TDM #23

[apocalypsehowmods]

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(NOTE: Apocalypse How's AC requirements have changed recently. Starting in July 2023 and moving forward, AC requires only one proof to complete.)

➥ 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 for English, 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 housing, itself is… dubiously all right. You might see the remnants of what seems to have been an all-out war of pettiness on the little apartment complex. A few places that haven't been painted over have things like 'MONSTERS' and 'GET OUT' written on them. One of the buildings (formerly Block D) looks downright derelict and shuttered. Exploring might lead you to find a hauntingly empty space that's been damaged beyond easy repair.

➥ Holly Jolly

(cw: None)

With team morale running mixed-at-best from recent events, intrepid HR woman, Pam Ruan has a plan. Not one she's told many people about, though. No, that would invite potential influences from sinister outside forces. She's only brought in a few souls to assist. And maybe you're one of them. Will you be one of Santa's Summer Elves for the day?

Whether you're living in ADI's provided housing or at Bonnie's Flophouse, newly arrived or an old hat, you'll find a small present sitting outside your room on the morning of July 5th. It contains a small bauble. Something cute or silly or elegant. Something not cursed. Miraculously! Whatever it is, though, it's very clearly only one part of a pair. Can you find its companion? (And maybe a new friend for yourself?) There's a short message:

"Maybe you can find someone to match and share with. Merry Christmas in July! Come to Kings Famous Roast Beef Pizza & Seafood after 6 PM for a little holiday party away from work! - Pam"

Those who are inclined to follow this invitation will find themselves at a fine Gloucester establishment settled between an insurance agency and a Walgreens. From the outside it looks like any of Gloucester's small-town diners. Inside has been transformed into a wintry wonderland with cotton, white streamers, and icicle lights standing in for snow. There are prop present boxes scattered about along with holly and even a sprig of mistletoe here or there. There's unusual pizza, sandwiches, and seafood to eat along with whatever sodas and alcoholic beverages one might desire. There's a decorated Christmas tree, sugar cookies (and a place to decorate your own), Christmas trivia, carol-based charades, frozen 'hot' chocolate, and Christmas jams playing on the radio.

Eat! Drink! Be merry! Maybe even find your matching partner for your gift. Pam is dressed up as Santa and waving to those who might be a bit shy or reticent and guiding them to activities… whether they want to participate in them or not. She seems anxious for this party to go well, and might come off as just a little hyper-vigilant when it comes to any whiff of supernatural interference.

At least nothing supernatural or sinister seems to be happening. For once, it will be a Silent (and Peaceful) Night… barring any shenanigans people themselves might cause.

➥ A New Spin

(cw: entomophobia, arachnophobia, bugs, bees, body horror)

The bug-featuring candy shop Bumble Gum is still going strong several months later (despite nay-sayers at the time of its opening.) The shop still flourishes with ant clusters and chocolate crickets and honeyed spider’s legs, but something seems to be a little…off. A thoughtfully placed bouquet of various options the shop offers is left in the ADI canteen for any who might brave the sweet oddities. Pop a few candied mealworms in your mouth and you might begin to feel a little stiff after a few minutes. Like your limbs don’t quite want to move as well as they did. A few minutes more and the source presents itself: a slowly spreading shell of candy coating creeping its way up (or out from) from wherever the snack touched flesh and blood. Snacking on a fried and sugared spider carapace quickly creates the feeling of far too many arms and legs. Those rice-krispie like ant clusters simply melt in the mouth…and offer the feeling of something crawling just beneath the skin. So much so, that you can see them moving there. Nearly every single sweet snack quickly reflects in the consumer and in a very visible way…at least. Some people seem to see it. Maybe…or maybe it really is just you.

➥ Heating Up

(cw: reference to being ill from food; burning; pain; loss of speech; loss of taste; potential for chronic pain)

The First Annual (We're Hoping) Hotter'n'Hell Hot Sauce Festival rolls into Gloucester on July 6th with plans to run through July 13th. The festival is a celebration of all things pepper and spice and cold drinks with ice from around the Cape Ann region.

The posters around town leading up to the 6th promise a desolation of your tongue that will not be soon forgotten, and there's a buzz throughout Gloucester about a hot sauce competition, and cash prize for trying the hottest thing the festival has to offer. Ever heard of the Bowel Buster? This unholy combination of ghost and reaper peppers has purportedly caused second degree burns and left even the most stalwart spicy soul in tears, on their knees and in agony for hours. $100 will go to each person who can successfully down three hefty chipfuls of the Bowel Buster. Can you stand the heat?

