TDM #7

[apocalypsehowmods]

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➥ 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.)

➥ That Itch

(cw: body horror; teeth; bleeding; tooth loss; implied harm to children)

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, especially not with recent events that have transpired surrounding Dogtown. An employee gives you a number to call if anything truly dangerous happens and you've been left with another person at the trailhead. 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 it seems at first glance that for once, there's nothing wrong. No looming clouds. No killer trees or mushrooms. No dead animals. It's literally just a walk in the park. Except…

It's easy to miss the bags at first, but once you start looking for them, they're everywhere. Little palm-sized pouches made of scrap fabric can be found bogged down in the sleety mud, tucked into the knots of trees, slipped between damp stones. Open one up and inside are a handful of teeth, mismatched in size and hue. An experienced eye (or analysis back at headquarters) will confirm that they're all human teeth, but it doesn't seem like any two could have come from the same mouth. Some are whole; some are broken; some have long, bloody roots still attached while others look like they were baby teeth, naturally shed.

The more you look, the more of them you find…and the more your gums begin to itch and then bleed. Your teeth shift inside your mouth, loose in their moorings, roots aching, until one or more finally drop out and onto your tongue, your mouth awash with the coppery taste of blood.

But that's alright. You have bags in which to put them.

➥ Now You See Them

(cw: hallucination; altered mental states; paranoia; potential for physical harm; tentacles; body horror; uncanny valley)

The Midnight Cinema is running a special, triple 3D feature to celebrate the new year from 10 PM on the 6th to 8 AM on the 7th. The Cinema's owner, Lucky Stryker, has even imported some custom 3D glasses for the event, claiming they're the highest quality goods purchased from a 'mysterious seller' out in Nevada, along with the accompanying movies. The event is being offered at a special price to try to drum up more business for the Cinema.

Those who attend will be treated to three horror films. The first, "It Slorped from Outer Space," is a rather camp production involving a slime brought back from a Mars mission. The second, "The Noble Mr. Greene," is your standard swamp monster affair with the monster turning out to be the hero all along, trying to destroy the evil developers and the fools they'd hired in an effort to keep their toxic wastes pumping into the swamp. And the third, "Now You See Them," is a rather more harrowing film, and one that seems to have an unnatural draw to it. Movie-goers who might not particularly want to watch a more serious and gruesome film will find themselves rooted to their seats, unable to look away as the protagonists are taken down one-by-one, by unseen creatures. By the film's end there's no signs of the monsters, just the horrors they've left in their wake. At least not on the screen.

Everyone will be encouraged to take the 3D glasses with them as a souvenir for the event and those who decide to test the glasses out once outside the theater will find that the unseen creatures on the screen are far more visible out in the real world. There are monsters among us. Tall, translucent figures, their bones visible through a gelatinous form, roam the streets of Gloucester. Their faces are smooth, featureless planes, and in place of arms, there are long sleek tentacles that they occasionally wrap around passersby. Those touched always seem to stumble or twitch, like they notice something is happening, even if they can't see them.

Anyone who does see and try to interact with the creatures will quickly discover that they are vicious and violent when noticed. Those tentacles turn razor sharp and will stab people attempting some form of communication or intervention. While the injuries sustained don't appear to be fatal, they will certainly feel that way, and anyone stabbed will find themselves severely weakened and suffering hallucinations (even without the benefit of the glasses) for up to a week afterward. Said hallucinations will invariably be of some sort of personally horrific monster moving about Gloucester. Are they real, in this case? Very hard to say.

After the 8th, the monsters, once swarming the streets of the city, will have vanished, even for those still using the 3D glasses.

➥ New Year, New You

(cw: self-doubt; body dysmorphia)

The new year is a time for change. That’s what everyone says, isn't it? To be the best you that you can be.

Starting off in the beginning of the year, a new commercial begins popping up, especially on local channels, but also as a pop-up when people go online. The visuals and graphics are nondescript but very sleek: shots of good-looking people smiling but not actually talking. "A new year calls for a new you.” A man's voice narrates over the graphics. A flower blooms in timelapse. "And we’ve got just the thing to help you in your journey to your new self. If you want to see what all the buzz will be about, come down to Things of Beauty starting on the 16th. Don’t miss out, because your neighbors certainly won't."

Watching this ad might just fill a person with confusion - it's pretty vague - or curiosity (for the same reason). It will also have a deeper, less immediate effect. If the new year is time for a new person, why aren't you that person? Why aren't you more or different? Why aren't you enough? Watching the ad will make people very aware of some deficiency in themselves... and others. It might be physical or it might be something about their personality or their habits. Whatever it is... something about them is wrong and if something is wrong then you have to fix it.

➥ Mod Notes

• ARRIVAL (Jan 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.
  
  
• That Itch (Jan 1 - 31): Characters who spend too much time looking for and fixating on the bags of teeth will begin to lose their own teeth. If they continue to fixate past the point of initial tooth loss, they will feel the urge to put their own teeth in the bags and then hide the bags around Dogtown. Characters may snap out of it on their own or with help; if they fail to do so the process may continue until they run out of teeth. As with any injury, tooth loss suffered in the TDM is permanent…but at least ADI offers a solid dental plan.
  
