apocalypsehowcomm | [network/open] Receipts

Who: Donna Noble
Username: supertemp
Warnings: body horror; teeth; bleeding/blood; tooth loss; hallucination; altered mental states; uncanny valley; choking; burial; suffocation; death; existential terror; occultism; altered mental states; victim-blaming; monsters in the dark; apocalypse; supernaturally affected mood changes; supernatural compulsion; hallucination; gaslighting; burned bodies; claustrophobia; thalassophobia; mild scopophobia; phonophobia; dismembered bodies; flayed bodies; body horror; zombies; hand-based trauma; human-caused environmental damage; fatigue; hypersomnia; manipulation; loss of autonomy; humiliation; underwater threats; drowning; refuse/filth; squirmy things

((ooc: Everyone please feel free to threadjack around, have your characters respond to each other, rather than Donna! Her suggested groupings for different phenomenon may not be ICly correct, so please feel free to have your character correct/debate her on anything. She has also missed some events/happenings that she wasn't paying attention to or present for, so please feel free to fill in the gaps!))

Right, so it's been more than half a year since I've been here, and with Dogtown being cut off and all that weirdness, I really, really think we need some sort of, like, introduction document that's better than what ADI's handing out. I know the things happening around town and here aren't all the same, but we can still learn from them, right? That in mind, I've started a record. Anyone wanting to pitch in, please do, especially for all the stuff I wasn't here for.

A Guide to Supernatural Phenomenon in Gloucester - It's Kind of Awful

The most important place to know in town is Dogtown, a big park to the north in the city, surrounded by a fence. A LOT of weird phenomena seems to start there. Never enter alone, and try to keep people unaffiliated with ADI out. Seems like that's been a problem lately, and that place is getting weirder and more deadly. Below, you'll find a header for each of the Entities. I've tried to group encounters with different phenomenon (and avatars) under a specific Entity header. Some of them are more debatable than others. Everything's subject to change with a greater understanding, and I'll be updating this regularly with new info. Phenomenon are listed in the order of the date we encountered it.

The Buried

February 2022 - Big old snowstorms kept kicking up, but they were localized to Dogtown at first. Like, sudden and wild weather than buried you quick as you like. This started creeping out as the month went on.
February 2022 - We got snowed in. The network still worked, but everyone was trapped inside their apartment buildings and over in Bonnie's Flophouse. The ice and snow was piled up all around us for days, weeks, it felt like, but it definitely hadn't been that long. People at ADI HQ said it wasn't nearly as long as any of us thought when we finally got out. I think someone managed to dig through and then the ice walls just vanished away. We think it was all the work of a Buried avatar named Deepthi Anand. She used to be like all of us who got pulled here, but went rotten.
February 2022 - More trouble once we got out of the snow with this feeling all over the town like we'd missed something big and couldn't catch up. Or maybe couldn't comprehend the magnitude. (ed. I'm almost tempted to put this with the Vast, which you'd think it would be easy to tell between that and the Buried.)
February 2022 - And there was a literal buried business going on over at the beach that month, too. People were falling down into random holes at Coffin Beach. Don't like that one. Seems like a lot of bad things happen there and the sand makes a weird squeaky sound.
March 2022 - All around the building in ADI HQ, people kept getting trapped in rooms. Or thought they were trapped, anyway. Seems like they thought someone had put them in there, and there was some trouble actually getting the doors open for the people I had to help. It seemed like they'd just locked themselves in, though, and couldn't remember doing it. They were always panicking, scared. (ed. Not sure this one belongs here. Maybe more of a Spiral thing? Lot of Spiral-esque things, honestly.)
May 2022 - Dogtown again, this time with one of the creeks in there. I don't really understand what happened. I was with a bloke doing a walk around the place and we got separated. I went back to find him, and he was face down in a muddy back. Pulled him out before he drowned in there, but he seemed upset, said I was taking him away from the river, and it was so peaceful there. (ed. Not sure about this one, either.)
May 2022 - More this month. We were all on a train headed for Wolf Pen, West Virginia, and people kept getting trapped between the cars, feeling like the walls were closing in and they couldn't get out. Just a lot of spooky nonsense, but I swear, I saw scratch marks on the wall like someone was saying. Like someone was clawing to get out.
July 2022 - Creepy little dolls started washing up on the beach and getting anywhere near them gave you the worst sense of seasickness, like you were bobbing out in the ocean. Didn't dare touch them, but people who were doing a clean up and did were found dead, having apparently drowned without ever touching water.
September 2022 - There's some sort of music happening. Makes a body bloody tired, too. Last time I was exhausted was with the Buried, so putting it here.

