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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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.

[canofmanji]

Manji listens politely enough to her theory, but when she pulls out the phone he does start to look a little skeptical. "Weirder than those things?" He scoffs. "I doubt we're going to find much that's stranger than these talking things." Reaching into his pocket he brings out a phone who's screen has already been cracked as he holds it upside down. He gives it a few shakes, frowns at it when it doesn't talk, and then puts it away again. "But sure, why not? It's as good as any other starting point in this crazy place. Maybe we can find one to talk on demand."

His stride is a lazy, but confident one as he walks through the park with her. Eyes gazing at the strange light posts and drinking fountains as they go. "I'm Manji, by the way." As he suddenly remembers they haven't been properly introduced. "Pretty new here, but I'm guessing so are you?"

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."

[canofmanji]

Grumbling angrily, Manji is for a moment distracted by brushing the dust he collected while in the ducts off of himself. That is until he hears Makie's voice and he freezes.

Oh... shit.

"Makie!? You're here too?" He takes a quick glance around and doesn't see Anotsu or Rin around. It goes a long way to both relax him a little and send his blood pressure skyrocketing. Without them around he doesn't think he has anything he needs to fear from the woman in front of him, but that also means Rin is still missing. "Have you found the kid or your boss yet?" He's pretty sure he already knows the answer to that, but maybe they were waiting somewhere else? Gracefully he's able to get up off the floor despite his missing arm.

I have 15 icons and half of them are kid!makie sob

[therewerefifty]

Makie tilts her head as she watches him rise, the tiniest downward turn of her lips the only sign she's unhappy. She has no answers for him. But surely, at least Rin would be making a lot of noise if she were somewhere nearby. Anotsu, not so much.

"No. I don't know if they are here at all. I... don't know where here is." She peers up with curiosity at where he fell from, because those are uh... different.

Oh no!! And here I was missing my coloured icons! At least Manji is an adult in all of them!

[canofmanji]

"Me neither." He grunts out with a frustrated sigh. "One minute I'm sleeping, trying to stay warm, next thing I know I'm falling out of-- uh, out of..." He follows her gaze before waving an arm at the duct. "Whatever that thing is."

With a hum he walks towards a window and peers out of it. It doesn't take him long to frown at the city he sees outside. "That doesn't exactly look like home to me. Just where the hell have we ended up?"

[therewerefifty]

She's... seen the city. It doesn't even have familiar architecture; she'd lay money that they were nowhere near Edo.

"You have no memory of being brought here?"

[canofmanji]

"No, and I'm assuming you're the same?" Makie taking them some place strange didn't seem like something she could do or even would do. "How long have you been here? Have you just woken up like I have? Have you gone into the city yet?"

[therewerefifty]

"...I have not." The city is kind of intimidating, to be honest, so completely alien, and she'd prefer to be a lot more familiar with it before potentially getting into a fight. Makie blinks. The other questions--

"Not long. And I was not asleep. I was--" She pauses. "Fighting."

She was getting mouth to mouth from you, is what she was doing. She's not going to mention that right now.

[canofmanji]

"Fighting, huh?" He's not really surprised to hear it. He would be surprised to hear she was fighting him and even more surprised to hear about a kiss. Considering he and Rin had still been behind them when he dozed off.

"Well, that doesn't exactly look like any after life I've heard of to me. Think we should go explore it together?" As he wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea of going into the town, but standing around here wasn't going to find Rin. Plus, if he had Makie by his side he thinks the two of them can take on most anything they might find.

[therewerefifty]

...he is good in a fight. On a par with Kagehisa, and the two of them together should be able to handle anything dangerous, though the strangeness of the city still gives her a moment's pause.

But what are their choices? Standing in this hallway forever doesn't sound like it will solve much, and will grow very awkward besides. So after a moment, she inclines her head.

"All right."

...yeah, she's still not much of a conversationalist, sorry, Manji.

[canofmanji]

He gives his head a nod. "Then, step one. Find our way out of here." Without waiting for any other direction he heads out into the hall to search for an exit. Stopping and looking left than right before randomly choosing to go left.

Although they probably won't need to walk too long before they come across some actual workers. Workers who try to talk to think in English. Something that gets Manji to stop and grunt in confusion. "Eh? Do you have any idea what they're saying?"

