EVENT: The Mouth Waiting, Patiently Waiting (December 2023)

[citycenter]

THE MOUTH WAITING, PATIENTLY WAITING.

WE ARE UNCONQUERABLE. » SCIENCE DISCOVERY CENTER — INTRODUCTORY NOTES Though the museum has been partially open for several weeks, residents will notice the lights coming on in previously inaccessible wings starting the evening of December 18. The doors to these areas will remain locked, but those with keen observation skills may notice the occasional shadow moving across a window, or perhaps new, hulking forms appearing on the other side of the glass where before there were only vast, empty rooms. If you press your face up against the tinted windows, you'll see curtains drawn across previously blank walls, sheets thrown over the vague shape of a display case, and signs hung from the ceiling that await proper illumination to be read. At dawn on December 19, the devices of all residents will buzz and light up not with the usual friendly notification, but a white screen likely to blind those awoken by the sudden noise. You should be used to this now, the nearly blank page similar to the one that welcomed you on the train your first day here. There are no questions, just one bold phrase—STAND THE TEST OF TIME. Beneath it, your only option is to click the "OK" button if you wish to make your device functional again, because even if you turn it off and on again, that same message will be waiting for you until you accept it. For those who willingly venture into the museum through the front doors, they'll find themselves in the middle of a large atrium with welcome desks and information centers—all empty, of course. There are no staff, nor even that many information kiosks besides a tall pillar in the middle with a map of the center's layout as well as a list of exhibits that are currently open to the public: BODY WORKS: Get up close and personal with the inner workings of your body. NATURAL HISTORY: Learn all about the world around you, from its weather to its fossil record. THE HISTORY OF US: See the pasts of our fair city and experience history like never before. Have a look around, enjoy the educational enrichment, and don't forget to stop by the gift shop on your way out! If you make it out. The city's Science Discovery Center is a combination of a natural history museum and a children's discovery center, aimed towards cataloging knowledge pertaining to the city and its residents. Some exhibits focus on accurate information about the city's history and the biology of the people who have lived here, while other displays are a twisted version of facts. The Center is large, and has plenty of room for smaller exhibits showcasing natural phenomena from all manner of home worlds and canons. Players are welcome to find mentions of their own species, depictions of native flora and fauna, or other tidbits of information that might get your characters asking questions. Inspiration was drawn from several sources, so please feel free to do the same! Some worthwhile mentions include: Body Worlds Don't Hug Me I'm Scared Westworld JUMP TO TOP ↑ | ↓ JUMP TO COMMENTS WE ARE TERRIBLE AND SPLENDID. » SCIENCE DISCOVERY CENTER EXHIBIT — "BODY WORKS" This exhibit is down the left-hand hallway that branches off from the entrance atrium. That is, if you choose to come to the museum of your own volition. For some residents, they will wake up to find themselves included as a piece of the exhibit, posed in a variety of non-lethal positions—riding a bicycle, playing guitar, wrestling a fake bear—within glass display cases. Don't worry, you're not trapped! Simply find the door on the back of the case and free yourself to go exploring through the rest of the exhibit. You're already here, so you might as well enjoy the free entrance fee and learn a thing or two about your fellow residents. BODY WORKS is a mixture of informational displays and interactive activities that all focus on the body of sentient city residents, mainly humans though including other species that have called this city their home over the years. Through a winding maze of hallways and rooms, visitors can find informational plaques covering vampire digestion, genetic mutations in empowered individuals, moon cycles of werewolves, and human reproduction. The highlight of all these mini exhibits are the sample bodies, displayed in relevant poses and either bisected to show the inner working of the organs or stripped of skin to reveal the movement of key muscles. Not all of the rooms within this exhibit are fully factual, however. Keen-eyed visitors, or anyone who passed middle school science, will notice there is a fair bit of misinformation as well. Most of this is concentrated in displays aimed towards younger residents—a felt model of the human body made to look like a house, the various organs pictures as nonsensical rooms or appliances. Similarly, one room is full of life-size versions of the popular game Invasive Surgery where plastic models of a human, an elf, a gray alien, and an anthropomorphic velociraptor all lay prone on individual table with their bodies ready to be operated on. Cavities are already hollowed out and filled with tongue-in-cheek representations of various body parts—the human male's Adam's apple is a literal apple, the alien's ribs look more like a rack of lamb, the elf's two hearts are bright pink love hearts, and the velociraptor's claw is represented by a box cutter. Residents who are suspicious of the city's newsletters and constantly opening attractions may go to bed somewhere expected and then