IT IS A MYSTERY

[bookofnope]

EVERYONE GET ON THE




MYSTERY MACHINE MEME

(And say a nice thank you to Louise for that excellent shitshopping~!)

The purpose of this meme is to let us all get a handle on the all and sundry mysteries and plot info that characters have about the Riddle of Norfinbury, and what different characters may be working on. Treat it as a part-CR, part-plotting meme.

While the IC/OOC knowledge divide is A Very Important Thing, the meme might assist in the time-honoured tabletop RP tradition of kibitzing, i.e. infosharing and brainstorming that characters may have done off-screen, rather than explicitly threading out. So when you make your comment, please keep in mind what your character actually shared and who they'd have plausibly shared it with!

Leave a comment and tell us:

• What mysteries/plot is your character aware of: See: weird things in houses, locked doors, barred locations, etc.

• What possible plot resources your character has: Plot items such as keys or SD cards, bomb ingredients, weapons, or skills like climbing or lockpicking.

• What is your character working on: Are they busy with scouting out a specific location or following a specific lead?

• Who your character might kibitz with: So we know who else might be aware of things your character knows.

• What do you want to do next! Is there any plot/mystery you really want in on? Any ideas you have OOCly that you think can be plausibly brought up ICly?

Comments

Quark | Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward

[averytinyparticle]

What mysteries/plot is Quark aware of: The trap door in Building 56 that has humming underneath it (he scuffed it up with his fireplace poker), the way that the fixtures in Building 52 appear to be completely fake (for context on both of those cases). His possession by Shelley Derricks - he knows that she has two usernames she can access, which the network is generally NOT capable of, but she helped make the network originally, and that she was involved in the protests and had two children (but nothing about the children, her memory was terrible). The giant "blackboards" in the school classrooms flash violently when provoked. I think...that's mostly it? I might have forgotten something, feel free to jog my memory if you're aware of something I missed.

What possible plot resources Quark has: Quark's most notable resource is the Sparrow decryption program on his tablet. He's not extremely proficient working with it on his own, but he's generally pretty agreeable and despite warnings will likely let anyone use it with him if they don't strike him as a shady character. For skills, his quick learning and small size are about all he can offer.

What Quark's working on: As of Day 71, immediately following the event, Quark's tearing apart Shelley Derrick's house to see what he can find. He may continue to do this through day 72 if he can't find anything during that first day. He's extremely determined and can't think about anything else until he gets this done. After this, he'll probably dive into playing with the Sparrow app so he can learn how to use it better on his own.

Who Quark might kibitz with: Jim knows the most about Quark's decryption program. Angel also knows he has it, and Enoch and Frisk are both people he trusts pretty blindly. He's pretty likely to tell anyone anything they want to know. He doesn't like keeping secrets.

What I want Quark to do next!
Nothing specifically! But if anyone wants to do more hacking or research the possessions, he's all over that.

Beckett

[bookofnope]

What mysteries/plot is your character aware of:
1. Flooded basement in building 21
2. Trapdoor in building 2
3. Trapdoor in building 56
4. Flashlight in building 24
5. Plants in building 31 how are they even alive wtf
6. Extensive gravedigging funtiems in the park
7. Blackboards that act weird and footsteps in the school

What possible plot resources your character has:
1. Mad archaeology skillz
2. Has a set of bobby pins, very good at lockpicking
3. Also has: Tape measure, magnifying glass, wrench, scissors, flashlight with empty battery, set of keys from building 28

What is your character working on:
He's still messing with the flashlight in house 24 and doing more digging around the park. In Day 72, Beckett, Brian and Stein are planning to have a go at generating a medical emergency by basically having that dumb grumpire go diving in the flooded basement, and seeing if they can record the ensuring Admin response THIS IS GONNA BACKFIRE SO HARD YOU GUYS.

Who your character might kibitz with: He's happy to share his findings with anyone who asks, so if your character has hung out with him in person he might have told them about any of the above mysteries in the course of just talking.

