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Event 1: Remember How We Used to Play?
Event
Transcripts are released to the archives and will be accessible ICly permanently.
Characters are invited to discuss the findings on the network or log posts.
Image Descriptions from left to right: First image is a human profile facing left and repeating into the background, middle image is a petri dish filled with blood-like substance forming spiderlike legs out of the dish, last image is a cropped image of a body horror distorted human head and hand.
Prompt.
The mysterious black goo from the meteor strike has been subtly gathering every valuable piece of information it can on campus. The original plan was never for the goo to take over human bodies. It was to infiltrate the campus by trying to seamlessly blend in by gathering data from various hosts. And now, the goo clings to organic material across campus whether it's a blade of grass or a bird, it consumes the being and reshapes it. It reshapes into versions of you or versions of people you've met before entering this world. It would seem that the goo had an uncanny ability to obtain memories from people and bring them to fleshy life. These replicas are easy to mistaken for the real thing at first, but after a bit of observation, their movies are jerky and awkward, their vocal range is pitched strangely, and something is decidedly off. Your long lost wife might not have returned to you after all. The goo may even replicate the dead since it doesn't seem to know how to tell the difference between memories of living or dead people.
These replicas will stagger about on campus. If you attempt to call out or attack the replicas, they will grow violent and agitated. Black tendrils will burst from mouths or eyes and the body will become horrifically distorted, flesh stretching apart into abominations. Even if you manage to "kill" the replica, it will begin to reform itself out of the organ bits left. These monstrosities can only really be stopped by being completely frozen or burnt to a crisp. Once burnt or frozen, the replica will crumble into dust.
If you lose a fight to one of these replicas, your best hope is death, for it's far kinder than the replica spreading goo to your body. Because this time it won't be a subtle, easy-to-miss parasite. You will be consumed by the goo and die a slow death as the parasite takes over your body and uses it as a puppet until someone either kills you or manages to isolate the parasite to a single part of your body.
Good luck, Newcombers!
Image Descriptions from left to right: First image is of a hand on a screen filled with static, middle image is a grainy picture of a post along some trees with a light setting in the horizon: text at bottom of image reads 'PM 8:30, OCT. 15th 1989, last image is of a square surveillance camera.
Prompt.
As the black goo spreads throughout the campus, it begins to cling to long-dead organic materials or places where traces of bacteria may linger. You can see it spreading over pieces of paper, old photographs, and books like veins. And since characters constantly touch their phones, strange and unusual videos may turn up randomly on their devices. The goo has the ability to warp regular pictures and videos into memories of the characters present in the game. You may find a picture of your beloved family or mortal enemy, or an old video from your childhood. This is true even for those who come from worlds without such technology.A long dead lover might leave a voice message on your device, an old friend's face turning up on your device. It's a blessing as much as it is a curse, and boy, can it be a curse. The moment another person notices whichever memory you're interacting with, even if they don't give any audible mention of it, everyone engaged with the memory will be pulled directly into the memory. It is a clipped memory of a significant moment in someone's life, some lasting only minutes while others may last hours upon days. Either way, this isn't just a memory, it's fully interactive.
You can play around in the memory, destroy parts of it, say different things. Everything is contained to the exact moment that has been captured and changing the memory will not actually change the memory or change the past. Instead, it seems to offer the ability to better inspect certain memories and be able to appreciate them from various angles. Maybe investigate your childhood home better the day your mother was killed. Maybe you'll be able to discover previously hidden information.
Alternatively, suppose you don't care to share memories of your characters. In that case, you're welcome to resort to referencing memories from classic found footage pieces of media such as Paranormal Activity or Blair Witch to put your character through something interesting and dangerous. Characters can keep these relics in order to access the memories as many times as they want in the future.
Relics can be destroyed in their picture and film formats. Fire and ice can be used to destroy the interactive parts of them as it will kill the black goo.
These relics will be scattered throughout the campus, littering the yards with newspaper clippings, missing persons forms, and more.
Image Descriptions from left to right: First image is of a green metal filing cabinet opened and filled with manilla files, middle image is of chains against a pale background, last image is a hand holding a flashlight to a map filled with red circles.
Prompt.
There is no way to avoid a Newcomb blackout. You're walking one moment and the next thing you know, there's just a rush of black and then you're awake somewhere random on campus.Chained up with someone or maybe even a couple someones.
Cassandra's voice rings out merrily from your phone(s) (alternatively, the following will appear in text on people's phones): "This was always one of their favorite ways to get everyone acquainted with each other! These special handcuffs will neutralize any powers and don't try breaking them! They are encrypted to unlock only after you've found some items on the list! You'll just be wasting your time."
