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memesville2020-10-25 11:03 pm
robbies) wrote in memesville2020-10-25 11:03 pm
Entry tags:
TDM - OCTOBER 2020
TEST DRIVE MEME - OCTOBER 2020
Everyone's entitled to one good scare.
CW: Violence, death, mouth trauma, vomiting, needles, razors
“Help me. Please, help me…”
A child’s voice, calling out for aid. There’s no rhyme or reason for when it comes to you. It’s so quiet, a whisper in the deepest, darkest corners of your mind. Were it not for the sharp, stabbing pain it pulls out of you, you could ignore it. You could even pretend it’s just your imagination.
It all happens so quickly and powerfully. Left in the dust, your brain struggles to process it all. Blacking out is the least it can do, but it’s also all it can do, and it does so before you even have a chance to fully register just how young the voice is, and how deeply, heartbreakingly lost it sounds.
When you finally awaken with your bare feet tangled in soft sheets, a layer of fuzzy fleece or slinky silk clinging to your body like another layer of skin, the sunlight pouring in from the window next to your bed momentarily blinding you, and the cries of happy children playing baseball outside of it carrying faintly, it all becomes very clear—
Something is horribly wrong.
A child’s voice, calling out for aid. There’s no rhyme or reason for when it comes to you. It’s so quiet, a whisper in the deepest, darkest corners of your mind. Were it not for the sharp, stabbing pain it pulls out of you, you could ignore it. You could even pretend it’s just your imagination.
It all happens so quickly and powerfully. Left in the dust, your brain struggles to process it all. Blacking out is the least it can do, but it’s also all it can do, and it does so before you even have a chance to fully register just how young the voice is, and how deeply, heartbreakingly lost it sounds.
When you finally awaken with your bare feet tangled in soft sheets, a layer of fuzzy fleece or slinky silk clinging to your body like another layer of skin, the sunlight pouring in from the window next to your bed momentarily blinding you, and the cries of happy children playing baseball outside of it carrying faintly, it all becomes very clear—
Something is horribly wrong.
OCTOBER 1st.
It becomes very clear very quickly that this isn’t a simple kidnapping.
By the time you make it down to the living room, you’ll notice that the television is on; someone must have forgotten to turn it off before they went to bed. On it, a cartoon pack of cigarettes and accompanying cigarette dancers prance around a black and white pumpkin patch, joined by dancing skeletons, ghosts and witches as a cheerful little earworm blares: ”Thirty days til Halloween, Halloween, Halloween, thirty days til Halloween—“ |
GETTING TO KNOW THE NEIGHBORS.
| As you get acclimated, you gradually begin to learn more about this strange new world you’ve found yourself in. You’re in a neighborhood on the east side of a town called Santa Rosita located… somewhere in California (wherever or whatever that might be). The year is 1961. If it wasn’t clear enough, your neighbors are more than willing to humor you if you ask. Even if you accost them with questions and demands. Sure, you and your family are a little kooky, and you have a very overactive imagination, but the key to any good joke is playing along! And how could something like “I’m from the future, from another world” be anything but a joke? A. AUNT MYRNA'S PARTY CHEESE SALAD.Over the course of the week, your neighbors will come by unannounced, each with a new homecooked meal to welcome you to their cozy little side of town. Meatloaf, potato salad, lamb chops. Gelatin molds — lots of gelatin molds.Someone even comes by to drop off a gelatinous yellow lump of pineapple, green peppers, celery and yellow cheese swimming in a soupy mixture of sour and whipped cream. “It’s my aunt Myrna’s recipe!” they gush once they drop the casserole tin into your hands, proceeding to rattle off every ingredient. Well, at least you won’t be starving anytime soon. When you bring it back in to your kitchen - and its cheery wallpaper and its floral patterned Pyrex dishware, you and your new...family(?) all stare at the cheese salad, the gelatin, the curiously frosted meatloaf spread. A smorgasbord courtesy of the insistent generosity! Who will take the first bite? |
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B. DON'T BE A SQUARE!
