TDM #20

[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.)

➥ The Wheels on the Bus

(cw: spiders; spider eggs; swarms; uncanny valley; loss of bodily autonomy; full encasement)

Beware the bus.
His name is Gus.
Don't shout.
Don't run.
Don't make a fuss.
Gus the bus.
Bus the Gus.
He's big and bright.
A mean old cuss.

The sing-song rhymes haunt the streets of Gloucester this month with young people, in particular, muttering to each other about a haunted bus that just has 'G1_15' fixed on its scrolling route sign. They've taken to calling it Gus, and regaling each other with tales of seeing it picking up and dropping off vagrants late and night when no one else is around to see it.

Enough sleuthing will uncover that these sightings, such as they are, seem to happen around 2 AM along Dory Road, where the Dogtown Trailhead existed before ADI and the local police force had the park shut down. Gus doesn't appear most nights, but for the lucky few who do spot him prowling, two things will become immediately clear:

1. He only seems to turn up when there are two or fewer people around; and
2. Gus is not a bus.

The hulking form that 'rolls' down the street does, indeed, look like a bus… head on. But catch him from the corner of your eyes and you will see that he skitters. The 'wheels' seem to extend in arachnid legs with two poking out from each well. His headlights are fractured, as well, with eight distinct lights winking away in the darkness.

Should one be foolish enough to remain at the single bus stop on this street or approach when they see him coming, they'll find their muscles locking up and, whether they want it or not, their body will move to board Gus. He'll settle down and let you in, should this happen. Welcome to a ride you won't soon forget.

The interior of the bus is filled with webbing and enormous white egg sacks. Try as you might, you can't seem to stop yourself from walking down the aisle and settling upon one of the sacks. You can speak. You can even scream, if you'd like. One of your fellow passengers may be doing so as small spiders swarm across them, slowly wrapping them in silk. But you can't get up, can't move to get off or fight the forces holding you. And as you sit, the swarm finds you and begins to wrap you in your own cocoon.

Once a person has been fully encased in the webbing, they will find themselves slowly losing consciousness. Instead of death on the other end, though, they'll awaken the next morning at the bus stop on Dory Road. somewhere on their person they'll be sporting a new tattoo… one that looks like spider webs.

It's probably fine.

➥ Wax On, Wax Off

(cw: altered perception; characters given cause to doubt their reality)

A single disturbance at a supermarket wouldn't have been enough to grab ADI's attention–Karens will be Karens, after all. But when two videos pop up on social media in one week featuring individuals in the produce aisle of two different Gloucester stores having what appear to be very similar mental breakdowns, it's worth at least a casual investigation. It's a bonus assignment, with ADI offering anyone who is willing to check out the grocery stores in the area a small payment for time and reimbursement for any related purchases.

For the majority of investigators, this little assignment is a big dead end. Local supermarkets, including the two with known events, are to all appearances ordinary grocery stores selling ordinary produce. Just a few people will see an odd sheen to the fruit that's heaped up in the produce bins. Upon closer inspection by those select individuals, the fruit in question appears to be made of wax. Touching it, weighing it in one's hand, smelling it, cutting it open, or even eating it just confirms what they see: it's wax through and through, too lightweight to be real, too smooth and brightly colored and false, a mouthful of lies.

To the people around them, though, obliviously picking out what they believe to be real food, the fruit remains as real and as heavy with juice as one would expect from real, solid food grown from the earth. For the majority of people, both local and interdimensional, the fruit is fruit by every measure, including taste. It's not especially perfect or delicious, not anything out of the ordinary in today's world of hothouse agriculture: it's simply fruit from the supermarket, as one would expect to buy on any ordinary day.

Food or wax? Are you digging your teeth into your next meal, or into a lump of inedible decor? Is perceiving the fruit as wax a delusion, or a hidden truth? Who can say?

➥ Storied Susurrations

(cw: compulsion)

There are many who would claim to hear a siren’s call to their local library. The lure of knowledge, escapism, or simply a quiet nook to help maintain focus, there’s an appeal to wandering the stacks for all kinds of people. Even if you’re not usually such a bookworm you might feel a bit of a draw when you happen past the unassuming building just West of Downtown. It’s ignorable, if gut feelings really aren’t your thing, but the curious might find themselves called closer.

As soon as your shoes touch the floor of the open main room, the call you’ve been hearing becomes a little louder, if only a little. There’s a whisper near your ear, like someone just a bit behind you speaking too low to hear. Someone familiar. Someone trusted.

Delve deeper. The voice gets more distinct, the words recognizable even if they never go over a whisper. It coils through your ears and your mind and your limbs, a sweet ribbon of promise. Come closer, don’t you want to hear? Don’t you want to know? Look harder.

