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redstringtheories2022-11-01 08:31 am
TDM #16
(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.) You might even arrive in a section of building that has been demolished, leaving a pit of rubble open to the sky–hope you're up on your tetanus shots! 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. The one exception is the demolition zone off what used to be one corner of the building: it seems the security teams are keeping a particularly close eye on that area to document new arrivals and bring them in quickly.
If characters have arrived in a location devoid of NPCs, they may want to work together to figure out what is going on... or to avoid their 'kidnappers.' If you’ve arrived in the middle of the entry foyer or the gym, there may well be a few people who startle a bit at your arrival and try to approach (or discreetly leave the room... where are they going?). Will you cooperate or fight? Do you even understand what they're saying? You might need to find a translator, if you’re not immediately willing to follow a stranger.
After characters follow their new hosts (or are forcibly taken in) there will be a limited tour and the chance to settle in at the ADI-provided housing. (Do you enjoy living with strangers? Well. It's a new situation to navigate, anyway.)
(cw: pica, eating disorders, altered mental states, rhythmic grating sound in link)
Weird things happen in Dogtown, everyone knows it. And the weird things have been getting worse. Much worse. The rise in dangerous rather than merely uncomfortable or startling phenomena has put an end to ADI's use of Dogtown as a testing ground for new recruits. Under ADI's advisement, the City of Gloucester has officially and indefinitely closed Dogtown to the public, and work is ongoing to construct barriers around the entire park to prevent trespassing. Dogtown's borders are now patrolled by Gloucester law enforcement as well as ADI employees from the Investigations and Security divisions, who document phenomena visible from outside its borders and actively keep people out. New arrivals who volunteer for the work may still find themselves dropped off outside the borders of Dogtown in order to beef up patrols and help document paranormal activity while receiving an introduction to the kind of work ADI does. An employee will give you a GPS device where you need only press a button to alert ADI there is severe danger and someone needs to come help you right away, explicitly instruct you not to actually enter Dogtown, and leave you with another person at the edge of the park. 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 record any paranormal activity visible from outside the park. Those who succeed in documenting anything peculiar will receive a $100 reward to be used as they see fit, but those who are caught entering Dogtown in pursuit of such proof will be reprimanded and receive no reward.
It’s been quiet for some time now, the looming things too easily mistaken for signal towers linger around the edges of town or even brazenly within the city blocks when the night is at its deepest and few people still walk the streets. At least nothing new seems to have slipped the fence recently, but those towers still shift every so often. At least until they go suddenly very still, planted where they’ve stopped for more than a week. Still, it’s quiet.
What breaks the silence starts insidiously low, like it’s not meant to be noticed, but it builds until it feels like it’s all that can be heard, rattling and thrumming through bones and veins in a way that nearly burns until all at once it ends.
For some, the change might be sudden, like a tight, twisting, hunger in the pit of your stomach that no ‘traditional food’ will abate. Perhaps it’s gradual, as the taste of things you love turn gray and ashy in your mouth. Maybe you don’t even realize it, as you find a rogue snack laying out on your counter. Who left this pretzel stick here? Your pretzel stick now, even if it’s tougher than you might expect when you go to bite into it. A pencil snaps within your determined bite and whether you notice the inconsistency then or not, it’s…really not half bad.
For a few days after hearing the signal, food just isn’t the same anymore, or at least not the same definition. Anything inedible can be edible if you try hard enough, never mind the bloody gums or lacerated tongue. Careful not to chip a tooth on your bowl of nuts and bolts…but at least it’s almost as good as cereal!
(cw: supernaturally induced paranoia and obsession; creepy dolls; unnatural pain; burn injuries; memory loss)
It begins with a scuffed and torn paper package in your mailbox. The label is handwritten, addressed to you personally at your apartment (or at Bonnie's address), the stamps mismatched and the postal mark smudged beyond readability, with no return address to be found. It feels important. It feels like something you should open in private, and the urge to hide it away lest someone take it from you is strong even before it's opened.
