OOPS

###A splash of neon lights. Welcome to **Kawami**! Visiting the **City of Rivers** was your dream for such a long time. It’s just a train ride away from your hometown, but you know how real life gets in the way. It's a place where progress and tradition walk hand-in-hand. It's a far cry from the place you lived in for all your life - let's say "pastoral" is an adequate euphemism. You feel curious and glad that you jumped at this opportunity. *“Hello, Max,”* a friendly young lady says, breaking your reverie. *“I’m **Tanya**. Shall we go?”*. Well, what do you know; she *is* just like she presented herself since you two started chatting online weeks ago. [[Exiting the subway station and on to...|Streets of Kawami]]

###You enter a small production control room. A woman in a **Turning Tides** tour t-shirt and a staff lanyard sits by the broadcast console, wearing large headphones. Tanya walks in her direction and touches her shoulder. The manager looks somewhat upset and takes off one side of the headphones. [[Tanya whispers something in her ear.|Tanya's Whispers]]

###You stand before the broadcast console... On screen, the band's jamming around "Moebiustrip", a staple on their live performances. (if: $monitorresort and $monitorgasstation and $monitorconvention is "1")[The three monitors show unrelated events somewhere else. [[Tanya sighs...|The Empirical Approach]]] [[Look at Monitor #1]] [[Look at Monitor #2]] [[Look at Monitor #3]]

###On Monitor #1... It’s a sunny day, and lots of college students in swimsuits hang around a swimming pool. It looks like a post-graduation party. Holding cocktail glasses with little umbrellas in it, some of the grads struggle to take a group photo showing the beautiful blue ocean in the distance. Surrounded by *large loudspeakers*, a jaded-looking local DJ drops some beats for the audience. [[Looks like a fun time.|The Broadcast Deck]] (set: $monitorresort to "1")

###On Monitor #2... Night falls. Under a full moon, a group of demonstrators expresses their frustration at a gas station. Some police cars stand by, yet there’s no confrontation. You can’t recognize the language on their signs, but some of their imagery suggest either ecological activism or workers’ rights protests: cracked planets, oil rigs, and dollar signs. Fist raised, a woman in a gray jumpsuit and a black armband with a peace sign on it stands on a truck's flatbed, talking into a handheld microphone and sided by *large loudspeakers*. [[Someone's got to fight the good fight.|The Broadcast Deck]] (set: $monitorgasstation to "1")

###On Monitor #3... A conference room with wooden panels, beige curtains, all too sober and traditional. There’s an elevated stage in which women and men in suits sit and look at an audience. There’s a large screen; on it, the projection of a presentation on a scientific breakthrough. Apparently, something related to Physics. It’s not your strong suit. Clearly younger than his fellows, the current panelist addresses an audience into a wireless microphone. On both sides of the stage, *large loudspeakers* hang from the ceiling. [[You wish you understood more about science.|The Broadcast Deck]] (set: $monitorconvention to "1")

###What if she's right? You put on the earmuffs. The absolute silence is overwhelming. On the main screen, the Tides’ singer addresses the audience. The comments section on the broadcast is a wall of fans copying and pasting “RIPPLES!”. The roadie gives the guitarist a thumbs-up: the **white guitar** is ready to roll. Tanya places a hand on your shoulder and nods, looking at you. You press one of the three buttons, wondering about what will happen to [[the sunny resort.|Pressing Button #1]] [[the peaceful demonstration.|Pressing Button #2]] [[the scientific convention.|Pressing Button #3]]

###You presss button #1. The live feed from the Clockworks’ stage is replaced with an image of the band’s logo: the letters TTT surrounded by two facing waves. Above it, *“Thanks for Watching! *Sea* You Next Time!”*. The live comments area gets flooded with typo-riddled messages and furious emoji. You notice a green light under monitor number one and red lights under the others... [[And then...|The Wavelength's Aftermath: Route #1]] (set: $buttonresort to "1")

###You press button #2. The live feed from the Clockworks’ stage is replaced with an image of the band’s logo: the letters TTT surrounded by two facing waves. Above it, *“Thanks for Watching! *Sea* You Next Time!”*. The live comments area gets flooded with typo-riddled messages and furious emoji. You notice a green light under monitor number two and red lights under the others... [[And then...|The Wavelength's Aftermath: Route #2]] (set: $buttongasstation to "1")

###You press button #3. The live feed from the Clockworks’ stage is replaced with an image of the band’s logo: the letters TTT surrounded by two facing waves. Above it, *“Thanks for Watching! *Sea* You Next Time!”*. The live comments area gets flooded with typo-riddled messages and furious emoji. You notice a green light under monitor number three and red lights under the others... [[And then...|The Wavelength's Aftermath: Route #3]] (set: $buttonconvention to "1")

