Apocalypse How

Sun, 10 Mar 2024 19:37:31 GMT

Posted by: byeeeeeeeee

Who: Hunter, Eda, Raine
When: Sometime shortly after the finale
Where: Bonnie's
Summary: Family bonding
Warnings: None

Hunter's room is...a mess. Most of the boxes are still unpacked, even days later. He takes out what he needs when he needs it, and it's a crapshoot whether anything actually makes it into a drawer or on a shelf. His clothes all smell musty and are in need of a good wash. A pile of unfinished sewing projects has been kicked under the desk until he figures out why the sewing machine isn't working. There are library books that never got returned - he's afraid to take them back now, the late fees must be astronomical.

It should be easy. Fifteen years have come and gone, but for him it's been a matter of days. The thin thread of hope that he'd go home - somehow, some day, some way - snapped when they emerged to a changed Glouchester. He spends so much time staring at the boxes but not doing anything with them that Flapjack feels the need to hop on the top of his head and yank a few hairs.

"Right. Fine." Nothing's getting done here, so he stands up from his bed. "Maybe Eda and Raine need help with something."

This is how he finds himself, wandering first to their room and then, if they are not there, the rest of the common spaces in the house.

comments

And When The Dust Settles | CLOSED | LOG

Wed, 28 Feb 2024 05:03:52 GMT

Posted by: rainestorms

Who: Raine and Eda Clawthorne
When: shortly after the finale
Where: Bonnie's
Summary: Eda and Raine
Warnings: Will post as needed

Raine finally sat the last box down on their desk with a soft huff of relief. They opened it, and began to move through its contents- clothes, that had spent more time in boxes than on bodies at this point. Most of them were things the bard could easily sort into Eda's pile or their own, but one dark blue t-shirt caught their eye.

Raine held the shirt in their hands, their thumb rubbed the fabric tenderly. They lifted it up to rest their face against it, happy to be reunited with one of their first gifts to Eda after they'd shown up. The context of the gift had ended up being more of a romantic gesture than they'd intended

But, though it had only been a few days since they'd seen it last, it had been years for the shirt. It didn't smell the way it used to. It didn't feel the same way either- though the shirt had been kept in storage it had changed with time, as all things do. Still, they held it close, as if letting go would mean truly and wholly losing it to what had happened in Dogtown too. Fifteen years that Raine hadn't experienced had changed it enough.

They closed their eyes, and took a deep breath to decompress. Eda was still downstairs; they still had her, and they still could share it with her. That hadn't changed.

Raine opened her eyes, and they peered towards the door. They tried their best to not look too distressed.

"Eda?" Raine called. "Are you bringing your last boxes up? I found something. I think.. I think you'd probably like to see it."

comments

Picking Up the Pieces [OTA log]

Mon, 05 Feb 2024 21:15:48 GMT

Posted by: worthallthis

Who: Winter and open
When: After getting free of Dogtown
Where: Locations in the prompts
Summary: Trying to feel out the new world
Warnings: Grief

I. Changes

All Winter wants after they stumble out of the woods is a long bath and to curl up in bed and not come out for at least a day. But the town looks... strange. Some of the buildings are different. He doesn't recognize most of the people. There are definitely different names on some of his familiar haunts. Some of those signs move.

At first Winter chalks it up to exhaustion and grief making him see things. It wouldn't be the first time. He just hauls Kate and Rogers and whoever else stays with him back to the house, aching for that bath.

Except the house is in shambles. It looks almost like it did when they first bought it, right down to graffiti sprayed on one wall and a couple broken windows. Winter stares at it in dismay.

II. First Night - Closed to Kate and/or Rogers

They wind up getting a room at the local motel at least for the night, so Winter can get his goddamn bath. And clean up Rogers' hands. And eat a two boxes of pizza between them.

And then curl up in bed and stare at the his phone until the battery dies, staring at the tiny dot on the tracking app that has Yelena's name on it. Right next to the dots that say Rogers, Kate, and Winter, because he has Yelena's tracker still in his pocket.

III. The House

Winter is determined to get the house back to some kind of shape again. It's their house. The house he and Yelena and Rogers all pitched in to buy outright, which is probably the only reason it's even still standing after fifteen fucking years (fifteen years, Jesus Christ), rather than knocked down and remodeled to something new.

The roof is okay, since it had been new. The basement is still clean, newly sealed and locked up tight before they'd left. The rest of the house is a disaster. There's cleaning to do first, then replacing windows all over again. Winter is relieved as hell they had installed tile in the downstairs room rather than carpet or wood, because they don't need to replace that.

Just all the carpet upstairs. And almost all of the furniture. And all their clothes. And half his notebooks containing his precious memories. Ugh.

IV. The Town

Winter spends the rest of his free time wandering around town. He can do so with his metal arm in plain sight, amazingly, because there are like four other people in town with replacement limbs almost as high tech. He sits in the one diner and one cafe that haven't changed too much in the past fifteen years and stares at his phone or writes obsessively in new notebooks, takes up reading to the kids at the completely remodeled library, and stares at the grounds that used to house ADI for a long time every day.

And of course he makes plans. The entities are still here. There are still people who want to serve them. He and the rest are pretty uniquely suited to dealing with that. Maybe not even violently, if he can come up with ways to help stop the spread of fear without it. Though violence is certainly still on the table.

There may be a road trip in the future to the other former ADI employees, but that's for the future. The house comes first.

... and maybe a job. Somehow.

comments

Network | Text | Group Chat

Mon, 22 Jan 2024 05:51:13 GMT

Posted by: ferriswheelsandfootball

Who: Sheppard and you!
Username: PEGASUS
Warnings: References to PTSD and the finale likely

So we should probably still keep in touch just in case someone tries a ritual again.

Or just, y’know. To see how people are doing. Meet up for drinks every now and then or fight some bad guys.

[This is a very roundabout way that Sheppard is saying he cares. A very, very roundabout way.]

If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call. I’ll be there.

[Bonus: He’s gonna try to be a little less feral. It’s a work in progress.]

comments

Event - Apocalypse How

Sat, 23 Dec 2023 22:14:42 GMT

Posted by: apocalypsehowmods

↬ Main Navigation

Apocalypse How

(cw: spiders, manipulation, brief physical control/restraint)

All at once, it's over. The last room–you know it is the last–and whatever lies beyond it. You and your companions or you, by yourself, open the door and find yourself faced with a grand, circular ballroom. There are too many doors leading off from it–around the walls, in the floor, in the ceiling–and they all seem to open simultaneously to reveal the other off-worlders who entered this house. The ones who are still alive, anyway.

The space you look upon must once have been host to extravagant balls and feasts… if it ever actually existed. Now, its gold and blue gleam are smothered beneath thick, ropey webbing. At the center of the room is an archway of webs along with two familiar faces: Reyes Amador and Bonnie Gale, the latter with a half-healed cut over one eye. The pair are hugging one another, but pull apart as they find their solitude broken.

Reyes flexes their fingers and for just a moment, your body is not your own. You can see faint strands connecting to each and every person to their fingertips. The spider silk simply holds people in place, rather than forcing them to do anything.

"My friends," Reyes says. "We have found it. We have done it. We have created a way to get out of this place. To get home. Thank you for coming when we called. When my Bonnie and the house called." Bonnie raises her hand awkwardly before wrapping it around Reyes' arm. "Witness now. We are ready to make this happen. I learned from someone who came to this world the same way we'll exit. I know what we must do."

They take a breath, then turn to the archway. Reyes raises the arm Bonnie isn't holding and speaks, their voice reverberating unnaturally in the space as the webs vibrate and hum and seem to draw something from everyone.

"Upon a wide and open plain, there sits a house that once was famed for fifteen windows tall and thin, designed to let intruders in. Twisting round this white-washed frame are vines and thorns and metal chain… and links that rust in dusty brown and burn and bite into the ground. Come to this house and see inside, all ups and downs and side-to-sides. And feel the things we fear the most in broken self and time and ghosts. Come here upon this hallowed ground and hear my voice, my call, my sound. Hear me now, oh, dreadful things, the blood that sings inside my veins:

"Hear me now, you things that bite,
And rot and dig and flee and fight.
And burn and hide and change and know
And bleed and fade and spin and show
A side that is not truly there
And stretch the endless, cosmic tears.
Hear me now, you things that weave
Who pull the strings to let us leave!

"Hear me–hear us. And exit!"

A deafening sound rips through the room at the same time everything is overtaken by a blindingly white light. The power holding people in place is gone, severed with the burst. When sight and hearing return, the ballroom is shaking, the webs straining and snapping in places, but at the center, in the archway, is a bright, sickly glow of deep purple energy. Bonnie is holding Reyes where they seem to have partially collapsed on her shoulder.

Reyes lifts their head. "My friends… go! We must go while we can."

➥ Mod Notes

GENERAL - Players may speak with Reyes, Bonnie, and/or each other here. Ultimately, they are going to have an ICly limited amount of time to make a decision about what to do. You may tag in for NPC threads until 11:59 PM Pacific Time on 8 January. Players are welcome to tag in for threads with each other beyond that!

The choice is to stay or to leave. For those who wish to leave, they will be able to do so before anyone can stop them. If your character would choose to stay ICly, but you OOCly want them to leave, easy enough to say a friend pulled them or the power of the portal dragged them in because they were too close.