Inside is one piece of a disassembled doll. Perhaps it's a delicate ceramic arm, or a dingy plastic head with empty eye sockets. There isn't any rhyme or reason to the type of doll part one receives, but all of them are well worn and look like they're at least a few decades old. There's an immediate feeling of connection, a lizard brain fear of losing the piece. And then the next day there's another package, another piece that clearly belongs to the same toy, a renewed urge to keep the delivery secret and safe…and an urge to begin assembling the toy as more parts arrive over the course of the week.
Those who give in and put their dolls together as the pieces arrive will seem to suffer no harm as the days go by and their doll nears completion, but their thoughts will only grow more obsessive and protective of the toy the closer it becomes to completion. Those who resist the urge to put the parts together will feel a bone-deep ache in each part of their body that corresponds to one of the pieces they've received, like that part of their body is dying. Anyone who destroys, throws away, or surrenders a piece of their toy will feel an immediate, sharp burning like that part of their own body is being seared away. The pain may dull down after a while, but it doesn't go away unless they are able to retrieve the discarded piece and put it together with the others they've received.
Just one week after it all began, the final package arrives. Here it is: the last piece you need, the last piece to complete the doll and make it yours, keep it safe, keep yourself safe from some unknown, dreaded danger. As soon as the last piece pops into place, though, the doll bursts into flames in your hands, rapidly burning away to ashes. With it goes something important, but it's impossible to say what. It was a memory, wasn't it? Some vital piece of knowledge? You knew something before the doll burned that you don't know now and the loss is an aching gap in your psyche.
ADI tries to intervene, of course, after a few people manage to resist the dolls' compulsion and turn in the parts they've received for study and destruction (this is the most physically painful option of all and an incredible act of will). A bulletin goes out advising everyone to turn in any unexpected packages, and offering support for anyone who's already received pieces and is willing to hand them over. But those are all just lies and tricks so they can steal from you and carve you to pieces–best find a way to hide your doll from their prying eyes until you have all of its parts.
(cw: potential for car accidents, broken bones/injuries, supernatural compulsion/personality alterations)
With Halloween passing this year without a proper celebration or anything horrific happening, HR Woman, Pam Ruan, is on a mission to retake another holiday from the Fears (and her own fear): Thanksgiving. She's coordinated for a grand feast to be held at Hammond Castle with the castle's caretaker, Simone Clark. It seems Simone owes Pam a favor and Pam is ready to collect with a private event registration.
However, she needs assistance with preparations, including scoping out the kitchen, deciding on how to set up in the Great Hall, and finding good places for decorations. Those agreeing to assist will find themselves unleashed upon the castle and advised that it's currently operating as a museum, so please try to be respectful as you do your work.
In addition to the castle's usual fare of interesting 'supernatural artifacts' and medieval weapons and armor, there is an exhibit on the history and practice of tarot readings. Poster-sized cards of the Major Arcana can be found scattered around the museum, and a more concentrated exhibit can be found in one of the side halls. There are informational plaques and diagrams showing how various tarot spreads might be placed and interpreted. There are also some tarot decks scattered around the area with tables that have outlines of different card reading options. Try your hand with a friend! There are helpful booklets providing information on the deeper meaning of each card.
For those less inclined to test out the available decks, there are still those poster-sized versions. Invariably, those who spend any length of time within the castle will find themselves drawn to one of the cards. Perhaps it's the Tower, that harbinger of some sudden change. Perhaps it's the Hermit, a marker for contemplation and a search for something. Whatever the card, those drawn to it will find themselves experiencing… something in the museum or after they leave related to the more dangerous, horrific, or negative aspects of that particular card. Those drawn to the Tower may experience a personal disaster on their way home: struck by a car, tripping and breaking something, losing a large sum of money on a bet. Whatever would be a disaster to them. Those drawn to the Hermit may find themselves feeling increasingly lonely, even when around others. They might feel compelled to act on that, to try to stave off the loneliness as best they can with connection… whether the other person wants them or not. Or perhaps they have a sense that they've lost direction in what they're doing and need assurances or a guide to help them.
