[network] @hjack69; A message to @dulcedeleche [open] [cw: murder and death threats]

[youarethebandits]

[The post starts out as voice, with Jack sounding particularly cheerful about something.]

Hey there, Norfinbury! Jack here, with a special message to everyone's favourite lady of mystery, Winter. But before we get to that, let's get something cleared up first.

[The feed switches to video, showing Vriska reading out loud from a piece of paper.]

I, Vriska Serket, hereby state that I am of sound mind and am consenting to everything that is about to occur. I am not under duress or any form of coersion or manipulation - heh - and am fully aware that neither Handsome Jack-- whoa, is that seriously your for-real name? ...right, uh. I am fully aware that neither Handsome Jack nor the Hyperion Corporation bear any legal or moral responsibility for any and all consequences arising from the events that will follow this disclaimer. I also officially state for the record that Handsome Jack is cool and handsome, and that I fully recognise any and all claims to awesomeness coming from his person.
That's it, right?

[Jack's hand comes into view, giving her a thumbs up.]

Oh, right, word of warning. If you're of a faint disposition, or a little kid or whatever, you may want to stop watching now.

[The view swings around to the ceiling as he places the tablet on a table. Soon after, there is a faint but disturbing sound - it's Vriska, and she's choking. It lasts for several moments before being followed by a nasty crack.

Jack picks the tablet back up, turning it to show a now very clearly dead Vriska with dark bruises around her neck.]

Hope you're watching, Winter. This is what we call a demonstration. You keep up the silent treatment, and whoever's next will probably not be okay with getting killed.

And for everyone else - I know you're already getting ready to spam me with how could you, Jack and I'll stop you, Jack and Jack how are you so handsome and brilliant please marry me. Before you hit that post button, keep in mind that I've heard it all before. So many times. Don't waste everyone's time by being boring.

Comments

@guardian; video

[phaseshifter]

Oh no.

Oh no no no no what have you done. You can't undo this, it's - oh no. Dad...

[ She's seen death before - obviously, geez - but still sounds vaguely like she's going to barf. Or cry. Or start screaming. Maybe all three? ]

[youarethebandits]

Angel, please. This is hardly the first time you've seen me kill someone.

@starspangledhero; video

[fifty]

What the hell is wrong with you?! [America doesn't care what you've heard a million times!]

[youarethebandits]

Bzz!

[Yes, he just made the quiz show "wrong answer" noise. Really.]

Try again, this time with something less stupid.

@quark; video

[averytinyparticle]

[The little kids (or whatever) were supposed to look away...and yet, Quark couldn't stop himself from watching the whole thing. And he just keeps staring at that bruising, and the blank look in Vriska's very dead eyes.]

You did that with your hands?

[Maybe it's because he's in shock, because he's never seen a murder before if you don't count monster attacks. But Quark doesn't sound...as shocked or appalled as he sounds...curious.]

video threadjacking

[fifty]

[Do you know how difficult it is for America to rein in his emotions enough to talk to Quark right now. It's super difficult. But he manages, though he's clearly worked up.] Turn this off, kiddo. Don't talk to this guy, he's nuts.

@zachtastic; video

[majorlazer]

[Zach can barely believe this. He's staring at the video, bug-eyed, frozen in place.

Like, even Marquise Whatever didn't deserve such a treatment. Zach's only been in Norfinbury for a few days, and even though he's been warned about psychos, this is just beyond anything he imagined.]

Holy shit. Holy shit.

[youarethebandits]

Is that a freaked out holy shit, or an impressed one?

@captaininvincible; video

[notaquaman]

Well shit!

[This sounds like it's going to be another boring response. But then...wait for it! Wait for it.]

A public execution? She totally stole my thunder!

[youarethebandits]

Hey, if you wanna get in on that, it can absolutely be arranged.

voice @haurchefant

[silverfuller]

NO! What have you done!? How could you take a life for mere attention, whether the victim is willing or not?

Cease this-this madness forthwith or I shall be forced to intervene!

[All of it. All of the expected justice spam.]

[youarethebandits]

Haurche. Buddy. Pal. Calm down before you hurt yourself.

@SceptredIsle; text

[keepscalm]

Funny, it seemed to me that your threat was the reason she stopped talking to us. This seems a tad counter-productive. Who's to say she'll even come back this time, if she was so displeased by the mere suggestion of being extorted?

