day one - afternoon

[guestcontrol]

dreamland day one 41 players remaining. [As the day wears on into the afternoon, the dead aren't getting any deader. It's late in the afternoon, and the air is beginning to cool, when the chimes play again over the park loudspeaker. "All of us here at Dreamland wish you luck, guests! Let's meet up in the Hall of Mirrors!" Wherever you are, it's time to make your way over to the House of Horrors, where you'll have to brave the funhouse to find the room on the top floor. Don't delay, or your guest identification bracelet will begin beeping. The House of Mirrors is a large room, more than capable of fitting a crowd. Tall mirrors line every wall, and the door you entered through seems to vanish into a mirror as well. The mirrors give the impression that many, many more are among your number, standing in the background. In the back is a jar filled with blank raffle tickets. You'll have to take a ticket, write down a name, and place it back in the jar. Hopefully you already know who you're voting for, but if not, you only have time for a brief discussion before you're out of time. rulebook character statuses private conversations graveyard Voting will close at 10 PM EST on Sept 24. Voting

Comments

[photoshot]

I announced that I was going to continue writing my newspaper, even in a situation like this. I'm willing to accept and disseminate information from anonymous sources--hopefully innocent guests with valuable clues who don't want to reveal their identity, but it's a risk that VIP can use my services as well.

[jingler]

I see. So someone decided to take advantage of your plans to make a paper. That means the someone who submitted the message took faith in your abilities.

[photoshot]

My Bunbunmaru Newspaper is the most reliable around! [ for A VERY BROAD DEFINITION of reliable. ]

[jingler]

It was a very well put together paper, I will say as much about it.

[photoshot]

Why thank you. I try my best.

[sunshade]

[ ... ] I won't lie, Aya has interviewed myself and Toyosatomimi in the past. They were printed in previous editions of her newspaper back home.

[jingler]

I see. So the two of you are potential suspects for sending that letter because you are already aware of how she conducts these papers.

[photoshot]

I don't mind being under suspicion. I will say that even if I were VIP, I'd write the paper exactly the same way and publish every submission as-is, even if it's information that would incriminate fellow VIP.

[sunshade]

....why am I not surprised? [ a sigh ] Your dedication is almost baffling.

[photoshot]

Is that praise or insult... or both...

[sunshade]

[ a shrug ] I also happen to find her newspaper a bunch of rubbish embellished to the point of being a tabloid, but I realize my opinion isn't very trustworthy in this case.

[jingler]

A very blunt opinion. Though unfortunately not substantial. It isn't really about how credible it is, it's more about whether or not she would publish it period. So long as that factor is there, you are still under suspicion of sending the note. My apologies for it.

[He doesn't honestly think Patchouli did it, but she is still a suspect.]

[sunshade]

Well, I more meant that I don't particularly like to associate with it. I don't read it, back home, and the interview was a singular incident.

But very well. That is why I spoke up, after all.

[siggey]

Wait, hold up. So you and Toyo... whoever else you just said. You knew Aya before this place?

[sunshade]

Yes, that's correct. The three of us come from Gensokyo, Japan.

[siggey]

I knew it was Japan!

[ That's what I guessed, but Aya never confirmed it for me. Well now I know. Take that! ]

Never heard of Gensokyo, though. Anyone else here from where you are?

...

And do you guys really have no idea what Disneyland is supposed to be?

[sunshade]

Not that I know of.

[ she thinks for a moment GO GO GADGET HEADCANON ]

It is...an amusement park made by the Disney company, I believe. I'm familiar with a few of their films, but I've never visited the park. I wouldn't be surprised if the other two haven't heard of it. Different timeframes, or never having lived in the Outside World...I lived there quite a while before arriving in Gensokyo.

[siggey]

Did you guys compare notes? Like, remember the date before waking up here?

Yeah, that's it! Aya had no idea when I brought it up. Shouldn't a journalist be more on the ball with popular trends, even if you guys live somewhere super remote?

[ Some of the things she just said sound strange, though. ]

Why 'outside world', though, and different time frames?

[sunshade]

Not really. Why would we need to compare notes?

[ shaking her head ] Remote...I suppose that's one word for it. It's complicated. Involves magic. I'm not going to bother explaining, because I'm not in the mood to have someone else look at me as though I've lost my mind.

[siggey]

Because having information about the circumstances of our kidnapping may shed some light on our situation?

[ I sigh, rolling my eyes. ]

I already met a chick who's never heard of America or Europe, claiming she stepped into a teleporting beam of light to save the world before ending up here. Then there's a robot alien who's apparently from over a century in the future where intergalactic space travel exist. If I stare and gape every time someone tells me something that should be impossible, my eyeballs are going to pop out and my jaw is going to fall off, and I still need those.

...So can I ask again? At least explain the timeframe thing. Does time travel exist for you, or something?

[sunshade]

Well, then, you're more open-minded than the young woman I spoke with earlier. [ PEKO GODDAMMIT ]

Fine. [ ... ] Gensokyo is a closed dimension completely separate from what is commonly perceived as the 'modern world.' Our technology level is on par with around 1870s Japan, though there are a few anachronisms. [ which would explain why someone who's never left Gensokyo doesn't know what the hell Disneyland is ]

Time travel...I suppose it depends on what you mean by 'travel' precisely, but no, that's not what I meant. Toyosatomimi was in a coma for a thousand years, despite existing in the Outside World for most of that duration.

[siggey]

I donno about that. I just think we have way more pressing problems to worry about, than whether someone's telling the truth about magic and advanced sci-fi. Besides, lying about something hard to believe isn't nearly as bad as lying about being a killer in this game. The VIPs are actively playing, but I'm not buying that they're doing this just for kicks. It has to stop, but I also want to find out why.

[ ... ]

Okay, I think I get it. Gensokyo's basically like those really shut-off mountain villages in the middle of nowhere with no contact to the civilized world. Nature's probably left pristine and you get to preserve your own culture, something like that but with magic involved?

[ I nod slowly. Immortals. right. ]

So what's the modern day DATE when all three of you got kidnapped? Do you know, or is time something you folks don't really keep track of?

[sunshade]

Regardless, she seemed to think I was delusional. Taking something with a grain of salt is more progressive than outright thinking someone is lying. But regardless...

That's the gist of it, yes. Like I said, there are other variables and anachronisms.

The date as per the Outside World? [ a pause as she seems to be calculating something in her head ] May 11th, 2014. [ of course, that's what she remembers. At this point, she doesn't really feel it's out of the question for Aya or Miko to have come from sometime in the past or the future. As ridiculous as that sounds. ]

[siggey]

She better get used to it. I know I'm adapting.

Good enough for me. All I want to know is how everyone remembered their kidnapping, there could be a clue there. Seems like I'm the only one who saw it coming. ...Sort of.

...

Can't say I'm surprised the date doesn't match. Last day I remember is December 25th, 2028. That's why I'm wondering if anything's different for people who knew each other before this. Can you ask Aya and that other chick if they remember the same day as you?