#write smth short challenge: Failure

[lovekillz]

MONTH 1, WEEK 3

CATEGORIES: [PLOT] [EVENT-002]

sunday morning. you are awoken by a knock at your door.

waiting outside is one of the hotel staff, accompanied by a gaunt older woman with pepper-colored hair and a badge ready in her hand. she introduces herself as OFFICER YU. she asks you two questions.

one, with a photograph of a face that you had seen around the hotel. one of the crew members, you think. "when was the last time you saw or spoke with this individual?" she asks. if you can't recall his name, she tells you, park heesung (@murmurline). i was informed he was part of your production crew.

she says your production crew with a hint of disdain. she must be a jinhae local.

her second question only throws you deeper into the dark: "what were you doing last night, past midnight?"

arriving downstairs, you find that the breakfast parlor, usually laid out with food and people making their coffees, is crawling with the tv production crew. a producer finds you and herds you to one side of the room with the rest of your crew, where you're added to the headcount. a younger woman keeps counting again and again, like there's something she's missing. you watch as she murmurs something to the producer, who murmurs something to the investigator.

"how should i do this?" the producer says. he's wringing his hands in front of his chest, temples shining with a faint sheen of sweat. "we need to do this right. i can't---"

"excuse me," officer yu cuts in. her voice rings clear and commanding over the parlor, and instantly all chatter dies down. "i look forward to your attention and cooperation this morning. to cut to the chase, we've received a missing persons report for a park heesung, who was last seen leaving the hotel past midnight last night. in part thanks to your," her eyes flicker to the numerous cameras stationed around the room, though you notice none of their lights are red, "diligent documentation of this event, he appeared to be heading towards the cliffsides. this corresponds with a few accounts we received from locals this morning, who claim to have witnessed something falling from the cliffs at some point last night."

"oh, god," someone murmurs. you recognize her, an jihye. the cinematographer. "that's my nephew. my nephew is missing? what are you saying? he fell?"

"i have not determined the full timeline of events yet," officer yu replies tersely, "but yes, that appears to be the unfortunate case. the eyewitness accounts suggest that this will be a body recovery rather than a---"

"what accounts?" jihye surges forward, before one of the producers holds her back. "that's my nephew! how do you know someone else wasn't involved? one of your witnesses? it's barely been twelve hours since you last saw him, he can still be alive, why are you acting like he's already---"

"our eyewitnesses are promised full confidentiality, ma'am. we can have a private discussion in the next room, but first i will need you to calm down." officer yu's gaze sweeps across the crowd. "the rest of you, please stay in town until you hear from me again, in case we need to speak."

she gestures at the producer, who leads an jihye out of the crowd and towards one of the connecting rooms. officer yu follows close behind. you expect her to be looking around at everyone, but instead, she's looking at all of the cameras, as if less interested in who might have been involved, and more interested in what might have been witnessed by others not in the room.

OOC DETAILS

OOC START. MARCH 23.

OOC END. though we will be using an event tag for the sake of organization, this is more of a plot drop, so there is no end time for any general threads that take place at this point in the ic timeline. however, threads for key moments (described below) must have at least the starter posted by APRIL 13.

TAGS TO USE. #lvk:event002 should be used on any threads/solos that play out key moments. other general threads do not have to use this tag, though it is recommended if the interaction is directly related to this plot drop.

as always, please don't hesitate to message the main if anything is inaccurate or you have any questions!

a crew member, park heesung, has been reported missing. he was last seen on camera heading somewhere outside of the hotel. if the "testimonies" are to be believed, the victim may have had an accident and fallen into the water below. at such a sheer drop, survival is unlikely, but officer yu doesn't even seem concerned with investigating that probability. she's convinced that the victim is already deceased, though she won't share her reasons or findings --- if she even has any.

after that announcement, the tv crew flies into crisis containment mode as they figure out how they will handle this news in such a public arena. they seem more concerned about public backlash than the fact that someone has gone missing.

for now, ALL MUSES HAVE BEEN FORBIDDEN TO TALK ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED IN ANY PUBLIC CAPACITY. all muses have also been instructed not to make any definite statements about the victim in any capacity, especially where there are cameras present. all muses have also been given a word of caution: to be more careful, to not stray too close to the woods/cliffs, and to avoid staying out after dark.

but the cameras will continue rolling, they say. just pretend everything is fine. we don't know what happened. he could still show up. tensions are starting to run high and will do so until the investigation's results are announced...or a body is found. to make matters worse, all outbound trains have been put out of service until the investigation is closed, effectively stranding you in jinhae.

in town, the locals have become more wary. you keep catching murmurs about one of them and another and again. they do appear troubled, but somehow unsurprised.

as if this has happened before. as if this may happen again.

