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expiationlogs2023-09-11 06:30 am
- !event,
- ai tsf: mizuki date,
- arcane: caitlyn kiramman,
- arcane: jinx,
- arcane: silco,
- arcane: violet / vi,
- blazblue: ragna the bloodedge,
- bungo stray dogs: nikolai gogol,
- bungo stray dogs: sigma,
- final fantasy xiii2: noel kreiss,
- fire emblem three hopes: marianne,
- fma:b: pride,
- magia record: mitama yakumo,
- original: astralin turnont,
- persona 3 portable: kotone shiomi,
- persona 4: yosuke hanamura,
- persona 4: yu narukami,
- persona 5 royal: goro akechi,
- umineko wtc: ange ushiromiya,
- x-men movieverse: scott summers
{EVENT #4} ADVERSITY 2933165.9475
| MOD NOTES: Please direct any questions to the corresponding comment below. Note that character decisions and actions taken on these prompts will affect future events, storylines, and relationships with other peoples of Expiation. You can find the OOC poll here. Please pick from the corresponding options with the appropriate character journal. If you use a personal journal or a journal not part of Expiation, your votes will not be counted. Remember that if your character did something different than what is in the prompts given, leave a comment in the OOC poll entry and link to your comment in the option made available. We will provide an IC post in exactly ten days with the results of the poll that will wrap up the event. You may mingle on it if you like, but the most important purpose is to share the effects of character decisions on this event. The various prompts are, of course, optional. |
WHEN THE FOG ROLLS IN
On the night of September 10, an impenetrable fog covers the town of Aldrip. When characters wake in the morning, they find that Aldrip has disappeared, replaced by a large, enclosed maze.
Characters will wake up in one of three different levels of this maze, and they may—but don't have to—find that they are not alone. As they explore the maze, they will encounter trials and stumbling blocks both physical and mental. It seems the maze is testing them, poking at their fears, their past, their feelings. Confronting these questions about themselves and their very nature will allow them to progress through the maze in hopes of eventually finding the exit—and hopefully the town along with it.
While they do not all wake up in the same level of the maze, all characters do, in theory, have to complete all three trials in order to leave. This may not be so easy to achieve; due to the nature of these trials, if someone cannot get past one area, they may remain stuck there. Other characters are able to help them confront these issues, and may instead (or in addition) pass through that way if they choose to. Aside from the level where they wake up, characters may approach these levels in any order as they so choose.THE GROUPS
GROUP A:
Serah Farron
Elidibus
Nakahara Chuuya
Tsunayoshi Sawada
Rei Suwa
Caitlyn Kiramman
Ragna the Bloodedge
Kotone Shiomi
Monkey D. Luffy
Yuja Wightshade (WoL)
Yosuke Hanamura
Astralin Turnont
Dazai Osamu
Ange Ushiromiya
Hythlodaeus
Ethlyn
GROUP B:
Violet (Vi)
Silco
Mizuki Date
Claude von Riegan
Noel Kreiss
Kazuki Kurusu
G'raha Tia
Jinx
Marianne von Edmund
Goro Akechi
Sooyoung Han
Saito Sejima
Nikolai Gogol
Erichtonios
Emet-Selch
GROUP C:
Yu Narukami
Pride
Sigma
Usagi Tsukino
William G Maryblood
Scott Summers
Gundam Tanaka
Quentin Quire
Akira Kurusu
Mitama Yakumo
Med'an
Ken Amada
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Izuku "Deku" Midoriya
Echo
EXPLORING THE MAZE
The walls of the maze are made of stone slabs; tall, solid, and imposing. As far as one can see, there seem to be no cracks or seams in the wall. They're cool to the touch, perhaps a little dampened by the foggy weather. Some of the stones seem to glow with a dim, inner light. Most of the corridors are stable, but some are a little more risky. Walls or ceilings could collapse, leaving passages blocked and some Chosen trapped within tunnels or rooms of the maze.
Some corridors within the maze are less built up, as well, more like dug-out caverns that look somewhat like mining tunnels. In these tunnels, you can find the raw form of those glowing stones, which seem to light the darkness, allowing the Chosen to see at least a bit. They're enchanting, and some may have a hard time resisting trying to pull them out of the walls.
