thevine | ✦ WEEK ZERO: TRIAL

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✦ WEEK ZERO: TRIAL

✦ WEEK 0, TRIAL: VICTIM ARCHETYPE

TRIAL

REMAINING

WUH-OH?

Rise and shine, superstars! It's a brand new day and a brand new opportunity to prove that you have what it takes to win this season's grand prize. Didn't manage to sleep well after yesterday's grisly discovery? A shame. But filming schedules are a cruel mistress, and they don't care to wait for the sleep deprived. As soon as the clock strikes 11:30AM, an announcement will play from the numerous loudspeakers hidden around the island:

THE REAL WAIFUS OF STREAMY VALLEY SEASON 11 RUNNER UP

All contestants, please report to Gold P. Beach. The next segment of this week's thrilling sudden elimination round is about to begin. I repeat, all contestants, please report to Gold P. Beach. The next segment of this week's thrilling sudden elimination round is about to begin.

... Hey, doesn't that voice sound familiar? Is this what they call a celebrity cameo? Huh. Ignore the announcement, and you'll soon find yourself accosted by the local mascots — namazu, loporrits and gestrals alike following after you and trying their damnedest to haul your ass to the beach. And if the pleading stare of these adorable(?) creatures is still not enough to get you moving, then worry not! Because at exactly 11:59AM, if you still haven't made your way over to the beach, a trap door will abruptly materialize under your feet and drop you right into the path leading up to the beach! Better stick your landing, or millions of viewers across the galaxies will watch you belly flop onto the ground. Embarrassing... The path leading up to the beach has been lined with torches, carving out a direct trail that leads right into the bowels of The Council — an old, abandoned ship that rests on the island's south shore. Whether it's the real deal or a fantastic piece of art from this season's set designers is anyone's guess, but you should probably avoid rubbing up against the rustier looking bits and bobs just in case. Inside the bowels of the rotting vessel, you'll see a circular area with enough benches for all of the remaining contestants to lounge about, and several long stone slabs that look a little less empty than usual. And while the sun shines bright above you during the daytime, you'll find that the torches surrounding the ship will soon become your only source of illumination once the sun sets and you are plunged into the murky darkness of the night. Well, with the sole exception of one torch that will remain unlit the entire time. At the far end sit three thrones with a rather peculiar display behind each one, and currently occupied by Live, Laugh and Love. A large LED display has been hung up behind them, which simply reads:

TIME REMAINING
09:00:00:00

As soon as it's officially 12:00PM, the LED display will begin to count down until it hits 00:00:00:00 at the very end of the trial. To the left of your hosts, there's a large beach cooler filled with all kinds of chilled drinks — from water bottles, to juice pouches and sodas, and, yes, even half bottles of wines and other alcoholic drinks. There's a plastic table nestled a couple of feet away, where the remains of the ship shield it from the sun, covered in a spread of sandwiches, baked goods, chips, dips, and what appears to be leftovers from yesterday's lunch and dinner. None of these items are fresh and most of them look like they came right out of a vending machine, but it's the thought that counts...? Welcome to your very first trial, superstars! Better get nice and comfy, because you're going to be here for a long, long while.

☰ VICTIM(S)

Will

☰ OOC NOTES

✦ It's trial time, baby! Over the course of the next nine hours, characters will have the opportunity to discuss, investigate and theorize about this week's murder. Characters will have time to examine the body of the victim and explore relevant locations. ✦ There will be a one hour tag break starting at 4PM EST/1PM PST. While players are allowed to keep tagging through the hour, all mod tags will pause and players are encouraged to take a break, eat and hydrate. ✦ The voting page is now unlocked! Please read through the post carefully for more information about how voting will work in this game. Note that voting is not mandatory in The Vine, and it is up to each character to decide if they wish to cast a vote before the end of the trial or not. ✦ Characters will be unable to leave The Council until the end of trial, as they will be blocked off by that same translucent barrier that prevents them from entering the currently locked segments of the island and a small gaggle of some very determined mascots. You wouldn't want to make them sad, right...? Exceptions will be made for the purpose of investigations, of course, where characters will be accompanied by an NPC escort.

