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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
N-no, no, it's... this is all just... ... how are you so calm?
no subject
To tell you the truth, I feel like I'm about to jump outta my skin! But...
[He takes a deep breath and steadies himself first, then her. Like being on a plane.]
I just wouldn't be me if I didn't try to help somebody who needed it, when helping's easy. So you just focus on breathing for a minute, okay?
no subject
( shizuku smiles weakly, but. he's already trying to help, right? so she needs to make sure it's not wasted.
eventually, she does manage to ease up a little. but now she's just kind of tired. )
... Thank you. I- I'm sure I don't need to get into the 'why', but...
no subject
[The bare minimum people would expect from a good person. And he's trying to be a good person right now, painfully trying. He is ready to find weapons and kill whatever is responsible after seeing this delicate young lady, thanks.]
Don't worry about explaining it. You're overwhelmed. This whole thing's a biiig mess. I'd be more surprised if you were acting tooootally fine!
[He looks around for an idea.]
Want me to walk you somewhere where you can rest properly? Or do you just want to wait it out?
no subject
( the fog is unsettling. horribly so. and every time she tries to look away she just sees that mark on her wrist and. and she hates it. it's awful. )
... I just don't think it's helping right now.
no subject
Yeah, same. I don't like it much. Have you been to the dorms yet? They're cozier, more or less.
no subject
( gratefully, shizuku accepts the outstretched hand and lets herself be pulled up. the dorms... which way was that again? ah... )
... My name's Shizuku, by the way. Shizuku Hinomori.
( ... though... now that she thought of it... it was a little strange that no one seemed to know her, actually. )
no subject
Still, this place could somehow be not awful, right? Somehow?]
I've got some good and bad news for you, Miss Hinomori. The good news is I'm pretty easy to get along with, usually. The bad news is... well, you're stuck with me as a roommate.
no subject
But that's improper!
(
wait-
flustered, shizuku starts flailing ever so slightly. )
I- I'm sorry, I didn't mean that as an insult, its just- I've never even had a date and you're a boy and I'm a girl, and- oh gosh, what if the news finds out? I'd have to make a public statement--
no subject
Right, riiiight, it's not okay. And anyway, I'm an idol, so I should be eeextra careful!
[He waves has hands dismissively.]
I'll just leave my clothes in there and sleep somewhere else. It's nooo big deal!
[But where are his manners!]
Madara Mikejima, of MaM and... [He hesitates for a moment.] ...Double Face. Nice to meet you, even though the circumstances stink.
no subject
( which is. very concerning? but... if she's never heard of him, and he had no response to her... what was happening? frowning, shizuku looks up at madara. )
Do you know of Cheerful*Days or MORE MORE JUMP? They- um, the former is my old unit, and the latter is my current one...
no subject
It's not like I'm thaaat popular, and Double Face isn't very active... I've never heard of your groups either, though.
[But he smiles, and hopes it's reassuring.]
Look, it's not totally unheard of to not know about other idols, right? And even if we are from different worlds, that's okay too!
[He says it as casually as he can, but he's pretty sure this isn't going well.]
no subject
... I did see two people who looked... more like cats, than people...
no subject
Seeeee? It's just like a weird dream, but it's a liiiittle more real. I can't say I know what's going on, but we'll all just have to look out for each other.
[But is there something like real, present anger boiling up in him that they put some anxiety-riddled girl idol here? Yeah. A bit.]
Come on, I'll take you to your room and let you relax for a while~
no subject
( ignoring the common room. that'd be bad for his back. )
We can set up something for privacy, I'm sure.
no subject
[He's just going to lead on to the dorms for now, then.]
You're really an idol's idol, then. Maybe I'm a little too free-spirited!
no subject
( were he not leading her by the hand she might bop his shoulder some!!! and if she's pouting a little no she isn't. )
I've hardly done anything. ... You're the one trying to make people smile.
no subject
But he's still worried she'll knock over at any second, so he's staying close.]
I'm not gonna let you talk me into staying if it's going to bother you! Mama respects all young ladies! One of my precious kouhai wouldn't forgive me if I didn't.
[Go on, ask about her.]
no subject
( also, sleeping on the couch likely is going to cause so much back pain and they'll both feel that. so. she'll tackle this again after the orientation, probably. )
no subject
[Girls gotta stick together.]
And anyway, you being in such a state's done me a big favor, somehow! I'm feeling right as rain now.
[Which... is only sort of a lie. He still has a headache and such. But he's focused on her, which makes him steel through the rest of it.]
no subject
( eat that, mister tough guy! not that the words of a stranger must matter as much. with a soft sigh, shizuku shakes her head. )
... I wonder why they set the rooms up as they did, though... whoever brought us here is very strange.
( TO SAY THE LEAST )
no subject
It's... weird? Refreshing? He definitely doesn't know what to do with it.]
All right, all right, when you're feeling better, we'll have a niiice long talk about what we're going to do to keep you safe--
[That was not the word he meant? To use?]
--And sound in that biiig room!
[Nice recovery!]
Whatever's going on doesn't quiiite sit right with me. Why don't you stick with me, since we're roommates? At least for now. I'm a biiig guy, I can take a few hits if something weird happens.
no subject
( is she pouting? absolutely. but it only lasts for a few minutes before she laughs, shaking her head. )
You really are boisterous, aren't you? I bet you'd get along with one of my underclassmen. Emu Ootori. She's very excitable, she'd match your energy perfectly.
... You don't have to focus entirely on me. I want everyone to be okay, whatever happens. That means you, too.
no subject
[He sounds a little dark for a second, but then he laughs.]
Haha, I'm kidding! I'm just a fun-loving kind of guy. If it's a party or a festival, if it's lively? I'm not far away. It's nice that you've got an underclassman like that. We keep things wild, don't we?
no subject
( she's not psychic, mama... )
Ah- you'd really like her, then. Ootori's main goal in life is to make people as happy as possible, and keep things fun... she and Haruka- one of the girls in my unit- they took over and redid the sports festival entirely so more people could enjoy it.