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DROS CH5 First Impressions

And we’re here! Presumably the last regular chapter of DROS, before whatever CH6 will bring! Let’s see what exactly we have going on here, and what could possibly happen to get us into an endgame. We move!

CWs: Daily Life, Deadly Life. Warning: Absurdly long.

“Unbreakable Bonds”, huh? I don’t have too many guesses as to what could happen here, but it sounds fun.

“Five games before ours… fifteen victims in each… plus the current eight casualties from our game… That’s 83 deaths. 83 people, likely young stars with bright futures ahead of them, that this Resort has killed.”

I hadn’t thought to do the math, but yeah, that number is absurd damn.

“I’m getting pretty sick of meals where not everyone is in attendance, so I cross my fingers and check to see if everyone makes it here. Thankfully, they all show up.”

Yay! No more Cellar motive, obvs.

“Vanessa: It’s… about what Taylor said, towards the end of the Trial. How everyone here is super close to someone. I… don’t feel like I have anyone like that, y’know?”

Type of shit that happens when your day 1 is the first killer ig. {Also hey last change of format before the finale!}

“Jeff: Is that a bad thing?”

Also Jeff lol. I guess he also doesn’t have anyone that close, but he’s used to it :p

“Jeff: If you’re not super attached to anyone else, you don’t ever have to worry about them leaving you behind.”

Of course xp

“Jeff: …If thinking about the situation’s not helping, think about how to get out of it. We all want this game to end, right? So, focus your efforts on figuring out how to end it. That’s my plan. Ellis: That’s what I’m gonna be doing, too. We can’t let this game churn through us all… Vanessa: Right. Finding an end to the killing game, without there only being one winner left. Maybe, if we try hard enough… Maybe it is possible.”

Back on the “end the game” grind! We don’t have a lot of time until the end of the story, so we gotta do it!

“If we can actually all come together, who knows what new innovations that might bring? …Man, I really hate how tacky this all sounds. I was never cut out to be an inspirational speaker.”

But… But the hope speeches D:

“So, we’re just going to pretend that getting out of here before anyone else dies is a totally viable scenario. I’m really crushing this optimism thing.”

Don’t worry Ellis sweetie you’re doing great.

“Mark: There’s just… only half of us left. I guess everyone was studying up on their arithmetic last night.”

Ellis and their inner monologue continue being the funniest things alive lmao.

“The Show Room’s walls have returned to stonework, though it’s nothing decorative, just bricks. The room is empty, except for the shackles hanging from the walls. …Hang on. Isn’t this the same as it looked the first time I saw it?”

That’s… interesting. Is it looping? Or is there some connection to the first chapter here? Given the “bonds” name, I have to imagine the shackles are related. Maybe this chapter’s motive was supposed to be CH1’s, but Antonia killed so fast that a different motive was chosen. Wonder if it’ll be anything like Tetro Blue’s first motive. Kinda doubt it, but we’ll see.

“Why would it go back to default? Does that mean there won’t be a motive this time? Why…?”

I guess “default” is also an interesting way of seeing it. Wonder what it could mean.

“Ellis: It’s no wonder you came here. This is… really abnormal. Aidan: …Thanks…?”

Bruh xD

“Ellis: Yeah. You’d think they’d want to ramp up how effective the motives are to counteract everyone growing closer. Unless they’re trying and failing to prove some point about how we’ve only become more desperate over time, there’s no reason for them to ramp down.”

I like the “trying and failing” language- for as much as Ellis makes fun of himself for it, he actually is pretty good at the optimism thing apparently. Also, interesting ideas from Ellis!

“Ellis: Maybe we’ll get handcuffed together. That’d be fun, right, Aidan?”

Oh hey, another case of me and Ellis thinking alike, except I don’t think Ellis knows about Tetro Blue lol. Also I hope the first motive isn’t considered that big of a spoiler? Idk.

“Aidan: If that does happen, I feel bad for whoever gets paired with you. Ellis: Ouch! But, hey, didn’t we say you should stop feeling so negatively about yourself? Aidan: What do you mean? Ellis: Well, because we would be paired together, obviously. So stop feeling sorry for yourself. It’s a blessing. Aidan: ...Right.”

A very particular conversation lmao.

“I walk past the card tables in the Casino in pursuit of finally unlocking whatever’s behind that weird door.”

Yooo!!! Weird door in the casino reveal!!! Hopefully, I’ve actually been really interested in it for a long time.

“Mark’s standing outside said door, but based on their demeanor, it doesn’t seem to be open.”

Or I can wait until next chapter that’s fine too xD

“Ellis: Ugh, still? This thing has been bugging me since we got here.”

Dude. I swear I’m not reading Ellis’ lines ahead of time, we just genuinely have the same thought process a weirdly significant amount of the time xD

“Mark: It doesn’t open. Ellis: Like… ever? Mark: Not in my game. Probably not in this one, either.”

Hmm… Well, I guess we have an idea for what may be the trigger for the end of the killing game in CH6!

“Ellis: …Have you ever tried knocking? Mark: … They knock on the door. Unsurprisingly, nothing happens.”

S-Tier bit. Why didn’t we think of this before???

“Looks like I won’t be able to get them to smile with any of my usual antics at the moment.”

Awww… Well you tried, and it was a good attempt :( Made me smile, at least :D

“Mark: After the Fifth Trial, the dynamic of the killing game shifts. There are few enough people left that everyone starts having to consider what they’re actually going to do to get out of it alive. So, instead of getting new areas and super pressing motives, it’s more about the group dynamic. Oh, and the BDA rule will change after the next Trial, too. Three spotless is too hard to achieve when there are only six or fewer people left…”

That’s… interesting. I guess that explains the Show Room a little.

“Mark: They aren’t. There’ll be a new motive… probably tomorrow morning. Maybe the day after that. Ellis: Wait, then why would they reset it to look like when we first got here if they’re just going to change it anyways? Mark: Probably for confusion or a false sense of security. The motives seem to be following roughly the same pattern as before, so…”

Never mind! So that’s kinda weird. I wonder if maybe something’s going wrong on the killing game organizers’ end, that they can’t get a new Show Room? Probably wishful thinking, that.

“Mark: I remember the fourth and fifth [motives], and the fact that there weren’t any afterwards.”

Very, very interesting!

“Mark: It’s true, though. Like I said, once everyone is confronted with the end of the killing game, it’s harder to pretend there won’t only be one winner. People start trying harder to make sure the one winner is them.”

Big oof there. Makes sense, but still.

“Mark: …I don’t want it to get to that point again. I can’t let it. Ellis: We won’t. At least if I’m going to lie to people now, I’m doing it for their benefit.”

Even bigger oof. I guess Ellis still isn’t quite an Ultimate Hope candidate, eh?

“The double doors open into a dazzling Banquet Hall, a large table set for 16 with china and silver serving as the focal point of the room. Another set of double doors stand at the other side of the room, and smaller doors are worked into the gilded decor on the left and right. Sparkling glass fixtures illuminate the room in bright light along the walls and ceiling.”

What’s the point of opening this now? You’ve got half the people you would need to fill that table!

“Ellis: Yeah… That, or we all did something here before, and we don’t remember it.”

That’s… a noteworthy thought. Jot that down for later ig.

“Jeff: I was more thinking… this is supposed to be a hotel, right? If you were going to host a banquet for a bunch of guests or whatever, why would you make them walk through other guests’ living spaces to get there? Ellis: To make them uncomfortable, I guess. I kinda doubt this Resort was built for a purpose other than this killing game.”

Fair points. We’re getting some more context on stuff, at least.

“Through the door lies another room with a long table, though it’s much less splendid than the Banquet Hall. A TV display sits on one end of the room, and Vanessa spins around in one of the swivel chairs that make up the seating of what looks like a Conference Room.”

Vanessa go spinny! Kind of a boring sounding room for CH5, no? I wonder if there’s more to it than meets the eye. Or if the order things get unlocked in is kinda random.

“Vanessa: Weird that there are 16 if this place doesn’t open until there are only 8 left, right? Aw, come on! Her, too?”

Bruh. Empty space might as well be the main antagonist of this chapter lol.

“Vanessa: It’s gotta be at least kinda soundproof in here then, right? ‘Cause, you were right there.”

Oh, so someone’s dying here, there. Cool!

“Vanessa: Yeah, I guess. Though, I bet I could yell loudly enough to break through it, right? How soundproof can soundproof get? Ellis: Should I plug my ears? Vanessa: Nah, I won’t do it. Still though! I believe I can!”

Interesting theory, If be interested in having her test it :p

“I spin around a few times in the chair for good measure before I head out.”

Good, good, whimsy is important. We’re learning. (?)

“I guess it makes sense to have another Kitchen next to the Banquet Hall. Similar to the Buffet’s, it’s state of the art equipment, though there aren’t currently any staff in here. Harper looks around the otherwise empty space.”

Harper, we have to cook.

“Harper: Perhaps at some point it would be nice to try cooking here. It would allow a brief pause from everything being Resort-provided. Ellis: As long as you don’t try to cook anything for the staff. Harper frowns. Harper: The staff are hard at work for our benefit. Ellis: They’re complicit in your death!”

Don’t cook like that Harper! I love ver so much, this is genuine so funny.

“The doors open into a grand space with marble arches and polished golden floors. A sparkling chandelier hangs from the ceiling, the diamonds scattering the light into ornate patterns across the floor. On the far left and right, passages to further hallways trail onwards. Davis stands in the center of the Ballroom, twinkling in the light of the chandelier.”

Ooh, fancy!

“Davis: It’s beautiful, isn’t it? Ellis: Yeah… After I take a moment to collect myself, I flip my ponytail. Ellis: Just like the two of us. Separately. Davis gives a familiar smile.”

Well at least he’s doing fine!

“Davis: I’m sure the Resort could provide you with [a suit or a ball gown], if you wanted one. My eyes start to sparkle before I can stop myself. Ellis: Really?! Agh, I shouldn’t be so excited! I cross my arms. Ellis: I mean… It’d be a good strategic move to take that suit-slash-ball-gown-slash-multiple-of-those before we leave this place to make them lose some of their resources.”

Bruh. It’s kinda funny seeing Ellis bashful over wanting to dress up nice, I guess it doesn’t really fit her wild and crazy aesthetic.

“Or, I could host one myself, for the rest of us. I’d only put eight chairs around my table. Then, nobody would have to ask.”

Yes, fight against empty space! This villain will be defeated yet!

“It leads out onto a small Balcony. Vines with colorful flowers line the white chiseled railing. Noah leans over the railing, looking out beyond it. When I join him, I instantly understand the reason for his troubled expression: there are other buildings, ones outside of the Resort, a little far away. It’s hard to make it out, but there are people out there, too– not staff members, not contestants, but other people, driving cars and exiting buildings, just beyond our grasp.”

That’s insane. There’s just regular ass people directly outside the damn building, and no one’s even heard anything inside about trying to break them out? I don’t even know if Junko could’ve pulled that off at the peak of her influence, damn.

“Noah: We could get a flare or something from the Customer Service Desk. Set it off here. I doubt it would do anything, though…”

Well, it’s a plan, I guess!

“Ellis: Not even the loved ones…? Noah: … He hesitates. Noah: …Maybe they just… didn’t know it was us. They probably had no idea we’re here, at least, if they’re still living normally. Or, who knows, maybe it’s only normal right there! Maybe people somewhere else are still out there looking for everyone. Ellis: I just… I didn’t think it was possible for not caring about anyone to be the norm.”

It’s kinda crazy, yeah. I mean, Tragedy’s probably the answer as to how this happened, but it’s still kind of insane.

“Ellis: Plus, it’s the Nevada desert…”

Is this still based on Antonia’s guess from the Prologue, or did we ever get actual confirmation on it? Because I can see the world where we’re, like, on a random island somewhere.

“Note Obtained: Balcony View”

Ooh… Now that’s an interesting place to get a Note! Wonder how it’s gonna come into play.

[Jeff FTE Start] Wow, Jeff? Very interesting pick! I guess there’s probably a lot to learn here, especially considering the whole “coming back is harder than going away” thing he said at some point last chapter.

“Jeff: Beaches have better vibes than indoor places, or, like… forest cabins. Ellis: Huh? What, are you afraid of crazy chainsaw murderers or something? Jeff: It’s not that I’m afraid of anything in particular. I just like it better when it’s an open area. Hmm. Is Jeff claustrophobic?”

Well, that sure would be something!

“Jeff: Well, I still like the outside better. I just mean… it’s harder to do whatever you want here. I’m used to doing whatever– no responsibilities, no worries. Here, though, I have to actually think about it. I frown. Ellis: Yeah… it’s not fun. Jeff: Been happening to you too? Ellis: Yeah… turns out your first instinct isn’t always your best instinct. Who knew?”

I always felt like Ellis and Jeff were pretty similar in this regard. Not that it’s a particularly revolutionary observation, but yeah.

“Jeff: Could be a catchphrase for this place. “Welcome to the killing game, where your actions actually have consequences!” Ellis: "Not to mention, you also have to suffer the secondhand consequences of everybody else’s actions at the same time you watch others experience yours!”"

They’re bonding :O

“Jeff: Ugh, tell me about it. This is the reason why I always skip out…”

You know, I guess they’d always have been a pretty obvious pick for killer with their talent and everything, but I’m still a little surprised they haven’t even considered killing so far. As far as we know, anyways. Maybe he’s just so adverse to responsibility that he doesn’t want too much guilt he can’t run away from, though that’s only one option.

“Jeff: …You ever wonder about what it’d be like after? When someone does win, where do they go? What do they do?”

I guess they have wondered about it a little bit lol.

“Ellis: …I can’t imagine the Resort would totally let them off the hook. Jeff: What would the audience think, though? Like, oh, this person won. Hope you didn’t get too attached to them, though. Ellis: Maybe the people watching this game just want everyone to die. That’d explain how they could even be into this kind of thing in the first place… Jeff: Fair enough. Not like I understand whatever would have to go through someone’s head to like watching a killing game. Even aside from, y’know, the horror of death or whatever, wouldn’t it just be… I don’t know, a downer? Ellis: Maybe it’s for the catharsis, I don’t know.”

Interesting philosophizing here. Always kinda funny to see these characters talk about the sickos reading- ehr, watching their killing game lol.

“Ellis: Then again, catharsis sucks. That’s what I’ve been learning these past few days. Jeff: Amen.”

That’s a nice note to end on!

“Given that he’s clearly wanted to get out of here the whole time, I wonder if he ever planned on winning himself.”

Ellis please let me have an original thought for once in my life.

“Ellis: If I pretend that Balcony doesn’t exist, it’s going great. Ah, rats…”

That hit her harder than I thought it would. I guess knowing for certain that people are all around you and not doing anything about the killing game would be pretty awful, huh?

“Jeff: How’re you and Davis doing? Aidan: … Aidan’s face gets slightly red. Aidan: What do you mean by “me and Davis?” I’m fine. He’s fine. Ask him yourself, if you care.”

Seeing Aidan flustered is kinda hilarious. Local idgafer found actually giving a fuck, he will never recover from this.

“Aidan: What is this, an interrogation? Why does it matter who I spend the day with…? Ellis: I dunno. Some people care~ Aidan: Are you one of the people who care? Because if not, you shouldn’t be asking. Ellis: Sigh, I guess that’s true. No matter how much time we spent together, I always knew I could never replace your first. Aidan: First…? Jeff: To be fair, you were also going up against Davis of all people.”

And now they’re teasing him. You have no idea how hard I’m smiling. Please no one die :D

“Aidan: Why are we talking about this…? Ellis: What, how attractive and charming I am? Because it’s always the best topic of conversation! Aidan: You’re the only one who talks about that.”

Thank you Aidan for continuing to be the funniest person alive xD

“Jeff: Would you rather talk about how Davis is attractive and charming? Aidan: Shut up.”

Get his ass Jeff!

“If those people don’t care… it doesn’t make sense. Maybe they’re some kind of crazy cult that wants to sacrifice non-virgins to some dark robotic god. Maybe they’ve been kidnapped against their will! Yeah, a whole city can definitely be kidnapped. Via… mind control, maybe? I don’t know.”

Wow we are… struggling, huh? Yeah, kinda fucked.

“And… there’s nothing that could have changed the global perspective on life and death that much in… what, a few days? Months? A year, at most…!”

I guess if their bodies haven’t changed from what they remember too much, it really can’t have been that long. Then again, the Tragedy didn’t exactly last that long as a whole, anyways. I do wonder exactly where in the timeline we are, though. I… probably must have talked about this at some point, but the killing games would have to be based off Junko’s, right? So… idk.

Anyways, next part!

Part 2

“I don’t notice any new motive-related happenings as I wake up and make my way to the First Floor.”

Huh. Curious…

“Mark: …There he is. I follow Mark’s gaze to the door, through which Monoquin walks into the Buffet.”

Indeed! There he is! Wonder what he’s gonna say.

“Ellis: Is there even a point to you greeting us? Nobody is happy to see you. Honestly, why am I even talking to him…? Monoquin: I was informing you of my presence. Noah: Can your presence go away…?”

Disrespecting mascots is always hilarious lol.

“Monoquin: I am here to inform you that the motive will begin tomorrow. Please meet in the Ballroom by 9 AM tomorrow, and wear appropriate attire for the venue.”

Oh god, I do not have good memories regarding meeting in a specific room in formal clothes. Please don’t lock them in the Ballroom?

“Ellis: …I swear, I was not rooting for this development.”

Pfft-

“Ellis: …What does this have to do with the shackles?”

They’re getting locked in the Ballroom. Motherfucker. I forgot about those things…

“Ellis: There’s a chance that we might all get trapped in there together. We should make sure that we already have whatever we might need on us.”

For once I’m very happy Ellis shares my thought process lmao.

