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

(Well, this part of the conversation is unavoidable, and while he has plenty of reasons to lie to and about Celty, he has less to lie to Izaya. Not an Izaya that might be able to be turned around or turned back on his plan. Then again, if he knows the outcome he might just try to take deadlier means.

He walks out first, smile dropping just a bit in thought.)

Umm, let's see. A little under two years, actually. As you can see, my arm and leg have completely healed since then, which is great, because it made surgeries a bit difficult to perform for a while. Not that I mind a challenge.

(He glances back at Izaya, like he's expecting something more from him.)

... So, let me guess. I either truly died or I skipped town, was that it?

(The chances of his survival were thin, if that were the case. His poor body might not be able to withstand Shizuo's rage from the more serious murder attempt he'd try to deploy.

Ah, now it makes sense that Shinra's upset at him. He hadn't seen the boy to grasp at how much he was suffering from his injuries, but he did make the person responsible for them pay.)

No lingering pain or any of the sort?

(He holds up his right hand, flexing and curling his fingers a bit.)

You'd be surprised at how difficult it was to train my hand to steady itself again for procedures, but I'm actually fine now! I guess I had a bit less arduous activity to get back to with the rest of my body.

(He sets about for a cheerful disposition again, though there is something mild and held back in his regard of the other, as if he doesn't think Izaya could handle most truths in life. Not well, at least.)

You live, I'll say that much, or at least you do in my timeline. In your own, who knows? I doubt I can change your mind about the plan you have going on, if you're that intent on an unavoidable fate, but...

(But, but— there is no point in regretting anything, in thinking this can be undone or prevented by anyone but Izaya right now. But, if, and so on, they linger like ghosts trying to penetrate a very poorly developed conscience. )

(Izaya takes Shinra's wrist, purposefully gripping on the labcoat rather than skin so he could look at Shinra's hand, see whether it spams or twitches in any way. Like a weird way to show that he cares... And that if he took his hand, his own would melt away, surely so.)

I don't suppose we will remember any of this if we go back. Unless... Alternative realities? If it doesn't split, I don't think there's anything we can do to change it. I know for a fact that I'm hellbent on finishing what I started.

(And he perhaps can be forgiven. It's entirely new to know that Shinra gives a fuck about either.)

Do you see the flames? Leading somewhere?

Of course you are. (He says plainly, giving a neutral and accepting smile at it. Well, he's at least prepared for this kind of thing since the day they met. He was hoping they could have been friends, and was also hoping that the person he chose as a friend at school would actually get along with anyone he was close to. It can't be helped, couldn't be— but Izaya's alive, Shizuo's alive, and those are the kinds of things that mattered objectively.)

I do! (And, rather blatantly, he just moves his own hand to grab for Izaya's like it's no big thing. Because it isn't.) And you're thinking, "I hope it's interesting," because that's all that matters. What a coincidence, because I'm thinking the same.

(He gives him a bit of a tug, as if to put him forward, because hello, stronger person here! Well, without the supernatural help.)

Don't you question their judgment, choosing the two of us? Though, I guess you care about the world, because it has your humans in it.

(Izaya's definitely alive, and walking alongside Shinra, isn't he? It's a trip to be the only thing Shinra has to grasp at familiarity like he finally can get more than what he's been bargaining for all these years, exceeding the scraps of attention and care that Shinra tosses at him every now and then.

He doesn't know what to do, truly. Overjoyed and absolutely terrified, that's all Izaya feels, and it exacerbates once Shinra takes his hand. It's soft, much like the man's skin, and it makes him feel like his hand might as well just drop from his body. That chill on his spine is quite powerful and it makes his body shudder a little bit.

Not a big deal to whom, you ass? Even if he doesn't pull it back.)

It wins being stuck in the Headquarters with nothing to do, I'll tell you that. Either way, of course I do care, even if it's on the basis of self-preservation. I don't think they got to choose, though.

