A crime!

[target_audience]

Hello creatures, this is a plotting post for the dastardly deed that has just occurred. My hope is that you can use this post to talk amongst yourselves and ask any necessary questions to ultimately feel empowered to go forth with a little crime drama adventure. The actual culprits in this case will not willingly insert themselves, so I am handing the baton to you with love.


Richie mrsklover got a call in the middle of the night from an UNKNOWN number. An unfamiliar voice claimed that they had Eddie Kaspbrak (not in game), and that Richie had to come to Blue 2 or he would be hurt. At that location, he encountered someone in a mask and robe, who attacked him with a knife. After beating Richie, the figure ran into the woods. Richie then sent a video message to everyone asking for help!
Full transparency, there's two culprits here, target_audience and directors_cut, but your job is to figure that out!

You can use these event any way you want, have a good time, get weird with it. My hope is that we have a little whodunnit mystery, some fingerpointing happens, some pulpy detective stuff happens, you know. But that's all up to you.

A non-exhaustive list of things you can do to get involved:

1. Investigate! There are a few breadcrumbs to follow that we do have solid answers for (like...who did this), and Richie has a story to tell! But we're open to adapt and do whatever is cool. If you need some hints to point you in a direction, we can do that. If you want a specific result, we'll work something out. Like, if you think your character has some reason to KNOW where the knife came from, let's work it out together!

2. Catch strays! Maybe you want to be a little on the wrong side of this and get incriminated or blamed somehow. Let's do that, too! Other people can mess up the crime scene a bit, have a grudge or a suspicion that they want to press, or evidence can be planted.

3. Be the next victim! If this doesn't get resolved quickly enough, the boys are GOING to have to do it again, of course. If you want to get yourself in that position, just put it out there so we can plan. Make sure you propose this kind of early, so the investigators know to slow their roll a bit to give you this wonderful opportunity.

ANYWAY, use this space to plot with each other and ask whatever you need to do something cool.

Comments

[plate_builder]

Less plotting just playful snarky observations, Clearly from internal-Reeve.

1) omg Richie just check the crew roster to confirm Eddie isn't here geez!

2) someone is gonna get thunderbolted. Agrii gonna be so disappointed in Reeve (as if the man is good enough at investigations without a spy network of Cait Siths and a ninja-princess and a timeless corporate assassin to look into things for him)

[mrsklover]

1) Shut up.

2) Awww. You sap <3

[sinistral]

I won't be taking an active role in this (too much Life happening over here to commit much time) but if anyone wants to point blame in the direction of a certain knife-wielding former assassin, please go all in on it and have fun.

[plate_builder]

Reeve should have been bribing him with more frosty plums, Soldier. His bad.

[faceguy]

Leo can take Richie to the hospital but just noting he should not be in charge of someone who is bleeding out if anyone wants to take over after that lol

Idk if he will play sleuth or not but he might see if Donnie can figure out who the unknown number belongs to

Edit: also Leo has a trick where he can make bladed weapons out of other pointy objects and he’s shown it off to a few people. Idk if that would be enough to suspect him but it could put him on a list lol

[thepurpleone]

loool Donnie's like 'oh crap, so we do have a stab-happy crazy person on the loose after all???'

[faceguy]

Surprise!!

[tempredmental]

Keith also has a blade if anyone wants to jump on that bandwagon, though I have a feeling that his rebel look isn't quite enough to cover up his good guy streak to most people. Either way, I'm open to the idea of people blaming him for being known as the knife guy.

I'm also open to him being attacked. He'll put up a really good fight, though, so might want to save him for later on in case you want to use his attack as a way for someone to get caught. He's a trained fighter, after all.

[playingtough]

Seeing as we have three Billy characters in game, I wouldn't mind if Hargrove gets a finger pointed at him. After all, he's not a stranger to violence in his own canon so he'd be an easy target if people wanted.

As for York, if you weren't already hurt, Richie, he'd beat you up! Otherwise playing as nurse with a horrid bedside manner, he can be good for sleuthing if people would like.

[crystalmaster]

Radley is probably much too much of a sweetheart to get blamed, lol. Unless anyone thinks it's an act.

I wouldn't necessarily be opposed to him being attacked, but I wouldn't want him hurt as much as poor Richie is.

Attacking Knuckles would be a really bad idea. He'd just punch them out. Attacking Fang probably wouldn't go over so well for the bad guys either.

[thepurpleone]

OKAY I guess Donnie is getting involved. He's going to make Leo do the nerd work since he's the one with the comm point but he'll be guiding him along unless one or the other gets frustrated. But they will be looking for any digital breadcrumbs and trace the contact from Richie's tablet to see if they can suss out who's tablet it originated from and the original owner/designation etc etc insert hacker jargon here.

[target_audience]

I belieeeve that should be fairly easy to figure out, if that is doable when you only have calls received. All they have done is change the username. Let me know what they do, and maybe double check that a comms person can just...see what the original name was, and I'll give you information.

[thepurpleone]

Oh that is actually a good thing to consider- does changing the username also change the directory listing? I'm assuming not, that'd make things too easy.

