Event - Feeling Faint

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Feeling Faint

➥ Flicker

(cw: Alterations in reality and perception, chance for violence or injury, potential chance of loss of name or other pieces of a character’s identity, depending on conversations with NPC)

Somewhere, deep in ADI’s basement, there’s a meadow in a metal room. That room has a door that always stays locked. Yet, after a couple visitors come by to talk to the inhabitant of that room, that door is unlocked and the meadow vanishes along with the inhabitant.

It isn’t a quick thing, no light switch is flicked announcing the change in the status quo, it’s an irregular thing. One day everything is as it should be and then, for an hour, all of the illusions and glamours making every non-human seem human simply vanishes. Then it’s two hours. Then a whole day. Then it’s only flickers now and then or only portions of a body left unchanged, all interspersed with days where nothing seems to happen at all. Like someone’s playing a game. Something that leaves the locals on edge as ‘monster’ sightings increase and send a ripple of fear and doubt through town. Fear and doubt that is sometimes answered in unkindness at best and violence and fear at worse.

Though, who the sadistic someone is might be difficult to pinpoint for those outside of the know. Anyone who goes looking or has ways of sensing where the fluctuations are coming from might come across a handsome stranger perched atop one of the now-vacant warehouses once used by Oculus where a rich carpet of grass and tumbling ivy now overtakes the roof and spills down the sides.

For the brave or curious or angry at heart, the stranger will turn to their visitor with a small, knowing smile from where they’re sat in their meadow, a flower crown in hand and held out like an offering. “Hello, who do we have here, then?”

➥ Feint

(cw: extreme distress, hallucinations, supernaturally heightened emotions, blood, monstrous creatures, potential for violence and death)

"Please! Please"--your name, someone is shouting your name--"I need- please! Help!" The voice is a familiar one, someone you care for, or at least have no negative feelings about. They might be someone you've met here in Gloucester, or they could be someone from home. They're distressed, they're in Dogtown. You only hear them as you travel around the edges of the park. And there are even glimpses of them. Flashes of a face that seems to belong to the person who's shouting.

Even if you're wary, sensibly so, the pitch, the distress, puts some sort of feeling into you. Fear, perhaps, for the 'person' in danger? Anger that someone would try to impersonate someone you love? Hopelessness that you can't actually do anything to help? The emotion fills your belly, wells up like a tide and crashes through the mind. It's not impossible to resist going into Dogtown, but it's certainly difficult.

Those who get any substantial distance, will note that they seem to be drawn deeper and deeper into the wood and that the ground grows moist and ruddy. The scent of iron fills the nose and senses. Those who have a sense of Dogtown as it is now may be able to tell that they're being drawn toward the blood river in the southern reaches of the park. Getting closer, you'll be able to see a creature shambling along sideways on clawed and webbed feet. It swings a lantern from its head that flashes to look like the person you know now and again. The false form shouts in fear and terror, crying out.

Should the creature spot you spotting it… be prepared. It will attack immediately, and it doesn't seem to pull its bites or slashes. While ordinary means are enough to bring it down, there is definitely more than one creature. Perhaps a brood has recently hatched in the river.

➥ Figment

(cw: hallucination, altered mental states, gaslighting)

There's a face that keeps turning up around town, but it's not really clear who it is. It's a Caucasian, mustachioed gentleman who seems to be in books where he doesn't belong, in the background of photographs, both old and new, and even on advertisements. You might notice him only in a few things at first, but once you clock him… he's everywhere.

Inquiries into his identity net a mixed response from locals. He's just… some man. Nice mustache, though! Does he look a little like Matthew McConaughey? He just looks like another New Englander, maybe some founder for Gloucester? A reverse image search yields much the same results. There are actors and models who look vaguely like this man, but no one that definitively matches him.

The strange thing is that as you see him more and more, there's the feeling of a hand gently touching your shoulder. A large, masculine hand, as far as anyone with particularly acute senses can tell. It only lasts a moment, and then it's gone. You can never turn fast enough to see anyone, and they don't appear in any mirrors; though… there's a mild distortion in the air if you manage to glimpse a reflection somehow.