You can only avoid the cheer and the neighbors for so long, even as you sit inside enjoying all the amenities of your new home. The television can only turn its volume up to five, after all! One bright and sunny Saturday, the weather crisp and clear, news broadcasts and reruns of The Ed Sullivan Show are drowned out by the music in the neighborhood. Eventually it’s too much to bear — you simply must put on your shoes and go discover the source of that infernal racket.Why, it’s the block party! Haven’t you seen the invitation — with instructions — sitting in your mailbox, silly? Wear a badge so everyone on the block can know you’re new and welcome you to their extended family!
Well! Each neighbor was supposed to set up a table with snacks and drinks and entertainment on their front lawn. Carter Mayhew, one of your Robbie neighbors, has a whole ring toss obstacle course set up for boys to play with, and his wife is cheerfully and blandly instructing a group of girls on jump rope rhymes. Colorful streamers hang from every lamppost and mailbox, balloons and party favors galore. Like you, there are even a few newcomers to Santa Rosita that are caught just as unaware of this event — though others are being welcomed in by husbands and wives and children, caught in conversations about building decks and the upcoming Halloween festivities.
Before you can decide if returning home or joining the party is your choice, a plate with chips and dips and yes, more gelatin is shoved into your hands and a party hat snapped on to your head.
“The guest of honor has arrived! Come and meet your neighbors, neighbor!”
THROUGHOUT OCTOBER.
|
Life falls into a peaceful haze for the next several days. Dull, unassuming, tranquil. As the month drags on, the spirit of Halloween begins to manifest in Santa Rosita, from the pumpkins people start putting out on their doorsteps to the smiling faces of paper skeletons pressed against their windows. And then, towards the end of the month, something terrible happens. You hear it first through word of mouth, rippling through Santa Rosita like a wave, dark murmurs accompanied by sad sighs and downturned eyes. Soon, you start to read about it. Grim business, they say. A tragedy. How could something like this happen. People stop talking about it by the end of the week. Best just to forget about it. Every day, that cigarette commercial comes on. It’s impossible to escape it. And every day, the number of days in the song changes, counting down. ”Thirteen days till Halloween—” “Eight more days til Halloween—” “Three more days til Halloween, Halloween, Halloween…” |
HALLOWEEN.
CW: Violence, death, mouth trauma, vomiting, needles, razors
|
October 31st. It sneaks up on you whether you like it or not. When dawn breaks on Halloween day, things are as serene as they’ve ever been as men do yard work, raking leaves as their wives bake fresh pie and cookies in the house, the spicy scent of cinnamon, apple and pumpkin wafting through the neighborhood on chilly October wind. There’s a smile on every child’s face as they skip off the school bus in the afternoon, running into their houses to get their costumes ready. As it begins to get dark, the residents of Santa Rosita start lighting their jack-o-lanterns. One by one, little balls of light flicker to life on every porch and doorstep, jagged smiles grinning in the dark. For the entire night, nobody blows the candle inside their pumpkins out. It’s a tradition, a very old one, and traditions are just another way of saying rules. And Halloween in Santa Rosita, as it turns out, lives and dies by the rules. |
A. ALWAYS CHECK YOUR CANDY.
Halloween isn’t just for the kids, although they certainly make up the bulk of who you’ll see out and about on the streets. Walking through Santa Rosita, your neighbors are as generous with handing out treats as they are with handing out gelatin molds and pot roasts, and they don’t discriminate. Adults are received just as warmly as children; the worst one can expect is a quirked eyebrow if they show up to a house without a costume.Apples, packs of gum, homemade cookies. Chocolate bars, nickels, popcorn balls. Your neighbors hand out all sorts of treats, most of them homemade. The Robbies are no exception, and it’s their treats that seem a bit more high quality than most, some of the candy they hand out being obviously expensive, brand names. The good stuff. They drop each treat into your bag with those same pleasant, mild expressions and too-tight smiles you’ve grown used to in your short time here.
