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Who: John Sheppard and you
Username: un: Pegasus
Warnings: body horror, PTSD

[John seems to be mildly disturbed as he fumbles with the video, the camera showing him looking a little rough, like he'd been in a fight, before he manages to set it up properly.]

Uh.

Has anyone talked to Hickey lately? Because I think we need to talk about Hickey.

So. He, uh, can turn into a giant creepy bear thing now.

Like. A giant. Polar bear. Thing.

For anybody that's been waking up in Dogtown, which sucks, by the way, you might run into him. I don't know where he is right now but he's completely lost it.

If you see him, stay away from him. He'll prefer to chase you to feed off your fear so try not to engage that instinct.

[Says the guy who is also a Hunt Avatar and fought said bear-beast thing as a cat-beast thing. Don't mind him, he's just putting all the focus on Hickey right now, and if everyone stays away from Hickey they also won't find out that Hickey knows that's he's an Avatar, too.

Also that bear thing is gonna live in his nightmares now, which is fun.]

For anybody that is waking up in weird places, I suggest sleeping with a weapon on your person at all times, just in case.

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Well, if he's hiding out in the designated horror pit, it's at least better than wandering around town eating people. Can you say where he was when you saw him?

[There's a brief pause.]

Him deciding to go be a giant killer furry is probably going to mean more scrutiny for all of us.

Couldn't really tell, I got turned around when he started chasing me. He was pretty far in though. Let's hope he stays there.

[Hey, he resembles that remark.]

I know. Or they're gonna send people in there after him. And by people I mean us. I don't think we have the firepower to take him out. I tried to talk to him, but he wasn't having it.

[Maybe you should try not being a giant killer furry, then, John.]

If they want us to hunt him, they will have to let us play with the big guns. But if he stays in Dogtown, there are enough other hazards there that trying to hunt down someone who's turned into a supernatural predator would be a very stupid kind of suicide. We've gone after threats there in the past, but that was before it turned into what it is now.

I just wish I knew what happened to him to do this. I mean, he was always kind of like that, maybe it was only a matter of time...

[But it's fun tho]

Ah, Dogtown, both the cause of, and the answer to, our problems.

Huh. Was there something in particular that changed Dogtown, or was it the slow boiling sort of change?

Assuming it isn't something he brought with him that he hid better than some until he couldn't any more? Or a very bad bargain he made here? Maybe something happened at the museum. We know the games transformed people, but there might have been something worse that we missed.

[She bites her lip, tipping her head to rest against the back of the couch she's sitting on.]

Dogtown was dangerous when I got here. But if you've read the files about FYRE and the mission in Wolf Pen about a year ago, it started getting really bad while we were away. That's when they decided to fence it off to keep people out. It became the maze it is now sometime between when they started keeping people out, and when they started sending us back in.

How’s your crab claw hand thing?

It got a big ol’ scratch in it, but other than that, it’s fine. He pulled a knife on me.

The bear pulled a knife on your claw.

This was…before…he turned into a bear.

[Yep. That’s his life now. Talking about his snappy claw and being attacked by a bear-dude.]

I've seen him. Bloodied his nose pretty good, too.

(Just not gonna mention her own injuries or getting lost in Dogtown afterwards.)

You know, I'm getting really tired of being dragged into other people's entity problems.

[It doesn't matter how much Rue dislikes the man, their brow still pinches with worry.]

He has turned into a bear?

From the way he spoke before, he was big on…getting power. He liked that I could crush stuff with my claw. I think he was just waiting for something like this to fall in his lap. Maybe he did make a deal with one of the Entities.

[John trails off…]

Was there anything mentioned about a specific catalyst that made it that way?

[He makes a note to go over those files.]

I did notice a lot of spider-related stuff from exploring there. The spider web bridge, the…hunter and the antidote to the spider venom. Not to mention Gus the bus and people waking up randomly there. That’s at least two entities involved, with the hunting.

[He’s not gonna mention that he got turned into a Hunt avatar in between all that but it’s something he quietly notes.]

The fact that people are starting to find themselves randomly in Dogtown is not a good sign. We’re lucky that all that stuff is contained in there for now, but I get the feeling that something is hungry and isn’t waiting around anymore.

Hmm. Good.

Was he still in Dogtown?

[He can take a little Schadenfreude in that.]

I am sorry about last time…

Yeah…not a regular bear, though. His face was flat and his limbs were a little long. His eyes looked pretty human, too.

[She just shakes her head, grimacing slightly, mouth set in a thin line.]

That is never a good deal.

[Servitude for scraps of power? No thanks.]

And no, there was nothing mentioned - but that doesn't mean there wasn't a catalyst. But there has always been representation of multiple Entities there. There still is, it's just...patchwork.

This isn't the first time Dogtown has pulled people in, either. If it wasn't so patchwork, I would be wondering if land could become an avatar, if enough people believed in it being haunted.

[Because apparently lobsters can.]

When I saw him he was.

It's alright. Though with how often I have to get this arm repaired, I should probably just get a replacement.

(Maybe Donnie would have some ideas for improving her limb construction, she thinks.)

Maybe we’ll be lucky for once and he’ll stay there.

