001 | [Video Post to the Public Network]

[disconinjafrog]

♪ The most fitting music ♪

[When the video feed comes on, you might all recognize a very famous looking face appearing on your screens. One Yosuke Hanamura has got his COMP on his wrist aimed at his face, and he looks... terribly deep in thought about something. Concerned, even. And, for a change of pace, he seems to have actually posted to the entire public network.

This isn't just a message for the visitors, this is a message for all of Hinoto-Ri, one he's sure people are going to look at because of his mini-celebrity status. Boy it must be important.]

You know I've been thinking about some stuff ever since we got here. Things have been so crazy recently that I wasn't even able to realize it before but now that we've had some time to catch our breath and stop and think about what's been going on...

[He isn't going to say it out loud because he gets the feeling it's kind of taboo to mention them in public like this, but he's been thinking about what the Anoli said.... about the government hiding the fact that the outside world isn't what they say it is.]

I've been here for almost six months now and I feel like such an idiot for not noticing this sooner, and to be honest I'm wondering why the hell nobody else noticed it either. But guessing that we really are in a city that's been completely cut off from the outside world-- an outside world that's supposedly destroyed and totally in ruin... How is this place running as smoothly as it is?

I mean we're still getting fresh produce coming into the stores every single day, we've got energy powering all of the buildings, and new products coming in on shelves. This town doesn't have any farms, or any factories for processing food, it's too small for factories to build most of the stuff that we even get coming in. I mean even if there is a factory or two around, like in the Cancer district or whatever, they'd run out of materials pretty damn fast if they weren't getting regular shipments of plastics and metals and whatever else.

[Yosuke shakes his head in frustration.]

This place runs like the world economy is still a thing that exists out there... if the whole damn world is gone, how can that even be possible? Does anyone know what the hell is going on? I have a bad feeling that we're getting some serious misinformation here...

[It seems like this teenager has stumbled onto a stroke of genius after all.]

▋░░░▋▋▋░▋▋▋▋▋░▋░▋▋▋▋░▋░▋▋░░░▋░▋░▋▋▋▋░▋░

[Only one half an hour later, this video suddenly can no longer be found on the public network. While it is still available on the private visitor's network, the message is now terribly artifacted and the audio horribly distorted.]

░▋░░░▋▋▋░░ been thinking about some stuff ▋▋░▋░░░▋▋▋░░ Things have been so crazy recently that I wasn't ▋▋░▋░▋▋░░░▋ but now that we've had some time to catch our breath and stop and ▋▋░░░▋░▋

I've been here for almost six months now and I feel like such an idiot ▋▋░░░▋░▋ ▋▋░░░▋░▋ wondering why the hell nobody else ▋░▋▋░░░▋░▋ But ▋░▋▋░░░▋░▋░▋ cut off from ▋░▋▋░░░▋░▋░▋-- an outside ░▋░▋▋░░░▋▋▋ and totally in ruin ▋▋░▋░▋▋▋▋░▋░▋▋░░░▋░▋░▋▋▋▋░▋░

I mean we're still getting fresh produce coming into the stores every single day, we've got energy powering all of the buildings, and ▋▋░▋░▋▋▋▋░▋░▋▋░░░▋░▋░▋▋▋▋░▋░ This town ▋▋░▋ ▋▋░▋░▋▋░▋░ farms, ▋▋░▋ factories for processing food, ▋▋░▋░▋▋▋▋░▋░▋▋░░░▋░▋░▋▋▋▋░▋░ get coming in. I mean ░▋▋░░░▋▋ there is a factory or two around, like in the Cancer district or whatever, they'd ░▋▋░░░▋ pretty damn ░▋▋░░░▋░▋▋░ weren't ░▋▋░▋▋░ regular ▋▋░▋░▋▋░░▋░░ and whatever else.

ERROR FEED U▩STABLE DATA INF▩RMATION.

▋▋▋▋▋▋▋▋▋▋▋░▋

[ooc: The original format of this post will only be available for a half an hour and it will be available for the entire city to read during that time. Your characters are able to respond both before and after the message is distorted, however note that if they respond to it before it is distorted, it is very soon after it is posted.]

Comments

[disconinjafrog]

[Damnit, he can't hear anything anymore!!]

Hello?? Are ▋░░░▋░ ░ Can't hear ▋░░▋░▋░░▋░ ░░▋░▋▋░ ▋░░▋░

[His messages are devolving into static too for some reason???]

Video

[disconinjafrog]

... What?? [Okay um, not used to random flirtiness, so he's going to pretend that didn't happen.]

Err... you're saying we're being ruled under a dictatorship right now?? But isn't the mayor an elected official??

[Yeah no, Yosuke's REALLY naive when it comes to politics, sorry...]

Video

[daswunderkind]

Tee hee hee! That wouldn't change much. I know Olaf of Blue Moon's elected but no one's not going to vote for him, if you catch my drift?

Aaaanyway, I dunno if they are a dictatorship here, but so what if we are? There has to be a chain of command, or else everything goes Topsy-turvy!

