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redstringtheories2021-10-01 02:11 pm
TDM #4
(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.)
(cw: creepy toys, possible violence, supernaturally induced emotions)
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...characters who enter the area will eventually stumble upon...a very interesting sight. Take enough confusing, branching paths, and they’ll find a variety of toys abandoned in...a variety of ways.
Some, reminiscent of the happenings of the past month, can be found dangling from branches, or from contraptions of sticks and string staked into the ground. Others might be found arranged in patterns...or simply discarded. Some appear to be tied up. Perhaps surprisingly, there is no evidence of the destruction of these toys. Some may appear to be disintegrating but that’s age, not malice. There are old toys and new toys to be found. Maybe it’s just a prank, or an art installation?
Nothing seems to happen to anyone who ventures to touch the toys. At least...not right away. However, any character who does decide to touch a toy will start to feel like they just don’t have...enough. It might manifest as being particularly possessive over things or people they feel are theirs...or in coveting what they don’t already have (be it material or immaterial). These urges will fade away on their own in time, but who knows what might happen before they do?
(cw: mention of vehicular collisions, supernaturally-induced sleep/fatigue)
There is an ethereal music spreading throughout town. It started in the graveyards last month, but now it's spreading, even as collisions and other accidents continue to pile up. Tourists and locals, alike, will find keeping awake incredibly difficult as October rolls in with a rumble of thunder and a splash of rain. Even caffeine doesn't seem to help much with the problem. The music is only just there, just at the edge of awareness, and it's a song that you know. You can't entirely place it, but it's maddeningly familiar.
The local gangs seem to have taken note of the situation, and have taken to sending out their seemingly more resilient members for some mischief. Specifically, pickpocketing those they might find sleeping or less alert than usual. You might be half-falling asleep on a bus when a hand reaches into your pocket or your bag. You might witness the thief in action, stealing from someone else. Or maybe you're someone keen to take advantage of the situation, yourself. There's money to be made for someone with even moderately light fingers when the target is snoring on a park bench or zoning out while sitting at a cafe.
There doesn't seem to be an even effect to the music. It impacts some people in the same vicinity more than others with seemingly no rhyme or reason. The one constant that does appear for those digging deeply, is that ADI HQ and the ADI housing complex seem to be less affected by the music. It can still sometimes be heard, but it's not nearly as prominent as it is throughout the rest of the city.
(cw: supernaturally-induced sleep/fatigue, mild memory loss)
For as much as everyone seems to be sleeping lately, it does not seem to be restful sleep. In fact, people dozing off regularly will find themselves even more exhausted and irritable than usual. Again, this seems to be far more pronounced for anyone straying too far from ADI's properties for extended periods.
Another feature of this latest round of supernatural irritation is that even those who tend to remember their dreams may have trouble with that. You might remember that the dreams weren't pleasant, but that's about it. The specifics are as elusive as the source of the singing.
Festive planning for the end-of-the-month Halloween Party is in full swing at ADI, and characters may find themselves strong-armed by Pam and other HR personnel, in spite of any grumpiness and exhaustion, into helping with some part of it. Will you be assisting with making decorations? Buying supplies for the kitchens? Helping those who might not understand Halloween to find the perfect costume? Everyone is feeling a little out of sorts, and having trouble focusing, so there's some particular pushing to spread tasks out to everyone possible so it doesn't fall on a single individual. Anyone who helps will be compensated for their time, and they might even get some extra cash to buy their own fancy costume or preferred food for the party.
- ARRIVAL (Oct 1 - 31): 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.
- Toying With You (Oct 1 - 31): Characters who physically interact with abandoned toys will find themselves overwhelmed by feelings of jealousy and/or possessiveness. Depending on how much interaction they have with the toys, these feelings might be stronger or last longer. (Anyone who, for example, removes a toy from Dogtown will probably find themselves helpless NOT to act on the feelings.) Strength of feeling and duration of time is up to player discretion. The source of these feelings could be anything, including the toys themselves. The toys can be destroyed but are not clumped all in one spot. It may take some searching to find them all.
- Pick a Pocket (Oct 1- 25): Characters are welcome to experience, enact, or stop a crime. You may find yourself victim, hero, or perpetrator. The number of people asleep or having trouble staying awake will increase the closer you get to graveyards and seem to decrease the closer you get to ADI-owned buildings. The decrease in sleepiness around ADI buildings does not extend to anyone living at Bonnie's. Characters may find themselves falling asleep in the middle of trivial or important tasks, perhaps even in the middle of conversation. This is a supernatural sleep, but for the moment, it seems easy enough to wake someone up with a loud noise or a shake. Or, if you're feeling particularly vindictive, a splash of water to the face.