What do you want to do next: Well uh let's see if he survives the medical emergency caper, that would strongly influence where his attention turns next. Since he's been theorizing with Angel about the nature of NIMA and the Admin, though, I'd love to have him involved in any concentrated attempts to figure out related information!

[dr_unconscious]

get this man in the post office so he can poke at that safe/door with his bobby pins ASAP

Angel

[phaseshifter]

What mysteries/plot is your character aware of:
- Weird humming in 121
- Monsters can communicate, are looking for something when they devour people
- Why the heckie are the spiders reclaiming any tech left lying around

What possible plot resources your character has:
- Hella hacking/coding skills yo
- Does a massive drive to become pals with the admin count
- No okay then just the computer shit
- Plus the Other Guy Rhys is attached to her at the hip and he comes with Intangible Blue But Still Rather Handsome Jack

What is your character working on:
Her shipping chart.

 

Okay no she's mostly trying to figure out the admin for now, under the assumption that if she can help them out they will be able to help with other mysteries in return. Poor dear sweet deluded projecting child 8')

Who your character might kibitz with:
Literally anyone with no claims to hot studliness tbh

What do you want to do next!
Nnnnno specific plans? If anyone finds anything that will allow them to create executable files on the tablets she will fight them for it. Wires or bits of copper or something would also be aces because she would immediately try to jury-rig together a way to link her headports to the tablet and I can only imagine that terrible things would happen.

[dr_unconscious]

I JUST REALIZED so Enoch did some pulling apart of the weird flashy blackboards in the school right? And Angel has the technical background to maybe actually interpret what the fuck is going on behind those if they do a bit more prying. When (if?) she comes back to the clinic following Dumpy/Vicodinquest, do you think she'd be willing to investigate that more? It might...give her some nice wires and shit to stick in Rhys's headports.........

Tim Wright

[maskintape]

What mysteries/plot is your character aware of:
- "employees only" barrier in the southern ice tunnels
- video/audio cutting out in 138
- sealed metal door in 139 basement
- locked door/safe in 141
- jia xú could control the spiders probably, or otherwise had a way of remotely paralysing people, what's with that shit
- weird buzzing behind walls of the hospital morgue
- the secret of maintaining perfect sideburns in the land of snow and fuck

What possible plot resources your character has:
- card belonging to Robert Miller, photo part of the id is blank
- a very comprehensive map of the entirety of the ice tunnels that've been revealed so far

What is your character working on:
Trying to find the building shown in the footage from building 141, with the woman sewing fabric. IT'S NOT BUILDING 49 HE'S ALL OUT OF IDEAS

Who your character might kibitz with:
He's not the kind of guy to volunteer information unless asked for it, but he's said multiple times in public that he's been thoroughly exploring the tunnels and he'll pass on his map to anyone who asks for it (pls imagine the rest of the tunnels are included there ok). Or info about the tunnels in general. Or anything else you care to ask him that isn't about himself, Jay or Brian tbh

What do you want to do next!
Tim is going to find a fucking way to use Robert Miller's card even if it kills him. He will eat it. He will use it for rations if he has to just so he can say it's not useless seriously THIS IS DRIVING HIM INSANE

Re: Tim Wright

[rattlingthestars]

Try house 92 in o5? Jim's not really tight enough with Tim to infoshare but he gave vague directions to Ginger over the network if he might find that and message Jim about it?

[dr_unconscious]

This might seem like a weird question but have Team Harbles tried using Robert Miller's card on the keycard reader on the roof of the hospital? Like I know it's already been unlocked and everything, but maybe it unlocks different sections of the hospital related to the person's profession or something. Maybe Robert Miller had exclusive access to the hospital's as-of-yet undiscovered janitor closet or something idk

Brian Thomas | Marble Hornets

[0thingsonmymind]

What mysteries/plot is your character aware of:
Most of what has been publicly noted on the network
distorted footage in the hospital morgue
general wtf is NIMA/MN and why isn't it in the hospital anywhere
flashing 'blackboards' in the school
monsters are weird, guys