PARTICIPATION

this event includes optional KEY MOMENTS that muses can take part in. these are essentially prompts for things that canonically occur during this IC period (weeks 3-4 of the reunion overall). general threads that take place during this same period / outside this period are certainly still allowed and encouraged. however, signing up to be part of a key moment will require you to write out a group thread or a solo using the prompt. you will be tagged in the replies once all roles in your prompt have been filled, and you can reach out to each other to coordinate the thread if you haven't already.

for fairness, each muse can only be involved in 1 key moment for now, until we announce that they are open for a second round of claims (this depends on how many slots are free/taken by a certain point). as of 3/30, writers may now claim more than one prompt per muse.

if you had signed up for a prompt with an event thread requirement but the other slot is not claimed by APRIL 13, we'll work with you about headcanoning what happened with an npc and turning it into a solo thread opportunity instead.

to claim a certain role, please comment the role's tag (H1, H2, etc) + your muse's name.

KEY MOMENTS - HOTEL

#1 — a couple of days after news of the disappearance, [H1 - CHAE WONSHIK / @draed] and [H2 - TAE CHILSEONG / @boyjove] are on the rooftop together when they spot strange movement in the trees leading up to the cliff's edge. from their vantage point, it looks like people carrying flickering lights, like candles, through the trees. wondering if it's somehow the victim after all, they go down to find the source of the lights. requirement: an event thread between the two muses. *this moment involves a discovery that will be sent to both muses when their thread reaches a certain point.

#2 — now compelled to create filler content to distract viewers with, the tv show producers have asked one of their leads, RYU SUMIN (@aprisonder), to conduct a seance with [H3 - AHN SEHA / @sehaa-lvk] in one of the parlor rooms of the hotel, to "make contact" with the supposed ghosts of the hotel. they will appear to be alone on camera, but unbeknownst to viewers, the producers have rigged special effects around the room to be remotely controlled to give the illusion of them establishing contact with a ghost. requirement: an event thread between the two muses. *this moment involves an ic script from the tv producers that will be sent to the muses when both slots are filled.

#3 — dissatisfied with the lack of answers, [H4 - OH KIYONG / @1nfernoh] and [H5 - JANG LIJAE / @abberatiohn] decide to investigate around the base of the cliff themselves. at low tide, they are able to get further around the outcrop than usual, and stumble upon a cave with a partly covered opening, as if the rock had been moved aside. soon, however, the tide begins to rise again, and they must either seek shelter inside until low tide returns or try to make it back to the beach without being swept out by the water. requirement: an event thread between the two muses. *this moment involves a discovery that will be sent to the muses when their thread reaches a certain point.

#4 — [H6 - BAE SUNHEE / @cr4shc0urse] finds a paper folded in a display case in the dining room: a torn page, with a drawing of the cliff's precipice. not long after, the paper is ripped out of their hands by CHO MINJI (@velveteenr4bbit), who is in a state of disarray. in her hands is a handful of other pages with similar drawings, apparently from her sketchbook, of the same cliff over and over again, and the silhouette of a body falling. it appears she is trying to find all of the pages before the investigators do. requirement: an event thread between the two muses. *this moment involves multiple discoveries that will be sent to the muses when their thread reaches certain points.

#5 — a few days after the disappearance, [H7 - SON NAMRA / @phantaisms] is awoken by a strange noise outside of their room. when they look out, they find that it's someone wearing one of the masks from filming. strangely, the person doesn't seem cognizant of their surroundings, and H7 decides to follow them. however, they eventually recognize that it's [H8 - SONG JIHOO / @hymnosis], who doesn't snap out of the trance until they manage to get the mask off — which they have no recollection of ever finding, or even putting on. requirement: an event thread between the two muses.

#6 — at the end of the week, [H9 - JEON BYEONGHUN / @rottingc0re] receives a private message on their crimson seal account from a throwaway user who claims that the night after the victim's disappearance, they saw JIANG YEQING (@8ractured) leaving the hotel to somewhere the cameras couldn't see. H9 decides to take matters into their own hands and confront yeqing about what they were doing that night, but yeqing reveals that he had also received a private message from an anonymous user who claims to have heard disembodied voices coming from the outdoor cameras feeds. they temporarily decide to work together to figure out what is happening, and they head out to search the forest area between the hotel and the cliff's edge. requirement: an event thread between the two muses. *this moment involves a discovery that will be sent to the muses when their thread reaches a certain point.

