Life.
When you don't allow half-measures, better no punishment at all than a shredding for someone who took justice in ther own hands.

One last thing though, Sheila: Beware, since this place isn't appropriate to render fair judgement on you, you're on the track to end up severely underpunished. Perhaps your victims too had someone who loves them, and who might take justice in their own hands as well.

I think she needs to be kept far away from society. She rationalized her murders, she will rationalize the next one. But I'm going to abstain; her obsession with torture - something is wrong. I don't think she had full control of her anger and I don't think it was purely her personal biology. Ultimately, I am not 100% certain that she was not manipulated into doing this, but I am 100% certain that she is capable of further murders.

>>1088735
Life.
Let's not do a coin toss here, please? Sheila may be a murderous vigilante but justice was served. The only problem here is that it was done without the oversight of the legal system. I understand why she didn't, but I still wish she gave her evidence to the police so they could've gotten the culprits.

Also, Sheila... please get some therapy. You had your revenge but you're still so angry. You can get better. Maybe you can even find peace.

And yeah Hannah I know you're gonna call us hypocrites for (halfway) setting a murderer free and then empathizing with someone who killed murderers, but I sure didn't vote to let that guy go.

She doesn't regret what she did, but there were extenuating circumstances that, while not justifying the brutality, do at least let us understand and sympathize with her motives. And it's doubtful she'd do it again, unless she finds another love of her life that just happens to get murdered by people who aren't punished, again. This is certainly a case where I think both "life" and "death" would be a bullshit outcome for this trial, but... Life. She isn't a danger to society at this point, I don't think. Personally, I think she was only given death in court because they were scared of whatever ability she had.

>>1088737
I have to agree.

She certainly killed more than the ones she was caught for.
Certainly has the will and ability to do it again.
Very unlikely to be motivated to do so though.

But, im saying LIFE.

It should be life, or at least a good portion of it, in custody. Full psychiatric treatment.
But because we have a binary choice here and i cant condone the corpse grinder.
so despite it being clear she is deserving of punishment the only option available is a poor fit for her circumstances and as such were left with freedom.

Whatever happens now, whatever she goes on to do, is the responsibilty of hannahs bosses for choosing an absolutist system.

Life

Life, an understandable revenge. In a healthy society she would get psychiatric help, but then, in a healthy society she wouldn't have been pushed to murder in the first place.

>>1088735
Despite the fact that she killed brutally and had no remorse or clean behavior about it, I can't think of a single person who actually has a loved one that wouldn't try to enact vengeance if theirs was killed. Hell, we have countless 'revenge' movies on this subject where we're supposed to empathize with and cheer the person doing the revenge. A court (clearly) made for entertainment deserves a verdict made for entertainment.

Life it is. Just watch your back out there, miss.

Can we hire her? This place could use someone that skilled at tearing guilty people to pieces.

Life.

[1/6] MIDNASTER 2024/05/05(Sun)01:26 No. 1090348 ID: 4591f8
File 171489761654.png - (7.24KB , 434x443 , 3_3_1.png )

Hannah: “Survey says…”

DEATH: 0
LIFE: 8

Hannah: “Really? No votes shredder? Not even a little bit?”

[2/6] MIDNASTER 2024/05/05(Sun)01:27 No. 1090349 ID: 4591f8
File 171489762084.png - (10.17KB , 434x443 , 3_3_2.png )

Hannah: “Mercy it is, then. Our viewers are too kind!... Really. Oh well. Au revoir, I suppose.”

[3/6] MIDNASTER 2024/05/05(Sun)01:27 No. 1090350 ID: 4591f8
File 171489762255.png - (4.48KB , 523x445 , 3_3_3.png )

Sheila: “What’s on the other side?”

Hannah: “What? Don’t believe me, dear? A motorcycle, cash, and some docs. Just get on the bike and leave. Unless you want seconds! HAHAHA!”

Hannah (Quietly): “Word of caution, after you leave that door, you have 60 seconds before you are considered Not Welcome Here.”

[4/6] MIDNASTER 2024/05/05(Sun)01:27 No. 1090351 ID: 4591f8
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Sheila: “And if I return?”

Hannah: “Then it’s my turn to decide your justice.”

Sheila leaves. The motorcycle can be heard through the walls.