  
• Now You See Them (Jan 6 - 8): Characters may find the 3D glasses either by attending the Midnight Cinema event or borrowing them from someone who did. The creatures are generally non-hostile, just pests, if they're only being watched. It's when characters try to interfere with them or communicate that they will attack. There doesn't seem to be any effective means of fighting these creatures, either. Whether that's because they're not really there or they're operating on a different set of physics is unclear. They cannot be hit with physical weapons or via most magical means. Those with the ability to remove their spirits from their bodies may have more success on actual interaction with the creatures… but they will also make themselves significantly more vulnerable and will suffer far worse injuries in any encounter that will translate to their physical bodies as actual puncture wounds/cuts. Those who investigate the company that Lucky bought the glasses and films from will find that it's a small Etsy shop that's apparently gone out of business. Its name is listed as Topsy Turvy Tales, and its former owner is listed as Clarice Smiley, but it's hard to find anything more about Clarice beyond that. For now.
  
  
• New Year, New You (Jan 1 - Jan 15): Characters will be able to come across these commercials while watching TV or as pop-up ads on a variety of different places on-line (even things like Youtube or social media sites). Anyone watching will start to become acutely aware of something about themselves - or someone they know -that is wrong and will feel a compulsion to fix it. Anyone who looks into the source of the commercials will find that they are financed by a company called Faulkner, Yuan, Reid, and Eames, Inc., which upon further digging seems to be a mining company operating in Appalachia.
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Comments

QUESTIONS

[apocalypsehowmods]

[aelwyn_aberration]

Is there anything to be learned from interrogating Lucky about the movie and where he got it from? Specifically to ascertain whether he knew what was in it or not and if it seems like he's telling the truth.

Isabela Madrigal | Encanto

[sickofpretty]

A. Arrival -

This is not her room.

That's the first thought she has when she looks out over the dull, boring building. It's just not. It's not filled with anything bright or interesting, it's not full of colorful plants and scattered with flowers. For a moment she feels like redecorating out of sheer spite. But it's not her room and she figures it's probably just some strange, magical thing that happened?

But she's never heard of someone's room getting completely changed, or a room being replaced, or transported to another part of the house, or something.

"Casita?"

She tries anyway, calling out for the house. Or maybe it's...

"Mirabel? What did you do?" Not that it's Mirabel's fault but after all that's happened, you never know...

B. Now You See Them -

Admittedly she loved the movies much more than she thought she would. They were dumb and gruesome and ridiculous, and they certainly weren't perfect little romantic comedies or great dramas. No, these were movies she wasn't supposed to like, so naturally, she loved them. Plus, the swamp monster? Totally rooting for them the whole time.

She walks out of the cinema laughing, holding the glasses. They insisted on them taking them for souvenirs, and why not? If they hold these events again she'd love to go.

"What do you think if I wore these for fun? Are they stylish?" She puts on the glasses as a joke.

And then screams.

C. New Year, New You -

It's not enough.

She's not enough.

It's like she can hear Abuela's voice in her head constantly these days. Maybe it's not even a voice, more of a feeling. She has to be better, she has to be perfect. So she fights it even more--she has to be the person that she's always wanted to be. Not perfect. She hated pretty before, now she loathes it. She tries out different clothes, dyes dresses wild colors, rips up the bottom of her skirt, ribbons, bright jewelry--

--but it's not enough. She has to do something more. Something that will change her, something that will make things different.

She's holding a pair of scissors to her hair and crying softly next to a mirror in one of ADI's restrooms. She doesn't want to cut her hair, not really. Maybe dye it green, purple, blue--but the compulsion is too great.

It has to be different.

"I don't want to do it..."

D. Wildcard - Anything goes!

B

[brunonono]

"Oh, those are...no. No, they're not stylish."

Sorry, Isabela, your Tio Bruno isn't great at flattery. Or banter. Or conversation in general. But it's been kind of nice spending the day with family, even if it's nowhere near their whole family and the world's possibly ending and those movies were terrifying and--

And it's been nice anyway. Which is why Bruno is totally relaxed, smiling, expecting her to say something more witty back to him when she suddenly screams instead. He screams, too, accidentally flinging his own souvenir glasses in the gutter as he spins around in search of whatever is about to kill them.

C

[dripdripdrip]

Not enough. Not enough. How can she ever be enough here without her powers? She's so weak, and it had been bad enough with her strength flickering, but now? Now it's just gone. She feels drained all the time. What can she do, though? Build up her strength more. She needs to build everything up more. Better, stronger, faster. She has to do this.

Which is why she steps into the bathroom at ADI, ready to change into workout clothes for the gym. "Isa? Isa, what are you doing!?" She hurries over, trying to grab her sister's wrist and pull it away along with the scissors.

A

[pindrop]

There are noises.

New ones, unfamiliar ones, ones that she can't name, can't place. A clicking and humming in the walls and overhead, behind the vents and outlets. Whirring from the boxes on the identical tables lining the cubicles, beeping sounds that startle her, and a buzzing from the glowing light sticks on the ceiling that fills the air like an almost palpable thing. It's unsettling and disorienting and she shies away from the noisy walls, fighting the urge to cover her ears with her hands as she walks, trying to find her way around.

There are people, too, here and there. She ducks and tries to evade them, none of them are familiar and she remembers Abuela's stories. Of strange people invading, driving them out, of violence and danger.

Finally she can make out a voice from home.

"Isabela?"

She calls out softly, not daring to raise her voice too much but hurries after her call.

B.

[wolfssegen]

The movies hadn't been that bad, and it's been a while since he actually went to the movies...even longer since he'd gone to horror movies, since half the pack doesn't like them and they tend to go places together. Usually it's standard action fare when they do scrape together a group that wants to go to the movies all at the same time.

Even the last movie, unsettling as it had been, was pretty enjoyable. After all, horror movies were supposed to be unsettling, right? And he's always preferred the ones where they never show the monster. Whatever his mind came up with was always more frightening than what they showed with CGI or people in rubber costumes or whatever.