Those touched by the hand of the mustachioed man will find themselves feeling more and more inclined toward mischief. Have you seen the mustachioed man? No, no, you haven't. When shown photos including him, you might be inclined to lie and say you see someone else entirely. It's just a little mean. With things in Gloucester spinning out of control, perhaps you ought to grasp control where you can. Making someone doubt themselves and their reality? That's one of the most powerful forms of control out there.

➥ Mod Notes

• GENERAL - Players are welcome to play background NPCs for themselves when they are needed in a thread. If you need more information on general behavior for these types of NPCs, please feel free to ask! In general, the information provided in the prompts should be sufficient and ordinary people will act like… ordinary people! You're welcome to make up any details for your specific scene. Also, please remember that character deaths are permanent and plan accordingly!
  
  
• FLICKER (16 August - Potentially Onward) - Players are welcome to control their own NPC interactions. Some might be understanding or come to their defense while others might turn a blind or turn to violence. These moments of violence shouldn’t be outright mobs so much as small groups close to a mugging that only happen once and a while, not a certainty. Characters will have the chance to talk to Milo and either convince them to continue the illusions or drop them entirely, what happens with the illusions from an IC standpoint will depend entirely on these interactions, so if you tag into Milo’s interaction, please make sure that thread is prioritized.
  
  
• FEINT (16-23 August) - The monstrous creatures can be killed with enough bullets or other normally lethal methods. The figures they mimic will be perfect copies of characters who will elicit strong emotions in your characters. The only limit on who these can be would be for characters already in games. Please just get the other player's permission. If two characters are together, the creature will only mimic one important person. The mimicked individual will provide reasonable (if terrified) responses to questions that are shouted at them.
  
  
• FIGMENT (16-31 August) - Characters will be able to find plenty of people who look vaguely like the mustachioed man, but efforts to track them down will lead to dead ends. They seem to be ordinary actors, models, and people who have had their photos show up on an image search. Characters trying to investigate the strange happenings in Gloucester and the surrounding area, particularly Dogtown, will find themselves seeing the man more often than others. They'll also suffer the effects of the man's 'touch.' Characters who feel compelled to gaslight and deceive others will be affected until they take out that impulse on someone. It doesn't need to be anyone they care about; though, that makes it feel better somehow. Individuals aligned with the Spiral may find themselves feeling particularly well fed for the month of August on fear juice.
  
  

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Comments

(frozen comment) QUESTIONS

[apocalypsehowmods]

Please respond HERE.

NPC Interactions

[apocalypsehownpcs]

If you would like to interact with the handsome stranger in the "Flicker" prompt, please reply here!

Please note that character interactions with this NPC will have a direct effect on whether or not the illusion for non-human characters in maintained. At least 5 characters will need to convince them, in whatever way they can, to maintain the illusion. If threads have not reached their natural conclusion by the end of the month, players will be asked what their strategy/argument will be OOCly and mods will work out with you if that would have/will have been effective. (Players are welcome to continue to tag to reach that conclusion ICly once the decision is made OOCly).

All NPC interaction tag-ins should occur by 8/22.

Flicker, for Milo - cw: PTSD, mild body horror, disassociation, cosmic horror

[ferriswheelsandfootball]

It's getting more and more dangerous going out. John is highly annoyed, having been grabbing groceries the first time it happened, and luckily most of the time he's been able to convince people his crab arm is just part of a costume announcing the grand opening of a new seafood restaurant. But it keeps happening. What also doesn't help is that due to the presence of the Stars, his previous trauma associated with them and it's effect on his psyche, John's been occasionally losing control over his Avatar form when he gets upset, or disassociates, or gets angry. Sometimes he can't turn off the cat eyes, the flash of a sharp canine, or ending up with paws on his other hand, or a tail that he hastily has to stuff under his jacket.

John has had enough and he starts searching for something, anything that can explain the unusual goings-on. He just gets lucky when he finds the warehouse and the suspicious person sitting on top of all that vegetation.

John's wearing a long dark trenchcoat which has a larger modified sleeve to cover any accidental crab arm sightings (and even then it's a tough fit), with a hood to cover his head just in case he doesn't have great control today.

