afflictionmods: (Default)
affliction mods ([personal profile] afflictionmods) wrote in [community profile] theafflicted2022-06-11 05:38 am

03.50 - week three, saturday

W3 SATURDAY
Another Saturday rolls around. Some of you had an… interesting night, perhaps, but that’s still no excuse to sit out on your lessons. There’s another announcement, another time to meet before your lessons start today. This time is just a bit different, though. This time you’re not meeting up at campus. You’re told to meet up at the park in the Museum District - and, as always, you’re expected to show up. How you get there is irrelevant, but you better try to be on time.

Florence is waiting at the park, and behind them is another dark, ominous orb. Even as far away as you are, you can hear its whispers. It’s calling to you with promises it can show you a new life, a better life, it can make you someone better… But then Florence is speaking, as if they cannot feel the hear the whispers.

“I will be accompanying you on this lesson, as I said in the brochure I handed out on Thursday. I will do my best to assist you.” There is a pause, though their face voice remains emotionless. “It is hard to say what it will be like inside - however, your goal for this lesson is to close this place for good. I may be unable to assist with that personally, so we are relying on you.”

They take a step back, turning towards the orb.

“I would advise you to do what is asked of you while you are in there - and a word of warning. Through our observations, we have noticed something strange. This seems capable of creating replications of those who enter it.” They let that information hang for a moment, before continuing. “We are unsure what these replications are truly capable of, but please be careful.”

Then Florence gestures for you to follow, and they’re stepping into the orb.




THE RINGMASTER
The inside is still the same park, but it has been transformed into a carnival. There are booths with games and food set up everywhere, a large ferris wheel, a tent. It will be a familiar carnival, to some of you, but all the lights are off and there are no people there. There’s a tug, a pull, that draws you towards the main tent - to center stage. Stepping inside you will be greeted by someone dressed as a ringmaster, whose voice is lively and energetic despite how hollow they seem on the outside:

“Hello and welcome! It’s time for your performance! And every good performer wants to do what the people want, don’t they? There’s a list on those little tablets of yours, and you need to do whatever’s asked of you!”

The ringmaster laughs brightly, and it echoes throughout the tent. “The more you do, the more we’ll all enjoy it, and the better chance you will get to stay you! But if you refuse… Well, that won’t be any good, right?”

The ringmaster makes a wide, sweeping gesture with their cane.

“We’re very generous here, though, and realize some things are easier to do with others! That’s why one refusal won’t be an instant loss. We’re assigning task cards, you see. Kinda like bingo cards! Each time you do a task for someone or someone does one for you, you get 50 points! The more you do, the higher the score, and once you reach 200 points, you're capped! But every time you refuse to do something people ask you to do, even if you're at 200 points… you lose 100 points ! And if you don’t do anything, well, you get no points and you lose automatically! You also can’t just sit around doing the same thing with the same person over and over again! Gotta spice it up! The same thing over and over again is just boring.”

There’s a click, and noise starts up outside of the tent. It sounds like the carnival’s come alive.

“Your little tablets will track your points. I really do recommend playing along, because if you fail… You’ll lose something. Something that makes you you! A memory, a precious item, something that makes you who you are and can’t be replaced so easily… Who knows what’s at risk, here! Though who am I kidding, it might be more fun to see what you'll lose. Don't ya think? Maybe you should just give up now and we can all laugh about it!

Anyways, all you gotta do is live until the timer runs out. The timer, by the way, is gonna be at the top of your tablet thingamajigs.”

There’s a tip of the ringmaster’s hat. The timer reads 90 minutes.

“That’s all for now! Go find that pesky little robot who’s been snooping around if you want more answers, because I am very busy.”




THE AUDIENCE
Once the ringmaster’s done with their speech, you’re free to travel around the carnival and explore it. It’s an eerie, quiet place, but… you’re not alone, and it won’t take you long to realize that. Those of you who had seen this carnival before - Miach, Shinei, Herlock, and Xingqiu - probably won’t be surprised when the doubles show up. They’re near perfect recreations of you - but near perfect doesn’t mean perfect. Their mannerisms might be odd, or their movements might be jerky and uncanny… but at a glance, it’s impossible to tell who is the real one and who isn’t.

And this is something that makes these doubles very, very angry.

