Event Log: Fadeout

[hadrielmods]

Who: Everyone participating in the event!
What: The event log for the Fadeout event!
Where: All around the city
When: November 15th-November 25th
Warnings: None!

The morning of November the 15th seems rather normal- that is, if you can avoid the glowing cracks in the fabric of reality tucked away among various streets. Still, they don't really seem to be doing much of anything and you can't quite see through them, so maybe they're decoration? This wouldn't be the first time the gods pulled some weird shit to shake things up around here.

By midafternoon, however, something changes. Cecily, in all her wisdom, decides to attempt to dispel one of these rifts, and the resulting shockwave sends tremors through the city. Tears throughout Hadriel open wider and allow for various demons to burst through and terrorize the various citizens. Demons will be tearing through in all corners of the city, though you can choose to avoid them if you like.

Look out for Pride and Rage demons, who attempt to brute force their way to you and feed off of your anger, steel yourselves against Despair and Fear demons who grow stronger as you give up hope, and definitely cross the street to avoid the Desire demons, who can take either male or female forms and will offer you everything you want if you just let them in.

Demons will either focus on attacking you or tempting you by taking advantage of and feeding off of your basic emotions. Agreeing to let a demon help you and mentally folding to it generally means that the demon will begin to possess you and start calling the shots- often using you as a vessel to hurt others and sow discord. If you happen to have any sort of magical abilities, extended possession can lead toward becoming an abomination after the corruption takes root.

So... you might want to avoid all of that. Luckily, there are some good things happening that can distract you- along with the demons, several nugs and fennec foxes will also pop up around the city, and if you don't want them to die a horrible death to a hungry demon, you might consider adopting them. In addition, you may find a random potion laying around- maybe this can help you fight off those demons, or maybe it'll make every nug in the city love you- or maybe it's secretly a jar of bees. Wouldn't be the first time you guys let bees in jars get a little out of hand.

► This log covers November 15th-November 25th.
► Feel free to make your own logs as well
► Please tag headers of threads with content warnings where they apply
► Please put your character's name and open/closed in the subject line of your starters!
► If you are murdered by a demon, become an abomination, turn your insides to sludge with a potion, or just throw yourself from a rooftop to end it all, please let us know here!

Comments

jack benjamin | ota

[benumbing]

demons:

[The only demons that he's ever battled are his internal ones, and he hasn't always won those fights. So he knows that he has to be careful, too ripe for the picking for any one of the demons that are in the city right now. Most of his "fighting" consists of avoid and resist.

Rage. Despair. Pride. It's as if they sprung from his own head. But it's desire that he's on the run from now. Jack peeks around the corner, hoping to see anyone, anything but that insidious being. Seriously, give him zombies any day. He's much better with headshots than avoiding temptation.]

jack makes a friend:

[Honestly? He'd planned on slaughtering the thing. It resembles other creatures that are edible enough. Plus it's just damn ugly.

But the longer Jack carries it around, the more it's starting to grow on him. He sighs and sits down on a step, turning the thing to face him.]

You look like you belong in a cave. Somewhere dark, where you won't offend delicate eyes.

[Which Jack's aren't. He turns it around a little before tucking the creature under his arm.]

You're naked.

demons

[unitas]

[ Lucky for Jack, Sharon spots him as he peeks around the edge of the building. He doesn't look at all like he did back in Delight's bar when they'd swapped horror stories, more worn and haggard now, and she knows there can only be one reason for it (at this point in time): demons.

They really seem to be getting into everyone's business around here. ]

What's after you? [ She calls to him quietly, expression severe, surveying their surroundings as she does so. She's showing signs of wear, her encounters with her own demons slowing her, forcing the dark bags beneath her eyes to deepen. ]

[benumbing]

[He almost doesn't recognize her at first, but that might have as much to do with Jack than her. He's too afraid of seeing something else to easily accept the person that he actually does see.]

Take your pick. [He tries to look at sound like his usual self with a sardonic smile on his lips. It fades, and he swallows hard.] What I see, what I'm promised. [The things he desires.] It isn't real, is it?

[unitas]

They'll promise whatever it takes to get you to give in. [ She can tell her's trying to be casual, trying to appear at ease, but the mask is transparent. Whatever is after him, it's trying desperately to dig it's claws into his head. She frowns, serious. ]

You can't give in. All they want is your body and once they have that, those promises don't matter anymore.

[benumbing]

[Jack has experience with just such promises. They never end well for him. He sighs, looking away before the urgency of Sharon's voice forces him to look at her again.]

I'd rather die than be used that way again. [They're more than just words. He'd rather fall on the knife that he holds in his hand.] Is there anything I can do to be stronger, anything but run?

[unitas]

[ Again. That means he knows what it's like, that means he's not as likely to succumb to the demon's advances; she admires that. At the question, she hesitates before she nods grimly. ]

Yeah. You kill it. [ A pause, and then a sigh. ] Or rather you kill it with my help. I've taken out a few, they're not easy, but it's possible. [ And she's willing to fight by his side if he wants it. ]

[benumbing]

You'd... [Jack trails off momentarily, his expression twisting until he's able to find his words again.] You'd help me?

[Jack doesn't ask her why. She has nothing to gain from him, this is just the altruism that some people have. Not only is it real, it's something to aspire to. His jaw sets before he nods at her.]

I'm tired of running. Let's go kill a few.

[unitas]

[ He seems genuinely surprised at her offer, but it's a feeling she's capable of understanding; she's been on that side of the fence before, alone. They have to stick together here, no matter how easy it could be to simply look the other way and allow the gods to deal with the mess, to allow people to deal with their own problems. But she can't do that, even when it might be the smartest decision. ]

Good. [ Firm. Determined. She looks around them briefly, brows drawn down. ] All right, so, what can tell me about it? What'd it look like and where'd you last see the fucker?

[ It's time to stab some shit. They've got this! ]

[benumbing]

[Jack chews on his bottom lip as he thinks, trying to recall what the figure looked like before he started to see something else entirely. He hums before he speaks.]

It had horns. [Not terribly helpful. They're talking about demons here, aren't most of them supposed to have horns. Ah, but then he recalls something else.] And amazing breasts. Very perky.

[Sorry Sharon, but you did ask. Jack glances about, his eyes stopping on a corner outside a nearby building.]

It should've appeared there by now. Maybe I lost it.

demons - but maybe somehow 'friend', too.

[fulminants]

[ Johnny's never been one to believe in demons -- aliens, sure; but demons are another kettle of fish altogether, you know? But if there's anything this place has taught them, it's that they damn sure exist, and they sure as hell are nasty. Johnny's busy skirting Pride demons -- and just about all the others because they're ugly as hell (pun intended) and he's really not all about that.

But then he bumps into one of the friends he's made here, a pretty unforgettable one he likes to think he's at least bonded with a little. Jack's a sight for sore eyes anytime, right? His quirks aside, Johnny's come to like him and appreciate that knife-sharp sense of humor. ]

Hey. Got room for another on your adventure? [ A fennec fox is perched steadily on Johnny's shoulder, the latter obviously having decided to adopt it. ]

[benumbing]

[And then temptation finds him.

Fortunately, Johnny doesn't seem to have been possessed by any of the demons himself. Jack looks him up and down, a too-quick glance before he goes back to looking around them.]

The hero that none of us deserve. [There's movement in Jack's backpack, but he pointedly isn't paying attention to it.] Running away isn't much of an adventure.

[fulminants]

You may bask in the glow of my heroic majesty.

[ Johnny jokes, before he lightly moves ahead, leading him away from where he'd spotted one of those gross demons before. They're on the prowl, and Johnny would rather not be preyed upon, thanks. But he doesn't miss something important -- the fact that something in Jack's backpack is moving. ]

Dude, did you stuff something in there? [ The fox is leaning forward to sniff at it curiously, fluffy ears twitching -- ] Hey. Be cool, Squeaker.

[benumbing]

Are you sure you're not possessed?

[It sounds a lot like Pride might've gotten under his skin, but then Johnny always sounds that way.]

Lunch. I would invite you to join me, but it's not safe to have any picnics today.

[Jack shoots the fox a Look. Meanwhile, the zipper on his pack is pushed open enough for a pink nose to poke through, wiggling as it sniffs the air.]

[fulminants]

Nah. I'd know if I was, right? [ Johnny waves it off, quietly relieved that Jack doesn't seem the worse for wear; that sense of humor is even intact. ] The horror movies were really vague on that one.

[ He leans forward so that Squeaker gets to inspect the thing in the bag, and he snorts, watching them both bump noses. ]

Wait, you're not serious about wanting to eat the little fella, right?

[benumbing]

[Only Johnny, the real and true Johnny would compare the hell that they're in to a movie. It's a relief, because Jack truly doesn't know what he'd do otherwise. He's not stranger to blood on his hands, he knows what he's capable of to save his own life. But this is Johnny, and it's different.]

Why not? It's already done half the work of skinning itself for me.

[fulminants]

[ Look, Jack -- art imitates like and vice versa. Maybe Johnny will drag him out for a movie one day, when they finally have that kind of thing around. ] Dude!

[ Johnny looks horrified, before he unzips the pack and fishes the thing out, only to make a face when he sees it, holding it up with both hands to inspect it carefully. No, he really doesn't believe that Jack would kill it and eat it; Johnny's discovered that a lot of the time, Jack doesn't entirely mean what he says.

Now is maybe one of those times. Maybe; Johnny can never be too sure, but he's happy Jack's enduring this latest unfolding of events with his sense of humor still largely intact. ]

You weren't kidding. Why is it all naked and weird?

[benumbing]

[Dammit. Now he'd keep seeing Johnny's expression if he did take a knife to the thing. There is a chance that Jack was looking for an excuse not do it, and that he knew he could count on Johnny to conveniently offer one with his inherent goodness. When Johnny describes it as naked and weird, something protective does creep into his voice.]

Stop insulting him. You don't think you look weird when you're naked? [Jack smirks, an eyebrow jumping like he's daring him to prove it.] I don't suppose you'd be willing to sacrifice "Squeaker" here to make him a fur coat?

[It's a dark sense of humor. Squeaker owes him a nip for that one.]

demons!

[fuckthechicken]

[ It's another fucked up day in the murder cave. Of all the insanity they've faced in the first few months Sandor has been here, he's glad that he's been able to evade it at the very least. Someday, his time will come. But right now, he's managed to avoid those demon fuckers in his hunt for some food.

But just as he rounds the corner, he nearly bumps straight into Jack. And he takes a step back, raising a brow. ]

Is this how we're going to keep runnin' into each other, then? City's in peril and you're out in the thick of it. [ But maybe he's also possessed. Sandor's hand rests on his sword in case he needs it. However, he makes no move to draw. ]

[benumbing]

[Jack retreats an equal distance, and wonders if it'll be enough. If there's one thing worse than a demon, it would have to be someone the size of Sandor Clegane being possessed by one. But he speaks like the man Jack met before, and his head's still attached to his body, and that's good enough for Jack.]

But now I've found you and all is right with the world. You make me feel safe.

[He gives him a sugary sweet and fleeting smile. Jack sounds a lot like himself too.]

Honestly, you really are a sight for sore eyes. Your sword probably does more damage to them than my knife.

[fuckthechicken]

[ Well, that's reassurance enough for Sandor to drop his hand away from his pommel. He offers the kid a sarcastic smirk. ]

You're more fucked than you realize if you're looking to me to be your safety net.

[ Though, truth be told, the opposite is probably true. The more people Sandor saves here, the harder it's getting for him to pretend like he's still untamed and dangerous as any feral dog. ]

The sword kills them well enough, but from what I gather -- they can get in your head if you're not careful. Seen it with my own eyes. People acting even more like cunts than normal.

[benumbing]

I imagine killing them with a sword would be a little more frowned upon.

[Killing a possessed person is, well, killing the person. Even in self defense, it's close enough to slaughtering an innocent that Jack wants to avoid it.]

I would expect the gods to intervene more. The demons are basically tampering with their food supply.

[Or maybe just seasoning it for them. Jack looks back at him.]

How long have you been out here?

[fuckthechicken]

The gods don't give a fuck about us. To them, we're nothing more than bloody little piss ants, crawling around for their entertainment.

[ He spits the words bitterly. Sandor has never been a religious man back home, and he's certainly not one here. But it's the second question that pulls him out of his sour mood. ]

Not too long. I'm looking for someone. [ And that's all he admits for now, uncertain if he wants to confess he's taken to the streets in search of the Stark girl. ] But I found you -- so might as well get you out of this mess first.

[benumbing]

I don't think ticks give a fuck about dogs, but they need them nonetheless.

[Jack's father was always the more religious man, always believing that he was God's chosen, crowned by butterflies. It was all very romantic. It was all also bullshit in Jack's eyes.]

Oh? Who is it that you're looking for?

[Look, he can't help being curious about who it is that this man has a soft spot for.]

[fuckthechicken]

[ Well. Sandor can't deny that comparison. But he's not so sure who's the tick and who's the dog in that analogy. The question earns a thoughtful frown. Should he say? Should he not say? He decides to say. So what if this kid knows? Arya can take care of herself, especially against someone like him if he tries anything. ]

Some little pain in the ass. A girl named Arya Stark.

[benumbing]

Arya Stark?

[Jack repeats the name with recognition in his voice and note of concern in his voice. He also knows how capable she is, it doesn't dispel the touch of urgency in Jack's demeanor.]

Let's get moving. Where have you searched so far?

[Apparently the littlest Stark girl has a talent for making assholes care about her wellbeing.]