EVENT: Tell Me How One Keeps Secrets for So Long (August 2023)

[citycenter]

TELL ME HOW ONE KEEPS SECRETS FOR SO LONG.

ENDLESS PLUMMET INTO MORE OF THE UNKNOWN. » THE MALL — INTRODUCTORY NOTES On the morning of August 19, every device in the city starts to buzz. The screen illuminates, displaying a white page not unlike the orientation survey that welcomed you into the city. Unlike the orientation survey, though, there are no questions—only a single phrase in bold, dark text. WATER UNDER THE BRIDGE, it says, with a single "OK" button below. For a minute, nothing else happens. You try to turn the device off, but the screen stays lit; you try to reboot the device, but the screen stays lit. It seems that the only way to get rid of the screen is to press the button. Besides that, though, nothing much seems to happen. It's a nice day, sunny, blue skies, a little warmer than usual but that's not so bad. Maybe you decide to take a walk, explore the park near city hall. At the park, you may notice that there are signs up for the grand re-opening of the shopping mall—it's back and open for business. Maybe you should go and check it out. Who knows? You might find something interesting there. Be warned, though—it won't be difficult to head inside, but it may be considerably harder to get out. Midway through your browsing, you start to notice that things are… strange. The air feels a few degrees colder than it did minutes ago, and it's dark. Was it always this dark in here? You look up, look around, and find that the mall has been plunged into an almost preternatural darkness, lit only by strips of emergency lighting along the walls. As your eyes adjust to the gloom, you can tell that the mall looks… well, mostly the same as it did before. Still empty, still quiet, but the low hum of electricity in the building has been replaced with silence, save for some faint scuffling sounds you can hear at a distance. How long have you been in here? Did the mall close while you were shopping? Maybe it's for the best if you try to get out—assuming that you can find the exit… The main body of this event begins at 10:00 AM City time on August 19 and will continue for six days, until 10:00AM City time on August 25. Within that timeframe, characters may enter the mall and explore, but when they try to leave, they will find themselves trapped from inside, the shutters having closed over the main doors of the mall to prevent them from escaping. This trap is one way, meaning that characters can enter the mall at any point but will not be able to leave the same way until the end of the event period on August 25. There won't be anything obvious about the mall's exterior to suggest that anything is wrong inside, but characters who are particularly sensitive to energy flow may notice that something about the building seems off in a bad way. There is also plenty of room on this ride for a few characters at a time, so even if one character becomes trapped, others will still be able to enter at a later time and become trapped as well. Characters who enter the mall in a group will become trapped as a group, but are of course able to split up and reconvene at will during the event duration. Once trapped, characters can—optionally and with some difficulty—find their way to a fire escape and force it open to make their way out of the mall before the event period is over. JUMP TO TOP ↑ | ↓ JUMP TO COMMENTS ENDLESS DARK, STILL TIME MUST ENTER YOU. » THE MAINTENANCE ROOMS — KEEPING THINGS RUNNING Inside the mall, the entire building has been plunged into darkness. The only illumination comes from exit signs and strips of emergency lighting low on the walls, guiding you towards exit doors that won't open for you, no matter how hard you try to force them. As your eyes adjust, you start to be able to make out shapes: the columns and escalators in the atrium, the shape of a dry fountain in the main lobby. The mannequins in the storefronts. If you're brave enough to explore, there's nothing stopping you from making your way around the mall in the dark. You might find your way into the food court, or maybe one of the mall's many clothing stores. There's also a wellness store selling all sorts of vitamins and protein powders, a toy store that seems to exclusively sell carved wooden block toys, and a jewelry store selling stopped watches and all manner of diamond rings and necklaces. There are also other things to see, deeper in the bowels of the mall. Through a door marked with a bold EMPLOYEES ONLY sign, you enter a hallway—a long hallway, a very long hallway, lit a sickly red by the overhead emergency lights. On the walls, you can barely make out graffiti scrawled in ink: RUN, it says. DON'T STOP. SAFETY IN NUMBERS. When the hallway finally ends, you find yourself at a crossroads. You can make your way left at a fork to bring yourself down to the electrical room, home to all the transformers and breakers and switchboards that control the flow of power to the mall. (All of the breakers appear to be in the correct positions, and there is no visible reason why the lights should all be turned off.) Venturing further brings you to the mechanical room, where the boilers, elevator machinery, and air-conditioning are humming away contentedly. If you go right at the fork, you'll find yourself in the mall security office, where a bank of televisions is still illuminated—albeit flickering and flashing, fizzing out into static for minutes at a time. There are no backdated security tapes, but there is a live feed of the closed-circuit camera system inside the mall, showing the main atriums, all down the hallways, the food court, and even the insides of the electrical and mechanical rooms. As you look at the security feed, you may see flickers of movement on some of the cameras. Some of the cameras show fellow residents who have also become trapped alongside you. The fidelity of the tapes is bad, and the grain makes it hard to see clearly, but as the screen cycles between the different feeds, you become ever more sure that even aside from the other city residents, there is someone else here—and they're moving. Something about this fills you with dread, but why? You keep watching, and watching, and watching, and then it hits you: It's because whoever it is is moving this way. Players who want to participate in the event, but who don't want their character directly involved with the more intense elements, can opt to have their character explore the mall and observe the feeds, or even make an escape from the mall by finding and forcing a fire door. Alternately, characters can find themselves pursued by (or pursuing) a vision from their past, without catching it or being caught—read on for details. Players are welcome to mix and match event elements as they see fit, and characters can become trapped repeatedly if players so desire. JUMP TO TOP ↑ | ↓ JUMP TO COMMENTS TO BE THE THING NOT TOUCHED BY LIGHT (NO, THAT'S NOT IT). » THE MAIN HALLWAYS — PURSUED BY HORRORS When you exit the maintenance rooms and begin to walk through the nearly pitch-dark mall, you become aware of the feeling that you're being watched. It's just a sensation at first, a prickling on the back of your neck that makes you think you're being followed. When you turn around, there's nobody there—no one except whoever else you came here with, that is. But the more you explore, the more intense the sensation becomes, until it's strong enough to make you feel like the next time you turn your head, you're going to come face to face with whatever has been following you through the building—although when you do look back, of course, there's no one there. Until there is. At some point, you turn your head to look behind you and catch a flash of something—hair? clothing?—vanishing into one of the empty storefronts, or behind one of the standing advertisements in the hallway. If you choose to go investigate, to chase down whoever has been making the hair on the back of your neck stand on end, you find… nothing. Not a single trace, just racks of clothing, boxes of shoes, and mannequins standing still on their displays. The next time you turn around, though, you see them again. A person, someone you recognize, standing and watching you from a few meters away down the hall. That's when you realize something is wrong. They shouldn't be here. They weren't here, at least not as far as you know—and they don't exactly look happy about it. But they look so real, and in a place like this it's impossible to know for sure, isn't it? How can you be positive that isn't really them? Maybe you choose to give chase. If you do, they run away from you down the hallway, taking turns at breakneck speed as they try to escape your grasp. (Has the mall always been this large? Has it always had so many labyrinthine corridors?) Several times you almost catch them, only for them to slip out of your grasp at the last second and twist away down another hall. Or maybe they chase you. As the hallways wind away from you, you find yourself taking turns faster and faster, trying to avoid the grasping hands of this person from your past who seems determined to catch you. Their hands extend, reaching for you, and you just narrowly manage to avoid being grabbed, pivoting around yet another corner in your attempt to get away. But nobody can run forever. Eventually, they reach out and grab you—or you reach out and grab them— (For a split second your senses are overwhelmed, blinded by the vivid image of blood and torn limbs, fire, ash, stone, decay. It's so real, the memory is so real, like you're back in it again, in that moment—whether this moment actually happened or not.) —and there's no person there at all. Just a mannequin, blank-faced and plastic-limbed, standing in the hallway in front of you. Characters participating in this segment of the event will, over the course of the time they're trapped in the mall, begin to feel like they're being watched. The sensation grows increasingly more intense, until finally the character catches sight of someone from their past who is indeed following them through the mall. With the permission of the other player, this can be a character who is currently in the City, or it can be someone else from the character's past who by all rights should not be in the City currently. After will follow some extended hide and seek. Characters can be trapped together, go it alone, or start out together, split up, and then regroup at a later time. No matter what, if the one doing the hiding is found, the character (and any characters around them) will experience a brief but intense flash of memory of one party's death at the hands of the other. This memory, which is shared between all parties present, does not need to be a real memory, but it will absolutely be a convincing one! Were you chasing your long-dead lover? Congratulations, you just made her dead again. Were you being pursued by your sworn enemy? Unfortunately, they just took you down. However, when characters recover from this memory, the person will be gone, replaced by a mannequin—or maybe it was a mannequin all along? Characters traveling in groups may experience several of these mannequin chases, depending on how many people are with them, since each character may be pursued by a mannequin of their own. This means that there can be multiple instances of killing/being killed, and characters can encounter their figment(s) multiple times as well. It's up to the player to decide when is the "last time" - at which point, the figment will turn into a mannequin. JUMP TO TOP ↑ | ↓ JUMP TO COMMENTS WHAT IT IS TO BE QUIET, AND YET STILL BREATHING. » THE MALL — NORMAL OPERATING HOURS At 10:00 AM City time on August 25, whatever had taken control of the mall lifts completely. The shutters lift from the main doors of the mall, allowing characters to leave at will. The lights come back on and illuminate the entire mall in fluorescence, and the hallways are immediately their normal length again, all the maze-like twists and turns gone. Any character still hiding from, or chasing, the person from their past will find them replaced by a mannequin. The shopping mall is once again open for business. Characters will be free to come and go from the mall as they please even during the event, but as of August 25, they will no longer run any risk of being trapped. Any damage done to the mall by characters during their time in the darkness will vanish when the lights come on, and the only sign that anything was ever strange will be the mannequins standing in odd poses and even odder locations. After the end of the event, characters who are sensitive to energy will no longer be able to sense any kind of malignant presence at the mall, and the city will return to its pre-event energy state. JUMP TO TOP ↑ WILDCARD. The city is by no means small, and there are plenty of things for you to see. There's no rush in exploring, so feel free to take your time looking around and peering into various nooks and crannies and alleyways—and don't worry, you're not very likely to find anything peering back. If none of the above prompts appeal, feel free to check out the Locations and Maps pages and write your own freestyle prompt using one or many of the available locations. This month's event headers come from "Notes on the Below," a poem by Ada Limón. JUMP TO TOP ↑

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EVENT QUESTIONS.

[citycenter]

As a reminder, there is a thread of questions (and answers) available on the OOC plotting post here. However, any additional questions not answered there can be asked here!

[fussiest]

hullo! quick question - for the person's figment, can the person's figment be... weird and not exactly from canon memory? for example, kaveh's canonically never seen alhaitham be taken over by a divine knowledge capsule, but can the figment that he's chasing/is chasing him be that non-canonical version of alhaitham, or is it solely the alhaitham from his memories? similarly, can the figment be aged up or aged down?

Tsuruno Yui | Magia Record | OTA

[fanstheflames]

A. [ Something Wicked ]

[ Tsuruno is, by nature, an inquisitive person. So it's not at all that unheard of for her to want to explore the mall in earnest when she realizes more has opened up. In fact, she seems as gung-ho as ever when she bounds in, only to perform a rather abrupt halt, eyebrows furrowed lightly before she gives her head a quick shake and moves on.

You can ask her what's up or you can come across her later, sifting through a rack of sweaters, at which point her eyes will lift and she'll look at you with a thoughtful frown. ]

Hey... This might be a weird question, but even weird questions might be important and might actually be--well, that's not the point. Does something feel... off to you?

B. [ Brandish Thy Weapon ]

[ It's dark. It's very dark and ominous and like a logical person, you're probably trying to find a way out of this mall or some answers or maybe you're just content with your current lot of life and checking around because this is better than being bored sitting on a curb somewhere? Who knows, you do you.

But if you go to the food court, you'll find yourself "greeted" by a teenage girl leaping out from the dimly lit shadows and brandishing...

A corn dog. Look, her options were limited. ]

Stay back!! This could probably hurt if I whacked you hard enough!!

[ She doesn't appear to have processed you are not an attacker. Maybe. Maybe you want to grab a churro or something and engage, though? Surely this is what the food court was truly intended to be. ]

C. [ Things I Almost Remember ] (Please note this option will have spoilers for her canon)

[ Wow, this girl is a menace. Here she is again, whipping around a corner so fast she almost skids into someone else (sorry, someone else) and looking unusually desperate. If you're paying attention, there's the flutter of a ponytail, and you may see a glimpse of a young girl sprinting ahead, clutching what look to be tarot cards to her chest.

Tsuruno seems hellbent on closing this gap, unaware of you for the time being. ]

Wait!! Slow down already! Mel!!

D. [ All Is Well ]

[ Well. That happened. That sure did happen and as the mall brightens back to life, Tsuruno will stumble out of it.

And promptly just kind of sink to her knees right outside of it, expression curiously blank for a few minutes. There she will stay unless you approach her, and then she'll blink up at you and just kind of wearily mutter-- ]

Malls are kind of overrated, actually.

