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redstringtheories2023-02-01 08:50 am
TDM #19
(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: auditory hallucinations, decay, rot, filth, mold, blood, blood sacrifice, violence, brief allusion to self-harm and harm to animals)
Things seem to have quieted down in Gloucester after a rough January. Everyone is still recovering from the severe localized internet failures that took place last month and disrupted everything from basic research to every level of commerce. Life has stabilized, though, and it does the heart good.
Not just your heart, either. It doesn't happen to everyone. In fact, it seems random, and it's not confined to just off-worlders, but everyone living in Gloucester; though, most are loath to talk about it. There is a heart beating within the room that you take refuge in to sleep, and it is not your own or even that of a partner you might bed down with. It seems to be beating within the walls and under the floorboards, never in the same place twice, but definitely there.
Those plagued by the heartbeat will find that their living conditions begin to degrade night by night, seeming to coincide with a slowdown in the beats of the heart. You might wake with dust covering you, cobwebs in the corners, mold and rot spreading across the floor. Your sheets and clothes may degrade to rags, your body may be covered in filth. You know instinctively what this is. The heart is beginning to die. Your room is dying, and there is only one way to fix it: blood. Not just any blood, though. No, that would be too simple. Your own is insufficient. Animals will not work. You need the blood of another person marked upon the spot where the heart beats. Blood spilled willingly or taken without the knowledge of another may stave off one effect for the night, but it does nothing for the others, nor the worst of them. Blood spilled from an unwilling person, from someone who knows they've been taken from for this terrible purpose, is the most potent. The heart races with this and the room seems to be right and well, returning completely to normal and staying as such for several days. But the heart that beats is a weak and fickle one. Go too long without another blood-letting, and the decay will creep back in.
People who might wish to avoid this all together will find their options limited. There are some living spaces that aren't affected, but that means crowding into one place. Time to get cozy with the neighbors if you don't want to stab them and steal their blood. If you're one of the lucky ones with a heartbeat-free room? Get ready for an influx of potentially long-term house guests.
(cw: altered mental states; stalking; unwanted romantic advances; toxic romantic relationships)
Emotions can run high around the holidays, especially holidays that are all about displays of emotion. A small uptick in domestic altercations in Gloucester at the start of February initially goes unnoticed as anything significant. But then boxes of chocolates appear in break rooms around ADI, an early Valentine's Day gift from HR staffer Pam Ruan in lieu of an actual holiday party. And those romantic tensions that have been going around? Well, now they're coming around at ADI.
It starts as soon as you eat even one chocolate. At first it's just a flurry of affection for whomever you happen to lay eyes on next, or perhaps it's merely noticing them as a romantic prospect in a way you never did before. The more time you spend around that person, the more the feeling deepens. This is love, isn't it? This desire to be near them, to gaze upon them, to chatter and giggle with them like schoolchildren–that's love, isn't it?
Parting ways with the object of your affection can allow the feeling to fade over the next hour until it's forgotten, though they'll stay in your mind and the urge to seek them out remains for that time. Unless, of course, you had more than one chocolate! The intensity of the feeling, of the need to be near your person is exponentially more intense for every chocolate you've consumed, and to part with them hurts your soul. And why should you part with them? Why should you be denied your love?
Pairs who have both eaten chocolates and been "lucky" enough to mutually imprint on one another will find themselves practically glued to each other by the need to remain close, jealously guarding their new relationship against any potential interference. Those whose completely legitimate chocolate-induced love is unrequited, however, still feel the need to be close and the same possessiveness even if it's not returned.
Stalking, spying, and even kidnapping is going around, but within a day ADI's higher ups are aware of the situation. Staff are instructed to incinerate any chocolate found on the premises, and anyone caught stalking their coworkers or suddenly engaging in a codependent relationship is to be separated until the effects wear off–by force, if necessary.
[See Mod Notes below for an important message regarding this prompt.]
(cw: entomophobia, arachnophobia, bugs, bees)
Everyone’s abuzz about a new shop in town. Bumble Gum has opened its doors just in time for a season of sweets and sweethearts. A jaunty bee sits on the round sign over the door and as decals on the windows, but it’s hardly necessary with the bright white and pink-striped awning welcoming in the curious.
Inside, white wicker baskets decorated in large bows line a front table, each filled with a colored cellophane treat and labeled with a similarly-designed cute bug picture for easy identification.
Because it doesn’t take more than a sharp eye to notice what’s inside the cellophane.
