STEPH

[voidbreaker]

Comments

week 1, sunday

[vigilantics]

[ another sunday, another pc

but steph walks into the kitchen because she is ready to make stress waffles. hello. ]

... hey Ash.

[voidbreaker]

[ time to start meeting more often. still, here's ash. he's just drinking coffee because it's time for poor life decisions and lots of caffeine. ]

Hey.

You feel as crap as I do, or am I just special?

[vigilantics]

It can be both. You're special and I also feel like crap.

[ she just. rubs her temple. ]

I don't even know what to say.

[voidbreaker]

If this shit makes me special, then it can hang.

[ he sounds almost fakely cheerful -- which, y'know, is exactly what he's being. ]

You can just say it straight: we fucked up, and everything's a mess.

[vigilantics]

Pretty much.

[ she wanders over to find her waffle ingredients.... ]

You know, we have been acting like the fact that we've done this before as an advantage, but... I think it's probably hurting us, too.

[voidbreaker]

If we've done this, then people've probably killed before and know how to hide shit, you mean?

[vigilantics]

Yeah. But also like... with the bear, for example. People thought that could be a sign Ogata was being framed? But it really could have just been a random bear, and we were putting our previous knowledge of what happened elsewhere to it.

[voidbreaker]

Also— okay I didn’t know the guy well, but how widespread was the bear story? People could be looking to pin the blame on people who knew, by making it seem like someone was framing him. But that’s kinda overthinking it — or is it?

[ he shrugs ]

We’ve got layers and layers now.

[vigilantics]

Pretty much.

At this point, we have no idea what is a completely out there and paranoid theory, and what might actually be close to the truth? Usually the state of a body can help even a little, but... nothing.

[voidbreaker]

Yeah, it kinda got mauled enough to hide obvious damage. [ ... he sighs. ]

This is where not being able to share our powers is a pain in the ass. For all they wanna argue they're not meant for killing, if someone can magically put items back where they found them that's sure as hell gonna be handy for hiding a murder weapon.

[vigilantics]

It's like... technically a knife isn't meant for killing, but it's still pretty useful when you want it for that, right?

You guys had something like possession, right? How did that work if you missed catching someone? [ .. ] If you missed anyone, I mean.

[voidbreaker]

Yeah. Multiple uses, and some of them involve death.

Then we had two possessed people running around, and would have at least two monsters by the end of the week. It happened once, and someone went after them and killed them by the next Friday.

[vigilantics]

So, there was a chance they would have killed again otherwise?

For us, two people each week were chosen to be Blotters. But after they completed a kill, they wouldn't be expected to kill again unless they did so for another reason.

[voidbreaker]

Yeah. More that they would have done, had someone not targetted them first.

[ ... ] Shit, that's kinda dark. And totally forcing your hand.

[vigilantics]

If you killed someone, you'd receive a wish token. You could wish for anything you want. But if you still refused to do it, then you'd get threatened.

... so, basically, there was no way not to. Since there were two people, one person could just be an accomplice and not do the actual... you know, so there were some cases where we figured out the accomplice but not the actual killer until they got outed.

[voidbreaker]

So the accomplice was guilty by association, even if they didn't agree to or actually go through with the murder?

[vigilantics]

Mm. Since even if they don't actually lift a finger, I think they're still required to put some sort of input? Especially with like... choosing the victim. Since if someone you're partnered with as a Blotter suggests killing your friend, for example, you're likely to speak up and tell them to choose someone else.

That still counts as being an accomplice.

[voidbreaker]

So, sneaky in every sense of the word. You ever vote for an accomplice and not catch the person who actually did the killing?

[vigilantics]

... well, there have been cases where we caught the accomplice, and then the accomplice immediately outed who they were working with.

[ it was akechi both times. ]

[voidbreaker]

[ tell him that he wouldn't be surprised. ]

No loyalty lost there then, huh?

[vigilantics]

It's probably because they weren't actually friends or anything, they were just... working together to accomplish the goal.

[voidbreaker]

Wonder if having people here we trust'll make things better or worse.

[vigilantics]

Honestly?

Probably a mix of both.

[voidbreaker]

Great.

[ sigh ]

We're already apparently in factions, if we split into more we'll really be fucked.

[vigilantics]

That might be the point... it'll be harder for us to work together if we're split up like that, right?