[ ooc: I am also open to wildcards of any sort! PM me if you'd like anything else or just hit me with any kind of starter and I'll be happy to roll with it! ]

brandish thy weapon - with an option for things i almost remember later pls... grips ur hand

[fussiest]

[ in truth, all of this isn't nearly as great as sitting on a curbside somewhere contemplating life, because it's reminding kaveh that knew, precisely, what happened last time he'd gone into a newly opened building on opening day and chose to do this again anyway. in his defense, the network had gone suddenly, eerily quiet, and every single ounce of instinct and common sense had told him that the mall had something to do with it, and when things go silent - well, it's not as if he's much help outside.

it turns out he isn't much help inside either. navigating by darkness isn't particularly challenge. kaveh has been through worse. deshret's entire civilisation had gone the way of an ignoble sand burial some odd five hundred years ago, and that was the kind of darkness that you could taste in the back of your throat. the ambient lighting from emergency signs is enough for kaveh to wend his way through large, open areas and past gaping storefronts. it's the sudden shout, however, that has him start.

kaveh looks. instinct has him recoil. the scent of something deep-fried wafts - wait. ]

- Tsuruno? [ kaveh's voice rises. ] Wait, don't hit people with food!

[icanfixer]

i. don quixote and the inexplicable darkness, pitch save for the lights on the floors

[ don quixote is a straightforward girl, with a strong sense of justice and a heart braver, more foolish than most--

but everyone grew up on tales of the night and of the sweepers that roam it for an hour and a half's time. no one in their right mind steps out until that's past by the minute, and it's been something of a struggle for don these past few months to ease into being out a little later, to not check the time on her phone every few minutes and step a little quicker home, exposure therapy for a young lady who dislikes the dark and would prefer things to not play tricks on her eyes in it.

two, maybe three are aware of this flaw of hers, settled by larger groups and she does not have that here at the moment! what she does have is an appearance to keep, the wooden leg of a chair in hand taken from some store within the mall itself, and she is doing one of two things: ]

a. leading, with forced steps,

[ ahead of you just slightly, hidden hands gripping the leg tight as you both walk through the mall to try and find your way around. ]

Thee needn't worry about a thing, [ a phrase she's varied a bit of for whoever she meets seeks to protect, not a trace of fear in her voice, pleased if anything at all to be doing sometime familiar, ] for I shall protect thee. I am quite used to such things, after all!

[ fighting. protecting. so on. just don't spook her, or she'll be-- ]

b. jumping at a sound, swinging her makeshift weaponry,

[ and it's not a soft swing either, this chair leg will hurt if it hits you... and chip a good bit if it hits a wall, which it more likely shall in the darkness. don's heartbeat races in her chest and her wide eyes adjust to whomever's spooked her, spooked face flashing irritation briefly before she places a hand to her chest and sighs. ]

'Tis no phantom at all! Thee would do well not to sneak upon those whom walk here, however, or there shall be worse consequences than my swing!

[ like real death. who knows. ]

ii. in which don quixote and the eleven sinners from home "reunite" (cw: gore, possible mentions of cannibalism, immolation, frostbite, various methods of death)

... Is that...?

[ all the warning one may get before she steps ahead, steps a little faster with her fear forgotten and a relieved, if confused look settles on the face lit only by the emergency lights on the ground, and don quixote raises a hand in greeting.

oh, this scene will play no matter how often she finds them, how often she gets killed... for this prompt, please simply tag in saying you want it, and i shall handle the rest of the starter! i have a fancy little roulette since limco is so special. ]

iii. ...

[ simply put:

when someone's faced with disturbing sights, when they die over and over and over again -- eventually, they have to begin to crack. and given don quixote isn't leaving until she knows for certain all have vacated the premise, she's wandering the halls, the courts, the backends searching for stragglers... she's just not entirely well. ]

a. -15

Art thou alright? Have thee faced those whom are not thy allies? We must make haste to the exit -- some have found a way of escape, and it is of great important that thee leave.

[ she's just a little twitchy, a little jumpier than the first prompt, a sort of eerie calmness that's otherwise in her voice and the way she speaks. a forced sort of calm. weathering, almost. ]

b. -30 (cw: possible violence, lmk if desired)

[ ... this one, is where it starts to get a little worse. ]

Heehee... Long has it been since my companions fell me in battle so swiftly, without hesitation... 'Tis quite normal, but in such succession -- it truly feels as if I am home!

[ ramblings that echo down the hall, spurts of giggling breaking the silence; when she sees someone, or rather when someone sees her, don's eyes are distanced and grip on what's left of her splinter chair leg tight enough to make her hand bleed. ]

Oh? Yet another to save! Or, be thee foe, one to defeat! Speak thy name and purpose, and relation we may have, and I shall see if truth stains thee white!

[ given her state, though, you've got a 50/50 shot on her believing anyway. ]

c. -45 (cw: definite violence)

...

[ this is a dangerous area for a sinner to be in, mentally. for some IDs it's a necessity for battle, it strengthens them and their reckless actions, but it always, always hurts those around them... and themselves. too.

don quixote will attack someone if she sees them, with little more than the following roar (hurt, angered, scared) of a warning-- ]

Begone, foul demon, I shall allow thee no further trickery!

iv. in which don quixote may see others, without fear of the above (wildcard)

[ anything else... she's fine! she's perfectly okay. every young lady loves going to the mall :) it's okay.

all i ask for any of these is that you please, please do what's comfortable for you and let me know if there's anything to avoid. her canon is a very shocking one in terms of how violence is described and shown, and i can pull back on it if needed or avoid certain IDs that would have things you can't handle. if you'd like to talk anything out, i have my plotting comment here for ease, otherwise feel free to PM or contact me sundrmunity ]

gimme that iii, b.

[fussiest]

Don!

[ it's not as if the darkness is an unfamiliar entity. one cannot grow up in sumeru without having met it. the rainforest canopy turns shadow into refuge beneath the pouring of seasonal rains. king deshret's civilisation had been buried beneath sand some odd five hundred years ago, and continues to sleep beneath the awning murk of a golden dream. kaveh the architect has long since traversed the darkness with the certainty of an old friend coming home to roost. the world was dark at times. that hadn't been the thing that bothered him the most.

the darkness of mankind - well.

but kaveh's eyes, they're fixed on don's hands. he has seen her hands at work, gesticulating in wide arcs in her storytelling, pulled around her knees like security-made-form, clasped around a pencil as she pulls abominations from her memory with the fondness of a brightly-lit star. today, don quixote's hands grip the leg of a chair so tightly that kaveh nearly doesn't recognise it for what it is - the extension of a weapon, the calluses painted over fear, the war-lust mania of a young lady who had been born solely to die.

kaveh looks. his hand curls gently around the handle of the gardening rake that he had procured somewhere along the way. he rests its head on the ground as kaveh raises his flashlight to the golden glint of her eyes. ]

Truth ought not stain anyone. You know this. [ with some measure of cold dropping to the very pit of his stomach: ] I'm Kaveh - we're met. Don Quixote, will you let go of that chair leg? It's- you're bleeding.

Alhaitham | Genshin Impact | OTA

[justscribing]

[Going Deeper - Security Room]

[It's an undeniable pattern now that, when some exclusive location in the city opens up, something strange immediately goes down around it.

So, the lights go out. The temperature drops as if all power in the place is cut. Alhaitham continues forward.

He finds the security room and sinks down into the chair to watch the feed. Or rather, lean forward too close to the screen and squint at the screens, trying to make out details amongst all the grain.]

The quality of these cameras is worse than others in this city. [He half-mutters. Why is that? Technical limitation, or purposeful?

Staring at the screens aside, he also pokes around the filing cabinet--inevitably empty--and various drawers to filch any interesting supplies.]

[Lights Out - Around the Mall.]

[They're trapped. It's going on past a day, and spinning in circles trying to find the exit until he wears himself out isn't sustainable. So, around trying and failing to find an exit, dodging unpleasant apparitions, Alhaitham pilfers the food court and snack shops for food--especially things that he can carry in case he needs to book it.

Otherwise, he'll poke around different shops, looking over his shoulder a little too frequently to ensure nothing is sneaking up behind him.]

[To Be Hunted - Azar (spoilers for Sumeru Archon Quest)]

[It starts with the sensation of being watched. No one is there that he can see, but he knows that reality isn't always so straightforward. Still, the first question is whether this is his own intuition or another affliction of feeling from some force of influence of the City itself--like those mementos.

The feeling grows, and just when he's about to write it off as some false impression from the aura of the City--he sees it. Him.

Well, that can't be good.

Outwardly, he doesn't reveal the tension as he turns to hurry away. His pursuer isn't particularly fast either, so he finds it possible to use the mall's shifting labyrinth to escape notice. Wandering takes him in the vicinity of other people he recognizes more easily--if not by face, then by their wariness. Stopping between the shops, he fixes them with a sharp gaze.] Have you noticed people who shouldn't be here?

[To Be Hunted - Kaveh]

[This is worse. This is worse because Kaveh is here, and knowing what comes if the wrong Kaveh catches onto him makes the whole game of cat and mouse more precarious--because then he has to let him get a little too close to catch the difference.

So it goes: Alhaitham walks, jogs, spins the corner until he's clear for long enough to take in his surroundings. Minutes pass, the voice pierces out of nowhere: Alhaitham. He watches the figure of Kaveh or not-Kaveh, tears about the candace of how his own name rolls out--and determined to keep going. But he's only human, and though they're well adapted for such battles of attrition he can't compete with something that doesn't need rest.

So he turns into one of the stores. The other person who is inside the store to hide, or to browse, receives a cursory glance before Alhaitham turns around and... locks the door. Hm.

Next is the nearest chair, small shelf, filing cabinet, or boxes that he can use to barricade said door. Did you not want to be trapped within this shop? That's unfortunate for you.]

[Wildcard]

((I have my plotting comment over here if you'd like to work out anything else! Alhaitham will also be trying to map the area (and realize it's changing) and generally exploring the shops. Happy to write a custom starter as needed.))

sup, going deeper!

[fussiest]

[ genuinely speaking, kaveh ought to know better. in fact, he'd argue that he does know better. the bank vault had been a mortifying ordeal that he isn't particularly keen to repeat, and so when the buzzing of his phone and the grand opening of the mall had coincided, that should have been the end of that. no more trouble, no more seeking out trouble, no more being locked in a random room with strangers and forced to deal with the mortifying ordeal of being known. but that's the thing, with kaveh. in the end, he knows himself, even single illogical, emotional, irrational iota of himself, and what he knows plainly about his own condition is that the moment the network became eerily silent, there was absolutely no way he wasn't going to go in.

alhaitham isn't home when he sets out. he sort of wishes he knew alhaitham wouldn't have gone into the mall, too, except he can't say it with certainty - and so kaveh had left a note.

the normalcy had been far more eerie than the sudden darkness. it had almost been a relief when it had happened - the failing of power, the sudden plunge into silence, and kaveh, who has had years of experience navigating the worst of underground deshretian ruins, breathed a sigh of relief as the worst of his fears became founded. the navigation isn't terribly difficult. you only needed to follow the logical layout of what's between the walls. all electrical grids begin and end somewhere. following the trail of lights with the little flashlight that he's learned to keep on hand takes him the wending route towards the breaker room. he never quite makes it there, because it turns out there's a central security office that sits between him and his goal.

and within: ]

And there's you. [ kaveh says, and there's something like palpable relief as he surveys first alhaitham perched over the console and then the rest of the relatively empty office. kaveh casts his flashlight over the back wall, and then, because he is kaveh, begins a foray through the room for anything resembling a comprehensive safety map. ] How many people are in here, do you think? There aren't enough cameras to cover enough of the grounds, right?

Sylvain Jose Gautier | FE3H

[laidtocrest]

A. A jumpscare in a few minutes, probably.

[He'd been alone when his brother had caught up to him the first time, which is something Sylvain was grateful for: some things didn't need to be shared. Not that he knew they could be shared, not yet. But once he does? Grateful for at least that much.

Right now, he's trying to open a door! Because like hell is he going to stay in the mall and be hunted like some small forest animal when there's ways to get out...surely, right? (Does this door lead out? To be determined.)]

...you hear that? [He asks it very, very quietly as it sounds like something is getting closer, if this turns out to be an uno reverse prompt where someone chases after someone else he's going to be very cranky in a few minutes.]

B. Because why wouldn't you try to beat the shit out of someone?

[Anyway, fully convinced that the figure in the gloom is Miklan here to kill or be killed by him - again - Sylvain swings the coat rack at someone with the sharp, ruthless precision of someone who's used to chopping off limbs and is fully fucking prepared to lop off a few more before his stay in the mall is through.

He'll be apologetic in a few minutes.]

C. C is for catharsis.

[After a figure grabs or is grabbed by someone, and traumatic memories of a murder (specifics pending, is it your murder, is it his murder, is it the figure's murder, who knows) flash into everyone's heads, and nobody has a good time, the moment passes. There's no person there at all. It's a mannequin, black-faced. Made out of plastic, standing where the figure once was.

Sylvain breathes deeply, forcing himself out of panic, because he doesn't have the luxury of wallowing. And so, he's going to ask the important question that everyone should be asking themselves in that situation.]

Should we smash it? [Because on one hand, noise, but on the other hand, wouldn't it be satisfying to destroy a mannequin.] Means one less thing chasing us, depending on how things work.

D. Wildcard.

[I, a fool, forgot to do a plotting comment (...my month has been a lot) so, PM me if you want a thing, or just surprise me? I'll take surprises. Also I'm good with brackets or prose, so just hit me with your preferred style and I'll match.]

b.