BUT. If it turns out they can't just see change records, they could possibly do process of elimination and just look at everyone's lines because lol, what is internet privacy?

[target_audience]

I don't THINK it changes the directory listing, but either way, no one seems to be showing up as UNKNOWN either there or in messages now. However you end up getting there, it seems clear to me that a person with comms can figure out that the change came from Eddie Munson's communicator, and his was the only name that was changed. If it matters or changes anything, Eddie's communicator appears to be the one that made the calls.

[thepurpleone]

THE THOT PLICKENS

[thepurpleone]

OKAY I had another thought but is Tony's camera network still online? Because Donnie'd eventually (once he remembers the fountain thing- he's still operating on one coffee, give him a break) pull up his app (yes, he made an app that has tapped into the feeds) to scrub through footage for people landing in the fountain and try to get a headcount for where people roughly were otherwise at the time Richie'd gotten attacked.

[in_extremis]

It is working and fully functional, yes! He doesn't have one terribly close to the crime scene, but he does have a bunch around the fountain area so you'd be able to see a lot of activity there. EDIT TO ADD: There would also be a bunch around the back of the university/library, so there's some directional coverage, looking toward the crime scene area, if that matters.
SECOND EDIT LMAO SORRY: I'm pretty sure only the vampires ever gone thrown in the fountain, although someone else might have a funny fountain story that got caught on camera. Just so everyone is clear, this camera network was down temporarily directly after Billy Kaplan's latest rage bug incident, and was fixed shortly after mermaids event, so there's a gap in the archive there that includes Stu's arrival and the 'First Stabbing Incident'.

He's not going to see Stu or Billy anywhere around the fountain area that night, if that's where Donnie is focusing his search. You might want to point other people to this so they can sound off on whether or not their character's can be seen anywhere.

I don't really have an answer to that question for Tony lmao Voot is cooking something for Jon, I'm still waiting to see what that is!

[thepurpleone]

Who needs sleep He'll focus wherever he figures would be the most reasonable places to look.

Back to the fountain- so does that mean no one had gotten fountain'd after/during the attack? Because that's another thing he's curious about. (Can they rely on the Agrii to always get them out of a tight spot? Given what's been going on with factions lately he has to wonder how reliable that is)

[in_extremis]

I'll say that Tony's cameras have fairly good coverage for anyone wondering, but that it is MOSTLY focused on where people usually are. So, there's plausible deniability either way, if you either really want, or really don't want your characters to be seen on camera for plot facilitating purposes. If you want a direct answer about a specific location, just ask me here.

I can only answer for Stu, Billy and Tony, but none of them were thrown in the fountain, no lmao
If anyone else was around the same time, I would love that.

Video Footage Character Check-In

[thepurpleone]

...I'm sure there's a better way to title that but you know, brain's just not pulling it together right now

[faceguy]

Leo shows up in the main square on his way to rescue Richie.

Other than that he was in the warehouse and portaled everywhere so Donnie and Leo will have to be each others’ alibi.

Re: Video Footage Character Check-In

[target_audience]

HEY WHERE'S STU?
There's definitely cameras around the ships in the HANGAR. Fairly early in the evening, Stu is heading into a ship! If you watch long enough, he does leave a little while before the attempted murder. If you KEEP watching, he does also return in the morning!

[sunglassesincluded]

Since Wesker makes sure the hospital is free of any cameras, there is no footage of him, sorry.

You also won't find Jon anywhere. For reasons.

[butterfly_kiss]

Tae appreciates you.

[sunglassesincluded]

And Wesker appreciates his privacy. You're welcome.

[butterfly_kiss]

Her too, since she's living in some corner of the second or third floor I think.

[doubled_speed]

Listen, Tommy goes walking when he can't sleep. And this is bad.

Tommy is a fast little fuck that the cameras don't pick up on well. Luckily Tony has some velocity sensors to indicate motion of quick little assholes (thanks Bear, that pleases me immensely). So Tommy's going to be seen in some pretty suspicious areas at some inconvenient times.

In very short order at horrible times Tommy will be visible:
-Near the security tower (aka near the Comms datapoint), there and gone in very short order [There are some night blooming flowers he's experimenting on using in his tea blends he was harvesting]
-Cameras exterior to the hospital will trigger a speed warning a few minutes before Richie heads past the area, but Tommy will not be seen on it.
-Around midnight Tommy will 'suddenly' appear at the fountain. Not sure if he dropped in or ran in. Splashes his hands around in it for a while, seems to be washing something off (he's just sweaty and is trying to cool down by dunking his head/neck) before gone at speed again.
-The rest of the night he's in the greenhouse (a convenient way to theoretically get the agriculture datapoint back if he suddenly took comms, isn't it?), with his comm accidentally forgotten in a tool shed, which is why he didn't hear to go rescue Richie.

[plate_builder]

Reeve 'sneaks' out of the hotel with a pouting Mini at somewhere around 11 PM. He is seen heading in the direction of the amphitheater near the dance studio. Where there are probably also are cameras.

He's then clearly seen in the ampitheater in his wood working and storage area there for a while.

