INTRO LOG #1

[bequiet]

INTRO LOG #1
Muzzle and Mute
Content Warnings: Disorientation, memory loss, confusion
Themes: Arrival, survival, exploration, horror

You wake, standing. A thick, muddy red dust coats your skin and clothes - it sticks to your tongue and blocks your vision. Inhale and it chokes you, exhale and your breath puffs out in front of your face in a transparent maroon cloud. It tastes of copper, tangy and harsh. Movement is difficult, every limb tingles and aches. Look to your left, your right. Evenly spaced in each direction stands another person indistinguishable in every way from the next. You're disoriented and lethargic, unable to grasp onto a single thought. A pinprick of light blooms ahead and grows steadily larger; a door has opened.

Hands grip your wrists, push at the small of your back and guide you out of the darkness into a room with four walls and a thin, sagging ceiling. The plaster is peeling, the air is musty, and the floor is slick. White plastic piping juts up from the center and curves into multiple spouts, clean water flowing in uneven streams. Those hands pull your clothes off and clear the dust from your body, redress you in handsewn jumpsuits. By the time they’re through, you will have begun to come back to yourself.

A finger is pressed to your lips. Kind eyes meet your own and a single word is whispered - hush.

Led out of the room in a line, you’re taken down a short hallway and into another, much larger room. There’s a woman waiting for you there, a child hugging her leg, and a cloth bag in her hands. She reaches in and pulls out a device, passes one to each of you. Once finished, she begins to move both hands in graceful gestures, a language. One of the people who helped you lifts their device and the screen lights up, tracks the woman’s hands. Letters appear on the screen and you understand the device’s purpose. She tells you what she knows and it’s not much.

This world is haunted. Noise attracts them, so it is not allowed. Communication is through body language, soundless writing, and the device. She tells you that your feet must be light and your mouth never used. There is a community outside these doors, where you can survive together, but only if you agree to one thing: complete and total silence. You'll have time to talk it over. You may ask one question and receive one answer.

Acceptance allows you to journey outside. The ground is marked in pathways of sand, lining the paths to each building and everywhere in-between. You notice that the locals hold their devices always, aloft and glance to it often. It will not vibrate or make a sound to signal a message. Notices appear. Rules. Guidelines. Feet on the sand and never anywhere else. To open a door you brush your fingers along the hinges - oiled and you may enter. If not, take the brush from the can sitting nearby and coat the metal with the dark liquid.

Now, you're to settle into your new home.

The Man in the Hat
Content Warnings: Heavy lifting, following the rules, alcoholism
Themes: Moving in, survival, exploration, horror

Once you’ve claimed a room for yourself, it’s time to acclimate to the community. Natives will ask what you need and take you along the sandpaths to different areas in the city to gather supplies - furniture and the like. Heavier items will require assistance and will take longer. Houses are mostly empty so if you and your housemates need something, you’ll have to carry it and put it inside the home. Do not make any noise or the natives will refuse to help you. Getting to know your housemates is key to a smooth transition. They are going through what you are right now; take the time to get to know them. Make house rules.

As the first day gives way to night, the natives can be seen moving at a faster pace outside. They’re hurried, though not frightened. Some even smile at you. When the sun sets behind the ruins of what was once picturesque Reims, your device will signal that it’s time to meet at the center of the community. There, natives will stop each person and give them a small gift - a trinket, a token to show that they are trying their best to make all the new arrivals feel at home. These are all items from the character’s home or from another character's home (they will not be anything that belongs to anyone else). Small, soundless and either something taken during the application process or something brand new. They will have no powers to speak of and are meant to be a momento. If asked, the natives found them the same way they found each of you.

Then the party starts. Sort of. A soundless, stitled kind of celebration. Fun is meant to be had, but it’s not an overly joyous occasion. The natives simply don’t know how to cut loose. There will be extra food in the form of one and two; Phillipa even brought some of her homemade bread. If you stumble across a man wearing a hat, the only man in town who does, and agree to go with him when he offers to show you his house - he’ll gift you with a jar of hooch; it’ll burn on the way down.

