INTRO LOG #2

[bequiet]

INTRO LOG #2
Put a Sock in It
Content Warnings: Disorientation, memory loss, confusion
Themes: Arrival, survival, exploration, horror

You wake, standing. A thick, muddy red dust coats your skin and clothes - it sticks to your tongue and blocks your vision. Inhale and it chokes you, exhale and your breath puffs out in front of your face in a transparent maroon cloud. It tastes of copper, tangy and harsh. Movement is difficult, every limb tingles and aches. Look to your left, your right. Evenly spaced in each direction stands another person indistinguishable in every way from the next. You're disoriented and lethargic, unable to grasp onto a single thought. A pinprick of light blooms ahead and grows steadily larger; a door has opened.

Hands grip your wrists, push at the small of your back and guide you out of the darkness into a room with four walls and a thin, sagging ceiling. The plaster is peeling, the air is musty, and the floor is slick. White plastic piping juts up from the center and curves into multiple spouts, clean water flowing in uneven streams. Those hands pull your clothes off and clear the dust from your body, redress you in handsewn jumpsuits. By the time they’re through, you will have begun to come back to yourself.

A finger is pressed to your lips. Kind eyes meet your own and a single word is whispered - hush.

Led out of the room in a line, you’re taken down a short hallway and into another, much larger room. There’s a woman waiting for you there, a child hugging her leg, and a cloth bag in her hands. She reaches in and pulls out a device, passes one to each of you. Once finished, she begins to move both hands in graceful gestures, a language. One of the people who helped you lifts their device and the screen lights up, tracks the woman’s hands. Letters appear on the screen and you understand the device’s purpose. She tells you what she knows and it’s not much.

This world is haunted. Noise attracts them, so it is not allowed. Communication is through body language, soundless writing, and the device. She tells you that your feet must be light and your mouth never used. There is a community outside these doors, where you can survive together, but only if you agree to one thing: complete and total silence. You'll have time to talk it over. You may ask one question and receive one answer.

Acceptance allows you to journey outside. The ground is marked in pathways of sand, lining the paths to each building and everywhere in-between. You notice that the locals hold their devices always, aloft and glance to it often. It will not vibrate or make a sound to signal a message. Notices appear. Rules. Guidelines. Feet on the sand and never anywhere else. To open a door you brush your fingers along the hinges - oiled and you may enter. If not, take the brush from the can sitting nearby and coat the metal with the dark liquid.

Now, you're to settle into your new home – with or without the help of those who have come before you.

The Place Inside
Content Warnings: Disorientation, hallucinations, body horror
Themes: Plot, exploration

Have you been to hell. And more importantly, have you been back. We all know this pain but are too scared to recall. This horror controls us, pulls at our strings to ensure how our life plays out. So, let me rephrase my question: have you been to Ile Lacrox. And more importantly, can you come back.

In the community, if you hear something you're not supposed to hear, you learn to look the other way. If you see something you're not supposed to see, you pretend it never happened. If you feel disappointed, you learn to never ask for more. So, through good times and bad, famine and feast, the natives held fast to their rules until one common day a sly wind blew in from the south...

That same red dust twists through the streets, curling up in faint, little plumes of familiarity. The farther south you go, the thicker it becomes. Those willing to explore far enough will find it coming from an island in the middle of the river. Once there, doting every available surface is the evidence of Sound Eater births, and the closer you are to the island, the harder it is to avoid being coated in red. Even if it's not rubbed into the skin, it doesn't take long for the effects to take over. Every sound is amplified. Your breaths are deafening, the slightest step echoes. But no Sound Eater attacks. Your vision blurs, and it's as if your mouth is sealing itself shut. Those you traveled with seem to be similarly affected, and you know you have to be quiet. Anyone who brought supplies with them might discover that a drink of water subdues the symptoms.

OOC: Only characters who entirely submerge themselves in water will be free of the dust effects. Just remember that noise will attract Sound Eaters.


Liplocked
Content Warnings: Violent tendencies, mind alteration
Themes: Love, romance, obsession, sex

The natives are of French origin, and with that comes a love of romance. Residents will find treats and valentines at their doors. That same night, there will be a small, red-glowing fire built near the fountain. There will be jars pressed into the dirt and filled with a sweet, red liquid. Some natives can be seen drinking it and being very affectionate with one another. Anyone who drinks this is inspired to show endearment or lust to others, and it will wear off after sleeping.

There's also the noticeable addition of a new arrival. They came through the Reset Room just like everybody else. They understand the rules and follow them to a tee. They are the perfect example of what the natives want in their residents. They are charming and captivating. They say nothing, and they don't have to. When your eyes meet, you feel seduced. There's a nervous flutter in your stomach. You can feel your heartbeat in your throat. Pounding, constricting. They smile and then turn away.

As they're walking, you notice you're not the only one looking at them, and in their expression, you see your own mirrored. What started as sweet infatuation and longing dissolves into a jealousy unlike any you've ever known. All you understand now is that to win their affections you have to come out on top—so you're the only one they see. Your actions are not your own, but they're still yours.

OOC: There are two ways to break the "spell". Your character fights it out with someone else who is feeling the same way OR they're approached and physically touched by someone who isn't affected by the newcomer. A third of the community will be completely unaffected (everyone else is affected unless the player is uncomfortable with playing out the scenarios). The newcomer can be of any gender the player wishes. For those partaking in drinking, the players can choose what effects it has; it can inspire feelings of lust or boost paternal/maternal instincts or devotion towards friends.

OOC
From your mods:

Please be mindful of content - if something triggery comes up or if it goes up a rating to say, something sexy, mark your threads in the subject line. We're very flexible and allow any material; we just want our players to be respectful of each other. If you have questions, pp the mod account, use the faq or comment to the appropriate post below. Have fun!

NAVIGATION

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Comments

QUESTIONS

[bequiet]

[waystation]

Sorry if this has been alluded to elsewhere, but I couldn't spot it. I know the state of Reims is supposed to be rundown and in a state of neglect, but how long does it look like it's been that way to the characters? Are talking 10 years' worth of dust? 20? 100?

ASK A NATIVE

[bequiet]

All new characters can ask a native one question and get one response. This can be anything and asked during any point during the first weeks they are in game. Remember to read other people's questions as each character, new and old, will have heard them asking and catch the answer. Characters can give their question to someone else or collaborate (just note it in your comment).

[lilithsoul]

[A question did occur to Rei almost immediately. Even if it should have felt obvious, it was not to her. So much about this place was foreign, other than the ominous sense of tension that dominated the atmosphere. That, sadly, was all too familiar to her even if the source had changed.

Almost unblinking, her eyes locked onto one of the natives who was helping with the initial explanation. When she spoke, it wasn't louder than a whisper, a thing that came almost naturally to her. She'd never been a very loud person anyway.]

What is the purpose of the sandpaths?

[Was it to help muffle sound by keeping on them, or was it more to guide people to places that were safe and not to be lost? She could accept orders that were logical, even if not from those that commanded her. This, however, made her just curious enough to see if these people knew the actual purpose, or simply followed without knowing. Either way, she would keep to them. That wouldn't be a problem, but this might tell her a lot about how these people operated.]

dorothy gale | emerald city

[tornadoed]

i. put a sock in it

[ there are rules. guidelines. dorothy has never been great at following the rules, but something tells her that she really, really has to try. she's only just managed to get home and being here feels like a blow, something unimaginable. as impossible as oz.

how lucky can one girl be, anyway? at least no one has tortured her so far.

she ventures out, walking along the sandy paths, searching for a place to stay and eventually settling on the deck of house two. when encountering a stranger — anyone, really, because everyone here seems to be a stranger — she gives a little wave. if they stop, if they seem willing to chat, she'll type - ] hi

[ so eloquent. she's trying not to be too freaked out by all this, but it's hard. ]

ii. the place inside

[ dorothy's breath feels ragged and heavy and far too loud. she's holding the device tightly in one hand, clinging to it because it's something familiar. the only familiar thing in this place, really. for a moment, there are tears in her eyes — but they dry quickly, dust coating her eyes and making it difficult to see.

she has to stay quiet. she has to protect her lungs. she lifts one arm, setting her sleeve before her mouth and nose. it doesn't help much, but at least a little. everything is so loud. dorothy closes her eyes tightly, typing blindly: ]

any tips

[ someone please help ]

iii. wildcard

[ want something else? go for it or hit me up at abiosis ]

put a sock in it

[norms]

[ Right now, he's not actually looking for anyone to talk to because he's busy trying to figure out what he should be doing. Or where he needs to go. Something that isn't just sitting around feeling confused. But he pauses on the path to glance at her and the way she types; is conversing really just going to be about talking through text now? ]

hi :)
are you looking for someone or just lost like me?

