EVENT #11: ADVERSITY 4590683

[expiationmods]

EVENT #11: REMEMBER YOU ARE MORTAL

This event takes place in conjunction with a player plot that is open for participation! Participation in that plot is not needed to experience the world effects outlined in this log. You can find the log for the player event here!

THE STORY SO FAR (click to expand)

-Over time, characters have discovered that the world of Expiation is actually a large, elaborate simulation run by an AI that seems to be intent on helping them atone for their crimes. This news is well-known by the Chosen, enough so that any new character who wishes to handwave this knowledge is able to do so.

-In September 2024, that AI needed to be reset as a consequence of some catastrophic systems failures. So far, there has been no downside to this reset–but the AI has also been strangely absent since then.

-Things have been quiet in Aldrip since September, aside from the routine arrival of new Chosen. The locals seem less than happy with the Chosen, though, as if they have already branded them all criminals. As if they no longer trust them…

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11

The moon looms large and full over the buildings of Aldrip this morning.

… Wait. The moon?

It’s true: Aldrip seems to have settled into an eerie perpetual twilight, lit by the full moon and little else. The ambient lighting is dim, but not dark, still light enough to see by. Which is good, because nothing else seems to be serving as a source of light. No sun, no street lamps–nothing. How odd is that?

In fact, it seems that no electronics are working during this strange week. Tablets don’t turn on, computers won’t work, even the lights inside the houses are unresponsive. STEM club’s dark web devices remain capable of some rudimentary communication, however.

The Dark Hour permeates Aldrip entirely. Well. Almost entirely–more on that in a minute. But first: monsters of all kinds will be more prominent during this time. If you would like to add new monsters to the bestiary, you can do so here! Monsters will be more aggressive and enterprising, freely roaming the streets of the city and attacking more boldly than they otherwise would.

Now, all is not lost, here. Because some Chosen-owned spaces remain immune to its effects. Notably: the Inn, the Willow Clinic, and some other player-run businesses can serve as safe houses, as well as some storehouses that were constructed long ago. The lights will still go on in these locations, though the network restrictions above still remain in effect.

For the most part, monsters and other event happenings will avoid safe houses, though if you’d like to play around with that, we see no reason why you shouldn’t. Just remember that characters and players who choose to limit their participation in the event are making use of these spaces, and be respectful of that.

As for outside of the city…who knows? A thick, impenetrable mist surrounds Aldrip, keeping all characters within the city for the duration of the event. Anyone who may have been outside of Aldrip before the event began will mysteriously find themselves inside the city as the Dark Hour takes hold. Better make your way to a safe house…and good luck out there.

MY OWN WORST ENEMY

Who is the monster and who is the man?

It seems that monsters aren’t the only obstacle roaming the city. The Chosen may find themselves facing doppelgangers, of themselves or of fellow Chosen. In terms of appearance, they may be identical to the Chosen they reflect, to the point of being difficult to tell apart. Some may have minor changes–different eye color, different clothing, things like that. But in many cases, it may be impossible to tell which is real and which is not based on looks alone.

These doubles reveal a dark reflection of the characters they look like: their deepest fears and regrets, repressed desires they refuse to admit, feelings and experiences they’ve never told anyone about…all of these things and more will come to the surface with them. These doubles desperately want to see a character’s accused crime confronted, and they will do anything to make that happen, even resorting to violence if they must. The doubles have all the original powers and abilities of their real counterparts, making them extremely difficult (but not impossible!) to fight one-on-one.

Some characters may find themselves inexplicably drawn to their doppelgangers, as if called by some force. They may feel compelled to seek them out, as if they’re unable to rest so long as their double roams free. This is an optional effect, but should you be looking for an excuse to get your character out and about–please feel free to utilize it.

Doubles can be injured and incapacitated, but not killed; the only way to eliminate them is through acceptance and recognition. Characters do not have to do this alone; in fact, having some moral support or coaching may prove useful. Confronting the double and accepting or seriously reflecting upon the crime they’re charged with will make the doppelgangers first turn docile, and then disappear, leaving the original character feeling lighter and more sure of themselves.

A MINOR TECHNICALITY

What happens to a simulation when the electronics stop working?

Good question.

Occasionally, you may see what looks like a strange, thin line, just from the corner of your vision. Early in the week, trying to look at this line straight on reveals…nothing. It seems to vanish.

As the week continues, this strange happening seems to intensify, bit by bit. By midweek, Wednesday or so, you’re able to look at this line head-on. It seems to be a small crack, little more than a hairline fracture, outlined in light. As the weekend creeps closer, this crack seems to grow, bit by bit, becoming more pronounced, the gaps between it getting larger.

By the weekend, it’s wide enough that you can see through it.

What you see is difficult to describe. You seem to be looking into a large metallic structure, so large that the end seems to curve off into the horizon. How far does this go on? There’s a ceiling overhead, so high up that you can’t make out details. Much of this structure seems to be empty within, but you see a floor at foot level, made of metal.