Sound Eaters
Content Warnings: Threat, danger
Themes: Survival, exploration, horror, game plot

It’s the second day of your stay, and the natives call for an emergency meeting at the Town Hall. Everyone is paired off (see below) and are asked to walk the perimeter looking for anything out of place and patching any areas that might have been affected by weather. Once finished, the same is done on the inside, and when the community leader is satisfied, the main hall is opened up so that everyone can congregate. Characters, during this time only, are allowed to make sound. This is so that the natives can explain why silence is so necessary...

The Sound Eaters.

In an effort not to frighten everyone, the natives won’t go into the history just yet, but they will warn that when someone makes a sound, it attracts them. They don’t know what they look like because they are so fast. If you’re too loud, then in the blink of an eye, you’ll go through a room reset. This is because either the natives ‘silenced’ you or the Sound Eaters have. They will explain that the room came at the same time the Sound Eaters did and that it doesn’t work for the natives. Sometimes, it doesn’t work on new arrivals. Death, for those born in this world, is permanent. If you attract them, you’ll get someone killed. Hence the need for no noise. During the meeting, the natives will tell each character of their own experiences. Their losses. The families they have left and how they’d do anything to keep them alive. They don’t know if you’ll be reset, but is that a risk you’re willing to take? The meeting will last a few hours and will end on a somber, ominous note - at the end of the month, they are taking everyone to meet them.

OOC
From your mods:

Please be mindful of content - if something triggery comes up or if it goes up a rating to say, something sexy, mark your threads in the subject line. We're very flexible and allow any material; we just want our players to be respectful of each other. If you have questions, pp the mod account, use the faq or comment to the appropriate post below. Have fun!

NAVIGATION

---

Comments

akira kurusu

[beguiledcard]

man in the hat
cw: minor with alcohol will be marked for appropriately

house 3 / furniture gathering

[ In house three, a select few will be able to catch sight of one (1) Akira Kurusu. He's momentarily just... standing there, staring at the floor; his hand moves to his face, almost as though he's intending to adjust glasses -- he isn't wearing any, of course, so said hand will move to scrub through his hair.

He's pretty deep in thought, hand finally moving so fingers can twist a strand of bangs, his brow tensed and matching pretty well with his... entire body, honestly.

But said moment doesn't last too long, so catching him in that state isn't quite so likely as catching him moving around, exploring the place. He's claiming the family room, deciding he's fine with the others taking the bedrooms. He's... kind of used to sleeping in a somewhat open space? He'll just need to build something that can provide privacy.

Simple enough.

He can be found doing what he can to get his hands on a mattress, sheets, blankets, a pillow, and curtains... along with other necessities if he can. He's not going to be pushy, and he can be seen acting polite to everyone he encounters, outsiders and natives alike. ]

memento mori / food

[ He's suddenly wearing black-framed glasses... which could be strange for anyone who saw him before now. Wasn't he getting around just fine without them? Hmmm...

If anyone seems to be staring hard at his face, lo' and behold, it would seem he has a guess as to why. Suddenly, there's a message for them to read on his device: ]

Contacts.

[ That's his story. Fight him. ]

?????????????
cw: minor with alcohol (no consumption, just ????)

[ He's a person of curiosity, so of course he went with the guy in the hat. Maybe he'd have answers, maybe there'd be some kind of information.

... He didn't expect to be handed a jar of... uh... "hooch???" WHY IS IT CALLED THIS, WHAT A STRANGE NAME, AND WHY IS HE HOLDING ALCOHOL.

The questions and more are in his head as he stands outside now on one of the sand paths. Maybe someone went with him to see the man in the hat's house? Maybe they're stumbling across him staring at this strange jar?

Whatever the case, Akira will eventually hold up a message to someone (regardless of human status, and honestly he'd probably sooner do this to a non-human): ]

Wanna get drunk?

[ Is he kidding?