#7 — the unknowns surrounding the victim's disappearance feed unwittingly into [H10 - KWON SERA / @liveformebaby], [H11 - HAN HYEJIN / @5eraphism], and [H12 - LIM DOAH / @koisriver]'s anxieties. the increasingly oppressive air around the hotel causes them to have a vivid nightmare in which they are injured. when they wake up, they find that their injury has somehow carried over into reality. requirement: a solo thread detailing the muse's nightmare and what injury they sustained.

KEY MOMENTS - TOWN

#8 — on the day of the announcement, [T1 - HASHIMOTO KEIGO / @revelae] and [T2 - OPEN] go into town to get away from the chaos and end up at the liar's bar. however, at nightfall, the owner abruptly closes early and kicks them out. strangely, even the 24-hour convenience store closes down for the night, leaving them with two options: find somewhere else in town to stay for the night, or try to go back to the hotel and hope neither of them have an accident of their own. requirement: an event thread between the two muses. *this moment involves a discovery that will be sent to both muses when their thread reaches a certain point.

#9 — at the end of week 3, [T3 - LEE HYUNSIK / @forselunes] runs into AHN TAEJUN (@4ftersunset), who intends to go to the church to pray for the victim's safe return and asks if T3 can accompany them. partly wanting to get away from the tension in the hotel, T3 agrees to go along, but as night falls and taejun begins to bring out candles and a knife, it becomes clear that a prayer is not all they have come for. requirement: an event thread between the two muses. this moment may result in one or more muses sustaining an injury.

#10 — in the face of everything, [T4 - RYU SUMIN / @aprisonder] and [T5 - JANG LIJAE / @abberatiohn] decided that they can't be around the hotel right now. [T6 - SON NAMRA / @phantaisms] overheard their plans and thought it was a bad idea, but ultimately went with them to make sure they stayed safe. they have brought snacks, alcohol, blankets, and tents/sleeping bags to the field north of town, where no one else seems to go. it begins as a peaceful and surprisingly insightful night, as the situation prompts some of them to share their fears — but the peace is broken when T5 sees a masked face in the trees, causing panic. requirement: a group thread between the muses involved. T4 is responsible for starting the thread while they are already at the field, but the order of the reply chain afterwards is up to the writers. this moment may result in one or more muses sustaining an injury.

#11 — seeking distractions, [T8 - OPEN TO ANY SET/MEDIA/LPR ROLE] and [T7 - KWON SERA / @liveformebaby] are browsing the movie selections at hottracks. they find a tape labeled fatal frame that bears no cover otherwise, suggesting it is a home video. assuming it is someone's fanmade film, they load the tape into the projector in the back, only to see their own likenesses onscreen. and it isn't just them — it appears to be behind-the-scenes footage of the crew touring the costume department as the director asks them to pick a "mask that speaks to them." neither T8 nor T7 have any recollection of the moment they are seeing. requirement: an event thread between the two muses. *this moment requires a timeline switch, where the thread must at some point transition into a flashback thread of the 2024 filming, in which T8 and T7 peruse masks in the costume department for a specific mask that they feel drawn to. a list of options will be sent to both muses once the thread transitions.

#12 — as the investigation continues in silence, JEONG EUNJAE (@pcras1tes) receives an anonymous tip through the crimson seal, asking them to investigate [T9 - OPEN] on a specific night --- the night that the victim disappeared. the source gives no indication that they know anything about the disappearance (although they most certainly shouldn't), but claims to be a viewer who was watching the tapes at the time and saw T9 acting "oddly" on camera. they provide no other details. eunjae now runs into T9 at the smiling gogi in town and takes the opportunity to find out more about exactly what T9 was doing that night, and whether eunjae should be taking this tip to the police. requirement: an event thread between the two muses. optional for T9: a solo thread depicting what they had been doing on the aforementioned night, and what the camera may have seen.

[ouroboros-hideout]

Don't think you've got away from me with just 4 questions for Aon ;) 20, 25, 33 + 12 (this one for both canon!Aon & corpo!Aon)

Omfg you putting me up for some challenges here. Pls excuse if the answers for Corpo Aon are not as 'developed' as the ones for the main HC. But I will try my best for you!

