Forced Confessions

[spoofer]

Characters: Ensemble cast, any/all characters of Xistentia!
Summary: At the end of a spring-time mingle party, D.E.S.T.I.N.Y. unleashes a psychic weapon that forces characters to confess their secrets to one another. Check out the mod announcement for more information.
Date(s): First 2 weeks of April 2018
Warnings/Notes: Psychic influence/coercion, potential trauma, etc. in confessions. Please use subject header warnings appropriately!

Forced Confessions Event

I admit I'm on the rebound And I don't care

Five-Day Party

It begins with a party, out in the woods of Xistentia, with drinks, food, and fairy lights. The glade is illuminated in a brilliant palette of jewel tones, the most intense where the dancefloor stretches out between glow-in-the-dark marked trees, punctuated by F.A.T.E.S.' ever jarring, mismatched combination of musical tunes. Not far from that, you have enclosures of soft bedding set aside in mood-lit shadows, and veiled by mosquito net, for those of us who prefer more privacy.

The deeper nightclub colors fade to a warm, lustrous gold where there are spaces to sit, socialize, and eat.
Dining options feature treats from across the multiverse, including spice candy that will make your tongue feel just the faintest touch of a sting, native meats prepared with sauces and salts, and a variety of fruit and vegetables, some of which have a bioluminescent glow. Some of the wines are strong enough to knock a werewolf's metabolism on its ass— and these are marked with an audio sign, repeating the same warning over and over.

Other liquid refreshments include a blood bar, courtesy of Rafaello d'Este's local business.

Psychic Bomb: The Confessions (April 5-14)

But on the fifth evening, D.E.S.T.I.N.Y. strikes. There's a warning— only 10 minutes in advance-- over the network, even while the vast majority of revelers are a little too busy to pay any attention to their daemons.

A black ball of some writhing, metallic substance abruptly comes tearing through the atmosphere, the size of your average adult human curled into fetal position. As it breaks through layers of gas, it adopts an orange glow for a brief instant. It's easily lost in the canopy, even for the most agile and practiced of Xistentia residents. It's impossible to tell what it is. A faint whine fills the air, and a moment later, the projectile detonates. The scent of tar fills the forest along with shouts of dismay. And too little too late, F.A.T.E.S. warning system begins to blare that a contaminant has entered the atmosphere.

However, apart from a few bruises, panic and partial deafness, nobody seems harmed at all. That is, until the compulsion sets in.

Your secrets, both large and small, suddenly become wrenching fodder for impulsive speech... or signing, texting, any multitude of communication methods wind up hijacked. The worst of it comes when you face someone you know and love. Sheer willpower might stave off the urge long enough for your character to get out of range for conversation, and it might be a good time to avoid company for awhile. It will come randomly, in spikes, for 2 weeks to follow.

Feel free to use the confessions thread here to start some textspam trouble!

Bomb Resolution (April 12+)

A week later, F.A.T.E.S. and both magic and science-minded researchers have analyzed the goop. The worst of the epidemic is localized around the party, though psychic ripples continue to be felt across Xistentia for a few days.

And now we need cleanup.

It's a motley group of unlikely volunteers. Some people are just lucky— they have no secrets they fear to share, or perhaps just no shame. Others are just good samaritans, willing to risk a terrifying level of honesty in the interest of preventing further damage to the relationships that make Xistentia run.

In any case, the group finds themselves armed with gloves, rubber suits, and floating glass containment orbs, manipulable with gestures, that can absorb the black ichor off the trees, earth, and furniture. This will be stored at the temple. And what we'll do with it—

Who knows. Or perhaps you and your compatriots have an idea for the substance permanent disposal to share.

Comments

CONFESSIONS -- April 5 textspam

[spoofer]

Thea Queen: OTA

[redarrowqueen]

I deserved to be stabbed, it was penance for the person I was.

[remarkablymodest]

[ This text makes Aymeric's brows furrow in concern. ]

Stabbing is not a just penance. Absolution is not attained through physical harm.

[redarrowqueen]

Still deserved it.

[remarkablymodest]

No, you did not.
No one deserves to be stabbed in order to make amends. There are other ways.

[pridestar]

Stabbed? There's no penance for being. For something you did, maybe.

And you should know what it is, if you want to redeem it.

[redarrowqueen]

I was nothing like who I am now. I was an addict to name one.

[pridestar]

Addicted to what? If it's acceptable to ask.

There was a lot of addiction where I grew up.

John Proudstar 🦅 OTA (cw war, racism, etc.)

[pridestar]

1. Don't think I haven't thought about it— born on a reservation with a poverty rate thirty percent higher than the rest of Arizona. And then I take American automatic weapons to Iraq, and pay it forward. Don't think nobody looked at me with hate. Loving my country wasn't easy.
   
