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

cw starvation

[accursedtwin]

[ It works, and a boy that looks just like Yuui turns around from the barred window he was looking out of. ]

Fai!

[ And suddenly everything around him melts, and Hien finds himself back down at the bottom of the tower.

It seems like time has passed, as Yuui now looks much more gaunt, his face practically skeletal and his hair even longer than before. He lays on the ground, curled up as snow falls down on him. ]

[selfconcept]

[ Frustration rises again when Hien finds himself back down. Did he do something wrong? Did he unintentionally do this? He frowns and goes up to Yuui. He was so close. So close. ]

Yuui? Yuui. Snap out of it. It's me.

[ He looks so... ugh, he can't even complete the thought. He wants to get out of here with the boys. ]

[accursedtwin]

[ Yuui finally blinks awake, sitting up in surprise when he sees Hien. ]

You're alive... I thought... I thought you got hurt when everything went dark and I woke up and you were gone.

[selfconcept]

I don't die. What happened? Suddenly, things just... I was getting you and your brother out a second ago.

[ God. He doesn't like this. ]

[accursedtwin]

[ He shakes his head. ]

I don't know. I—

[ Yuui doesn't get the chance to finish that sentence, as a portal opens up next to them. ]

Do you want to leave this place?

[ A deep voice booms from the portal, authoritative and powerful. ]

[selfconcept]

[ Hien immediately gets in the way between the portal and Yuui. He doesn't trust that voice... it's probably that voice Fai talked about. In which case, he hates it even more. ]

Fuck off.

[ He growls out. ]

[accursedtwin]

[ The man beyond the portal affixes Hien with a bored stare before using magic to fling Hien to the side and into the wall of the tower.

Yuui yells after him, but the man starts talking to get his attention. ]

As I was saying... do you want to leave this place?

[ Yuui stares blankly ahead. ]

I want to leave. I want to go somewhere else.

I can grant your wish. But you must choose between you and the other one!

[selfconcept]

[ THIS BITCH BE HELLA RUDE--Hien is unfortunately flung off to the side and slammed into the wall. Ow?? ]

You don't need to choose! This man is lying! He has the power to take both! If he can make portals, he can at least do that much--

cw child death

[accursedtwin]

[ Yuui looks absolutely torn by that because Hien does have a point. Unfortunately, he doesn't get to say anything to the man in the portal before movement from above catches his attention.

It's Fai.

He's staring wide-eyed at Yuui as he falls from way, way, way high up at the top of the tower. They make eye contact for what feels like an eternity before he hits the ground of the tower in a crumpled heap. Blood starts to seep from his body. ]

F...ai...?

You have made your choice, and this was the result!

cw child death

[selfconcept]

Shut the fuck up. He didn't make any choice--

[ Okay, fine. He's getting out of this wall now, even if it hurts. Whatever. Yuui must be hurting more than he is right now. ]

Everyone needs to stop blaming little kids for their stupid actions. Take some fucking responsibility, shit for brains.

[ Hien is angry. He's pissed. He looks down at the ground where Fai is there, bleeding, dead. He utterly hates it. It reminds him of when Ren died in front of him too. So he does what he does best--pick up Fai in one arm, and then Yuui in the other--then he charges at the portal.

He'll go through the portal with Yuui, and kill whoever the voice belongs to-- ]

[accursedtwin]

[ The portal blips out of existence for the brief moment Hien passes through it. Once he's several feet past, it comes back. ]

What am I to be responsible for? I was not the one who created the rules of this world, after all.

[ Yuui clings to Hien, silent tears streaming down his tired face.

The man directs his attention to Yuui. Hien is a nuisance that can be easily ignored. ]

Don't you want to reverse the other one's death? Assume that there was a method to bring someone back from the dead. Would you do it?

Fai...

[selfconcept]

You have the fucking audacity to kill his brother in front of him and say that you also have the potential to bring him back from the dead? After you made him choose to make him feel guilty for his death?

[ Hien holds onto Yuui tightly and still holds Fai's body with his other arm. He makes sure that Yuui won't see his dead brother so easily from that point of view. He's just sleeping. Yeah.