“Mark: It’s a reasonable idea, though I wouldn’t… expect it to be anything that severe. They’ll probably want to do something that makes it harder to live here, but not impossible.”

Mark saying that is admittedly very reassuring. Ultimately, they only have five more motives worth of sample size at most, though, so. Hopefully he’s not wrong!

“Ellis: Good point! We should all spend the day in the Casino, then. Whoever does best gets a kiss… or maybe more.”

Ellis.

“Does Mark remember what the motive is? Have they figured it out? Or is it just a sign of his resistance dwindling that he wasn’t particularly excited at the prospect of spending a day together?”

Oof. Hopefully they’ll be alright.

“I seek out the Spa to relax at the hands of our demented kidnappers (trust me when I say it’s the best course of action I could come up with), finding Jeff there as well.”

I don’t think I’ve ever commented much on it, but the Staff are so funny, conceptually. Like, there’s this weird robot thing that’s actually controlling the killing game, all the scared participants with a cackling evil mastermind in their midst, and also just these Guys walking around. They intrigue me. What is their deal?

[Jeff FTE] Not that it matters right now! FTE woo!

“While I might have agreed with Jeff before, I’m now unsure if not having any major attachments is something to brag about. Like, yeah, you don’t wanna be saddled with a ton of debt, but having at least one friend isn’t bad, is it? I’m sure Paris would’ve liked to have one…”

Yay for character development!

“Jeff: …Depends on what you consider caring, too. I’m sure there are plenty of people out there who remember me who I don’t remember. Just another face in the crowd.”

Interesting. I could see Jeff leaving someone specifically because they were starting to care about him, but maybe he’d remember them then. But if they’re always traveling around, it makes sense they’d forget people faster than average.

“Jeff: I wouldn’t say that. It’s more… I go plenty of places, right? See a lot of different people. I’m always on the move. But, for people who stay in the same place most of their lives, one day, I show up. I stay for a while, have a good time… then I leave. To me, I mostly forget about whoever I met there, because I do this all the time. But that’s not normal to them, is it? They’d be more likely to remember me.”

Exactly, yeah.

“Jeff: I try not to think about it too much, ‘cause for the most part, I don’t really care. But, in reality, there are probably a lot of people who hate me out there. Ellis: For doing something bad, or for leaving? Jeff: Leaving. Wouldn’t you be upset, if someone you liked disappeared one day without a trace, no goodbyes?”

It must be a weird thing to think about. I’m glad we’re talking about it, it’s interesting.

“I’ve always been the one doing the leaving. And yet, who knows if I was ever a person who was liked?”

Yikes. For as much as I call out Ellis’ development as generally a good thing, we still gotta work on that self esteem my protag.

“Ellis: The good news is, if you disappeared from this place without a trace, I’d probably be happy for you. Not ‘cause I didn’t enjoy your company, but because it’d mean you actually got out of here. I tilt my head back in thought. Ellis: Actually, scratch that. I’d only be happy if I could confirm you were still alive. Otherwise, I’d never know if the staff just, like, shot you out back and left you dead in a ditch or something.”

Lol. Ellis still has their awkward moments, you love to see it.

“Ellis: But, hey, you’re the Ultimate Absentee! Maybe you have a talent for evading death. Jeff: Made it this far, right? I could say the same to you.”

I did also wonder if Ultimate Absentee would inherently give them a free pass to escape, it’d be funny. Maybe I should’ve put him down as a survivor in the prediction game.

“Ellis: You think that more than just the two of us wouldn’t die here? Please. If someone else says it, maybe it’ll come true. Jeff: Aidan’s already dodged death once. Who the hell knows what’s going on with Mark? That’s already four people that feel like they shouldn’t die. Three of them would have to, if we were to get down to one.”

Jeff is playing their own prediction game, I see! Funny.

“Then again, maybe the disconnect is my problem! Is getting stuck in the cycle preventing me from coming up with better ways to break it? If you believe that the sky is the limit, you’ll always be limited by the sky. Everybody else could be planting their flags on the moon right now.”

Poetic. It’s a nice thought, hopefully Ellis can hold onto it for a while.

[FTE End] What a nice FTE!

“Harper: You wanted to ask me, in particular? Davis: I feel like everyone’s been struggling lately, but no one’s really checked in with you. I wanted to make sure you’re doing okay.”

Nice guy Davis. And it’s kinda true. Harper’s always just kinda been Vibing, so I don’t usually find myself wondering how ve’s doing, but still.

“Harper: To be honest, I’ve actually been questioning my place less than usual. I am, admittedly, typically one to doubt myself, but… I feel more resolute than normal. Ellis: Oh? What have you resolved, then? Harper: This entire time, I’ve been unsure of what I could offer to everyone who was suffering. I tried, but I didn’t have anything I could give. But… Ve smiles softly. Harper: Maybe just being here is enough.”

Well that’s nice. Unless ve means, like, “the mm (me) is finally in a killing game and that helps the people suffering outside?” But I only say that because with Paris gone, I really have no idea who the mm is, and I’m just latching onto the person with what feels like the least screen time lol. Then again, Paris went down without doing anything beyond the third chapter motive thing, so my sus radar is clearly not exactly very strong, I can’t be out here accusing Harper fucking Young of all people lol.

“Harper: I suppose that’s true. If there is one thing, though… I do wish I’d managed to talk to Noah, before he… Ellis: Before he fell a couple of days ago?”

Yeah that tracks.

“Harper: …That’s the reason I never volunteered for the Cellar, in the end. I… thought it might do more good to be by his side.”

I did wonder about that. Harper not volunteering for at least a day at the Cellar had given me some pause, but I guess this makes sense.

“Ellis: Harper, Taylor had so much resentment towards Paris that they slipped up and used her pronouns in a moment of anger when they basically had their survival in the bag. And we’re not going to dwell on that!”

Lmao. Yeah, I guess that’s kind of a lot when you put it like that, yeesh.

“Ellis: Harper, are you the mastermind? Harper: Of course not. Ellis: Did you ever actively want anyone dead? Harper: No, I didn’t. I never would. Ellis: Then, I think you’re good. Harper: …I suppose… maybe I am.”

Lmao at the mm question, considering. And it’s nice to see Harper making some amount of progress on the guilt ve’s been feeling, that’s kinda been a problem for a while.

[Jeff FTE] Yay!

“Why does nobody want to dance with me? I’m a great dancer!”

Lmao. Maybe he’ll get to show that off in the motive ball or whatever the hell is happening.

“Jeff: I wish. But, at the same time, maybe [being forced to stay here is] good for me as a person or something. I don’t know. I’ve been thinking way too much lately. I hate how it keeps turning out that way.”

I wonder what Ellis is referring to specifically. The killing game forcing people to improve even despite the despair and likelihood of death? Or just, like, forcing people to think lol.

“Jeff: Am I a terrible person? Like, objectively. I laugh. Ellis: Oh man, it just gets funnier every time. The illusion of free choice: be me, be Mark, be Aidan, be Harper, be Jeff– all paths lead to “am I a terrible person?””

Self-loathing seems to be a weirdly recurring theme here lol. I think the only people here I don’t remember having any issues with their sense of self (though of course memory’s fuzzy with my time in the void) were Cass, Antonia, maybe Kennedy and Vivi. So the spy, the possible mass murderer, and the Mad Duo. Not great options all in all lmao.

“Ellis: Man, does it make me a terrible person if you ask me a serious question and I laugh…?”

Speaking of self doubt lol.

“Ellis: Well… that is true, people usually say that being selfish is a bad thing. If you’re actively screwing other people over, that’s an act that most would call evil. But it’s also kinda hard to hate a guy who’s just, like, following his passions? And causing collateral damage presumably on accident. Jeff: At some point, you become aware of the collateral damage. If you don’t do anything to change it, does that make it your fault?”

Interesting philosophical questions here. There’s probably an argument that Jeff should try to minimize collateral while still doing what makes him happiest, though there’s only so much they can actually do about that.

“Jeff: You didn’t answer the question. Ellis: Uhhh… Seriously, why do people keep coming to me for advice?!”

Face your protag responsibilities Ellis!

“Jeff: I probably have at least one kid out there. Statistically, I mean. I wouldn’t know, though. I think about that a lot. DILF???”

OKAY, hold the fuck up!!! You can’t just drop that in the middle of the conversation, and Ellis’ first thought certainly can’t be “DILF???” Are we out of our goddamn minds???

“Ellis: Damn. Congrats? Jeff: It’s not like I want a kid. Ellis: Un-congrats. Yeah, having a kid would be hard. Before you know it, they’re twenty-something, and questioning whether or not they’re a terrible person.”

“Un-congrats” is crazy. Also, that’s the weirdest reason I’ve ever heard for why having a kid would be hard. Ellis and Jeff may just be the worst people who could be having this conversation lmao.

“Jeff: I wouldn’t be here at all, if I could’ve left. But… I guess you’re sort of right. Maybe I am making progress, or whatever it is people who care about growing as a person would say.”

Yay progress! I wonder if these FTEs would be like this if they had happened earlier in the killing game…

“Still, I can’t believe that Jeff is a dad. Other than that I totally can. There could be a mini-Breeze out there somewhere in the world right now. Would they be watching, from wherever they are? I’d hope they’d root for their dad. Or, really, I hope they’d root for all of us. If the town outside the Balcony is like that, though, I have no idea what a naive little kid’s opinion would be.” [FTE End]

Very strange place to leave this, but then, this entire thing was kinda strange, wasn’t it? lol.

“Noah: Nah, it’s fine. I just… thought I’d try the Cafe out, for a change of scenery. I really hope it has nothing to do with scoping out the fireplace.”

Yikes. What would he even be looking for?

“Ellis: I suppose you haven’t spent much time in here before, then? Noah: No, not really. I was always, um… taking advantage of other amenities. Ellis: …Right. I definitely get the sense that he’s talking about the Bar. But, if he’s tiptoeing around it, I won’t stomp on that strategy.”

Well, yeah. But it’s nice to see he’s avoiding alcoholism as much as he can!

“Noah: I wonder if people back home would even recognize me. Ellis: Hey, you’re the legacy party king! I don’t think that’s a face people would forget. Noah: I act pretty differently here, though. In a good way. I think. Ellis: Oh. Then, they’d probably say something like, “ah, Noah, he’s grown up so much…!””

More character development!!!

“Noah: I see [Harper] maybe, like, once a year? And, only for a handful of years. Ellis: Knowing any of the sixteen people here when we started seemed like a pretty big deal to me!”

Same lol. I guess it’s the idea that pre-killing game relationships are always established in the narrative for a reason, so you kinda expect them to be a bigger deal going in than they necessarily have to be. Though that’s a meta argument which Ellis can’t really consider :v

“Noah: …I guess I assumed ve was busy a lot. Plus, I was always stuck doing whatever, so… Ellis: You had that many frat obligations? Sorry, I’m assuming that whatever was holding you up wasn’t going to class. Noah: Definitely not. I, um… He trails off. Noah: Maybe that can be a story for another day?”

I have a couple guesses of why Noah never went out of his way to hang out with Harper, but I guess we’ll have to wait for a bit longer.

“Then again, the more I talk to people, the more I start to believe that nobody would kill. Noah seems to be doing much better after his freak out a few days ago, and Jeff is considering the implications of their actions on others. Like I told Jeff, being a good person is the new black, and good people (typically) don’t kill other good people. If we’re all focused on self-improvement, maybe it’ll stop anybody from freaking out.”

Chapter fives sometimes have this vibe, don’t they? The group feels too close, so whatever happens, it’s gonna feel crazy when it does.

“Monoquin said that we had to be dressed properly. If I wasn’t looking my absolute best, I could be executed!”

I found this amusing. I hope this doesn’t happen to Aidan or I’m not gonna find it very amusing anymore lol.

“A pink-tinted, heart-shaped monocle– presumably meant to replace my sunglasses– dangles from my left lapel.”

This is a very funny image. Perfect detail, zero notes.

“[Describing Aidan] A red rose boutonniere rests on his chest, matching Davis’. Black, glossy boot heels complete the look.”

Matching Davis, huh? The mastermind knows what you are… also I wonder if people are gonna be paired up in some way. We can have Aidan-Davis, Harper-Noah, Ellis-Mark, Vanessa-Jeff, right?

“The sleeves are rolled up, and they don’t have their usual gloves on.”

Okay, no Kyoko situation with those, good to know.

“Ellis: Thank you. I wasn’t able to take my eyes off of you, myself. I wink at everyone here in procession.”

She’s in her element :O

“Monoquin: Momentarily. However, first, I ask you to each choose a dance partner. Oh no. This can’t be good.”

…Yeah.

“This is just like their stupid execution questions. You know it’s going to go poorly no matter how you answer, and yet, you can’t help but try to answer the least poorly you can. Will people who pair up together have to compete in something together, or will they have to take each other out? Will we be stuck together until a murder occurs, or will we never be able to see each other again? Do people just want to see some fancy footwork???”

Exactly my thoughts, though that’s probably shouldn’t surprise anyone by now.

“Mark: Ellis? Ellis: …I don’t want this to be a bad idea for you. Mark: They wouldn’t do anything that forces our hands too much, and I’d much rather be partnered with you than anyone else. Please? Ellis: …Fine. At least then nobody else gets to be the first to hold your hand.”

Awww :)

“Noah and Harper, Aidan and Davis, and… Vanessa and Jeff?”

Called it!

“Monoquin: This motive will force you to stay in pairs via the use of handcuffs. Each pair, please put out one of your hands each.”

Yep, that’s one of the options of there being handcuffs in the Show Room alright!

“Ellis: Again, I did not know in advance that this was going to happen, nor did I want it to…!”

Lmao.

“Aidan: Isn’t that counterproductive? It’d be way harder to kill someone with another person attached to you at all times, and if anyone actually went through with killing their partner, that would be really obvious. Monoquin: What you make of the motive is up to all of you.”

Yeah, this is a little strange. It’s looking to be a very peculiar trial, that’s for sure.

“Ellis: It’s weird that it’s the opposite of the last motive. Like, first you aren’t allowed to talk to anybody, and now you’re chained to somebody forever. Mark: I’m sure it’s by design. If one kind of person would kill so they don’t have to be alone, a different one would kill so they could be alone. It makes it more likely that someone will be left to actually act on the motive.”

Very good deductions from these two! They’re so great :)

“We all turn to Vanessa. The other half of her handcuffs are open, and Jeff is nowhere to be seen.”

Holy! They really weren’t kidding with the Ultimate Absentee thing! The dip was fucking immediate! That’s crazy.

“Monoquin: In relation to recent developments, you won’t have to dance, Ms. Bravo. Simply wait in the area.”

Uh… what? I’m losing my mind. What actually is the motive then?

“In taking in Mark’s physical appearance again, I notice a scar on their right arm. It looks pretty deep.”

That’s… interesting. Very curious about that, wonder how it’s gonna come into play.

“Ellis: Do you remember how you got that scar? Mark: No, I don’t. It was there before last killing game, I think. I don’t know when or how I got it, though…”

Well, didn’t have to wonder long. Still, it’s very peculiar.

“Mark: It’s… something that’s been on my mind. Do I even want the rest of my memories back…?”

Oof. That’s a rough thing to think, buddy.

“If we could basically eliminate the motive in, like, ten minutes, that’d be pretty cool. Assuming it wasn’t instantly replaced with a new, worse one.”

Yeah maybe keep the handcuffs actually.

“Mark: Speaking of which… How did you do it? It’s not like the Resort usually gives out motives that are so easy to avoid. Jeff: Can’t say. Monoquin told me that, because I didn’t break any rules, he couldn’t really punish me. But I can’t do it again, and I can’t tell you guys how I did it.”

Huh. We don’t think this is Jeff!mm agenda, right? I mean, if I recall correctly, his name did come out of the hat when Ellis pulled a paper, so…

“Jeff: It’s still a good thing, right? Even if I can’t help you guys break out of yours, it means Vanessa and I are less hindered. I’ll just have to pull a little extra weight in the escaping department. Ellis: Ooh, are you going to bridal carry me? I wish I’d worn a dress. Jeff: Nothing like that. I might be able to pull something else off, though. I’ve clearly thought of at least one thing the Resort didn’t predict.”

Well, it’s… progress, at least! We know they aren’t all powerful, at least.

“Jeff: That stays between me and Monoquin. Ellis: Wow, okay mastermind-slash-traitor.”

Ellis more like echo because they keep saying the same shit I do xD

“Mark: It’ll probably be easier if I give you access to my room, right? Ellis: I dunno, when would I be trying to open your door when you aren’t there? Mark: Fair enough. Mark opens the door with their e-Handbook. Mark: There’s no real reason not to, though. Ellis: Eh, guess there isn’t.”

Hm… I can’t see this ending badly at all! Ha ha… ha.

“Mark: Did you have something in mind? Ellis: Have I ever?”

Pfft-

“Harper: I suppose it is rather convenient that we have opposite dominant hands, isn’t it? Noah: Yeah, it makes this whole thing easier.”

Well that’s nice!

“Mark: Vanessa, when did you get your handcuff off? Vanessa: Oh, I asked Monoquin if he could get rid of it ‘cause it kept getting caught on stuff. I wasn’t connected to anyone else anymore, which sort of defeated the point, and ‘cause it was Jeff’s fault, he let me take it off.”

Wait did she just have a half empty handcuff on her wrist? That’s really funny.

“Harper: I suppose this continues your trend of being unaffected by any of the motives, Vanessa.”

Has that been a thing? She’d presumably have been affected by the roulette, even if she never got rolled. But I guess it’s kinda true otherwise.

“Mark: Jeff hasn’t either, right? Harper: No, I suppose not. Noah: I guess his talent must help him out. Being absent from the motives must be nice…”

Ultimate Absentee is proving stronger than expected, I see…

“No one points it out, but it’s hard not to think about the fact that Noah, in contrast, has been affected by every randomized motive. The fact that he’s made it this far despite that says something about him, right…?”

