Event - The Ballad of Thomazine Younger

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The Ballad of Thomazine Younger

➥ Ghosts of Yesteryear

(cw: references to blackmail, plague, fire, being buried alive, altered mental states, spying, and cannibalism; implied eye injury)

The local legend of Thomazine "Tammy" Younger, Witch Queen of Dogtown, has been regaining traction in local gossip of late. The stories all revolve around the same nuggets of probable historic fact: there definitely was a Thomazine Younger who lived in Dogtown at the time it was abandoned by most of its population in the 1800s, and she definitely had a reputation for witchcraft she used to extract tolls from any merchant or freighter passing by Fox Hill. Beyond that, the stories are varied and contradictory–some say she was the ringleader of a coven who would turn themselves into rats to thieve from neighboring Gloucester and spread pestilence; others that she could turn solid earth into mud to swallow up the wagons of those who refused to pay her off. Depending on whom you believe, Tammy engaged in such varied hobbies as sending unholy fire to burn entire fields of crops, spying on her neighbors with her magic eye, twisting the minds of brothers and sisters so they no longer knew one another, or luring travelers without goods for her to steal into her home to slaughter and eat them. Some even say she was the cause of Dogtown's mass exodus, blighting the land so that none but witches could survive there.

The resurgence of her urban rural legend coincides with something a bit more troubling: sightings of an old woman in a ragged dress on the outskirts of Dogtown. She's been seen just inside the fence line on the northern edge of the park, prowling around the general area of Fox Hill, staring and making arcane gestures at anyone who sees her before disappearing into the undergrowth. Eyewitness accounts from locals and ADI employees patrolling the area differ in terms of the specifics: in some accounts the specter of the Witch Queen is a tall, emaciated creature practically in rags; in others she's a stout, moon-faced matron with tears of blood dripping from her eyes, or a bent old crone with fingers too long and too many. Always, though, she disappears before anyone can come near enough to see her up close or confront her.

How she disappears, though, is less consistent. Sometimes her exit is precisely what one would expect of a ghost, when she disappears in the blink of an eye or her form twists before your eyes until you aren't certain whether she was there at all or if you mistook the gnarled trees for a vision of something more sinister. Other times, her exit is more…human. That is, she might simply turn and walk away deeper into the undergrowth until she's lost from sight, or slip behind a tree. One confused ADI patroller even claims he saw the ghost of Tammy Younger trip over a root before scrambling back to her feet and limping away at speed.

There's something pervasive and potentially dangerous going on here…but something about it doesn't quite line up.

➥ Outfoxed at Foxhill

(cw: alcohol, dolls, potential for injury)

ADI is keen to end things quickly with potential ghosts running amok, particularly one with a known history in Dogtown. There's a serious concern that regular residents of Gloucester are going to start taking matters into their own hands and trying to start exploring the park when they ought not to be.

The decision is made quickly to send ADI personnel into the park more actively to search out Fox Hill, one of the purported locations of Tammy Younger's hauntings. Volunteers will find themselves paired up and sent off. Curiously, the locations that were previously mapped by others aren't appearing properly. Like Dogtown is warping and twisting around at will for the moment. It's unclear why this is, but it seems… safer than it should? The obstacles and strangeness seem to have faded away for the time being, replaced by a quiet and picturesque woodland. It doesn't take long to find Fox Hill. It takes far less time than it reasonably should, in fact, but getting to the top of the hill is… a challenge.

There are hidden dangers on Fox Hill. Pit traps that seem to go down very deep, indeed, nets that spring up when you step in the wrong spot and leave their quarry trapped in some tree or other. Maybe you're one of the lucky ones that somehow triggers an avalanche of small boulders and… are those marbles? Every conceivable way that one could lay a trap to prevent someone from mounting the hill has been employed. Clearly, someone or something doesn't want you getting up.

Along the way, volunteers will spy evidence of the ghost. There are discarded liquor bottles everywhere–the legend does say she'll take her payments in drink or blood–phosphorescent trails, and small, sinister-looking stick dolls. Those trying to analyze these things will find that the liquor bottles are from the present day, the phosphorescent trails are a sort of paint, and the stick dolls… well, those look like what you would see in a horror movie that involves witches.

➥ Those Meddling Kids

(cw: stalking, potential child endangerment)

The nights in Gloucester seem to be returning to a state of restlessness as rumors of ghosts quickly turn to rumors of ghost sightings. Pale and spectral figures lurk at the edges of people’s sight, follow victims, and seem to come out of nowhere and vanish just as quickly without a word. Between the recent evidence and a known slew of sightings a couple months ago, ADI is keen to put more than a few people on this to get out ahead of it. People are encouraged to search in groups no smaller than two, but won’t stop anyone who decides they hunt alone. After all, it’s a well-known fact ghosts rarely like to be seen by more than one set of eyes. Especially these ones.

