Characters: Clayton, Enoch, House, Ginger, Ellana, Dorian, Haurchefant, Quark, Frisk, Steve, Stein, and Rydia
Location Houses 34 and 35
Date: Day and Night of 55 and 57
Summary: After Quark, Frisk, House, and Enoch meet up with the others, the group is way too big to occupy one house after lockdown. They divide into two groups for the night. By day 57, even more people join the group.
Warnings: None for now! Potentially some rudeness (looking at House in particular). Probably a sobbing Clayton and a lot of personal space invasion all up everywhere.

( Read more... )

[ The video feed starts up with a view of Angel's hand, fingers spread as she attempts to balance her tablet so it stays upright. Apparently satisfied, she scampers a few feet away so that the camera shows more than a closeup of glowy tattoos. Like Rhys! Rhys is there and looking particularly Rhys...y. And bruised. Whatever. Hi, Rhys.

It's Angel who speaks first - smiling away as she tends to do when addressing the network at large. It's good to see she's over that whole "my dad is deaaaaaad" thing, right? ]

Hello, everyone! You know those shopping channel broadcasts that people do on the ECHOnet, where they advertise stuff that you can buy at outrageously inflated prices? Rhys and I thought we'd do that! Ex-except without the outrageously inflated prices bit. Um.

[ She falters slightly before gesturing to Rhys. ] Um, anyway - take a look at what Rhys has got for trade!

[ Rhys takes his cue and steps up to the metaphorical plate, all swagger and over-the-top hand gestures. ]

First, we have this stainless steel beauty.

[ He brandishes a dull looking knife, lighting it from below with his handflashlight. ]

Now, I know what you're thinking - 'Rhys, I don't need a butter knife. There's nothing to butter in this godforsaken craphole!' But that! Oh-ho, that is where you'd be wrong, my friends. You see butter knife, I see weapon. In - in skilled hands.

Knife not your thing? Well, check this out. [ The knife is exchanged for a can of soda. ] This is not something I offer lightly. Sure, it's frozen, and... prrrrrobably flat, but we can't be too picky about our sources of calories! Also, bonus -- it's grape flavored. Who doesn't love grape??

[ Angel listens to all this attentively, nodding and gasping in all the right places. WHAT SALESMANSHIP. ]

Well, Rhys, I'm pretty sure that people who don't like grape are - um, they just haven't tried it in soda popsicle form. Delicious!

[ She is SO INTO THIS. If that isn't obvious. She shows her own offering to the camera - a pair of rather unspectacular blue socks. ]

Time to take a look at what I've got for you here. These are the latest in foot-heating technology. They aren't just socks, they're - um - an investment! A very fashionable investment. These socks make a statement, and that statement is... is...

[ She's lost for words for a moment, wringing her hands slightly. ]

... "I like blue." Now, you must all be asking yourselves what payment we'll accept for these luxury items! And the answer is simple. You can purchase any of the fine deals we've been offering for the low, low price of hats! Ones that we can pull over the chunks of metal embedded into our heads.

[ Rhys cuts in one final time at this point, cheerfully adding: ]

Or we will die.


((OOC: Rhys' speech is bolded for clarity!))

Characters: Clayton, Ellana, Dorian, Ginger, Beckett, and Haurchefant
Location: Buildings 50 (E10) and 60 (J11)
Date: Nights 52 and 53
Summary: Just a general mingle for a group of very cute but also very tired people.
Warnings: Likely excessive flirting. Other than that, warnings will be added if they become necessary!

( insert laugh track here )

Characters: Clayton, Brian and later Zack and Kunsel
Location Building 31
Date: Morning 49 through Day 51
Summary: Clayton has been kidnapped by some crazy guy.
Warnings: Mental illness, injury

( Its like playing house, but not )

[ Ellana keeps it short and sweet. ]

Does anyone know where Clayton is? Or have you seen him before lockdown last night or this morning? He left here yesterday and after lockdown I left him a message to see if he found shelter, but he didn't answer.

[ There's a pause, and when she speaks again, she sounds resigned. ]

I was just hoping there might be an explanation before my mind goes to the obvious one.

[ That he didn't make it inside before lockdown and now he's dead. ]

[It's quiet for a moment, as Hiro works on the tablet, bringing up the video option. He's still not entirely sure on the context for some of the things people are finding on this place prior to.....whatever happened, exactly. But that is just why he figures since he found this sd card, he should share and try see if anyone else might get more answers.]

