WEEK 2

[akudamods]

Saturday passes uneventfully save a little rain. It's on Sunday that you get a little notification of probation for new areas: Neo-Nipponbashi and Chuo. It'd be possible to investigate, to check out some anime, or to worship the defunct Shinkansen. But maybe it's hard to get excited about any of that when Friday’s events suggest that you have simply been provided some additional photogenic places to commit murder. Are you going to bother either overseer after their participation in some mockery of justice? Troll the internet? Get a bat out of Hyper Zone and just take out your frustration on everything?

Those of you who entered the pods will experience fewer “painful bursts of color” as your body is unaffected below the knees, though the same amount of “slight teleportation” glitches. Those of you who abstained from the pods will continue to experience all of the above as well as electric shock sensations occasionally when touching metal objects.

INTERNET | SUNDAY | MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY

((Internet investigations of any kind go here, and for all IRL areas, please use "investigate" in the subject line of your top-level comment, or link the thread to a moderator!))

Comments

INTERNET

[akudamods]

[your_best_friend]

[* Flowey has been vigilant in making sure that his little detective account rises up throughout the last week, even if very slowly. Carefully cultivating it and picking his words as carefully as possible so that no one is the wiser. But how much progress has he made since last week? Surely, he's gained at least a few followers.

* Other than that, he looks up as many detective stories as he's allowed to. And anything about human biology. And anything that would make him more useful in investigating human bodies and human culture. He will not be useless like he was at the trial. He may even take to forcing 10chan into a reverse-AMA. He needs information and will ignore any and all irrelevant and hateful comments.]

[fixingtodie]

[While she's not incredibly hopeful at this point, Rachel will keep checking her messages and followers in case anything about that mysterious knight shows up or gets sent to her like she asked. It can't hurt. If nothing else, following those who take interest in the mysterious case might turn up something interesting she hopes.

Weekly Loveposting

[fullswingkiss]

[ Matadoroflove has been posting consistently through the last week with a few tweets a day (commenting on the local sights, taking more follower questions, general vague statements about the nature of love and passion). But after the murder he's been silent entirely... not even replying to being @ -ed, which he usually always does. But now it is Sunday and the account is back!! ]

Well, that was a 𝓷𝓪𝓼𝓽𝔂 matter and a harsh blow for our science department 💔💔

This is TV to you all but quite real to all of us. Of course, you know this. Would it be a thrill otherwise~? ❤️‍🔥

So tell me, how did you feel about that little trial? In this virtual world without borders, let's share our heartfelt thoughts! 💞

[ Through the rest of the week posting is back to regularly scheduled programming. Prepare for some pics of cosplay outfits (sadly not on a body) with suggestive comments, also. ]

[thefifthchild]

[Damian, deciding to prod the bear that is the general populace of this dystopian Japan, is going to post a number of messages talking about Japan while at the Internet Cafe. He'll swap computers for literally every message. He'll also post a few things about the United States of America, Germany, Great Britain, Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

He's just dipping his toes in the water, he'll be inflammatory when he needs to be.]

SOCIAL NETWORK UPDATE

[akudamods]

>>>>399129
yo have you see what’s trending in utouto

>>>>428281
Someone uploaded that long broadcast, the one with the x-Classes. Rough shit.

>>>>8386098
I’m so watching it again

>>>>5907241
i dunno this is making me think of the rumors about those deaths and murders from befre, there have been so many rumors for a while already. i dunno how to make sense of them

>>>>58567
Where’s that anon who was gonna get that screenshot?

>>>>3588348
lmao guess someone failed

[Looks like the gist of it is that someone reuploaded the first trial broadcast onto Uto Uto

SUNDAY

[akudamods]

daily life + investigation (J's Denki)

[fixingtodie]

[The pod procedures have been rescheduled for tomorrow, so it would seem that her Sunday is more free than she expected. So she decides she she probably put that time to good use.