People out investigating may find their paths fairly quiet most nights. However, separate from your partner for a bit, fall behind, or go it alone, and you might just notice a pale figure vanishing around a corner or standing eerily at the end of an alley. Sometimes things you follow even seem to vanish into walls or thin air. They very rarely say anything, but they can be heard. Boxes and small items knocked over, trash cans rattled, fire escapes landing just ahead of you to get in your path, it seems the ghosts are mostly interested in being seen, not interacted with. Too bad they got you on the case.

Those dedicated, skilled, or perhaps powerful enough to exert a little fear of the law or simply fear of things that actually go bump in the night may swiftly discover a few key things: Ghosts caught up to quickly enough can be seen slipping behind doors, scaling buildings, or using creative escape routes to get away. Clumsy ghosts seem prone to bumping into things as sure as the next person…and those fast enough to catch up to some gangly, terrified, legs are quick to learn the legs, torso, and the whole rest of the ‘ghost’ is very real. Very real, rather young, and often quite terrified of the adult now catching them. Hopefully no one used actual powers on these miscreant teens.

➥ And You Must Ask Yourself

(cw: spiders, allusion to swarms, sleepwalking, compulsion)

'How did I get here?'

It might be one of the first thoughts to occur to you as you wake with a sudden start. But lucky you, you have a friend! Or… an enemy? You have another (apparently) human being nearby who's probably looking just as confused as you are. The spider web tattoo you earned after your ride with Gus the Bus tingles uncomfortably, like many delicate little feet are swarming across it before dissipating.

It may take a few moments, or possibly more, for you to realize you're somewhere you may not wish to be. These trees, the thick and eerie forest around you… this is Dogtown. Somehow, you've walked yourself into a veritable minefield of danger, avoiding everything that might kill you (or worse). Until now. You're conscious, stuck with someone you may or may not know well, wearing… well, if you're lucky, you're wearing your regular clothes and didn't walk in here in your pajamas.

Good luck finding your way out.

➥ 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! You're welcome to make up any details for your specific scene. Also, please remember that character deaths are permanent and plan accordingly! For this event, in particular, the Meddling Kids™ are very dedicated to their efforts to remind the world about Thomazine Younger and bring her story to the world, so they're not going to break their ghoulish character until something truly frightening happens to them… or characters try to hurt them. Or… succeed in hurting them. Please don't murder too many young people now.
  
  
• GHOSTS OF YESTERYEAR (16-20 April) - While the ghost of Tammy Younger's appearance may vary, she usually appears as one of the three specters described in the prompt. Notably, when her ghost does not align with one of those three descriptions or when her proportions are twisted beyond what's humanly possible is when she's most likely to disappear in an obviously supernatural fashion rather than walk away like a real, solid person. Regardless, even at her most corporeal Tammy seems to be quite good at evading capture, as though very familiar with the current layout of Dogtown.
  
  
• OUTFOXED AT FOX HILL (19-20 April) - The path into Dogtown seems to have been chosen for the characters to lead them to Fox Hill. It's the only path that appears to exist during this period. Trying to leave Fox Hill will take you swiftly out of the park. It doesn't matter where you start from, what direction you're going. You end up coming to the fence or leaving the park. This effect will only be in place until the THOSE MEDDLING KIDS prompt concludes. The traps on Fox Hill are all designed to be nonlethal, but they can certainly hurt you, and players are welcome to come up with whatever traps they might like their characters to encounter. There's nothing particularly supernatural in any of the things found up there, and atop Fox Hill is only a stash of spray paint and half-drunk bottles of liquor.
  
  
• THOSE MEDDLING KIDS (20-24 April) - The pale figures reported are quickly found to be teenagers in bodysuits or paint (at least they didn’t use sheets) and very much still alive while the ghosts seen going through walls can be quickly explained through pretty decent mobile projectors. A couple of the teens will be caught wearing costumes that match the appearances of "Tammy" in Dogtown. Teens will flee and resist capture from most normal means, but won’t fight too much if caught other than to get away. They really do seem to be kids that went a little too far with a prank. Those who might end up on the wrong side of a stray power or two will be downright terrified of their pursuer and likely to either turn to another adult in the group for safety or shut down entirely. Maybe you should be more careful next time. Either way, the local authorities will take it from here.
  