True! He’s a trooper, Noah.

“Mark: Uh… I guess my room is fine…? Ellis: There you go. An excellent pick, milady. My face scrunches up. Ellis: Didn’t like that one. Mark: Yeah, not particularly… “

Pfft- Well, it’s Mark’s room, I guess. Wonder where the others will be rooming. Im guessing Noah’s room for Noah-Harper, and maybe Davis for Davis-Aidan, but idk.

“Even if this motive isn’t as troubling as some of the others, it’s probably the most annoying. Things as simple as brushing your teeth or taking a shower suddenly become much more time consuming when you’ve got another person attached at the wrist. I wouldn’t be surprised if most of us are extra sleepy tomorrow morning because of all the time lost due to these things.”

Yeah, that shit has to be obnoxious. But oh well, has to be dealt with.

“When it comes to sleeping, there’s really no way that Mark and I wouldn’t sleep in the same bed.”

And there was only one bed… they could realistically sleep in lol.

“So… things will be fine. Even if things go south, I get to keep an eye on Mark. I’m not going to kill them, and I really don’t think they’d want to kill me. And, no one would want to mess with the Lucky Student, or the person they’re attached to! I have no need to feel so nervous. I open one of my eyes and peek at Mark. He’s sleeping. No reason at all.”

Well, someone seems a little paranoid lol.

What a nice little part this was! Pretty manageable motive, nice little dance… so how can there possibly be a murder on part 4? We’ll see… right now!

Part 3

“Ellis: Heh, you know what else is “a little longer”? Wait, I should probably refrain from making dirty jokes when Mark and I are sharing a room. I wouldn’t want the implications to make them uncomfortable. Ellis: …The amount of time we’re going to be stuck in this killing game! But, like, only a little longer, is my point.”

I don’t think Ellis backing down from innuendo will ever not be funny xD

“Ellis: What if we seduced the staff? Maybe then they’d let us out for free. Davis: I’d really rather not…”

Pfft- Yeah, I guess Davis would be the best bet for that plan, huh?

“Aidan: I doubt any one staff member would be able to actually get us out, either. There are too many of them. Not to mention whoever the staff are working for… Ellis: That’s why we have to seduce all of them, Aidan. Try to keep up. Aidan: …Right.”

Of course! The plan is flawless! Let’s just hope none of them are aro/ace, that’d be kind of a problem.

“Jeff: I vote we let Ellis try it, solo. It’d be funny. Ellis: Sadly, I don’t think that would end well. The staff would be so jealous of one another that it would result in a giant bloodbath. Their lust for me would be so incredibly distracting that they’d neglect to let us out altogether. So many lives lost…”

xD

“If hotness and money won’t get me anywhere, then my ship is sunk. I’ll have to rely on others’ skills to get us out of here– like Davis’ hotness, or Harper’s money!”

This part’s starting off incredibly funny, which worries me that it’s gonna get a lot worse lol.

Random thought, how are FTEs gonna work? Is Mark just going to… be there, for Jeff’s final FTE? That’d be funny.

“When we enter, Davis and Aidan are already there. Ellis: Haha, nerds!”

Bruh xD

“Ellis: Look, I’m here ‘cause I like to win. And I’m great at winning all kinds of things. I pause. Ellis: …But only in non-life-threatening scenarios! Mark and Aidan look at me. I look back at them.”

Bruh x2. The confidence in games hasn’t faded, at least!

“Ellis: I’m not thinking about anything! I don’t even know what you’re talking about! Aidan: Game on, then? Ellis: Oh no, you look way too excited about this…”

As funny as it is to imagine Aidan as secretly being a god gamer, it just occurred to me that I’ve theorized in the past Mark might genuinely be the Ultimate Gamer or something like that. Are we about to find out their talent in the funniest way possible? Or is that theory about to die for good?

“Davis, Aidan, and Mark (who, despite having lost their memories, somehow still knows more about arcades than I do)…”

You don’t say.

“Aidan: It is fun to watch Ellis lose. Aidan holds up one of the potential prizes, a mousepad that says “GAME OVER. Try again?” on it next to my head. I swat it away.”

Now Aidan’s teasing, what has the world come to…

“Ellis: L-look, just because I’m using my non-dominant hand…! Mark: You’re not…? Ellis: W-well, when I held the steering wheel, I put my left hand on it, too!”

Bruh x3.

“Davis looks between Aidan and Mark who, unlike usual as of late, are both smiling.”

Aww :) I hope no one here dies :))

“Despite being on the team that performed worse, Mark wound up with the most tickets…”

You don’t say…

“…and selects a giant penguin plushie as their prize.”

Oh yeah, weren’t penguins his favorite animals outside of Bulbasaur? Or am I confusing that for someone else?

“Ellis: You got a name in mind for this penguin? Mark: I didn’t even have a name in mind for me… Ellis: Mark Jr. it is, then. They laugh.”

That is extremely funny. Fantastic bit, no notes.

“Mark: It’s… nice to forget where we are, even if it’s only for a little while. I don’t think I ever really went to the Arcade last game. Ellis: No Ultimate Gamers amongst your ranks? Mark: None that I remember, anyways. Definitely not by the time the Arcade was revealed.”

Ah, maybe not, then. Still, it’s interesting they seemed to be into a lot of this stuff.

“Mark: I guess it’s probably something I used to enjoy, before all of this. Ellis: Hmm. That makes it extra special. I got to see a piece of Mark’s past~”

Yeah, that.

“Mark: I don’t remember the concept [of a mastermind] coming up. I don’t know if there was a mastermind or not in my game, but I don’t remember the concept being mentioned. I guess it makes sense, given that we only became aware of them this time because Kennedy kept talking about it. Ellis: Huh. I mean, I guess that could make sense. The mastermind, at least, seems like it’d be a hard position to refill. And the mastermind of this killing game couldn’t have been in yours, because then, well… they would’ve had to die.”

That is a very interesting revelation.I wonder what it could mean…

“Ellis: What is the Resort gonna do if the mastermind dies this time? ‘Cause, like, there’s no way that they could guarantee that it wouldn’t happen, right? Does that mean that they’re willing to make this one the last one…? Mark: If the mastermind is confident in their ability to avoid getting murdered, they could probably rig an execution if needed. But, it’s also possible the mastermind is more like the staff or something, right? That the whole killing game isn’t actually their fault, and they’re just some random person being forced into it? They pause. Mark: I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s true for the traitor, at least. Ellis: It has to be someone’s idea though, right? What would that person be called if not the mastermind?”

It gets weirder the more you think about it, which is why I haven’t talked about mastermind guesses much at all.

“Mark: …It probably doesn’t matter. Kennedy was right when they said that getting rid of the mastermind alone probably wouldn’t be enough to end the killing game. There has to be something else we can try… Ellis: Like getting them to break the rules? How? Mark: If I knew, I’d have done it already. I don’t have any other big picture ideas, though, so figuring out how to get them to break a rule is the best thing we can try to come up with.”

Well, it’s at least nice to see Kennedy haunting the narrative a little. I miss them.

“Ellis: Ready to murder someone but make them not hold a Class Trial for it, for some reason? Mark: That’d be great, other than the fact that there’d have to be a murder in the first place.”

Yeah. It’s not looking great. Then again, it’s still not CH6, so.

“Note Obtained: The Mastermind”

Ooh, ominous! We’re really in the endgame now, getting this kind of notes.

“I wonder if that means that Mark will want to tell everyone else about what happened last game soon, so that they can have all the information and approach it from their own perspectives.”

It’s gotta happen eventually, right?

“It’s an interesting thought about the mastermind, though, that they could be relatively faultless in this situation.”

It opens up possibilities, at least, but I got no clue what it could mean in the end.

“Ellis: So, you two just can’t keep away from each other, huh~? Jeff: What? No. Vanessa: Since everyone else is sitting next to the person they’re linked to, the open chairs in the main area are kinda paired up at this point. I guess I could’ve sat on the edge again, but I didn’t really want to.”

Come on Jeff, you could be a little nicer my guy ToT

“Vanessa: Man. I guess it’s kinda fun to have a partner everywhere you go, huh?”

Uh, Vanessa… are you, like, good? You seem to be taking this whole thing kinda badly. I’m worried for you girl.

“Jeff: The staff aren’t gonna let us out of here on their own. At least, not intentionally.”

Not intentionally? What are they cooking???

“But pretending to have a plan could also be a manipulative tactic to make us think that they’re on our side, so that they can then betray us with a heartless murder to get out of here. Ugh, I can’t keep assuming the worst in people…”

Well, at least he’s catching himself!

“But, no matter how hard I try [to get the handcuffs off], I can’t figure out how to escape. Maybe Jeff just has thinner wrists than I do, or some surprise lockpicking skills.”

I get he can’t say how he did it, but the more impossible it looks to escape the handcuffs, the more I’m worried about it. What could it mean that they were able to dodge the motive so easily?

“I’m jolted awake by a strong tug on my wrist.” Nightmare? “Ellis: You sure? Usually when I leave people breathless in bed, it’s not… I yawn. Ellis: Not when I was fast asleep…”

Only 5% of Ellis’ neurons are firing, and they’re all in flirt mode. That’s very funny.

“Mark: I can’t remember.”

Well, that sure is something.

“Ellis: You want a hug or something? Might be kinda awkward with the handcuffs… Mark: Oh! Um… They’re blushing. Mark: Maybe? I guess…? I open up my one arm in a hug-like gesture. Mark hugs me with his free arm.”

We’re really “aww”-farming this chapter, huh? Well, it’s working. Awww :)

“Harper: It would be rather nice if we had found some sort of solution to our entrapment, though. Mark: There has to be something we can do. Jeff: I have an idea.”

Ooh, we’re locking in, hell yeah!

“Jeff leads us to the Casino. Specifically, in front of the locked door.”

:O

“Jeff: Monoquin!”

His hands open all doors! Is that the plan?

“Jeff: Stand here and extend your hand. Jeff gestures, and Monoquin follows suit. His hand slots directly into the lock of the door. Jeff: Turn your hand. Monoquin does so. Jeff: Thanks. Jeff grabs the handle of the door and opens it.”

Oh hell yeah! I wasn’t expecting it to be that easy, but I guess we ball???

“Monoquin: …Mx. Breeze, I believe I instructed you not to share with the rest of the contestants.”

Oh, that’s how they got out of the cuffs! Smart!

“Monoquin: If you continue to break the rules so blatantly, there will be consequences. Because it is not in relation to the motive, I suppose I cannot execute you, but there will be a punishment involved.”

Yeah, that… doesn’t sound great.

“Davis: I’m honestly a bit surprised that it’s… that easy? You’d think something in his programming or whatever would realize what’s going on, but I guess not… Ellis: He’s a robot, through and through. Vanessa: A dumb robot, if he’s that easy to order around. Good for us, though!”

Yep! Seems like we’re balling even harder than expected!

“Plush couch cushions line the room, interrupted only by a counter with barstools in the corner. A table sits in the middle of the room, holding a manila folder on it. On the wall, a neon sign reads “VIP.” I guess this is some sort of a VIP Area.”

Ooh, fascinating! I really thought this was a CH6 thing, but it’s cool to see it now!

“Aidan picks up the file and opens it, Davis peeking over his shoulder. Aidan: … Harper: What does it say…? Davis: …It’s the past winners.”

Oh shit. I’m already seeing the image below. This sounds really cool!

[Files] These are kinda crazy. Wonder if Makani was a double killer, given the Trial 3 win. Jack’s kinda crazy on the sticks, first trial win? Blacking out Mark’s name and talent is genuinely crazy stuff. And what do you mean there was a killing game between Mark’s win and this one? And what happened in killing game #2? So many questions! I’m loving it!

“…There aren’t any Lucky Students who’ve won, either. C-clearly, there must not have been a Lucky Student in every game, right…?”

Ooh, Ellis, I think your plan wasn’t as great as you thought!

“Ellis: But also, if they thought you’d [Mark] never see it, why would they scratch out your name?”

Yeah, that’s what I was wondering. Surely they at least considers the possibility, but that doesn’t exactly answer every question.

“Davis: …Mark? Mark: …Yes? Davis: Did you know? Mark: … Jeff: That’s a yes, then.”

Well, guess it had to come out sooner or later!

“Davis: That’s… good to hear, I guess. But… there’s really only ever been one survivor per game, hasn’t there…? We all stare at the Files for a moment. Noah: Well… guess it’s good that we’ll just be the first…!”

Thank you Noah :)

“Aidan: Where did the second one go…? Ellis: That one… I’m sure the same answer is on all of our minds. That the winner of the second killing game has something to do with either the mastermind or the traitor of this killing game… Is that really true? Was there more than one person in this killing game who’d done it all before?”

That would be the first guess, wouldn’t it? Wonder what it could mean.

“Ellis: Maybe they spilled something on it.”

This option’s a lot funnier, though xp

“Vanessa: Yeah! Anything the staff doesn’t expect has to be a point in our favor. So, we’re moving forwards! […] “Note Obtained: VIP Files”

Oh we’re really in the endgame now!

“Although I kind of want to stick around and play damage control on Mark’s reputation, there are more important things to do at the moment. Most importantly, checking on Mark himself.”

Yeah, probably a good plan.

“Mark: I… I feel like, somewhere, I knew that I was the only one who won without killing someone. It’s… worrying, to think of what that might make other people think. I don’t want any of them to start… considering things… Ellis: I hadn’t even thought of that…”

Yeah, that’s not… great. Then again, we always knew there’s still one trial left, I guess…

“Ellis: So… you really did think you were in the fifth killing game, right…? Mark: I didn’t know. It seemed like it made the most sense, but I guess it was the fourth. I don’t know what I was doing during the fifth game, though…”

Yeah, that’s really strange. I have no idea what it could possibly mean.

“Ellis: Yeah. So that means that we gained the information that the mastermind or traitor might have something to do with the second killing game. That’s something, right…? I pause for a moment. Ellis: Or… hey, what if the second game ended weirdly? There was more than one survivor, but on the off chance we found the documents, they didn’t want to give us any ideas.”

Yeah, that’s an interesting question. The second killing game seems to be the key to all this, but how?

“Ellis: That doesn’t really make sense, either. If you had VIPs coming to visit, why would you want to lock them up in a room where they can’t see anything? There was no screen there. Maybe if we were doing something in the Casino, they’d be able to overhear something… But, that doesn’t seem like the kind of treatment you’d want to advertise to your special guests.”

It would make sense that the VIPs refer to the winners, right? That the area is to commemorate the VIPs, instead of being for them to stay in. Though that raises the question of why winners are considered so important, and why Mark would be brought back in that case.

“Mark: I should know this. I should be able to help… Ellis: No, you shouldn’t! It’s not fair that you have to bear this burden by yourself. Mark: But that’s how it is, isn’t it? None of you have the ability to remember. None of you know this information. I know it, but I just… can’t… Ellis: If you can’t, then stop! Stop torturing yourself!”

Yeah, poor Mark. It’s not going great for him right now :/

“Ellis: There’s more than one way to sacrifice yourself, y’know? And I don’t want you to do any of them. I… can’t take that.”

Oof. Ouchie.

“If we start making excuses and having people hurt themselves to get out of here, the more things could spiral out of hand. Suddenly, it could seem justified to kill somebody else just to make the escaping party easier to ferry away. It could make sense to sacrifice someone for the sake of knowing just where the rules end. A survival isn’t a survival if the people who get out don’t even want to live. I’m a gambler by trade. I’m willing to risk staying here a little longer if it keeps everyone safe and sane.”

The conviction’s awesome! Let’s go Ellis!

“Harper: Mark, I wanted to let you know… I don’t want you to feel pressured to share your past with us if you aren’t comfortable, no matter how much of it you may or may not remember. I trust you either way.”

If no one else got me, I know Harper Young got me.

“Ellis: Jeff did some good work figuring out a way to bend the rules, and… if there’s one fault in the Resort’s plan, there’ve gotta be others!. I haven’t come up with any others yet, but… I’ve been trying! That’s not a lie, and yet, it feels like it is.”

Yikes. Yeah, it’s not looking amazing.

“The tears are flowing down [Noah’s] cheeks now. He wipes at them. Noah: Sorry, I don’t… know what’s wrong with me… Harper: There’s nothing wrong with you. This situation… It's hard, but we’ll get through it. Together. Noah: …Maybe. I hope so.”

Poor Noah :(

“After saying goodbye to Noah and Harper, Mark and I settle on tracing our familiar walking path around the Resort’s exterior. It’s not nighttime yet, but hopefully it’ll provide him with some familiarity.”

That’s nice. It really worked out great that Mark’s were the first FTEs accirax chose to complete, huh?

“Davis: I’ve been doing alright. When you think about it, nothing really changed, right? We already knew that there were five other killing games, and the Resort already told us that there was only ever one winner in each. It’s all stuff we knew already. Aidan: It just means we’ll have to go against what they expect. Find some way to be the first group to get out together.”

Hell yeah. Use those Contrarian powers!

“Jeff: Well, I wish all of you luck with whatever you’re getting up to tomorrow. I, unfortunately, have to do chores for Monoquin all day. Ellis: Oof, that sucks. Any chance you’ll be wearing a maid costume? Jeff: No. Ellis: Dang.”

Pfft. Well, the consequences for fucking with the motive could have been a lot worse, I guess.

“Davis: Do you know what you’re going to be working on? It seems like a lot of the staff aren’t active all day every day, so if they want extra hands, something might be happening. Jeff: Can’t say. Sorry. You’ll know some time tomorrow.”

Well, that’s… worrying. Let’s hope nothing horrible happens.

