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silentspringooc2024-06-03 09:54 pm
silentspringmods) wrote in silentspringooc2024-06-03 09:54 pm
JUNE EVENT PLOTTING.
EVENT PLOTTING #4: JUN 2024
Part I; Chapter 6.
Part I; Chapter 6.
This event will be posted on June 7, 2024 in
silentspringlogs. The weekend squire just came out to mow his lawn
June brings a turn in the weather—the smoke from the monthly controlled burn is that much more unbearable from the first to the third, choking, suffocating, adding to the blazing heat that beats down from largely cloudless skies. Houses get muggy, mosquitoes come out in full force, biting flies besiege the stables. It’s the perfect weather for a barbecue or a trip to the community pool... but you’ll want to get up early to mow that lawn, neighbor!
No, seriously. You’ll want to mow that lawn.
With so much sunshine, bright green grass has been shooting up like crazy, and Marjorie takes the HOA’s goals of neighborhood beautification very seriously. One of those, Haven Street residents will be informed, is that grass must be no taller than two-point-five inches. Characters who haven’t come up with a way to divide summer’s new chores with their “family” members should do so now, and for those don’t know how to use a lawnmower, now’s the time to learn—because those who run afoul of that particular bylaw will land themselves a reserved seat in Norman’s re-education room.
Some characters may find that their air conditioning units very inconveniently quit working in the heat of midday and have to call a repairman to come in and fix it. There will be potential IC consequences for this next month, and a signup comment in the event!
Tropical drink melting in your hand
Those who don't find themselves confined on the 15th may want to come down to the community pool for some burgers and franks (and, of course, splashing around, if that's your thing). In any event, it's probably a good way to meet some new neighbors or could make a convenient guise to touch bases with old neighbors. It's also just nice to cool off in the water, considering that weather is in the high eighties with no cloud cover all week that week.
Marjorie does the honors of preparing a delightful snack spread for one of the tables further back from the water—cool and refreshing gelatin creations, a fruit bowl, cheese and crackers, and both alcoholic and nonalcoholic punch. There's also hand-squeezed lemonade and apple juice for the kids, and little party umbrellas for whatever drink a character chooses to add that special touch.
Characters who are unlucky enough to accidentally swallow a little pool water while swimming may find they feel slightly nauseous, in a way they wouldn't have felt back in their own world if this had ever happened to them before. It's probably fine!
Wearing smells from laboratories facing a dying nation
With summer comes the return of some familiar faces: the Good Humor ice cream truck slowly rolling down each street while playing its cheery jingles every couple of days and the Mosquito Man every Thursday evening. Who is the Mosquito Man, you might ask? The Skeeter Man, Smokey Joe, or the Fogger Truck - or simply the dark green pickup truck that rounds the corner onto Haven Street between 5 and 7 once a week, dragging a massive white cloud of fog behind it and a trail of children on bikes, scooters, and running barefoot, playing in the sweet white mist as though following the pied piper. The tremendous crate that fills the neighborhood with thick white clouds is spraypainted with the labels DDT and DMTP(II), below them smaller font that reads Sweetwater Public Works.
Kids run down the front steps to join the throng playing in the fog when the truck comes down their street, some of them shooed out of the house by their parents. Nobody seems remotely concerned—in fact, they welcome the almost ritual return of the Mosquito Man and the sudden drop in insect life that accompanies him every week. The only one who seems anything but relieved when he comes each week is Dr. Ravichandran, whose home, if characters happen to drive past it, is set apart from its cookie-cutter replicates by its closed windows and the wet rags stuffed into the windowsills behind them. It's possible to observe one other thing when passing his home if the windows are open, but characters will need to roll for this to see if they score high enough for success given the small likelihood - this is a plot opportunity that will go to someone who hasn't already had a big physical plot clue (like the toe tag) to bring back to the group!
What is DMTP(II), you might ask? Answers range from the truck driver sticking his head out the window and informing characters that look, he just sprays the stuff, and he has a lot more streets to get to today to vague answers from the neighbors that can be summarized, if characters ask enough people, as a statement that it’s a new pesticide developed right here in Sweetwater after the war that combats mosquitoes and nearby yard pests like beetles that produce root-eating grubs, a magnificent and completely safe scientific marvel.
Characters who stay out long enough on the days the Mosquito Man comes, once the children have gone back inside for dinner, may notice that the initial odd taste in their mouth progresses to less innocuous symptoms—such as dizziness, watering eyes, chest tightness, heart palpitations, trouble breathing, headaches, malaise, burning in the nose, and, most theatrically, bright red nosebleeds accompanied by redness, white spotting, and inflammation in their mouths. The symptoms take around four days to resolve, and faintly linger even longer than that. If they visit the hospital, they’ll only be told that they seem to be having an allergic reaction to something they ate, and concerns about the Public Works projects aren’t taken seriously - looks like any amelioration of symptoms that can’t be achieved with benadryl will be on a strictly neighbors-helping-neighbors basis.