Towards the back of the main room, near where a cluster of tables stands vigil, sits the history section. Local, State, Country, World, a wide manner of options present their spines proudly, though not a one seems to lay claim to the source of the whisper. Best just to listen, then, to your dear friend’s message.

Those who listen to the words will find information is their reward, information about them. Information about home. Is it the secrets in your past? The concerns of the present? Knowledge impossible to confirm from your future? Perhaps you should listen longer. Perhaps come back and check again. Or maybe just ask your friend nearby, they certainly seem to be listening keenly.

➥ Mod Notes

• ARRIVAL (March 1-31): 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.
  
  
• THE WHEELS ON THE BUS (March 1-15): Gus will only appear when there are two or fewer people on the street. There is no way to stop yourself from boarding Gus should you become trapped in his control, nor can characters physically fight against remaining where they are in the bus. Gus does not affect the thoughts of anyone he meets, merely controls their bodies. Those who wind up riding him and earning a spider web tattoo are free to decide where this tattoo is and what, precisely, it looks like. For the moment, there doesn't appear to be any ill effect from the tattoo. Maybe your new friends just want to make sure you remember. Characters may ride Gus more than once. They will acquire additional tattoos for each ride.
  
  
• WAX ON, WAX OFF (March 1-15): Any characters who see the fruit as wax will see wax regardless of which stores in Gloucester they visit; characters who see the fruit as fruit will see real fruit regardless of the store they visit. Almost all members of the general public see real fruit; a smaller majority of ADI investigators see real fruit.
  
  
• STORIED SUSURRATIONS (March 1-15): Characters who go to listen to the books whisper to them will, indeed, be told of some canon information relevant to them either from their past, present, or future! Any characters grouped up will hear the same message as those nearby, as the whispers carry on individually in the voice of someone the character trusts. The message doesn’t seem to change with new or prolonged visits, just the same message offered over and over again without a source.
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Comments

[rainestorms]

Raine's rhythm of checking books stuttered at the mention of Eda.

"I, ah—is it? I couldn't.. it's been a while since we've talked."

Terrible save, Raine. They tried to resume looking, but the notion that they're focusing on the wrong thing, they pause.

"What... what do you mean? What else should I be focusing on?"

[byeeeeeeeee]

That's not right. Wouldn't they have seen her recently? They shared a room! He saw it himself. But no. It's...none of his business. Whatever is going on between those two had nothing to do with him.

He picks up another book, opens it in the middle, and flicks through a few pages.

"Not sure." He shrugged. "The child of the stars bit maybe?"

Actually, no. Something feels very off. Frowning, he shuts the book - he hadn't actually read anything anyway. "Did you guys have a fight?"

[rainestorms]

"The child of the stars..."

They played with the name as they spoke. Raine didn't exactly recognise that name from the intel they'd gathered on the draining spell, but something about it seemed weirdly... fitting. Mostly for the fact that the spell was connected to an eclipse.

Hunter's second question caught Raine off guard. They froze, and tried to busy themself with another book to avoid having to face Hunter directly.

"I.. you could call it that." Raine softly replied.

They weren't aware of what Hunter did and did not know about their relationship. Raine would prefer to keep it vague, for now.

"Though, before that I hadn't seen her in a while..."

[byeeeeeeeee]

He recalled the Collector seemed kind of...celestial. At least, for the brief period between watching Belos go splat and making a mad dash for the portal. And he had no idea how that would connect to the rest of what Eda (Eda's voice?) had said. Alternatively, she could have been referring to something from this world, and he was unaware of any "star children".

Okay, so they did have a fight.

"Oh. Um...sorry?" He winced. This was probably definitely an adult thing and he should just let it go.

"Do you still want me to show you how to use your foon? You could text...someone..." Eda. "...who has been here longer. Who might be able to help?"

[rainestorms]

"It's.. okay, Hunter. You don't have to apologise. You didn't do anything."

Raine brushed past their statement with little change in emotion when Hunter moves on, but their attention returns to him at the mention of the foon.

"I.. did we ever find it? I didn't check in my bag," They pulled away from the books again, crouching over at the edge of the table. "I keep forgetting I have a bag now, since I can't just-"

They made a spell circle motion.

"Magically summon things."

Raine rummaged through their bag, and pulled out the piece of technology in question- with the screen noticeably cracked, already. They'd only had it for a few days, sure, but they didn't realise it was so.. fragile. They lift it up, and waved it at Hunter.

"Found it!"

[byeeeeeeeee]

He shrugged. He didn't have to say he was sorry, but spend a short lifetime apologizing for everything he did or didn't do wrong, or did right but not in the right way...It was compulsory.

He watched as Raine dug through their bag.

