WELCOME TO THE GAME.

[strangerpeople]

[You have died. When you awaken, it's in your body back to the shape it was in before whatever it was that killed you - but not all is right. Nothing surrounds you but darkness as far as the eye can see. A girl's gentle voice speaks to you from seemingly nowhere. It is a voice you probably haven't heard before.]

It's all right...it'll be all right.

Please forgive me for this, but, you're in the True Game now. As you're now here, on this plane, I...took something from you. Something important. The thing dearest to you. It has to be taken, though, as it's your entry fee - it's one of your means of surviving this!

I promise, we don't mean to do anything terrible to you! But this Game is important, and you getting through it is, as well. You'll receive missions, and for the missions you complete, you'll be given points. The more points you earn, the closer you'll get to leaving this place. And then, when you do finally leave, perhaps you'll understand why you were brought here. You'll regain what you lost, and you'll know the truth.

So please...please survive! I have faith in you! You'll be all right!!

[Sure enough, as soon as she's done explaining and collects your fee, something important of yours is missing. It might be memories, an object, or even a person (that's not a Titled), but they are your collateral now. Your motivation for continuing your existence in this world. You black out, and when you wake again, you're back in the mall, in the bedroom you'd been assigned. You remember everything you'd forgotten while you were alive, although you might have re-forgotten it if that was your entry fee. At least everything here seems mostly the same.

However, there's a few new things to discover... your cell phone now lets you read the surface thoughts of everyone that's living, and imprint thoughts into their heads (except for Croix, The Chance. Maybe it's because she didn't have a power? Who knows.) You also have all the items and money you had when you were still alive, which will be useful, because you still get hungry and, we'll say you still need clothes, but that's actually debatable because you are invisible. Not to other dead people, no, but to the other people in the mall.

Yeah. That's a thing. This version of the mall is full of random people who are using the mall as a mall, and even working the registers - oddly enough, there's this one girl with pink hair who seems to work at all of the restaurants at different times. But no one can see you, except for the shopkeepers of food and clothing stores specifically. (Luckily, the Barcade counts as food.) The Titled can be seen going about their business as well, and you can follow them around and watch them, listen to their conversations. However, nothing you say or do can be perceived by them. Even using your powers goes unnoticed, no matter what you try to do with them. It's like you're in parallel worlds. So that's a little spooky.

Speaking of spooky things, there are also monsters in this version of the mall, though the living seem as able to perceive them as the Titled can perceive you, and even to you they are only barely visible unless you focus on seeing them clearly. But these monsters attack people - they attach to the mall-goers like parasites, however for now, they seem to be leaving the living Titled alone... they prefer to attack the dead Titled, and only the power you gained here seems to truly damage them. They also seem quite difficult to defeat on your own. If one of them happens to come for you, you'll need to find the others, fast. At least if you checked your phone, your first mission told you where to go!]

Comments

MISSIONS

[strangerpeople]

Each day on their cell phones, the Titled on this plane will receive a mission, and a timer will appear in glowing numbers counting down on their hands showing how long they have to complete it. There is no penalty for not completing it, but everyone is allegedly in competition with each other to receive the most "points." What these count toward is not immediately made clear. The mission also changes every day, and the first one to complete it is the one to get the points. To take part in a mission, simply sign up for it under the comment. (To keep the graveyard's chill atmosphere, threading it is optional but encouraged - make your own top-levels for them and mods will tag if needed.) So, what are the missions? Why don't you go here and see?

Week 2
Week 3
Week 4

COACH CONTACT: DEADLAND

[lifecoach]

[The Life Coach is still around in Deadland, though you might not recognize her at first in her true form. Then again, her mannerisms are pretty unmistakable, and she always greets newcomers like so:]


Hiiii! It's me, LC! I'm so totally glad you joined us! Make sure you do your best at the missions, k? I'm watchin' ya!

And don't hesitate to ask me for anything you need! Everything is totally the same as it was before, you're just on this side now.

[But it's not limited to that. Fortunately (or unfortunately?) she's available all the time.]