[youarethebandits]

She'll come back. She's lonely and she wants our attention.

@Spoiler ; video

[spoileralert]

[ Steph gets all of her "WHAT THE SHIT" reactions over with before turning on the camera. The look on her face is horribly unimpressed, but don't be fooled! She is totally freaked the fuck out. ]

As far as scary goes, Riddler did it better.

[youarethebandits]

That's fine, I wasn't really going for scary. Just wanted to make it clear that I was serious.

@gravedigger; voice

[harlequinofhate]

Ah, so you're the legendary other "Jack" everyone keeps crowing about.

[youarethebandits]

Since I got here first, I'm pretty sure that makes you the other Jack.

@hotstud_xxx, text

[rubikscomplex]

[ This is text because, yeah. It's going be text. House isn't horrified, he's just disgusted. ]

does assisted suicide actually count for murder in the future?
might wanna check with the admin
they might've legalized it here in alaska by whenever this is
i mean
if you're gonna threaten murder
it should actually be a murder

[youarethebandits]

The legality doesn't really matter. You just have to look at the responses above to see that it counts for shock factor. And if it's not enough for Winter, I can certainly give her more unambiguous murder.

text; @standardissue

[deus_ex_phs]

[He can't even respond to this. Sheer fury stops him from even formulating a coherent response.

But it's only for moments before he's typing in a response - but no one aimed at Handsome Jack.]

@ADMIN
Reporting a medical emergency. Vriska Serket has been strangled and has most likely suffered severe spinal trauma. Please respond immediately.

[Maybe there's a chance. Death isn't always instantaneous, sometimes...]

@ADMIN

[snowblindmods]

Emergency procedures were attempted but did not succeed. I am sorry. The situation will be monitored more closely.

@caligulasAquarium; Video

[unconchonable]

Ok I admit you got globes. But how'd you get her to agree to let a greasy human like yourself do her in?

[Eridan doesn't even seem all that appauled, and it's because he isn't really. Sure, they had their little in cahoots thing, but he's been able to gleam some info off the network about how death works here, and so he's not entirely too bothered by this.

If anything, kinda impressed by the sheer brutality of it. He didn't think humans had it in them--well beyond their APPARENTLY BRUTAL AND CANNIBALISTIC SPAWN but whatever.]

Maybe I should be a bit pissed at some pink-skinned sack of red sludge like you layin' a prong on one of my own kind, but honestly I can't say I giwe much of a damn. So what are you hopin' to hear, anyway?

[youarethebandits]

All I did was ask if she wanted to help out and she said yes. There wasn't any convincing or coercion involved.

As for what I'm hoping to hear? Some frickin' answers, mostly. Winter knows more than she's been telling us, and I believe that's going to be the key to getting out of here.

ACTION

[snowblindmods]

[It seems like nothing at all is happening for five minutes after this message is sent out. Then the air rips open with static, arcing out from Vriska's body like impossible lightning bolts. The air pressure in the room thickens. Jack will feel vaguely nauseous, and then his nose will begin to bleed.

The whole world blinks. Once. Twice. Three times. Then it stops.

Jack's beacon is now on.]

[youarethebandits]

[WOW SCREW YOU ADMIN]

@CaptSteveRogers; video

[starsandtights]

[Completely stony faced.]

I was hoping you'd be smart enough to take a Goddamn hint in our conversation earlier. I suppose I should be less surprised than I am, shame on me.

No joking, then, Jack? Tell me, should I take you seriously?

[youarethebandits]

I dunno, I thought this whole thing was pretty funny. But I guess our senses of humour might not match.

video, @frfujimoto

[lionson]

[This comes a few minutes later, after Shiro has had time to think of just what to say.]

Okay, two things:

First off, what in the world did you tell her to get her to agree to that?

[He suspects coercion but he is wondering why a kid would agree to being killed when there is no guarantee of being brought back.

Point two will come in a moment, he wants to see Jack's response to that first.]

[youarethebandits]

I told her I was going to try and get Winter to talk by threatening to kill people, and I wanted to make it clear that I would go through with it. That's all.

@snailfan98, voice

[inruins]

What does this prove? What does this accomplish? The most you've done is prove you're a pathetic whelp of a man. Threatening others to gain information never works. Never.

[youarethebandits]

Funny you should say that, since it's worked out just great for me plenty of times.

video @Enoch

[warriorscribe]

[There's been so much bad news already. He'd been about to take his urge to talk about home to the network, make himself feel better.