The Corruption

May 2022 - Out in Wolf Pen, West Virginia, we found Wolf Pen's local dump was making rubbish look like things we might cherish from home. There was some sort of monster in the piles that tried to pull you down when you got too deep, trying to grab for things that should've been real. Looked and felt real while you were there. It was awful. Sent a notice to the EPA to try to get the dump looked at and cleaned up to help sort that.
May 2022 - Also in Wolf Pen, there were rocks poisoning one of the local creeks that flowed into Silver Lake, killing off a bunch of fish and plants. Smelled absolutely rank, and we sent notes off to the right people to try to get that shifted. Think it was mostly just waste from the mines, though. Possibly not supernatural?
July 2022 - Heard there was something in the water underneath a bridge in town, but didn't get down to it. Seemed like there was a lot of trash involved.

The Dark

March 2022 - Some sort of creepy monster started following people in the streets. A woman. Probably an avatar for the Dark called Katie Dunn who'd escaped from ADI custody. (ed. ADI claims they haven't got any other prisoners locked up, but I dunno if I believe that.) She caused some smaller-scale power outages while she was at it.
March 2022 - The smaller power outages turned into much bigger ones as Katie Dunn attacked properly later that month. She was attacking people with different copies of herself. And she was doing something to the people in Gloucester, too, making them turn violent and aggressive whenever she blacked things out. Even people who were usually gentle. Bunch of people did manage to take out a few different copies of her and send her packing out of the city.
March 2022 - Another effect from Katie seemed to be her causing nightmares to turn real enough to chase people through the streets and attack them while they were awake. Or just turn things horrible.
May 2022 - More nonsense on the train to Wolf Pen, West Virginia, with all the lights on the train going out at once while we were in this tunnel. And it sounded like there was something tapping around on the windows. It didn't seem to get in, at least, and I don't think anyone was hurt.

The Desolation

May 2022 - Still on the train to Wolf Pen, West Virginia, some people were saying they saw people on the side of the tracks who were on fire. I didn't see anything, but I was reading most of the trip.
June 2022 - I'm putting this here because it seemed to be the Desolation avatar, Carl Watts (or Jimmy Bryant by his fake name), who was running the show. Watts was planning to have a big party in one of the mines in Wolf Pen and blow it and a connecting active mine up as part of his ritual that was meant to combine the powers of the Desolation, the Buried, and the Dark. We stopped the party with a lot of dead fish, which was an absolute genius idea George Milton suggested, and then it was a matter of tracking down Watts, Deepthi Anand, and Katie Dunn, who were helping him. Managed to stop the ritual and avoid blowing anything up. There were quite a few people who died, though, mostly in an elevator crash that Watts caused.

The End

March 2022 - Bodies started turning up in Dogtown, but they weren't... real? They were there, but as soon as you touched them, they disappeared. Thing was, when you touched them, all these memories would get shoved into your head: how that person died. From just the one I experienced, it was a horrific and terrifying death.

The Extinction

April 2022 - People in Dogtown found some weird old cellars from houses that used to be there. Seems like they were surrounded by flowers. Or covered over in them. Either way, going down wasn't an issue, but when they came up, they had visions of some sort of apocalypse. (ed. I didn't experience this myself, so if anyone has any additional info on it, I'd appreciate that.)
August 2022 - These weird trash mermaids were the culprits for flaying people and putting them up on the beach. Might have been behind the dolls, too. They were harassing that sea serpent, as well. Anyway, they were trash and we dragged them out of the water to kill them. They just seemed to fall apart. Not sure if they were causing the trash or just making use of it.

The Eye

February 2022 - A wax tablet turned up in the collection at Hammond Castle that seemed to provide prophecies to people. They were all different except once you'd gone a few times, then, the only thing you'd get was 'You will be buried.' Turned out that was true, too. The tablet's been destroyed from what I understand.
April 2022 - The flowers have eyes. The bloody flowers around town sometimes have eyes. Happened at a festival the city was putting on to celebrate an end to the blackouts Katie Dunn was causing.
May 2022 - Yeah, so city-sponsored events? They seem to have a definite Eye flavor lately. There was this book fair that was doing little reading quizzes, but the questions started getting really invasive and personal really quickly. Also, we've all apparently go library accounts and have checked out books? I mean, I definitely would have gone for The Night He Bowed to Me, but I've never actually checked that out. (ed. Until recently. Can recommend for any romantics who like a good butler/maid pairing!)
July 2022 - Birds in Dogtown started acting strange. Watching people, going quiet when you were looking at them. They'd started walling the place off by then, so I just got a taste of it while we were walking along the fenceline. It really felt like they were planning something, though. And it started spreading out from Dogtown. By the time we had our beach party, the seagulls were getting in on it. Beady-eyed gits. I know they watch you usually, but they were intense in a way they usually aren't.
August 2022 - People have been getting sucked into video cameras around town, leaving their bodies to just stand there or twitch around or something. Creepy as hell. But it let us see there are people doing graffiti of eyes around town.