The cause of these misfortunes may be difficult to pin down as the effects of the tarot cards may not manifest for a few days up to a week. It seems Fate is waiting for the right moment to touch its prey.
- ARRIVAL (November 1 - 30): 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 (or the rubble that used to be part of 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, as well as information about the state of ADI Headquarters.
- YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT (November 1-15): The signal can happen randomly and more than once, it’s fed through character’s phones and sometimes even random car radios. Characters will find themselves drawn to eating things that absolutely isn’t food, inanimate objects, dirt, leaves, anything that does not consist of a normal or healthy diet. It is up to players whether this comes with hallucinations of it being proper food or if they know full well what they’re eating and simply can’t stop. Other characters can see the ‘food’ for what it is and try to help. While there is a low-level compulsion to eat things that aren’t typically food, characters can resist the urge, they’ll simply find regular food holds no appeal to them while afflicted.
- PIECES OF YOU AND PIECES OF ME (November 1-8): Not all characters will receive packages, and there is no apparent pattern to who does or does not receive doll parts. Everyone will be generally encouraged to speak up if they know someone is hiding doll parts, and characters may be asked to help take doll parts away from a known recipient (whether by diplomacy or by force). Everyone who does receive the packages will receive them over the course of a single week, one part per package, with multiple packages sometimes arriving in the same day. Everyone who receives doll parts will receive all the matching parts they need to assemble a single doll. When the dolls burn they may cause injuries to characters' hands and so forth; the severity of injuries is up to player discretion. ADI's medical department will do their best to treat wounds, but will not authorize the use of any kind of healing magic for non-fatal burns.
- THE HEART OF THE CARDS (November 1-21): Characters are welcome to have been cheerfully wrangled for assisting Pam whether they would be the sort to generally assist or not. She is a woman on a mission and will use her Disapproving Grandma face on you if you try to weasel out of helping. For the tarot cards, players may choose whichever Major Arcana card they would like to play with, in terms of effects. It does not necessarily need to be the card you believe represents your character; although, it can be! In terms of interpreting the negative effects of each card, we will leave that up to the players. We simply ask that someone who gets, say, the Tower Card, doesn't have part of ADI HQ suddenly collapse. A restaurant they're in, though? Sure! Go for it. Make everyone around town suffer with you. For those with cards that have more cerebral misfortunes, we encourage folks to think about how those can be used to facilitate CR. E.g., someone who gets the Strength card may experience severe insecurity, leading them to beg others for reassurance. Someone who gets the Empress card may find themselves acting in an overbearing and smothering way toward people, even those they don't know. Someone who gets the Fool may find themselves being especially inconsiderate or starting fights they know they can't win. The tarot card exhibit will disappear after the 21st, off to some other town. The effect on an individual from the tarot cards may be a single instance of something happening or could last up to a few days/a week if the effect is more cerebral/personality-related.
no subject
But apparently there's seeing it all and then there's giant owls in flamenco dresses and for a moment his mind just blanks as he stares, one hand coming up to feel his head. Did he manage to get another concussion? Is he hallucinating again?]
Oh God, please tell me you work here?
[He hovers close to the door. Screaming and running away is SO not off the table yet.]
no subject
The question comes and their whole expression turns to mild haughtiness, brushing a clawed hand over the richness of their extravagant gown, challenging him with a silent look that says 'does it look like I work here?'.
But the offense passes by quickly, a soft hoot of a sigh dropping from their beak, the worry pinching at their expression.]
I'm afraid not. I'm newly arrived to this place. I assume the same of you as well, my dear?
no subject
[Strange. He had just been on another planet but that planet hadn't been Earth, it hadn't been anywhere near this level of technology and as far as he knew it had only been inhabited by humans. Which means there's a good chance he might just be hallucinating. Small comforts?
Rodney realizes he's dragging out the pause into awkwardness and clears his throat.]
So.
[Sssssso. Mmh. Is there a diplomatic way to ask a giant owl lady what exactly are you?]
What exactly are you?