Occasionally, characters may find larger rooms with small tables of food, equipment, and supplies set up. These areas seem to be safety zones, untouched by the trials, where Chosen can eat, rest, treat any wounds, and replenish their energy.
ii. PERILS IN THE DARK
As the Chosen progress through the challenges of the maze—both illusions and real—the air itself may begin to feel more oppressive and heavy, making movement feel very difficult at times. As the week wears on, characters may find themselves worn out faster or feeling more sluggish than normal. More than that, they may find that their emotional lows become more intense: characters may become more easily frustrated, paranoid, scared, or impatient. In general, this seems to exacerbate the worst parts of their personalities.
On other occasions, Chosen may feel as if they are being watched. They get the feeling that something lurks in the shadows of the maze, that they are being watched or followed. They may hear something scratching or skittering across the walls. When they look…there is nothing there, nor any evidence of creatures stalking them through the halls. Characters who had bad luck in the Casino are particularly prone to this feeling; occasionally, they may feel as if someone—or something—is tugging at their hair or clothes, or breathing against their neck. Try to keep your head, Chosen. The hardest part is yet to come.
THE TRIALS
iii. A DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL [TRIAL A]
It's difficult to pinpoint exactly what location or event triggers the beginning of the trial; it seems to be different for every character. Chosen will find themselves in a long corridor, laced with fog. As they progress down this corridor, they begin to see and hear hallucinations and illusions that highlight their greatest insecurities: their flaws, their weaknesses, the darkness they suspect dwells within their soul.
These illusions may come in a variety of different forms. Perhaps they experience voices or images of peers issuing criticisms that they fear are accurate, or they may face a shadowy figure that bears their appearance that embodies all of their worst qualities. The form these illusions take is up to you, the players, and whether other characters are able to see those illusions can also be decided between players. Confronting, challenging, debunking, and/or accepting these criticisms and claims is the key to exiting this level.
Once they have confronted this challenge, the illusions and hallucinations stop immediately. The fog lifts, revealing a turn in the maze they didn't notice before. They may progress in their exploration.
iv. THE SHAPE OF YOUR FEARS [TRIAL B]
Similar to the first trial, this seems to trigger with little warning or fanfare. At some point in their exploration, characters will find their way blocked by something representing their deepest fears. This can be literal—a dark hallway for those who fear the dark, as an example—but can manifest in a myriad of other ways, too. A character could see someone from their past that represents this fear, or a monster, or an object or memory of something that connects to that fear. These fears will be made tangible and visible to anyone around them, leaving them exposed and vulnerable. In order to progress, they must be able to pass by these fears, and may do so in any way the player chooses, whether it requires fighting a monster, negotiating with an authority figure, finding a light in the darkness, or anything else players and characters can imagine.
The nature of this trial can be as massive or mundane as you, the player, chooses. Whether they need to simply turn on a light to abate their fear of the dark, or whether they need to take down a massive beast to confront something bigger, the area they find themselves in seems to accommodate the size of their trial. Once they have confronted this fear, it disappears, revealing a hallway that might not have been there before, allowing them to progress.
v. IN PURSUIT OF JUSTICE [TRIAL C]
As with the first two trials, this one seems to emerge from the darkness when a character is ready to face it. They enter a room lined with obsidian mirrors. When they approach these mirrors, characters are confronted with memories related to the crime they have been charged with. This can be a specific moment or a series of moments related to their crime either directly or indirectly. Characters may become lost in these memories and may need help navigating through them from other people: the longer they remain lost in these memories, reliving them again and again, the more they run the risk of losing those memories entirely, either permanently or temporarily. Only by addressing the crime, the way they feel about it, the relationship that crime has to reality and to who the character is, can characters be free of this particular trial.
Once they have surpassed this trial, characters find themselves able to step back through these obsidian mirrors back into the maze, where they can continue their journey.
Navigating all three trials elicits no special fanfare or celebration. Upon completion of the third trial, they find themselves in a foggy corridor, where they will find an exit from the maze.
OPT-OUT AND AFTERMATH
Those characters (or players) who do not wish to interact with the maze will occasionally find quiet corridors that mysteriously place them outside the maze, unable to reenter. They will find that the town is, indeed, gone, as are their living quarters—hope you don't mind roughing it for a while. However, thanks to recent efforts to bolster the town's supplies, some of the underground storehouses organized by Claude and Marianne seem to remain intact and are available as temporary emergency shelter, should your character choose not to camp out.
