[LP CYOA] Spiral

[Grimgravy]

Perhaps someone who has poured over the LP, cough Nevill cough, and has no doubt been taking notes go over who exactly these people are and any major interactions we've had with them. Some of the names are vaguely familiar. I lack the cultural background to easily grasp the names.

Sakimura Yuuki. Aries.

Kayano Rina. Taurus.

Uehara Shizuka. Gemini.

Sakaki Okitsu. Cancer.

Maeda Nami. Leo.

Taketatsu Shinichi. Virgo.

Sawada Junichi. Libra.

Okuyama Midori. Scorpio.

Tokigawa Kou. Sagittarius.

Mori Akiyama. Capricorn.

Iwano Mitsuki. Aquarius.

Amanozaki Touko. Pisces.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

This LP has been filled with puzzles. Why wouldn't this be one too? And we are meant to choose 12 out of 12. This choice is:

You wonder what your first combination should be.

Geez, why do you think he bothered to write the symbol names all again?

And don't you think it is a coincidence that THE ENTIRE ZODIAC is accounted for? That's not just a matter of personalities or coincidence.

The Age of Aquarius is at its zenith and with it the gates have opened!

This was an interesting quote though. May not have anything to do with this.

 

[Kz3r0]

Well, everyone here is connected to the hospital in a way or another, the exceptions are Sawada, Seiji's henchman, Mori, that was investigating on Seiji it seems, and Amazonai that was lured there.
Practically only Amazonaki has no connections to the hospital or Seiji, if we don't count the fact that she chose to become a psychic because of the author of a book regarding the Juunimon ritual.

 

[Kz3r0]

probably is some twist on this

Question is: which is first - fire, earth, air or water?

All depends on which one you want to end up with, to end with water we should start with air.

 

[Nevill]

Perhaps someone who has poured over the LP, cough Nevill cough, and has no doubt been taking notes go over who exactly these people are and any major interactions we've had with them. Some of the names are vaguely familiar. I lack the cultural background to easily grasp the names.

Sakimura Yuuki, the sporty schoolboy. - knows karate, likes Uehara, dislikes us. Is stupid most of the time.

Kayano Rina, the steady office lady. - also a triple agent and a co-worker at IAE, an organization that the whole project belongs to. Is mortally afraid of Seiji, but was openly antagonistic towards us when she knew we were not him, too. Wants the book for some reason - allegedly to destroy it.

Uehara Shizuka, the bubbly schoolgirl. - also a miko family descendant whose sister Seiji and Juuzo screwed over under unknown circumstances. The character we most interacted with. Was lured here with a promise of revealing the fate of her sister.

Sakaki Okitsu, the grumpy author. - a collaborator of late Hidetaka Matsui and Amanozaki's role model. Studies occult for a living.

Maeda Nami, the proud heiress. - former Seiji's passion and a heiress to the declining Maeda family. A less-than-enthusiastic fiancee to Taketatsu. Loves Seiji, but her feelings are probably misplaced.

Taketatsu Shinichi, the quiet entrepreneur. - also known to kill everyone, sacrifice Mitsuki, and whore himself to the old man to weazel out of dying. He did not succeed.

Sawada Junichi, the friendly celebrity. - an actor and Seiji's henchman-in-hiding. Pretends to be a no-brains simpleton. Might have been responsible for some of the shenanigans during the previous nights.

Okuyama Midori, the outgoing trainee nurse. - is an associate of Tokigawa. We clashed with her from time to time, but never interacted in a meaningful way.

Tokigawa Kou, the responsible trainee doctor. - is an associate of Okuyama. Was not supposed to be at the hospital on the day of the experiment. Often assumes the role of the leader and tries to keep people together.

Mori Akiyama, the gruff detective. - is investigating Shinohara family over a series of incidents. Protective of Mitsuki. Tried to shoot himself over the memory of 'Kana', whoever that might be.

Iwano Mitsuki, the sensitive little girl. - is spiritually sensitive. Suffers from an unknown 'desease', for which she is supposedly treated in Ikei. Ended up as a sacrifice during the third night and has not been seen since.

Amanozaki Touko, the eccentric (self-proclaimed) psychic. - a lovely hack who comes from a family of yakuza or something. Was lured here with a promise of revealing an occult mystery.

 

[Nevill]

This LP has been filled with puzzles. Why wouldn't this be one too?

The puzzles have rules and a 'win condition'. I don't see those here.

And don't you think it is a coincidence that THE ENTIRE ZODIAC is accounted for? That's not just a matter of personalities or coincidence.

It might not be a coincidence, but it has no bearing on my logic.

The people were drawn here for a ritual by a third party. Whether it were other people or kami does not matter. If there was a need to account for the whole Zodiac, that is where it took place. Which I also refer to as a 'character creation'.

 

[Kz3r0]

By the way, I have noticed now that Mori has yama(mountain in his name, considering that he was paired with Mitsuki we have earth and water right there, should we add fire or air?