20 - When they are sad or upset do they need company or some time alone

Canon Aon: In her teenage years she always reached out to the the people she considered as a confidant/friend or partner when she felt sad. It really helped her to hear encouraging words or just getting a hug. When she had to leave Moscow she lost a lot of trust and rather sticked to herself and hid this emotion behind other emotions like a security mechanism, so she doesn't had to reveal she felt sad. For example laughing over bad situations. She never really learned to reach out to someone again but good for her she found ppl who can look behind that mask (especially Anna and Kurt) and therefore can give her all the things she actually needs but would never ask for.

She can deal a lot 'better' with beeing upset even when she had to learn to calm her anger over such situations. It often just helps to talk openly about the things that annoy her, but if she gets to hot headed she rather be for herself to calm down to not say or do smth she would regret later

Corpo Aon: She's way more openly with those feelings and in general a more chill person. But that's because she has become 'emotionally numb' over the years with SovOil and sees a lot of think more rationally. But later when she's with Colonel Peacock a lot of the thick ice that she build up around her will melt and she will learn to become a person instead of a corpo robot.

25 - Do they have fears and phobias, and if they do, do they usally keep it to themselves or talk about it openly

Canon Aon: I think she developed a slight Agoraphobie especially in relation to large gatherings of people and large squares in cities. She has been followed by agents of the Secret Police for years and felt really insecure when she couldn't tell who are all the people around her. Getting paranoid and all that. She tries to hide that ofc or when Kurt wants to take her to the city she tries to find stupid excuses not to go. But at some point he even helped her to overcome that phobia.

And about fears there are two things. One as I mentioned in another question is that she doesn't want to dissapoint her loved ones. So probably a fear of failure. And the second is the fear to suffocate. Step(dick)dad put that trauma on her (I need to finish my writing *cries*). So everytime she gets in situations where she's really really low on air she can start to panic. Or if someone touches her by the throat (Kurt had to learn that at some point but turned it to smth good by showing gentleness. He can really be a good guy sometimes). And maybe quit smoking at some point, Aon. Could help. Just a hint lmao.

So all in all she tries to hide her emotions here too but sooner or later it will come to light or she has to adress it to not feel even more uncomfortable with it.

Corpo Aon: Can't really think of a phobias she might have but she actually fears to be alone and later in addition to lose things/ppl that are important to her. She was a huge loner in her SovOil time and therefore is a lot clingier than canon Aon. You therefore could imagine smth like midnight storm (since she already had big feels for Kurt there) and seeing him almost die, was a insane emotional rollercoaster.

And here she would be more open about those fears aswell.

33 - What are one of their fondest and most treasured memories

Good it is just ONE of the fondest. I am so bad at ranking stuff.

Canon Aon: I have a scene in mind, short after Midnight Storm when Kurt is at his lowest point ever he would visit Aon in Russia since he wants/needs her expertise to build up his black market (circus) empire. Aon would introduce him to some of her suppliers. I think it would be epic if she would work togehter with something like 'ice pirates'. I don't have a better name for it. Illegal smuggle ppl with a badass ice breaker ship. They would visit them in their 'pirate bay' far up in the north.

So Kurt is still really down, emotionally, physically, a mess in general. They would stay in a house/cabin at the pirates bay and Aon would ask him to come outside during the night to show him the northern lights. I like to imagine Mr. Worldwide has never seen them in reallife and would actually be wowed. And if there is something Aon really enjoys it's making the peacock speachless. So it was a small, kind of magic moment that helped to cheer him up. And around that time they started to become closer. It all still took some time to develope since they didn't saw each other regulary but let's say it was one of many moments that sparked something for them.

Corpo Aon: There are not much fond situations before she goes to America so one of the greatest memories she probably has was when she and Kurt opened up the Black Market in Dogtown and her businesses started to flourish. Like a new beginning for them - togehter. Leaving all past things behind.

12 - How high is their self-esteem

Canon Aon: When it comes to work her self-esteem is really high. She often even turns into a annoying know-it-all.

In other areas, she first had to learn her self-worth. Her parents, especially her stepfather, treated her like trash and she felt that way for many years. As unwanted, outcast and a mistake. Only when she was with the Nomads and found many people there who appreciated her, her personality etc. and later also met Kurt who accepted her with all her strengths and flaws as she is, it gave her a boost and she also became more confident here.

Corpo Aon: For the most part, she only defines herself through her work, so she has a stronger sense of self-worth. She also never had to go through the teenage traumas like Canon Aon. Well, she did go to war, but these experiences also helped her to grow.