Hmm, but there has to be some sort of selection process. Even if it's genetic, even if it's something we can't quantify or measure yet, there should be something that gives us more of a propensity to both wind up here. I mean, it's not like it's as frivolous as destiny...

(Shinra ponders aloud, keeping a rather gentle hold on Izaya's hand, but firm enough to press each of his fingertips into the divots of skin that soften the spaces between Izaya's fingers. That way, the hold he has can say "don't go too far". For someone who used his mouth so much, he still values what bodies can say above all.

He knows if someone comes near them Izaya will probably throw his hand off. Such a tough guy!)

Doesn't it thrill you too? This is the kind of recklessness that leads to something exciting. Or, I guess, completely lackluster, but I hope we run into mutants...

Edited 2021-08-06 20:09 (UTC)

(It would have been MUCH more EXCITING and THRILLING and ENCHANTING if he wasn't thinking those adjectives about the man whose fingers intertwine with his own. They also come accompanied by the words TERRIFYING, UNREADABLE, PERPLEXING, BAFFLING and some that aren't so nice to be described. His entire brain has shut off for a minute there.

Shinra's taking much more than Izaya can give, or that he could ever ask for, the motherfucker.

There's even delay in Izaya's response, like his brain is working overtime to process it.)

Mhm? Ah. The supernatural part of it isn't exactly my cup of tea, you know this. I'm going sorely because I'd like to capitalize upon it. I have zero money on me as of now, and perhaps if we report something interesting, that might change.

(The ability to love everything. If it's a bust, Izaya can be glad he was touched and spent some time with Shinra. It if pans out, maybe he can line his pockets a tad. He always wins, too.)

Are mutants supernatural? I think we've had this debate before. Someone on the outside suffering disfigurement of a degenerative disease could be considered mutated...

(He's so fucking annoying, is that one of the adjectives that Izaya uses in the Director's Cut? He knows that talking like this puts an underlying ease to the whole situation, and Izaya seems a bit shaken up, if internally. Of course he could read it, even if the other were to be perfectly still, perfectly dead, he's pretty sure he'd know most of what his friend is feeling.)

Like a human suffering from radiation poisoning. Didn't I win this argument? Well, you told me to shut up eventually, but it went on for about three days.

Edited 2021-08-06 21:06 (UTC)

Yes and no at the same time, wouldn't you agree? Something more of the scope of Shizu-chan doesn't fit the human bill, but something as simple as heterochromia doesn't make them less human than the next. I guess... Perhaps abilities that fit in manga are more suitable to this category.

(Oh, absolutely "fucking annoying" made the cut in Izaya's long list of Ways To Describe Shinra. It's only because he is.)

If you could dissect Shizu-chan or someone from radiation poisoning, I'm sure you'd jump at Shizu-chan in a heartbeat. I suppose if Shinra can't take his eye away from the subject, then it's most likely supernatural in nature.

(The flames make a turn, and Izaya pulls on the hand so that they'll halt. It's not smart to just go like that, but luckily, there's a light post for him to climb.

He just wants to know whether Shinra'd take his hand again.)

I'll go check whether it's safe.

Shizuo-kun will be an amazing body to dissect! I hope he dies before me for that reason alone, but I doubt it. (And not by your hands, Izaya! Hopefully a nice full life, then living on as a legend or myth, achieving immortality, yeah! His eyes glitter a bit at that.)

It isn't that watching someone's skin slough off from radiation poisoning wouldn't excite me at all. The cellular degradation and breaking down of the chromosome's fibre, but...

(Izaya stops and so does he, following his lead, looking ahead. An excited little smile finds its way on his face, like they're about to get into stupid mischief and yes, maybe meet MUTANTS or better, but Izaya is then offering to go ahead first.

Shinra's smile is quickly replaced with a thoughtful purse of his lips.) Hmm.

(Well, whatever it is, it can't be more dangerous than Shizuo, so!)