###At the sunny resort... The party animals do a conga line in front of the bored DJ's booth. Below, the shoreline seems farther away than before. *Meanwhile, the protest at the gas station winds down and the demonstrators unpack sandwiches. Life goes on.* A massive tidal wave hits the resort, unbeknownst to the guests. It is a horrifying demonstration of nature's might. *Somewhere else, the scientist ends his speech and the crowd politely applauds him. Life goes on.* Where people once stood, fish flop among the seaweed. [[The horror.|The Grim Realization]]

###At the gas station... The jumpsuit lady hypes the demonstrators into clapping their hands above their heads. *Meanwhile, the party animals at the sunny resort don't give any signs of slowing down. Life goes on.* Suddenly, one of the gas pumps blows up. A chain reaction throws the police car into the air. Widespread panic. *Somewhere else, the scientist ends his speech and the crowd politely applauds him. Life goes on.* A pillar of flame and smoke covers what once was a moonlit sky. [[The chaos.|The Grim Realization]]

###At the convention center... The young scientist shows a funny cat picture on the screen. From their body movements, it looks like the audience liked that. *Meanwhile, the party animals at the sunny resort don't give any signs of slowing down. Life goes on.* Suddenly, the scientist puts his hand over his heart and collapses. Paramedics rush to the stage, but they also drop like flies. *Somewhere else, the protest at the gas station winds down and the demonstrators unpack sandwiches. Life goes on.* All of the audience lay lifeless. Their hearts remain static. Science could not save them; a cruel irony. [[The terror.|The Grim Realization]]

###Tanya touches your hand… Cautiously, she takes off her earmuff. You follow her lead. The absolute silence gives way to muffled guitar feedback. *“You know how good it feels to be right?”* Tanya asks. *“This is, definitely, not one of those days. The Wavelength is real.”* Tanya presses a button on the console; the “Now Live” overlay is gone from the larger screen. You wonder if this is your fault. Did you really-- *“Don’t,”*, says Tanya. *“Do not do this to yourself. If you’re horrified by what happened on screen, just imagine how many lives you saved from the band’s official stream.”* [[She's got a point.|The Sacrifice]]

###...is Tanya telling the truth? This feels like a prank or a very sick joke-- *“If you don’t believe me, fine. If I’m wrong, the worst thing that can happen is a mob of angry Tides fans on social media,”* she says. *"But would you risk having over a million bodies on your back?"*, Tanya says, pointing to the broadcast console. *“Put these on,”* she says, handing you the earmuffs, *“and press one of the buttons”*. Tanya puts on her protection. [["Please."|The Moment of Choice]]

###Beneath the marquee... A huge line of people wait to get inside. Some influencer in a mohawk-avec-pompadour hairdo tries to get cuts into the entrance. The drama is real. The host tries to dissuade him, asking to wait in line like everyone else. Mohawkadour raises his voice, trying to play upon his online clout *“and fan base.”* The club’s bouncer - a muscular lady who could’ve been a weightlifter - lifts the guy by his shirt’s collar and places him on the asphalt. The look in her eyes makes the message clear. You wonder if (and how) Tanya got hold of early tickets for this concert. *“You’re my VIP tonight, Max,”* Tanya says, nodding towards the end of the line. [[Tanya sure is full of surprises.|The Back Alley]]

###The line seems endless. There’s a small alley halfway down the block. Tanya excuses herself to cross past the waiting crowd, beckoning to you to come along. A few steps into the alley, you hear the muffled sounds of Clockworks. Further down, you see the club’s service door. One tall man stands guard. Suddenly, Tanya stops. *“Max, here’s the thing. They need to know you’re the real deal”* she says. *“Answer from your heart and we’ll be fine.”* This feels oddly ominous. *“You’ll know what to say... Just be true to your feelings,”* she says, doing a "zipping my mouth shut" gesture and pretending to put it in her pocket. You and Tanya get closer to the security guard, a tall black man in a very stylish suit, not unlike a secret agent, and mirrored sunglasses. [[You *wish* you were this cool.|The Security Guard]]

###The tall guard stands by the service door. You and Tanya walk past a dumpster and approach him. He looks at her and they exchange smiles. He lowers his sunglasses, looks straight into your eyes, and says: *“How are you feeling tonight?”* You remember Tanya’s advice and say the first thing that comes to mind… [[“Graciously Impatient”]] [[“On The Threshold”]] [[“A Sore Winner”]]

