let's make a plan of attack

[airlockedmods]

[The Spitter account has been quiet for a few weeks, after the cameras were removed from the Temerity. The password was changed so that the crew of the Temerity couldn't get into the official account, but there was nothing stopping them from making their own.

Whether they have their own account or just scroll through it in their free time, however, #Airlocked! has been trending all week on social media and it all comes from the Airtalked spitter account which has been spitting vague words all week.

Today, there's a new spit on the account, along with a respit of a thread from what looks like a highly popular fan spitter:]

Got the clues? Join me this weekend for Airlocked! fun and games, and a chance to get YOUR message featured in the SPECIAL BONUS CONTENT!

[The image attached to the first spit in the thread is some kind of map with a variety of planet-sized buildings all with space-themed names like the Tropicancer, Halley's, the Monte Starlo, Treasure Planet, and the Milkyway Bay hotel.]

As if that wasn't enough, participating will also enter you to win a prize of 50,000 credits!! #VQCC

So get your clue-finding hats on and get ready for a mystery that YOU get to solve, and get excited for Season 3 coming soon! WOO!

And a BIG shout out to @Airtalked for giving me the honor of letting me run this event!! THANK YOU GUYS

[You have a fist full of spitter, a tank full of fuel, and a map full of stupid space puns. What's the plan, Temerity?]

Comments

[cyan_maid]

[The random one-word messages had been weird, to say the least. Hurricane, eight, maroon, and sail...they pestered Jane whenever she saw them respat, though all she dared do was linger on the Airtalked page, not trusting herself to make an account and respond. But today? With this? This is insane. The words are clues? Solving the mystery gets you a cash reward...AND a message to be sent to their friends? Money they could get anywhere for most any kind of thing, but a message to everyone in that frightening Floridian horror show...something to let them know they're not forgotten, that there's hope, that they're coming somehow, and the potential to learn something more about this wretched show...perhaps even something to toss into the gears of a season three, sweet Jesus, would it ever end...

The spaceship isn't huge, so it doesn't take much time for Jane to make the rounds to find the others.]

Hey - there's something going on with the Spitter account. Some kind of contest...mystery thing? And - and I think...I think we ought to try it. We've really got to! Go, go look on the computer!

[If you don't choose to come, she won't hold you against it, but if you do, she'll be waiting in the office, another tab open to scroll through the steady stream of respits from fans, the strange code words written out on the back of some scrap of fanart or another. Come on, she can't do this alone!]

[curdle]

What say you--

[ Annnnnd there Jane goes to alert the next person.

Since she knows she'll take significantly longer than anyone else to actually read it, Thomasin hurries over but makes sure to stand away from the screen, determinedly peering at it from the sidelines. The words season 3 chill her to the bone, but everything else... ]

Can they really mean it?

[ Her voice is small. ]

I dare not trust this.

[cyan_maid]

[It's okay, she's back here at the office when you show up Thomasin.]

I don't know. I...they're certainly hyping an event very well, stirring up confusion and curiosity, offering enticing rewards...and I wouldn't trust anyone directly involved in this thing further than I could throw them, but if it's a real offer...

[How could they turn their back on sending their friends a message, letting them know something?]

[imnotfat]

We can't afford to ignore this development. We are in need of credits, after all.

[Togami comes by, walking leisurely as if this was something that happened everyday. Let's see...the one word thing per message is curious...the first thought is to pay attention to the first letter of each word, but that leads nowhere]

We may already have enough material for us to start making progress. There may be a connection between the words and the names of the planets on the map.

[That much is pretty obvious, in his opinion]

[kingshaming]

Hmm... are these types of events common with shows? I would not put it past them to do something to lure us out, but this is clearly meant for the fans as a whole...

And I hate to admit it, but we are lacking in both funds and heading as of right now.

[cyan_maid]

It's possible. Maybe...each location has a specific point of interest inside of it that pertains to one of the words, though the words seem...mostly sea-based.

[The space puns had been laid on rather thickly out here, but the sea puns? Those don't sit well in Jane's mind. She closes her eyes and sees nothing but tyrian and teeth.]