“Ellis: Wouldn’t it be nice if he just had an emergency stop switch…? Mark: Would that really do anything…? It’s not like Monoquin himself is that important to the actual killing game environment. Ellis: I meant, “emergency! Stop the killing game!””

A guy can dream, I guess.

“Ellis: Huh? Oh, well… I guess I’m feeling confused, mostly. There’s a lot to think about. I’m not going to say that I wish I could have done more. There’s too much of that going around already, and I don’t wanna be a hypocrite. Ellis: Just trying to focus on making sure nobody freaks out, mostly.”

Well, yeah. I guess she’s already gone through a lot of the revelations the others are having now, so she can be a little calmer facing the VIP Area.

“Who here, exactly, is a Very Important Person? Obviously, we are– we’re Ultimates, chosen for standing out in our particular fields (although, most of the people with actual jobs seem to have fallen out by this point, for some reason).”

That’s nice actually is very funny. Are Announcer and Philanthropist really the only, like, actual activities we got going on anymore? That’s kinda crazy.

Ellis’ final considerations are fun to read, but without more info, there’s not much we can really say here. I guess it’s time for the next part! Where there definitely won’t be a corpse discovered at the end! Ha ha… ha.

Part 4

“The sun rises, and as I gain consciousness, I stretch my arms high above my head. Another day of the killing game… Wait, how did my arms get up there? Shouldn’t they be attached to…? I look to my side, and see that Mark has disappeared.”

Well that’s not good. I can think of few more ominous ways this could have started.

“There’s also a note lying on Mark’s pillow. With shaking hands, I unfold it. “Hey Ellis, Sorry for disappearing so suddenly. I’m okay, but I need to do something today (can’t say what). I’ll probably be back around dinner. -Mark” My head whips around the room. Dammit, why don’t I have examples of Mark’s handwriting? How am I supposed to know if they were really the one who wrote the note…?”

Wow, we are going kinda crazy. I mean, fair, because how and why the hell would he get out of the cuffs, but still…

“What am I supposed to do? Why didn’t I keep my eye on them…?”

Yeah, Ellis is not taking this well. Poor Ellis :(

“Jeff: Where’s Mark? Ellis: Uh… C’mon, where’s a witty remark when I need one? After a few desperate, grasping moments, I come up with a shrug.”

You know it’s bad when Ellis can’t come up with anything.

“Aidan: …Everyone, hands empty and above the table. Though confused, the group follows suit. Aidan: Message them. None of us can respond in his place if we can see that none of us are holding an e-Handbook. Ellis: Good idea. Thanks.”

Aidan’s so smart :D

“Ellis: blink twice if you miss me <3 Mark: Uh? Mark: *blinks twice*? Ellis: :) ;) :) ;)”

That’s a funny way of doing that, at least. Also nice that they’re not dead.

“Monoquin: Greetings, contestants. Monoquin walks into the Buffet. Bitch.”

Well, shit. Ellis’ inner monologue is as eloquent as ever, at least.

“Monoquin: I am here to announce another festivity, similar to the dance we held earlier. Tonight, in the Banquet Hall, the Resort will be holding a dinner party. At least a momentary appearance is required from every surviving participant. It will begin at 7:30 PM.”

Alright… very worried here, but we’ll see.

“Monoquin: And, of course, Mx. Breeze, as we’ve established, you will be assisting the staff. Jeff: I know. Ellis: Ooh… butler Jeff.”

Bruh. Well, at least that doesn’t sound so bad.

“Monoquin: I ask you all to dress formally once more for the event. Please let Mx. Mark know.”

… Why can’t you tell Mark? Where the fuck did he go???

“Ellis: Maybe it’s just a re-cuffing ceremony? Their motive is currently only 50% as effective as they were probably hoping for.”

Hopefully!

“I wonder if the “VIPs” will be there…”

That’d certainly be interesting, but I don’t know if it’ll happen.

“Vanessa: It should be fun, hopefully! I mean, if it’s just all of us hanging out and the Resort doesn’t do anything, we could make a good time out of it. I bet there’ll be music in the Ballroom again.”

Yay, it’s all fun and games and nothing bad will happen ever!!!

“It’s just another gamble. I could fold now, and try to ensure Mark’s safety. But, if we never take a gamble in the other direction, the odds of getting all eight of us out of here alive dwindle to nearly zero. Jeff already put their life on the line multiple times for the sake of our survival. I just have to trust in my partner to make his bid so that we can all win the jackpot.”

We’re panicking so hard we’re looking for comfort in the talent, which is maybe not the greatest sign, but still.

Also, we ended up having no FTEs while bound to Mark, which I guess makes sense lol. Would’ve been kinda awkward otherwise.

“Vanessa: Ellis? Ellis: Hwuh?! Oh, hi Vanessa. Vanessa: Is everything okay?”

We are doing bad, huh?

“Vanessa: I was thinking about what Jeff said, about thinking of ways to use the Resort’s tools to get us information and all of that. So, I requested information on the Tragedy from the Customer Service Desk.”

When you put it like that, it feels a little silly that no one ever asked for a newspaper or something. I guess the complete isolation from the outside world kinda makes one think they wouldn’t give you one, huh?

“Terrorists in black and white bear masks, known as “Monokuma masks,” attacked the University of Nevada: Boulder City campus.”

Oh great, the US’ involvement in the Tragedy started in Nevada! Where Vegas is! I guess that explains the location.

“8 students thought to be on campus at the time of the attack are still missing. There is only one known individual who survived the- The page is torn, cutting off the rest of the article.”

Huh. 8 students missing, possibly the Ultimate Despair who started these killing games. And who survived? That sounds important. Wonder if the survivor is the mm. That would kinda point to Noah, maybe? Who else would go to university? Vivi, probably, but hard to see them as the mm. Robert, maybe, on the idea that being Despair is technically “normal” nowadays? Antonia is confirmed Nevadan, but I kinda doubt she went to uni. Unless it’s Antonia’s sister, I guess, but at that point we could point fingers at whoever. Maybe I should chill lol.

“If they attacked UNBC on June 3, 2012, then… it must be after that date now. So I’m missing all of my memories from that day until the start of the killing game, at least. What day is it now? What year…?”

I forget if we ever established when most people’s memories cut off, oops.

“Ellis: Have you told Noah about this yet…?”

Yeah, seems like we’re in the same headspace, as usual. I don’t think Ellis is calling mastermind, but you say “uni” and of course you’re gonna think of the Ultimate Frat Bro.

“Vanessa: I think Noah said he went somewhere farther from Vegas, though…? Ellis: Ah, alright. Then, the eight students must be other people.”

Alright, cross that one off the list. I guess it’d have been too easy lol.

“I try to think back about if anybody else could have gone to that school. I’m guessing Vanessa didn’t, given that she hasn’t admitted to it already. I know that Aidan didn’t attend college, and I would bet Jeff didn’t, either. Taylor went to college… and I think Robert said he had a job? There are definitely people it could have been, including some people who are still alive. Davis could have attended UNBC, and there’s really no way to prove that Mark didn’t.”

Forgot Robert said that oops. Still, nice to see the options laid out.

“Ellis: What the hell is a “Monokuma mask”?”

Oh so we’re uninformed uninformed, got it.

“Ellis: Y’know, I didn’t think of it at first, but… why would they attack UNBC? Like, if the Tragedy really was coming to the US, shouldn’t they attack, I dunno, the White House? Why did they choose some college on the brink of summer vacation as their ground zero? Vanessa: Well, from what I heard, the Tragedy started out as, like, a Hope’s Peak thing, but then people started agreeing with the sentiment. Things didn’t get really bad until a bunch of random civilians joined in. They probably couldn’t start with something as big as the White House, so they took down a pretty well known institution that was a little more accessible. As for why UNBC specifically… She scratches her head. Vanessa: …Maybe there were more supporters there or something? Or, it’s possible that it had less security than other well-known campuses…? Coastal places also could’ve been more on guard for Tragedy stuff too, I guess, so maybe they thought they’d do better a little more inland?”

Good ideas from Vanessa. It is a very strange place to attack, I didn’t even know it existed before just now lol.

“I wonder if they’d be willing to answer any questions about the operation of the Resort itself rather than the Tragedy as a whole. Is that the kind of thing that people would be writing news articles about…?”

I assume there’s articles on it, but I don’t think we’re getting those :v

“Note Obtained: Tragedy Article.”

We’re going crazy on the notes. I wonder what we’re gonna do in CH6 if we’re getting so much info right now.

““Information about the construction of Hope’s Oasis Resort and Casino” “Information about past killing games” “Information about the second killing game winner” “Information about the VIPs””

Well, it can’t hurt to ask x)

“I arrive early enough that pretty much nobody else is here, but that’s to be expected. […] However, Jeff is already buzzing around, setting up silverware, placing nametags and pouring water when I arrive. It’s weird to see them at work like this. [Jeff FTE]”

Yay, we get to finish these! This might very well be the final FTE in this story, let’s enjoy it while it lasts!

“Jeff: Honestly, I don’t hate it. I’m not used to getting to know people that well. I’ve talked to you a lot, so it’s more… familiar, I guess. Ellis: Yeah. Taking the time to really get to know a few people… It's kinda nice. Jeff: I’ve always sort of wanted to try it”

I wonder why he’s never stuck to one place for a while, then. I know their whole “bad vibe detector” thing would probably make it annoying, but still. Nice that he enjoys Ellis’ company, at least.

“Ellis: Why do you have such a thing about leaving, anyway? They shrug. Jeff: Instinct, I guess. There’s not really much more to it. I didn’t want to be stuck places that were making me unhappy, and I’m good at reading when that’s about to happen. There was never anything stopping me, so the best solution was always to pack up and go somewhere else.”

Yeah, that. Though the way he says he leaves when things are “about to” get bad makes me wonder if maybe he’s just paranoid, and actually he’d be just fine if he stayed. Who knows.

“Jeff: In some ways, this killing game hasn’t been all bad. It’s made me finally look at myself. Maybe it’s finally been enough for me to turn my life around and actually do something with it.”

The usual dilemma of these things. On one hand, character development. On the other, incomprehensible trauma and horror and death. Not the greatest deal, but you take what you can get.

“Jeff: Nah, not really. Hard to say what life’ll look like outside of here, right? So, I’m just focusing on the whole killing game thing for now. And, I guess, thinking a bit about the person I’d like to be. Ellis: Any plans for him, then? Jeff: I’ve always kinda thought… Someday, it’d be nice to care about someone else more than myself. Wasn’t really sure if it was possible, but it was something to think about. Not very specific, though.”

Jeff has proven to be a surprisingly sensible guy. Makes sense not to make any specific plans before leaving, but it’s nice that they’re still angling towards a nice goal.

“Ellis: Nah, I like it. Caring… is kinda scary. Bravery doesn’t have to be specific. Jeff: You think so? Ellis: Yeah. Honestly, the ability to be brave in any scenario is probably better. Means you won’t get blindsided. Jeff: Yeah… Jeff hands me the last plate he was washing. Jeff: I guess how it turns out is a question for the future. [FTE End]”

What a way to end it! Jeff’s arc ends up similar to Ellis’, which is a great parallel, and the looking forward to the future is a hell of a Hope thing. Let’s see where we go from here!

“Mark: Going to be late, but I’ll be there. Don’t worry. Ellis: um, why? :P Mark: This is taking me longer than I thought it would. I’m okay, though. Ellis: kk, see you soon”

Mark please don’t die. You’re raising more death flags than CH4 Taylor, which would be impressive if it wasn’t so horrifying.

“Jeff: Ellis, mind grabbing plates? And Davis, can you pour the rest of the drinks? Davis: Sure thing! Aidan: I’m right here too, you know… Jeff: Would you have actually said yes if I’d asked you…?”

Bruh. The Jeff-Aidan banter is actually insane, I’m loving how much of it we’re getting recently :D

“Noah: Also, if you’re worried about Mark not showing up on time, we should just make the party last longer, right? If we’re doing more stuff, Mark’ll have plenty of time to show up. Ellis: Yay! Let’s party! My mouth is dry. All: …”

… So we’re not doing great. Unfortunate!

“Ellis: hey!! dinner is almost over so you should get some food before it’s all gone :)))))) (Mark currently has notifications muted.)

“WHY???”

AAAAAAH- I’m okay. This is fine. This is perfectly normal. Mark will survive. Mark will be alive. They’re just gearing up to be this chapter’s red herring, not the victim. Mark will survive.

…We’re getting really close to the BDA and everyone else is accounted for, but that’s fine. Because Mark will survive.

“Noah: Care to dance? Harper: Oh! I’d love to.”

Well that’s nice at least.

“Ellis: Parties usually have singing, right? We could do some karaoke! Pass me the mic, and I’ll sing my classic: Die… Young… All: …”

Yeah not the greatest song maybe. One because that’s a very real possibility, two because there’s someone actually called Young around lol.

“Davis: Yeah. Things’ll turn out okay. Take a deep breath, okay, Ellis? The breath is noticeably large and loud. Davis: …Feel any better…? Ellis: I love oxygen.”

At least she’s still funny :,)

“And all I can do is wait. And wait. And– CRASH!”

Yeah, see? Someone else is about to die, and Mark will be the red herring. Mark will survive.

“In front of me, necks in ivy nooses attached to the fallen crystal chandelier, are the bodies of Noah Walker, the Ultimate Frat Boy… and Harper Young, the Ultimate Philanthropist.”

I… was joking??? But it works! Also double murder in CH5??? We’re going crazy. I guess someone needed to account for the fact there haven’t been other double murders yet. Also holy shit, brutal. Hanged by a chandelier that then dropped? Crazy work.

“Mark rushes into the Ballroom, handcuff still dangling from his right hand.”

Why did he keep the handcuff?! I’m losing it.

“Ellis: Mark! I look at Mark, tears in my eyes. Adrenaline comes crashing down. In the end, they really were okay. They’re here, and alive. I’d run over and give him a hug, but… I don’t want to leave the bodies behind. Why… Why on earth would somebody kill Harper and Noah…?!”

Well, at least we’re not doing that horrible. Mark is alive! And they’ll probably survive if they’re this big of a red herring!

“Monoquin: I suppose you are all curious about the File for this case, given that there are two victims. The simple answer is that there will be two Files. I have sent them to your devices.”

Cool, thanks Monoquin :)

[Investigation: Start] AAAAH-

Well, that’s a hell of a lot. Fantastic part, the tension built up with Mark’s disappearance and the newfound knowledge of the Tragedy culminating in a double murder is a hell of a way to kick off the final (regular) class trial! I can’t wait to read the rest of the chapter…

After updating the Prediction Game standings! Though, fun fact: it’s been so long since the start of this thing, that I’ve noticed the person who used to go by bronze-ocs now has “sewersleuth” as a Tumblr url! So, I don’t just have to update the points, but the board as well!

Last we left off, sewersleuth and accirax had tied for first with 19 points, while Jonas had landed on 23 points, and I had trailed with 25. How are we doing here?

First of all, none of us thought Noah would be a killer! How interesting. Me and accirax agreed on the CH4 victim guess for him, giving us one chapter point each. Jonas only got one extra chapter point by predicting Noah as a CH3 victim, and sleuth takes three: one chapter point, but also two role points by predicting Survivor!Noah.

Faith in Harper was a little shakier, as both accirax and sleuth figured ve would be the CH4 killer; that’s one chapter point and two role points. And the point I gained on Jonas with Noah, I lose to them on Harper; I predicted ver a CH2 victim, while Jonas predicted very a CH3 victim. That’s 3 chapter points for me, and two for Jonas. Props to accirax for guessing these two would die in the same chapter, and extra props to Jonas for specifically guessing they would both be victims the same chapter!

In the end, accirax, Jonas and I got four points each, while sleuth got six. So the standings don’t change much, beyond accirax finally gaining a lead after a generational comeback! I’m still last with 29 points (still sub-30 though!!!), Jonas is ahead of me with 27, sleuth drops to second with 25, and accirax leads with 23!

But watch out! The standings will change again at the end of this post, when we learn the CH5 killer! Though a heads up, I’m not going to be counting up survivor guesses until the end of my CH6 post. Gotta keep the suspense :) Ignore that you could just calculate them yourself :) I mean accirax and venus have always been able to calculate them from the start but still :)

Let’s not dilly-dally any longer: Investigation time!

Part 5

“The first [MQ File] says, “The victim is Noah Walker. He died of strangulation in the Ballroom at approximately 8:20 PM.” The second reads, “The victim is Harper Young. Ve died of strangulation in the Ballroom at approximately 8:20 PM.” Truth Bullet Obtained: Monoquin File 5.1 Truth Bullet Obtained: Monoquin File 5.2”

So either the time is slightly off, or the cause of death is wrong. Easy to check.

“Vanessa: I didn’t want to have to do this again. I thought this was all over with already… I didn’t, exactly. I guess, even at my peak, I couldn’t muster as much optimism as Vanessa could.”

Vanessa the optimist goat. I love you bbgirl please don’t die.

“Ellis: I doubt that the blood loss from these cuts would have killed either of them, though. Vanessa: Yeah. The nooses probably would’ve gotten to them first. There are marks on their necks.”

Can we check the time please. They could have died from landing wrong, if they got pulled up high enough and the chandelier broke.

“Noah and Harper’s necks are each in their own noose, which are attached to the main frame of the chandelier. The material– vines– appears to be the same kind strung along the railing of the balcony. Vanessa: They’re still handcuffed together, too…”

Interesting.

“Truth Bullet Obtained: State of the Bodies Truth Bullet Obtained: Nooses Truth Bullet Obtained: Broken Chandelier”

Ooh boy, that’s a lot of TBs already. The trial boutta be Difficult.

“I stand up, bidding Noah and Harper goodbye. This might be the last time I ever see either of them. To Noah, I wish you’d gotten to become the person you wanted to be. To Harper, I wish you’d had an easier time realizing that the person you already were was as worthwhile as any friend could be. I’ll miss you both. At least you’ll look pretty in your coffins.”