Uh, hey guys. I know a lot -- a lot has been going on lately. I just, I found this. [Holds up the sd card for everyone for a moment to show it, before placing it back in the tablet.]

It had a video on it. Now, I haven't been here the whole time from the start when some of you woke up here, and I haven't had the chance to go over everything with the tablets so there might be some parts I'm missing. Figured you guys might want to see it.

[A teenage boy--Riley Sung--is standing in front of a camera. That much is obvious, but something has gone wrong with this recording, because it's covered in heavy static and tearing. There's no sound at all. Riley seems to be reporting on another protest with an unnecessary amount of teenaged enthusiasm, though he's still taking it very seriously. The sun hangs low in the sky; it's autumn, and the sun is beginning to set.

For an instant, the recording is crystal clear--just in time to record all of the protesters walking away in frighteningly perfect lockstep, expressions completely blank. Riley seems absolutely baffled by this, his mouth slowly closing on whatever words he might have been able to say. Then he grabs whatever he's been using to record and starts running.

The video ends here.

And so does Hiro's. Because he's not sure if he wants to speculate just yet. If he had all the information, this would be easy to figure. To predict what the answers might be. But Norfinbury is not that simple. Not like the simple, factual science he specializes in. Anyway, it's out there. People can make of it what they will and he might chime in on their interpretations.]

A: Network (Video)/Action for Greed and Steph; Afternoon; Open to All

[Al has failed so many times in the past few weeks. Not just tangentially by being unable to protect everyone, but in personal ways. He had promised to protect Tadashi and Steph, he had promised to make sure anyone who travelled with him remained safe, he had promised to make sure Max didn't die alone, and now...

First Steph died, then Tadashi, then Max, and Mami, and now Ed.

Of all the failures, that cuts him by far the deepest. He can still barely believe what he saw, that monster that looked suspiciously like the thing they created with human transmutation had come out of nowhere and then his brother had been-- He wants to cry more passionately now than he ever has in the past, but he still can't do even that for Ed.

When the video clicks on this afternoon it's to the view of an armoured face, the lights of his eyes dim. His expression never alters from happy to sad, but his voice is a very careful and quiet calm that speaks loudly of the distress behind every word. He doesn't have any rousing speeches today, but he has to warn the others, it's what Ed would have wanted.]

Freya... this morning Freya said she saw a creature that looked like something from home, and today I-- I saw something like that too. Whatever is happening here, it's getting more personal to us, and... more dangerous. That... it killed my brother. It killed Ed.

B: Network (Video); Private to @Admin

[He waits until the very depths of the night when the others should be sleeping, and when the shock of losing Ed has begun to dull into an ache that threatens to tear him apart at the seams with every single moment that passes. He waits until he is sure he is alone before he switches on the video to send a private message to whoever runs this place.

Usually it's Ed that loses his temper first, but Ed isn't here any more and Al has been stretched to breaking point. His eyes are so bright that the lights within them seem to give out a glow in the darkness, and his voice is shaking with barely suppressed rage.]

How dare you!

How dare you use that-- use something that looked like her to hurt him! I don't know what you want, and I don't care any more, there's no reason good enough for playing with people's lives like this. You can't keep killing people and bringing... bringing them back not even Ed.

I swear, I won't let you carry on using people and hurting them for whatever this stupid experiment or game is. I'm going to put an end to it, and I won't let you hurt anyone else. I won't let you kill anyone else.

This stops now.

[ Ellana was going to make this post earlier, but then a monster attacked her group yesterday, so she put it off. But it's a new day, so she turns on her tablet to address everyone. ]

The other day I found a strange object in one of the houses. Just one of many strange things, I'm sure. But this one -- it affected me. And I'm curious as to how far that carries.

[ She takes a breath and her arm can be seen moving out of frame. ]

When I look at this object, it hurts me. Like staring into the sun, but worse. I don't know if that means anything, or if it's an important clue. It could mean nothing at all. But I wanted to see if any of you have the same reaction when it's seen through the tablets. So I'm going to hold it up. Remember: it may affect you negatively, so if you don't want to risk it, look away now.