According to the deadpan expression, who the hell could know without knowing him or being that great of a people reader. Either way, it's not exactly the "HAHAHA I'M SO FUNNY" kind of... "joke" more than it is the "why is this a thing" type. ]

sound eaters
cw: p5 spoilers will be marked for appropriately

closed to naruto uzumaki

[ Well, he's going to be looking right at his assigned partner, head tilting in thought. So... fixing anything out of place? They're not even from here, to know exactly how everything was before going out of place, but... guess they'll just have to do their best. ]

It's nice to meet you. I'm Akira Kurusu.

[ Some part of this is simply routine for meeting new people where he's from... but it doesn't meant he isn't curious to know. Or that he doesn't want to at least try getting along. ]

post-meeting
cw: spoilers for p5

[ His mind is still reeling from the meeting. For a while after it, he can be found hanging around the town hall. He didn't talk during it -- every question he could have ever asked was asked. He simply took in the answers for now. He'll keep them all in mind, observe while he's trapped here, and... go from there.

Eventually, he can be found on the front porch of house 3. He isn't sitting. He isn't standing. He's lying down, directly on the floor of it, off to the far side. Look, he's fine here, tucked away in his corner? Just fine.

Right now, his mind is stuck on home -- on the fight against Yaldabaoth, on the outcome of the fight against Goro Akechi, on his friends (the ones still there), on... so many things, really. In any case, please ignore how he's eventually draping an arm over his eyes.

... Guess he could be nudged, but do you really want to disrupt such high quality brooding relaxation? ]

(( ooc: if any questions -- or if you'd like a specific situation -- i can be reached via PM, skiesonfire, or discord (NaCl#4218)! ))

post-meeting

[zom]

[ mitsuha leaves the meeting feeling more terrified than assured, and she's keeping to herself as she walks back to her assigned house when she nearly steps on something on the ground. someone, rather. mitsuha looks down at the figure below her, and... ]

K--

[ she almost lets his name slip, but she catches herself just before it can. time to take out the device. ]

Kurusu-kun, what are you doing?

[beguiledcard]

[ He thought he would out of the way, but then he can't blame anyone for being as out of it as -- or more out of it, maybe, than -- he is... ]

Help.

I've fallen and I can't get up.

[ Deadpan........

But, he'll be slowly moving to do what he just claimed he cannot accomplish. Wow. Amaze.

One he is standing, there's a hint of awkward hesitation -- he, uh... he's working on pulling it together!!! He's... got this... ]

How are you holding up, Miyamizu-chan?

[zom]

[ aaaand mitsuha is just going to watch as he helps himself up. kurusu-kun is a bit strange, isn't he? but...it's a little endearing, especially in a place as frightening as this. still...she sort of deadpans at him right back. ]

You are not an old man, Kurusu-kun.

But...I'm holding up as best as I can.
Yet, I feel like the more I know, the more horrifying this situation gets... T_T

[beguiledcard]

Maybe I just look really great for my age.
Ahhh the wonders of modern medicine.

[ But, now he's giving her a softer look... Time to focus strictly on comforting her. ]

It's a lot to take in... and I think I can finally understand why they're all so scared.
For now, let's focus only on what we can do.
Which... would be comforting each other and making sure everything is soundproofed.
Once we're all calmer, we can start looking at all of the information, one detail at a time.

[ He doesn't know her super well yet, but he'll see how well those words help and go from there. ]

??????????

[gimmesometassel]

[Someone else did, in fact, come to see the man with the hat's house. Carpet is holding his own jar of alcohol with no apparent recognition of what it is, and also no apparent recognition that Akira is joking. He tilts his upper end instead, typing:]

What's drunk?

[beguiledcard]

[ His initial thought process is something eloquent, something clever, something... along the lines of:

UHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH............

And it actually takes him at least a couple of sections to stop? staring??? ]

Something that I'm about 99.9999998% sure you don't have to worry about.

I don't think you'd appreciate the stains that would probably come from your attempts.

[gimmesometassel]

Stains are pretty hard to get out. So drunk is a human thing?

[That gesture sure looks like someone tilting their head thoughtfully, doesn't it? He's doing his best to learn!]

[beguiledcard]

Well, not really... It's something that can happen to some animals, even if deadlier for them.