It's one of those days.

"I dunno, I was about to ask the same thing about you," he calls up at them when they speak to him after he approaches.

Milo

[energyfieldgood]

This is a problem.

Not just for Rue and John and all the other people he's... sort of, begrudgingly, deep down become close to notthathedeveradmitit - but for the world in general and their attempts to stop it from ending. Rodney has worked for a top secret organization long enough to know fully well what might happen if the general public becomes aware of the things that go bump in the night. Hell, they're seeing (and feeling) the effects already.

It's been a challenge tracking the origins of the fluctuations but here he is. Except whatever he expectet to find - maybe some infernal machine aka Steele or blood ritual aka every dumb magical movie ever - now here he is in frolick valley.

Rodney regards the meadow and the flower crown with a look the squarest geezer would shoot a hippie commune.

"No, thank you. If I want ticks in my hair, I'll just stick it in a bramble."

He frowns at Milo, not sure what to make of them, crossing his arms defensively and a bit nervously.

"So what is all this? Who are you?"

Flicker prompt

[worthallthis]

Winter is personally unaffected by the illusions. He has to wear gloves and long sleeves to cover his metal arm (and slightly metallic fingers). But he has good friends who are affected. And he's good at patrolling the town and finding things out of place.

Flowers and grass on top of a warehouse is definitely out of place.

He has been reminded of attempting things non-violently several times in the past few months. And maybe shooting a person who controls the illusions of his friends is a bad idea. (Even if he wants to for stealing his guy's name.) So he hovers around the district, watching from afar, for a good couple of hours before making a cautious approach by climbing up the neighboring building's plant-free roof and walking to the edge.

milo

[ruevealing]

[What fey could ever turn down a flower crown?

Rue will accept the crown if offered, but only to hold it delicately between their talons. They hardly know who this man could be, but every instinct within them says to stay prepared for anything.]

I have never seen you before. Are you with ADI? What is all of this?

For Milo!

[hellojon]

Elias Bouchard has never worn a flower crown in his goddamn life. He takes it, holding it gingerly, like something he's never seen before, before carefully placing it on his head.

It might not even be real in the first place. You don't need to be an Avatar of the Eye to know that there's some weird illusory nonsense going on here. After all, ivy doesn't grow that fast.

"Elias Bouchard," he says with a nod. Which is technically true. This is the voice and the body of Elias Bouchard. But those eyes that look over at Milo are of someone else entirely. "What might you be?"

Milo

[rainestorms]

"Milo," Raine's a little breathless from running- but they're a lot more tired from the toll all of their work has taken from them. It's physically affecting them, but they're trying their hardest to keep going.

As soon as they'd gotten wind of the Meadow, they'd known who it was caused by. This all was their fault. The glamours. Milo escaping. The stress it's caused everybody.

Still, they tried to be gentle.

"It's me. Songbird. Your.. Your friend. What are you doing out here?"

Milo

[failedpromise]

Cortana is actually less affected than some of the other nonhumans around. Though she has some obviously nonhuman attributes to her appearance they're small enough that a brief flicker of the illusion is unlikely to out her. With enough distance it's basically impossible to tell if there's anything different about her at all.

Still, with all the stuff going on and all the panic around the nonhumans possibly being discovered (and taken away and dissected), it makes her angry. No one is going to hurt her friends on her watch.

So she goes looking.

Depending on how similar he is to the myths he seems to be borrowing from and the exact way things are interpreted, it's possible Milo might not like recieving a visitor with steel for her bones.

"Halsey." Cortana does not know she shouldn't be giving her name, but she's on edge, she isn't here to make friends, so the formal approach seems fitting.

She doesn't wonder how the fuck such greenery got to this place, because she's pretty sure it's the same bullshit as always. "Nice view. Though this really isn't the sort of place I'd choose for a garden."

Milo

[musicdied]

Yelena doesn't have any magic that would let her sense fluctuations in the glamours. She does have eyes and ears, and a knack for recognizing patterns, and between that and some uneasy muttering about rooftop gardens in abandoned warehouses, she eventually finds her way to the meadow.

