EVENT #9: ADVERSITY 6468468

[expiationmods]

EVENT #9: INFECTION

When characters wake, they’ll find a message splayed across the screens of their tablets; it reads clearly:

⚠️ GNOSIA INFECTION DETECTED

THE ERADICATION OF YOUR EXISTENCE IS IMMINENT; PLEASE TREAT THE INFECTION ACCORDINGLY. YOU HAVE 7 DAYS BEFORE YOUR PROJECTED DESTRUCTION.

IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT YOU ELIMINATE THE GNOSIA.

As their devices flicker to life, another message follows shortly thereafter, a single word, one of the following: GNOSIA, DOCTOR, GUARDIAN ANGEL, AC FOLLOWER, or CREW. The word fades as quickly as it appears — characters will know instinctively what they must do, whether they’d be typically predisposed to it or not. Some may know less about how their role functions than others.

The game has begun. The air has changed, as if time has slowed to a halt. Aldrip is perfectly static and still, and a sense of foreboding will soon come over the city.

DAYS 1-2

The borders surrounding Aldrip have been sealed off by an invisible barrier. It cannot be pierced or damaged in any way. This is the first sign that something has gone terribly awry. Chosen will notice it: the way the city closes in on itself, the buildings much closer knit to one another, as if trying to ensure everyone has as much proximity to each other as possible. NPCs are present, but “lagging,” so to speak, often glitching out or taking longer to “load”. A sense of uncanniness permeates within the city – as if everyone is caught in a waking dream.

CREW are hit with it first: an overwhelming instinct that allows them to tell the truth apart from lies. They won’t realize what it is initially, but when they interact with others, they will frequently be saddled with a nagging instinct that indicates how truthful a person is regardless of the context they’re speaking or acting within. This instinct does not apply to every single interaction and manifests differently for everyone. DOCTORS will feel more in tune with the body, more keenly aware of anatomical knowledge they may not usually possess. GUARDIAN ANGELS will feel an urge to protect someone – or conversely, find someone to protect. GNOSIA will begin their transformation and AC FOLLOWERS will be drawn towards GNOSIA. GNOSIA can recognize other GNOSIA, but not AC FOLLOWERS.

Much of the city still operates despite the Gnosia infection; the NPCs seem largely unaffected by it. And yet when you interact with them, they are visibly off kilter, as if programmed incorrectly. Some may even appear as people from home, only to then glitch back to their normal selves. There is still a sense of calm over the city, but the first 3 days are an opportune time to host and participate in meetings, begin witchhunts, find hiding places and either choose to travel in groups or by your lonesome. Beware of the night: that’s when the Gnosia are most likely to interfere with the space time continuum and make their kills. Anonymous channels will be opened up to cultivate discussion.

Days 3-5

The tension wraps around everyone in Aldrip. Shadows gnaw at every corner. The city is far quieter, the darkness imposing, contributing to the evergrowing sense of paranoia.

CREW will begin to experience prophecies of the immediate future. Visions of what’s to come. Whether or not they’re at liberty of disclosing this or if anyone will believe them is the real question.

GNOSIA will have a go of it: in dreams, your worst memories, regrets, fears, everything you’ve compartmentalized in the hopes of forgetting and letting go of, will play on repeat for the duration of these days. Other Gnosia and AC FOLLOWERS may even intrude on these dreams and catch a glimpse. It will bring out the most vulnerable and darkest parts of you, especially in the presence of other Gnosia. This may lead to friendly fire – or it may be a bonding experience.

The HUMAN SIDE will experience the opposite in these dreamwalking scenarios: you will dream of your loved ones from back home; the things you cherished and were forced to leave behind when you came to Aldrip. Wracked with homesickness, you may begin to wonder: how willing are you to turn on the people you’ve come to care for here? How far are you willing to go in pursuit of victory?