Basically, it's the result of going past your tolerance of alcohol consumption. Drinking water usually helps, at least, but some people seem to enjoy the feeling of being drunk.

???????????

[born2b]

[This world is all so unfamiliar to her. There are humans everywhere. It feels like her world is tilting, overwhelmed by the circumstances before her arrival and being amongst humans, her creators. But this is a world of silence, quiet, like death.

She's grateful for a role, but the awkwardness of being amongst humans hasn't yet worn off.

Still, her awe of so many humans being around isn't enough to stop her expression from flattening when Akira shows her his message. Folding her arms, she shakes her head and gives a disapproving glare as she points at one of the natives. Don't be stupid! Drunkards are never quiet!]

[beguiledcard]

[ Whoops... and he can hear the mental whistle going now -- not that he can blame anyone for not realizing he's joking! In fact, he's giving her a sheepishly exasperated look. He tucks the bottle in his armpit, and then briefly pressing the now free hand to the back of his neck.

There's a moment where he glances between her and the native. He's not used to having to read minds to this extent. He suppresses the urge to give a thoughtful hum...

And then he looks right back at her, does a motion for zipping his lips, and then does a "zipped lip" gesture, followed by a shrug.

Does he even know what the hell he's saying?? ]

[born2b]

[2B sure doesn't know what the hell he's saying. What is that motion across his mouth even supposed to mean? Her brows draw together in consternation as she tilts her head in confusion.

Shaking her head, it doesn't matter, she holds out her hand with her gaze on the bottle of drink. Let her get rid of it for you, taller human.]

perimeter buddies....

[thinhammer]

[ Naruto has been pretty placid so far in this strange new world for the simple reason that he's still trying to figure out where his place is, and better yet where he wants it to be... but when he's told that he's on clean up duty of the perimeter he knows squat about, he can't help feeling a little burned. He's been on low ranking missions before; is used to patrol and even to reconnaissance and support, but this feels like they're being pushed out of the way. Like Akira, he's picked up on the impossibility of the task, how it's basically setting them up for failure or disappointment (two of Naruto's least favourite things), and that's what he's super close to muttering under his breath about. He doesn't, of course. It would be a big stupid mistake for him to mutter here of all places, where it might as well be a shout, but he does have to bite his cheek a bit to stop it tumbling from him anyway.

Akira's message, then, is a welcomed distraction from his distaste for authority. ]

good to meet you too. i'm uzumaki naruto. [ He holds it up for a blissfully peaceful second, then with a kind of silent explosion of movement bred by frustration he takes it back and types another one. ] does it piss you off that weve been told to do somethin we havent even been trained to do??? or is it just me????

let us hate this job together

[beguiledcard]

[ All right, so clearly this will be simple greetings then--...

...

ok. So he's dealing with Ryuji's long-lost cousin? Got it. There's only one, rational way to go about this... ]

It's just you.

[ DEAD SERIOUS EXPRESSION...... until it's not. The hint of an amused smirk tugs at his lips, and then he quickly follows up with: ]

They're probably overwhelmed by just how many of us there are.

But... yes, I'm annoyed, too.

There should at least be instruction manuals around here, explaining what we're supposed to look for.

[thinhammer]

[ Naruto reads the message, blinks, is about to be like oh well okay then-- but the smirk that follows this strangers words makes him snap from acceptance to fuming irritation so fast it almost winds him. Smirks he's used to seeing, this anger he's used to feeling and he's about to write a strongly worded response telling this jackass off for messing him around.. so it's probably a good thing that he's not attentive enough to focus on one thing at once as he reads the messages that follow, and they thankfully put out his fire. ]

yeah

[ He looks a bit put out about being toyed with - he's kind of pouting a bit and would probably be folding his arms if he didn't need one to show Akira the device - but he's still responding so at the very least he's not been butthurt into silence. ]

unless thats part of the training... getting us to figure it out ourselves.. man i hate stuff like that! why cant they just tell us what they need us to do up front instead of all this mystery!! this place is confusing enough without all that!!!

locked -- implied P5 spoilers

[beguiledcard]

[ It would appear there is a tiny spot of water damage to the bottom, left corner of this page; perhaps this was being written while the person was eating. Curious... ]

22/11

Today, I made more progress on the book Ann gave me.