[ Then she holds up the object, tilting it back and forth in front of the camera. It's a Penrose Triangle, made of metal and fitting easily in her hand. And it really looks like it shouldn't exist. And, oh yeah, if you're looking at it, it does hurt, though not as much as it would looking at it in person. Ellana's face is turned away as she shows it off, moving it a little to make sure it'll be in frame at some point. Then she lowers and covers it so she doesn't accidentally see it. ]

All right, I've put it away. Please let me know if you've found anything similar, whether it looks like this or just hurts to look at.


[ ooc: mods say it hurts to look at via tablet, but not as much! ]

Characters: Almost a fifth of them--okay specifically Clayton, Enoch, Dio, Quark, Clementine, House, Miranda, Ellana, and Dorian.
Location Buildings 61 and 54 (M11 and I10 respectively).
Date: Days 42 and 43, evenings, probably after lockdown.
Summary: A bunch of people that met in a gas station meet even more people who are sad, and then the next day they get ambushed and realize that this is a Problem. More generally: Catch-all mingle!
Warnings: Discussions of death, unpleasant trolling via House, monsters, all your typical snowhell fare. More specific warnings can go in headers!

( Do I really need this cut? Oh well, here's a cut. )

-- if it's not actually what we think, like, it's this place that's real and us who aren't?

[The video starts abruptly, like the one recording is too hasty, too anxious to wait for the camera to start working before he's already talking; and so the first sentence is cut off in the beginning. The video shows Stiles, sitting on the floor of what seems to be a basement, leaning against a door. Very little else is seen; the video focuses on his face.

It's nothing out of the ordinary that he's speaking with his hands flailing through the air, making gestures -- but his face looks drawn, tired, like something more than his usual anxiety mixed with his babbling.]

Just, consider this, okay? Everything we know so far indicates that this place is, you know, real, at least in the sense that the possessed people knew about galaxies that exist in the real world, and historical events that have actually happened. So what if we're the ones who don't match? What if we think we're real but aren't? [A pause as he coughs, turns to look over his shoulder at-- the door? before continuing.]

I mean, obviously we're real in the sense we're alive, but what if we're not who we think? We could be clones of the real us, and the real us are back home, that's why nobody back home has realized we've even left or anything, because we haven't. And that's why we're so easily revived when we die, because they just make a new clone and implant the same memories as the previous clone had!

[He speaks all of this in quick succession, like a revelation, like he's completely convinced this could be the actual truth. His eyes carry a strange look.]

I guess it's impossible to confirm, but, I just-- [He waves his hand to indicate thought to share the theory, and the movement hits the tablet that clatters down from where Stiles had it propped against his knee; for a few, blurry moments, it shows a door, beaten and battered, with dents and scorch marks, like someone has tried really hard to get it to open. On top of all that, there is a spiral drawn on the door in red marker.

Those who have been to the chapel might recognize it to be the morgue, the door to be one of those that hold inside the bodies of those who may have died here. (This particular door holds inside the body of one Malia Tate, Stiles's girlfriend. Suffice to say he's not taking her loss very well.)

A hand comes to view, and the tablet is turned upright again. Stiles peers down, scratching his chin with the hand that isn't holding the recorder.]

Oops, sorry. But, um, anyway-- that's it, I guess. Clones. Discuss.

[Beep. The video goes black.]

VIDEO

[Dio may not have been the best person to do this, but after this revelation, fuck it. This was much too important to let slide, and if someone was going to take into account whatever residents were left, it may as well have been him.

The video feed clicks on, darkly lit and with his intimidating presence as always. At least this time there were other, gentler people around who could come in to the feed at any point and maybe stave off some anxieties if Dio gets a little too real, but right now he wants answers, goddammit.]

This is directed to the Norfinbury residents. [As usual, Dio immediately takes what can be seen as an authoritative tone at best.] So we all know who survived, speak here so we can account for you. I would like any relevant information about what happened here, any completed maps of the town, more information about the Admin, anything you could possibly know about the monsters or giant spiders or whatever other blasted thing is here. I understand we're constantly being watched, so none of you have to say where you are if you're in hiding. We only want to speak with you and learn more about the situation.

I will expect responses as soon as possible.

[ooc: Enoch and Clayton may or may not jump in on Dio's video feed at their want, but otherwise, Dio wants answers.]

[ The post comes from @rileysung, but it's clearly Ellana's voice coming through. Her voice is hushed, maybe even a little deeper, but determined to share something. ]

I knew it. I could tell these people are a part of it. They tried to act like they didn't know what I was talking about, but they're the ones trying to shut down the protests. They have no right. I had to get away from them. I'm in a safe place, but I know they're lurking out there.