So instead she opts to investigate J's Denki. She inherited the Loremaster's research after all. And if any place is going to be useful in taking that one step further, it's this place. So she's going to snoop every shelf, leave no product unturned! And definitely make some purchases for herself while she studies the place and the people who come and go.

That's not the only place you can run into her though. She does browse Mainichi Treasure for a while as well, although she's not into lavish comforts so much as she is practical additions.

But she can also be found feeding herself in the museum cafe or staring with wide eyes at the Hyper Zone like part of her wants to go but doesn't dare.]

Daily Life + INVESTIGATION

[your_best_friend]

"A monster wears a YELLOW name when you can SPARE it."

[* When you wake up and go outside, there's something that sticks out like a sore thumb. A sign that says "FREE YELLOW NAMES, X-CLASSES ONLY", pointing in a specific direction. Look elsewhere, there's even more signs saying the dame thing. Should you choose to follow them to the source, you'll see Vessel, or Flowey, if you know his name, right next to a neatly-stacked pike of... you guessed it, yellow names.]

Howdy! I'm glad you came. After what happened in the trial, I made you a yellow name!

[* He takes it out of the pile and hands it to you. It's... just a series of floating letters that are colored yellow.]

Is Anime real? - INVESTIGATION

[* Flowey can't help it. He knows Mew Mew Kissy Cutie is trash, but... he can't help but see if such a title is among all this anime. And who knows? He may actually find some anime he actually ENJOYS.]

Museum meandering - INVESTIGATION

[* What do you get when you take a flower who likes new things and a museum he's never seen before? The answer is Flowey fawning and examining each and every single artifact he could lay his eyes on.]

[conways_retribution]

Ani-Mart
<sub>[You can clearly tell Jake is looking at all of the things around this place like "defuq is this shit". He's never seen cartoons quite like these...

But he has seen those animes that were aired in America in the 1960s without even knowing they were Japanese... somehow.]</sub>

Oh, hey, that's Astro Boy- And there's Speed Racer. And that's Gigantor... _{[It wasn't like, kid in a candy store exciting, but he's kinda impressed these things made it into the future.]}

investigation!

[intimations]

[Today, Belial's apparently out and about without his characteristic and horrendously oversized feather boa. Whether it's damaged, been left elsewhere or suddenly gained sentience and crawled off on its own is a mystery, but either way he's checking out some of the new areas without it.

The first stop is Neo-Nipponbashi, where he's just mostly wandering the streets and peeking into some of the stores to see which ones are willing to serve them. If you run into him at any point during his cursory exploration, he'll offer a wave and his usual grin.]

Didn't think they'd give us a bigger cage to play around in. Think it's a reward for indulging them with their fantasies?

[Anyway, after he's made his rounds about on the streets, he'll actually check out some of the stores. To be more precise, he seems to have gravitated towards Mainichi Treasure to look at some feather throws. If you approach him as he's examining a particularly fluffy one, he'll turn around and gesture at the collection in front of him.]

Hey. If you've got the time, how about helping me pick one of these out?

[Next off, he's going to hop over to Chuo and investigate the Shinkansen Station. Of course, he wouldn't be so gauche as to not match the locals, so he's brought a Billiken plushie that he swiped earlier to leave as an offering. If anyone judges him for his shabby gift, they'll just get lax grin and a helpless shrug in response!!]

investigation

[thefifthchild]

[Damian is going to decide to test his theory about the Black Market, and before actually bidding on anything important he's going to try to scour the halls of the hospitals for anything interesting to steal and give to the salesman.

He'd like to avoid stealing from his fellow inmates, but he'll steal from them if he has to.

Does anything catch his eye?]

Investigation

[voidseeing]

[Gai is a man on a mission today. His destination: Book Bride, but he's not here to find fun reading material to pass the time. No, he's here to investigate, his main agenda being anything he can find about the history and geography of this Japan... and if there are any tour guides or anything of the sort, he'll be checking those out too. Basically, whatever looks interesting or attracts his attention, he's going to be taking a look.