She's expecting trouble, trickery. Flower crowns, not so much. The quick mental calculation doesn't show on her face, or in more than a heartbeat's pause before she reaches out to take the crown. Her lips curve in a bright surface smile; her eyes are obscured behind the mirrored lenses she's been wearing since the illusions began to falter.

On the one hand, the visible marks of the supernatural on her are small, subtle things. On the other hand, eventually someone is going to ask why she keeps wearing blackout contacts around town.

"Thank you," she says, turning the crown in her hands, deft fingers checking for thorns or other surprises before she places it lightly atop the crown of braids she already wears. "Weren't you expecting visitors? This looks like you're rolling out the welcome mat."

Hello, Milo.

[wewillwewill]

[ooc: (If the deadline is supposed to be before the END of 8/22! Sorry if I misunderstood.)]

This particular visitor arrived with a sense of being exactly where he wants to be. Angry? No. But certainly brave or curious are possible. Elidibus certainly has the ability to trace the fluctuations to their source. Maybe even aware that the glamours everyone relied on and what interferes with them are from one and the same individual.

And with a certain confidence, his own magicks bring him to the rooftop by means of a short, discreet teleportation toward the end of his journey to this place. It looks as if it were no more than a billow of black and purple that retracts and disappears and leaves the silver hair man behind.

Elidibus is no inhuman creature, and no Avatar though clearly he is marked by some sort of Fear if he's using special powers and magic himself. Only his eyes- blue and faintly light- ever might have seem odd. And if the glamour would have been used on him regardless of his opinion on the matter - certainly he would have opted for wearing a pair of sunglasses in public places for such a small thing- well it would have been a very minor touch and not troubled him greatly if someone were inclined to rob him of it.

But others would and are. So here he is. After studying the handsome man briefly, he smiles in return.

"A visitor. Come to speak if you will spare me some of your time?"

Elidibus makes no move to accept or acknowledge the flower crown as of yet.

Milo!

[edalyn]

Eda has, since being here, done a lot of research on human mythology—for several reasons. To see if there was any evidence of a version of the Demon Realm connected to this version of the Human Realm, to see what seemed to be connected to the Fears, here, and simply to know what human perception of non-humans was.

All this to say: when Raine told her about Milo, the gears started turning in her brain for, well, several reasons. They sounded similar to some creatures on the Boiling Isles, especially ones that existed in the “savage ages.” But they certainly also sounded similar to the local version of fey. Something which might, at home, have been one and the same; but she’s still not sure where human mythology comes from here.

She knows she can’t go by the Boiling Isles legends, nor by the local ones, nor even by what the shows about Rue and Hob, given they don’t seem to fit the same set of Rules that it sounds as if Milo was referencing. Nor are the local legends all consistent with each other.

But it’s somewhere to start, and she’s dived into research more since the first time her glamour failed. Even if she wasn’t expecting to be able to talk to the creature in the ADI basement.

Unexpected or not, she isn’t passing up the chance when she spots the rooftop meadow. She even stops by the nearest coffee shop to make the confusing order of just a large milk sweetened with honey, in case her suspicion is correct.

She shows up on the warehouse roof tribute in hand, and wearing a bandana tied in a way that would hide her ears if her glamour fails again, along with a skirt long enough to hide the weasel tail. When Milo greets her, she pauses to think about her words.

“Hey. That’s pretty,” she says, not taking the flower crown. She wouldn’t want to potentially owe them for it.

“And that’d be myself,” she adds, tone friendly but unhelpful. “Are you… Milo?”

Elias Bouchard | The Magnus Archives | ota!

[hellojon]

feint
There are many problems associated with the Eye. One of the ones that Elias is encountering right now is the burning curiosity. The desire to know. There were rumors of an anglerfish like thing in Dogtown and he wants to know what it is. It's affiliation is obvious enough, the Stranger was either very subtle or absolutely not. But is this anglerfish like the one he knows? Are the avatars, the anglerfish and the Distortions and the Archivists of the world as universal as the Entities themselves are? He wants to know.