[He's never been very diplomatic.]
the way I’m already obsessed with this conversation
Their attention snaps back to Rodney at his throat clearing, which means the man gets to see the exact moment his question hits them, the soft, green feathers of their neck puffing up in a show of absolute hurt. They know exactly what he's asking.]
My name is Delloso de la Rue. [A short, calming breath. Rue, on the other hand, has lived in diplomacy their whole life. Hurt or not, they can navigate this conversation with grace.] But if you are referring to my form, I'm of the Fey. I'm an owlbear.
[another awkward beat passes between them]
I'm aware I must look strange or terrifying to you, but I assure you, I mean no harm and had no involvement in bringing you to this place. [and perhaps just a touch cheekily:] For what it's worth, my bear side has no love for the taste of human. I won't eat you.
i am completely canonblind but this is such a delight!!
[Well, that explains the size at least he thinks.]
Dr. Rodney McKay. Nice to meet you? And, uh. Great. Big fan of that, by the way? The whole not getting eaten thing, that's, uh, yeah. Thanks for clearing that up?
... Never met an owlbear before, really. Owls, I mean, I guess? If you count the ones you can hear screeching from the trees and then your sister dares you to go into the backyard and of course you do it? But then she suddenly locks the door behind her and you just stand there in the dark and flap your arms so they won't mistake you for a mouse - which at the time just seemed like a thing that could happen and was actually a lot more terrifying than it sounds now that I say it out loud - ...
[Should he stop talking, it feels like he should stop talking.]
Right. At least you're not naked? Which is how it usually goes for most non-humanoid creatures I meet but this, I mean, this is certainly a choice there.
[This is going so well. Moving on!]
So is your mother a bear and your father an owl, like, is it more a mammalian thing or was there any egg hatching involved...
no subject
-- And what can Rue say but that they are immediately endeared to him. He reminds them so much of their dear friend, Prince Andhera, the singularly most awkward, stumbling, socially nervous soul they have ever met. But now it seems he might have some serious competition for the title.]
You ask such questions! [And Rue laughs, a soft, careful noise, but there's no missing the amusement that shines in their dark eyes now. Now that they have a frame of reference for this man, they see his strangeness as less offensive and more unintentionally awkward. And it's much more difficult to be offended knowing Rodney is simply out of his element and struggling for purchase.]
Dr. McKay, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, even with the circumstances surrounding us. Should we set out to explore this place together or do you feel we'd be safer waiting in this strange room for help? I shall leave the decision in your capable hands. I fear my own experience with humans has been fairly limited, I do not know what would be more beneficial to us.
no subject
[Huh. Interrupted in his babbling, he looks a little taken aback at that, like he himself can't quite believe that there should be any kind of pleasure in it. But then Rue says a combination of magic words, namely a) leaving the decision to him and b) capable.
Well. He likes to think he is?
Rodney immediately straightens up and preens at that, visibly pleased. He clears his throat and dusts off his tac vest.]
You know, that is actually a great idea. As it happens to be, I am an expert on humans.
[Debatable.]
In my world, I am a renowned scientist. And one thing I've learned? You never wait for the science to come to you. So I say we get out there and find out what is going on with this place.
no subject
(It's not manipulation, alright. It's just a very practiced push in the right direction, which just so happens to always be in Rue's favor.)]
Quite! What luck that I've fallen right into your path than, Dr. McKay. Pray, I'd be lost without your vast expertise and guidance. Shall I take your arm?
[Rue sweeps up to his side, towering but so delicate in their every movement.]
A scientist! What kind of science piques your interest, my friend? I'd be delighted to hear all about it while we find our path forward.
no subject
Vast expertise. Guidance. He nods along with their assessment, they really are so lucky to have him along, aren't they. What can he say. He is but a simple man with a massive, massive ego that is now being catered to like a thirsty plant. And boy, is it blooming.
There is a pause at their sudden approach and he blinks at their sudden proximity with a flash of awkward worry - it would just really suck to get eaten after all - but all the compliments have lowered his defences considerably and in the end he concedes.]
