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

[shadowblends]

Green seems to be a color you favor. [since he's observant like that.

from his peripheral, he watches loki scratch then clears his throat, tucking both hands into the pockets of his jeans with a grin.]

Something to keep us distracted, so we don't worry ourselves into a tizzy.

[dothelokimotion]

Gold never suited me. All of Asgard was golden and it never suited me.

[ He didn't mean to say that and Loki's expression turns chagrined and evasive, turning his gaze to his drink and nowhere else. ]

I'm not surprised you're barely affected by these events.

[shadowblends]

Maybe Asgard needed a color change. [another quirk of blue lips, his shoulders rolling in a shrug as he focuses his attention elsewhere, so as not to make loki even more uncomfortable.]

Oh, that's because I've already spouted off a lot of confessions. [wait, no—] Like my feelings for Kavinsky.

[at least he keeps smiling, despite the slip.]

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki's nose scrunches itself up. He is oddly fond of Kavinsky. Like a demented puppy trying to be a wolf. ]

I suppose there's no accounting for taste. Can he overcome his own self-loathing to love someone, I wonder.

[shadowblends]

[kurt gauges loki's reaction, breathes a sigh of relief then slumps when he decides it's fine.]

Taking all this gracious confessing into account, I suppose we'll find out sooner rather than later.

[dothelokimotion]

Hmm.

Be careful, regardless.

[ Loki doesn't doubt that Kavinsky can muster up genuine feeling. But he can see the signs of a self-destructive gasoline under his skin as well. ]

[shadowblends]

[color him surprised! nightcrawler didn't think loki actually cared about what might happen to him if he went forward with pursuing the dream thief.]

Thank you, Loki. [gloating has never been in his nature, but resisting the urge to smirk proves harder than he'd imagined.]

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki rolls his eyes. ]

Don't read too much into it.

[shadowblends]

Okay, okay, [kurt laughs.] I won't ruin the moment.

[unless it's too late for that?]

[dothelokimotion]

[ At least the truth effect has left Loki with sarcasm. ]

It's not a moment.

[shadowblends]

[his fangs are gleaming, charm turned all the way up.]

Says you, [teases the blue boy, reaching to pluck a wine goblet from one of the serving trays.]

[dothelokimotion]

I did say so. Very clearly.

[shadowblends]

And I never denied that you did. Actually, I'm sure I agreed with you.

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki huffs lightly. ]

Sometimes it bears repeating.

[shadowblends]

Message heard loud and clear.

[then kurt laughs, free hand cupping around his face to keep the wine from spilling past his lips.]

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki purses his lips tightly. ]

Are you quite done?

[shadowblends]

[thankfully, no wine goes spraying across the floor, but it sure as hell comes close. he clears his throat, straightens up and does his best to not grin again. (not that he's doing well at it)]

Yes, I— [ahem] I suppose so.

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki sighs briefly. It's hard to be . . . manipulative under the power of the gas. Absently he rubs his neck. Below his skin are the ridges that mark him as a Frost Giant. As Laufeyson. ]

It is not a good time. Just — Be wary.

[shadowblends]

[kurt's expression promptly shifts, eyebrows knitting together and lips pursed with concern. he's unsure of why loki is suspicious, but not at all dismissive. they have both suffered at the hands of xistentia's odd behavior, after all.]

Would you like to talk about it?

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki's expression shutters. ]

No. You may be comfortable in your skin but I will never be.

[shadowblends]

[he nods, grateful for loki's sincerity.]

I'm not always comfortable, [he admits, grimacing immediately after and sluicing the shameful burn down with more wine.]

[dothelokimotion]

[ Huh. ]

Is that so?

[shadowblends]

[instead of answering verbally right away, kurt reaches into his shirt and removes a chain, holding it aloft enough so loki can see the charm hanging there.]

It gives me a human disguise.

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki eyes it thoughtfully. A piece of technology that mimics his powers. How fascinating. ]

But you do not use it.

[shadowblends]

[he shakes his head, allowing the necklace to dangle a moment longer before tucking it away once more.]

I tried it out once, but other than that? I've never had a reason to.