[ It's not an entire lie since he doesn't know where he's going, but maybe talking about something normal will help the last of the jitters leave him too. ]

Aaron Taylor | WoD OC | OTA

[xochipilli_cursed]

A) The Place Inside - Community Guard
[Let a fool die a fool's death. It applies to others as much as it applies to him. Still, after his first attempt to follow the red sand and subsequent problems, he knows this trap isn't normal and there's no normal way to know what you are going up against.

He quickly retreats from the island and the red sand when things start to get strange. He made a few promises after all to not push his luck just yet. After an escape, a bit of accidental discovery and frustration with this domain he finds himself in, he decides to try something new. He's not a super hero. But maybe he can deny whatever is doing that it's prizes.

So he gathers up bottles of water at a safe place across from the Iles Lacrox and he ventures in looking for those who cross. He's not going as a person though. Standing around 7 feet tall, covered in fur and wearing a large red jumpsuit, the werecoyote goes to snatch people from the red sands grip and bring them back to the bottles of water. He's fast and strong and can carry most people quickly if they don't put up a fight. Sadly he can't really talk or type like this.

He just hopes Xochipilli enjoys this.]

(If you want to run into a werecoyote in a jumpsuit trying to rescue your character, hit this prompt up. If you want to have your character traumatized by a monster trying to snatch them feel free to hit this up as well.)

B) The Place Inside - Aftermath
[Drinking water and trying to lay down in shallow water will only help him for so long, eventually Aaron has to call it quits on the rescue attempts.

The red sand is everywhere and just won't go away, so he shifts down to coyote form and tries to find small areas of water to lay down and soak in. Also means he's seen around town again as a coyote but maybe people will just think him a stray dog or something. The wet, sand caked coyote makes his way around finding the next place to wash off silently.]

C) Lip Locked
[After getting cleaned up and safely back to looking human, Aaron spends the evening out wearing the same red jumpsuit he was as a monster. It oddly seems to always be the right size. Or maybe just so many people have red jumpsuits around here.

This time Aaron's actually partaking in the random drinks the locals are offering. Not a lot but after being here a month he thinks he can handle a drink. He should at least. In this case he's not ready for the side effects and doesn't even seem to be suspicious of how he feels after.

So instead he offers friends and strangers alike a big goofy grin and a wave while seeming to be barely able to contain laughter as if something is deeply hilarious to him. He does manage to stifle it though for now at least.]

a) The place inside

[charliehorse]

[Do you know what Charlie thinks is worse than unseen predators hunting his every sound? An actual tangible predator that's nearly eye level with him and snatching at him. In fact, if you had to ask him what a nightmare beast hunting him from the shadows would look like, Aaron right now is pretty much it.

He dances back on his hooves, kicking with his front legs as he backs up sharply, his eyes bulging with panic.

He's squeezing his lips together tightly because he doesn't want to draw of Aaron's kind to him, but he's struggling with the urge to yell.]

Bethany Goodrich ; Original

[magnes]

A. Put a Sock in It

[ The whole situation is an overload. It's not just the sudden change of local that throws her, it's everything. She's suffered through an eternity of solitude, unable to touch the world around her in any meaningful way. Unable to speak and expect an answer, people looking and walking right through her. And just like that, it changes. Hands grip her and guide her along, eyes lock with her own, try to make her understand the importance of silence.

The words don't connect, her mind is stuck on the fact that she can be seen. Where she is doesn't matter, it's not like she has anywhere else to go. What matters is she's no longer alone. She's no longer stuck as the observer in a world that she stopped truly caring about.

The natives will occasionally give her strange looks because every so often, especially during her initial interactions with them, she just flickers out of existence. One second she's there, the next she's not, the hand holding clamping down on nothing.

And then she's back.

She stands outside the reset room, watching people as they leave. Every time someone makes eye contact or looks in her direction, her stomach flutters anxiously--anxiety, she almost wants to laugh. She hasn't felt that in so long. Unfortunately, she's still not sure this is even real. For all she knows she's asleep somewhere.

So without warning, she grabs your hand. There's no preamble. No 'hello' or 'Sorry, I just want to make sure this is real.' She just reaches out, takes your hand, and squeezes it gently, her gaze focused intensely on the point where your hands meet.

It's probably really fucking weird. ]

B. Liplocked

[ Jealousy coils in her gut like a poison, roiling whenever she sees someone approach the new-comer. She's never felt something this intense, but it's only right...right? She's suffered so long, she deserves this person's affections. She deserves to have something good happen for. Once.

If she sees anyone making gaga eyes at The Person Of Hearts she storms up, fists clenched. ]

Stay away.

[ And maybe your character's own jealousy spikes, Beth's curse reaching out to make everything that much worse. ]

C. Wildcard

[ Choose your own adventure! Beth can be found on Patrols, every so often flickering out of existence, or blushing furiously at your character after drinking some of the 'ol love juice. Or maybe your character gets a weird, garbled text message that makes no goddamn sense! The possibilities are endless. ]

A

[justbeingknife]

[ For a man with only one eye, Majima's face was pretty expressive. And what he was expressing now -- not recoiling, but reflexively tensing up before he he could force himself to relax, surprise plain on his face -- was being totally weirded out that a foreign lady was squeezing his hand.

It wasn't like he could type one-handed, either, so he had to settle for a tilt of the head and a bewildered look at their hands, then back up at her face:

Wh.... y though ]

Kara Danvers | Supergirl | open!

[iisupergirlii]

notes: find her here on the hot dog log if you'd rather talk over some quality weenies w/ Supergirl! Also, assume all of these take place on the 12th, due to Kilgrave plot occurring after that.

Put A Sock In It (morning)
[ the day starts out weird. first, there's candy and other Valentine's Day-esque presents outside their doors. Is it Valentine's Day? It's hard to keep track. Then, there's posts on the network from the natives - new arrivals are in the reset room. The natives seem excited, or as excited as they've ever been, and all of Reims is filled with nervous energy. Work has halted for the day, and Kara can't help it - she's curious to see who else has shown up. Has anyone disappeared in exchange? Is that how it works?

She has no idea how it works.

She is, however, a networker. She wrangled the best seats for Ms. Grant at CatCo, gave company tours, and ran a million errands a day. She's not a native, and doesn't have all the answers, but she does squeeze herself into the rooms adjoining the reset room and mingles with the new arrivals, offering help where they need it.

She's wearing an adorably conservative outfit but conspicuously not a jumpsuit, and she throws herself into this all the way, a smile on her face. She keeps her device out because, even though they can talk inside these walls, it's best to get used to the things early on. Bumping into her, your character will receive the message: ]

Hi! My name is Kara! Can I help you get your bearings or find your house?

The Place Inside (afternoon)
[ With new arrivals (mostly) getting settled and bellies full of delicious hotdogs (thanks, Frank), Kara sets herself to wander the town in her supersuit, see if everyone is okay. She keeps an ear out for any familiar voices plotting, especially Jessica, Frank, Faith, Rey, or Poe, doing her job just like Kilgrave instructed. Until she hears anything or has to report in to him, though, she's free to drown herself in whatever superpowered work she can do.

As a cleaner, she busies herself with some of the rubble around the outskirts of the horseshoe of houses, clearing some of the land so it can be used, carrying huge pillars over her head and setting them down out of the way gently and quietly. That is, until she sees the red dust.

It had been covering the arrivals this morning, had drenched the Eiffel Tower on their camping trip, and now it's back. Left overs from the reset room being so busy? But it's coming from a different direction, floating on the wind...

Supergirl will investigate it, especially if she sees others doing so first. She doesn't want anyone to get hurt, especially once they follow it all the way to the shore, see the island with the horrific sights on it. The last thing she wants to see is another Sound Eater being "born." It's awful.

The dust is everywhere, though. In her nose, her mouth, choking her. She doesn't feel so good... If nothing else, she will throw herself in front of your character first so that no one will get hurt. To anyone making sound, Kara shows them one message that takes a laboriously long time to type out: ]

Stayquiet. It's too dangerous. Let me flyyou home.

