bindlestifflost: (B and W Skeptical or thinking)
George Milton ([personal profile] bindlestifflost) wrote in [community profile] apocalypsehowcomm2022-11-01 01:19 pm

The Eyes Have It? [OPEN Log + Network]

Who: George Milton + Various
When: November 1-30, 2022
Where: ADI and various places around Gloucester, including Helping Hands
Summary: Helping Hands, one of the civic organizations responsible for aiding the unhoused in Gloucester, comes under attack by likely avatars of the Eye after George attended a County Commissioners' meeting and persuaded the commissioners to table passage of an ordinance to prevent public sleeping. After George recruits members of ADI to join the cause, strange items show up, unsettling graffiti spreads, and it's clear none of this is random. Can ADI employees save the volunteers and those they serve from further mayhem, or are they doomed to costly failure? Original and updated plot posts here and here!
Warnings: Eye trauma, hallucinations, mutilation, mind altering, parasitic infections, paranoia, body horror, mind control, shame, bodily injury, potential for death


The post to the network is from @ Milton and reads as follows:
You probly seen the fliers around the cafeteria
and offices lately for Helping Hands.
I been putting them out. I been meeting with
Ms. Joyce and Ms. Belinda and think their doing
good work for them what ain't got nowhere to go.

I'll be going to a volunteer orientation there in
a couple of days. I been given a company car to
drive so I can give a few people rides if they
need them. You got any questions just shoot them
to me here. I'll answer what I can and pass them on
to Ms. and Ms. if I can't.


Volunteer Training (Nov. 5)

Those who show up at the training can either catch a ride with George or make their way some other way. They'll get to meet Joyce and Belinda Everson and some of their regs at the organization's headquarters, what looks like an old storefront with the glass papered over by flyers and newspaper in a dying strip mall, get a more thorough rundown of the program and its various opportunities for volunteering, and get fed sandwiches, chips, and Hostess snack cakes with either water or Hawaiian Punch to drink. Opportunities abound from hands on volunteering that involve sorting clothes and food donations, cleaning up the shelter, passing out bags of toiletries and winter wear for the coming winter weather, and going on night time drive alongs to see if anyone needs help on the street to various types of fundraising, doing mailings, helping with bake sales and rummage sales, and organizing a Thanksgiving Feast at the local Moose Club for the unhomed, volunteers, and their guests.

Volunteering (Nov. 6-30) Anyone can choose from any of the above lists of tasks for their character to help out with. Joyce and Belinda might mention at the training that they've seen a couple of unsavory people hanging around lately that don't seem like the people they usually help or anyone they've ever seen before. A particularly observant volunteer may even see a little eye spray painted somewhere near the store front.

From the 1st-10th weird-ish things may happen at any volunteer opportunity or shift, from people getting oddly testy with each other to outright arguments or fights breaking out among people who aren't usually like that.

From the 10th-30th you can assume ADI employees have investigated enough to realize this is a pattern, and it's strange. This is when patrols will start and actively trying to track down artifacts that come into play from the OOC plotting list may be encountered. Please read the mod info carefully, and let's handle it the same way they handled Wolf Pen. No one will be specifically named as the person who eventually spots the warehouse, and no one can move on it yet. ADI handlers advise against it.

Artifact Hunting (Nov. 10-30) Weird things are afoot and about. Some of them have been donated to the shelter and organization or the soup kitchens. Some have been delivered or gifted to Joyce and/or Belinda and other volunteers. Some people living on the street are finding themselves plagued by them, too. They need to be rounded up and taken off the street as safely as possible, but as everyone knows, this is an extremely dangerous endeavor. Handle with care!

Guard Duty (Nov. 10-30) It's not enough just to take these artifacts out of play. Graffiti painted on various buildings is causing violence and unrest, turning friend against friend. The perpetrators need to be prevented from spreading the chaos, and the graffiti needs to be cleaned to remove its damaging influences. Those on guard duty may notice strangers passing by giving odd looks and eventually may find themselves lured from their posts for dead end and moderately dangerous chases. Do you split up? One giving chase, one staying behind? Or do their tactics of divide and conquer succeed?

The Warehouse (Nov. 28-30) They've finally slipped up enough for a few different guards to realize all of this activity is taking place out of one particular warehouse. ADI staff advises against approach and claims they're putting their expertise to use for surveillance. Approach will not be allowed at this time, but there's a sense it might be soon.