wake up as a display in this exhibit of the Discovery Center. There is no rhyme nor reason to who gets transported and is left up to player choice—there simply is need to fill all of the displays in the museum, and some of those samples may be living residents rather than past ones. There is no exit from this exhibit, however, and it will loop visitors back around to the main atrium where they can either leave or explore the rest of the center since they're already here. JUMP TO TOP ↑ | ↓ JUMP TO COMMENTS BLEEDING THORNS, THE ENDLESS DILATION. » SCIENCE DISCOVERY CENTER EXHIBIT — "NATURAL HISTORY" This exhibit is reached by taking the hallway on the right side of the atrium at the entrance of the Center. Visitors looking for an in-depth and scientific approach to the city's history may be disappointed to find that most of the displays here appear to be half finished and very rarely occupied by any helpful models. Life-sized dioramas line the walls and sit behind thick glass. They all boast highly detailed set dressings, but none of the wax models or taxidermy animals that guests might expect from this kind of exhibit. They also lack any plaques or other signage that would provide context for what is missing from the displays. In the middle of rooms and hallways are empty display cases, or in the rare chance that there is an artifact inside, it looks like an obvious replica. Fake fossils and artificially weathered ceramics fill these displays as if mimicking images from an old history textbook. Other areas of this wing of the center focus on explaining natural phenomena, such as weather patterns, plate tectonics, and rock types and their formation. Charts explain the rain cycle going through evaporation condensation, and precipitation with small displays of each step—a secondary branch shoots off to explain how certain weather patterns can cause fish to be sucked up into storms and rained down upon towns. Large tables with levers and handles show the movement of different tectonic plates and the kinds of pressure that build up to cause earthquakes. A short video explains what gravity is and shows what would happen to all of the residents of a city if gravity were suddenly turned off. Everything has a slightly ominous tone to it, as if these examples are explaining possible natural disasters that could befall the city. Players are encouraged to have their characters find any kind of display that might be included in their canon as if a display was created to show their own local customs or history. There is unfortunately not much of substance here in terms of true city history as the majority of the exhibit seems to be faked. JUMP TO TOP ↑ | ↓ JUMP TO COMMENTS THE FIRE THAT ALTERS NOTHING. » SCIENCE DISCOVERY CENTER EXHIBITS — "THE HISTORY OF US" Taking the central hallway from the entry atrium and walking towards the back of the Science Discovery Center, visitors will be brought to a large circular room that is dimly light from lights sunken into the tall ceiling. Though the space is grand, it has an intimate and somewhat claustrophobic feeling thanks to the darkness and deep navy aint covering the walls and ceiling. There's easily enough space for fifty people to move about without brushing elbows, yet guests may find themselves seeking the company of others amongst the shadows that find home here despite the lack of corners and nooks. The main attraction here are the framed photographs that line the rounded wall, forming a neat line from one end immediately to the left of the entrance from that hallway and stretching around to end at the right-hand side. A small paragraph of text is the only context given, explaining that these photographs are records of the city throughout its history and that the preview buttons beneath each frame will supply additional information. Upon further inspection of each photograph, visitors will recognize the city they've come to know and love. Each photograph has a different event depicted, as described below, though the images are slightly muted as if waiting to be backlit. On the bottom of each frame, similar to name plates on portraits, is a small plaque, and beneath that is a silver button embedded into the wall. These are the preview buttons mentioned at the beginning of the exhibit, and pressing them will indeed provide guests more context of the images they're viewing. After pressing a button, the photograph will light up in a more crisp, saturated version of its previous self. As viewers look more closely, the image will come to life around them until they are literally consumed by the contents of the photo, falling into that exact moment in time to experience it first-hand. These events range from earthquakes and tornadoes to alien attacks and dinosaur stampedes. There's no clear exit, no trick to escaping certain doom and find your way back to the museum—all you can do is participate in the past cataclysm around you until your death returns you home to current time in the city. It will be as if no time has passed at all; you simply spaced out a little staring into the photo and then, with a blink, find yourself perfectly intact as you were before. The last three frames have no button beneath them, no past to relive, just questions to add to the list. Plaque Text Photograph CE-01 A wide shot of the city sinking into a hole that perfectly runs along the borders of the outermost buildings' foundations. CE-02 Residents, cars, animals, and anything else not bolted down to the earth float up towards the clouds. CE-03 Buildings lean at various