EVENT: Kind Gestures and Dark Mirrors

[spoofer]

Characters: Ensemble cast, any/all characters of Xistentia!
Summary: While F.A.T.E.S. encourages kind gestures to repair the city's shield, D.E.S.T.I.N.Y. sends their agent to sabotage everything with a virus. Infected characters turn into dark mirror versions of themselves, ready to burn the very bridges we were supposed to rebuild.
Date(s): 9 - 26 May. Check out THE MOD ANNOUNCEMENT for more information.
Warnings/Notes: Psychic influence, potential trauma, violence and upsetting themes. Please use subject header warnings appropriately!

KIND GESTURES & DARK MIRRORS EVENT

It's emotional warfare on a dimensional scale.

NOT SO/GRAND GESTURES

While the confessions might have helped some, hurt looks and uncomfortable silences abound across the city. The shield over the city has started to flicker and transmit odd, geometric shadows across the ground. One thing is clear: we have to fix this.

F.A.T.E.S. has a solution. On the morning of 9 May, F.A.T.E.S. will send a message to all residents through their daemons:

F.A.T.E.S. WARNING SYSTEM
Threat Assessment: Moderate
Phenomenon Type: Shield Fluctuations
Predicted Duration: 2 weeks to Critical Failure

The psychic bomb has crippled the defense system over Xistentia. As a result, the modified laws of physics that protect physical consent within the city limits are experiencing problems. Be aware that this means mild injury from physical assaults are now possible within the city.

To repair protective functions, residents are kindly requested to kiss and makeup. Just kissing would also be helpful. Friendly gestures varying from gifted coffee or morning salutations will also be extremely helpful contributions. Your cooperation is appreciated.

In other words, it's time to rebuild bridges. Residents are all encouraged to talk, to reach out to the people around them. Do something nice for a friend, or an acquaintance, or a stranger in need. Of course, if it feels a little forced— that should come as a surprise to no one. F.A.T.E.S. is but an awkward SUPERCOMPUTER, after all.

Good Samaritan: Help a little old lady across the street. Alternatively, given the consent defenses are dialed down, maybe you'll catch somebody about to be hit by a falling pot plant from a higher-floor window. Time to rescue!

Grand Romance: A single rose, a bouquet of flowers; their named tattooed over your heart, or a sword engraved with the insignias of one's ancestors; a boombox held outside the window or an acoustic guitar solo among the fireflies. If you love somebody, this is the time to let it out.

Family Dinner: Whether it's blood or a found family, this would be the time to reconcile over a spread. Or at least-- to try. Funnily enough, even conflict technically feeds energy into the city; a little bickering never killed anybody. But of course, if the argument kills the relationship... that's a turn for the worst, for the city as well as for you.

Apology Gifts: If you made a mess during the psychic bomb event, this would be the time to clean it up. Write a letter, send the text, or show up on the doorstep amid pouring rain.

Wildcard: Want to make a different gesture? Be F.A.T.E.S.' guest.

Enter the Villain

That doesn't really work for D.E.S.T.I.N.Y.


The enemy takes the opportunity to contact their agent Ignacio, giving him instructions to plug a data stick into the Chronological Cartographer in the Temple, in order to release a virus.

During the early hours of the morning on 9 May, Ignacio carries out his mission. The virus takes F.A.T.E.S. by surprise, crippling their internal defences and spreading quickly through their system. All computer systems managed by F.A.T.E.S. suffer disruption, including characters' daemons. All over the city, individuals experience change. The infected have turned into Mirror Versions of themselves. They remember everything about their lives, but their personalities and perspectives have changed. Instead of trying to rebuild, they want to tear down everything they once held dear.

DELETING THE VIRUS (May 26 +)

Over the course of the month, F.A.T.E.S. will be working desperately to clear the virus from their system and from every infected timeline. Daemons will continue to experience glitches, lag and crashes throughout the month.

Finally, by 26 May, F.A.T.E.S. manages to isolate the last pockets of the virus and stop it from replicating. From there, it's a simple matter to delete it from the rest of the system. Over the next few days, all afflicted individuals will return to normal.

Over the next few days, all afflicted individuals will return to normal - and then it's time to pick up the pieces.

Now feeling much more like themselves again, everyone who turned into a mirror will remember everything they did while infected. Now is the time for damage control - both for your personal lives, and for the city's defences. Xistentia is now more vulnerable than ever.

The deleting of the virus will mean a sudden and immediate change for some, and a slower, more gradual change for others. However, all characters will have returned entirely to normal by the end of the month.