[5/6] MIDNASTER 2024/05/05(Sun)01:27 No. 1090352 ID: 4591f8
File 171489762815.png - (12.05KB , 523x445 , 3_4_5.png )

Hannah: “Oh shit! You know what? I should have said ‘dip in’ or ‘dip out’ with Mortimer, that would have been perfect.”

[6/6] MIDNASTER 2024/05/05(Sun)01:27 No. 1090353 ID: 4591f8
File 171489763069.png - (6.60KB , 523x445 , 3_4_6.png )

Once again, you are Devan. You are not comfortable. Sigh. Shit’s fucked.

Barbara is in the cell one over.

Barbara: “Are you okay?”

>>1090353
Dude, embarrassing... Well, you managed to push your head through, you can pull it back. Try pulling your skin/fur back so it doesn't bunch up and block you.

Hmm, for many animals, if they can fit their head somewhere then they can fit the rest of their body too. You sure you can't squeeze through the bars?

>>1090353
Time to unfuck this shit then!

Tell her you're ok, then ask her what her story is.
The noise of conversation may help cover your embarrassment and noise as you struggle

As your dad would say; if you got yourself in There you can get yourself out.
Ask her if she has any metal bits she can slide to you.

Can you make a gun out of your complete failure?

We're not okay, but we now have a bit of a better vantage point than before. Can we see around any corners? Can we see into any other cells better than when our eyes were behind bars?

Does Barbara have any butter, oil, or other grease? Out of pure curiosity.

Just focus on getting unstuck. From the sounds of it, the jury's actually pretty lenient if they let your actual-serial-killer-in-the-making of a roommate go free. But you can't enjoy their possible mercy if you're executed for being too stuck to comply with guard-bot's instructions.

Don't suppose you could use yourself as ammo and blast through the bars?

[1/2] MIDNASTER 2024/06/01(Sat)03:36 No. 1092247 ID: d0d6fb
File 171723818450.png - (40.49KB , 387x346 , 4_0_0.png )

>>1090354
>>1090359
>>1090375
> Try working backwards. If that doesn’t work, go all the way through. Make some conversation in the meanwhile. If you can, make a gun.

You start trying to worm your way backwards. You don’t have any means of modifying or molding these bars; you don’t have any tools. However, the card reader mechanism could likely be used as a component for a trigger mechanism, should you find a way to disassemble it. You keep this in mind.

[2/2] MIDNASTER 2024/06/01(Sat)03:36 No. 1092248 ID: d0d6fb
File 171723818813.png - (21.25KB , 606x450 , 4_0_1.png )

From this new vantage point you can see the two empty cells across from you. The one straight across is labeled “01” and the one to its right is labeled “02”. To your right, is a dead end. To your left, the hall makes a sharp right turn. This facility isn’t built to give you all the details at a distant glance. You do know that there is one security checkpoint between the cells and the entrance.

Devan: “Hey, Barbara. It’s not heaven over here. Got my big ass head stuck in these bars. That said, if you have any, like, loose bits of anything you can slide over here from your cell, that would be just swell.”

Barbara: “Oh… I don’t have anything. Not even a mattress.”

Not sure what you expected from a prison like this.

Devan: “What about you? How have you been?”

Barbara: “Honestly, I’m confused. I’m not sure how to feel. When I signed the papers, I thought that maybe–”

Her voice starts wavering.

Barbara: “I thought that maybe they discovered that I’ve done nothing wrong, because I’ve done nothing wrong! I thought maybe I could get a second chance.”

Devan: “No, no, no! You’re all good. I didn’t even know there were papers. I didn’t sign anything.”

Barbara: “Oh…”

In the meanwhile, you hear the muffled rumbling and crackling of a truck parking into a driveway somewhere not too distant.

Squeezing through crosses your mind at this point but there is no doubt some cameras and surveillance, so you’ll need a plan for what to do afterwards before you commit to that decision.

>>1092248
Ask her details about the papers.
Signatories, identified parties.
Anything she can remember.

It'll help you distract you from anybuilding frustration at being stuck.
Best to work your head back in till youre committed to escaping that way.

>need a plan
Its either make a break for it with no plan, or wait for your turn on trial. You're not going to gain any information in this cell. Better to just go for it.

>>1092268
Yeah, gotta agree. Not much else you can do here but wait your turn to go on trial, if you even get one. Bust out now while you have a chance.