Also, since he's already noticed some discrepancies between certain aspects of this Japan and his own Japan, is there anything else in that vein that he would notice while he's here?]

MONDAY

[akudamods]

AN INCIDENT

[akudamods]

[There’s a manipulative, melodramatic, magnificent X-Class Akudama called the Alterant among you. Or, there was. When you go outside at 8 in the morning to investigate a loud noise much like thunder, you catch a glimpse of Cangrande Vicenza. Just a glimpse. Quite literally bits and pieces of his beautiful visage are scattered in some two-meter blast radius. Suspended in some horrible network of impossibly bright, crackling colors. The edges are, unfortunately, bleeding; the skin is pale from shock.

This area is impossible to approach - whether personally or with projectiles, you end up jolting backwards in a more intense, disorienting version of the ”shift to the side” glitches.

By 8:35, a white van shows up, followed by the Physicist coming out of a taxi. She taps bitterly on a smartphone. A group of workers in hazmat suits are presumably following her commands. They take out thin cords that expand into shimmering hardlight tarps, to wrap up the entire grim display and drive it away.]

PODS

[akudamods]

[11:00 AM to 11:20 AM. Five minutes for questions, fifteen minutes to spend inside. Multiple pod lids lifted open at once with tentacles. Your overseer is not patient.]

INVESTIGATION

[hunterandhunted]

[Ignoring the painful bursts that have continued to plague him (or rather, learning to enjoy them), Zenos decides that now is as good a time as any to enjoy some time out and about. After all, remaining cooped up in a hospital room is the last thing he enjoys.

With new areas to explore, he can be found rather easily given his huge size and unique appearance.]

MUSEUM (Investigation)

[What Zenos is most interested to learn is the history of this place. In particular, is there any specific mentions of the Kansai Restoration that stand out? Is there any mention of the Executioners or Akudama?

With the HQ being in ruins, this might be his next best option for learning more about them in a formal sense.]

HYPER ZONE

[After poking his nose into the history of Kansai, Zenos' attention is grabbed by colorful lighting and (what sounds like) screams of glee. Curiosity takes him, before he can reason not to.

There, you will find him at the batting cage, hitting baseballs so hard that the sensors can hardly register an accurate score to them.

Regardless, he's having a bit of fun before returning.]

HOSPITAL — Room #3

[In the evening, Zenos can be found in his room if anyone needs him. He will answer his door, if you knock on it.]

[thefifthchild]

[Damian doesn't go out at day. The earliest you will see him is at 6pm, wandering the new streets. He seems weary, like he's suspecting people to jump out at him at any point, or like he's having an incredibly intense argument in his head. Come say hi?]

I.

[The first location to catch his attention, despite his insistence on professionalism, is actually the book store. He could lie and say that it's a good excuse to learn more about this world, but he's actually staring right at the manga section through the window.

Time to wander through and make a bee-line toward that shelf and... He stops, skidding to a halt at the sight of a tabletop playbook section and there's a book that's vaguely familiar to him. It's not Serpents & Spells, but the cover looks... almost identical, like a knockoff.

Despite his previous excitement, he looks saddened.]

Maps...

I wonder if I could bring it back to her, as a souvenir. [He doesn't seem to realise he's not alone.]

II.

[Damian, having come to a hilariously incorrect conclusion about the Ani-Mart, will zero in on that Adults-Only sign.

What could they be hiding from children that needs protecting... He tries to sneak his way in but he is picked up by the scruff of his neck by the mech while he angrily flails.]

Unhand me, machine!! I'll know whatever devious secrets you might be hiding and I'll cut my way through you if I have to!

[He is promptly thrown out on his ass like a feral kitten.]

III.

