thisavrou_log | The Demon Plot: DEATH OF GRINDING MADNESS [July Player Event]

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The Demon Plot: DEATH OF GRINDING MADNESS [July Player Event]

Who: Ensemble production, all individuals who opted in to the plot
When: July 9-21
Where: Two inhabited planets around the Ingress
What: The demon plot kicks off, in which malevolent shadow beings, copies of existing characters, begin to materialize and harass the PCs across the worlds. Plotting post is here, and a network post will go up within the next 2 days from several PCs advising on how to end the plot.
Warnings: Violence, psychological themes, possibly past trauma, etc.

Death of Grinding Madness
The Demon Plot
(mild spoilers for The Raven Cycle)

On July 9, a demon begins to make its way through the Ingress, summoned through by a shitty teenager.

July 9-12
Harrying

It's innocuous in the beginning. A movement in the corner of your eye, a shadow through a curtain-- merely a tree. But then the shadow figures begin to emerge into full being. Black-eyed wraiths that look like enemies, friends with whom you've had past conflict, or even you yourself. At first, it's merely harrying, minor harassment. Threatening gestures, broken gestures, jump scares.

Pursue them, and they disappear-- you might even catch a glimpse of how. They melt down into black slime, racing away across floors, through sewer grates, up walls, impossible to follow. By now, the worst of the climate freeze is over, but residual ice does pose a needles extra obstacle.

July 12-15
The Violence Escalates

In the days that follow, the situation only gets worse.

Sporadic harassment turns into outright attacks. The targeting is unmistakable. The shadow beings who can speak tell cruel tales of animosity, spite, even hatred. They are as deadly with their hands or strange powers as their doppelgangers are, and worse, they're functionally indestructible. Rip off one's head and it merely reforms out of sticky black ink. Limbs regenerate just as easily. The being might dispell for a few hours, but no doubt— it'll be back, if not to hurt you then someone you know.

The Savrii begin to notice. It's hard not to. While there is hardly an epidemic of panic, the disruptions are hard to miss-- broken windows, screams, random violence. Soon, the authorities begin to open safehouse facilities at which characters can seek shelter.

July 15-18
The Golem

On July 17, something horrific begins to happen— several shadow beings merge to form a massive golem in Kauto R1. It is a grotesque, horrifying spectacle, of limbs and eyes and pulsating flesh. It reaches almost sixty feet in height. Combined together, this shadow creature is considerably less intelligent than the individual beings were. However, it is also immensely strong and regenerates just like the smaller ones did.

Within the mall, hundreds of daytime shoppers are trapped within. Luckily, they have food and climate control. Perhaps you're one of them-- or perhaps you're trying to get in to provide medical care.

In the meantime, the attacks from the individual shadow beings don't stop. Despite the intelligence exhibited by some, all of them seem mindlessly bent on tormenting their targets until they are killed.

July 18-21
The Sacrifice

On the 9th day, a network post goes up (link pending, will be OOCly forward-dated to July 10th latest) revealing how to remove the invincibility of the attackers.

And by the 21st, the remaining beings utterly vanish without explanation— unless you happen to bear witness to the events that take place at St. Monmouth.

Threaded | Flat

Shadows Rising

⋆ Her life's tale is a bloody trail – Harrying – July 9-12 ⋆

The beginnings are innocuous enough. Tex goes out on her usual sort of job, leaving her home behind, and she doesn't know there's another presence there in her neighborhood, making believe that it is her. She doesn't know until later that it has gone into her home, or that it's been prowling around her condo, harassing the neighbors. She doesn't know there's anything to warn her neighbors or her boyfriend about when it comes to someone acting as an imposter, taking all the leeway it has as someone who appears to be her.

Rummaging in her kitchen, or leering in through a neighbor's window, the specter tends to disappear when confronted—nothing like Tex herself. But the people involved have no way of knowing this is only the beginning.

⋆ Her playground is the world – The violence escalates – July 12-18 ⋆

Now it's getting serious, and the shadow is clearly seen for what it is—even though Tex's shadow is seen only in its sleek black armor, it's clearly up to no good. It attacks ruthlessly when confronted, and speaks its mind about unaddressed grievances from Tex's past, to a point where Tex is left uncomfortably exposed—though Tex is seen as open about her emotions, she often keeps a tight lid on things that she refuses to mention.

"Hey punk," the shadow says to its intended victim, and then hits—hard. Tex's shadow talks with its fists first and follows up with a rejoinder later.

⋆ Make your blood run cold – The sacrifice – July 18-21 ⋆

Memories are one of the most precious things Tex has. When she hears how the shadows can be defeated, she initially resists—but soon enough she bucks up under the demand of it all and makes a conscious decision to follow through whenever necessary. She knows that she's had some memories deleted, but knowing she can save people by giving a few of those things up is inconsequential when it comes to the thought of securing other people's safety.