   
2. I know it would be easier in some ways to kill. I think about it more than I want to admit. I don't know why I'm admitting it now.
   
   
3. When she died, all I could think is I should've kissed her before. Or I shouldn't have kissed her at all. Our world wasn't like this one, where passion always saves you. I'm not even sure this world is what it wants to be. I think that's what it dreams of being. And she knew all about dreams.

3. action??

[outshiny]

[ Marcos looks up at him, frowning. Everyone's just all about spilling their insides these days. Must be worse for John than most, since he's normally so watertight. Marcos is less so, at least around people who matter. He doesn't try to keep it in. ]

So what should you have done, keep waiting around while you were both wanting the same thing? Don't give me that, John. You're the one who always said people needed me and Lorna together, that our being strong made them stronger too. So what's the difference? You were right to kiss her. Hell, I'm glad you did.

a little vagueness bc i think john by now will know sonya is in town

[pridestar]

[He looks uncomfortable. Like food poisoning has him pinched up inside his guts. This isn't the same as punching a table and making a speech to settle everyone on the proper side.]

I'm not you. Sonya isn— wasn't Lorna.

[He's too good a sport to point out how badly his encouragement has turned out lately too, but there's this dingy pause after, and he rubs his face.]

[outshiny]

[ He looks like he's ill. From what Marcos can tell, most of the city has the same illness. It pushes the truth out of them, truths they don't want to face. As a result, Marcos is talking to even fewer people than usual.

But it's different with John. If there's anyone he can trust in this world, it's John. Seeing him like this isn't fun. ]

Isn't. She's here, John. She has...you guys have a second chance, and it's not like that's normal. You have regrets? Then go find her and fix it. I wish I could.

2

[anewhero]

The half terminator blinked, and stopped.

"How did that work out for you?"

Believe me, there were more similarities than Marcus cared to admit.

[pridestar]

Conscience has been a little cleaner. But we've lost a lot of people on our side, and sometimes I wonder if they'd still be here if I gave up some of my principles.

2

[shadowmarshalllucask]

Harder to admit than you think. I've killed multiple Helghast on various missions yet they have the crappiest conditions.

[pridestar]

Conditions?

[He's curious.]

What kind of conditions are you talking about? Made it harder to land a shot, or?

joseph kavinsky | ota; (tw death, manslaughter/drugs, crime, feces)

[pillz]

[1] I was in love. Every fucking time. Probably the worst part about it.

[2] Didn't kill my dad. Just sounds cool. Would've if I could've gotten away with it. Just as bad. Other little big-eyed kids are fucked up dead because of me, anyway. Trust your local drug dealer, or maybe won't.

[3] I don't hate anybody more than I hate me.

[4] I think my mom used to sneak ex-lax onto my pizza 'cause I hated vegetables that fucking much and she didn't want me to die of my own bullshit.

[5] I miss John Murphy.

1 & 5 (vi...deo i guess? sure it works)

[shadowblends]

What was it like? [a pause, contemplative before he rewords:] Or rather, what did it feel like?

And — if it's okay to ask — who's John Murphy?

[kurt never knows what's okay to question at this point. people have been kind of spewing off at the mouth (himself included) and while they have no control, he still wonders if delving further into a confession is a good idea or not.]

SURE VIDEO

[pillz]

What the f--

What the fuck. [kavinsky looks instantly and predictably embarrassed.]

Nothing-- nothing. I don't know why I did— I hate this fucking war. I wish it was just killing people.

[he shouldn't have said that. the look on his face the next instant says he knows.]

2

[anewhero]

Marcus lifts a eyebrow "How bad did it turn out?"

Kristen Kringle l OTA (CW: Dating Violence in Canon)

[misskringle]

I'm a walking doormat.

I'll never meet anyone nice.

Maybe I deserved to be hit, least a little.

To the world I look cool and collected but I'm still that shy mouse content with paperwork.

[hermajestyssword]

Knowing I can never have her doesn't mean I don't still want her. Badly.

[pillz]

Who are you talking about and how big was her cans?

[hermajestyssword]

[Bad enough to have blurted that out for all and sundry to hear. To have to go into details, with this boy of all people--!! There's a moment where Ion is visibly biting back more answers, but eventually he grits out]

Her name is Esther. [As for the second part... that he really doesn't want to answer, it'd be disrespectful in the extreme. But he finds himself compelled to, so just gestures, holding his hands out from his own chest. Her cans, apparently, was about a C-cup.]

warning/ death, manslaughter/ OTA Marcus Wright | ota

[anewhero]

[1] Fuck this life, I should of died a long time ago, I just..

[2] My life is fucked up. I stole a car in mistake and killed MY OWN BROTHER and TWO COPS!

[3] Damn, i love Blair.

[4] I can't say I don't deserve a second chance