The list contains a few riddles that lead to key items scattered around campus. Each item will be presented as a hologram; only once you find it will it release the related information. Per player choice, characters may have to find all of the items or only some to be freed from their chains. Once the chains unlock, they will vanish in a pixelated blur.
The riddles (and information) are as follows:
"May the basilisk's gaze never fall upon you."
This should lead most to the great basilisk statue wrapped around Roko's Clock Tower. The real riddle is in how to unlock the attached information. This requires characters to look into the crystals on the tower until they find a good angle showing a reflection of the back of the basilisk's head.
Once accomplished, a hologram of a voluptuous woman (PB: Christina Hendricks) appears, dressed in a well-fit dress and high heels. Black-rimmed glasses sit upon her nose and she doesn't appear to be glad to see whoever is watching the projection. Then again, this is only a recording, so don't take it too personally.
"I see you're not much of an idiot. I can't tell if I'm glad or miserable about that. My name is Alice Roko. Believe it or not, I created this awful thing," she says, pointing at the tower. "I would have never wasted my time on the damn thing if I knew what was going to happen..."
She stops, her mouth pursed tightly, and then she winds up scoffing quietly.
"And after all this, I'll bet he still won't take me seriously as a scientist. That pig...Well, I suppose it won't matter anymore when you finally see this message. It'll mean we're all dead and you're here to take up the mantle. Congratulations." Her dry tone implies there is nothing worth celebrating here.
"Have fun never aging. It sounds nice until about twenty years have passed. Then wait another twenty more and you'll start to go a little crazy. What happened with Celia is awful, but...I can't say I'm not jealous. Listen to me...You don't care. You're just trying to complete some stupid scavenger hunt. You won't care enough until it's too late, and even then..."
She stares up at the tower in disdain, and then just like that, the hologram flickers out.
"The clock goes tick-tock as the water drips drops."
This one may be a bit trickier. The Clock Tower has nothing to do with this riddle, but instead, if one is familiar with a little old story known famously as Peter Pan, you might think to head over to Mandeville's Pond where the crocodiles are known to lurk. If you stick around long enough, you'll start to hear a familiar ticking sound, and before long, two eyes will break the surface of the water. A massive crocodile will make his way toward you, the ticking sound getting louder with each passing second.
If you immediately get defensive or run screaming, the crocodile will merely skitter back into the water and you will have to wait 24 hours before attempting this riddle again.
But if you are calm when the crocodile approaches and even offer the crocodile some sort of treat or other gesture of calmness, the crocodile will open its massive jaws and expose a clock sitting in its mouth. You will have to take the clock out. The crocodile will leave you alone and a hologram appears before you of a wiry-looking man with wild hair (PB: Michael Shannon). He's in a lab coat and a pair of goggles, a wide grin on his face.
"I see you've met Glinda, one of our first test subjects. Amazing, isn't she? Perfectly modified to be kind and protective over humans. Don't be afraid of the crocodiles on campus. They'll only ever help you out, especially if you give them some meat." He adjusts his goggles, smiling wider.
"I told that silly girl Alice that the statue should have been a crocodile, but she never listens. These kids never listen," he says with a sigh, "But ah! It matters not! If you're seeing this then that means we have a new batch of students and maybe even some teachers, if we're lucky. Oh, shoot. I should have made a script, I only have a few minutes to record this and I need to remember to mention-."
That's when the hologram clips out. The man might have been able to genetically modify animals, but setting up a simple recording of anything was a bit too much. Go figure.
"The shadow besides us is most comforting of all."
This may be the trickiest of the riddles, but some may come to realize this is referencing none other than the Black Dog. Entering the bar during the day won't show anything except where to find a stiff cocktail. But if you arrive at night, a hologram of a young blonde woman in a small dress will appear on the stage (PB: Sabrina Carpenter). She's finishing a song at the mic before giving an excited shriek, waving frantically at you.
"Oh my gosh, hi!" She jumps up and down in her stilettos. "I totally forgot we were doing this today! Shhhh, don't give me that look!" She laughs at whoever happened to be filming her at the time, flicking her hand in a shooing matter. "No, I'm ready. Hi! I'm Celia and I'm here to show you to the best part of campus! What? It's true. We're not all boring stiffs like you-"
You can't hear whoever she's talking to, but she's smiling broadly, and there's an edge of play to her voice suggesting it must be a good friend.
"Everyone else is probably going to talk about all the boring science blahblahblah stuff, but trust me, if you really want to survive this place, you're going to need to figure out a way to spend your time. Pick up hobbies. Go to classes. You'll totally lose your mind otherwise. Oh! What! Shut up!" She laughs again, wobbling a bit now.
