TDM #8

[apocalypsehowmods]

↬ Main Navigation

➥ 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.)

➥ Sealed In Fate

(cw: choking, burial, suffocation)

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… there are no reports. But considering how often strange things DO happen in Dogtown that’s almost more of a warning flag for ADI. Nothing happening in Dogtown is weird. Just to be on the safe side, the usual pairs are sent over several days. Most days, nothing at all happens. The weather is cold, but clear and on those days, all anyone gets is some exercise and perhaps some bonding time. But one of those days is a little different. Not at the start. The weather forecast is for temperatures that are chilly but not so cold you wouldn’t want to go out in them. Anyone who is out will have the chance to wander the strange paths of Dogtown for a while in fruitless pursuit of “strange”.

The first hint of anything wrong at all are a few licks of cold air. They might be a little biting if you’re not properly dressed for the season but it’s nothing out of the ordinary. Just winter in the Northeast. Then the licks become gusts. Quickly.

The gusts begin to carry snow. It’s not falling from the sky, it’s being borne on the wind and the wind is strong. It’s probably a good idea to head back to where you started. If you can find it. If you can get there in time. After all, the trails in Dogtown are winding and the winds are starting to drive in more and more snow. It becomes hard to see much of anything between the trees except white, and the snow just keeps coming. Sooner rather than later, characters will probably come to the conclusion that they cannot escape this blizzard no matter how hard they try. Stopping for too long to try and work out a way back to civilization and you’ll find the snow beginning to clump and pile around your legs. Worse still, the snow on the air is so thick that you find yourself breathing it in, snow clumps filling your mouth. It might become tough to breathe, if you and your partner can’t work out some way to filter it out.

Better find somehow or somewhere to wait it out. There are cellar holes in the Dogtown Commons, if you can make it that far…. If you don’t get caught in the snow.

➥ Written In Wax

(cw: occultism)

In somewhat oddly timed good news for tourism, Hammond Castle has reopened its doors to visitors for the first time in more than a year. The reopening has been lowkey, with little fanfare beyond a simple press release. It seems the curator and caretaker, Simone Clark, is treating this as a soft opening before gearing up for more intensive summer programming. Given ADI's decades-old connection with the Hammonds, however, any activity over at the castle is deemed worthy of at least cursory attention. As such, Hammond Castle is now a recommended stop for new arrivals as well as established operatives. So far as anyone knows nothing untoward is going on at the castle; ADI's presence is equal parts professional courtesy and light snooping.

The castle is almost more of a destination than a full-blown museum, with minimal signage. The building is full of art and antiquities collected by John Hays Hammond Jr. and his wife, Irene, and pamphlets at the front desk focus mainly on the history of the Hammonds and the building itself, detailing John Hays Hammond Jr.'s fascination with medieval history, the unique architecture and design of the building, and his various inventions and innovations. It seems Hammond was a prolific inventor, known best as the "Father of Radio Control"... and a member of the American Spiritualist Movement.

For the most part, characters will simply have a pleasant self-guided tour, though the grounds are a bit cold and snowy for too much wandering beyond the castle itself. Inside the castle proper they'll find galleries of art and artifacts, as well as Hammond's lab preserved in place. Everything seems normal, maybe a little dry for anyone who isn't an enthusiast for medieval history and twentieth century technology...except for the wax tablet lying open on a pedestal in the Great Hall. It's easy to miss, the words etched in it smudged and dusty. Look closely, though, and you'll find that the words are in modern English… and that they're addressed to you. It offers a brief prediction for your future--and an uncannily accurate one at that. Within minutes, hours, or days of reading it, the prediction will come true. Every time you go back you'll find a new prediction waiting for you, the wax wiped smooth and rewritten. Keep going back, though, and eventually everyone gets the same, unchanging prediction:

"You will be buried."

➥ Delivered In Danger

(cw: flooding, mention of murder, earthquakes, and car accidents)

On the morning of February 14th, everyone with an ADI-issued device will receive the same message. It's from an account with a photo of a young caucasian man.

un: allmyexes
Howdy, Hello, and a Good Morning Neighbors! Austin's back in town, and I got some good news and bad news. Credentials first, make it all official for Mama Nia:

Austin Yeats, ADI's best field operative, if I do say so myself. Been scouting down in NC, WV, and VA the last half a year. Thanks to whichever of you kids gave us a tip-off about the mines. That was helpful. So…

Good News: I got a lead on a certain Buried avatar named Deepthi who's been causing problems ever since she fell outta whatever reality she's from.

Bad News: That lead's leading me here.

Keep your eyes peeled for this woman:


And if you're thinking 'aw, she looks friendly, cute even!' Well, I ain't faulting you for having eyes, but she's about as dangerous as an 8.0+ on the earthquake magnitude scale if she decides to screw you over. Or us over. DO NOT approach if you see her, just report her, and we'll figure out a strategy to deal with her once we've got eyes. Her hallmarks are unusual ground tremors, sewer blockages, and lone tourists going missing. Hard to track people who are already coming and going.