What possible plot resources your character has:
Distorted video footage of the hospital morgue, though it is also mucked up with his own distortions.
Short video of flashing 'blackboards' at school
the knowledge that still photos of people who died and revived are not distorted like the photos of dead people
The ability to film anything and everything and then post it and not feel ashamed or awkward in any way
also he's pretty good with codes and stuff...if one can understand what he says
also also stealth forest hobo skillz

What is your character working on:
Still planning to take video at all of the revival points/get people to do that for him.
Beckett's ~*~BRILLIANT PLAN~*~
leaving notes in binary for monsters
being a crazy creeper

Who your character might kibitz with:
He will 'work with' most anyone who is willing and/or he can manipulate into helping him. the main hurdle is finding someone who can both understand and tolerate him

What do you want to do next!
All of the mysteries. All of them.

[rubikscomplex]

What mysteries/plot is your character aware of:

• Humming in the retirement home
• Knocking on the door in the pharmacy
• Jia Xu being associated with NIMA
• Phantom instruments play along when you play the piano in the school
• There's a key card needed in the tunnels
• He knows where the houses are for those who were possessed
• He helped find the secret SD card in the hospital with Riley Sung's final moments and set off the stranger on the network who referenced Schroedinger's Cat
• The ADMIN will respond in medical emergencies
• The ADMIN will repair the vents if they're damaged, moved, or covered, but only when nothing is recording
• There are trapdoors in some of the houses that potentially lead to some underground network
• Those who were possessed used the same 'punishment' as the ADMIN on people who displease them (i.e., turn on the Beacon app)

What possible plot resources your character has:

• Advanced medical knowledge
• A veritable tool belt including a screwdriver, socket wrench, wire cutters, and hammer
• Pen flashlight

What is your character working on:

• Tore apart Sparrow Langley's house and found nothing of consequence
• Sent Quark to investigate Shelley Derricks' house
• Trying to find out more about Jia Xu and NIMA
• Plans to investigate the humming in one of the houses along the southern wall
• But mostly right now he's going down to the pharmacy because his paranoia is kicking up like no one's business and he wants to make sure he gets his pills if they're there

Who your character might kibitz with: Dorian, Emmanellain, and Haurchefant should be aware of most of all of this. Just about everyone may be aware of some part of his plans who read through this message. In general, after being stolen from, he's not going to be terribly open or interested in being around other people, even the ones he sort of likes. So he probably won't be trying to lead any charges or actively sharing as much info.

What do you want to do next! Is there any plot/mystery you really want in on? Any ideas you have OOCly that you think can be plausibly brought up ICly? Once House stops flipping out a bit about his pills, I want to refocus him on the NIMA issue and looking into the humming and trapdoors in the houses.

[deus_ex_phs]

You know, I wonder what would happen if someone in the school played the piano while someone in house 84 played too, with an open audio/video post going on.

Haurchefant Greystone | Final Fantasy XIV

[silverfuller]

What mysteries/plot is your character aware of: Haurchefant is not very tech savvy. While he knows how to use the basic functions of the tablet he has yet to look into things like, for example, the Data App. That means he only knows things people have told him and what he has experienced for himself.

• The sealed door in building 68
• Knocking on the door in the pharmacy, which grows more frantic if responded to
• Monsters come through windows
• Some monsters, at least, can be hit with rubble
• Informed that there is an oppressive atmosphere near burial sites
• The electrical hum and oppressive atmosphere of building 121
• Oppressive, electrical atmosphere when monsters are about to appear
• Monsters don't leave marks on buildings, even when clawing at buildings
• Footage of Riley Sung
• Some awareness of the "possessions" but he wasn't around for that so not much
• Hidden tile in hospital
• Climbed half way up the Y6 cave-in
• Random pieces of information about the potential of the ADMIN being an AI, but he still sort of thinks of "her" as a person. Despite being told what computers are.