[appendages]

[ lurking around the mall when people seem to be frenzied is probably not the best idea, no. but, he figures there was really only one way to search for an exit, or even answers, and that was to explore this place's every nook and cranny. it's unfortunate that this particular nook has a coat rack swinging his way.

instantly, yoshida takes a defensive stance, using his arms to shield with practiced ease. his foot taking an appropriate step back to try and mitigate some of the initial blow. whoever was on the other side of this was strong that much was clear. but, whether this is their intention or not, he doesn't know.

still, he readies himself just in case, his eyes focusing on them in the dim lighting. ] Gosh, if I didn't know better that seemed personal.

[ but, if it's personal to him... well, he has no insight as to why. ]

y'shtola rhul — final fantasy xiv.

[shtola]

( not having more than the clothes on her back meant that trips to boutiques and shops were inevitable and necessary. having a fuller wardrobe limits the amount of times she needs to visit the loathed clothes-washing place. it owes her a favored chemise and a few sweaters, and she'd really like not to sacrifice more to the gods of lost laundry if she can help it.

she misses her familiars and enchantments - so many of the more menial tasks has been taking up so much of her day to day. they also wouldn't swap out her dresses and stockings with shirts emblazoned with highly inappropriate text or shorts three sizes too small, which is not an issue she thought she would ever encounter.

so: mall. clothes. shoes. for very practical and not at all vanity-related reasons, of course. )

 — i.

( perhaps you accompanied her here, or perhaps you happened to be around the shop she's in when the lights cut out. but shortly after the whole place gets shunted into darkness, she'll swing the door to the dressing room just a little too hard from the spike of adrenaline. going from sensing 'absolutely nothing' to a primal 'run.' is whiplash she wasn't prepared for, it seems. her fur is probably a bit bristled, and her jaw is set to an uncomfortable line, but her clouded gaze is quick to sweep her surroundings. has anything else changed? who else is here?

light. they're going to need to restore that, first. the others here will need it to navigate, and it may be the first step to reestablish the space to what it was before. )

A facility of this size ought to have a centralized control for power, or perhaps even a source of it housed somewhere nearby. ( maybe? ) Regardless, 'tis no longer safe here.

 — ii.
spoiler warning for: shadowbringers, upon entering rak'tika greatwood and beyond.
content warning under the cut for: violence, suffocation, mutilation of throat and hands, suicide.

( the phantom that stalks her is one she's mistaken for a monster before in her forest home. unrecognizable with how the very foundations of their soul twisted and strained against something it was forced to contain, unseen by many except those sensitive to the flux of aether.

where she sees monstrosity, others see their most beloved friend, and the horrifying truth of it all was that they'd been right - but so was she. the mistake she made the first time is one she'd loathe to repeat again, so she does not run from it. she owes them a better welcome than that after failing them that first time.

but how? why is this the point in time they were plucked from in bringing them to the city? there is no culimnation of opposing aether to counter theirs with this time! how is she meant to - ?! )

( click for the flash of her death 'memory', experienced entirely from her POV. )

( - she wasn't even granted the chance to speak, the chance to greet them with warm welcome despite the panic that carved deeply between her ribs from their precarious state. she was wrong again. she was wrong again and others are going to pay the price alongside her for her folly.

any well-versed mageslayer knows to silence their mark first by whatever means convenient. whether this means by another spell, a toxin, or even a physical rending of vocal chords and throat. they've the arsenal of spells even in close combat, and to underestimate a seasoned sorcerer even at this range is death. but judging by the rasp and gasp - of the weight on cartilage of a ripped and crushed larnyx - they'd opted for the latter in dealing with her.

she can't even see what's become of her friend, her eyes made unseeing once more even with her magicks by the suffocating radiance of their corruption. her fingers blindly claw themselves a bloody raw and broken in a hapless attempt to remove the pressure on her throat, even if it was likely the only thing keeping her from bleeding out and fertilizing the ground below. she knows with horrifying clarity what two path remains for her, and death in the traditional sense is the kinder of her options.

there's regret. regret that she could not fix this. that she could not apologize to the warrior of light for failing them in their time of need. that she's so much she wishes to say to her handful of trusted others. that she does not carry a dagger.

she will not be reborn as a sineater to aid in the hunt for others, and she refuses to bloody their hands with the finality of her impending death. she has ever been the maker of her own destiny, and she refuses to stain her friend's hand in the slim chance they're able to undo their transformation and return to their own mind someday.

resolved, her bloodied hand turns gentle and apologetic where her voice could not be when she smooths it over her friend's claws. she begs not for mercy, but for forgiveness, as her other makes for a blind search for her splintered staff. what comes next is done with calculated, methodical efficiency - the shattered wood plunged deep into the cavity of her chest from beneath her ribs to evade most of her bodily resistance, angled upwards to pierce her heart. it is by no means clean, and her breath sputters with her now ruptured lung - )

( - then darkness.

she's on her knees now, breath shallow, her hands bracing her weight as to prevent her from wholly collapsing onto the floor. even for those that did not bear witness, it is likely they'll find her like this for some time as she's clearly overstimulated. )

 — iii.

( given some time, she will be off wandering again. she likely found a blanket or a cloak from somewhere to stay warm, but definitely makes her a vague shape in the dark. one that can seemingly navigate rather well in the dark. it's easy to mistake her for a ghost or the thing that's been giving chase now that she's slinking around a little more to avoid being seen by her own seeker.

don't smack her... she's just a little guy. or do. it's a funny mistake.

or maybe she is chasing after someone, not necessarily you! maybe she stops to ask if you've seen someone that looks almost like her dart past, and which direction she went. there's some urgency there. it's important to her that she catches up, seemingly. )

 — iv.

( or perhaps, you find her before the rows upon rows of monitors, identifying every room and person that's in the mall with her. surely there are feeds of all exits and entrances - so she will use the footage to identify those, also. if she's not looking at the screens, she's probably rummaging through the security office for light sources or blueprints of some kind. definitely making a mess and a ruckus though.

or maybe she's looking to barricade the place off?? it's a good defensible spot. can see everyone coming and going, but makes escape harder. come be trapped in with her. great idea. )

 — v.

( then the standard wildcard option! please feel free to ask me for a starter for us to fuck some shit up with. or clarification anywhere. my plotting post is over here, if needed. let's party. :)

i will say, though, pls dont match length. setup is important for some so i rambled but feel free to cut yours shorter to make it manageable for the both of us. or dont. i will eat the food i am served either way. )

ii.

[fussiest]

[ the first thing kaveh thinks is that the monster couldn't possibly be real. nothing mortal ought to look like that - but that is poor assumption on kaveh's part, to believe in the duality of what is mortal and not. the world is wider than that. he ought to have known. in the moment, the memory cores through him like a wound, like a rending of flesh. this is what it looks like to be caught between death and undeath - this is what it's like to be in agony. clinically, it makes sense that if you were to go for a catalyst user whose primary abilities were in spellcasting you'd go for the throat. kaveh understands that too. but the crush of larynx beneath claw as if it were the crunch of a mere autumn leaf underfoot is an intimate cruelty with the revelation that the monster knew her.

the thing is, kaveh knows her too. a locked vault. two stories. seventeen hours worth of air, ten minutes stretched into half a lifetime, and a resplendent young woman with eyes the colour of fontainian marble looking somewhere past kaveh's soul.

kaveh's hands hover over her because he doesn't know if memory can carve itself into bone. the listless loll of her head resembles that of a strewn ragdoll from the hands of an irresponsible child. she really ought not to look like this, and kaveh can sort through the indignancy of it all later, but the crux of the matter is that kaveh isn't a medical professional of any sort of and doesn't know if he ought to move her or not. in moments like these, he always thinks to tighnari. concussions, broken bones - a crushed larynx - kaveh goes through the checklist as he observes her without moving her. he can't tell if there's a spinal injury, but he doesn't even know if there ought to be one. ]

Miss Y'shtola. Can you hear me? [ kaveh calls out with the kind of quiet that suggests he doesn't intend on waking another nightmare with it. there is urgency and something like fear. ] Oh, what did they do to you.

[ but they're in the middle of the hallway, and all aspects of kaveh's newborn paranoia is prickling at the edges of his consciousness. kaveh carefully eases a hand underneath y'shtola's head, fingers checking for any sign of a break, of weakness. ]

Miss Y'shtola, I'm going to try to move you. We can't be in the hallway. If you're not alright with it, you'll need to tell me.

Netzach | Library of Ruina (cws in prompts as needed)

[abstractart]

food court-

[unsurprisingly, he's ended up here after seeking out a place to chill and decide what to do. he'll need to know where to find food if he ends up not being able to get out, right...? right. so this is reasonable. it's a necessary break after wandering the dark mall, squinting to make out various storefronts, unsuccessfully trying to follow exit signs.

he's got his arms folded on top of the table he's sitting at, exhaling a yawn.]

Man, how long have we been here, anyway...?

hallways-

[this has only grown more unsettling the longer he's been here. not that he's unused to that sort of atmosphere, but... well, netzach has spent enough of his life being trapped in one place or another, and while being stuck in a strange city is one thing, being trapped in one building is different. the graffiti in the hall seems to suit it more than anything else has so far, though, and his brows furrow as he glances over it.]

Run where, though? They could give us a little more than this.

[the Last thing he wants to do is 'run, and don't stop'. netzach's not built for this. please be his escort in these spooky halls-- the spookiness is not the problem, the laziness is.]

pursuit- likely contains canon spoilers for lobcorp

[(cws: could contain references to suicide.)

his usual lazy demeanor shifts, once things begin to change. once he begins to feel eyes lingering on him, like he's being watched. he keeps looking over his shoulder, frowning, trying to figure out where the sensation is coming from--

and, eventually, it proves to be real. the next time he turns, he catches sight of a figure some distance away; there's the soft sound of a sharp inhale as he watches her disappear around a corner, just enough warning for anyone with him to be able to turn and catch a glimpse of a brown ponytail and the hem of a white coat trailing behind.]

Carmen-?

[have you ever seen netzach run of his own volition? almost certainly not. well, you have now-- he's hurrying in the direction he saw her go, despite knowing she shouldn't be here or... well, anywhere. (but gebura says she's from a different point in time than him. one in the future. surely, then, someone could be from the past.)]

flight- this one definitely has spoilers for lobcorp

[(cws: potential for mention of suicide, medical trauma, metaphorical self harm.)

or, at another point, you can find him almost frozen for a few moments, either coming across him at the right time or noticing that he just stops short if he's already with you.

the figure this time is somewhat similar to netzach himself. a man with the same shade of green hair, but shorter, not quite reaching to his shoulders; he's barefoot, dressed in hospital blue.

netzach, for his part, looks a bit like he's seen a ghost. once he manages to pull himself together--

goodbye. he's not sticking around here. he is booking it in the opposite direction. whatever this is, he's pretty sure he doesn't want to learn the hard way.]

hallways, with an option for chasers/being chased??

[fussiest]

[ genuinely, kaveh doesn't know how it ended up this way. he'd been through the entire bank vault fiasco. that hadn't been great. he'd known the warning signs. and the moment the phone went off and the mall had its 'grand opening' so to speak, there had been a little part of kaveh that had absolutely known better than to walk in and subject himself to whatever nonsense that was going to inevitably sandbag him over the head for it. but here he is, in the hallways with a thin beam of a flashlight cutting through the darkness, surrounded by low-quality graffiti, and feeling very much like he's back exploring deshretian ruins under the desert, only with less sand and possibly even less sanity involved.

at the very least, he'd run into netzach somewhere along the way, but whether that's boon for them both or just woe for netzach remains to be seen. kaveh's guesstimate on his own ability to weather things to luck is extremely conservative, and even that guesstimate suggests they're going to run into some kind of trouble beyond documented compare at some point. what it is, kaveh is keeping his options open. but there they are, and there's the resplendent darkness, and there's kaveh's little flashlight flitting over the lines of text along the walls. ]

It could be a generic order of some kind. Rather than a destination, the act of getting away is the purpose. [ kaveh's lips purse. ] But this is making me wonder who wrote these, why they consistently communicate with us as if they've never heard of the word context before, and why their handwriting is terrible.

Hythlodaeus | Final Fantasy XIV | CWs and Spoiler Warnings in prompts as necessary

[nomoresharks]

A. Shadows Withal

[The building had attracted him like a moth to the flame. He couldn't place the energy that seemed to sink into the very fibers of its creation, but it was there and new and very, very wrong.

He should avoid it, he knows, leave it to the more adventurous sort and cheer the effort on from the sidelines. But this is the closest thing to aether he's come across that isn't part of someone originally from Etheirys. It merits investigation at the very least, and he's lucky to have a working bow to keep him safe in the meantime, courtesy of Kaveh.]

I. Shopping

[The tense atmosphere is getting to him, and so in order to try and calm himself, Hythlodaeus has taken to browsing some of the jewelry and clothing stores. He won't be taking anything with him, but if you catch sight of him, he's more than open to any suggestions]

II. Wellness

[This place, on the other hand, Hythlodaeus struggles to make heads or tails of. Powders, pills, and promises, and any number of other items with ingredients he's never heard of.]

'Tis almost like an alchemist's atelier. And yet...


B. Without Shadow

I. Lights Out

Well. That's unsettling.

[To put it lightly. Whether it's the darkness, the graffiti, or someone's left-behind-mannequin, the less-than-helpful quip comes with a strained smile as Hythlodaeus pulls his bow from his back.]

Do you feel it too? Someone or something is watching us.


II. Invincible -- Probable Endwalker spoilers, some Shadowbringers spoilers with Emet; cw: death and violence

[A figure in the distance. The black robes and cowl of his people. A mask in Convocation Red, contorted into a scowl that has ever befit the demeanor of the man Hythlodaeus is so used to seeing it on.