The fact that the voice sounds like Jon Sims is the final impetus to explore. Elias doesn't care about his Archivist, not in a sentimental way. This thing, whatever it is, it isn't his Archivist. But that's just that. It isn't his Archivist. And there's a tiny little possessive part of Elias that wants to see the thing suffer for even making the attempt at clumsy manipulation.

When he spots someone else in Dogtown, Elias (who's got a handgun and a truncheon at his side for weapons), gives them a little nod. "On the hunt as well?" For someone who occasionally speaks in capital letters, that is a very lowercase hunt in his voice.

figment
Honestly, the more people who get touched by these Fears, the better. Elias doesn't think that anyone's collected the full set yet, but he has a few candidates in mind. So as far as he's concerned? Gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss, a phrase with Elias Bouchard has never heard in his damn life but what he's doing right now with style.

"You know," he muses, when looking at a photo of said mustachioed man, "he looks like one of those older film stars from the silent era. Perhaps they are remaking a film? The beard doesn't suit him, though."

It's a good thing that Elias Bouchard is adept at lying because he is just lying his ass off with every interaction he gets.

Figment

[graveyounglady]

"Does he?" Mercy knows nothing of 'older film stars,' so that seems perfectly reasonable to her. She's been helping out in other departments lately, and research seems to have a lot of photographs. This man does look familiar.

"I think his mustache is nice enough. Reminds me of my Papa." As for a beard... She glances over at Elias in confusion. "Looks like he don't got much of a beard to me at all, though. You sure your eyes ain't smudged?" She tries to make it sound amused rather than concerned.

[dangerousmind]

Aelwyn doesn't bother with the handgun anymore. It's a clumsy and mortal weapon, a weak imitation of the arcane devices she used to sell back in her luxurious personal hell. Besides. Whatever decided to imitate Adaine's voice won't get a death as clean as a bullet. She's going to make it hurt.

Having witnesses is a bit of a pain, but she's confident that she can get away with it anyway. So she returns the nod.

"You'd think they would get a little more creative with their taunts, mm? As if the forced emotional response isn't just a dead give-away."

figment :v

[lowficharm]

Honestly, Martin's not inclined to let Elias know the running counter of Fear experiences, but frankly he's pretty certain out of everyone here, he's been around the longest (along with one or two others). Unfortunately for Elias' potential plans, anything that may involve Martin would also involve him beating Elias to death with his bare hands, so he's probably out of the question. It also makes this conversation especially pithy, as Martin just rolls his eyes as he passes through the office, barely taking a glance to see whatever it is Elias is looking at.

"Of course you'd know something about old men." Ha ha, ha ha ha, it works on many levels and Martin wants to further explore none of them. "Why do you care, anyway?"

[worthallthis]

I. Nameless - For Steve(?)

Winter is waiting outside the ADI campus for his guy to finish his little infiltration. Or to perform a rescue, if he needs to. He spends his time in the little coffee shop down the street alternately staring through the window at the ADI buildings, or staring at his phone with the little tracker dot labeled "Steve".

Only when the dot starts moving out of the building does he get up, finish his coffee, and come out to meet him.


II. Flicker - For those who need the illusion

Winter figures out pretty early what's happening, and he starts kind of... loitering... around where people he has trackers for go, or where he thinks those he doesn't have trackers for might go. Maybe it's a little bit like stalking, but whatever, if their illusion flickers he's there, with a hood or a blanket to toss over their faces, a glower for anyone who is around making a fuss, and an arm around shoulders to usher them out of danger.

Or a gun if anyone is actively threatening his people. He'll have that, too.


III. Feint - OTA

While Winter is not a hunter per se, and actively rejects the Hunt, that doesn't mean he's not good at tracking and taking down monsters. So, armed with his trust earplugs, Winter prowls the edges of Dogwood relying on vision only for snatches of the beast.

And only once he spots it-- or its lure-- does he plunge in with his rifle and handgun and a couple of his precious grenades. And hopefully backup. You want to come help him kill monsters, right friend?