Oof, and we’re getting sentimental. The trial boutta be soul-crushing.

“Monoquin: The motive has officially resolved.”

Woo!

“Davis: I guess we were the last surviving pair… Aidan: …It’s an alibi, right? Though, Ellis and Vanessa were at the dinner party the whole time, so I’d say they’d have alibis, too. It was 7:30 when we started, but 8:30 when we found the body. We probably finished dinner at, what, 8:10? And the File says they died at 8:20…”

Alright, thanks for the time check. So it wasn’t strangulation. The straightforward idea is that they got pulled up and died on the fall, but I have to wonder how hiding that would help the killer. Maybe the File couldn’t lie helpfully, so it just picked something at random to lie about. And I’d be more careful about alibis, Aidan. Traps exist, and this kinda looks like it’s gotta be something of the sort.

…Unrelated, but I was thinking of either Noah or Harper killing the other then themselves to get Monoquin to break a rule (he needs to execute the blackened, but can’t if the blackened is dead). But there’s better ways to go about that than leaving the rest of the people to figure out the murder themselves, so I’m ruling it out.

“Ellis: Uh… I think I showed up to the Ballroom at about 6:00. And, I have an alibi with Vanessa before that, too. They weren’t directly back to back, ‘cause I took a break to change clothes in the middle, but I know where those two were at those points in the day. Aidan: I’ll ask around to make sure, but I get the impression that that’s about it for alibis today, outside of handcuffed pairs. You were with people, we were with each other, and everyone else was doing whatever unchecked.”

Well… it’s something!

“Truth Bullet Obtained: The Fifth Motive Truth Bullet Obtained: Alibis Truth Bullet Obtained: Dinner Party Truth Bullet Obtained: Body Discovery Announcement”

Jesus fucking christ. Also, the BDA didn’t really get brought up, but I understand four people saw the corpse at about the same time, right? Vanessa, the Aidan-Davis pair, and Ellis. So, not particularly useful.

“I follow the cord it’s attached to back to its starting point in the Hallway. Jeff is looking at it, too.”

Hm.

“Jeff picks up a pair of rope cutters off the floor. Jeff: Subtle.”

Yeah. It’s good that Mark is being this big of a red herring, at least!

“Ellis: Well, what else would you use to cut a rope? Jeff: Oh, I meant the part where they left it next to the rope. Guess it doesn’t mean much, though, given that it’s clear the rope was cut. Doesn’t really matter how it was done if everyone could do it equally easily. Ellis: Yeah. It’s not like you could do it from afar, either, so the location is kind of obvious.”

I’d… be careful with those assumptions. Evidence could’ve been removed and the cutter could have been planted afterwards.

“Jeff: Well, like I said before, I had to help out in the Kitchen. I knew that last night. ‘Cause of that, I didn’t do much else today. You showed up around 6, and from then on, I was working on the Banquet and all that. He pauses. Jeff: I guess that’s about it. Ellis: So after breakfast, you just headed straight here? Jeff: Not quite. I had the morning to myself. I headed up here after lunch, so… maybe 1 PM or so? I wasn’t with anyone before that either, though.”

Yeah that’s not the greatest alibi known to man.

“Truth Bullet Obtained: Cut Cord Truth Bullet Obtained: Jeff’s Account”

Dude we are physically incapable of getting one Truth Bullet at a time, huh? We’re cooked.

“On a hunch, I check the Customer Service Desk and see them there. They’re sitting on one of the chairs in the room, looking through the clipboard that holds the order information. Time to cash in that hug. He’s surprised, but hugs me back.”

Awww… Ellis was so worried :(

…How am I this far down the document? These damn investigations are so short ToT

“Mark: Mystery solving time. Um, I looked through the Order List. It looks like the only anonymous orders were heavy duty rope cutters and chloroform. So, those are all on the table. Ellis: Chloroform? When was there chloroform? Mark: I have no idea. I guess Noah and Harper were probably incapacitated somewhere along the way…?”

Fuck do you mean chloroform? I guess it could explain how their necks ended up in the nooses, but still.

“Ellis: That’s… another piece of evidence that makes it seem like the killer must have physically been in the Ballroom sometime between 8:10 and 8:30. Mark: Yeah… Mark looks at me. Mark: I still can’t tell you where I’ve been all day or what I’ve been doing. I know that I’m super suspicious, but I’m just going to have to ask you to trust me, okay?”

Not giving me a lot of confidence here, Mark. Though, to be fair, the fact we’re setting up something he’d have to reveal in CH6 makes me feel even more confident he didn’t do it by meta reasoning.

“Mark: Um, what can I tell you…? When the BDA played, I was in the Conference Room. That’s how I got to the Ballroom so fast. And, there wasn’t anything special with the handcuffs. I just managed to pick the lock. Ellis: Impressive. Mark: If I won a killing game and thought I might get put into another one, I figured it might be a skill I’d try to learn. Not that I remember…”

The hell were you doing in the Conference Room? But it’s nice to know the guy can just pick locks if needed, cool.

“Monoquin: The investigation period is over. Please proceed directly to the Monorail Station.”

Bro.

I mean, we have a fair amount of Truth Bullets, just not many substantial ones. I feel like the blackened kinda has to be Jeff; four of these people have alibis, there’s not much reason for a murder suicide, and I feel like Mark’s got too much going on to be the killer from a meta perspective. But we’ll see!

“Ellis: Well. Ready to go prove your innocence? Mark: Hope so. Let’s go.”

Well, at least Ellis’ faith is unshaken, despite everything. Good to know.

The kill graphic for Taylor just being a pink splash is killing me. That’s so disrespectful ToT

“It’s kind of funny. I never imagined I’d have anything even resembling this problem. Not wanting to catch a killer because I care about them too much? Don’t make me laugh. In the end, I have to place Ellis Ortiz’s life at the highest value… because, as a spotless, Ellis Ortiz’s survival means the survival of the majority, too. I don’t think that Mark is the killer, but… if they are, I have to remind myself to do what’s right. We have to get this right.”

Ellis Ortiz, Ultimate Monologue Aura Farmer. Let’s look at this e-Handbook, and lock the fuck in!!!

Murder Theory

So here’s the thing. Noah and Harper definitely died at “approximately 8:20” (I’m assuming the 8:10-8:30 range counts as approximately 8:20). I’m also gonna assume that the lie isn’t the victim (like, “oh, 5.1 was actually for Harper and 5.2 was actually for Noah, but the names got swapped!), because why. I can’t see them dying outside the Ballroom (carrying them would take a while and they probably wouldn’t just leave for no reason), which means the lie would be the strangulation. Obviously could be wrong on that, though.

So, how? Poison? They don’t really have other injuries. Nothing even says their necks are broken from the fall or anything. Is Antonia’s poison back at it again? The chloroform could be a misdirect, as there’s technically wasn’t any evidence it got used. Hell, maybe it got ordered by a different person, but that feels a little out there.

… Wait, the CSD. If the killer asked for the objects there, even though most people were handcuffed… either they asked for them before the motive, which feels like a lot; Harper and Noah made a suicide pact, which feels unlikely; or it’s Jeff/Vanessa, right? And Ness has an alibi, so…

Anyways, yes, my killer pick is Jeff, but the how still baffles me a little. How did the killer even get up to the chandelier to cut the rope? Or am I misunderstanding how it was positioned? Plus, the chloroform: why did they ask for it? Surely they couldn’t have used it, since I struggle to see how you’d apply chloroform to both Harper and Noah at the same time. Surely one of them would have at least screamed for the others to hear. That means the only reason they’d ask for it is to make it look like the killer was in the room when they weren’t, framing Mark. Not Jeff, as you need to pass the Banquet Hall to go from the Kitchen to the Ballroom, and while the same can be said of the Conference Room, there’s no guarantee Mark was actually there. But the killer must have been in the Ballroom if the rope was “cut, not snapped.”

…Unless, it wasn’t the killer who cut the rope.

You see, there’s this funny technicality in the rules, which states that the Headmaster and the Staff “may not be involved in murders.” It doesn’t technically say anything about covering up evidence, just that they can’t be involved in the murder itself. Of course, it’s a massive grey area, as the cleanup could technically be considered part of the murder, but we know Jeff has been thinking a lot about what they can get Monoquin and the Staff to do for them.

At that point, things start to maybe fit together a little. Poison Noah and Harper’s food (which would be easy for a guy working in the kitchen), and once they drop dead in the Ballroom, get Monoquin or Staff to hang them up for a bit, then cut the rope and flee through the Balcony or something.

Of course, that’s all on the hypothetical that you can get Monoquin or Staff to help you covering up evidence (and I’m like 90% sure the actual murder method would have to be different because how the hell would Jeff guarantee they go in the Ballroom in time for the poison to work correctly), but it’s honestly my best guess. Noah and Harper can’t have cut the rope, so the chances of a murder suicide or suicide pact are even lower than they first seemed, and that’s impressive considering how low those chances always felt. The person (or thing) who cut the rope must have been in the room to do it, but the only exits off the Ballroom are the Banquet Hall (which would have led them straight to the others) and the Balcony. Since Mark and Jeff presumably came in through the Banquet Hall (I hope; technically it’s never stated, but coming out of the Hallways would have been extremely suspicious so I can’t imagine it’s the blackeneds plan), they would have needed to go out the Balcony, back into the building and into the Banquet Hall again before returning to the Ballroom. Way too slow for Mark and Jeff.

So, I can only think a staff member/Monoquin did it and escaped through the Balcony on the blackened’s orders. Of course, at that point anyone could have done it; except Aidan and Davis couldn’t have placed the orders on the CSD, Ellis has protag privilege, and Mark is the one getting framed. So it’s between Jeff and Vanessa; and not only did Ness seems genuinely distraught in a way Jeff didn’t, she also had less knowledge of what would happen that night going in, and never had time alone in the Kitchen to communicate with Monoquin/Staff. Ultimately, Jeff is gonna be my guess for blackened.

Let’s see how wrong this all is, and how the blackened probably actually cut the rope without staff help at all, in the trial!

Part 6

“Aidan: It sucks. We all know that. But… the only option we have is to solve their murder. Then, we keep trying to get out of here. Mark: There’s only five of you left. And, after this Trial, there’ll only be four…”

I wonder why Mark is separating himself from the group here. They said “six of us” earlier, so… idk. Probably nothing.

“Jeff: Well, there’s an obvious place to start this time. Why the hell are two people dead? Mark: Probably because of the motive. It’d be hard to isolate Noah or Harper, so the killer decided it’d be better to just kill both. Davis: In that case, wouldn’t it make more sense to target one of the people who was by themself? That way, you wouldn’t have to kill both. Aidan: There aren’t that many suspects left. The killer probably wanted to keep people without built-in alibis, because they’re the best plausible alternate suspects.”

Yeah, yeah… I wonder if the motive was partly made to get a double murder going, it feels kinda like something that would’ve had to happen had everyone been cuffed together.

“Davis: We’ve been together since the motive, so I have no idea how one of us could be the killer without the other knowing. Mark: Technically… If one of you wanted the other to get away with it and you covered for the other... that’s how it could still be true. Vanessa: But, they wouldn’t do that, right? Like, that would mean they’d die. Mark: …Yeah. You’re right. That’s probably not the case. At this point, whoever’s killed probably wants to win. That would make the most sense, given that they killed two people.”

Hopefully we can in fact rule them out!

“Jeff: So, it’s not Davis or Aidan. The rest of us aren’t totally covered though, right? [Evidence Select]”

I accidentally saw that this was “Alibis”, but that’s kind of easy enough that I wanna say I’d have gotten it :p

“Ellis: I mean… Vanessa and I kinda are covered too, no? We were with Aidan and Davis in the Banquet Hall when Noah and Harper left, and we stayed there until all four of us discovered the bodies. I don’t know how any of us would have tied them to the chandelier, at the very least, while sitting there.”

I’m gonna be so fr chat, I think Jeff is the death I’m the most okay with. I like the guy and all, and I’ll be sad if he dies, but Mark, David, Aidan, and even Vanessa dying would all kill me dead. So, uh, you know. Just mentioning it now because I realized I should probably say it at some point lol.

“Mark: If you were all together for that time, then that’s good. It eliminates a lot of options. The killer seems like they were active within a short time frame, so I think the alibis hold up.”

I will say, it’s impressive how chill and helpful Jeff and Mark have been so far. This fangan in general has had people be pretty reasonable even when they’re getting accused, which is cool. I guess people freaking out over it would get kinda tiring after canon dangan and all the games the writers made before One Shot lol.

“Jeff: Though, for the time being, I assume you’ll all be most suspicious of me and Mark. Reasonable.”

Yeah, look. Perfectly chill about it.

[Nonstop Debate] Let’s run it!

So there’s a couple things we could look at here, like maybe using the Monoquin File Lie to question the idea they were strangled, but that kind of thing is probably getting ahead of myself a bit. I’m gonna go with:

“Mark: There are ways to get around Noah and Harper alerting bystanders. Mark: Incapacitation, for example.”

Shooting “incapacitation” with Customer Service Order List, to bring up the chloroform, even with my doubts about it actually being used.

[Answer: Customer Service Order List -> “Incapacitation”] Off to a good start!

“Aidan: That answers that, then. Davis: If they were knocked out, it would be a lot easier to hang them up.”

Not sure I love how quickly we’re accepting that answer.

“Ellis: It’s still kinda weird, though. Even if chloroform would let you dodge some of the problems with killing both of them at the same time, shouldn’t those same problems pop up when trying to drug them? Like, if you held a rag up to Noah’s mouth, wouldn’t Harper say something? Jeff: It’d be easier to cover both of their mouths with rags at the same time than it would be to keep a rope tight around their throats at the same time. I believe that someone could’ve done both at once, as long as they have two hands. More points against Davis and Aidan, I guess.”

Nice to see Ellis and I keep agreeing on things. I’m still not convinced, especially because it’s Jeff bringing up the counterargument, but I will accept the explanation if it turns out the chloroform was actually used. Even if we ignore the issue of the killer having to ask for it 48 hours before the party to make sure they could actually receive it.

“Aidan: Honestly, the bigger problem to me is how the killer tied them to the chandelier. Vanessa: Wouldn’t that be pretty easy, if Noah and Harper were both unconscious? Aidan: No, I mean… How did they manage to reach it? [Puzzling Pieces]”

I’ve been wondering that too! Let’s see how this goes… Oh god it’s a goddamn rope physics murder. Not again T_T

So… I’m not actually confident in this, but I’m gonna go with either “The killer raised the bodies with the chandelier”, or “The killer raised the chandelier with the bodies”. The idea is that the killer lowered the chandelier, attached the bodies, then raised the chandelier again before cutting the cord. Leaning on the first option for wording, but I also could be entirely wrong, there’s a good number of options here.

[Answer: The killer lowered the chandelier with the cord.] “Ellis: The killer probably lowered the chandelier using its cord before they tied Noah and Harper to it, right?”

Okay that’s… kind of the same thing I said, I think? I guess it makes more sense to focus on the actual lowering of the chandelier than the raising of the bodies lol. Anyways, I’m calling it close enough!

“Davis: If that’s the case, it seems like Noah and Harper were probably already dead by the time they were tied to the chandelier, right? Vanessa: Huh? Why? Davis: I know that they’d be knocked out and everything, but would you really want to leave Noah and Harper unguarded to go lower the chandelier, tie them to it, and leave them again to raise it up, all before they died? You’d have to wait for them to actually die before you cut the cord, too. If they woke up at any point before dying, you’d be screwed.”

Makes enough sense, yeah.

“Mark: If that’s the case, we can probably take a pretty reasonable guess about what the File’s lie is. The time is fairly shortly after Noah and Harper went into the Ballroom, which is in keeping with killing them before the hanging process, and the cause of death seems likely given the neck wounds. It should be the location, right?”

So they probably died in the Balcony/Hallway. You know, I hadn’t considered the possibility of someone going from outside into the Balcony, but that would explain a lot of things. Still doesn’t explain the rope cutter’s vanishing act after the chandelier fell, but y’know.

“Vanessa: Do the Files have to have the same lie? There are two of them, after all. [Evidence Select]”

I saw the answer was a Note, so I’m assuming Monoquin File Lie. The Handbook says each file contains a lie, but doesn’t say anything about the lie being the same in cases like this or anything. I assume it is, simply because both the murders seem to have been basically identical, but still.

[Answer: Monoquin File Lies] Yep.

“Mark: That’s… true. It’s definitely possible that the idea was to kill two people who are chained together in different ways, in order to make us assume they were killed in the same way. That’d be a reason to go to the trouble of hanging the bodies, too… Jeff: Does it actually matter, though? With them being handcuffed together, it’s hard to believe that they’d have different killers. The blackened doesn’t change if their murder methods are different from each other. Davis: Is it at all possible that one of Noah and Harper killed the other…? That would be the most likely way that the crimes could be different, in my opinion. But…”

We’re going insane. Like, don’t get me wrong, I definitely gave the idea of either Noah or Harper killing here a lot of thought, but it’s very hard to justify, so doing that only on a hunch that the lies in the files might be different is a little crazy.

[Lie Detector] Wow, early.

“The victim is Noah Walker/Harper Young” -> Noah’s Profile + Harper’s Profile

“He/Ve died of strangulation” -> State of the Bodies + Nooses

“in the Ballroom” -> Monoquin File Lies

“at approximately 8:20 PM.” -> Dinner Party + Body Discovery Announcement

[Answers: State of the Bodies + The Fifth Motive; Nooses + State of the Bodies; Monoquin File Lies; Alibis + Dinner Party] Eh, close enough. My reasoning on using the BDA and the party was to establish an upper bound of 8:30 (BDA) and a lower bound of 8:10 (party) for the murder, but the other thing works too.

