polymods: (Default)
polymods ([personal profile] polymods) wrote in [community profile] polylogs2022-01-02 12:44 pm

Got the morbs.

POLYMYTHOS: VICTORIA'S SECRET

VICTORIA'S SECRET


Ⅰ. ARRIVAL & THE TEMPLE
You can read all about your character's arrival in the game lore.
The ferry pulls into port in the evening, when shadows are long and gas lamps burn through a veil of mist. Dozens of other ships are docked as well, with men unloading crates and boxes from their holds. Beyond the wet wood and lapping sound of the ocean, a city looms like a charcoal smudge on a purple sky. The air is smoggy and thick, and the river that flows from the sea into the city smells foul. Walk the cobbled streets and you will find that the city is crowded and filthy, but full of merchants, pubs, and theatres. Vast wealth and extreme poverty exist side by side.

In the center of the sprawling city is a temple with towering gothic spires and huge stained glass windows depicting all manner of beings that might be gods or angels or monsters. You could look for hours and still be finding new figures plucked straight from books of myth and religion. Inside, the main chamber has a grand vaulted ceiling, and dozens of pews line the aisle up to the altar, which is oddly anticlimactic compared to the lavish surroundings: just a plain stone table with a lit oil lamp in the centre. Two hallways branch off on either side of the room: one leads to private baths and a communal kitchen, the other to monastic style chambers with thin beds. Not the most comfortable place to stay, but it’ll do in a pinch!

Alternatively you can venture into the city and find yourself some other lodging - every Traveler has been supplied with some pocket money. Just be careful that it isn’t stolen by some street urchin. Travelers can also find an era-appropriate outfit that will fit them perfectly laid in the first sleeping chamber they visit.

Notes:
1. Unless this is your character’s first island, the High Temple and anything you may have stored there is off-limits this month.

2. Please remember to mark threads appropriately with Content Warnings when necessary.

3. The city greatly resembles Victorian London, and the technology and general way of life is all of that era. Feel free to explore the city! These prompts are a jumping off point - how they affect your character and their development is up to you.

4. Most food is safe to eat, and is consumable by non-human entities. Most. Some of it’s going to be pretty gross or cooked improperly, so be careful.

5. The people in the city are normal humans unless otherwise indicated. Killing them is possible and will affect the colour grading of your Scrywatch depending on the situation.

6. Have fun!



Ⅱ. SEANCE
CW: grief, past trauma.
Perhaps you overhear talk of it at a pub, or maybe you’re handed a small card as you push your way through the crowded city streets. Maybe you just wander in by accident. However it happens, you find yourself being ushered into the parlour of one Miss Mary Price: Spiritualist.

You and several other people are instructed to sit at a round table in a very dark and musty room. The walls are covered in thick black curtains, and maybe you’re the type to suspect that there’s someone hiding behind them somewhere. Once everyone is seated, Mary Price herself enters the room. The lights are all extinguished save for a single candle.

Mary calls out to the spirits. They communicate through a series of knocks, or the movement of a Ouija board. Someone at the table is put in contact with a deceased aunt who reveals the location of a family heirloom. Someone else is able to say goodbye to a son.

Mary Price looks at you with eyes so dark they look black, and asks, “What haunts you?”

Maybe you answer honestly. Maybe you don’t answer at all, but that doesn’t matter because the spirit tapping around the room is more than happy to narc on you and tell the whole room what or who it is that you cannot forget.

You can deny it all you like, but the spirits don’t have a reason to lie. And if you try to mess up the seance, you will spend a month being hounded by an angry poltergeist.

Notes:
1. The spirit can communicate through knocks, the Ouija, actually vocalising through the medium, or via ectoplasm.

2. What haunts your character does not have to be the memory of a dead person. It can be an event - maybe they’ve never gotten over losing that science fair in grade three. It is the feeling of being haunted that is important.

3. If you choose to trash the seance, the spirit will follow you for the rest of the month. It can range from annoying to actually dangerous.



Ⅲ. THE RIPPER
CW: murder, gore, violence.
You’re lost at night. Maybe you were in the pub too late, or maybe you were searching for more illicit fun - weren’t there opium dens around this time? - or maybe you just weren’t keeping an eye on the time. However it happened, you’re on the streets in the dark.

It’s very foggy; you can barely see a foot in front of you. The streetlamps look like dimly burning ghosts and when the odd person passes you they are felt more than seen, just a darker shadow in a world of shifting shades.

Very suddenly you hear a scream - short, and swallowed up quickly by the fog. Still, it’s enough to get you to turn and hurry down a narrow alleyway.

Sprawled on the ground amid a lake of blood is a body. It’s immediately apparent that this person is probably beyond help - their throat has been slashed ear to ear. Your appearance was not expected, however, and you can see that you’ve startled the killer: they’re running down the alley in the opposite direction.

You have a few choices: you can chase the killer and attempt to catch them, you can try to help the victim, you can get the authorities, or you can just walk away.

What will you do?

Notes:
1. The inspiration for this prompt is Jack the Ripper but you do not have to use that case as a basis for your killer.