[ You know, while she still can. ]

Liplocked (early evening)

[ Kara's never been so glad to be back at the town in her life. Sure, there's horror and terrible people here, but it's familiar. Monsters begetting monsters is a whole new sensory overload that she does not want to think anymore about. Besides, the dust seems to be wearing off of everyone, even if the arrivals are mostly waterlogged and frizzy, drying in the firelight as they huddle together with their devices.

It reminds Kara of when she first got here, at the quietest, weirdest party any of them had ever attended. Except now, instead of pickles and peaches, there's jars next to each bench, a free take me invitation that the natives are so good at. There's no reason not to, everything else safe to eat and drink so far, so Kara takes a jar, unscrews the cap. She hopes it's not more hooch. There wouldn't be any point in that. It has to be something made from berries, right? She sloshes it around a bit, watching the swirl of red in the firelight, before she upends the jar and takes a long swallow.

It's delicious, she'll give it that. The more she drinks, the warmer she feels, heat pooling in her belly and twisting. Her fingers tap against the jar, nervous energy, and she looks around. Is it just her or are all the arrivals, new and old, just seeming really nice and ridiculously good looking all of a sudden?

Either way, Kara's blushing, especially if you catch her staring.* ]

*more notes: feel free to go lust or friendship, idc. ALSO, skipping out on the mysterious sexy stranger bit bc Kara doesn't want to kill anyone and already has a bunch of fighting ahead for her, sooooooooo yeah. Third plot is basically "Kara drinks jamba juice and it's hella effective."

Put A Sock In It

[justbeingknife]

[ Kara's very presence was an encouraging one -- proof that even in this confusing new environment of enforced silence, at least someone was still capable of being cheerful.

Majima smiled at her. ]

Recommend a good karaoke bar?

[ And then: ]

Got a little turned around. Looking for House 9.

egil | original | ota

[norms]

put a sock in it

[ He almost throws up after the dizziness stops.

Having been at sea for nearly half a year makes it difficult to get used to solid ground under his feet, and even after he does, he doesn't think there's anything right about it. Egil's heard what they've tried to tell him, and it's always more of the same. Just try to accept it, move on. Find a way to survive. It means he's left behind the crew he's reluctantly started to care about. It means he's nowhere familiar, and there are a lot more like him. Confused, unsure. He sits just outside the Reset Room staring at the device in his hand, and after several minutes, he types out a few questions he offers to anyone close enough to read. ]

do you think they've killed anyone for being loud?
who says it's safe to stay here???

the place inside

[ This is the kind of place he doesn't want to be. Not again.

It's as if he's traded everything for the same situation he'd left home because of, and rather than being on a boat, he's stuck in the middle of... this. Since he'd arrived, it had reminded him of what the world might have been like before he'd been born; monsters destroying everything, people living in secluded places. Of course, sound didn't have a factor in much of it unless you lived beyond the borders of a city with walls for protection. Maybe it's something he should suggest to the natives here, but in all honesty, he doesn't care enough about them -- or anyone -- to bring it up. Instead, he mostly sticks to himself and tries to pinpoint the safest places for him; so far, he's only camped out on the deck of the house he'd chosen and gone inside once to warm up a little. Egil is used to the cold in a way that it doesn't penetrate to the bone until it's freezing to the point it hurts to breathe. Still, the worst part is his curiosity getting the better of him when the red flakes begin to blow in, and he follows behind the group of people who band together to check it out.

He doesn't get close enough to see their quiet conversations, steady with one foot in front of the other. He doesn't bother to cross the bridge entirely either, stopping short of it to crouch down beside an abandoned vehicle to peer out at the layout of the island. Something inside him is saying it's a trap, but he only hesitates when more people began to cross to the other side, grabbing at the person closest to him and using his finger to write in the ashy stuff that's collected on the window. ]

don't be stupid
it's dangerous

[ And he frowns for effect. ]

wildcard

[ got an idea i didn't write, or want to do something else? pm and we can hash out the details! mostly, he'll just be creeping around watching people and trying to find a way to stay away from this hot mess of a "city". adventures in the woods are likely c: ]

Put a sock in it

[magnes]

[ It takes her a second before she notices him holding his device out for her to read, and another still while she contemplates the questions, eyebrows knitting in thought.

She shrugs, and then types; ]

Probably have. People can be cruel even without danger.

[ Once she's sure he's read that part, she answers the second question. ]

I don't think it matters if it's safe or not.

Majima Gorō | Yakuza 0

[justbeingknife]

Put a Sock in It;
[ The fuck is this.

Imagine you're an ex-gangster from the 80s, for which the phrase 'cellular phone' holds basically no meaning. Now imagine you've somehow wandered out to the swimming pool, stuck on a spinning map of the stars as you desperately don't understand the concept of swiping or pinch-zoom.

Majima scowled, considered simply hurling the phone across the path. Instead, he turned to the first person he saw, whereupon he did his utmost best to mime the concept of 'I don't actually know what the fuck I'm doing with this brick' without making any noise. Hopefully no one assumed he was actually threatening to punch them, because that could actually be a reasonable interpretation. ]

Liplocked;
[ Maybe with all the crazy shit that had been going down in the last couple of hours, Majima could be excused for simply assuming that that red liquid was simply the local way of drowning one's sorrows the old-fashioned way -- by getting hella faded and forgetting about them, at least for a little while.

It was under this assumption that, when one of the jars was handed to him, he shrugged and took a sip. And immediately regretted it. ]

The hell? This ain't booze.

[ He mouthed, pushing the jar back into the native's hands. His expression alone said more than enough to any non-Japanese speakers in the vicinity.

Scratch that, it might not be any sort of alcohol he was familiar with, but he did seem to be feeling some kind of buzz...?

ooc: Going to start off with milder effects on this one, either flirting or paternal instincts! Majima will be lower key with dudes than he is with women; his types are pretty girls and.... gottsui otokos.... I'm real sorry in advance :'). If you're interested in something specific, let me know! ]

Home Sweet Hideout;
[ Even before he'd lost an eye, Majima had the look of someone looking for trouble. Punks would practically peel themselves off of street corners to get in his face, grab his shirtfront, pick a fight. And afterwards? There was really nowhere in 1980s Japan where a six-foot dude with an eyepatch could step to and not stand out, at least a little.

But as he rolled up to House Nine, he'd meet any new housemates with a polite bow and a message. Something like: ]

Pleased to meet you. Name's Majima. Looks like I'll be in your care for a while. If there's anything I can help with, please let me know.

Wildcard;
[ points to self, points to you, winks cornily ]

liplocked

[spalt]

[Erik is alright when it comes to reading lips. If slow enough and if he's attentive, he can catch almost all of what's said - when it is in a language he understands. The list of what he's fluent in isn't short but doesn't cover what this man had been saying. Body language tells him what he needs to know.

He's had a drink of his own. Assumed it was alcohol, if anything, and that getting inebriated might be an acceptable way to pass the evening. Now, while feeling attraction - no, lust - for anyone within a foot of him, he knows better. Unfortunately the substance has dampened his mood, as well, and he isn't inclined to fight it or complain about the way he feels.]

Erik Lehnsherr.

[He extends his device and then his hand.]

Are you here with someone?

Rei Ayanami | Evangelion | OTA

[lilithsoul]

1) Put a Sock in It
[She listened, impassively noting everything that happened. When she was hustled from one room to another, she barely seemed to react, showing no signs of resistance, nor a word in protest. The shushing motion was taken in stride, and it was swiftly apparent that these people did not mean her immediate harm. There was no reason to resist, no immediate danger that was apparent. No blaring warnings in the distance to send the people to their shelters, no crash of an angel's colossal limbs.

When they tried to remove her clothes and showed a jumpsuit, she had to show them the button to press to loosen her plug suit and get it off so she could change. She paid attention while the device was being shown, watched every word pass by and focused her red eyes on the woman. The gestures weren't easy, and she'd never bothered to learn any form of sign language, but she was still watching, trying to pick out any gestures she could, to see if she saw obvious deceptions.

When the people checked to see if she understood, she simply nodded and glanced to the side, looking at the others who had been brought out. There was curiosity there, but very distant, detached. She didn't say anything at first, in no hurry to leave but unimpeded at least for the moment. She would obey for now. It would give her time to be sure what sort of ploy was going on.]

1b) Settling In (Location: House Four)
[All that she had was a jumpsuit. She'd been wearing a plug suit before, but that was gone, along with the receptors she wore in her hair. Honestly, she didn't care one way or another. There were very few things in this world that she cared if she had, and none of them she could live without.