"I've never been able to." Not without a staff, which made it risky to store anything that way. Especially nothing important. Lose your staff, lose your stuff.

"But pockets are great for carrying little things!"

Phone found, Hunter retrieved his own. "Do you know how to turn it on?"

[rainestorms]

Raine felt a little bad forgetting that Hunter couldn't do magic. It wasn't a normal thing for witches, but it wasn't anything for Hunter to be ashamed of. The part of Raine that had grown to feel the need to constantly mentor younger witches urged Raine to comfort Hunter and assure him that it was fine that he couldn't do magic, but.. best to stick to the subject.

"Pockets are handy, I can't disagree with that," they hummed, and then looked back at the device. "Ehh, yes? It's this little button, right?"

They put their pointer finger on the power button.

"I was shown how to do this, I think. I pressed down on it earlier, but nothing happened."

[byeeeeeeeee]

"I've been sewing extra ones into my clothes." Not because he needs them exactly - he doesn't have that much that needs carrying - but he enjoys making them. Especially the little hidden pockets for Flapjack to hide in.

He nods. That is how the phone is turned on. "Sometimes you have to hold it down for a few seconds. Did you feed it enough electricity?"

[rainestorms]

Raine couldn't help smiling at Hunter sewing extra pockets into his clothes. They wouldn't tell Hunter this, but they thought it was a cute thing he'd definitely picked up from Darius. It's not like Belos would teach the kid how to sew- Raine didn't think the Emperor taught his poor nephew anything of worth.

"That makes sense. Let me see.." They hold down on the side button, and the screen lights up. They light up with amazement as well.

"Guess I fed it enough."

It had actually just been turned off up until this point, but Raine decided that celebrating was more important.

[byeeeeeeeee]

He's less impressed, but only because he's mastered turning on the foon.

"Okay, now look for a picture of a circle with a tail." That's a speech bubble, Hunter. "That will let you text. It's like the chat feature on Penstagram."

[rainestorms]

A hard crowd to win- Hunter doesn't seem as impressed as he could. It made sense; he clearly knew his stuff.

They followed his instructions and found the picture, pressed on it, and pulled it up.

"Oh, that makes sense. How do I text you, then? Do I just type your name in?"

They began trying to do just that, but realised they don't know Hunter's last name so they stop.

[byeeeeeeeee]

"Yeah."

He glanced over at Raine's cell, and noticed they'd stopped typing. Did they forget his name already? That's a bit annoying, but whatever.

"It's Hunter. It should appear with my username. Rulerzreachf4n." He'd even done the cool thing where you switch the s out for a z and use a number instead of a letter. There will be no last name, regardless.

[rainestorms]

Raine typed in the name Rulerzreachf4n (though, they quietly muse over the fact that he chose Ruler's Reach as his screen name) and add him.

"Thank you for letting me add you, Hunter! Now I'll send you a message..." They state, though it's mostly for themself.

They type a quick 'hello Hunter :)' and send it.

"What else can you show me?"

[byeeeeeeeee]

Hunter (very slowly) taps out "helLo" and sends it as confirmation.

"Well, there's a thing called the Enter-net. Luz actually showed it to me a while ago."

She had shown him on her laptop, but he found the phone version was just as good and more convenient.

"It stores unlimited knowledge." He scans the face of Raine's phone and points to the browser icon. "That one right there."

[rainestorms]

Raine sent back another "Hello!"

"The enter-net..." Raine echoed, and pressed the icon. "Unlimited knowledge seems a little.. overwhelming. but..."

Raine smiled at Hunter, and gently pat his shoulder. It was short, and gentle as to not make him uncomfortable.

"You're a very smart witch, Hunter. I'm glad I have you to show me around."

[byeeeeeeeee]

Hunter hesitated but decided that texting back another hello was overkill.

He wasn't expecting the hand on his shoulder, which caused him to flinch back a little, or the compliment. His warning to not fall into rabbit holes (whatever those are) is immediately forgotten.

"Oh. Um. Thank you? But I'm just learning as I go."

[rainestorms]

Raine was surprised when Hunter flinched, and they withdrew their hand. They tried their best to not blatantly show their concern as their mind raced with all of the things they'd heard about Hunter from Darius. The good, but also.. sometimes he spoke about how Belos treated Hunter. Hints they had seen of his poor treatment at the hands of the emperor the times they'd crossed paths.

"You're welcome, Hunter," Their smile softened a little. "It's still nice to hear about it."

They hesitate for a moment. They didn't want to upset Hunter, but they needed to acknowledge that he flinched. They needed to show him that they wouldn't hurt him, somehow. That he could feel safe around them.

"But uh.. Hunter. Did I make you uncomfortable?" Their tone is gentle, but concerned. "I apologise if I did."

