Event - Aftermath

[apocalypsehowmods]

↬ Main Navigation

Aftermath

➥ Handle With Care

(cw: arachnophobia, entomophobia, chirophobia, elafiphobia)

There is a reason Dogtown has been boarded up. The wicked do not rest and while the majority of ADI's manpower was out of town, those remaining were stretched thin. There simply weren't enough eyes to keep on the park. With too few people, the things that crawl inside crawled out. Most of them have been hunted down and dealt with, but not all. Not nearly all. Though it might not be apparent at first.

The weather is hot and a bit of humidity brings the bugs about. They might all be horrible, but some aren't so bad. Butterflies flit about in the air, their colorful wings offering an aerial show on your walk. Every now and then, however, one or two might catch your eye: there appear to be a few with an odd wing shape that seem to jerk and plunge in their flight. Keep an eye on these odd bugs and you might just finally place the shape: four long, spindly segments. Hands. Interlocked at what would be thumbs, fluttering sets of hands no bigger than the rest of the butterflies flutter about. Some land peacefully, some don't seem to land at all, but just dance about like a perverted wave from no one. Others still, like to land on faces and what a delight it is to be blessed with the gentle legs of a butterfly on your nose as it spreads and stretches its wings! At least until those wings clamp over the eyes under them.

You don't even have to go outside to find things that skitter and hide. Perhaps you've settled down to work on something or read or even check your phone. It'll only take a moment, really, but it has your attention. Enough so that, when you feel a gentle tickle at your neck, you might not even think much of it or reach up to scratch the spot. Except it happens again, slower, more careful; to the point it doesn't tickle, in fact, it feels almost like something is...stroking your neck? Like a tiny hand running along your skin. If you're fast enough, maybe you can brush whatever it is off, or maybe you simply turn your head to look at your shoulder and into the multiple eyes of an eight-legged friend. No, make that six. Six legs and two, long, arms ending in thin-fingered hands.

On the other hand, there are also those things that go bump in the night. Well after sunset, some areas of Gloucester titter with laughter or carry the steady sound of feet hitting the pavement, while some darker corners patter with a rhythmic slapping sound. Following the sound might just lead you through echoing alleyways until you come across the recognizable shape of a deer. A deer whose legs end in hands. Where they start is at the top: curved, gnarled, fingers jut from the top of its head like a perverted crown. Antagonize it or stare too long, and that slapping sound may turn your way, the charging deer aiming for you grasping-fingers-first.

➥ Shipping and Handling

(cw: underwater threats, drowning, refuse/filth, squirmy things, human-caused environmental damage)

Known locally as the Cut, Blynman Canal in southwest Gloucester connects Gloucester Harbor to the Annisquam River. For over a hundred years the Blynman Bridge has spanned that opening, a busy drawbridge that has nonetheless been left to rust. The Cut is a deceptively treacherous little waterway, and it's not unheard of for locals with too much time on their hands to go down to the canalside and watch the boats in the hope of witnessing an entertaining misadventure or two. There's more than one local legend of boats going down in the canal, though no record of it in recent history, and people claim the water is a lot deeper than anyone might expect. But that's not quite why it's caught ADI's attention recently.

No, it's the wretched sobbing from under the bridge at sunset that's new and concerning…and the reports of boats striking something in the canal where there should have been open water. Several owners have reported thumping on the hull of their boats as though they were struck by some furious creature, but the official story is that they simply struck litter and debris that has recently clogged the canal's entrance. It's not a lot to go off of, but with the recent Dogtown troubles, any sudden change at locations of potential significance is worth an investigation.

In daytime it's difficult to see much of anything in the water, and investigators are discouraged from intruding too obviously on the scene during hours when locals are more likely to be present. As the sun sets, though, the water roils and crashes under the bridge for minutes on end. The motion dies down, the water calms, and the lamenting cries begin. There are no words, only broken sobbing in a human voice. Looking into the water in the dying light, one can see something down there, just below the surface now. Is that a face? Did a hand just breach the surface, reaching pitifully skyward before slipping back under?

