redstringtheories

Entry tags:

!tdm

TDM #2

➥ Arrival

(cw: potential for severe disorientation/vertigo, claustrophobia, arachnophobia, body horror)

It happens in the blink of an eye. You may have been asleep. You may not have. You may have stepped through a door or turned a corner. You may have seen a flicker of something at the corner of your vision and turned to look. Or maybe you didn't.

It doesn't matter. What matters is that you find yourself somewhere entirely new and entirely unfamiliar. The arrival point is not always the same. (If you're lucky, it might be a canteen or an open office. If you're not, well... you aren't claustrophobic, are you? Or arachnophobic. These ducts do seem to be a bit cobwebby.) There is no one waiting for you but you don’t seem to be alone, either. Even in a janitor’s closet or the bathroom, you’ll find at least one person who seems to be just as out of place as you are.

If characters have arrived in a location devoid of NPCs, they may want to work together to figure out what is going on... or to avoid their 'kidnappers.' If you’ve arrived in the middle of the entry foyer or the gym, there may well be a few people who startle a bit at your arrival and try to approach (or discreetly leave the room... where are they going?). Will you cooperate or fight? Do you even understand what they're saying? You might need to find a translator, if you’re not immediately willing to follow a stranger.

After characters follow their new hosts (or are forcibly taken in) there will be a limited tour and the chance to settle in at the ADI-provided housing. (Do you enjoy living with strangers? Well. It's a new situation to navigate, anyway.)

➥ Say, Say O Playmate

(cw: hallucination, potential mind-control, blood, ritualistic sacrifice, claustrophobia, potential for being buried alive)

Weird things happen in Dogtown, everyone knows it. The Apocalypse Disruption Initiative (ADI) is not above taking advantage of that to test out the waters for its newest arrivals. They're not looking to send anyone to their death, though. That's far too much paperwork, you'd been assured with a wink from the employee who'd directed you to the park trailhead. You've been left with another person. Maybe they're a new arrival, as well, or a more seasoned 'veteran.' Either way, you're together for the next while and you've been asked to find and record any paranormal activity in the park. You have your phones and any other equipment you might have brought with you. Those who succeed in documenting anything peculiar will receive a $100 reward to be used as they see fit.

This month, there seems to be something odd afoot with some playground equipment. ADI has had reports of a few disappearances around town and Dogtown seems to be the locus of them. When characters go investigating, they will invariably stumble across a lone tube slide somewhere out in the woods. Though it seems a little grimy - though less grimy than one might expect from something you’d find in an abandoned settlement - there’s nothing noticeably off about it. (Not unless you find abandoned slides suspicious.)

Nothing, that is, until someone climbs up to the top of the slide and looks down the tube. As soon as they do, they may feel the urge to slide down. (Or perhaps this is just nostalgic and they feel like taking a trip down it anyway!) Either way….anyone who disappears into the tube will be disappeared. Characters who find themselves in this situation will slide for much longer than expected. It might almost seem interminable, with plastic walls closing in around them. The slide does end, though, and characters will find themselves in one of two places when it does: underground in a cramped, winding cave system or in the interior of a stone temple.

The former experience will be disorienting as characters try to find their way out. They may realize that they’ve already passed certain features...or they think they have? Even a level-headed person might be given to panic, to the fear that they might never find their way out or that they might make a wrong turn and be simply stuck. They will have the sense that they are not the only thing down here, that something is lurking just out of sight, following them. However, perseverance will be rewarded, as will reliance on one’s partner. Eventually, they’ll find another plastic tube and if they climb through it, will emerge back where they started.

Characters who find themselves in the temple will discover that they are locked in. There is seemingly no way out, since the tube that they slid through is just too steep to climb back up. But the room is not... empty. No, there is an object suspended above a pit in the ground, held by chains. And there are two stone disks set slightly out from the wall on opposite sides of the room that seem like they could be depressed inwards. Like a button. Pressing them in tandem will lower the object (which seems to be a... great big black garbage back) down into the hole. As they do, the bag starts to... move. Is it living or... is there just something alive within it? Characters will not be able to get the bag open, whatever they try, but they'll notice blood leaking from it

Lowering the bag -- whatever it is, whatever its contents -- will eventually cause two previously hidden doors to open. An unearthly scream comes from one. The other reveals a stone tunnel. How fast can you crawl?

