Recollé Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
recollecters) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
repeter2019-01-17 05:32 pm
recollecters) wrote in repeter2019-01-17 05:32 pm
(no subject)
EVENT + TDM
PREMISE • RULES • FAQ • TAKEN • RESERVES • APPLICATIONS
REGAINS • HIATUS/DROPS • PLOT SUBMISSIONS • CALENDAR • MOD CONTACT • NAV
REGAINS • HIATUS/DROPS • PLOT SUBMISSIONS • CALENDAR • MOD CONTACT • NAV
I. - CURRENT PLAYERS + TDMERS
It's been days since the firewall took over the city of Recollé. The heat is still present even in mid-January and though the wall has consumed much of the outer edges of the city, the buildings and innerworkings of each district are unaffected and still standing tall. Firefighters are working endlessly to try and put out the flames and combat the issue, but the flames only begin to lessen as Retrospec users work together to curb the fire and stop it from spreadng.
This might be the time to jump in and help. Previously, you may have tried to help and found your efforts futile. Those new to the app may even have found themselves thinking the flames were best left to the professionals once the assessment was made that there would be minimal damage. However, there seems to be a power tied to that new app on your phone. Should you attempt to help put out the flames, your efforts shall be rewarded and a pathway will open into a tunnel of fire with a series of doors spread before you.
With many of you finding your way through the firewall and unlocking the doors within, progress is being made to wear down the security measures. Points in the wall will begin to crumble under touch alone and rows and rows of doors begin to appear. The flames are starting to die down outside, but it becomes clear that it's not just a few chambers you must explore. Several thousands of doors are scattered amongst the flames waiting for you to approach. Luckily you won't have to open all of them. The silver doors loom in the distance, but thanks to the efforts of the last two weeks, identifying the doors is much easier than before.
While several of the doors that have been opened are easy to navigate, users will come to find that as they approach a new door an error message will appear and block the path to the door. These messages will not appear on doors that do not contain keys, though this pattern may not be obvious at first. Sometimes the messages will appear just by walking in any of the cardinal directions inside the fire tunnel, popping up right in front of your face and forcing you to walk straight into them. These pop-ups can be dismantled via physical force or magic, though you may wish to be careful. Anyone who directly touches these messages will find themselves…multiplying? Oh dear. Two, three, or even four copies of yourself will appear and begin to wander off not only in the tunnels but back through the wall and out in the city of Recollé. Users who are split apart will have to round up all versions of themselves to become whole again, and the clones themselves will be more than happy to wander as they please, posing as you and attempting to deter others from progressing. Good luck getting them to stop.
It's been days since the firewall took over the city of Recollé. The heat is still present even in mid-January and though the wall has consumed much of the outer edges of the city, the buildings and innerworkings of each district are unaffected and still standing tall. Firefighters are working endlessly to try and put out the flames and combat the issue, but the flames only begin to lessen as Retrospec users work together to curb the fire and stop it from spreadng.
This might be the time to jump in and help. Previously, you may have tried to help and found your efforts futile. Those new to the app may even have found themselves thinking the flames were best left to the professionals once the assessment was made that there would be minimal damage. However, there seems to be a power tied to that new app on your phone. Should you attempt to help put out the flames, your efforts shall be rewarded and a pathway will open into a tunnel of fire with a series of doors spread before you.
With many of you finding your way through the firewall and unlocking the doors within, progress is being made to wear down the security measures. Points in the wall will begin to crumble under touch alone and rows and rows of doors begin to appear. The flames are starting to die down outside, but it becomes clear that it's not just a few chambers you must explore. Several thousands of doors are scattered amongst the flames waiting for you to approach. Luckily you won't have to open all of them. The silver doors loom in the distance, but thanks to the efforts of the last two weeks, identifying the doors is much easier than before.
While several of the doors that have been opened are easy to navigate, users will come to find that as they approach a new door an error message will appear and block the path to the door. These messages will not appear on doors that do not contain keys, though this pattern may not be obvious at first. Sometimes the messages will appear just by walking in any of the cardinal directions inside the fire tunnel, popping up right in front of your face and forcing you to walk straight into them. These pop-ups can be dismantled via physical force or magic, though you may wish to be careful. Anyone who directly touches these messages will find themselves…multiplying? Oh dear. Two, three, or even four copies of yourself will appear and begin to wander off not only in the tunnels but back through the wall and out in the city of Recollé. Users who are split apart will have to round up all versions of themselves to become whole again, and the clones themselves will be more than happy to wander as they please, posing as you and attempting to deter others from progressing. Good luck getting them to stop.