We can also go by the known couple and see who will be best suited to be the third.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

By the way, I have noticed now that Mori has yama(mountain in his name, considering that he was paired with Mitsuki we have earth and water right there, should we add fire or air?

We can also go by the known couple and see who will be best suited to be the third.

It's about grouping 3 like symbols together. Not sure if the names are a hidden factor as you suggest or not, but even if they are, the point is, we need 3 fires, 3 waters, 3 earths and 3 airs. Now what order we should go in, I'm still not sure of. If we are going by the zodiac, fire is first, I think.

This LP has been filled with puzzles. Why wouldn't this be one too?

The puzzles have rules and a 'win condition'. I don't see those here.

And don't you think it is a coincidence that THE ENTIRE ZODIAC is accounted for? That's not just a matter of personalities or coincidence.

The people were drawn here for a ritual by a third party. Whether it were other people or kami does not matter. If there was a need to account for the whole Zodiac, that is where it took place. Which I also refer to as a 'character creation'.

This puzzle is a one off - but it is based on those symbols. I don't know why they were chosen. It doesn't matter. And yes, it is a puzzle and there is a win condition and a lose condition:

This is a maze that has one entrance and many exits,” lectures Ei, looking smug in her knowledge as she does so. “Some of those exits aren’t very nice at all."

The "win conditions" are the better exits. The lose conditions are the worse ones.

ffs, we are looking at a bunch of zodiac symbols on the ground and Ei just said it is a maze - a type of puzzle. Why is that so hard to accept?

edit:
here, again:

We shall begin the trial of knowledge in the maze of souls. It will be a good place to start you on your journey back into the world.

It's a trial and a maze - a maze is a puzzle.

 

[Nevill]

*sigh* If you can't beat them, join them.

*puts on thick glasses and hides the Kansai accent* The Age of Aquarius is at its zenith. It is therefore obvious that we should put it in the corner of our reasoning. Since there is an undeniable connection between Mori and Mitsuki, based on two sentences we've heard, we have thus determined the direction we need to move in to reach our designated target, Capricorn. I am sure there is a suitably sophisticated drivel that perfectly explains why this is best.

Edit: It is further proven by the picture representing the Cycle of Alchemical Elements, courtesy of Kz3r0. The arrows point clockwise!

There is thus no doubt as to what the next element on the list should be. It is Sagitarius that follows Aquarius and Capricorn.

So, Mitsuki, Mori and Tokigawa. All are plot-relevant enough for me to agree to them. Ah, I meant to say, I follow the decree of the stars.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

In case anyone couldn't read through Nevill's sarcasm, that was all bullshit and he still is guessing and ignoring the obvious.


edit: Nevill, ok, I am willing to accept the possibility that the elemental symbolism is a conincidence, but you have to admit: this IS a puzzle.

If we assume that the elemental symbolism is the way, then
I. Sakimura Yuuki.
IX. Tokigawa Kou.
V. Maeda Nami.

would be the best.

However, if we instead assume it is a coincidence, then we map out the souls by their connections and start with what we know, ie, who knows who.

 

[Nevill]

ffs, we are looking at a bunch of zodiac symbols on the ground and Ei just said it is a maze - a type of puzzle. Why is that so hard to accept?

Because we will enter the maze after we read the bios of the three people here. The info is supposed to help us navigate the maze by providing context for our choices.

This decision, where we choose which biographies could contain the information that would be most helpful to us, is not a puzzle. It is not a maze or a trial, either.

I see it akin to taking a crib with you to the exam.

ignoring the obvious.

You are the last person I want to hear from about ignoring the obvious, bro.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Both of you are ignoring the fact that I'm right.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

It is not a maze or a trial, either.

No, it IS a maze. two characters just called it that. Want me to quote it for you again?

 

[Nevill]

Both of you are ignoring the fact that I'm right.

You called Aries the Goat. That invalidated your argument.

Besides, we should clearly vote for harem anyway.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Both of you are ignoring the fact that I'm right.

You called Aries the Goat. That invalidated your argument.

Besides, we should clearly vote for harem anyway.

It's still an ungulate.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

My alternate theory is that if it has nothing to do with the elements, then this is how I see it working: each person is connected to the other in some way - or rather, they were connected at some point in the past. We need to find these connections. As we piece together how persons 1 2 & 3 are connected, we start to see how persons 3 4 & 5 are connected and so on.

So, basically, Nevill, if that were the case, you are headed on the right track, but at least work less off of relevancy and more off known connection.

edit: whatever, neither of us really know for sure and you are just guessing, but I'm going off the zodiac angle cuz it's the best theory i have.
I. Sakimura Yuuki.
IX. Tokigawa Kou.
V. Maeda Nami.

 

[Nevill]

My alternate theory is that if it has nothing to do with the elements, then this is how I see it working: each person is connected to the other in some way - or rather, they were connected at some point in the past. We need to find these connections. As we piece together how persons 1 2 & 3 are connected, we start to see how persons 3 4 & 5 are connected and so on.