  
• AND YOU MUST ASK YOURSELF (16 April - Ongoing) - Characters will only be affected by the compulsion to walk into Dogtown if they rode in and were marked by Gus the Bus. Gus continues to be available and around in Gloucester should you wish to have your character captured and marked by him. Details about Gus are included in the March 2023 TDM. Gus has also been added as a feature to the Dogtown Searches page and description in the Locations page.
  
  Players can have their characters turn up in any explored square in Dogtown or one of the unexplored squares adjacent to them. Please just submit a search request for the unexplored square that you'd like your character (and a friend) to discover!

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QUESTIONS

[apocalypsehowmods]

Please post any questions here.

Cornelius Hickey | The Terror (AMC) | ota!

[friendsfordinner]

[those meddling kids, closed to eda]
"Y'know, nobody really knew where Fox Hill even was?" Hickey points out, to Eda, as the two of them patrol near the edge of Dogtown, both of them stuck on Ghost Watch. "I looked for it myself—did some research," he scoffs. For all the good that did. Sitting around, flipping through those books, trying to find something on the internet? Nah. Wasn't worth it. He should have gotten out there, poked around Dogtown instead. The only real way to get what you want is boots on the ground, taking the actions yourselves.

"It was going in to Dogtown that led us finding it, yeah? Should have just ignored all that and—"

But then Hickey stops and looks out in the distance. There's someone there, just outside of the corner of his vision. Tall, skinny, covered in rags. It's that bloody witch, isn't it? He can feel his senses shift, as every thought in his mind points directly to that person. They're a lead. A trail. He wants to see where it ends.

"Come on!" Hickey laughs, wide grin on his face as he starts to bound down the sidewalk, absolutely about to leave Eda in the dust as he attempts to chase down what he thinks is the witch but what is actually a teenager who's very quickly deciding to get the hell out of here. "I'm not letting her get away!"

[those meddling kids - ota, post avataring]
Hickey is very spry for someone who got hit by a car a day or so ago while attempting to chase down a teenager Thomazine Younger, Witch Queen of Dogtown. He's worryingly spry. Seriously, this dude should at least be limping by now but nope, he's walking through the city, keeping an eye out, very obviously looking for something.

He left a loose end open. He wants to close it.

If he spots any fellow ADI investigators, he gives them a little nod before asking, "Wouldn't mind company if you're up for it."

Some teenagers are absolutely going to get traumatized tonight.

[and you must ask yourself - ota]
You've woken up in Dogtown. You didn't plan to, of course—thanks for that, Gus. But you've woken up all the same.

And you can feel that you're being watched. There's something there, in the trees, watching you. If you remain quiet enough, you can hear it's breath. Slow, raspy, animalistic but with something human beneath it, like a SFX filter slapped on a voice except the SFX filter is just 'animal.' There's something here. Something more beast than human. And it's watching you.

Or perhaps you wake up and you discover you're not alone. Hickey's there, which is a bit weird as he's been very open about how he's not one of those idiots who went on the spider bus. But he's there, he's looking over at whoever he's with, and there's something different in his expression. It's wild, wide-eyed, and also the happiest that he's ever been. "If I were you?" Hickey chides, grinning all the while, "I'd probably start running."

Or maybe you aren't in Dogtown at all. Maybe you're at the edges, on patrol, making sure that more stupid kids don't cause stupid problems. Those eyes are still there, focused on the back of your neck. You can still hear the breathing. There's something in there and considering the circumstances? It's being very brash.

And You Must Ask Yourself, how did I end up here?

[gammasystem]

Bruce's direct involvement with the ADI has been slim to none. While he's thought to help with scrutiny he's still largely avoided them. Since his vanishing some time ago and his apparent return he's been more.. open to it. He wants answers, suffice to say, and the ADI seems to know more than anyone else, even if he doesn't wholly trust their angle.

All this to say he was patrolling. He may not have been the best pick for it but his quiet footing, limber escape knowledge and few reservations in a possible scrape made him more willing. Not to mention the comfort of a taser on his hip.

The sun was setting over Dogtown and Bruce was nearing the end of his rounds. Call it old habit but he wasn't keen on being out when the sun goes down. It's on his last circle of his perimeter that he feels a crawling up his back. Eyes raking across his spine in shivers. Bruce's own breath falls silent in his chest as he picks up on the breathing of something else.

His head spun but he stood still, trying to place if it was real not in his head, a proper thing watching, waiting. His hand slowly shifts to the pocket of his jacket and fishes out a pocket flashlight. He took a deep breath, and then another. Before turning to the trees and flicking on the light, trying to find the source without moving from his place just yet. Maybe its a wild dog, or a sick deer or.. something manageable. Maybe it won't be real to begin with as he hoped.

and you must ask yourself cw: PTSD, possible injury, blood, body horror

[ferriswheelsandfootball]

John groans, rubbing his face, realizing he very much wasn’t in his nice warm bed, but instead flat on his back in the dirt, the smell of the forest around him.