“Vanessa: Does that really benefit the killer, though? It’s not like the murder happening in the Ballroom versus the Hallway actually matters much. Jeff: Does it have to? If the killer set up a crime that doesn’t point to them in any way, there’s not much need for the lie. ‘Sides, if you can tell who the killer is by solving the lie, it can be more of a liability than a help, right? Vanessa: Still, they could’ve lied about the time or something, right? Considering 4/6 of us have an alibi… Aidan: We all saw Noah and Harper. It’s not like it would’ve been productive to say, “hey, Noah and Harper were both dead before dinner!” We would’ve instantly known it was a lie, and then we’d just suspect the people without alibis even more than we already did. This way, there’s at least the possibility we overthink a simple truth.”

It’s cool that the MQ File lie isn’t a big deal in this one. It’s always been a pretty big point of contention for the other trials, which is perfectly fine, but the variety is appreciated.

“Davis: That all makes sense, but… why drop the chandelier at all? Why bother moving it? Why would the killer do any of that instead of just strangling them and leaving the area? The whole thing seems really risky. Mark: If it’s a risk the killer took, there must have been a plan behind it. The reasoning shouldn’t be too difficult to figure out… [Progressive Deduction]”

Are we positive? Because I got no clue. Let’s see if the Progressive Deduction helps here.

1- What odd behavior are we trying to justify from the killer? a) Dropping the chandelier b) Murder c) Not utilizing the MQ File’s lie d) Using strangling as the murder method

“Murder” lol. Yeah, going with a) here.

2- What happened when the chandelier broke? a) Noah and Harper died b) People gained alibis c) The killer fled the scene d) We rushed into the Ballroom

Like three of these things actually did happen. I’m gonna go with c) because it’s the most pressing issue in my mind, but I doubt cutting the rope had anything to do with the escape. Unless the killer was, like, hanging onto a rope on the Balcony attached to the cord of the chandelier, and got catapulted when the cord was cut. But that’s. Insane. So, not likely.

3- Why might the killer have dropped the chandelier? a) To confuse the murder method b) To distract everyone c) To draw people to trigger the BDA d) To kill Noah and Harper

Certainly not a) or d). My first instinct is distracting everyone so the killer can slip back in unnoticed from the Hallway, but that doesn’t make much sense. If the got in by the Balcony, they could’ve gotten out from the Balcony, which would have been safer as it doesn’t carry the risk of people seeing them walk out the Hallways. So I’m going to change my answer from 2- to d), “we rushed into the Ballroom”, and answer c) on 3-, trigger the BDA.” It makes sense; we know this cast has thought to use the BDA to clear people, so if, say, Ellis walked into the room, they could use the BDA to rule out either Mark or Jeff, the only people without alibis, which would immediately fuck the killer over. Makes sense.

[Answer: a - d - c] Hell yeah. Took a bit of backtracking, but we take those.

“Mark: There were four of you. No one got cleared of suspicion from the BDA. If you’d found the body on your own time, you might’ve intentionally used it to clear someone.”

See, Mark gets it. Good job Mark!

“Davis: …If the killer weren’t one of the two of you, there wouldn’t be a point to dropping the chandelier. It would be better to pretend to find the body on accident. Then, you could “try” to clear one of the two suspects, with you, the actual killer, being one of the three in the group. It’d make the suspicious person who saw the body look like the killer when the BDA didn’t trigger. Vanessa: That’s just more confirmation, then, isn’t it? That it has to be Mark or Jeff…”

Welp. It’s gonna be real hard to argue otherwise at this point.

[Third Party Analysis] Goddamn, this also feels super early for this. Usually this gets done right before the culprit starts to unravel, but this isn’t even Part 7. I’m loving the shakeups to the formula this chapter!

Distill!

Concession: Jeff: “Look, I know that you’re probably suspicious of me already because I’m the one who wants to leave this place the most.” Mark: “It makes sense that you would suspect me, considering I can’t tell you what I’ve been up to all day.”

Defense: Jeff: “There isn’t really any evidence that points towards me, though, right?” Mark: “I promise you, I’m not the one who killed Harper and Noah. I can’t fathom why I’d ever do that.” [It’s kinda sad Mark’s defense is basically “I have nothing to return to anyways” woop]

Attack: Jeff: “Meanwhile, Mark is… refusing to say anything about where they’ve been all day? That’s the worst excuse I’ve heard in one of these Trials.” [The next two lines could also work] Mark: “Jeff… at least he’s always been someone who’s been very motivated to leave this place.”

Proposal: Jeff: “Couldn’t they at least mention where they were at some point today? The only possibility I can think of is if they were planning for the murder all day.” Mark: “It’s possible that, after confirming that there’s only ever been one winner, he was finally inspired to act.”

Inquire! Jeff’s Account -> Jeff’s Defense. The idea is that Jeff knew more details about the event than the others, so there is at least some evidence pointing to them.

[Answer] So the Distill section is more or less the same. I sometimes use two sentences, which I know isn’t technically right, but it’s more so the context is clear for the post.

[Inquire! Mark’s Killing Game → Mark’s Defense] Oops. I don’t think my idea was terrible, but clearly it was wrong!

“Ellis: I… I know that it doesn’t sound that concrete, but I really do believe Mark when they say that they’d have no motive to kill anybody. You guys all saw that Mark won a prior killing game by being the last man standing, right? That means they got through an entire killing game without ever hurting anybody. That takes a lot of fortitude that wouldn’t snap now, of all times. There’s more to it than that, but… I’ll leave any further detail to Mark’s discretion.”

It’s… not the greatest argument ever, but I guess we ball.

“Mark: We can call it neutral, if it makes you all feel better moving forwards. Given that I’m innocent, there should be more ways to prove it if we keep thinking. Jeff: Or, alternately, there could be more things that point towards you. Davis: Either way, it seems like the best move is to keep talking about it from a point of neutrality, right? It could be either of them. Let’s think more while keeping that in mind. [Puzzling Pieces]”

Neutrality is cool. Also what is this Puzzling Pieces even about? Are we finally gonna talk about how the killer actually left the room after cutting the cord, or…?

Jesus christ this one’s making me write a damn bible. Maybe… “the murder method had no blood because Mark’s gloves would get stained”? Not saying Mark did it, as Jeff would’ve needed a bloodless method too so as to not get caught for this very reason, but I think it fits with what they’re all talking about.

[Answer: Got it right :)] Yay! I’m back, baby!

“Mark: I’m not wearing my gloves. I’m in my formal outfit, like all of you guys. See?”

I was wondering about that, but Jeff would’ve had no way of knowing that. Still, blood could have stained any clothing, so it’s kinda nothing.

“Jeff: Mark would’ve had a better opportunity to clean it up though, right? ‘Cause none of us knew where they went. Mark: Is that really true…? [Hangman’s Gambit]”

[Answer: Kitchen Sink] Listen, it’s very hard, especially on mobile, to click the Hangman’s link before seeing the answer. Still, I’m ass at this one, so I can confidently tell you my ass was not guessing “Kitchen Sink” ToT

“Ellis: Either of them would have committed this crime barehanded, but only one of them would have had a good opportunity to wash any blood off. Jeff had access to the kitchen sink, were his hands bloodstained. Aidan: That’s all good and whatever, but there wasn’t actually any blood. Is this productive?”

Aidan’s still so funny. Everyone else talking about blood that wasn’t there and he’s just questioning his sanity.

“Mark: The original point was that the murder method could’ve been bloodless because it would be harder for one of us to hide any incriminating blood. Given that, you could say the bloodless murder method is suspicious on my part, because Jeff would’ve been fully able to clean up any blood. Conversely, you could say that, had I been able to find a way to get rid of blood, it might’ve made more sense for me, because Jeff would be suspected above me if I managed to conceal it.”

So ultimately “less blood is easier to deal with”, as a general statement, ends up being the answer after all lol.

“Vanessa: What part of the murder method, though? We already figured it out. Ellis: Um… Aidan: …Whatever. Let’s just do this again. [Nonstop Debate]”

You know, we still haven’t talked about how the killer got in and out of the room. I feel like that’s something we gotta address at some point, yeah?

It seems like we’re kinda on track, but I’m struggling to see what I’m meant to be doing. Here, look:

“Aidan: The killer probably just started out in the Ballroom or the Balcony or something. Aidan: In that case, they’d just have to avoid causing suspicion until the body was actually discovered. Vanessa: But, is that actually easier for one or the other? Jeff: I mean, I was in the area, at least. Mark: I was, too…”

Like, obviously there’s a problem with what Aidan is saying, because Jeff went to the Kitchen at 8:10 (I’m assuming the cast have eyes and would’ve seen them going into the Ballroom if they had), and the only entrances to the Ballroom are the Banquet Hall and the Balcony. So, maybe I should shoot Map of Floor 4 + Jeff’s Account at either Aidan or Vanessa to say that Jeff couldn’t have been waiting in the Ballroom, or that it’d be easier for Mark to be there. But I could also grab “started out in the Ballroom” as a synthesizer bullet to shoot “easier for one”, with the idea that only Mark would have been able to start in the Ballroom as Jeff would’ve needed to start in the Kitchen. Or maybe shoot a combination of “I was in the area” as a synthesizer bullet plus Map of Floor 4 to “started out in the Ballroom.” And there’s even more ways to argue my point. Basically, I know what I want to say (“Mark could have been in the Ballroom all along, Jeff couldn’t go from the Kitchen to the Ballroom directly”), I just don’t know how the game would want me to argue it lol.

[Answer: Jeff’s Account → “easier for one”] Yeah, that’s a way to do it. I’m pretty sure it’s what I wanted to say.

“Ellis: Well… it would have been less suspicious for Jeff to be seen around the scene of the crime. Jeff was working for Monoquin during this event, so if Noah and Harper saw him in the Ballroom, they might’ve just thought Jeff was doing another one of his chores. If they’d seen Mark, they might’ve reacted more strongly and loudly, given how big of a deal Mark’s absence was.”

Never mind! That’s not the argument at all!

Am I just stupid? Did no one actually see Jeff go into the Kitchen? Are there doors that aren’t clearly seen on the map? Can we talk about the logistics of entry and exit of this goddamn room?

“Davis: At the same time, though, wouldn’t it be easier to get away with a crime if no one knows where you were? What if, at some point, one of us had gone into the Kitchen and Jeff was gone? That’d be really suspicious, too.”

We are actually going nowhere bro what is this.

Save me, [Puzzling Pieces], save me.

“Vanessa: Maybe, uh… something with the BDA…? Vanessa: ‘Cause, the killer would’ve had to join all of us without messing anything up eventually.”

Vanessa…? Holy shit she’s bringing up the points I wanna bring up! That’s kinda rare for her, but awesome! You go girl!

“Aidan: Given that they were probably in the Hallway by the chandelier cord at the time, it is true they would’ve had to sneak in without us realizing they were coming from the wrong direction. Aidan: It’d only take a second or two to get from the Hallway door to near the main door, though”

Really hoping the answer isn’t just “they’re all blind” though lol.

Maybe “it’s easier to join the group when arriving second”? So maybe the guy did just sneak back in. Well, it doesn’t rely on weird loopholes in the rules, so we take it.

[Answer: Got it right :)] I love Puzzling Pieces.

“Ellis: If you arrive second, you’d have more time to get there. Jeff: I guess, but there’s also the advantage of showing up first when everyone’s still looking at the bodies, right? No one would really be tracking where you came from in the first place.”

I kinda agree more with Jeff here, though. If we really assume no one was looking at the doors at first, Mark could have snuck in kinda easily. But after he arrived, Ellis at least was presumably at least facing the direction of the doors, given they rushed to hug him.

“Mark: Well, no. They’d have to have been in the Hallway. But, I don’t understand why they’d do that if they’d have to enter the Ballroom from the Hallway instead of the main door. [Hangman’s Gambit]”

Hangman’s is really hard without letters. It’s six then four, so it’s hard to talk about Balcony shenanigans… “secret door”? It feels silly, though.

[Answer: Secret Door] Never mind, apparently I’m a genius. I’m more impressed accirax guessed that with only Es, like surely you’d at least go for O as well right? xD

“Aidan: From the Hallway to the Kitchen, probably. Makes enough sense. If you want staff to be able to bring drinks or appetizers or whatever to the main Ballroom area, it’d be convenient to go straight from the Kitchen to the Ballroom. Jeff: The Fourth Floor is pretty symmetrical though, right? Seems just as likely to me that there could be a matching door in the Conference Room.”

Here I was, imagining some kind of Mission Impossible wall scaling from a window in the Kitchen/Conference Room, around the building and into the Balcony, and turns out there’s just a door there. Ngl, I’m a little sad now /lh xD

“Vanessa: So, since we can’t actually investigate the doors’ theoretical existence, it doesn’t tell us anything. I’m shocked, really… Ellis: Man, even when we’re straight up inventing evidence, it still isn’t a tiebreaker!”

And now I’ve run out of arguments too! How the fuck do you solve this one, anyways? Well, there’s still the timing of the order in the CSD, I guess. Jeff had more time to place it, as Mark was chained to Ellis up until this morning.

[Nonstop Debate] Let’s do it!

“Mark: Maybe the Order List could give us something to work with?”

Wow, speak of the devil xD

“Davis: That means that the killer probably planned out what they’d do ahead of time, right?”

Fifth Motive here, I guess? With the idea that Mark couldn’t have been sure he’d get the implements by the time the Banquet started? Though maybe we’re getting ahead of ourselves, and I should shoot Customer Service Desk at this one, to actually agree that the items must have been requested in advance.

[Answer: Jeff’s Account → “ahead of time”] Oh, yeah, that’s works too. Only Jeff could have known to ask for this stuff in advance.

“Aidan: Or, it makes me think that you were hiding it because you had something planned. Jeff: … Davis: Do you… have anything to say? Or any points to make? Jeff: Do you want me to? I guess I can try. Mark: …Go ahead? Jeff: Alright, sure, whatever. Let’s do this. [Freestyle Feud]”

Props to Jeff for the chillest Freestyle Feud entrance of all time lol. This is Part 6, right? So it’s still kinda early. What the hell could possibly happen from here? Anyways, rap time.

Jeff: There’s no actual evidence that points the crime to me.

You had the opportunity, the knowledge and the means.

Jeff: You’re only accusing me because you won’t believe it’s Mark.

I’ll believe it when you tell me when he could’ve come up with the plan.

Jeff: They were just as free as I was at the time of the crime.

Yet when the orders were placed, their hands must have been tied.

Jeff: Even if I was free of my handcuffs first, Mark could’ve done plenty of things you’d have missed.

Today, that’s the truth, but they weren’t always free; certainly not two full days before the dreaded double kill!

If I had to shoot a bullet, it’d be Fifth Motive + CSD Order List btw. To be fair to Jeff, I don’t know if he’d been able to know about all the details 48 hs before the kill, but he could have still been planning something along those lines, and ordered the stuff before figuring out all the details. Also, I’m not convinced it wasn’t Jeff themselves who asked Monoquin to hold a party, as technically that isn’t inherently helping with the murder.

[Answer] Hey, that’s the same argument I was going for! Cool.

“Jeff: I’m not going to be able to change your minds, right? It’s not like I’ve had any idea of how to prove anything for this whole Trial. All: … [Question Completion]”

I am still worried about the timing. This is still part 6, and we’re about to hit the point which would usually be intermission. What’s this Question Completion gonna give us?

“Why was the killer so obvious?” is gonna be my answer, and I’m a little worried about the implications. Does Jeff have a plan to get Monoquin to rule break somehow?

[Answer: Why was the killer so obvious?] Hm…

“Aidan: On that point, how would Jeff have even known that Harper and Noah were going to leave early? That seems a bit coincidental, right?”

Oh. I see where we’re angling actually.

Regulation #8: If two victims are killed by two different killers in the same Trial, only the killer whose victim’s body is discovered first is the blackened.

This regulation has been on the back of my mind since I checked the handbook for the murder theory. I didn’t think it would matter at the time, but I always knew it could cause issues. Both bodies were discovered at the same time, the BDA specifically mentioned two bodies. That means, if Noah killed Harper/Harper killed Noah, the blackened would be impossible to assign, thus breaking the killing game. Maybe the chloroform wasn’t used after all… maybe Noah and Harper were in on it.

“Davis: I’m saying that if Jeff were the killer, he should’ve done it… I don’t know, during the afternoon? Tomorrow? Some time when not literally everyone would be together. Vanessa: But… the murder did happen at the dinner party. What does that… mean? Jeff: Hell if I know. I only know my side of the story.”

Wait, does Jeff not even know the plan? Or do they know but don’t want to say until Monoquin declares a blackened? What in the V3 CH5? Also, the murder happened at the party to guarantee a double BDA, but I think it’s obvious I’d think that by now.

[Intermission] Ooh… this is gonna get good >:) Not that it wasn’t great already but still >:)

Part 7

[Nonstop Debate] Starting strong, let’s do it!

“Mark: There’s really no reason why that [Noah and Harper would kill each other], and I’m not sure how possible it would be anyways.”

So… I feel like I’m getting way ahead of myself here, but maybe shooting this with Kennedy’s Escape Theory? I’m hoping bringing up the possibility of ending the killing game with this murder in a general sense isn’t thinking too many arguments ahead lol.

[Answer: Mark’s Account → “get their handcuffs off”] Alright yeah I was getting way ahead of myself there. Apparently we’re just gonna say they could have picked the locks lol.

“Ellis: Well, it is possible to take handcuffs off. Mark was able to pick the lock on ours, and I was none the wiser until I woke up. Mark: That’s true, I guess, but how would you lock them again? If we’re saying the partner had no idea this ever happened, it’d have to be while they were asleep. It wouldn’t be convincing at all if your partner woke up and the handcuffs were open. Vanessa: You could probably get the staff to lock them again, right? Like, I’m sure if Jeff and I had agreed to it, Monoquin would’ve been happy to lock us back together again.”