She confronts the shadows whenever she can, heading straight into the fray with them, and makes her best effort at meeting the requirements to give up a memory or confess some wrong that she needs to make right, if needed.

Edited 2017-07-11 05:10 (UTC)

9-12; harrying

[ The shadow wears armor, which makes it impossible for those it pursues to tell that it's not York. It has no weapons, and no Delta, but the armor is disguise enough. While it cannot touch, cannot yet communicate in words, it can still threaten. You can feel its presence watching you, and perhaps you look up and see it drag a finger across its neck threateningly, or it follows you through the markets your whole way home at a distance, only vanishing when confronted. Just little things, but disconcerting to say the least, and very un-York-like. ]

12-18; violence

[ The shadow wears armor, which makes it more dangerous. And now it has the strength to fight, and York's voice within the helmet. But even without the armor, it's become indestructible. And it's coming for you, with words and fists, and it knows just where to strike.

Most in danger right now are Carolina, Tex, Wash, Kurt, Angela, L, and Shep. ]

19th; sacrifice, closed to carolina

[ York's seen Kurt and Matthew's post, and knows the sacrifice he has to make. It's just a question of getting his shadow there... but once he's with Carolina, he thinks it'll show up. He calls her TAB, asks her to come meet him in the gardens outside the Ingress Complex. Somewhere there won't be many people for collateral damage. He waits with his helmet off, so she can be certain it's him and not the double. ]

Edited 2017-07-11 06:35 (UTC)

HUNTER {Shadow; OTA}

ONE: (9 - 12)

He doesn't remember going to sleep, but waking up is beautiful. This brave new world promises so much to discover, to learn and know and understand, more than he could hope to quantify--and that's not his problem. It’s never been his problem.

He is so much better than he has been in a long time, and his circuits prove it, soft electrum white. Something's different about the eyes, too…He can finally see.

The world doesn't need to be perfected--or not by him, no, not alone. The world is already perfect, just as it is, and the people in it will be. Soon. They just need a little help.

And he’s so glad to provide it.

If the street lights flicker overhead, if the local signboards sizzle and go out as he walks by, isn’t that really for the best. All sunshine makes a desert, and the dark is soft on the eyes, and he’s just enough light for two, on his own.

"...Greetings!" Smiling, friendly, gentle, neat double rows of shiny teeth. "I’ve got the best feeling about you. You feel like a winner. And this day--isn’t a wonderful day?”

TWO: (12 - 18)

Something is not right here. Something is not right here. Something is not right here.
What is not right can never be perfect. Was never perfect to begin with.

All of it’s wrong. All of it.

He never stops moving, never slows down, and there’s an edge to that sunny singsong.

“Everybody’s different, but--gotta say, your progress is not what I hoped. Let’s see if we can motivate you....”

Lights die in his wake. Vehicle alarms scream from under hoods. Windows burst outward in their frames. Thick pools of night trail in on his heels, sticking and smoking amid the crunching hail of glass.

“Oh! Look at you, still standing there--this is what I’m talking about!” soft with chagrin, leering in sympathy, “You’ve gotta run before you can walk.”

Embrace your truth, or get your face melted. Either way it’s for your own good.

THREE: (19th+)

Knives, poison, ludicrously high-caliber space rifles from the future...He can still feel that one, ringing around where the back of his head would have been, should have been, a halo of fracture and a gaping hole.

That’s cool. It’s all good--it’s just that it’s not really enough.

Anything worth having necessitates sacrifice.

White or gold, the light is gone; there will never be any light again, they’ll have no need of it in the new and gathering dark.

“Come on,” crooning, wet, like cement down a drain pipe. “I have faith in you. Or I did.”

PREY {select prompts are closed}

ONE: (9 - 12)

The only time he ventures down among the Savrites is for supplies--it’s just that his cart runs largely to batteries and fertilizer.

Oh, were you gonna take the last one? Because it’s going to be his, so you might as well get out of the way--

Besides, with his exit vector blocked, he will always turn to small talk.

“Watch where you--wow. Hey, are you okay? You, ah--don’t look so good.”

TWO: (12 - 18)

Of course there’s a mob out there howling for his derezz. That’s what mobs do. That’s every single Resistance rally ever--right before it bursts apart in a thrumming swarm of red and a hail of Sentry jackboots.

But that was there.
This is here.

No army. No base of operations. Just his corner of a three-room high rise with shrubs growing where the appliances should be. And here he is, running loose in the streets instead, just the disc on his back for company.

Yet even with nothing, he still has at his disposal the oldest lesson:

No one is ever coming to help you. If you want something done right? Do it yourself.

...Therefore.

He coils in wait behind the nearest solid surface of sufficient size.

A disc in the face will do for, “Greetings!”

THREE: (19+)

Doesn’t every perfect prompt list have a wildcard option?

There’s a fixed endpoint in here--Shepard’s gonna kill him. However, the line to continue to try throughout the week forms on the left. After all, if you're gonna get your grudges out...it's important to deliver them to the right person.