That…wakes him up rather quickly.

He’s here. Again. That damn spider tattoo was really starting to piss him off and there’s a flare of abject fear when the mere sight of Dogtown brings back…ugly memories. Stars, chattering in words that render his mind inoperable. A whistle that leads to pain and death. He quickly buries them, as he always does, because in Dogtown, he knows all too well that a moment’s distraction could mean your end.

And then there’s Hickey. Odd, because he doesn’t have a spider tattoo, does he? And that look on his face is kinda weird for him.

“Let me guess. There’s something after us?”

Why he’d be so delighted about that, John has no idea.

And you must ask yourself (time to punch a bear)

[failedpromise]

Cortana wakes up in Dogtown ...and honestly has no idea where she is. A panic inducing realization in and of itself -- how did she even get here she was plugged into a wall -- but then she hears the breathing and her whole body just stiffens, head turning to survey her surroundings as her hands ball into fists. A fairly ordinary slip of a woman in appearance, there is absolutely nothing about her that is in any way intimidating whatsoever, but she tries her best to hide any fear or weakness as she gets to her feet. She even manages to keep her voice steady as she shouts:

"Who's there?"

Meddling kids!

[edalyn]

“Yeah, so did I,” Eda says, glancing over at him before doing her best to stay focused on the trees nearby. She’s done some research on the location, and a lot on the person. While she wishes there were anything more conclusive about Tammy, at least as far as Entities are concerned, she does find a lot of what she’s read about the woman endearing.

As for just going to Dogtown–well, she’ll admit she prefers action herself, but this is something where knowing everything they can can’t hurt.

She’s starting to say something else when Hickey pauses. It takes Eda second to spot what he noticed, following his gaze at first, but she looks much more alert when she does. Whoever that is fits the description–well, one of the descriptions. There do seem to be several.

While she doesn’t want to miss this chance either, Eda’s not sure if she’s more concerned about catching the ‘witch’ or making sure Hickey doesn’t do that alone. She supposes it doesn’t really matter yet, because either way she takes off after him. She may not be as fast as when she’s been feeding regularly, but if nothing else the way her legs are longer than they look certainly helps.

those meddling kids

[canofmanji]

"Sure. Why not?" If there was someone Manji was happy to team up with it was Hickey. "Let's go hunt some ghosts."

and you must ask yourself!

[thefinalpower]

Power wakes up, flat on her back in the middle of the woods in her pajamas, which is just indignity on top of inconvenience. Stupid, stupid spider-tattoo! Stupid woods!

... It takes her a moment longer to realize that she has company. Power stands to her feet and brushes dead leaves off her PJs, giving Hickey a sidelong glare. They've been on decently good terms so far, but that wild look in his eyes is reason enough to be wary.

"... And why should I do that?"

those meddling kids

[unnecessaryflourishes]

There's a blink at Hickey's suggestion - they may have spoken a time or two, but certainly not nearly as much as Emet-Selch would have expected to be enough to prompt such an offer - but all things considered it's not something he feels like it's worth his while to turn down. Not when there are still any number of unknown matters at hand, and there's truth enough to the fact that having two people to watch for any disturbances is better than simply one.

"I have no objections."

Mercy Graves | OC | OTA

[graveyounglady]

I. Ghosts of Yesteryear
"Well, that definitely ain't Ms. Eda," Mercy mutters to her companion. She's watching as a spectral figure with hair trailing to the ground seems to float at the edge of Dogtown. "Ghosts isn't a thing where I'm from. You got anything like them?" And how one... deals with them? Ordinarily, she might suggest bidding them return to the god they're meant to be with and the long sleep they've earned beneath the soil. These particular spirits don't seem so inclined toward being restful, though.

II. Outfoxed at Fox Hill
"Watch out!" Mercy sees the trap just a moment too late. She shoves hard at her companion and then gasps as she's very suddenly hoisted into the air and dragged backward. The netting she's trapped in swings wildly back and forth. With any luck, she's managed to stop her partner from being ensnared, but if not... well. It seems they might be hanging around for just a little bit.

So much for making it 'safely' through Dogtown.

Outfoxed!

[defendwhatremains]

Between the surprise and her strength, there's little else for him to do but haphazardly fall right onto his ass. There's some small manner of luck, however, because it's not into the netting with her., but that's where their luck ends because a viscous yank of his ankle sees him hoisted up and upside down with his foot tangled in the netting.

