The clock strikes twelve. The gong of the grandfather clock in the foyer tolls out the time in slightly unnecessarily obnoxious loud noises. The ambiance of this old mansion demands respect, care, awe --
Okay, no, wait, why are you even in this stupid dusty house?
No reasons are forthcoming, because everyone knows that people just end up in places like this sometimes. That's just how the narrative device works. The hows and the whys don't matter -- all that matters is that you're all here, so you'd better get cracking and start exploring, because it's not like you can leave yet.
Or ever, maybe.
 Good day, sirs and madams. Might I interest you in a nice glass of blood...y mary?
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PHASE I [ 02 15 ] All you see is white. The crash of thunder hits your ears next, punctuated by the piercing pitch of white noise in the background. After a few blinks, your vision comes back to you. Oh good, glad that you’ve joined us in the land of the living. Unlike the nondescript corpse at your feet – it looks like… a butler? Oh dear. You’ve already killed Murder Suspect Number One in most situations. How terribly ironic.
After all, who could’ve killed him but you? You might not remember, but there is definitely a murder weapon in your hand. It’s probably a knife or a poisoned glass of wine or-
Wait, is that a toaster? A full on toaster? Or maybe it’s a taser. Maybe you bludgeoned this poor guy with an entire encyclopedia. Either way, it looks like your murder weapon is a little unconventional, whether it’s a stranger’s pair of underwear or a hair curler. Are you really supposed to believe you committed a murder with these? (Yes.)
That said in the next second the double doors will be opening up. It’s pretty clear you’re not alone. Think quick!
PHASE II [ 0600 ] Exploring more around the compound, you’ll find plenty of those tall, oil portraits of people hung around the walls. When you start walking, they’re all strangers. However by the time that you feel like you’re wandering around for an hour, two hours, they might start looking a little bit more… familiar? Mom? Is that you?
You don’t have time to think about that, though. You were clearly framed! You don't’ have a motive for killing some random NPC –
“Or do you?” a portrait will ask.
Oh. Holy shit. Well it’d just be rude to leave, right? Whether you stick around for conversation or not, you’ll find that was just the beginning. The portraits are going to start grilling you. Welcome to CERES Central’s Roast of You. What was your motive? Don’t you know you should respect the servants? How would you feel if you were caught like that? Careful turning your back on them though, because if you ignore them for too long, the subjects in the portraits may just reach out and snatch you to join them in their portrait world.
At that point, the only way to get out is to swap places with some other poor, unsuspecting soul wandering around.
PHASE III [ 1045 ] You know what makes me hungry? Murder.
What’s the point of making a mansion this big anyway? Who’s even here? Either way, whether you’re looking for the kitchen to make a fine post-homicide sandwich or just trying to escape, you’ll eventually make it to a stairwell. The most finicky stairwell ever. Is that a trail of bloody footprints leading up the steps? What? No. Stop it, just climb.
Or well – don’t climb too quickly now. The staircases apparently have a mind of their own, swapping from one doorway to another. You definitely haven’t seen this before. It would seem that these stairs might even be interested in keeping you in a circle forever, no concern for whether or not you’re hungry or, god forbid, need to use the restroom.
However the portraits in the stairwell will provide a little tip: “The stairs are gossips, you know. Why don’t you tell us a little something about yourself? Make it good!”
Weirdly enough, sound advice – that is, if you’re interested in shouting out your most embarrassing secrets into the void so a mansion can keep talking shit about you. Oh well. Your alternative is just being a stair golem. There are worse fates.
PHASE IV [ 1430 ] This hall is oddly quiet.
Well, until you hear it – the soft sniffles coming from down the hall, the broken sobs. It sounds like someone’s crying. For one reason or another, your footsteps take you forward – there’s really no point in going back now after all, right? Yet as you continue to walk… walk… walk… the crying becomes louder and louder. More desperate, more despaired. In time, it’s clear that this person is wailing, screaming, “How could this happen?!”
Within the span of a breath, all the lights in the hallway go out, leaving you in pitch black.
It occurs to you then that you hear a second set of steps. When did you stop walking? A cold chill runs down your spine and you find yourself running then, despite the fact that it feels like this pitch black hallway goes on forever. The other footsteps pick up, remind you that you’re not alone. No, certainly not.
Best hope that you find some assistance soon – otherwise it looks like the Butler Association is going to ignite some righteous vigilante justice on your ass.
BONUS [ why o'clock ] You’re in the grand ballroom now, ready to present your case. Armed with a cob pipe (don’t smoke inside, it’s rude), a detective hat, and a single spotlight aimed right at you, you now have to explain how you came to the conclusion about the True Killer that is Obviously Not You. Rather, it’ll just be the character of whoever tags into this prompt – yes, you are suddenly so very sure that they’re the ones who are the ultimate mastermind of this entire game and… you’re just going to have to bullshit the reason why even if you know virtually nothing about them. It’s a dog eat dog world out there, you know?
Sorry about that.