What possible plot resources your character has:

• Footage of Riley Sung being gassed by a police officer. This is probably in the public database now.
• Haurchefant is in excellent physical shape and has been keeping up with his endurance training. He may not be the deepest thinker in Norfinbury but he can weather the cold very well and is used to maneuvering through it.

What is your character working on:

• Haurchefant is currently in a roaming party and most of his focus is on keeping them alive. He has a lingering curiosity about the sealed door since that's where he first woke up here and has a great interest in the monsters and learning more about them. He'd like to figure out if the electrical hum, the monsters showing up, and the bodies are all linked since they cause similar sensations, most of which he's experienced himself.

Who your character might kibitz with:

• Most people already know what he knows and if he thinks something might be important he'll tell people. If anyone is curious, they can ask him. He will happily help out anyone.

What do you want to do next!

• Haurchefant needs to get out there more, really. He's eager to help with anything but is particularly useful for anything that involves physical endurance and/or resistance to extreme cold.

Picture unrelated

[dr_unconscious]

Somebody needs to give this man some kind of prybar and put him to work on one of these locked doors/hatches to see what breaks first. If anyone could wrench one of those suckers open without explosives, I bet it would be Haurchefant.

[bookofnope]

Hey Haurchebutt, you want a wrench? If he and Beckett hook up again they can go on a wrench-keys-and-lockpicks quest through aaaaaall the locked doors!

(Also, has he tried to communicate with the knocking in another way? Whistling? Drumming patterns? idk?)

Ginger Hale | Original

[lacecase]

What mysteries/plot is Ginger aware of:
Basically nothing. She’s the one who took all the dolls down from the attic in Building 39 and dusted them off. And when I have her take a look at the data app, she’ll see the video of the woman sewing triangles and be very interested in figuring out where it originates from.

What possible plot resources Ginger has:
Unfortunately nothing. She’s good at sewing and keeping a sunny disposition despite all odds, but that has next to nothing to do with plot.

What is Ginger working on:
The Keep Norfinbury Warm Project! Which is an extension of the Keep Norfinbury Fed Project that Clayton and a few others have taken up, stocking the cupboards with rations for others who may be in need of them. She’s trying to collect as much workable fabric as she can so she can leave warm clothing in houses for anyone who could use them.

Who Ginger might kibitz with:
Ginger doesn’t know much that’s actually useful, but she’s not exactly the kind of person who’s good at keeping her mouth shut. Theoretically, anyone she talks to could know anything she knows. But more specifically, she’s spent about 90% of her time with Clayton.

What do I want Ginger to do next!
I want to involve her in the mystery of the woman sewing the triangles because she thinks that where ever that video feed is coming from, there might be a good amount of fabric she could use to make more substantial clothing for everyone. All she’s been finding so far has predominantly consisted of smaller scraps of fabric. And if I can in some way involve her in any sort of plot instead of just having her make kissy faces at Clayton I’m extremely gung-ho about it. I was thinking about making a network post where she discovers that video in the data app and wants to discuss it. Would anyone else be interested in that?

[bookofnope]

SURE let's talk about sewing triangles. I am very entertained by the notion of Beckett and Ginger talking about Doing Research. XD

Nathan Young | Misfits

[notaquaman]

What mysteries/plot is Nathan aware of:
If he has passed anything even remotely mysterious he has yet to take notice. Not counting the acid-drooling lizards from the town meeting. And those were more scary than mysterious.

What possible plot resources Nathan has:
Absolutely none to speak of so far.

What is Nathan working on:
Nothing outside of getting the hell away from everybody else that was at the town meeting ft. the lizard brigade. Well, and trying to find lube. Or his drugs. Or cigarettes to trade. AND he wants to collect enough booze and snacks to throw a giant party where everyone gets super wasted and makes and decisions.

Who Nathan might kibitz with:
I think the real question here is “who would kibitz with Nathan?” He’s a surprisingly open book as long as he’s not talking about his family issues. But most people can’t really stomach talking to him for very long, so if he had anything useful to say he probably wouldn’t even get around with it before his conversation partner gives up.