2. You can get as involved with this as you would like. You can have your character catch the killer in a chase, or form your very own detective squad and hunt them down that way.

3. Naturally, walking away from a potential serial killer might not be great for your Scrywatch grading!



Ⅳ. RESURRECTION MEN
CW: dead bodies, grave robbing.
You’re not entirely clear on how you agreed to this. Maybe it was a barroom bet gone wrong. Maybe you’re broke enough that you need money fast. Or maybe you want to help some wannabe medical students. However it happened, you’re in the cemetery.

And you’ve got a shovel.

Time to rob some graves! You’ve convinced yourself somehow that this isn’t morally reprehensible, and so you and your partner are just going to get down to business! What corpse should you unearth? You feel like a kid in a candy store!

The problem comes once you’ve unearthed the body because it seems terribly familiar. Which is… creepy. Creepier still when it starts talking.

Maybe it’s a family member, or an old friend. Maybe an ex partner. Whoever it is, they immediately start telling your fellow grave robber about some incident from your past that you just. Can’t. Let. Go. Of. And even if you whack it with a shovel it won’t stop. Bad corpse! BAD Corpse!

Which of course is exactly what you have to try and do if you want this chatty Cathy of a corpse to shut the hell up.

Notes:
1. If you do NOT let go of this past event, the corpse will follow you the rest of the night singing Henry the Eighth I am, I am.

Sometimes I can still hear his voice...


Network · Logs · OOC · Memes · Plurk

extrasensory_problems: (bw_brood)

[personal profile] extrasensory_problems 2022-01-06 01:51 am (UTC)(link)
The tears finally come and Carter clutches at Kyle like a drowning man, sobbing and hugging himself to his friend.

"He was supposed to take care of us." Carter says through his tears, "When my mom fell in love with him I thought that everything was finally okay. My mom had someone to love and I finally had a Dad, but when we left Xavier's....he didn't even come looking for her. And when she died, he probably didn't even care."

"I didn't know....."

The corpse whispers and Carter shakes his head and burrows his face deeper against Kyle's thin chest.

"Fuck you, you piece of shit. You didn't know because you didn't care. And neither did Xavier."
kyley_b: (RL 70s style)

[personal profile] kyley_b 2022-01-06 03:24 am (UTC)(link)
"Ohhh," Kyle says, still hugging Carter. "It's THAT guy."

He hangs on to Carter, thinking. The head seems to have fallen silent for the moment. Finally, he says softly, "So. I mean. It sucks that he did that. And you're still pissed about it?"
extrasensory_problems: (red_rude)

[personal profile] extrasensory_problems 2022-01-06 03:40 am (UTC)(link)
"Of course I'm still pissed about it." Carter says, giving Kyle an angry look. "I thought I was getting a father and instead all I got was disappointment. Again."

He takes a deep breath and wipes his eyes with his forearm, his brows furrowing. "Sorry...I didn't mean to snap at you."
kyley_b: (RL sure dude)

[personal profile] kyley_b 2022-01-06 03:52 am (UTC)(link)
"Dude, it's fine, it's cool." He gestures toward where the head is still laying. "I'm just saying like... You know how this place always has a shitty point?"
extrasensory_problems: (tree_sad)

[personal profile] extrasensory_problems 2022-01-06 04:25 am (UTC)(link)
"Yeah and what would the point here be?" Carter asks bitterly, "That superheroes are just as shitty as regular people and break their promises and hurt people?"
kyley_b: (RL outside thinkin)

[personal profile] kyley_b 2022-01-06 04:27 am (UTC)(link)
"Uhm, no."

He pulls back a bit, aware Carter very well might try to deck him for what he's about to say. "That. Uh. You're still hanging onto what he did."
extrasensory_problems: (angry)

[personal profile] extrasensory_problems 2022-01-07 12:50 am (UTC)(link)
There's no way that Carter would hit Kyle but he does give him another angry look, "Obviously. But how the fuck am I supposed to let go of that? He betrayed my trust and love and it hurt. It hurt me and it hurt my mom."
kyley_b: (RL outside thinkin)

[personal profile] kyley_b 2022-01-07 04:00 am (UTC)(link)
"I'm not saying you forget it," Kyle explains quickly, holding up his hands. "I'm not saying that. You never could, obviously, nor should you. But there's remembering a thing and there's like... holding onto it so that it STILL hurts."
extrasensory_problems: (pissed off)

[personal profile] extrasensory_problems 2022-01-07 04:08 am (UTC)(link)
"....maybe he likes that it still hurts. Maybe he likes the pain." The voice of the corpse drifts over to them on the wind like a sigh and Carter's jaw clenches.

"Shut yer trap Alex."

Can you hear a bit of the Jersey boy coming out? I bet you can.

"....pain is penance after all."
kyley_b: (RL jim morrison moment)

[personal profile] kyley_b 2022-01-07 04:20 am (UTC)(link)
Kyle looks at Carter for a long minute.