Should you actually provide enough of a compelling case or they take pity on you, having a villainous breakdown for the sake of the plot, you’ll be awarded with a coupon that’ll give you three free scoops at your local ice cream parlor! (Note: you must buy the first two scoops in order to qualify.) Of course, if you’re not able to nail them down as the killer, you are obviously the killer yourself (citation needed).
From there, you’ll be dragged off to face your punishment: for six grueling hours you will be tickled mercilessly.
[ Remember to apply proper warnings on threads with sensitive or inappropriate material and do let a mod know if your thread careens off into maiming or canoodling so we can lock the log. ] |
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Ken Ichijouji (& Wormmon) | Digimon Adventure 02
Wh-what?!
[ Ken stumbles back, dropping the bright pink jump rope he'd been holding whip-style as if it were a snake instead. On the floor, his partner Wormmon hurries to steady him - but he doesn't notice, for now. He's too busy staring first at the body, and then at the "murder weapon" in his hands. This doesn't make any sense. He's being framed: or is he just thinking that because it's easier?
No. Calm down. Think this through, one piece at a time. He has to have a very good reason for being here. For being singled out for whatever-this-is. But the facts, such as they are, don't change.
Fact #1: Someone is dead. Right in front of him. That is an irreversible truth, one from which he mustn't tear away his eyes.
Fact #2: ]
.....Again.
I don't remember anything....again.
[ Somebody might want to come fetch him before he starts screaming. ]
Phase IV
[ Ken can't stop running. That isn't an overstatement, or an inaccurate description: he's tried, and failed. Wormmon, at his feet, trips: he picks up the little bug, then has a better idea, looking around in the darkness. It should be tall enough...Right, if this is still that same hallway, its proportions should suffice. And he won't get any answers if he keeps playing this game the way its master intended.
He shifts Wormmon to one hand to pull out his Digivice with the other. ] Wormmon! Evolve!
Bonus
I understand now.
[ Ken looks down at his pipe. It looks like the type that could be used to blow bubbles. Then he looks back up, and, basking in that spotlight as if he were born to be a boy detective instead of some kid who just can't ever get anything right the first time, he glares right at the source of all this confusion and misery. ]
Why? Why would you plan all this? For what purpose was I your ideal pawn?!
Bonus
Right??)
As he found himself in the middle of a room, he just had to wince from how bright the lights were. But the moment that he heard a familiar voice, he found himself in shock. No way, he thought. It couldn't be....!]
Ichijouji-kun? What are you doing here?
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[ Ken's so certain of it. He doesn't want to admit it, but there's no escaping it: the only way the facts (whatever those may be) fit together in his mind is to conclude that Takeru is the culprit.
Takeru, of all people. Who'd made room for him in a crowded car. Who'd stood up to him, told him harsh truths, when no one else would. And who is...acting like nothing's happened?
It hurts. Ken clamps down on his temper, but that's at the cost of having to scrunch up his face, trying not to let his voice waver. He's sad. Even more than anger - he's sad. He's had many experiences in the past year, but betrayal is new. ] I...thought I'd become your friend, Takeru-san.
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Whatever it might be, that only made Takeru even more suspicious. With his eyes narrowing in on the (former) Digimon Kaiser, he gave him a frown]
What are you talking about? You're the Digimon Kaiser, why would I be playing dumb? I think maybe I should ask if you are!
[Because the power of timeline shenangians can make a person mighty confused all right]
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[ Yeah, Ken. It's not like you coined the term or anything. Just repeat it, why don't you.
But he's gone from being angry, sad, and confused to mostly just confused. His mind struggles to fit that detail into this puzzle and it doesn't fit. That means...what does it mean? For Takeru to still be calling him the Digimon Kaiser? That he'd never forgiven him?
No, that can't be it. Then....
But Ken's so sure Takeru had just framed him for murder. That Takeru had been the true culprit. Had done something that unforgivable.
His voice is small when he speaks again. He does know Takeru's sensitive about certain topics, much like him, so... ] So this is supposed to be my punishment?
[ That doesn't feel right either. He's lost his certainty. Again.
Ken hates not being satisfied with an answer. ]
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There were so many questions that were running through the boy's mind but nothing seemed to add up. Why would Ken act so friendly toward him?
Or why did he just seem to different from the last time he saw him? Whatever it might be, the blond was still frowning at the boy before him.]
What punishment? I don't think you're making any sense at all right now! [That and Takeru could probably mention to Ken that all of this was just a game. He didn't actually murder anyone nor was there anything at stake here.
However, he wanted to get an answer out of him first. He might have figured out a reason why but he wanted to hear what Ken had to say]
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[ Not...making...any...sense?
This is wrong. Something about this is very wrong. Ken knows that. Even though he knows with equal surety that Takeru is the culprit. But wait. Why is he so certain of that?
What if it's his mind that can't be trusted?
Ken takes a step back, thinking. ] I've been set up.
[ Either right now, by Takeru, or overall, by some...mysterious third party. Ken doesn't want to admit that possibility, but it's there.
He's so tired of being manipulated for other people's enjoyment. ]
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[Game or not, Takeru still had no idea if he should trust Ken. He had no idea just what would happen if he were to prove his innocent or prove if he was guilty. If he had to guess, it probably wouldn't be anything bad.