And then this happened. His widened, shocked eyes linger on the camera for a long time, searching for words.

But none come. And his eyes gain focus, gain fire, narrow as his slack-jawed stare turns into a snarl of boiling rage.]

You...you...

[A child has just been tricked into allowing herself to be murdered. She couldn't have been long to adulthood. She may not come back.

The background shifts as he stands, starting for the door. He has to find him. He can't let this go. A girl is dead.

But he doesn't know where he is. With no outlet in action, his anger breaks through in words:]

How dare you, you human-shaped dung heap? She was a child, she was reading your words aloud, did she know what she was consenting to?

[His arm rises and there's a slam off camera as he hits the wall.]

Do you think your victim reciting an agreement you wrote for them makes this right!?

[youarethebandits]

She knew exactly what she was consenting to, and she was fine with it. I'm just kind of used to the whole contractual agreement thing.

[action/not here]

[eclecticbassist]

[ Oh my fucking god.

This day has been a suckfest from start to finish and Jade really doesn't need this in her life right now. If a certain masked someone isn't ignoring her existence, he'll notice she's sighing every so often and rubbing her eyes. God damn it, Vriska. ]

@headjacked; video

[headjacked]

[ Score another for Team Not Surprised But No Less Disgusted. After babbling complete gibberish on video for a couple seconds he finally forces his mouth to make words. ]

You just... that was a kid, wasn't it?

[ A little hard to tell, becaue alien, but. Rhys shakes his head. Everything feels swimmy. ]

Angel's not going to be able to stop people from going after you now. And I don't think she even wants to. Who would??

[youarethebandits]

Wow, that was- that was a very erudite moment there, Rhysie. Good job.

[Rhys, please. The president of Hyperion should really conduct himself more confidently.]

I don't need my daughter to protect me. Never have.

[Shut up Jack you totally relied on her help for basically everything you did in canon]

Video | @Summoner

[ninjainviolet]

You. Are. An. Idiot.

[ Never said you've been called that, Jack. ]

[youarethebandits]

Oh, hey. That one's not on my bingo card. Good job!

[He sounds... mildly impressed? Not that he gives a shit about what you think of him.]

@lordmikk; private voice

[prazerbutterfly]

[It was a good enough time as any to try out this private function everyone talked about to him while teaching. He preferred conversations face to face but that just wasn't an option.]

I was starting to think no one here had any backbone. Appeasing the masses isn't going to get us anywhere close to home.

private voice

[youarethebandits]

Oh, hey. Glad to know someone gets it.

@gallowsCalibrator | text

[iustitia]

[ah yes, alternian survival rule #2 rears its ugly head: never trust adults.

(alternian survival rule #1 is never trust other kids)

D1D SH3 3XPL1C1TLY 4GR33 TO B31NG K1LL3D PR1OR TO TH1S V1D3O
OR D1D SH3 JUST R34D 4 BL4NK3T R3L34S3 FORM TH4T 4LLOW3D YOU TO DO WH4T3V3R YOU W4NT3D 4FT3RW4RDS?

[jack's answer to this determines how much terezi yells at vriska's tablet later >:////////////////// ]

[youarethebandits]

That is what she agreed to, yes. Very enthusiastically.

[blessedmaiden]

[It take her forever before sending any reply of sort, mostly because she saw how everyone went 'what the hell' and Rydia doesn't feel like repeating that again.]

What are you trying to prove with this? That you’re evil and we have to fear you? Jack, there are… fourty or fifty people here, monsters not included, you may cause some fuss but you really think you can just go against… everyone?
That's just a stupid and childish display of power that will only make you lose power and whatever influence you may have be on the whole town.

[She's way more angry than she sounds but- sssh for now, she doubts any friendship, love and respect speech would help anyway, no matters how she values life.]

[youarethebandits]

First, I'm trying to prove that I can and will go with the threat I made to Winter. The rest of you don't have anything to do with it.

Second, I never had any influence on the whole town. They already assumed that I'm an evil monster who doesn't love his own daughter. Obviously none of those things are true, but they were never gonna believe that.

@Ecks | text

[ecks]

Do you typically obtain permission before murdering someone?

Do they typically grant permission if asked in advance?

[youarethebandits]

No and no. This is a fairly unique situation.