Okay. (He'll let go of his hand now! First.) If it isn't safe but looks fun, don't pretend to go back with me so you can explore on your own later.

Hopefully he does.

(Gross, Shinra, gross. Well, if they do split timelines, at least he knows now that his plan didn't work. There's still time to run and pull the plug - and just fucking stick a knife into his ribcage while he sleeps or some shit. Burn down his apartment. Explode a car ride he might be taking. Something.

Shizuo cannot be unkillable like that, and beasts are made to be slain by humans. This human in particular has a knife that belongs right in Shizuo's head.)

I never said it wouldn't. Instead, I just know that if given the choice, you'd rather look at something you've never seen before.

(Izaya snorts, taking full advantage of his sweaty hands to climb the post and stand on top of it, masterfully so. Taking a good look from above, it seems it's headed towards a... Railyard?)

Looks like... I think it's an abandoned place. Probably somewhere the edgier youth would hang out in?

Huh? (Shinra raises his voice up at Izaya, a little whine of complaint taut around the sound of disappointment. Edgier youth? No, that can't be. It was so loud, so monumental! This has to be something more and not so boring.)

Nooooo! That's so boring! Maybe a place where edgier youth get eaten!?

(Coming down is always a little difficult than going up, but it doesn't take much effort from Izaya to fall on his feet, minding the impact.

His hand is right there.)

Didn't see any glistering eyes. Do you truly want to be werewolf snack?

You shouldn't excite me with talk like that, especially with only disappointment facing us on the other side. Hey, where do you draw the line on werewolves? Are they human until there's a full moon? So do you only love them most of the time, Izaya?

(Shock, he does take his hand, gently curling his fingers around only the edges of Izaya's! But quickly retracts it, moving to use his coat to begin rubbing at his hand with it. Dirty from the lamp post and sweaty!!!! Disgusting.

Sure, this might be the most boring thing on earth (it will be, for them and their tastes), but there is a chance that they'll be attacked or ambushed, so he wants this buddy system to stay linked. Wouldn't a staged crash or something like that be the perfect setup for do-gooders and helpers? Ah, petty crime, that's so dull compared to sentient slime or a giant, rampaging tsuchinoko.

Celty ♥ would be able to defeat anything out of hand without issue, and even Shizuo would. He doesn't exactly have a lack of faith in Izaya's skill as a human, it far surpasses almost anyone else he knows in speed and reflex alone, but he's still just that: a human. The most human-est of humans! If humanity got selected for a diplomatic mission or a pageant, Shinra is sure that Izaya would be the representative. He'd be a revolting and terrible one, but that's why he'd be good! )

A human wouldn't be able to turn into a beast, to begin with. As far as my love goes, they're disqualified. I'll never understand your supernatural kink.

(Something something, something, jealousy, something, envy, something. Not important to think about it right now. Not when Shinra takes his hand and then drops it like he'll infect him with something -- he's lost hand privileges, they go straight into Izaya's pockets.

It will most likely be boring, and Izaya's already convinced of it. He hears no screams, no cries for help, nothing really catching on fire, nothing to shiv... Not great, but well, at least he has Shinra.)

It's not just a fetish...for example, if another beautiful monster came before— even a Dullahan, I wouldn't fall for them! I'm a loyal man.

(Celty couldn't just be exchanged! No matter what people thought— even what she feared, his heart had more depth than that surely! He stares at the lumps in Izaya's pockets before looking ahead, not thinking much of it. Perhaps he'd had enough, sure.)

If they're going to hold us hostage, I have no issue with the tactic. In fact, I actually respect it. But you think they'd keep it more enticing for us, right?

(Yeah, "us". The two of them, "we" and so on. they are freaks together and he knows this.)

Let's talk fantasy. I hope we find people on hangers, vivisected, like some butcher shop... ( Honeymoon talk!)

(Press X for doubt. If Shinra had encountered another supernatural being at such young age, and then had this familial bond with them, it would certainly have the same effect. It's not Celty, it's Shinra's twisted projection at work.