"Don't be such a jerk. Anyway, the school isn't so bad! I'm a linguistic specialist. I can speak- ummm...25 languages, right? Right! Something like that, I don't even knowwwwuhhh....Ugh! I told them to go to school, it's finnnne, you're so boring--"
The hologram cuts off and vanishes before you.
shouto todoroki | my hero academia
cw: domestic abuse
[ The main lobby of the Zeno Survival and Wellness Center has a decent amount of traffic, attracting all sorts of students, from anyone needing medical assistance to those looking for a taste of home in the form of a familiar sport. Shouto waits in front of a booth with a large banner overhead that reads 'Medical Center'. Underneath it, a large TV plays a short video of the center's location and the amenities they offer students and staff. ]
Next.
[ The desk attendant calls, and Shouto steps forward. In front of him, the television starts to glitch, catching his eye. He glances at it and is struck dumb, spellbound to the spot as static turns to a reel of memories of his past:
Your small hands press against a large window in yearning. You stare at a group of children playing ball in the courtyard. Heavy steps pull you from your pining, and a large man with a burning beard grabs you by the hand, dragging you down the hall away from the sound of laughter. ]
I want to play with Touya-nii and them.
[ Your small feet hit the hardwood floors of the traditional Japanese home. The man dismisses the plea, forcibly dragging you along behind him. ]
Don't look at them, Shouto. Your siblings belong to a different world than you.
[ The memory fades with the sound of heavy steps mixed in with the rattling of lighter ones failing to keep up. The image fades to a training room where the man looms over you standing tall, dark, and intimidating with a wooden katana pointed at the ground. A steady fire roars down his right arm, accruing in his right hand that opens from a closed fist. ]
Stand! Don't be so damn soft!!
[ You visibly shake, dragging air into your lungs. Tears cut through the spittle of leftover vomit that clings to your lips. The dribble plops to the ground, sliding over your trembling hands. The stench of bile and miso soup mixes in with the reek of smoke that billows from the epicenter of your chest that blooms with pain with every breath. The smoke wraps around you in an intimate hug, taking the stench of burning to the ceiling.
Amid the commotion, hurried footsteps grow louder and louder. Someone throws open the shogi doors to the training room and gasps. A woman drops to her knees beside you, holding you gently. You're so relieved that your body loosens enough from its locked state you throw up again. ]
Get up. [ The red-haired man yells, dismissing the flames but for the beard that still flickers with heat. ] You won't even be able to defeat third-rate villains, let alone All-Might, if you get knocked down by a hit like that.
Stop it! Please, he's only five years old!
[ The white-haired woman pleads with the man as she gently rubs your back as you throw up the rest of your breakfast. You look up, white and red hair covering your eyes, when you hear the heavy steps come closer. ]
Yes, he's already five! So get out of my way!!
[ The man slaps the woman away, and the gentle hand leaves your back. You're left facing the monster in the room, holding your burning stomach with tears sliding down your cheek, mixing in with the bile that clings to your lips. The stench of burning is gone, but somehow, that's all you smell.
The tv glitches and the spell breaks, releasing you from the memory. Shouto, standing so still in front of the staff member, turns away from the booth, shaking his head when they ask about his appointment. In an attempt to flee, he runs into you, looking pale when you lock eyes before attempting to step past you. ]
ii. Scavenger Hunt
[ Come one! Come all! What better way to get to know your fellow classmates and professors than a good old-fashioned Scavenger Hunt?! Don't mind the random blackouts. Those are normal! Just like waking up handcuffed to a random stranger!
Cassandra's voice rings out of one of your cell phones with this cheery message: This was always one of their favorite ways to get everyone acquainted with each other! These special handcuffs will neutralize any powers and don't try breaking them! They are encrypted to unlock only after you've found some items on the list! You'll just be wasting your time.
After the initial scrambling, when they find out they cannot break the handcuffs on their own, Shouto resigns himself to the riddle fest. ]
What's a basilik?
[ He asks, completely straight-faced. ]
i. Found Footage
The whole atmosphere is boring as Loki walks between the people in line, taking some amusement from the annoyed sounds he hears as he shoves his way through. One moment Loki is chuckling to himself, enjoying annoying others and the next he suddenly finds himself somewhere else. He feels sick and absolutely furious as he finds himself working his way through what he will find out is someone else’s memory. For the moment though, he’s annoyed because there’s someone treating him horribly, indefensibly and Loki wants to stand up and yell and scream and murder the man hurting him. Things only get worse when he realizes his body is too weak to do much of anything. The smell of vomit and bile sticks to his nose along with the smoke in the air.
Just as quickly as he’s in it, he’s stand back at the medical unit of Newcomb, dazed, confused and angry. Just then, someone turns and runs into him. Though he didn’t take notice fully of anyone else in whatever it was he just experienced, Loki somehow innately knows that it is the man who has just bumped into him that is somehow involved.
As he attempts to step past him, Loki grabs him by the shoulders, glaring at him.] Just what in hel was that?