II. - CURRENT PLAYERS + TDMERS
The pop-ups aren't the only issue users will begin to experience the longer they linger in the wall. As Retrospec users continue navigating these routes and clearing the paths needed to break down the firewall, things begin to grow a little more difficult to manage. Though the passages of the doors appear to be fine and users can enter new areas to obtain keys, it seems as though there's something bigger that wants to stop the progress occurring.
Users with Retrospec-given abilities will find difficulty in using their powers in ways they've never experienced before. Superstrength gives out after two seconds while shapeshifting will leave you stuck in that form for three days. Magic is on the fritz and spells will backfire, kicking back and damaging yourself for every spell you attempt to use. A small ball of light will escape your fingertips, draining you of your abilities and gifting them to someone else temporarily (though they won't know how to control them the way you do.) The trouble with it all is that no method is the same, and even if you experience a glitch once an outside force will change the consequences so they do not repeat.
You may think to check your phone for answers. Can you Google how to fix your own powers? While a search engine won't be of any use, users will find that the Retrospec app's logo has a new, upgraded appearance. Five of the eight inner petals have will appear gray in color while the remaining three are untouched. A sixth petal is colored halfway in. Should a user activate the app while in the city, they will find that everything around them will pause in a freezeframe. Birds will stop mid-flight, cars will be stopped in the middle of intersections, firehoses will have frozen arches of water aimed to the flames…everything is perfectly still save for other users.
As for those who activate the app inside the firewall, time will become fluid and change around you. Everything seems to move at hyperspeed, actions on fast-forward and time skipping ahead. Your actions will also be at the speed of light, and should you manage to accomplish your goals inside the wall and beyond the doors, a return to the city will show that much more time has passed than you anticipated. Hours or even days have escaped you even if it felt like no time at all.
With some trial and error, users can discover that a hard reset of their phone and re-opening the app will undo these effects. However, it may not be so easy seeing how the app will appear and disappear intermittently. Be quick; you may miss it if you blink.
The pop-ups aren't the only issue users will begin to experience the longer they linger in the wall. As Retrospec users continue navigating these routes and clearing the paths needed to break down the firewall, things begin to grow a little more difficult to manage. Though the passages of the doors appear to be fine and users can enter new areas to obtain keys, it seems as though there's something bigger that wants to stop the progress occurring.
Users with Retrospec-given abilities will find difficulty in using their powers in ways they've never experienced before. Superstrength gives out after two seconds while shapeshifting will leave you stuck in that form for three days. Magic is on the fritz and spells will backfire, kicking back and damaging yourself for every spell you attempt to use. A small ball of light will escape your fingertips, draining you of your abilities and gifting them to someone else temporarily (though they won't know how to control them the way you do.) The trouble with it all is that no method is the same, and even if you experience a glitch once an outside force will change the consequences so they do not repeat.
You may think to check your phone for answers. Can you Google how to fix your own powers? While a search engine won't be of any use, users will find that the Retrospec app's logo has a new, upgraded appearance. Five of the eight inner petals have will appear gray in color while the remaining three are untouched. A sixth petal is colored halfway in. Should a user activate the app while in the city, they will find that everything around them will pause in a freezeframe. Birds will stop mid-flight, cars will be stopped in the middle of intersections, firehoses will have frozen arches of water aimed to the flames…everything is perfectly still save for other users.
As for those who activate the app inside the firewall, time will become fluid and change around you. Everything seems to move at hyperspeed, actions on fast-forward and time skipping ahead. Your actions will also be at the speed of light, and should you manage to accomplish your goals inside the wall and beyond the doors, a return to the city will show that much more time has passed than you anticipated. Hours or even days have escaped you even if it felt like no time at all.
With some trial and error, users can discover that a hard reset of their phone and re-opening the app will undo these effects. However, it may not be so easy seeing how the app will appear and disappear intermittently. Be quick; you may miss it if you blink.
