangers! You remember what happens if you don't show up at the trial, right? Maybe we'll have every single one of those things done to you this time!! Don't worry, it's right up the elevator.

You all could have avoided this, you know! But now we have to follow procedure. Only registered residents will be allowed inside - please leave all animal or other companions in a safe location.

[When the Strangers go to the elevator, they are suddenly plunged down once they get in. The doors open, and they are in a massive metal room, where fifteen cold, metal pedestals wait them. Each podium has the individual's name and room number splashed in a dot matrix green on a small monitor on the front, as if they were contestants on a game show. Two of the pedestals-9 and 14-have instead a red X in their computerized name slot, as opposed to a name.

In the corner of the room is a large area cordoned off from the Strangers by what looks like glass upon first look, but is, in fact, a force field. There is little doubt what that area is for, unless one is truly naïve.

Once everyone has finally gotten into place, five of the podiums' dot matrix name plates suddenly flash with a red border.]


THE BAD LUCK
THE BRITTLE
THE EMBARRASSING
THE NAGGING
THE UNKNOWN
For some of you, this is the first time dealing with a double body discovery announcement... How does it feel? You don't want to... be emotionally numb or anything, do you?

They look so unhappy, Hiyori. It didn't have to be this way...

Hey, Link. Whose arms do you think they're going to rip off if they vote to convict one of the kiddos left in this game?

They'll probably try for ours, but that won't happen. But probably whoever argues for one of them the hardest...

[At this, the ever-present ticking suddenly grows louder. On one of the walls, a dot matrix clock comes to life, counting down the time everyone has until the Trial has been scheduled to end. You have your evidence-only you know what to do with it.

Well? The clock is ticking.

The trial for the murders of Akira Kurusu, The Nagging, and Kazuaki Nanaki, The Embarrassing, has begun.]
 
 
T̷́H̸̀͢E ̵̛F҉ÌRS̷̢̧T̸͜ ͘͜I͠N͞V́E҉S̀͜T͜I͡G̸̶A͏҉T͠I̢̛Ǫ̵N͏͝


[Good morning, Strangers.

How do you all feel today? Sad? Confused? Worried? Well, that's not the Hosts' problem. You guys are the ones being stubborn and obstinate, after all. In any case, it's time for all of you to get up and start moving.

It's Friday. Maybe you'll luck out and everyone's alive. But there's only one way to find out.]
 
 
01 February 2020 @ 11:51 pm
 
W̡͜E̶EK ̵̕2̕͠



...... )
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27 January 2020 @ 10:38 am
W͜͏̶Ę͏E͝͠K͝͞ ̧1̵͟


[The national council just announced the blight to the country.

There was no sugarcoating it anymore. This was a critical time. Saving all of the vines is paramount, but what does one do when the blight hits? It keeps encroaching on the grapes, day by day. Entire clusters, entire bunches, dead and rotting, while allowing the blight to spread, and the leading botanists and viticulturists cannot identify the origin or the cause. They can't even successfully isolate the culprit in their labs; it seems to disappear like air no matter the precautions taken.

It is a catastrophe that seems to be beyond science, and it will result in the complete collapse of the entire country's wine industry. Already, embargoes on this year's crop have forced other grape-growers to close shop for the year after they'd sold their previous stock; it is all too possible that no grapes might ever be grown here again if a cure cannot be found. The tourists have stopped coming. The towns have grown silent.

You, meanwhile, are devastated. With the way your business is going, it will be on the brink of bankruptcy within the year. You will soon have no choice but to close shop and let every grapevine die, let the land go fallow. There must be a cure for this, there must be. Yet everything that can go wrong is.

Then, as you watch the news, it happens. Breaking news. The blight has been found in another country.

It is a pandemic-and it is only getting worse.



-


Well. This is...what else can can anyone say? You all know the deal. You all know what situation you're in. All that is left is to figure out what you can do about it. If there's anything that can be done.

You still feel that compulsion to distrust. To know you cannot win. To know that only the hosts have your best interests in mind. It would be easy to just do all that. But would it be the right thing to do? You can't be completely sure. Indeed, nothing is certain here, except for that damned ticking sound. If only you could stop it.

But you can't stop it. It is inevitable.


There are 15 strangers in this place.]