Eventually, as everyone winds up doing at some point in the night, you decide to start digging into your treat bag to sample some of your well-earned goods — maybe in the comfort of your home, maybe outside on the streets. And that’s when the fun begins.
Maybe you bite into metal, the razor sharp end of a blade embedded into the apple or candy bar you’ve picked out burying itself in your gums, or splitting your tongue. Maybe it’s a needle, impaling itself straight through the roof of your mouth or a cheek. Or maybe it’s nothing that obvious. Maybe the realization that something is wrong comes moments after you’ve devoured that chocolate bar or cookie, the bitter aftertaste of rat poison hitting the back of your throat along with bile and the rest of the contents of your stomach as they rise up and out of your mouth.
Or maybe you’ll bite into plain, sweet chocolate or fresh fruit. That’s also part of the surprise. You really don’t know what you’ll get until you start eating.
B. ALWAYS RESPECT THE DEAD.
At ten o’clock, all the television sets in the neighborhood turn on, blaring to life right in the middle of that omnipresent cigarette commercial. The volume begins to rise of its own accord as your television starts to pick up interference, bursts of static squealing amidst the rising, screaming chorus of ”HAPPY HAPPY HALLOWEEN, HALLOWEEN, HALLOWEEN!”Breaking through the static, garbled and tinny, a child’s voice cries out.
“Can’t— I can’t hold them— back— Pumpkin— don’t blow the— out—”
And just as quickly as it cut in, the voice cuts back out. Commercial jingle notwithstanding, you’re alone once more. But not for long.
The doorbell rings. You can see them outside from your window: costumed children. Their masks and clothes are grimy and ragged from the muddy, slimy water they’ve been decomposing in for over a week. When they come to your door, squelching wetly as they shamble up the porch steps, they ring the bell or knock, as all polite children do. If you don’t let them in, they’ll find their own way, always by force. And once they find you, all they can gurgle in their reedy, waterlogged voices is, ”Trick or treat.”
From there, they attack.
With superhuman strength and speed, they tear and rip at anything they can get their hands on — clothing, skin, muscle, face, eyes. Being short and small, despite their strength, they're at a distinct disadvantage. They can even be thrown off, with some effort. But they don’t stay down for long, and attempting to hurt or mortally wound them only stalls them for a few moments, if that. How can you kill something that’s already dead?
Some in the neighborhood are willing to try and find out.
The only houses they seem to ignore completely are the ones with lit jack-o-lanterns still outside. They’ll loiter outside these houses, staring straight ahead at your door or window like they can see exactly where you are. But sooner or later, they’ll pass by and move onto the next house.
As long as the candles in carved pumpkins stay lit.
OOC INFO
Hello, and welcome to We're Still Here's first TDM! Here's a few things we'd like you to keep in mind:
The TDM is canon. You can treat this as the game's first real event and pick and choose what threads you would like your character to remember when they enter the game. For characters who app into the game, the events of the TDM will be treated like a dream. Upon awakening from it, characters will find that time has jumped ahead to December 1st. You may also feel free to use similar reality and/or time distortions to explain why the family members your characters have in the TDM aren't the same as the ones they may be assigned to in the game proper.
If you would like to have Halloween content in your relaxed housing prompts, please feel free! You are not beholden to follow our prompts exactly so long as the spirit is maintained.
There is no Network prompt listed, but feel free to wildcard one for your characters anyway.
Although the TDM is canon in the sense that characters are free to remember its events when they app into the game, it does not count as an official plot heavy event, meaning that characters will not receive regains from participating in it.