III. - CURRENT PLAYERS ONLY
It seems a bit suspicious that Retrospec's gone quiet throughout all of this, doesn't it. There hasn't been word from the company since Joanne's last message about the firewall, and as usual any attempt to contact the company is futile. The message from delta#02018329 on the 13th was the last form of communication from anyone tied to Retrospec and since then all has been quiet. The animal guides from before are hard at work helping users discover new paths and find the keys, knowing they need to work quickly.
On the 24th, the firewall begins coming down in large chunks, falling away and shattering into embers when destroyed by an established user. The wall reveals the lines of doors surrounding the city and as of this date the temperature begins to drop again. Good job, users. You've almost fully dismantled the blockade. However, the wall isn't finished yet.
Beginning on this day as well, established users will become public enemy number one for the operator of the wall. A string of bad luck begins to follow you in an attempt to deter you from finishing your task of destroying this wall. Ranging from small feats such as misplacing your phone to larger feats such as removing all doors and windows from a building you're in, these attempts can be easily broken with enough willpower or simply waiting it out. For the truly unlucky, even NPCs will grow suspicious of you and begin to question you, asking you what's changed about you and why you and only you are the one who can put out the flames when the fire department has been working so hard.
Most importantly, however, are the small showers of green sparks that will appear over the city, sprinkling on you from overhead and dousing you in an invisible sheen. An equally invisible force feels as though it's pulling you down quickly despite standing in one place, and when the feeling passes…well. You may wonder what this strange app is on your phone and why you have it. It's new, isn't it? Wonder what it could be. You've never heard of Retrospec before, you think, but it can't be that interesting.
Perhaps you haven't slipped that far. You may be one of those who finds yourself with gaps in your memory, or items on-hand you don't quite recall having before. Images will flash through your mind even if you can't pinpoint where you've experienced these things before. And, of course, there's the fact that you may even literally slip between layers in the city, entering a door in the firewall and falling down into a plain white room. This washed-out castle-esque hall will make navigation difficult as the doorway to return blends into the walls. It only takes a trick of jogging your memory and recalling your true purpose to outline the door. What does it mean to jog your memory? This can be anything from sharing a memory you don't understand to showing off an item or ability and brainstorming its purpose. You will only understand the truth and remember everything upon leaving this castle, but until then? Time to brainstorm.
It seems a bit suspicious that Retrospec's gone quiet throughout all of this, doesn't it. There hasn't been word from the company since Joanne's last message about the firewall, and as usual any attempt to contact the company is futile. The message from delta#02018329 on the 13th was the last form of communication from anyone tied to Retrospec and since then all has been quiet. The animal guides from before are hard at work helping users discover new paths and find the keys, knowing they need to work quickly.
On the 24th, the firewall begins coming down in large chunks, falling away and shattering into embers when destroyed by an established user. The wall reveals the lines of doors surrounding the city and as of this date the temperature begins to drop again. Good job, users. You've almost fully dismantled the blockade. However, the wall isn't finished yet.
Beginning on this day as well, established users will become public enemy number one for the operator of the wall. A string of bad luck begins to follow you in an attempt to deter you from finishing your task of destroying this wall. Ranging from small feats such as misplacing your phone to larger feats such as removing all doors and windows from a building you're in, these attempts can be easily broken with enough willpower or simply waiting it out. For the truly unlucky, even NPCs will grow suspicious of you and begin to question you, asking you what's changed about you and why you and only you are the one who can put out the flames when the fire department has been working so hard.
Most importantly, however, are the small showers of green sparks that will appear over the city, sprinkling on you from overhead and dousing you in an invisible sheen. An equally invisible force feels as though it's pulling you down quickly despite standing in one place, and when the feeling passes…well. You may wonder what this strange app is on your phone and why you have it. It's new, isn't it? Wonder what it could be. You've never heard of Retrospec before, you think, but it can't be that interesting.
Perhaps you haven't slipped that far. You may be one of those who finds yourself with gaps in your memory, or items on-hand you don't quite recall having before. Images will flash through your mind even if you can't pinpoint where you've experienced these things before. And, of course, there's the fact that you may even literally slip between layers in the city, entering a door in the firewall and falling down into a plain white room. This washed-out castle-esque hall will make navigation difficult as the doorway to return blends into the walls. It only takes a trick of jogging your memory and recalling your true purpose to outline the door. What does it mean to jog your memory? This can be anything from sharing a memory you don't understand to showing off an item or ability and brainstorming its purpose. You will only understand the truth and remember everything upon leaving this castle, but until then? Time to brainstorm.