[Voice- *Private*]

[disconinjafrog]

I'm serious, Yukiko, if they tried anything on me for just saying stuff, stuff that isn't even harming anyone but is really just pointing out the obvious, then the town wouldn't have any of it. I'm sure other visitors would get really pissed, and the townspeople too.

It's not like I'm saying I don't like the government or anything, I just think that we're not getting the full picture here.

Video

[disconinjafrog]

Huh? What do you mean by that? Did you notice something else, too?

[He's noticed a few things but this is the one thing he feels most safe about bringing up.]

[disconinjafrog]

Man that's a really, really weird thought...

[He'd rather not go along with this theory, it kind of bothered him a lot even if it made some sense.]

Hah, wow, I just kind of... well, took all that stuff for granted, being born a human being. I guess it's different for an AI then? Is being a tank boring or something?

[He would've thought being a human would've been way more boring.]

[Video]

[linefacingforever]

[Yu nodded again, not about to object to this.]

I'll be right over.

video

[disconinjafrog]

[Well that wasn't his intention but uh... go for it dude...]

... I guess you're ░▋ ▋▋░ but ░░▋▋░ ▋░ sure still since it's ▋ ▋░░ move on their ░▋ ░░▋░

░▋▋░ starting to ░▋▋ trust them if ░▋░▋▋ to hide░▋░░▋▋░▋▋▋ ░▋▋

[The message seems to be devolving into static the longer it goes. Seems like they're trying pretty hard not to let this conversation to continue.]

Video

[disconinjafrog]

Wow... hah, I'm sorry about that...

They've gotta be getting these resources from somewhere, but that also means they've gotta be strictly controlling them too... this place is just totally screwed up if they think that's okay.

text

[prototype_blues]

[And honestly it's getting harder for him to guess at what Yosuke means with all the static.]

I guess?

I can't parse what you mean now, kid.

[andcarryabigknife]

There is no need to be sorry. I have survived.

There are several possibilities: farming done by slaves, pillaging a resource world, using demons as a food source, using humans as a food source... none of these would reflect kindly upon the government if found out.

[Video]

[disconinjafrog]

I'll see you soon then.

[Yosuke shuts off the video and straightens up the place as best he can. There's not much furniture in here, unfortunately, only the kitchen chairs pulled up to the kitchen table for sitting. He's sure to pick up the little bit of trash that's laying around, though, and throw it away into the oversized trash can that came with him...]

[Action]

[linefacingforever]

[Aw, bro, you don't need to clean up your apartment for him. ;;]

[It's some time later that Yu is knocking on his best friend's door. He doesn't need his cane anymore, but he's still not completely one hundred percent, so it was a bit longer than he intended.]

[misery_hates_company]

*Seems he missed the message. No skin off her back.*

Really, it's not your fear of them you should be worried about.

Well, never mind. I DO hope you avoid attracting any... unpleasant attention with your tactics.

[testsubject031]

Still cutting out. If this is important, I need to find you.

Re: Video

[acapriciousthing]

I've been in a similar town before.

[Voice- *Private*]

[gigglesnortpriestess]

[She listens to him carefully, choosing to think about what to say and letting them absorb into her mind.]

It would have the town in a uproar and that's what they don't want, right?

[And she doesn't like the idea of being in the dark from all of this. If the government wants their help so much then they should leave them in the loop.]

[genkibot]

Oh no, being a tank was great too! I got to go on adventures and missions all the time! Like the time I got to meet Miki or when Section 9 went to save a hostage from a terrorist organization!

But now that I'm human, I can try all kinds of things I couldn't as a tank! It's like each day is a bunch of new experiences!

[text, after distortion]

[greatseal]

Well, this certainly isn't ominous.

[sarcasm should be obvious even through text, but she's actually seriously concerned, especially since she gets the gist of what Yosuke was commenting on.]

[Video]

[eyewillprotect]

But... is that even possible? I can't imagine they would let us leave so easily...

After Distortion

[electricyousei]

"Your signal is starting to distort, perhaps you want to move to a more secure dataline?"

Video

[all_wound_up]

But they've been so nice to us. We get paid just to live here.

[Nano doesn't have enough world experience to really know to be suspicious in a situation like this. Authority figures should be trusted, as far as she's concerned.]

[video]

[feminine_carnivore]

[ Well...that's strange. Maybe he wasn't lying. ]

...Yosuke, you're doing that thing again, it's coming in all messed up. How about we just meet up somewhere? [ There was a hidden subtext of: "You can totally buy me some food." ]

[Video] After distortion

[capitalbackup]

It seems like a dangerous topic to dwell on.

[That's the first time Miyako witnessed a corruption like this on the network. It could be an honest error. But her line of thought naturally think up of other possibilities, including people wanting to silence them.]

[video] after-distortion

[operationbox]

[It clicked. For Io it isn't too hard to fill in some of the blanks, and she quickly realizes it's a cover-up. In order to prevent her own message from being censored, she'll have to try being vague...]

There are things people think others aren't meant to know, and this shouldn't be one of them.