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!"

[canofmanji]

Manji continues to take his glasses on and off again. "Uh huh... then why can I still stuff when I put these on?" The problem with Manji continuing to stand and stare at the creatures they eventually become aware that he's noticed them. They turn and look directly at Manji.

"Uh oh..." He has a feeling that can't be good. Especially once the creatures start rushing towards them. "Oh shi--!!! Look out!" Manji doesn't worry about how Mercy might feel about him touching her. He grabbing her hand and yanking her out of the way of a charging creature he probably can't see.

[graveyounglady]

Mercy has no idea what's going on, but she's been in Gloucester long enough not to question someone seeing something she can't and trying to get her away from it. Unless it's an illusion? Even if it is, the man seems to think it's a dangerous one, so she lets herself be pulled, eyes widening as she follows.

"What's going on? What do you see?"

[canofmanji]

"Put your damn glasses back on!" He barks as he runs. Not willing to give her his own pair when he needs them to see in order to keep them out of danger. He chances a glance back and sees the creature was still chasing after them. "And pick up the pace! Move it! Move it! Or that thing chasing us is going to catch up!"

[graveyounglady]

Mercy shoves the glasses on as best she can with her freehand and glances behind to see whatever that is chasing them. She puts on a burst of terrified speed that overtakes him. "ADI! We need to get back to ADI! They'll protect us."

Somehow? It seems like it's some level of sacred ground, at least. For all the terrible things that happen in this town, at least ADI's been able to keep the monsters that were physically there at bay, like the kelpies.

[canofmanji]

Once she starts to overtake him, he lets go of her hand, letting her run on her own. "You sure about that?" He give another glance behind them; sure or not he doesn't think they'll be able to get there before the creature catches up.

"Then keep running. Don't stop and don't look back!" He could at least buy her some time. Skidding on his heels he turns to face the beast. Pulling out his katana as he does so.

[graveyounglady]

"Unless you got a better- hey!" As soon as he stops and pulls a weapon, so does she. Mercy's dagger might not be as impressive, but it's a solid piece of metal. If that's... even going to do anything.

"Quit standing there like a fool-headed mud-eater!" she barks. "I ain't running 'less you're running!"

Unfortunately, the creature doesn't seem to care about the argument as it bears down on Manji and takes a swing at him with its tentacles.

[canofmanji]

He swears angrily right as he dodges the first tentacle strike. Why do women never listen to him and run when he tells them to!? "I said run!" He snarls. Taking a swing at the creature with his long sword to try and get a bit more space and distance between them. While also trying to make himself look like the bigger threat. He did not want this thing going after her. "I'm immortal! So RUN DAMNIT!"

[graveyounglady]

"You ain't that here, 'less you been hurting folk you ought not should of!" She steps closer. He doesn't really seem like the sort who'd do why ADI claimed you needed to for that sort of power. She's not going to let him throw himself on the sword because he's being bullheaded.

"Come on. That thing's gonna run you through!"

[canofmanji]

"Maybe I have, you idiot!" Except he hasn't. He's actually forgotten about that completely. Too use over the years that the worms would just work even when he didn't want them to. "So just--SHIT!" Manji is cut off as he dodges away from another shot of the tentacle. He follows through with an attack with his blade that has no effect at all on the creature. Causing Manji's mouth to hang open in shock. "What the hell!?"

[graveyounglady]

"The hell is getting out of here!" She doesn't really understand what that is, but she's been here long enough to gather that it's a curse. Mercy sheaths her blade and pulls the first thing from her pocket that she can--some coins--chucking them past Manji and at the creature. Like his sword, the coins go through it, but it draws the thing's attention. The man will have a moment to pull himself together so they can get going.

But if he doesn't, well... Mercy is going to try to kite it away. She takes off at a sprint, and the creature turns to follow her.

[canofmanji]

It's a good thing she throws the coins as seeing it pass through the creature has Manji rethinking his: stab it harder idea he was planning on trying. That probably wouldn't work.

He's not about to let her run off alone with this thing chasing her. Manji is right behind her. "So-- how far is the office again?" He calls out while panting.