IV. - TDMERS ONLY
It's a little alarming to suddenly wake up and have a brand new app on your phone that connects you to a special group of people, isn't it? This may not be what you were expecting, but the Retrospec app seems harmless even if it's a bit unusual. With the power necessary to help combat the flames, perhaps you're the type who isn't even worried about what's happening. There's a job to do, after all.
Upon opening the app for the first time though you'll receive a message from a user named Z.C.
You're probably confused right now and I get it, this is really confusing. I was confused, too. But you have to be on-guard. Looks like you're a fresh target.
That's an ominous warning, and yet nothing comes from it for several days. In fact, it isn't until the 25th that those words hold some weight. It seems that there's someone out there who doesn't feel like you belong. No matter where you stand or what's happening for you at that given moment, at the stroke of midnight a large crater will open beneath you and swallow you whole, sending you straight down. The fall feels endless but as you land you'll find yourself standing on barren, gray ground surrounded by a black night sky, spiderweb cracks spreading from the center and moving outward. The world around you is dark and above you you can hear the sounds of the city and the people in it. The sounds of your fellow app-users combatting the wall of fire and even some of the ongoings of what's happening to them beyond the doors echo in this dark chamber.
The space around you is dead. There isn't a single sign of life sans what looks like a large, 80-foot whale skeleton. Even that appears abandoned, though there are footprints in the dirt near the creature's mouth. You aren't the first to arrive, but getting back will be the trick of it all. Someone wants you hidden away, but finding a clever way to reach out to those in the layer beyond will grant you an exit. Shouting, throwing items on hand, anything you can think of to create a diversion and draw attention to yourself may help. The louder you are, the thicker the cracks in the sky grow. It'll take a combination of people working below and people working above to break this barrier. Don't be afraid to reach out. It may be your only way back home.
It's a little alarming to suddenly wake up and have a brand new app on your phone that connects you to a special group of people, isn't it? This may not be what you were expecting, but the Retrospec app seems harmless even if it's a bit unusual. With the power necessary to help combat the flames, perhaps you're the type who isn't even worried about what's happening. There's a job to do, after all.
Upon opening the app for the first time though you'll receive a message from a user named Z.C.
You're probably confused right now and I get it, this is really confusing. I was confused, too. But you have to be on-guard. Looks like you're a fresh target.
That's an ominous warning, and yet nothing comes from it for several days. In fact, it isn't until the 25th that those words hold some weight. It seems that there's someone out there who doesn't feel like you belong. No matter where you stand or what's happening for you at that given moment, at the stroke of midnight a large crater will open beneath you and swallow you whole, sending you straight down. The fall feels endless but as you land you'll find yourself standing on barren, gray ground surrounded by a black night sky, spiderweb cracks spreading from the center and moving outward. The world around you is dark and above you you can hear the sounds of the city and the people in it. The sounds of your fellow app-users combatting the wall of fire and even some of the ongoings of what's happening to them beyond the doors echo in this dark chamber.
The space around you is dead. There isn't a single sign of life sans what looks like a large, 80-foot whale skeleton. Even that appears abandoned, though there are footprints in the dirt near the creature's mouth. You aren't the first to arrive, but getting back will be the trick of it all. Someone wants you hidden away, but finding a clever way to reach out to those in the layer beyond will grant you an exit. Shouting, throwing items on hand, anything you can think of to create a diversion and draw attention to yourself may help. The louder you are, the thicker the cracks in the sky grow. It'll take a combination of people working below and people working above to break this barrier. Don't be afraid to reach out. It may be your only way back home.
BONUS.
The firewall gave a good effort, but in the end the power behind the Retrospec users was too much to sustain it for long…or was it? On the 31st the rest of the firewall seems to crumble and turn into smoke and ash as though the force holding it up cut its losses and quit. Several wolf-shaped figures appear from the smoke and surround the city, spreading ash as far as the eye can see before running off in the direction of Magatus. A sharp crackling noise like glass shattering rings through your ears and the wall and the layer below disappear for good. Congratulations, users. It seems as though you've broken down the barriers standing in your way.