Maybe it's ridiculous to get even a little attached to a fictional character, but I guess I was naively hoping this one would end up a bigger part of the story. There was a lot of potential, and yet it was all wasted away for some reason the author hasn't even revealed yet.

I will say I'm not a fan of the "Prince Suddenly Evil" plot, and preferred the way the story was going before. This whole change is stupid, even if I did see it coming.

Well, I guess it's all fantasy for a reason...

---

[ The page just before this one has been ripped out, and there are quite a number of creases, as well as signs of the pen having been pressed too harshly against the paper ( right where the date ). ]

17/12

Apparently, the author decided to completely write the prince out of those books.

I regret picking it back up. I don't plan on telling her, but the writing is god-awful at this point. Every new chapter I get to turns out worse than the last. And

"You can't save everyone."

Maybe it was stupi

[ The page after this has been ripped out, and there are signs that it was done without much thought to the state of this diary. ]

---

23/12

I've managed to tough out most of the final volume of Ann's books.

It looks like the emperor is about to be taken out. I wonder if it'll be better than when the jester finally got kicked out of the castle...

Heh, I don't want to imagine how the prince would have taken seeing how much all those village folks were still siding with the jester... But, at least he'll be completely out of the picture soon, assuming everything goes as planned.

... I'm not sure I want to see the ending of this book, at all. Even with how crappy the writing is, some part of me is attached to these characters.

[ This is the very last entry. ]

post meeting

[gotyourselfapilot]

[ The meeting only made things more frustrating for him. Poe didn't just wanna stay here. He wanted and needed out from here. There was a lot of things on his mind as well. Too many events that had happened all at once. Regrets, doubts, a fleeting hope that keeps on trying to go completely out.

Poe is basically out on a walk to try to balance his emotions. He hated everything about this place. It just kept spiraling. Maybe there might be a moment where it'll stop getting worse. There's a moment when he's passing House 3 and sees someone out on the porch laying on the ground. A moment of panic maybe made him run over to the figuring laying down. Once he gets closer he realizes that the teen wasn't dead at least. But he puts his hands on hips while looking up at the ceiling of the porch. Had he really just think someone was hurt? Maybe a different kind of hurt.

He comes closer while crouching down at Akira's side. He types out a response but doesn't show it just yet. Poe gently places a hand on Akira's shoulder. It's his way of nudging before pulling it away after a moment. ]

[beguiledcard]

[ He actually jolts at the sudden touch; he'd been so lost in thought, he managed to miss the sound of footsteps that came of someone approaching him on the porch...

Or maybe the guy just happened to move that quietly...

But, either way, Akira quickly lowers his arm and looks at the person with a faintly startled, questioning expression. ]

?

[gotyourselfapilot]

[ When he sees Akira jolt at the touch there's a slow sigh of relief. Poe could keep his footsteps pretty silent. Mostly to all the venturing out into the jungles of Yavin 4 with his father. Kes had to be silent on his feet when tracking stormtroopers back in the Rebellion. He would be able to know where they were coming from before they knew he was even around. During those ventures he would teach Poe a thing or two on keeping quiet telling him he's loud when he doesn't need to be.

Poe waits for the arm to move before showing him the device. ]

From afar you appeared to be dead or worse, just laying on a porch. You can't tell from a far distance if you were breathing or not.

house 3

[infodumped]

[Tuan is busy checking out the rest of the house when she spots another housemate of hers apparently making a living space for himself in the family room. She nods in greeting.

The fact that he's in there evidently doesn't deter her from stepping inside to examine the walls as if looking for something.]

[beguiledcard]

[ Akira is clearly not bothered by her presence at all! In fact, he continues straightening out the sheet that's been spread over the small mattress in the furthest corner of this particular room.

There's a curtain folded and placed over the back of the chair that's next to his makeshift bed. Blankets and pillows are on the seat of it, and there are some various other, small things (bathroom necessities and the like) on top of the latter item... But, in any case... ]

...?