At least maybe you could get some cool robot upgrades? I’d say with the way things are going, we’ll all need it.

How utterly terrifying. I thought that what happened in Buffalo was terrible enough, but now this has happened. What a nightmare.

He can not be reasoned with?

I know. I don’t think it’s contagious or anything like last time, I think he made a deal with an Entity.

I tried. He’s drunk on power, wouldn’t listen to reason.

I mean, sometimes, in a life-or-death situation, I could understand certain choices being made…

But not what he did after.

I don’t even know if it would matter if we knew what the catalyst was. It’s not like we can reverse it. I’m still curious though. Maybe it’s a good place to start to find answers.

Honestly? That place seems actively malevolent. From what we went through, I’d absolutely believe it.

A deal with an Entity?

[Well. Shit.]

Not even Mister Hickey deserves such a fate. Did he try to harm you?

You got chased?

[Huh.]

Sucks, doesn't it.

[Sorry, John, he's worried about you but he is also absolutely gonna rub that in.]

There are things much worse than death.

Knowing the catalyst might not let us reverse it, but it would maybe help keep it from spreading. Do you really trust whatever's going on in there to stick to the borders of Dogtown?

I might well suggest it even to those who are not finding themselves awakening in new places, given the nature of this world.

It does suck.

It sucks a lot.

[Having fun there, Rodney? Enjoying this?]

[Immensely, thank you.]

I know, right? Like, the worst part is when you're running out of air but it's still coming and it's like you can already feel it breathing down your neck.

Or when you're being bitten and dragged around and end up all scratched and banged up.

[You know, like your mug on the screen. Holy crap, the karma of it all.]

Yeah. Yeah it kinda is exactly like that.

[Rodney do you feel his glare. It is burning with the fire of a thousand white-hot suns.]

Seems like something that just happens here to people, doesn’t it?

It would be a real shame if it happened to you again. Cause you know, it could happen at any time. This place is soooooo unpredictable.

Edited 2023-04-30 05:58 (UTC)

[Oh, it's gonna be like that is it.]

Extremely unpredictable.

[Bristling. Bristling so much.]

All of these random events. Sometimes doors just closing on you and trapping you in places.

[It is so gonna be like that.]

Very. Never see it coming.

[What if he bristles just as much.]

Yeah, that's a problem. That happens. But what also happens next is that doors can be unreliable. I mean, they can only withstand so much force. Sometimes they break open. That also just happens sometimes.

Oh, really. Maybe it's time to reinforce those doors then. Because that sure sounds like a security hazard.

[You wanna go? They can go.]

In fact, I hear steel bars are all the rage. No need to be cagey about it.

Understandable. Who would want doors that are a security hazard? I get it.

[It's on, buddy.]

But you see it takes a long time to reinforce such things with steel...and these events can happen at any time! Probably way before any construction could take place. Sometimes these events even know where you live and can get there pretty quickly.

whoa
that dudes a bear monster now
wild

hey is he the first one of us to go make a deal with the fears? bummer of a milestone

[ Says the guy who's been an avatar for, like, a year now, because he thinks he's funny.

(He'd think it was extra funny that he's saying this to John, another avatar, if he knew John belonged to the hunt.) ]

Well it won't be my luck if that's the case.

(Cortana's luck is pretty terrible.)

Unfortunately, I have to keep my abilities within human limits to keep from registering as supernatural to the entities. While Humans are a lot less limited than you'd think, that still leaves the really cool robot upgrades off the table.

(Humans with incredible strength exist and that's easy to replicate in a robot so she has that, but if you're hoping for things like built in weapons and wireless connectivity... no.)

I mean, yeah, that's a good point.

[He thinks of the evil-appliances debacle and what if someone woke up to that, not to mention when some peoples rooms rotted, and yep. Makes sense.]

Our rooms aren't even safe from this stuff.

Yep. Very bear, very monster.

I think so. It was bound to happen eventually.

[Just two dudes who are totally not avatars talking about avatars, it's fine]

I dunno, I probably should have seen it coming. He's really big on getting power, some Entity was bound to notice eventually... [Says John, who has also mentioned such things publicly]

Yeah, and those kinds of deals probably end up being more of a curse than anything. Hickey seemed to be enjoying himself, though.

He did. He chased me down, tried to kill me.

You know what? Same with my luck.

[Maybe they should be on the lookout for bears escaping Dogtown after all]

That's not cool. All those great upgrades and you have to keep it human-level? Bummer.

[He thinks of Pyre and shudders.]

That's true.

Nope. I think it's a matter of time before that stuff spills out.

I'll see if I can dig up anything in the meantime. You said it all started when you left for Wolf Pen?

Precisely so. And though I do not doubt there are those who might be willing to fight whatever ... inconveniences should happen to arrive with their bare hands, I have my doubts as to the efficacy of that in all cases.

That's when it got bad enough to close it off. But it had been getting more dangerous before that, just - not as quickly.

Why, do you think, has your claw not turned back into a hand?

Oh John! Are you alright? Do you require any help? Dr. Carter has long since taken me under his wing. I can assist you, if needed.

Unfortunately, yes. That was the point of this body.

(She rolls her eyes. Since she's using voice he can't see that, but she does.)

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