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

closed | CHAIN

[rebellions]

[ This might actually be one of the weirdest things that's happened to him in this world, and he's been here for a year, so you'd think he's already used to this kind of shit. But finding himself in front of the City Hall building, staring at some odd screen with another person standing across him, is... new, to say the least. And not necessarily in a good way. ]

What the...?!

[ Ragna glances around in an attempt to get his bearings, but whatever little information he can glean from it only makes him want to blow up the City Hall again. As if the whole roles shit and everything that comes with it wasn't messed up enough, now it's some kind of quiz show they're being forced into? What kind of sick joke is this supposed to be? ]

Hey, Featherweight Lady. Any clue what the hell's going on?

[nowerewolf]

[ "Featherweight Lady"... well, it's better than "She-Bitch", but you know. The bar was low to begin with and Chain hardly looks amused, taking a moment to take in everything in the attempt to have an answer other than "Beats me." ]

It's Chain.

[ First things first. ]

Aside from another case of kidnapping, it looks like we're being "asked" to take some kind of questionnaire. I don't for a second believe that it's going to be just that simple.

[rebellions]

[ Ragna ignores the correction, memorizing people's names being the furthest thing from his mind; he'd much rather know how in the world he got here in the first place. He's no stranger to teleportation magic, but you'd think he'd noticed being whisked away by that. Phenomenon Intervention? That seems to be more likely, but it really doesn't answer the question of why the fuck he's getting roped into this. ]

... Great. No way out but to play whatever shitty game they came up with this time... [ The man lets out a frustrated sigh, eyeing the first question. He really doesn't want to play along, but... ] No.

[ The moment he says it, the screen flashes red. He stares at it for a moment, completely dumbfounded. It's not hard to figure out what the implication behind that feedback is, but he has no idea why it would respond in such a way. ]

The hell?! I said "no", you stupid piece of shit!

[ In a truly mature manner, Ragna punches the screen with his fist, but whatever it's made of managed to hold together, surprisingly enough. ]

[nowerewolf]

[ Chain lives in Hellsalem's Lot, so it isn't like she's a stranger herself to the unusual happening and the setting itself warping and dragging the residents wherever to suit its needs. The contents of this questionnaire are a little more concerning and, from Ragna's reaction, it appears to either understand whether one is telling the truth or not or it's specifically guiding a person to say what it wants.

It's too early to tell, and she studies the screen. Well, let's see. ]

... It depends on the person.

[ And it doesn't flash an obnoxious red, causing her to arch an eyebrow. Well, okay then. ]

[rebellions]

[ Ragna, too, raises an eyebrow at that, though for an entirely different reason. ]

What kinda cop-out answer is that supposed to be?! That doesn't mean anything!

[ Not that he's remotely invested in whether it's true for the woman or not... it just feels unfair that the thing accepted her shitty reply when his one got rejected despite being true.

What he said was true.

... Right? ]

[nowerewolf]

Of course it does. [ Mildly. ]

It's not like I enjoy hurting most people, but you've never felt a sense of satisfaction in slamming a fist or a foot into the face of someone who absolutely deserved it? How saintly of you.

[rebellions]

[ Her explanation is sound, and hearing it Ragna does feel a little silly for overreacting like that. ]

... When you put it this way...

[ Frankly, he was thinking of something more... nefarious? So maybe that's why the dumb thing decided he's lying ─ apparently it can't tell the difference between being petty and being evil.

And speaking of evil, this next question is not... something he wants to address, ever. Just seeing it causes the face of that man to pop up in his head, immediately rekindling the hot burning fires of hatred in his chest. The man clenches his hands into fists at his side, all of his willpower going into not blowing the whole thing up. ]

No comment.

[ Unsurprisingly, the second question does not disappear, seemingly still waiting for a more legitimate answer, whether right or wrong. Dammit. ]