What do I want Nathan to do next!
Nothing specific! I want him to wreak havoc on the network. I would love it if he blindly stumbled into some really important plot discovery or a potential answer to a mystery and was super obnoxious about sharing it. He’s just wandering around, so who knows if that’ll actually happen. But he isn’t afraid of dying even if he doesn’t LIKE dying, so he’s vaguely willing to act as a sacrifice if anyone would need it for an “important” experiment of some kind.

Frisk | Undertale

[despiteeverything]

What mysteries/plot Frisk is aware of:
Most of the mysteries regarding anomalies, most particularly the fact that they're looking for something when they attack people. Nothing too notable otherwise.

What plot resources they have:
Nothing hugely innovative. They do have the notes that they've been gathering on the anomalies but that's nothing characters couldn't get with enough investigation. So far as skills go, they've got pretty decent diplomatic and charismatic skills for an 11 year-old. Most of the time. They're also small/able to fit into tight spaces, and are good at dodging shit.

What Frisk is working on:
They're working on the Anomaly/Monster Guide and finding out more about them, most particularly how to communicate. They're also travelling along with Quark at the moment, helping him with his goals. But the Anomaly thing is 90% of their focus right now.

Who Frisk might kibitz with:
Sans is definitely someone who's probably privy to all Frisk knows. Quark also, and maybe Enoch. It depends a good deal on what they find out from here on out. Overall Frisk isn't super-secretive though, so long as it doesn't get super personal somehow.

Plans and stuff:
Obviously keep investigating monsters, but something I'd like for Frisk to do is to head back to the ice tunnels and dig around there more. I feel like it's entirely possible that they missed something big/crucial there. We also need to unearth 125's basement.

[deus_ex_phs]

• What mysteries/plot is your character aware of:
  -Locked door in house 68 with a large machine behind it. (Footage of this was shared with the network.)
  -Footsteps in house 97 at night.
  -Ghosts and the bloody message in house 89. (Shared with the network.)
  -He has seen over the wall of snow at Y6. (Zack mentioned on the network that there's nothing there but more snow.)
  -Math scribbles in house 74. (Who doesn't know about those?)
  -Found an SD card in house 100 that implies there might still be someone here. (Shared with the network.)
  -Locked door in house 107 with no actual lock.
  -Monsters being affected by fire, even if it's ultimately less than helpful. (Shared with the network.)
  
  
• What possible plot resources your character has: Book on how to make bombs from household chemicals (plus some of said chemicals). Access to Jim's hacking app that lets a character see through standard network privacy locks. Basic familiarity with technology and some minor hacking skills. He also has a tent that allows the user to survive one night outside without shelter.
  
  
• What is your character working on: Gathering more supplies for future bombs. About to resupply, then head for the hospital to check out things there. He is also leaving notes on SD cards in places that seem like there might be a good chance either a survivor is there or might visit.
  
  
• Who your character might kibitz with: Anyone in his group is a definite. From there, it depends. A lot of things, Kunsel is willing to share on the open network. He's not going to advertise the fact that Jim has a hacking app, though, and access to his book is limited.
  
  
• What do you want to do next! Hospital run! Or ice tunnels in general. Another opportunity to bomb something would be pretty cool, too.
  

[bookofnope]

Oh hey, where was it mentioned that beyond the wall is just more snow? Just thinking about it re our thread about how outside Norfinbury things might still be shit...

Clayton Epps | Original

[dr_unconscious]