However…there's still the matter of all of this ash and dust to take care of. Grab a broom, a dustbuster or a friend. It's time to do some major clean-up on the city and get it back to normal.
For those who venture to Tisse though, looking up to the very top of the towers will show a set of windows that have been dark and dimmed for several months. As the night wears on, however, the lights begin to flicker on until the entire floor is lit. There isn't any way up to the top of the building just yet, but for every light that comes on it seems that the amount of ash lessens. Is there a correlation? Or is it just someone from above helping you out? Only time will tell.
The firewall gave a good effort, but in the end the power behind the Retrospec users was too much to sustain it for long…or was it? On the 31st the rest of the firewall seems to crumble and turn into smoke and ash as though the force holding it up cut its losses and quit. Several wolf-shaped figures appear from the smoke and surround the city, spreading ash as far as the eye can see before running off in the direction of Magatus. A sharp crackling noise like glass shattering rings through your ears and the wall and the layer below disappear for good. Congratulations, users. It seems as though you've broken down the barriers standing in your way.
However…there's still the matter of all of this ash and dust to take care of. Grab a broom, a dustbuster or a friend. It's time to do some major clean-up on the city and get it back to normal.
For those who venture to Tisse though, looking up to the very top of the towers will show a set of windows that have been dark and dimmed for several months. As the night wears on, however, the lights begin to flicker on until the entire floor is lit. There isn't any way up to the top of the building just yet, but for every light that comes on it seems that the amount of ash lessens. Is there a correlation? Or is it just someone from above helping you out? Only time will tell.
NOTES.
Welcome torecolle's January event part two!
All characters who are TDMing will be begin in-game AU'd as Recollé residents. You may use any of the above prompts for ideas or make up your own depicting your Recollé AU! Prompts do not have to be set in the districts listed above. You can review our list of locations for what's available. Please note that TDM threads can be used as samples, can be kept as game canon, and can also be used for bonus points for future item regains. Share a few minor details of your AU, tag around, and have fun!
If you are TDMing this round, please indicate this by including TDM in your subject line! This will help the playerbase know who is who.
As indicated in the link above for prompt 2, if you would like us to generate a key-tracking scenario for you please sign up at the comment on the first event log!
-For current players, you may claim multiple freebies from this log! These include:
-One freebie memory for threading with a character that is test-driving.
-One freebie memory for combatting the issues occurring in prompts 2+3
-One freebie memory for helping someone else combat the issues occurring in prompts 2+3
All of these threads must have at least five comments from you to be eligible. To submit for your freebie memories, please link us the appropriate thread with the trigger explanation of "freebie."
TDM characters who app in and are accepted before February are also eligible to claim this log's memory freebies! Like current players, please be sure to submit your freebie regain threads before the end of the AC period.
As a special note, we will also allow current players to use a thread from this event/TDM for their AC proofs! As this ties into a game-event, we are making an exception. However, your other proof(s) (at least ten comments) must come from sources outside of this log. Likewise, as this is an event log instead of just a standard TDM, you may use this log to trigger regains as normal.
Finally, be sure to check out January's AU workshop if you haven't yet! Any questions you have regarding this event may be directed to the mod comment here. Be sure to review the mods' question thread on the plotting post for additional information as well!
Welcome to
recolle's January event part two!All characters who are TDMing will be begin in-game AU'd as Recollé residents. You may use any of the above prompts for ideas or make up your own depicting your Recollé AU! Prompts do not have to be set in the districts listed above. You can review our list of locations for what's available. Please note that TDM threads can be used as samples, can be kept as game canon, and can also be used for bonus points for future item regains. Share a few minor details of your AU, tag around, and have fun!
If you are TDMing this round, please indicate this by including TDM in your subject line! This will help the playerbase know who is who.
As indicated in the link above for prompt 2, if you would like us to generate a key-tracking scenario for you please sign up at the comment on the first event log!
-For current players, you may claim multiple freebies from this log! These include:
-One freebie memory for threading with a character that is test-driving.
-One freebie memory for combatting the issues occurring in prompts 2+3
-One freebie memory for helping someone else combat the issues occurring in prompts 2+3
All of these threads must have at least five comments from you to be eligible. To submit for your freebie memories, please link us the appropriate thread with the trigger explanation of "freebie."