She walked quietly along the paths, stepping on the sand as directed and made her way towards the house that he had been informed by someone had a space open. It wasn't good to live alone in this place, she'd been informed. She paused as she reached the steps, testing to make sure there was no creak, that it gave properly before she reached the door and tested it with her finger.

No knock. She walked into the foyer and looked around with vacant, red eyes.]

2) The Place Inside
[She was not necessarily someone known for exploring, but she had yet to get her bearings truly. This place was strange, disorienting and out of place. The year was entirely wrong, and the construction looked like it was European, nothing like the instant that she had woken amongst the red dust. It meant that there were going to be times when she didn't so much wander as she moved around to come to grips with what this place was.

The swirling red dust, it felt familiar but oh so wrong. It made her think of the fluids in the plugs, made her think of blood given form. A breath with the dust starting to cover her sounded far too loud. No sound eater came, whatever those were, but the defeaning tone of it was enough to make her eyes widen and stare around. In a world of near total silence, she was being deafened by the perceived sound of electronic hum that no longer existed in this world, imaginary sounds that droned almost like the constant echo of cicadas that filled Tokyo 3 in a haunting melody. She swallowed and froze, looking at the person next to her.

Yes, she'd come prepared, a bottle of water on her just in case, but she had no idea that it was the clue to this, or what 'this' was.]

3) Wildcard

(OOC: Pick your own scenario! PM me if you like. I am opting out of 'lip lock' entirely due to comfort issues with Rei being involved in it, but anything else is fair game.)

Put a sock in it

[charliehorse]

[There were humans everywhere and none of them looked familiar at all. This was an experience entirely out of Charlie's experience and he was agitated before he even caught Rei staring.

Light Above him, those red eyes were creepy.

He split off from the crowd he was milling in to stare back at her, looking her over. Humans didn't come in those colours, he was sure. Staring warily he circled round her, his tail swishing uneasily.]

CRAU!Sora | Kingdom Hearts

[skyofreverie]

i. The Place Inside

[Exploration is always Sora's plan after arriving to a new world and this one is no exception. The situation in general is pretty bad and if something happens he wants to be able to get around in a hurry. Which is why he finds himself traveling any and all sand paths he can find, stops and looks down streets that don't have sand yet.

Of course he follows the red dust, delving deeper into the stuff in hope that perhaps this is the way out - that maybe he'll find a Keyhole to unlock the world and leave it.

It's only after that Sora realizes he's made a horrible mistake. Thump-thump. Goes his heart.

He doesn't dare move, air is trapped in his lungs as he stops breathing. The right hand clenches into a fist tightly until the knuckles turn white making the criss-crossing scars there stand out.

Get out! His mind is screaming at him to leave, to take a step back and flee from this place but he doesn't take that step back. Sora forces himself to stay exactly where he is but turns his head to look at the person next to him.

A simple shrug of the shoulders is all he dares to do.]

ii. Liplocked

[After seeing the natives drink the red jarred liquids, Sora avoids them completely. Perhaps it's a strange ritual they have or the fluid had some sort of strange affect - either way he doesn't drink it. Instead he sticks to his bottle of water that he brought along with him.

He's avoided whatever affects the liquid has or at least that's what he thinks until he lays eyes on one of the strange new arrivals. The pull he feels for them is strong, like the one he felt for his husband. Just the thought that he feels something for anyone else causes his heart to ache but Sora can't resist it. It feels right and yet not at the same time.

Then the stranger turns away to leave and Sora finds he can look away again. Except that feeling of longing is still there and when he sees that someone else has been staring a sharp stab of jealousy shoots through him.

Sora frowns, an arm shooting out to push the other person.

He mouths the words - Stop it!]

iii. wildcard

[You know what to do here!]

i

[lilithsoul]

[The person next to him didn't look scared, but they had stopped dead in their tracks as well. Exploration was less of a natural state for her, but this was a situation that called for it at least initially, and seeing more of the red dust certainly had drawn her attention. It had a hellish feeling, a familiarity that was charnal and made her think of the strange sensation of the fluids in the plugs back home. It did make her want to know more, to know the enemy she faced.

But now she had frozen. Her ears were buzzing with false, perceived sounds, and she could hear even the faintest breath going through her nose. Her chest barely rose and fall, blood-red eyes looking at him with no sign of the thoughts roiling in her head. Was she looking to him for suggestions? This was a bit beyond her understanding...]

Aloy | Horizon Zero Dawn | OTA

[toomuchridgewood]

I heard the island is all right if you're looking for a grave (ii. The Place Inside)

[ Aloy is curious. About literally everything, all the time. There is so much she doesn't know about this place. So much the residents can't, or won't, tell her. So much she can't quite get to. Can't quite see, touch, learn about. It's intensely frustrating. She always feels like she's banging her head on the bars of a cage.

She follows the dust as soon as she notices it. Carefully pacing along the sand path until she reaches the very end and then stops at the bridge. frowning as she looks across to the island that seems to be the source of the dust. ]

Burning blue for you (iii. Liplocked, a.)

[ While Aloy's never had any sort of relationship, she does know what infatuation is. It's something she's felt on her journeys, once or twice. Or more. And a fond affection that hovers on the edge of being more than friendship. Something she's never quite had time to pursue, no matter how often or how strongly she may have felt it at the time.

It's never been like this. She follows the new woman through the streets, captivated by her. There has to be some way she can approach her. Impress her. Make her notice her.

But she's not the only one following the woman. Her eyes lock with somebody else, and anger flares. She grips her spear tighter and approaches. ]

Burning blue, it's true (iii. Liplocked, b.)

[ Aloy doesn't like the food in Reims. It's all too sweet or sour or salty or something. Her palate constantly feels burned with flavors far stronger than anything she's used to. Still, she tries nearly everything. Out of curiosity, and the ever-present hope that maybe this time she'll find something close to what she's used to.

The red juice is not that. It's far too sweet, and syrupy, and sticky on her lips. But as soon as she swallows she feels... nice. And warm. And like her skin doesn't quite fit comfortably on her. Like she's aware of everybody near her and she wants them to be closer.

She fidgets and glances around, her cheeks warming. ]

ii

[beyourzoomer]

[Max is curious, too, which is why she's made her way out to the same place, but -- there's something in her gut twisting uneasily, alarm bells ringing in her head. She doesn't want to keep going. She spots the older girl a few feet away, staring out to the island where there's so much dust.

So much.

She remembers waking up covered in it, choking and gasping for breath and the panic that had settled over her. She's not easily seized by panic but not being able to breathe is an experience she has no desire to repeat and she shakes her head slightly, taking a slight step backwards, back onto the path of sand.]

Kilgrave | Jessica Jones

[kiljoy]

1. Put a sock in it
[Kilgrave isn't one of the new arrivals, but he does notice them suddenly appearing. What's all this? There seems to be a whole pack of them stumbling out from the reset room and he's curious enough to head over there to see what's going on.

A lot of kids, weirdly. He'll ignore any children (he's not a fan) but he may approach adults. This is a good opportunity to make a positive first impression before any of them can become prejudiced by Jessica's horrible lies. If he catches anyone's eye, he's got a message ready to show:]

Need any help?

[He's smiling! Friendly! Definitely a good guy, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.]

2. Liplocked part 1: What are you drinking (warning: Kilgrave being a predatory creeper)
[Kilgrave absolutely won't partake of the strange red drink himself, especially when he sees what it does to others. He doesn't need it and he doesn't like not being in control. If other people want to lose their inhibitions though... Well, he's here to take advantage. He'll sit by the fire or wander around looking for any pretty young women to chat up. Again, he's got a ready-made line on his device:]

Well, I can't say this is how I imagined spending Valentine's Day, but at least they tried. How about you?

[He's not interested in talking to anyone else, but he does cut a distinctive figure in his purple suit complete with silk handkerchief tucked in the front pocket. Approach at your own risk.]

3. Liplocked the sequel: What are you doing
[Unfortunately Kilgrave is susceptible to the allure of the newly arrived stranger, and when Kilgrave gets jealous, bad things tend to happen. Bad things up to and including murder.

So the moment he sees anyone else even looking at his intended, he marches up to them with a furious intensity.]

Back the hell off. She's mine.

[Anyone vulnerable to his mind control will be forced to do as he says here. He's affected by the spell to the point that he's risking speaking out loud without worrying about the consequences, and that will only escalate. Someone please calm him down.]

4. Wild card
[Anything else you want! If you're new to playing with Kilgrave, please read his permissions post before tagging.]