Anyone who tries to enter the water will feel detritus brush against them, all manner of sunbleached plastic debris clogging the canal. The walls go straight down under the bridge and the water is deep. It won't be long before one finds oneself not just swimming in trash but entangled in it. It drags even the strongest swimmer down, snaring arms and legs. Fight and cut yourself free, hope for a rescue…or await the end.

➥ Say, Say, O Playmate

(cw: hallucination, disorientation, synesthesia, altered mental states, breaking and entering)

There is someone in the mirror. They appear when you're alone. A childish, friendly face, or what you would consider friendly, interesting, someone you would be willing to play a game with… or at least entertain the possibility for. Your new playmate has something to show you. It's something good, and you should follow! Even those who might not usually be inclined, will find themselves drawn in. This playmate seems to be tailor made for you, someone you could get along with. Someone who whispers into your mind and no one but you can see, even if they have their own playmate.

There are too many reflective surfaces in Gloucester, and you'll find your playmate flitting easily between them, like they're stuck in a world beyond the glass. Maybe they are. They might even tell you that's the case. Help them, please! They've been trapped here by some monster for so long.

Those drawn into the chase will find themselves directed to all sorts of places around Gloucester, from publicly open buildings to private residences to other buildings they really shouldn't be going into without a very good reason, like the police station. Maybe try getting in there under the cover of night? Your playmate is insistent that wherever they're leading you, it's important to the trail. And you can feel that they really mean it. This is important, this is vital. It might be harder than usual to say no. Maybe you can make yourself believe this isn't as dangerous as it seems. That's far too easy.

It's a trail that does seem to have an end for those willing to stick it out… and who aren't arrested in the middle of all this for breaking and entering or trespassing. A tiny mirror shard, something no bigger than a fingernail. That's what you've been looking for. Grab it! Grab it! Those unfortunate enough to take their playmate's advice will find themselves experiencing sudden and intense disorientation followed by a 24-hr bout of synesthesia. Ever wondered what gray smells like? What flavor your favorite song is? The color of a burger wafting under your nose? All yours for the price of a mirror shard!

Destroying smashing the shard to even smaller pieces seems to end the disorientation, at least, but synesthesia is something that persists for at least a day after. One thing that becomes immediately apparent, though, as soon as you find the mirror, whatever you do with it, your playmate disappears.

➥ Let's Have a Tea Party

(cw: death; drowning; choking; claustrophobia; nausea; emetophobia/vomiting; disorientation/vertigo; body horror)

It begins with a news headline: Lost Baby Dolls Cry Foul On Beach! The article details strange new visitors to Gloucester's beaches, and the residents making efforts to clean up the dolls along with other debris from recent 4th of July fireworks displays. The leader of the local non-profit, I Love a Clean Gloucester, leading the clean-up is quoted as saying some volunteers have been experiencing some unpleasant side-effects from contact with the dolls, clearly indicating there may be something toxic in them. Paul Rudder encourages everyone to be vigilant to pollution and wear thick gloves when assisting.

But ADI digs deeper. It seems those 'toxic' effects aren't what they first appear. There is something supernatural going on. Two dedicated beach clean-up volunteers have been found dead in their homes, drowned on dry land. The police are puzzled. The lungs of both bodies are filled with seawater.

ADI takes over investigating as a stretch of beach is closed to the public. Perhaps you're brave enough to check on these dolls for yourself. Perhaps you're just here to try to bury the things deep where no one can reach them. Those who pick up the dolls, even those wearing gloves, will feel a strange, rocking sensation that grows more intense the longer they hold and manipulate the dolls.

Regardless of actually touching the dolls, those who visit the beach will find themselves dreaming. They are out at sea, exhausted, struggling to keep afloat, their articulated ball joints ache. They can feel the last of their energy reserves bleeding away, their mouth, something they can never close, filling with water as they sink down, deep, deeper, the weight of the water pressing in around them, constricting their body.

