uprisenheart: (heart)
the heart ([personal profile] uprisenheart) wrote in [community profile] dualislogs2019-09-22 01:10 pm

ever since you’ve been my ace of hearts -

WHO: Open to all Dualizens
WHAT: A heart-to-heart with the Heart
WHERE: A run-down warehouse on the outskirts of town.
WHEN: Sept. 21-22
WARNINGS: Please use these in comment subject lines if applicable!



Random text messages happen sometimes, though maybe not as often in Dualis as where you’re from. But there’s one today, and this one comes to your inbox from the number 432-78, which is definitely not a standard phone number. If you open it, there’s an image file, one you likely recognize - an anatomical heart. You’ll need to zoom in on the image a bit, because there’s a short message written along one of the veins, and it’s very small: LET’S TALK.

Below the image is a shortlink, and if you click it, you’ll be taken to a page that is blank except for one of those “Prove you’re not a robot!” messages with a box to check. Once checked, a series of six images appears - five are cartoon hearts, and the sixth is the same anatomical heart illustration that led you to this page. The instructions to pass through this virtual gate are to “Click on the Heart,” and choosing any image except the anatomical illustration redirects to an error message that bricks your phone until you perform a hard reboot.

Choosing the correct image takes you to a page of strange clusters of colored dots. If you look closely (and aren’t color blind), you’ll be able to read the real message: TOMORROW, AT SUNSET and a set of coordinates. A blinking banner scrolls along the top of the page and warns THIS MESSAGE WILL SELF-DESTRUCT IN 10 MINUTES, and the 10 counts down after one minute to 9, then 8, and so on. It’s probably a good idea to write this information down somewhere else!

The inbox message also deletes itself 10 minutes after it’s been opened. All unopened messages are auto-erased 12 hours after the original sent timestamp.

If you happen to be interested in following this rabbit down the rabbit hole, plug in those coordinates on your phone’s Dualis GPS app, and you’ll be directed to a run-down, empty warehouse on the outskirts of town. Be sure to take the time estimate to get there into consideration!

The warehouse is mostly dark inside, lit only by sparse flickering overhead lights; it’s dusty, empty except for the people gathered. When the sunlight outside has all but disappeared behind the horizon, a burst of loud electrical humming echoes through the warehouse, and the lights shut off. All electronic devices inside the perimeter of the warehouse have also been disabled, albeit temporarily.
hellofishies: (pic#2857696)

[personal profile] hellofishies 2019-09-27 10:20 am (UTC)(link)
Arkady hadn't come to talk to the "Heart." Sometimes she didn't need to ask questions to get answers. For this she thought she would learn more if she just listened. She hadn't been here long enough to have cynicism or understanding about who these people were. Even if she had been here a while she wouldn't have been cynical about it. It wasn't in her nature either. She tried to blend into the crowd but no matter what she stood out. Bald and purple eyes tended to have that effect on people.

Turned out to be worth it. There were a lot of stray thoughts to take in and a lot of things she couldn't actually get to. That was interesting. Maybe if she'd been here longer she'd try to push into the minds of the people from the Heart. For now she just wanted to listen and see where this went. And maybe be here if something bad happened.

"Why do you think that?" That was a question born of genuine curiosity.
aguidingkey: (illumine @ dw-22)

[personal profile] aguidingkey 2019-09-29 05:49 pm (UTC)(link)
At this point, Aqua has become one of the Otherworlders who has been here the longest. Or it feels that way. She certainly remembers the beginning.

"When I first arrived on this world, this group blew up a section of the festival," she explains. "They hurt a lot of people. That's why I'm not sure they're going about this the right way." 
hellofishies: (pic#2933768)

[personal profile] hellofishies 2019-09-30 03:28 am (UTC)(link)
She tilted her head and frowned. "Did they say why they did that?" Arkady knew a few things about reacting to oppression with violence. Which meant she was actually pretty curious about the motive that may have pushed people to do something that extreme.