The gap is wide enough that you can stick your hand right through it. When you do so, you begin to feel a strange tingling, starting at the tips of your fingers and extending to the part of your arm that goes into the crack. Nothing about your hand changes, really, but when the tingling subsides, you get the strange sensation that you’ve been unable to feel anything with that hand, up til now. Something about the air against your skin feels more real, here. As if your senses were muted before…

The crack never widens more than this. It is sometimes visible to just one person, and sometimes it can be visible to a group. This crack can appear in any surface, in any location, but it always looks the same and always reveals the same structure within.

Interesting…

ENDING

In conjunction with the conclusion of the player plot, the Dark Hour comes to an end one week later, on November 18. Monsters vacate the city, the sun reappears…this happens slowly, over the course of the day. By Tuesday, the network and electronic usage is restored. By Wednesday, the crack in the world seems to be gone for good. By the weekend after the event, all doppelgangers seem to have vanished.

This is fine, we always say. And it is! Everything is back to normal!

…

Or is it…?

WILDCARD

Make your own fun! Just because it’s not in the prompts doesn’t mean it’s not possible. Have at it! Go crazy! Try not to break anything (too much)!

♡

Comments

i. (◕‿◕)

[starringsecond]

[Sometimes you don’t need to ask for help. Sometimes help will come regardless — whether you want is or not.

Yuri just happens to be that kind of guy, you know? Someone whose nature is to lend a hand towards those who can’t even shout for help themselves. It’s why he and Repede are out in this unholy night, running around and looking for people to take to the safe houses. A good thing his canine companion is here too, because Repede’s sense of smell is what led them towards a building that is supposed to be unoccupied, if not for the pair of familiar figures that Repede is barking towards.

The blood is the first thing that Yuri notices, and honestly? He’s just glad that it doesn’t look like none of it is coming from Mikey. It’ll be silly if he’s ever scared of the sight, even when his friend is practically bathing in the stuff. Can’t help it when everything’s gone to hell like this.

The other person, though. Can’t say Yuri recognizes him, even though there’s something familiar about his face — he just can’t put a name to it…

Either way, if Mikey is willingly stuck with this guy, he must be someone important to him.]

...Yo.

[…What else is he supposed to say in this situation, really?]

[invinciblemikey]

(he's so ridiculously out of breath from all the hurrying that he's panting by the time yuri opens the door and gets himself into the poor house they broke into. the scene is not a nice one, with him barely managing a breath while he taps the boy up and down to make sure he's not injured. he can't see blood, but that doesn't mean he can't have bumped onto something, this manjiro is practically made of paper with how fragile he is.

not a voice that soothes, he can say. he can't even look to the side with how distressed he is, moving fingers to check on pulse, on how he might be health-wise.)

You got any water? Don't know how long it's been since he's been hydrated or fed.

(sorry, he isn't thinking in anything that isn't the situation at hand.)

[starringsecond]

I’ve got a water bottle, but that’s not gonna last all of us. We can check if the house has any.

[Technically that counts as stealing, but listen. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Unfortunately making sure the door is barred well takes priority - this isn’t one of the safehouses, so they can’t stay here for long. Repede would have to take guard duty at the meantime. Only after a while does he have the free reign to look at how his friend is doing.

Mikey’s companion — he looks terrible, no two ways about it. He doesn’t look like someone he crossed paths with before but that’s not too surprising with the amount of people he knows. Still, there’s something about him that gives him pause….if only Yuri could tell what.

Maybe his nerves are a little frayed, too. They’re still in the danger zone, after all.

But he doesn’t really care about his own needs right now. Mikey’s a great distraction for that, being able to focus on someone else’s well-being than his own.

He places a hand on Mikey’s shoulder as he hands over the water bottle (you can make any comments about indirect kisses later), in hopes that it can ground him a little.]

You good there, Mikey? You look like you could need a hand there yourself.

[invinciblemikey]

... I forgot he can't drink.

(which does mitigate the problem of a bottle not being enough for all of them. he's still frantic, so he doesn't really care for the location, about anything else other than the well-being of the boy before him.

the dog can do whatever he wants, and so can yuri, as he starts searching the bags on the wheelchair for something, anything that might help him. eventually, he does find a bag that seems to be what would hydrate him.

how to use it, he doesn't know.)

... No, and you're not helping. It's a me thing, really fucking literally, if you didn't recognize him.

[starringsecond]

[Guess that answers that off feeling he was having. Now that he knows he could tell the little details that he could tell it comes from Mikey. The vague shape of his face, the color of his eyes. Yet he can’t help but be surprised that Mikey’s doppelganger would end up looking like this. He’s nothing like the proud youth that he is slowly coming to know of these past few months.

Repede is up ahead, scouring for anything they can use, but Yuri figures that he should stick around. There’s no way he’s not shaken with seeing himself like this. If it was Yuri, it would come to him as a major shock.

He’s too proud to be seen as powerless, and he has an inkling that Mikey would feel the same.]

So what? That’s even more reason for me to help both of you.

[invinciblemikey]

You can... Sit by the corner and not do anything until it's safe to move him.

(which he has no idea when it could be, to be fair, he might just sit in this house for as long as time allows - but he has a feeling yuri is one of those people who can't just sit back and let someone else deal with life on their own.

manjiro is surrounded by those types. it's stalling, but he's trying to think of something he can do.)