animus_network | [anonymous text] IS ♞ EVEN ON THE NETWORK'S CHARACTER MAP || 003

We have taken the liberty of doing some research into the Tower's history and past trends, in hopes of uncovering something about the way this place operates, or solving one of the many mysteries that surrounds it. It would greatly benefit us if you could lend your assistance and help us with our research; the more people that answer the better, as it gives us more data to work with.

We understand that someone's probably sick of these kind of forms, questions and questionnaires, but we've done our best to compile the data from the past ones and hopefully not make it too repetitive, and get to the heart of the matter:

Name: (Optional)
Collar Color: (Self-Explanatory; if your collar color was changed during that screw up, if you remember what color it was changed to and the effects it had on you, we request that you record these as well. If you don't remember, that's perfectly fine.)
Special Abilities: (Superhuman or otherwise. Don't sell yourself short, please.)
Estimated Duration of Stay in the Tower: (Also Self-Explanatory)
Any Theories as to the Meaning of the Collars: (Optional, but any ideas would greatly help our research.)
Experiments/Special Events Experienced:(We're trying to put together a timeline of events that have occurred since the Tower was created, but we have not been present long enough to know all of them, and information on the earlier days seems to be scant. Putting them in chronological order would be extremely helpful if you remember about when each took place.)

And here's the form in a handy dandy code:

In addition, we have a few more gaps we'd like to fill about the earlier days of the Tower, but it seems that many of the people that were here at the beginning have disappeared. For those that were here in the very early days, we have a few questions about the environment-- nothing too invasive. Your cooperation would be invaluable.

Lastly, we have one more question to posit, both for discussion and for the sake of our curiosity and research; how do souls work in your world? If you have information on how your own soul specifically works and are willing to share it, this would help us a lot.

For any of these queries, if you feel more comfortable locking your answer, this is perfectly acceptable and we will take steps to make sure it is as private as possible. Anonymous posting may also be used if you're dubious as to the functionality of the lock system.

(OOC: responses may come from either

morituramfides or

beknightedheroine.)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

There were a lot more monsters in general. I didn't notice the phantom things being more frequent than anything else. There were some hellhounds on the dorm levels though.

Monsters in the dorms, huh? So whatever keeps them out of there is probably connected to the tower having power... so it can be turned off.

[Hold on a moment, something just dawned on him.]

Wait... so the dorms act as some sort of safe zone, but-- if they have a machine to keep the monsters out of the dorm, why can't they keep them out of the rest of the tower?

...it seems like something broke. When Zo was all "I'm gonna bring all these people here," I think he wrecked something important.

You think it's completely wrecked? Like there's only enough power to protect the dorms?

[Hmmmm hang on here goes his thinking face.] You'd think fixing it should be a priority, unless they really don't give a shit about PR.

..well, that'd make sense. I wonder if it takes specific effort to keep everything that seems just day-to-day going? The 'little things' Dax is in charge of? It'd all turn routine eventually, but it's interesting they didn't leave things running when they were busy bickering in the pods.

How long ago was it he wrecked it, again..? I need to keep these timestamps straight. They could still be working on it.

It was... [Hang on he has to sort through a bunch of papers to find it.]

Last August? Before all of the garbled stuff and any first mentions of Ruana. Almost a year ago.

_{[She riffles through what's in her own easy reach while he looks, and picks up on paper in particular to hold on to, frowning at it.]}

That's a long time. I mean, it's pretty obvious there's not a lot of care goin' on there, but...

_{[She trails off, still distracted by that paper.]}

Hey, I had a thought. Zo brings people in. What if he brought someone in to his part of the tower instead of our part?

_{[She's going somewhere with this.]}

Jason said that we can't come to the admin area, during the Q&A. [Or at least he's pretty sure, as he ruffled through some papers to confirm.]

I'd imagine if they were someone like us, it wouldn't turn out too well for them. Why?

...

It'd explain Ruana.

Huh...?

[Wait a minute. The ever continuing rustle of papers goes as he looks through them.]

Any mention of her didn't show up until after Zo broke something, after the monsters show up-- You.. think they made some kind of error?

[Maybe Dax wasn't lying about the glitch..]

They're scared of her. It's obvious she's in control over Riki and Dax and Jason, at least. But Zo was all cheery when she showed up, when they were fighting. ..he's Zo, though.

...

Maybe he wanted someone else there with him, down there. Could've done it on purpose. It's not the first time he's done stuff the other guys wouldn't like.

_{[Sayaka's still staring at that same paper, not even reading it now - the idea of what they might've just stumbled on is making her feel a bit frozen.]}

[Hell, this is even blindsiding him a bit, though the shock is less obvious.]

..Zo's this kid, forced to work as a Tower admin because of his abilities. The only other people he can really interact with are three adults, who are always busy running the place. He uses his powers to not only try and bring everyone's friends to the Tower-- he tries to bring himself a friend. But no one besides those four are supposed to be in the admin area, so something screws up.

Jason, Riki and Dax aren't happy with it, but they're forced to deal with it. She de facto joins the admin team, and displays some...abilities of her own, so they can't say no to her. They're all scared shitless, and Zo is happy like the dumb little kid he is.

_{[..she puts the paper down, with a note of some finality.]}

And she gets to play all the games with us she wants.

Fuck.

[Everyone hates Ruana, though that was no surprise.]

It doesn't explain Jason's twisted obsession with surgery, but he never did get to his "fun" until after the garbled stuff, did he?

We'll have to check when he did that thing with the groups -- But the admins didn't pull anything like they do now, before Zo broke things. Hell, they came up and talked to people!

..I'd still bank on Jason being a bastard regardless of her.

No doubt about that; one doesn't just unleash his inner psychopath just 'cause an annoying little girl showed up.. Besides, from what I remember Jason was scared of her. Or at least put off.

[Which he could easily confirm by looking up that video from before the pods fiasco. 'Course he was looking a little green around the gills at the thought, but. It was for research!]

So.

..What can we do with this?

When she first showed up, a few guys were all "oh let me help" and she let them down there. She had some kinda control over the tower even then. Dunno had that went for them, but I'm saying bad.

But she's got a nice setup now. Gets to powertrip all she wants!

I doubt anyone that's ever been in those elevators have ever gotten out alive if they weren't hearding them to a new game. [And a slight roll of his eyes at that last word.]

Yeah, no kidding. We might need to wait it out to confirm the theory, though. I don't even know what we'd do with it, other than make sure the assholes in charge don't overhear.

_{[She gives an overly serious nod.]}

I get it. If we're too hasty, none of our effort will hold up.

[Here he turned his attention back to his laptop.]

It's a good start though. Hopefully we'll have more foundation once we finish and know where to go from there.

Probably. That'd be my guess.

[anonymous text] IS ♞ EVEN ON THE NETWORK'S CHARACTER MAP || 003

[anon]

[anon]

[AKSHUN WITH SAYAKA]

[gasp, akshun]

[dun dun duuunn]

[/scare chords into infinity]

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[anon]