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Riverview Moderator ([personal profile] riverviewmod) wrote in [community profile] riverviewlogs2018-08-16 10:09 pm

exploration mingle: branching out

who: everyone in Riverview!
what: exploration mingle: branching out
when: August 15 - October 15
where: the quarantine, the delta, the jungle, and the forest
warnings: threads may contain violence, body horror, and discussion of injuries and illness; please put any necessary warnings in the subject lines

branching out

One of the major and most highly-valued cultural concepts in Riverview is that of exploration, expansion. Especially now that, with the recent influx of new arrivals, as the portal kicks into high gear for reasons not entirely known, the Inhabited City, already comfortably full, is rapidly becoming overpopulated. With all the refugees from other worlds pouring in from day to day, the city's safe space and resources are being taxed to their breaking point.

Right now, exploration and expansion is key, and the government is really focusing on exploration objectives, in order to unite citizens in expanding, securing, and supplying the city for everyone's benefit.


the story so far

Exploration & Expansion Progress ReportPlotting & QuestionsReward SubmissionsFirst Teams

It's normal to see drop-ships hovering in the sky over the Quarantine, of course, since the city is not self-sufficient just yet, and receives regular shipments of supplies, technology, merchandise, food, books, movies, and all sorts of other things from the Capital World. However, the number of drop-ships coming down has recently started to triple in frequency.

On August 10th, an announcement started being run on the Quarantine's networks, television stations, and on digital display boards throughout the city explaining the situation - Mayor Dichard explained in an official mayoral address that the Quarantine is in the process of taking in refugees from a planet in the solar system which recently became uninhabitable due to a massive natural disaster. Hundreds of people are flooding the city, and many of them are wounded, sick, or otherwise in acute distress.

How is a city already stretched to the limit for population capacity going to handle all these new arrivals...?



how it works

ADDITIONAL OOC INFO: The refugee aliens are called the Frysh; they are humanoid mammalian and have a similar internal physiology to humans, however, they look somewhat insectoid, with mandibles, slightly shiny skin that is smoother and harder to the touch than human skin, and delicate wings that aren't capable of carrying the weight of the body (they cannot fly). Their skin ranges from pale to dark gray, and they have mottled or spotted/freckled markings in a wide variety of warm earth tones on their faces, necks, backs, and the outside of the thighs; their blood is dark rusty brown and slightly more viscous than human blood; eye colors are very widely varied. Average height is 6 feet, and doesn't vary based on sex (the species has male/female/neutral). The aging process is similar to that of humans, and refugees come in all ages. The species is very high-tech, but the tech is mostly related to entertainment rather than weaponry, medical, etc. as the planet the species lived on was quite utopian and basic needs were always taken care of by tech that was left on the planet when it was destroyed.

Phases: Each prompt is a different phase of the operation. Characters may partake in whichever part of the operation they choose, whether it is a large and prominent part, or a more of a backseat or support role. Characters may participate in as many phases as they wish.

Completion: When the next exploration mingle goes up, the mission featured on this exploration mingle will be considered complete, and game canon, providing the entry has 200+ comments on it.

Thread Rewards: For this mingle, I have created five different items as rewards - two for the first prompt, and three for the remaining three. Any character participating in a completed thread with at least one other character, for any phase prompt by October 15 will be able to pick a keyword corresponding to one of these rewards when they submit the thread at the link above. Every character participating in a completed thread will be eligible to receive an item. Completed threads must take place on this entry.
ETA August 20th: New characters who complete a thread on August's Test Drive meme with the Tent City prompt, and who are accepted into the game are also eligible for a thread reward for Phase I only.

Entry Reward: The reward for completion of this month's exploration objective will be expansion of the City, a more reliable electrical and power grid, and some new setting features as the Inhabited City grows in size.


phase i: tent cities

Unfortunately, this influx of refugees is going to be causing a serious overpopulation problem - for now, since it is summer, the new arrivals will be housed in makeshift tent cities set up in Riverview Central Park as well as other smaller parks around the city, any spare empty lots, along the banks of the river, and in a few of the sports fields. The resources of the city are going to be taxed to their limit, and while the Capital World will be contributing funds and helping to get together building supplies, Riverview's intrepid citizens are going to have to find ways to supply more space to build shelters for the refugees, and more power to supply the electrical grid in the city.