Be alert, be wary, and keep safe, kids.

-AY

It's later in the day when the bizarre, blizzard-like conditions in Dogtown seem to creep outward in some measure, sending a hard freeze across the city, and driving most people indoors as black ice coats the roads and leads to more than a few car accidents downtown. That might be all right if it had just stayed at the level of traffic snarls. Except…

Except then the problems really start with the pipes. It happens around Bonnie's Flophouse first. The temperatures are edging toward sub-zero outside as the night draws in, and the water stops working. Bonnie assures everyone the pipes are probably just frozen. It should be fine once it warms up, and she has bottled water to tide them over. The Visionary can be seen lurking behind her in the doorway when she makes her pronouncement to the tenants, their pale, chapped lips parted as if to argue, but they press them shut and say nothing.

The pipes burst a few hours later, and it's not ice, but pungent, mud-filled, frigid water that begins pouring into the walls and ceilings of the Flophouse. Help a neighbor save their things, or punch through the wall and find the spigot that can block the flow of water into your room. Do whatever you can because the water is coming. It is cold, and it doesn't stop easily.

Those in the ADI housing complex fare a little better. There are still issues with the plumbing, water only working intermittently, and sometimes coming in blackish sprays of foul-smelling mud, but nothing breaks, probably thanks to the valiant efforts of the onsite maintenance man, Benny Holt, who can be seen moving all around the complex over the next few days. It might be time to help those less fortunate than yourselves… if you feel like it. Maybe you should just leave them to their fate. They chose to live in that run-down flophouse, after all, and those streets are so icy. Is it worth risking a slip and fall?

➥ Mod Notes

• ARRIVAL (Feb 1 - 28): 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.
  
  
• Sealed In Fate (Feb 1 - 7): If you want to play out fruitless searching for this prompt, you can certainly do so! The storm will hit on the 7th, after which ADI will stop sending any new recruits to Dogtown while they do some research on what might have caused the freak weather. The blizzard will abate about as abruptly as it started, after about an hour.
  
  
• Written in Wax (Feb 1 - 13): When the tablet is first brought to the curator's attention, she suspects a prank and tells the visitors in question off for tampering with the artifacts. After multiple characters attest to the predictions, though (and after surveillance footage fails to reveal a prankster), curator Simone will voluntarily surrender the wax tablet to ADI for destruction or containment. Please note that while the Hammond Castle is a real museum and players are welcome to draw on information available online to supplement their understanding of its layout and grounds, the version of the castle (and the Hammonds) presented here has been fictionalized, much like our setting of Gloucester in general. The predictions offered by the tablet may be as simple as identifying someone a person will meet or a small misfortune that might befall them, to something more complex, like identifying a series of interconnected events that a character might be party to. Lab examination of the tablet will yield no particular results. According to science, it is exactly what it appears to be… it's just still going to be making predictions that it shouldn't be able to.
  
  
• Delivered In Danger (Feb 14 - 16): Characters will observe other businesses around Gloucester having plumbing problems, but the places nearest the Flophouse and around ADI seem to be the most heavily impacted. There's no sightings of anyone matching Deepthi's description, but there's certainly the sense that she's around from those who have been with ADI for a longer time than most of the PCs. Bonnie will just be in survival mode in terms of the Flophouse, trying to stop even more things from breaking or going wrong as their home becomes waterlogged. The Visionary will be ever-more reclusive, as well, refusing to speak with people who might try to engage with them. He seems to be especially out of sorts for some reason.
  ↬ Main Navigation

Comments

QUESTIONS

[apocalypsehowmods]

Re: QUESTIONS

[musicdied]

How do photographs and/or video of the wax tablet turn out?

Anything interesting happen if more than one person is looking at it at the same time?

Garner Cinderbrooke | DnD OC

[whisperedone]

ARRIVAL
A year and a half into being blind and there was still plenty he was learning, especially new sensations that might be old sensations but now in a new light. Or dark. This, however, was absolutely, entirely, new. He was pretty certain.

One moment, Garner Cinderbrooke is standing on the streets of a bustling city, the sunset’s rays warm on his face, and the next he’s…somewhere cool and quiet and…still, like the air in a cave that sweeps through from one entrance to a crack in the wall.

Over the pounding rush of his heart, he stops to listen, his sharp hearing attempting to pick out details in the area around him. There’s a shift of someone’s weight, a breath of air drawn and it’s the only clue he has.

“Hello? Is anyone…there?” His voice is naturally and noticeably quiet, even the small thrum of panic in him doesn’t change the softness of it and his words lightly accented, but he surely stands out, dressed largely in black leather traveling clothes, a blue cloak, and a long glaive at his back. Anyone who catches sight of his face might notice, set in the dark tones of his skin and hair, white clouded eyes, the right one bearing a scar up his brow and down his cheek.

SEALED IN FATE
Honestly, he wasn’t sure what to prepare for, but tracking and searching felt like something to do and Garner was eager to take the opportunity, even if the tools they gave him for the task were still something he was working on learning to use.