The relief he feels is surprising, delight and trepidation mixing within to set butterflies aflight in his stomach and scatter his common sense to the wind.]

Emet-Selch!

[His feet move as if he is compelled, so caught up in the opportunity to finally see someone from the home he knows, that he sees rather than Sees, every footfall closing the gap between himself and the friend he'd missed far more than he expected.]

Why didn't you tell me you were here? And here I was thinking...

[Emet-Selch's arm raises as Hythlodaeus slows to a stop, and the man's lips pull back, teeth bared in a snarl. Though his eyes remain hidden behind that mask, Hythlodaeus swears he can feel them piercing through him--the daggers of a man filled with hatred and despair.

Arrows of darkness coalesce into being.]

What--

[The sound of snapping fingers echoes in Hythlodaeus's ears. The arrows strike blow after bloody blow, astral eruptions tearing apart his insides and sending him flying into the concrete wall with a sickening crack.

By miraculous nightmare, he clings to the last vestiges of his life, if only barely. And he strains to look up as the hem of those black robes comes back into view.]

Hades...?

[The question dies in his throat, drowned in blood. And as pain fades away to numbing cold, the mask of Emet-Selch is the last thing he sees.

Until the world comes back into focus once more.]


III. Mir--le --rks -- post level 87 Endwalker Spoilers

This way!

[The words come in a hissed whisper, your character pulled off to the side and around a corner as Hythlodaeus, uncharacteristically serious, keeps himself pressed to the wall.]

Forgive me, but... It's been following me for some time now. Would that I knew what it was, but I can't say I like our chances should it get here.

[He gestures with his head to the hallway around the corner, where the creature in question stands illuminated by the emergency lights.

"Creature," for despite its small, semi-humanoid silhouette, there's something incredibly wrong about it: made of static and fire and something not wholly there, occasionally shifting as if it has no concept of its own form. And from the space where its face should be, white eyes like dead stars stare out, searching. Searching.

It speaks. Something feminine, half-devoured by static and warped echoes.]

"-o need t- ---le in vain."

ii. wellness - with option for some emet later pls :pray: !!

[fussiest]

[ the voice is familiar. kaveh will know its chime from anywhere - and so he rounds the rack of over the counter (and some possibly under the counter) medication to a familiar shock of purple hair.

he gently lifts a hand. ]

Ah, there's you. [ said softly, because in the silence of the mall, it feels as if even just the most brittle of light is a burden. ] Really, none of us learned from the bank vaults, did we.

Midoriya Izuku 🍀 My Hero Academia

[fullgauntlet]

[🍀 a. security cameras & graffiti]

[The sound of the lights above his head make everything sound louder in Izuku’s ears. And being trapped inside of this mall makes every little noise that much worse. He can feel everything creeping up on him or sounding louder in his ears and its putting Izuku on edge.

He's currently in the mall security office looking up at the row of grainy security cameras. He needs to find something or anything that can give him a hint of how to get out of the mall. Because the last thing he wants to do is to get stuck in here for longer than he already has been. He has to get himself and anyone else out.

He saw the graffiti on the walls. RUN– DON’T STOP– SAFETY IN NUMBERS.

Whatever has trapped them all inside of this mall can't be anything good.]

We have to get out of here as soon as possible. People are going to start panicking...

[Not to mention Izuku is already on the verge of panicking. But he's trying to keep it together for the sake of whoever he's with. The screens flicker and Izuku watches them with wide eyes because he's afraid that if he even blinks he'll miss something. And as he's watching there's like a flicker of a dark figure on the corner of one screen. Izuku feels the panic start to roll in his stomach and his breathing suddenly falls short once he realizes who the figure in the camera might be.]

... We have to get out of here. We have to get out of here now!

[🍀 b. trapped and hiding inside the mall]

[The sensation of being watched only gets worse. Izuku can feel the chill of that feeling icing down his back and he feels like he wants to throw up. But Izuku isn't going to stand still and hide in a room. He's going to gather as much courage as he can to find a way out of here.

He's rushing down one hallway that seems to go on forever. He can hear the patter of plastic feet coming from somewhere behind him but he's not looking back right now. Behind him has to be the dark figure that has been stalking him since he found it on the security monitors. And he can't let anyone be caught by it.

If Izuku sees you he'll call out to you.]

H-Hey...! Are you alright? We have to get out of this place. Have you seen the figure that's been following everyone?

[The figure will be seeking Izuku and anyone who is with him. If they are caught Izuku will see a flash of a fake memory of the figure killing the current character he's with. Feel free to decide what fake memory he sees. Or run with Izuku until a fire escape can be found.]

[🍀 c. wildcard ]

[got anything else? feel free to put it down here. izuku can also catch a breather in a junk food store or help anyone who might want to hide rather than run. My ooc plotting is here if you would like to do anything else!]

a

[nutkick]

[ denji is tired. it's hard to explain that type of fatigue; it's when the anxiety is still pumping through your bloodstream but your body can't keep up anymore— it's like you've been running an endless marathon, and then you reach a point where you're just numb, you don't feel anything while feeling everything at the same time. what the fuck is happening? he doesn't know anymore.

it's not denji's first time dealing with that level of mindfuck, considering he'd actually been in hell before. the mall is a sinister mixture of the eternity devil and the fall devil uniting in the most twisted fusion; one is keeping the residents trapped in an endless maze while the other toys with their fears. the perfect playground to breed anarchy. denji experienced his share of nightmares already, so when he stares down at the guy next to him— he could see the same dread in those green hues. there's something on the screen that's making izuku react this way.

with that, he decided not to pay attention to the footage. denji doesn't want to see 'him' anymore. he doesn't want to see anything. ]

How? I tried everything ...

[ if izuku wants to escape, he won't stop him. hey, he might even chase after him in the hope of them finding a way out. ]

Thancred Waters | FFXIV | Spoiler-Free for Top-Levels

[onlythans]

A. HAVE YOU SEEN A LITTLE GIRL?

[It was only a matter of time, he supposes grimly, before this seemingly benevolent City showed its hand like this.

At least there's a pattern beginning to emerge — a building proclaims its grand reopening, drawing in the curious-minded with announcements and advertisements, only to prove itself a lobster trap once the hapless have ventured their way inside. 'Twas the case with the bank, luring them in only to reward them with an unpleasant surprise upon arrival, and demanding candor from them in exchange for release.

It stands to reason, then, that there is a catch to all of this, too. They need only survive long enough to find it.

Which is why, when the doors lock and the lights go out, his first priority is security. Find something that can be used as a weapon, find others who might also be trapped inside, find supplies and light and a means of establishing some manner of base of operations, at least until they're able to learn more about what all is going on. Which is why, unsurprisingly, his first stop is the food court — a single stop that's likely to offer provisions, knives, and some source of heat that can be used to light a makeshift torch.

Granted, any current inhabitants of the food court might not be so quick to appreciate the way Thancred makes his approach — like he's infiltrating an enemy base, footsteps silent as a ghost — or the fact that with his white coat in the low light, he might just as easily be mistaken for a ghost himself.

B. WHY KILL? WHY KILL? WHY KILL? WHY KILL?

[It was only a matter of time, of course, before the employees-only area drew Thancred's attention; any place traditionally off-limits to the general public is usually a place where useful information can be found, after all. Not that he's any sort of expert in the usual things that one tends to find behind said doors — he's no Cid Garlond, for example — but surely he's infiltrated enough Garlean bases in his life to know what an electrical circuit board looks like, and to guess at which buttons to press to try to get the power back on.

Of course, the graffiti awaiting him on the walls when he makes his way into the corridor is...hardly optimistic.]

Took the time to leave a warning, did you?

[Not that he's taking it, right off the bat. He steps to one of the walls instead, testing the graffiti lightly with a fingertip — ink, it seems like. Well, still better than blood.]

C. FOR ME, IT'S ALWAYS LIKE THIS...

[So here's the thing about being Thancred: he is extremely good at not being caught when chased — quite literally, the man has a Ph.D. in the very subject. And while a goodly part of that owes to natural skill, light feet, and quick thinking, he also keeps a handful of certain...unique tools in his figurative toolkit for precisely such a circumstance.

Unfortunately, up until now he's not had any particular reason to use them before — which is also how he finds out the hard way that sometimes, this City tampers with one's personal abilities...]

Not good...damn it all...was it too much...?

[Are you also on the run from your personal horrors? Pray do your best not to trip over Thancred as he literally drags himself ilm by ilm along the floor, one hand clutching at his chest while he tries to crawl his way toward some manner of cover.]

D. YOU'VE MET WITH A TERRIBLE FATE, HAVEN'T YOU?

[Wildcard option! I'm still working out what apparition is ultimately going to appear and kill him, so I'll tailor those types of encounters to individual threads as needed. Please also feel free to use this option for downtime encounters at Camp Thancred, the little home base he's going to be setting up as a secure safehouse kind of area probably in an IKEA display bedroom or something.

Spoilers will be marked in comment headers as needed, should they arise!]

B.

[uglybug]

[ Mantis is thinking along the same lines: if someone doesn't want them in there, that's where the answers will most likely be found. So far, though, all she's found are more questions.

Run the hallways tell her. They tell her to find safety with other people.

But they don't say why and she's frowning at the wall when the man nearby touches it. (She's done that, too.) ]

If they had time for that, they had time for at least a little bit of an explanation.

[ She huffs, crosses her arms. ] At least it's not blood.

[ She might have forgiven the lack of information if it was in blood. That, at least, would let them know that they were in too much of a hurry to find ink. ]

Mantis | MCU | ota

[uglybug]

toy store.

[ Mantis is not too worried (yet) about being trapped in the mall. She's been in worse places, and she's always found a way out. (It's always with the Guardians, though, and she furiously shoves that doubt away. She's fine, it's fine. All she has to do is poke around until she finds her way.)

She finds herself in the toy store, standing near the entrance. There's a display right there, a child-size mannequin standing next to it. The only thing in the store, on all the shelves, are wooden blocks. Some of them are shaped like other toys she's seen: a truck, a train, a ship. Some are simple shapes, squares and cylinders and such.

The one she has in her hands is an odd one, though. All loops and curves, it almost seems like it doesn't quite work within any of the realms of physics she knows. Mantis runs her hands over it, near transfixed by the odd shape.

She turns at a noise, hands clutched the toy to her chest, as she peers down the hallway. ] Hello?

mall security office.

[ The best way to find out what people don't want you to know is to go where they don't want you to go, so Mantis pushes past the EMPLOYEES ONLY signs without a hint of hesitation. She finds herself in the security office, hands on the desk as she leans in to watch the cameras.

There are other people here, and she's trying her best to perhaps count them, but nothing she's tried has yielded control of the cameras to her. She can't clear up the picture at all, either. It's frustrating and her expression shows it.

At first, she thinks the shape she just makes out in the static is someone else, stuck like her.

The third time she sees it as the cameras cycle through, a thrill runs up her spine.

The fifth time, she recognizes where it is.

The sixth, it's the same.

On the eighth, her breath catches and on the ninth, she pulls away from the screen and takes a step back.

By the time it cycles through again, she's throwing the door to the office open. ]

pursued.

[ The weight on her chest hasn't lessened at all.

There's something in the dark, and Mantis can't take two steps without turning to look.

She's a Guardian and she makes herself stand tall, straight, not frantic. There's anxiety, though, settled deep into the taut lines of her body, in the way her brow furrows as she peers into the dark.

Keep moving. Just keep moving. That's all she can do for now. Until she figures something out.

(it's there, in the shadows, teeth and claws ready)

When and if she runs into anyone, she'll tell them that they need to keep moving.

(hot breath on her neck) ]

We can't stay here.

[ (a deceptively gentle hand on her shoulder)

She suddenly knows who is there. ]

Toy Store

[abit_ofboth]

[So far, Loki is actually finding this place rather interesting, though he can't figure out why it's so dark. It seems like the place is closed and the doors all locked from the outside. Though he doesn't appreciate being held against his will, there is food and places he could sleep if this place decides to keep them for very long.

In the meantime, he wants to use this as an opportunity to see if he can find out anything new about the city in general... and maybe play a prank or two in the dark if he gets bored.

As he begins to pass the toy store, he stops noticing a rather interesting looking woman inside holding one of the block toys. Most of the toys on display remind him of toys he'd seen a lot of in his youth, but the one she holds is much different from the others.

Putting on his best winning smile and an air of confidence he never truly feels, he walks into the store, greeting her.] Hello! Oh wonderful, I see you've found it. I have been looking everywhere for that.

Kaijin | Original

[catmemes]

i. slasher movie vibes

[ This was a terrible idea. He knew that going in, somehow, and yet here he is in the middle of some truly rancid vibes. Figures.

He responds to the doors locking behind him like any cat confronted with a closed door, by irritably throwing himself against it and yanking on anything he can find. When that unsurprisingly fails to work, Kai resigns himself to exploring deeper.

Safety in numbers is scrawled across the hallway, and maybe he shouldn't be taking advice from random graffiti but honestly he's heard worse ideas. It's hard to fight down instincts that tell him to stay on his own and find someplace to defend, but Kai makes himself slink up to the first person he can find that also seems a bit overwhelmed and offer some help. ]

I can see okay in the dark. [ Maybe not the greatest thing to announce out of nowhere, but he's trying? ]

ii. creepypasta cat vs the horrors

a. hiding

MOVE!