For those who wish to stay, effort will need to be made to get out of the house before it collapses or you may find yourself dead. If your character would choose to leave ICly, but you OOCly want them to stay, easy enough to say the portal destabilized before they could get through for one reason or another. There's no fear gauntlet to face on the way out of the house. All of the Entities are pressing at the barrier to the places beyond this world that have opened up. However, it is still dangerous as the house falls down around your ears.

A final post will be made after the results of the poll that will provide an overview of the world anyone who stays will be stepping into. For those who leave, your ending is your own to choose, whether that's another DWRP game, going back to your own reality, or going to a different reality. Regardless, if you leave, you are marked and you carry some piece of the Dread Powers with you to infect the next world you arrive in. Perhaps they get there before you or perhaps it's after, but they will be present in this new reality now, whether or not your character lives to see their rise and potential fall.

Please be sure to vote in the OOC POLL so that we know where characters will be going to decide the endgame state. The date to respond to this poll is the same as the NPC tag-in cut off: 11:59 PM Pacific on 8 January.

comments

log | calm before the storm | ota wildcard + closed prompts

Sun, 17 Dec 2023 06:17:38 GMT

Posted by: edalyn

Who: Edalyn Clawthorne + various CR
When: The last few months!
Where: Around Gloucester
Summary: A little catch-all for things I want to squeeze in with Eda's CR, set before the final event!
Warnings: Will update if they happen

Wildcard

Eda's been relatively scarce, these past few months. She's no longer feeding all her energy to a Lonely-aligned artifact, but it left her tired, not to mention effecting some of her relationships. The amount of people who have disappeared has left her tired, too. But at least some of them seem to have come back.

She's making an effort to reach out more, to be present and to at least help every time there's a major emergency—which to be fair is often.

Maybe she'll even have a few nice moments... before it's out of the frying pan she's ~~concerningly~~ used to and into the biggest fire yet.

OOC: If you have any ideas for scenes during recent events, or just running into her around town and catching up in general, feel free to throw them my way! I'll also be adding custom starters in the comments, so hit me up if you want one. Strixoid on discord or badgirlcoven

comments

Event - The House That Wolfe Built

Sat, 16 Dec 2023 17:22:01 GMT

Posted by: apocalypsehowmods

↬ Main Navigation

The House That Wolfe Built

"A sense of eeriness pervades all the place. [It is] forsaken and majestically lovely, as if nature had at last formed one spot where she can live for herself alone." - Marsden Hartley, poet and painter, 1931, re: Dogtown, Massachusetts.

The woods are creepy, Dark, and deep within the confines of Dogtown. Whether drawn here by curiosity or compulsion, you find yourself (and perhaps your companions) making your way along a spiraling path to reach a rusted chain link fence. This fence, once fighting to block anything from exiting, has been breached by a variety of clever and sage tactics. You might have been lucky enough to join up with one of the groups that found or made their own keys. Or maybe you're unlucky and stuck going through the acid plant hole or the random violence tunnel. However you make your way inside the fence, you'll notice a marked difference on the other side.

It's quiet. Much too quiet. Even your own footsteps seem to be muffled. Beyond the trees, in a cleared out space, a house is visible. It's a New England mansion with white wood slats for walls and a dark roof that sports two smoking chimneys atop it. From the pitch black windows, it looks to be about three stories high, not including the ground floor, and rises just above the treeline. There's a wrap-around porch on the ground floor that's in questionable repair with a rusty, decayed swing to one side of the front door. Most prominent of all upon the building, though, is an enormous spiral pattern burned into the wood on one side of the house, along with a simple message:

WELCOME :)

➥ Welcome

(cw: sudden violence, rot, swarms, choking, potential for severe injury, thalassophobia, blackmail)

The world beyond the fence in Dogtown is a strange one. The sun flickers and dies, vying with the stars for space in the heavens, as if time is shifting back and forth, fighting to progress or slow. The trees are impossible things. Some of their limbs are burnt, others petrified, others are rotting, and still others resplendent with pollen-filled flowers. All on the same tree. The quiet in this place is oppressive, as well, marred only by sudden bursts of screeching, shrill sounds: a woman screaming, vehicles colliding, a gun going off. There is a dread that hangs heavy in this place and a hunger from the very land itself that seems to be starved in some way.

And all of you make such lovely prey to feed the wretched, starving things that have been trapped in this place for far too long without the strength they need to fight or flee.

The trek to reach the house proves to be a rather hazardous one for those approaching. Bear traps seem to appear from nowhere. Vines hanging from the trees curl around throats. Swarms of insects find you to bite and sting and drive you mad with their persistence. Shadows shift unexpectedly to hide pools of sticky black blood. Even a small splash of it is enough to raise a violent impulse within the most docile person. Or perhaps you're unlucky enough to find a puddle that is so much deeper than any puddle should be. Down and down and down. Something pulls at you, wrenches you into something so much bigger than you ever imagined. Strange, not-quite birds and animals dog your steps and whisper threats, promise they'll scream a secret you want kept if you take one more step toward that house.

And the gauntlet continues with every Entity fighting to keep you from your goal by force or fear. Or… almost every Entity. Nothing that twists or weaves seeks to block your way. In fact, what spiderwebs there are seem to guide you around the more deadly hazards, should you choose to follow them.

What did one of those ghosts say? "Now, it sounds strange, but you need to follow the spiderwebs if you want to find anything on the grounds. They'll never lead you wrong."

➥ Come In

(cw: various, determinant, altered perceptions of reality, strangulation)

The help from the spiderwebs stops at the door. The house that greets you is old. For how long it’s likely been empty, there should be moss and growth and decay, but all that greets you are moisture-warped boards, the creak of which serves as a loud alarm of your approach. To some, it may seem familiar, as though you've been here in your dreams. The grand hallway characters are treated to was clearly once lavish and rich with tapestries and fine carvings. Now, the corners and shadows seem like twisted faces in the wings, watching and waiting. The house itself seems to be holding its breath in anticipation.

As soon as the last person is inside, the front door shuts with a definitive thud and the way is shut. The only thing left to do is explore; although, anyone with any decent sense of direction will soon find it muddied and confused. What should be North feels an awful lot like West and South tastes like Down but has the sound of your footfalls overhead. Still, you must go Down the Up staircase and hope sense returns soon enough.

You and any companions you have with you will find vertigo and confusion abound; even the gift of flight or a handy grappling hook are no balm. You take off or start climbing and suddenly find your center of gravity shifted and turned and spun until figuring out which direction you're moving becomes a nauseating affair. Best take the slow road, even if it's difficult. And maybe mind the objects in the hallway when you walk along it. You may pass by them more than once, but find them ever so slightly shifted. Changed. Perhaps one of them might provide the clue you need on what to do next, which door to choose to escape the endless hallway cycle.

Or perhaps you'll see the People Who Are Not There who seem to populate the house. You spot their silhouettes when at just the right angle. A pillar and a vase make the shape of a man or a woman or a child. Step forward and that form spreads, warps, becomes nothing but a different shape. The People Who Are Not There are seen more and more frequently the longer someone spends roaming the corridors of the house without some forward progress. See enough of them and you might find yourself grabbed by Hands That Do Not Exist, and slowly strangled. It doesn't… hurt, though? Nothing is there, after all. Nothing is trying to hurt you. Nothing. But as it happens again and again, you may find yourself beginning to feel less real. Are You There? Perhaps not. And how do you fight something that Isn't There? Run, hide, think in ways that Make No Sense. Out of the box seems to be the only viable solution to fighting and avoiding them to make your way forward.

Finally, you come to a door…and you can’t be sure there wasn’t another door you passed or if you’ve simply turned right too many times and now find yourself exactly where you need to be… and this is the door you need. You can smell it. Opening it shows an inky, dark, substance and pressing your hand to it is like reaching through thick, chilled, smoke. It’s where you’re being called. Stepping through the doorway, you might find the companion you were traveling with is right there with you, or they might have vanished, or it might be someone else who's replaced them entirely, someone who also came into the house. Regardless, once inside, there is no going back until what lies in wait is faced…and overcome.

Face your fears. Accept your Mark.

➥ Say Hello

(cw: possible gaslighting, possible body horror, various)

Whatever room you’ve found yourself in, whatever effect might be haunting you, there’s something else moving through the house. In nearly every room, any room, there’s a chance a familiar face might appear as well. Milo, a bit more twisted and a bit too long, slides from the shadows and impossible spaces with a smile for any they find…after the clear flicker of confusion as to where they are, anyway. It fades again soon enough. “Hello, friend…might you need some help? Or do you think you have this one?” Whether you take their offer or not, they’re there at least for a moment or two, watching, wandering, and seemingly looking for something. It might as well be a mutually beneficial moment, right?