Despite the milky sightlessness of his eyes, he navigates the terrain pretty well, largely stepping over and around any obstacles in his way far easier in the park than he could in the city where the sounds of everything were too much. Here, at least, the crack of a stick, movement of a stone, or even the sounds of his companion’s footsteps painted a decent enough picture for him.

After about an hour of mostly peaceful travel, Garner hums in consideration as he stops to performatively look around. “Well…I don’t know about you, but I don’t see anything at all.” Dryly delivered with a little smirk, he waits…clearly hoping for a reaction of some kind.

((Open to Snow storm or nothing happening))

DELIVERED IN DANGER
Something was happening with the water…and, relatedly, with the other housing, the one he’d been told about shortly after arriving here. It had sounded like the kind of place he might feel more comfortable in, but with traversal of the city difficult, being away from where he was needed seemed foolish. Now, it sounded like those people who’d been able to make that move were in trouble.

And Garner was here…doing nothing. It made his skin itch.

He sought out the sound of movement, a person heading outside or someone in a hurry, and moved to intercept them, eyes downcast and voice still low, the perceptive might notice the genuine concern in his voice. “Is there anything I can do to help? Even if I must learn whatever it is, I would like to be of use.”

Delivered in Danger

[graveyounglady]

Mercy very nearly slips as she comes to a halt just outside the apartment building. She has a stack of blankets in her arms and a backpack filled with warm thermoses of soup. The situation at the Flophouse seems to be dire and she can't just sit and wait for things to clear up. But she's not expecting someone to flag her down.

"Uh..." She looks the man up and down, takes in his eyes. "You... sorry, you asking about the flophouse and helping folk there out, sir? I'm headed that way, but you'll pardon the noticing... I don't want you hurting yourself on the ice."

Arrival

[brunonono]

Bruno isn't aware of the moment when he ceases to be alone in the otherwise unoccupied office. He's just taking his break away from all the bustle and noise and grease of the canteen, relaxed with his feet propped up on someone's desk, and then suddenly there's a voice when he knows there wasn't anyone else in here.

Naturally, he shrieks, flails, and crashes over backwards, taking the rolling chair he's sitting in with him.

Rhyt Sonom | DnD OC

[ravenwingbow]

SEALED IN FATE
Rhyt had been expecting….more, honestly, the way they’d been warned to keep an eye out and sent off in pairs, she’d really thought there’d be...you know, a threat. Instead, this was a very lovely walk in a park! Which was nice too, if a bit more chilly than she liked. Even if the Moonsea was always a little chilly, Rhyt had never been much a fan of the cold. Still, as long as they kept moving, it wasn’t so bad.

Bored, chilly, but stubbornly remaining positive about the whole thing, the rouge slides up next to her companion with a bright smile. “Hey, you know what we should get after this? I heard there’s this hot, melted cocoa stuff and they put clouds in them! I think that sounds exciting, don’t you?”


((Open to Snow storm or nothing happening))

DELIVERED IN DANGER
The flophouse had seemed perfect: less rules, less surveillance, less...things she was tempted to steal to figure out how they worked. She could ask, yes, but that was less fun and the rest was still true anyway.

So perfect home-away-from-home with a nice landlady and everything. At least until the water quit working. That was…that was fine! Really. It was like camping indoors and without prestidigitation to take care of things, just like the old days. It was fine.

Rhyt’s optimism only stretched so far, however. Rancid, cold, water marked the end of it. “Oh come on!” She shouts to no one in particular before rushing to grab what few things were hers. She shoves her things into her pack and slings it over a shoulder before stepping out to see if she can find anyone else. “Hey! Need any help?”

TEXT: Un: earmuffs
This thing’s nifty. Okay, a few things:
1) Best place for archery? ADI have a range or can I go into the park without someone getting mad?
2) How secure are the vents in these buildings? Like, can we get in them safely or do they tend to trap them here?
3) How many bars are in this town and what do you need to not do so you don’t get banned from them?

text; un: freakscene

[cacophonish]

ok but why do you want to get in the vents???
oh
wait
are you one of those people who's actually a cat or a rat or something?

[ There have been several cat- and rat-people! ]

and there's a lot of bars here
some of them card tho
i don't know how old you are but it can be a total pain in the ass
anyway if you pay your tab and don't beat the shit out of people INSIDE the bar you'll probably be fine

Sealed In Fate (cw: mention of teeth/body horror)

[thedoctorsmate]

Donna is on high alert. She hadn't especially wanted to go back into Dogtown, but with new arrivals being sent out, it seemed stupid not to have someone with at least a little experience going with them. The Doctor wouldn't abide people being sent into danger alone and unprepared, and she's trying to be better.

Also, this girl is kind of adorable, so it's not the worst day she could be having.

"Mmm...Hot chocolate with marshmallows or whipped cream?" Now there's an idea. "Could so go for that after this creepy place. At least there aren't any bags of teeth this time. D'you know, last time I was here? It was just... teeth. Teeth everywhere. Little bags of them left out for people to find, I guess. Worst Easter egg hunt ever, right?"