angles, some broken in half, as people run from falling debris and cracks open in the earth. CE-04 People are strewn about in front of City Hall, slumped on benches or fallen to the pavement, hands to their necks and faces showing signs of suffocation. CE-05 A group of people wearing rubber masks break into a ritzy apartment and brandish weapons at a man wearing a silk dressing gown. CE-06 Horizontal winds wipe rain through the city, tearing up trees and stop signs and breaking the glass of nearby buildings. CE-07 The city is almost unrecognizably arid, heat haze rising from the streets and all plant life withered and dead as dirt swirls through the air. CE-08 Fire engulfs the city, setting buildings ablaze and covering the water with a layer of aflame oil and debris. CE-09 A crowd of frenzied citizens attempt to murder one another in various ways, sometimes using weapons and sometimes resorting to their bare hands. CE-10 Dark clouds unleash torrential rain upon buildings half sunk in floodwaters that climb up the sides of buildings. CE-11 A group of cloaked figures move through the city in formation, carrying scythes in one hand and skulls in the other. Another group of people flee before them. CE-12 Plant life covers the city, crawling across and through skyscrapers and apartment complexes, sprouting massive carnivorous blooms and vine piercing the bodies of frenzied citizens. CE-13 A typical scene of city life is literally frozen in a second, ice forming sideways as a blast of cold deep freezes residents as they go about their days. CE-14 The sky is darkened by a swarm of locusts that descend upon the city and eat up all plant life. CE-15 The air is hazy with heat as human bodies melt into the pavement beneath a sky of bright reds, oranges, and purples. CE-16 A gray cloud darkens the sky as it moves through the city, everything dissolving in its path as nanites destroy all matter. CE-17 A wave taller than the city's skyscrapers approaches from the waterfront. People run from it, tripping in the proceeding flood waters. CE-18 The city streets are filled with residents who look like they're dressed for a parade, wearing party hats and carrying balloons, but they're participating in mass murder rather than a fun event. CE-19 A large mushroom cloud blooms in the background, buildings silhouetted by the blast. CE-20 Residents sit huddled in heaps as their flesh is eaten away in vast chunks, falling away from their bones. CE-21 A huge volcano stands in the center of the city, lava flowing from it and melting everything in its path as buildings sink into the glowing red rivers. CE-22 The same large volcano, this time in the background of the city, spews hot ash into the air that chokes out the sun. CE-23 Sickly green rain falls on the city, eating through the metal and glass of buildings and creating holes in the streets and pavement. CE-24 A flash of light takes up most of the scene, the few areas of shadow depicting people evaporating in a split second. CE-25 The city is covered in a thick layer of ice, doors and windows frozen shut inside while plants wither under rime outside. CE-26 From out of frame, an avalanche of snow covers city streets and buries residents. CE-27 Three tornadoes churn through the city, sucking up trees and cars and residents. CE-28 Bodies sit beneath dead trees, sunburned to the third degree, as the sky roils with abnormal colors. CE-29 The city is choked with yellow-gray haze, too thick to see through, that settles as oily filth on every surface. CE-30 Residents run through the streets covered in dark red boils, clawing at their faces and arms. CE-31 A small black hole hovers above the grass in the park, trees and people being sucked towards it. CE-32 From the sky, a barrage of silver marbles rains down on buildings and people like artificial hail. CE-33 Bodies fill the streets, writhing and contorted, their skin covered in black spots. CE-34 Massive flaming meteors rain from the sky and punch holes through buildings and streets. CE-35 A thick haze of pollen hangs in the air as residents find various ways to kill themselves. CE-36 From the waterfront, a hulking waterspout spins towards the city, flashes of sharks visible within its swirling waters. CE-37 People appear to be in the middle of going about their day, frozen in motion and turned to alabaster stone. CE-38 Lumbering zombies fill the streets, attacking residents and destroying storefronts. CE-39 People lay dead in the streets. There is no sign of struggle, nor environmental issues, nor other inciting incidents. CE-40 A shot of inside a train car shows the horrific scene of piles of blood, viscera, and human bones oozing off of the train seats. CE-41 A few residents' bodies lay emaciated and crumpled in the aisle of a grocery store, its shelves completely empty. CE-42 The city is barely recognizable beneath futuristic technological augments that cover buildings and people, yet all the lights are off and the screens are blank. CE-43 A swarm of murder hornets flies through an alleyway chasing people and stinging them to death. CE-44 In front of City Hall, a group of werewolves face down an opposing group of vampires, each brandishing fangs and preparing to fight one another. CE-45 A stampede of dinosaurs, big and small, run through the city streets, trampling everything in their path and eating the fleeing residents. CE-46 UFOs hover in the skies above the city, shooting lasers at buildings below. CE-47 Humanoid robots march into an apartment building looking for human survivors to destroy. CE-48 