Waking up might just be nauseating or a violently unpleasant affair as you'll find the ground still lurching like you're trapped out at sea for minutes or even more than an hour, or hacking up seawater. Repeated visits to the beach worsens the effect, and if the clean-up volunteers are anything to go by, too much dedication might well be deadly.

➥ Mod Notes

• GENERAL - Players are welcome to play background NPCs for themselves when they are needed in a thread. If you need more information on general behavior for these types of NPCs, please feel free to ask! In general, the information provided in the prompts should be sufficient and ordinary people will act like… ordinary people! Although, the people of Gloucester seem to be becoming more and more aware of supernatural phenomenon and they are frightened by it. You're welcome to make up any details beyond that for your specific scene. Also, please remember that character deaths are permanent and plan accordingly!
  
  
• HANDLE WITH CARE (16-20 July) - All creatures can be killed similar to their normal counterparts, but smashing the butterflies or spiders will result in smashed blood, skin, and bone (on whatever instrument you use to smash them with). The deer itself can cause potential harm as it will attempt to gouge, scratch, or even strangle those who threaten it.
  
  
• SHIPPING AND HANDLING (28-31 July) - From above the water it will not be possible to make out the full shape of whatever is in the canal regardless of the quality of light. Anyone who enters the water and keeps their eyes open will get an impression of a long, eel-like creature with a human-like face; it also has many hands on short, jointless arms all down the sides of its body. It is the garbage, not the creature, that drags characters down–the creature also seems to be entangled.
  
  
• SAY, SAY, O PLAYMATE (16-25 July) - Your character's playmate can interact only with your character, no others. But two people might see different playmates in the same reflective surface who could be telling them wildly different things. The playmate is someone who will be specifically tailored to appear as non-threatening and friendly as possible to your character. If that means they're a small scared child claiming to be trapped in the mirror, or an older teen or young adult with a rakish air and charming wink. This is about your character's perceptions, not any consistency. Their appeals to 'play' will also be tailored to your character. They might be requesting help, asking for a favor with the promise of a payback, encouraging some silly game, or whatever might motivate your character. The mirror shards will continue to induce synesthesia and disorientation if they are not destroyed. Any shards brought back to ADI will be examined and then ordered destroyed. The playmates will all disappear when all of the shards have been collected, whether your character has successfully collected one they were on the trail of, or not.
  
  
• LET'S HAVE A TEA PARTY (16-31 July) - Not every doll induces the rocking sensation, but many do. Characters will have a hell of a time trying to pinpoint any source for the dolls. More of them keep washing up, seemingly at random; though, they definitely seem to be coming in batches, and any time a stretch of beach is fully cleaned up, more appear, like something has been watching and waiting to unleash more of the things. Multiple visits to the beach may result in significant lung damage, akin to what you might experience from having partially drowned.
  
  

↬ Main Navigation

Comments

[friendsfordinner]

"It looked a little like a face," Hickey points out, frown on his face, as he looks down at the water. "But it slipped back under the water before I could get a better look. Someone should go check it out."

You know. Someone. Not him. Nope, he is staying where he is, right on the edge of the water, very much not going in.

[canofmanji]

Manji comes over and peers over the side, but doesn't see anything that looks like a face to him. "Yeah? So jump on in."

[friendsfordinner]

Absolutely not.

"I'm sticking around to see if I see the thing again," Hickey points out. "See something once, it might not be real. See something twice, it's more likely the thing actually exists."

Plus, he does not want to get in the water unless absolutely necessary.

[canofmanji]

"But you're the one who saw something so you'd know what to look for. I'll keep an eye open for a face or whatever while you're in there." Although admittedly the longer they wait the more Manji starts to worry that if someone is in the water they still haven't surfaced again.

[friendsfordinner]

"Yeah, and I saw it from over here, on the banks. If I see it again, I'll see it where I saw it before. Right?"

It is becoming very obvious that Hickey does not want to go in the water and is stalling for time.

[canofmanji]

"Ugh!" Manji groans and pulls at his hair. "Fine!" He quickly pulls his shirt off and drops the skit he was wearing. It lands with a loud thump, suggesting there is something hidden in the fabric, but thankfully the man is still wearing his boxers before he jumps in. Giving those watching a quick glance at the crossed scars on his chest before he vanishes under the water.