Hien just about reaches the threshold of being Majorly Pissed the Fuck Off. His presence as an Overseer gets heavy in the surrounding area. It's definitely an otherworldly feeling, but he makes sure that the things he touches are unaffected by it. There's a heavy pulse that threatens to take away the Self of anyone who gets hit by it. He knows the voice is probably hiding somewhere safe, but he swears. He will make this portal flicker out of existence-- ]

[accursedtwin]

[ The man in the portal steps into view. His face is impassive, and he doesn't seem bothered by that otherworldly feeling. ]

Everything comes with a price. I'm now giving him the option to bring his brother back. When the one who takes you away brings you to another world, a feather will fall into that world. It is the memories of a princess that you will aid in a journey. Keep the feather so that you may help keep her alive.

[ Although Hien holds him tightly, Yuui tries to look at the man in the portal. ]

When the time comes, you must travel with her and keep her safe. You must kill anyone who stands in the way.

[ He shrinks against Hien at that. ]

[selfconcept]

[ Hien holds Yuui even closer when he feels him shrink a little. He glares at the man. ]

How pathetic you are, trying to rope a child into your bullshit when they're so emotionally damaged. Know some fucking shame.

cw gaslighting

[accursedtwin]

Shame doesn't matter to me. I have my goals, and so does he. What's wrong with making a deal?

[ Yuui does his best to hold back tears. He wants Fai back... ]

I don't understand why you balk at the idea of killing a stranger, when you're the one responsible for your twin's death.

[selfconcept]

You didn't do anything, Yuui. It's not your fault. Don't listen to this insane man. You're not the one who wanted your brother to die. It's this sorry excuse of a man.

[ He can cry into his shoulder instead. Meanwhile, Hien gets the rubble and kicks it at the portal, aiming it at the man's head. fuck off fwr. ]

cw memory tampering, curses

[accursedtwin]

[ It simply bounces off of the portal as Yuui cries into Hien's shoulder.

The man doesn't seem bothered at all. He once again ignores Hien and points at Yuui. ]

You will have two curses placed upon you.

On your travels, you will kill the first person you come across that is more powerful than you. That is your curse. As for your other curse...

[ The memory shorts out for what feels like thirty seconds. It's a missing bit of memory, like it's been tampered with. When it comes back, the man is no longer extending his hand. ]

Remember—you are my pawn.

[ And with that, the portal disappears. ]

[selfconcept]

[ What...? Hien surely recognizes that memory shorting out. It's similar to what he does when he has to sort through memories. He doesn't know what to do. ]

... Yuui?

[accursedtwin]

[ Tears continue to stream down his face. It seems like he didn't notice that blip in his memory. ]

Fai... I want Fai back...

[selfconcept]

I know.

[ He wanted Ren back too, but unlike what Fai told him in his memories, Hien can't think of anything to say. Resurrection is forbidden? That doesn't help. ]

I'm sorry. It wasn't your fault, but you can't believe that man either. Revival plots are a scheme that won't end well for you.

[accursedtwin]

What am I supposed to do? I can't keep going without him.

[ Yuui's tears start to fall harder as he buries his face in Hien's shoulder again. ]

[selfconcept]

... Give yourself some time. What happened to your brother is really tragic, but you have to move on. But be kind to yourself.

[ He gently pats Yuui's back as he lets Fai down slowly, and making it seem like he's sleeping instead of being an obvious corpse. ]

[accursedtwin]

Can I move on...?

[ He doesn't know how. Is that sort of thing even possible?

He watches as Hien lets Fai down and moves to hold him. ]

[selfconcept]

You can. I believe in you. It will be hard now, but you can do it. I know you can.

[ He hugs Yuui tight.

Fai just looks like he's sleeping with his hair neatly brushed to the side like the stereotypical dead anime mom hairstyle. ]

[accursedtwin]

I...

[ Yuui really, really doesn't think so and he can't promise that he'll try, but he won't discount Hien's line of thinking either.

It's the best he can do in a situation like this.

If Hien wants to say anything more, he unfortunately doesn't get the chance. The memory fizzles out like that and he's kicked from the portal. ]