Yeah we’re not even thinking about Harper and Noah doing it lol.

“Ellis: This killer would be taking a ton of chances on all fronts. But, don’t use that as an argument to say I did it!”

Pfft-

[Nonstop Debate] Alright, let’s go!

“Jeff: I’m just as confused as the rest of you are, if not more.”

Is… Jeff really not in on this plan? I- Well, I guess I could be entirely wrong on the plan is, but if I’m not, it just seems weird that the other two wouldn’t have talked to anyone else.

“Aidan: Unless you’ve got a way to get around one of them being complicit.”

Staff Members here with the same loophole as before? But I feel like that doesn’t make much sense. I really don’t know. Is it a synthesizer bullet?

[Answer: Mark’s Account + The Fifth Motive → “cover what they needed to”] What? I… don’t actually know what we’re arguing lol.

“Ellis: If we’re trying to leave Jeff out of things… Well, it’s still possible. Mark and Vanessa could have been working together. Vanessa, who was un-handcuffed, could have gone to the order list at any time. And then Mark, who didn’t attend the dinner party, could have done all of the stuff with the chandelier. Jeff: I guess that is possible. Vanessa: Okay, yeah, but, like… why? All: …”

Yeah, right? That one’s kinda fucking insane. Also how am I only now realizing how similar Vanessa’s speech patterns are to my typing style. Girlie is actually my spirit animal lol.

[Nonstop Debate] They were not kidding! The debate sure ain’t stopping! Not for more than a few paragraphs at a time, anyways.

“Davis: If Jeff is the only one who could’ve hung them, he must be the killer, right…?”

Holy orange! I think that’s the longest weak point I’ve ever seen, it’s the entire sentence! xD

I feel like I want to disagree, too. Like, my entire theory at the moment is that Jeff hung them without being the killer. Or, rather, without being the only killer. Maybe shoot that with Harper and Noah’s Profiles? Or take something like:

“Mark: Besides, the fact that we’re all contributing so much to figuring out what the trick is makes it seem unlikely that one of us is the killer.”

That, and shoot the weak point. I really don’t know. Man, I am… not doing well, huh?

[Answer: Monoquin File Lie → “If Jeff is the only one who could’ve hung them, he must be the killer”] I… what? Is it that the lie doesn’t help them? Idk.

“Ellis: That’s… not necessarily true. The person who hung the bodies doesn’t have to be the killer as long as hanging the bodies wasn’t the direct cause of death. I don’t know why somebody who wasn’t the killer would hang the bodies, but… we were just discussing the potential of an accomplice, right?”

Okay, yeah, I was on the right track. I don’t know how I was supposed to get MQ File Lies out of that though :v

“Vanessa: Um, question? If we’re saying that the hanging or strangling or whatever during the dinner party wasn’t the cause of death, then what was it? ‘Cause, it doesn’t really matter if it’s something else you’d have to be in the Ballroom for. But, if you’re saying you could kill them from the Banquet Hall, then… [Hangman’s Gambit]”

Eight and six… you know, “Antonia’s Poison” fits here lol. I don’t really know how you would kill someone from a different room, so… I guess? Sure, fuck it, let’s go for the repeat.

[Answer: Antonia’s Poison] It actually was a repeat lol. And I love that accirax didn’t hesitate much either xD Hey, at least I got something right!

“Ellis: …I’m going to fucking kill Antonia. I don’t care that she’s already dead.”

Ellis apparently can’t handle a narrative haunting bad bitch, who knew.

“If somebody forced Jeff to poison Noah and Harper’s food, would Jeff count as the killer, or that other person…? Mark: What would their leverage be? Jeff dies under this plan. I don’t understand what you’d threaten them with.”

We’re losing our minds, is what’s happening.

“Vanessa: If it’s not some sort of forcing thing, then how did anyone else poison Noah and Harper? Ellis was with Jeff in the Kitchen the whole time, and no one else made the food or poured the drinks or anything, right? Davis: That’s… not true. [Select the Person]”

So I accidentally saw that this is Davis, but I would not have remembered that lmao.

“Ellis: Davis… Davis, Jeff asked you to pour the drinks… Davis: … Aidan: …That doesn’t make any sense. [Nonstop Debate]”

Well, I guess Aidan’s coming to Davis’ defense! I wonder where the hell this is going.

“Aidan: Besides, it’s not like Davis would want to win this game. Why would he agree to it?”

I don’t like that he’s saying this like this. Like, obviously at this point, Davis wouldn’t have known about the plan.

“Aidan: We should’ve just voted for Jeff ages ago. They’re probably just acting weird in the hopes that we make evidence up out of nowhere. Aidan: Let’s just get this thing over with.”

Yeah, we’re… really desperate here lol.

Ugh… another one I’m stuck on. I don’t know if I’m just being silly today, or if the trial just got incredibly hard for this part. I feel like I want to shoot:

“Aidan: Neither of them would want Davis to win. It just doesn’t make sense.”

And argue that maybe Jeff wanted Davis to win even if Davis didn’t. I mean, I feel like that contradicts the FTEs, so I don’t think that’s it, but it kinda seems like the direction we’re going down. Maybe shoot that with Jeff’s Profile to make the point of who actually wanted it? Or grab:

“Mark: Call me naive, but Davis doesn’t seem like the type.”

It doesn’t even work, but idk. I’m just off my game rn.

[Answer: Davis’ Profile → “Neither of them would want Davis to win”] I… guess this was the right way to make the argument? lol.

“Ellis: I… could it have something to do with Davis’ talent…?”

Oh. I… didn’t consider that. I guess that’s a way to argue it.

“Davis: …What is it that you wanted? Before you met me. Jeff: … Davis: Answer me, Jeff. Jeff: …I wanted to care about someone else more than myself for once. Someone who deserves it.”

Ah, God fucking damn it.

“Mark: Wait, so… your talent makes people care about you and want things from you. But, it depends on the person. Jeff wanted to care about someone else more than himself, so… Davis: So Jeff cares about me more than himself.”

Fucks’ sake. Here I was, visualizing an epic martyr conundrum where Jeff valiantly fought against the killing game alongside the victims… and the situation’s worse than I ever could’ve imagined.

[Mixed Matches] …

Using the Order List -> D. Timing of use was meant to single out Jeff as the only possible culprit.

When the Order Happened -> C. Shortly after the VIP Files, likely relating to the true motive of the crime.

Riskiness of the Crime -> A. Actually low risk overall due to the visible culprit not being the blackened.

Obviousness of the Killer -> B. Meant to divert votes to Jeff, concealing Davis as the true culprit.

[Answer: D - C - A - B] Yay, I got it right! I’m in incredible emotional pain! :,D

“Aidan: There’s just… no way… [Closing Argument]”

I’m sorry Aidan… I feel really bad about this too ToT I’ve never been more devastated to read the words “Closing Argument” before. Venus you evil evil writer you >:( /lighthearted.

1- Fifth Motive. Everyone gets cuffed together. 2- VIP Files. The motive behind the murder. 3- Customer Service Order List. The orders are set up two days in advance. 4- Jeff’s Account. Jeff learns about the Dinner Party a day before it happens. 5- Dinner Party. It happens. Davis unknowingly pours poison to Harper and Noah. 6- Nooses. After Noah and Harper die, Jeff ties their necks to the nooses. 7- Cut Cord. The cord is cut. 8- Broken Chandelier. The chandelier breaks. 9- BDA. Everyone rushes in, BDA plays. 10- Monoquin Files 5.1 and 5.2. The files are handed out.

[Answer: Got it right] Well, hey! I may have done awful on the Nonstops, and I may never emotionally recover from what’s about to happen, but at least it’s the first time I ace a Closing Argument, I believe! Yay me :,)

“Ellis: The killer escaped the cuffs almost immediately, which made the motive less intimidating to them.”

It’s interesting that Ellis’ recounting labels Jeff as the killer, even though the argument is that Davis is the blackened. I guess he’s still as in shock as I am :,)

“Ellis: The poison must have been pretty diluted, as they made it through almost the entire extended dinner party alive. It was only when they walked into the Ballroom for a dance that it kicked in, incapacitating them.”

Actually, yeah, what was the plan if Noah and Harper dropped dead in front of the others? If they’d waited just a few more minutes before dipping, everyone would know they got poisoned, and it wouldn’t have been hard to point to Davis at that point. Everyone knew who poured those cups. Incredibly risky plan from Jeff, especially knowing how lethal this poison’s proved in the past. Pretty reckless, this Jeff guy.

“Davis: I’m sure. Am I the blackened, yes or no? Monoquin: …Yes, you are.”

God fucking damn it. And Jeff’s just going to walk after this? How the hell are we resolving that plotline in one chapter?

“Aidan: …Why would you do that?!”

Well, at least we’re getting an Aidan crashout! That’s always fun. I say, in great pain.

“Aidan: You realize what this means, right? You put him in danger. He’s going to die because of you! Jeff: Would you calm do–“

‘Would you calm down’ is crazy work, geez Jeff.

“Jeff: Do you want Davis to die? Aidan: Obviously not! Jeff: Davis, do you want to die? Davis: No…? Jeff: Well, I don’t want Davis to die, either. Hey, look at that! That’s half the votes. There’s no problem here.”

Yoo??!? That’s insane work actually. Manipulating the votes for the cast to lose plurality on the blackened is crazy. It’s not gonna work, obviously, but imagine having so much game that this is a genuine possibility being thrown around.

“Monoquin: It seems you’re rather at odds. Truly, this is a split down the middle. Vanessa: Oh, come on! Is now really the ti– Monoquin: Take your sides. I’ll prepare the Trial grounds. [Scrum Debate]”

We’re going to Scrum over this?!?! Not only that, but a Scrum after the Closing Argument?! We’re losing our minds. Actually insane ending here. I wonder what side Davis is gonna be on. I guess this wouldn’t be happening unless he ends up on the “don’t vote Davis” side, though.

…Sorry, is this Scrum Debate already solved? Like, there’s missing words on the right hand side, but I kinda thought there were supposed to be words missing on the left and nothing on the right. The right answers are highlighted and everything already. Uh… oopsie lol xD I guess something like this was bound to happen eventually :p

“Mark: …Davis. Winning… It’s not what you want. You don’t want to have to think about this for the rest of your life, thinking about all the people you lost, and about the people who cared about you who died to save you. It’s not worth it. I’m so sorry it’s come to this, but… please, trust me. Davis: …Okay.”

Man, this cannot be good for Davis’ trauma, huh? Really interesting, how Mark’s, Davis’ and Jeff’s situations all kinda play off of each other in terms of abandoning and being abandoned, huh? Crazy stuff. And good guy Davis asking to be voted for :,)

“Aidan: No, it’s not. None of this is okay! It’s… no. There’s no way. None of us should vote for Davis. Ellis: Aidan, you– Aidan: It doesn’t make any sense. Vanessa: Aidan, I know it sucks, but we really have to– Aidan: No, we don’t! Ugh, why won’t anyone… Monoquin! Monoquin: Yes, Mx. Ho? Aidan: Davis isn’t the blackened. He shouldn’t be.”

Aidan’s going through it, man. First person he ever gave a shit about, and only one aside Ellis. Come on, fight for your doomed yaoi! You can do it! I believe in you!

“Aidan: You’re wrong. Monoquin: …I’m wrong? Jeff: Uh, Monoquin already confirmed he’s the blackened… I’d be happy to hear he wasn’t at this point, but it seems a little late for that. Aidan: Jeff should be the real blackened. Or, if not that, it should be Noah and Harper. There’s no reason why it would be Davis. Vanessa: Noah and Harper…? Monoquin: …Would anyone care to explain? [Progressive Deduction]”

Wait hold on. He’s actually doing it. Why would there be a ProgDed after the Closing Argument if there wasn’t a last minute twist after the last minute twist?! Is he cooking?! Is the Ultimate Contrarian about to go against the doomed yaoi-ism of fangans?!?!

1- What did Davis do to kill Noah and Harper? a) He intended to poison Noah and Harper b) He poured poison into their glasses c) He poured poison into their mouths d) He requested Antonia’s poison

Obviously b).

2- What didn’t Davis do to kill Noah and Harper? a) He didn’t intend to poison Noah and Harper b) He didn’t pour the poison into their mouths c) He didn’t pour the poison into the pitcher d) All of the above

That’s d)…

3- Who should be the killer? a) Jeff, for pouring the poison into the pitcher b) Noah and Harper, for pouring the poison into their mouths c) Davis, for pouring the poison from the pitcher into Noah and Harper’s glasses d) Not C, I’ll tell you that much

Pfft- I have to go with d) just because of how iconic that is xD

[Answer: b - d - d] BDD sounds like it would be an acronym for something. Don’t know what, though. “Blackened Deference Discourse?” Sure. What the hell was I talking about? Oh yeah. We’re so incredibly back!!!

“Ellis: If Jeff had put a bear trap two feet from the Ballroom door, and then I accidentally scooted it one foot closer, and then Noah or Harper stepped on it, would I really be the one at fault? Davis didn’t even know that the hypothetical bear trap was there!”

Uh. Strange analogy, but I guess it works.

“Monoquin: …That… makes sense. Davis: …! Ellis: That also means… that Monoquin lied to us. Would that give us any kind of leg up in stopping the killing game?”

Shits getting spicy! Then again, there’s no explicit rule against Monoquin lying I don’t think, but still. Getting Davis off the chopping block is fantastic either way.

“Monoquin: I did not lie. At that time, Davis was the blackened. Changing the blackened is unprecedented and should not happen.”

Damn. I guess that’s also not against rules? I mean, it could be, depending on what lawyer you get, but y’know. Again, more important things happening.

“Monoquin: I suppose… I will make an offer. If all contestants unanimously agree, it will be so. Davis: And… what is that offer? Monoquin: I will switch the blackened from Mr. Love to Mx. Breeze. As such, you will be able to vote for Mx. Breeze and win the Trial, and he alone will be executed. This will only occur if everyone involved agrees. Is everyone in agreement?”

Wow, crazy development. Masterminding by the seat of our pants, we got no fucking idea what’s going on. And I kinda have to hope that Jeff’s infatuation with Davis makes this a little easier on the “unanimous” department.

“Jeff: If we’re at this point, then… yeah. That’s fine.”

Fuck it we ball!!!!

“Jeff: I am the blackened. Please confirm. Monoquin: Yes, Mx. Breeze, you are the blackened who the spotless must vote for should they wish to win the Trial.”

They’re calling Aidan the clutchest person alive. Actually insane gambit, fantastic play, zero notes.

“Monoquin: And, Mx. Breeze– if you manage to use your talents to escape your execution, I will execute Mr. Love in your place.”

Pfft- That’s funny. They’re the Ultimate Absentee, not Escape Artist. Still, really funny we have to clarify that xD

[Vote: Jeffery Breeze] Crazy. Holy shit we did it. Davis lives!!!

“Davis: …You knew. You knew about everything, and how I felt about it, and you still… Jeff: …Yeah. I guess I did. But, hey, it’s like you said, right? I’ve always been a selfish person. It’s always about what I want, not you. Even if it’s for your sake.”

Crazy stuff here too. Jeff is kind of a fascinating character, huh?

“Ellis: …You can care about more than one person at once, you know. Jeff: Can I? Have I? It’s not like I’ve ever been much of a caring person. Mark: You could’ve tried. You could’ve done something that didn’t kill two other innocent people along with you.”

Big truths here. A big theme around these parts seem to be about trying, and how not trying hard enough leads to shit like this. First Taylor not being genuine friends with everyone as their real selves, and now this. You could say… you only have “one shot”, so you gotta make the best of it? He he… I’m reaching really hard because I still don’t really know what the title is about xp

“Vanessa: When did you even start caring about Davis so much…? Weren’t you guys fighting with each other, like, two weeks ago…? Davis: …Things changed. We weren’t anymore. I guess… his feelings towards me shifted more than I thought they would. I probably should have guessed. Aidan: Don’t even try to blame yourself for this. This is all his fault. Jeff: Guilty as charged.”

Yikes. Davis and his talent, an eternal struggle. Also ha ha “guilty as charged”, ha ha, my brain is rotting .^.

“Jeff: What was the plan, Ellis? Did you have some special plan to get all of us out of here? If you do, I’d love to hear it. I hope you guys do manage it, even if I’m not here to see it. I just don’t believe it. Ellis: I… …I don’t have a plan. Ellis: Maybe Noah or Harper had a plan.”

Ooh, get their ass!

“Jeff: …Davis…? Davis: …I’m sorry.”

Oof. Just oof.

“Jeff: Go ahead. I’m not going to run this time.”

Why are you aura farming your plan failed spectacularly ToT

“When we arrive, there’s no bulletproof glass barrier, no podiums to input answers, and no elaborate platforms or mechanical devices. There are only five chairs surrounding a large square cavity.”

… Don’t love the complete lack of protection lol.

[Execution] Fuck this one’s brutal. Forcing the Ultimate Absentee to sit still of his own volition is horrid enough, and it’s extremely painful on top of that. Also:

“At one point, I have to duck away to ensure I don’t get a sandal to the face.”

Crazy how close they were to that!

“Aidan: …I should apologize. Davis: Apologize? For what…? Aidan: You can probably tell by now, right? You only started hanging around me in the first place ‘cause I was unaffected by your whole talent thing. And, here I am, considering putting everyone else’s lives on the line for you. You couldn’t trust me, either.”

Oof, rough. Still, nice to see that Aidan still manages a cool head at the end of the day.