Oh. Um. If, if it makes you feel safer, I suppose... Do you have hands? It's just, human skin is very delicate and not very claw-proof...
[He casts a scrutinizing glance at their winged arms, trying to get a better look at just what might be about to touch his arm there.]
Physics. Astrophysics, predominantly? Though I am quite proficient in other fields as well, all of them, really...
no subject
Their beautiful dresses wouldn't last very long otherwise.]
I will be gentle, Dr. McKay. You have my word.
[They'll just wait for his offer, if it pleases him to lend them his arm.]
I must admit, my knowledge on such subjects is lacking. My own passion has always laid with putting together events - weddings, engagements, and the like - but the sciences have always been most intriguing. You must be exceptionally sharp of mind.
no subject
I am.
[There is no humble note in it, no grace in accepting the compliment. Just self-assured conviction... but also a genuine joy at the acknowledgement. This is important to him. Very much so.]
I think we should start retracing our steps. ... And find a system for me to hack into but we can do that on the side.
What's the last thing you remember? Bevor getting here, I mean. Where were you? What were you doing?
no subject
It's a boon that Rue has no mouth to emote with, but there's a certain touch of amusement reflected in their dark, wide eyes at Rodney's immediate answer. Well, no one can fault him for having such confidence in himself, though polite society may tut a little at his lack of humility.]
Oh well, I was back at the Bloom, in those last few hours before it's conclusion. And I was - [Getting nasty in the forest with a goblin is probably not a very appropriate answer. How thankful Rue is to know their soft blush is hidden by feathers.] I was... well, becoming engaged. My beloved asked for my hand. Accepting is the last thing I remember.
[More or less.]
And for you, good Doctor? What is the last thing you remember?
no subject
[He's just guessing, really. Because that's kind of where he expects owlbears to live.]
As for the timing... that sucks.
[Even he can realize that.]
Me, I was exploring another world. Hence the-- [He gestures at his field uniform and the tac vest.] Not this world, though? It was actually in another galaxy. ... Which is kind of weird, see, because this is my planet? Except it's not my planet and even if it were, I wasn't on my planet before, so there's just a lot of universe hopping going on right now...
no subject
[To meet someone who doesn't know what the Bloom is? Rue really is in the mortal realm, aren't they?]
Where I hail from, Faerie, the magic waxes and wanes in its' strength through the seasons. And every time that the magic reaches its' peak, we call it the Bloom, this brief period when our magic is near inexhaustible. During the Bloom, all of the Courts in Faerie come together for a tremendous celebration. It seems that I have must have been whisked away right at the tail end of the event.
[And so far it seems, without their new husband-to-be. Rue can't help but agree about the terrible timing.]
I - [It's a little strange, to piece together what the man means.] I'm afraid I'm not following, my dear. You mean to say you were off planet? Still in the mortal realm but otherwise engaged elsewhere other than your world? How curious. You really are a great scientist, to have traveled so far.
no subject
[Right. Rodney nods, even though the notion of magic still leaves him skeptical. Then again, he's talking to an owlbear right now. His brain is having a bit of a fight over the cognitive dissonance of that, actually, because it either has to accept that magic might be real - ask them to do a trick then, if they're so good at it - or find a way to reframe their existence.]
What I meant is, I was among the stars.
[He gestures up to the ceiling, beyond which is the sky. Somewhere. There is a bit of dramatic self-importance to the clarification.]
That is how far I've traveled.
no subject
[As if it really is just as simple as that.]
Among the stars? Truly?
[It's just the ceiling above them, but Rue can't quite help from tipping their head back and gazing upwards, owlishly blinking up at where they know the stars would be shining above them. The idea is a little massive for them - traveling to other planes is one thing, the fey have portals for that, but traveling up into the heavens? Above even the realm of the Lords of the Wing? - but Rue takes every word from his mouth as gospel. Though they've only known each other for but a moment, they trust Rodney completely.
When their gaze returns to him, they look just a touch starstruck by the very concept.]
How fascinating. I struggle to even conceptualize what that might be like.