🔗 FULL NAVIGATION

NPC QUESTIONS // NETWORK // VOTING // BODIES // EVIDENCE TURN-IN // EVIDENCE CHECK // INVESTIGATION REQUESTS // INVESTIGATIONS // LATEST FLATVIEW

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[ laugh’s head turns just enough to molly, and they say, ] No idea what you mean…~ [ but then a ;) appears on their screen so you know.

that’s correct re: mudroom, yes! for the front door, mollymauk will see that there’s some damage on the frame from some kind of an impact, as well as on the hinges.

the mysterious blood is in fact red. said trail of blood is smudged up on the ground - it’s a decent amount and fairly consistent. since they’re looking at the ground and the blood there, they’ll see there’s also a lot of sand tracked onto the porch. no there are not any discernible footprints before you ask. both blood trail and sand trail appear to continue inside; past the open door, they might see some objects on the ground.

and you know what since sandrone mentioned it, the trail of blood does not go to the stairs. ]

Who is "all of you"? What Sandrone said though. I use my blood for magic, so I'm leaking a good deal, but I try not to leave it all over the place like this.

[ he keeps getting lumped in with humans and it's starting to make him consider mischief.

okay actual invest: because of the sand, does it seem like the trail actually leads from outside to inside the house? which side of the door has the impact marks? Does it look kicked/hit with a weapon or more like someone fell into it? molly will try and move it a little to figure out which way it's broken. ]

Think I see something in there ... ?

[ someone else can get Objects ]

As in people this shape! Did I say 'humans'?

[HE IS A COOKIE, OKAY, you are all freaks equally amen.

eyeing the trails on the way to go look closer at these mysterious objects:]

Looks like how messy it is works out in our favor here, though.

Plenty of things can take the shape of humans. We'll have to talk about broadening your horizons later.

[ the way she's gotten mistaken as human several times too and the only person who's really questioned sandrone's key is dead now. time for the non-humans to cause trouble.

but while molly handles the door and shadow milk inspects the objects, sandrone ventures further inside. if there's no blood coming from the stairs, does the trail actually start in the mudroom, or are there any indications pointing toward the home theatre and beyond, or toward the dining hall? ]

It does save us trouble.

[ It’s hard to tell if the sand leads inside or outside! that shit gets everywhere.

the impact marks are on the front of the door, and the impact appears to have been blunt. when molly moves it, the door swings more inwards - it’s not broken broken, necessarily, just damaged, if that makes sense.

as shadow milk walks inside, he can see with his eyecing that the blood and sand trails sure are blood and sand trails still, and they go a direction to be mentioned slightly later in this tag. however, if he’s looking at the objects, he’ll find that the floor’s a little wet where the objects are and that there are some flowers as well as broken pieces of ceramic. and among those, there's a larger, shiny silver object.

for sandrone, the trail does not start in the mudroom! it hangs a right towards the dining hall and continues on...of note, the sand trail that's been with the blood also appears to lead into the kitchen. where to? ]

[ whiplash from meowing to this is really getting me. ]

Maybe I'm filled with jam.

[ I think that makes sense. seems like it got hit on the outside and swung inside? is that what's being said? About what height is the impact on the door? and he'll take a picture of it, even if its got his finger in it and its slightly blurry.

after that he'll leave shadowmilk to objects and follow sandrone down the trail. Does it seem like its just one person's blood? or two lines of it? ]

Aw, don't get all wound up.

[kill him, sandrone.

anyway. objects. is the wetness also red, or does it seem like this is water? and like this ceramic is a broken vase? also what are the flowers go ahead harm us ooc with flower knowledge just do it.

and of course: what kind of shiny silver object is this with the flower and ceramic mess?]

Want to check what's inside of you? I wouldn't mind offering a hand.

