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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
... You.
[ That's... a confirmation, at least? And some level of recognition, which, considering his state, should be considered a small blessing. ]
What are... you...
[ He trails off as the cogs in his brain finally begin to turn; of course this isn't his world, it can't be. Under normal circumstances, there's no way he could ever turn back into human after becoming the Black Beast. So this has to be a memory... one that he wasn't even consciously aware of. ]
no subject
I take it you remember me? I should think this is a memory of yours... but I know not if the danger is fully past yet. Can you stand on your own?
no subject
Yeah, I...
[ He pulls himself up... or rather, tries to, but all he manages is just sit up somewhat straight. He looks down at his legs, perplexed why he can't just stand up, only to realize he's trembling. Confused (and more than a little embarrassed), Ragna swallows as he looks up at Elidibus. ]
... Is anyone else here?
[ Alive, is the unspoken implication that doesn't quite make it through his throat. ]
no subject
I... don't know. If so, I imagine they wouldn't be out here in plain sight.
[Then, approaching him slowly, Elidibus offers a hand, though he seems a bit hesitant this time.]
Do you need help? If you need to rest for a while, I can stand guard instead.
no subject
I don't need help.
[ He says quickly, without any hesitation. It's obviously not true, but pigs will fly before he accepts someone's assistance without being an ass about it. But despite his stubbornness, he's not a good liar, so he looks away, not wanting to look into the other man's eyes when he probably recognizes he's just trying to appear tough. ]
I just... need a minute.
[ He can admit this much, at least. Ragna lets out a sigh, pressing his only working hand against his temple in a futile attempt to make sense out of it all. His memory, huh... Great. Now what is he even supposed to do about it? ]
Not sure what you're trying to guard me from, but sure, knock yourself out.
[ As far as he can tell, he is the only danger around. ]
no subject
[Shrugging, Elidibus turns his back to Ragna and surveys the surroundings. He really wreaked havoc on this place... and yet he seems disoriented, like the whole incident wasn't a conscious decision on his part.
After a little while of waiting, he glances over his shoulder again.]
Do you know anything about what's happening? Or what this place is? Surely you must have an inkling of where to begin...
no subject
Ah. It finally clicks in place as Ragna remembers the parchment he'd found on himself when he first arrived in Aldrip. So that's how things are, is it? Maybe that's the whole point of this stupid maze ─ to make them face their own crimes, or whatever it is they're accused of.
Ragna lets out an amused scoff ─ oh, this is rich. So what, the intention is to make him regret all this? Make him cower in fear of judgement and beg for forgiveness? Whoever is running this place really has a sick sense of humor.
As if this is something that could ever be forgiven.
The man finally manages to pull himself up and stand straight, even if he's still wobbling slightly, not to mention his right arm and eye still being out of commission. Ah well, it's not like he'd have much use of them right now. ]
... This is the time... when I destroyed the world.
[ He says casually, like he's simply stating a fact. ]
no subject
[It isn't that he doubts Ragna saying so himself, but he needs more information. People don't just turn into enormous hydras every day, after all.]
And... you mean to say the creature went on a rampage throughout the entire star?
no subject
Are those eyes on your face just for decoration?
[ Somewhere deep inside, he might realize he's just taking out his frustration on the nearest person, but right now, he doesn't particularly care. He almost wants to follow it up with another snarky remark, asking how the hell would he not know it was him, but stops himself at the last second because... he didn't know that, not until quite recently. And how could he? All this happened decades before he was even born, after all, and as far as he knows, the beast always ends up slain.
Just like it should be.
As for the latter question, well, that one has a far more straightforward answer: ]
Sure did.
[ He avoids saying "I" there because it still feels weird to think of that... thing as himself, but he also doesn't go for the third person since that would feel like he's trying to distance himself from taking responsibility, and he's not here for it. ]
no subject
[Fortunately, he doesn't seem afflicted by the biting sarcasm. He's dealt with a lot of it in his time.]
Do you recall what, if anything, caused it to stop? There had to have been an end point to it all, surely...? If not, perhaps a search for survivors would be a good first step instead?
no subject
It didn't. It shouldn't have, unless─
[ He stops mid-sentence, looking somewhere past the other man. There, in the middle of all this carnage and tragedy, six figures can be seen. One of them, a knight clad in a white armor with his face hidden behind a featureless mask, steps forward, and Ragna can't help but stare at him, lips parted in surprise. Every fiber of his being is screaming, knowing how dangerous and powerful that man is, but there's some weird form of warm nostalgia about this sight, too ─ almost like this is something he's been waiting for without really knowing it. Finally, he lets out a sigh, though even he can't tell whether it's one of relief or resignation. ]
... About goddamn time.
no subject
I'm guessing they're here to slay the monster?
[He tenses up. Though there have been battles in other people's trials (his own included), he isn't sure what to expect from this one. Of course, he'd like to keep fighting to a minimum, to at least keep Ragna out of harm's way, but if this is just the replaying of a memory...]
If there is aught I can aid you with, be it combat or otherwise... We ought to at least look out for one another.