Gobbet | Shadowrun: Hong Kong

[ratcore]

[Brackets or prose is fine, will match your post!]

Sealed In Fate

[ After the, uh...arrival incident, in which Gobbet threw an office worker on the floor in a panic and broke her leg while leaping over a railing trying to escape, things had been looking up for the ork-out-of-water. Her leg was healed up, her lodgings were fairly nice, and all they really asked in return was that she help avert an apocalypse. Big whoop, old news, apocalypses were kinda her thing anyhow - but mostly they had her on security detail, which was boring to her. Getting out to explore the town was more her speed. Gobbet had jumped at the chance to explore Dogtown.

The air was a bit nippy, but not intolerable, and the sights and sounds of a city very unlike Hong Kong were entertaining to her. In each pocket of her windbreaker, a rat was curled up and softly snoring. And the person she'd been assigned to travel with wasn't actively annoying her, either. So, all in all, she was stoked about this mission.

That being said, nothing was really...happening. Gobbet glanced at her companion, trying to remember their name.]

Hey, er...what's-your-face. What are we doing out here again? This is just a completely normal park. Why send us to investigate literally nothing?

[ooc: down for a blizzard or a completely mundane time, your call!]

Delivered In Danger

[Of course Gobbet had opted for the flophouse - it just felt more like home. Right down to sudden bursts of gross water coming out of the pipes. Currently, it was dripping from the ceiling in globs of muddy brackish sludge. Lovely.

Gobbet gently placed her half-eaten bowl of (extremely ruined due to ceiling sludge) soup on a desk by her bed and gathered up Madness and Folly, her rat companions, onto her shoulders as she shuffled out and down the stairs to the common room, posing a question as she came down. ]

Okay so, what's the procedure here if the ceiling starts to lea-

[ She had just put her sock-clad foot down into about five inches of water on the floor. Ice cold, gritty, black, disgusting water. Gobbet looked up and made eye contact with the nearest person (you?), arching a brow. ]

Wildcard
[ anyone, anything, hit me with your best shot! ]

Sealed in Fate (mundane?)

[henchgal]

They've paired Gobbet with one of the office ladies, a tidy woman with her hair in a neat ponytail, dressed in slacks and a cowl-neck sweater under her coat. She walks with a cane in one hand, and isn't the fastest, but she sure looks sharp, at least!

"This park is anything but normal. Nothing in Dogtown is ever normal. We just have to keep looking. There's something here. Always is."

If she sounds paranoid, it's what six, almost seven months in this world, working for ADI will do to you.

Sealed in Fate

[ravenwingbow]

[Rhyt had been enjoying the company, to be honest, the city was full of so many amazing sights but it could be a little overwhelming with all the…everything. A walk in a park was a nice break, even if they were meant to be looking around for something.

The break in the silence was also a pleasant surprise.]

Oh! Well, supposedly looking for ‘anything odd’ but everything here’s pretty standard, really. Kinda quiet. Maybe they were just getting a couple of novices out of the way for a day?

Misty Quigley | Yellowjackets

[citizendetective]

A - Sealed in Fate

God, it's really coming down, isn't it.

[Says Misty, who has kept up a steady stream of chatter ever since she and her partner arrived in the woods, regardless of whether or not her partner has seemed interested in chatting back. She winces, tugging her scarf a little more tightly around her neck.]

It's-- gah.

[It's more than coming down, it's blowing in, faster and harder than it has any right to, accumulating both on the ground and on them with preternatural speed.]

Hey!

[Suddenly, she can barely see her companion through the gusting snow, so she waves her hands frantically to try to get their attention, gesturing to the way she's pulled her scarf up over her mouth.]

Do this! Don't let it get in your mouth! Trust me, eating snow isn't all it's cracked up to be; that is not a shock your central nervous system needs right now!

[OOC: info and link to opt-out here!]

mostly canon blind but I want to see this show so badly!

[cacophonish]

[ Okay, usually Jeff doesn't do these Dogtown missions for the ADI. Every time he ventures out here, he feels... weird. Well, weirder than usual. But busking isn't a great source of income when the weather's all cold and grey and shitty, so here he is, hard up for cash and and trekking into potential madness for the chance at $100.

Fuck, his life's gotten so lame.

But at least the company's not bad this time. She's chatty! Jeff likes that, even if he gets a little spacey and loses track of the conversation from time to time. Misty-- that's her name, right?-- doesn't seem to mind, anyway. There's no dead air, even when Jeff's too distracted to nod along.

He comes back to earth when the first frigid gust hits him, leaving snow clinging to his coat, his hat, and even his freaking eyelashes. ]

Shit! [ He scrubs at his face, for all the good it does, since the wind keeps coming, carrying more and more snow with it. ] I dunno what's worse, the wind or-- ack!