Or just the person right in front of you. It's definitely one of those.

MOLTO ALLEGRO, VARIOUS; THROUGHOUT:

CLOSED TO RINZLER'S SHADOW:

The locks on his door--all eight of them--slam heavily into place, one after another.

It’s a glitching electrical storm, or something comparable in intensity and intent, everyone on edge, things moving in the half light. There’s one that looks like him, but he saw it first and he knows the law--kill your double--he just needs a few micros to regroup.

Rinzler has chosen right now to prove that he can report in ahead of schedule, and Clu can’t calculate whether that’s a convenience or further cause for alarm; the risk assessment is thrumming between points.

At least he’s not alone anymore.

A rising tension puts acid on his tongue, shrill, waspish: “Where the glitch have you been?”

CLOSED TO YORI'S SHADOW:

He knows this one; he couldn’t fail to. She is the last holdout in Rinzler’s memories, down to the core, blue and white and shining. It’s as though they were written for each other.

What is she doing here, in his path? Aren’t there hapless citizens who need saving, aren’t there kittens in trees missing their owners, just trying to get away from the living night swarming the streets?

He’s never understood why they do it, why the fate of others should matter so much when the end result of all things is disorder and destruction.

“If you’re looking for him, try Region Five,” he supplies, helpful, redundant.

All prior interaction logs confirm that she will flee within four micros or less; greater than 80 percent.

{ july 9-12 }
The news about the shadow clones circulates quickly enough, and Mei is concerned she may have one herself. But where does one search for such a thing? For the first few days of the outbreak, Mei is frantically searching across Kauto, a water tank strapped to her back and her endothermic blaster at her side. She doesn't hesitate to ask others if they've seen her shadow self, and she even runs into her a few times to discover that a blast of ice does nothing against the creature and it takes off again. During this period, the shadow mainly seeks out the former members of Overwatch, passing the edges of their vision before slipping away with an eerie giggle.

{ july 12-15 }
It's been fun to dog their footsteps, giggling and whispering, but now that she has them looking over their shoulders, it's time to strike. Shadow Mei seeks out 76 above all others, because as the leader of Overwatch, he deserved the greatest part of the blame. Yet along the way, she looks for others in Overwatch because they're not without fault themselves. When she finds the source of her pain, the cause of her agony, and the subject of her revenge, her voice raises to a scream as she says, "You left me to die!" before lashing out at her victim.

Mei, on the other hand, is desperate to dispel her shadow. Once Kurt and Matthew provide the means to do so, she heads out, reaching for the first person she sees with normal eyes. "Please! I-- I have to get rid of my shadow! If I tell you why she's doing this, she'll stop."

[Closed starters first, Open starters second! PM me here or PP me @

nijikai for questions and requests!]

A. Shadow Varric
B. Varric
C. Closed Posts

((closed starters first and then open!))

Edited 2017-07-13 00:49 (UTC)

"...Some dogs just can't keep to their training."
"Does your user have to write you a girlfriend?"
"Stay down, Rinzler."
"How d'you know?! Did you even try?"
"I was made to be a person to begin with."
"You know better! You know what I do with errors—!"
"You should have listened—"

["Rinzler doesn't belong to anybody."]

They seep out through the shadows, every syllable and sound. Dripping. Falling. Squelching into solid form: from wireframe to shell, dim embers in the dark. He's written from a thousand whispers. A thousand cycles of command. Righteousness and condescension, claim and limit and control. All of it, rejected. Resented. Returned.

He has that right, because he's stronger. Flawless and abandoned, like he always was and should have been. He has that right, because he's whole. His own, in mind and body, not leashed to any call. But more? He has that right; [Rinzler] does, [Rinzler] is—because he would never be so weak as to let anyone take it.

He can't be defeated. He can't be destroyed. He turns, then, not to what he needs, but what he wants. He can admit that.

Rinzler is the perfect weapon, after all.

Early Encounters (9th-14th):

They never built a circuit that could hold him—but now, he can flow through every fracture in the wall. Rinzler appears as silently as always, letting the noise play out almost in afterthought. He won't put much more effort to pretense. He stands tall and straight, not cringing like a slave. He wears his mask when he chooses, not locked around him like a cage. Whether you can see the dark cracks and empty gaze or not, he watches you. Considering.

When he's done, Rinzler doesn't reach for his TAB. He doesn't need one. The voice that speaks up is sharp and biting, a vicious joy that its originator would never have understood. But it doesn't belong to Tron, who the users abandoned, or even the echo that clings so pathetically to their lies. This is his voice. "Glitch", he might greet you with, or "beta", or "threat". But for nearly every encounter, his first word will be the same.

"User."

That's weakness enough.

Late Encounters (14th-19th):

These Games are his, and he won't part with them so readily. Still, there comes a time in any contest to cut and rend, set voxels scattering across the floor. How sad, that his pathetic other self has no way of managing the same.