However, it's not just the explorers that are able to help out with this particular problem. Any citizen who wishes is more than welcome to attend the tent cities where makeshift field hospitals have been set up with as many medical amenities as possible. While serious and life-threatening injuries or illnesses are taken to the Riverview Hospital, people who need first aid or more minor or moderate tending can attend the field hospitals and recover in their temporary homes. Volunteers are requested to help with many different tasks - medical staff to help heal the injured and ill, anyone capable to cook and serve at soup kitchens, members of the Perimeter Guard, police, or other capable fighters to secure the tent cities and make sure there's no violence or theft happening, and drivers and laborers to help bring supplies from the drop-ships and other parts of the city to keep the tent cities supplied. Of course, there are going to be a lot of other jobs that come up on the fly, so everyone is welcome.


phase ii: the delta

With fall rapidly approaching, and with it the colder weather, it's urgent that housing is set up for these new arrivals, and with new housing comes a need for more electricity. The electrical grid is already stretched to its limits with the current population in the city, and is essentially being held together with duct tape and hope - with all these new arrivals and their needs, there's no way the current grid can handle it.

Thankfully, during a recent exploratory fly-over, an electrical installation set in one of the massive waterfalls near the edge of the Abandoned City was noted. While at the time it seemed too far away from established civilization to risk a large expedition, things have changed with the new influx of refugees, and the installation seems like the best hope to bring more energy into the city. Characters who participate in Phase II will be taking watercraft down the river to the delta just above the waterfalls, finding the installation, and checking to see if it can be restored to functionality so the power it generates from the waterfall can be used in the city.

The dangers faced by people taking on Phase II will be primarily related to the long trek needed to get to the installation, down the river - a relatively straight-forward, old fashioned adventurous exploration mission. While using watercraft will help speed up the process, the river is heavily populated by monsters and predators who have flourished in the absence of civilization. Expect mutated piranhas, crocodiles, carnivorous fish, and just about anything else that lives in or near a river to try to take a swipe at the teams making their way to the installation. Once inside the installation, there will be the hazards associated with a damp building that hasn't been used by people in over a decade - it's in poor repair, will have structural damage, and the likely-malfunctioning tech means that electricity and water are almost guaranteed to meet at some point. This prompt would be well-suited to engineers, skilled laborers/construction workers, and fighters; people who can fix the damage to the installation and those who can protect everyone along the way.

For any thread completed under this prompt, whether or not characters made it to the delta, all participating characters will receive rewards.


phase iii: the jungle

The second line of exploration will be into the jungle north of the city, where fly-overs have located a series of skyscrapers and flat ground, overgrown with plant life and obviously left empty since quite a while before the Abandoned City was left behind. Despite being long abandoned, however, the buildings and land seem to be pretty well-preserved and would be usable with a bit of work and maybe a touch of magic. With the flat area cleared out, it would make a perfect helipad for transport and with a temporary fence that could be easily built up after the area is cleared, this could be the start of a smaller city that could eventually be connected by transit or cleared land and fences with the Quarantine proper! Adding this extra space would easily house all the refugees and some of the excess population from the Quarantine, which would be a major advantage for everyone in the city.The government wastes no time in dispatching teams from the Perimeter Guard and welcoming the inclusion of regular citizens with a taste for exploration, to head out into the jungle and see whether this could be a viable solution.

But why would what looks like such an easy area to inhabit have been left alone and outside city walls for so long?

Well, exploratory teams will soon find out - as they make their way through the jungle toward the buildings, characters will start to notice that the animals and monsters in the jungle are getting increasingly...strange. Rather than otherworldly creatures that still make sense, they look like weird, mutated combinations of animals, a mashup of teeth and eyes and fur and scales and claws that don't belong together. As the teams move further, they'll start to notice that some of these creatures are taking on plant-like qualities as well, vines winding into flesh and extending like tentacled appendages from monsters that are increasingly larger and more misshapen. After a point, they're almost incomprehensible blobs of melded flesh and plant life that can't move, can only sit and snap or swipe or grasp for prey.

It isn't just the monsters either. The trip out to the skyscrapers will take at least four days on foot for the fastest and fittest people in the Quarantine, and going by foot is the only way to get there, considering there's no cleared space large enough to land craft, and due to the unknown nature of the area around the skyscrapers, magic is not to be used to travel there. Day One of the trip will be pretty normal, aside from the surroundings starting to get weird, but on Day Two, characters will start to feel and see changes. Whether they're taking on physical traits of other members of their teams, or the creatures and plants around them, they will start to subtly change, whether it's eye or hair color, scales or claws or even superpowers or abilities, they'll start to 'trade' traits with people and creatures around them. On Day Three, it gets significantly worse, with characters starting to meld together with animals and plants around them, becoming more and more amalgamated with the world around them, whether it's vines under their skin or growing a tail, or any combination. By Day Four, characters will be experiencing intense changes to the very fabric of themselves, their physical bodies morphing and twisting into things that are completely alien while their minds stay mostly the same.

The level of transformation experienced and the amount of physical pain and damage that the transformation causes to individual characters is up to player discretion, and characters that feel unable to handle the effects of the jungle route are more than welcome to turn back whenever they want. However, if any teams make it to the skyscrapers they will find that the buildings are inhabitable and the area would be easily cordoned off with fences, though the buildings are covered with mosses, fungi, and leafy herbs that seem unaffected by the mutations. Teams will find that as they turn back toward the city, the effects wear off as they leave the area, in exact reverse to how they appeared.