[ :)

perhaps not the best thing to say considering, but she'll go on ahead towards the kitchen. is there anything about the area that's immediately off? messes? any more impact marks? there's been a knife missing for quite a while now, right… is it still just the one? ]

[ there's a very impolite snort-cough-laugh from laugh and their helmet definitely shows LOL across the screen.

the door does look like it got hit on the outside and swung inside! the height is… like…midway up. don’t worry about it too much.

there is just one line of blood as far as you guys can tell!

the water seems like just water! and the ceramic mess is in fact… a broken vase! it looks like it came from a side table nearby. there were some lovely white lilies in there that are now laying on the ground, but they’re just flowers and not important.

the silver object is a curved silver object shaped like an arc, with round ends. you will have to bring it back to trial to investigate it more than that! you may give it to laugh to hold if you'd like.

also you're now banned from the dining hall and must focus on THE KITCHEN wahoo.

location description for you (click to expand)

The Kitchen is equipped from top to bottom with state of the art equipment and appliances. There are three full stove and oven combinations, a walk-in freezer large enough for three whole adults to comfortably enter without much issue, and a refrigerator that spans nearly the entirety of the northern wall. The pantry is, somehow, always stocked with a variety of dry goods, canned items, and non-perishable staples. You never see anyone restock it — nor the fridge. They simply are. Contestants are welcome to do their own cooking in the kitchen. But if they make too much of a mess, they might find themselves getting accosted by one of the local mascots. Hey? They have to clean that up later??? Gosh.

before sandrone gets too far into the kitchen - it is a goddamn mess in here. drawers and doors are hanging open, there is sand everywhere, there's all kinds of stuff on the floor... but if she goes to the knifeblock, she will find there are three knives missing, now! ]

[ OH BOY well putting a hand on shadowmilk's shoulder and a hand on sandrone's shoulder, kids can we lighten up a little. ]

Maybe we can trade insensitive barbs about each other's bodies once we've headed back to the main group?

[ into tha kitchenzone it is ....... wahoo. is there any blood in here or just the mess? what else is on the floor, and does it look deliberate or just like people came through here and tore it up in a fight? ]

Don't touch me.

[yeah he gives the object to laugh to hold. you think he holds things? carries things? non.

in all of this mess and opened doors and whatnot-- he's looking around first at things like the freezer and the stoves and ovens, to see if those doors are open or the appliances are on, but he's not wandering over to those things to do it just yet. he is not gonna just traipse into the mess.]

[ she's not as edgy as shadow milk so she just brushes molly's hand off with a look. sometimes you can do your job and trade insensitive barbs at the same time? don't project your skill issue onto her. but, she huffs and says nothing else before proceeding onward.

she'll join the other two in looking for any more signs of struggle and blood, but only after also handing the knife block over to orange. she's going to make everyone return their knives if it's the last thing she does. 🔪 ]

[ there is some red on the ground! it seems concentrated the most around the open fridge door but there are splatters of it here and there on the ground among the sand and near the sink as well. the mess doesn’t look deliberate, it looks more like there was a ballroom goddamn blitz in here.

molly will also notice with his eyes (face) that there’s a ton of silverware on the ground among the sand and redness. there’s also a bigger object on the ground among these.

the stoves and ovens are all off, and the oven and freezer doors are closed. the freezer is on but like, it’d probably be weirder if it wasn’t. since shadow milk is scanning at that level, i will nicely let him know there's also a knife sticking out of a cabinet door.

for sandrone, she can notice the silverware drawer’s completely out of its spot and hanging while she’s looking for signs of struggle. she can also see the toaster is no longer near the knifeblock!

laugh will take both the knifeblock and the metal object yes. ]

If you have anything you want to go back for the others to look at right now, give it here and I'll send it back. No fees required~

[ so if you have any other objects you want put in evidence, they will head back to trial after the next round! ]

Edited 2026-02-28 20:27 (UTC)

[ holding his hands up like geez!!!!!!!! but fine he knows how this goes. going to use his eyes (face) to look at the big object on the ground. picking up some of the silverware too - once he sees what the big object is he'll hand over it and the silverware so I don't hang up the thread.

and the sand and red ... he'll try and get some on his fingers and smell it to see if its blood hes a bloodhunter presumably he can sus this one out hopefully. ]

Huh. Was somebody throwing these around, or what?

[making his way over to the cabinet knife, trying to not step on anything that's, you know. red and suspicious. i feel like not stepping on ANYTHING may be impossible but he is paying attention to what is on the floor on the way.

can he pull out the knife. i must ask this because of his horrible strength, how firmly stuck is it.]