➥ Mod Notes

GENERAL - Players may encounter non-major NPCs in the house. All non-native individuals will have been drawn to the house, which includes a variety of background NPCs who have lived and/or worked at ADI. Characters are welcome to encounter these people through the house, reference seeing them, or have them be killed in front of their PCs. Go wild! This house is deadly, and if you want your character to see that without having to be killed themselves, please go ahead. You do not need mod permission for this. Please remember that character deaths are permanent (unless you are using this as an opportunity to shift to an Entity alignment) and plan accordingly! At this point, you do not need mod approval for your 'death' and Entity alignment. We just request that you not give your character any game-breaking sorts of abilities. They will not be able to resist the house or escape from it with any new abilities.
WELCOME - Time is strange within the fenced-in area of Dogtown. All characters entering the area will find that they seem to have arrived at the same time, in spite of entering hours or even days apart. The land, itself, seems to be fighting you, as well, as you try to make your entry or scout the area. The options listed in the prompt are examples. Players are welcome to invent any additional hazards, especially ones that would induce their character to book it into the house as quickly as possible to try to find refuge there. Once on the porch, any and all supernatural effects will stop and characters will no longer be harried by the Entities in the yard.

Characters who attempt to flee the fenced in area, back out to Dogtown, will find that getting in was difficult, but getting out is impossible. At least for now. On top of the compulsion to stay and enter the house, the fence seems to have repaired itself and tightened its defenses once everyone is in.

The Web and the Spiral are the only Entities that don't seem to be impeding progress into the house. Instead…anyone trying to escape out of the fence will face the full might of the Web and the Spiral. Spiderwebs and twisted metal have blocked your exits and covered our padlocks. There will be no more help here.
COME IN - The house will tailor each of the rooms your character goes through to focus on what Fears they have not yet encountered or that hasn’t left enough of a mark on them. This could be one room or thirteen; you’re not required to play all of them out and certainly none that would touch on any OOC limits, but please handwave that your character has gone through those types of rooms. For example, if you have a fear of spiders and/or mind control and have never had your character encounter a Web based incident, they will go through one in the house, but you will not be required to play it out.

This is the last chance to go wild with any ideas you might have! Whether you’d like to deal with bodies sitting up in body bags, the existential horror of space, or experiencing life as an earthworm, all players are encouraged to do what sounds fun as long as it aligns to one or more of the Entities attempting to leave their marks or traumas on your character. Once a room has been finished, ICly, explorers will find themselves faced with another door that will likely lead to a new horror until they’ve experienced every Fear they’ve missed…or if they’re one of the lucky few who finds an item to help them.
SAY HELLO - Milo will be poking their head into every room, but whether your character notices them or not or takes them up on their offer is entirely up to you. They will try to help characters through their room as they are most assuredly lost and simply wandering about. Though, there doesn’t seem to be anything impeding their way through the house at large. If you’d like a thread with Milo interacting with your character, please respond to the comment below with a little information or a full set up of what they’re walking into. More than one person in a thread is welcome as well, just note that in the comment, please!

comments

Spinning - network | video | open

Wed, 06 Dec 2023 01:27:58 GMT

Posted by: apocalypsehowmods

Who: Nia Lehrer and You!
Username: n.lehrer
Warnings: compulsion/mind control

[It's a familiar face that appears on the off-worlders' private network; though, one that hasn't been seen around ADI headquarters in recent weeks. Nia Lehrer's eyes gaze into the camera as though trained upon the viewer, her expression as intense as ever. She's looking worse for wear with a halfway healed cut above one eye and the collar of her shirt bloodstained. It's hard to see much of the room from which she's broadcasting. The space is unlit apart from the light of the phone screen on her face, the rest of the room cloaked in shadow. There's just the vague impression of dingy plaster walls and a water-damaged ceiling.]

Hello, everyone. I know this is a little unusual, but I suggest you listen because this may be the most important thing any of us do here in this world– in Gloucester.

[She glances off-camera at something or someone, mouth tightening a little with some suppressed emotion before she gives a little nod. And then–]

You must come to the house at the center of Dogtown. Immediately.

[Her eyes seem fathomlessly black for a moment as those words drown out all other thought, seeping deep into almost every viewer's mind and taking hold of their hearts. There's something wrong here, something deeply wrong, but knowing that does not diminish the sudden inescapability of the order she's given. Those who have heard it and feel the power know with dread certainty that they will enter Dogtown as bidden to seek out the house at its center. And for those who are able to resist or who didn't see the broadcast? Those are people who must be brought. You must bring everyone with you into Dogtown.

Nia sits back and lets out a tired little sigh.]

There's a ritual brewing here, and we must destabilize it–or maybe the opposite, considering it's the Spiral behind all of this. I've found my way in, but I don't have enough manpower here; I need you to come join me so we can finish this. There's a safe path through Dogtown, just not a straight one. Follow the spiral, keep turning along with it whenever you brush up against the edges of what's safe. It'll bring you here, to the center. You'll have to get past the fence after that. Normal means won't work; you have to come at it sideways somehow.

You'll know more when you get here. There's too much to explain like this, but I'll tell you everything I can once you find me. Then we'll put an end to this together, once and for all. This is the big one. The last one.

[With another tight nod, she cuts the video feed. It seems, though, that her account is still active. Perhaps she'll remain long enough to answer a few questions.]

comments

network | video | open

Sat, 02 Dec 2023 06:08:53 GMT

Posted by: lowficharm

Who: Martin Blackwood and maybe you!
Username: [mkblackwood]
Warnings: Nothing past current game events!

[The feed opens to Martin, looking... well, more than a bit haggard. He's not in the ADI building, and those who know him will know it's a desk at his bedroom in the house he's renting with Rogers, Winter, and Yelena. He looks like he's at least trying to be put together, and takes a big breath before he starts.]

Okay, so... so listen. I just, I, I know it's been-- a lot, lately, everything's been a lot for a long time and we all want answers. But-- with the whole, er. The whole Dogtown thing. And the fence. Have we all just... thought about maybe not going in there?

[He puts his hands up defensively as if he's expecting to be yelled at.]

And I know, I know, I-- I want to save our friends too, but... it wouldn't be drawing us in if it didn't want us there. And if it wants us there, it has a plan, and-- I just, I just think this whole thing is a really really bad idea. And maybe we should consider taking a step back, and thinking about what happens, and not-- not just doing this because it's the next thing to do.

[Martin looks more resolute as the broadcast goes on, trying to straighten his back and be, well, big about the whole thing. But still, he exhales more than he likely should at the end, and then just hastily nods.]

So... please?

comments

Log | Prelude to Shep Search

Wed, 29 Nov 2023 08:31:05 GMT

Posted by: wewillwewill

Who: Elidibus and Rodney McKay

When: Sometime during the search for dangerhouse/fence. Vaguely end of November?

Where: ADI Apartments

Summary: Sheppard is supposed to be visiting Elidibus for therapy but he goes missing just when people are starting to worry about that whole Avatar thing. So Elidibus decides to go check in Rodney's metaphorical couch cushions before just assuming Shep's in Dogtown. (Also to recruit Rodney because how better to lure Shep out?)

Warnings: None forseen, will post on comments if anything comes up.

It's that time of day that Sheppard should be speaking with the resident therapist Elidibus; which means they should either be at the ADI offices or Sheppard's place.

But here Elidibus is, knocking on the door to Rodney's apartment. And while they have spoken a time or two and even worked together, it's not like the silver haired man to drop by for a social call. They're not casual friends after all.

Why he didn't call might be put to question. But that's the sort of thing you do when you don't mind the person you're looking for getting an early warning that you're looking for them.

When Rodney answers the door, Elidibus has a polite smile and nod of greeting for the man. And a steady, sharp gaze that's probably looking for any signs that Sheppard's friend might be covering for or concerned about the missing man.

"Pray forgive my intrusion. But have you seen Sheppard today?"

comments

Log | Backdate to October

Sun, 26 Nov 2023 07:44:05 GMT

Posted by: rainestorms

Who: Raine Whispers & Eda Clawthorne
When: backdate to 10/26
Where: Bonnie’s/Raine and Eda’s room after their confrontation with Sheppard
Summary: Raine and Eda discuss recent events, and Raine’s concerns over their new developing ~~web like~~ habits.
Warnings: discussion of manipulative behavior, possession, loss of limbs

Everything felt right at the time. The air around Raine, during their call with Sheppard, crackled in the air with a sort of excitement they hadn’t felt in a while and made their body flush with. An adrenaline rush that came without the terrible effects of the medallion.

But when it was all over, something felt.. strange. Raine couldn't quite put their finger on it, but it felt like feeding. Only bigger, scarier, and almost as if they fed a piece of themself they'd never get back. They sat back in their chair, and stopped the recording.

Raine ran their hands through their hair and toiled in an uneasy silence, the light of the laptop adding shadow to their grim expression. If Eda had walked in on them at any point of their call with Sheppard they don't turn to acknowledge her, and they don't say anything to her until they finally moved from their seat to shut the laptop.

“I think something’s wrong with me.”

comments

Event - Spun Out

Fri, 17 Nov 2023 01:24:20 GMT

Posted by: apocalypsehowmods

↬ Main Navigation

Spun Out

With real ghosts and ghouls haunting Gloucester and the aftermath of parts of the town being destroyed still to address, the people of the city are on edge. Word has been going around that it's Dogtown. Stay away from Dogtown. And maybe prune your bushes as far as they'll take it. Plants have been acting strangely this fall. There's too much new growth when everything ought to be dying.