[ It's loud, demanding, and almost entirely out of character for Kai, except that he's running full tilt down the corridor, rapidly pursued by a large white cloud. On closer inspection, if anyone ignores his warning, it becomes clear that the cloud is actually a swarm paper shikigami, all moving in eerily perfect tandem. They swirl around like a flock of starlings, forming constantly shifting patterns and edging closer and closer no matter how fast Kai moves. Those caught in the crossfire are in danger of nothing worse than papercuts, but Kai is running like there's something worse at stake. To be fair, there are a lot of them.

When the mass of paper suddenly surges up into the form of a wave, high enough to touch the ceiling, Kai throws himself at the ground, skidding across the tile to vanish into the tiny space underneath a metal bench, way too small for a grown man to fit. But just in time as the wave breaks over top, the paper horde slamming down onto the bench hard enough to shift it slightly. Most of the dolls shred themselves against the metal, but the ones that don't are suddenly inert. All in all, there's a lot of paper suddenly drifting to the ground like discaded confetti.

And if anyone happens to try and peer under the bench, they'll find a pair of green, feline eyes staring back at them out of the darkness. ]

Is he gone?

b. caught (tw: drowning)

[ Abe no Seimei is, generally speaking, not a particularly intimidating person. Even for people in the city who have met him, he keeps a fairly low profile.

The Abe no Seimei currently stalking after Kai, on the other hand, somehow gives the impression of utterly implacable power. He still looks amused, faintly, but there's an aura of almost overwhelming strength. This is the man who once had some of the most powerful kami in the world on call.

So it's not much of a surprise that he's going to eventually catch one cat youkai. No matter many times Kai tries to slip away, switching between cat and human forms as often as his energy allows, Seimei is always right behind him. Hard to outwit a fox. In the end, all it takes is one outstretched touch, and then--

"Nothing personal." The ritual circle glows into existence around him, bright enough that it's hard to see the still-smiling man outside the circle. Hard to concentrate on that anyway when long bamboo stalks spear through him, angled to hold him carefully in place. He opens his mouth, but what's the point? The onmyouji won't care about anything he has to say. And it only makes things faster when water pours in around him, flooding the contained area until it's over his head and he can't even move to thrash and...

Just a too-dark hallway and Kai's too-rapid breathing. ]

c. seeking

[ Safe to say Kai is not having a good time. He's deeply unsettled, shoulders up around his ears and twitching at any movement nearby. Sorry if you get hissed at for coming too close.

And with all that wary defensiveness, and even though he should definitely know better, the sight of a woman in a grey silk kimono is enough for him to immediately take off in her direction, all sense of exhaustion or uncertainty instantly gone. ]

Iwa! Iwa!

[ It's more emotion that he's probably ever shown in his life, and she smiles at the call but still turns to step away. And somehow, even though she never seems to move any faster than a slow walk, Kai still can't quite seem to catch up. Always just a corner too late, a few steps behind. ]

Wait, stop her. Iwa! I'm sorry!

[ If he's caught your attention to look at the woman, you might notice that there are cracks running over her skin and clothes, like broken marble. Maybe a touch of singeing along the edges of her sleeves. That's probably nothing to worry about, right? The fact that she somehow kind of looks like a giant white cat instead is also probably not an issue. Nothing to worry about here. ]

d. catch

[ "Ishi," she says, smiling so gently. "I missed you. Where were you?"

With one last burst of speed, Kai pounces, knocking them both to the ground. He barely has time to smile back before she's stone underneath him, all the way through, and the stone is cracking, fissures opening wider and wider. Fire pours off of him, staining his hands black where he grips at her, scorching the already shattering stone. She's still smiling as the fire takes over both of them, burning hotter and hotter until the stone figure crumbles entirely into blackened rubble.

And there's Kai on his knees, kneeling over a motionless mannequin. He might be crying? Please pretend you didn't see anything. ]

It's just a doll...

[ Is he trying to convince you or himself? ]

iii. a light in the dark

[ So Kai has found the Wellness store. Which would be fine, except for the fact that amongst the overpowering scent of too many herbs, there's something that calls to him irresistibly.

Did you need something from inside? Too bad what you've found is a small pile of open bags and packages and spilled herbs and a black cat sprawled out on his back and blissfully rubbing his shoulders against the ground. His eyes are utterly blown wide, the green of them barely visible as he fixes them mostly in the direction of the doorway.

No prizes for guessing how many of the discarded bags say "catnip" on them. ]

Hi. This is great.

iv. wildcard

[ Feel free to run into Kai in either cat or human forms anywhere in the mall. Skulking along stairways? Made a nest in a pile of clothes in a fashion store? Anything goes. You can also hit my plotting post or poke me at talkincodes to plan something specific. ]

1

[blackwaterchild]

[She'd sneered at first, turning her nose up at the graffiti--fuck you mall, don't tell her what to do-- but it's eerier enough to be wandering around with the knowledge there are others she can't see too well.

Actually, that part's almost kind of normal. And if she knows there's other city-goers wandering around, she can blame any weird noises on them and not panic. Perfect plan.

She doesn't hear Kai approaching at all, so when he speaks, her entire body flinches and she lashes out with a wild flail of her arm in his general direction]

Who-- What-- make some noise next time, would you!?

Koriel XIII | Baroque | OTA

[bisection]

There’s my favorite perfume!

[ While he'd deny it until he's blue, Koriel XIII has come to have a curiosity about all the little things in this world. After a such a sheltered, isolated existence, this world full of people and things and places that are not so bleak and rust-covered, he can't snuff his desire to learn more. While he still can't accept that he has been called a 'friend' here by others, seemingly with ease, he can accept that there is a lot to learn.

Maybe, someday, the world could be remade into something like this. It all depended on his brother, but it was not impossible if he knew of possibilities like this. Of places that will make him happier.

When the 'mall' opens, he feels he should become familiar with it. It's a much bigger building than some of the ones he's explored (and slept in), so he'll be spending a bit of time in here exploring before things go dark. He may be haunting the food court for... an embarrassing amount of time.

He's food-oriented, ok? ]

Have we met before?

[ When things fade to black, Koriel XIII only startles for a moment. Whether he's alone or with others, he straightens up rather quickly against the sudden change.

He's a person who is sensitive to energy given his body's connection to the Absolute God at home, so he can tell, at least vaguely, that something is wrong. This world isn't exactly safe, even if it's less hostile than his own. He should find something to substitute for a sword when he gets the chance, but it's perhaps too late now unless he's lucky.

He's not a hero, not by any means, but this is the first time he's been with people who are more vulnerable than him. While the beings in the outerworld and in the tower aren't all strong, they're so distorted that they don't have the issues he has. They are so ingrained in the Neuro Tower that most are not noticed by the metabeings that love to crunch on him.

Here? Begrudging as he might be, he will likely be helping the more helpless looking folks around, possibly going far enough to grab people and drag them along if they look frozen or confused. If anyone can navigate a weird, changing environment, it's him. Might as well put all that experience to good use. ]

Some kind of animal cannibal (cw: murder, gore, potential suicidal ideation)

[ One way or another, he's going to end up in the maintenance room or the security room and see him. Whether he's with others or alone, he's booking it. It's his younger brother, it's him. He's here. He's trapped in this situation and he needs to find him. Protect him. Destroy the loneliness he feels and he's sure his brother feels. They are two separate people, but they do still need each other.

Besides, there's so much to say to him, and so much to hear from him, if he has his voice at all.

If he loses track of him and sees another, he will grasp that person and inquire frantically: ]

Have you seen him? My brother? The one that looks like me? Where is he?

[ If someone offers to help, he will take the second set of eyes without hesitation for once. If they dismiss him, he'll curse and bolt again.

They will catch each other eventually. Eventually, the image of a 'pretty' reunion will occur. Will he die? Will he kill his brother? No matter what... the victim will not be fighting back. ]

Who knows how some people turn to strange ones

[ When his 'brother' is revealed to be a mannequin, he's going to be upset. Very upset. The first time, there will be tears and folding in on himself. The fifth time, he will be weary and quiet.

He will continue to search, continuously, even if others protest it. He will keep repeating the cycle of violent memories, killing and dying, until they are released or until he is restricted from doing so by others.

He's not dumb, but he is desperate. He knows after the first few times that it's all false, but the need to at least see the apparition of his brother is strong. ]

(We won’t see him anymore)

[ Wildcard! He's going to be in there the whole time, so there's a lot of opportunities during or after the event to run into him or I guess wrangle his skinny ass before he wears himself down to a nub. Good luck! ]

there's my favorite perfume!

[gradenine]

[ roland's also frequenting the food court, checking out what this place has in store. though it looks like most of the foodstuffs have been ransacked by other people who came here beforehand, so he supposes that he's gonna have to step up and cook himself something...

he does spot that one guy he met a while ago though, looking pretty down and dire as usual. since it's been a while, roland's gonna come up him like: ]

Found anything you like?

todoroki shouto | my hero academia | ota

[hairsplit]

OOC | open starters below! please feel free to hit me with a wildcard as well, or if you'd like to plot something out, head over to his plotting post comment. happy to write closed starters if we work something out!

OPEN — SHOPPING AROUND.

[hairsplit]

( it isn't like he's particularly keen on shopping malls--this one doesn't look like any shopping mall he's been in before, though he can't say he frequents them at all. most of the time, he's able to get what he needs from the smaller shops outside of subway stations, or on the way to the dorm; he isn't the type of person to linger where there's many people, isn't the type to want to be smashed into busy rows of identical clothing pieces, to be harrowed by shopkeepers and clerks trying to sell the latest and most expensive wares. in some ways, he's also avoided larger shopping complexes entirely thanks to his father's face being plastered over candy packages and chip bags--he would rather just order things online than have to be annoyed by the hero endeavor's visage on everything.

there's nothing like that here. in fact, the mall is mostly devoid of people, save for a few echoed voices he hears, stunted through the empty hallways. there are no clerks, no shopkeepers, no girls standing outside to welcome visitors inside, or even offer samples or inform about sales. there's just a distinct nothingness that feels uncomfortable--though, try as he might, he can't quite find the entrance again, no matter how far back he walks. had the pathways always been this winding? this many shops? this many turns?

exasperated, he decides to focus on his point for going inside to begin with: more clothing. without a change for his uniform--which he abruptly burnt part of, upon meeting another stranger in the streets--and only a few strange pieces acquired after his arrival, he figures that there will likely be a place for him to at least replace his crisp button-down, or stock up on a few t-shirts. it's what has him wandering into the next clothing store he sees: the lights are on, and the shutters are up, but there's no one inside. no music playing over the speaker. with a soft bow of his head as if to excuse his intrusion, he heads inside to start rifling through the racks to see if there's anything that suits him here.

yes, he's actually--shopping. in the middle of all this. by the time that anyone else steps foot inside the shop, he's holding up a thin sweater to his chest, angling it to try to get a glance at himself in the mirror; it means that he sees whoever is there to join him, eyes narrowing faintly in embarrassment and suspicion. )

Ah. I... ( lamely, as he lets the sweater hang down near his thighs. ) ...intend to pay for what I take. Really.

gojo satoru / jujutsu kaisen / ota

[oversize]

OOC | open starters below! please feel free to hit me with a wildcard as well, or if you'd like to plot something out, head over to his plotting post comment. happy to write closed starters if we work something out!

open — pursued by a horror

[oversize]

( it's the same feeling he had, standing outside of the mall with those posters and their bright lettering coaxing him inside: something here is wrong, something here is cursed, and something here is just beyond his reach.

a veil would have worked, maybe, but maybe not. would it have really mattered? even standing beyond the entrance, there had been plenty of people happy to ease their way inside, plenty of people who seemed completely nonchalant against any sense of danger there, who didn't even notice. he's used to that sort of thing, used to being the person in the shadows, able to see and hear and smell and taste every little bit of cursed energy dripping from some condemned building, oozing out the windows of an elementary school, screeching in the humanoid voices of monstrous creatures known as curses. this building isn't quite to the level of what he would consider fully dangerous, at least not enough to stop anyone from going inside--but it does have enough of a vibe for him to think it would have proved a good training opportunity for his students.

it doesn't matter now. inside, with the lights shut off and the air conditioning buzzing, it's the same feeling as before. something strange, not quite right. loosely, hands stuffed into his pockets, he lets his eyes strain beyond the darkness of his blindfold; it might be easier for him to go without it, but even with the six eyes damaged--or whatever is preventing them from operating at full capacity--he can tell that the thing hanging around the corner, staring at him, is not what it's pretending to be.

one hand lifts from his pocket, waggling his fingers at the entity: it quickly ducks around the column and disappears, likely escaping down the opposite hallway.

well, so much for that, then: he'll likely have to pursue it just to get a good read, and that's where his new companion comes in. what new companion? the one that happened to be walking by, who he ropes in with a sharp, sudden arm around their neck and shoulders. )

Did you see that? ( it's with a faux garish breath of surprise, full of feigned offense. ) Let's follow it.

( unfortunately, whoever this stranger is? he's roped them into a fun game of hide and seek with the mysterious entity. )

(open) — heine rammsteiner | dogs: bullets & carnage

[kampfgeist]

i have razors under my tongue;
ENDLESS PLUMMET INTO MORE OF THE UNKNOWN

[ one goddamn day heine will learn to leave well enough alone, but that day is not today. he's learned his lesson about looking into boxes without preparing first, but didn't know he also needed to learn a lesson about going into the mall, so here he is—stuck, along with everybody else in similarly tragic circumstances.

at least for now, he's being extremely cool about it, despite secretly not being cool about it at all—tension high and all carried in his shoulders, but his expression is flat as he moves around the mall. he can be seen wandering around and checking out different stores, taking this as an opportunity to actually find some new wardrobe choices. since he already dresses like he works at hot topic, that's one place he might be found; another is the second level of the mall near the atrium, just watching people move around down below. ]

my body is a crime scene;
ENDLESS DARK, STILL TIME MUST ENTER YOU

[ despite his overall tension about the situation unfolding, heine is generally pretty at ease underground and in the dark. he finds his way to the maintenance tunnels not too long after the mall shuts down, but quickly finds out that he's not entirely even sure what he's looking for—heine's not that good with technology, the pumps and pneumatics nor the breakers in the electrical room.

so instead he posts up in the security room, watching the feeds almost idly. it's not clear if he's looking for someone specifically, but he is keeping an eye on almost everyone he recognizes from their slightly grainy security cam footage.

should anyone else come in, he'll move over almost imperceptibly to give them space to watch too. ]

Looking for someone?

i think i'm the grit under his nails;
TO BE THE THING NOT TOUCHED BY LIGHT (NO, THAT'S NOT IT)

[ if you thought heine's tension was bad when it was just a matter of being stuck inside the mall building, wait til you see what he's like once he starts hallucinating.

i. lily — earlier on, heine's still playing it extremely cool, but he's moving a lot, refusing to stay in one place for too long. his expression is still flat, but the way his eyes move—quickly, darting back and forth—may be enough to belie how scared he is. ]

Hey, question. [ casual as anything to any passersby in the mall hallway. ] You see that too?

[ "that" being the vague form of a teenage girl in fitted lab clothes, petite and slight, peeking out of a storefront from several yards down the hall.

or ii. angelika — catch him later on and heine will be more visibly upset. he's exhausted by whatever he's been seeing, so goddamn tired of running away from this woman. it's just, she looks exactly like she did the last time heine saw her in person: bloodied, her throat torn out, but still smiling with a sharp edge in his direction.

for now, at least, he's still trying to stay away from her, picking up and moving locations every time she gets too close, but it's clearly starting to wear on him if the bags under his eyes are any indication. ]

Don't look at her. [ that's his best advice. ]

ooc notes;
CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE

hit me up at maehwa or via PM if you want to plot something else entirely! I'm open to options—until next Sunday, tags will time at wackass times compared to usual, but I'll still be around!

reminder that general content warnings for heine's past include abuse of minors, general violence, suicide/suicidal ideation, and overall super unethical bioengineering shit.

(closed) — junpei someguy

[kampfgeist]

[ out of habit, heine is checking every store methodically, starting from one end of the mall and working his way down. it's probably an exercise in futility and he knows it, but there's something soothing about the idea of having a mental map of the place, and who knows what useful things he might discover?

when he enters what appears to be a toy store and finds that he isn't alone, heine briefly draws up short—just tense enough for the discovery of another person to send a frission of alarm through him—but quickly relaxes when it's a face he recognizes.

or, sort of recognizes. in that "pretty sure i've seen you around and we've maybe spoken one time" kind of way. ]

Anything good? [ a vague gesture at the walls around them, indicating the stock. ]

getou suguru, jujutsu kaisen — ota but check journal for character warnings

[gurge]

      a light in the dark

[ it's only for a change of pace that Getou throws caution to the wind. he'd arrived late last time, scoped it out, waited to see what happened to those locked indoors until deciding to investigate himself — not because he had deemed it safe enough to go, but by his own whim and curiosity. even with the kind of malignant energy the mall shudders with once the lights go out, a lifetime of arrogance is hard shake from the marrow. ]

[ being haunted and being hunted aren't so different, in his experience. better that he become the hunter; it's his rightful place in the animal kingdom. and for those who are like him: the creatures he summons are small transluscent jellyfish, lighting up blue from within as his imbued curse energy, a large enough glow to see a few feet in circumference. enough to not walk into someone or, worse, something, and just maybe enough light to chase off ominous shadows to the kind of person who's open to suggestion. ]

[ of course, seeing them at all requires some supernatural ability. when he notices that the school floating around him is capable of being seen by someone, he'll offer his one hand out, the floating sea creature drifting over his hand. ]

Want to take one with you? It'll only last a few hours. [ the jellyfish bobs and buoys around in the air, as if enthused to be of use. ] Of course, you can come get another from me once it fades.

[ a beat. ] Ah! And don't touch the tentacles.

[ maybe he should've mentioned sooner? a brush against them, accidental or otherwise, will cause a sharp stinging sensation, depending on the duration and aggression of the touch. ]


      little shop, little shop of h...ydration

Emerge from the darkness, blacker than darkness. Purify that which is impure.

[ to the supernaturally inclined, night pours over night, a black miasma dripping sentiently from the ceiling above a shop in the food court. it looks like it might be a smoothie or some kind of health bowl bar; what Getou knows for certainty is that it has the highest stock of bottled beverages. the rest of it seems perishable without the electricity on, but when it comes right down to it, water is more valuable than food. by the time the barrier has touched the floor, the shop within is completely obscured by black cloud. ]

[ touching it willy nilly probably isn't the right way to go. in order to break it, it'll need a significant spiritual force. and of course, without any supernatural abilities at all, it's invisible, displaying nothing out of the ordinary — excepting that all the shelves are empty, thoroughly ransacked. this might be suspicious in and of itself during the early days of the power being out, but will look more and more normal as the weeks go on and the population of trapped denizens doesn't get any smaller. ]

[ maybe you're getting desperate or maybe you just think it isn't fair he's hoarding all the wealth for himself. a few knocks on the barrier will get his attention. ]


      notes

( open to all wildcards the whole week through; contact me to plot. closed starters to follow below. as a reminder: this character hates powerless humans and while he won't behave outwardly malicious towards them, it will color his introspection. this is something he will not develop out of, so keep that in mind for cr. cheers! )

@oversize, cw: violence, attempted murder, ...ust/suggestive...

[gurge]

[ it starts like it always does with them: a little bit of frivolous fun. for days, he feels Gojou's energy permeated, mixing then coming and going with the oppressive presence in the mall. he spots him a few times — further up the hallway, talking to someone else, laughing with someone else, all blue-eyed and silver-haloed. maybe that should've been his first clue. ]

[ he lets it slide, for a while. when a bright crown peeks out from behind the mall's plastic shrubbery and laughs, skipping merrily into a sporting goods store as he's spotted, Getou ignores it. when long limbs are draped over the rails of an escalator only to sliiiiide down and away from him when he approaches, he finds himself charmed by it. others have mentioned witnessing people who aren't there — but that isn't this, because he knows Gojou is here. around the time he goes skating by with one foot in an empty mop bucket, Getou's finally worn down enough to engage in that little game of hide-and-seek. after all, was it only a couple of months ago they were rolling around playing childish games in a bouncy house? ]

[ if he had an ears and tail, each would be raised to hackled awareness. to suggest that sorcerers were all in possession of some prey drive probably wouldn't be completely inaccurate — but even so, Getou would have to say his is lower than the average, especially as he's gotten older. calmer. more composed, more collected, more regal. ]

[ Satoru is, as always, the exception. every exception. after all, was Suguru not left behind as well? isn't it the duty of someone who calls himself a best friend to ensure closeness, to extend a hand to the falling, to feel like home? wasn't he all alone for a whole year — and then a decade after? you never came— ]

You're mine.

[ you wanted to walk that path once, and then you didn't even follow me— ]

Mine.

[ —I won't be alone again. ]

[ he'd pounced the moment he saw him again, his vision swimming red, red, red... and then he'd blinked, and everything was different again, with his legs straddled over Gojou's belly and all of his weight leaned forwardforwardforward— all balanced on his one broad, thick hand wrapped around his best friend's slender throat, fingers gripping tight enough to bruise, tight enough to turn the whites of those blue eyes red and teary and his whole face pretty shades of pink, purple, blue. a lolling tongue had made his own feel wetter, setting off fireworks in his gut. it's the wrong time — if ever there would be a right time again. ]

[ the pleased, manic smile on his face falls as the realization sinks in. slowly, he loosens every squeezing finger, as though having to pry himself away from the sweet satisfaction of caving his esophagus in with strained discipline. ]

[ he looks on with genuine confusion. the haze recedes, exposing two trembling bodies and all the sin they can hold. ]

Satoru...?

nebula | mcu/guardians of the galaxy | ota

[furibund]

OOC / WILDCARD

[ As always feel free to make up your own prompt or hit me up for further plotting in PM or hopewillbloom! Especially as these aren't my best work, play around with what works for you! All figment threads will have their own OPEN toplevels below. This is just to ensure CWs and the like are clearly avoidable. ]

I. SHITLIST(L7)

[ Only in horror movies do people go running into immediate danger. That, perhaps, or super hero movies. Which is to say, Nebula knowing that new buildings opening means something new will happen doesn't prevent her from going. Since Quill veto'd blowing up City Hall - rude really - their only leads are whatever this place deems to show them. So while she had no need of new clothes or other trinkets she's not going to pass up another opportunity. ]

[ Even if she's prepared herself for disappointment. ]

[ At least the adventure seems to be shaking up to be more exciting than the bank. Her senses aren't for the supernatural, but they're sharp enough to feel the crisp air change as she's eyeing something in the food court - decidedly against trusting prepared food around here these days - and the lights snap off. ]

[ Twirling around her dark eyes narrow before she lets out a breath through her nostrils. In the next instant, her left hand turns from neatly formed wires to the form of a flashlight, flicking on and dragging over the area. Pausing briefly as it comes across another and she hisses:]

Get over here.

[ No reason to wander around in the dark when you can have a personal blue flashlight??? ]

II. I WILL DARE (THE REPLACEMENTS)

[ Once she's either dropped anyone she's found off or begrudgingly accepted they're along for the ride, Nebula doesn't linger in the open space of the mall. She does find the maintenance hall rather quickly. Doesn't hesitate to open the door for EMPLOYEES ONLY, no matter if someone protests. She keeps the arm that's now a flashlight out with a scowl. ]

[ The lights beat down in red and the graffiti makes her spine stand straighter even if she only gives a small 'tfft'. ]

Don't make promises you can't keep.

[ At the very least, she has no fear of going alone. That's the only thing she says before turning down the opposite direction of others. Towards the electrical room. An investigation of the circuitry there shows they're all in the right spots and her brows crease further: ]

So it's not electrical.

[ With the tone of someone who doesn't want to believe it's magic either. ]

... Water under the bridge? But there's no bridges.

[ Sometimes you don't learn all Earth wittisms. But she thinks, quietly, it's probably something with that. Last time it was to share and now...? ]

III. EMPTY BED (SAINT PUNK)

[ Despite the warnings in the maintenance hall, Nebula doesn't mind going it alone. It's far more comfortable than the strangers running too-and-froe in a panic. Perhaps it's the running that gets her, because there's some instinctual need to do the right thing that doesn't have her disappear entirely. (Even when she sees him and wants to stab him). ]

[ It would be smarter to keep to yourself, to not stay in one place too long. But there are still children in there - a few she knew in passing - and getting them out and too safety surpassed her own needs. So, she doesn't settle with the groups, but she makes note of where they are. Especially if they're ones they know and she finds supplies. ]

[ Nebula doesn't need supplies in the same way as they do. Not as much. So when she approaches it's with a thin expression, dark eyes not quite matching gaze as she tosses over a water: ]

Find a place to sleep?

[ That's not the tone of someone saying she'll find one for them if not - Or perhaps it's almost telling them they need to get some rest. ]

open - god complex (thanos) - pot tw: child abuse/torture, grooming child soldiers

[furibund]

GOD COMPLEX (PERTUBATOR)

CW: Includes her adoptive father Thanos. By consequence elements of child abuse, torture, and grooming as a living weapon.
Feel free to meet her at any point during this prompt: seeing him on the cameras, chasing him down (angrily), meeting or anytime else! Wide open. Choose if you want a Thanos death or Nebula!

[ He is dead. Twice over. ]

[ Nebula knows this to be fact. ]

[ It's not like Gamora where the present Gamora had died and the past one lived. He was dead. In all angles. But then, wasn't the Gamora that was alive in this city also dead? ]

[ She should have expected the inevitability that he could be brought here. Somewhere, she knows, she did think it was possible - that it would happen, but she did not allow herself to. So when she sees him in the security cameras... Nebula was quick to step away, to shove anyone who was with her out the door. ]

You can't stay here.

[ The statement is snapped out, lowly and dangerously. Not quite a yell, but it sounds it to her ears. Her fingers itch for the knife she's strapped to her leg - nothing fancy, just a good kitchen knife. But if you asked her, she didn't need more. ]

[ Not for most things, but she wasn't as confident about it with him. ]

[ Anger. It's a thing that lived inside Nebula. It's the thing that had driven her purpose for living and moving forward for so long. The way it envelops her is that of an old friend, comforting and welcome. To anyone she meets, she's quick to snap to get out of the way. Quiet be damned. Graffiti signs of sticking together be damned. ]

[ The only thing that matters is this: She will find him. And kill him. Again and again if she has to (and given the length of time they're stuck in there, perhaps it will be more times than she'd appreciate). ]

[ She remembers once when she was close to escaping him if Ronan killed him... She ran, for the first time in her life. To be free of him. She does not run now. Even when her chase meets her with the large, purple man. He smiles calmly, like he expected this. She feels small. Knows that smile is not what it seems. ]

Daughter.

[ She goes for the knife at her side. He does not pay it any mind, disappointment on his features: ] Ah. I see you do choose your weakness.

