WEEK FIVE

[whimsicalism]

WEEK FIVE

There's one thing that belongs in Closetland: Monsters.

It was a monster that brought the students here to begin with, and it's a monster who controls their lives now. By now, some have even accused their classmates of turning into--or always being--monsters themselves.

The academy is just as cold as it was last week, autumn air seeping in through the unfriendly architecture and the artificial light seeming darker than before. The occasionally cloud of purple fog snakes through the hallways at ground level, a constant reminder of the new presence haunting the school and her role in the past five weeks of torment. Now that Kakuya is back in a body of her own making, the music room is silent, though the rooms and halls of the Academy themselves occasionally fill with a low, haunting flute melody. With the school's new overlord already wishing her ill, Nanami's already deflating power and free roam capabilities are more or less completely limited as well: She's just one more toy in the box.

The stairwell has opened into another new floor. Upon closer inspection, it seems to be the uppermost one. This is the top of Ira Academy, and while it likely bears some new answers and some new locations to try and find a solution to your plight, is there anything that can heal some of the rifts that formed from the accusations thrown at the last trial? Still, if you don't find answers, then you'll be here playing this eternal deadly game.

Is the devil you know better than the devil you don't?

Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday
Regains | AC | IC Profiles | Locations | Mystery Information | Sheep Contact | Nanami Contact | Kakuya Contact

OOC NOTES

Welcome to Week 4! Nanami has joined the party! She no longer has office hours but still be contacted privately, as can Kakuya, who is no longer stuck in the music room. New locations are now open, and some minor adjustments have been made to the IC profiles and rules. Please hit the mods with a ping in Discord and put INVESTIGATE in your subject line if you're interested in exploring a new location. The SHEEP are still taggable, though you may find them in a...different mood.

You now have a week to make sure your AC in for last week and to start collecting AC for this week. Remember to submit your regains, and sign up for a spot exploring this week's mystery if you want to!

Comments

[keyringwitness]

Hmmm, well...

[where did yasu come from how did she get here

Well, regardless of the why, she's seated next to Kuro now and is twirling a pencil between her fingers.]

There's a common theme, isn't there? The memory jellyfish, the washing machine, the dance hall... The only thing that doesn't fit is the flood of red paint, and that didn't have any explicit agent involved in its manifestation if I'm remembering correctly, and it still kind of fits.

Think about it. We know that Kakuya lives in reflective surfaces. The crane, who we were able to see but not physically interact with, was in a room lined with mirrors. In contrast, the jellyfish and Nanami were significantly physical presences, and both of those incidents have an element in common.

See what I'm getting at?

[canreallymove]

...

......


Mirrors, right?

The science lab...it has the glass stuff, like...like vials...

[keyringwitness]

Close! But no power ring, I'm afraid. [*cackle*cackle*cackle*. It's... not particularly intimidating or convincing considering how tiny she is, but she's putting in a good effort.] If you tried to run into a mirror, all you'd get are glass shards in some nasty cuts.

What else is reflective?

[lets_dewey_it]

Water?! Metal?!

[canreallymove]

[Welp, apparently Sonic's not the only one having a bad time. Ok then.

But he is trying.]

Well...there's the counters...the tiles...maybe those hoods...

[violence_ensues]

...

Blood?

[copycut]

[ ! ]

Something like, "Kakuriyo is a reflection of Utsushiyo"... If that's true, then water, reflective surfaces, those could be the key.

[keyringwitness]

And the twenty billion yen goes to Kuro! Nice job, partner.

You can't pass through a mirror, but you can pass through water. The trick will be figuring out what made the aquarium and the washing machine special enough for the jellyfish and Nanami to pass through.

1/2

[canreallymove]

...I was gonna say water eventua-

2/2

[canreallymove]

[Wait.]

...

There's...I...I think there's a pool on the top floor.

[keyringwitness]

Now there's the clever Sonic I know.

We don't have many clues, but...