###Walking the Streets of Kawami Making up an excuse to skip work tomorrow so you could hit the street tonight feels good. Doubly so when you’re in the company of the young lady with the dyed hair. *“Would saying this night is going to be full of surprises defeat the purpose of surprising you?”* Tanya says with a smile. *“I’m happy you accepted my invitation.”* Down the street, a gospel quartet sings the opening theme from an anime. They wear neon-lined gowns. An onlooker puts some money in the tip bucket. Not missing a beat, the singers do one full spin. It feels like you’ve known Tanya for a lifetime. [[A crowd in the distance...|Under The Nightclub's Marquee]]

###"And here we are, Max..." “...*Surprise!*” Awesome: it’s **Clockworks**, one of Kawami’s most classic clubs. You’ve watched a considerable number of concerts on their internet broadcasts. Some of your favorite artists performed here. You grew up hearing about how getting a gig at Clockworks almost always meant your band got a boost to the major leagues. You look at the marquee, and your heart skips a beat: **The Turning Tides**, your current drone-rock obsession, is playing tonight! *“I know how much you’re into them,”* says Tanya. But how could she know that? *“Your email signature, silly. *‘Graciously Impatient’*.”* [[Fair enough.|The Line Outside the Nightclub]]

###The security guard smiles. He puts his sunglasses back on and opens the door. Thanking him,Tanya nods and enters. You take one step forward and-- Surely enough, the annoying influencer tries to get cuts once again. Loving to see his own reflection on the security guard’s sunglasses, he nonchalantly says: *“$songname”*. Smile unfaltering, he gently pushes Pompahawk to the side and away from the door. Without uttering a word, the tall guard nods invitingly to you. [[You go inside, still wondering.|Inside the Nightclub]]

###"Ripples", The Turning Tides You’ve listened to their newest single last week, and it’s a banger. You’d give your *right arm* to see its first live performance. *“I have a strong reason to believe someone wants to weaponize it. *Tonight*. And we can’t just tell them to skip the song.”* You ask her if powering off the venue wouldn’t be better. *“There are… *forces* at work, and we *can’t* risk them finding out we’re on to 'em. If they realize that, the results could be catastrophic.”* Sitting on a couch, the stylish bouncer unlocks the suitcase. [[This sounds like madness.|The Stakes]]

###Going backstage Old props, audio equipment in varying degrees of disrepair: one thing puzzles you more than the maze-like innards of Clockworks. You reach out to Tanya and pick her brain about how easy it was to get inside. Anyone could cite a song name - even the mohawk guy. *“It’s not about the *words*, Max,”* she says. *“It’s something else. It’s about--”* Suddenly, you hear the muffled sounds of a song you love. *“Oh, crud,”* says Tanya, worriedly. *“They *had* to start at the planned time tonight, hadn’t they?”*. She grabs you by the hand. *“We must hurry”*. You rush through the backstage. But rather than going to where the audience is, or even the stage, Tanya takes you… somewhere else. She takes a right and opens a door... [[Is this the green room?|The Control Room]]

###You listen to Tanya's hypothesis... *“There are many forces in nature. Gravity. Magnetism. Some of them lie in wait, still to be discovered and named.”* *“I think I found one of them, and I’m calling it ‘The Wavelength’,”* Tanya says. *“I know, boring name, but still. It’s based on how certain sounds and patterns might affect real-world events.”* You wonder to yourself: is this related to how classical music makes plants grow healthier-- *“No, it’s not about that,”* she says, interrupting your line of thought. Wait. How did she-- *“Focus, Max. We’ve got to sabotage this broadcast during The Turning Tides’ latest song.”* The stylish bouncer enters the room. [[He’s carrying a dark suitcase.|... And How We Prove It]]

###"I gotta come clean with you, Max...” *“This is not the first time we’ve been this close. About four weeks ago, I saw you on the subway. Back then, I was helping a woman in trouble."* *"Something atrocious happened around us that night, and yet we’re still alive. The thing the three of us had in common? Headphones.”* *“I’ve spent a week wondering what kept me from…* reading *you. I’ve had my online followers find out more about you. They’re… *tenacious*."* *“We don’t have much time to waste. I have to tell you about...”* [["The Wavelength."|The Hypothesis...]]