Still. No matter how close those screams follow characters as they crawl and slide their way through the tunnel, they’ll eventually find themselves sliding down...bright plastic. They too will emerge back into the clearing they disappeared from.

In both cases, that clearing will be empty, with no sign of the slide.

➥ Silver Ghost

(cw: large-scale vehicular collision, industrial disaster, fire, harm to animals)

It's nearly midnight when a thunderous crash shakes the buildings of Gloucester. It begins with the shriek of metal on metal, a drawn-out, tormented sound like a great beast screaming out its last dying breath, followed by a terrible concussive blast like a clap of thunder. There's the sound of shattering glass and roaring wind as the buildings that make ADI Headquarters and apartments, as well as Bonnie's Flophouse, shudder on their foundations, and in the moments that follow there come the pitiful cries of the wounded and dying amidst the groans of twisted metal. The air reeks of burnt flesh and the taste of hot metal lays cloying on one's tongue. Somewhere, animals are screaming. Somewhere, flames lick upward, filling the heart of old Gloucester with a sickly, unnatural light.

Except...

Except the people of Gloucester lay sleeping peacefully. Most native guards stand their posts blissfully unaware of anything untoward happening on their watch. There are no alarmed crowds flooding into the streets, and what few people are out on some errand in the night drive on past the flames without so much as a glance. No windows are broken; the buildings stand miraculously undamaged. Those who venture out into the night to investigate or to help will find that the phantoms of destruction flicker back into darkness and silence, though not before the light of the flames leads the way to an abandoned railyard.

➥ A Switchman's Story

(cw: fire, destruction of home, mention of insects, infection, and altered perceptions)

It's hard to say when this railyard ceased to be a major hub of the web of rails that connects Gloucester to other cities up and down the coast. Freight trains still periodically rattle through on a few of the lines, so one best stay aware of one's surroundings, but this is by and large a dead place. The few railway workers here seem perpetually to want to keep moving, and there's the sense of a heavy, oppressive presence that hangs over the place both night and day.

A derelict train car sits rotting on long-unused tracks. The local workers take no notice of that ramshackle hulk of metal and wood, gazes skittering past as though they don't want to see. At first glance it seems there's little to find here but termites and tetanus, but for those brave enough to scramble inside, there's something more. Inside, the train car is almost like the burnt husk of an old house after a fire, with the collapsed remains of bunk beds and a cracked washbasin still recognizable despite signs of an inferno followed by decades, perhaps even a century, of neglect. What looks like peeling wallpaper turns out, on closer inspection, to be a large number of posters pasted to the walls. Many are burned and decayed beyond recognition, but on a few it's still possible to make out the shapes and faded colors of clowns, elephants, and tigers.

Little information seems to be available about the railyard or the crash at ADI headquarters. The more junior staff members of the research department are eager enough to help and will do their best to set new staff up to search online databases for information, but there's an unfortunate lack of a real starting point for research and the overworked senior staff aren't available to help. For now it's a long slog through online journals and newspaper archives with no results in sight.

➥ Mod Notes

ARRIVAL (Aug 1 - 21): Two people will always arrive in the same general location together. Arrivals occur throughout the early month, not all on the same day or in the same place. Arrivals are not naturally fluent in English/other languages immediately upon arrival. Characters may attempt to evade capture, but they will eventually be snagged before they can leave the building. PC's already in-game are more than welcome to interact with and try to guide new PC's to get them oriented. Please refer to the Arrival page for details regarding the arrival and onboarding process.
SAY, SAY O PLAYMATE (Aug 1- 21): Characters will only encounter the slide once. If they make it out, it will not appear to them again. For those who enter the cave system, the pervasive sense of being observed and followed will not relent, nor will characters be able to find the source of it. The caves are utterly silent save for the noise the characters themselves make. For those who enter the temple, there will be no way to get the bag off the chain or pull it onto stable ground. The pit it hangs over is just too large for that. Both characters will have to press buttons on opposite walls in order to lower the bag and open the way out. Characters who try to stay and face what is chasing them, they will be met with a bubbling, oozing mass of mud. If it washes over characters, they will be buried alive and die in the temple. If characters jump down the pit, they will die in the temple. If characters refuse to lower the bag into the pit, they will be trapped and eventually die in the temple. Please bear in mind that if a character dies in the TDM prompt, they are dead. A different version who doesn't have TDM memories may be apped in their place.
SILVER GHOST (Aug 21): Characters will find that native NPCs are largely unaware of the apparent crash, both within ADI and without. Any characters who appear at ADI in the minutes before the crash will also be unaware of the sights and sounds. Only characters who have gone through ADI's onboarding process for interdimensional arrivals will have heard or seen the ghostly crash. Some native ADI personnel appear to be aware of it, but not all.
A SWITCHMAN'S STORY (Aug 21-24): If characters talk to any of the railway employees, they'll find that everyone who works at this railyard is a new hire, a recent transfer, or here on temporary assignment. All of them want to transfer away as soon as they can, though none of them can articulate why they don't like this place. None of them have any awareness of the crash the characters heard. Within the relatively brief timeline of the TDM characters will not be able to find historical resources regarding the railyard and rotting train car; characters conducting in-depth research will be able to uncover more information during the in-game event that will take place later in the month.
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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ ELECTROCHEMISTRY [Medium: Success] - He is looking you over, taking in your physicality, looking at your form in whole. It's definitely not for the *usual reasons* someone would take interest in the physical body. ]

