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Expiation Mods ([personal profile] expiationmods) wrote in [community profile] expiationlogs2025-03-11 10:18 am

EVENT #13: ADVERSITY 8765546

EVENT #13: THE BEAST INSIDE US ALL


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…

EARLY MARCH / MARCH 11TH

Something doesn’t feel quite right, does it?

There’s a strange feeling in Aldrip, something tense and strained, as if something’s about to happen. The black lines outside of the Aldrip travel further into the city and begin to spread the miasma. The fields, crops and the portion of the forest continue to wither away as a result. The signs of catastrophe. The air is thick, as if it itself is waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Very abruptly, it does.

The earth quakes as something erupts from the ground: huge, snakelike heads, towering as tall as a two-story building. These heads seem to circle the city of Aldrip: a ring of threat, keeping everyone and everything within the city limits. These heads don’t change locations, and they only attack if someone gets too close. They seem almost like they’re waiting for something. At first, however, they’re invulnerable to damage. Those who get too close may be injured or even killed if they try…
TRANSFORMATION

As soon as Fauna hears the rumblings of the Beast, detects the presence of a monster, she's off without waiting for any information. Confronting monsters is what she does, after all. She transforms and attempts to destroy the Beast with her full might, but despite the fierce fight, she's unable to land any decisive hits. Eight heads are too much to fight alone, and as the fight drags on, she's cornered, and takes the Beast's attack head-on, canceling her transformation and sending her flying. But as she's blown away, from her pockets, seeds fall- A pair of seeds to grow trees from, or something greater. The seeds, divine items with no divinity to empower them, fall to the ground, and are absorbed into the Beast's black body...


What is it you wish for, deep down? What do you desire?

Those Chosen unlucky enough to be affected by wish seeds may find this wish consuming their thoughts and driving their actions. Slowly, surely, they find themselves…changing, turning into something that is not a human. These changes may be slow and painful, or they may be instantaneous. We encourage you to be creative in these changes, both physical and mental, but also to warn for potential body horror or any body part trauma that might need a content warning.

I wish… I wish…

Driven nearly to madness by their own desire, by whatever’s happening to them and whatever physical changes it brings, these Chosen may be dangerous, with uncontrollable urges or new powers they aren’t used to. Can their aggression be directed toward the coming fight? Time will tell.

SLAY THE BEAST

So much anger, hatred and pain, all rolled into a single calamitous entity, baring its fangs at the entire world. It's almost a little embarrassing for it to be out in the open like that, even if the other Chosen don't necessarily realize it's a part of him. It's not too long after the Black Beast's first appearance that Ragna makes his way to face it, though not before he makes sure everyone else has some information necessary to finish the job afterwards. But first, he would need to ensure they even stand a chance against the monster, and he came up with only one solution that could work ─ and that's to do so from within the Beast itself. And so, with a final sigh, muttering "What a pain in the ass," under his breath, Ragna approaches the giant creature unarmed. The nearest heads turn their attention to the man, immediately attacking and ripping him apart, devouring the remains.


Something has changed. Impervious until now, the Black Beast soon shows evidence of wear and tear: hits land, cuts remain, and its fighting becomes more vicious…but more desperate, too.

If the Chosen have any hopes for defeating this creature, now will be the time. Maybe if they hit it with everything they’ve got, they’ll be able to bring it down–one head at a time.

SAFE...TY?

In the past, there’s been protection. In the past, there’s been so-called “safe houses” that have been created by the environment for noncombatants or those who don’t wish to fight.

But no such thing appears.

Nothing will hold the monsters back, nothing will hold the effects of the Black Beast back as they rain destruction on the city. It seems as if the Chosen are on their own – for those who don’t wish to fight, or can’t fight, they must band together to find protection of their own. Characters who are able to fight may need to help protect these areas where those sorts of Chosen have decided to hunker down for safety. The locals have vanished completely, locked so tight into their own houses that Aldrip businesses come to a halt.

That is, unless Chosen work together to keep it going.