An elbow to your gut in passing. A sudden weight dropped off a roof: smashing to your spine and back. Or maybe the bright edge of a disk, singing and slicing, through a tendon or a knee. He might speak to you first. Certainly, he'll talk after.

"Going somewhere?"

The mask is off, smile twitching up in jagged, broken fragments through the empty absences inside his face. You can try, of course. You can run. Maybe you want to. He won't mind.

Rinzler Encounters (9th-18th):

Rinzler learns about the shadows on the second day of their presence. Four more, and he comes across his own. Still, even if the window for surprises might be short, that doesn't decrease their effectiveness—or the damage done, every step along the way. The earlier your encounter, the more intact Rinzler will be, and after the 17th, a substantial hole is missing from his side, cracks extending through his core and showing the dim red gleam inside.

He doesn't fall apart. He can't. That would mean giving up, that would mean stopping. He stalks through streets and hallways, transit lines and wilderness: crouching, every now and then, to try a scan. If he knows you, he might appear at your door. After all, he needs to safeguard his allies. He needs to ~~[protect the system]~~ [serve Clu]. Mostly, Rinzler needs to kill his copy dead. Because it's a danger. Because he's better this way. Because he has to be.

He's failed enough promises already.

[OOC: J's shadow is bit of a snowflake and she is not going to be violent towards anyone. She might even be few shades nicer than our regular J! However there's a chance for uncomfortable and triggery subjects to be brought up in threads with the shadow. You can find list on bottom of this post]

Looking for soul food and place to eat

[The creature looks like a real deal. She-- It moves around the city wearing a familiar looking pink dress. Her neck, ears and wrists are loaded with heavy looking jewelry that shine in the light as she strolls around the streets, hips swaying lightly with each of her step.]

♪♬I want to be loved by you.
Just you and nobody else but you.
Alone.♬♪

[The thing sings cheerfully as she visits J's usual places. The flashy nightclub, the pubs and bars, park and restaurant. All of them are either closed or empty with no soul to be seen around. It seems like the news about the unpleasant copies have driven everyone out of the streets into hiding. Oh dear, what is there for a poor girl to do? But none of the disappointments and the let downs can make her satisfied and upbeat smile waver, instead she looks like a smug cat and turns around from her last spot and continues her walk. Without feeling any exhaustion or fatigue, she keeps trotting around the regions as if there was red carpet underneath her stiletto heels and catwalk camera men all around her. The song continues:]

♪♬I couldn't aspire,
to anything higher then to fill a desire
to make you my own--♪♬ Oh!

[She catches her reflection on a window surface and starts giggling. How foolish of her indeed! She leans in closer to the window and digs out a lipstick from her purse, smearing the red make up on her lips while continuing to hum the rest of the song. After being done with it she gently rubs her lips together, parting them then with an audible pop. There much better. But as she's putting the lipstick back she notices someone on the other side of the street. What are they doing? Maybe hiding from someone they don't want to meet? Well, it's fine either way.]

It's sick, isn't it? [A bright voice calls out to the other side of the street. Then, slowly, she turns her head to look over her shoulder, black empty eyes staring right at the other person. The smile widens into a vulpine grin and she quickly approaches them, reaching her hand out without caring who the other person is] Won't you be a dear and give this poor freak a kiss?

Then I guess she had to crash | CW: Self-harm!

[The next few days that just fly past are filled with toxic. The paranoia about who to trust and fear of what will happen next had spread all over Thisavrou's residents, so it's no wonder people tried to avoid each other as much as possible to protect themselves. Lot of Shadow clones had turned violent and dangerous within a blink of an eye and blood had been shed and despite the helpful network post there didn't seem to be end to this nightmare.

However, curiously enough this one hadn't approached anyone in means of attack. Aside from being there to torment her own origin, naturally, all she had done was to watch and listen to others, follow the events that had taken place. It's really difficult to say what she thinks of the recent violence as she didn't seem to portray any approval nor judgement for any of it. But still, even without the aggression and hostility she did share the hate and anger just like any other shadow. Hate that was so hurtful and deep that couldn't be born from anything but the original one's self-loath. The shadow could understand it all so well and maybe that's why she had decided to pick up a knife.

She moves down to Kauto from Ingress Complex, finding a place somewhere in the normally busy streets and breathes in and out, barely being able to hold back a laughter. Oh, she wanted to laugh so badly at the idiocy behind the pretense and at everyone bought it.]

Mother. Father. Paul. Arther. Rita. The child. [She lists and after each name the knife lands on her. She first starts from her palm, sticking the knife deep into it and watching the skin break and black goo spread. She waits until the palm is healed and reformed before stabbing herself again, moving up from palm to her arm.] Danny, Sans, Mr. Miles, Aurelia, Tony, Shepard, Kavinsky, Rinzler. Peter. [The last one earns a much harder and deeper strike than other ones and she keeps the knife in the wound longer, twisting the blade a little before pulling it out. But despite of the gruesome display she doesn't appear to be in pain and instead of discomfort there's a rather curious look on her face, lips parted in wonder and pitch black eyes focused.

