04 - week four

[afflictionmods]

WEEK FOUR

Saturday comes to a close, and it’s time for some rest and recovery. Perhaps the TLC you deserve will come this week, or perhaps the nightmare will continue. It’s hard to say with things being so strange around you, from Wei Wuxian’s disappearance to the sudden addition of objects and places and creatures from your homes. Who knows what this week will bring? Nothing ordinary, that’s for sure.

You wake up on Sunday to an increase in those little glimpses you saw yesterday. What were snippets of songs, locations that might’ve seemed familiar, and creatures that were dormant, are now all alive and whole. When you go to the karaoke bar, the songs you once knew are there. Monsters and animals are alive and sentient. New business are abound. Vehicles are operable, and perhaps some of your old belongings are back, too.

However, some of these things aren’t even things that should exist outside of your dreams. They may be far too strange and unusual to be real, or just things you don't remember ever seeing. The only thing you remember about these things in particular is that they were, quite literally, in your dreams this week.

That being said, every few hours, all of these things from your homes and dreams fade out and get replaced by new sounds, places, beasts….only to maybe come back again at another time.

Well. At least there's one constant here: You’ve got a handful of new locations to look at, with the fog having spread once more, and they aren't going anywhere. There aren’t as many new places that are native to Estelline this time around, but that may be for the best, considering everything going on.


SETTING TRACKER

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

NEWSPAPER SUBMISSIONS + EDITION #1

SAGE / FLORENCE / LORELEI

MEM SHARE DETAILS

OOC NOTE

OOC: Details on this week can be found here!

Also, we have a lot of participants for the news activity from last week. Neat! Everyone who participated in some capacity will have a small polaroid camera delivered to their doorstep. There's limited film, though - 10 photos per camera. It doesn't seem like there's any extra film at this time, either.

Finally, there will not be any weekly tasks this week. You guys are going to be busy with memshare and dreamscape stuff; instead, enjoy the Estelline University Newspaper!

FULL NAV

(CODE)

Comments

[festiverogue]

[Note: All are interactive memories, you can interact with Madara there, but you can't influence the outcome of the memory or his ultimate choices. Please also indicate if you want actual Affliction Madara present or absent!]

i. Rio cw: self-esteem issues, cults

[This portal sits near the pond in the park.

Inside, it's morning, shortly before sunrise, in a deserted street in Rio de Janeiro. There's a young man standing nearby, dressed in a purple uniform that resembles perhaps something you may have seen in a superhero show. He's talking to someone, you think, but if you come closer and look harder, you'll notice he's talking to a laptop computer, holding a controller of some sort.

As a commotion comes across the computer's speakers, you see the young man raise a microphone and pose with an extended fist, a gesture of solidarity. And then he begins to sing.]


ii. Dark Night cw: violence, murder(?)

[This portal sits near the Camellia facility. If you open the door to a building, the portal may be there, instead of the room's contents.

At first it's just a spectacle, two young men performing a song about justice on a stage that seems too dark for people calling themselves idols. The energy in the room doesn't match the performance, either. While the audience is full to bursting in front of this stage, waving penlights dutifully in pink and green, they don't seem enthusiastic.

They seem ravenous. Bloodthirsty. Frenzied.

The performers finish and move over to the wings of the stage, where an older man awaits them both. The one you recognize to be Madara goes to the man and lays a firm hand on his shoulder, smile cold. Stay to see what happens?]


iii. Myriad cw: I told y'all about the land mines

[Remember those beautiful flowers near the park, the field that was coming and going, and occasionally would chase you off with an explosion? Well, now there's a portal in the middle of it, leading to... the same field of flowers on the other side!

And in that field of flowers stands Madara, and a blue-haired person who's unfamiliar to you. As they speak, suddenly the mounds of flowers begin to explode around them. Madara seems startled at first, but as another figure approaches, the two standing there grow more serious... And eventually Madara, dismissive, stalks off with obvious grave intent.

He searches the ground despite further explosions and seems to see something he's looking for, then begins to kick at the dirt, sending beautiful flowers scattering.]

So it's you...


iv. Secret - Madara is present by default; cw: threats of harm, death, and violence

[There's a portal near the dorms that seems to lead to an abandoned, run-down temple.

It's nighttime, and two men stand in the courtyard of the temple, having a conversation. It's odd and all, without context, but what's obvious--]

If you lay a finger on Anzu-san, I’ll kill you.

[--is that there's some tension even between the two cooperating parties.

They continue to discuss, until others arrive and... all hell basically breaks loose.

Madara--the real one, the one you may know--watches this from behind a tree. And for some reason, he looks like he's about to burst out laughing??]


v. Wildcard

[Honestly just DM me with your favorite Madara cards and whichever ones I know the stories well for I can do!!]

rio - either/or for affliction madara being present!