Blank CE-49 Blank CE-50 Rather than a photograph, this frame is filled by a mirror. A spotlight is perfectly aimed to highlight anyone standing in front of it. Pressing the button beneath a photograph will instantly teleport residents into the event depicted, either right before it starts or as it is playing out. Multiple residents can end up in the same event, either by viewing the same photo together or pressing the button some moments apart. Players are encouraged to embellish the disasters that are shown—an earthquake can cause a gas leak or a tornado can crush you with a car. The bottom line is that the only way to escape is through death, as if snapping residents out of the experience that might feel like a flashback upon their return to current reality inside the exhibit. Even characters who may no usually experience death from certain events—robots suffocating or merfolk drowning—will still be able to participate in this fun new perspective on mortality. While characters can interact with NPCs in the events they enter, they won't be able to get any meaningful information out of them. Consider a stranger coming up to you and interrogating you as your world ends, and you'll be able to guess how these residents are likely to answer: panicked, pained, and generally in shock. For any questions about specific photographs, such as what is being depicted and how a character might die in that scenario, please leave your questions below in the thread titled PHOTOGRAPH QUESTIONS. JUMP TO TOP ↑ | ↓ JUMP TO COMMENTS IN THE NIGHT'S WINDOWLESS DARKNESS. » SCIENCE DISCOVERY CENTER — THE BACK ROOMS Throughout the various exhibits, visitors will notice doors with a STAFF ONLY label on them. These doors are painted the same color as the walls so that the eye is more likely to pass over them, blended in to avoid standing out. All of these doors are, unfortunately, very much locked and unable to be picked due to the lack of a keyhole or any other identifiable locking mechanism. If you're determined enough to gain entry through one, however, you might have some luck in the Natural History wing of the discovery center. In the back of a room dedicated to how rocks are formed, there's a small annex with a sign above the entrance that reads LIVE SCIENCE LAB. While there isn't much live science actually happening here—just a lot of rock samples and microscopes—there is a staff door that opens easily with a twist of the knob. This door leads to a nondescript white hallway where your footsteps echo off the blank walls that twist and descend with a series of stairs. Eventually, a door appears at the end of the hallway, unlabeled but also unlocked. Welcome to the animal science lab, a large and sterile-looking space sectioned off into smaller rooms via plexiglass walls and translucent plastic curtains. Some rooms are taken up by bulky machines that look similar to a loom, but far more technologically advanced and oddly dimensional. A few of these machines appear to have stopped halfway through running—the front end of a horse stands halfway out of the mouth of one machine, the wings of a raven spread out on the platform of another. For anyone brave enough, or skilled enough, to turn on one of these machines, they'll be greeted with a catalog of animals and a simple question: PRINT? Other rooms have similar but smaller machines that are in various stages of completion with printing various items: a T-bone steak, a rack of ribs, a bucket of chicken wings. There are various meat samples in cold storage as well as vegan samples, and in one corner is a large bubbling vat of what appears to be blood. This lab appears to be stocked for printing a variety of animals as well as animal products and their alternatives for all manner of diet. After the 3D printers have been booted up and restored to operational, characters may print animals! There is a limit to one animal per character, access by biometric scan (so no loopholes for double dipping). Though the catalog of animals is extensive, including a variety of sizes, shapes, and origins, the machines have all been locked to restrictions in order to save resources. Characters may pick from this catalog, or if they are skilled in 3d modeling or similar skills, they could create input for an animal from their canon that may not be included as a preset option. Players may pick one animal up to the size of a golden retriever, and while some animals can be scaled down in size, they cannot be scaled up—characters could have a "mini" great dane, but not a massive pet ant. These animals cannot be fully sentient (think Pokemon) nor can they speak. They are also not protected by the city's respawning safety nets—if they die, they will stay dead, so be careful to protect your new pet. They are, for all intents and purposes, real animals that will need food, water, rest, and medical care. Choose wisely, and make sure you're prepared to take responsibility for your furry/feathery/scaly friend. JUMP TO TOP ↑ | ↓ JUMP TO COMMENTS WILDCARD. The city is by no means small, and there are plenty of things for you to see. There's no rush in exploring, so feel free to take your time looking around and peering into various nooks and crannies and alleyways—and don't worry, you're not very likely to find anything peering back. If none of the above prompts appeal, feel free to check out the Locations and Maps pages and write your own freestyle prompt using one or many of the available locations. This month's event headers come from Dedication by Franz Wright. JUMP TO TOP ↑