The Flesh

January 2022 - Little bags of teeth found throughout Dogtown. Holding them made teeth itch and bleed... and even fall out in some cases.
January 2022 - Of course, the bags of teeth were only a prelude to these phone cases that looked like they were made of actual flesh. As it turned out, they were, after a way. A man named Kahlil who owns Things of Beauty, was growing little lamb flowers that ate meat and were turned into the phone cases when they were plucked. Kahlil wasn't an avatar, apparently, just someone forced into what he was doing for money. The warehouse where he was growing the lambs was absolutely horrific. It looked like the walls had been coated in flesh, maybe event started turning into it with corridors like you were walking down a glistening throat.

The Hunt

May 2022 - Out in Wolf Pen, West Virginia, a lot of people went off into the woods looking for someone calling out for a 'Lulu,' and found the White Things, big ugly monster bear-dog-things that were mauling people in the night, vanishing, and combing back to do it again in packs. Seems like the injuries at night hurt, but didn't leave an actual mark come the morning. When they went to find the White Things' dens in the daylight, that wasn't the case. The injuries were much more real, but I think they also killed a bunch of the White Things, too.

The Lonely

Pending

The Slaughter

Pending

The Spiral

July 2022 - There were things in the mirrors around town. People. They weren't real. Saw one that said it was the Doctor and wanted me to go break into some random bloke's house. I mean, that would be the Doctor, but also I knew it wasn't him. That's not how he'd appear to me. And he wouldn't be so cheery after this long apart.
August 2022 - Radio tower... creatures have turned up in Dogtown. I dunno how else to describe them. They look like radio towers, but I swear I've seen them moving. I'm not sure if they belong with this grouping or somewhere else, but I'm pretty sure them being there set off everyone's phones something terrible. They sent my head spinning, and I could swear there were random objects looking at me, following me. Wasn't pleasant.

The Stranger

January 2022 - Creepy figures turned up for people who went to watch a movie marathon at the Midnight Cinema. They could only be seen through 3D glasses.
July 2022 - Creepy as hell creatures seemed to be running amok in town after making it out of Dogtown. They were just... wrong. All hands. Hands where there shouldn't be hands.
July 2022 - Bunch of random cursed objects that looked like ordinary things got loose and ADI sent us down to the docks to check on them. I didn't end up finding anything, but I think some other people did.
August 2022 - The radio tower creatures in Dogtown were still at it, just with a different tune this time. People started posting things they didn't actually mean to post? Or what they'd put was getting changed whole-cloth when they sent a message out. Not sure if this was a hacker or something, but maybe tied to the Eye, as well, given some of the things being put about were true and secret.

The Vast

August 2022 - Some sort of bloody great huge sea serpent was kicking up giant waves around town, causing flooding and maybe even killing people. That thing's been out there for a while from what I can tell. Did some research and there was a newspaper article about 'His Snakeship' that might be the same thing.
August 2022 - The radio tower creatures struck again, but I'm putting this here, not the Spiral, because they sent me and this other person to a blood ocean. Just... blood. Everywhere. An ocean of it. And we were trapped in this horrible little submarine that was filling up with blood and there was something out there knocking against us, some sort of monster. And it was horrible. Just horrible. We died in there, and then just woke up like nothing happened. or... something happened. Had bits of blood still on me, but not nearly enough.