[katsufemmefatale]

[Yeah it's definitely her. Yuuri looks for her again after he meets up with Victor, that sadness still lingering in his eyes even as he tries to smile.]

We found each other. I understand why you couldn't tell me the whole truth, and I just wanted to tell you I'm not angry.

[He bows to her.]

Thank you for watching over him while we were apart.

[byanyother_name]

[It's not until after he's spoken to Akechi and pulled himself together a little that Kurama finally seeks Coco out. He still doesn't look too good but he's washed away the traces of his tears from the trial and basically made himself look neat again.]

Coco-san? I've come to apologize to you. I'm sorry I allowed you to believe for any time at all that I would allow Nyaf-ya to be my executioner. As well, while I'm aware that you don't see death in the same way as the living, I imagine my choice still came as a shock and I'm sorry you... anyone... had to witness it in that way.

Sunday, Week 4

[totalbullshit]

[ Helena has done a great job avoiding Coco since her arrival on the dead side of things. After all, there has been no reason to not assume things are very very hostile between them since last Tuesday.... but after the trial and a night of talking to Dio about their situation, Helena figures she is losing valuable information by not having any conversation with their most approachable captor.

Her approach to Coco is certainly hesitant. ]

I won't try to zap you. Just to get that out of the way.

WEEK 2

[strangerpeople]

MISSIONS

[strangerpeople]

“Convene at Yotsukoshi.” Exactly what it says on the tin, go mingle with new deads.

“Share your creativity with someone in dire need of it.” Imprint words on a living NPC who is trying to write a poem. (It's basically Mad Libs.)

“Create new trendsetters.” Obtain an item of clothing that belongs to a living PC. Whether this is stealing it or convincing them to leave it for them somehow is up to them. (Chip exchange items not eligible.) Once the item is gained, they have to wear it as part of a matching outfit they create to fight monsters, until it becomes popular. This will raise the power of that person’s ability! This can only be done for two characters, first come first serve and choose wisely! (When signing up, tell us the character and the item they're planning to do it with and how they will do it so we can notify the player of mysterious happenings.)

“Bequeath the fears of the past upon a poor stranger.” Imprint a mass execution date in a Titled’s mind. Some people here already know of one... (To use imprinting on a PC, ping Des in the graveyard plurk with the character and idea they're trying to convey.)

“Behold, my favorite film in the mall!” Go to the video store and watch the movie Othello. (It is already in the player. A free day?)

“Prevail in a merry competition.” Win a Dance Dance Revolution Tournament in the barcade. Even if you have to do it by getting all the other competitors drunk!! (Don’t worry, it’s against the living. The Titled are busy.)

“It is always sharks! Until now.” Fight a Giant Shark at the pool.

[notgentle]

[Dio wakes up to a blinding pain in his feet. How strange; that part wasn't stomped disproportionately. For some reason, his boots don't fit right... was the material damaged? A shiver runs down his spine as he catches sight of his own hands tugging the shoes off; the appearance of his arms and legs is strangely compatible with the bizarre theory that his own body has grown so the kicks no longer fit. His accessories are still there and still tacky; his "loose" shirt and "baggy" pants suddenly just barely unite to cover his waist. At length his hand gets a good feel for his face and--]

You have... seriously... got to be fucking kidding me...!

[He's just going to be here, laughing, hollow and manic and indefinite. He looks like this now; taller and broader and dark-haired. Also, he is now voiced by Troy Baker or if you prefer Kosuke Toriumi. It's really bad. Des drew a reference because she is the greatest person on Earth.

---

At length Dio dusts his knees off and stalks off in search of new shoes and a mirror.] They still make us buy and sell shit...

TRIAL!

[classmated]

Torri... Yuuri... [ Mostly to himself, and if you're watching him you can see his hand balling into a fist. Someone really isn't happy about this! It's hard to tell if he's more sad or more angry, but if you're gonna place bets? Place bets on the second one. ]

I hope they find whoever did this soon.

