GLITCH #1 ( intro )

[glitchier]

[ Wherever you were before, you're not there anymore. This incredibly creative and original premise is the start of your interdimensional journey, and you're starting here, in Sitihir—inside of a large Starbucks, to be precise.

Everyone inside the Starbucks today has been gifted with a nametag that reads as follows:

HELLO! My name is _______

But whatever is in that blank is most certainly not your name! Perhaps it's an obscure nickname, or something rude, or something flattering! Either way, you're not leaving this Starbucks until you've given your actual name to at least four other visitors, so have fun.

Once you've completed your task, a barista will hand you a welcoming letter:

Welcome to Sitihir! We apologize for the sudden glitch in the system but please take this opportunity to explore the vast world (worlds!) we have to offer you. Should you find it to your liking, you are welcome to stay for as long as you want. If you are itching to return to your home, there is a map on the back of this sheet that will guide you there. Thank you for visiting Sitihir, and may all of your travels be blessed! ~The Programmers

And so there is indeed a map to your character's home world's door on the back, free for them to return to at any time. ]

( OOC: OOC intro stuff is over here, and with this the game is officially open to all posting! contact any player for the password to glitchier if you want to use it to make glitch posts! have fun! )

Comments

[epicfailure]

[Yosuke nodded, noticeably relaxing when Souji's words washed over him. This, right here. This is what made their leader special. There was no one else like him, and Yosuke felt both immense pride and private longing. Why couldn't he have reassurances at the ready like that? All he had to offer were a few cheap jokes.]

Yeah... you're right. Heh, I don't know why I got so panicked. It's not like we're not old pros at winding up somewhere we're not supposed to be. [He mimicked Souji's shrewed assessment of the store's layout.] Wanna just try leaving? Maybe we'll wind up back home.

[citykid]

I suppose that's worth a shot.

[ Souji located the nearest exit and carefully observed it. it didn't look particularly suspicious. the door didn't appear to be sealed to its frame or anything. it wasn't even glowing, which was sort of a disappointment. it just looked like a regular door to a regular coffee shop; it even had a little bell at the top that would ring when customers came in and out. if they could do that, that is.

he jerked his head toward the door to silently say "C'mon" and led Yosuke over to it through the crowd of strangers. ]

Do you want to give it the first try?

[epicfailure]

[Yosuke wasn't why he felt such an urge to fly under the radar, but he moved alongside Souji as quickly and silently as he could. Maybe it was the overwhelming sense that they were up to something they shouldn't be. ... Or just because it made things more fun.

When Yosuke spoke, it was with the loudest whisper known to man or beast.]

What am I, the guinea pig??

[Protests aside, he grabbed hold of the door handle and tugged. The small bell didn't even ting once.] Jeez! It's like it's cemented shut!

[citykid]

[ once Yosuke stopped pulling the handle like he was locked out of a car, Souji carefully ran his fingers down the cracks of the door. he couldn't feel any sort of glue or sealing agent. it looked like it was just ol' fashioned locked. he gave the handle a tug himself just to be sure and then hummed in thought. ]

Interesting. It looks like we'll be here until we figure out the catch. At least this place has food and a restroom.

[ despite being trapped in a Starbucks of questionable existence, Souji still appeared as composed as ever. he even had his regular pose—hand on his hip, shoulders rolled back with confidence. and now, a slightly teasing look in his eye. ]

Speaking of which, do you have to...?

[epicfailure]

Like that's important now! [He waited a beat, whisper apparently forgotten as his cheeks went red.] And no, for your information. Do you?

[citykid]

[ a small smile managed to slip through the cracks for a second. ]

Not really. But I'd be happy to take you whenever if you don't want to go alone.

[epicfailure]

[That earned Souji a shove, light enough to not really hurt.]

Dude, I'm not four years old. Or Teddie.

[citykid]

Are you sure? He has a habitat of rubbearing off on people.

[ ]

1/2

[epicfailure]

[ ]

2/2

[epicfailure]

... Yeah. No kidding. Remind me to make a point of separating you two more often. Letting him stay over at your place in December was the biggest mistake. Should've done it myself. [Yosuke's tone was grumpy, even annoyed, but the wan smile stretched out over his lips told another side to the story. He couldn't help it. This was the side of Souji he liked to think was reserved for him. A Best Bro Status perk, weird as it was.]

--And hey, shouldn't we be more focused on finding clues than the bathroom?

[citykid]

Well, I'm not sure if you would have made a better nurse, but I would have enjoyed your company. [ when not unconscious or delirious, that is. ]

[ blink. oh, right, they were on a mission. good jokes always managed to distract him. ]

Right. Where are your instincts saying we should look next?

[epicfailure]

[Yosuke brushed off Souji's comment with a boyish shrug, equal parts dismissive and closed off. He couldn't help it. What do you even say to something like that? Souji had a habit of springing these little chestnuts of utterly sincere regard for him that sent Yosuke's tongue to knots.]

My instincts say... uh, not much, man. [Yosuke didn't end there, though. Despite all their many mistakes over the course of the Investigation Team's lifespan, Yosuke somehow managed to develop a pretty good eye for this kind of thing. Sure, his deductions weren't as practiced (or... correct, technically) as Naoto-kun's, but he wasn't a slouch, either. A minute of scanning the room, and Yosuke was eagerly nudging Souji's side, not breaking eyeline with a few of his suspects.]

Hey, hey, dude. Is it just me, or are there a lot of letters floating around? Did you get anything like that?