Effects from Dogtown have begun to spill over the edges of the park, as well. Most acutely around the edges, but stretching out further through the city. They crawl with fingers and vines, shadows and the brush of wind. Even if you wanted to avoid all of this, it seems harder and harder to do so. ADI Headquarters seems to have some protections and more limited effects there. The Hunt looks after its own… somewhat, anyway.

➥ The Prison of Your Mind

(cw: memory loss, compulsion, mystery fluids, sleep paralysis, difficulty breathing, medical gaslighting)

Why are you here? It's not a particularly philosophical question in this moment; it's not a review of life goals or obligations that prompts the question. No, it's more straightforward and more worrying than that: you can't remember why you are here, in this specific place and this specific moment, nor how you arrived. Perhaps you've lost only a few minutes–stepped through a doorway and forgot why, maybe, just a little brainfart that left you more off-kilter than usual. Or perhaps there's a gap of hours or days when you suddenly wake up and realize you have no idea where you've been or what you're doing here and now in this moment. Ask anyone around you and it seems you've behaved perfectly normally up until you started asking. It's as though the memories have been surgically removed from your mind, leaving no pain but a numb wrongness in their absence and in the absence of a reason why.

Or maybe you're one of the unfortunate ones whose behavior has, perhaps, not been quite so ordinary. You don't remember where you've been; there's only the physical evidence of your current location to go by–perhaps you're down an alley or wandering the streets, or perhaps you find yourself emerging from Dogtown itself. You're certain you came this way under your own power, but you don't remember doing it and don't remember why…and your hands, feet, and chin are covered in black, viscous liquid. The taste has faded–it was sweet, you think. Taste it again and you'll lose this moment and those that follow all over again.

Your body is a prison. You awake in the night, if it can be called awakening, your body unresponsive and your chest constricted as though there's a great weight resting upon it. There's not enough air–you can't breathe! There's nothing on top of you, nothing stopping you from moving, from inflating your lungs, and yet you're trapped and every inch of you is so impossibly heavy and you can't so much as cry out for help, let alone save yourself. Agonizing minutes to stretch on into hours as your lungs burn and your paralyzed joints ache, the sun never rising and help never coming.

Sleep paralysis is the official diagnosis if you seek medical attention the morning after the ordeal, after you finally slipped back into unconsciousness only to awaken groggy and listless at dawn. There's nothing so unusual about sleep paralysis–distressing, yes, but not unusual. Not supernatural, surely. Only…ask around, and it starts to sound as if all of Gloucester has been experiencing it lately. Within ADI are you shielded from it on at least some nights; out in the city it seems the entire population has suddenly developed a new sleep disorder. But surely that's just a coincidence.

➥ The Scars You Bear

(cw: burning, darkness, leeches, unnatural elongating of limbs, body horror, physical maiming)

There are hungry things about. There’s barely a sign of them there until they’re upon you. A turn of a faucet causes a hiss to emulate before the water pours out, a little more viscous than it should be…and it burns. Like acid and a thousand tiny mouths, the water seeks to eat at skin and muscle and even bone if not wiped away quickly enough. Even once gone, the afflicted area still tingles, burns, or even bleeds for how thin the skin now is. Perhaps, instead, it is the hunger of the empty spaces and corners of rooms and hallways. Areas that might already be dark or seem dark despite the sun outside, feel yawning and desperate. They call to those who stare too long, aching to wrap a curious soul in black nothingness. Or perhaps it’s the onset of the leeches you notice. Ponds, puddles, swimming pools, cups of water…nothing is safe from a sudden slippery, squelching, rush of razor-mouthed creatures seeking something less metaphysical from you.

Time changes all and those stuck for so long in Gloucester are no exception. Some might have escaped marks or scars over the years, but the park is reaching, grasping, seeking more…and it shows. In the middle of a conversation with a friend, your fingers or limbs begin to itch. Begin to ache. Looking down, the transformation is slow: an elongation of fingers, toes, arms, legs, neck…maybe different body parts, maybe at different rates, but it hurts. And you’re the only one who can see it. For now.

You might also be the observer instead of the observed. You look at someone’s face and it starts steadily to peel. Flake after flake the skin pulls away, cracks, layers again. A papier-mache mask of flesh and bone that surely holds a truth underneath, one you must know…if only the rest of that mask was out of the way.

➥ The Fundamental Forces

(cw: existential dread, extinction, acrophobia, helplessness, potential for severe injury/broken bones)

The stars are moving. It's not the normal turn in the sky they make every night as the Earth rotates upon its axis. Instead, those casting their gaze to the heavens may note that the stars have begun to group in clusters, as if the universe beyond this planet is drawing together, away, leaving bigger and bigger stretches of yawning black between them. Will they be gone all together one night? It seems there are fewer and fewer clusters as the days go on. And ordinary people in Gloucester have taken notice. There are news reports of strange phenomena in the night sky. Experts outside of the Cape Ann region advise that there's nothing wrong with the stars or their placement and light pollution is blamed. But those who gaze up know the truth: The universe is expanding and soon enough, there will be only cold quiet and empty expanses as the light pulls farther and farther away and everything dies… utterly alone.

Gravity has stopped working in places. It doesn't seem to be consistent from location-to-location or day-to-day. One person might be affected while the other right next to them is perfectly fine.

It's like a switch being flipped, though. One moment, you might be walking through Gloucester or in Dogtown, itself, and the next, you're falling into the sky. Some may be lucky enough for a more gradual fall into the yawning blue. Like a ship unmoored, they float into the sky, helpless to stop themselves. Others may find themselves hitting terminal velocity very quickly. Regardless, if no one can grab you before you float away, then what goes down must come up. Some may rise only a few stories. Others may reach up to 2,000 feet before switching again and finding themselves hurtling back toward the ground. There's no convenient supernatural fix going this way, though. Better hope someone or something can help to break your fall or you're likely to be a crater on the ground in short order.

➥ Good Fences

(cw: N/A)

An additional prompt, Good Fences is available below!

➥ 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 (unless you are using this as an opportunity to shift to an Entity alignment) and plan accordingly!
THE PRISON OF YOUR MIND (16 November-Ongoing) - Memory loss can hit anyone, anywhere, though as with all of the other effects it is less likely to happen within ADI property. Characters will be unable to determine the origin or nature of the mystery fluid they appear to have ingested–it seems anyone who becomes aware of its source immediately goes there and ingests it, wanders off, and forgets where it came from or what else they did during that lost time, regardless of whether or not they were acting alone.
THE SCARS YOU BEAR (16 November-Ongoing) - Leeches, acid water, and darkness can be escaped/scrubbed away with limited scarring. Those subsumed by the darkness will find themselves waking up alone with large, pitch black claw marks on their bodies or potentially permanently blinded. Those afflicted by elongating limbs or plaster faces will find the effects ending after a few minutes that feel like hours and leave the affected areas aching, broken, or with stretch marks or layers of skin missing at player discretion. Those effects not able to be perceived by another person will often suddenly become visible and at the worst possible moment (i.e. right before the other person’s neck becomes too long to support their head, a bit like watching someone unravel.)
THE FUNDAMENTAL FORCES (16 November-Ongoing) - For those seeking to grab or lasso their floating companions, they will find that holding/hauling them back to earth is akin to trying to drag someone up from a normal gravity. It will take effort. Those who are 'falling' will have no control over the upward portion of their fall, even those who may normally have the ability to fly/control their falls. Additionally, this effect will impact objects at random. So, you may have mailboxes or cars falling out of the sky on top of you.

↬ Main Navigation

comments

network | text | backdated early oct

Fri, 03 Nov 2023 07:37:43 GMT

Posted by: edalyn

Who: Eda Clawthorne + you
Username: badgirlcoven
Warnings: mild reference to body horror, will add topics that come up

Hey, folks.

I know the network and… everything else more advanced than an apple cart seems like it’s on the fritz lately, but hopefully at least some of you see this

I’ve been talking to Reyes about their little trips into dogtown and… they think they’ve found a path. Whether it leads anywhere useful they don’t know, but it might be something so I think it’s better if they don’t keep it to themself

they asked me to show the rest of you this map

seems like the biggest thing they’ve found is two little shacks you can travel between. That’s the Xs

you have to draw an eye on you, and go down the stairs. It’s one of those where you feel like you’re going down even once you’re going back up. [Which isn’t that weird, where she’s from.]

They’ve also found a spot that’s always on fire, and some kind of meat forest that doesn’t sound too bad, unless it actually tries anything. Some other guesses on there, too

I’ll let you know if they’ve got anything new to add

comments

NPC Interactions - November 2023

Thu, 02 Nov 2023 04:54:27 GMT

Posted by: apocalypsehownpcs

↬ Main Navigation

NPC Interactions - November 2023

Player characters aren't the only ones trying to eke out a living and dodge the apocalypse in Gloucester. You can interact with key game NPCs here, if you so desire.

NOTE: This will be the last instance of the NPC Interactions post for the remainder of the game's run.

Please note the following:

To interact, simply place the name of NPC you wish to thread with in the subject line and provide a starter. These do not need to be complex in their set-up and NPCs can be found anywhere one might reasonably find them. In the office or around Gloucester.
Each player will be limited to one NPC thread on this post per month. This is to keep things manageable for the mods and to encourage players to share whatever their characters might learn in these interactions with the broader group.
Interaction with NPCs is not required to participate in the plot of the game. This is simply an additional, optional venue for engagement.