“Davis: You don’t have to apologize, if you like me in that way. I like you too. Aidan: Oh. Aidan’s face is redder than Davis’. Aidan: Right…”

On the one hand, definitely not the time. On the other, holy shit we managed to Contrarian our way into having the most doomed relationship of all time actually survive to CH6. Insane work, damn.

“Vanessa: Uh… all’s well that… ends well…? Mark: I wouldn’t say it ended all that well, when you look at the numbers…”

These two are so funny there. What the fuck are you supposed to say after… all that?

“I arrive at the fourth floor. It’s just me.”

Damn. Poignant.

“We may have negotiated our way out of Davis’ death, but that only proved that the rules are flexible. That, therefore, makes trapping them in a game-ending error harder.”

Yeah… that’s kind of an issue :/

“I thought we might’ve just gotten closer, but… it didn’t matter. Not every friend you make is one for life. Sometimes, you send them to their death. It’s a two-way street.”

Well, 2 out of 3 maxed FTE-ers made it to CH6, I’d consider that a pretty good ratio!

“We have to find little victories somewhere. Otherwise, the bigger ones will be hung out to dry.”

Ellis’ monologue stop being peak challenge level impossible.

-

Hot damn what a trial! There were twists on twists on twists! Definitely a worthy climax for the regular trials, that’s for damn sure! I really loved both the plan and the way we reached the conclusions of Davis actually being the blackened. And of course, my heart was racing the entire time the cast was arguing with Monoquin about who the blackened should be. I wondered if maybe they’d try to argue a blackened was wrongly executed, but I don’t really think that’s viable. All the other ones were kinda cut and dry; only Taylor because of the poison, but the same reasoning which condemned Jeff would condemn Taylor, so. Anyways, it’s a very fun way to resolve the issue!

I’m very happy with this CH6 cast, too! Vanessa and Ellis are great spots of joy in contrast to the other, more serious people; Mark obviously has had a pretty massive arc, and now has a pretty huge unresolved plotline to go into in CH6 with the question of what the hell they were doing during the Dinner Party, and Aidan and Davis have gone through a lot of development on their own right. It’s always nice to have at least one pair survive, keeps ‘em guessing.

And speaking of guesses and survivors, Predictions Game! As a heads up, I will hold off on a full recount until the end of CH6, when I can safely read the special rules without getting spoiled. But, Jeff is easy to assign points to; let’s see what we got!

Earlier in the post, we established the standings after the victims were: me with 29 points, Jonas with 27, sleuth with 25, and accirax with 23. And it seems the rich get richer, because accirax absolutely nails the prediction! Zero points for her, and she’s running away with the lead!

On the other side, I’m the first to surpass thirty points, as I figured Jeff would be the CH3 killer. That’s two chapter points for me, putting me up to 31.

However, I’m not alone in the thirties, as Jonas’ prediction was slightly worse than mine. A survivor prediction nets Jonas one chapter points and two role points, putting them up to 30!

But it was sewersleuth who was hit the hardest, predicting Jeff as the CH1 killer. That’s four chapter points and two role points, and suddenly sleuth and I are tied with 31!

Overall, me and sleuth are tied for (fittingly considering sleuth’s old url) bronze, with 31 points each; Jonas is just ahead of us with 30; and accirax is absolutely running away with the competition at 23 points. Tune in next time for the thrilling conclusion to the Prediction Game!

For now, though, Bonus Scenes!!!

Bonus Scenes

Jeff & Mark

Cool duo, let’s see where this goes!

“Ugh. Stale air. Silence. Tension in your neck from a stressful situation. The dead time at the end of a Trial day is never fun, but for whatever reason, Taylor’s death seemed to get to people more than usual.”

Damn, directly after the Taylor trial? This is probably the earliest in a chapter a Bonus Scene has started! Actually, CH5 hadn’t started! lol.

“I’d love to shrug it off and say it’s not my problem, like I usually would. Unfortunately for me, somewhere along the way, I’ve started to care.”

Jeff… Aough.

“Everything feels sort of aimless in the sense that nothing has actually changed. We’re still in a killing game. We’re still all stuck here. I’m still stuck here. He’s stuck here, too.”

Wow. That early, huh? I guess it’d need to be pretty early for Jeff to actually go through with it.

“Mark: Just taking some notes on everything that happened. Jeff: Notes? Why? Mark: I don’t want to forget any of the details. Trials are more important than the usual happenings at the Resort, right? Even if I kind of doubt it would happen, were there to be information that could help end the killing game, it would’ve come up today.”

Smart guy Mark! And of course they have a thing to help their memory of things like this, it just makes sense!

“Mark: [About plans to end the killing game] …Nothing concrete. But, I’m going to keep trying, obviously. I need to get all of you out of this killing game. I’ll figure it out…”

‘Get you out of here?’ Mark, Mark listen to me. You gotta make it out too, yeah? Please.

“To be honest, I still can’t really get myself to care all that much about everyone here. Like, if I could choose between having just a few of us get out or letting all of us escape, I’d pick all of us, but I definitely don’t have the same drive as he does. Still, I want to see Davis get out of here. I want to get out of here. It’d be good to try to work with Mark, if he’s got a similar enough goal.”

Well, that’s one didn’t last long at all!

“Jeff: Wouldn’t it just be easier to outsmart them? Mark: What do you mean? Jeff: You don’t need some loophole if you can just trick the Resort into doing your bidding anyways. You just need to figure out where their weak point is.”

Interesting perspectives. Mark, who only has memories of killing games, tries to play within their rules and look for a contradiction in their rules to escape them. Jeff, who is much more used to doing things on their own terms, thinks outside the box and looks for ways to go right over the killing game rules. Fun contrast!

“Jeff: How much time do you spend thinking about this kind of stuff, anyways? Mark: I never stop.”

Yikes. Take a break, dude.

“Jeff: I’m sure I’ll come up with something, though. I’m resourceful like that. Mark looks at me with those sad eyes of his. I’m not really sure what’s running through their head. Do they want my help? Are they jealous of my confidence? Is it something else entirely? I lean back in the seat. Jeff: Things’ll work themselves out in the end. They always do. Mark: …If you say so.”

I wonder if that kind of “everything will work out for me in the end” mentality is reminding Mark of Ellis, or possibly even the Lucky Student in the fourth killing game.

Interesting scene, for sure! Cool to see the thought process that lead to Jeff being Like That in CH5, all the stuff he did to go against the mastermind and how he ended up doing the Davis plan anyways. Neat!

Davis & Vanessa

Cool pairing! I’m always down for more Vanessa, I miss her.

“Doing my best to set my nerves aside, I grab a plate and take a seat next to Vanessa. She’s shrunk in on herself a bit– it’s something she tends to do when she’s feeling down.”

Good on Davis to notice stuff like that! Guess it’s part of what makes him the Ultimate Bachelor.

“Vanessa: Just the usual. Killing game sucks. Motive tomorrow. Everything’s been happening, and I haven’t done, like, anything to try to actually stop it. I never do enough. I’m always just… following other people around.”

Yikes! Just, right out the gate with the trauma, huh? I mean, I’m down.

“Vanessa: Back home, I was always just following my sister around. I mean, I’d invite her to things and ask her to do stuff, but in the bigger picture, she’s always been the one running the show. Davis: And, in the killing game? Vanessa: It’s the same sort of thing. I-I mean, I ended up just going with whatever Kennedy said, back when he was trying to run things, and I still kind of just do whatever while other people handle all the heavy lifting. I want to help. But, I don’t really know how to.”

Yeah, makes sense. Poor Ness :(

“Vanessa: The answer is that I need to come up with something on my own. It’s not like I’m really that close to any of you, so… I should be able to do it on my own.”

Not… the healthiest mindset, let’s hope it doesn’t go too wrong.

“Vanessa: Do you think it’s bad that I always depend on other people? Instead of learning to do things for myself?”

I mean, you don’t need to know how to do everything, you can ask for help on stuff. Having your own skills is valuable too, but you’re an Ultimate, Vanessa, you got something going on.

“…It’s a complicated question. I don’t think it’s a moral failing or anything; some people prefer to be followers, and that’s good for society. Everyone can follow what makes them the most comfortable, and things fall into place. But in this killing game, when Vanessa is sharing with me that she wants to make progress in her outlook? I don’t want to tell her to settle and get complacent. I want to encourage her. But, I’m not sure how to encourage her without making her feel like she’s been doing something wrong the whole time.”

Yeah, it’s hard :/

“Davis: I’ve felt really out of control of my own life for a long time. I’ve already more or less said it publicly at this point, but… I’ve had a long string of failed romantic relationships that always fall apart a few months in. Sometimes, really terrible things happen to the people who I fall in love with. Vanessa: Right… My smile shakes. Davis: …If I know all of that, does that make it my fault when those things happen? Because I can’t stop myself from falling in love with them?”

Poor Davis has that Teruko Tawaki-coded guilt over his luck, it’s sad to see :( But yeah, at least he’s pretty good about staying open to new relationships! I know that’s hard for some people.

“Vanessa: …You’re always doing your best to try to lessen the harm, right? You’re always thinking about other people and how you affect them. She drums her fingers against the table. Vanessa: I mean, this is a bit of a guess, but… is that why you were able to save Aidan? Because you learned first aid in case something happened? Davis: …It… wasn’t actually one of those situations, but that is why I learned.”

Huh, interesting! I guess that explains some things.

“Vanessa: You can’t help the way you feel. But, you’re doing your best to take into account what the people around you want and how to keep them safe. She fiddles with her bow. Vanessa: As long as you’re only dating people who want to date you, especially if they know everything, I don’t think that’s your fault. I exhale. Davis: Thank you. But, isn’t it kind of similar? You’re worried you’re not doing enough to counteract forces out of your control. Sure, it’ll never hurt to take a few more precautions and learn a few more skills to try to oppose the things that are keeping you down. But, I wouldn’t fault you for not having figured that out yet. As long as it feels like we’ve been here, it’s only been a little less than a month.”

They’re both so nice :) Good on them for talking about the things that trouble them!

“Vanessa: But, you’re so good at taking into account how you’re affecting other people. My inaction… hasn’t it hurt people? Davis: Has it? Vanessa: By letting the killing game continue. Davis: None of us have managed to end it. It’s not just you. Vanessa: …I guess so. It’s just… hard not to feel like I’m the only one who isn’t helping…”

It’s… hard not to read this as unwilling mastermind talk, what with so few options left going into CH6. Like, the angle is there: Vanessa feels particularly guilty because, as the mastermind/traitor, she’s uniquely positioned to do something about the killing game, but can’t because she’s being forced to do mm/traitor duties in some way. I’ll choose to believe that’s not the case and Ness is just insecure, though, for my own peace of mind :v

Very nice Bonus Scene! These two had a surprisingly deep conversation for two characters who haven’t really interacted much from my recollection, that’s always lovely to see.

Noah & Harper

Remind me, is this the third Bonus Scene which features these two, specifically? I guess the readers love their chemistry that much, huh? (It’s me, I’m readers :> )

“If there’s anyone I’d want to spend my time with, it’s Harper.”

Tell me about it xD

“The information in the VIP Files definitely rattled me.”

So that’s when we are, cool!

“Harper: …I’ve spent my life trying to help people. People… need to be helped. There are many, many out there who, for whatever reason or circumstance, don’t have the ability to help themselves. Harper looks out the window at the Resort below. Harper: This is my first time being in a position where I… “need” help, rather than being the one who provides that help. There’s nothing I can do to ease the suffering of those in the killing game beyond offering my support. And I’m… not really sure how to feel about everything.”

Hmm… interesting dilemma! We’ve seen signs of Harper’s restlessness since, like, CH2 maybe? So this has been bubbling under the surface for a while now.

“Noah: I might be a little biased, but I think you’ve been doing a ton for everyone else in here. Things would be way worse without you. They always are.”

‘They always are’, huh? I guess Noah’s being a lot more open about his issues back at the frat now, which is nice.

“Harper: Everyone keeps telling me the staff is complicit. But, is it really their fault? How do we know they’re not here under threat of death as well? They could be executed if they disobey. Maybe they were forced into the position in the first place.”

This has always been a possibility, though I hadn’t given it much thought. With what we know about the Tragedy from canon (and what we saw in the Balcony), it’s entirely believable everyone in the staff is enthusiastic about the killing game. And even if they aren’t, it’s not something you start to consider until… well, until the latter chapters, I guess. You know they’re not going to do anything until at least the point where we’re going to go against the mms, so :p

“Harper: …What worth do I have to the helpless, without my parents’ patronage? Am I complicit, if I have no way to stop their tyranny…?”

Come on Harper. If you have no way of stopping them, obviously you aren’t complicit. Or are you also complicit in every bad thing someone does somewhere in the world at any moment, since you can’t stop them? Smh…

“Noah: You’re exceptional, yeah, but you’re not the only one. Like… I’m living off my dad’s money. It’s not exactly the same, but the idea is kind of there. Harper: What do you mean? Noah: My dad’s not rich-rich like your parents, but he’s well off. And, since he’s been a big donor at my college, I basically got in without having to try because I was a legacy.”

Nepo babies unite!!! *fire emoji* *fire emoji* *fite emoji* Kidding, obviously, but yeah that’s a fun parallel. A fun parallel with Mx. “Grandpa’s money” Ellis too, while we’re at it.

“Noah: I’ve kind of been, um, failing my classes on purpose? I was sort of trying to, uh… flunk out…? Because I figured that was the best way to try to get space from my dad without having to fend for myself…? But, it didn’t really work, because the university just won’t kick me out. Seems like they can’t upset my dad, either…”

My guy is actually trapped in university, it’d be funny if it wasn’t so sad. Education chases him.

“Harper: What are you planning to do, then? Noah: I don’t know. I hadn’t really figured it out. If I really got the courage to actually leave my dad behind, I don’t have the money or skills or drive to really go out there on my own. I can’t exactly make a career off being a frat boy. Harper: Well… if you ever need assistance, I’m here to help.”

Well, that’s even sadder, though at least Harper’s nice :) Not that it really matters, considering recent events, but still :,)

“Noah: Well, for one, we’re in a killing game, so everything else is kind of a lower priority. But, what I mean is… we’re both still kids, at the end of the day. We still hopefully have our whole lives ahead of us. And, more than that… I don’t think there’s anything to feel bad about for being a kid who’s still dependent on your parents, no matter who they are.”

‘We still hopefully have our whole lives ahead of us’ Yeah about that one. Anyways, it’s an interesting common theme around these characters that they’re still figuring out what the hell they want to do in the future, like Aidan and now Noah. Parallels and shit.

Very nice Bonus Scene! At least it’s a wonderful send off for these two,given their tragic end in the killing game. Fly high, Nepotism Duo!

… The duo name could use some workshopping xD

Aidan & Mark

The full FTE guys! Well, minus Jeff. Wonder what kinda stuff they’ll talk about!

“Mark’s temporary disappearance. Noah and Harper, hung from the fallen chandelier. Davis’ brush with death. Jeff, accepting his execution. Is the killing game really going to continue on like this forever?”

Wow, two Bonus Scenes taking place directly after a trial? We’re getting spicy today!

“Besides, I… think I trust the people left, more or less. I definitely trust Davis and Ellis. Whatever. I don’t like indecision. I walk over to the Desk.”

Aww, he trusts people :) Also 'I don’t like indecision’ is a very articulate way of saying ‘fuck it we ball’.

“Mark: Can’t sleep. Too much to do. Or, too much I could’ve done.”

Ouch. Hope he doesn’t feel too bad about not being able to save the last three deaths by being a little faster with whatever he’s got going on.

“Aidan: No. We’re talking now. You need to tell me what you were doing. Mark: I can’t tell you that.”

Mark is really adamant about this staying secret. I’m kinda excited to start reading CH6 to figure out what’s going on with them.

“Aidan: I’m not worried about that part. But even if you are trying to end the killing game, that’s not the only factor at play. Mark: Such as? Aidan: Ellis was really worried about you. All day.”

Wow, interesting angle from Aidan. I guess he cares enough about Ellis that he’d notice stuff like that.

“Aidan: When I stabbed myself back around the Third Trial, I was just doing whatever made sense to me on behalf of everyone else. But, I don’t think anyone else really wanted that. I was missing their opinion, that… they kinda wanted me to live. I fix them with a deadpan stare. Aidan: Other people’s opinions are important. It helps you realize what’s actually the best plan. That applies to you too.”

Character development!!! *fire emoji* *fire emoji* *fire emoji*

“Aidan: …Do you not trust me? Mark: …I do. But, at the same time, I can’t trust anyone. Not even Ellis.”

Damn. That’s… kinda crazy to hear.

“Mark: I trust Ellis emotionally. I know that he would never want to hurt me or anything. But, I don’t trust her decision making when it comes to ending the killing game. I can’t risk it. Not after last time…”

Damn, he really said ‘none of you fuckasses are qualified for this’. I’m really curious what exactly they’ve got going on that is so specific to them.

“Aidan: Well… don’t do anything stupid. Remember to think about what everyone else wants, even if you won’t listen to us. Mark: Right. Aidan: And… good luck. They nod. Mark: I’ll do my best.”

Ominous way to end the Bonus Scenes, I like it! This one wasn’t so big on the character aspect, but these two have definitely been explored enough by now, so it makes sense to talk more about the situation and highlight some of the development that they’ve already had. Fun stuff!

-

And that’s all! Geez, I wonder if this might be my longest post ever, just on how much stuff I quoted. That’s kind of impressive, considering. Still, it was a hell of a ride! Extremely interesting reveals on the killing game lore department, very engaging case, lots of twists and turns, just absolute peak! I can’t wait to get to CH6, I’m super intrigued at where the story is going. What is Mark cooking? {As of posting this, I’ve finished reading chapter 6. Expect that reaction post sometime this century, as I try to process all that lmao}.

Anyways, see you later, on the final reaction post to DROS! What a ride this has been!!!

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