For any thread completed under this prompt, whether or not characters made it to the skyscrapers, all participating characters will receive rewards. The first team that makes it to the skyscrapers, collects samples of the fungi and moss, and makes it back to the city should respond in this thread to receive the "solution" to what is happening in the area and how the area can become inhabitable.


phase iv: the forest

The jungle isn't the only option for new areas to inhabit. The same fly-over expedition covered the deciduous forest to the south of the Quarantine, and discovered a sprawling, walled compound, overgrown with thick, lush vegetation. The compound seems to have its own water sources, an orchard, garden areas, and places to keep farm animals, as well as ample space where wild game can roam - just about any herbivorous creature you can imagine seems to have found a home here.

The most important part? Despite looking like plain old tall, thick stone walls that could easily be stomped down by some of the bigger predators in the woods, they are obviously doing their job. There isn't a single break in the walls and despite being in ill repair, the whole area looks pretty safe. On top of that, it's big enough to house the refugees and then some in relative comfort and self-sufficiency, enough that they could easily survive long enough to build a safe method of transport out to the compound so residents there could access the city with ease.

Just like the jungle skyscrapers, though, one wonders why no one is living there anymore. Unlike the jungle, however, the day-long trip out to the compound is relatively uneventful. Besides the usual predators in the area, there's nothing untoward, no unspeakable horror like what's going on in the jungle. At least, not until the team makes their way to the compound and opens the heavy gate to let themselves inside. Once they're there and exploring to make sure the area is safe to inhabit (a task that will take at least four days considering the amount of ground covered by the compound) is when strange things start happening.

It starts on Day One, with team members noticing strange apparitions out of the corners of their eyes. Like ghosts, they flit in and out of peripheral vision, make the sound of footsteps behind the person on night watch, touch an explorer's shoulder from behind when they're not looking, and immediately disappear when looked at directly. On Day Two, the apparitions will start to stick around longer, and look familiar, with explorers seeing things that trigger bad feelings, like fear or anger or grief. By Day Three the apparitions will be an almost constant presence, hovering around, visible to everyone, exposing the worst of every member of the team - images of dead loved ones, the scent of perfume or death, the sounds of an explorer's most guilty memory, all of it is there, ready to expose their darkest secrets to everyone around them. On Day Four, the apparitions will start to become more than that, physically attacking characters, enticing them blindly into dangerous places, and otherwise trying to kill them.

The types of apparitions experienced and the amount of exposure of dark secrets is up to player discretion, and characters who are unable to handle the events unfolding are more than welcome to leave and go back to the city. Teams that remain in the compound and explore for the full four days will eventually find a building near the center of the compound, with heavily riveted metal doors that have the words "Central Hub" spray paint stenciled on them and complicated electronic deadbolt locks.

For any thread completed under this prompt, whether or not characters made it to the Central Hub, all participating characters will receive rewards. The first team that makes it to the Central Hub and gets the doors open (in whatever way possible) should respond in this thread to receive the "solution" to what is happening in the area and how the area can become inhabitable.


phase v: wildcard

Have an idea for a mission-adjacent plot, or want to make up an unexpected plot twist or problem and solve it with your character? Just write up a starter, and don't forget to give yourself credit by submitting it for the Progress Report.



visual inspiration


click on thumbnails for larger view


Credit: image i: Daniel Gstir; image ii: Steven Cormann; image iii: Tom Nemeth


navigation
bardish: 40s; JUSTIFIED (405)

Phase IV: A Series of Unfortunate Events [Closed: Cameron Waltz & Athena Parker]

[personal profile] bardish 2018-08-20 05:53 pm (UTC)(link)
DAY 2: Here comes the cavalry
[ Jeff had absolutely no-- ZERO!-- intention of going out with any of the expeditions beyond the wall. Look, he's got a pretty healthy sense of self, an understanding of his own strengths, weaknesses, and capabilities that tell him-- without any self-pity-- that he's totally not suited to go forth and deal with the dangers this moon has to offer. He can't fight, he doesn't have any survivalist training, and he's not exactly the best at keeping a clear head under pressure.

For Jeff, life's usually a constant state of PANIC and AN OVERABUNDANCE OF CHILL, with very little room for anything in between. Definitely doesn't make him explorer material! Really, all he wanted was to do some volunteer work to help the refugees out. Unfortunately, Hank had other ideas.

Wait-- Hank?

Oh. Yeah. So that's what Jeff calls his new, uh, friend (???), a member of the Perimeter Guard that can't really tell one human apart from another. Jeff can't really pronounce the guy's real name, but it sounds close enough to Hank that they've come to an agreement that that's what he can call him. Anyway, Jeff figured Hank was there to direct him, as a volunteer, to whatever he was supposed to be doing for the refugees. Meanwhile, Hank totally mistook Jeff for his expedition partner, Geoff-- with a G-- and, so. Yeah. It was like the face-blind leading the face-blind.

By the time things started to click together for Jeff, Hank was dead-set on continuing the expedition. They were too far to turn back now, and besides! As far as Hank was concerned, Jeff's a tall human male in optimal physical condition (note to self: include that in his Friendr profile, if he survives this…), so it's fine! Totally fine!

Spoilers: it was not fine.

Sure, they got to the compound without getting eaten by any predators-- just chased by some angry rhino-dinosaur-thing, which was so much better!-- but that's when shit started to get weird. Hank started seeing things, but he still wouldn't turn back. They got this far; they needed to check out the compound in its entirety. So he shot a quick message to Athena and kept on.

At first, Jeff stuck with Hank because he had no idea if he could even find his way back to the city on his own-- honestly, if he could even make it five miles before something ate him. That was kind of up in the air. But then it became more of an issue of concern. Look, Jeff gets attached to people (and aliens) pretty easily. The weirder Hank got, the less Jeff wanted to leave him behind to whatever budding psychosis was afoot. Even if he felt confident in his ability to trek back to the city by himself, Jeff couldn't ditch the guy.

It turns out, Jeff didn't have to concern himself so much with leaving Hank behind, after all. Instead, Hank wound up ditching him, wandering off on his own, deeper into the compound, while Jeff was asleep.

Well. ]


Fuck!

[ Hey-- what's that in the corner of his eye? ]

DAY 3: In the backwater swirling
[ At first, he sees visions Mel. Sometimes, she hates him; others, she's indifferent. Mostly, she's hurt, and it takes his everything not to go chasing after her. The thing is: Jeff's used to hallucinations. Fucked up as it is, this is kind of old hat to him. Something just out of his line of sight, phantom touches tickling up his spine, whispers giving voice to everything he hates about himself. Been there, done that, enjoyed a stint in rehab and years of therapy to get through it.

It's totally easy!

(It's not easy at all; it's seriously fucking with him, and he could really use a drink or-- better yet-- something way harder to get through this.)

At least Athena and Cam are here, even though the last thing he wanted was for them to haul ass out past the wall and put themselves in danger. ]


All because you can't say 'no' to people.

[ Oh, that voice is new and familiar at the same time. Don't turn around, don't turn around, don't-- ]

How did we get here? It's fucking sad. [ A short laugh; he can practically see the teasing smile on its face. There's a playful drawl in its voice. ] You know what I'm talking about, man.

[ Movement in the corner of his eye. He tells himself not to look; whatever it is-- a ghost, a phantom, a demon-- he knows better than to give it what it wants. You've been down this road before, Jeff, and it didn't take you anywhere good.

Where's Cam? Athena? When did he wander away from them?

He shuts his eyes, presses them with the heels of his hands, and tries to take a series of slow, steadying breaths. It's not real, it's not real, it's not real...

When he opens his eyes again, he's face-to-face with himself. Well, not himself, exactly. Younger, brighter, a spark of meanness burning in his eyes, but there's something more there. At 20 years old, that Jeff's standing tall and unburdened, brimming with big dreams and unlimited potential. ]


Washed up. Loser. Scared of your own fucking shadow. When did I become you?

DAY 4: ???
[ WHO KNOWS WHAT TOMORROW BRINGS! ]
Edited 2018-08-20 17:56 (UTC)
citharede: (bh203)

DAY THREE

[personal profile] citharede 2018-08-21 03:17 am (UTC)(link)
[ Jeff's day three is Athena's day two, and she hates it, thanks. It was bad enough when she thought she was just being a jumpy idiot over footsteps in the woods when there's probably ten thousand animals around to make the noises she was hearing. Even the whispers. There's probably something here that makes those kinds of whispers, right?

Except now she's definitely seeing things. Michael, Nicky, Bev. Taylor. A loneliness and guilt she can't talk herself out of.

Robbie, staying just ahead of her. Robbie, disappearing every time she gets close.

She's been staying close to the men, or trying to--trying to, but as she looked up a minute ago she saw Jeff's back disappearing into mist. She ran after him, shouting to Cam, but now she's not sure if he heard.

It takes longer than it should to catch up to Jeff, and she hears whispering the whole time. ]


Jeff?

[ There, she hears his voice. Or she thinks it's his voice. God, she's losing her mind. ]

Jeff!

[ There he is. She starts toward him, then kind of staggers to a halt, looking back and forth between him and the tall, bright, mean-looking version of himself standing there staring the real Jeff down.

Athena doesn't think. She runs forward, anger and fear flaring up in equal measure. ]
Hey, fuck off! Go on, do your spook thing!
bardish: 20s; RIVER (young8)

let's just blanket warning this thread for references to drugs, mental health issues, etc

[personal profile] bardish 2018-08-21 12:20 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Jeff lets out a breath-- he hadn't even realized he'd been holding it in-- when he hears Athena come crashing into this moment between him and, uh. Himself.

But then, headstrong and impulsive as she is, Athena's running right for the Jeff Calhoun of Decades Past, and he only just manages to catch her around the waist and pull her back, because like, hello, maybe don't go running at a mysterious ghost thing! ]


Hey-- no, c'mon, kid, let's go back to...

[ He's trailing off as soon as he realizes something:

Athena can see it. She couldn't see the others, but she can see this one. And it's just standing here, laid back and totally unimpressed. The wannabe rockstar isn't disappearing like these things usually do when confronted. Jeff's hold on Athena goes slack.

Meanwhile, Ghost of Christmas Past here is poking her on the nose, smirking: ]
Boo. [ A beat, then he goes positively conversational. ] Hey, so, while we're all here, let's play a game. [ An aside, for Athena's benefit: ] We used to do that a lot in Harmony Grove. Played stupid, pointless games to kill time and, y'know, keep those suicidal impulses at bay.

[ Gosh, this thing is chatty. ]

Anywaaaay... The game is: fill in the blank. I'll start.

[ A beat, as if he has to stop and think of something. ]

'Those who can, do.' [ He gestures vaguely with one hand, searching, a little flair in the pop of his wrist. ] 'And those who caaaan't...' [ His searching gesture settles into a conspiratorial point at Jeff, as if he's doing Athena a solid and giving her the answer. ]
citharede: (bh193)

[personal profile] citharede 2018-08-21 01:10 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Athena hangs on to Jeff's arm around her waist like a lifeline. She doesn't want to think about Jeff in rehab. Needing rehab. She doesn't want to think about Jeff, her Jeff being suicidal. She doesn't want to think about that as something Jeff can be.

She can feel herself tearing up.

In a snarl: ]
I told you to fuck off! Leave him alone!
bardish: 40s; JUSTIFIED (vlcsnap-2018-06-08-08h51m05s076)

[personal profile] bardish 2018-08-21 02:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Athena... [ Jeff's trying to keep calm-- trying to keep her grounded-- even if he has to wince, because it's not like the thing's saying anything he hasn't thought before. Honestly, it's kind of tame, considering the depths his self loathing can take him to, when he's not careful.

But it's too weird, seeing it coming from his own mouth, hearing it in his own voice. ]


It's not real.

[ Like he needs to remind them both that whatever this is, it's not real. It can't hurt them. ]

Sure I'm not. That's what you've been telling yourself for, what, twenty years now? [ The other him laughs, the sound vibrant and electric. ] Fuck, man! How was it you killed me? The drugs, the demon? Or... Huh. Was it everything after? The wife and kid, house in the suburbs.

[ GAG. Back to Athena! ]

He talks a big game about recovery, y'know. But is that really what you'd call it? Giving up everything that makes you you, settling for some half-life... I don't think so.

[ Okay, well, that's enough of that. Jeff takes Athena's hand, pulling her back. ]

Let's go, Athena.

[ Except even if they turn around, that thing's still there, still standing in front of them, looking so pleased. Persistent fucker. ]
Edited 2018-08-21 14:04 (UTC)
citharede: (bh192)

[personal profile] citharede 2018-08-21 02:36 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Athena steps back against Jeff, not sure if she's shielding him or protecting herself. She wants his presence, solid and reassuring, she wants the real him, she wants this stupid fucker to go away.

She doesn't want to believe any of this. That Jeff would think Mel and his life now are some kind of mistake, that they somehow killed who he used to be. That she could be part of what killed his future, too. ]


He didn't. [ Her grip on Jeff's hand tightens, like it's the thing keeping the real Jeff from disappearing. ] You don't know what you're fucking talking about.
bardish: 40s; JUSTIFIED (445)

[personal profile] bardish 2018-08-21 02:56 pm (UTC)(link)
I think I know myself better than you do. [ To Jeff, though it doesn't seem to care either way if it gets an answer: ] What do you think, rockstar?

[ And now Past-Jeff moves closer, zeroing in on Athena, gaze focused like a predator's. ]

Awww... You like to act tough, but you're just a scared little girl, aren't ya? Afraid everyone's gonna turn their backs on you, turn you out on the street again. [ The apparition jerks a thumb in Jeff's general direction. ] So you cling to this loser.

Two perfect fuckups! What a pair!


[ Jeff's trying to keep his breathing steady, trying not to freak out too much because the longer Past-Jeff talks, the more real he seems. He squeezes Athena's hand, an assurance to the both of them that he's still here. ]

Just don't talk to it... It'll go away.

[ Advice for himself and for Athena. The apparition scoffs. ]

Oh yeah, and that worked out so well for you before. [ It taps the crook of its elbow and winks, like it's being cheeky. ] You know the only thing that'll work.
Edited 2018-08-21 14:59 (UTC)
citharede: (bh188)

[personal profile] citharede 2018-08-21 03:12 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Athena flinches when it talks to her, wanting to hide her face against Jeff's side and knowing that will only prove the thing's point. From the corner of her eye, she sees Taylor sneering, but she's gone as soon as Athena looks her way.

(He's right, you know he's right. You don't want to be like us. You never did. Did you ever care about any of us, really?) ]


Yes!

[ Except Taylor isn't there. Athena lets go of Jeff's hand and scrubs the heels of her palms against her eyes, muttering fuck, fuck, fuck under her breath.

Then she picks up a rock and hurls it uselessly at the apparition's head. ]
Fuck off!
bardish: 40s; SCD (to-scd-155)

[personal profile] bardish 2018-08-21 03:59 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Okay, this has gone on long enough. It's one thing for this ghostly asshole to spit venom at him; it's another for it to go after Athena. Throwing the rock seems to do the trick-- it shakes Jeff out of complacency, if nothing else. And the apparition goes away, at least, for a few seconds. But then that vision of his youth is reappearing as Jeff takes Athena's hand again and starts to walk them away from this spot.

Where, he's not sure. They've got to find Cam, that's all. Cam and, uh, all the supplies. The problem is, Jeff got all kinds of turned around when he mindlessly wandered off.

Everywhere he turns, he can see himself. Only now, it seems more interested in Athena than him-- probably because it's getting a bigger reaction from her. ]


Watch out, kid. The second he turns his back on you, he'll forget you ever existed. Just ask-- gosh, I can't even remember his name! What was it again? The one you left behind! [ It snaps its fingers, trying to jog a memory, though Jeff knows exactly who it's talking about. He flinches, turns his attention on Athena fully, even as it keeps talking. ]

What was the first song you ever sang to me? You remember it?

[ Look, they're bards. When in doubt, they can turn to music. ]

You're so fucking pathetic. You can barely make yourself sing, so you've gotta rely on the kid...

[ FUCK YOU, GHOST. ]

Remember the last song we composed?

[ Jeff draws in a breath. No, no, this is the last thing he wants this fucker to dish about in front of Athena. ]

Let's just sing. Anything. Focus on each other, okay?
Edited (SO MANY EDITS) 2018-08-21 16:08 (UTC)
citharede: (bh111)

[personal profile] citharede 2018-08-21 04:38 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Athena closes her eyes and nods, trying desperately not to be curious about what the ghost-thing is saying now. These are things Jeff hasn't told her. They're parts of him she doesn't know.

If he wanted her to know, if she needed to know, she would. She would. There are things she doesn't want Jeff to know about her, either. It's only fair that there's stuff he hides, isn't it?

Voice shaky, she starts to sing. It's one she's probably belted out enough for him to know it. Her attempt at a joke when all she wants to do is cry. ]


If I was a guy,
I'd get to wear the pants.
Making all the decisions,
Asking girls to dance yeah yeah...


[ The beat is just a little off, not fast enough, her voice not quite rough enough, but she's trying. ]
bardish: 40s; JUSTIFIED (144)

[personal profile] bardish 2018-08-21 06:22 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He huffs out something of a laugh, picking up on the song after a beat. It's a perfectly Athena choice, and he loves that about her. Even if he can hear the emotional strain in her voice, at least she's singing, instead of engaging with the shared hallucination. ]

If I was a guy,
I'd be my biggest fan,
I'd be the skinny lead singer
In a grunge band, yeah yeah.

[ With a scoff, the ghost remarks: ] Wow, you guys, I feel sooo called out right now.

[ Yeah, apparently even the evil ghost version of himself is still... well. Jeff. At its core.

Actually, that's not a good thing. That's alarming. That brief moment where it's saying just what he would say only lends credibility to the rest of the venom it's been spewing.

It's fixing its mouth to say something else, but Jeff just raises his voice, because fuck it, they can drown out whatever it's saying, with music. And maybe it'll have the bonus effect of helping Cam find them. ]
citharede: (bh139)

[personal profile] citharede 2018-08-21 06:31 pm (UTC)(link)
[ The fact that that thing sounds so much like Jeff, like her Jeff, just makes her sing louder. ]

I'd say c'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon here girl let me show you something,
I'm gonna rock your world.
And I'd say gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme some of your love,
I'd be the only one girl,
That you'd be thinking of.

[ And she gives Jeff's apparition the finger. ]
bardish: 40s; JUSTIFIED (441)

[personal profile] bardish 2018-08-24 12:37 am (UTC)(link)
[ Though he isn't usually one to bow to peer pressure, Jeff figures what the hell and flips his apparition the bird, too. It's kind of weird, flipping your younger self off. Jeff would like to say it feels good, like, cathartic somehow, to do it. Like he hates who he was back then, like he never misses it...

But he does. That's the fucked up thing. He doesn't regret getting married (and later, divorced), becoming a dad, becoming a teacher, any of that. But that doesn't mean he's never wondered about what could've been. That other path...

Its remarks are still hanging over him, even as the thing's there one second, then gone in the blink of an eye, driven away by the song.

Jeff gives Athena a quick, one-armed hug as they keep on walking. ]


Sorry. Uh, that you had to listen to any of that... [ Like it's his fault, somehow. As if Jeff had been the one saying what the spectral version of his youth was spouting off. ] You did good.
citharede: (pic#12394374)

[personal profile] citharede 2018-08-24 12:46 am (UTC)(link)
[ She grabs that hand that circles around her shoulders so Jeff can't let go. She wants the comfort of having him close by. ]

Yeah? [ Something like worry eases away, like he might have been mad that she talked like that to who he used to be. ] What'd....

[ Athena bites her lip, drawing in a slow, deep breath. Bracing herself. ]

What'd he mean--

[ Laughter cuts her off. She stops short, staring at the trio blocking their path, still indistinct, but more real than they've looked until now. Michael, tall and thin with those stupid lenseless glasses he wore because he thought they looked cool. Nicky, short and skinny and probably like fourteen even though she always said sixteen when someone asked. Bev, round-faced and pretty with long, sharp red hair.

They stand in a circle, facing each other, whispering to each other and laughing every time one of them looks her way. ]

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citharede: (bh294)

JEFF DAY 4/ATHENA + CAM DAY 3

[personal profile] citharede 2018-08-21 03:43 am (UTC)(link)
[ They start waking her up in the night, keeping her up with their whispers and their jeering and their declarations of abandonment. She covers her ears and whispers I didn't, I didn't, I didn't, until she starts to fall asleep again, praying all the while that Jeff and Cam can't hear any of it.

When she gets up, she sees Robbie.

To be exact, she sees Robbie whole and real and not some ghostly apparition that disappears when Athena looks at her straight on. It's Robbie, in her stupid overalls with her stupid tie-dye t-shirt, her hair held in check by a bandana.

Athena doesn't think. She doesn't wait. She probably wakes Cam and Jeff up shouting as she runs toward the familiar face as Robbie turns and starts to walk away. ]


Wait! [ She trips, then rights herself and keeps running. ] Robbie, wait!

Like you did?

[ Robbie pauses and looks back, her smile mean, and then she's moving forward into the mist again and Athena is following after. ]
Edited 2018-08-21 12:57 (UTC)
bardish: 40s; MD (to073)

[personal profile] bardish 2018-08-21 02:27 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Jeff's barely getting any sleep as it is. He knows he needs to, but he can't, not with the noise around him, reminding him that whatever happens here, it's his goddamn fault for refusing to leave his new alien buddy behind. Is Hank even alive anymore? They keep searching, but...

Just go. Look out for #1.

Funny. This time, it's not even the apparition telling him that.

He sits up with Athena's shout, squinting into the darkness to see her bolting after someone-- something. He reaches over to nudge Cam, just in case he hasn't stirred already, and gets up to go after her. ]


Daddy...

[ That's Mel, wailing and injured, trying to lure him in the other direction, towards some... rubble or something, he can't quite make it out. Not real, that's not real, that's not his daughter...

But what if it is? What if she's been here the whole time? ]


Just leave her, rockstar. Leave 'em all.

[ Oh there's that asshole again. Past Jeff. Fuck that guy. ]

It's what we should've done ages ago.

[ Here he is, at a crossroads, asshole ghosts trying to lure him every which way but the one he wants to go. ]

Athena!
citharede: (bh268)

NIGHT THREE

[personal profile] citharede 2018-09-14 04:02 am (UTC)(link)
[ Athena can't sleep. She tried, and voices kept waking her up. Voices, whispers, noises in the dark.

Her dad whispering I'm going to kill you, you little faggot, is what gets her up and moving into the circle of light around their fire, where Cam is on watch. She curls up next to him, grabbing his arm and pulling it around her. ]


You look like you could use the company.

[ She tries for cavalier, but it just comes out small. ]
enveloped: (s01e09_546)

[personal profile] enveloped 2018-09-14 04:20 am (UTC)(link)
Yours? Always.

[Cam smiles, giving her side a light squeeze. He's on watch while Jeff sleeps. The man's been going for more than forty-eight hours. He passed out almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.]

Can't sleep? I'm sorry I couldn't pack another Therm-a-Rest. There wasn't enough room for two. Do you want to try putting my sleeping bag under yours? I'll be up for a while longer.
Edited 2018-09-14 04:34 (UTC)
citharede: (bh154)

[personal profile] citharede 2018-09-14 04:41 am (UTC)(link)
I don't think it'd help.

[ She tucks herself a little closer against him, shivering in spite of the fire. Athena can't admit it, won't, but she wishes she'd listened when he told her to stay home. She doesn't want to know what she knows about Jeff now. She doesn't want to hear voices, to see ghosts.

Athena rests her cheek against his arm. ]


This place is fucked up.

[ Murmurs in the dark, indistinct but familiar voices. She shrinks against Cam, trying to brace herself for when the voices clarify into cruelty. ]
enveloped: (adam-rayner-tyrant-2487231)

[personal profile] enveloped 2018-09-14 05:05 am (UTC)(link)
Yes. It is.

[Cam hears voices too. His disappointed parents. Jeff's vicious younger self. Mazin, whose whisper is most seductive in the loneliness of the night.

Come back to me.

He lets go of Athena to unzip his thermal jacket, shrugging out of it to wrap the garment around her small shoulders. Once she's snug, he pulls her into his lap, against his chest. The warmest spot in the forest. He rests his chin on the top of her head.]


Are you too old for something like this? I never know anymore. Teenage girls are impossible to predict.
citharede: (pic#12394374)

[personal profile] citharede 2018-09-14 05:39 am (UTC)(link)
[ The move takes her by surprise, but she doesn't resist. The comfort of it is too welcome for her to pretend she doesn't like it, that she's too mature for it. Besides, who else is around to witness it? Jeff? She's cried on his lap more than once. ]

I can make an exception.

[ Athena watches the fire, feeling as safe as she has since they left Riverview's walls. For one precious minute, two, there's silence from her voices. ]

My daughter isn't a freak.

[ She closes her eyes and starts singing softly. ]

Stop singing! Not in this house, do you hear me? Not in this house!
enveloped: (adam-rayner-tyrant-2487327)

[personal profile] enveloped 2018-09-17 02:21 am (UTC)(link)
You aren't a freak. You're intelligent, talented, and beautiful. If your parents didn't see that they were both blind and stupid.

[If Cam ever has the pleasure of meeting Athena's father, he'll break him over his knee. Bigots like him have no place in the modern world. If it weren't for the fact that those who choose not to evolve eventually go extinct, he would be a much angrier and more violent man.

He squeezes her tight against his chest, hugging her like he would his daughter, because she's become something like one in the short, albeit intense time they've spent together in Riverview.]


If they accomplished anything near great in their lives, it was you.
citharede: (bh356)

[personal profile] citharede 2018-09-17 10:09 pm (UTC)(link)
[ She presses her face against Cam's chest, tears burning in her eyes. You have to say that, she almost says. She doesn't know why she thinks it, why she can't just take what Cam says and hold on to it without doubt.

He can probably feel her rising tension, the fear of what the voices might say next.

She still sings another verse in defiance of the voices before she goes quiet, pulling Cam's jacket tight around herself. ]


He was more pissed off when he found out about my girlfriend.

[ Her voice is tiny as she admits it. She makes herself smaller against her, bracing herself for a fresh onslaught from the forest around them, but nothing happens. Athena shivers. ]
enveloped: (adam-rayner-tyrant-2487231)

[personal profile] enveloped 2018-10-05 06:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Of course he was. Because your father's a small-minded fool. He can't comprehend the love we're capable of. If he could, he wouldn't be nearly such an asshole. His loss.

[Cam instinctively wraps himself around her, protective. She's so small, so young, and so fragile. He worries sometimes, about what she's seen and experienced, but then he remembers her strength]

I know it hurts sometimes Athena, but never be ashamed of who you are, or the depth of your emotions. Your truth is what makes you powerful. If you didn't have what makes you yourself, flaws and all, your voice would be pretty, but empty.

There are people in the world who wish they could have your heart.
Edited 2018-10-05 18:20 (UTC)
citharede: (bh197)

[personal profile] citharede 2018-10-06 12:00 am (UTC)(link)
[ Athena starts really crying at that, letting go of the jacket to wrap her arms around Cam as she sobs. The forest stays quiet, deceptively, blessedly quiet, even when Athena expects the attacks to pour in from every side--friends, family, the teacher who caught her and her girlfriend. She's braced for every cruel thing, ever insecurity to come at her from the dark and for Cam to hear every single one.

Maybe that's why the voices don't come. Because Cam is listening with her. Because he can listen and tell her the truth, tell her all the reasons the voices are full of shit.

(For a second she swears she hears Robbie again, murmuring He's right, lover, hang on to that.)

Almost all the voices.

Athena tries to breathe evenly, to stop gasping and blubbering all over Cam's chest. It takes a while, but slowly she stops crying. It takes a while, but she finally goes quiet. Thickly: ]


You're a good dad. [ It strikes her how that could sound, and she corrects herself quickly. ] I mean you must be.