DOCTORS and GUARDIAN ANGELS will experience manic highs and adrenaline rushes when they successfully treat or protect people. Their energy levels will increase, but they will also become prone to reckless or stupidly happy behaviors they would not usually engage in.

On these days, an especially peculiar event will take place: Chosen will wake in the square outside of City Hall, facing each other with a screen dividing them. The screen will project a series of questions; if they answer untruthfully, it will flash red.

The questions are as follows:

01. DO YOU LIKE HURTING PEOPLE?
02. WHO HURT YOU THE MOST?
03. WHAT ARE YOU MOST AFRAID OF?
04. HAVE YOU KILLED SOMEONE? HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT IT?
05. WHAT WILL YOU SACRIFICE TO BE HAPPY?
06. WHAT DO YOU HATE MOST ABOUT YOURSELF?
07. WHAT DO YOU HATE MOST ABOUT OTHERS?
08. WHAT IS YOUR PREFERRED METHOD OF MURDER?
09. WOULD YOU HURT THE PERSON ACROSS FROM YOU?
10. WOULD YOU GIVE YOUR LIFE FOR THE PERSON ACROSS FROM YOU?

At the end of the questionnaire, characters must vote whether or not the person they’ve been matched with are Gnosia or Human. If both characters answer the same thing, they will find themselves “tethered” to one another, either mentally or physically, and will be forced to spend the rest of the night together. If both characters answer differently, they will be free to go. Will you be cruel enough to share what you learned with the others?

DAYS 6-7

As the population of the city thins and the NPCs grow more sparse, Aldrip begins to resemble a ghost town more than it does a metropolis. Desperation is potent. Buildings are blocked off. People have retreated into themselves, makeshift clinics to treat Gnosia infection have been created, and the typical liveliness of the city has whittled down to nothing.

GNOSIA will be more volatile than ever; their instincts to kill will extend to fellow GNOSIA. It doesn’t matter who they murder – so long as they’re able to find a victim, be it amongst their own or otherwise, they will gladly take it. The aggregate consciousness of the Gnosia will be stronger than ever. GNOSIA and HUMANS alike will hear each other’s internal voices in bursts, all at once, and be privy to things they shouldn’t be.

DOCTORS and GUARDIAN ANGELS will need more help than usual. Their abilities have slowly drained their energy reserves, and they will find themselves veering into deep emotional lows alongside being saddled with a physical exhaustion they cannot fight. Alliances with CREW and former Gnosia will be pivotal in their path to victory. In these final days, CREW and AC FOLLOWERS have heightened stealth that make it significantly harder for them to be detected by Gnosia. Use this to your advantage.

Eventually– the skies of the city darken and time skids to a halt.

The week has ended. Everything stops.

Who has claimed victory? The Gnos, or the Humans?

Wildcard

Just because it’s not in the prompts doesn’t mean it can’t happen. If you have any questions, let us know in the comments below! Otherwise, get to tagging!

♡

Comments

[entreats]

[ Ange frowns a little bit. Not necessarily in anger, but in a slight bit of confusion as she tries to parse those words. ]

Hypocrite?

[ That's the part that gets to her. Yosuke not being good at saying sorry - sure, she can see that, considering everything she has seen him say and do over time. Besides, there's lots of people who aren't very good at it, and this entire situation being so big makes it even more awkward.

But the other part.. ]

Why would that make you a hypocrite? Do you not want to apologize to them? [ Is that why? Ange can't wrap her head around it just yet, even though she really is trying. ]

[garbagecanned]

Oh, I want to apologize to them.

[but he fidgets with the headphones around his neck now, not putting them on but sort of rotating them to do something with his hands.]

But one of my friends hurt the other, and I didn't forgive him for doing it. And now I almost did the same thing, and... isn't it not fair that I want to be forgiven?

[he's not really looking at Ange now, moreso looking at the ground than anything else.]

That's why I'm a hypocrite.