"For God's sake!" Ow what didn't hurt now was surely going to hurt later, but right now their concern had to be escaping. Which meant...getting creative. He grabs hold of the net with one hand to stabilize himself and tries to curl up to reach his foot but...well, physical activity outside basic health hadn't been high on his priorities. A sound of far too much effort for so little result sees him flopping back uselessly with a groan.

"Well, I appreciate the attempt to save me, but I can't help feeling it might have been better if I were caught in their with you out here. Are you alright?" It wasn't like he could see her all that well.

Ghosts of Yesteryear

[canofmanji]

Manji wasn't sure how he ended up paired with Mercy, but he likes to think they're on good enough terms these days to watch each other's backs when it came down to it. "Ghost or spirit. Seems like everything could be a spoke from where and when I'm from." He tries to sound flippant. As if he doesn't believe in those things, but he's just putting on a brave face.

Ghosts!

[unnecessaryflourishes]

Investigation is not, particularly, Emet-Selch's favorite thing to be doing. But even he is well aware that supernatural occurrences are not something that ADI suffers to remain. Plus, even without the majority of what he might be accustomed to having, he is at least familiar with some of the things that have cropped up thus far.

Which, at the moment, does indeed seem to include actual ghosts.

"Wandering spirits of the deceased are not what many would call common. But they are known to exist, yes."

Lt. Col. John Sheppard | Stargate: Atlantis | OTA

[ferriswheelsandfootball]

A. Those Meddling Kids cw: PTSD, stalking

John feels like he’s in an episode of Scooby Doo. Still, way better than the usual, harrowing, downright grim adventures they’ve been having lately. From what they’ve been investigating, it looks like this entire witch thing is just some kids. Somebody in a mask, ready to be uncovered by a band of plucky mystery solvers and a forever-hungry Great Dane, and they would have gotten away with it too.

The unfortunate and quite on-brand twist in all this is it’s activating John’s hunt instincts and he might be just pursuing these terrible criminals with a little too much enthusiasm. Coupled with his general unease and Dogtown-related trauma, plus all the other trauma, he might not be in the…best place for doing this.

“There’s one!”

John points to a ghostly, glowing figure quickly scaling a fire escape. It’s obviously a person, and they’re quite good at parkour, they way they’re flying across the grating and rooftop.

Fortunately or unfortunately, John is also good at parkour, or maybe it’s also his beastly Avatar abilities making themselves known.

“Come on!”

Hope you can keep up.

B. And You Must Ask Yourself Part A- closed to Rodney - cw: PTSD, mention of cosmic horror, death, spiders/spider swarms

John groans, rubbing the side of his face. Didn’t he just rest his eyes a moment while watching TV? Wasn’t he just on the couch?

This is very much not the couch. It’s only lucky that he’s not actually in his pajamas, and has his boots on, because this looks an awful lot like…

…Dogtown.

His spider tattoo tingles uncomfortably and he looks at it, almost expecting to see tiny spiders swarming across it. He’d been suffering from the compulsions before but they’d never been dangerous. In fact, they’d actually been mildly helpful? Like making breakfast? This…however, is new. And potentially much more dangerous than toast. (Then again, he’d been attacked by too many toasters so maybe that wasn’t the best analogy.)

“Crap.” He pats himself down-no weapons, except his now-glamoured crab claw. Which, honestly speaking, wasn’t a bad weapon, all things considered. Plus he could beast-out if he really needed to. He was probably more dangerous than half the things in here which was…slightly comforting. And slightly discomforting. But he really wished he had his P-90 right now and feels unprepared and vulnerable without it.

Wait. He’s not alone.

“Rodney?!”

C. And You Must Ask Yourself Part B

[Please hit up indymica, Discord: Indy#5523, or PM to plot out and I’ll post a starter below!]

B

[energyfieldgood]

His first impulse is to lie back down and go back to sleep because clearly this is another one of his nightmares. And if it isn't, maybe he can just lie down anyway and pretend it is until he somehow, magically wakes up in his bed again.

Maybe if he ignores this long enough, the Entities would get bored and leave him be? Yeah, because that worked so well on bullies, didn't it.

Bottom line is, his current mood and attitude is one big, giant, screaming no. Which is why when Sheppard approaches him, he holds up an index finger without looking at him.

"I'm not even speaking to you right now."

He's going through his pockets for something, anything to help him figure out where exactly in the D-hell they are or that give them a remote chance at survival. His face is set, and tense, and angry.

"I can't believe you did this! What is this, a nice picnic in the green, except the picnic is me? If you think I'll let you chase me around to get your fear fill, you are so very mistaken! Or did you think, oh, hey, the last traumatic event was more than 72 hours ago. Wouldn't want to start healing now, would we! You suck!"