[ She doesn't flinch, but instinctively the other hand moves to brush her left eye. The eye that's no longer covered in the machinery he forced upon her. She resists the urge to spit and for a moment there's calm - ]

Loki | MCU | OTA

[abit_ofboth]

Endless Plummet Into More of the Unknown

The longer Loki found himself stuck in the city, the more uncomfortable he felt. He’d found himself a decent one bedroom flat in a building that didn’t seem to have many other tenants, which he’d thought he wanted, but without a good book or some magic to distract himself he was becoming easily bored.

And though he wouldn’t even admit it to himself, lonely.

In an effort to try and feel less bleh and with the reasoning that he might find something that could get him out of there, Loki found himself out on a walk the morning of the 19th. He’d awoken early and quickly discovered the oddness on his tablet, though it hadn’t concerned him much. He did not bother to try and reset it or any other such thing, instead just hitting the button and moving on with his day.

While out on his walk, and sorely regretting his decision, (heat, even when not severe, was not something Loki was built for. No surprise considering he’s a frost giant), he comes across a flyer for the new mall. Whatever a mall is. Anything new might bring new information though and he quickly headed over.

When he stepped inside, the mall was the last thing he’d expected. “Of all things, an indoor marketplace?” At very least it wasn’t as hot as it was outside. That was better than nothing at least.

Endless Dark

The dark had never bothered Loki. Quite the opposite actually, it was much easier to do things like play pranks and just generally mess with people in the dark. So, as the mall plunged into darkness, he merely grinned and began looking around with interest. The only truly disconcerting thing was that as he came across an exit door, he found he could not leave. He flashed to the bank vault and found himself disappointed that he did not currently have any company. Good company at that.

He knew there were other people around, could hear them all stumbling through the darkened hallways, but as yet had tried to speak to any of them.

As he made his way through the mall, Loki came to the Employees Only door. Honestly, the graffiti warning him to run away only made him more curious. Glancing around, he wondered if there was anyone else brave enough to come exploring with him.


Untouched by Light

It took a moment before Loki was able to identify the odd feeling he was experiencing. The hair on the back of his neck stood up and he quickly turned, suddenly sure he was being watched as he continued on his way through the mall. He was honestly getting a little sick of being in this place and wouldn’t mind leaving already.

As the feeling grew steadily more intense, he turned quickly, expecting to find who or what was following him and tear them a new one. The first couple of times this happened, there was nothing, but the feeling still grew. After a while it felt like he was starting to catch glimpses of what was causing the feeling, but he’s convinced it’s just this place messing with his head.

Then it happened. He’d been trying to ignore the feeling, annoyed that he couldn’t catch a clear glimpse of whatever was following him no matter how sneaky he was in his attempts to catch whatever it was. In a huff, he turned one last time in annoyance, meaning to yell something, but the words died on his lips when he saw who was there.

“Mother?”

endless plummet

[braidedwonder]

[ I'm sorry Loki I have to after that conversation with Heero. ]

Perusing the mall for useful items had been Duo's original intention in all of this. To find more things to sock away in their (now one-room larger) apartment with materials for a possible conflict that may not happen at all. It's a paranoid habit, something like a maladaptive coping mechanism, but it doesn't stop him. A man who's only recently left a war-torn but recovering home won't change his paranoid spots so easily.

Duo, looking over the directory sign, turns as he hears another voice, a brow raising on his forehead in question.

"What, you didn't have malls like this?"

Reno | Final Fantasy VII

[astraphilia]

ENDLESS PLUMMET INTO MORE OF THE UNKNOWN
⇢ in and around the mall, easy street;

[ although Reno had been warned almost immediately on arrival that "things are usually fine until they very much aren't," he kind of... wasn't expecting "not fine" to happen so immediately.

coming to the mall was on purpose—as much as he likes his Turk uniform, Reno needs other clothes than just that, and something about wearing the clothes left in his apartment's closet feels gross. getting trapped in the mall, though, the lights dim and shutters down and impossible to force... that was an accident and he can't say he's thrilled about it.

but Reno is nothing if not adaptable, so while his mind is racing a mile a minute trying to think of ways to address the situation, externally he's very chill. sitting in the food court and watching people walk around, eating an ice cream bar and absently tapping his jury rigged billy club against his thigh. (it's a croquet mallet with the mallet part missing, electrical taped to hell and back.)

alternately: in one of the clothes stores, trying on this and that as if there's not a single thing wrong. ]

Hey! Which is better? [ spoiler: both are hideous. ]

ENDLESS DARK, STILL TIME MUST ENTER YOU
⇢ down in the maintenance tunnels;

[ at the end of all that thinking, one thing is clear: Reno's not gonna get anything done by sitting around on his ass.

so up he goes, exploring first the hallways of the mall itself, and then through the first employees-only door he sees, down its long red-lit tunnel to the maintenance rooms. (he makes notes of the graffiti, too, but is super studiously choosing to ignore the hell out of it.)

boiler room comes first, but Reno doesn't know shit about mechanical engineering, so he's quick to leave it alone. electrical, on the other hand—

should anyone stumble across him, he'll have his shirtsleeves rolled up and his long ponytail tied up in a messy bun, one of the access covers off and lying on the ground next to him. checking out the insides of the machine, trying to figure out why the hell all the lights are off when the breakers are all set as they should be. ]

TO BE THE THING NOT TOUCHED BY LIGHT (NO, THAT'S NOT IT)
⇢ ghosts of christmas reno's past;

[ Reno has a handful of ghosties he'll be running from (or towards, depending).

the first is Jessie — a young woman with brown hair, dressed in partial armor, who will be following Reno at a distance (at least at the beginning). she leaves Reno deeply unsettled, trying his very best to ignore that she's even there despite how he can't stop glancing around for her every couple of minutes.

while he ignores her, Reno may be found basically anywhere in the mall—wandering through the stores, trying on clothes, or just sitting in the atrium (as it has the best eyeline down all the converging hallways).

the second is Tseng — a serious-looking man with dark hair, wearing a suit that matches Reno's (or would, if Reno ever adhered to dress code). this is a ghost Reno will follow, so he may be spotted moving through the hallways, brow furrowed and surprisingly focused.

the last ghost is Sephiroth — tall, wearing armor, long silver hair, carrying a fuckoff long sword. this ghost will have Reno running away, although Sephiroth would obviously never run in pursuit of him—so Reno may be found basically sprinting away from particular corners of the mall as he tries his best to evade Sephiroth's notice. (spoiler: it won't work.) ]

WILDCARD
⇢ other stuff;

I'm open to anything, so let me know at maehwa or by PM if you want to plot something separate! blah blah I'm in a weird timezone blah blah but I will be tagging back regularly, pinky promise. general content warnings for casual mass murder and violence.

Endless Dark (sorry for the potential heart attack, reno lmaoooo)

[codenametesla]

[The electrical systems drew her as well, given her own skills, but she was admittedly surprised to see anyone else there. Especially someone apparently already elbow deep into the inner workings of the machine, with a shock of red hair she'd only seen on one other person in the city so far.

Inching quietly forward so that she didn't startle the man, in case it caused him to shock himself, she fixed her own gaze at the machine itself, focusing to try and use her ability to help check where there could possibly be a problem.

Which means that, if Reno ends up turning around, he'll see someone crouched possibly a little closer than she intended, eyes glowing yellow and fixed adamantly on the circuits and machinery in front of them.]

Huh, it's just like outside..

Althea Brooks | Electrokinetic OC

[codenametesla]

i. Fool me once
[She knew better than to do this. She really, really did. And yet, there she was, cautiously entering the mall that had finally opened, after the... concerning message on her phone. She knew others had entered, or were going to, so she hoped that if anything bad DID happen, it would only be of the level of last time: memories and vaguely concerning items from their past.

Which is why someone might be able to find her inching towards a sporting goods store, craning her neck to check for any weirdness before she decided on her plan of action. Everything seemed fine, though the mall was giving her decidedly eerie vibes.]

Yeah, and how bad could this turn out..

ii. What could possibly go wrong?
[Of course, what could go wrong inevitably did, and the entire mall was plunged into mostly darkness. Anyone nearby Althea might see her eyes briefly flash a bright yellow as she whips around to look around, before they dim back to normal, and she's grimacing at the ceiling's emergency lighting.]

Why'd I have to open my damn mouth?

iii. The machines get a bit quirky
[She didn't have the greatest hope that anything could be fixed, given what she'd seen of the city's power grid so far, but still she had to try. Which is why Althea was now headed towards the Employees Only section, knowing that was the best bet for finding anything that could help.

But the long hallway has her feeling even more jumpy, and she can't stop herself from letting sparks rain from one of her hands occasionally, for light. There was a chance it would leave her drained later, but she needed to be able to see, right..?

Especially when it looked like things were being written on the walls...

Don't mind the strangely spooking silhouette slowly walking down a long hallway, eyes occasionally brightening yellow as sparks rain from their hand. She's totally harmless!]

iv. Blood is thicker than water (family/parental issues potentially here, fyi!)
[It... it couldn't be.

She was standing, frozen, looking at someone in a long lab coat down one hallway. At first, she thought the figure hadn't seen her, but they seemed to stop... then sloooowwwwly turn, glasses glinting somehow to obscure their eyes, but not enough to obscure a strange grin.

They raised one hand, out towards Althea, before moving their hand in a beckoning motion.

Althea turned and ran.

She wasn't going to stop running till someone stopped her or she found a place to hide.]

---
[ooc: The first and second are separated so that if anyone wants some actual kind of lighthearted searching through a store, it's available! It can easily turn into the lights dropping and everything going down, just let me know in that case so I can write around it for other threads.
For the last, feel free to see her first sighting of the phantom, or just her running away, or even something else if you have an idea, just let me know!]

iii

[coolerjunpei]

[Junpei, too, is heading down the employee hallway, although coming back from the other direction. He's, uh, not actually much of a tech guy past the "I can use a video camera" level, so he's heading back to the main area of the mall to find someone else to help him investigate the security room.

And now there's a fucked up, glowing who-knows-what coming down the hall towards him, so. In true Junpei's-lack-of-self-preservation fashion, he stops right there in the middle of the hall and calls out:]

Hey, Terminator, you good down there? I'm not trying to get electrocuted today!

weir dredger | oc

[fossick]

ENDLESS DARK, STILL TIME MUST ENTER YOU.

[Things have gone dark, the mall has gone cold, and something baleful in the air twinges. An energy gone askew, tingling at the back of Weir’s neck. And of course all he has to say to that is a very concise:]

And here, the other shoe drops.

[As though that needed confirmation, but having a large space suddenly plunged into darkness seems to drive the point home. It doesn’t take long to learn that there’s no returning back the way they came—the exit doors were, of course, the first thing he tried—and Weir flicks a wrist to summon a very, very small mote of light that flickers illumination in a small halo around him. Better than traveling via emergency lights, and his eyes adjust to cast his glance over towards a room marked EMPLOYEES ONLY.]

Come on.

[It’s not much of a request as he shoulders past the nearest individual and heads straight towards the door.]

TO BE THE THING TOUCHED BY LIGHT.

[He’s used to this, the feeling of something creeping about in the shadows, just purposefully beyond where he can perceive them. In the Pit, that had been nothing short of the default, and moments that were peaceable were few and far between — thus, Weir is on edge but not panicked when he sees movement at the end of the hall. He flings his little mote of light in that direction just to illuminate who has the gall to play this game with him.

And there, revealed in the sweep of light that eventually boomerangs back to him, is the frame of a man he recognizes — dressed in dark leathers and his dark features further obscured by the hood draped over his head. He stands, and he stands still, and Weir utters a curse under his breath, eyes actually going wide:]

You. How are you— You should be gone.

[Well, clearly that’s not the case, because the man he recognizes—tall and lithe and built for the chase that’s to come—suddenly lunges forward in a dash, straight down the hall, towards Weir.

Fight or fight kicks in. With his powers not what they were, there’s little here he can do if the visage of his past is coming to, ah, rightfully MURDER HIM, so Weir grabs the nearest thing and lobs it right in the direction of his pursuer.

Maybe it’s a display. Maybe it’s a rack of items. Maybe it’s… you. Sorry.]

WHAT IT IS TO BE QUIET, AND YET STILL BREATHING.

[The light are back on, the mall is “normal” again, and the malignant energy in the air has seemingly ceased to exist.

But one does not simply forget about the visages one had encountered just moments before, and perhaps you’re trying to recover from it in your own way when a mannequin goes tumbling in your direction, thrown with fervency by an agitated and on-edge huntsman. He watches as it tumbles down an escalator at odd and almost comedic angles.

And he declares down at you, from where he stands, dark hair falling into his eyes.]

Should you have any further doubt as to the nature of this city, let’s hope you see the obvious now.

[gruMPY]

((ooc; don't see something you like? feel free to wildcard me or hit me up over at my plotting comment so we can figure smth out!))

what it is to be quiet

[immortalpoet]

[Well, that's a new thing to be tossed at him. Vergilius is still trying to gather his bearings from this whole mess, and having a whole mannequin thrown in his direction is not adding to his mood.]

[He manages to step aside in time, grimacing, before he glances up, and...oh. It's this guy.]

You're telling me? I've been doubting it since the beginning. [Hmmph.] What was that all about? Raging against clothing stores?

joshua rosfield | final fantasy xvi

[feathering]

( OOC: The below prompts may have spoilers for the game! I've done my best to keep them vague, but do let me know if you'd like to avoid spoilers altogether. )

❚ a | (robin sparkles voice) let's go to the mall
[ Joshua's trip to the mall was supposed to mark the last day he would stop sleeping in random places. From his understanding, he can procure things he would need for his own lodging at the mall, so he heads over there to see what it is he's able to get.