Casual for now, Doctor Kishitani. I'm planning on solving the case: of why we're here, why there's an apocalypse, and how we can get back to our homes! Typically, this means there will be many, many side-cases that will build up to the larger solution.

[ LOGIC [Formidable: Failure] - So many, many, many side quests. And you're going to solve every single one. Definitely. ]

But don't worry, this is no interview. You're not a suspect in anything, right?

Nothing comes to mind. (Shinra offers without any pressure, but something seems to pique his curiosity in Harry's words. While there's little surprise in the response he gives, it's a rather heroic attitude, and he finds himself a bit wistful at it.

A larger solution. He can get behind such an approach.)

Well, I'll help in any way that I can. To be honest, I'm interested in sharing information in the future, and I'd like to ask you some question in return. Well, I already have, but may I continue?

A tit-for-tat sounds good to me. [ he nods, setting a hand up against his hip. ] Ask away, Doctor.

(Motormouth and mister invasive given permission! How great. He was gentlemanly enough to ask for it, of course.)

Forgive the assumption, but you seem to have what people would call a good heart, being so helpful and justice-minded. Now, even among the law, that's a remarkable trait. Do you have something you love back at home to protect?

[ INLAND EMPIRE [Trivial: Success] - Every night, she is there waiting for you. She smells of apricots, is young and beautiful, and she will always, always, come back to you. She is never going to leave you.

VOLITION [Formidable: Success] - No. She's gone. She's been gone. There's only a shadow now. ]

No, I don't. [ he shrugs and lets out a heavy breath. ] But I don't do what I do for love. I do it because... I'm good at it, I guess. And people need help.

( Ah, so he wouldn't say he loves helping people, or loves the world. This man might just be following a script, or giving himself purpose. He glances off to the side at that, thinking such a simple answer makes someone a bit more—pure.)

What an altruistic person. We're lucky to have your type here. It certainly makes me feel relieved as a recent hostage, myself. (And he means that, there's not even any mockery. He likes it. A gentle soul.)

I have someone back home that I love very, very much, and that I want to get back to. I feel pretty selfish for wanting the world to be safe for that reason alone. (But not guilty!)

[ AUTHORITY [Medium: Success] - It isn't about altruism. You are an agent of the law. It is your duty to keep order and peace.

EMPATHY [Formidable: Success] - He is genuinely relieved to be in your presence. Something about your answer must have resonated. It may have something to do with his love. ]

Yeah, good for you. [ there is a pang echoing in him, caustic and haunting. he tries to push it down back to the darkness from whence it came. ] Who is she? Or, him? They?

[ he's being open-minded! ]

(Oh, but how open-minded??? It's fine, he doesn't need to know the details yet. Did he perhaps hear that tetchy tinge on his tone? If it was there, it is politely being ignored anyway.

Shinra looks like a schoolboy in love, all at the age of 27.)

She's my fiancée, and a world without her isn't a world worth caring about! And as long as she's there, I have to comply and help save everyone else too. So in a way, if I help stop the apocalypse, it's really her being the great hero that she is.

(And he won't think about possibly not seeing her again, no way. He practically speaks it all through a sigh, a dream lilt to his voice the whole time.)

Putting it that way, you're a much better person than I am, Detective. There are no conditions for you to help save the world and get everyone home.

