[Open] Zombie apocalypse, AHOY

[zomboii]

Who: Unnamed & YOU
Which: Open log
Where: Reverein & dreamscape
What: Unnamed has a dream about his home....a zombie apocalypse :')
Warnings: Pandemics, disease, undead, mild gore...bc they zombies


Dream - cw zombies, mild gore, pandemics, disease

[ The dream begins with a city of towering buildings. Skyscrapers as tall as any world of modern civilization, built so that they could touch the clouds if only the right weather permitted it. City stretches as far as they eye can see. It's a marvel and a feat of engineering, creating the impression of a cast society...until the details of the image become clearer.

The vast buildings are battered and broken. The city is not pristine, but ravaged by time and nature. Some of the skyscrapers have toppled, their inside burnt out by some long-gone calamity. Others lean precariously to one side, whole sections of its floors missing. This metropolis...is nothing more than ruins.



Roads are flooded; their signs overtaken by wild growth. There are cars, worn and rusted and broken. Dozens upon dozens litter the streets. Some have their windows smashed in. Others, it's as if something has broken its way out.

Potholes and debris are everywhere. Storefronts have been looted and lay ruined or boarded up. There are barriers over what could have once been strongholds, old stores; banks; park gates. Disrepair is everywhere.

Something has happened in the city. Something very, very wrong.

Little clues can be found here and there in the form of graffiti on the walls: NO WAY OUT some say; others read SHELTER AHEAD, long-since crossed out. Several of the houses have old Search & Rescue marks on them, the red of their paint long since faded and worn. The numbers, for those that understand them, are clear: 5DB, IF. Dead Bodies. Infection.

The dream starts there. An empty house, broken and cold; the scent of damp mildew lingering in the air. There are old photos on the walls, but their surfaces are caked with dirt and grime. Some are broken and the pictures inside are all but rotted away. The kitchen table is broken in two down the middle, as if from a large impact. The front door lies flat in the entrance. There are scratch marks in the rotted wood. Something tried to claw its way in--and succeeded.

There's a stifling, isolated feeling which permeates the dream...right up until a (perhaps familiar) sound comes from behind: ]

...Auh?

[ Unnamed blinks at your character: dishevelled and dirty, clothes in tatters...but most of all, confused. What are you doing in his world?? ]


[ ooc; WELCOME TO ZOMBOI'S HOME WORLD, Y'ALL. It sucks 8') And it's filled with zombies! (the slow-moving kind). Feel free to dreamhop as normal or as one of the infected! Wanna be a zombie? GO FOR IT. Zombies will ignore other Infected & leave them alone, but if you'd like them to respond to your character as food...that is also fine. You can also tag as if post-dream (aka your character saw the recording) and went to find him after.

FOLLOW YOUR HEART. hmu on owlits if you have any questions/wanna plot/etc

EDIT: it is also 100% optional for dream!zombies to recognize your character as food!! they could ignore them, not notice them, be indifferent to them, etc. Horror threads are not a must c: ]

Comments

[fishflakes]

["No. Don't want fight." Honestly, fighting them is the last thing he wants. Toge glances over, making sure the other zombies are distracted, before he sighs and slowly begins to sign.]

["They think I food. Want to eat me." He's not sure how Nanashi will take this, but he'd gotta explain why he's so wary, otherwise it might put them both in danger. "And if they only bite me, I become like them."]

[zomboii]

[ They think Toge is food? But why? Toge's just like them! ...Well, he's like Unnamed. He's a bit different from the other Infected. He knows that. But it's hard for him to wrap his head around the idea that the Infected would ever want to hurt anyone. He's never seen them do it before.

"Like them? I don't understand," he signs--says, although not in the strictest sense. The dream does a lot of the heavy lifting, carrying the impressions and thoughts he wants to convey seamlessly despite his lips never moving. "If they bite, still eat?" ]

[fishflakes]

[Nanashi's confusion is only more confirmation for him that he really has no idea why Toge's so freaked out. He hates the fact that he has to explain it, but he doesn't now how else to break it to Nanashi. So he signs carefully, trying his best to explain it in the most careful way he can.]

["Humans different from them. If I get bit, I get sick." He explains slowly. "Turn out like them. No thinking, no talking, no fun. Become..." He pauses, not sure how to explain, before he just points to them. "Like that. Would forget everything too. Wouldn't recognize friends, or be myself."]

[zomboii]

[ It's not an easy truth to hear. Unnamed doesn't want to believe it, either--how could a bite from one person do something to another? He doesn't have a concept of disease or infection; he's never considered that the Infected people in his world have ever been anything other than what they are. It's all normal to him.