TDM characters who app in and are accepted before February are also eligible to claim this log's memory freebies! Like current players, please be sure to submit your freebie regain threads before the end of the AC period.
As a special note, we will also allow current players to use a thread from this event/TDM for their AC proofs! As this ties into a game-event, we are making an exception. However, your other proof(s) (at least ten comments) must come from sources outside of this log. Likewise, as this is an event log instead of just a standard TDM, you may use this log to trigger regains as normal.
Finally, be sure to check out January's AU workshop if you haven't yet! Any questions you have regarding this event may be directed to the mod comment here. Be sure to review the mods' question thread on the plotting post for additional information as well!
no subject
[okay. okay. she knows him. she knows he doesn't want to do anything with—well, maybe he does. maybe he does and she's. at risk? or he's at risk. maybe it's just her strength. hopefully. hopefully he doesn't have to worry about being an intoner too. she grips at her phone carefully, almost certain she'll drop it now that she has to use her normal human strength to hold it.]
Al. Please. The app took my strength, it was in this... it was in this ball of light that just went into your back. I don't know how to get it out of you but I need it back. Please.
[why is she like this right now. this is embarrassing. her screen is on and the app isn't open yet but she's holding on to her phone with its metallic blue case like it means the absolute world to her. like without her strength, she doesn't have any other lifeline to anyone.]
no subject
Whatever "strength" the app gave her, it meant a lot to her. It was a part of her that is gone, Al had grown to love his magic and couldn't imagine it being gone. ]
Okay, Okay...I want to give it back. I don't know how, but we will figure it out and get your strength back.
I promise we will...if not, then I am going to find the fuckers that made you feel like this and...well not kill them but...
fuck, something bad okay? No one messes with a good friend of mine and gets away with it.
[ Al starts to feel something warm in his heart, this had to be compassion...
An orange ball comes out of Al's chest and his knife starts to glow.
It aggressively goes inside Lina's chest and she can hear a voice and see a big blue overweight man, presenting her a sword that she is familiar with.]
"Master, I am your Djinn, Amon, call upon me in your time of need. My power is yours."
[The symbol Al was used to seeing on his knife, disappeared and he started to sweat and feel the hellish heat from the wall, Al looks at his knife, in shock, it had been a while since he felt so much heat, and the magic that was flowing through him...gone.
He felt empty now. So he sadly says]
Did, did you just get my magic?
no subject
I don't want it. [her voice is weak, like the rest of her, and her sword feels much heavier than she's used to; it clunks against the ground. if she's supposed to get his fire magic then it's... then this isn't her element. this isn't her.]
I want my strength back, Al. I need it back. [she doesn't like this, but she doesn't know what else to give. what else to offer.] We can't... we can't kill whoever took it. That's not something we do.
no subject
like the forcehe feels so empty without it.Most importantly, he doesn't want his dear friend feeling so horrible.]
I know you're not responsible, and we will figure out how to get our powers back to their rightful place. I promise we will...and...I was trying to say that to make you feel better, sort of.
Look, I hate how they are making you feel, okay? I don't like people screwing with my friends, especially friends like you.
But there is a practical concern here, you have to learn to control my magic, otherwise, it will kill you.
So if you don't mind, I want to teach you to use my magic, so you don't almost burn a neighbourhood down...like I may or may not have done the first time I used it.
[Despite how hollow he feels, he keeps a fake smile and says the last bit a little light-heartedly to try to lighten the mood a bit.]
no subject
[no. no, okay, focus. open your eyes, unclench your fists, try to relax and let your friend explain this to you. come on, Carmelina.]
What do you mean this magic will kill me? Is it going to kill you if you keep using it?
no subject
It won't if you know what you're doing.
My magic runs on Magoi, which is essentially life energy, you run out of the stuff, you die.
You will know if you start to go low on Magoi, your body will feel sore and it will get more difficult to perform magic.
That is when you should stop, rest or find another source of fire to absorb.
or if you happen to be prepared. Elliot's magic Pepsi blue will also do the trick.
I always keep a few bottles of the stuff in my bag, helps that it can heal the body as well as restore magic.
no subject
[it's a simple protest, and she appreciates the explanation of the rules (and the... Pepsi Blue? you can only get that in Japan, right?), but. it's not what she's interested in hearing right now. the only thing she wants to hear is how to fix this. and he doesn't have the answer and neither does she, so... so. she has to. stay calm. deep breaths.]
