expiationlogs | {EVENT #2} ADVERSITY 168518.2092

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{EVENT #2} ADVERSITY 168518.2092

THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM

MOD NOTES:

Please direct any questions to the corresponding comment below. Note that characters can be involved in multiple prompts (whether you choose to thread that out or not), and 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.

Our State of the Game, which will include results of this event and changes of the world, along with some future goals and events we would like to work towards will be posted 1 week from today (May 26, 2023).

The various prompts are, of course, optional. Consider that taking part and not taking part both have their potential effects on the world and how Expiation moves forward in terms of overarching storyline.

A FAMOUS DISAPPEARING / REAPPEARING ACT

Those who were plagued by nightmares and visions after venturing into the forest awaken to find that a mark has appeared somewhere on their body. It’s unclear what made it, but its function quickly becomes clear. Upon discovering the mark, whispers begin to sound in their minds, beckoning them to a secret clearing in Pessiria Forest. Something awaits them there.

After some time, a faint image of an unnaturally tall, lanky man appears in the mind. He wears a hooded robe that bears several runes resembling the strange marks and is surrounded by acolytes wearing identical robes. Raising a single hand, he calls the afflicted his Branded, and presents them with a simple offer: “Pledge yourself to my glorious cause, and you shall be granted overwhelming power to twist this world into your personal paradise.”

The offer repeats itself in the minds of the afflicted, slowly intensifying over time. It's clear that this man will not relent unless he gets what he wants. Those with strong willpower, however, may be able to reject his dark offer.

I. A TEST RUN FOR NEW POWER

For whatever reason, you have chosen to accept the whispers’ offer. Some may have been overwhelmed by the mental link that demanded your fealty, while others found the offer of overwhelming power appealing. Regardless of your reasons, this decision finally brings you a strange peace, as the intense demands are replaced with your promised reward. Now, the brands start to feel like a blessing as they begin to spread across your body. They feel good and natural—almost as if you have found a missing part of yourself that you had never known.

You begin to feel an unknown power coursing within your body, but you aren’t entirely sure what it is. Some will gain powers associated with the mind, allowing for psionic powers ranging from telekinesis to possession. Others will gain a mysterious power to cast elemental and blood magics that they had previously never been able to use. Once you reach the secret clearing, its nature and usage will become clearer to you.

Things are odd at the place you’ve been summoned to. In the clearing, you’ll find strange stone monuments and tablets containing text in an indecipherable language. At the centre of this collection of monuments, descends a pit-cave with several winding paths, each containing cells with bruised and battered prisoners. The more perceptive among you may notice that these are the people who have gone missing over the past few months.

You and your fellow Branded are free to do as you like. Will you make these prisoners into experimental pawns to test your new powers with? Or will you try to resist the power you’ve accepted?

II. ABDUCTION

Unlike your possessed fellows, the brand doesn’t take. The whispers intensify with each passing hour, demanding that you give in. Still, for some reason, you never accept their offer. Perhaps somewhere in your heart, you know that this is wrong and have managed to hold on through pure force of will. Maybe your latent powers managed to hold the brand’s influence at bay despite their constant demands. Either way, the hooded figure knows that it has been denied a thrall, and it does not take rejection lightly.

A piercing shriek can be heard from the forest before all hell breaks loose. Shadowy figures emerge from its depths and press into Aldrip. If you are claimed by the shadows, your character will be enveloped in darkness and pulled back to the hidden grove. This will take you out of the action for the duration of the event, only to reappear in Aldrip sometime after the chaos subsides. However, others may choose to flee from the shadows and seek help from other Chosen. This is optional, primarily for those who need a reason to be absent from the event for a portion of the time. For characters who are present and unbranded, consider this an opportunity to interact with those who are, and to be susceptible to their abilities, or experience an odd desire to serve or otherwise demonstrate loyalty toward them.

SPEAK NOT OF THE OLD ONES

Unfortunately for those who were marked, their struggle mostly goes unnoticed in those critical first moments. For most people, it just seems like just another day. Some strange people are rising at strange hours of the morning to venture into Pessiria forest, but for the most part, life goes on as usual. While some of the Chosen may find themselves struck by a sense of unease, the locals go about their normal lives, unaware of what is to come.

However, that quiet was only the calm before the storm. After some of your fellow Chosen venture into the forest, a piercing shriek can be heard across the entire region as a gargantuan creature emerges from the earth a mile away from Aldrip. At first, all you see is a giant tentacle made of dark crystal. However, the abomination’s upper body soon emerges, flailing its limbs in an absolute frenzy. Golden tendrils course across its frame and into the ground, draining the life from the surrounding land and leaving rot in its place. Meanwhile, its many tentacles could fell a tree in a single swipe.

This unnatural event causes Aldrip to erupt into absolute chaos. Most of the Aldrip locals take to the street, taking anything valuable they could find in their homes before sprinting away. Others cry out for some kind of divine intervention to save them from their trial. However, there is no order to the escape effort, leaving most either trapped at the city, or at risk of being trampled in an onslaught of fleeing locals.