To have Toge tell him that if one of them bites him, that he'll change and become like them... That twisted something uncomfortable in his gut.

"But they're human. Aren't they?" he tries, hands twitching as they try and form signs he doesn't yet know out of reflex. "Why would a bite change you? Make you forget?" ]

[fishflakes]

["Not anymore. Once human, but not anymore" Toge notices those twitching hands, and he genuinely does feel bad; he doesn't mean to imply that Nanashi is bad or evil, it's just... what he knows of zombies. That they're not human, and if they bite people they turn them into more zombies.]

["Zombies not real in my world. Only stories. So I don't know everything. Could be wrong." He has to make that clear, because he's mostly going off of movies and books and such. "But in my stories, zombies have sickness. That sickness makes humans sick, and they give sickness to other humans by biting." He pauses, thinking for a moment. "Humans can get sick. Cough, sneeze, not feel good. Like this." He takes a moment to cough, and pretend to sneeze, to show the zombie. "Most sickness is small, easy to heal. Just makes you sneeze and cough or feel tired. Back to normal after a few days. This is..." He pauses, trying to figure out how to say it. "...big sickness. Easy for zombies, hard for humans to heal. So humans become like zombies."]

[He doesn't want to flat-out say that humans die, because that... might be a bit much for Nanashi to handle.]

[zomboii]

[ "But they're people! Like me. We're the same. Right?" Not the exact same, but....they've never tried to hurt him, let alone interact with him. At best he can call their attention, but it isn't anything more than that. It's the sound they're attracted to, not him.

"I don't understand 'zombie.' I don't know what being sick is like. They're always like this. They don't cough or sneeze! Maybe it's wrong? Maybe this is different. My world is different..."

That has to be it...right? It can't be that they're dangerous. They're normal. They don't want to hurt people to give them 'sick'......right? ]

[fishflakes]

[Genuinely, Toge feels bad. He doesn’t like being the cause of distress for someone, and he can tell his words have upset his friend. But he had to let him know why Toge was on edge. It wasn’t his fault, it just… was the fact of the matter.]

[“I’m not sure. All I know is you’re different.” And that’s the honest truth, because Nanashi IS different. “You‘re one of them, but don’t act like them. You are nice and friendly and don’t want to hurt anyone. I don’t know why, but you’re different.” A part of him wants to know where Nanashi came from, what happened to his world and why he was the only zombie like him. Maybe there were others like him? Or humans who were immune? He honestly had no idea, but he would love to find out. Unfortunately, he has no idea if he ever would.]

[“Maybe your world is different. I only know what’s from stories, and stories could be wrong.” He can admit that, because zombies aren’t really a thing in his world; cursed spirits and ghosts, sure, but not zombies. “But you’re not zombies in like my stories. They are.” He points back to the zombies shuffling around… and pauses when he realizes one is starting to shuffle their way.]

[zomboii]

[ Unnamed doesn't 'hear' it, but his awareness of the dream still lets him know. He's never seen one of the Infected lurch toward him like that before. They ignore him at best on most days; the only times he gets any attention is when he makes sounds. For them to move like that...it means they've found something they want to eat.

And the only things in their direction besides him...is Toge.

The dream shudders.

"No! He's not food!" he 'says' to it, breaking off from Toge to hold his hands up at the zombie. ]

Uh! Auhwah, ah! Uh!

[ It ignores him, aside from his sounds. Those only make it let out a wet hiss, stumbling forward. ]

[fishflakes]

[Those sounds that Nanashi makes, unfortunately, draw a few more zombies towards them. And they all fix their dead, empty eyes on the jujutsu sorcerer, all but ignoring Nanashi save for his sounds. Toge tenses, a hand going to his collar.]

[Were he alone, he would use his Cursed Speech to freeze the zombies in place and run, or make them explode on the spot. But with Nanashi here, he’s not sure how fast they can run together, nor does he want to scar the poor zombie more than he already has. So with that in mind, he reconsiders his plan as he tugs his collar open, fixing his gaze on the zombies who are now beginning to run at them.]

Turn around and walk away!

[Will his Cursed Speech even work on zombies!?]

[zomboii]

[ Toge used Cursed Speech!

It's super-effective!

which is to say that yes, it works lmfdss the only reason it doesn't do anything to Unnamed is because he's deaf; the regular Infected can hear it just fine and respond to it without hesitation. Whether they want to or not, their bodies twist around and they start to march away.