- Sleeper's Paradox (Oct 1-25): Characters are welcome to take part in whatever party planning they wish to for ADI's Halloween party. Everyone affected by the drowsiness that's taken over the city will find that they cannot remember the specific nature of their dreams; although, they will have the sense that they did have them, and they were unpleasant. The effects of the fatigue may affect other memories or result in increased irritability, and decreased focus and reaction times. Characters may find themselves more prone to error than usual, even those who are typically known for being on-point at all times.
Eric Matthews | Boy Meets World
One moment, he was sitting on the couch in the apartment. The next, he's plopped down unceremoniously in a rolling office chair in the middle of a perfectly ordinary office.
It looks perfectly normal--there's people milling about, doing office things, busy on computers and talking on phones and filing paperwork and asking about how's the weekend, Jan, and how are the kids, Bob--
Eric screams.
"It's happening. It's actually happening--"
He turns to the person nearest him--office worker, maybe, or just a random person, he has no idea but it's important that he has an audience--
"--I've been preparing for this my whole life but it's finally here."
A dramatic pause.
"I've time-traveled...to the future."
B. Toying With You -
Eric can't stop taking pictures.
Of mostly random things. It's just so cool to have a camera that you don't have to send the film away to be developed?
Snap. A cool rock, immortalized!
Snap. A leaf shaped like a dog. Neat!
Snap. His partner's face, hopefully not too annoyed.
"Aw, come on, this is fun! Besides, isn't this more interesting than those weird creepy toys over there?"
He smiles blankly as he points to a pile of cast-off dolls and puppets and things just off to their side, that he happened to notice a literal second ago out of the corner of his eye.
It's probably fine.
C. Pick a Pocket -
He is so tired.
"Hey, do you get jet lag from crossing dimensions?"
Eric sprawls over a park bench and yawns as he holds a cup of coffee, looking blearily out at the bustle around him. It's a nice day but he can scarcely keep his eyes open.
"That's gotta be what this is."
He yawns again and rubs his face, as an enterprising pickpocket reaches out to snatch his wallet.
Eric sees everything and languidly points to them.
"Hey. Stop that."
If only he had the energy to chase after them. His voice is flat, dull, sleepy.
"Oh no. They're getting away."
D. Wildcard - Anything goes!
B!
Like that suspicious pile of abandoned toys. She hasn't watched enough horror movies to have any expectations, but it certainly is oddly creepy in a way.
"Fun is not exactly the word I would use," she replies dryly. It's probably good that someone else is out here to help keep an eye on this kid.
Turning her gaze along the path, she realizes that there's another puppet perched high up is a tree. Caught there by the wind, perhaps? Or did someone climb to put it there?
"I'd hardly call any of this 'interesting'. Odd, certainly. But nothing 'paranormal'." She mutters half to herself, recalling their instructions as she stares at the toy. It's not exactly disbelief per se. But more of a stubborn residual belief that even the unexplained must have a certain kind of logic behind it and disdain for 'magical' thinking.
no subject
He takes a snap of a tree root just to make a point. Look, art!
Except then he looks up to catch her gaze and sees that there is indeed, a puppet up there.
"Weird. I mean, it could be paranormal? A ghost could have put it up there?"
There's a beat.
"Can ghosts even carry things? Or do they just like, go through stuff like they go through walls?"
This is very important conjecture.
no subject
Or, you know, cultists. Or other crazy types. But she's not going to say it.
Still, a nagging bad feeling lingers, and she casts a quick glance at the trail behind them before turning on the camcorder, deciding to at least shoot a few seconds of the strange toys. It won't be any worse for those going through their results afterwards than having to look at this kid's photos.
"Or perhaps it's 'art' too," she adds dryly.
no subject
Eric frowns, getting an uncanny chill from all of this, and decides to take more pictures to, following Marian's lead.
"I dunno, if it's art, why wouldn't there be a sign or something? Or other people here looking at it?"
He crouches down to pick up one of the dolls, turning it over.
"Maybe there's a name on here, might tell us who these belong to."
no subject
While Eric checks out one of the dolls, she walks on a few more paces. There's another assemblage of discarded toys further down the way, propped up with sticks in unnerving positions.
Despite a bad feeling about wherever they may have originated, he's right in that a name might be a useful clue for... whoever is going to look into this later. "Any luck over there?"
no subject
He looks at the doll, frowning when he doesn't find anything, and puts it down, and picks up another one. Then another one.
"No dice. Doesn't seem to be anything here."
Eric frowns and rubs the side of his face as he searches through the pile, the frown getting more and more intense as he picks through them.