#2

[iisupergirlii]

[ Kara's sipped at her drink, enough to greet Kilgrave with a happy smile instead of anything else. her hair's wet from the dust and the water, but she tosses it over her shoulder and reads his message, nodding along easily. ]

I just can't believe it's Valentine's Day already!

ouni | children of the whales | ota

[worlds]

put a sock in it.

[Ouni doesn't know what to do. He hasn't, for a long time, but at least back home he had a goal to focus on—stakes high enough that he was able to push aside all other concerns for the time being. Ripped away from all that, he's lost again.

In a way, the world is granting his old wish: to be left alone. He's looked, but now he knows that no one else from the island is here. He was the only one brought here.

Somehow, the thought doesn't exactly bring him joy.

...

When it doesn't seem like anyone's around (yet), out on the sandpaths further out, he sits down. After pulling a leg to his chest, he buries his face against his knee, looking very much not like a happy camper right now. He will absolutely not admit it out loud, but the situation's actually kind of getting to him, oops.]

the place inside.

[Now would be a great time to have his sand mantle, but alas, it was taken from him. So, getting covered in red dust it is.

Blessed to be unacquainted with the Sound Eaters so far, Ouni doesn't recognize what he's seeing, littered across the ground. Nevertheless, though he still doesn't know quite what he should fear, he remembers the warnings about sound. It's enough to put him on edge, and in his wariness, patterns of deep purple flicker and swirl around him.

He turns to whoever else is there, and with blurred vision—though he doesn't like using these unfamiliar devices—he types out:]

waht are

liplocked.

[Let it be known that Ouni (who, blissfully, doesn't pay the person everyone else is infatuated with a second glance) hates socializing, has no idea what the heck people are celebrating right now, doesn't quite know how to handle any kind of open display of affection, and is an all-around stick in the mud.

Though he picks up a jar out of curiosity, he decides that no, he doesn't care after all—all the more so if it's some kind of liquor, seeing as how he was prohibited from drinking back home (and as much as he doesn't care for rules, he knows there's a good reason why that one exists).

So, he'll just be shoving it into the hands of the nearest person. Here, take it. Also bye, because he's stepping away now.]

wildcard.

[If there's anything else you want to do, hit me up!]

liplocked

[imitationsoul]

[ Miach has been watching the events with equal measures of amusement and disgust, distracted enough by the natives to be caught totally off-guard by the jar pressed into her hands.

She looks down at it, then up at the back of the giver, already leaving... She doesn't recognize him, so he must be one of the people who've suddenly swarmed Reims now. Miach wonders why the arrivals seem to happen in these bulks...

But now is not the time to wonder, because she still has something to say here. With big steps she comes after Ouni, grabbing his arm to get his attention.

She's not a waste bin, excuse you! ]

Zeno | Akatsuki no Yona

[originalouryuu]

i. liplocked

[The strange jars are everywhere and Zeno has seen several of the natives drinking it. He's decided to join in on the fun and is carrying around his own jar that he's casually sipping every now and then. Thankfully all he's experiencing is unbridled affection for anyone he sets eyes on - which simply means that this blond teen is approaching without hesitation.

After staring at the other person for a long period of time with a huge grin on his face, he lifts a hand to pat them on the head (if he can reach that high - otherwise he settles for a shoulder or arm).

For some that may mean whatever they were feeling for the odd stranger is gone while for others, it was simply an odd act from a weird person.]

ii. Welcome Home

[Congratulations to everyone who lives in house three, there is now a bundle of sunshine invading the space. He curiously investigates the home and everything inside of it (avoiding the bedrooms to allow people to keep their privacy). Zeno can be found in just about every room - especially the bathrooms and kitchens.

In fact, he may just have his head inside the stove (turned off!) to see where the wood goes.]

iii. Wildcard

[Watch Zeno NOT do his job or catch him exploring everything and anything outside the house.]

liplocked

[justbeingknife]

[ Majima couldn't help smiling a little at this sunny-looking kid going around all smiles, trying to pat people on the head. Could he reach a dude who was six feet tall? Maybe? ]

Uh, yeah. Thanks, buddy. You got a name?

Arya Stark | Game of Thrones | ota

[list_maker]

A. Put a Sock in It

[To say this place isn't like her home, is like saying the earth is not like the sky. It made no sense. Everything about it seemed wrong. Even without the being able to make a sound, nothing about it reminds Arya Stark of home. There are some older structures that hold some semblance of familiarity. Cathedrals they called them, but even they were more reminiscent of King's Landing than Winterfell.

This particular Stark is adaptable. It means her list will be harder to complete, which is more than a little upsetting. Unless of course the Mountain or Cersei Lannister found their ways here? But Arya isn't so optimistic to believe they will. Perhaps one day she'll work her way out of her. But there's nothing to be done about it now.

She'll spend some amount of time in her new 'room' in House Ten. It's large and doesn't seem much like a room at all because its a garage but the young Stark isn't sure she trusts it. Or the people living there. So she'll take to sleeping in the outskirts of town, up trees and in makeshift camps. Perhaps you'll meet her in the house or see her wandering around at night? She'll try to avoid you.]

B. The Place Inside

[Arya spots the red dust blowing through town with interest. There's something about it that calls to her. Like she ought to know what it all means. Perhaps she's meant to follow it? Perhaps it's leads somewhere important? Perhaps it's a way home? Maybe if she follows it she'll find what remains of her family? She's not sure she can allow herself such hope.

Wherever it leads she means to find it. She doesn't turn back, no matter how much thicker the red cloud around her gets, how much of the red dust is caking her white jumpsuit. She needs to see... but it's starting to get harder.]

B

[lilithsoul]

[She was not the only one drawn by the dust, the eerie familiarity of it and the thought that it might mean something. It reminded her of the LCL fluids distantly somehow. But by now, she was halted in her progress, getting closer to the isle, but held up by the near deafening sounds that she thought she heard.

She was just up ahead, holding as still as possible, breathing only the smallest breaths out of her nose to make as little noise as possible. Something was not right, and it felt like the amount of sound should have summoned one of those things, but it hadn't. In the swirls of the red dust, she looked back, eyes catching sight of a figure, but unsure what to make of her just yet.]

Charlie | OC | OTA, will match reply formatting

[charliehorse]

Put a Sock in It
By the time Charlie realises what was going on, his shoes had just been prised off his feet.

"Hey!" He staggers to his feet, looming nearly eight foot high. In the enclosed room his full bulk is significant. The natives back off sharply, holding up their hands to signal calm and peace, but Charlie's agitated. He twirls around, holding his hands above his head to protect himself from the ceiling as he glares.

"No, no, no, I don't want to be here! Wizards, I'm not part of your war!" These people are dressed so strangely that they've got to be some sort of magical assembly.

The Place Inside
Charlie had known he shouldn't have approached the island, but he had to see what the predators haunting the town looked like. He'd been sure he'd be able to handle the red dust if he kept his mouth covered with one of his neck-arms. He'd been wrong.

Thankfully his first instinct when panicked is to flee wildly, so he ended up blundering straight into the stream and washing himself clean enough to figure out he needed to duck his head under too.

He knows now that the red dust is panic poison and he's ready to flee again, but there are other people coming dimly through the red fog who were idiots just like him.

He approaches, looming in the redness, to try herd the nearest person straight into the river with his bulk before they can make a noise.

Liplocked
The lust doesn't hit Charlie when he sees Her moving through the crowd; she's so far away from what he'd consider an object of desire that he doesn't even register her as a creature capable of being lusted over. But she's entrancing and he follows, shouldering through the crowd and staring at her.

But he's not the only one. He sees another person staring and his jaw clenches in a possessive rage he hasn't felt since a lifetime ago. It surges through him, an instinct that runs deeper than his mere sentience. He breaks into a rapid trot, shoving people out of the way, his teeth bared, his fists clenched.

When he gets near enough he rears, lashing out with his front hooves. Though they're no longer iron-shod, they're still formidable weapons.

Wildcard
[Feel free to run into Charlie outside of town!]

sock it bop it

[originalouryuu]

Forgive him for staring but this is the first time Zeno has ever seen a man fused with a horse. It has absolutely nothing to do with the ruckus the stranger is making. Maybe part of it is also because the horse-man is extremely tall too. Zeno stood there with his hands tucked into the orange sleeves of his jumpsuit just staring for the longest time. Though eventually he moved forward to handle this since the natives seem to be having trouble. "It's okay, it's okay! Mister doesn't need to panic. Zeno was brought here just like you and hasn't heard anything about a war yet." He is smiling gently up at the giant.