[Damian can be found sitting on a balcony in the middle of an alleyway in the early hours of the morning. He's holding his sword out, indicating he's clearly been practicing for the last few hours. He seems entirely alone.]

I know our circumstances were, and probably still are different. It's not projection to want other people to have the opportunities you did. She was ten, I'm fourteen, she's a girl, I'm a boy, and I haven't killed anyone yet. You can keep your pity to yourself.

[Without a word he kicks off against the balcony and drops gracefully onto the stone alleyway. Then with a sigh he'll turn around and blink in surprise at the new presence.]

TUESDAY

[akudamods]

MOTIVE

[akudamods]

[Bunny and Shark are playing hide-and-seek among the scenery of their puppet show.]

Hey, Sharkie.
Yeah Bunny?
What would you do without me?
I’d... look for you, of course?
[Is this the plot of Usasuke and Samemaru…?]
But what if you couldn’t find me?
That could be pretty hard. I’m so glad Cardinal added location shari—
Silly Sharkie, that can’t solve everything. I could be out of signal… I could be hiding really well, or I could even be dead! And what if I was someone you haven’t met yet, but just really wanted to meet? Would you still try to meet me? I mean - how far would you go?
Geez…. Bunny, you know I’d follow you no matter where, but I just don’t think that’d be possible for a little shark like me. I’m not some X-Class Akudama who can just murder another X-Class and get away with it. I could never do that, not even to find my best buddy! Besides, how would it work if you were dead anyway!?
I dunno, ever hear about quantum immortality?
Those are really big words… let’s save that lesson for after I find you!
Do your best to meet up! I’m waiting~ Tee hee hee.
UNTIL NEXT TIME!

[fixingtodie]

[In the Research Hospital lobby one of the tables has been emptied of it's tissues and sanitizer and replaced with three plush dolls. Not any that you'd be able to find in any of the stores around here. No... upon closer inspection they look to be carefully hand stitched.

That doesn't mean you can't recognize them. On the contrary. It would be hard to forget those faces so soon.

Each one of the dolls looks like one of the individuals that died last week. From the eyes, hair... even down to various metal bits gathered from cast away trash turned into what looks similar to Loremaster's robotic hands.

No need to look far for the creator either. Rachel sits in one of the nearby chairs, purse filled with bits of fabric and stuffing from a variety of Ani-Mart plush dolls. Thanks to yesterday's "incident", there's one more person to include. But this one is harder. She doesn't really have any memories of them at all. But she works hard to put it together correctly nonetheless.

As she works, she hums softly; steady hands making stitch after stitch.

There's another doll next to her on the chair. But this one doesn't look like anyone from here. But it seems very important to her-- more than the others that she's made.

Later in the day, she visits Book Bride to get some iced coffee and scan the shelves for books about technology. Following up on Loremaster's research means she should probably try to learn a thing or two while she's still alive.]

investigation

[pr159]

[ Another week, another motive Rideaux couldn't possibly be less interested in. No complaints. Though he's been in a pretty shitty mood for most of his time here so far, maybe that's a little less noticeable today (at least for most of the day), if only in comparison to those who were shaken by that announcement. ]


Chuo Square

[ Early in the afternoon, he heads out to the shopping plaza at Chuo Square in hopes of finding some decent sunglasses. He'll try a few different pairs on, then try to see if he can do any searching online to figure out what brands these are supposed to be knockoffs of so he can pick the pair with the least egregiously fake logo. ]


Museum: Gems & Minerals Exhibit - investigation

[ Once he's gotten some acceptable shades added to his inventory, he'll swing by the museum to kill some time. He's curious to check out the history section too, but since that's being investigated elsewhere, we'll fast forward to when he gets to the gems and minerals exhibit in case there's anything interesting in there! As someone who uses certain kinds of fossils and some questionable maybe-minerals in his work in Elympios, he's curious to see what they're working with in this world. ]


Hospital - outside the pharmacy

[ If you happen to be passing by the pharmacy at the right (wrong?) time in the evening, you might catch Rideaux leaving the room with a bottle of medicine in his hand, looking back over his shoulder to address a pharmacy robot that apparently just read him a warning label he didn't appreciate. ]

Well, I have a medical license, and you're a hunk of scrap metal, so if I did plan to take it with alcohol, you wouldn't have any business stopping me, actually. Thanks.