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Comments

EVENT QUESTIONS.

[citycenter]

As a reminder, there is a thread of questions (and answers) available on the OOC plotting post here. However, any additional questions not answered there can be asked here!

[fauned]

im back again hi..
this one could be a fun one to play with so i wanted to ask first!

would speak with animals work with the printed little ones? the spell doesn't bestow sentience or raise intelligence, it just allows for very simple communication. and given that they were just born out of the printer, they wouldn't really know very much anyway.

but i was more curious on the game mechanics standpoint! if it doesn't work (or what she hears is static/something generally WILD and out there) it'd be more than a little off-putting honestly which is SO fun but i didn't want to flavor the potential failure in case you guys had something in mind. and if it works i assume it's really nothing substantial.

[justscribing]

Does taking a sharpie to the displays to correct misinformation count as vandalizing a public space in the eyes of our fair(?) city?

[matermali]

Are the animals capable of reproducing? Such as if multiple people get the same type of animal like dogs, is there a chance that puppies could end up being a thing?

EDIT: I somehow missed that this question was already asked, strike it!

PHOTOGRAPHY QUESTIONS.

[citycenter]

Questions specific to the events in the photographs in the exhibit "THE HISTORY OF US" may be asked here. To see previously asked questions from the OOC Plotting Post, click here.

[strongroots]

1. BODY WORKS; A NORMAL ASS TEEN ON DISPLAY

a.

The prompt starts as it says in the title.

One Robby Keene can be found on display, dressed in simple cotton black pants and a t-shirt, his eyes closed and leaning, in the process of forever cleaning the floor with the brush in his hands. How is he going to get that floor clean, sleeping on the job? You can wake him up.

...or find him waking up himself, his situation slow to dawn on him as eyes groggily look around, before his sees the broom in his hand--and drops it, when it finally registers to him he's in a display case. "The hell--?"

Help him get out. Or make some remark on this boy who can't play his role.

b.

But okay, he's gotten out. Begrudgingly walking around the exhibit, mainly to find a way out. ...but his curiosity has gotten the better of him, to look through the different rooms. At least a few. His arms are tight across his chest, his feet bare on the tiling of the floor. He looks like a pissed teen, though it's mainly his resting face for now. He can be approached as he stops to squint at displays of werewolves, vampires, and such, or he can approach your character, frowning as he asks, "Did you wake up here?"

