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]

[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.

[dothelokimotion]

[ Isn't the way you are reason enough? but Loki doesn't know how mutants fair in their world. He only knows that a Frost Giant is the greatest shame, the greatest monsters. ]

I suppose it matters little here.

[shadowblends]

[poor loki. mutants aren't treated all that kindly some places, but where he's located-- kurt never thought he'd be able to walk freely around the mall without at least turning a few heads.]

Very little, as you can see. [he gestures around them, the slightest flutter of fingers then drains his wine goblet.] I know it's hard. Suffering through belittlement and being cast aside doesn't make it any easier, but Xistentia has always come off as accepting when it came to mutants.

[dothelokimotion]

[ He can't help the small twinge of bitterness. Loki will never be fully comfortable with his own skin. It'll never be a form he'll take on without self-loathing. ]

Of course they are.

[shadowblends]

If they run people off, that means there are less willing to help them fight.

[another tray of alcohol comes within reach, although kurt stops himself mid-grab, features creasing thoughtfully.] All the people I've met here, though ... They've never treated me differently because I look this way.

[dothelokimotion]

It's not about the people.

It's how you see yourself.

[ And for all of Loki's vanity, he'll never have that kind of confidence. It is a dichotomy only Loki possesses. He may seem himself as better than the rest but hate himself all the more for what others have that he does not. ]

[shadowblends]

[a third platter comes by and nightcrawler appropriates two glasses this time. he curls one close enough to smell, takes hold of it with his tail then offers the second goblet to loki.]

So, [he begins.] We need to work on your self-confidence, then.