week 1

[stagemanagers]

[Well, all escape attempts have failed thus far. None of you have seen the Phantom since his brief appearance on Sunday, or heard from him at all. It looks like, for the time being, you’re all going to be stuck here.

You're free to continue exploring your surroundings to your hearts' content. The only real restriction on your movements is that the kitchen is closed between the hours of 10 pm and 7 am. Better make sure to grab any midnight snacks you may want ahead of time. Also, remember to label any investigation toplevels!

The Merchandise Booth is now open for business as well! The Phantom hasn't deigned to explain how it works, but...well, some of you will start to find mysterious coins in your rooms, and the Booth's got a place to put coins. You'll figure it out.

Should you wish to engage more with your host, you're welcome to drop letters in the box office slot. There's no set way to converse verbally with him, and he's certainly not guaranteed to respond if you just yell at the walls - but that doesn't necessarily mean he isn't listening. Just something to keep in mind.

Enjoy your first week, everyone.]

Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday

(( OOC: This will be the last mod post for this week! Feel free to start submitting regains for any threads that aren't with the Phantom. Remember, song threads mean an extra coin! This is a peace week, so get all that CR while you can! ))

Comments

[stagemanagers]

[The vacant room next to Jeremy's is unlocked! It does still have a star on the door, like all the occupied ones, but there's no name or title engraved on it.

Inside, the furnishings are pretty similar to all of your dressing rooms: the bed, the vanity, the bureau, and the giant fuck-off mirror, with that tiny bathroom off to one side. What do you want to check out?]

[37773972]

It can be.

[He looks over the pamphlet again, then back up]

You've...really been to Mars?

[37773972]

[Flat look. Someone isn't amused by that- but hearing that there's something? It at least reassures him that they can deal with it, even if he has...no idea what it is. He shakes his head.]

Don't spill it is, then.

[So. Very. Dry.]

[madgiganticfeelings]

[Christine knows what she's here for, but she should try to be thorough. So first, she starts off by checking under the bed, smoothing out the sheets to check for something hidden. All the drawers are opened to rifle through, and she pokes her head in the bathroom before finally, directing her attention to the full length mirror.

She studies the frame and curls her fingers around it, looking to see if theres a switch to pull it off the wall or... open it to a secret passage or something.]

[revelfree]

[Ariel purses his lips. He's confident, but he doesn't want to take that risk.]

A moment.

[He steps away from his measurements, shedding his gloves as he goes. He glances through a few cabinets, unsure exactly what he's looking for, but ultimately, miraculously, finding something close enough.]

Do you truly bake with it? [he motions to the 'baking soda' in his hands, before setting it down and placing his gloves back on his hands.] I suppose I've heard of stranger things.

Let me know when you are ready to begin.

[mcfife]

[He gives pause at the sudden question.]

Yes, I was there just before I arrived.

[37773972]

[Just gonna go ahead and start cleaning up, then, and finish making some impromptu facemasks for fumes and-

Huh.]

You can. I guess I've heard of it working against acids. [Taking a teaspoon with water for an upset stomach, for an example. Which means it's better than nothing. Not much, but- same as the masks, same as the gloves. It's something.

He offers Ariel one, secures the other - it's more or less just bandana-shaped pieces someone's from 2013, what are 2020 events made up of fabric he figured would do the job. Whether or not it actually does?...

...at least they moved to a more ventilated area.]

Ready.

[mcfife]

It's another thing on my mind.

[He's never fought for such a small group of people, one where he could know each on an individual basis. Seeing the faces of the children made this mission more grave.]

Have you experience in fighting?

[reassuranceandrevolution]

[Her eyebrows draw together in confusion]

The...lights? You just turn them off with the switch. [The tech was old fashioned, but still pretty intuitive, as far as she could tell]

[37773972]

Sorry. Weird question. [Still. Geez. Mars...]

We're just- still working on space travel, where I'm from.

[Or have barely found Prox, depending on when]

[mcfife]

It gives me an idea of how many are you are from a universe where this is normal. So far, I found that that most of you have never been to space.

[Is he from the most advanced universe?]

Stranger still, Christine comes from a year after 1992, and she did not believe I was speaking the truth at first.

[37773972]

[...]

It's 2013 for me. Are you telling me you're from 1992?

[superbeliever]

The... switch?

Oh! Yes, of course, I totally know what the 'switch' is. I was just testing you, of course. And you passed!

[He winks.]

[mcfife]

How is this possible? Have you never received contact from other planetary civilizations?

[37773972]

[For a moment, Browning almost says 'no'- then he visibly hesitates.

If you are receiving this...

But that...that was time, wasn't it? Even if there was an astronaut, another planet, it wasn't...he shakes his head after another moment, making a face]

Not that I know about. It'd be big news, if it wasn't somehow covered up. Which means...

[stagemanagers]

[There don't appear to be any unusual seams on the wall here, or anywhere that looks like it would obviously open up. Knocking on the walls, the far one seems quite solid, more so than the inner ones.]

[mcfife]

Then it means that there is something fundamentally different about our universes.

[Could this one be like Browning's?]

[stagemanagers]

[Well, to go down the list:

You don't find anything under the bed, although it's a good job you smoothed the sheets; they looked kinda wrinkled.

The drawers contain paper and pens, just like your drawers. There is no monogrammed stamp, no wax, and no envelopes. There are a few stray scraps of paper in the back.

The bathroom is empty save for a disposable razor left on the sink.

Now then, the mirror! There's no switch or visible mechanism on this side, but you know that trick where you check to see if the mirror is flush with the wall or not? It's hecking not. It's not even pretending to be, honestly.]

[mcfife]

[Does it sound like it's just denser, or are there any noticeable noises of it being reinforced with, like, steel?]

[stagemanagers]

[The outer wall? There's probably brick or stone in there.]

[37773972]

Alternate universes. [Now THAT is science-fiction, as opposed to time travel, which, judging by the numbers tattooed on the side of his head, may or may not be actually possible. And yet, here they are.] I wonder if we're all from different ones?

[mcfife]

It would require an immense amount of power to create one space-time portal, much less sixteen.

...Jeremy and Christine know each other.

The phantom must be a powerful wizard, or work with wizards if this were to work.

[madgiganticfeelings]

[Wrinkled sheets, huh? Maybe someone is sleeping here...

Christine checks the scrap paper for any writing, and does attempt scribbling lightly over them even, checking for any indentations from someone writing on a paper over top of them. You know, like you would in any murder investigation.

After pocketing the razor, Christine examines the mirror, and is quite chagrined to see that it's not flush with the wall. It's got to be a secret passageway. But how is she going to get it open?

After a little more fiddling (probably even trying to lift the mirror before she realizes she needs way more manpower), she decides to try what she had before and start tapping on the door.]

Hello? Would you, um, mind letting me in? Just for a minute! I need to ask some questions!

[37773972]

Okay, so fifteen. [Or is he counting wrong. Whichev-
ITS NOT MAGIC YOU PIECE OF SHIT STONER he has such a flat look on his face. such a flat look.]

Or they just have the technology. But I agree he's probably working with someone else.

[mcfife]

True, but even then, a technowizard would have the most skill at manipulating the portal to their desire.