WEEK 3

[strangerpeople]

MISSIONS

[strangerpeople]

“Convene at Toys is You.” - What it says on the tin. The Reaper Creeper board is here so you can have fun with it!
“Create, create, a place and skate.” Drain the pool and skateboard in it!! LIVE ON THE EDGE. Also grind on the edge.
“Get your friend F’d.” Get another article of clothing from a living person and show it to the visiting Prince who is hanging out in the fashion stores. He will either hate it or “F” for Fabulous it, resulting in a weakening or a strengthening of that person’s power depending on the result. This can be done up to two times.
“Herd the cats.” Three of the cats from Cat Nya-Land ran into the mall. Find the cats and return them to their home in paradise.
“Silence all Noise in the Titled's plane.” The PCs get possessed by Noise at one point in this week - the Players will have to erase the noise to free them. It’s a lot, remember to partner up!
“Bully the Woolly.” Fight that damn elephant outside Yotsukoshi. Don't worry, it's alone this time.
“Bring back the silver screen!” Fight a giant bat that's leeching power from the Megaodeon - don’t forget to erase the tiny gold bat at the end!

Dead?! On Arrival

[katsufemmefatale]

[Pleading. Falling. Shattering. Blood. No air. Darkness.

Cold brown eyes following him down into oblivion.

A second chance. Handing over a golden ring, but not before kissing it goodbye, along with the memories of the mutual love joined to it. He still has his one-sided love, the one that carried him from twelve years old to a broken night in Sochi. It will have to be enough.

When Yuuri wakes up in bedroom 8, it's with a scream. He grabs his throat, feeling intact skin. He's alive, sort of. He needs to do what she asked to escape. He needs to fight so he can live again.

It takes almost an hour, but he emerges from the bedroom into the mall proper. Who else is here?]

Spoilers likely

[foolishjustice]

[Akechi wakes up, and he remembers. Things he wanted to remember. Things he wishes he could forget again. Happiness. Regret. Why Sae is mad at him. It hurts more than the claws of the cats that had torn him to pieces, right next to...next to Akira and Kurama. Through the flood of memories, that one swims to the surface, shaking him out of his distracted stupor in an instant.

The Goro Akechi that leaves his room is different from the one everyone saw during those first two weeks, and different from the one who broke down in guilt at the end of the trial. His expression is grim, focused. He has a mission, and it's not the one everyone was issued. Someone else might catch him either hovering around rooms 14 and 3, or else headed for the food court, hoping against all odds...they had better still be on the living side.]

[notgentle]

^{((EXPLANATION))}



[Another week means another location full of furniture that Dio will have to throw at noise because his power is the most badass offensive ability of them all. He's picked up another change of clothes tailored to his borrowed body, a black coat over a deep green shirt and tan pants. The buttons are gold, to go with the gold chain that remains around his neck. The dark top hat and red scarves do not go with anything. His taste is just still terrible.

Dio has requisitioned a plush chair close to the entrance of the Netfugee Cafe, and is committing the new location to memory. Yeah, uh, he is so badass that he doesn't need to directly look at the layout in later stages during his memorization of the furniture. Sure. That is why he is multitasking by reading a stack of Scarlet Spider comic books.

He also has those threats of partnership on his mind, though, so he'll greet anyone dead who comes by.]

Yo.

[pinnately]

[ The feeling of the blade on her throat isn't something she'll forget anytime soon. The past few weeks have been more difficult than all the time she spent at the lab, even when she felt like she was trapped and would never be set free. But at least she was safe, there. This place? Nothing was safe, no one was safe, she should have realized that after Wake-it's no use, and she begins to cry, wrapping her arms around herself. For a while, she's not moving from here, from being wrapped (almost protectively) in this rack of wedding dresses.

But eventually she does, tentatively at first, because she can't stay there forever. She had to....keep trying......... If she could move, was this just another nightmare within a nightmare? ]

I want to wake up in my bed at home...

SILENCE THE NOISE

[strangerpeople]

[Shortly after Helena's mercy kill, the mission beeps on every Player's phones. It is exactly as it says. Noise are swarming on the Titled, preying on their emotions.... in what may be a terrifying twist, it mirrors the motive perfectly. The timer is on your hand. Only you can free them.]

