((Heads up. If you voted for Trump or did not vote at all in the 2024 US presidential election (exceptions for those who cannot legally vote.) I do not want to interact with you. I am sure you might be a good person and that you are entitled to your political opinion but I don’t want to be romantic with someone who doesn’t align with my political morals. Also this ARG is my way of both meeting someone and coping with my disappointment with the election results. You will probably find the subject matter offensive so it’s best for all to just pass this one and move on to someone else. Thank you and I wish you well on your search for companionship. ))

It’s a dreary day, but lately everything has been feeling dreary. You turn on the radio and prepare a cup of coffee/tea/hot beverage of choice, and move towards the window. Quietly you sit and contemplate as the radio chatters the news in the back ground. It feel like the world has gone crazy, that there is a movement to move backwards. Where once we fought against fascism it seems the world has been slowly shifting towards it as both environmental and economic doom peers in the horizon. It is hard not to feel alone.

You are lost in your thoughts and soon find your drink has gone cold. How long had you been looking out this window? Looking at… something? You refresh your cup and pick up the paper wishing to skim the personals. You rarely ever answer and when you did there was never quite a connection but you get a sort of catharsis when reading the ads. It’s nice to know you are not the only one having trouble finding companionship. You never had trouble being alone, but the romantic in you yearns to express itself, and give of itself to someone who can see its worth. Perhaps as only a distraction, and you could really use a distraction.

As your eyes pass by the same old same old companionship ads one suddenly catches your eye.

“Who Else See The Second Moon?” Female, age 42, California. It first appeared 8 years ago. A second moon. Many do not remember because we were all in despair from the surprising results of the American presidential election. It was faint and not everyone could see it. A lot of people thought it was some kind of mass hysteria. When I bore witness to it was faint, I did not think much of it. Paranoia or a trick of the light. But as the years went on I could see it more clearly. Not every night but enough to cause concern. I was not the only one who could see it. Even some of the newspapers reported on it but many insisted it was fake news. It got over shadowed with recovery of the outbreak, and the sudden inflation.

In the last few years I have tried to ignore it, tried to point it out to those who could not see it, tried to live with it, and for a while it looked to be going away. But now it is clearly back and more menacing than before. And worse the one’s who cannot see it, who refuse to acknowledge it, there is something wrong with them. I don’ want to go through this world alone but I don’t want to be with someone who can’t see this other moon. I maybe crazy but I want to be with someone who can also see it. Really see it. So I don’t have to traverse this strange new world alone.

Please tell me you can see it too.

You put your cup down and stare down at this strange personal. Morbid curiosity or perhaps intrigued by the novelty of this message you can’t help but feel it call to you. Make you feel some kind of connection with this stranger. Then something in the back of your brain tingles. Like a reminder of something you forgotten. You look out the window and see two moons. The moons you had been looking at all morning staring back at you like the eyes of an old one. Old ones? How do you know of the old ones but not of what they are?

You cut out the personal ad and pin it to the wall so you can’t forget again. Your desire to respond is no longer about curiosity. You need to tell someone your part of this story. You bring out your inkwell and quill and begin to write.

((So this ARG is lest cryptic puzzles and more Alternate Reality. You play as yourself but living in this alternative world of horror and madness. There are big things at play and we are every day people trying to live our day to day lives in this ever foreboding supernatural reality. I'd like to imaging this world in a sort of 1910-30’s Dark academia feel that is not time period accurate but still has the vibe. We can work on world building in OOC (out of character) and establish the rules of this world. Ideally I’d love to do actual pen and paper snail mail for the characters and digital for world building but it is sort of dangerous to give random people on the internet your home address so that is a no go for now.

If you are interested (and single) write back through “send a private message” as your character (Do NOT use Chats. I use old reddit and Chat does not work well. I will not see it.) I don’t know how many will answer this R4R but if you don’t get a response back it means I have been overwhelmed. I will try my best to respond.))

Hope to hear from you.