Has anyone else ran into these people? I don't know if they're undercover cops or something worse. Maybe they work for a secret organization, I don't know. But the way they're acting? It's clear they're up to something.

[Video feed begins on a wall and slowly pans across a room. Dorian's voice begins a monologue from behind the tablet.]

For tonight's entertainment we bring you something live. As you can see, I am not filtering this in any way.

[He briefly pauses to wave his hand in front of the camera.]

No alterations or tricks.

[A pair of legs appear in the edge of the frame.]

Here we have Her Worship, the beloved Inquisitor. Leader of armies. Slayer of dragons. Killer of darkspawn. Shoe neophyte. Ellana Lavellan.

[The image continues to pan toward her head as she begins to stir.]

In general, she appears as a smallish woman but really-

[Ellana opens her eyes which reflect the light of Dorian's tablet in a catlike fashion.]

What are you doing, Dorian?

Notice that the eyes do not, in fact, glow. Instead, they reflect the ambient light causing-

Dorian!

[There's a fumbling sound and the feed abruptly cuts off.]

[OOC: Ellana will be threadjacking on this post.]

I've found another video of our predecessors in Norfinbury. I've been analyzing it for a few days, but nothing helpful has jumped out at me so I'm releasing it to fresh eyes.

[attachment: bird.mov


The video is being held in clumsy, childish hands. It's obvious, because the fingers are poking into the edges of the display. The child is pointing the camera at a large birdcage. A sparrow is sitting inside, regarding the child and the camera with a bit of confusion.

"This is Sisi," the child--a girl--explains. "She's a sparrow like me!"

In the window Sisi's cage is pressed up against, just outside, a woman is shouting at a police officer, who doesn't look happy but is maintaining his distance. The child, at least, doesn't seem to notice. Not until there's a loud buzzing sound outside, a flash of light, and the woman drops to the ground.

The child shrieks, and the sparrow flaps about in its cage. "Mama! Ma--"
]

Obviously, it takes place in the late 20th or early 21st century. Combined with some of the other evidence that's turned up, they were may have been living in a police state - possibly the one responsible for the town's destruction or the mass grave, though it may all be a red herring.

[Before lockdown, the feed from someone who hasn't made a post of his own in a few days cuts on. It's hard to see his face in the shadow of his hood, but it's clear he's smiling.]

Hello, everyone. Do you remember those prints Clayton found before? There are more of them, and we think we can trap whatever is making them.

[He turns the tablet around to show a crude snare fashioned out of planks, a pillowcase, and shoelaces, hung over the eave of the window where the prints are.]

I'll be leaving this out here, so we've more to trust than our ears. If I see you all again anytime soon, it will likely be with Clayton. Perhaps we'll even see what takes this tablet!

[There's some fiddling with something, and he sets the tablet down, propped up on something.]

All right, I leave you to your nights, everyone. Whether you watch with us or not, wish us luck.

[He leaves, and the sound of a door closing behind the tablet can be heard. For hours, all is silent. The tablet is half-obscured with snow, but unlike when he died, it does not cover up completely. It isn't until the sky is lightening that something happens. First, there is skittering. Something moving quickly with many legs. And then they come into view.

Spiders. Large spiders with glowing red eyes that cause the feed to cut out briefly. The snare clatters, and the feed comes back to show the snare itself is gone, tripped. Several spiders turn around and head back down, and eventually, there is a tearing of cloth and things hitting the ground far below - they are smart enough to free their own.

The tablet is dislodged from whatever is holding it and falls - for a moment revealing the broken snare - and then it hits the pillowcase and is quickly covered with snow. The skittering continues, and fades away.

The wind howls, muffled through the snow, the only sound in the feed, until something larger approaches. The pillowcase is pulled out of the snow and the tablet with it, showing a glimpse of two round, glowing, inhuman eyes before the feed ends.]

@Claytonator, video

[Enoch and Clayton have obviously been watching. The former watches from just behind and beside his companion, a hand on his shoulder as he stares wide-eyed, still absorbing all he has seen.

After a beat, as he realizes they're being recorded, Enoch says:]

So...they were spiders, after all.

((ooc: replies can come from Enoch, Clayton, or both!))