[totalbullshit]

[ Helena knew she'd wind up somewhere. She somehow expected it to be more dramatic than ending up right back where she started. This just feels like any old bad morning in the mall. Just that she's dead.

In a weird way, being dead is pretty underwhelming.

Helena swings her legs out of bed and gets up. She may be a hikikomori generally, but there's no use staying inside now when she can't even be sure what kind of world she's in. Further, if this is the mall... she should check out the place she opened, if nothing else. It didn't look promising at first sight and it frustrates her.

Looking kind of absentminded, Helena walks down the bedroom wing and out into... a very populated Yotsukoshi. ]

...huh?

[ Catch her then or at any place in the mall later, she is actually exploring for once. ]

Wednesday

[foolishjustice]

[After an...interesting meeting, Akechi has a personal mission: talk to Kana. He'll start out by poking into Cafe MYJL, but will make his way to all of the food stores and, eventually, the clothing stores until he finds her. When he does, he puts on what might be his first smile since he died, holding up his hand in a polite wave.]

You're Kana-chan, right?

TRIAL

[totalbullshit]

[ Helena stands by her podium and stares at the lily with something like incredulity before changing her gaze's direction to Ren's.]

With this group I'm not surprised that the motive was successful sooner or later...

WEEK 4

[strangerpeople]

MISSIONS

[strangerpeople]

“Convene at MYJL.” What it says on the tin.
“Dress someone up for the most success.” Mysteriously, everyone has been gifted with a number of Resonance pins in their phone. They must take the pins into the stores to find out which brand they match, and then find out which ones resonate with each living stranger (by fighting noise near them.) Once that is done, they have to get at least one living stranger to wear a full outfit from their brand, throwing dropped money pins from noise at them if necessary.
“Hear the melodies of this world.” Listen to the TWEWY OST on some CDs in the netfugee cafe.
“Defeat the master of illusion.” Fight the Progfox in the gym.
“Re-enact a climactic battle.” Fight the Goth Metal Drake in the maze (It is possessing the dragon animatronic, so they will have to find it first!)
“View a secret memory.” Use scanning to find something of interest!
“Find me, the Game Master!” Everyone gets a picture of the GM on their phone. But it’s… a cat… a rather sickly looking cat at that, unlike the ones from the cafe.

Straight on through to the other side

[byanyother_name]

[Kurama is not, as such, surprised to wake up. He's a little surprised to wake up not in pain. He's quick to sit up and leave his room.

Quick to start searching the mall, beginning with room 14.

Please let them still be alive, let Akira still be alive.

His mother has been taken as his entry fee. His head is swimming from the influx of memory. All he has left right now is the hope that sacrificing himself to pay for what he did, to keep them safe, wasn't in vain.]

[steelmagnolias]

[ He shoots up from his bed, unsure of what to do and just...staring at his covers for a moment. The last thing he remembers is his head swimming as he struggled to breathe, his vision closing in and an abyssal pit of pain-

-pain that's gone now.

He exits, unsure of what to do or where to go, so he sits up and there's only one person in the world he can think of.

His daughter.

His daughter- shit, shit shit shit shit...

He'll be in the Cat Cafe. ]

SIDEQUEST

[notgentle]

[Dio is barreling towards that one locked door like an escaped extra from a James Bond movie, if you excuse the top hat and gold chain and oversized net erratically trailing behind him. So more like an extra from an Austin Powers movie. There's a screeching noise when he reaches the knob and kneels to frantically begin picking the lock; yet upon getting the hang of it, he raises her eyebrows when he sees Helena there in his peripheral vision.]

Now I understand why everyone liked tailoring shit for you.

FINAL INVESTIGATION

[strangerpeople]

[It appears things have happened. Well. More things...]

[foolishjustice]

[Well, while the living are doing their thing, nothing stopping the dead from snooping around too, right? When Akechi notices a computer that's actually old enough to read floppy discs, his mind immediately goes back to something he got out of the vending machine. It's probably nothing important, but he's a curious individual, so...what happens if he runs back to his room and gets the floppy disc to put in the computer?]