For those looking in on the festival, it's being held at one of the larger parks in Gloucester. Visitors are greeted by lanky teens in reaper garb who assure everyone they're here to retrieve the souls of those who cannot survive their most flavorful journey. Really, they seem to be equipped with cooler bags of milk and other drinks to help anyone who might be struggling a bit too much. Everything seems well and fine at most of the stalls selling artisan hot sauces, jams, and all manner of foodie fare. But there are some stalls that seem to have products with just a little extra. It's not every bottle of hot sauce, not even most, but keen eyes might note that some of them seem to have a little extra kick. These bottles have stylized skulls with flames dancing around them drawn onto the labels in discreet places. It's clear this was done after production and with a ballpoint pen.

These are the sauces you have to look out for.

Of course, that's hard when you might not even know what you're getting at a tasting stall. One bite and heat pours into you. It's like nothing you've ever experienced, a pain so acute it leaves even those with an outstanding pain tolerance breathless. The poisonous peppers slosh in your gut, cooking you from the inside out and lingering at the back of your tongue. Clearly, you've just been rendered speechless by the flavor!

So speechless you'll find your voice taken from you for several hours up to several days. Taste is gone, as well, for this time. Everything is just a strange, bland texture on your tongue that stings a bit. Even when speech and taste return, there's a chance that you'll still be stuck with the feeling of heat smoldering in your belly for so, so much longer. Maybe forever.

➥ Mod Notes

• ARRIVAL (July 1-31): Two people will almost always arrive in the same general location together. Arrivals occur throughout the 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.
  
  
• HOLLY JOLLY (July 5): The Christmas in July celebration is something wholly benign. There's no supernatural draw or force behind the gifts, just an earnest attempt at community. Whether characters believe that's true… well. Maybe they can come to check how safe things are. Anyone wishing to be one of Santa's Summer Elves is welcome to say they were chosen by Pam and either asked nicely or cheerfully strongarmed into assisting. There's even a cute (cheap) elf costume in it for your trouble! Elves would be sent out to deliver presents and to encourage others at the party.
  
  
• A NEW SPIN (July 1-15): Effects from eating the candies can vary from a few hours to a few days (up to a week) and characters can see them one day and potentially not see them the next as players decide! Characters suffering from the effects will always feel them, but they don’t always have to see them. Anyone going straight to the source will find Andrena as peppy and cheerful as ever! They have a smile in greeting and genuine concern over any allegations their candy has side-effects, side effects they never once seem to see for themselves. They are quick to tell characters that if you’re having a severe allergic reaction to something in the candy, it’s recommended they seek medical help as soon as possible!
  
  
• HEATING UP (July 6-13): Characters are free to try the Bowel Buster and earn their $100. It's hot. Blisteringly so. But it doesn't seem to have the same lingering supernatural or lingering effects that the mystery sauces do. There is no pattern to which sauces are marked with the stylized fire skull. Different stalls, different products. Talking to stall owners would lead to the discovery that they don't know any of the other owners whose products have been affected. Characters who are rendered speechless (and lacking in taste) may remain in that state for up to five days, but it can also dissipate after a few hours at player discretion. Likewise, there can be lingering pain effects in the gut, but they are not required. For those with lingering effects, medical examination would lead to a determination that it's psychosomatic pain. Clearly… it's all in your head.
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Comments

QUESTIONS

[apocalypsehowmods]

Bruce Banner & Joe Fixit | OTA

[gammasystem]

Holly Jolly Holidays

1.
Bruce's stomach started to sink at the first mention of Christmas in July. He tries to passively avoid the holiday at the best of times when its season rolls around, and actively isolates himself against it in the more bitter ends.

Still, while he couldn't tell something was immediately wrong with this lone sled bauble he was given with the invitation, he couldn't fully trust this as innocuous. Paranoia of his own brain ate away as he eventually turned up at the establishment hosting it.

Ignoring the immediate crawling in his skin he clutched the santa-less sled in his hands as he slowly moved around the peripheries of the party, looking sketchy, anxious, and more or less suspiciously nervous given the joyful atmosphere.

2.
They'd probably realized: Hey, this isn't that otherworldly or spooky. Maybe. Though if Joe has to take a guess he'd wager this was a stark case of over-stimulation and traumatic backtracking to make Bruce shy away and Joe to take the scene. All it took was a brief excusing to the bathroom and the nicking of an ugly sweater in a backroom storage closet for a costume change of sorts to take place.

A greasy comb back through teased curls and he was pretty convinced nobody would notice this was the same guy neurotically pacing around and being just- a real downer, you know? Joe doesn't cop much to the joy of Christmas nor does he get the whole July revamp but hey, free booze is free booze.

Joe schmoozed his way over to a counter and swiped an unopen bottle of peppermint vodka, popped its cap and did a glance around before swigging from it straight as he tried to slink away inconspicuously.