I

[punched_hitler]

There's a lot to think about, he thinks, as he makes his way back up through the bowels of ADI and out of the building. He heads straight off the grounds, not wanting to risk running into anyone who might detain him, or worse. He'll certainly put up a fight if he has to, but the idea is not to have to, after all.

So it's a relief to see Winter's face; something in his own face relaxes as they close in on each other. "Hey. I'm good, you can stand down."

ii. flicker

[ruevealing]

It is by pure luck alone that Rue is not fully alone when it happens.

They are out in the town - their favorite place to be, honestly, socializing and shopping and making new friends along the way - but it is exactly as they are coming out of a small book shop that their glamour disappears completely. And Rue, poor Rue, does not even notice.

A gasp goes up, a few pointed, terrified stares, and how silly it must look that Rue peers over their shoulder, as if expecting to find a beast behind them.

Mercy Graves | OC | OTA

[graveyounglady]

I. Flicker (a)
She's out with someone when it happens. The glamour hiding an inhuman appearance suddenly falling away. Mercy's heart leaps to her chest. With the strange vans around town, this seems like the thing they've been waiting for, a chance to find non-human and drag them away to be dissected, like Rue had said on the network. Her response is immediate. Whether they're inside a shop or out on the walk, Mercy interposes herself between the non-human and any people in the vicinity.

"How now, friend?" she says, addressing the stranger. "You're looking like you seen something frightening. You all right?"

II. Flicker (b)
With the illusion flickering like a dying candle, Mercy is on high alert. She carries Garner's glaive with her about town, even when it's not strictly normal. The weapon garners more than a few odd looks and questions on if she's cosplaying someone. The word is one she's heard before and agrees to. Of course this isn't real! That would be dangerous to carry around.

The weapon is treated as much less of a toy when she sees or hears the sound of a non-human in distress. Her feet carry her swiftly to the scene where she looks to see who's in trouble and what they might need. She's fully ready to be far more the intimidating monster than any non-human could hope to be.

II. Feint
"Did you see that?" Mercy's gaze is sharp on the woods around Dogtown. She's not one to patrol the edges of the park often, but with the recent departures at ADI, it's all hands on deck. She also wants to walk the walk given what she'd told Kate about needing to do this to help in the effort to get them home.

"Looked like someone over there." She points off toward the treeline on the other side of the fence.

II Feint

[punched_hitler]

Just because this particular person doesn't work for ADI anymore doesn't mean he can't do a little patrolling of Dogtown. On his own time, naturally - but without a regular job, there's plenty of that.

He's not worried about being caught out by Mercy, at least, recognizing the figure as he approaches from the distance and jogging to catch up. "I saw something," he confirms. "I heard something, too." He knows they were calling for him. Somehow. Weren't they?

Flicker (a)

[edalyn]

Eda... hasn't been at her best, lately, but this week she seems to be spending more time out and about again. Out, about, and trying to convince people that she might have been a little under the weather but she's fine now.

It's probably less than convincing, but she's having a nice time chatting with Mercy all the same. At least, until, with no warning, in the middle of a sentence, she flickers.

It would have been lucky if she'd been in witch form—but it seems like luck isn't on her side at all today. Meaning the nearby humans they were passing on the street are suddenly faced with a very tall, very feathery woman. For a moment she doesn't realise what's wrong; after all, there's no warning, no transformation to throw things off like in Buffalo. Just a sudden lack of glamour.

But someone gasps, and someone else lets out a startled yelp, and as Mercy steps in front of her she catches sight of herself before swearing under her breath and taking a step back, unsure in the moment whether saying anything herself would help. As she glances around for the nearest place to try and get out of sight, she hears the stranger ask something to the effect of what the hell is that?

feint, ofc

[lowficharm]

Martin doesn't make it a point to be around Dogtown. He doesn't like it, everything in there is bad, and it frankly creeps him out. But there's always been a little glimmer of hope that Jon was somehow in there, somehow staying alive and okay, that he might be able to find him. See him again.

So he comes here now and again, just in case, just to look. But when he hears something that even might be Jon, just a thought of it, his heart immediately jumps into his throat.

"So you... you heard that? You--" He looks towards her, distress betraying exactly how much this means to him. "You heard him?"