It's a dream so Unnamed doesn't hear it, but he understands the intention behind it and turns to look at Toge with surprise. That's the power he mentioned before, isn't it...? ]

[fishflakes]

[It's kind of gruesome to watch, especially since their bodies don't fully work the way a normal human's would, but Toge lets out a sigh of relief when they walk away. He pauses as he looks over at Nanashi, and without his face covered the zombie can see the way his face twists into a wry grin.]

["Maybe we're alike, you and me. We're both different." He doesn't mean that in a bad way; Toge is different from humans in a similar way that Unnamed is different from zombies. "But that's good. Means we can be friends."]

[zomboii]

[ It's a nice thought, and Unnamed appreciates the sentiment. He knows it's because he's deaf that the Infected react a different way than him to the cursed speech (and not because of whatever makes him different from then), but it's still a little sobering given the circumstances.

He's...a little jealous that Toge could make them listen and he couldn't. And somehow that feels foolish. Unnamed suppresses the thought.

"Friends that are different together!" he 'says' instead, insistent.




and then, because he can't help but stare at those marks around Toge's mouth:

"Can I touch?" ]

[fishflakes]

[Toge is just glad that it seems like Nanashi is taking his words to heart. He nods. "Friends together." he agrees.]

[But, he pauses at the question, blinking owlishly. He wants to... touch his seals? It's not the first time someone has asked him, but it's not often that he's so blatantly asked. But, after a few seconds, he will nod.]

["Ok. Just don't pull on my cheeks." The seals don't hurt, but he doesn't really like his cheeks pulled.]

I SEE THAT BLUSH

[zomboii]

[ "No pulling!" he parrots back in a promise. He might not mind having his cheeks pulled, but that doesn't mean it's the same for everyone. Emet-Selch and Shigeru took great care to make sure he he had at least a basic understanding of discomfort, pain, and illness.

Still. Those marks look...well, cool. Toge's given him permission so Unnamed wastes no time in giving one corner of his mouth a little poke. Because, y'know. it looks like a button. ]

HE BLUSHU

[fishflakes]

[They do look fairly cool, don't they? Toge holds still as Nanashi pokes at his markings. It's hard to tell if it's a tattoo or a birthmark, but they're very clearly etched onto his face; if Nanashi were to try, he'd be hard pressed to find where the markings end and where his skin begins.]

["They're snake eyes and fangs seal" he signs slowly while Nanashi inspects him. "My family symbol. It gives me my powers." And when Nanashi backs up a little, he will stick out his tongue, showing off the full seal.]

uhuhuhu

[zomboii]

Ouh...!

[ "It's on your tongue!" he exclaims, as if Toge didn't know that already. It's fascinating okay? Let him get excited. "How do you make all the marks on it? Is it like magic? Dreamotion?"

That's the only way he can picture it happening; he hasn't yet been introduced to the concept of tattooing--

--and if Toge doesn't stop him, he's going to try and poke his tongue, too. ]

[fishflakes]

[It's honestly kinda cute to see hum get all excited like that. But sorry, Nanashi won't get to poke his tongue because he withdraws it back when he tries. Poking his cheeks is fine, but poking his tongue is a little weird.]

["Yeah, on my tongue too." By having the marks on his tongue as well, it turns his whole mouth into a Cursed Speech tool. "Not sure how. Was like this since I was born." He thinks it's because of his Cursed Energy that branded him, but it happened so long ago he doesn't have specifics on it.]

[zomboii]

[ Probanly for the best... It's a dream, but he's still been wandering around the apocalypse without washing his hands. He's even wearing the same downtrodden, weathered and frayed clothing he's arrived in Reverein with.

"What's born?" ]

[fishflakes]

[What.]

[What.]

[Toge blinks, visibly pausing as he stares. Oh no, he did not… he did not ask that. How does Toge even explain that..?]

[Toge stares, before slowly moving his hands. “Maybe I explain later. When we go back.” Yeah, he’s… he’s not doing this right here in the middle of a zombie apocalypse dream.]

[zomboii]

[ HE SURE DID, TOGE.... how he's made it this far without being told is a miracle tbh. Toge wins the birds and bees lottery!!

"Good idea. This dream isn't good for talking..."

It's. Kind of not good for anyone who isn't him, isn't it? ]

[fishflakes]

[He's not sure if he won the 50/50 or lost it with that gacha luck.]

["Yeah. Bit hard to talk." It's hard to talk about silly things and also to keep an eye out for rogue zombies. He chased away the few that were nearby, but they might come back...]

[Also, uh. Birds and bees talk can wait. For a while. Yeah.]