TDM #16

[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.) 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.)

➥ You Are what You Eat

(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!

➥ Pieces of You and Pieces of Me

(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.

➥ The Heart of the Cards

(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.

➥ Mod Notes

• 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.
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Comments

[ruevealing]

[Rue can not even begin to put into words their gratefulness for Eda in this moment. The sheer weight of everything - the surprise, the worry, the uncertainty - is so heavy against their broad, feathery shoulders, and so far, Eda's levity and easy nature have been a balm to their rising anxiety.

What a difference a friendly face makes, hm?]

Oh - [the word falls from Rue's beak like a soft, delighted hoot] You flatter me. [Was that even meant to be flattery?? Rue seems to think so.] I'm happy to let you keep it, my dear Eda. I've only just recently given up all of my titles and I'm not looking to pick up anything new either. So for now, I'm simply Delloso de la Rue, or just Rue, if you please.

[It's still so new, to rediscover the real person they've been hiding beneath their accommodates for so long, but there is absolute magic in being able to only be just themselves.]

The Owl Lady though - [Their large, dark eyes turn curiously on the woman.] I must admit, I've never come across another with such similar features to mine before. Forgive me for being forward, but I'm so captivated by your feathers and your wings. And your height! I'm not used to many being able to look me in the eye. It's a wonderful surprise.

[edalyn]

[Whether or not it was meant as flattery, Eda seems happy enough with them taking it that way. And happy to be flattered, too. Is that a tiny blush? Possibly.

Either way, she stands a little taller and fluffs the feathers on her wings. She likes attention, and right now she could honestly do with the validation. As much as she constantly jokes about how good she looks in this form... recent events and being around so many of the human ADI personnel have been making her feel scary in the not entirely fun way.]

Nothing to forgive--forward is fine by me. And, I mean, right back at'cha. Loving your whole... everything. [She just sort of gestures to them as a whole. They certainly have a look going. Normally she might be a tiny bit more eloquent, but it's possible that right now it's a struggle to get her brain to form thoughts other than big owl pretty.]

I'm not surprised, though--I'm pretty much one of a kind. [She flashes another toothy and slightly corny grin.] But I've never seen anyone quite like you, either. [And she isn't about to mention what they do remind her of a little, both because that wouldn't be flattering and because she absolutely doesn't feel like dropping the fact she's cursed in a first conversation.]

Are you a demon? [Eda's still not really used to how loaded a term that seems to be in some worlds. Her tone implies this is something she considers a completely neutral question.]

[ruevealing]

[Some may find power in the fear they can instill in others, but to Rue, it's been nothing but disheartening, an absolute blow to their confidence, to see even a single soul shudder in their presence. They've spent the whole of their existence cultivating love and togetherness and joy in others, the very idea anyone would be frightened of them, just because of how they look, seems absolutely laughable.

But here they are. And considering their obvious physical similarities, Rue has to assume Eda's experienced exactly the same. It's unfair, though maybe just a bit expected at this point.

Rue may not be able to smile with their beak, but there's no missing the way their eyes shine with delight at Eda's ruffling of feathers, the way she straightens even taller under Rue's attention.]

You're too kind, thank you. [Their clawed hands smooth over the gorgeous, heavy fabric of their gown, absolutely preening beneath the compliments.] I - I admit it may be a touch too much for the theater, but you never know when you might need to impress.

[And impress they did.]

A demon? [Rue's dark eyes go wide in surprise, but there is no offense at the question.] No, I am not. I'm an owlbear, born in the mortal realm and taken in by the Fey. [a gentle beat passes, Rue's head tipping to the side.] Are you?

[Rue has met so many creatures - goblins and satyrs and beings made of waves or rock or greenery - but never a demon. The thought is a little thrilling.]

[edalyn]

[Even if Rue's expressions weren't easy to read, Eda spends a lot of time with birds and bird-like creatures, including her own owl familiar.]

I mean, can't hurt to make an impression. [Probably. Eda isn't really one to give advice, as she's never exactly excelled at social functions. Especially the high society sort. Not to mention that her main experience with theatre consists of the musicals she was in back when she was still studying Bard magic.

Owlbear? That fits, though she's pretty sure it's not a term she's heard, and she's definitely filing it away for later. She briefly debates messing with them in answer to their question, and probably would if they'd seemed actually frightened by the idea, but at it is it's probably best to stick with straight answers, all things considered.]

Not exactly. Like I said, one of a kind. [Eda throws in a wink when she says this, but then she does go on to elaborate.]

I'm a witch. Just... a special one. Usually just say harpy. [But that's just what she's dubbed this form, despite not technically being a natural one.]

I'm from the Demon Realm. Witch is a race there, not a religion or a type of spellcaster or whatever. [Because that's another thing that seems to cause a lot of confusion around here.]

We usually look like humans with pointy ears--present company excluded at the moment. The rest of the people there are demons, all sorts of kinds. You'd fit right in back home.

[And a part of her might have been hoping for another person from if not her world then at least a version of it, but she's not especially disappointed.]

[ruevealing]

[Rue appreciates the straightforward approach right now, in this their moment of need, but certainly wouldn't mind a little playful messing with in the future.

Some others might take a little offense at being told they'd right in at a placed called the Demon Realm, but the very idea makes Rue laugh, a soft hooting chuckle of a sound. To be very perfectly honest, they might even end up feeling more at home in that place than back in their former Court. The fey they are used to associating with are some of the most underhanded, back-stabbing, cruel faeries around. Dealing with demons can't be nearly as bad, if any of them are like Eda herself.]

Just a few minutes here and I'm already learning so much! A harpy, you said? Fascinating.

[Truly, the worry of where they've ended up has been so easily brushed aside by Eda's companionship and pleasant company. What could they possibly have to fear in this place if they've already managed to make such a lovely friend?]

So many creatures from different realms have ended up in this place? Did you come here by choice?

[edalyn]

[Eda's just as glad this gets a laugh. There's only so many times one can explain that no, everyone there isn't on the whole more evil than anywhere else, before it stops being funny and just sort of gets tiresome.

She's equally fascinated by the idea of asking more about Owlbears and the Fey. While it takes her a while to make friends on any deep level, Rue is new and interesting and the sort of the distraction that she could use right about now.

But then they remind her that she hasn't filled them in yet, and she sighs, ears folding back slightly as she pinches the bridge of her nose.]

Right, there's no nice way to spin this so I'll just rip the band-aid off. No one comes here by choice, and no one's found a way to leave. Some of us are working on it, but for now... welcome to the Human Realm. Hope you didn't have any pressing end-of-the-world sort of business back home.

[This last part is flippant, but more in an exhausted way than anything.]

[ruevealing]

[Eda's obvious exasperation - with the situation, Rue assumes, more than with them - has the owlbear's own expression shifting into one of matching apprehension, their beak clicking with worry.

And oh, what a worry it is.]

Oh. [Rue's claws grasp together in front of them, their posture straightening, fully composed even in their unease.] I see. However we've all managed to arrive to this place, we are just - [a beat, a careful, thoughtful beat.] We are all trapped together. So there is no hope in returning back to Faerie at this time?

[It's distressing, certainly, but besides a little pinch between their feathery brows, Rue seems to be handling the news as well as can be.] I admit the timing couldn't have been better.

[edalyn]

[While it's sometimes fun to be ominous to make a point or get a reaction, Eda doesn't enjoy making people genuinely worry. In fact she tends to shy away from explaining the realities of dire situations more often than she should.

But someone needs to fill them in on this place, and if it's not her it'll be the orientation guys... or judging by the humans' reactions, the security guys. She's not especially fond of either set of guys. She nods.]

Unless you've got a working portal hidden in that dress somewhere, there's pretty much none.

[And even then, she's not sure one would work properly here. She starts to say something else, then thinks about the last part of what they said.] Wait, it couldn't have been better? How bad was the show you were watching? [She laughs, more of an undignified little snort.

[ruevealing]

[It happens so suddenly. Rue has spent the last few millennia so fully in control of their every emotion, every smile and chuckle and selfish delight pressed close to their chest. But Eda's question drags such a real, genuine laugh from the owlbear, a hooting trill of a sound, that Rue is surprised by how foreign their own laugh is even to them.

But it's real and that feels like the most freeing thing in the world.]

Truly? [There's no hiding the playful gleam in their eye, a clawed hand coming up to delicately cover their beak as if speaking a long-held secret into the world.] The casting was simply wretched, the lead just wasn't right for the tone of the production.

[how scandalous, rue!]

But no, I mean only that the end-of-the-world business we were dealing with back home had only just concluded. Rather peacefully, I might add. [Besides the singular dead prince, but meh.] As inconvenient as being drawn here is, at least whatever force that brought me waited until that matter had been settled.

[edalyn]

[Eda isn't fully expecting that to land, let alone for them to look as surprised by it as they do. But she loves making people laugh, so she's counting it as a win. The trill and the surprise are both very endearing, and it's possible the whole reaction gets another tiny blush. (Dammit. Pull yourself together Edalyn, you're a forty-six going on sixty year old woman.)

The catty little comment, on the other hand, gets a chuckle--mainly for the secretive attitude. It takes her a moment to place who she's suddenly reminded of, though. Oh dear Titan, they sound like Darius. She'd almost successfully forgotten her theatre kid days. Wild to suddenly remember that the government official she almost assassinated recently was also her highschool frenemy-slash-casting-director.

Fortunately, the actual explanation draws her back to the topic at hand.]

Oh yeah? Lucky. This place usually seems to have amazing or terrible timing. [Or, somehow, both at once. There's a touch of snark on the word lucky but it's not as if she'd rather they had less luck.]

[ruevealing]

[Funny how small the world can feel at times.

Eda goes pink and Rue delights in the reaction. Though it's impossible to smile with a beak, that joy is absolutely reflected in the owlbear's large, dark eyes. Even if being social and gregarious was something they were molded to be by their Court, Rue genuinely finds true pleasure in social settings, flitting from person to person and dipping into conversation as they please.

But to meet someone so real is an even greater gift. So much of the fey courts is half-truths and loopholes and ploys for power. But Eda just feels genuine. Her soft blush isn't a means to manipulate or sway Rue to their side. It's simply how they feel.

How wonderful.]

Then I shall take my good luck where I can get it. [a small beat, just a slight pause as Rue delicately runs a clawed hand down the front of their voluminous skirts, smoothing out the expensive fabric there.] Since you are so familiar with this place, would you mind taking me to where I am meant to go?

[edalyn]

[Eda starts to say something and offer them an arm, but trails off. One ear twitches slightly and she's turning to the door before it even opens.

There are several security guards in the doorway, and by a slight stroke of bad luck they're all humans who look at the very least startled by the owlbear. Eda takes a step towards them, not quite directly in front of Rue, but still notably putting herself between them. She doesn't necessarily trust the guards not to do something stupid.]

Hey, guys. Gym's all yours, we're just on our way out.

[One of the guards chooses to ignore her comment and speak up.] We heard there was something--

[Eda cuts them off before they can make a poor choice of words like dangerous.] You heard there was someone new and pretty and you just couldn't decide who got to show 'em around? Well, sorry boys. You all lose, I've got this.

[For the first time Eda's tone does take on a level of absolutely icy false politeness. Though she's not exactly subtle about that either.

Nor can she actually seem to keep up the act. Most of the guards are people she's normally on fine terms with, and they have the decency to look awkward. But she spots one who she recognizes from pulling a taser on her the first time he saw her as a harpy. Despite the fact she was sitting in an alley crying at the time.

As she makes eye contact with him her ears fold back and she growls just loudly enough to be audible. The combination is more reminiscent of a dog than a bird. She's a little too satisfied when he takes a small step back.]

[ruevealing]

[There's no world in which anyone being startled or frightened by Rue's true form doesn't cut them into ribbons, doesn't absolutely decimate Rue's heart. Of course there's a part of them that understands what they look like to most, especially to humans, that an owlbear of their size, with talons like those, looks so much more like a threat than a friend. But even knowing that doesn't ease the sting for Rue.

Because all it reminds them of is the painful echo of the Chorus chanting at them - "And we do not fault you for your outburst. It's in your nature". How after millennia spent serving them, spent shoving themselves into boxes that didn't quite fit, Rue was still nothing more than an awakened beast to the very court who raised them.

Eda growls, folds back her ears and defends Rue's very right to be, and without missing a beat, the owlbear's shoulders straighten with a huffing ruffle of soft feathers, their chin tipped upwards, a clawed hand resting over Eda's elbow.]

I'm afraid that my time's already spoken for, gentlemen. Good day.

[And they will happily let Eda guide them out of the room to wherever it is they are meant to go. As long as they get to arrive there with a little grace and dignity, instead of being herded like an animal, Rue will go without any fuss.]