quietplacelogs | INTRO LOG #2

Entry tags:

the dark tower: jake chambers

INTRO LOG #2

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Nope, not even the faintest idea. Will just looks confused.]

is a yakuza a kind of shark?

No, they're gangsters. Organized crime.

[ He'd just naturally assumed Will would have heard about this sort of thing, note to self DO NOT MENTION SOAPLANDS. DON'T BE THAT GUY. ]

Protection rackets, gambling, that kinda thing.

Loan sharks are different. They're basically people that let ya borrow money at a real steep interest rate. They don't ask for background checks or a lot of conditions like banks do, but if you don't pay 'em back quick, you're in trouble cause the money you gotta give back adds up fast.

[At least he knows what gangsters are. He watches TV! Sometimes!]

oh. ARE you a gangster? [He can sort of see that. Gangsters wear fancy suits, right?]

[ Wow. People didn't really ask him that directly, just sort of assumed one way or the other while yelling at him, usually, but... ]

Used to be. Right now I'm a civilian.

You really okay just askin' stuff like that? Ain't you scared or anything?

[Will tilts his head to one side, giving Majima a searching look.]

if you were going to hurt me, you would've done it already, i think.

[ There was a brief flicker in Majima's eye -- recognition? Respect? Whatever it was, it was part of a darker shadow of emotion that disappeared just as quickly. He'd figured already that Will had Seen Some Shit, of course, but this was also a little worrying. ]

You got me there, kid. But be careful who you apply that logic to. Not everyone's like me. Some people hide who they really are until it's too late.

[ A brief pause, then: ]

I'm in a grey area, tryin' to get back in the game. 'ppreciate it if you wouldn't spread it around, though. I ain't ashamed of it, but I figure I'm gonna put people off enough already.

[Will raises and lowers a shoulder in a casual shrug.]

i know. but i can usually tell. i'll be careful, though.

how come? cause of the eye patch thing? cause i think that's pretty cool. [William, please.]

Oh, uh. Thanks.

[ One day someone would introduce Majima to the concept of RBF and things would become so clear. One day. ]

Anyway, so tell me more about Hawkins. I don't know one damn thing about Indiana.

there's a lot of corn there.

[

...no, wait, that's it. That's all he has to say about Indiana. Very descriptive, Will.]

So it's like a farming town?

[ This was Majima's vision of America: either New York City or like rolling hills with cows. ]

Well... whattaya do for fun, then? You said there was an arcade.

yeah, it's really small. there are a lot of farms and most people either work on them or somewhere in town. my mom works at the general store on main street.

yup. just one, though. i'm not very good at it, but my friends really like it. i like watching them, mostly.

[ What, he was right about the farm thing? Well, that was... weird. They even had a Main Street??? ]

Can't say I've ever watched someone else play. But they had a bunch of games over at Hi-Tech Land that I'd go try out. UFO catchers, racing games...

I liked Space Harrier the best.

[Just picture everything you've ever heard about quaint small American towns aaaaand that is Hawkins./small>]

it's fun with a bunch of friends, cause everyone's yelling and stuff. it's exciting.

what's space harrier about?

[ WHAT WAS SPACE HARRIER ABOUT actually he didn't really... know... ]

You're this guy with a laser cannon and ya fly around shooting dragons and floating heads. Sometimes there's robots and space jellyfish.

[ Now that he was explaining it, it didn't really make any sense...... ]

Okay, I don't really get the story, but I got 5 million points in it once. What kinda stuff they got over in the States?

[Well, clearly he said something right, because Will looks enthralled. You had him at "laser cannon", Majima.] that sounds SO COOL!

i wish we had it in hawkins. we have stuff like dig dug and dragon quest and pacman and stuff.

Heh. It is pretty fun. Maybe you'll get a machine if ya bug the manager enough.

I've heard of Dig Dug and Pac Man. But what's Dragon Quest? Some kinda sword and sorcery deal?

the manager hates us cause mike won't set him up on a date with nancy.

yeah there are dragons and swords and you're a knight who has to fight all these monsters. there's a princess too, which my friends reaaaaaally like.

[Here Will rolls his eyes wearily. Clearly the princess is...not his cup of tea.]

Oh. Tough luck. But how ya gonna be the manager of a store and expects kids to line up dates for ya? That guy must be desperate.

[ What Will that reaction was cute. So it was like that, huh. ]

Yeah, I don't think that's gonna calm down till after high school. Some guys never get over it.

yeah he's sort of lame. his names keith.

[Because as we know, the name makes all the difference?]

ughhhh I know, all of them were acting so DUMB about this new girl max and fighting about it and I just. don't get it at all.

[Will. Buddy. There's a pretty big reason you don't get the appeal of girls......]

Seen it a million times. Dudes acting like idiots 'cause they're all into the same girl.

They come around eventually, though. Well, that or there's a punchout.

[ Majima had never been the type to get into scuffles over crushes (it helped that his crushes tended to be fewer and more unorthodox), but he'd seen firsthand that that kind of pigheadedness persisted all the way up through punks in their twenties at least.

After that, they got a little smarter about it. Usually. ]

But hey, maybe you can be the levelheaded one and tell 'em when they need to step it down.

[Will makes another of those annoyed, huffy faces.] well, how do i make them knock it off? it's reaaaaaaally annoying.

Well, yelling or throwin' bows is probably out.

Guess you can try and take 'em aside, remind 'em that it's not the end of the world if Max doesn't like them back. It's harder in a small town, but it's not like there's only one person for everyone.

there's not? i mean, there aren't a lot of girls at school who are nice to us...

Well... I dunno about in America, but I don't remember girls bein' particularly nice to anyone in grade school. 'Cept for maybe a handful of guys. They just kinda did their own thing.

Anyway, there's always moving somewhere else. Or hell, a guy doesn't have to date anyone if they don't want. It's not like it's a rule.

maybe i'll do that. just...live by myself. maybe with a dog.

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