[entreats]

[ That does sound like a complicated situation. And it does sound like the sort of thing that could turn you into a hypocrite, though it also depends on the details of the matter. Details that Ange doesn't have right now. ]

.. hey, come on. [ She can't help but say after a moment. ] I think you should talk a little more about this. But not out here.

[ She can't help but glance around them, like she's worried about some Gnosia approaching them even now. ]

I know you just have to trust I'm not planning on killing you, but we could at least sit at my place to talk about this and have a little less risk of getting murdered while talking about something important.

[garbagecanned]

[he shrugs. it's not like he really care at the moment if Ange was gonna take him out in that sort of way, but... the last time he followed a cute girl this week he ended up killing someone.

details.

he runs his hand through his hair next, making himself not think about it.]

Yeah, I'll follow you.

[whatever!!]

[entreats]

[ Usually she'd scold him, telling him to not look so awkward and reluctant about it.

But it's not like Ange is an idiot. She figures there's got to be some sort of reason for it - and given what's going on, it more than likely has something to do with this entire Gnosia business in the first place.

So it feels better to not address it. It'll just hurt Yosuke, she's sure. So Ange wordlessly starts leading him down the streets - keeping a careful eye out along the way - until she arrives at her house. It seems that her housemates aren't here right now, which is kind of worrying, but.. well, maybe it'll at least give them some privacy.

Leading him over to the living room, she gestures at the couch for Yosuke to sit down. ]

Do you want some tea?

[ Hey, who says even a blunt weird girl like Ange can't be a proper host when having guests over.. ]

[garbagecanned]

[maybe the "tough love" would've put some normalcy back into this whole situation, who knows? but he follows her anyway, and sits when she tells him to, rubbing the back of his head.]

Uhh... I don't know if I'm a tea person. I'll just take some water or something.

[that works, doesn't it?]

[entreats]

[ Ange shrugs a little, seeming to think that's also fine. She does take a little bit longer than it'd take for someone to just get water - but considering she returns with a glass of water and a cup of tea, it seems that she instead took the time to get herself some tea.

When she sits down and takes in a breath, Ange's mind slowly moves back to the thing Yosuke mentioned before she dragged him here. The thing she didn't want to calmly discuss out on the streets while everything is so chaotic and dangerous. ]

Can you tell me about the time one of your friends hurt the other?

[ A slight pause, and then she adds: ]

You don't have to use names, if that makes it easier.

[garbagecanned]

[there's a long silence, and he looks at her. it's possible if she knew Yu and Mikey well, there would be a chance she'd figure it out. she's smart, after all.

but he doesn't really care, honestly. he probably needs someone's opinion that wasn't involved in their mess.]

In the tower a few months ago... my friend hurt my best friend. He killed him, actually.

[he takes a sip of water.]

He wasn't himself then. Said he was possessed or something, but I still didn't forgive him. I couldn't. But then, with all this stuff going on... I tried to hurt my best friend. That other friend stopped me before I could. And now... I feel all sorts of shitty about it.

[entreats]

[ It's hard to tell whether or not the girl knows the exact situation he's talking about. It doesn't seem to show up on her face as she listens to him either way - so either she doesn't realize who this is about, or she's just not showing it. ]

You don't believe that not being in control of yourself is an excuse for the things you do?

[ Her question is asked with a pretty neutral tone. The judgement that might come with that sort of question when coming from most people doesn't seem to be there - mostly since there's no real emotion in the way she asks it at all, sipping her tea. ]

[garbagecanned]

[there's a long silence, and Yosuke takes another sip of his drink.]

I feel like I shouldn't, since I was so quick to judge that other person when he lost control. But now, having gone through it myself... it's different.

[he pretty much completely understands Mikey now. he's just not sure what to do with the info at all.]

[entreats]

[ She opens her mouth.

Then closes it again. Mostly because what she was about to say sounded kind of mean, even if Ange didn't intend for it to come across that way. Usually she just says it all the same, but this time she finds herself holding back, like she wants to be a little more delicate about this situation. Both with what Yosuke has told her recently in mind, and also because this seems like a pretty sensitive situation.