Jim Hopper | Stranger Things

[upsidedowncop]

A: The Place Inside

Hopper was always good at going to places that you weren't told to go to. This situation was nothing new. His curiosity was getting the better of him, but once he started he kept going. He wanted answers and wanted to see things for his own eyes. Not just listen to the stories and warnings he was given when he arrived. He couldn't simply sit back and not do anything. He had to go and do his own digging.

First chance he got, he went exploring. He went traveling through the streets going south, ignoring the strange red dust for now. Hopper eventually finds himself at the beginning of a bridge and is hesitant. Should he continue? Or keep going? Something didn't feel right. By now the red dust was caking his skin, and the more he tried to wipe it off, the more seemed to settle. This didn't seem too promising.


B: Wildcard Feel free to throw in what you want.

A.

[toomuchridgewood]

There is a sudden influx of new people. Some of them recognize people already here, and vice versa. Aloy is not so lucky. She doesn't expect that she ever will be, but still it's hard not to be a little disappointed.

The dust is a welcome distraction. More or less. She follows the trail, wiping it off of her skin as best as she can, until she comes across an older man who seems to have the same idea she does.

She stops a moment, looking at him. He's not Rost, she knows this. But something about him makes her think of Rost. He's tall and broad and has whiskers, that's part of it. But there's something else in his demeanor that makes the pain of the loss of her father a little sharper. Just for a moment.

She lets it pass before approaching him. For all she knows, he could be awful. Any similarities she sees just a mirage. It takes her a moment to type out a message. Although after doing it for a month, she's getting a little better at it.

weird dust storm, huh

Jake Chambers | The Dark Tower

[waystation]

I. Reset Room

<sub>[Inhaling red dust isn't so different from inhaling a mouthful of desert sand, and Jake doesn't resist the help--can't, not with coppery, choking grit practically clogging every orifice, tasting of every time he'd ever gotten a nosebleed and felt the blood draining down the back of his throat.

It takes everything just to get his feet under him in some semblance of order, and even that is a lost cause; he has to be dragged most of the way to the next room over, spluttering the whole time. He goes quiet for the bath despite the owners of the helpful hands not saying a word to him, just wanting it off.

(Later, he'll think back to being bathed and re-dressed in what amounts to a blue onesie, strangers all around, with some embarrassed unease, but he has no room for that level of self-consciousness while it's happening.)

His head clears slowly, and what's left is confused in buzzing anxiety. What? Where? Is this Mid-World? Did they make it? But where's--]</sub>

( Roland. )

<sub>[Jake falls back once introductions and explanations are under way, listening from the fringes of the group of newcomers with half his attention. His mind is elsewhere, stretching out over the crowd in search of someone--a certain he can't see in the Reset Room with him, but who had been just behind him. There's a chance it could be dangerous, using his powers openly like this, but the reward feels worth the risk.

He can't seem to find the mind he wants; he presses the search harder, digs deeper, raises the volume of his call.]</sub>

( Roland! )

_{(OOC: For this prompt, feel free to approach him in person in the Reset Room! Or else if your character has the means to pick up on telepathy or anything of that nature, they may hear/sense him broadcasting a tad strongly)}

II. Outside town

<sub>[When Jake eventually gives into the will of the townspeople and he's left to his own devices for a time, he wanders aimlessly, absorbing everything still in a half state of shock that the portal should dump him somewhere so completely off the beaten trail.

Beaten trail. Funny. Because there are trails of sand everywhere, even on sidewalks, even inside buildings, and they, along with the eerie silence, go a long way to making a modern French town seem like a space colony on Mars. His wonders at the decayed state of things, so like Mid-World and not so like it all at once, gaze catching on and trailing after people as they silently go about their days. Is he cold, or has a permanent chill just set up residence between his shoulder blades? He can't tell.

And the red dust--there's something about it that makes his skin crawl. Wincing, Jake shivers all the more when it blows up and settles in his hair again.

Staring off in the direction of the red-laced breeze, knowing without knowing he doesn't want to head that way, that town may be strange but heading that way would be even worse, he frowns. Limbs heavy with sympathetic remembrance of how it'd felt to come to his senses smothered in the stuff, Jake follows the thickening cloud a little ways past the hospital, and there he stops, unease having grown to a fever pitch and stilled his feet. There's something about that dust. He doesn't like it. And it looks like it only gets thicker from here on out, turning the horizon a muddy crimson.

Maybe you see him standing and staring there on the path, or maybe he steps out of a particularly thick plume and startles you, or vice versa in time for his shoulders to twitch in surprise. Either way, Jake will seemingly have a change of heart about going this course and turn on his heel.]</sub>

III. House 11

<sub>[He's supposed to stay in one of the houses until further notice, is what they tell him (and learn, and make himself comfortable, two things he hopes he's not here along enough to do). "Tell him" because no one really talks here, they mostly just hold texts at his eyeline or do a lot of pointing, which is what ultimately helps him find his way to the porch of house 11.

Silence is easy for Jake when he's this unsure of himself and what he should be doing to get his stuff back and be on his way to Mid-World--and Roland. It's only the thought that Roland had looked for him once and might look for him again that keeps him wanting to go into the fetal position in the corner of the Reset Room and wait for life to start making sense again. Jake stands there staring contemplatively at the front of the house until he feels himself losing his nerve to climb the stairs. He sighs internally. Resigned, he steps up to the door, fist starting to curl into a fist to knock--

Shit, right. No noise. Then...?

A beat goes by before he decides to go for the handle and test his luck. Well, what's the worst that could happen at this point? Another house monster tries to eat him? Being under threat of monsters seems to be his lot in life. His fingers just make contact with the metal when suddenly the door opens from the other side. It sends him back a step in his surprise, where his foot very nearly does what his fist hadn't and almost knocks against a porch chair. He catches himself on the arm, visibly deflating. Phew. Close call.]</sub>

IV. Fountain, night

<sub>[Night time brings with it intrusive thoughts he'd managed to hold at arm's length during the day. This is really real. This is happening.

Unlike when he'd discovered the world of his dreams, this revelation doesn't bring any joy with it.

Though he's wary of the strange red drinks (looks too much like red dust), sitting by the fire surrounded by people brings with it a little comfort. More than being alone in a house that doesn't belong to him would. If he sees jealous tempers about to flare, he might get up and intervene, but for the most part Jake soaks in the warmth, knees drawn up and arms looped under them, watching the odd display of a group of people having a get-together without a single sound between them. He misses Roland. He misses his mom. At least he doesn't have to worry about a wavering voice giving him away when he talks.]</sub>

V. Wildcard

_{(OOC: Jake will be exploring throughout the day, so if you want to hit him up some other way somewhere else in town, go nuts!)}

House 11

[clussy]

(Eddie Kaspbrak did not know how to be silent. Even though the strangers of this town insinuated that his life depended on it, it was awfully hard to remember that without the brush of fear standing at his back, threatening him. That didn't mean he was reckless, of course. He wasn't so naive as to think that the town people weren't reasonably afraid of something. He did his best. But it was still a challenge.

Namely because life didn't exactly exist to be quiet.

When he had been assigned to the house, he just found the master bedroom and instantly claimed it as his own. It wasn't a selfish act exactly. He saw the master bathroom and automatically began to contemplate how many medical supplies he could get into the linen closet. Presently, he was trying to stock up on medical supplies, trying to stock supplies in general. He had been on his way out the door, a roughly made bag in his hands. But then when he opened that door and came nearly face to face with another boy, Eddie gave a sharp gasp of surprise.

The bag fell from his hand and landed with a dull thump on the ground. Eddie's hands had slapped up over his mouth as if to swallow down the sound he had already made. His heart was pumping at the back of his throat, and Lord.

It was so much easier to want to scream in a quiet world where surprises felt so much bigger. Even if they were only children.

Eddie slowly lowers his hands from his mouth, his breathing coming out in rushed wheezes. He doesn't look away at all, not sure who this was, what he wanted. Poor kid forgot that he wasn't going to be the only one showing up at this house.)

Faith Lehane | Buffy: The Vampire Slayer | ota

[rockypath]

A. The Place Inside

[The red dust sweeping through town is hard to miss. Faith doesn't follow it at first, despite how much it calls to her to follow it. Where does it lead? It feels like she should go. To just see.