Hmmm. It is called a trial of knowledge. Maybe we are supposed to put together what we already know?

 

[ERYFKRAD]

My alternate theory is that if it has nothing to do with the elements, then this is how I see it working: each person is connected to the other in some way - or rather, they were connected at some point in the past. We need to find these connections. As we piece together how persons 1 2 & 3 are connected, we start to see how persons 3 4 & 5 are connected and so on.

Hmmm. It is called a trial of knowledge. Maybe we are supposed to put together what we already know?

If it's a trial of knowledge, maybe you're supposed to figure if what you know is what you know, or what you think you know. Knowledge is on trial here, see?

 

[Nevill]

I think Lambchop is onto something.

If we pick people whose history may have been connected in the past, we will get more information. If we pick people who have no common ground, we 'whiff' our shot.

We will end up with 4 combinations. There are no 'right' and 'wrong' answers, but depending on what we pick, some connections might be exposed while others will be left hidden. For example, if we pair Taketatsu with Maeda, I assume the narrative of the revelation will be centered around Kaimei, but if we pair him with Kayano, it will be about IAE. If we pair him with Sakimura... well, I doubt anything meaningful would come out of that.

So we probably need to form our triplets beforehand.

From that position, I think team 'scoundrel' might be not such a bad idea. Kayano is tied to IAE, Shinohara Juuzo and the Nurse. Taketatsu is tied to IAE, Juuzo and tangentially to Kaimei. Sawada is tied to Shinohara Seiji and potentially to Kaimei/Juuzo/IAE (he seems to know enough, at least). There are plenty of intersections here.

To our shame, we know very little of our antagonists and their goals, or even if they are the antagonists (we tend to consider everything that does not bend our way our mortal enemy, see Uehara).

 

[Kz3r0]

Well another combination can be Tokigawa, the doctor, Okuyama, the nurse, they are obviously related, another possible addition would be Mitsuki, they knew of her and her treatment, whatever that was, they didn't seem directly involved tho.

We must consider that there are some people hardly matchable tho, I pared Mori with Mitsuki because of the male/female pairing, but in fact Mori can be paired at best with Sakaki, only because they were investigating the hospital, even if for different reasons, this is true for Amazonaki also, she can at best paired with Sakaki for similar interest in the occult.

I think that we should start with the people of which we know have a relationship and proceed from there.

We have three certain couples:
Uehara and Sakimura
Maeda and Taketatsu, I won't to connect them tho.
Tokigawa and Okuyama.

 

[Nevill]

Well another combination can be Tokigawa, the doctor, Okuyama, the nurse, they are obviously related, another possible addition would be Mitsuki, they knew of her and her treatment, whatever that was, they didn't seem directly involved tho.

Yes, that one was on my mind, too.

We have three certain couples:

Are they 'couples' because they are couples? Maeda and Taketasu, for example, are engaged, yet I can't think of much in common between them, sans money.
The connection between Uehara and Sakimura seems to be the school they go to and his unrequired affections. Hardly something of note, but we lack anything better to link him to. I will laugh my ass of if, accordingly to 'nothing is as it seems' tradition, he turns out a Tibetan monk bodyguard or something.

There are quite a few ways to pair those people, which is why I think there is no single solution.

 

[Kz3r0]

Well, based on what we know Sawada can be connected only to team scoundrel, the same goes for Kayano, then we have Taketatsu.
I am even more convinced that starting with them is the right choice.

 

[Nevill]

It is funny, since there is not such team. Sawada is with Seiji, Taketatsu is with whomever will let him out of here, and Kayano is working for several bidders. Everyone is at each other's thoat.

But sure, I'll vote for them.

II. Kayano Rina.
VI. Taketatsu Shinichi.
VII. Sawada Junichi.

 

[Kz3r0]

It is funny, since there is not such team. Sawada is with Seiji, Taketatsu is with whomever will let him out of here, and Kayano is working for several bidders. Everyone is at each other's thoat.

But sure, I'll vote for them.

II. Kayano Rina.
VI. Taketatsu Shinichi.
VII. Sawada Junichi.

Actually another argument in favor of those three is that they seem the most knowledgable, Sawada knows Seiji and seems privy to his schemes, while Mori had to put together rumors and bits of informations, same goes for Sakaki, his knowledge of the Juunimon tradition seem to be based on distortions and half truths, Taketatsu should know about the hivemind project, and Kayano should know something about all of the above.

 

[Nevill]

Sooo...

Maeda - (Seiji) - Uehara - (school) - Sakimura
Mitsuki - (Ikei) - Okuyama - (Ikei) - Tokigawa
Amanozaki - (Occult) - Sakaki - (Ikei) - Mori
Sawada - (Seiji) - Kayano - (IAE) - Taketatsu

Would that do? The first link does not always connect to the last, though.