AFTERMATH

The Black Beast is finally put down after the hard and exhausting fighting. The black lines around the city fade away, and it seems the Chosen who have transformed… are unaffected. Those Chosen who find themselves confronting their “wish” will discover that they soon change back, shedding monstrous forms for their familiar forms. However, the Chosen who don’t confront their wishes will keep their monstrous forms, either fully or partially, for the indeterminate future. They might continue to struggle to keep their sense of self and fight against the monstrous urges. Maybe they continue to be more aggressive, have a hard time recognizing a friend from a foe and have a distorted view on what is their wish. Effects don’t wear off over time, this time. There’s no magical “reset” where they wake up one day and find themselves back to their normal selves.

No, either they confront their wishes, or they stay like this for… ? It’s up to the Chosen.

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)!
grappler: (pic#17551348)

information

[personal profile] grappler 2025-03-21 12:58 pm (UTC)(link)
don't need compensation.

[of course she leads with that, LMFAO.]

just tell me what you need moved and i'll move it. it's a shit show out there.
chimericalclaw: (a: fact)

[personal profile] chimericalclaw 2025-03-22 06:07 pm (UTC)(link)
[These selfless hero sorts—annoying as they are useful. First, he sends a location: the post office building.]

The stairs to the basement storage are on the east side of the building. There's a crate of medical supplies against the back wall. You can use any of the bags there to take what you can from it to the inn.

We'll talk about compensation later.
[Now's not the time to argue about it when there's a giant disaster at hand...] Have you gotten into any trouble out there?
grappler: (17 (1))

[personal profile] grappler 2025-03-28 03:24 am (UTC)(link)
[it's funny, because she'd just got done telling A2 not too long ago she wasn't one of those--]

gotcha. is there anything i need to prioritize?

no compensation. and yeah, but I'm fine. just making sure else is, too. you?
chimericalclaw: (a: curiosity)

i forgor an icon

[personal profile] chimericalclaw 2025-03-28 03:30 am (UTC)(link)
[AND YET.]

Painkillers, perhaps. The white bottles with blue caps.

Other than finding Fauna, nothing personally.


[He'll let her think she's won the argument for now, because he's not spending all that time typing about it! But he will hunt her down and shove a bag of coins into her hands, so help him—

Or—perhaps an offer of something or other regarding businesses, given what he read on her post regarding her sentencing. Bah, thinking about that can come later...]


Hopefully it will stay that way for both of us. I don't plan to travel away from the clinic more than necessary, but I'm sure I'll be seeing the results of the fighting.
Edited 2025-03-28 03:31 (UTC)
grappler: (pic#17575647)

it really be like that sometimes

[personal profile] grappler 2025-04-03 05:25 pm (UTC)(link)
is she okay??

[Fauna's one of the people she's grown an attachment to, and was low-key looking for in all this mess...]

someone's gotta stay at the clinic for the wounded. but... white bottles and blue caps, delivered to the clinic. I got it.
chimericalclaw: (a: observations)

[personal profile] chimericalclaw 2025-04-03 05:41 pm (UTC)(link)
She won't be going anywhere for a while if I or the medics have anything to say about it, but she'll be fine eventually.

[He is putting this girl On Notice. All the better if he can get others to do the same; he has other things to take care of as well.]

Thank you, ma'am. I'll see you shortly.
grappler: (pic#17551346)

[personal profile] grappler 2025-04-06 07:41 pm (UTC)(link)
[it takes her about 30-45 minutes to come back with the goods. she's bruised and scraped up with injuries that happened on the way and from earlier, but she doesn't seem to pay it any attention as she comes to the meeting place.

she slips inside the building and puts her cargo down, letting go of her gauntlets only a moment later and rubbing her wrists as she looks around the room.

she hates seeing wounded people... but at least she can help. she calls out:]


Med delivery!
chimericalclaw: (a: listening)

[personal profile] chimericalclaw 2025-04-08 12:52 am (UTC)(link)
[Altius only takes a moment to finish what he was doing further in before he steps towards the entrance to greet her. It would be difficult for him not to recognize her or her voice, given how many evenings he's spent at Lupin casually chatting up one person or another.]