[ Jeff coughs, just in time for the warning. Don't let the snow in his mouth? He's never heard that before, but hey, he's from LA. This is his first time getting caught in a snowstorm, so okay, yeah, he'll follow her lead, pulling his scarf up to cover his mouth and nose. ]

We gotta find cover. [ Jeff looks around. He can barely see Misty, let alone the trail. But he's somewhat familiar with the area, at least enough to know the general way to some of the old, abandoned homes.

(Because, okay, maybe he's taken tourists out here from time to time, just to fuck with their heads a little and feed his magic. All harmless pranks, really!) ] There's a-- one of these big rocks? [ The Babson Boulders, he means. ] There's one that says "Use Your Head"! If we find it, we go, um. [ Fuck. What was it. Right or left? He pauses a moment, then just goes with whatever his gut says, hoping it's right. ] Left! Go left!

[twicelost]

[ Katrina is not familiar with snow, so she has been following the suggestions and examples of the people around her. The ocean can get frigid, and her body temperature is lower than a human's, but she's still bundled up. Better to not stand out. People in ADI might not care she's a mermaid, but the locals might not take it so well to see a human-looking person not dressed for this weather.

Even so, this wind and snow seems out of place, and her chatty (why are so many people so chatty) companion seems to agree.

Katrina may not know this woman very well, but they're on the same team, part of this new tribe Katrina finds herself in, so she gets closer to Misty as the blizzard worsens. She's coughing from the snow in her mouth by the time Misty clues her in on using her scarf for cover. As soon as she's properly wrapped up, she feels relief. She can breathe again.

Even the very chatty ones can make for excellent scouting partners. Their mind can still be sharp despite all the talking. It's something Katrina has come to understand about people on land. ]

Come! [ She reaches for Misty's arm, grasping securely if she manages to catch hold. ] Stay together! Not safe alone!

[ She squints and looks around, hoping to find shelter. But it's hard to see through the blowing snow. ]

Need find safe place! Come!

[ Assuming the paths haven't shifted all around them, Katrina has a good idea of where to go. So she pulls on Misty's arm or coat or whatever she has hold of and starts in that direction. ]

[worthallthis]

[Her partner is not very interested in chatting back, but that doesn't mean he's rude about it. He's listening. He's just not responding much beyond nods, eyes around them instead of on her.

The snow is vaguely concerning. He remembers a certain cloud bank not that long ago which was actually awful. Also, he kind of hates being cold most of the time: even when it doesn't make his bones ache (which is usually does) it reminds him of things he'd rather not think about.

He's thinking of that more than her complaints about snow. So when she plasters herself right in his field of vision, he rears back. And stares. And finally says,]

I don't have a scarf.

[He does have his mask, attached to his belt. Maybe that will do?]

Jinx | Arcane

[hijinxer]

A. Arrival

[ maybe you were on your way to your boring adi job, maybe you were just politely minding your own business. whatever your deal was, you can forget about going about your normal routine because as you pass through the cafeteria, there's a girl with long bright blue hair in two braided pigtails terrorizing a employee doling out portions of a pretty pink fairy cake. ]

Now, now Evan. [ the nametag clearly reads nathaniel. ] Don't be so stingy with that cake. You said I can have as much as I want and that I don't have to pay.

[ never mind that the plate she's carrying in her hand is loaded with a quarter of the cake.
oh. and she's pretty heavily armed by the looks of the oversized machine gun she's got strapped to her side. ]

You wouldn't wanna lie to a poor, innocent victim of kidnapping like me, right?

[ she grins and it isn't reassuring in the slightest, but as jinx spots you pass by, she's quick to point and wave you over. ]

I'll even share it with this rando.

B. Sealed in Fate

[ dressed in a oversized pink bubble coat, jinx is largely grumbling to herself as she stomps her way through the snow on the trail. rip, whoever is assigned to be her partner for this mission. ]

Hmph, you gotta do every stupid little thing around here. Jinx, go to the job recruitment meeting. Help us save the world from the invisible fear monsters, Jinx. Put Pow-Pow away so you don't scare the poor locals, Jinx. But when a girl just wants a liiiiitle spattering of nitroglycerin, it's like I'm the one making crazy requests? Heh -- the nerve of these people, am I right?

[ tell her she's right, pardner. she gives you a firm elbow to the side. ]

Is a hundred dollars even a lot of money? Are these people scamming us or what?

Wildcard

[ feel free to hit me up with any other ideas! as a general warning, jinx comes with some potential content warnings for mental illness (auditory/visual hallucinations) and possible references to helping run a drug empire. ]

wildcard. rip vending.