So Ange tries again - a little more carefully, this time. ]

You know you're allowed to change your mind, right..? Maybe it was just hard for you to imagine what it would be like in that person's shoes back when you got so mad at him. But now you know. It's something you could talk with him about, if you'd want to.

[ And, you know, when they're not in the middle of dying and all. ]

[garbagecanned]

[there's a long silence, and Yosuke runs his hand through his hair. Ange's words do make sense...

but there's still a lot of guilt hanging around him. like he probably still is a hypocrite no matter what he does from here on out.]

I guess... it's still hard, though. Or maybe that's what all this shit's all about.

[not about him exactly, but...]

They're always doing some sort of stupid tests or something around here.

[entreats]

I don't think this place truly cares about what we think about forgiveness. [ The girl huffs.

Sure, this place's entire theming has been centered around that. Even way back when she first showed up here. But with everything that's happened so far and with how cynical Ange is, it feels easy to just assume this much. ]

Besides, if they'd really do all that to you and your friends just to teach you a lesson about that, then that's literally crazy. Who'd do something like that?

[garbagecanned]

Who knows...

[he shrugs at her question, though.]

Like I said, everything's fucked up. [a beat, as he turns his gaze over to Ange.] I'm glad to see you're hanging in there through all this bullshit, though.

[entreats]

[ Without hesitation: ]

Of course. I'm not just going to let this place win because it's doing something this stupid. [ Of course Ange isn't entirely unaffected by everything that's happening - but it's also like Ange to pretend that she's fine all the same. That this isn't a big deal.

She's not hiding it because she doesn't trust Yosuke. Quite the contrary. He seems so troubled about his own situation that Ange just doesn't want him to have to think about her too. ]

Do you need help getting back to where you were going earlier? I don't think it's safe for anyone to be out by themselves right now. It makes you too easy of a target.

[garbagecanned]

[that is such an Ange answer, isn't it. to just be so unaffected -- or maybe she is, and Yosuke just hasn't leveled up that social link yet.

he takes a deep breath, and then lets it out slowly.]

I'll be okay. I have my Persona -- and if you take me all the way there, you'll have to come back by yourself, anyway. So either way, one of us is going to be alone at some point.

[he'd rather it not be her. not because he just wants to be taken out right now, but because she's his friend, and he doesn't want anything to happen to her.]

[entreats]

[ There's a slight twitch on Ange's face.

Not the sort Yosuke may have seen before, considering she definitely has gotten annoyed around him in the past, the kind of twitch that's the indication of the start of a tsun fit that's only barely being held back.

This is a little different. She's holding back something else entirely. A worry Ange doesn't want to show, but that's slowly starting to leak out a little bit more, considering how worked up she has been about their circumstances. ]

You-- [ She starts, then stops. Ange swallows, trying really hard to keep her emotions under wraps here, but failing a little. It shows slightly in her face, that worry. ] You can't let anything happen to you then while you're out there by yourself, alright? I'll never forgive you otherwise.

[garbagecanned]

[... Yosuke blinks at her. he didn't really expect this sort of reaction out of her -- he knows they're friends, but it's still strange to see her be actively kind of concerned about him.

but then he smiles, and nods.]

Okay. For you, I won't let anything happen to me. I'll even text you when I get home, will that make you feel a little better?

[it's kinda cute, but he's not going to ruin the moment here.]

[entreats]

.. yeah.

[ It's admitted a little reluctantly, since Ange never really likes showing it when she's worried. But she is telling the truth here, and it feels important to do so when Yosuke's life is on the line. When all their lives are still on the line for as long as this situation is still ongoing. ]

I mean, t-- thanks. [ She's forcing out the words, but at least she's managing to say it at all! Baby steps. ] Stay safe. I'll hear from you.

[ Because the alternative - that something might happen to Yosuke along the way - is simply unacceptable in her mind. ]