Nia Lehrer (she/her)

The Warden (i.e., head) of the Apocalypse Disruption Initiative/Apex Detectives, Inc., and a very busy woman. She is short, serious, and direct, but can turn on the charm when she needs to. She is the public face of the business and directs strategy for the organization. She is also an avatar of the Hunt. Her status as an avatar came as a surprise, but she has decided to at least partially embrace it, the better to fight the monsters. Nia has indicated she intends to find a way to get Player Characters home or stop them arriving in her universe and then find a way to stop herself from becoming one of the monsters ADI is sworn to fight. She places the mission and practicality first and has been shown to have the ability to smell Entity affiliation on others, as well as know strategically useful information. Nia is most likely to be found at ADI Headquarters.

This month she is not available. If anyone asks around, it seems that Nia is out on a field mission… probably in Dogtown.

Reyes Amador (they/them)

Pam Ruan (she/her)

HR for New Arrivals at ADI. She is a motherly, older woman who is typically patient, but also has a passive-aggressive snap to her if someone tests that to the breaking point. She is responsible for acclimating new arrivals and for those with a keen eye, she always carries a pistol in a shoulder holster, hidden beneath her cardigans. Due to an event incident, Pam is missing her left hand; she simply covers the stump with a pinned cardigan sleeve when wearing long sleeves or a pretty, fluffy cuff when wearing short sleeves. She's most often found at ADI Headquarters.

This month, she is fretting over Nia's absence and trying to keep things going at ADI. Pam seems to be trying to make the best of things with Thanksgiving, though, and planning a very small celebration for those interested at one of the local pubs. You might also catch her in the hallways putting up fall leaf decorations and pastel pumpkins.

Bonnie Gale (she/her)

The Visionary (he/she/they)

A young person living in the flophouse as Bonnie's roommate. They are a native to this reality and read a cursed book called The Long Road Ahead around the same time that Bonnie arrived. They now feed on cherished memories to give horrific visions of a potential future to those who wish to avail themselves of the exchange. They are rail thin, sickly, and always keep a blindfold over their eyes. They can sometimes be found in the common area in the flophouse with a white walking cane to guide them. (This NPC provides an IC conduit for OOC 'canon updates.')

This month the Visionary is stepping up in Bonnie's absence to help run the Flophouse. He is nervous and sometimes disappears back into the basement to collect himself, but he's trying very hard. You might catch her in the kitchen or on the phone with a rolodex of Bonnie's contacts, trying to work on establishing connections.

Cole Guttuso (he/him)

A young man living in one of the flophouse's unused rooms. He is native to this reality and was originally part of a Desolation-based circus called the Fenix Down Extravaganza. He was called away from the circus on "family business," just before PCs murdered all Desolation avatars of the circus. Formerly known as Pyre, Cole was subsequently known to be lurking around Wolf Pen, WV during the events of Appalachia before he starting lighting fires on his way toward revenge against ADI for the circus and for their murder of his father, Carl Watts, in Wolf Pen. In his search for revenge, Cole attacked a Gloucester Eye cult, thinking it was associated with ADI and was turned from a man made of wax to one made of viscous eye jelly. He has lost cohesion as a being in many ways, along with access to much of his Desolation-based abilities, and is currently trapped in the form of a melted, mostly faceless flesh-blob monster. He lurks in the Flophouse, avoiding contact with people where he can. This NPC was spared by players from death and hidden at the Flophouse as part of a poll that took place in December 2022. As of June 2023, Cole has repaid some of the kindness shown to him by developing a truly private network app just for off-worlders.

This month Cole is… out of his bedroom! About mid-month, a man that others may have seen before might be glimpsed roaming the halls of the Flophouse or even further afield into Gloucester. He seems to be in especially high spirits and is eager to help out anyone who seems like they might be in need. He still moves slowly and avoids getting too close to people, in spite of his apparently human appearance. This seems to be a 'look, but don't touch' situation.

Milo (they/them)

A local “friend” found in a room in ADI’s basement. It’s been discovered they’re perhaps one of the oldest people from another world still around as well as the being responsible for the glamours that have kept non-humans from being discovered. Through the off-worlder’s efforts, they have decided to stick around and help…for now. ADI isn’t willing to let a known monster stray too far, however, and they can be found under heavy and varied forms of observation in their little house not far from ADI’s gates.

This month the little house near ADI now sports a ring of burned vegetation that has left it cleared and open, but even more ghastly than before. The charred exterior offers no new plant life, but the door is once more available and, as always, unlocked. Any visitors or curious investigators may also find their perception of…everything is a little challenged. Are things getting more dizzy? How long have you been standing there? Was that always the color of your shirt or could you have sworn it was something else?

↬ Main Navigation

comments

Wed, 01 Nov 2023 19:29:32 GMT

Posted by: hellojon

Who: Elias Bouchard & Mercy Graves
When: circa Oct. 29th
Where: Dogtown
Summary: hey, that fence is totally the same fence Elias saw when he tried to Know Dogtown
Warnings: n/a, will edit if needed!

After looking at (and thankfully mostly ignoring) a round of dangerous looking garbage cans, the two continue to trudge through Dogtown. It has been a very monotonous journey, though Elias is still keeping an eye out for anything that might attack. After all, who knows what sort of nonsense this place would throw at them.

What the nonsense turns out to be is...a fence. A large, rusty fence, about ten feet high, surrounded by weeds and webs and ivy. A fence that Elias has seen before, in his mind if not in person. He lights up, almost instantly more interested, like a scientist on the verge of discovery.

"Tell me," he asks Mercy, as he attempts to peer through the fence, "what do you know about what lurks in Dogtown?"

comments

NETWORK - Voice - un: thecolepackage

Wed, 01 Nov 2023 19:26:19 GMT

Posted by: apocalypsehownpcs

[The voice that starts out speaking does not sound...right. Like it’s done with a filter on, distorting the sound into something neither inherently male nor inherently female. Something torn between, too close to the mic and too far away. Something that holds an underlayer of perpetual static.

It also sounds like they’re asking someone else something to start.]

Like this? Oh- as soon as I press the button? Cole-!

[There’s a pause and then a much more purposeful address.]

Offworlders, both those affiliated with ADI and otherwise, my name is… I am the Visionary...and I’m very worried about my friends. I’m worried about a lot, actually.

[She takes a breath as though to steady her voice, but it only helps so much, as by the end his words are more rushed, his worry pressing through.]

Several months ago, Reyes started… disappearing for long stretches of time. One time, they came back… pretty badly hurt. After that, Bonnie started going, too. To Dogtown. Now they’ve vanished. I haven’t heard from them or had any check-in at all, and I’m worried they might be hurt and alone- Please… I have a map. Something Reyes was working on, it looks like they started to find a safe path through.

[There’s a File linked that shows the distinct curving pattern of a path that loops in towards the heart of Dogtown. It’s not finished, but its spiral pattern is clear and not too difficult to extrapolate from for someone clever.]

Cole’s been helping me put what we have together, and I do know what it looks like. The path is a spiral and it’s… likely something to worry about. On top of the obvious cause, it’s not just there. The spiral’s been in… a lot lately.

[New links come through, news articles about M.C. Etcher’s art galleries, about his contributions to the museum in Buffalo a few months back, some videos of press releases where he and the late Zyrian Steele, previously of the Vast, can be seen tersely shaking hands are all shared. Etcher appears to be clothed in such a manner that all parts of him are covered, and his face and hair don't seem to be visible in anything. That hat brim is too large, the shadows too deep. The last file is a photo of the printed news article about the new miniature Gloucester when it was first announced.]

We’re pretty certain Mr. Etcher is an avatar of the Spiral, and he’s been putting his hands in things here for a while. Just as much as Steel, if maybe after him. Cole’s pretty sure one of his affiliates even traveled to Wolf Trap to help lead you all into getting rid of Steele. So, all that to say… I’m sorry, I know this is dangerous, the Spiral probably… wants you in there. I want you in there, but Cole and I want our friends back more… so, please, won’t you help us?

comments

Tue, 31 Oct 2023 05:06:25 GMT

Posted by: unnecessaryflourishes

Who: Emet-Selch and Elidibus
When: Shortly after the A Little Perspective event
Where: Their shared apartment
Summary: Emet-Selch and Elidibus deal with the aftermath of having been hunter and hunted (among other things)
Warnings: None atm

For all that even Emet-Selch cannot deny that it had felt very nearly right to act as he had, when he had been made hunter to Elidibus' prey, neither can he deny that the urges had been very much unnatural. And though Elidibus had trusted him even altered as they had been, well, it would not have been something he would have dared to do had it not been thrust upon him. Nor can he truly deny that it had been something of a relief when the compulsion had finally been broken.

Yet still the fact remains. Altered or no, he had very much taken it on himself to hunt his fellow Unsundered, a fact for which some apology must be made. And one that Emet-Selch is loathe to leave to something as simple as words.