1. get tools
2. make a gun out of your pants
3. go on trial
4. blow hannah away with a well placed pelvic thrust

Something's weird about this. Why even have you here when there's little to no chance of you getting the death sentence? Maybe they're not even going to send you to trial. Hannah demonstrated the shredder before the last sentencing, so... I'm guessing they're going to kill you by "demonstrating" the execution device on the next trial.

Don't prep yourself to kill anyone though. We know very little about what Hannah's role in this is. She could just be a patsy. So could everyone here. Justice is elusive, don't assume that blowing away anyone in your way will be just.

>>1092281
No no I meant she'll be blown away by what he's packing. I mean she'll be thunderstruck by his impressive magnum. I mean she'll be penetrated by his pocket rocket. I mean

People are likely looking at the set and production cameras, rather than security. If you can hold off just until the next trial starts, that will probably provide maximum cover from prying eyes. The show must go on; they'll try their hardest to keep whatever you're doing in the back from showing up on stage.

There's a truck you could steal, now, if you have any powers of theft without a completed firearm. Can you drive it? Could Barbara drive it? If possible, it might be nice to bust her out, too. What's she in for, anyway? She's the first one that's mentioned any sort of voluntary inclusion in the project. What's she in for, and how'd she get here?

[1/5] MIDNASTER 2024/07/10(Wed)02:55 No. 1094054 ID: 4591f8
File 172060531901.png - (48.47KB , 772x622 , 4_1_0.png )

> We still don’t know enough about Hannah to warrant violence.

That’s right. Don’t want to resort to violence first. To be honest, that’s an idea you could use a bit more of from time to time.

> If you didn’t sign anything you may actually be a demonstration rather than a ‘contestant’

Hmmm… That’s a harrowing thought. You just pray that this game of life and death is a little more fair than that.

Dying as a prop is a scary idea you don’t want to spend too much time thinking about right now. Being walled in for so long is starting to leave a dent in your sanity. Nothing’s happened lately but being stuck and waiting to get out.

Devan: “So, what exactly did you do? I don’t remember if you’ve told me.”

Barbara: “Nothing.”

Devan: “Nothing? Prison for nothing? I’d think there’s more to it.”

Barbara (mumbling): “You would think, huh?”

Devan: “So why are you here if not anything?”

Barbara: “Oh, just… three people I didn’t murder.”
Devan: “What? Like you were in some twisted dilemma or something? Framed?”

Barbara: “...Yeah. Framed.”

You sigh.

[2/5] MIDNASTER 2024/07/10(Wed)02:55 No. 1094055 ID: 4591f8
File 172060532206.png - (31.06KB , 665x562 , 4_1_1.png )

Devan: “Well, you were looking for a second chance and this shitshow is supposedly your second chance. We’re just waiting to leave, at this rate. And those papers… That’s something. Was anyone mentioned in the contract? What was it about? After you signed it, how did you get here?”

Barbara: “There were some questions on it. On one, I said that I can’t regret something I didn’t do, which, in hindsight, was probably not the brightest thing to jot down. So, there’s one regret, I suppose… A few weeks later I’m told to get on this prison bus. Sheila was there with me and it was a… very quiet ride.”

Devan: “That’s interesting. I still wish there was something I could work with.”

Harsh feedback rings through the prison P.A.

[3/5] MIDNASTER 2024/07/10(Wed)02:55 No. 1094056 ID: 4591f8
File 172060532754.png - (18.71KB , 650x560 , 4_1_2.png )

Hannah (Speakers): “Stagehands, please escort our new stars to oh-one and oh-two! These guests are special! Handle them carefully! They’re unique and very talented.”

[4/5] MIDNASTER 2024/07/10(Wed)02:55 No. 1094057 ID: 4591f8
File 172060533255.png - (44.43KB , 695x587 , 4_1_3.png )

It’s almost like the setup to a joke; 3 people, a lizard, a cat, and a hamster are escorted to their respective cells by stagehands wielding sharp spears. Unlike how you and Barbara came in, they are all bound and gagged.

The lizard sounds to be humming a tune, taking in the environment. The cat is bopping his head to that song, walking in a dance-like gait. The hamster looks tired of either of them.

Hannah (Speakers): “Oh! HAHAHA! It appears I’ve miscounted! But, uhhh… We don’t have enough cells for this… You know what? Put the hamster and the cat in the same cell.”

[5/5] MIDNASTER 2024/07/10(Wed)02:55 No. 1094058 ID: 4591f8
File 172060533541.png - (23.17KB , 660x532 , 4_1_4.png )

As the trio passes, a long splinter comes off of the backend of one of the spears. It lands just past your nose.