[fattyhands]

[ this is vi. vi is not having a good time. waking up in a janitor’s closet will do that to a person. the bullshit welcoming committee of info dumping and coerced employment only enhances the reigning mood to punch something. she really ought to be in the gym. the tour was brief but enough for her to catch sight of a punching bag hanging in the corner. it looked durable. it looked new. obviously none of these adi folk know how to toss a fist.

instead, vi has strayed into directing her low simmering frustration elsewhere.

the fuck is a cheetos?

yeah yeah, she knows there’s a canteen of neatly prepared food in the next room over. smells… appetizing, truth be told. but trust is a hard sell for this jailbird and she’s not buying into the community atmosphere just yet. thanks. she’ll be sticking with something quick, sealed and in a bag until she can get on top of whatever is going on here. too bad the machine's eaten the first two dollars of her meager stipend, all in dimes kept in this ridiculous gifted pouch.

she grabs the vending machine by each side and gives it a hard shake. nothing. ]

Come on. [ she wants her god damn cheetos. why those? because it has a ridiculous character on the front. almost looks like a stuffed animal. and ridiculous, stuffed animals make her think of –

fuck, she needs to get back. she’d just found her, only to abandon leave her again. this time it hadn’t been by her own volition. arguably, the first time hadn’t been either, but… ]

Piece of junk – ! [ if this money stealing machine isn’t one already, with the way vi is now kicking at it, then it’s well ad truly on its way to the dump. would anyone notice if she grabbed the chair over there and threw it into the glass…? ]

Arrival

[failedpromise]

(Maybe Jinx should take a bit of a closer look before she offers cake to random people. This person has no use for such a thing, being a ... ghost?

Cortana stops, blinking in surprise for several moments before her expression turns to one of amusement.)

You might want to find someone else for that, (there's the faintest hint of a laugh in her voice) Or was it your intention to 'share' with someone who doesn't eat?

(The little AI approaches, walking to the end of the table she's standing on and sitting there, legs dangling over the edge.)

A

[aelwyn_aberration]

[She watches this, genuinely amused. She's gradually trying to change her ways and be a bigger person, but there will always be a tiny high school bully in the back of her mind who can nod and give praise to this girl's form.

She smirks when the cake is offered to her. It's not like she's one to indulge in sweets too much, her parents had beaten that fear of an unhealthy diet into her head well enough, but she can appreciate sharing the spoils of a fresh kill.]

Well, who am I to say no to that? Come on, Evan, where's your humanity?

Angela "Mercy" Ziegler | Overwatch

[caduceusoncall]

[Brackets or prose is fine, will match your post!]

(Shortly After) Arrival

[ It doesn't take long for Angela to adapt. Things are strange, the information she's been given about supernatural occurrences feels dubious at best, and an impending apocalypse seems like hysteria in motion to her. But in the end, the staff appealed to her simple desire to help people, to keep people safe, and that was all she needed to open her mind and look at things objectively. She had, somehow, crossed a rift in realities. What she knew to be true back home was not necessarily true here. That was a starting point. She could work with that. There would be a proper orientation later. Fine. She could work with the medical team if she wanted to. She did, so she would. Good.

Angela ponders all of this over coffee in the canteen, watching people mill about and trying to digest the influx of new information. She's been told people are appearing at random and that they sometimes show up in the canteen, so she tries to keep track of who enters the room so that she can spot new arrivals. Other than that, she simply tries to look more relaxed than she feels.]

Delivered In Danger

[ She may not be a plumber, but Angela can't just sit by while the flophouse is drowning in muddy water. Blankets, canned goods, medical supplies, and fresh towels fill the several bags she's struggling to carry as she makes her way out the door of the ADI and towards the bus station. Her shoulders are killing her, but she imagines her discomfort is nothing compared to the people freezing half to death in a cold, grimy, water-logged house. So she smiles and bears it, nodding awkwardly to anyone who looks at her wondering why she's got three backpacks slung over various arms and shoulders.

Catch her on the bus where she's probably encroaching on your seat with all her baggage, or at the flophouse where she's setting up a little aid station in a relatively dry spot in a communal area and flagging down bedraggled residents to ask how she can help.]

Wildcard

[ Any ideas? Go for it! ]

Well, I had to with someone else named Mercy... (Arrival)

[graveyounglady]

[Mercy is also on the lookout for any new arrivals. They seem to get the most of them near the start of the month, though, a few do pop up later. There's a face she doesn't recognize when she heads to the canteen for an early lunch, and never one to be shy, she grabs a tray and heads over. It's not particularly busy, and the woman might be sitting alone for a reason, but why let that deter a good introduction.]

Hi, there! Are you new? I'm Sister Mercy Graves. Don't think I seen you around much, miss.

[Mercy is a tall young woman with strong arms wearing a plain, rather archaic dress.]

Cortana | Halo

[failedpromise]

Arrival, vents

One moment, the vents are empty.

The next ...well, they're less empty? There's a small, ghostly woman there now. She seems ...very confused.

Cortana didn't know what to expect after dying, but this certainly wasn't it. The sight-or sound, depending-of someone else nearby catches her attention, and she turns.

"Hello?"

She blew herself up. How is she ...?


Shortly after arrival

As someone who is already fluent in basically every human language, the paper is just paper. As someone who is from a universe where magic doesn't exist, the explanation ADI provides is just bullshit.

"You know magic isn't real, right?" Says the woman who appears to be a ghost. She crosses her arms over her chest and looks around with a deeply skeptical expression.

"Anyone mind telling me what's really going on here?"

post-arrival

[brunonono]

It may or may not have actually been directed at him, but her comment gets a look from Bruno that's equal parts confused and dismissive.