What mysteries/plot is your character aware of:
- Spiders. Clayton seems to have a knack for accidentally getting spider attention. He knows that they can easily be found traveling over the roof of building 60 at night (complete with their little spider footprints), that they can communicate with one another silently and can free each other from danger, and that their smaller relatives that travel through the vents can almost perfectly heal serious injuries--he assumes through the use of MN, whatever that is.
- Medical Emergencies. Apparently the Admin can be called on to heal people that are seriously hurt. Clayton's done this for himself (his toes) and he's seen House privately try to contact the Admin for assistance with the shots. Notably, while the Admin has assisted with trauma-related healing, they refused to help in combating the serious side effects of their own injections when House asked for their help. This makes Clayton assume that the Admin's intervention in medical matters requires the use of MN, which leads to MN poisoning, which he considers a Bad Thing.
- Locked Doors. ...I just realized that Clayton's the last person still here from the team that originally opened up the ice tunnels. Holy shit. Related to that, he knows how that door in 58 was opened--the tablet alerted passerby that the door was locked to medical personnel and was eventually opened with a viable digital key (Jia Xu's). He'd recommend the same course of action is someone finds another door like this/another SD card with similar identification info on it.

What possible plot resources your character has:
- CLOWN MARIO
- Medical Experience. The Admin seems to recognize Clayton as a legit Norfinbury physician and he plans to take full advantage of that. Also has the skills and quite a bit of meds to back it up.
- Lots of random shit. Like I don't know how half of the crap Clayton's picked up can be eventually used but he has a lot of it and he's usually willing to give it away if he meets up with anyone/they ask for it. Here's a list for reference, it's mostly up-to-date.

What is your character working on: Clayton's taken a back seat to the more diligent exploring he did in the beginning so he can set up a dedicated clinic in E6. People who would be able/willing to help in gathering resources, clearing out rubble, dragging mattresses, or helping with patients are all people Clayton would be happy to have around, even temporarily.

Who your character might kibitz with: Everyone?? Unless it's a personal matter Clayton is usually pretty open about important things that he finds in snowhell. From the above list, the only things I can think of that Clayton hasn't made a public network post about are that the Admin refused to help with injection side effects (because that was a private message between the Admin, himself, and House) and the Clown Mario game he found (because I'm planning on making a post for that in January). If you're still looking for the most direct link to what Clayton knows, go through Enoch. Ginger is a close second if you want a more sugar-coated view of things.

What do you want to do next: See there's a lot of things that I'd like to see happen OOCly but Clayton really isn't the kind of person to directly instigate/get involved with them, mostly because his focus at this point is to hang around this clinic. Getting one of our baras to try and mess with a locked hatch with a fire poker, sending a (likely suicide) team to actually explore the ice wall above the slope, uncovering the rubble wall in the ice tunnels (125), doing dedicated searches for a digital key for the lake tunnel or the post office...I don't know how much Clayton could contribute to each, and in some cases I know he'd ICly discourage some of the ideas I've mentioned, but I'd still be very interested to see them discussed more and followed up on!

[deus_ex_phs]

Oooh, house 125... Kunsel's group is full of JRPG types who are persistent enough for searches like that. Maybe I can bring this up with my group.

[bookofnope]

... if we assume that Beckett calls Clayton up and asks a LOT of pointed questions re: spiders and emergency medical intervention, how likely is this to result in actual answers, and how much in terminal fuss?

Zell Dincht | Final Fantasy VIII

[swatsflies]

What mysteries/plot is your character aware of:
Some rubble show signs of fire damage, while others just seem to have collapsed on themselves.
See Kunsel's list.


What possible plot resources your character has:
Zell has made a set of lock picks using paper clips.
He can play instruments.
Has bleach and ammonia.

What is your character working on:
Heading to the school to resupply, while keeping an eye out for anything related to Jim.
After that going to the ice tunnels and the hospital. May be running into Team Bandits for Dumpy and stuffed toy cat drop off.


Who your character might kibitz with:
Team Sad Losers (Zack, Kainsel, Tifa, and Jim)
Team Katamari (Al and Ed Elric mostly)
Team Bandits (Stephanie, Angel, and Rhys)
Team FML (Beckett)
Team Hoodie (Brian)


What do you want to do next! Is there any plot/mystery you really want in on? Any ideas you have OOCly that you think can be plausibly brought up ICly?
He also wants to prod rubble piles for reasons.
Wants to eventually trap a monster.
I may come back to this later o7

[bookofnope]

Oh he's also got lockpicks! Is he good with them?