With regards to the dead trick-or-treaters: you may NPC them however you'd like, but keep the details we've listed in their prompt in mind. They are supernaturally fast and strong, will ignore houses as long as they have a lit pumpkin on the porch outside, and will try to enter each house the moment the candle in the pumpkin goes out. Additionally, they can't be killed, but they can be momentarily stalled by injuring them. By November 1st, 6AM, they will disappear the moment the sun comes out.
The TDM is canon. You can treat this as the game's first real event and pick and choose what threads you would like your character to remember when they enter the game. For characters who app into the game, the events of the TDM will be treated like a dream. Upon awakening from it, characters will find that time has jumped ahead to December 1st. You may also feel free to use similar reality and/or time distortions to explain why the family members your characters have in the TDM aren't the same as the ones they may be assigned to in the game proper.
If you would like to have Halloween content in your relaxed housing prompts, please feel free! You are not beholden to follow our prompts exactly so long as the spirit is maintained.
There is no Network prompt listed, but feel free to wildcard one for your characters anyway.
Although the TDM is canon in the sense that characters are free to remember its events when they app into the game, it does not count as an official plot heavy event, meaning that characters will not receive regains from participating in it.
With regards to the dead trick-or-treaters: you may NPC them however you'd like, but keep the details we've listed in their prompt in mind. They are supernaturally fast and strong, will ignore houses as long as they have a lit pumpkin on the porch outside, and will try to enter each house the moment the candle in the pumpkin goes out. Additionally, they can't be killed, but they can be momentarily stalled by injuring them. By November 1st, 6AM, they will disappear the moment the sun comes out.
aziraphale 😇 good omens 😇 ota
ᐅ network
[On Halloween night, well into the bloodied chaos of the evening, a voice comes crackling over the radio:] Hello, yes — ! Anyone out there, if you can hear me and are in need of refuge, please come to — !
[An address is given. Aziraphale's house, his living room turned temporary field hospital.]
Anyone with first aid experience would be most welcome. Anyone with weapons is encouraged to come by as well to help keep the, er —
[A scream from outside, some muffled commotion, then quiet again.]
— to help keep the injured safe. Please.
ᐅ action
[It's a bit of a mess, to say the least.
"It" being any one of a number of things: the situation as a whole, Aziraphale's living room, his mental state, the front lawn... there's blood, there's tattered cloth strewn about, there's a hastily-arranged pile of what appear to be proper first aid supplies and makeshift ones including a sewing kit and a set of knives from the kitchen. There are people outside, people inside; there's a clearly departed demon-child across the street, a forgotten bag of sweets on the hood of a nearby car, a few smashed lanterns and a few intact and guarded.
Aziraphale takes a breath and tries to steady himself.
He's seen worse. He's lived through and helped with worse. This is... new, certainly, but not as bad as —
Well. He has a list, let's leave it at that.
As soon as the next person comes in, he's flitting over to them with nervous-but-gentle gloved hands and a clean cloth.]
Here, come, sit down — careful, now...
network
[He absolutely would have done it, if he had a child shape, but overall he's quite happy he doesn't.]
no subject
[If Aziraphale sounds flustered, it's because — well — ]
There are... children. Trying to maim people, and unfortunately succeeding.
no subject
[Michael's never had one, but demons in kid suits can do a whole lot of damage.]
Okay. Okay, um...I don't know what exactly I can do to help, but I can come help. Seems like nothing's coming to my house anyway.
no subject
[A pause. Then, Aziraphale uneasily adds:] Are you squeamish about blood?
no subject
[That's...maybe not reassuring? Michael's a little more bothered by blood on like, an intellectual level, than he used to be, but viscerally? He's been neck-deep in it for ages.]
I don't know all that much about human first aid, but I'm fine with blood. I can...I can do things. [He's sure...? He's sure he could.]
no subject
Aziraphale stutters on his end of the line, wanting to ask about that — "human first aid." Human. He had to specify. Does that mean...?
Not important. Later. They can deal with that later.]