"Of course magic's real," he replies.

Justin Law | Soul Eater

[guilloteen]

arrival
[The noise in the canteen suddenly increases. Did someone just arrive? Yeah, there he is, a rather dazed-looking blond teenager staring around the busy room in obvious confusion. He's wearing a rather snow-soaked set of priest's robes, and has a pair of earbuds his ears blasting loudly enough that anyone standing within about 15 feet of him can hear whatever kind of pounding bass line music the obnoxious teens of his world are apparently listening to nowadays.

Help him out?]

museum
[Locating Justin Law in the museum is easy enough, if you want to (or just want to confront whoever is playing their music that loudly in a museum). He's wandering around, staring vaguely at the informational signage in a way that indicates he's probably not actually retaining any information but knows he should at least pretend to be interested.]

snowstorm
Have you done anything like this before? [Justin asks the stranger he's been paired with, as they stand at the trailhead. His voice is loud (probably so he can hear himself talk over the noise from his headphones, still playing music loudly enough to be almost completely intelligible to anyone nearby) but pleasant enough, and he doesn't seem too concerned at the vagueness of the mission.]

[[ooc: hit me up hydok with any questions, and maybe one day i'll update this guy's icons...]]

[graveyounglady]

[The music is what draws Mercy's attention. She's no stranger to disembodied music being dangerous, so the sound of it makes her freeze up for a moment. When there's no accompanying drowsiness, though, she relaxed. Marginally. Then proceeds to try to track it down. She spies a young man in clothes that remind her of the clothes the Blind Mother Brothers might wear.

Mercy, herself, is dressed a simple, rather archaic dress, with an accompanying white headcloth to note she a novitiate... maybe a permanent one at this point. But for now, she approaches the man from the side and takes a look at what he seems to have stopped in front of. Some sort of wax tablet? It looks fancy.]

Hey, there? [She waves a hand.]

Mary | Ib

[withsadness]

arrival

[There's a sound of clattering in the maintenance closet as Mary arrives, knocking over mops and buckets indiscriminately. The little girl has never particularly had a chance to become claustrophobic, but being in the dark? That, in and of itself, causes her to devolve into tears.]

No! No, I'm sorry...I'm sorry! Father, please, I want to go back! Let me go back!

[Perhaps on a better day, the items she's made a mess of would give her a clue that she's not stuck in some kind of inky, endless void, but as it is, that's all that's running through her mind.]

sealed in fate

[This being her first field mission, Mary isn't at all focused on whatever it is they're supposed to be doing or looking for. The day of the snowstorm hasn't hit, and really, she just wants an excuse to go to the park. Whoever got partnered with her one way or another was likely bullied into getting to this point, but now she's smiling from ear to ear as she plops onto the seat of a swing set.]

Push me!

[She's adjusting well.]

written in wax

[The prospect of visiting a castle is more than a little exciting--at least at first. The whole way there she's chittering about how she's going to be the princess of the castle: Princess Mary! Once they're inside, however, her demeanor starts to change. Her evervescent smile falls and her gaze darkens. It isn't the wax tablet that's caught her attention, but the many pieces of art that decorate the historic site.

One painting, in particular, seems to be of a particular fascination to her: a woman dressed in red. She talks to it in hushed, almost desperate tones, only stopping when approached. Anyone who comes nearby is met with a hard stare, like a deeply personal conversation has just been interrupted. While she's usually decently outgoing, Mary now seems shy and cagey.]

wildcard

[Or let's have them run into each other somewhere else! I'm happy to have a surprise starter or to plot things out over PM or at ddsapphire.]

Written in Wax

[thedoctorsmate]

[Donna's looking idly around the museum, herself. It's all a bit dusty and historical for her tastes. She'd rather be in the thick of history, seeing it all happen, with these things in use, rather than looking at them in a some stuffy gallery. Granted, the castle is fairly unique. Since when did America have castles? It's different.

In any case, she's been wandering when she sees a young girl seemingly talking to the painting. A quick look around shows that there aren't any parents lurking nearby, nor are they in the room Donna just came from, which is the only exit. Hmm...

Her tone is gentle as she approaches the girl.]

Hey, there, have you lost your parents, sweetheart?

Misty Quigley | Yellowjackets; cw: excessive perkiness in the face of death

[citizendetective]

Wildcard - Network; un: AfricanGrey

Okay everybody, it's crowdsourcing time!

[The camera pans across a typical-looking living room, then focuses in on... oh. Yeah, that sure is a dead body on the floor. She even zooms in a little, just to make sure that everybody gets that. Then she pulls back and starts to pan around the room again, continuing cheerfully:]

ADI sent me over here to check out the scene of this guy's death, because there's clearly something going on here - I mean, look at him.

[Another pan over the dead guy, who is indeed lying on his back, eyes wide open, a look of utter terror on his face.

Misty chuckles.]

Right? Woof. Anyway, I've been thinking about what we covered in training, and check this out.