At first, his window shopping goes relatively normal. It's easy to notice the change in the temperature, as well as how the lights slowly dim until he's surrounded by darkness. It is odd, but it doesn't give him goosebumps. Quickly, he summons a small ball of fire to hover behind him and give him the light he may need to navigate the area. He has, unfortunately, been known to look like a ghost what with his pale skin.

Should he sense anyone nearby, or should someone end up jumping because they suddenly see his figure walking about, he tries to clear the air quickly enough. ]

Ah- my apologies. It wasn't my intention to cause a fright.

[ Depending on where he may be bumping into someone, he may either be carrying a a) couple bottles of cough syrup, b) a journal, and he's writing on it as he walks, or c) a black tunic. ]

It isn't advisable to walk around in the dark like this. Are you alright?



❚ b | three times for the holy ghost
[ It was easy enough to surmise that there was something wrong beyond the power going out. Joshua can't quite understand the technology, but this place had the lights on before, and there was heating. He's collected some food to keep him sated for a few hours or so, but as he continued to walk around and try to the source of the anomaly, he finds himself face to face with someone whom he never wished to see again.

The hairs on his arms and back stand, and he feels an immense chill just run through the course of his entire body. ]

Odin.

[ It is a big slap in the face to see someone who shouldn't be here standing and walking towards him. The knight does not seem to say anything, merely lifting his sword, brilliant and red in its sheen, before cutting at the air in front of him. The cut is visible, as if a tear in reality, and it flies towards Joshua. Fortunately, he's able to move out of the way in time. Unfortunately for him, the magic he seems to possess is... anything but subpar. The flames on his hand flicker, and Joshua's quick to turn tail and hide for now until he figures out why he can't seem to summon larger flames.

He's still got some poise to his escape, at least. Anyone who might be near the scene, or if he bumps into someone who happens to be there when he turns and enters a new hallway, he is quick to grab them by the wrist. Or attempt to, for those with quicker reflexes. There's a sense of urgency and fear in his voice, but not to the point of desperation. Not quite yet... ]

You and I must leave!



❚ c | if we don't take medication, we won't sleep for days
[ Shaken would be one word to describe Joshua right about now, upon seeing his mother follow him around. The moment he started walking towards her, however, she'd already begun walking away. Screaming-- ]

Stay back, shadow!

[ Were she to have a weapon on hand, she would have pointed it to Joshua by now. Instead, it is with great haste that she runs. Her heels clack on the tiles of the mall as she runs, looking back every now and then to see if Joshua is tailing her. He is. He may have failed to help her once, but he sees this as another chance. ]

You will not take me! This is all just a bad dream. A bad dream!

[ To anyone else, and because Joshua hasn't even begun to acclimate and make his presence known in this city, it might seem as if Anabella, the woman, was the one being chased by a ghost. Someone who shouldn't be here. And all her hysterical screaming of "stay back, shadow" and "this is all a bad dream" would definitely catch people's attention. Yet, Joshua is determined to get to her. ]

Mother, please, if you would only listen.

[ He's not running, at least. But Anabella sure is, even begging others to get rid of the shadow that's chasing her because he's her son and he's long dead. ]



❚ d | wildcard
( OOC: Definitely open to other things, too! Feel free to plot with me here! I'd love to do post-mall things like him finally gathering his bearings and finding a place, or just talking about the mall in general. He's rather shaken! )

not what we planned but modified(?) a!!!

[burstmodes]

[ maybe he's getting his hopes up catching a glimpse of the firelight that floats around a corner as he's in the middle of tucking a few things into a shoulder bag he'd picked up from another store. maybe he's thinking too much about it because... well. it's not like prompto can use magic on his own, not unless noct is within the vicinity, and he definitely doesn't have a good track record with fire, but – it's familiar.

he knows what it is without having to think twice, and he's already after it without a second thought.

he's within sight of it in seconds, watching the person maneuver around and looking through things, and for a moment, prompto realizes how weird it might be to just stand there in the dark and watch someone without saying anything. he considers retreating and not saying a word, but the single step he takes backs him right into a trashcan, knocking the lid askew and causing an unnecessary scene. ] Shit! Uh. [ his voice echoes in the otherwise empty mall, and he leaps forward in the direction of the person he'd been watching so that the light illuminates his hair and face.

so much for trying to be stealthy about it. ] Sorry, I was just... maybe this sounds weird to ask, but you know magic? That's magic, right?

[ he will address other elephants in the room eventually. probably. ]

Lenore Vandernacht | Nevermore

[spectreless]

} EXPLORATION

[ The last place to open its door was temporarily unpleasant but it wasn't dangerous. That sets an unfortunate precedence for this because investigating the mall seems like a good idea. There is still so much none of them know about this place after all.

It's that purpose in mind that keeps her grounded when the spaces around start shifting in reality resistant ways. WATER UNDER THE BRIDGE is not much in ways of being a clue. It's far too cryptic for that. Regardless, while this is quite the literal interpretation of it there's not much else to go off of and so Lenore spends her first hours in the space looking for things that could either constitute as either WATER or BRIDGE—she finds neither. As for the places she does find:]

i. The Maintenance Tunnels

[ To combat losing the way in pitch dark while roaming the tunnels she's taken to running her hand along the nearest wall with her hand. In theory it should've helped Lenore remember the path she took. It doesn't, obviously, she's lost.

Whether you're lost alongside or simply stumbled upon her in the dark... The expression on her face is obvious relief when she spots someone else who is real. ]

The way out must be in here somewhere. Have you seen any sign of it?

ii. The Food Court

[ It's nice not to be losing a grip on reality alone but it is tragic that this many people have been locked in here with no rescue in sight. It just means that since no rescue is coming they have to take matters into their own hands. Prepare for anything that could happen from here on out.

Like a prolonged stay for instance. With a bundle of makeshift blankets from some of the clothing stores pressed under one arm Lenore gestures vaguely to the surrounding food court. ]

What do you think the chances are that of any of it is still any good?

} EMOTIONAL DAMAGE

i.

[ At a glance it's obvious that the man Lenore is chasing is blood relation. Same black hair pulled back into a low ponytail, same deep blue eyes, both tall as can be. Problem is he's been a long time dead. It's also not the first time she's been tortured with manifested faces from the past. And yet, and yet, she'll chase him anyways. It's a painful replaying of tag from their childhood.

Which is how ends up Lenore crashing into the wall when the spectre takes a sharp turn suddenly. Having had too much momentum from running made it humanly impossible to pull off the same maneuver as the supernatural being. Even more so when as it feels like she might've pulled something something in her leg.

Groaning in pain she slumps down to the ground against the wall. ]

Theo wait! Come back! Please.

Click for Murder. (CW emetophobia)

[ That was never going to be enough to stop her. Eventually, and almost as if it's scripted, she finds her brother again. Albeit it would've been better if she hadn't. On the second floor is where she finds him. Instead of his death being an accident this time before Lenore knows it there's a smoking gun in her hand in the vision. The loud crack of the bullet sends Theo falling backwards in the vision and the mannequin falling over the second floor railing once the illusion disappears.

Looking pale, oh so pale, nausea bubbles over and threatens to make her hurl. On instinct she runs to peer over the railing. Pressing the back of her hand to her mouth while hunching over a sickly sound between a gag and a sob rises from her shaking frame. It is her fault. It's always been her fault that her brother is dead. ]

I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.

[ Blind to the world around her those apologies become a mantra. ]

ii.

[ The silhouette of the person who drifts through her mind in the waking world and the land of dreams alike is who haunts her next. It's turning out to be prolonged torment to an addled mind. It's already obvious nothing good will come from chasing that head of platinum ringlets. That goose flesh inducing feeling of impending doom condenses soon enough.

Because leave it to Annabel, strategic and bewitching Annabel Lee, to make it feel like Lenore is chasing when reality of the situation is all but that. In the end Lenore only realizes she was the prey in this arrangement after she bursts through the door following the spectre—only to have the storefront door shutters decisively slam to the ground behind her. To her chagrin it's the front of the wellness shop, where there is a lovely display of flower bouquets for sale, because of course. ]

Click for Death.

[ This death is deceptively gentle and for that it's all the more cruel.

A desperate feeling of loneliness, of unalienable grief, will press in on all in attendance to the vision. It's the by product of being in the presence of a "Lady in White." Whether or not one is prone to shedding tears normally the supernatural essence of this is such that it draws them out of people against their will.

There's so much she has yet to remember about what Annabel was to her in life; the subconscious recesses of the mind, touched as it is, seem to take it upon themselves to fill in the blanks. Ice cold hands cradle her face affectionately while the wispy edges of what is presumably her soul are siphoned away.

The vision is brief but feels too real and for that she collapses to her knees in exhaustion. With her the mannequin comes with a cacophonous crash. It's only then that she realizes she might not have been alone when she triggered the end of this chase. Feeling chilled to the bone and bleary-eyed she at least tries to focus on those who are presumably real and still in the room. ]

I— ...Sorry you had to experience that.

} WILDCARD
[ Plot with me here! LMK if you'd like a personal starter! or just go ahead n hit this up with a special surprise :) I'm game. Lenore will be running all over like the typical horror genre protagonist so if there's a location you want that's not here... just go for it! ]

wildcardish?

[mollymocks]

[ There have been all manner of chases all over the building, not that Molly can blame anyone for it. Heavens know he's been through a few himself, though the experience might be starting to wear on him. Just a little. Still, it's common enough to hear the sounds of pounding feet coming from all angles in this strangely empty hall and Molly's stopped giving it much mind.

At least until movement nearby comes with a flash of stark black and white and Molly has just a second to fear that Yasha's found him again before it registers that this figure is much too slight to be his beloved barbarian.

And then it barely matters anyway because she's all but mowed him down and Molly has to reach out and catch her arms to steady the both of them. ]

Careful, careful! You alright there, dear?

yae miko | genshin impact

[guujis]

i. ENDLESS PLUMMET — (shopping mall)

[Insatiable curiosity draws her toward the entrance to the shopping mall, and she is its willing mistress, even at the sense that something is quite clearly amiss. It does not take a kitsune's supernatural proclivity — of which has become severely muted for her, like blinders over the eyes — to judge this much. Her technology device tucked neatly into a pocket (its strange message still bright in mind), Yae Miko enters the shopping center with equal parts mistrust and intrigue.

The dazzling array of storefronts is not much of a surprise, given the nature of this place as she comes to understand it. So she peruses what is available — in particular, she'll be found meandering the aisles of the clothing stores (she ought to adjust her style in a new world, shouldn't she?); later, picking over a few sparkling gem earrings in the jewelry store (should she get something to replace the ornament of her vision?); and, last, sniffing around the food courts for a meal (her strict diet of fried tofu has done her well so far).

If anyone joins her in browsing, she'll hold up either a slippery pink piece of fabric (slight nsfw) or a shiny, dangling earring. Just for the reaction.] Hmm, what do you think? Would this suit me?

[Or, if you're there for the food, she will say:] We may have to resort to unprecedented measures. I don't see a single decent meal here at all. [Read: where is the tofu!!]

[When the lights dim to an unhealthy glow, and that first icy gust of cold sweeps through the tiled surroundings, Yae Miko finds the nearest person on their own — whether they like it or not.] Stay close to me, little one. It seems we've wandered into a dangerous trap.

ii. ENDLESS DARK — (security room)

[There is an unreality to the darkness that she dislikes. Passing through it, Yae has no trouble reaching the areas that most interest her — those places of control at the interior of the building, like some nerve center beyond the technological ability of her own world (or, at least, written in a different language of advancement). Yet after bypassing the signs on the walls and entering the security room, she realizes the severity of the threat.

Something is out there. That lack of knowing what it is, exactly, maddens her the most. She turns to whoever has joined her here in front of the security screens.]

Do you feel that too? [Her ears are flat, all usual mirth clean from her face, eyes narrowed into focused slits. And yet her tone is calm, almost lackadaisical despite the danger.] Not many places to run, if that's what is being asked of us. Any thoughts?

iii. NOT TOUCHED BY LIGHT — (hallways)

[She has followed you, or pursued you, or perhaps even protected you (doubt) through the maze of halls in the dark — and it has come to this.]

No matter who or what that entity is, I would not consider them a friend. Think seriously for a moment.

[Yae is close to the corner of the passage, dipping her head briefly around its edge to get a peek at the area beyond. Deserted, ominously so.]

Who exactly do they appear to be, in your eyes?

iv. WILDCARD

[ooc: if none of these work for you, but you still want to do something with yae, feel free to toss it at me! you can also hit up my event plotting comment if you want to chat first.]

i.

[burstmodes]

[ if anyone had told him he'd run into yae again, prompto wouldn't have believed them. they'd had a nice time at the ice cream parlor, if a little strange near the end, but he knows she's way out of his league. for one, she's really super pretty, and two? well, he doesn't know for sure, but he thinks she could probably step on him. it sort of reminds him of aranea, a thought he quickly squashes as soon as they meet up and decide to shop together.

he's in need of clothes too, rummaging through some nearby shirts and keeping an eye on yae before she holds up the slightly risque piece of clothing that doesn't look like it'd cover much at all. grateful that it's somewhat dim inside, maybe yae won't notice that his ears are burning. ]

I think, uh... [ he swallows and rubs his hand against the back of his neck. ] Yeah! I mean, [ he clears his throat, ] yeah. It'd look real good on you, Yae. I'm sure lots of stuff in here would.

[ real smooth, tbh. ]