2. THE HISTORY OF US

a.

He's not in the mood for closely looking at everything. There's a nagging worry in Robby for what will happen, some new experiment taking place. But he finds the rounded room, takes one step in and sees the walls of photographs--

"--Fuck. No."

It's hissed under his breath, and he considers taking a step back, but just stands near the entrance, hesitating. Is he in your character's way? Or was he already with your character?

b.

Robby enters, that growing wariness in him for the photos and how, fuck, something could happen at any second. He doesn't get too close to them, but close enough to make some important observations.

Such as: "...Dinosaurs?"

So, so bewildered. Please, let's remark on how absurd all of these photographs are. Try and figure them out. Rank them on creativity.

OOC

( hello, simple toplevel. here's robby's plotting post if you have any questions! also willing to make a starter for the tdm prompt involving sculptures/works of robby's personal life if anyone is interested!! i also plan to tag out.... B) b )

1b

[fanstheflames]

[ Well, here's someone running at Robby while he's wandering around. Similarly, she is not dressed in regular warm winter attire, she is barefoot and dressed in cute pajamas, with her hair down. ]

Seriously?? You got brought here too? Are you okay? Do you feel normal??

[ Well, he likely expected that, to be fussed over immediately-- ]

2a

[excaliburden]

[She wasn't far behind him, honestly--making her way towards that room, but not so close that he bumps into her.

She blinks at him as he steps back, head tilting.]

What's wrong? Is there something bad in there?

[As if this place hasn't been bad news enough yet.]

1a. bahaha

[lupusintus]

[ What in the world?

Ethan's confronted with the sight of a familiar teenager teetering between a surprisingly restful sleep against a broom and utter embarrassment if he falls over, so he drums his index finger against the glass a few times. If that doesn't work, he balls up a fist and strikes it a bit harder.

Oh, look, a stirring teenager in his natural habitat. At least he doesn't drool or have any questionable reading material laying around. ]

We have to stop meeting like this. [ As he isn't sure what will happen when he does hit the button, he makes a gesture for Robby to step back a bit before he hits it. Part of him expects it to be a trick so he narrows his eyes a little and eyes the glass case the entire time, waiting for the inevitable— either the kid gets set free or they're both doomed. ]

2a.

[hatinacat]

[well. . . this certainly isn't how Lyney expected to spend his day. and yet, here he is, dressed in a pair of plaid pajama bottoms and a simple cotton long-sleeved shirt, meandering through a discovery center that unnerves him just as much as the art exhibits at the museum had. this place sure is spooky!]

[but he stops when he hears Robby's exclamation, tilting his head slightly in the other young man's direction]

Is something wrong?

[he has yet to stumble across the photograph exhibit, so his question is genuine]

2b!

[mazios]

[ Akihiko is a little wary about this photography room because well, it feels like there's a trick here. That has to be a trick. That's the whole point of this place, isn't it? So, he's keeping his distance from the photos but still taking it in.

It's only when he hears a familiar voice and looks up to see Robby that he feels, well, less alone but also interested in whatever Robby just saw. Repeated back to him is — ]

Dinosaurs?

[ And then Akihiko is approaching to check out whatever Robby's just seen. ]

daniel larusso | ota

[miyagimagic]

( 1. body works )

[ Did Daniel find himself here against his own will? Sure. He knows better than to check out these new places in town at this point - aside from the media store, pretty much all of them have been no good news at all to some extent. But sometimes one apparently just doesn't have a choice in these things, and after Daniel frees himself from the display he found himself in, he decides that he might as well pay some attention as to what's going on here if he's likely to not get out of here easily.

And the display.. is kind of interesting, anyway. Daniel did want to learn more about non-humans, considering how many of his acquaintances turned out to not be human in some way or another, and the man can definitely be seen paying attention to many of the texts in the exhibit, reading them thoroughly, and only stopping when he sees one of the displays that doesn't consist of a live city resident, but instead of a body.