[fullswingkiss]

[ It is exhausting to pretend, even for a man who has spent his whole life acting out versions of himself to the public that do not exist in reality. If Ainosuke is entirely honest with himself, this world is too much for him. Mass murder, apocalypses, executions... all of this is above his pay grade, it's not the world he studied for. At home, he can be perfect. At home, he is a winner. Here he is, above all, lost.

He won't allow anybody else to see it though. He's a politician, always put together, and he is in control.

Sometime in morning he can be found at Book Bride, though right now he seems a lot more interested in the mascot than the books themselves. ]

Well, a marriage based on common hobbies certainly has the advantage, but the absence of her husband is still conspicuous... Or is the married to the books? Ah, that might be it. How amusing.

[ This is more thought than anybody should be putting into this, but he's certainly engrossed in his thoughts.

You might also find him at Ani-Mart, where he gives a conspiratory grin to anybody who is looking at the adult corner. ]

Don't worry, I won't tell anyone if you go in.

[ In the afternoon you can meet Adam at the Museum, looking at the exhibits detailing more recent history. For once, there is no smile. He looks entirely displeased. ]

This is just sick.

WEDNESDAY

[akudamods]

MEETING....... MINGLE?

[aggelos]

[Do you remember last Wednesday, before the Loremaster's demise, how she had slipped notes under the doors of everyone's rooms asking to meet and discuss with everyone about the motive or about anything interesting that was found?

Well, it seems that someone has taken up her mantle, because when you awake today, you find a note just like last week. It seems someone either recreated or stole the Loremaster's invitations from last week... except this time there is a pawprint on the note now.

Should you decide to investigate and see just what is going on, unfortunately you will not find the Loremaster waiting for you. She is dead, after all.

Instead, you will find no one there other than a black cat that is sitting here overlooking the proceedings, tail swishing back and forth as it watches everyone coming in. It just sits there, staring at you, until everyone appears to have arrived.

And then... the cat suddenly speaks.]

Greetings. I'm glad you could all make it.

[If you strain your ears, the voice sounds like it's being run through a filter in an attempt to disguise the owner, and yet... it should still sound familiar to everyone. It is in fact a voice you have all heard before during your stay here, but it may take a few more conversations to possibly identify the owner, as the cat continues.]

Last week, there was a meeting here to discuss what to do. Now that three of this group have been eliminated, I felt that it may be a good idea to continue with these sessions discussing anything of interest you might have found during your stay here.

[ooc: just like Loremaster's meeting mingle from last week, this one is also a meeting for characters to tag each other and discuss findings or feelings about the motive! the strange cat will also try to answer any questions if asked, though don't be surprised if it is vague about them.]

THURSDAY

[akudamods]

[your_best_friend]

Hyper Zone

[* You may have frequented this place nd have been attracted by its fun activities. You may enjoy the challenge and you may have gotten angry at the claw machine not really working. But have you ever seen a flower use a vine to consistently place skeeballs into the highest scoring spot? Granted, his stem's still rooted in the ground. He's just using his vine to cheat. Do you approach? If so, do you stop him?]

Shinkansen Station

[* You can find Flowey very easily here. He's a flower and he sticks out like a sore thumb in a place like this. He';s staring at the conveyor with interest, just... watching it. Watching the people that put stuff on it.]

Hospital Hallway

[* As you go through the hallways, you notice Flowey right outside his room. He's reviewing a stack of papers, but that quickly stops as you approach him. He's quick to put the papers back into his inventory and greet you with a bright, big smile.]

Howdy!