After one week, the maze will disappear and life in Aldrip returns to normal. As for the locals? They don't seem to notice that anything strange has happened at all. Maze? What maze? Strange weather we're having this week, eh?
Just because there’s not a prompt for it doesn’t mean that your character’s actions aren’t acceptable. If you wish to do anything that hasn’t been directly addressed by the prompts, leave a message for the mod team to say what your character would do. If you choose to go down this path, note it as a comment on the OOC poll when it goes up, and leave a link to your threads so that we can take all actions into consideration for the next State of the Game.
no subject
[If her voice is a little sharper, a little higher-pitched, well, no it isn't as she takes Ken's hand and turns, almost as if she's trying to flee. But where can they go? Those few steps back take them back to those green-tinged streets, and she knows what's waiting around the corner of that specific alleyway. She grips Ken's hand more tightly and tries her best to keep her expression neutral.]
It's okay, let's try- let's go another way.
[But she doesn't want to go back to fighting Nyx. She doesn't want to go back to the roof. Feet frozen where they are, she keeps her hand in Ken's, desperately trying to make a decision.]
no subject
He just had to find somewhere safe.]
There just has to be a way out of here! We just need to keep looking around...!
[Because he really didn't know what else to do. And yet, he found his breath getting slightly shallow. If everything kept on changing, it would only be a matter of time before Nyx would show up....]
no subject
[If he keeps going like that, the scenery is going to change again. But by the time she speaks up, it's too late; everything fades to black around them, only the massive glowing orb of Nyx herself facing them both. Kotone's hand grips his tight enough to hurt as she tries to take a step back. She doesn't want to watch this again. She doesn't want Ken to have to see this again.
The moment she chose to die for all of them.]
Ken-kun, look, it's fine, let's just- let's find another way, let's go.
no subject
Are you sure? Where else can we go?
[Would this imaginary Nyx go after them? Whatever she would do, he just had to protect his leader. He couldn't forgive himself if he saw her try to save him once more.]
no subject
[He can't change anything. It's a memory. It's not real. It's already happened. He puts his arm out in front of her as if he can protect her, and its a sweet gesture, but she just grabs that arm and yanks, pulling them both backward. Tactical retreat, she'll call it if she has to.
She pulls hard enough, and suddenly they're back in the foggy maze, surrounded by the mirrors, and she gasps sharply with the shock. If it weren't for her naginata, she might have collapsed; as it is, it's only her grip on the long weapon that keeps her upright, its base pressed against the hard stone floor as she tries to catch her breath. Of course, there's still no way out, the mirrors surrounding them and reflecting back their individual memories, but at least they're out of immediate harm's way.]
no subject
With how he was pulled back, he found himself nearly falling back to the ground. Now that they were in a hall of mirrors, he just stared at their own reflection. Feeling a cold sweat running down his face, he took in a sharp breath before both of his hand gripped his spear.]
...What are we to do, Kotone-san? We just....can't leave.
no subject
I-I'll be okay, Ken-kun, [she manages, trying desperately to sound more put-together than she actually feels. How many times has she had to relive these memories? How many more times would she need to do this? Her vision swims with exhaustion, and she leans more heavily against her naginata.] I'll-- I'll get us through this.
[Because perhaps that's the key thing. Even though Ken is in one of these memories, they're all still her memories. This has to be her test. She has to get through this.]
no subject
...Are you sure? Whatever happened to having us backing you up?
[Leader or not, she was just person. There was no way she could do everything by herself. He had a nasty habit of trying to everything for himself as well but it was only until recently he realized he needed to ask for help. He just hoped that she would learn that too.]
no subject
I just- I don't think it's a physical fight. I don't want to fight Ryoji.
[Ryoji, because he is still Ryoji in that memory, not the Appriser. He was human then, no matter how he tried to convince her he wasn't.]
no subject
Who said that you had to? Didn't we fight him together?
[Not that he wanted to fight him but he didn't want her to feel as though was alone.]
no subject
[She shakes her head. Fighting them seems like the wrong answer in a way she doesn't really know how to quantify. Why are the mirrors reflecting her memories like this? Awful memories she's never forgotten and never will forget.