An hour after Richie is found a VERY BIG lightning bolt strikes part of the ampitheater. Honestly, the cameras are probably fine, Tony does good work.

Gladio AND Lark

[ziedrich_bearer]

Gladio is displayed in feeds of The Deep End from early evening drinking and working on some project on papers until he falls asleep at the bar. Clear Alibi.

Lark is on cameras heading into the hotel with Little Bear after dinner at about 7 pm. She is not seen exiting until the next morning. Clear Alibi.

Re: Video Footage Character Check-In

[in_extremis]

For anyone's records, I have an answer about Tony! He is nowhere on cameras since the afternoon before the crime, and won't be for some time after.

They are also his cameras, though, so if anyone else is curious about them and Donnie is too crazed to answer, he can be reached.

Re: Video Footage Character Check-In

[playingtough]

Hargrove can be seen on camera going through the murder site close to midnight. He’s in jeans and muddy/sandy boots and very disheveled. He looks anxious, frustrated as well, and takes a meandering path from the beach area northwest-ward. He disappears into the amphitheater for a little bit before leaving for the diner.

When he leaves, he’s got a little cloth in hand and relaxed. For a brief moment, there’s visible tools peeking out with the help of some light, and also? He’s a little dirtier than when he went in. Sawdust maybe, or sweat, or something else. It’s hard to tell on the feed as he disappears from the area.

Robin (and Steve Harrington)

[work_wife]

Robin and Steve Harrington are in the hotel all night. There's a moment early in the evening when she's seen carrying a big bowl of popcorn, clearly from the replicator, toward the hotel.

(Yes, BFF night is regularly scheduled. Useful that it happens on a night where there's suspicion on a specific vested rocker)

Keith (and his wolf, Kosmo)

[tempredmental]

Keith can be found out and about during the day. He seems to be gathering supplies for home DIY projects as he continues to work on the house he and Lance have taken over. A few times, he can be seen teleporting with the help of his wolf away from different spots if only to make things quicker and not have to carry stuff too far. He also teleports out of town at some point with his Paladin armor on and bayard in hand, and is gone for quite some time. He comes back around dinner time, and he was clearly hunting for food. He then spends some of the evening in the hangar with the ships, doing his duties as a pilot to make sure things are in shape before heading back to the house.

All this is definitely very normal for him until very late when he can be spotted roaming around the town at midnight. He might be doing rounds as a guard type of thing? Or maybe he just can't sleep and is walking it off? Hard to tell. But, he does end up off camera for a while as he and Kosmo once again teleport away somewhere, and aren't seen again until they teleport back to the same spot, this time without any hint of having been hunting. Shame for him that it coincides with the attack...

He just isn't seen on any of the cameras pointing towards the attack location at that time... hmm...

(HINT: If someone asks Lance, Keith came back home around that time, but teleported directly into the house, which is why he isn't seen.)

Neither Keith nor Kosmo ever end up in the fountain... LOL

Video Footage Character Check-In: ALL OF DEVON'S PPL

[the_freak]

Billy K: In the cabin he and Soldier have been working on. Not sure how many cameras are near that, it is meant to be sort of sheltered and in the woods. He also can teleport, so no hard proof except he's not captured on film anywhere near the attempted murder site. He also lives with Solider who is known to have weapons, and publicly attacked several people under the influence of the rage bug.

Eddie: The previous day's camera will show him entering the ship in his battle (jean vest) jacket. He doesn't appear to exit until the day after the murder, still sporting the vest.

Jan: In the Avengers Compound at the time of the attempted murder.

Billy L: Is actually in view of Richie when he leaves, seems to be on the phone, but the cameras track him going a different way entirely, he seems to be on the phone a while past the time Richie's call ends, and eventually makes his way up to the North West Corner of Green/the Map and doesn't return to the center of town until morning.

Angel: Angel's height alone is probably enough to rule him out, as well as his absence from the attack on Stu. But he was in the hotel.

[faceguy]

He’s engaging in this nerd activity against his will

[thepurpleone]

closet nerd

[out_of_order]

Okay, Cal's going to hate this but he's going to see if he can pick up anything at the crime site itself, although he doubts there will be anything much to pick up from the place itself save for Richie's residual fear and panic, unless there's any strong intent from his attacker. It'd be better/easier/worse if there were any objects tied to or used during the attack to get a read from but I think the main items such as weapons of choice would be absent?

[in_extremis]

I'm not sure what to offer you here, so if you or Jenn have some other thoughts I am open to ideas! The objects of note, as far as I can think of, are:
1. The cleaner that Richie brought and sprayed on the attacker, that would still be with Richie. You'll have to ask if he left it there.
2. The knife that disappeared. Maybe you can ask the Agrii for it???
3. The stick that Richie brought and got turned on him. This is nearby! If Cal's powers let him determine which stick exactly, and an impression would be left on it in that time, then the impression is basically 'ecstatic'. Kind of equal parts rage and fun. Whee!
4. The ghostface costume? Although if you can find that, I think you have something more than a force reading lmao
5. Richie's broken glasses maybe?

Let me know if there's possibly more detail I can give you about any of this.