###Then again... You found out about your chaperone’s mind-reading skills minutes ago. Your grasp on normality is under evaluation. You and Tanya look at the bigger screen. As the band plays, the display reveals that over a million concurrent viewers check out the show on the live stream. A lot of hyped fans on the live comments. *“Such high numbers for an indie band,”* she says, provocatively. *“This is all intended. Potential mass murder without ever pulling a trigger.”* This is a bit too much for you. How could your favorite band possibly-- *“If ‘Ripples’ makes it to the live stream, there’s no telling how many people might be endangered.”* The stylish bouncer opens the suitcase... [[Three vantablack earmuffs.|The Hype Is Real]]

###As Tanya whispers... You notice the console's four screens: the larger one shows a **live feed from Clockworks’ stage**. The three smaller monitors show other **unrelated places**. The manager's rage subsides. She places the headphones on the console, gets up and leaves, closing the door behind. *"So, Max,”* Tanya says, *“I brought you here for a reason.”* [[She looks really serious.|Tanya Shows Her Hand]]

###"Well, shit." *“That white thing over there? Titanium dioxide,”* Tanya says. *"*Nothing* is whiter than that."* Tanya's grip on her **vantablack earmuffs** tightens. You can't help but notice how impossibly **dark** that element is. *“The broadcast *needs* to happen, but we can prevent a bigger catastrophe by rerouting the transmission somewhere else.”* *"I need *you* to do this."* Tanya says. *"All you need is to choose one one button and press it"*. [["I can’t take this step."|The Broadcast Deck]]

###The stylish bouncer puts on the earmuffs. His smiley demeanor gives way to a glum look. He walks over to Tanya, hands her the other two. *“Thanks, Gilbert,”* Tanya says. Looking at her, he points at his ears, and shakes his head and mouths “you’re welcome.”. **Gilbert** walks back to the couch. On the lower third of the console's main screen, a message: *“Coming up next: ‘Ripples’! Stay tuned!”.* The comments section is on fire with excitement. You hear the muffled sound of an overtly long instrumental jam. On the side of the stage, a roadie tunes a **guitar with an unnaturally white body**. [[Tanya gasps.|TDG]]

###But what about tonight’s event? *“We’re responsible, but we’re not accountable,”* Tanya says. *“But now we have a fighting chance against the forces behind this.”* Still, the feeling of ending so many lives short weighs upon your-- *“We can’t save everyone, Max,”* she states. *“But we must honor those who are gone by taking what we learned tonight and fight back.”* *“And I know *just the person* to help us,"* she says, grabbing her phone. By your side, she calls someone with a striking profile photo: The deep cosmos as the background, wearing a hoodie… and holding a **vantablack guitar**. [[The phone rings.|The End]]

####Thanks for playing Out-of-Phase Synchronicity. No (if: $buttonresort is "1")[party animals](if: $buttongasstation is "1")[peaceful demonstrators](if: $buttonconvention is "1")[promising physicists] were harmed in the making of this adventure. *Pedro Giglio - contato@jigu.com.br* (link:"@okJigu")[(gotoUrl:"http://www.twitter.com/okJigu")] (link:"BrandNewWhatever.com")[(gotoUrl:"http://www.brandnewwhatever.com")]

###”Graciously Impatient” You feel a bit weird: why, of all things, you’d namedrop one of the Tides’ songs? You look around, slightly confused. Tanya stands by your side, completely silent. Halfway back to the street, someone’s hiding behind a dumpster: it’s the annoying hairdo guy from the line, trying his best to eavesdrop and failing miserably on his stealth skills. [[You look at the security guard...|Entering the Nightclub]] (set: $songname to "Graciously Impatient")

###”On The Threshold” You feel a bit weird: why, of all things, you’d namedrop one of the Tides’ songs? You look around, slightly confused. Tanya stands by your side, completely silent. Halfway back to the street, someone’s hiding behind a dumpster: it’s the annoying hairdo guy from the line, trying his best to eavesdrop and failing miserably on his stealth skills. [[You look at the security guard...|Entering the Nightclub]] (set: $songname to "On The Threshold")

###"A Sore Winner" You feel a bit weird: why, of all things, you’d namedrop one of the Tides’ songs? You look around, slightly confused. Tanya stands by your side, completely silent. Halfway back to the street, someone’s hiding behind a dumpster: it’s the annoying hairdo guy from the line, trying his best to eavesdrop and failing miserably on his stealth skills. [[You look at the security guard...|Entering the Nightclub]] (set: $songname to "A Sore Winner")

###Previously, on Out of Phase Syncrhonicity... *Four weeks ago, three young men went missing after a subway ride on the outskirts of Kawami. All of the security footage from that time frame has been compromised, baffling the authorities. At least other two people rode that train on that fated night...* *<b>Max</b>, a reclusive programmer from the countryside who shields himself from social interactions by obsessively listening to music.* *<b>Tanya</b>, the friendliest and most relatable person you would ever meet - her savior syndrome being her gift and her curse.* *At this point on the story, Max and Tanya have been chatting online for three weeks, and they’re finally about to meet in person on a night out in the big city for an event that will send ripples across life as they know it.* [[I'm ready to hit the town, then.|Welcome to Kawami]]