The baskets hold an array of chocolate-covered, cinnamon-covered, and candied bugs, from butterflies to beetles to mealworms. Along the walls hang other enticing offerings including fried flies in charming pink and white bags, a ‘protein-rich potato chip alternative!’ Lollipops that hold whole insects like tasty nuggets of amber and even a tiered arrangement of ‘bug juice’ styled drinks line another wall. Go to the counter, and their fresh assortment of powdered-sugar moths, truffles garnished with ants and wasps, and even a sign inviting you to order some freshly steamed pupae are there to greet you. Along with, of course, a smiling and cheerful cashier dressed in a frilly pink and white uniform complete with a set of costume bee’s wings on their back. Why, what can they help you with today?
It certainly doesn’t seem like the kind of place that would get popular…niche as it is, but it’s new and gossip-worthy and offers free samples on Thursday and a couple of wary fishermen soon swear by it. Teens dare each other to buy something…and some of them come back again later. Even ADI isn’t immune as one day a carton of chocolate-dipped spider legs are left out with an open invitation to try them!
A little salty…a little crunchy…a little sweet! Who knew?
- ARRIVAL (February 1-28): Two people will almost 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.
- ARRHYTHMIA (February 5-15): Not every room will be afflicted with the heartbeat, but a lot of them will be. As mentioned in the prompt, this is not limited to just ADI housing or Bonnie's Flophouse; although, getting locals to admit to their experiences will be difficult for those who go investigating. Many are frightened, confused, and ashamed of themselves for what they're doing to try to keep their homes from becoming unlivable. They may even think they're hallucinating. The decay effects are visible to anyone who steps into a living space, though, and they do not disappear unless cleaned up or until the heart is 'fed.' Those who go looking for an actual heart will need to rip up floorboards or break through walls to try to get to it… and the heartbeat seems to always be a little off from where the person is investigating. Audible, but never visible. The heartbeats will fade after two weeks if they're left to their own devices. Those who have left their rooms to decay will find that their room is a disgusting and degraded mess to clean up afterwards. Time to get your spring cleaning on early!
- LOVE POTION NUMBER 9 (February 1-15): Reminder: As per the game's rules, the following types of plots/character interactions are not allowed: rape, sexual violence, underage sex, pregnancy. The effects of the chocolates do not include an urge to perpetrate acts of sexual violence. Threads with obsessive and unwanted romantic behaviors per this prompt must be clearly marked with content warnings.
- BUMBLE GUM (February 1-Onward): There’s all kinds of bugs to be had in Bumble Gum, if it’s feasibly edible, it’s feasibly found! Andrena is a friendly young adult who greets new friends with pep and enthusiasm, a true ‘kill them with kindness’ sort. If you have trouble choosing, they’re happy to help you find your new soilmate today! Hard scrutiny of the sweet and savory treats will reveal: they are, in fact, bugs. Enjoy!
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[Her fingers tap across the display of fried flies. Maybe she'll try those after all.]
But I might get some of these. Euripides might like one. [She's caught a wolf spider and she's keeping him in a box in her bedroom. A steady diet of fried flies would be bad for him, but one wouldn't hurt, and he might appreciate the novelty.]
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Unless - you're not talking about the Greek fella.
[Was that a bad joke? It might have been a really bad joke.]
You don't like the way sugar tastes?
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[She picks up a packet of fried flies and peers at it.]
I prefer bitter flavors.
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It's a good name, though. And you're right - he might like those.
[He hums.] Sweet can be a little much. What lured you in here, then? The, uh, novelty?
no subject
[Wednesday grew up eating her Grandmama's cooking, which involved such delicacies as fresh sea slug and sweet-and-sour scorpion stew. Eating bugs isn't especially novel to her.]
no subject
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[She picks up a bag of candied mealworms and holds it up to the light, examining the bugs inside.]
When they're not entombed in little sugary coffins, that is.
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Maybe it's just a matter of preparing them? Or maybe preparing yourself. They're not as appetizing when they're raw and wiggling. For some of us, at least.
[He guesses he can't say the same for her.] Do you, uh - have a favorite kind? To eat.
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Grandmama sometimes makes earwig biscuits. Those might be my favorite. Especially with a nice black tea.
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[Steve seems to genuinely consider that.] Sounds interesting.
[He's not lying.]
If a guy was going to get some, uh. Samples from here, to test. To check ingredients and that sort of thing. Would you have any recommendations?
[He clearly seems to trust her opinion better than the pushy sales staff.]
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The beetles encrusted in peanut butter, at least, won't rot his teeth, so she selects those.]
The best ones to eat are the ones you forage and cook yourself. But these will do.
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I'll bet they are - nothing like homemade, right?
[He grins a little, but nods.] I'll get these, then. Thank you.
[His smile goes a little sheepish.] I don't suppose there's much I can help you with, in return?