Are we supposed to ferret out what may or may not be the intended search areas from the words?

[cyan_maid]

Oh golly, yes - for promotional reasons, to get more people to watch and engage in what you're offering. [And more people to spectate innocent people slaughtering each other.] And the money will be nice, sure, but...if that promise of a message is true, then it would be a mistake not to try.

[kingshaming]

Assuming they don't block it knowing it came from us. But knowing them it would perhaps add to the 'drama'. It is worth trying at least, I agree.

Good work, Jane.

[cyan_maid]

It's not as if we can't make it ambiguous - or coded. [After all, it didn't stop Bolton.

Jane beams slightly from the praise.] All I did was look at a computer, any kid could do that...it'll be solving the mystery that's important.

[curdle]

... We must at least try. But if all of us go together, they shall know us for certain.

[ It's still hard to comprehend that people have actually been watching them in the numbers that the Spitter account's following would indicate. If even a fraction of those viewers show up to participate, the competition will be stiff. ]

How many could possibly wish to win such a message?

[ literally what would they even say ]

[kingshaming]

[While the two talked, Xander was looking up each planet and it's attractions- he's gotten much better at computering with all his fanfic reading!]

Hm... other then one planet so far having a building called Octavius Tower nothing has matched a word so far, but I am not even half way through. It is almost like this was meant for locals that would know these attractions by heart...

[kingshaming]

Well, quite a few of the fans wish to propose to at least one person among our number both here and with the 'dead'...

[He would not put it past one of them to send something lewd]

[airlockedmods]

[Don't tell me you wouldn't pay to see "Airlocked Cast Reads Mean Tweets: Deadland Edition"]

[stitch_in_time]

Five-hundred million, give or take?

[Depending on how difficult it is for Average Joe Airlocked fan to get to Vegas, anyway.]

Goin' in disguise might be easier than you'd think. It's a lot different seeing someone in person than on video.

[cyan_maid]

Well...fans can be...pretty enthusiastic. And stupid. There was a movie in my world where tons of people made a big to-do over a contest for inserting a line of dialogue into the script for a main character, and I'm pretty sure there were a lot of really stupid contenders that got a lot of votes.

[Seriously why would Optimus Prime talk about pretzels making him thirsty, robots don't know where food goes]

[stitch_in_time]

Doesn't mean it's not good work.

[Believe in the them who believe in you, Jane, etc etc.]

And remember, these clues are aimed at our 'fans' specifically. They could refer to us and the programs as much as places in the Vegas quadrant.

[cyan_maid]

Really? But...then why only four words? Why not eight, or twenty two, even?

[kingshaming]

There's only one location that seems to have a maritime theme. And even has 'treasure' in the name. These clues are meant to be solved after all- they likely aren't too complicated once we figure out the thought process.

[stitch_in_time]

Good question. The word 'eight' itself might reference us, but...

[Oh, no.]

Maybe something to do with the ships? There were about four of them that were really popular, yeah?

[God he hopes not.]

...we should probably focus more on the locations for now, but it might be something to keep in mind.

[kingshaming]

[Xander isn't great at puzzles, so after reading up on all the planets he goes back to the spit.

... sure, let's follow that VQCC hashtag and see what other things are tagged with it]

[ratherdoweddings]

That's true! If we just hide ourselves a little -- and we've already got some things for that, since we've been going out a few times as it is...

[stitch_in_time]

Huh... hurricane, eight, maroon, sail... maybe "pieces of eight", if we're thinking some kind of pirate theme?

[Because, well. Treasure Planet. That's a name with a certain yo-ho-ho connotation.]

The clues could almost form sort of story, thinking about it like that. A hurricane maroons someone on an island, but there's treasure, and in the end they sail away.

[ratherdoweddings]

The Treasure Planet does seem like a good idea. There could even be something on the boats out front, or those fishing games in the casino!

[curdle]

[ OH NO ]

Then we must not make ourselves known. They will be...

[ rabid ]

[kingshaming]

Ah! That puts them all in the same theme then. Looks like this Treasure Planet world may be our best bet. Maybe each word also is the location of a new clue. Say, a chest of treasure or the sail of a ship?