Finally, she'll rise from her seat on her porch to follow it, steps slow and steady, cautious. But there's only so much caution you could have when walking directly into an ever growing dust cloud. She gets to an island finally in the middle of the river. There's something there. Littering the ground. Kneeling, her hand reaches out to touch... something sticky, red, on the ground. Gross. What is all of this? Her hand pulls back, as she starts to take more notice of her arm and the red dust coating nearly every inch of her skin. Shit. Her own heart is beating loudly in her ears and her throat squeezing tight. She made a mistake. But what else is new?]


B. Liplocked - open (18+ only please, warning: potential sexual themes)

[Valentines. She's gotten Valentines. Really? Faith eats the treats left at her door, sure, but tosses the cards left by the natives. She's never had much time for such touchy-feely nonsense. When was the last time she'd even gotten a valentine? Elementary school?

There's another party, only slightly less depressing than the last. Still has to be quiet, which is no fun at all. But these drinks are amazing, so it's making up for it, even if they don't seem to have any alcohol in them.

She's had. Four? Five? Ten? Anyway, she's lost count. Faith is feeling very good right now. Relaxed. Almost like she's back to normal and the past couple weeks haven't even happened. And shit, did she want to get laid. She finds herself scanning the crowd at men and women alike, people she's met before and not. She's undressing each of them with her eyes... not so subtly. If any one of them meets her eye she'll give them a confident wink, daring them to approach.]

b

[iisupergirlii]

[ Kara's feeling brazen, but even if she drank a gallon of this stuff, she'll never be as bold as Faith. still, it's nice to see a familiar face, and she's comfortable enough that the awkwardness from their recent fight doesn't consume her. instead, she comes up to Faith with a smile, more relaxed in how she carries herself than usual. ]

Faiht! Hi!

Vash the Stampede | ota

[ex_criticality719]

Put a Sock in It

[ For several disorientating moments he thinks he must have blacked out. It has to be a hallucination, some sort of fugue state caused by complicated chemicals and reactions in his body, just like every time when he uses the damnable power of his. The last thing he remembers is morphing his arm and letting loose a blast that surely would have vaporized Knives if I had hit. There had been nothing but sand, the smell of whiskey and crackling ozone.

But standing here, in this room, with a quiet woman fretting over him and handing him things he realizes with a jolt that he is not dreaming. He is quite present and somewhere completely different. The air smells stale. His clothes were not his own. There was dirt plastered to his face and making what was left of his blonde hair turn a coppery colour.

The kind woman hands him a clear looking object and he reaches for it with his left arm only to realize that his prosthetic is gone. Someone has tied his jumpsuit neatly so the arm doesn’t hang and get in the way.

He takes the object gingerly with his other hand and stares at it. And then looks at the person across from him with a dazed expression, as if he was just waking from a realistic dream, not sure what is reality and what is illusion.

He is feeling exactly nothing in this moment. ]

The Place Inside

[ It’s a charming little town. It really is. Even though the residence are clearly terrified and half of the quaint little creature comforts of the town can’t be used, it is still the closest thing Vash has ever seen of what imagined ‘normal’ to be. It is a community and he is part of it now, so it is his home too.

When the red dust comes, a noticeable difference in the air seems to shift. Things are more tense. People feeling unsafe. He is part of the patrol so it is fine for him to poke his nose in to this, or so he thinks.

He tracks down someone he’s heard things about. How dependable and capable they are. He gives a little wave as he approaches. Communicator out, he writes: ]

Gotta few seconds to help out?

Liplocked

[ The only true way to deal with hard to manage feelings is to drink, in Vash’s humble experience. Alcohol has a pleasant buzzing feeling, but no true effects on him. Not the way it does humans. He likes that it gives him the opportunity to be among people who have let their guard down. To be able to laugh freely and act silly. He is more than willing to drink this local brew and warm up to the natives for the night. But whatever is in this jar is having effects he hadn’t fully anticipated. He feels light headed and wanting to be close to anyone who so much brushes past him. It is a strange desire for him and if he wasn’t so well disciplined in denying himself such things he would surely be making a fool of himself right now.

He sits on the ground, still sipping his drink, with a painfully controlled face. He is flushed and letting this eyes linger on people in an uncharacteristic hungry way. That’s when he saw her. It is odd that he can’t quite place her features, what’s so alluring, so captivating about this person. But he has never felt such a raw need to be with someone. Ever.

And in a flash she’s gone. Vash jumps to his feet and sloshes some drink down his front, but that doesn’t matter. He is pointing wildly. Trying to get someone’s attention.

Did you see where she went?! ]

Sock in It

[lilithsoul]

[Welp, that made two of them feeling precisely nothing in this moment. Only moments before, she had been detonating a bomb that had been on par with nuclear armaments on a colossal monstrosity. Now, she was standing here, being 'spoken' to with hand signals and words on a screen. It felt like a dream, or like another attempted invasion by one of the angels. Had Zeruel switched to a mental attack when she had done that?

It was not quite like the last time one had tried to establish contact, however. It was not trying to enter her mind, none of them were, so she remained calm and quiet. Staring directly back at Vash with eyes that blinked only as much as necessary, she showed no expressions, her face close to a blank mask. She could have been staring through him for all it appeared, though she seemed to be looking him directly in the eye.]

tetora nishizono | mpd psycho | open to all

[nishizono]

put a sock on it

[ they took his guns.

logically - begrudgingly - he gets why. guns are incredible noisemakers, and deadly too; in a place where silence is valued there's no point in them existing or being in the possession of a stranger. still, he feels naked without them. he's never been so unarmed in his life, save for the one time that he would rather not remember. even his usual clothes have been taken too, along with his knives and the pieces of metal he keeps tucked around for just in case.

he gets why. he doesn't like it but he gets why.

when the device in his hand syncs up with another, he doesn't hesitate to tap out a message: ]

did they take your weapons too?

house 12 / residences in general

[ searching for a good place to stay turns out to be harder than he thought it'd be. not because he has to move quietly - that's his usual M.O., even before arriving on this videogame helltrip turned reality. no, the difficulty comes in realizing that his usual parameters for judging whether or not a place is occupied has been nulled - everything is quiet. no indoor noises to tip him off to an occupied room, no voices to tell him someone's rounding the corner, no car horns blaring and alerting him to a friendly neighborhood patrol.

everything is hushed to a creepy level that by the time he finds an empty garage, he's just glad he doesn't have to stab anyone out of a heightened sense of paranoia.

that, and he has nothing to stab with.

it doesn't mean he's alone, though. his device alerts him to a sync-up and tetora taps out a quiet but sincere message before he's even turning around: ]

dibs on the garage.

[zom]

[ mitsuha is very unassuming, so it's odd that he's asking her, she thinks--but it doesn't hurt to be sure, right? that's probably why he approached her. despite herself, she still wants to help, so she types back as fast as she can: ]

I didn't have any weapons on me...
But, they did take this from me in the beginning.

[ she holds up her wrist to show him a braided cord. ]

They gave it back not too long after I arrived, though...
What were you looking for?

[flyguy]

House One: /pees on deck to mark territory

[There is a growing pile of carpets, tools, paintings, dry wall— if it can be used to soundproof it's showing up outside of the deck of house one. Appliances and hardware that might potentially be useful in the future are scattered here and there like markers. And car batteries. So many car batteries. Tony himself has the sleeves of his most-definitely-not-the-tailored-five-figure-suit-he-arrived-in jumpsuit rolled up despite the temperature. It's not particularly a walk in the park to do this silently. The restriction is, in fact, making this take five times longer than it should. The temptation to say screw it and go sulk in the reset room with a pair of pliers and a coffee maker until he can finish a sound dampener is high.

And he would if he hadn't been locked away for several days starving and dehydrated in it. Bad memories. He'll keep his distance.

If you're passing by through his maze of junk, good luck. Try not to get in the way when he inevitably arrives lugging some new sacrifice to the growing dump. And yes, if you make it far enough through his stuff that is a media case stocked with alcohol. He is, but a mortal man.]

Liplocked: this can in no way go poorly

[Tony's been sitting on an overturned box a ways from the fire. Nursing a drink, not being particularly sociable, but he's not hiding in a dark doorway either. He's been people watching mostly. And rolling his eyes at the increasingly explicit PDA going on.

The real story of the evening though is one of the new arrivals. It grows more blatant over the course of the evening something's up. Half the population present can't take their eyes off the stranger and puerile fights are breaking out over the merest flick of apparently captivating eyes. Tony wouldn't know what the attraction is. He just sees another displaced joe in an ill-fitting jumpsuit. The effect on everyone else, though. That's pretty familiar. Disturbingly so. Bad memories kind of disturbing.