Most games in the ViViD were usually harmless but that was the thing. Takeru just didn't know] Because we are playing a game, you know that none of this is real right?
[Unlike certain people who thought that the Digital World was nothing than just that!]
The only way you can get out is if you finish playing the game! [Well, Takeru could get out any time he wanted. He wasn't so sure about Ken]
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He lets the hand holding the pipe fall to his side. ] Then...let's prove your innocence.
[ Even in a game, he doesn't want the culprit to have been Takeru. Even if that means they discover it was him. He's almost more comfortable knowing there's a possibility he is guilty.
Being the one at fault is what he's used to. ]
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Trying his best to figure out what to do, he glanced around the room hoping to pick up a clue]
Have you checked the fingerprints? I don't think they match up with m-mine....?
[But he was starting to panic. What would happen if he was proven guilty? Would the ViViD do something to him...?]
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[ Though....think. What would the others do in a situation like this? More to the point, what is something that only he, Ichijouji Ken, can do....?
...Detail. Ichijouji Ken does detail. He thinks back to all the places he's been, and then it hits him. ] Where's the kitchen?
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[But given how they're stuck in the mansion, was it even possible for them gather all that stuff here? Although, when Ken spoke up, he simple raised an eyebrow]
Oh, it should be over here. [He said before pointing to said general direction] But why do you need to find it?
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Once he's located it, he'll be looking through the cabinets for any kind of aerosol spray. It's not a perfect solution, but it might make the fingerprints show up better....? ]
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[A small voice called out to him. Young. Far younger than he would remember, and yet tainted with familiarity.]
[When he turned, he would see the eight-year-old girl staring after him with an eerily calm expression. Glancing back and forth between the older boy and the sight before them both. The dead body that should have sent her running, and yet...it was as if she were staring at a wilted flower, for all she reacted to it.]
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...he can't get distracted, though. He has something he needs to do right now, and that's...that's...
That's get to the bottom of this. And look after this little girl.
He hates having to ask this since she's so young, but if she's a witness... ] Did you see....anything?
[ He's a great detective. ]
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No. I only just got here.
Why...did you?
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[ She's not a witness. What a relief. Ken bends down to speak more at her level. ] I'm going to look around. You can wait outside if you want....
[ ...to not be in a room with a dead body. He picks up Wormmon, who has been clinging to his leg in fright this whole time, and offers him to her. ] With my friend.
[ That way she has a "guard" if the murderer is still out there, and Wormmon doesn't have to be in the same room as a corpse, either. ]
Ken-chan...
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["Ken-chan..."]
[A glance down, and she realized the cute little creature at the boy's foot wasn't just some ViViD-created monster. More than that--]
Ah! You...is that a digimon?
[Curiosity won over, and she knelt down in attempt to meet his gaze. Smiling brightly.]
Hello, there. I'm Hikari. What's your name?
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[ Ken is also startled, but for different reasons. Can it be...? ] Who...are you?
[ "What's your name" is the non-rude and weird way of putting that, but it hasn't occurred to him, apparently. Despite the fact this girl just said those exact words herself.
He's having a trying day, okay. ]
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I'm Hikari. Yagami Hikari.
Why do you ask?
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[ That shouldn't be possible. Did he go back in time somehow? Or she move forward? Come to think of it, since neither of them are sure how any of this happened, it's entirely possible both of them were summoned to this room from different points along their own timelines....
Ken stares down at the corpse now with more dread than fright. ] What's going on?
[ What does it all mean. ]
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[Because...Hikari was fairly certain there was something about his name the boy recognized. It read all over his face. She supposed part of the shock could be where they were. If he didn't know they were inside a game, she could understand.]
I...think that's what we have to find out. [ViViD wouldn't really kill a real person, right? And even if someone died inside, they always woke up back in the city. The others had told her that. Which meant...this body had to be an NPC. The first clue. Like one of those detective shows on television.] We win the game when we solve the mystery of how the person died.
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[ Ken looks around them. No. No, no. Did someone lie to Hikari, too - this younger Hikari - the way he was lied to? This all looks real. He doesn't want to be tricked into avoiding harsh truths again. No, he can't even say he was tricked. He'd wanted to believe, back then. No more.
But the Hikari he knows is too perceptive to be tricked. He trusts the judgment of the Hikari he knows more than he trusts his own. So he just stares at her like the responsible older boy that he is. ] This isn't real.
[ Yes, that's what "game" implies, Ken. Good job. ]
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[That answered one of her biggest questions, and explained a lot of the poor boy's current anxiety.]
It's okay. I was confused the first time, too. [She offered what she hoped was a reassuring smile.] I know it's a little scary, but nothing inside of ViViD can actually hurt you. It's a virtual world. But not like the digitial world. This one's completely fake. It's just a game.
[...which would absolutely explain why she wasn't freaking out more. Besides her usual Hikari-ness.]
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Which proposes a third option. ]
Hikari-s.... [ No. That would just confuse her. ] -chan.
[ Ken smiles at her, trying to calm himself. She's being so helpful. He'll have to impose one last time. ] When we beat the game....where will we wake up?
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