[or she could just laugh weakly in the middle of trying to control her heart rate and give him a look.]
I haven't known what I'm doing for months, Al. It's not about to start with your powers. We just... we just need to figure out how to switch things back.
no subject
I just lost my magic, and...I feel so empty without it.
I don't want to lose a friend too, I could teach you magic if it comes to that.
But for now, why don't you tell me what happened with the light you said went in my back?
[Al felt utterly disgusting, sweating so much. But to one of his precious friends, he wants to do right by her. So even though he is dying from the heat he no longer is immune to, it's only the sadness from their situation that he makes evident try extremely hard to be calm and collected for them to move forward.]
no subject
It's... strength. It should just be strength. But if it isn't, then you're in a lot more danger than I ever wanted you to be in.
[she's still weighing the pros and cons of explaining what Intoners are, and if he's. got that inside him now, then this could be very, very bad and there's no way to actually fix it. trouble and worry etch themselves on her face.]
no subject
But if that's the only thing she lost that's relevent...he guesses that might be fine, what could she be fucking hiding? He was willing to respect her privacy before but...he is going to try to gently prod her about it.
His face shows some slight strain, he can't be the one to lose his shit, even if right now he just wants to punch something to vent or just cry at home empty he feels without magic.]
Okay, what do I need to look out for? In case it's not just strength?
and before I melt into a puddle, could we go somewhere with AC? I don't have my heat immunity powers anymore, so I'm like...dying.
no subject
Yeah. Let's get inside somewhere.
[at least that part's easy to deal with. she starts walking, taking his hand and trying to guide them to, like, a hotel lobby or the atrium of an office building or some place that's definitely going to be absolutely flavor-blasted with AC. while they walk, she... thinks. and speaks, after a long moment.]
You might not stay hurt anymore. You can still get hurt, but your body will... heal itself. Because of, um. [sigh. moment of truth.] Because you might be an Intoner now. I can't do everything Intoners could do [and thank g-d for that] but I know that I'm not. Human. Anymore.
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The entire time, he was slightly tense, was it really that bad? Did he ask to roughly?
When she mentions intoners the very first thing he thinks of is toners for printers. Whatever it is, it clearly bothered her, it doesn't matter to him in the slightest, he knows someone else made of ink, so what's another maybe technically not a person?
He wanted to punch her for thinking he would care about something that trivial, but instead he pulls her and bear hugs her, not knowing his strength, he is squeezing the ever living shit out of her, good thing that body should be able to take the angry charge of a giant elephant and still be able to fight.
He means it as I "I care, I'm here for you" since he can just imagine how "not being human" might have isolated her. Cause he has felt terribly alone, and that is when he is a human being like everyone else. If she might be the only one of her kind? Wouldn't that be worse?]
Lina, I don't care if your made out of ink, or not human, hell I wouldn't care if you're a T-rex in disguise, other then the obvious problem that I will never carry jerkies with me.
You're always you to me, my friend, whatever else you happen to be, you being my friend comes first.
I'm...soo sorry if I made things hard on you
[He means every word and is trying his best to be a good friend to her, putting all his emotional warmth into those words to be comforting, but his voice shakes, thinking he might have hurt her or made things hard, or just forcing her to open about this.]
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[she, unlike Clover, can't hold a grudge. once she wriggles out of his hug, which is much harder than she would've expected, she straightens up.]
It's based off intoning. Intonation. Singing? [there's a meek smile.] Not something I've ever been good at, but if everything I remember about the others is right, Two wasn't a very good Intoner. Thank you, Al.
It's... not something I've told a lot of people yet. Because I don't think everybody I know would be this understanding.
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1) he just hugged her completely on impulse and didn't even check if she was comfortable with that
2) Oh yeah...he has super strength in his freaking limbs so the poor girl was probably dying]
Anytime, and it makes sense. I would have been scared too.
Your always my friend, and I won't give up on you.
Ever.
One thing though, if you're a T-Rex in disguise we would have to have some rules.
Not eating me being rule number one, and that's non-negotiable.
[He smiles, saying so the last bit in a playful tone because shit he put a lot of effort into that and he needs a laugh, or at the very least show that nothing between them has changed
what better then questionable humour?]