[cloudalike]

[ This one had also seemed normal enough at first. When the young man begins to sing, it's a surprise - but a pleasant one. Chongyun listens intently; the lyrics call to him. They're thoughts he's never had the words to express, at least no words so beautiful, no meaning so poignant. ]

Incredible...

present it is! but he's lurking for a minute

[festiverogue]

[The younger Madara in purple hears that he's not alone and turns around with a start. The controller sits near his feet, and the view on the other side of the computer screen--grainy, from a drone camera--is nothing but footprints on a beach and the ocean.]

Wooow, I really thought I was alone! Did I wake you up? It's early!

[cloudalike]

No, I'm always up early.

[ Actually, though. ]

And I'm glad I did get here early today. Your singing was - [ He closes his eyes briefly. ] - amazing beyond words.

[festiverogue]

[Somewhere around the corner, the "real" Madara's eyebrows arch. He's... not sure he's ever had someone compliment his singing quite like that. Of course, he's an idol, and he has fans who say kind things. And of course, he's always good at anything he puts his mind to, so he is a good singer. But this is so sincere, he's a little taken aback.

It's hard to wallow in the moment he just relived when someone's reacting like that.

But he watches for now.]

Ahaha, thanks! I'm just out here singing to myself~

iii, present

[selfconcept]

[ A flower garden. Flowers blow up. People stand amidst it. Madara is one of them.

Hien just stands there, and he honestly doesn't know what else to expect. ]

Hm... are there any left? I wanna dig one up.

[festiverogue]

[The real, present Madara, dressed in white sidles right over to Hien upon hearing that, watching his past self crouch down to dig with his bare hands.

The Madara digging at the dirt pauses, looks chagrined, then pulls a younger girl out from the hole. It's clear that she has difficulty moving in certain regards, but the Madara there beside her launches into a pretty unimpressed discussion with her instead of paying any particular attention to that fact.

The real Madara laughs at Hien.]

Wait 'til they leave, at least. Are you going to interrupt a touching family moment?

[Actually.]

I think she set all of them off already, though. You're welcome to dig.

[selfconcept]

No point in diggin—

[ He squints.

What.

What the fu— ]

So you dug up a girl that was about to be buried alive... huh?

[festiverogue]

[Madara laughs, long and loud, earring jingling pleasantly as the remaining flowers sway in a sudden breeze. Of course this situation wouldn't make sense to anyone who wasn't in the know.]

That's my little sister. She buried herself there to ambush me in the garden, and she's the one setting off the mines.

iv

[goodfaiths]

[ This is wild??? Hello??? What is going on???

Riku fortunately ends up near Affliction!Madara, but he's unaware of the other man's presence. So instead, he's kind of standing by the trees, debating on whether or not he should try to step in. ]

H-hey, don't do that!

[festiverogue]

[The pink-haired attacker closes in on the older man, but memory-Madara steps between them--even as the older man pulls a gun. For now, they don't see Riku.]

On that note, I'd better apologize to you, Kohaku. Truth is, the Gatekeeper's gonna help me make my dream come true, so I decided to join forces with him. If you wanna hurt him, you're gonna have to get through me first...

[The man with the gun seems to be this "Gatekeeper"...

It's about this time that the real Madara sees Riku, and he reaches over to pull him back, preventing him from getting into the mess. He speaks in a stage whisper.]

Can't let you get in there with those guys! Just watch.

[goodfaiths]

Madara-san!

[ He's startled, but he's glad to see a more familiar face. Why is there a gun. Isn't Madara supposed to be an idol... ]

Is everyone going to be okay?!

[festiverogue]

[Madara is still trying so hard not to laugh. Despite the gun. And the argument happening. The guy with the gun leaves before a few more threats are exchanged and Madara sounds like a real double-crosser.

But after a few minutes the pink-haired one and memory-Madara stare each other down... and start laughing, too.]

See? It's juuuust fine, Riku. That's my partner.

ii. :) (also give me a present mama when you feel is thematically appropriate)

[cheerfuldays]

( I shouldn't be here.

that's the first thing shizuku thinks as she looks around the club- she never even thought she'd be in a place like this, even with... something like magic involved, and everything is so dark. even the audience feels... wrong. backing up against the wall, shizuku clutches the pendant of her necklace.

still, she doesn't look away. )

[festiverogue]

[It's hard to see the movement in the wings of the stage, and impossible to hear what's being said. The pink-haired, younger idol seems to stalk rather than walk, pacing around like an animal with cornered prey. But the Madara in the memory seems more sinister even than that, smiling without a trace of warmth. Yet the man they're talking to seems to be enjoying the conversation, as though he expects something to come of it.