I fashion my future on films in space
But those who aren’t so lucky may briefly black out if they breathe the fog long enough, and when that happens, they return to consciousness but not wakefulness, instead finding themselves frozen in place in a chill room, staring at the wrinkled bare soles of a pair of gray-blue feet belonging to the naked body of a man lying motionless on a flat steel table. A cardstock tag, identical to the photocopy found by Bucky Barnes in January, hangs from one big toe.
Characters’ line of sight doesn’t extend much higher than eye level with the cadaver, but they can see enough to register that both parties, standing with the autopsy table between them, are wearing isolation suits like the man who committed suicide in the middle of the street on that sunny April morning, a stark contrast to the vulnerability of the corpse’s nakedness between them. They seem to be completely unaware of the third presence in the room.
When one of them speaks, it’s the all-too-familiar voice of the town private practice doctor, Norman Pollock.
“Nothing. Not a single thing. He’s healthy. An ordinary 56-year-old man who blew his brains out."
There's a long pause. Then comes the voice of the man whose memory of a telephone conversation some characters shared on New Year’s, and again shortly after the man in the isolation suit pulled the trigger: "The motherfucker. They searched his house and his office. Questioned the wife too. Not a damn thing. Nobody knows shit."
To start plotting, fill out the form below, and post it in a comment with the subject line structed as follows: Your Name | Your Character's Name | Your Character's Canon | Your Character's Role:
player info
Player name:
Player pronouns:
Contact(s):
character info
Character Name:
Character Age:
Character Role:
Canon:
Canonpoint:
1 paragraph summary of character/canon: Imagine that the reader is canonblind. Lay out the basics someone needs to start a thread with your character, important things to know while interacting with them, etc.
“Family” members:
Links: To permissions posts, opt-outs, info sheets, etc.
Other Info:
event plans
The weekend squire just came out to mow his lawn:
Tropical drink melting in your hand:
Wearing smells from laboratories facing a dying nation:
I fashion my future on films in space:
no subject
Player name: Maniette
Player pronouns: She/they
Contact(s):
character info
Character Name: Arthur Lester
Character Age: 34
Character Role: Bachelor, one day he'll be a husband again
Canon: Malevolent (Podcast)
Canonpoint: Part 12: The End
1 paragraph summary of character/canon: Arthur Lester is a recently-blinded detective from Arkham, Massachusetts, 1934, trying to solve the mystery of how he became entangled with an entity trapped in a magical book - who he literally just learned is a fragment of the King In Yellow, and implicitly responsible for all of the torture he's faced in the last twelve episodes.
“Family” members: None atm
Links: Permissions!
Other Info:
event plans
The weekend squire just came out to mow his lawn: If it was left to Arthur his lawn would be a mess (AND WAS), so luckily he has John to help him pick up the slack in that regard. Will definitely be signing up for the air conditioning plot, this English New Englander's ass is not prepared for a hot dry summer.
Tropical drink melting in your hand: Unless someone shoves Arthur into it he has no intention of going into the pool.
Wearing smells from laboratories facing a dying nation: Arthur who grew up in the Great War and is acutely familiar with the concept of mustard gas, and doesn't trust any fuckers in this town as far as he can throw them, will not want that shit anywhere in his house and will be actively avoiding going outside when he's made aware of it, regardless of how bad the heat is. ...he might give himself heatstroke, who knows.
I fashion my future on films in space: Since he's actively avoiding the previous prompt he won't be able to engage with this one, lmao.
Other plotting: Now that Arthur has John I desperately want him to be a menace to society, so I'd love to think of something for them to explore together during this month as well. Totally down to make it a group event for maximum chaos! Let people see how Arthur and John work together as they try and make it work with two bodies!!
no subject
Player name: Danii
Player pronouns: she/they
Contact(s): yarnzipan @ plurk or PM this account
character info
Character Name: John Doe (Numbers)
Character Age: 300 million, appears 15
Character Role: Child
Canon: Malevolent
Canonpoint: between Part 20 and 23
1 paragraph summary of character/canon: John Doe is half of the Great Old One Hastur/The King in Yellow who was ripped in half due to a muck up with a ritual who had his mind erased, he was stuck in a hellish abyss, and when he got out he ended up possessing the eyes of Arthur Lester. Through their adventures, John gained an appreciation for the world and for humanity that his former apathetic existence lacked and he decided that he wanted to be a real person, human, and took the name of John Doe. He is Arthur Lester's 'eyes' in every sense of the word throughout their adventures, narrating what's going on around them and giving him the visual information that Arthur lacks. At this stage of canon, he is aware of what he once was (the KiY/Hastur) but only has the barest framework of those memories available to him.