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[she appreciates that he's giving her a reason to laugh, though. he's kind like that, even if he doesn't yet know his own strength. maybe she can share a story with him? something she's pretty sure she remembers right.]
Did I tell you about my first day with the new strength? Before I even had muscles to show it off. I fell in the bathroom and tore the towel rack right off the wall. [she smiles, really, really trying not to focus too hard on how she could die if she overuses the powers she has right now.] So be careful around here. Maybe you should let me handle any delicate stuff until you get the hang of things, but hopefully you won't have to deal with it for very long.
[she's. she doesn't know how to fix this. she has no idea. and that doesn't feel great.]
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Good, cause otherwise I would have to drink fire whiskey to make you sure didn't get snacky and take an organ without me knowing.
[Yep, a call back to that joke. To happier times.
Al nods at her suggestion and then chuckles]
Was this when you were living with Jen? That poor towel rack has been through so much.
[Yeah, like that was the main take away there bud.]
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[it's not something she needs to bother him with right now, though.]
Mhm! Jen and I are still roommates, too. I don't think that's going to change anytime soon. And we shouldn't be breaking anything accidentally anymore either, because we both have a way better understanding of how our powers work.
[the strength is still Lina's, after all. even if it has a temporary new owner. she pulls her phone back out and looks at the screen as though it'll have answers for her.]
Do you think this is happening to other people on the app? Maybe they found out a solution already...
just adding a touch from the other prompt, resetting phones to restore their powers?
Good! Hopefully, nothing more rocks the boat!
[With her idea, he pulls out his phone, then his eyes widen]
Ummm..wait...am I going blind again?! or...is it gone?!
[With that...he just...panics...was his soul going to reset?! It was always easy to find before!]
No no no...I can't be...not after all this.
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[there's a fire burning inside her, behind her eyes, just at the possibility. and it's getting just a little warmer right now in this vestibule they've taken refuge in.]
I didn't... I wasn't ready. This isn't fair. This isn't fair!
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Oh wait! SHIT! This isn't a time to get pissed or feel horrible...okay yes it is exactly the time for it but if she gets mad enough she could literally blow up!]
It isn't fair! But...we...we can't lose our heads...you have my magic...you could blow up and hurt people...and that would be on us.
Please...please...I'm so sorry I should have done more, I should have at least tried to teach you how to lock the magic inside or...channel it so we don't hurt people.
[He is begging her, he knows she has every right in the world to be mad, he wants to be too, but he doesn't want to see the work they have done go to waste...and it would have been his fault for not being a better person.
He is struggling to keep his emotions under control, she could probably see the effort in his eyes, his face, almost ready to break, because hell, he has been putting so much effort and tried to be strong this entire time.]
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[wait. the fire behind her eyes stops flickering for a moment.]
If I... lose the app. If I lost the app. [if they both did.] I wouldn't have your powers right now.
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His eyes quietly fill with water, trying to keep strong, even if he clearly isn't.]
NO! There...is too much for us to lose...we AREN'T going down like this!
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[the fire subsides; the temperature drops. she's. she's not going anywhere. they're not going anywhere. the app is still here and somebody is messing with it.]
We aren't. I've seen enough people lose the app to know it's almost instant. One second they're the person you love, and the next they're just. Different. In ways that you can't even really place.
[she's trying to speak calmly, but she's drawing from too much experience; there's a rattle in her voice.]
We still have the app. Someone's just trying to make us think we don't.
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[Al just frowns, pissed at the idea that someone is screwing with them. But bright side, at least they have the app.
It's not that he doesn't notice her cracking voice, he is just almost completely drained and needs to vent a little bit he tries to restrain himself a bit and takes a deep breath]
Thank goodness...I still want to beat them up for making us worry like that.
But...for now, lets try to see how we can get the app access on our phones and see if we can fix this.
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[it's better to focus on the easy things. like. trying to fix a tech issue with an app that by all means nobody should actually have. she exhales.]
Well. The first thing tech support always tells you to try is to turn it off and back on again. [and she holds down the power button on her phone, then swipes the on-screen switch with her finger.] I don't know if this is going to work, but it's better than nothing.
Sorry that I. Lost my cool. [that could be a joke, if the circumstances were better, but her heart is still racing.]
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This isn't a joke tag, although holy hell it could be.