Emet-Selch | Final Fantasy XIV | ota!

[unnecessaryflourishes]

[Feint]

{a}

[Even from the first, Emet-Selch knows with absolute certainty the voice he can hear drifting from Dogtown cannot be who it sounds like. He would, after all, have known if Hythlodaeus had recently arrived. Or so he assumes And yet... he has longed to hear that voice for millennia. Knows it as surely as he knows his own soul; as surely as he knows that all is not often what it seems in this place. It cannot be Hythlodaeus because why would it be. And yet... it's enough to give him pause.]

Do you hear that?

[He knows the answer may be no. He knows the voice may be false. But still... he wavers.]

{b}

[Misgivings or no, it perhaps comes as no surprise to those who know him that Emet-Selch does eventually make his way into Dogtown. Even should the voice he has heard not be Hythlodaeus in truth, he has to know. Especially when there is only so far his soulsight will function, here.

On the other hand, the fact that he has yet to see anything that even remotely like Hythlodaeus' soul does at least keep him from charging straight ahead. Even if he is keeping up a semi-constant stream of grumbling, some of which seems to be loosely addressed to the voice he's been hearing, even if he doesn't seem to much be expecting an answer.]

{c}

[It is both a disappointment and not at all a surprise to find himself faced with a monster. It is even less of a surprise to find himself immediately attacked, and faced with the option of turning his back to an angry monster or fighting he turns to the latter, calling a greatsword out of quite literally nowhere. It will not last forever, that much he knows. Few of his creations have. But it will hopefully give him enough time enough to reassess his options.]

Feint A-C (if you like I mean may as well go through)

[wewillwewill]

Yes. Do you know the voice?

[ It's no surprise Elidibus offered to go with Emet-Selch into or near Dogtown. It's HARDLY a surprise that he doesn't look like he's prepared to trot in immediately to hunt down the cry for help. He's one to assess first and then act. Blue eyes are turned toward the sound's source though. It's definite he heard it.

Hard to say if he recognizes the voice however. I mean... would he? Possibly. But he would still pause to assess. That is very much his nature. ]

Yelena Belova | MCU | OTA

[musicdied]

Flicker
Yelena's grocery shopping the first time it happens, shuffling up to the front of the line, coupons in hand, only to be met with the surprised stare of the clerk. "What's wrong with your eyes?" the boy blurts out, and Yelena's stomach drops as she catches sight of her reflection in the plexiglass divider, eyes wall-to-wall black.

She wrinkles her nose and laughs, dipping her head in feigned embarrassment. "Did I forget to take the contacts out again? It's for a film a friend's making. It's not contagious, I promise."

Encounter her out and about after that, and there will be mirrored glasses firmly in place, in case it happens again. Those she knows well - the few remaining - who are more visibly inhuman in their natural forms, she might pull aside to an out of the way table in a coffee shop, or one of the green strips along the road, to ask, "Has your illusion been slipping?" and, "Do you remember where you were when it happened?"

Feint
It's a trap. Yelena recognizes it, just as she recognizes the bright hair that appears briefly through the tangle of trees, and the voice she doesn't expect to ever hear for real on this side of the grave. Anger washes over her, first scalding and then deathly cold, and she's halfway to the fence before she catches herself. Stops. Pulls out her phone and fires off a quick message.

Something's trying to lure people into Dogtown. Come help me find it before someone gets eaten.

Maybe you're the backup she's called for. Maybe you're not someone she trusts, and happen to be in the area for reasons of your own. Either way, there's a compact blonde woman pacing near the perimeter of Dogtown, each circuit bringing her just a little closer to that thin border between city and nightmare.

Wildcard-ish

[worthallthis]

Winter is aware of the illusion problem. He's even tried to talk to the source. Who is also the source of Stevie's problem.

The talk did not go as well as he'd hoped.

He comes trudging home from his conversation with Milo clearly unhappy and drifts to whichever part of the house Yelena is in rather than going to the kitchen or his room as he normally would. He doesn't say anything, he just kind of leans on the doorway nearby, hands shoved in his pockets and eyes following whatever she's doing.