It's a simple matter to acquire the item he means to offer by way of apology. He knows Elidibus' tastes well enough, and they frequent the bakery in question often enough that it's hardly a surprise that he stops in. From there, it's a simple matter of tracking Elidibus down, which ends as it often does: at the door of his room in their apartment, and a simple knock announcing Emet-Selch's presence.

comments

Video, un: Pegasus, cw: mild body horror

Thu, 26 Oct 2023 04:30:33 GMT

Posted by: ferriswheelsandfootball

[John looks a lot different than he usually does. He’s sporting a pair of stylish, thick-rimmed glasses, but behind the glasses his eyes are very obviously golden and feline. His canine teeth are prominent, and he’s got what looks like actual fur scattering the sides of his jaw and in his hair. Even his attitude, his demeanor, his everything seems far more wild. There’s something decidedly feral about his soul, not just his appearance.

He’s simply stopped caring if people know he’s a Hunt Avatar.

He’s embraced it.

And now there’s a chase presented to him.]

We need to find that house in Dogtown Elidibus was talking about.

Like, probably sooner than later? I mean, I don’t know about you, but this sounds like the beginning of several horror movies. And while our lives have obviously become a horror movie, do we really need to add another one to the mix?

[Even his cadence is different. There’s still a drawl, but it’s a little snarly, a little animalistic. A little careless, a little like he’s just asking idly if someone wants to head over to the beach for the afternoon.]

comments

Network | video | Warning

Tue, 24 Oct 2023 05:59:47 GMT

Posted by: wewillwewill

Who: Elidibus, OTA
Username: ceasetherain
Warnings: ghosts, body horror to wasting away, spirals, Dogtown, death

[Elidibus is centered in the video with the background of a living room indicating he's probably at home. Although he's inside, it might be noticed he is wearing a couple of layers to his visible clothing. Other than this, he seems as composed as ever.]

Good afternoon. I am reaching out to you all to pass a warning. I spoke with the apparition who has been appearing to many of us. Their name is Bryn Fletcher, who has appeared in reports of incidents a year prior.

[There is a pause and a glance to something offscreen. But rather than pursue whatever distracted him, Elidibus returns his gaze forward while continuing to speak.]

He wishes to pass on a warning. A great threat is building. Bryn claimed to have witnessed what I must presume was a twisting of reality. Perhaps literally. He spoke of how all was twisted into spirals and that all within were dying.

[There is a small frown and a shift, as if Elidibus were uncomfortable speaking a warning in such vague terms or upon such a small amount of information as he was able to get.]

Bryn claims the center of this is the house in Dogtown. That, by his words, it will devour everyone.

[There. A promise fulfilled and even then some. Reaching in the direction he looked before, Elidibus retrieves a cup of some warm beverage and sips. ]

Pray feel free to ask what questions you have. Though I fear there may be little I can speak on with any accuracy.

comments

network | video | re-introductions

Wed, 18 Oct 2023 01:45:46 GMT

Posted by: bugbearian

Who: K.P. Hob and maybe you
Username: Hob
When: backdated to the first half of october
Warnings: very mild violence mention, will update if anything else comes up

[Normally, Hob would probably write something long, formal, and generally more verbose. But he’s still getting used to texting with claws. So instead, you get a slightly out of focus video, and it’s fairly to the point.

Mostly in-frame is a large, furry creature, face a mix of canine and ursine, only with a shorter muzzle, a lot more teeth, and huge ears that are currently laid back somewhat anxiously.]

Good evening. My name is ma–[a little pause, he’s not a major anymore]--my name is K.P. Hob, but I gather many of you already know that.

I’m afraid I don’t remember any of you, and I would be grateful if you would be so kind as to re-introduce yourselves.

By the way, if I have done anything any of you wish to hit me over you are well within your rights—I’ve gathered I was something of a fool. You get one for free.

comments

Event - Ghosted

Mon, 16 Oct 2023 14:44:56 GMT

Posted by: apocalypsehowmods

↬ Main Navigation

Ghosted

Much of Gloucester is in recovery mode. After the inexplicable damage wrought on homes, businesses, and the rail lines that run through town. The locals are ready for things to settle down. There are whispers in the streets of spirits roaming the streets of Gloucester at night. Some blame these ghosts for the destruction. Others seem to think there's a more 'sensible' explanation: gangs.

The young hooligans of Gloucester are being targeted by the older folk as scapegoats for the city's problems. If you're someone under or around the age of 20, be wary. You may just be fingered for the next thing that goes wrong in this city… whether you're actually responsible or not.

➥ Things Gone A-Rye

(cw: ghosts; body horror related to physically wasting away)

The ghosts that walked the streets of Gloucester at the start of the month have since faded away, those voices from the past fallen back into silence as the ghost sightings tapered out a little over a week ago now. What prompted their appearance and what put them back to rest (assuming it's rest to which they've gone) remains unclear, but it seems Gloucester's ghostly guests aren't sticking around for Halloween.

Of course, the citizens of Gloucester won't get off that easily. Mid-month, stories of ghost sightings return with a vengeance, though the specifics have shifted. At first it sounds like another case of copycat pranksters, though one would think the teens of Gloucester would have learned their lesson by now. It's a bit stereotypical, really–instead of a gaggle of ghostly individuals in old-timey clothing, it seems now the sightings are all of ghosts (or perhaps a singular ghost?), always with a gaunt face and skeletal hands that reach and claw at the ghost's victim, snatching at clothing and leaving a bone-deep chill wherever they touch.

Still, it merits investigation–and a few factors soon become clear. A handful of ADI agents are able to confirm actual sightings, though fleeting. Once the research teams begin plotting known sightings on a map of Gloucester, the data points to a concentration of encounters between the city's historic downtown…and ADI headquarters. Never, though, does this ghost appear within ADI property; whatever protection ADI's connection to the Hunt provides appears to be holding strong and keeping this particular apparition at bay.

As the month of October nears its end, though, encounters with the ghost seem to concentrate more and more on the outskirts of ADI property. It's as though the ghost (ghosts?) is actively selecting people associated with ADI for its attacks, appearing out of nowhere to corner anyone who steps far enough off property for the Hunt's protection to fail them. It doesn't seem, though, to particularly target people walking alone–groups are just as likely to have a run-in with the specter as lone individuals.

And then one day, whether because you've sought the apparition out or because you're simply unlucky, it's your turn. A ghost appears suddenly beside you, or even directly in your path. Panic, run, and you'll be left with no more information than others have already reported, the ghost disappearing rather than pursuing. Gird your loins and stand your ground, and there are more details to be gleaned. His eyes are wide and haunted, his face and body gaunt. He's not actually skeletal, if one looks close enough, but it's easy enough to see how one might come away with that impression on a fleeting, terrified glance. He's dressed in modern clothing, nondescript t-shirt and jeans hanging off him, and he looks simultaneously exhausted and desperate. He's not entirely present, not entirely solid, but he reaches for you with those bony hands and a deep, intense earnestness in those bloodshot eyes. His voice seems to come from so, so far away, half the words lost on the wind.

"Listen–listen to me! …….coming! It's coming!"

His touch brings the chill of the grave…but his voice seems to carry a dire message.

➥ Taken Ill

(cw: illness, fake children in distress, potential for fever-induced hallucinations)

A kind heart is a powerful thing. It can lead to helping others or sympathizing with those scared or in pain. Perhaps that’s why you feel a small hand press into your own. Whether you’re shopping or waiting to cross the street or simply standing in one place for too long, you might just feel the insistent press of someone choosing you for help There, at your side, stands a child. The gender and appearance differ from person to person, but a couple things stay the same: the red-rimmed and wide eyes peering back up at you. The sniffle to their nose they try to fight, and the little voice that pleads to you: “Please..I’m lost. Can you help me? I…don’t know where I am.” They tell you their mother was only just there, looking in the window of a shop. The child looked away and then their mother was gone! Please, won’t you help them…? It only takes a moment to look away, maybe find this missing mother or anyone else who might be seeing this child, but in the next moment you blink, they’re gone again. In their wake, they leave a red and veiny spot in the center of your palm. The fever comes quick after, chills wracking your form before the day is out. Sneezing, coughing, trouble breathing, and these bright red veins that traverse your form, regardless of what form you might have. Organic or inorganic. Symptoms can range and how long they last and how severe they are seems to differ from person to person. Perhaps you’re one of the unlucky few that never quite shakes those chills or the pronounced veins or the cough. Still, in the deepest hours of the night when the chills and the fever wrack your body and set your mind aflame and vision filled with things that are not there….at least once, you might just wake to see a small hand gently petting at your brow, willing you to simply…give in. You must be so tired, after all.

➥ Strange Communications

(cw: theft, puppets, derealization, dehumanization, potential limb loss, uncanny valley, supernatural compulsions)

There's a chill wind blowing through Gloucester, and it brings a final burst of pollen for the season that spirals throughout the city, creating swirls of gold, red, green, a whole kaleidoscope of colors. It lights the air with a pleasant (if sneeze-inducing) scent. The arrival of this pollen also seems to coincide with the disappearances of various Halloween decorations. At least… some decorations, specifically those with a humanoid appearance.

Halloween planning, itself, is in full swing throughout the city. While much of the month (and those preceding) have been a bit miserable, at least some seem to be trying to capitalize on the 'mysterious and haunting charm' of Gloucester.

The decoration thieves swiftly make themselves known, for good or ill, in the form of social media posts that start to go up and… street performers? Questionable street performers. It seems the ventriloquism craze that struck TikTok back in July has finally made its way to Gloucester. People are snatching anything and everything they can find to use as a medium for talking through,a nd that includes all of the holiday tat they find around.