So much for not speaking to him.

Edalyn Clawthorne | The Owl House | OTA

[edalyn]

Ghosts of Yesteryear
Eda's getting more than a little bored patrolling the fence surrounding Dogtown. While she's very curious about this particular rash of reports—hard not to be when it's this witch focused after all—she’s still having trouble staying focused on staring at the woods. Especially with the occasional little creature scurrying through the underbrush.

But it just happens that one such noise draws her attention towards… it’s surprisingly hard to tell if that figure is one of the trees, but after a moment she's certain. The proportions are odd, but it's definitely an old woman—who turns and is seemingly swallowed up by the ground once Eda approaches the fence and makes eye contact with her.

“Hey! Wait, I just want to talk. One witch to another, yeah?”

Outfoxed at Foxhill [Closed to Raine]
“You sure about this, Rainstorm? I mean there's no one I'd rather explore the monster-infested woods with…” All the same, she left the implied but hanging there. Dogtown was one thing that was exactly as dangerous as the ADI said, in her experience. Which wasn't to say that Raine couldn't take care of themself, but she wasn't completely sure how they were doing for magic, and physical fights weren't necessarily their strongest area.

That said, Dogtown seemed to be… behaving itself, for a given value. Or at least no one seemed to actually be running into those monsters lately. But that was part of what had her a little on edge.

“But I don't know if I trust how quiet it is,” was what she settled on. So far the walk through the trees was frankly nice. Tamer than the forests on the Isles were likely to be, even. It would almost feel like a simple hiking date, if not for the fact Eda didn't fully expect things to stay nice. Or the fact they were looking for the ghost of a local witch—then again, that felt like the sort of afternoon adventure she and Raine would have come up with when they were kids. She couldn't help feeling a little nostalgic at the thought.

She reached to absently adjust the backpack that sat between her—currently glamoured—wings. It was mostly supplies they might actually need, but there was also a soft clink of glass. From everything Eda had read about the witch ‘queen,’ homemade apple blood (or at least a half decent approximation) wouldn't be amiss for a peace offering.

Those Meddling Kids
I. “You know, if we were back home I could definitely cobble together something for tracking ghosts,” Eda muses casually to whoever chose—or was volunteered—to go ghost hunting with her. It's hard to tell how serious this is, but hey– no one here can prove her wrong, right?

Not that she’s certain whether the sightings are ghosts, at least maybe not all of them. But she’d like to find an actual ghost. Honestly, she’d like to find anything. She's starting to think maybe they ought to try splitting up.

II. Another night, Eda has significantly better luck hunting on her own, though what she’s caught definitely isn’t a ghost.

If someone passes by a certain back alley that just happened to be a dead end, they might notice a few drips of glow-in-the-dark paint leading into it. Or they might overhear bits and pieces of a conversation between Eda and a younger-sounding, anxious voice.

Bits and pieces like oh calm down, do I look like someone who talks to cops? or this thing you’re doing, it’s pretty cool.

And You Must Ask Yourself [cw: the prompt + (mild) body horror]
Eda always used to like spiders.

She didn’t even see why everyone kicked up such a fuss about the ones with the cute little hands a few months back.

Eda’s getting really damn tired of spiders.

The first nightmare was perhaps still the worst. Or at least the most personal. Someone she very much loves and trusts being the one to catch her in their web, trap and bind and poison her.

But the nightmares plaguing her since her unpleasant bus ride aren’t exactly a good time either. The exact content varies, but the most recurring theme is control. Puppet strings guiding her through the motions of things she’d never do, or toward some unknown destination.

That’s what it is tonight. Following a forest path even as she struggles, tiny spiders coursing down the strings of web that pull her along, weaving them thicker and stronger.

She still feels them as she blinks awake. Spiders on her skin, or maybe under it. Tiny little feet crawling through the veins in her wrist.

Not fully conscious, Eda responds to the discomfort by pulling her lower arm off. It separates neatly, the joint coming apart with a little pop that she’s long since gotten used to. She tosses it to the side instinctually.

The crawling, tingling sensation fades as she sits up, suddenly alert and deeply lost. Normally when she wakes up from one of these nightmares she’s doing something only mildly out of character, like cooking breakfast at a reasonable hour.

This is the first time she’s dreamt of the woods and woken up there.

She’s startled as she spots whoever happens to be nearby. If you’re lucky, you simply have a witch staring at you in slightly sleepy confusion. If you’re less lucky, you just got smacked with a severed arm bearing a spider web shaped tattoo on the wrist. There are probably worse ways to be woken up, right?