[ jesus

does it look like the toaster got shoved to the side, or does it seemed purposefully moved? and does the counter have any obvious signs that someone was shoved along? scratches? ]

[ The big object on the floor is… a toaster! sandrone was looking for it. it is on the floor.

there are not any scratches besides (waves hand) General Damage on the counter (this means don’t worry about it too much). however, since sandrone is so studiously looking, she’ll find that there’s some tomato stains and chunks on the counter leading towards the sink.

on the floor! silverware and toaster obtained. since molly is getting some of the red on his fingers he’ll find out with his bloodhunter nose it’s………………..splattered tomatoes. it’s a little squishy. squish. with mollymauk looking at the fridge as determined by dm, he will see that holy cow this fridge is also a mess! the door is swung wide open, food is threatening to spill out of it, and the drawers are hanging out. the vegetable crisper was once full of tomatoes. no longer! there’s also something underneath the corner of the fridge, just now visible since he’s down there getting tomato fingers.

shadow milk can pull out the knife! it’s stuck in there pretty good but for time’s sake it comes free. he does need to reach up to grab it out of there, but he'll get some help!

laugh whistles somehow, and a totally obscured in pixels bird appears at their shoulder. it picks up the knife from shadow milk, the silver arc object, and the knifeblock, makes a noise you think is probably a bird noise, and then takes off for the meowuncil. council. ]

How many tomatoes do we even need ...

[ yummy. i guess getting onto the floor like an ANIMAL, tail lashing and going to dig around under the fridge for whatever else is down here. is all the red that can be seen in the kitchen tomatoes or does anything appear different? trying to determine if will was stabbed in here or only got stabbed out in the hallway.

is there anything else going on inside of the fridge that looks suspicious or out of place? or just messy like someone was digging around in it. ]

Did they leave any of them intact? Yeesh, we eat from here!

[with the knife retrieved, he starts checking out the cabinets further... are there things inside them that are out of place? missing? he has snooped around in here before-- he is probably not going to notice like, 'one singular plate is gone' but he has an idea of what's supposed to actually be inside which one.]

Unless our audience decides to do away with all of us, they'll probably have it cleaned right up after all this is over.

[ with this much of a struggle, is there any sign of hair caught anywhere it shouldn't be? otherwise, she'll just follow the ~~blood~~ tomato trail towards the sink to inspect the general area. ]

[ Boo. Tomato tomato. Haha get it.

anyway mollymauk finds a book shoved underneath the fridge! he will have to investigate it further in trial… or… maybe someone who can read will have to investigate further in trial…who’s to say……..

all the red is just squished tomatoes! there’s not any blood here at all.

cabinets don’t have anything else of note missing!

for sandrone, there’s no hair that she can see! however, she does get to see in the sink that there’s some more tomatoes splattered about here, a small black object in the sink, and a flash of something white deep at the bottom of the garbage disposal. ]

[ yoinking that out, looking at it blankly. handing it to laugh. not his fuckin' problem!!!!!!! yet.

okay so nothing else in the fridge, only sand and tomatoes on the floor, no blood. does it seem like the trail of sand leads in here and then back out again? ]

Looks like they didn't steal or stash anything else from these, at least.

[cabinets are fine...

i can't think of anything else to look at so hi sandrone what's up in the sink.]

[ gives the black object to laugh also not her problem

what is currently her problem, though, is fishing out the white thing which she gives a hard stare before proceeding. okay. if it isn't something she can easily reach with her hand (thank goodness it's gloved), with a longer spoon or a single chopstick…?? ]

[ it seems like the sand could in fact lead in here and then back out again, yes, and it goes to the grand dining hall.

laugh will take the black object and the book. please do add those to evidence turn in though i'm not bird delivering them since you guys are done (but you may do so after break!)

sandrone and shadow milk go for the sink and the garbage disposal. as sandrone fearlessly reaches into the maw of the garbage disposal with her hand, she finds.... a wet piece of paper that's been crumpled up! whoa.

okay you're done shooes you out goodbye ]

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✦ WEEK ZERO: TRIAL

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KITCHEN

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