The Web

May 2022 - Out in Wolf Pen, West Virginia, we encountered the Web on the Woven Isle. It was a little island in the middle of Silver Lake infested with these vines called 'kudzu,' I think. Two people would go out to the island together and they'd be caught and forced to perform some sick and humiliating and awful skit. You couldn't do or say anything apart from what the vines wanted you to. It's one of the most awful things I've ever experienced here. The only thing that seemed to stop it was when we both broke down crying. Managed to destroy it by sending some goats over to the island to eat all the kudzu away.
August 2022 - I know this is probably going to have skeptics when I say that flayed human bodies started washing up on the beach, but the hooks. The hooks are what made me think of the Web. The bodies had these big hooks in their hands, and they attacked anyone who got near them. Take them out? The bodies stopped moving. It reminded me of those vines on the island in Wolf Pen.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Yeah, but I really am trying to categorize a bit for organizational purposes.
We'll put that under Spiral for now.
Along with bloody M.C. Escher, I guess???
Have you done any research into him to see if he's still alive in this world, maybe?

I haven't seen anything yet

I'm gonna reach through this phone and throttle you.

I believe that’s called blindsiding

Edited 2022-10-03 00:41 (UTC)

Right, so you not being in a relationship?
Infinitely clearer now.
Like crystal.

My charm is unappreciated.

I have not done much research on him yet no, I found he died in 1972. The years here are numbered oddly, but I believe that was readonably recent. Living memory.

It's 2022, so yeah.
Recent as 50 years can be.
Okay, well... guess that's another thing to add to the list of potential problems.
How did they manage to make art dangerous?
It's flipping art!

The years of my world are up to 814 in recorded history and some elves can live upwards of 700 years. 50 years is both nothing and respectable as far as I'm concerned.

Magic paint?
There was a tiefling girl here from my homeworld very briefly. She painted a pair of pants for me.

She, like, painted them into existence, or...?

Edited 2022-10-15 04:13 (UTC)

That's what she said. With magic paints. She arrived with them, as far as I know.

[That seems... unlikely.]

And there wasn't anything off about the trousers?
They don't try to eat your legs or anything?

Not that she told me
She seemed very nice

[Although...]

Now that I think about it, she seemed surprised by something but not enough to ask after. Perhaps she was surprised that the paints worked as well.

[And yet she'd seemed so certain that they would in the first place....hm.]

[Donna's not really sure about this.]

Would you mind if I came round and had a look at those trousers?

Certainly, the door is not locked.

[It only occasionally is]

I will find them for you.
Although they might be long for you.

Right.
Be over in just a tick!

[She does not trust these magical trousers.]

[The door is indeed unlocked when Donna gets there and it's not so different from the last time she'd been inside. Some things have been moved around, places made to accommodate someone else that then filled in again as the space went empty once more. The floors are immaculately clear and the rest is clean enough.

Garner is in the kitchen when she arrives, a bottle of one of the beers George suggested he try in hand. He smiles when he hears the door open.]

Welcome, your majesty. Can I get you anything while you inspect my suspicious pants?

Last I heard, I was here to look at trousers, but if you want me looking at your pants... might need a little fan and a good spot to watch you strip.

[Her tone is teasing at least, and she moves on quickly.]

Whatever you're drinking's fine.

Ha. Ha. [He says it very dry, but there's humor in his smile as he fetches her one of the beers as well. He pops it open and holds it in her direction until it's weight is gone from his hand.]

Wait here.

[He moves around her towards his bedroom and returns moments later with....a pair of very dark blue jeans. Normal-seeming dark blue jeans.]

Here they are.

[Donna sips her beer while he's gone, glancing idly about the flat. Her gaze zeroes in on the jeans as soon as they come out, though, searching for anything off. They look normal.]

So, she just... drew these. With paint or something?

[He reaches out and finds one of the chairs to lay them across the back of it.]

That's what it sounded like and what she said. She told me the paints were from her home, I warned her magic items from home sometimes went a little funny and she wanted to prove to me they were fine.

You can try them on, if you'd like? [He gives a little smirk.]

Or I could model them. I'm sure I'm a sight, though I'll have to take your word for it.

Oh, I definitely want to see you in those.

[She'll have her popcorn ready, thank you.]

Alright.

[He nods with a small smile and turns to head back for his room.]

I'll be right back.

[He isn't gone long before returning, wearing the very tight jeans painted specifically to be flattering....

At least, they would be, if they weren't actively and continuously looking like running smears of paint and melting fabric. They run and flow from his legs and hips, but don't seem to leave a residue nor seem to ever run off of him.

For his part, Garner doesn't seem to notice at all.]

They're a little snug, but I think they're meant to be. Still more comfortable than leathers, I admit.

[He walks out, and Donna stares in silent horror for several seconds before she finds her voice.]

Garner? Sweetheart? Take those off. We're gonna burn them. To ash.

[network/open] Receipts

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Think we can ftb on this with Donna discovering HORROR jeans

holds u hostage into Action

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject