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Bang Up To The Elephant
✖ VICTORIA'S SECRET
Ⅰ. ARRIVAL
You can read all about your character's arrival in the game lore.
The fog that has blanketed the city for a month finally lifts a little - there are days with actual sunshine now! Not many, and the sky is still frequently thick with smog, but every so often light pours through the holes in the clouds. The river that flows from the sea into the city still smells foul, but maybe you’re starting to get used to it.
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.
The High Temple has also reappeared at the edge of the city, with its considerably more comfortable lodgings.
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.
Ⅱ. COME UNDONE
CW: dead bodies, archeological graverobbing.
Somehow, some way, you find yourself with an invitation card:
Lord Trewlaney at Home: the Unwrapping of
THE JEWEL OF THE SEVEN STARS!
Half-past Eight
Unwrapping? How saucy! Or perhaps you have an inkling of exactly what that means.
The invitation gets you entry to a well kept home on the more well-to-do side of the city. There are plenty of servants circulating with food and drink of which you are welcome to partake. Society’s elite chatter and mingle all around you; maybe you fit in, and maybe you don’t.
Regardless, you don’t have to wait very long for the main event. The host of this little soiree - presumably Lord Trewlaney himself, a little man with a weak chin and an impressive mustache - stands at the front of the room and holds his hands aloft.
“Ladies and gentleman,” he says in a clear voice. “BEHOLD! We shall now commence with the unwrapping of this, a fine example of Egyptian mummification, who was once called the Jewel of the Seven Stars!”
A wheeled table is brought forward, covered in a purple velvet cloth. Dramatically, Lord Trewlaney flings it back to reveal a body wrapped in ancient linen bandages. The crowd sighs, and Trewlaney’s eyes scan the crowd.
“Ah, you there!” he cries, pointing at you. Or maybe the person beside you.
“You folk there! Here, come up, my friends! You may have the honour of being a part of history!”
The crowd pushes you and your companion forward with excited murmurs. Soon enough the two of you are beside the mummy, and Trewlaney is handing you a pair of scissors. Up close the body smells of cinnamon and something else, something familiar.
“Reveal its face!” he urges you. And so, you cut.
Much to your surprise what is revealed is not a desiccated corpse, but your own likeness. Before you have time to react the mummy sits up and turns to face the audience, who oohs and ahhs.
The mummy’s lips part and it speaks. What does it say? Something extremely revealing; in plain terms, the mummy reveals something an aspect of yourself that you would rather have kept hidden.
Oh dear! You can shut yourself up, of course, but before you do maybe you ought to consider that interfering with a mummy was considered a surefire way to fall under a curse…
Ⅲ. IMAGINARIUM
The sign above the door simply reads Cabinet of Curiosities. How intriguing! And at the very least you can get out of the chill.
Inside there are dozens of wooden cases with glass fronts, each filled with shelves of all manner of objects. Some look expensive and exotic, while others are almost painfully mundane. There are taxidermied animals, wet specimens, fossils, glass eyes, rocks and crystals, pottery, statuettes… There’s a little of everything.
As you peer amongst the stuffed ducks and fossilized plants, you’ll spot something familiar. It’s an object that you recognise as personally significant whether because it’s from your life back home, or because it’s symbolic. It represents a dream or a hope you have for the future.
If you take the object out of the cabinet for a closer look, you and whoever happens to be standing nearby will instantly be transported to a hazy vision of what that lovely dream is. It won’t last forever - indeed, maybe only a moment. Depending on what that hoped for future is, you might have some explaining to do.
Ⅳ. GARDENS
CW: mind altering substances.
If there’s one spot within the city where you might be able to find some refuge from the dank scent of ocean rot and the sour smell of body odour, then it’s going to be the Gardens. A jewel toward the west side of the city, you will find a greenhouse containing all manner of tropical plants, and a rose garden with over a 100 different types available for you to enjoy.
But why stop there? There are also areas where you can stop and have tea with a friend. They even have those little sandwiches with the crust cut off! They have cucumber, egg, and cream cheese. Each of these has a different effect: cucumber sandwiches will provide a mild sense of euphoria, while the egg will give you a lot of energy (and maybe some gas). Cream cheese will make you very relaxed and prone to oversharing. There are also perfectly regular cakes and biscuits available, as well.
Prefer to see some living wildlife? Fear not, the park seems to attract several different types of songbirds which makes it a hotspot for birdwatching. There are binoculars available to use for that purpose. Or you could use them to peer into the city’s seamy underbelly. Just don’t get isolated and weird about it.
Sometimes I can still hear his voice...
You can read all about your character's arrival in the game lore.
The fog that has blanketed the city for a month finally lifts a little - there are days with actual sunshine now! Not many, and the sky is still frequently thick with smog, but every so often light pours through the holes in the clouds. The river that flows from the sea into the city still smells foul, but maybe you’re starting to get used to it.
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.
The High Temple has also reappeared at the edge of the city, with its considerably more comfortable lodgings.
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. The High Temple and anything you may have stored there is available to all characters 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. COME UNDONE
CW: dead bodies, archeological graverobbing.
Somehow, some way, you find yourself with an invitation card:
Lord Trewlaney at Home: the Unwrapping of
THE JEWEL OF THE SEVEN STARS!
Half-past Eight
Unwrapping? How saucy! Or perhaps you have an inkling of exactly what that means.
The invitation gets you entry to a well kept home on the more well-to-do side of the city. There are plenty of servants circulating with food and drink of which you are welcome to partake. Society’s elite chatter and mingle all around you; maybe you fit in, and maybe you don’t.
Regardless, you don’t have to wait very long for the main event. The host of this little soiree - presumably Lord Trewlaney himself, a little man with a weak chin and an impressive mustache - stands at the front of the room and holds his hands aloft.
“Ladies and gentleman,” he says in a clear voice. “BEHOLD! We shall now commence with the unwrapping of this, a fine example of Egyptian mummification, who was once called the Jewel of the Seven Stars!”
A wheeled table is brought forward, covered in a purple velvet cloth. Dramatically, Lord Trewlaney flings it back to reveal a body wrapped in ancient linen bandages. The crowd sighs, and Trewlaney’s eyes scan the crowd.“Ah, you there!” he cries, pointing at you. Or maybe the person beside you.
“You folk there! Here, come up, my friends! You may have the honour of being a part of history!”
The crowd pushes you and your companion forward with excited murmurs. Soon enough the two of you are beside the mummy, and Trewlaney is handing you a pair of scissors. Up close the body smells of cinnamon and something else, something familiar.
“Reveal its face!” he urges you. And so, you cut.
Much to your surprise what is revealed is not a desiccated corpse, but your own likeness. Before you have time to react the mummy sits up and turns to face the audience, who oohs and ahhs.
The mummy’s lips part and it speaks. What does it say? Something extremely revealing; in plain terms, the mummy reveals something an aspect of yourself that you would rather have kept hidden.
Oh dear! You can shut yourself up, of course, but before you do maybe you ought to consider that interfering with a mummy was considered a surefire way to fall under a curse…
Notes:
1. What is revealed can of course be of any degree of seriousness. Murder? Or do you just secretly enjoy RomComs?
2. Shut the mummy up before it has its say and you will suffer the Mummy’s Curse: bad luck that will plague you for the rest of the month!
Ⅲ. IMAGINARIUM
The sign above the door simply reads Cabinet of Curiosities. How intriguing! And at the very least you can get out of the chill.
Inside there are dozens of wooden cases with glass fronts, each filled with shelves of all manner of objects. Some look expensive and exotic, while others are almost painfully mundane. There are taxidermied animals, wet specimens, fossils, glass eyes, rocks and crystals, pottery, statuettes… There’s a little of everything.As you peer amongst the stuffed ducks and fossilized plants, you’ll spot something familiar. It’s an object that you recognise as personally significant whether because it’s from your life back home, or because it’s symbolic. It represents a dream or a hope you have for the future.
If you take the object out of the cabinet for a closer look, you and whoever happens to be standing nearby will instantly be transported to a hazy vision of what that lovely dream is. It won’t last forever - indeed, maybe only a moment. Depending on what that hoped for future is, you might have some explaining to do.
Notes:
1. All futures are something hoped for. They may be completely unrealistic and bittersweet, but they are something wanted and not feared.
Ⅳ. GARDENS
CW: mind altering substances.
If there’s one spot within the city where you might be able to find some refuge from the dank scent of ocean rot and the sour smell of body odour, then it’s going to be the Gardens. A jewel toward the west side of the city, you will find a greenhouse containing all manner of tropical plants, and a rose garden with over a 100 different types available for you to enjoy.
But why stop there? There are also areas where you can stop and have tea with a friend. They even have those little sandwiches with the crust cut off! They have cucumber, egg, and cream cheese. Each of these has a different effect: cucumber sandwiches will provide a mild sense of euphoria, while the egg will give you a lot of energy (and maybe some gas). Cream cheese will make you very relaxed and prone to oversharing. There are also perfectly regular cakes and biscuits available, as well.
Prefer to see some living wildlife? Fear not, the park seems to attract several different types of songbirds which makes it a hotspot for birdwatching. There are binoculars available to use for that purpose. Or you could use them to peer into the city’s seamy underbelly. Just don’t get isolated and weird about it.
Chloe | Detroit: Become Human
⭕ III. WE COULD BE HEROES
⭕IV. WHERE THE WILD ROSES GROW
⭕ WILDCARD
[ Want to choose your own adventure? Catch me at
IV f for fluff
But, he's here, enjoying some down time in this city, one that manages to juxtapose astounding riches and abject poverty, sometimes on the same block. New York was like that too sometimes. Maybe not all that much has changed since the 1800s.
Spending time with Chloe is one of Malcolm's favorite things to do. She's a great friend, and he's glad that the revelations about each of their pasts helped bring them closer together rather than drive them apart. He's nibbling on a cucumber sandwich when some cake launches at him, hitting him in the chest.