Wildcard!
Feel free to throw a starter at me or hit me up on discord at Ilya#4143 or badgirlcoven

Those Meddling Kids - I

[canofmanji]

"Tracking? I can believe that, but any idea how to stop them?" That's what Manji would like to know. "If ghosts can just... whoosh through walls then how are we suppose to catch them?"

and you must ask yourself

[energyfieldgood]

There are probably worse ways to be woken up.

Right now, Rodney can't think of a single one.

It's the combination of Dogtown and spider dreams and severed arm and severed arm touching his face and the nice little spider web tattoo as cherry on top.

He sputters, wiping at his face and backing away from Eda, still bleary-eyed but alert enough to be thoroughly agitated.

"What the hell are you doing!?"

[rainestorms]

"I know you're worried about me because I don't have easy access to my magic, and I'm not the... strongest... but I'll be fine, Eda."

Raine walked next to Eda, and took her hand. They gave it a reassuring squeeze, and smiled. Truthfully, they had a healthy amount of anxiety about stepping into territory like Dogtown, but.. they still were a little excited to have an adventure in the great outdoors with Eda again.

"Besides, I've got you here. Anything that happens we'll get through it together," they pause, and gazed back out at the trees that surrounded them. "And maybe it's a good thing that it's quiet.."

They trail off again, content to listening to the world around them and Eda's response until they hear a clink in her bag. They narrow their eyes at the bag.

"What. Was that?"

Rodney McKay | Stargate: Atlantis | ota

[energyfieldgood]

i. ghosts of yesteryear

[Sleep is still very rare these days and Rodney isn't exactly good company. But then again, when is he ever? He's been fixing the generator in the clinic at the Dogtown entrance and rewards himself with a coffee when he spots the strange figure in the distance. There's a sputter and he coughs, coffee going all over his shirt - great, that's just, that's fantastic - and he wipes at his burned mouth, staring out into the darkness.]

Do you see that?

[He points to the emaciated figure in the distance, squeezing his eyes shut, looking again.]

Because I see that. And I really hope you don't see that because then it's probably just some sleep-deprived hallucination which we can safely ignore along with the looming sense of dread...


ii. outfoxed (cw: potential for injuries)

[If you're unlucky enough to track the ghostly threat with Rodney, here's a fun fact about him. He's out of breath very quickly but somehow, miraculously, it doesn't stop the endless litanies. In fact, the more hateful physical exertion, the worse it seems to get. And then there's the whole thing of being absolutely terrified of Dogtown.

Which means that he just. Doesn't. Stop. Talking.]

-- saying that whoever named this place Fox Hill clearly doesn't know anything about either foxes or hills. Seriously, this is more like Mount Mountaingoat! Was this even here before? We have been going steeply upwards for the better part of the day [It's been 22 minutes.] and if we find a Buried shrine at the top, I swear I will--

[Whatever he will remains a mystery because the rest of of the sentence turns into a loud, pitchy yell when the ground suddenly gives way under him and he disappears in a pit trap. There's the sound of snapping branches, of dirt and smaller stones raining down, the characteristic thud of a body hitting the ground somewhere below followed by a low, wailful groan.]


iii. and you must ask yourself (cw: memory loss, disorientation, foot injuries)

[It's Dogtown. Again.

And he's really upset about it. Again.

Worse, he's alone this time and unarmed and... well. Wearing pretty ugly boxer shorts and an old crumpled t-shirt he's been sleeping in.

Except as time goes on, the agitation falls off him. Unfortunately, so do the memories. Why did he come here? Where is here exactly? He stumbles around, disoriented, lost, not sure where to go, not sure what's going on.

He stumbles on, wincing when his bare feet dig into a sharp stone or branch.

When he comes across another person he stops and stares at them in confusion. His voice has lost the abrasive edge, sounding a lot smaller, a lot quieter.]

Hi. I, uh. I think I got a little lost. Do you... know where we are?

ii

[sneakery]

[At first, Hob had made a genuine effort to not only listen to McKay's ramblings, but also sympathize. As they picked their way up the hill, however, it gradually dawned on him that his mild interjections were doing nothing to stem the outpouring. Now, he's politely tuning him out just as he would the more voluble among his former court. It's actually kind of comforting? In a way? Sort of?

It reminds him of home, anyway.

Something snaps underfoot and he hesitates, head tilting as he tries to hone in on the source. Just a twig, probably, but this is Dogtown and it never hurts to be cautious—

And then the man he's trailing vanishes with a cry. Hob feels his own feet losing purchase on the loose scree and performs a rather undignified scrabbling maneuver to avoid tumbling down after the poor fellow. Amidst the settling dust (and, regrettably, knocking a light shower of pebbles into the pit) Hob pokes his head over the edge to peer down.]