Eventually popping back up for a breath of air. "I didn't see anything. Where was it again?"

[friendsfordinner]

Thank fuck. Hickey looks a little relieved when Manji jumps in the water. He's staying on the edge, keeping a look-out, frowning a little when the man apparently hasn't found anything.

"It was right there," he frowns. "Swore I saw it."

[canofmanji]

"And it was here? Around here?" He gestures with his head so he can use his arm for swimming. Once he had confirmation Manji heads back down.

And down. Huh, should he have surfaced by now?

[friendsfordinner]

Hickey very quickly realizes fuck. He should probably end up going to check on the guy.

...but he doesn't wanna.

But he'd get in trouble if he didn't check. Suck it up Cornelius.

After removing his coat and leaving it on the shore, Hickey starts to veeeery slowly and veeeeery hesitantly wade into the water. "Hey. You alright down there?"

[canofmanji]

Very suddenly Manji surfaces. Gasping for air. "S-shit! I think- I think my leg is stuck on someth--!!" Opps back down he goes.

[friendsfordinner]

Shit shit shit shit. Hickey wades in the water a bit more, cursing slightly. He sees something that he thinks might be Manji's hand: he grabs it and then yanks, hoping desperately that he's actually pulling the guy up and oh God there's something in there that's touching his leg, he hates water so much.

[canofmanji]

The hand does indeed grab back. If Hickey pulls then Manji's head suddenly pops up gasping for breath. "PULL! PULL!"

[friendsfordinner]

And Hickey just yanks with all of his scrawny little might. He's not the strongest out there, but he's certainly not giving up as he tries to yank Manji away from whatever the fuck is down there.

[canofmanji]

The first couple yanks don't seem to do anything. Manji appears well and truly stuck. Then suddenly he comes up very quickly as whatever was holding him lets go. Manji breaks the surface gasping for air. "Whatever the fuck is in there can stay down there!"

[friendsfordinner]

Hickey attempts to forcibly drag Manji further away from the water, frowning slightly as he ineffectively tries to yank the man back to shore (he is not as strong as he'd like.)

Once there, that's when Hickey asks, "Did you manage to see whatever it was?"

[canofmanji]

Splashing wildly and kicking his legs between the two of them they'll eventually get Manji back in the shallows. Gasping for breath. "No, I'm was a bit too distracted trying to breath!" He snarls angrily. "Why do you go and take a peek?!"

[friendsfordinner]

"Oi, no need to yell," frowns the man who didn't just almost drown. Hickey looks over Manji then looks back at the water, frowning still.

"Whatever it is, I think I'll leave it alone for the time being."

[canofmanji]

"Probably a good idea." There is a pause as Manji gets his breathing back under control once again. "But thanks, for coming in after me."

[friendsfordinner]

Hickey shrugs before he starts to tease,

"I mean, I wasn't gonna let you drown. D'you know how much shit they'd give me if that happened?"

[canofmanji]

"You weren't exactly jumping in to stop that first face you saw from drowning."

[friendsfordinner]

"That first face that I wasn't even sure existed to begin with?" Hickey asks, smirk on his face as he gives Manji a little shrug.

"It doesn't seem sensible to try and rescue someone that might not be there."

[canofmanji]

"But you were willing for me to jump in there."

[friendsfordinner]

"Well yeah," he shrugs. You're not him, Manji! That's all the difference in the world! He's not going to risk himself, he's too important (in his own mind) for that.

"If anyone's going to poke around in there, better it be the stronger swimmer."

[canofmanji]

For a long, long, long moment Manji just stares at the other man with his one good eye. "Yeah? So you're saying a guy with one arm is a better swimmer than you are?"

[friendsfordinner]

Hickey gives Manji a winning smile. It is definitely the sort of smile that reads 'I have used this smile to get out of trouble many times before.'

"Course I'm saying that. Not many opportunities to practice swimming when the only water around's a filthy river where people leave bodies they don't want others to find."