Sure. Lovely. You can just — the sooner the better, yeah?
no subject
[He doesn't have anything useful enough to bring along, he thinks. There may be some first aid items somewhere in the cabinets, where he hasn't yet discovered them, but it sounds like this guy has all of that covered anyway.]
no subject
What Michael will find when he arrives is a bit of chaos: Only a few patients, and none of them critically wounded; not as many blood stains as there will be come morning; the kettle, in the kitchen, whistling away as it boils.
Aziraphale is bandaging an arm. When Michael comes in, Aziraphale gives him an assessing sort of glance — and, seeing no red on him, says:] Mind popping into the kitchen to take the kettle off?
no subject
[Michael takes all of this in calmly; though of course he feels for them, he's seen too much to be ruffled by just a couple barely-injured humans. He'll dart into the kitchen to retrieve the kettle!
(There's a muffled curse from that direction when he completely forgets that he's no longer heatproof and burns himself a little on the steam, but no biggie!)
More to the point, he knows how to make tea! He's not terribly practiced at doing it manually, but he's hung around Tahani well enough that he can at least manage. Presumably there's already some tea lying around...]
How many cups?
no subject
Um — oh, three, I believe! Four, if you'd like one. Please help yourself. Stay still. You must be the man I spoke to over the radio — I said — would you stop wiggling!
[Aziraphale is having two conversations, here.]
Thank you so much for coming!
no subject
[Green is meant to be calming, isn't it? They probably don't need the caffeine anyway; they need to get treated and get some rest. He'll take some of that, then - loose-leaf, Tahani and Chidi would be disappointed otherwise. It'll only take a few minutes. He'll let the kettle stand for a second or two first.]
No problem! It's good to help out. I didn't even know much was happening - figured it was on me to give out candy, not go out looking for it.
action
Her hair is wild and cheeks bright pink from running and dodging the creatures outside, but she seems closer to elated than terrified as she kicks on his door as a form of knocking.]
Open up!
no subject
Aziraphale's quick to open the door, and quick to offer a warm and relieved smile when he sees the demand coming from someone who isn't wounded.]
Oh, hello! Come in, come in. [Ushering her inside, glancing around the yard, checking and worrying and then firmly locking the door.] I do hope you heard my request over the radio.
no subject
[Her accent is distinctly not American, her being originally from Holland and all. But the English is still perfect.
She steps in fully, looking around to appraise the situation before finding where the bandages should go.]
no subject
Well, I'm very grateful. And you got here alright, did you? Nothing you need taken care of?
no subject
[It's said as dry as burnt toast, but it's true enough. Women to begin with, but especially nuns, were meant to be neither seen nor heard by most of the world (aka men).
She sets her make-shift bandages along with the rest, and gets to work trying to clean up the area for when the next victim arrives.]
You're a good man, welcoming strangers into your house on this fantastical night.
no subject
A nun! How wonderful!
[She has his full attention now, all bright-eyed and curious.]
Tell me more, Sister. Where from?
no subject
[She paused for half a moment, then added with a barked laugh:]
The year of our Lord 1897. A most odd distinction to need to make, but here we are. Yourself?
network
[A woman's voice answers back, seemingly testing the radio first.]
Sorry, I'm a bit tied up at the moment! But it could be helpful to coordinate our efforts and share information, from one refuge to another and all that.
First things first, are your jack-o-lanterns holding up? Have you found many injured so far?
no subject
no subject
Call me Leona, please. Leonardo if you must be formal.
As to your questions! We seem to be neighbors, though not particularly close. [And she gives her own address as a reference point.] It's fortunate that we're able to cover more ground, so to speak! Lucky for us over here that the majority remain unharmed, too. It makes it much easier to treat the injured with more hands and supplies to go around.
Unfortunately, with the distance between us, I'm afraid it would be quite dangerous to attempt to run supplies or personnel between our houses. We'll simply have to focus our efforts on getting people to the nearest safe haven, until all of this is over.