[citykid]

[ Souji followed his partner's line of sight, over all the different strangers and the paper in their hands. Yosuke was right, there did seem to be quite a few, and the appearance of a new clue actually excited him a little, not that it showed on his face. it felt nostalgic, solving mysteries with his friends, even if he was just with Yosuke this time. and as weird as this was to think in such a strange place, their brainstorming almost made him feel at home. ]

I didn't. Maybe they're invitations people got telling them to meet here. Though the both of us didn't seem to have a choice.

[epicfailure]

[Yosuke nodded, considering that. It would make sense, if anyone here looked like they came here of their own free will. He scratched at the back of his neck, scanning the crowd when... aha!

Someone apparently thought it was safe to leave their letter unattended. Yosuke nodded to Souji and winked.]

Only one way to find out, right?

[A few quick, maybe overly cavalier steps, and Yosuke managed to snatch it. He was back by Souji's side in an instant, grinning from ear to ear.] Ta-da!

[citykid]

[ Souji clapped in appreciation, like he'd just watched a renowned opera and not his best friend trying to look clever. ]

Bravo. I knew my second-in-command was resourceful.

[ he leaned in closer to Yosuke and clapped a hand on his shoulder to get a better look at the letter. he started silently reading over his shoulder. ]

[epicfailure]

[The two of them read the letter side by side, Yosuke occasionally mumbling bits that seemed important aloud. It wasn't until the letter drew to a close that he really began speaking clearly though, voice even more confused than before.]

--Thank you for visiting Sitihir, and my all of your travels be blessed. ... The programmers? What the hell? [He flipped the letter over, looking over the promised map.] I've never even heard of this 'Hope's Peak Academy' place!

[citykid]

Wherever that is, it sounds prestigious.

[ Souji traced over the map with his pointer finger, looking for any familiar locations. ]

They even have Tatsumi Port Island listed on here... [ he suddenly poked one particular point on the map. ] And there's Inaba. Strange... They shouldn't be anywhere near each other.

[epicfailure]

[Yosuke hadn't even noticed the familiar town names, scattered across the sea of nebulous 'paths' that dotted the edges of the map like a star field. Seeing Souji point them out gave him a bit of a surprise.]

Holy crap, you're right. So... are they roads? What gives? [He had to turn his head to look at Souji, only catching the side of his face thanks to their position. His partner seemed to be on a roll, though. He didn't want to break the guy's streak.]

[citykid]

If they are, they're very disorganized ones and poorly drawn to scale. This city is mapped out with great detail, but all the locations on the edges are included like second thoughts.

[ he looked up from the map and over toward the big glass windows letting in pleasant sunshine. it seemed so unassuming out there, like any quiet street outside of any Starbucks. ]

I think the only way we'll know what we're dealing with is if we can get outside and see for ourselves.

[epicfailure]

[Yosuke nodded, in total agreement. They had a goal now, and a less nebulous one than 'figure out what the hell's going on'. Yosuke flipped the paper over, frowning.]

So... where do you think they keep the key?

[He turned towards Souji, flashing a grin bright and mischievous enough to give the sun a run for its money. Things just went from 'weird and semi-dire' to 'kind of fun', now that an exit was in sight.]

[citykid]

Probably in a place right under our noses. They don't seem to want to keep us trapped in here forever.

[ this looked like one of the most welcoming otherworldly experiences they'd ever gotten themselves sucked into. things could always take a turn for the worse, but it seemed pretty benign so far. mixing and mingling in a coffee shop? alright. maybe the way out was just to go along with it. ]

The "key" could be more of a task than anything else.

CUE THAT BORING OBLIGATORY INVESTIGATION PERIOD WHERE YOU WANDER AROUND AND ASK NPCS SHIT

[epicfailure]

Aww... I was hoping we could, like, steal it or something. [Yosuke pouted, but judging by how his smile didn't fall very far, his whining was mostly for show.] You wanna ask around? We can meet back here in... [He looked at his wrist reflexively, only to remember he wasn't wearing a watch. It was with a sheepish grin that he pulled out his phone instead.] 1500 hours?

[Aka 15 minutes, but this sounded way cooler.]

[citykid]

[ Souji let out a chuckle. Yosuke always tried so hard to be cool that he came full circle and ended up sounding more like a dork than ever. but Souji wouldn't wish that foot-in-mouth syndrom away for the world—it got them into trouble sometimes, sure, but it was what made Yosuke himself. it was nice to hear it in person again. ]

Or we could flag each other down when we hear anything interesting. We should be able to see each other from across the room.

[ he scanned once more, this time for anyone standing alone who looked open for questioning, and he landed his sight on a few candidates. ] Let's go. [ with a decisive tone, he capped off the conversation and headed toward his side of the coffee shop. ]

[epicfailure]

[In the end, their confined space made for a much easier investigation. Both boys wordlessly fell into a pattern -- Yosuke taking one side of the shop, Souji fielding the other -- and began methodically asking questions to those who had the letters, and making a fair amount of introductions along the way.

Unfortunately, nobody appeared to know the nuances of why they were handed their letters, and the baristas' allegedly in charge weren't giving answers either. After speaking to every person he could, a defeated Yosuke waved to Souji across the room, beckoning him over.

Unbeknownst to him, both he and Souji had given their names to more than enough people. Their letters were being sealed into their envelops by the time the two friends rejoined.]

Please tell me you had better luck, dude.

[citykid]

[ He gave his head a small shake. ] I didn't fare as well as I'd hoped. No one seemed to know more than what the letters told them. [ Maybe they'd missed that one special person who seemed to know exactly the tidbit they needed to solve the mystery...

He felt someone tap him on the shoulder. Souji turned around to see a rather nondescript barista holding a letter out to each of them. With only a brief exchange, they each took their letter, ripped it open, and saw that it said nothing different from all the others. ]

It's strange that we're only getting ours now, isn't it?