So, of course, Izaya rolls his eyes.)

Like a little torture? I don't think you'd be able to withstand it.

(But Izaya laughs. Oh, Shinra.)

Are you thinking about organ sale so soon? Shall we start a business?

(Please, have a little more faith in a love that he almost became a splattered watermelon for, you jealous alley cat. Just following alongside Izaya, no hands were held in the making of this movie.)

Well, you really do have an enterprising mind! I'm not surprised you're thinking of profit so soon, but it's a little comforting to hear the words out of your mouth again.

( He sighs, placing a hand to his cheek like he's reminiscing on an old memory.)

It's kind of like coming back to a warm and inviting house, but it's haunted and dilapidated. That's you, you know?

(He means this like, sweetly.)

(It's not like he wanted to hold your hand and then you yanked your hand off, Shinra.)

Did you expect me to think of anything else when I have no money? I didn't exactly bring my wallet to the rooftop to kill Shizu-chan, you know?

(And he pauses, sighing loudly before scoffing.)

Oof. That's awful, Shinra. At least pay me a nice dinner before you start with the dirty talk.

(Not even for identification purposes? he wants to quip, decides against it, his smile lingering with considerably less energy for a second. Yeah, this is why it's great to only prioritize his beloved and not think about other things. Thankfully, Izaya says a remark that actually causes him to sincerely laugh a little, shoulders afflicted with a tiny shake. He glances over slyly and rather earnestly.)

But it's true! And anyway, isn't a haunted house much more interesting than a regular house? (He gestures his hands out, like he's offering some helpful explanation.) By the way, if you want to have dinner with me, you don't have to cover it up in facetious remarks. I'll gladly use my first payout here for it.

(Is there a soul in that audience that wouldn't know that, if Shizuo murdered someone, it'd be Izaya Orihara? Either way, no, Izaya brought nothing that isn't his knives and his signature outfit.

He was going to agree, actually, as he leads the way towards the lights, when Shinra runs his goddamn mouth.)

Better your money than mine, wouldn't you say?

(Again, not like it's all he ever wanted? Hot pot with his friend?)

Ah? Why would I say that? (He cants his head and asks in a bit of playful cluelessness. A small roar and flicker of another row of dying flames catches his eye, causing a warm sheen of light over his lenses.)

"Are you ready to be bored?" Saying stuff like that at least makes it feel like we're in a movie, inviting something terrible to happen. ( But nothing terrible will happen, there are no edgy youth being eaten :( )

It was just a way of saying it, but I guess I do have more use for money than you do. Either way, even without a license, I'm sure ADI is going to have plenty of work for you if any of their missions happen to be more dangerous than this.

(Called: Bribing! He's not above it at all, and with money, you can do all sorts of deals. He was pretty wealthy back home with his three safehouses, but here, all he's thinking is how to pull himself back from being absolutely, terribly broke. This is absolutely news to him.)

If you want to be eaten by a creature so much, perhaps I can do an open you up and throw your heart to the crows. Would that quelch your thirst?

Ah, I'd much rather witness it, but would you really give me such a quick death? At least disembowel me and crack open my ribcage so I can be alive while I'm eaten. Besides, crows are a boring option.

(He's taking note of all of this: it's true, he will probably find work very easily. He's been practicing medicine since he was a child, and he doubts any other medical personnel here would have the documentation to prove it. He could make a more "honest" living here— but he prefers helping those who can't quite be helped without questions. It's a good exchange, he won't ask questions, they don't ask questions, he won't report anything, they won't report anything!

Not that he doubts Izaya will work his way up and even get involved in the unsavory to do so.

As they approach the railway, he moves to walk on the center of the tracks, leaving Izaya his room to do whatever balancing or cat-like acts he feels like on them. His eyes stay fixed on the train car ahead. )

Oh, just so you know, I don't want you to be eaten. You're excluded from my fantasies.

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