[ ... she's getting a curious glance after a moment. He turns to face her, head tilted as he watches. Eventually: ]

Looking for something?

[infodumped]

Intelligent Material. Specially designed polymers that adapt to our basic needs to maximize comfort and safety.
The houses where I'm from had plenty of it, but so far all of this seems fairly low tech. Antiquated by my standards.
These devices seem strangely anachronistic in comparison to the other resources they have here.

[She pauses, glancing from Akira to his pile of belongings. Then she types:]

I'll leave now if I'm in the way.

post-meeting-ish

[boazjachin]

[It feels wrong to be glad someone else isn't here. But right now, Makoto can't help but think she's glad it's her and not, oh, Ryuji or Ann or even Futaba, because--seeing Akira across the room during this meeting and not getting up and going over to him immediately was almost too much, even for her.]

[Oh, she doesn't, of course; paranoia runs too strong in her even now to draw attention to the fact that they know each other quite yet. She sits with her hands on her thighs, fingers closed into white-knuckled fists, a reminder of the necessity of restraint; she asks a few quiet, practical questions, because people are being too emotional instead of logistical, which is what matters; and she waits.]

[Eventually, the meeting ends. She gets up, quietly and calmly, smooths her skirt down, and crosses the room with all the dignity she can muster.]

[Then she grabs him by the wrist, grip vice-tight. Absolutely not a negotiation. She isn't letting go.]

Where can we talk?

[beguiledcard]

[ It had been frustrating for him, as well, sitting there... but he did assume there was a reason she was keeping to herself. He'd already planned to approach her directly after the meeting, but it seems she's on top of this even more than he is... Heh, but then, is that really such a surprise?

He certainly won't be snatching away, or even anything remotely similar to that. But there's a blink at the force of the grip... at the forceful nature of it, even if this is Makoto. Really, he shouldn't be surprised. Look at the situation, at the fear in the eyes and the faces all around them, at the uncertainty of it all...

And there are so many questions going through even his mind -- what ifs, whys, hows -- that he can't imagine how much this is probably getting to her...

Of course, no matter how many questions he works through in his head, he keeps drawing a blank on what could have led to them being here. He's seen Akechi already... Why just the three of them? Why only them? Where the hell could the others be? It reminds him of... when the entire world stopped believing in them, and then--...

...

He's giving her a nod almost immediately, even as his thoughts continue ignoring his desire for them to stop, even for a damn minute.

Unfortunately, it's already dangerous to be talking in here, though it seems like this place provides the most soundproof environment. If they go anywhere else, they'll be using the device to speak, so it probably doesn't matter too much where they're going, in terms of keeping the conversation private...

It's after glancing around, he finally responds in a quiet voice. It feels surprisingly... odd to hear the sound of his own voice after an entire day of not using it. ]

I'm staying in the family room of house three. Does that work?

[boazjachin]

[Hearing his voice helps. At the same time, though, it strikes her that that's going to be a very rare thing going forward if things continue how they've been laid out. It shouldn't upset her, but it does, the realization that on top of everything else they've lost, they won't even be able to speak to each other like they used to.]

[Her fingers twitch. And then she lets go, because all of a sudden she realizes that she's holding on so tight she might actually leave marks, and that's mortifying. She clasps her hands together, spine ramrod-straight, jaw tight. Facts. She has to deal in fact, not emotion, not right now. It's not an option. This is her job.]

It should. I can--

[Meet you there, is what she intends to say, but her voice fails her, not because she's lost it through disuse or is too shy to speak her mind (god forbid, never again), but because some traitorous part of her doesn't want to suggest it. If she lets him out of her sight, something could happen. Again.]

[Which, again, is unacceptable logic.]

Would you prefer I meet you there or follow you?

[Dangers in either, because there is danger in everything. The more obvious danger is that if they leave together, people will likely assume they knew each other before this place. The benefits of keeping Akira in her line of sight trump the potential costs, at least in her opinion. But it's not her choice.]