>>1094058
Use your tongue to grab it. I assume you can't make a gun out of a single splinter, but it's a start.

Suck in a breath real hard to pull it to you

Wait, you can just grab it with your hands can't you. Just try not to get spotted doing so.

You know you can just kinda... turn your head sideways, to pull it back through the bars, right?

[1/2] MIDNASTER 2024/07/11(Thu)02:18 No. 1094114 ID: 4591f8
File 172068952674.png - (5.25KB , 526x532 , 4_2_0.png )

Yoink!

[2/2] MIDNASTER 2024/07/11(Thu)02:18 No. 1094115 ID: 4591f8
File 172068952878.png - (25.29KB , 660x532 , 4_2_1.png )

You’ve got it, now. You might need to find a place to hide it sometime soon, you keep it under your paw like some kind of magician until you think of something.

Metal–you can’t do anything with that without proper tools, but a small amount of wood like this is brittle enough to manipulate with your hands. With a splinter this large and some luck you could probably make a single-use toothpick launcher that could do some damage, but that would hardly mean anything in a serious conflict.

Did it seem suspicious to you that the splinter came off right in front of you? I wonder if someone else's power is responsible, or if this is some kind of trap. They can sure execute you if you kill someone with your toothpick launcher without probable cause.

>>1094115
For the love of all that is holy, do not hide it in your prison wallet.

Youve got fur. And hair.
Tuck it in to that temporarily while you appraise the new situation.

Have a sneaky look around your cell too.
Theres a possibility that they have cameras on you.
Look for spots one could hide a camera.
Small holes in corners .
Elevated and with coverage of the cells inside and out.

>>1094116
Why would they execute you now when they could do it live for the ratings or whatever? They don't need an excuse, its not like the audience is going to know if they're lying.

I guess just keep the pick under you until you free your head.

Derringer stock? Lockpick? This feels like the sort of thing we shouldn't convert into something else immediately. The potential is worth more than a toothpick launcher at the moment.

The new guys could be useful. If they're really that talented, then if we can spring them, they might be a big enough distraction to cover whatever we're doing. The downside is that they might be loose enough canons that we get caught in the crossfire. Communication is gonna be limited, but scoping out exactly what their talents are and how dangerous they would be to us should be a high priority.

>>1094056
What's that in the lower-left corner? It looks kind of irregular, not intended, especially with the discoloration. Does it go somewhere, is it a pipe, or just a random, unintended hole from a stray gunshot or something? Did someone punch it and leave blood around the jagged edges?

That toothpick is going to turn into your life line here. Might even be able to use it as a lockpick.

If you made a low-grade gun with the Concealment trait, something prone to failure and nigh-incapable of firing but with a supernatural chance of evading discovery, you could put the splinter in its hole.

No matter what, continue to make getting unstuck your primary focus. The chances of you getting killed for "resisting" shoot way up if you're still stuck in place when your turn at trial comes around. And if you do actually decide to resist, this is an extremely disadvantaged position from which to do so.

In the meantime...

"So, Barbara; I know one half of why you're here - you were found guilty of something death penalty-worthy regardless of whether you actually did it. But if this trend of 'special talents' continues... what special ability have you supposedly got that made the authorities extra scared of you?"

Come to think of it... this whole production seems wildly unprofessional for the purpose it's supposedly serving. There's duct tape holding down the intercom button. The way the 'contestants' have arrived is inconsistent in several ways. There are robot guards, but they're wielding wooden spears - and they aren't even in particularly good shape.

Actually... try asking everyone where they're from, come to think of it; specifically, where they were arrested and sentenced. Compare stories in full (assuming the new guys can take their tape off now that they aren't being watched), making no assumptions about details like that. I'm still of the theory that this whole show isn't legitimate, at least beyond a certain point. A front for some criminal group underbid for the right to handle the "disposal" of death-row inmates from various places - that only some inmates had to sign paperwork could suggest they're from different places with different laws and procedures pertaining to prisoners' rights. The goal, of course, is to recruit different criminals with supernatural abilities and help them 'disappear' off the living record to become everymen with no history and thus theoretically no connection to their assigned targets or their employers. Hannah's show is just one final vibe-check-by-jury to see if not even Hannah's clients can stomach these criminals - their (our) metric being less about guilt and more about whether they'll get into more trouble on their own than the amount that's assigned to them.