It's a bit… strange, really. Those who have spent any significant time outside, who have watched the pollen spinning through the air may find themselves having a harder and harder time talking directly to others. But if one were to use a puppet… that skeleton over in someone's yard, perhaps? Or the little doll outside a store? Maybe even your hand if you're very desperate?

You need that intermediary, though. To have eyes focus on the friend you have with you. The friend that, as time goes on, you find yourself giving more and more personality until it seems to be a wholly separate entity of its own, talking for you, around you, over you to others. And those others may even start to see that puppet as more of a person than you. What are you, after all? Just the one propping up the real person here.

Maybe it would be best to get rid of your puppet before things go too far, but that's your friend, isn't it? And what are you supposed to do if it's your own hand?

Perhaps it's time to get creative! And to consider what you're willing to lose in order to maintain the person you think you are.

➥ 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 (unless you are using this as an opportunity to shift to an Entity alignment) and plan accordingly!
THINGS GONE A-RYE (16-31 October) - This prompt is open for NPC interactions with the "ghost," Bryn Fletcher. The apparition is extremely cold to the touch, and if touched by him the sensation of cold where one made contact lingers for at least an hour, and up to three days. Repeated physical contact will compound this effect. Characters who are able to identify and address Bryn by name, or who met him previously, will have an advantage in terms of getting his apparition to linger and solidify long enough to carry on a conversation. Characters may make multiple attempts at contact if they are not initially able to get Bryn to appear long enough to deliver his message; multiple attempts may or may not meet with more success.
TAKEN ILL (23-27 October) - The details of the children and what answers they might give characters is entirely player-decided! They won’t be exceedingly helpful, but they might offer their name or even a direction where they last saw their parent, but as soon as characters look away, the hand in theirs will vanish along with the child. Some of them might be picked out in old news editorials, especially those about sicknesses that wracked the area, but none of the children seem especially identifiable. For some, once they’re well enough to look into it, they might find the details are gone entirely from their mind. The symptoms, as well, can be entirely player-decided, complete with losing a sense, or numbness, or even festering and bedsores. Anything else that might come with a really bad cold or the flu is fair game. How long these symptoms last are also up to players, though the children will only be around for a little while, anyone who ‘gives in’ might find themselves very close to death if not giving into it entirely.
STRANGE COMMUNICATIONS (20-31 October) - The progression from just talking through the puppet to it developing a whole separate personality that people start to recognize more than you will take place over a minimum of 48 hours, but can take longer. Stopping the effect is as simple as getting rid of the puppet, but characters will find themselves very attached to their new 'friends,' and communication as themselves very challenging until sometime toward the end of October.

↬ Main Navigation

comments

Technical Difficulties

Wed, 11 Oct 2023 03:55:24 GMT

Posted by: failedpromise

Who: Cortana and ...you?
When: Early to mid October
Where: Various
Summary: Cortana is having some ...difficulties. (And posts to the network seeking solutions in the last prompt)
Warnings: Illness? I’m not sure how to label a robot experiencing their body fall apart.

A)

Sometimes, Cortana helps out by providing medical assistance to people coming back from Dogtown. She’s no doctor, but she has a pretty impressive knowledge bank when it comes to first aid medical procedures.

This day is no different from any other. Or at least, it starts out that way. When she gets to the tent, however, she finds her optics are starting to glitch. A check of her phone shows that it also seems to be suffering from some sort of effect, and she chalks it up to more ambient entity magic bullshit, especially when it goes away the moment she moves more than a block or two away from the outskirts.

She tries to push through it that first day, but there are noticeable tremors in her movements, and she struggles to accomplish more than simple tasks.

B)

Fortunately for Cortana, she doesn’t spend every day within the vicinity of Dogtown. For a while, she’s blissfully unbothered by the slow decay of technology that’s too close because she never gets close enough to experience the effect… at least until the plants start taking over the town and it becomes inescapable.

She stumbles a lot. That’s perhaps the most common and noticeable effect, but there’s more than just that. Her voice cuts out at points, fills with static. She struggles with vision, with the recognition of faces and objects. Her battery struggles to hold its charge, and at one point her power cuts out as she’s descending a staircase, her body abruptly pitching forward and tumbling to lie bonelessly at the bottom of the stairwell.

C)

Cortana is, to put it simply, fed up. Instead of the usual voice or video it’s a text she posts to the network sometime after it becomes apparent that, rather than going away like she expected, the effect that’s causing her and apparently all other technology in Gloucester to fall apart is lingering.

...She might also be more than a little terrified, but she’s trying not to let on to that bit.

So anyone else got any ideas of what to do about our little technology situation?

If people are even able to read the message with how badly the phones are fucking up. It’s probably a miracle she was even able to post this, TBH.

comments

Network - 07 (posted during the week when TDM ghosts are active)

Mon, 09 Oct 2023 20:41:35 GMT

Posted by: graveyounglady

Who: Mercy Graves
Username: mercyme
Warnings: discussion of spiders, rituals, ghosts, blood sacrifice likely to come up
What: Mercy issues a warning to the network about ghosts that have been popping up.

Pray be at peace, my friends, for I bring grave tidings. Wence the month turned over, you may have heard a terrible sound coming from near the north edge of Gloucester. This was the result of a ritual myself, Ms. Katrina, and Ms. Yelena performed to call forth the ghosts of this city's past.

It seems to have worked, aye, but at a cost. The cold creeps into my bones and chills them in ways I have not known save in the deepest snows of winter. The others, too, have lost something. I can only hope that these sacrifices of blood and warmth, vision and taste, have come with some gain.

The ghost who appeared at the grave and spoke to us told us of a house in Dogtown, one with a great fence built to keep the occupants of the Wolfe House in, rather than keeping anyone out. I have see nother shades in the nights, but have not had a chance to speak with them. Has anyone else heard their truths?

May the Light of Pelor Guide You,
Mercy Graves

comments

'Armless Sightings, 'Armful Strikes [Player Plot]

Fri, 06 Oct 2023 07:25:53 GMT

Posted by: wewillwewill

Who: Everyone! OTA
When: October
Where: Gloucester, MA
Summary: Strange sightings are afoot
Warnings: Subjects may include: Uninvited contact (nonsexual), disembodied limbs, fear, paranoia, paralysis, darkness, stalking, hunting, watching, panic, more possible in individual comments

OOC Post: A Farewell to (Crab) Arm

Related Scenes (Each with their own CWs)

IC Post: A Therapy Session for Sheppard.
IC Post: Sheppard's er.... 'Surgery'.

On the Local News

5 o'clock news has stories of crime, political pieces, talks about when the local government is planning on investigating building foundations and reports of poor inspections resulting in faulty foundations, particularly around Dogtown. Pretty much the usual. Really. People who watch long enough might see a couple of October variety pieces. Fall themed events within driving distance and local stories of intrigue. A young reporter is standing on a street corner. It's probably familiar enough to those living in ADI housing, with a charming coffee cafe, small businesses and of course plenty of kitschy and fun seasonal decorations.

"The weather's certainly cooling down, but that's not the only chill in the air. Locals in the area have been reporting unusual sightings. October and ghost stories go hand in hand, but are usually confined to hours after the sun goes down. This particular ghoulie has been spotted in broad daylight. Or so the story goes."

The report cuts to a few spliced together 'eyewitness' accounts, speaking of catching a glimpse of a ghostly visage reaching out for them, or feeling a hand on their back or shoulder but turning around and finding no one there. Even a few times where there was no direct encounter, only the glimpse of a hand at a window sill before being drawn back in supposedly empty shops. Plenty of evening accounts and in fact that seems to be the bulk of these ghostly claims. But there's also a few who claim to have felt or 'seen' this presence in broad daylight.

"No one seems to be harmed or in danger though plenty claim a sense of unease," says the on the street reporter. She has the upbeat attitude of someone who is willing to lean into a more whimsical interpretation and who hasn't had to worry about a personal encounter. "A restful spirit haunting Gloucester or a mischeivious prank by the locals? No one has yet caught evidence of either, so until someone captures a picture of this tireless spectre or clever hoax, we'll be keeping an eye out. And maybe even a few glances over our shoulder just to be safe. Back to you in the studio."

Seems like some folks are celebrating Halloween early this year," quips one of the in-studio anchors to his peer. But you know, his tone of carefully curated humor holds a note of unease and perhaps even a tiny stress of insistence.

"No doubt about it," laughs the feminine co-anchor. Whether she covers it better or not, it would seem as if she's trying to assure and be assured. The tension is almost palpable even through the television.

Investigations

cw: disembodiment, talk of (non sexual but still very unpleasant contact), paralysis, trapped

Tracking down the witnesseses seen on the news will lead to getting much of the same story. Organizing them will turn up a few similar threads.

1. Nearly everyone mentions feeling like someone or something touched them, either on a shoulder or back, arm or ankle. Or they claim they say a spectral figure reaching for them or a hand being drawn back from a door or window. While there's variance and sometimes 'trick of the mind' or exaggeration of how much was seen, there is always a theme of reaching or touching or contact. The few stories that didn't have any of these and went into major detail about the ghost tend to have an air of falsehood.