As the crowd of people heads out of the theatre at the end of it, he only half-hears a girl asking if the 3D glasses are stylish, assuming she's talking to one of her friends or something. What he does hear is the scream.

Almost immediately, every sense is on alert and his body goes tense, then he strides a few steps forward, placing himself between the girl and whatever she's screaming at. Even if he can't see it right now.

"Stay behind me! What is it?"

Bruno Madrigal | Encanto

[brunonono]

A.) Arrival

Bruno's arrival is heralded by the sound of shrieking, splashing, and a crash of porcelain as he suddenly finds himself standing atop a toilet, startles violently, plunges a foot into the (thankfully clean) bowl, loses his balance entirely, breaks the toilet bowl (and nearly his ankle), and comes crashing through the stall door to land on the floor in front of the row of sinks as water spills everywhere.

For a few seconds, he goes still and takes stock, muttering: "fingers, toes, check check check check--"

And then halts in the middle of his inventory as he becomes aware that he's not alone in the room, whether because someone just opened the door or came out of another stall...or because he just hadn't seen them until this second. Eyes wide, he scrambles to his feet and just...stares.


B.) That Itch

"So this is awful," comments Bruno in a tone of voice that does nothing to indicate he's talking about anything worse than a rainy afternoon. "Why teeth? How teeth? This is just...it's a lot of teeth. How many teeth have you found? I've got--hang on, let me count...."

There's blood on his lips as he fishes out a handful of bags from under his poncho and opens one to eye its contents.


C.) Now You See Them

Bruno tears off his 3D glasses as soon as the credits roll on the last movie, chest heaving with frightened breaths. "That was--I didn't know they made movies like that," he says to whoever was unfortunate enough to sit beside him. They probably have bruises in the shape of his fingers if they didn't fight him off when he tried to grab his neighbors for reassurance. "I'm gonna get some...some fresh air. Yeah. Here, you want these?"

Whether they do or not, they're getting his 3D glasses shoved in their direction as he tries to clamber his way out of the row of seating.

A

[dripdripdrip]

There's a bellow next to him as Luisa punches her way out of the door, and promptly yelps, clutching her hand close and looking around in confusion. "Ah... T-Tio Bruno? What the- What?"

A

[pindrop]

He's so loud.

It's a relief how loud he is, the familiarity of his noise a soothing rhythm in her head, a sonar of clanking and crashing that is guiding her. Whirs of hands windmilling and heavy breaths after being winded from an impact, they're almost harmonious in this strange environment she finds herself in. And his voice, just barely under his breath, she'd know it anywhere.

Once the whole overture of his arrival quiets down she pushes the door open, taking in the chaotic scene she has already followed with her ears.

Hm.

Without commentary she holds out a towel that she grabbed earlier. Except it's not really a towel. It's a rag from one of the cleaning carts but it's all she could find and he's wet enough to warrant it.

B

[reflectory]

"I didn't know they could fall out..."

It's said mostly to herself as she rolls a recently lost molar around on her palm. Really, Joy doesn't know what to make of all these teeth. There are just so many and none of them have mouths. She might have thought stuffing teeth in bags was normal around here if it weren't for Bruno's reaction.

"I also found a lot. Should we--Oh. Are you hurt?"

C

[thekingbitch]

[ The first two movies were great, exactly the kind of cheesy fare Rachel like in horror movies. That last one? Nope. Too much like that time she and her team got trapped underneath the Zagros Mountains and had to deal with vampiric parasites from outer space.

It's fine that he grabbed her arm. The pain wasn't that bad, and it actually kept her grounded. And she may look calm now that it's over, but her heart is still beating uncomfortably fast in her chest. ]

No. [ She doesn't so much as reach for his hand to push it away, as she too gets up and starts to leave. ] I have my own. And we've been inside long enough. It's time to go.

[ They're not in any immediate danger, but she wants out, and he clearly does too. Has he seen some shit (tm) too? She can't just leave him on his own, in that case.

Also, this entire city is creepy. Horrors abound. She doesn't owe him anything, but they're on the same team here, and that has to count for something.

So she falls into leading the way out, too used to being in command to not just do it even casually. ]

Manji | Blade of the Immortal

[canofmanji]

A. Arrival

Is that the sound of loud snoring coming from the maintenance ducts? The dust and spider webs don't bother Manji all that much until he gets in a good lungful that causes him to cough and sputter. Huh, this isn't where he fell asleep. "Eh? Rin?" Why did he feel so light headed and sluggish? Wait long enough and eventually the snoring turns into angry grumbling and banging until finally a rather dirty, one armed, man falls with a surprised yelp onto the floor.

"It-it-itaiii..." The man's one good eye sweeps around the office in clear shock. "Nantekotta!?" Yeah, that's not English coming out of his mouth. Besides the Japanese that he's speaking the katana and kimono might give a clue of where he's from if not when. Be careful approaching the startled man as he just might swing first, ask questions later. The scars covering his face, legs, and arm suggests that he knows how to fight, even if every move he makes at the moment feels incredibly sluggish and slow.

That Itch

Once the language barrier is passed, Manji is able to settle down just a little bit. Everything is new and mind blowing to the man from the mid 18th century who has never seen anything like the technology around the city. He also decides to keep to himself the curse he has that means his body is immortal. The last time a government organization found out about that little tidbit he'd lost an arm.

Getting to go the park is a welcome relief. Something he was finally somewhat familiar with. The phone number is stuffed away in a pocket along with the cell phone someone has tried to teach him how to use to be forgotten about.