They want you to fail, and they’ll do anything they can to ensure that happens. They’ll sabotage you - or your partner - all in an effort to make you lose points. They'll taunt you if it seems like you're ready to open up, they'll tell you about all the reasons why being honest is a bad idea. For physical prompts, they'll taunt you, call you a monster... They also seem to believe that if you fail, they’ll get to replace you. They will get a chance to get out of here and be the real one. They’re not always convincing, but they are dangerous, and there’s just as many of them as there are of you.




OOC NOTES
OOC: Here are some important things to note for today’s event:

- A simple breakdown of the rules is as follows:
You cap at 200 points, but you must maintain those 200 points until the timer runs out.
Mutual agreement on completing a task nets each person 50 points.
Getting turned down or refusing to do one makes you lose 100 points.
You cannot use the same person to complete all your tasks. You must have only one prompt per character that you cooperate with.


- The cards know, meaning that they'll know if something is not answered earnestly. Prompts that are answered falsely will not go away on your tablets. They will only go away if they are answered truthfully.

- Failure is NOT a bad end! In fact, we have some plans in the instance where not enough people pass the exercise. If 5 or more people fail the exercise, that is considered a group failure. Those who failed individually will face the consequences of losing the important memory/item/etc.

- We are asking people to make their own task cards. Here is a list of prompts:
You may also add one custom prompt tailored to your character, if you wish.

Please toss the prompts into the textbox at the top of this site. Under "Configuration Options", the card size should be 3x3 and the center space should have Normal selected. All characters will get a total of 9 prompts on their cards. It is okay to have prompts that your character would not do; it would just increase their chances of failure.









selfconcept: (pic#15650890)

[personal profile] selfconcept 2022-06-11 08:09 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm the worst, yeah. I'm used to killing people who look like the people I'm fond of though, so don't worry. I killed someone who looked like one of my best friends with my own bare hands. I can still feel it to this day, but it doesn't deter me from doing things. This isn't new to me, so... sorry.

[ He steps closer. ]

Since I know you want to hurt me emotionally, but I think I'm used to it enough that it doesn't matter.

[ He picks up his knife that fell somewhere around there. ]

So, please die.

[ He reaches out in an attempt to cut mirrormori's throat for a nice, clean cut. ]
cheerfuldays: (086)

cw: death / throat slitting

[personal profile] cheerfuldays 2022-06-11 08:26 pm (UTC)(link)
( she tries to back up, but she really is behind a knife and a hard place- she should have been stealthier or faster. this isn't fair- the blade slices through the skin and she can feel her black blood seeping out. she gasps as she hits the rack again, sliding down in shock.

it isn't a fast death, so to speak. but it could certainly be slower, too.

but elsewhere, shizuku doesn't have to know that. )
selfconcept: (pic#15650902)

[personal profile] selfconcept 2022-06-11 08:33 pm (UTC)(link)
[ When he notices that mirrormori isn't dying fast enough, he goes over to snap her neck too to make it quick. He doesn't need this to linger.

He tries to shake off the black goo from his hands and then makes his way out to where he last saw Shizuku.
]
cheerfuldays: (027)

[personal profile] cheerfuldays 2022-06-11 09:06 pm (UTC)(link)
( shizuku is where he left her, between stalls like she's standing in an empty street. the square for their coinciding task has lit up green and she's not sure how she feels about any of that, but when hien comes back she meets him half-way, brows furrowed. )

Are you okay?
selfconcept: (pic#14475726)

[personal profile] selfconcept 2022-06-11 09:12 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah. I didn't get hurt.

[ But he's having a very hard time wiping the black goo off his hands, so he eventually sits on the ground and tries to scrape it off against the dirt. ]

Gross... It's kinda like tar.

[ Supposedly, touching the black goo gives him sad, melancholy, angry feelings, so it looks like he mellowed out a lot. ]
cheerfuldays: (044)

[personal profile] cheerfuldays 2022-06-11 09:31 pm (UTC)(link)
Are you sure? You seem sleepier than usual.

( or... something, anyways. shizuku hovers a little, before resting a hand on his shoulder. )

Let's see if we can find a water fountain or a- a bathroom or something. The dirt won't help any.
selfconcept: (pic#15650883)

[personal profile] selfconcept 2022-06-11 09:41 pm (UTC)(link)
Sleepier...

[ Honestly, that tracks. He's definitely feeling the melancholy though. ]

Okay. I'm ready to sleep half a day after this.
cheerfuldays: (013)

[personal profile] cheerfuldays 2022-06-11 10:12 pm (UTC)(link)
Ehe, that does seem to be normal for after these lessons.