Something will come of it, it turns out. Memory-Madara takes a microphone and begins to address the audience. The roar of the crowd is far louder than the speakers, really, and it turns from the frenzied roar of support and fervor during the performance to jeering. All you can make out from the back is something about who this man is, and what glorious things he's done for the entertainment industry. Only they don't sound glorious at all, in Madara's blood-drenched tone.

The man on stage with Madara and the pink-haired young man begins to back off, but he's guided back to the center of the small stage by Madara's firm grip on his shoulder. He steers him, still addressing the audience, to the front of the stage. The pink-haired idol flanks the man, putting a hand out across him to take the microphone from Madara.

The crowd surges forward, the lack of barricades bringing them to the very foot of the stage. Hands block stage lights, settling the idols and their apparent prey in unflattering, dark relief.]

[cheerfuldays]

( it feels strange, seeing that expression on madara. briefly, she wonders if he's smiled like that at anyone in the course. and who's that third person? not an idol, certainly.

the audience is so worked up it almost hurts- if she wasn't used to the screams and cheers of a concert already, it definitely would. but to think that even with the microphones and speakers she wouldn't be able to hear everything clearly.

that man... was one of the darker aspects of the industry, wasn't he? given the fury in madara's voice, and how upset everyone was... but... what were they doing? )

[festiverogue]

[She doesn't have to wait long to find out. Madara in the memory takes a step back, then uses his considerable strength to shove the man from the stage and into the frenzied crowd.

The audience wastes no time, grabbing at the man and dragging him down into their midst, presumably to the floor, and... well, nothing good will come of it. There's blood on Madara's hands again.

But up on stage, he smiles at the pink-haired idol, his partner, and they exchange a high-five.

Someone slips out of the audience near Shizuku, heading toward her after a pause. It's a large figure, face shrouded in the dark club by a hood. Once he's in front of Shizuku, he pulls the hood down. It's Madara. The present one. And he's looking at Shizuku gravely. A trace of the bloodlust from his memory self remains in what she can see of his eyes.

He waits. There's nothing to explain, nothing someone like her should forgive.]

myriad - i am down for affliction madara being here!!

[sicklysweet]

[Owen watches the flowers exploding for a moment. It's, well. It's certainly a sight to see.

He watches Madara stalking the fields, kicking up the flowers, and follows after him curiously.]

So, who's fault is this?

You can have some confused dream Mama first as a treat

[festiverogue]

[Great. Memory-Madara is just not amused by that question at all, but he's more confused than anything. He stops digging for a moment.]

It's kinda dangerous here...

yaaay

[sicklysweet]

Yeah, that's why I'm here.

[He wants to see something bad happen!!]

So, what's going on? Who are we looking for?

[festiverogue]

[Okay, weird guy. Memory-Madara isn't really... understanding that, but you know what? You do you. Being ignored mostly.

Madara lights on a spot and makes a little noise of recognition, then kicks the dirt away more furiously before leaning down to dig.]

I just found them.

[And the person he uncovers moments later shrieks. A very dissatisfied young teen girl high-pitched shriek.]

No fair! No fair, no fair!

iii, okay with either re: affliction madara!

[undertakings]

[Realistically speaking, they probably should have marked off the park as a minefield after the first explosion, but it seemed a little pointless when these bits of their homes could pop up anywhere in the city and seemed to vanish without a trace at random. Either way, Shin happens to be one unlucky winner of the minefield lottery today as the portal sucks him in.

And while the sudden explosions are loud and send him on alert immediately, the sounds aren't unfamiliar, unlike the peace and quiet of Estelline's streets. In any case, running around recklessly with landmines buried everywhere seem like a bad idea, so he's just going to watch for now as Madara does... that. This feels unsafe, but Madara is also currently not dead or maimed in the present, so this presumably goes alright for him.]

[festiverogue]

[It's obvious after a few moments that the land mines are somehow more for show than for actual harm. Memory-Madara navigates between them as a blue-haired young man stands near a white pillared pavilion.]

Where are you hiding...

[undertakings]

[Oh, well that makes it better. ...Or not, because it still doesn't explain why someone went through the trouble of doing this in the first place, but at least there's probably no risk of losing a limb. Maybe.

But since Madara's more or less shown where there's a clear path, Shin will trail after him. He'll also keep an eye on the man by the pavilion, but unless threatening gestures are being made at them, it's probably fine to leave it for now.]

Do you know why these mines are here?

[festiverogue]

[Memory-Madara looks at Shin for a moment, a lack of recognition showing on his face immediately.]

I have a hunch... But who're you? You shouldn't be here. It's dangerous.