He looks up at Chloe, one eyebrow raised. "Seriously?" The look on his face is playful though.
no subject
"I'm sorry, I was certain I saw Sunshine perched upon your shoulder and I thought she might like some cake, since the other birds seem to be enjoying it." How she manages to keep a straight face, she doesn't quite know. Maybe because it is such a blatant and silly lie. After their recent shared experiences, she feels they deserve a little silliness (magical snacks definitely help too).
no subject
"Wow," Malcolm replies. "That's a creative excuse. I think you're just trying to start a food fight with me." He looks at her questioningly. Malcolm's not usually up for such silliness, but he's feeling particularly happy today. Maybe it's because it's a nice day and some undead thing isn't accosting him, trying to get him to confess all of his sins.
no subject
"I really wouldn't know. I've never had a food fight before. Have you? I'm not very good with mess," she replies, one thought near enough blending into the next as she shares whatever's on her cheerful mind.
The smile turns just that little bit impish; a brief warning of what follows. Crumbling up a biscuit, she plainly launches the crumbs into his lap. "How are you with mess, Malcolm?" At least she made sure this is the kind that can be easily brushed off.
no subject
The crumbs hit his lap and Malcolm glances down at them before smiling slyly at Chloe. "That depends on how good the washers are here," he says. Not very, but he'll manage.
Tearing off a piece of the crust from his sandwich, he tosses it at Chloe.
III. WE COULD BE HEROES
Things change quickly around here. And Quentin's getting used to sitting back to see what happens.
"Whoa this is—" he slaps a hand over his mouth and hugs the wall when he realizes wherever he's been transported he's not ended up there alone.
Eavesdropping on the conversation between Chloe and this guy he doesn't recognize it's her words that finally pull his attention away from the decor. This is some place she's been, or wants to be and despite being unable to tell how to get back to where he was he's not yet sure if he ought to interrupt any of this.
"Uh. Sorry. This seems like a totally private thing. I don't know how I ended up here but if you wanna tell me how to get back to Victorian London, I can just like. See myself out or whatever. Cool dress though. Looks good on you."
no subject
The words themselves don't fit with her vision. Because that's what it is, isn't it? Just a vision. One now ebbing out of existence until they're both back in the shop once again.
At least this illusion was a pleasant one.
Android bird still in her hand, she looks down at it. Assuming it won't turn to dust, explode or fizzle into nothingness as well, she's going to keep hold of it. A reminder of things that have been and things that could be.
"It's alright. It looks like we were able to find our way back. Though I think I'd prefer the mansion, honestly," she says with a little smile. No hard feelings at the intrusion or the loss of the fake time with her artist friend.
no subject
"I didn't meant to interrupt you— we can back there if you want. If you can do it again I mean. That place looked lit. Eclectic design. I'm into it. Was it yours?"
no subject
"It belongs to a very dear friend of mine. He's a brilliant artist." Hence the unique and spectacular decor. "It's... I've been there before, obviously. But none of that has ever happened." Her tone is one of wistful longing. She's imagined such a scene. No surprise, really, that it gets laid bare here. Her free hand pets the bird's head, like it might transport them back. And a little bit of self-soothing.
II World Burn
What surprises him even more than seeing the mummy is a mirror image of Chloe is hearing what it shouts angrily into the gathered crowd. Connor's eyebrows lift into his hairline and his jaw drops open as it thoroughly berates Markus. His LED spins red- is this how Chloe really feels about the deviant leader?
no subject
"How can you stand there like you ever suffered? The kind that goes on and on and on?" the mummy squawks. "You're not entitled to be our figurehead. And where do you think the thought even came from, hmm? Do you ever stop to consider that?"
It's enough. Hyper aware of Connor being in the crowd, her arms are set at her side and her head is down as she heads quickly towards the exit. She can't even look at him. He reveres Markus. He sees him as everything Markus should be seen as.
IV
Except he didn't entirely made it through this place, because a crumb bounced to the ground right in front of his toe.
He followed the arc it had flown in back to the origin and... And smiled.
"Miss Chloe."
no subject
She patted a space on the grass next to her. "Would you like to join me? If only to be out of the way of any further projectiles." His company was very welcome. Her loaded plate also meant there would be plenty of tasty nibbles to go around, should he feel like indulging.
no subject
"Bird are nice enough. Not that I'd normally feed them such things. Seed tends to be better for species like these. But I'm sure a little treat won't hurt."
The offering has him moving to sit beside her. Yes, a lack of projectiles would be better.
no subject
“Don’t worry - I’m not going to give them too much. A little fat for energy.” Quickly struck by an idea, she turns more towards him to eagerly share. “If we can find the ingredients we could make bird seed cake. If you’d like to sometime, that is.”
no subject
"I do know how to make them, but I don't have any supplies for it. So yes, if we find them, we can do so. They keep rather well, so you could make bird friends every island."