III. TAKING ON THE UNKNOWN

If the Chosen are to have any hope of dealing with this impending crisis, they need to act soon. For now, the strange beast flails about clumsily, almost as if it is unaccustomed to its corporeal form. However, there’s no telling how long this will last. The golden tendrils emerging from the creature’s body seem to be sapping the life out of the nearby land, strengthening the monster as it prepares to finish climbing out of the ground and destroy Aldrip.

Several opportunities seem obvious at first glance. Brave Chosen may choose to take the gargantuan creature on directly, banding together to bring it down before it can reduce Aldrip into a lifeless husk. However, those who are not as proficient at fighting may instead try to do something about the spreading golden roots that are sapping the life from nearby area. It might not be as glamorous, but it will buy valuable time, nonetheless. Either way, this is not a one-person kind of job. You will need help from your fellow Chosen if you want to see this through.

IV. WHEN CHOSEN CLASH

Characters who have accepted the brand’s offer will hear a call in their minds. It’s the hooded figure that granted you the power you’ve been gifted. His order is clear—the creature’s rebirth must not be disturbed. Protect it at all costs. This will give you a fantastic opportunity to show off your new powers. Band together with your fellow Branded to cause a little mayhem or face off against the unbranded as they struggle to stop the behemoth.

Fighting against former comrades will not be easy for the Chosen. Those bearing the brand have all gained strange powers based on their personalities. They include possession, mind control, elemental and blood magics, the ability to create areas of silence, life draining, or even the ability to capture others in shadowy grasps. Worse yet, the Branded are becoming stranger by the minute. As the Brand spreads across their body, their behaviour becomes increasingly violent and erratic, drawing out the worst of their personalities.

Some of the Chosen may discover a strange quirk about the new abilities that have appeared among the Branded. While the abilities may be powerful, Chosen who act selflessly to help their enthralled comrades will discover that they have become entirely immune to their influence. It won’t remove the mark itself, but it will equalise the playing field for those who want to convince their comrades to renounce the hooded figure.

THE ONE WHERE THERE’S A WILDCARD

V. LEADING—OR BENEFITTING FROM—THE SITUATION

As the creature’s scream resonates across the nearby area, residents of Aldrip begin to panic and flee from their homes. Unfortunately, such processes are often messy. In fact, plumes of smoke are even emerging from a few houses that were left just a little too hastily.

Whether you decide to assist in the process or decide to take advantage of the mayhem is up to you. The evacuation effort could almost certainly use some people to arrange the panicking mass into an organised exodus. Alternatively, you could try and attend to people who can’t get out on their own. Whatever you choose to do, people rarely forget the faces of those who personally come to their aid, and the villagers will almost certainly feel indebted to you if you ensure their safety.

Chaos can also bring opportunities. With everyone leaving their homes, there’s almost certainly plenty of unattended valuables left in the town. If thieving is up your alley, the opportunity to loot to your heart’s content is ripe. Just make sure that no one is watching. It would be a shame if one of your more justice-minded Chosen saw you doing something naughty, after all.

VI. FUCK IT, WE BALL (WILDCARD)

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

𝐢. 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐢'𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐠𝐨𝐞𝐬

(a man departs of the inn as soon as dazai puts his charm down. it's wearying, figuring out what chuuya is going to do when their seemingly collective mind is not their own. at least, with how dazai's paid the locals to monitor and report, he knows exactly where the redhead is going. once he caught up with him, however, things take a deeper dive into the unknown. gogol, and now, neither. it means dazai has to hike, and so he does, heedful of marks, attentive to whatever he can scan with his capable detective eye. not that it always helps, when gogol and chuuya can overcoat in and out as much as needed without dazai's nullifying touch.

eventually, he needs to rest his legs, sore and beaten from all the walking, eyes exhausted from all the squinting, and shoes soaked from the humidity of the forest. whoever walks in will see dazai with his eyes closed, cigarette between fingers, recently lit, and ears will pick the slowest heartbeat, faded, so he can cool down his own body before he proceeds his search. once the presence is felt, his index finger rests upon his lips, asking for silence.

please.)

𝐢𝐢. 𝐢 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 '𝐞𝐦 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐬𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞

('no longer human' has always been a wonderful thing. one touch, no ability can touch him, a person's livelihood embalmed and contained within them, unable, calmed into an eery silence as a cool wash encompasses it. it's a rare ability that has made him as valuable for it as he has been for his wits and mafia black heart. thing is, while he is a fairly good fighter, he can't do miracles, his stamina isn't his greatest strength. it's dazai's intellect that makes it.

his thought is plain. reach chuuya, so corruption doesn't eat him alive. reach kotone, then reach gogol. from there, his hands are pretty much full, and he can station at a safe place holding as many as he can. as long as he's touching them, it should be fine. it's reaching that's the problem, with all the chaos, the destruction, and he's just one unit of twink.

to whoever is next to him, dazai pleads.)