Edited 2021-08-06 05:34 (UTC)

[ harry stares at shinra as he goes on and on, trying to squash the pain inside himself. he isn't going to pile his baggage onto this guy, even as the parts of himself he hates the most tells him to. but boy... he knows this guy. he *was* this guy. can he really say nothing? ]

Hey look, that's great and all. Really, it is. But... is that really the only thing you care about in the entire world? Surely there's other things worth saving the world for, even if it's just yourself.

Well, I intend to live a good and full life with her, but I'm just happy I've gotten to love her. I don't really care about what happens to me.

( And that makes him wonder about the selection process, which is where he's going with this, and where he hopes their interests and professions can have a bit of crossover.)

So you see, that makes me wonder how they profile us for tasks such as this. Don't worry, I'll cooperate so I can see her again, but wouldn't more people like you be a better fit?

[ RHETORIC [Formidable: Success] - There's something off about this. Off about him. His tone is pleasant, but his words... aren't they rather chilling? People don't just casually say how they don't care about themselves like that. ]

Well, maybe the point isn't to only have one type of person. You're a doctor - that has to be worth something to them, and to us. So as long as you're willing to help other people, that must be a big factor in you coming here. Even if your reasons are... single-minded.

You're right, skills are just as important as disposition. If there's any actual rhyme or reason or system to this, it makes sense for it to be entirely neutral. There are so many traits that factor into efficiency. (On things like morality. People save others and do "good" out of self-interest all of the time.

Shinra sighs, feeling a bit lovesick for a second, then thinks again on how someone like this could be useful...especially with the friend he knows! Who knows, maybe there are other Detectives and informants who specialize in this kind of thing? He can imagine this guy will have a lair with drawing boards full of notes and photographs and theories in no time!)

Well, I know people are protective of their intelligence gathering, but maybe in the future someone like you can help collaborate on an open source for people like us. I'll happily turn over any research that I find relevant.

Oh, don't worry, I'm not protective at all. If it can be of use to getting things solved, I say we should share as much as possible. Working together means solving this situation we're in faster.

[ VOLITION [Challenging: Success] - Yeah, about your proclivity for sharing every single thought that pops into your head? Don't do that.

(What? Why not?)

VOLITION - To put it as gently as I can: not everyone is your friend, nor do they want to be. This guy seems fine *for now*, but you need to be discerning with who you share things with. Just trying to keep you from ending up with a knife in your back. You have been fooled before, even when warned.

ESPIRT DE CORPS [Easy: Success] - Before doing anything, just take a moment and think: would Lt. Kitsuragi approve? You will find the answer there. W-W-L-K-D. ]

[ the moment in his mind passes in less time than a blink. he smiles warmly and wonders if this guy would really be willing to patch him up if he got into a bad spot. it's fresh in his mind that he got shot a couple days ago, his hip still aching with dull pain. ]

Do you have any other questions for me, Doctor?

(Now that's good thinking. He's had to create something similar back at home, a network at the last minute, and it really ended up helping.

Oh, Harry! He absolutely would patch you up, he's helped with all kinds of gnarly shit as a Doctor specifically for criminals.)

Hmm, I can't think of any, Detective! I was going to ask you about your facial hair...or, rather, just say that I really like it, but that's it.

(Chipper as always, he rubs at his own chin for emphasis.)

Oh! Yes, it's great, thank you.

[ damn, finally he has met a man of culture and taste who can rightly appreciate his *style*. shame this man has a baby face and not a single hair on his smooth skin. could the poor young man pull it off? ]

[ CONCEPTUALIZATION [Challenging: Success] - Above the move, between the nose, you can see it now. A mustache, delicate and yet adding a proper touch of *masculinity* to the good doctor. ]

You should try-out a mustache. You could totally pull it off.

(If the Detective says it with such reassuring confidence, Shinra is sure it doesn't mean it's true, because that would be a ridiculous fallacy of appeal—but he's sure that Harry is being at least somewhat sincere.

He stands just a bit straighter at that, patting Harry on the back lightly.)

Your look is aspirational. (He'd have to see if his fiancée loves it at first! Nothing more important than that.)

If I try it out and fail, I trust you'll be the kind type that pretends to not have noticed!

(Withdrawing his hand now, he folds them both behind his back.)

And feel free to get mangled and mauled any time, I'll be here to help! Though I'm sure we'd rather meet again under different circumstances.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

TDM #2

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