“Family” members: Numbers
Links: permissions | app
Other Info: Brand new to being human, to having a physical body, etc.
event plans
The weekend squire just came out to mow his lawn: John will be scrambling to do the lawn for Arthur, and he'll probably do it for Numbers if asked. Ugh. You suck.
Tropical drink melting in your hand: John will want to stick by Arthur but might be curious enough to go to the pool if asked or brought. It's recon, Arthur!
Wearing smells from laboratories facing a dying nation: Uh. WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO RUN INTO A CLOUD OF CHEMICALS? John's going to be trying to avoid that shit as much as possible. If he gets yelled at, he might acquiesce just to not get in trouble.
I fashion my future on films in space: If he gets adulted into it, he'd try and find out as much as he can.
Other: John's basically Arthur's little agent but he's also just going to be having this be his first time he can have relationships with people who AREN'T Arthur so I'd love to have him get peer pressured or tempted to explore something new.
rolling in late with starbucks as per usual
Player name: Adiva
Player pronouns: she/her
Contact(s):
character info
Character Name: Chell
Character Age: 27/28ish
Character Role: Wife
Canon: Portal/Portal 2Canonpoint: Literally seconds before leaving the facility at the end of Portal 2
1 paragraph summary of character/canon:
Chell is the silent protagonist of the Portal games, described by her nemesis-slash-
girlfriend GLaDOS as a "dangerous, mute lunatic" who is very hard to kill. She spent the last [TIMELINE UNAVAILABLE] either in cryosleep or trying not to be murdered by computers in an underground facility designed to test strange sci-fi technology like (very short range) interdimensional portals, security turrets full of bullets, and advanced AI. Now, she's still adjusting to what life as something other than a test subject can be. Slightly above average in athleticism and intelligence, in the 99th percentile of "tenacity," and good at solving puzzles.“Family” members: Bucky Barnes
Links: Info/permissions and app!
Other info: In April Chell swiped an ID badge from the suicide victim, which she's been keeping on the down-low.
event plans
The weekend squire just came out to mow his lawn: Chell will assist Bucky with lawn work, if need be. Letting a repairman into the house for the AC unit is probably a non-starter given the level of paranoia in the Test Subject House, so ...
Tropical drink melting in your hand: She will DEFINITELY be heading to the community pool to cool down! And probably getting a sunburn, oops. Anyone want to give her tips on how to behave normally at a pool party?
Wearing smells from laboratories facing a dying nation: That looks an awful lot like her old friend deadly neurotoxin to Chell. However, because I'm a sucker for plot engagement, the heat in the house is likely to drive her outside to the lawn long enough to get some of the gas.
Since she's also been trying to do a bit more neighborly visiting, does anyone want a woman to develop a nosebleed and/or black out and hallucinate 👇🏻 on their stoop?
I fashion my future on films in space: This feels like a great segue into sharing the name she got from the ID card. Chell hasn't had any notable run-ins with Pollock -- maybe this is an opportunity for folks to discuss his involvement with stuff?
no subject
Player name: Sy
Player pronouns: She/her
Contact(s):
character info
Character Name: John Mandrake
Character Age: 16
Character Role: child
Canon: Bartimaeus Series
Canonpoint: post book 2
1 paragraph summary of character/canon: John Mandrake (birth name: Nathaniel) is a magician from an alternate timeline where magicians can summon demons and force them to do their bidding, usually to gain personal and political power. The British Empire is currently dominating most of Europe, with a heavy hand. Mandrake is only sixteen but he's been made the Information Minister because of his own power and, more importantly, knowing how to hold onto the Prime Minister's favor. He run propaganda campaigns to stop unrest among the non-magician population, as well as using spies to root out what unrest does exist.
“Family” members: Papyrus
Links: To permissions posts, opt-outs, info sheets, etc.
Other Info: app!
event plans
The weekend squire just came out to mow his lawn: Mandrake absolutely doesn't want to learn how to mow a lawn, and will do a lot to avoid it. He's also going to be miserable in the weather. He's determined not to let that stop him from plotting, but it's nothing he's had to deal with before so that's a lot.
Tropical drink melting in your hand: Mandrake doesn't want to go to the pool, but he will to show 'community spirit'. Find him pretending to appear to be enjoying himself and finding out as much information on how to act 'normally' as he can. He believes in getting the people of the town to see him as a nice, normal boy!
Wearing smells from laboratories facing a dying nation: Mosquitos are also new to Mandrake and he appreciates them being taken care of, but he'll be reasonably wary of going near any chemicals being sprayed somewhere.
I fashion my future on films in space: he'll try very hard to avoid being out long enough to notice effects in himself, but Mandrake will be interested in seeing other people getting sick
Other: Mandrake is working making a good impression, which includes trying to subtly feel out the idea that he totally wants to get free (ie trying to find out potential trouble makers)