Hey, uh, just - just a few things. Somebody had a key card thing a while ago, right? That - it got them into the tunnels? I need to borrow it. Or you need to come to the tunnels, I dunno. There's, like - one of those card reader things on a roof here. It was covered in ice and, uh, now it's not. So. Y'know. The card that worked before might work here too.

[ He sounds thoroughly uncomfortable. Largely because he is. Tim can't remember who exactly has custody of the keycard, but that doesn't really matter all that much when his entire modus operandi is currently "KEEP THE FUCK AWAY FROM EVERYBODY AT ALL COSTS."

He really wants in that hospital, though. For reasons. ]

And on the subject of stuff people have found here, uh. Did - did anybody find anything that's theirs? Like, maybe something that you left at home, or. Or it's got your name on it...? You know. Something like that.

[ A-ASKING FOR A FRIEND. Honest. His discomfort was obvious before, but now his tone is maybe just a teeny weeny bit too casual for anyone good at spotting liars with their pants very much on fire. ]

Oh, and - cigarettes. If anybody has any I have stuff to trade. Don't, uh - don't try smoking chewing tobacco, it's... Just don't.

[ Tim. Tim, pls. ]

[These memories have always haunted him. What happened to his fellow templars. To himself. He's woken up from so many nightmares of them. But this? This feels different. More vivid. More real. The space is small and he can feel the smallness of it inside the visions. The violence. The lives slaughtered.

He's caged in a spell. How he can use his device he isn't sure but he does. He has to warn people about the abominations, about the mages who got possessed. He has to stay strong enough to get this out]

They will try to break all of you like they have me but we must be stronger. For those who have been broken. For those who died. We must be the ones forced to endure. They are abominations, mages who have been taken over by demons. They must be killed on sight.

[That's it. He has no energy for anything beyond that. The abominations will spread, they'll break out of this building and they'll hurt others. It's his job now to try to protect, even in these conditions.

That's what he's sworn to, isn't it? To protect.]

[ Under normal circumstances, the last thing Tim wants to do when he's having one of his episodes is talk to people. He's not the sort of person who asks for help unless it's necessary. Unfortunately for him, today it's very necessary indeed. Largely because he's been trapped inside a bathroom for the last hour or so due to his recently de-amnesia'd BFF becoming convinced that he's dangerous and needs to be shut away.

THANKS, JAY.

Even without the town and its oddities messing with his head, Tim wouldn't be able to deal with this. Being locked inside small rooms? Not okay. One of the least okay things in the universe. He can just about cope with monsters and snow and ever-increasing paranoia, but being shut away like this tugs on the few memories of his childhood that he still has. Part of him is still the little kid who got locked up in the hospital overnight for years on end, clawing at the walls and screaming to be let out.

Basically, he's having a pretty bad time of things right now. Bad enough to type out an SOS with shaking fingers. Golly. ]

help there's something wrong with Jay. he won't let me out
somebody tell him it's ok he won't listen to me
I keep yelling and he won't even answer idek if he's still there. the thing might have got him and there'll be nobody to LET ME OUT
I shouldnt;t be in here I didn't do anything it wasn't ME
or I didn't mean to,. I promise. please
PLEASE let me out I'm sory. I'm sorry. he's got my pills I need them
I NEED them and I need to get out
IT'S HERE

[ the past few days have been overly eventful for those he's traveling with, and with some downtime, he's at least able to catch his breath a moment. the video flickers on, showing nothing more than a red faced, rather flustered looking young man. ]

Okay, so let's get this straight.

[ unfortunately, the people of Norfinbury are about to get an earful from one Edward Elric. ] So I'm sure most of you know Al. Alphonse Elric. About a hundred feet tall, shiny and metal, he's really hard to miss.

[ seriously, how do you even miss a suit of freaking armor? ] That's my younger brother, do you hear me? Alphonse is my little brother. Got that? I'm the older one, I'm the rule maker, the elder, the wiser!

I. Am. Not. The. Little. Brother.

[ he takes big, heaping breaths between each word, his face only seeming to grow more flushed with each passing second, his voice rising near to the point of yelling. ] So if anyone of you calls me little, younger, small, tiny, pipsqueak, nosmallerthanacrumb one more time--!

[ he lets out a wail, a sort of frustrated cry that really does not work in his favor. only younger brothers cried like this, right? ]

That's all.