ANYTHING ELSE

You can find more information on this event, as well as opportunities for plotting, in our Event Plotting Post!

Comments

[sadico]

I am. How can I help you?

[varou]

( that's a huge relief at least. )

it's rafa. i don't know if you've spoken to him recently but.... he's not rafa lately.

i need help with him. ( it's its own kind of shame to put the words out there. hunter hangs his head as he sends the message. )

[sadico]

I have. He is cold, much like the vampires of my world. It broke my heart to see. I had hoped you had also changed so it would not be such an extreme change, but it seems that you have not.

I will help you in any way that I can, but I do not know what can be done.

[varou]

i don't either. ( he's never felt so helpless, either. like his hands are tied. ) i just need help holding him sometimes. he gets me when he knows i flinch. i can't not flinch fighting him...

and.... fuck i hate to ask this. but just. if you could maybe help me feed a bit? i can't go to sleep. rafa doesn't sleep so i can't sleep. god knows what he'll do if i do. i need more to keep me going than i'm getting.

[sadico]

You should not fight him, Hunter. You hurt both him and yourself when you try.

I will feed you. You may also stay wih me. I will stay awake while you sleep and protect you.

[varou]

i don't need protection. it's fine if he hurts me, i'll be okay. i just a little help. i'll hold rafa until i can fix this. he can hurt me if it helps me hold him.

[sadico]

It is not fine if he hurts you. You may accept it, but what happens when he returns to normal? He will remember hurting you.

[varou]

he'll kiss it better. so long as he doesn't revert back to his old torture techniques i'll be fine and he'll recover.

[sadico]

I saw him after he was forced to battle you. He could not kiss himself better, the guilt that weighed on him was immense.

[varou]

he's going to have guilt no matter what, if he even recovers from this. i'm just trying to minimize it. at least if it's with me i can give him the benefit of forgiving it. not that i blame him for whatever the fuck is wrong with him.

[sadico]

This is true. Still, I think that hurting you destroys him more than anything else. Forgiveness or no.

But I will do as you ask. I want to help you both.

[varou]

thanks iggy. i mean it.

we're at the farm. i've been doing decent at keeping him contained to the house.

[sadico]

What have you done? Tied him up?

[varou]

unfortunately, nothing can hold him.

i just keep wrangling him back inside every time he tries to leave. oh and confiscated his sunglasses during the day. night's when i really have to get him back in when he tries to bolt. he tries to wait me out or run when he thinks i'm not looking.

[sadico]

I am impressed by your ability to "wrangle" a Vampire Lord.

How is it that he has not destroyed you?

[varou]

the only reason i'm not king or prince or whatever is because i won't let rafa title me.

i'm top general of our army at home. i trained under the same woman that rafa calls sister, who led the army before me. i've spent hundreds of years training, and i have werewolf dna on my side.

don't get me wrong, rafa has a lot of skills that i'm worried he'll break out on me that i can't counter. for now, i've been managing.

[sadico]

Very, very impressive. I have mentioned to Wyatt that the werewolf-vampire hybrids of my world are incredible, it appears that holds true in your world as well.

I will help fill in the few gaps in your defense that you may have. My calendar is clear, though I would have cleared it for him regardless. This change has destroyed my social life, which is a petty complaint in comparison to your situation.

I worry deeply for him, how hard he takes things.

[varou]

i really appreciate it, iggy. i hate having to ask, but i know rafa will hate it more if i don't stop him from doing bad things. he'll hate himself so much. i already failed to stop him making six thralls.

[sadico]

That is interesting, the first time I was called "Iggy" was by Wyatt, and now you.

Yes, that will upset him. Should I dispose of them?

[varou]

wyatt's mentioned the name to me a few times. it's stuck.

and don't kill them! it'll just upset him even more. he stopped making thralls for shane. with shane gone and him making thralls... he'll already feel bad about it. he'll feel worse if he got them all killed.

besides the enthrallment wears off if we're in the city awhile.

[sadico]

He speaks of me?

Will it? That is good.

[varou]

we talk about everything. especially when i notice someone hanging around our farm out back with him.

he's tried really hard to be better, even towards humans. it'd crush him.

[sadico]

Do you have an opinion of us? If we are matched well or not?

Yes. He has spoken to me about that. It is unfortunate.

[varou]

i don't know you well enough to know for sure. but you make wyatt happy. that's good enough for me.

what part's unfortunate about it?

[sadico]

Do you wish to know me better?

That he destroys himself with guilt. When I see him that way I desire nothing more than to take his pain away.