Help me make space! If I touch them, it'll go away!

𝐢𝐢𝐢. 𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞 𝐢 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 (𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 + 𝐜𝐰 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬)

(beds, either real ones, or make-shift, now make the arrangement of his room. it's what he can do, even if he too isn't good on his feet, if everything aches. if something makes an appearance, it's all but a touch to quiet it. he can't sleep, under no circumstances, so the amount of stimulants he's on will certainly cause him to crash as soon as he's able.

right now, however, that's his own problem, not anyone else's. serenely, as if none of that is on his mind, he sits on the edge of a bed, a glass of water offered, and one of those rather credible, however hollow smiles.)

Here, yeah? You should catch some sleep! Is it hurting anywhere?

[ Just as thought the downtime is disastrous for not thinking. At least with Dazai running around playing nursemaid that's something to watch from his haphazard assortment of blankets. No emergency hidden blanket pile was safe from his reach it seems. It's only from his mix-matched gaze up to the top of a messy head of hair that manages to pop out from that soft barrier.

Which means it's such a devastating development when the man approaches and he avoids looking at him out of instinct. ]

I think you should guess the answer to that.

[The energy here is really giving Cinderella on a smoke break at D*sney w*rld... Although evidently he wills up SOME whimsy after hearing himself.]

and then maybe I'll give you a prize if you guess it right!

Ah, ah, can the clown still slight of hand? Let me see? It's time to change your bandages, and that's your prize because I'm a genius at guessing! You know that, right? After all, who would we be without our little quizzes? Ah, Nikol, Nikol, are you cold? Scoop over, will you? Brrrr, I am cold myself. Last I remember! You're warm! So, without any invitations, I'm coming in myself!

(the words are so fast. he's so tired, but alas, one is doing what they must. he hardly feels pain, anyway, with how much he has in his system. it's what's keeping him together, alert, and he takes his bandages (look, he's sharing precious goods) as he comes into the blanket pile.)

Hand, clown!

[ There's a laugh at the others expense as he comes face to face with this cracked out of his mind whirlwind of a Dazai. Piteous bastard. This is the consequence of caring so desperately for emotional attachments. But Gogol is benefiting from it. So...!

But it's really more his mental state that's more worse for wear. Ultimately he'd caved to a decision which would mean he was used, and it was not even for a belief worth supporting. "Have you thought about how much further you have to go?" that gentle admonishment his dear friend had left him before disappearing echoes against the walls of his skull. It makes a scream threaten to crawl up from his throat.

Instead of screaming he scoots over, offers up a hand with no flourish to be seen, and maintains a distant smile. ]

Certainly, I'll give you a hand.

[ It's the wrong hand. Still got jokes!!! ]

Let's give it a show of hands, who thinks this whole thing got out of hand? But, I got to hand it to you, you are actually doing really good! One on hand, you are so nice and warm here, on the other hand, I'm sure we're healing your hand very well!

(all these hand puns. please, dazai, calm your never-stopping mind. it's okay if he covers both of them completely with the blankets, isn't it better for privacy? his voice can be a little lower, he can be heard, and he gets to see gogol go through the motions by himself.

it's gentle how he takes in the injury into his hands, unwrapping the bandage to reveal both the crooked bone and the gunshot. in his pocket, there's the medicine he has to apply, and a pack of gauze and other medical wonders.)

I'm sorry about breaking your hand, Nikol.

[There's a stunned silence. Not for the playful run on about hands, no, it's because being hidden away from the world underneath covers is a simple childish comfort. Worst of all is it's been so long since he's resembled anything even remotely close to a vulnerable child but it might actually be achieving something.]

Um, well, let's see here. Aha! I think I don't have enough hands for any of that.

[Mouth dry, he doesn't know how to respond to anything, least of all something gentle. What's the right choice? He would've known it before but right now his mind is in disarray. Right, right, 'put a rift between them until he can be rational' surely... with his good hand he grabs hold of Dazai's busy hand at the thumb and gives it an irritating shake around.]

Why? Aren't you satisfied with your work?! Here, here, give it a second try! You can break the other one too.

(if it weren't for the stimulants, he could fall asleep on the other's shoulder. he's so tired. this being good thing? it's tiring. there's nothing he wishes more than to leave, to hide, to scream and to destroy, but that's not as his journey asks of him. he wishes he had the agency with him, for starters. it'd have made this whole ordeal so much easier, and he wouldn't be feeling so lonely taking care of all this on his own.

not that he has time to think of all this, not at all, and he can't blame gogol for dealing with his own disarray of mental capacities the only way he knows how.)

Ah? Of course not? If this were a torture session, you wouldn't have told me anything! Ah, but let's keep your other hand intact, in case I do torture you in a later date!

(as if????)

dazai osamu | bungo stray dogs | not branded

iii.

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cw self harm mention

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III - CW: mention of vomit

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iii we're not looking at dis timestamp

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