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theafflicted2022-05-21 07:30 am
afflictionmods) wrote in theafflicted2022-05-21 07:30 am
00 - prologue
PROLOGUE
It doesn't matter where you are or what you're doing – something strange begins to happen. There's a sudden burning sensation that wraps around your right wrist and part of your forearm. If you glance at the affected area, you'll find that it's...glowing. The glow is pale blue, and it's so bright that it hurts to look at. The burn itself isn't so painful that you feel like keeling over just yet, but it does hurt nevertheless.
But before you have time to try to soothe the pain, you start to feel lightheaded, dizzy. Perhaps some of you may attribute this to any injuries you may currently be sustaining. For those who were previously unscathed, however, there's quite possibly no explanation for this other than the sudden appearance of the mysterious burn on your arm.
There is no time to mull it over, though, because it is the last thing that you see before the world suddenly fades to black.
When you regain your senses, your vision is blurry; but when it starts to even out and you survey your surroundings, you find yourself sitting in a rather uncomfortable chair. Looking around you’ll see rows and rows of chairs, all facing the same way towards a desk, a podium, and an empty wall. A projector hangs from the ceiling and the lighting is bright and artificial... For some of you, it might be reminiscent of a college lecture hall. For others, you might have never seen anything like this before.
Your wrist, by the way, feels perfectly fine...though there’s now some kind of strange marking on it. It looks like a scar of some sort, and if you choose to touch it, it doesn’t feel inflamed or damaged in any way...but that doesn’t mean you don’t experience any pain. Perhaps the last thing some of you remember is a hard-fought battle, and the aches from your injuries still linger; some of you might not even remember getting hurt, and yet, your body aches like it has; for the lucky ones who feel fine, well. Pray that it lasts for a little while longer.
Because the moment someone gets hurt – emotionally or physically – there’s a small chance you’ll feel it, too. Where and who and what it’s coming from, though, is on you to figure out.
In front of you on the desk is some kind of device – a tablet, for those of you who are familiar. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be capable of doing much of anything right now, other than take photos and videos with the Camera app. There's also a translating app for those of you who need help reading some of the text around campus, as it is all in English. (Verbally, however, you can understand everyone in your own language. Tablets are also in characters' native languages.) It seems to be incredibly durable and hard to break, but you may want to be careful with it regardless.
Something shifts in your pocket (or...in your socks/shoe/what have you, if pockets aren't a thing) as you move around. Should you reach in and feel for it, you’ll find some kind of card – those who are familiar with modern technology will recognize that this is some kind of card you need to swipe. It has your name and a photo of you on one side, and the back of the card has the word "KEYCARD" on it.
There are also other people here, scattered throughout this mysterious classroom you’re in. In fact, there’re a bunch of you — 29 others, to be exact.
And now... you’re free to do whatever you want. Mostly anything, at least, given that once you step outside and explore, you’ll notice an ominous fog behind the various buildings within view. Still, this is a good time to get your bearings, check on what you have - and don’t have - and talk to the people around you until orientation starts.
( OOC: Welcome to your Intro Log! The partner system is in effect for the Intro Log, meaning that yes, pain share is happening! For some notes regarding the partner system, your character will not know who their partner is upon arrival. It’s entirely possible that they find out now if their partner gets or is already injured, or if they can pick up on their mood. Otherwise, they’ll find out later today...!
Anyone who tries to leave campus grounds will have to enter through the fog, but no matter what, they will mysteriously wind up back onto campus grounds. And for clarification, the keycards are what characters need to gain access to their dorms!
Finally, we will have an NPC Reveal at 6pm EST today! )
no subject
[He shoots this back with the alacrity of someone absolutely used to making up stage critiques on the fly and without actually critiquing anything. Sometimes you just words. Sometimes you also don't fucking know Shakespeare so Hien gets away with it, it's fine.
Tamamori leans against the chair seat, incidentally trapping Hien underneath the chair. They're doing great here. Something about the way the second question is asked makes him flinch a little.]
No! I-I'm not lost, and while I'm not old enough to be an uncle, I'm not young enough to be a child! I know exactly where I'm going.
[He just has no idea where he is.]
It's about the destination. Not the journey.
no subject
Do you even have a destination? Or know how to get there?
[ ... ]
You're lost. That's why your journey is important. Foolish child of man.
[ At this point, he's just messing around. ]
no subject
I have a destination.
[That he says immediately, in a sure tone, like someone might say I live in Osaka or I have five fingers. Something that lives in your head every day, settles in your soles. Speaking of which, he is probably tracking mud and other unmentionables on the floor. Ah, well.
Now that he's slowly regaining his bearings his eyes dart here and there like he's watching for unpleasant bugs. Also there's a mild sputter at the latter line.]
What? What?? Excuse me for-- for having normal parents! Ugly disembodied voice! [it's not disembodied] Do you know where we are?
no subject
We're in a lecture hall. You can't tell me that I'm ugly when I'm disembodied.
[ He adds that again: ]
Foolish child of man.
no subject
We've already established that one of us is wrong, and it's not me.
[Why is he like this. Tamamori pulls a knee up to his chest and affects an air of triumph like he's not still sitting on the damn floor; but there's something defensive about his posture even through all of that.]
A voice can be ugly even without a face. That's when the things it says are all the more important -- if you want to lead men astray with your voice, you've got a thousand more years to spend in the mountains.
Foolish youkai-or-something.
no subject
[ That's all he got out of that. Sorry, Tamamori. ]
no subject
Y-You're the one who said that, not me! I was thinking of the ones that kidnap men and eat them, or bury them under a cherry tree, or... something...
That's what I was thinking of, obviously?
no subject
[ Does Tamamori want to run now? ]
no subject
[Well, he is like. Pretty short, all things considered. I'd blame it on either the countryside or the still-modernizing environment or a diet consisting entirely of yogurt soft drinks but that doesn't explain why Kawase is fucking tall so y'know.
That being said at the same time that he's yelling these things (still at the projector, somehow), Tamamori is scrambling out of his position by the chair. Which makes the chair seat rebound, because folding chair seats are the work of the devil. He manages to smack himself ("OW") but also good luck Hien under there.]
no subject
He bites back a hiss of pain. That hurts his head, but he reaches out to grab Tamamori by the ankle.
It's time to perceive. ]
no subject
There's a literal shriek-squeak-squawk combo (what kind of noise, he's giving Hien's bad voice synthesizer life a run for its dubious money) and Tamamori is reflexively kicking out with the one foot. Actually, he's doing a full-body kick with both feet, kind of like a beached seal.
Also he smacks his nose on the seat in front because There Is No Room.]
Wh-Why?!? I warned you! I don't care how many arms you have, I'll break them all--
[At this point he's got tears in his eyes, is trying to slither over the seat in front, and is still talking to the projector so we're not sure if this is stubbornness or just loopiness.]