2. All of the stories that feel 'legitimate' (or mostly legitimate) seem to feel the hand didn't look completely 'solid'. The night encounters strongly favor claims there was a 'glow'. Most of these claim there was an 'uneasy feeling' before, during or after the sighting and still seem nervous or show a tendency to look over their shoulders.

3. If any tries to draw based on witness accounts, there'll be lots of definite...ish arm details, hazy on the rest even if some claim a few more details and seem sure of them. Shadowy figure, maybe robes, most always blurred or obscured by dark rooms or nighttime shadows.

4. No one (yet) has reported a second 'visit'. All the sightings have been within a range of the last month, as far back as early September. None of these particular witnesses have caught footage though not for want of trying.

Those living at Bonnie's or still connected with the ADI will get chances to speak with a few more alarming encounters though. Folk that felt they were hunted, cornered and eventually paralyzed with fear and unable to move while something touched and explored them. There had been nothing sexual, though that hardly makes the experience better by any means.

Those that could speak more coherently about the 'touch' described it as exploratory and sometimes 'curious'.

One report even mentioned 'so one time, this blind person wanted to feel my face you know, and it felt a bit like that I guess?'. Though maybe they were trying to act like they were cooler about the situation than they actually are. They most decidedly were not as calm about this then.

And those who had been fortunate (or unfortunate?) enough to find themselves unable to move in a way to get a look at the source of the spectral assault all have the same, definitive answer.

"It.... was just an arm! And arm and a hand reaching out of nothing! Like the darkness or the light or just cut right off and it didn't seem like a person behind it! It wasn't really solid looking except sometimes, but it felt solid. Bits seem to glow red, sometimes it almost looked like it had claws, even though they never scratched."

There's still a sense of confusion over what was fully seen, but that could easily be attributed to the fear and whatever other forces were at work.

comments

NPC Interactions - October 2023

Sun, 01 Oct 2023 19:58:44 GMT

Posted by: apocalypsehownpcs

↬ Main Navigation

NPC Interactions - October 2023

Player characters aren't the only ones trying to eke out a living and dodge the apocalypse in Gloucester. You can interact with key game NPCs here, if you so desire.

Please note the following:

To interact, simply place the name of NPC you wish to thread with in the subject line and provide a starter. These do not need to be complex in their set-up and NPCs can be found anywhere one might reasonably find them. In the office or around Gloucester.
Each player will be limited to one NPC thread on this post per month. This is to keep things manageable for the mods and to encourage players to share whatever their characters might learn in these interactions with the broader group.
These NPC threads can be used for AC, but if players are using them exclusively to meet AC requirements across multiple months, the mods reserve the right to request additional non-NPC proofs.
Interaction with NPCs is not required to participate in the plot of the game. This is simply an additional, optional venue for engagement.

Nia Lehrer (she/her)

The Warden (i.e., head) of the Apocalypse Disruption Initiative/Apex Detectives, Inc., and a very busy woman. She is short, serious, and direct, but can turn on the charm when she needs to. She is the public face of the business and directs strategy for the organization. She is also an avatar of the Hunt. Her status as an avatar came as a surprise, but she has decided to at least partially embrace it, the better to fight the monsters. Nia has indicated she intends to find a way to get Player Characters home or stop them arriving in her universe and then find a way to stop herself from becoming one of the monsters ADI is sworn to fight. She places the mission and practicality first and has been shown to have the ability to smell Entity affiliation on others, as well as know strategically useful information. Nia is most likely to be found at ADI Headquarters.

This month, she is honing in ever more on Dogtown and those who are investigating it. She wants to know what's going on and who has found what. She's getting a little more aggressive about trying to rally everyone to share that information with each other. And her.

Reyes Amador (they/them)

Formerly Nia's assistant, currently working in PR for ADI. They have a close, personal connection with Bonnie. When they're not at ADI Headquarters, they might be found out on the town with Bonnie or dropping in to visit her at the Flophouse. They are average height, polite, and eminently calm. They also seem to have a knack for reading other people.

This month, they continue to be absent for long stretches of time in Dogtown. They return from one of these excursions with new and exciting injuries by the day; although, nothing as severe as the burns they incurred last month. Word on the street is that they're heavily invested in investigating Dogtown. They are barely attending to their work at ADI now, and seem to be ever on the move and difficult to catch. If they're found, they are perfectly polite, of course! And reluctant but willing to share the things they've been finding.

Pam Ruan (she/her)

HR for New Arrivals at ADI. She is a motherly, older woman who is typically patient, but also has a passive-aggressive snap to her if someone tests that to the breaking point. She is responsible for acclimating new arrivals and for those with a keen eye, she always carries a pistol in a shoulder holster, hidden beneath her cardigans. Due to an event incident, Pam is missing her left hand; she simply covers the stump with a pinned cardigan sleeve when wearing long sleeves or a pretty, fluffy cuff when wearing short sleeves. She's most often found at ADI Headquarters.

This month, the runaway success (i.e., lack of disaster or horror) surrounding her Christmas in July party has bolstered Pam's hopes for a good Halloween. She's still playing it a little safe with no formal announcement of a party. For now. Instead, she's started the Raising Spirits Initiative to bring a bit of joy and community back to ADI. Stop by her office to drop a 'wish' in the fishbowl she's set out, and she'll try to make that wish come true. She needs assistants for this endeavor, though, should anyone find themselves wanting a bit of a light amongst all the seasonal gloom.

Bonnie Gale (she/her)

Proprietor of the Flophouse. Bonnie is a tall, red-headed woman from another world, one of the first to find herself dragged into this new reality more than a year ago. She's a Bohemian sort with a lot of manic energy. She also places much greater emphasis on retaining one's humanity over being strictly human. Bonnie has a close, personal relationship with Reyes Amador, and will keep the people in the flophouse apprised of anything important ADI is doing so that they can help, if they wish to do so. She's most often found at the Flophouse or out on the town with Reyes.

This month she has found herself flophouse-bound with a "twisted ankle." Those who catch her treating that ankle, though, will notice far more severe injuries along her leg that appear to have been stitched up and need bandages changed for. She's more snappish than her usual self, clearly unhappy with being stuck and unable to move around. She's always in need of help, though, for jobs and other things to keep the flophouse stocked and in repair. Perhaps you'll weather her agitation to see what you can do to help… or call her our on her more blatant lies.

The Visionary (he/she/they)

A young person living in the flophouse as Bonnie's roommate. They are a native to this reality and read a cursed book called The Long Road Ahead around the same time that Bonnie arrived. They now feed on cherished memories to give horrific visions of a potential future to those who wish to avail themselves of the exchange. They are rail thin, sickly, and always keep a blindfold over their eyes. They can sometimes be found in the common area in the flophouse with a white walking cane to guide them. (This NPC provides an IC conduit for OOC 'canon updates.')

This month, the Visionary is out and about in the flophouse more. It seems Bonnie's unhappy mood has left them more willing to engage with everyone else. He's also spending a great deal of time around Cole's room. You might even catch her emerging from the ex-avatar's room looking especially thoughtful.

Cole Guttuso (he/him)

A young man living in one of the flophouse's unused rooms. He is native to this reality and was originally part of a Desolation-based circus called the Fenix Down Extravaganza. He was called away from the circus on "family business," just before PCs murdered all Desolation avatars of the circus. Formerly known as Pyre, Cole was subsequently known to be lurking around Wolf Pen, WV during the events of Appalachia before he starting lighting fires on his way toward revenge against ADI for the circus and for their murder of his father, Carl Watts, in Wolf Pen. In his search for revenge, Cole attacked a Gloucester Eye cult, thinking it was associated with ADI and was turned from a man made of wax to one made of viscous eye jelly. He has lost cohesion as a being in many ways, along with access to much of his Desolation-based abilities, and is currently trapped in the form of a melted, mostly faceless flesh-blob monster. He lurks in the Flophouse, avoiding contact with people where he can. This NPC was spared by players from death and hidden at the Flophouse as part of a poll that took place in December 2022. As of June 2023, Cole has repaid some of the kindness shown to him by developing a truly private network app just for off-worlders.

This month, while Cole remains bedroom-bound thanks to his condition, he's been doing some heavy research and coordinating more with the Visionary, the flophouse's other avatar. He seems more distracted than usual for those who come to visit, his conversation sometimes going in circles, looping, or spinning away on tangents before he can talk about the important things he might want to discuss with someone else.

Milo (they/them)

A local “friend” found in a room in ADI’s basement. It’s been discovered they’re perhaps one of the oldest people from another world still around as well as the being responsible for the glamours that have kept non-humans from being discovered. Through the off-worlder’s efforts, they have decided to stick around and help…for now. ADI isn’t willing to let a known monster stray too far, however, and they can be found under heavy and varied forms of observation in their little house not far from ADI’s gates.

This month, Milo is laying low, barely reaching out at all, really. The cozy cottage they've taken over is overflowing with plant life… very aggressive plantlife. Plantlife that has grown up and around and surrounded their cottage in a thick hedge. Those who wander nearby may hear Milo's voice calling from over the hedge, "Hello? Is anyone out there?" Their ADI-appointed guards don't seem to be doing anything to try to trim the overgrowth back.

↬ Main Navigation

comments