[byeeeeeeeee]

Hunter shifts, glancing quickly at Flapjack, who makes a tiny, concerned peep. His voice starts a little too loud, but quickly fizzles to uncertainty.

"No. Sorry. I just, um...well...maybe..."

The first time Camila had reached for him, he'd practically shot across the room. Later she apologized and told him that if something bothered him, it was okay to say so. It was okay to have boundaries - something he never really had before. No one decent would push those boundaries, and he always thought Raine was decent.

He pulls in a deep breath. "I know you didn't mean anything by it, but I wasn't expecting it. Some warning in the future would be helpful."

[rainestorms]

Raine's attention shifted between the small chirping noise, and Hunter himself. Their mind connected the dots that Hunter had a palisman, and excitement forced its way between Raine and their concern. Raine wanted desperately to ask him about who his little friend was, but they pushed their excitement back enough to focus on what needed to be addressed first.

"Of course, Hunter. If anything I say or do makes you uncomfortable, you can tell me. I don't want to hurt or upset you, ever."

Raine paused for a moment, having to muster up exactly what they wanted to say next.

"But also, I, uh.." They fidget with the collar of their shirt- a nervous habit they'd never quite gotten rid of- and continued their thought.

"If you.. ever need somebody to talk to about.. being in the Emperor's Coven, or anything else, you can talk to me. I know you don't know me very well, but the horrible things from the covens and Belos aren't unfamiliar to me. Being in the Bard Coven and becoming Head Bard was.. challenging."

Challenging was an understatement. Raine didn't want to bring up the horrible things that happened to themself or to others, though. Most of the coven heads and those directly beneath them enjoyed all sorts of deeds that usually ended up in somebody brainwashed, missing, petrified, or dead.

Raine guessed Hunter wasn't a stranger to those things, being the Emperor's nephew, but wanted to make sure he felt safe. They would rather extend a branch to Hunter and let him talk about what he was comfortable discussing, instead of traumatising the younger witch all over again.

Then Raine would dote over the palisman.

[byeeeeeeeee]

It's embarrassing sometimes how just a little kindness thrown his way made his chest heavy. It put a lump in his throat and made his eyes burn. He wondered, between one shaky breath and the next, if it would ever get easier.

He blinked and looked away, lips pressed in a tight line. He wasn't sure he'd ever want to talk about the coven or his uncle or anything associated with that whole mess, but Raine was at least familiar with it.

A sharp tug on his hair brought him back to the present. Satisfied, Flapjack perched on his shoulder.

He turned his attention back to Rain and gave a tight nod. "I'll...keep that in mind. Thank you."

[rainestorms]

Raine wanted to offer some sort of comfort to Hunter- maybe a hug- but they decided to keep to themself for now. They didn't want to overwhelm Hunter, even if he seemed like he could use it.


"Of course," They nodded at Hunter.

Raine's attention was once again caught by the red Cardinal palisman that perched on Hunter's shoulder. They gesture to Flapjack.

"Is this your Palisman? They're very cute," Raine waves at the little bird. "What's your name?"

[byeeeeeeeee]

Now this, this was something he could handle. Hunter smiled and held out his hand so Flap can settle into it. If a cardinal could look smug, the little bird would be, preening under the compliment. Hunter looked no less proud.

"This is Flapjack."

[rainestorms]

"Hello Flapjack!" Raine exclaims to the small cardinal, and gives him a little scratch on the head. "You're a very good palisman."

Raine sits back in their chair.

"Darius had mentioned you had a palisman, but I never got to see them until now... how'd you find Flapjack? I assume you didn't make him. Palistrom wood is scarce now and.."

Raine didn't need to finish that sentence. It brought up old memories of Eda, and Owlbert, and..

Oh Titan, they missed Eda.

[byeeeeeeeee]

"He found me, actually." He took over petting Flapjack's head, looking at the palisman fondly. "And stuck around even when I told him not to."

Still, he kept the bird hidden in the castle, and never thought to betray him to Belos.

"He's been around for...a long time, I think."

[rainestorms]

"He must think you're really special, then. Palismen choose people for a reason." Raine hummed. They couldn't help but give the little Cardinal another few scritches. They were no expert on Palismen, but they still remembered some things about Palismen from Eda and her family.

"When I was younger, despite the Emperor's efforts, there were people trying to keep the tradition alive despite how rare Palistrom wood was becoming. I don't know how that's been going." they paused and contemplated on whether or not they should mention the people in question were Dell and Eda Clawthorne. Probably not.

"But I heard a rumour that Hexside was working with the Bat Queen to adopt out Palismen that needed a home to young witches. I haven't been there in years, but it sounds like Principal Bump's really turned the place around. I wish I could see it for myself."