I say, are you alright?

Emet-Selch | Final Fantasy XIV | ota!

[unnecessaryflourishes]

{Ghost Hunting}

[Ghosts, by themselves, are nothing new to Emet-Selch. They are, after all, a common enough sight across the majority of his own world, to say nothing of the presence of other forms of the undead. (To say nothing of his own previous status as a being without a proper body, though his own had been something of a special case.) But neither can he deny being curious. Not only for the swiftness with which ADI has reacted to the rumors, but the suggestion that this particular sighting has ties to the arcane.

(Which may prove to be nothing, but better that than to have not checked at all.)]

What do you make of this?

[This is addressed to anyone who happens to be nearby, be it a simple chance meeting or someone he has actually intended to go searching for clues with.]

{Outfoxed}

[Given that Emet-Selch is - among other things - an ancient sorcerer who has seen the turn of tens of centuries, one might suspect that he is reasonably good at avoiding traps. This is not incorrect. He is, however, used to those traps being the sort of thing that would be meant to either kill or several inconvenience a sorcerer at the height of his powers. Something that is very much not the case here.

(Admittedly, it also doesn't help that Emet-Selch has a good deal less of his powers than he would typically be used to and that the traps are not something that aethersight are likely to have been any use against anyway.)

This is, however, cold comfort given that Emet-Selch is currently caught in a net dangling from a tree and looks very much like he'd like to take his frustrations out on something... provided he could actually get out of the tree in the first place.]

{Those Meddling Kids}

[Even if it had not been for the surfeit of - completely unnecessary, in his opinion - traps that have been littering the hill, Emet-Selch would have been more than willing to look into just what, exactly, has been going on. True, he may not be able to do much about actual ghosts, given the absence of most of his powers. But even here, in a world where there doesn't appear any sort of Aetherial Sea, it still feels like something he ought to see to.

Even if it is only because there is none else who would. Or could.

Still, there's nothing for it but to make the attempt, and after a long moment or three he turns to whoever happens to be nearby, regardless of whether or not they had sent out with the intention of working together.]

Have you had any luck, thus far?

Luka Kovač | ER | OTA

[cuttypie]

A. Outfoxed at Fox Hill

Usually he's outside Dogtown, helping out with medical, but this time, he finally ventures in. He has a feeling this maybe isn't Entity related at all, but it seems like the dangers might be very real all the same. Still, now that he's no longer an Avatar, he feels...vulnerable out here, even so.

He keeps up a cheerful front as he walks with his companion, however, as he narrowly avoids what looks like a marble trap.

"This is like a movie, or one of those cartoons, the one with the coyote and with the bird that goes meep meep?"

B. And you must ask yourself

Luka had managed to avoid being dragged into Dogtown against his will for a very long time, but one idiotic late night mistake with a bus that was Gus and an experience he will gladly try to forget for the rest of his life, means that he's now got a spider tattoo and is waking up here.

In the woods.

He's well aware of what things lurk here--he's dealt with the horrific aftermath of people running out of this place, out of their minds--and he has no idea where he is.

"Hello?"

He calls out, carefully, but also kind of whispering, but not really, as if he's afraid of disturbing whatever Entities are lurking here.

"Anyone else there?"

C. Wildcard - anything goes!

Manji | Blade of the Immortal | OTA

[canofmanji]

CW for both prompts: Blood, body horror, mention of worms and child injury

Those Meddling Kids

It's probably not a surprise that Manji had been out looking for ghosts. For those who even casually knows the one armed samurai will be aware that he isn't afraid to rush into a fight. Finding him ducking down an alleyway covered in blood still might be a bit alarming. Even more shocking might be the fact that Manji has two arms. Looking even closer and... does he have two right arms?

Aftermath

As things finally start to calm down after the ghost scares, Manji vanishes. He's no where to be found until after a week or so he's suddenly back. Once again with only the one right arm, he looks haggard, sitting on the steps of the ADI building. Staring off into space in the vague direction of Dogtown with a deep frown on his face. He may be deep in thought, but his one good eye will swing towards anyone who may approach him. “What do you want?”

Aftermath!!! Have an awkward Bard

[rainestorms]

Raine had been running a few errands- mostly things to improve the current state of the room they found themself sleeping in with Eda as of late. They needed to pick something up from the ADI building, but they paused. Raine recognised the very sad looking man on the steps. They tried to remember his name- that was until his singular eye met theirs.

Raine jumped as he spoke.

"Uhh- I don't- you're Manji, right? Eda's friend. We.. met on the bus?"

They paused, and looked Manji over a bit closer.

"Are you okay..?"