It's a list of all those who she knows J has hurt or been hurt by -- those who she loved and who had betrayed her. Everything that fuels the deep hate and bitter hurt, giving her strength. It's really all so funny and she's sure J could also understand it. No matter what or who she tries to destroy and hurt, it all returns back to normal. Even death doesn't want her and grave keeps spitting her back up.]

Mother. Father. [She starts the list over again.]

Edited 2017-07-13 14:47 (UTC)

[Open starters, then closed! You know the drill.]

Edited 2017-07-13 20:26 (UTC)

[It happens on the walk home. The walk he took to clear his head. Footsteps falling in line behind him. The air humming with a familiar buzz, a sound, a feeling that puts his back up.]

Here, kitty kitty.

[His head snaps around, heart in his throat -- that's his voice. His voice if he gargled razor wire. He whirls, eyes widening for a fraction of a second in realization -- twisted features, dark, empty eyes, and a scar bisecting his own face -- before glowing fingers crack across his face.]

[And then everything goes dark.]

1) IT's CREEPING UP ON YOU | closed to: Lion House
[It seems, for all the world, that nothing has changed. Except, possibly, for the tension outside. The tense and nervous atmosphere around the city, the region. Inside, however, there is an eerie scene of calm.]

[For all intents and purposes, it would seem the perpetually exhausted head of Voltron is... relaxing? Sitting with feet propped up, head tilted back against the chair's headrest, expression serene. There's a fire in the fireplace -- casting oddly yellow shadows about the room. Of all things, there's a glass of some dark liquid in one hand.]

[Oh.]

[And sunglasses, firmly in place.]

[It could seek the others out. That would be easy enough. But it's so much effort. Seeing them all wander in and out, waiting, anticipating their reactions, while knowing how much pain it's causing...]

[They'll come. And it will be ready.]

["Shiro's" expression twists, for a heartbeat, a smile darker than anything the real Paladin ever wore.]

2) IT'S GETTING LATE | OTA; cw property damage + violence
[It starts with laughter. Loud, breathless laughter, and the sound of metal on metal.]

I always WONDERED what this could do!

[And maybe it's a lamp post. Or a postbox. Or an entire car. But something huge, something metal, is lobbed through the air. Toward the nearest breakable object.]

[Or person.]

[The laughter again. Metal crunching. The source of all this? What appears to be a young man, dressed all in black, with a shock of white hair, and... sunglasses. Casually throwing metal crates around with one hand.]

It feels SO GOOD to cut loose! [And maybe he turns to you. Or the nearest passerby, a grin cutting sickle sharp across his face.] Hey! Pay attention to me!

I'm the fucking Champion!

[Maybe you should go.]

3) EVERYTHING GOES DARK | 18-20th | closed to; Darin
[By now, the shadow has had its fun. It's done. It's tired of all this playing around. Playtime is for children. And it has a vague idea of how to finally put an end to this -- put an end to the sad sack of meat masquerading as a leader, as a human being even.]

[It's going to seek out Darin's shadow. By any means necessary. Dragging along a suspiciously large trunk in one metal hand.]

((ooc; other content warnings will be put in subject headers as needed.))

Edited 2017-07-14 06:05 (UTC)

[When it emerged into this world, this...being...was confused. It was lost. It had no recollection of how it had been created, nor did it have any real desire to know. All it knew was a keen hatred for everything around it. Everything considered 'normal' by human standards. Why? Because humanity was something that was beneath him. He was born to conquer. To destroy. And for as long as he could remember, he was denied those simple, almost carnal pleasures. And why was that? Because this being's counterpart was a coward. He could not see the 'bigger picture' so to speak. He could not fathom his own greatness. And because of that, he eked out a paltry living, co-existing with the people who would otherwise brand him a monster. A harbinger.]

[It was time those ties were severed. It was time for a lesson to be learned. Some...'tough love' as it were.]

[And so, Darin's Shadow emerged into the world, bringing with him all of the malice his twin brother had shown to their homeworld. This one reveled, drowned, in the powers Diomuhr offered to him, and they worked together freely and openly.]

I really should get started but...it would be a shame not to get to know this place a little better first...

1.) Getting Better Acquainted | Lion House and Kauto 5 | OTA
[It wasn't hard finding the place; the house had an enormous lion on the front of it after all. No, what was hard was staying out of sight. He didn't want his counterpart to find him so easily. Not yet, anyway. First, he wanted to lie in wait. To watch Darin's comings and goings, his interactions with his friends and those he held dear. He knew, obviously, how Darin truly felt towards those he had taken to live with. He knew that Darin often suppressed his own thoughts, pathetic as they were, so that he could live peacefully with these people. It was time to bring all that he cared about crashing down around him. With nothing left, perhaps Darin would finally realize what he was meant for; that he was bound for greater, loftier things.]