[deathvsthemaiden]

Do you have any advice for ppl who’ve been in a reading slump since... 5 ever ? i love reading somehow it’s just harder to get into it these days :(

Omg for sure!! Here is a scrambled little list, I hope at least some of it helps:

📖 read in any format (ebook, physical book, audiobook) bc they’re all valid and make reading more accessible for people which is I think part of why ppl get hoity toity abt it. Ignore them. Also, I assume that if you wanna read, at least a large chunk of why is because you wanna have fun and consume stories yes? 😳 you can do that w/ any form of book, and any other reasons you might have to want to read, like expanding vocab or broadening ur horizons or learning to analyze books should be secondary. Focus on making it a fun and near-effortless/painless thing again and then u can graduate to those (I think that’ll come naturally tbh as long as you read semi-consistently) Fun comes First and I say that as a terrible English major 😗

📖 And with that in mind, read whatever you want, even if it’s simple or cringe or a reread or whatever because after completing the first few impulsive reads that you find engaging enough to finish completely, you can worry about reading what you think you “should” or what would benefit you specifically if that makes sense. Like I’m completely pro reading new things and not limiting urself to 1 genre but there’s no harm in taking your time moving onto things that don’t immediately pique ur interest. Get into the groove of things first, the criticism of ppl who are well past the target age market for YA but still exclusively consume it doesn’t apply to people who are trying to rediscover their love of reading imo.

📖 keep books nearby all the time! (All!!! The time!!!!) You might not actually read them 45/50 times that you bring them with you to places/keep them near you wherever u spend time at your house, but those 5 times will be bliss and you’ll thank yourself! Do it! Especially if ur open to ebooks and can read them on ur phone!

📖 put your phone somewhere far away on mute and force yourself to read for a specific chunk of pages or time. Very old person-ish advice but like. They’re onto smth when they tell us to do stuff like that, but they’re also way too smug and holier-than-thou about it so no need to tell any of them that! 🤫 but seriously be honest w/ urself if u have a compulsive notification checking problem and challenge yourself to overcome it long enough to meet a very small teensy tiny goal 🥅

📖 I juggle a lot of books at once and I’m constantly planning ahead in my brain when I do it, without consciously meaning to (library deadlines for digitized books are so strict 💔) And often I don’t end up following these plans perfectly, because following them perfectly isn’t the point, especially since life happens all the time and isn’t often very receptive when we wish we could forget everything and read for several straight hours. Reading shouldn’t be a burden, but the vague guidelines help. I think stuff like “tomorrow I’ll finish this poetry collection before bed” or “I’m gonna study and then read 2 chapters of this novel I’m rlly digging as a treat before continuing,” “I’m gonna listen to 4 chapters of this audiobook while I take a walk or do chores” etc etc. and usually I end up reading at least a little! And the best thing is when I read more than intended because the book is just that fun. I don’t write these plans down, but if it helps you to do so I urge you to anon :0 !! Just remember ur writing them on paper/a screen and not in stone, so you can always be flexible and change things around and you’re not by any means a failure for doing so. To be flexible w/ urself is most likely to ensure long term progress imo!

📖 speaking of juggling it’s absolutely fine to cycle through a ton of books and sometimes abandon them for months and come back when the whim strikes! If your memory is good enough and you prefer having a bunch of variety at all times, jump from book to book with reckless abandon! It legit doesn’t matter. Also don’t ever hesitate to drop a book if you’re not vibing it’s not worth it. Time is precious life is precious you’re doing this for fun, yes? Drop the book if you can’t bring yourself to care theres sooooo many more where it came from! Be merciless and picky!! It will pay off I promise, and to be that way is not antithetical to challenging yourself or stepping outside of your comfort zone unless you make it that way.

📖 buddy read/have an impromptu book club w/ someone. It doesn’t have to be official, and I’ve done this multiple times with people and sometimes we just don’t finish the book/meet our set goals and that’s a-okay! It’s still worth it to have someone to talk abt the book w/ and you guys can always pick up where you left off or try another book. Literally no stakes at all as long as everyone involved is chill and understanding <3

📖 set a reading goal you think you can manage by the end of the year! You might surprise yourself 😳 and if you don’t oh well! You’ll still have read at least a page in pursuit of said goal 🔎

📖 read short stories! The internet is full of them, and short story collections by multiple and singular authors are everywhere 📚

📖 do some searching and make a list of books that you’re extremely excited to read or really wanna revisit. And then pick your next reads from there! If you want recs for books or short stories you can always shoot me another ask or look at my goodreads (or goodreads in general)