Her thumb worries at a faintly glowing ring she's wearing as she takes a breath and straightens her posture.]
I can't explain it, but I don't think we're supposed to fight. I think it's a different kind of test.
no subject
[Suddenly, that was when he realized what she meant. If this wasn't a fight, then it could only mean one other thing. If these mirrors were showing her memories, it meant one thing.]
...Kotone-san, is this what you regret?
[Of course it would be. He had some regrets too about fighting Ryoji and not being able to save his leader. Why wouldn't it be the same for her?]
no subject
She doesn't answer immediately, shoulders stiff at the question. Ken wants her to say that she's fine, right? That she's the unflappable leader, that everything will be okay. That they'll get out of this, and they won't have anything to worry about.]
I... maybe? It's all stuff I've had to accept, [she murmurs, more to herself than to Ken. Stuff she hated, or stuff she was sad about -- things she couldn't avoid or stop or make better, as much as she tried to smile about it.]
no subject
And yet...]
Are you afraid of accepting it? There is nothing wrong with that.
[He had to admit, he did idolize her in some ways but this time? He knew that she needed help and that was okay.]
no subject
[That, at least, she can answer immediately. She doesn't like any of it, but she knows there was no avoiding it. She'd spent the entirety of last year learning there were things she had to accept, no matter how unfair or unfortunate they were.
Her brows knit together as she stays still, afraid to move closer to any of the mirrors lest they get sucked in again.] I'm... okay, [she repeats, more quietly, as if to reassure Ken that she really is someone he can count on.
The mirrors pulse, and she lets out a little noise of pain as her memories feel like they're straining against the inside of her skull, digging little knives into her brain. She grips her head in both her hands and takes several deep, shuddering breaths, trying not to cry.]
no subject
Kotone-san...!
[He shouted as a look of dread washed over him. Looking at the mirrors, he gave a swallow breath in and he felt so helpless. He just had to do something.]
Should...should we just destroy them?
no subject
One hand falls to her heart, gripping her blouse as if she could ask her Personas for help. Hers aren't like Akira's seem to be; his seem to be pretty chatty, whereas hers tend to be more the observing or the cryptic type. Maybe it's imagining or wishful thinking, but-
Tell him.
Shakily, she turns around and grabs his sleeve, feeling almost like a child herself.]
Stay with me? [she asks in a quiet, tentative voice.]
no subject
Giving his hand out once more, he smiled softly at her. How strange, he never thought there would come a day when he was the one doing the saving.]
Of course I will. Just hang in there, you know that I have your back.
[He couldn't allow himself to see her feel so helpless. He would never forgive himself for that.]
no subject
It's not regrets, [she says finally, voice somehow even smaller than before as she forces her words out past a block in her throat.] I think it's... it's times I had to pretend everything was okay.
[With that hanging in the air, she braces herself. It feels like she's destroying part of herself by admitting this to Ken of all people.]
no subject
And yet, it was a little difficult as he never thought about what he should it. It was always about what other people expected out of him. He always knew what the answer was as he was trying to copy other people. But now...?]
...Then how about I protect you? Because it's okay to feel that way and I'll make sure you get help this time.
no subject
It's almost enough to bring tears to her eyes again as she grips his hand and takes a deep, shuddering breath.]
You've really grown up a lot, huh?
[She can't remember if she'd said it out loud when they'd first reunited, but she'd definitely thought it. This is just more proof.
Ken's gonna be fine without her.]
no subject
Chuckling a little, he gave a nod to her.]
Of course and who better to have taught me to never give up, right?
[He said before looking back at the mirrors and then back at her.]
I wouldn't have known what to do it if weren't for you.
no subject
She leans down a little closer to his level and wiggles her hand free to instead wrap her arms around him, hugging him tightly and closing her eyes. From her position like this, she can't see the mirrors slowly starting to clear as the memories retreat away, fading away like so much mist before the sun.]
Thanks, Ken-kun. [It's a quiet, heartfelt whisper as she squeezes him tight.]
no subject
Thinking to himself, wondered when would ever come a time when he could return the favor and help her out.]
...It's not a problem, we're in this together aren't we? [He said before returning the hug.] It's the least I can do.