Civic Unrest (Nov. 1-30) With police cracking down enforcing existing loitering laws, groups of 5 or more are being harassed by officers and told to disperse. This may not sit as well with some as others. The wrong kind of interference could land you a night or more in the clinker. There's more than one way to deal with law enforcement overreach, both with recording devices or active protest outside the courthouse. Whatever you do, this is your opportunity to stand up for the unhoused and make your voices heard.
edalyn: (growl)

Civic Unrest

[personal profile] edalyn 2022-11-04 10:23 am (UTC)(link)
Eda just happens to be leaving the convenience store with a drink in her hand. The witch is minding her own business for once... which lasts for about as long as it takes for her to spot the kids taking off, and the fact that it looks like a cop is harassing someone she recognizes.

Her nose wrinkles. It's not exactly hard to pick a side. She likes George well enough, whereas she's of the opinion that almost all cops are, in fact, bastards. Should she get involved? All things considered, probably not. Is she going to? Absolutely.

She walks over to stand a little to the side of George, and rests her free hand on her hip.

"Hey, fancy meeting you here," she says, casually, and as if she didn't already see him and decide to insert herself in the situation.

"What seems to be the problem, officer...?" she asks, glancing the man over. He may stand much taller than George, but so does she. She doesn't look impressed, let alone intimidated.
edalyn: (smirk)

[personal profile] edalyn 2022-11-13 08:14 pm (UTC)(link)
To be honest, she's not quite sure what message he's trying to send. It might be intended to make her behave, but the anger doesn't make her want to.

Then again, she's not jumping straight to violence, which might well be showing some level of restraint by her own standards.

"Really? 'Cause from here it looks like the problem with this whole place is cops who don't know when to do that." She keeps her tone polite in a way that sounds increasingly insincere.
edalyn: (laugh cover)

[personal profile] edalyn 2022-11-25 05:09 am (UTC)(link)
This time, Eda catches George's meaning. But she responds to his little gesture by mirroring it with a similar one of her own. She can handle this is he wants to get out of here.

Not that she's assuming he can't take care of himself--in fact she's pretty sure he can from what she's seen. On the other hand, he's a regular human and one smaller than this guy. Eda, meanwhile, may just appear to be a middle aged woman--albeit one who does look like she could throw a punch--but George is aware she's not human. In fact, depending on whether they've run into each other on ADI property lately, he might be aware that she's probably a 7'6" harpy woman at the moment.

"Yeah, seriously? You need backup for one guy and an old lady? Aww, that's cute." She's still managing to avoid resorting to violence... so far. But if the cop actually turns his radio on, she'll start by making a grab for it.
edalyn: (claw punch)

[personal profile] edalyn 2022-12-05 06:32 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, that was clever, actually--not that Eda has long to think about it. Her ability to behave holds for for exactly as long as it takes for the cop to reach for a weapon. That's not something she's interested in standing by for.

"Bad idea." Her eyes narrow, and she just throws a punch. Assuming it lands, it's hard enough to do some damage. Possibly to knock out a human. She's not at full strength here, but she's an awfully strong disguised-harpy all the same.

edalyn: (huh)

[personal profile] edalyn 2022-12-07 12:11 am (UTC)(link)
Eda chuckles a little at how easy that is, or George's reaction, or both. "Damn right I do."

She's less amused by people starting to film. Then again--it's all she can do not to wave if they're going to do it anyway. If she weren't worried about this getting back to the ADI, she'd probably even stop to pose. For better or worse, though, she is worried about that.

"Right behind you," Eda agrees, falling in step with his pace with a little grimace. The phones don't really surprise her--her world has more or less the exact same thing. She just hadn't been thinking that far ahead about anything.
edalyn: (growl)

[personal profile] edalyn 2022-12-26 11:14 pm (UTC)(link)
Eda swears under her breath before more or less giving up on the idea of stealth, too.

There's a low, slightly frustrated growl as Eda pushes her own way through the undergrowth. It slows her more than it appears like it should--she certainly looks like she should fit between branches with much less trouble than she does in practice.

On the other hand, the branches break more easily around and under her than seems right, either. Snapping as she shoulders her way through a tight spot and under a foot like she's heavier than she looks.

She could jump over, but that would attract more attention--and she could change her form to actually match her appearance, but that takes a degree of calm she isn't taking the time to attempt. So she just pushes her way through, wincing a little as a wing snags briefly. Fortunately she's still not far behind when George calls back.

"Yeah--I see it."