He may not look the most welcoming of men and his voice is a bit gruff, but Manji doesn't mind having a partner as they head out to explore the park. "I don't know what they're expecting from us. Go out and find something weird? How are we suppose to know what's weird when everything here is weird?" At least to him it was and he's assuming it's the same for his partner.

Now You See Them

A.
Movie? Manji has never heard of something like a movie before. He tries to reject the glasses as he doesn't understand what they're for before he finally relents and takes them into the cinema with him. For Manji the movie is terrifying enough without the glasses.

"Wha--!? What is that?! It came from space!?" During the first movie he jumps onto his seat. Worried that the slime may end up oozing it's way towards him and off the screen. Memorized enough not to simply flee the cinema he keeps on watching.

Hopefully you don't mind sitting next to someone who talks during the whole movie. Manji ignores all the people trying to shush him and telling him to shut up. Too engrossed to even notice them. "Hey! Hey you! Turn around! TURN AROUND, DAMN IT! What the hell?! Can't you listen!? IT'S BEHIND YOU!"

B.
That... was fun! Terrifying, but fun! He walks back towards his home with a grin on his face. Maybe all of this strange technology isn't so bad! He slides the glasses back onto his face, for the fun of it, before coming to a sudden stop. Huh... he slides the glasses on and off his face a couple times.

"When do movies actually end again?" He asks to the person closest to him. "They usually end once you leave the building, right?"

That Itch

[reflectory]

The park seems normal enough. It's the most normal thing she's seen since her arrival, with its trees and grass and places to sit. There are some things she still doesn't recognize, but it's a vast improvement over the overwhelming everything that is modern society.

Not that she isn't curious. Her head had practically been on a swivel as they made their way from the ADI building to the park. There were so many questions she wanted to ask, and she probably would have if her partner didn't also seem out of his depth. Ah well. She'll just have to pester the ADI people when they return.

"Mm...maybe what they gave us is a clue?" She pulls out her phone and holds it up to show what she means, "So we should try to find something even weirder than this!"

She doesn't look particularly convinced, though, because...well. She'd seen a lot of things weirder than a phone on their way here.

Arrival

[therewerefifty]

You're more than welcome to swing first, Manji. Makie will even be nice about it if you do; she holds her own weapon bunched loosely in one hand, blinking a little owlishly at the familiar man who just fell from the ceiling. She would assume he had something to do with her being here if it weren't for the outraged surprise on his face. Manji has many skills. She doubts acting is one of them.

As for Makie, she's never been much of a conversationalist. So after a beat, there's just a thin, almost vacant-sounding observation:

"Oh. It's you."

Now You See Them (B)

[graveyounglady]

Mercy's rather shaken by that last movie, but the first two had been all right. Mostly. She'd liked the monster in the second one using his plant powers for good, at least, even if he was scaring people with them, too. She's meandering back toward ADI, yawning with the late night and early morning and glances over at the man she's been walking nearby.

"Hmm? Aye. They end once you turn off the big screen thing they got reeling it out. I asked someone about it, and it's actually all pictures being shown one after the other so fast, it makes it look like they're moving. Fancy stuff, sir!"

Damian Wayne | DC Comics

[thefifthchild]

ARRIVAL.

[As you go about your day in the office, you might feel a bit like you're being watched. It's extremely unlikely that you'll catch him, as far as the Batfamily goes, they've all got their specialties. Disappearing from sight just so happens to be his.

And when you find enter a room on your own, only then will he reveal himself, and only then will you feel a sword pressed to your back.]

Talk. Where am I and what do you people want from me?

NOW YOU SEE THEM

[Damian crosses his arms, and takes off the 3D Glasses as the last credits play.]

That first movie was trash and vaguely racist against Martians, the second movie was good, and the third movie was trying too hard. But seriously, how is any of this scary? [You know nothing of fear, average movie-goer.

Or alternatively, a few hours later, he can be spotted in a carpark, leaping over a car as entirely within the confines of his own perceptions, he is fighting this weird slime thing that is trying really hard to kill him.

It hasn't really managed it yet, but Damian also can't land a hit on it, no matter what he tries. If he notices someone nearby he'll turn and yell at them.] Get out of here and let me handle this!

NEW YEAR, NEW ME

[He shouldn't let it get to him.

He's been through this before, it's the reason he went to the League of Lazarus in the first place. Normally, Alfred offers consoling words that Damian doesn't need or want. It's not real, so why should he lean on that superficial comfort? But this time...

Your father always knew what you were, you know. He always dreaded it, so if it's any consolation I'm sure it didn't surprise him much when you stopped playing dress-up and allowed yourself to embrace your inner nature. Master Damian, there's nobody left to fool here. We both know that evil is all you were ever born and raised for.

The words come from Alfred's voice but it's not... him, even the version of him that lives in Damian's head.

And Damian is so lost in thought that he doesn't realize he's put his fist through a window that had his reflection in it until his arm drips with blood. He grimaces, not in pain but in embarassment.]

Mosquito.

WILDCARD

Hit me up at ectoplasmfear or discord (ectoplasmfear#9086)!

Arrival

[brunonono]

[ADI works quickly--Bruno's only been here maybe a week and they've already found a job for him. That's a familiar feeling. The stranger appearing out of nowhere to threaten him is a first, though, and he lets out a squeak as he instinctively throws up his hands to show they're empty of anything but a sparsely populated key ring.]

The pantry? And I think I'm supposed to feed you, I mean not feed you because I'm not really the cook but, uh, if you could wait out in the cafeteria I think they could take any special orders, you know, if you wanted a special order or anything we could do that--

SQ | Gnosia

[totallylied]

ARRIVAL

[ Perhaps surprisingly, SQ doesn’t find herself particularly afraid when she finds herself in a strange room she’s never seen before. It’s weird, sure, and she’s definitely gotta be cautious, but she’s used to weird things happening in the universe. At the very least, this place doesn’t look particularly dangerous? At least, not to her. But it’d be best to be careful anyway, she thinks.

So when she leaves the room, though she looks around before going anywhere, there's not much fear in her expression at all. After entering what seems to be some kind of corridor, she walks over to and gets a glimpse outside one of the windows, tilting her head at what she sees. She’s not in space anymore – it’s obvious she’s landed on some kind of planet, though what planet, she isn’t sure. …What? There’s a lot of planets out there to keep track of, you know!

Hmm. So how did she end up here, anyway? Turning away, SQ starts to explore. Or rather- she’s about to, when she notices a stranger– and putting a finger up to her lips, she smiles, and opens her mouth to speak. ]

Umm… So I’m, like, totally lost around here. Could you, like, help a girl out?

NOW YOU SEE THEM

[ SQ may have been roped into working for some strange organization to help stop the end of the world, but she’s not going to pass up on the opportunity to have fun!

The movies she watches at the cinema are pretty old-fashioned, but that doesn’t stop her enjoying them – especially the last one, which leaves her in equal parts disturbed and thrilled, glued to the edge of the screen the whole time. Once the film is over, it feels like it went by in a flash – but despite being disappointed that it was over so quickly, SQ’s in a good mood when she leaves the cinema, humming to herself with a smile on her face.

Once outside, she puts the glasses on straight away, curious about whether they have anything else to them, or any... hidden surprises. And – jackpot! It doesn’t take long for her to notice something’s very strange.

If you notice her – and she’s certainly made an effort to stand out, with her clothes and makeup – it’ll seem at first like she’s looking at you. But then, her attention will be quickly drawn to something behind you, and as soon as she spots it, her eyes widen, before she exclaims- ]

Like, OH-EM-GEE, isn’t that the monster? From the movie!?

WILDCARD

[ Feel free to throw anything at SQ here! My plurk is over at Rivenix if you want to plot, and I'll probably be throwing up Remnan who's also from Gnosia shortly here as well! ]

arrival

[pindrop]

[Dolores has been here for a day and she's still not done exploring all of the different sections of the headquarters. Now that she knows she's not in immediate danger, it's been fun learning about this place, a novelty after a lifetime in her village.

When she sees SQ she stops and stares. Her parents would probably scold her for being rude but she can't help but lean in curiously, very taken with the make up and jewelry and outfit. She tilts her head and clasps her hands nervously, trying to decide whether to ask about them when the stranger addresses her first.]

Oh! Yes, I can try. Where do you want to go? There are a lot of stairs and floors, I haven't seen them all...

Katrina | freeform's Siren

[twicelost]

ARRIVAL - cw mention of intended suicide

[ Ryn offers Katrina one last chance to return to the tribe that raised her, and as Katrina snarls her response and reaches for her spear, she blinks, and she's suddenly somewhere else. Still prone, still gripping her spear, but now the sounds of hunting one another, of running through the small, wooded island, of wind in the trees and the birds gone silent as two groups of predators fight on the ground, is replaced by a different quiet.

She is indoors. The environment is calm. This is a human place. The sounds of keys clicking predominate, with quiet coughs and clearing of throats chiming in now and then.

This is very wrong, and so Katrina is not at ease. She was meant to strike herself, to die by her own hand, as a member of her birth tribe, rather than rejoin Ryn and live by her weak, soft ideals. She stands swiftly, smoothly, spear at the ready, and takes in the open office space.

She's not quite sure what it is, exactly, but at least she understands English.

Movement nearby has her snapping to face its source— another person who seems out of place, who looks at this room like it's new to them.

Staring them down, Katrina hisses at them. ]



THAT ITCH

[ This entire thing raises Katrina's hackles. ]

This is show of strong. Of power. To make other submit.

[ It's only because she's cooperating with ADI that she keeps her spear strapped to her back, no matter how badly she itches to have it in her hands. Normally, she would be on the offensive, ready to assert her superior strength and speed. But here, things are different. Here, she is not the strongest outright, so she must wait for moments of weakness if she intends to strike.

But also, she is looking out for her partner on this little mission.

If they reach for one of the bags, she'll hiss at them to try and stop them. If they pick up a bag, she'll try and slap it out of their hand. (Her reflexes are very fast, faster than a human's, and she's strong, but it's still possible to avoid this.)

If they persist, she'll hiss again. ]

It hunting us. Bag is trick. Trap. Now it find us!

[ She seems very convinced that this is the truth. ]


WILDCARD

[ come at the feral mermaid! Hmu here or punnyinpink to plot if you prefer o/ ]

Arrival

[thedoctorsmate]

[Blimey, is her head spinning. The TARDIS has thrown them for a loop before, but this takes the cake, biscuits, and Christmas pudding all at once. Donna staggers as she finds herself under the familiar and harsh light of fluorescent bulbs in what looks to be an open office floor plan. She's squinting, peering around in confusion, when she hears the hiss and sees a strange woman nearby.

That won't do. She refuses to be intimidated by... whoever that is. Maybe a snake-person?]

Hissssst, yourself! Who are you? Where I am? Where's the Doctor?

chester "ches" fields ☽ original (werewolf)

[wolfssegen]

[OOC: Ches is a werewolf from a world not unlike our own, but in which mythical creatures and monsters exist and have only within the past 10 years or so been revealed to the general population. Supernaturals are generally feared or hated and have to hide their status as non-human in day-to-day life or they may face persecution or death. Ches is 37, the Alpha of a werewolf pack, has fully accepted the wolf inside himself and can therefore transform at will and keep his head about him. He has an intensely emotional nature cloaked behind a calm and quietly confident exterior. A few words to describe him: protective, lonely, steadfast, serious.]

➥ Arrival

[Thankfully, Chester is neither claustrophobic nor arachnophobic, and while the whole appearing in a new place unexpectedly bit is disorienting and not in his wheelhouse, crawling through ducting covered in dust and spiderwebs isn't too far outside his comfort zone. When you live on a farm, some dust and cobwebs are par for the course.

Mostly what's bothering him is the fact that he keeps crawling and crawling and can't seem to find a way out. Thankfully, after what seems like years, he can hear voices, or someone moving around, and follows that sound to a little grate that he thinks he can get his shoulders through if he doesn't mind a little bruising and scraping. Awkwardly folding himself up into various positions, he manages to turn enough to look through the grating and verify that there's someone there.

Then, he contorts again so he can get his knees up and slam his boots against the grating, then again and again. It takes more effort than it would if he could get a comfortable position, but after a few more kicks the grate tumbles off and his legs slide through. And he makes it through...at least until it's time for his shoulders to get through the little hole. Then he's left wriggling without enough purchase to yank himself free.]

Uh...a little help please?

➥ Now You See Them

[The movies hadn't been that bad, and it's been a while since he actually went to the movies...even longer since he'd gone to horror movies, since half the pack doesn't like them and they tend to go places together. Usually it's standard action fare when they do scrape together a group that wants to go to the movies all at the same time.

Even the last movie, unsettling as it had been, was pretty enjoyable. After all, horror movies were supposed to be unsettling, right? And he's always preferred the ones where they never show the monster. Whatever his mind came up with was always more frightening than what they showed with CGI or people in rubber costumes or whatever.

The offer of taking the 3D glasses as a souvenir was kind of cute, so he takes them and lifts them to his face, plopping them on his nose in preparation to slide them up onto his head like a pair of dorky sunglasses.

That's when he sees it - the thing with see-through skin and tentacles for arms. Unnerving, impossibly unnerving, and somehow worse than what he'd imagined during the movie. Almost immediately, he lifts his arms and glances behind himself, spotting a few stragglers from the crowd coming up behind him.]

Wait there! Stay behind me, there's some...monster-ass...thing here.

➥ New Year, New You

[Chester is supposed to be with his pack, leading them, protecting them, guiding them. He isn't supposed to be here, doing nothing, accomplishing nothing, toyed with by some weird government agency. This isn't how a good Alpha behaves, being absentee, abandoning his pack, leaving them alone to fend for themselves in the face of whatever fresh hell is going to start next.

It's a constant train of thought that won't leave him alone, that hasn't let him really settle and focus on doing what he has to do to get out of here and get back to them. Ever since he saw that stupid ad, it just won't stop eating at him, all these thoughts of the things that could be happening to his people back home right now. Dusty, his little brother; Jasha, the enforcer who's probably losing his shit without Ches around; Noah, the first member of his pack that wasn't blood...all of them, his cubs and his people, his pack, his family.

All he can do is try to improve himself while he's here, so to that end he's in the gym dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a tank top, facing down the punching bag. Remembering everything Jasha has taught him about hand-to-hand combat, lashing out at the bag with fists and feet and making little grunts of effort as he does so.

It'll be obvious to anyone observing that he's pushing his limits right now, his breathing heavy, carrying exhaustion and tension in his body language even as he keeps punching, skin shiny with sweat, wet hair pushed back behind his ears. But he just keeps going, unless he's interrupted.]

new year new you

[cacophonish]

[ Normally, Jeff doesn't spend much time at the gym-- okay, he doesn't spend any time at the gym, and it shows, because he's got the bearing of a Victorian waif who can get knocked over by a stiff breeze.

But he's poking his head in because... maybe he needs to change, you know? He's sick of feeling helpless, useless, whenever shit goes down in Gloucester. He can't protect himself, and he can't save anybody, either, he's just.

Weak.

So he's poking his head in, and if anyone asks, it's because he's like, looking for Tim or something. Jeff's clearly out of his element here, since he's fully dressed in jeans and a sweater... and flannel... and a jacket-- partially because it's cold outside so he's all layered up, and partially because he's way too insecure to strip down and show how fucking scrawny he is.

So, whatever, it's fine, he'll just lift weights and get jacked in his winter clothes. Except...

1) He doesn't really know where to start. And 2) the dude beating the shit out of one of the punching bags is impossible to ignore and kind of making him uncomfortable.

It's just. A lot.

So instead of going to the weights, Jeff drifts over to the sweaty, intense (but still: hot) man. ]

Hey. Did that bag kill your mom?

[ It's a very innocent, sincere question, sprinkled with a little concern! please don't punch him. ]

The 10th Doctor | Doctor Who | OTA

[borntolove]

Arrival

The Doctor is at the moment- very, very confused and having the strangest sense of de-ja-vu. These distant calls to who he once was. But he wasn't anyone else was he?

"Blimey my head hurts."

Where was he before this? The Doctor stands in place trying recall what happened before.

"Think. Think. Think."

Now You See Them

Choice 1

While The Doctor watches the first film, It Slorped from Outer Space, "Blimey! Why do you humans think that's what aliens look like on Mars?"

Choice 2

During the second film, "Oh! Good for you werewolf man. Good for you!"

Choice 3

Ten notices something during the last film and in the corner of his eyes, he is watching those strange figures that seem to be with him. Oh, this is interesting. Very, very interesting. The Doctor slides his 3D glasses down a bit and off his eyes. No strange creatures. Then pushes the 3D glasses back on. He wonders if he's seeing something that is covered in 'void stuff'.

The real questions are - did they really come out of the movie and why are they being so quiet? Art can inmate life at times.

"Whatever you do," The Doctor whispers, "Don't be hostile."

Now You See Them (3)

[thedoctorsmate]

Donna has her own 3D glasses twirling in her hand and yawns before glancing in the direction the Doctor is. He seems to be looking... over in the direction of some people who are walking a dog. "What, just because I'm tired, I'm going to be hostile? You don't be hostile." She is excellent at following directions, thank you. "Or is their dog really an alien?" She's prepared to accept that answer, but honestly.

Mirabel Madrigal | Encanto

[nonmagical]

[Arrival]

[Mirabel comes to her senses as she lifts her head and bumps into something... metal. That's not Casita, is her first thought. "Where am I?!" Is her panicked, second thought as she squirms around in what turns out to be a vent. Either in a building or above a room somewhere. She coughs from the dust and cobwebs.]

Uh... hello?! Anyone...??

[Now You See Them]

[Mirabel finishes watching the movie, feeling deeply unnerved. Horror films, she realizes, just aren't her thing. The glasses kinda cool, even if it was hard to put them over her normal glasses.]

Some movie, huh?

[She looks over at the person sitting next to her. She keeps talking - it soothes her nerves a bit, to casually talk about it.]

What do you think got them? I couldn't see any monster. But you know, it was hard to watch when you're already wearing glasses.

[New Year, New You]

Yeah, I should make some changes this year!

[She whips off her glasses.]

I'm gonna start with these!

[Wait. She can't see. WELL IT'S HER NEW LOOK NOW. She's gonna be outside, stumbling into everything and everyone she sees. Or can't see.]

Arrival

[brunonono]

...Hello?

[He could swear he recognizes that voice, but...no. It can't be. Why would Mirabel be in the ceiling in another universe? Of course, to be fair, why would Bruno be paused in a depressing cafeteria kitchen in another universe holding a big tray of what he's been informed is "taco salad"?

He cranes his neck to look at the ceiling, as though that'll help. There--there's a vent. Did the voice come from there?]

Dorian Storm | CritRole Campaign 3

[wingedboots]

Arrival

A - ADI Building - A crash course

It all happens so fast. One minute he’s waking up in some kind of office building, surrounded by people and technology he’s never seen before. And the next he’s being ushered off to a creepy basement where he’s half expecting to be imprisoned or shanked and left for dead. Instead, he’s somehow suddenly fluent with the language of this world and immediately filled in on anything and everything. But by then his brain is so incredibly overwhelmed he barely retains any of it. At least he’s not alone, and eventually, after a quick tour, he and whoever else he’s with is left to their own devices.

At least here he hasn’t been forced into a human illusion, so he’s there in his beautiful sky blue glory. If someone is unfamiliar with Genasi, he’s of the Air elemental persuasion. He stands about 6’1”, handsome, pretty even, with long wavy black hair that cascades into a blue and white ombre just past his shoulders. He has crystal blue eyes and pointed ears that are pierced in a few places. His clothing is immaculate but likely, unlike anything anyone has ever seen. Even where he’s from his choice of dress is considered unique, straight down to his winged boots. Being a bard, he carries a blue lute and an axe that doubles as a flute. Safe to say there’s likely a weapon hidden in his lute as well.

As they stand in the foyer waiting to be ushered off to their new housing, he tries to break the awkward tension in the air with a charming smile.

“Well that was... that was something, wasn’t it? I’m Dorian Storm, by the way. And you are?”

B - Around town/ Housing - *Humanized Wildcard option* run into him wherever!

Being the flighty sort of fellow that he is he doesn’t stay put for too long. So when he’s able he leaves the ADI to start roaming the streets of Gloucester. He’s a little awestruck at everything, considering this world is much more advanced than his own and everything is completely new to him. He happily and almost excitedly wanders from one shop to the next and while any restaurants or street foods likely at least get a passing whiff of interest, he’s too distracted by EVERYTHING to eat at the moment.

What gives him pause is seeing his reflection in a storefront window when he realizes his face and complexion aren’t one he’s used to seeing. He takes a moment to marvel at his appearance, mostly confused, a little put off by the change, but curious all the same. Some people walking by are likely giving him strange looks. ( And if anyone is curious he just looks like Robbie Daymond)

Perhaps you are feeling kind enough to give the poor boy a tour? Or invite him for drinks or food or help him shop? Or perhaps you’ll just bump into each other on the way into the housing and like a good neighbor decide to welcome him?


That Itch

Weird things happen in Dogtown, and somehow Dorian has been roped into some work. He needs the money of course, who doesn’t? Despite having no say in being dragged to this place he now needs to make an income. Far from his home and his usual band of misfits, he’s been at least given a partner to explore some creepy side of down looking for supernatural activity. Par for the course really, how hard could it be?

Well, it's rather peaceful and uneventful at first, until he notices something in the mud and manages to work it loose with the toe of his boot. He stoops to pick up the small, encrusted sack, and at first, he almost thinks someone left money just lying around. Opening the sack, however, gets a startled and disgusted yelp out of him as he’ll immediately YEET the thing back to the ground from whence it came.

“NOPE! Nope. No thank you. That’s enough exploring for me. Can we please go back? This is-this isn’t what I signed up for.” Of course, it IS exactly what he signed up for and maybe that little satchel of teeth will mean he gets paid at least. But he sure as hell doesn’t want to be sticking around to find more.

( It’s good to note here that he will not be looking around for very long, he likes his perfect teeth right where they are thank you. So he won’t be hanging around long enough for the effect to start making them loose. )

Now You See Them

Of course, Dorian saw the show because it was unlike anything he’d ever experienced in his life. He felt like a giddy child all over again. Even despite the fact that the films scared the ever-loving shit out of him, he still left the theater feeling excited about what he has just seen. So much so that he’s taken the 3D glasses with him, having forgotten to take them off in the first place, but no one stopped him either.

However, it’s not long till his excitement comes to a screeching halt. At first, he just thinks it’s some trick of the glasses, some kind of magic or who knows what, making an illusion of those monsters they saw in the film. That is until he sees someone physically affected by them. He watches in horror as one of these things wrap their tentacles around another unsuspecting person just minding their own business, watches them lurch before it goes to strike again.

“LOOK OUT!!!” The thing turns towards him, hunching its shoulders as if it were raising its hackles at him. It starts lunging for him at a fast gait and immediately he’s turning on his heel and running away from it. It’s one thing to face something like this with a team of his friends to help him, it’s entirely another to try and face it alone. And he knows his limits, he wouldn’t stand a chance if they are anything like what he saw in that film.

“OH SHIT OH FUCK— OH SHIT! NO NO NONONO!” Every now and then he glances back to see if the thing is still following him. And he may or may not run full force into someone else in the process as he’s not quite paying enough attention. LUCKY YOU RANDOM PASSERBY!


New Year, New You!

It’s during his exploration that at some point he’s just stopped mesmerized by the flat-screen televisions in a display window of a shop. Plenty of ads are watched before he eventually breaks his hypnotism to go wandering elsewhere, including one that just seems to stick in the back of his mind for one reason or another. He doesn’t think much of it until he IS. In fact, he starts to obsess over any of his own imperfections. Or the idea that this world deems it necessary to hide exactly who and what he is behind a human mask. Why would they do that? What’s wrong with how he looks? IS there something wrong with his face?? Should he try to find this “Things of Beauty” shop to get his hands on this mystery cure?

It gets so bad that he’ll wander into some public bathroom somewhere and stare at his human visage in the mirror for entirely too long. The moment he notices anyone else he’ll finally break away from his scrutinization to look at them with something desperate and pleading in his eyes.

“Is there something wrong with me? I mean, my face?” His attention goes back to the mirror briefly. It's hard to tell if he’s still asking the questions of You (the random lucky stranger) or himself.

“Why do I have to hide what I look like? Am I ugly?” His attention snaps right back to you for a loaded question.

“Do you think I’m ugly?”

WILDCARD

Please feel free to run into Dorian wherever! Additionally, I prefer prose, but I am a-ok with brackets if you'd prefer. I will mirror whatever style you reply with ♥

You can find me on plurk aceofswords or Discord @ AceOfSwords#5694 if you would like to discuss or ask things

b; hello have a rat man

[ratjesus]

Kugrash recognizes that look. He did the same thing himself, staring at the mirror like he was going insane--it's the standard ADI 'I look different now' look that he always gets a kick out of. It earns a grin as he makes his way over to the guy, waggling his eyebrows, a cup of coffee in hand. It probably looks weird, considering he looks like a wall street guy from the 80s, but Kugrash tends to go with things that were popular in his day, complete with too-white teeth that he bares aggressively. He's trying to grin, fully unaware it's just plain odd.

"Never gets old, pal." They're outside the ADI building, so it stands Kug can put two and two together. He can also look at his human form in the mirror with the other. "You new?"

Sinthia Schmidt | Marvel

[abyssum_invocat]

Arrival

She doesn't know where she is. This isn't entirely new for Sinthia, she often doesn't know where she's been taken. But rarely does she come awake again as quickly and as fully alert as she does now, feeling as if she's landed on her feet from a fall, crouching and bracing a hand against the wall beside her. She knows no one here, confirmed after a quick glance around at the faces near her. She says nothing at first, listening intently through the door in front of her face: her fingers brace against the wood, leaving dark smudged prints. Both hands and forearms are nearly coated with drying, viscous red, easy to notice when she finally eases the door open and steps into the light.

The worst part is that this doesn't seem to bother her.


Now You See Them

The movies had been, all told, mildly concerning, but not overly disturbing; Sinthia has seen and experienced worse, though generally there was far less in the way of clear-cut 'villains' in her experience. Still, it had been a few hours' worth of not being on high alert, feeling a gentle relaxation settle in at the solidity of a movie theater wall behind her.

And then she took the glasses with her--why not? She was encouraged to, and they seemed to do no real harm until she looked through them. The first sight of the monsters--unfamiliar, but frightening enough to have her jolting back--got a suden shriek and her flinging the glasses off her face and away, standing stock-still until she whirled around, trying to reassure herself there were none of the tentacle-armed things near her, wild-eyed and breathing fast.

Arrival

[abrightboy]

That closet has spit out many a new arrival in its time.

Including him.

So it’s not odd to see someone step out of it disoriented.

It’s somewhat less common for them to be bleeding profusely.

“Miss? Are you okay?” he asks, rushing over. “Do you need medical attention?”