( gentle tug... up, hien... gotta find something to clean up with! )
selfconcept: (pic#15650902)

[personal profile] selfconcept 2022-06-11 10:27 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah, I'm not the only one... Thanks.

[ thanks for helping grandpa here, shizuku. They'll go to the bathroom to wash Hien's hands--this can be handwaved

\o/
]
cheerfuldays: (005)

[personal profile] cheerfuldays 2022-06-11 10:41 pm (UTC)(link)
( as he comes back from cleaning up, shizuku looks up at him like she wants to say something but can't decide what. after a moment, however, she settles on giving him a small but warm hug and then stepping back a bit. )

You seem like you're doing better now.
selfconcept: (pic#14357531)

[personal profile] selfconcept 2022-06-11 10:53 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah.

[ For a relative measure of "better" anyway. He returns the quick hug. ]

Thanks for leading me here. I really appreciate it.

[ His mind feels a little clearer. ]
cheerfuldays: (030)

[personal profile] cheerfuldays 2022-06-11 11:09 pm (UTC)(link)
Any time.

( her smile falls a little as she looks away. )

... You and I keep getting put into awful situations, don't we? It's no fair. ... I don't blame you, I promise. ... You'll just have to hang out with me lots this week, so we have even more good memories.
selfconcept: (pic#14357535)

[personal profile] selfconcept 2022-06-12 01:11 am (UTC)(link)
[ Sure, they're awful situations, but Hien probably doesn't stress about them as much as, say, Shizuku. Though, that's fair, considering their experiences with these things. Now that his hands are clean, he pats her head. ]

Yeah. See? You're getting the hang of it. Let's have more fun together when time permits.
cheerfuldays: (011)

[personal profile] cheerfuldays 2022-06-12 03:43 am (UTC)(link)
( pats..... she loves pats. more please.

ahem. )


Something like that... I just. I couldn't bear it if someone I treasured was only around when strife was happening.
selfconcept: (pic#14357537)

[personal profile] selfconcept 2022-06-12 02:41 pm (UTC)(link)
As if I'm an omen?

[ He doesn't sound surprised, which implies that he's used to being treated like that too. ]

Don't worry about it.
cheerfuldays: (012)

[personal profile] cheerfuldays 2022-06-13 02:43 am (UTC)(link)
Wh- that's not what I meant.

( surprisingly enough, there's actually something that cuts through the usual softness of her tone- insult? offence? annoyance? )

I don't think of you like that at all, Hien. ... Have you been told that before?
selfconcept: . (pic#14357538)

[personal profile] selfconcept 2022-06-13 02:50 am (UTC)(link)
Yes, but I'm actually one.

[ Yeah... He's not even self-depreciative about it either. He states it like a fact. ]

People don't want me in their worlds, because they're afraid I'll eat it.

[ ... ]

I've done that before. So.
cheerfuldays: (009)

[personal profile] cheerfuldays 2022-06-13 04:29 am (UTC)(link)
... You said something like that, last Saturday. I wasn't sure how much of that I could take at face value...

( she hates that she can on some level understand it. but consider her biased- he doesn't deserve to be treated like that. )
selfconcept: (pic#14355294)

[personal profile] selfconcept 2022-06-13 04:43 am (UTC)(link)
It's true. I'm a world eater. There's nothing good about a world eater being in your world, because it means the end is coming sooner than expected.

Which is funny, since they forcibly brought me here. It makes me feel wanted, in a weird way.

[ lol ]
cheerfuldays: (027)

[personal profile] cheerfuldays 2022-06-13 05:27 am (UTC)(link)
... You are. I like having you around.

( even if the implications of his presence are scary. )
selfconcept: (pic#14355196)

[personal profile] selfconcept 2022-06-13 01:36 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Hien doesn't look surprised that Shizuku says that. It must be nice to be so young, is what Hien thinks for a brief moment before patting her head again. ]

I'm glad that you think that way. Just don't forget what you're accepting of me in return.

[ That he's a dangerous world eater. ]
cheerfuldays: (006)

[personal profile] cheerfuldays 2022-06-17 08:09 pm (UTC)(link)
I won't.

( shizuku may be careless sometimes, but even she wouldn't forget this. it'd be a disservice to hien on multiple levels. but ultimately? she values the kindness he treats her with more.

but headpats are always nice. that's fine. )