As such halfway through the evening Tony stands up and approaches the stranger, grabbing them by the arm to keep them from walking away. Up comes his device to make up for the sign language he hasn't yet mastered:]

What are you doing to these people.

[There's an hard look to go with the demand. Probably wasn't the slickest move to do this in front of so many people vying for the stranger's affection. Hindsight....]

Roulette

Want something else throw it at me, no plotting needed. I'll roll! Tony will be drinking the MysteryJuice™ a suitable distance away from the fire so that he's not first pickings if anything chooses to crash the party (safety first, kids). He's also unaffected by the stranger if someone needs/wants the spell broken (though heads up he'll be a complete ass first before he touches anyone :, ) last resorts).

house one

[deadboywalking]

[If you pile a bunch of cool stuff out where anyone can see it, then chances are you're going to attract pests. Raccoons, mice...pre-teens. At least Will is fairly respectful about it, keeping his distance and not touching anything, but he's definitely curiously looking at everything.

If he catches Tony looking at him, though, he's going to try and hide behind the nearest large object, though.]

Kamala Khan | Marvel Comics

[morphogenia]

Put a sock in it;

[The whole thing is a huge blow to her. She hasn't been a superhero long enough to prepare her for sudden drops into new worlds where she can help. Kamala feels like any kid would in her situation: overwhelmed, scared, and incredibly lonely. They had to take away things vital to her identity. She accepts that as best she can. It feels impossible not to be distraught by it and the absence of her family.

She looks more than a little lost while she takes in the people around her. It stays that way until she realizes she can't just be a scared kid all day. She needs a place to stay and figure out what to do next.]

House 6

[It takes a while to find a place to crash. Once she finds her little bit of space, Kamala does what anyone would do really and cries as quietly as she can with her head pressed up against her knees. Once the sadness has past, she's moving around to meet her new roommates with a pre-typed message.]

Sorry to barge in! I'm Kamala and I'd really like not to be homeless so can I stay?? Please??

[She has a puppy face lined up and everything.]

Wildcard;

[Kamala will be patrolling actively once she's gotten past the initial blues, her inbox is here, and she can also be found at the the hot dog party and fight club. If none of these work, let me know via PM or Plurk! I'm happy to work this out!]

house 6 but like... she doesn't live there...

[iisupergirlii]

[ through walls and the general distance between the fountain and house six, Kara can hear the crying. it's quiet, muffled somehow or another, but it breaks Kara's heart.

the red dust can wait. instead of following that, she follows the sound, until she's standing outside of a window. the sound is coming from inside house six.

it might be a little creepy, but Kara hopes her supersuit can explain some of the questions if and when Kamala sees her floating outside the window, trying to peek in and see what's wrong. ]

Gladiolus Amicitia | Final Fantasy XV | OTA

[protettore]

( PUT A SOCK IN IT )

[ Gladio follows the path of sand wherever it can take him, his strides long and slow, not the pace he's used to but it's what he'll have to work with in this new environment. He's mostly investigating, keeping track of details and locations, mindful to keep a wide enough berth between himself and others walking about. As he continues to wander, he eventually makes it upon house five where he's apparently been set up to shack in, except as he wanders through the house he starts to realize it's sort of lacking in a lot of free space.

Halfway through his searching he decides that this jumpsuit is definitely being more of a hassle than it's meant to be. Unzipping the front, Gladio shrugs out of the upper half and ties the sleeves around his waist. It's a startling sight if you're not prepared for it, some six foot six man packed with muscle and nothing but black tattoo inked all over the expanse of his back, down his arms and over his chest in the shape of an eagle. ]

( LIP-LOCKED )

[ He's got no clue what the festivities are for, seeing as Valentine's Day isn't exactly a thing in Eos. However if there's anything Gladio does know, it's that it's rude to decline hospitality, and if there's something worth celebrating to take your mind off of the depressing atmosphere in this place then he really can't blame these natives for getting a little in over their heads. The drink they've been passing around doesn't look like anything he's familiar with, but it's strong, and it seems to do the trick in getting people to relax.

Or from what he's seen so far, there's a lot more than just "relaxing" going on.

Just a little bit, he tells himself. Just enough for a light buzz. His tolerance is pretty damn good. And if it hits him too hard then... hey, if he can find a distraction in another person then that's perfectly fine by him.

Gladio's actions appear completely natural even in the haze of the strange liquid. His presence slides closer to people of interest, mostly women, and while he knows words are a forbidden gesture in this world it doesn't leave him without methods of flirtation. There may be a hand that settles upon a shoulder, a warm palm against their back, a coy smile as he wraps an arm around their waist and just tucks them tight against his side. ]

( ooc | characters 18+ for smut only, anyone younger than that will get the strong paternal instincts effect. open to both men and women. if you want to hash out how things go then hit me up through one of my contact methods! )

( WILDCARD )

[ Choose your own adventure and such. ]

liplocked

[skyofreverie]

[Honestly, had he not been through so much Sora would probably accept the strange jar drinks as well but he isn't that naive or trusting anymore. Even though he'll be twenty in just a few months, Sora only looks to be about seventeen thanks to all kinds of circumstances - still just a kid to some of these people.

Though the scars he carries say a different story. Most of them are hidden by his bright red jumpsuit or even his spiky brown hair though without his gloves there are definitely multiple scars criss-crossing both sides of his hands. Scars he'd gotten for trusting when he should have been more cautious.

Which is why tonight he's just here to observe - to watch the affects the drink has on other people. He doesn't expect when a large hand comes down on his shoulder. Sora nearly jumps out of his skin, his right hand flexing as if to summon a weapon he doesn't currently have.

Beneath that hand it maybe easy to tell that Sora's tense, his gaze wary as he looks up at the huge man suddenly touching him. Despite that he still gives Gladio a friendly smile even if it doesn't reach his eyes entirely. Sora lifts one of those scarred hands to give the giant man a wave.]

Emily Kaldwin | Dishonored

[whists]

Put a Sock in It.

[The last time that she was in a world that was different, her dear Aunt Delilah had painted it. This - well, honestly, it doesn't feel so far off from the painting. It's like Dunwall and the Void have been put sewn together, but when she looks up at the sky, there's a distinctive lack of floating whales.

Strange how that weighs heavily on her chest, as if the Outsider's presence would have been at all welcoming right now. (But it would be, because he was familiar).

She'd just gotten home back, had just rescued her father, had been starting to put everything back together. And now this. It was almost funny. Almost. Dear, sweet Empress, without a throne or a crown or a royal protector. Again.

She glances back at the building she's just left, where the room pulled her out of - where? Home? Existence? Is any of this even real? Her lips part, but she thinks better of testing the idea that it's all a lie. Ghosts are not something she wants to play with if she doesn't have to just yet.

Emily waits outside of the building, wondering if perhaps Corvo will step outside. Anton. Hell, she'd take the imposter Meagan Foster. As she does, she carefully wraps her left hand in a bit of extra cloth she was able to swipe until her mark from the Outsider is covered.]

Liplocked.

[Emily isn't drinking. It's not that she doesn't drink. There were a few times before when she'd been so drunk, Wyman became four people. Or no people. She was young, and stupid, and she had hated her life a lot more then. She's not quite as reckless with alcohol now, not after Delilah and roaming Serkonos.

The problem right now is that, she has no idea what this is. It's nothing like any alcohol she's seen before, which is a fair assessment. She's never been here before.

The problem right now is, she's watching the natives and a few others take drinks and they're getting a little friskier. She doesn't trust the alcohol, but people watching is always a good time. So she'll just be here, hanging out by the fire, being really amused.]

[ooc: feel free to hit her up, you lushes ;)]

Wildcard.

[Hit Emily up for whatever! She's been assigned as a Hunter, so she'll probably be frequently hanging around in trees and killing things. Emily can also be found hanging around on roofs and scaling buildings at night. It's not weird. She's also in House 10, for any roomie shenanigans.]

Liplocked.

[porkbelly]

[Yuuri had been very good about avoiding alcohol up to this point. It wasn't that he disliked it or it had ill effects on him - it was quite the opposite. When he drank he shed his normal reserved personality and became a much bolder person. In this place, where being quiet and reserved was a boon, drinking seemed like an especially bad idea.

But someone had misinformed him. He didn't think it was alcohol. It smelled good. One cup became two. Two became four... and it was a very different Yuuri that slid up next to Emily. At the very least, he retained the important information that he needed to be quiet, so instead of words he gives her a very friendly wave accompanied by a knowing smile.]