Vi, hello. Thank you for this. [He certainly couldn't have expected any quicker even if he were inclined to be impatient, given the circumstances. He glances at those scrapes with a mild furrow to his brow.] Are you alright?
grappler: ([103])

[personal profile] grappler 2025-04-08 03:51 pm (UTC)(link)
[ah, he's one of the regulars. she hasn't had the chance to speak to him yet...]

No problem. Kinda sucks we had to meet this way, though.

[she shrugs.]

I've had worse. It's rough out there.
chimericalclaw: (a: poor thing)

[personal profile] chimericalclaw 2025-04-09 06:24 pm (UTC)(link)
It is what it is, hm.

[He offers her a strained not-quite-smile for a brief moment. There's nothing humorous about the situation, but he can only be upset about the circumstances of their meeting in particular.]

How would you compare it to that blackout we had a few months ago? [Blackout in terms of electricity and the sun...]
grappler: ([8])

[personal profile] grappler 2025-04-12 03:24 pm (UTC)(link)
[oof. she grimaces.]

Probably a lot worse than that. There was way less damage than what's going on right now. And it's not getting magically fixed this time, either.

[which. given how the locals are, she figures that it's going to be on the Chosen themselves to rebuild...]

I just hope this doesn't go on for forever.
chimericalclaw: (a: alert)

[personal profile] chimericalclaw 2025-04-14 04:26 am (UTC)(link)
It won't.

[That much he's certain of. If this goes on long enough... if he has to go out there and eliminate the problem himself, he'll do it, even though he's tried so hard to maintain his civilian guise. Hopefully it won't come to that.

He could offer a sarcastic remark about the likelihood of this world breaking down first, but it wouldn't fit the mood. Instead, he sighs and puts his hands on his hips.]


Is there anything we can do for you while you're here?
grappler: (pic#17551354)

[personal profile] grappler 2025-04-19 02:26 pm (UTC)(link)
[she's got some scrapes and bruises... and that bite on her arm from Ellie. but she debates on whether she should show him that or not. it's under her gauntlets for now, and she'd wrapped her arm back up to cover it.]

Um... I think I'm good.

[she's stubborn and proud. she looks away, looks past him and at everything else.]

Save your energy for the guys in here already.
chimericalclaw: (o: skepticism)

[personal profile] chimericalclaw 2025-04-20 04:30 am (UTC)(link)
[He caught that hesitation, and the way he leans may give off the impression that he's scrutinizing her if the look he's giving her doesn't.]

I'm not the one going out and fighting things; I have energy to spare. Don't try to tough it out on your own if you need something.
grappler: (pic#17551311)

[personal profile] grappler 2025-04-21 05:37 pm (UTC)(link)
[she thinks about Ellie, about her attacking Vi. about the questions she might get if someone sees that bite mark. explaining that would out Ellie for whatever she had going on, and she didn't want people treating her that much differently because of it.

but her arm is getting really sore, and it had been difficult to carry those supplies here. that's part of the only thing she can do, is use her fists to protect people.

she lets the gauntlets drop, and there's a bit of a glare as she looks at him again. the bandage on her arm is bloody, and it's... not blood from a monster. it's hers, of course.]


Only because I want to keep being able to use it.

[she holds her arm up now, in case he'd missed it before.]
chimericalclaw: (a: observations)

[personal profile] chimericalclaw 2025-04-22 02:09 am (UTC)(link)
[His eyes go to the red-stained spot as soon as she drops her gauntlets; he was already looking for indications of injury, aside from the little scrapes here and there.

He then meets her gaze with the clarity of someone who understands and accepts, even if he doesn't agree. He knows nothing he can say would stop her from going back out there—but better he agrees so he can at least do her a little good rather than have her avoid him entirely. He knows when to compromise.

Altius turns towards a cabinet he knows to contain supplies for wound care.]