"Carter. You know what happened with your mom and this douche wasn't your fault, right?"
extrasensory_problems: (tree_sad)

[personal profile] extrasensory_problems 2022-01-07 04:31 am (UTC)(link)
Carter turns away from Kyle, his jaw clenching even tighter and is silent for a long time. When he speaks his voice sounds raw and hoarse.

"Is it though. If I hadn't....used my powers to make them meet then nothing would have happened and she wouldn't have gotten hurt. She'd still be alive."
kyley_b: (RL comfy sweater)

[personal profile] kyley_b 2022-01-07 06:42 am (UTC)(link)
Oh. Oh, man.

Kyle hugs Carter tightly again.

"Shut up. You were a little kid, dude. Would you get mad at a little kid for that if it WASN'T you?"
extrasensory_problems: (bw_brood)

[personal profile] extrasensory_problems 2022-01-07 07:10 pm (UTC)(link)
Carter collapses against Kyle like a broken doll, "No but most little kids can't do what I did. I made an astral space for them and put them there almost every night so they could be together when Alex was in his coma, I just wanted them to both be happy but...I fucked it all up."
kyley_b: (RL calm)

[personal profile] kyley_b 2022-01-07 09:23 pm (UTC)(link)
Kyle rolls his eyes. "You were talented, not SMART," he points out. "Little kids are dipshits. They're not good at conceptualizing the future, or predicting consequences. Fuck, dude, even an adult probably wouldn't have predicted the fallout from 'made an astral romance novel.'"
extrasensory_problems: (bw_laugh)

[personal profile] extrasensory_problems 2022-01-08 04:25 am (UTC)(link)
Part of him wants to just wallow and sink deeper into his own depression but his lips betray him and twitch up into a very small smile at the term 'astral romance novel'.

"I hate you." He says, obviously meaning that he doesn't. "Even back then I was a soft romantic boi...."
kyley_b: (RL summertime)

[personal profile] kyley_b 2022-01-08 04:37 am (UTC)(link)
"I know." He gives Carter another huge hug.

"You were, you bitch. But do you see what I'm saying?"
extrasensory_problems: (hair in face)

[personal profile] extrasensory_problems 2022-01-08 05:16 am (UTC)(link)
He sighs and hugs Kyle back tightly, "Yeah...I think I get it. I don't like it and I don't know if I can let go of all of it all at once but...yeah I get it."
kyley_b: (RL scruffy laugh)

[personal profile] kyley_b 2022-01-08 05:21 am (UTC)(link)
Kyle elbows him gently. "I think that's a start, dude. And I'm hoping it's enough to shut up your mouthy friend over there."

He considers, and then adds, "...you wanna kick it?"
extrasensory_problems: (mischief)

[personal profile] extrasensory_problems 2022-01-08 05:29 am (UTC)(link)
Carter bursts out laughing and runs a hand through his hair. "Kicking it is probably the opposite of letting go..."

There's a pause and then a mischievous grin spreads across Carter's face, "Although there is one thing I'd like to do...." He hoists himself out of the hole and walks over to where the head is, it's fallen silent but the eyes look up at Carter when he approaches it.

"You hurt me and my mom, and I'm not gonna forget it." He tells it, looking it in the eye. "But I'm done carrying all this anger, and guilt and hurt because of you. You aint worth it."

And with that he unzips his fly and pisses on Alex's severed head.
kyley_b: (RL grass is great)

[personal profile] kyley_b 2022-01-08 06:04 am (UTC)(link)
Kyle watches this.

"Dude," he says. "This is pretty fucked up right here."
extrasensory_problems: (baseball_smile)

[personal profile] extrasensory_problems 2022-01-08 07:24 am (UTC)(link)
Once he's done he heads back over to Kyle, feeling remarkably better.

"You wanna go get a beer somewhere? I kind of feel like celebrating." He asks with a cheerful smile.
kyley_b: (RL summertime)

[personal profile] kyley_b 2022-01-08 06:00 pm (UTC)(link)
"Hell yeah I wanna get a beer - in this time period it's safer than water. But what about those guys who hired us to, uh. Steal bodies?"
extrasensory_problems: (hair in face)

[personal profile] extrasensory_problems 2022-01-08 10:36 pm (UTC)(link)
"Oh shit yeah....well." Carter says and looks back and forth between the head and body of Alex.

"I guess we could just tell them that the cops chased us off before we got one?"
kyley_b: (RL best profile)

[personal profile] kyley_b 2022-01-08 10:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Kyle chews his lip and nods. "Yeah. Yeah, should be fine. I mean like... it's not like we took their money and ran. Right? How mad could they be?"

Why does he ask these questions?

The answer, of course, is that they could be mad enough to chase Kyle and Carter for a good few city blocks, hurling curses and projectiles.
extrasensory_problems: (color_laugh)

[personal profile] extrasensory_problems 2022-01-09 08:14 pm (UTC)(link)
"Fuck fuck fuck!!!" Carter yells as he dodges the last of the projectiles but he's laughing as he yells it. They come around a corner and Carter slows down a bit, running a hand through his hair.

"Okay so they were a bit upset...."

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