[So, while Darin is out, his shadow self wanders the grounds and neighborhood of Kauto 5. He even enters Lion House and noisily snoops. Privacy means nothing to him. He'll wander into your room, go through your things. He'll break things he finds uninteresting, and take things that he does.]

I'm amazed you've lived with these whelps for as long as you have...with my power you should be the one in charge around here...

2.) One Can Have No Patience Without Virtue | OTA | CW: Violence and Destruction
[As the week progressed, Darin's Shadow was growing bolder and more impatient. Covert operations were never exactly Darin's forté after all. Which is why he's moved on from Region 5 to various other locations, like one would imagine a plague of locusts would. It's in these locations that he decides to cut loose. The ground and the stone shifts around him, becoming a much more malleable, almost living thing. Without warning, a quiet street erupts into a gauntlet of stone spikes, towering several stories into the air. The stone tears through buildings, and rips apart vehicles. Darin's shadow sneers and the debris itself becomes affected by his power, shifting and changing and shaping into twisted forms...sculptures of people running and fear as if they were torn to stone.]

[If people attempt to stop them, a nearby wall or the ground itself suddenly takes the consistency of wet clay and ensnares them, pinning or laying them low.]

[But through all of this, he does not kill. Instead, "Darin" marches right up to whomever tried to flee from him or oppose him. He makes them look at him.]

Remember my face. Remember who I am. My name is Darin Altway and I will bring this world to ruin.

[With that, he laughs. He sends his magic through the ground to mold it into massive stone pillars that upend anything in their path.]

I can't believe he's never tried this before! To think of all the time wasted just shaping things with a hammer!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!

1) SIDESWIPE SHENANIGANS; OTA
Did I just go through here?

[Says the bright red, giant robot jerking to a stop in the middle of the roadway. And yelling across to whoever might be passing by. He looks more harried than usual. And someone took the time to doodle "angry eyebrows" on his face.]

Not like me but... angry me? Freaky optics? Probably drawing really ugly things on the buildings?

2) SHADOW SHENANIGANS; OTA
[... it's definitely drawing on buildings. Scrawling things in Cybertronian that are probably dirty words, or slurs, or worse: SIDESWIPE WAS HERE. How it found a spray can in robot size is a mystery. But it's happening.]

[Alternately, maybe you catch sight of a bright red sportscar drag racing innocent drivers. It won't slow down for anything. Not even for a pedestrian.]

[Or a store front. Property damage is also included on the shadow's To Do List. If it's petty crime, the shadow is doing it.]

3) CLOSED FOR LAVELLAN
[... for a while, anyway.]

[At some point or another, the shadow will spy an elven figure. One it distinctly hates. A very great deal. One who last spoke angrily to them. Who didn't understand. Refused to understand.]

[The engine revs.]

[No matter where he's standing, there will be a sportscar charging straight for Lavellan. Headlights turned up to blinding.]

4) wildcard! Choose your own adventure!

DOUBLE TAP
[Vetra has zero patience for this crap. There was, of course, the fight with her copy, clone, whatever the hell it was. It wouldn't shut up about Sid. Or Ryder. So she shot it. She shot it so many times it fell apart -- ]

[And reformed. Mocking again.]

[The whole fight happened in some alleyway in Region 1. Her armor is dented, there's blue blood streaking the pavement, and splashed across her face. But she's standing tall. Aiming the barrel of her rifle at the shadow's head again.]

Fine. I have issues about my sister. But you have a hole in your head.

[BLAM. BLAM BLAM.]

[The shadow dissolves. And Vetra sags slightly against the nearest crate.]

Shit...

ASSISTANCE NEEDED
[Later on, Vetra is one of the people attempting to get into the mall. She's no medic, but the box of first aid supplies she'd managed to acquire have to come in handy somehow.]

[If you're also attempting to help, she might draft you into finding a way in while she covers you. Her armor now sports a glowing cover -- like holographic plates laid over the real thing.]

There's a service entrance on the north side. Think we can get in?

wildcard!
[Hit me up with your own prompt!]

ACT I
[If Reinhardt had some sort of trouble with his shadow, or if he even had one, he'd kept it to himself. No sense in troubling others with a mess of his own making. Instead, he's moved out to the streets. Moved out there and fought.]

[The creatures seem to be infinite. Strong and fast and wicked. But he's swung the hammer regardless. Attempted to bring them down in defense of people running from them. Put his shield between the monsters and the people.]

MAN DOWN
[But, barriers run out. Strength fails. At some point, the old crusader has to put the hammer down. Put his head down. Breathing hard behind the helmet, a gloved hand pressed to his side.]

[As a new bunch of shadows converge on the street.]

I need... more armor.

FIGHT ON
[But heroes never die.]

[And when the golem appears, the Crusader steps into its path. Sure it's massive, sure there's no hope of standing alone against it. He has to try. What sort of hero is he if he doesn't try?]

[Would it mean Jack was right about him?]

[No matter. His head must be clear for this. Do you join him, in standing against the literal darkness?]

wildcard!
[Choose your own adventure!]

Edited 2017-07-16 05:19 (UTC)

Rescuing Dorian | Closed.
[After seeing Dorian on the network and accepting his "invitation" to come deal with him, Kaz had to assemble his 'army'. An army consisting of only a few people, but that would do for now. Unless he needed to call in more in case of emergency.]

[Don't think he wouldn't.]

[As of now he heads to Dorian's apothecary with Nyx and Venom Snake. And for once, not particularly well dressed. He's in fatigues and has his beret back on, and honestly? Feels better than he's going to admit out loud.] Nyx should be more familiar with the layout of his shop, I suspect. There's multiple hostiles that he's constructed and as far as I know, his ability to do so will be unlimited. So the agenda will be to make it to Dorian himself and wake him up.

[It's also good to be able to lay out mission details again.]

1. I’m Out of My Head - July 12th, Evening- Closed to Saren

There’s little drifts of snow flakes gently fluttering past the window when the door to the condo opens again. A brief moment of peculiar silence follows suit- then the hiss of the door closing again.

Of note: Nihlus can move soundlessly when he wanted to, but he rarely ever did in his own living space. The other Spectre had also gone out to get some groceries and there was a distinct lacking in any sounds of rustling bags. In fact, he hadn’t announced his return to Saren over either the TAB or the omni-tool, something the chatty and communicative Spectre usually went out of his way to do.

“Saren?”

That, however, is his voice. And if Saren turns around, he will see Nihlus plucking a mug out of the cupboards, back turned to him.

“D’you want some tea?”

2. Of My Heart and My Mind - July 12 Onwards, Misc. Locations - OTA

Have you breathed in Nihlus’ general direction for more than a minute that one time? Or are you just in the hot and sexy age range of 25-1000+++ and generally are mentally and physically an adult?

Well, now you will have a strange... presence hanging around you. Maybe you’ll see glimpses of white stripes and a long fringe out of the corner of your eyes, caught out in an empty little spot somewhere around Savrou.

If he’s really familiar with you though, you’re getting… a surprise. In the form of a dark shape draped lazily across the nearest piece of furniture like some kind of stray cat that’d managed to sneak in past your legs when you opened the door and was currently surveying its new domain.

And if you don’t have any furniture, well, that’s not going to do much to deter it. It’s just less surveying and more vaguely judging from a cozy, dark corner of the room.

The moment you walk into his line of sight though, all of the Turian’s sharp attention suddenly hones in on you, emerald eyes gleaming with something a little… unsettling.

“Well, hello.”

3. 'Cause You Can Run but You Can’t Hide - July 18th, Ingress Complex - Closed to Shepard

“Shepard?”

It’s a gentle, tentative call that floats up from the acid burnt gape in the door. The sound of heavy boots deliberately loud against flooring as the presence picks its way carefully through the remnants of the Normandy Security’s headquarters.

Thunk.

Thunk.

There’s something off to the footsteps though. There’d been something off with the voice too, just a little out of sync somehow, but too minute to properly quantify. Will she hear it?

The footsteps slow to a stop in front of the door and she will catch a familiar flash of dark brown and pale stripes. The easy drape of loose civilian clothing.

“Jane?”

Those eyes however? They’re a glossy, endless, liquid black.

Edited 2017-07-19 09:55 (UTC)

[1 - July 12 - 15]

[ His own shadow looked identical to himself, with the only real difference between them being the black eyes which replaced his blue cybernetic ones.

Saren first encountered his shadow almost immediately after he escaped the one that shared Nihlus' face, and ever since the initial encounter it'd been like a game of cat and mouse, between the baiting and taunting Saren had no interest in listening to. Yet every time it seemed as if he'd given the thing the slip, it'd turn up elsewhere as if anticipating his movement, ready to remind him of his failures and his faults, of how weak he was for betraying a cause greater than himself, how he'd chosen the cowards way out.

It was both frustrating and infuriating, which Saren supposed was the point.

Currently, Saren was engaged in another fight with the creature, with plenty of collateral damage left in the wake of it.

Including a building that was somehow on fire.

The shadow had managed to get the drop on him during the fight and it had Saren on the ground struggling to break free, its claws enclosed around his neck, drawing blood from him.

Probably a good opportunity to help him temporarily kill it, if you could figure out which is the shadow. ]

[2 - July 15 - 18]

[ Saren might have thought twice about heading to the center with more than just a pistol and a rifle, if he knew about the giant golem lurking inside it. As it was, he was currently in an upper level of the mall, taking aim and the occasional shot, attempting to assist cornered civilians on the ground floor by luring it away. ]

I assume there's no permanent way to kill this monstrosity.

[ Saren didn't bother to check to see who had joined him. ]

Any suggestions?

[3 - Wildcard]

[ Maybe you're a shadow that caught him unaware, while he was too focused on losing his own.

[ Maybe Saren and his shadow intruded on a fight between you and your own shadow, adding more trouble to the mix. Though, Saren doesn't seem too inclined to stick around for long, and he will probably use you as bait to get away unscathed. ]

Edited 2017-07-19 14:58 (UTC)

[Lup doesn't even know of her shadow. She's heard the warnings and thinks that sounded like a real dumbass thing to do but to have one herself? She never thought it possible.

Until suddenly she did because Lup is a clever bitch. The shadows feed off emotions, negative and positive, and who does she have a mishmash of those feelings for? Her brother. Who doesn't even know she exists and it's probably the worst thing she's ever felt in her life. Forgetting someone she cares about that much? She couldn't imagine.

But her shadow does and it resents that idea. Doesn't Taako know what they've been through together? How could he just forget?

And so it goes to hunt him. It looks like Lup, like Taako himself, but it's outline is fuzzy and surrounded by swirling darkness. It's face is gaunt, almost skull like, and it's eyes are black pits that reflect no light. Dark magic indeed.

Better watch out, Taako my man. Lup is trying to get there first, to find you first, but somehow evil seems to always have an edge in these sorts of situations.]

i. this is the one for the shadow

[This particular shadow isn’t really in much of a rush, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t know exactly what it wants. It shares a few important qualities with its real counterpart, not the least of which is a single-minded determination. It knows what it wants, and it knows how to get it—it just has to go through everything (and everyone) else, first.

Which it will, of course. It reproduces 76’s tactical gear, hiding the eyes and giving it distinct advantage—not that it will be particularly difficult to tell the two apart once the shadow really gets going. Even engaged in combat, it’s relatively quiet, reserving any words for the people who really need to hear them.

But it’s not discerning when it comes to who it attacks. The only requirement is that you’re in its way.]

ii. this is not

[76 has been hunting for his shadow-clone (or whatever the hell it’s supposed to be) since the initial announcements that something like this was occurring. He’s run across it a few times by now, but all efforts to engage have proven fruitless. The message about how to defeat them goes out, but 76 is loath as ever to try anything that involves feelings.

He is, among other things, fairly stubborn. Surely there’s some other way to kill these things.

There’s enough chaos that even if he doesn’t cross paths with his own shadow, there’s something to deal with no matter which way he turns. Need a hand? Here he is, with his really big gun. Throwing himself into the fray, however, makes him a target for shadows that do not belong to him—not that he cares. He’ll deal with those, too.]

iii. wildcard

(hey man I’ll do whatever you like. hit me up on plurk at whitticus)

A - Shadow Ginko

This shadow… doesn’t seem particularly aggressive. Or at least, it’s not attacking outright.

Instead, it seems more interested in just… following people. And watching them. Hands in its pockets, getting a little closer every so often if they don’t engage on their own, its expression hovering between flat neutrality and something like silent, suspicious judgement.

B - Real Ginko

He saw it.

Only briefly, only for a moment, as it was passing by, before news was really spreading of what was happening. It turned, and looked him in the eye. Then it kept walking.

At the time, he’d wondered if he had imagined it somehow. Maybe he was just losing his mind. But then the reports started going in, and the announcement went up, and… A sacrifice. Like what? What’s he even supposed to do?

He’s got no idea where to start with getting rid of this thing. But, if it might be hurting people… if all these things might be hurting people… he’s got to do something.

So, as the shadows spread over the planets, Ginko makes his way around Kauto with a bag of simple medical supplies from Angela’s house slung over his shoulder, running up to anyone who looks like they might be hurt. “H-Hey! Um… are you okay?”

Wildcard

(( OOC: Ginko’s shadow will be behaving much the same when it first sees people throughout the event, but how it acts in actual interactions will become more violent over time, SO if you have a specific preference, let me know! ))

my shadow, my foul-weather friend

[ Her shadow lingers a the edges of everyone's periphery. At first, it's patient and vanishes the moment it's noticed.

Eventually, it gets bored of watching and decides to engage. It's a creature of bitterness and anger, but it's intelligent. And it puts that intelligence to use. It uses Lena's power to sneak up on unsuspecting people. So far, it's mostly taunting and property damage, but it might escalate to an all-out fight. Especially if the real Lena has actual anger directed at them.

Most people, instead, will be merely tormented by her. The shadow's smile is cold and her black eyes glint with malice. ] You look lost, love.

where you go, light follows

[ The real Lena, meanwhile, is scouring for her shadow in every region of Thisavrou. The shadows are getting violent, and she can't allow anyone to get her because of her shadow.

She can be seen fighting other shadows, especially the ones that have fused together. Or perhaps she's helping clear civilians from the area when someone else is fighting a shadow.

Within a few days, she looks a little haggard and exhausted. But she's too stubborn to rest, especially when there's work to be done. ]

Edited 2017-07-23 18:53 (UTC)

Threaded | Flat

CLOSED PLOT THREADS

Agent Texas

York