Over here. Unwrap that for me, please.
grappler: (pic#17622848)

[personal profile] grappler 2025-04-26 04:53 pm (UTC)(link)
[she goes to where he indicates, and sits while she starts to unwrap the bandage. she hisses at the pain of it as it starts to come off the wound, and gritting her teeth through the pain. she never really was great with pain when it came to things like this -- getting the shit beat out of her with fists was always more preferable to gouges and wounds.

but there's so much here that doesn't just use their fists.

when she's done, she waits for him, holding some of the bandage against it. it's still oozing a bit, partially because of her use of her arm, and then partially in taking the bandages back off.]
chimericalclaw: (a: fact)

[personal profile] chimericalclaw 2025-04-26 07:36 pm (UTC)(link)
[Altius is quick enough gathering what he needs before he returns to Vi, taking the wounded arm to rest in his hand before examining the damage with a practiced eye. Privately, he reaches out with his more magical senses, to see if he can detect any infection or deeper injury.

After that, he gets to cleaning off the mess—efficient but careful enough to avoid any more pain than necessary. He'll keep it to the point:]


How long ago did you get this?
grappler: ([250])

[personal profile] grappler 2025-04-28 03:16 am (UTC)(link)
[she flinches as he starts to clean the wound, and she shakes her head.]

A few hours ago, or something. I dunno, it's all been a blur.

[the bite mark looks like it's been made from human teeth, deep but not infected yet.]

Hurts like hell, but I've managed so far. I just don't need to be taken out if I get too stubborn to get it looked at.

[at least she's aware of the fact that she'd normally be super stubborn about shit like this. but she has to be on top of her game here, now more than ever.]
chimericalclaw: (a: calm)

[personal profile] chimericalclaw 2025-04-28 03:45 am (UTC)(link)
[He hums to acknowledge the answer. Could be better, could be worse. The wound itself isn't the sort he's seen before, but the shape of the marks makes it obvious enough. Knowing now what Fauna shared with the network, he thinks he can take a guess at what must have happened.]

Well, luckily for you, we've just gotten in a shipment of painkillers.

[If he distracts her with something of a joke, perhaps the application of antiseptic will go over more smoothly. If not, well, he tried.

After that, he'll let go to take up the ointment and bandages he's gathered.]


I take it you'll be more cautious about friendly faces going forward.
grappler: ([261])

[personal profile] grappler 2025-05-03 03:59 pm (UTC)(link)
[she doesn't really care if he figures out what happened, but she's going to take who did it to the grave. well. besides Caitlyn, because Cait ends up knowing everything at one point or another, but that's different.]

Yeah, great timing, huh?

[she swears loudly when the antiseptic gets put on her, and she clenches her pants with her other hand in an effort not to just straight out punch his lights out. gods she hates this sort of shit.

but then it's over, and she sighs, even if the wound still stings.]


Probably not. I'm not really all that good at learning.
chimericalclaw: (a: silence)

[personal profile] chimericalclaw 2025-05-03 04:28 pm (UTC)(link)
[As much as he'd like to know, he doesn't currently find it necessary to dig. And then he'll find out later when Ellie posts anyway so— Much like he'll check in on Vi and her arm later, after this crisis, it's a topic that can be visited at another time. For now he focuses on making sure his hands are as steady as can be as he places the bandages and wrappings properly, watching her reactions and adjusting to make sure to give her some range of movement without risking it coming loose.

And he does appreciate not being punched.]


I think you're smarter than you give yourself credit for... but that doesn't mean much if the desire isn't there, hm?

[He sees you.]

You'll be better able to help others if you avoid getting bitten again, Ms. Vi.
grappler: (11)

[personal profile] grappler 2025-05-05 11:43 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm plenty smart, I know that. But if that person was in trouble again, I'd do it all over again.

[she's just a little self destructive when it comes to friends and family...

don't look at her, she doesn't like being seen.]


Good advice though, I'll remember that.

[she moves her arm around a bit as if to test it, and nods in approval. she also might be sounding a little bit sarcastic...]
chimericalclaw: (a: must we?)

[personal profile] chimericalclaw 2025-05-06 01:03 am (UTC)(link)
[He sighs faintly; her attitude is clear as day.]

I could always threaten to strap you down to something, if you prefer. [But he's stepping over to get the painkillers and a small glass of water.]
grappler: (19)

[personal profile] grappler 2025-05-06 09:07 pm (UTC)(link)
[she snorts, looking a little amused at him as he gets the water and meds.]

Only one person can come at me with any kind of straps, and you're not her.

[Vi please]

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