[She focuses the camera in on a large, ornate mirror that's set atop the fireplace mantel, and that sticks out considerably when compared to the low-key, minimalist decor of the rest of the room.]

So, I'm thinking cursed object, because no way did this guy pick this up at Ethan Allen. I'm trying to stay out of its, uh... path... because I don't know what activates it. Or maybe something comes out if it, under the right circumstances...?

Anyway, I'm gonna dust for prints just in case, and look over the body for clues, but if you have any suggestions, let me know! I'm pretty new to this stuff, but I'm super excited to learn.

[She points the camera back at herself, gives the feed a big grin (the body is still visible in the background), and signs off.]

[OOC: info and link to opt-out here!]

PERKINESS IN THE FACE OF DEATH YOU SAY?

[abrightboy]

[Finally a case that's up his alley. Or so he thinks for a moment, still trying to peer at the corpse as she turns the camera away from it, like tilting his head will let him see around the edges of the picture or around her.

It takes him a moment to process what she's saying.]

Sorry... are you saying the mirror killed him? Like. On its own?

John Carter | ER

[setthetone]

i. arrival

[So what do you do when you fall asleep in one place and wake up in another?

One moment Carter is getting some shut-eye in Exam 4 after an exhausting double. The next, he comes to on the couch of some office corner, getting dirt all over the upholstery and drooling into the very leathery, very non-absorbant material and thus all over his face. What...?

He sits up with sleepy bewilderment, wipes at his face and turns. Left. Right. Stares. Squeezes his eyes shut. Man, that was too long a shift, maybe he should just lie back down... But when he opens them again, it's still the same place. The same wrong place.

So there's only one explanation, really.

Prank.

It wouldn't be the first time his co-workers pulled something crazy like this but it's been a while since they've played any on him. Ugh. Today of all days? He is not in the mood. He has an entire desk of chart backlogs, he's hungry, he's been yelled at by difficult patients for 12 hours straight...

He tilts his head back and groans in annoyance before pushing himself off, rubbing at his eyes. It's only then he notices the other person nearby and lowers his hands, staring.]

Who are you?

[It's accusatory, annoyed. Someone has to be responsible for this stunt and right now? He's convinced you're in on it.]


ii. Sealed In Fate

[So now he knows how he got here but that doesn't necessarily make it better.

It takes Carter a while to come to terms with everything. Being teleported here. The supernatural. The apocalypse. From time to time his mind is still reeling. It's fascinating. It's awful. It's cool. It's absolutely terrifying.

Granted, he never signed up for saving the world but it doesn't take him too long to come around. After all, he became a doctor to help people and if this isn't helping? He doesn't know what is. It's just something he can't turn his back on. Plus, if they were really fighting all those dangerous entities? They could probably need all the medical help they could get.

Still, he feels a bit nervous when he's actually out in the field for the first time. Even though the mission is - literally - nothing.]

So how many times have you been on these... uh, assignments?

[It's nippy but the cold wind doesn't really bother him at first. He's used to Chicago's freezing air and he just puts up his collar, glancing over at his companion.]

Ever seen any of those -- Whoa!

[He brings up his arms to shield himself from a sudden gust that goes under his clothes and immediately chills him. There's a frown and he glances up at the sky.]

I think it's gonna start snowing...


iii. written in wax

[You will be buried.

He can't stop thinking about it. The whole thing is stupid, probably, something to mess with their minds. Purely psychological, some dumb self-fulfilling prophecy.

Thing is, even a self-fulfilling prophecy is awful if the message is that.

It's enough to drive Carter out of bed and into the common area where he lingers, then makes some coffee, then reads a book, then moves to the cafeteria, then the medical wing. He's everywhere, seemingly, as long as there's one important condition met.

People. He needs to be around people. They can't bury him as long as he stays around people, right?]

Hi. I don't think we've met? John Carter, I just arrived the other week, still getting the hang of things, you know...

[He chats people up left and right. It doesn't matter where he is, he'll find a way to approach them and initiate some small talk.

Or he just happens to walk in your direction. Or hover nearby. For a long time. A really long time.]


iv. Delivered in danger

[When he hears about the mishap at the Flophouse, he's up and about immediately, grabbing a field kit and some emergency blankets from the medical wing.]

I'm heading over there. You coming?

[Once he's there, he's all business. Confident. Acting. As unsure or salty or reluctant or clumsy he appears at other times, there's none of that right now. Right now he's got his gear and purpose and it's obvious he's 100% in the zone.]

I'm Dr. Carter. Is anyone injured? Do you have people stuck inside?

[Or he will just make his way inside - with or without help - looking for people who might be stuck or need some other kind of assistance.]

Hello!? Anyone in there?

Sealed In Fate

[abrightboy]

Oh, a bunch of times. But I work in investigations.

[Not that he goes anywhere he isn’t volunsent. These types of investigations aren’t really his bag, but what else is he supposed to do? Work in the counselling office?

As the wind whips around them, he frowns at it, pulling his own coat tighter.]

Yeah… you might be right. Maybe we should head back towards ADI.