Still water, or at least close to still, brought the jellyfish over to our side. And if we go with Kuro's interpretation, water in motion brought Nanami back. We're likely still missing an important piece, but it's a good place to start.

[spychic]

...

Why does it matter?

Why are you here since you like the murderer so much? Don't pretend like you're our friend.

You want this game to keep going on and for people to keep getting hurt.

[And there it is.]

[hashtagwoof]

You just had to blurt it out, didn't you?

[ He was planning to see if she could be a double agent for them, but...

Hunter lowers his voice in hopes Yasu doesn't hear. ]

I hate to say it, but she's one of the smartest people we have right now. Even if she fell in love with the furry doll girl... I mean, she's probably got some valuable info on her just for being so close.

[spychic]

[Anya's glare turns onto Hunter, and she frowns.]

Or she'll feed all OUR plans to her. It will not help. We lose either way.

[hashtagwoof]

[ Hunter just growls... He would have said more if Yasu didn't go into dramatic monologue mode. ]

[keyringwitness]

[Yasu goes stock still for a moment, stunned by how Anya is just coming out and saying it.

Then... she laughs, although the way her bangs flop over her face makes it difficult to see her expression.]

Reallllllly now? You don't know? I suppose it's hard to see with your eyes, especially with the innocence of a child... this is the k- kind of rot that you only realize is there after it's already too late, after all. So I'll spell it out for you, since I'm feeling particularly magnanimous today.

I'm a monster too. Not like what Adorabat kept calling Sonic. I'm not someone, I'm something.

But... [Yasu shrugs helplessly.] If Kakuya wants this something to be her opponent, I'd hardly be a good girlfriend if I didn't give it my all. That means using whatever moves are available to me, including ones that bring us off the gameboard entirely if it means winning.

Rest assured, I am on your side until the game ends. I know you don't think it means much, but... I give my word. And I never break promises.

[canreallymove]

[That-

And like that something in Sonic snaps.]

No.

No you're not.

[There's the old Sonic, even if it's clearly tired, and sad.]

[keyringwitness]

...I don't want to delude myself anymore, Sonic.

It's the same fate every time. Just like how a monster dies in the same way at the end of the story.

There's no use resisting at this point. It's what I am.

[violence_ensues]

Yasu...

[Adorabat lands next to Yasu and prods her with a wing.]

Kuro and I need your help. We all need your help. And I know, in your own way, you want to help us... but we all still need to focus on being a team together. You can't do this alone.

So please help us while we help you...

[spychic]

.....

You are....a monster.

[And it's like Loid takes over Anya's personality at this point, because--]

...What the hell did she tell you? What makes you think that? You're a normal person, Yasu, just someone who wants to be with someone doing bad. You're not 'something'. You are a little girl!

Everyone here is just a person. Including you.

Anya just hopes you will make the right choices and see the truth.

[hashtagwoof]

Hah? [ Hunter raises a brow at the girl... ]

What do you mean by something? [ He vaguely remembers the stripping incident... The scars on her chest... A zombie, maybe? ]

Whatever. I wanna believe you'd stay on our side, but don't blame anyone for having a healthy amount of skepticism. Besides, since you're so close to her, you might know a few things about her that we don't... Like the reflection thing, for example.

[copycut]

Yasu.

[ Kuro's voice is very flat. Yasu is right next to her, so she doesn't have to raise her voice much. ]

Let's talk after dinner, okay? When there aren't so many other people around.

[shinedsobright]

OK, let's take you at your word. But lemme ask you what you mean by that so we aren't confused. 'Until the game ends' doesn't really mean much when she's on record saying we're just gonna play again if we win. So are you ACTUALLY going to try to stop the game or what?

cw: implications of toxic relationships

[temmapathy]

So she told you the only way you can be loved is to be with another monster?

That's not true! None of us here see you as a monster! Please, don't think that she's the only way out!

[romancing]

Eh? What's wrong with being a monster?

[ frowning ]

Even if you think something about yourself makes you not human, why are you so torn up about it?