He will turn his head to whoever else happens to be around in the exhibit, asking with a touch of unease: ]

You.. don't think those are real, do you?

( 2-a. the history of us - exhibit )

[ Or perhaps you instead run into the man in the history exhibit, instead of the anatomy one. Daniel can be found there, staring at the photos, a clear sense of horror on the man's face if you spot him in the middle of it.

After all, maybe a few months ago he would have written this off as some bad prank.. But after the report Robby recently got his hands on, Daniel knows better. It makes it real easy to figure out what these photographs are, especially with the context on the plaques. It's everyone in the city dying, and dying, and dying--

And they could be next. ]

No-- This is insane. [ The man seems to be talking to himself more than anything, rather than directly speaking to you.. but with how horrified he looks, maybe you might want to approach him all the same? It doesn't make him look like he's doing too well. ]

( 2-b. the history of us - photo )

[ As insane as it seems, as horrified as it makes him, Daniel needs more context. It's like a part of his brain is telling him that as long as he just has a bit more knowledge, it'll be fine. Like he can maybe prepare, like he can maybe do something to keep the people here safe. It's that reasoning that gets him to press a button - the one next to the plaque that reads CE-18.

Maybe you were right there next to him while he pressed the button, or maybe you pressed the button yourself. Either way, you might find yourself standing right next to Daniel in the city-- in the middle of streets filled with far more people than usual, all dressed up as if for a party, or a carnival. ]

Wait, this--

[ Daniel looks at you, then their surroundings. Then he turns around, as if he expects to see the exhibit, but it's gone.

A terrifying realisation hits him. One that has probably hit you too, even if Daniel voices it to you anyway. ]

We're-- We're in it.

( 3. the welcome diner - existing cr only! )

[ Maybe you didn't see Daniel in the Science Discovery Center at all. But if he knows you - then he sure hasn't forgotten you, not even after all the horrifying realisations he's had back there.

It's why Daniel's CR that didn't meet him in the Center might find themselves getting a text after the event, asking them to come over to the diner to talk.

If you decide to listen to the text and head over, Daniel will be waiting there for you - looking like he's in a bit of a heavy mood, but that might make immediate sense to you, given everything you might have seen at the Center too..

Despite that, he'll give you a tiny, very tired-looking smile. ]

Thanks for coming. Come on, sit down.

[ Also, don't mind the chow chow walking through the diner. It was clearly always there already. (No, it wasn't.

The dog might give you a look though before moving to sniff around again.) ]

do what i want

[strongroots]

The report mentioned this room... we should be careful.

[ They've found the circular room, darkened down to bring more attention to the photographs that ring around the room. Robby doesn't realise it at first, but as his eyes adjust to the photos, as he realises the destruction in each picture present, he understands--somehow--what this all is.

Even if, truthfully, he doesn't want to believe it. When everything shown is beyond what Robby had been imagining when he'd found out about dissolution.

Should they stay? Should they go? Robby looks at his sensei, wondering what's on his mind. His fingers flex at his sides. Should he get closer to the photos? --no. ]

Something went wrong... [ ... ] But this has to be the test.

[ Somehow. Can both of these facts be true? ]

[blackwaterchild]

A. Body Works

[This is, over all, not the worst place she's ended up waking up in. Sure she's in her underwear because she'd bee sleeping thank you very much, but she's not bothered by that. The diorama lists her species as 'Yomiko' but she's not particularly bothered by that either.

She sits in her display case, occasionally even posing for fun before she reaches out to knock on the glass, looking irritated.]

I'm cold. Someone smash me out of here already.

B. Body Works Pt. 2

[At some point, likely after finding a jacket of some kind or something to be a little warmer, Miu wanders barefoot through the other exhibits, curious despite herself.

The exhibits on half-opened bodies make her wrinkle her nose and then giggle--it's silly--which becomes outright laughter when she peeks into the weird House Body thing.]

This is so stupid. Who designed these? [She picks up one of the display eyeballs and puts it in front of one of her own, peering around the room before tossing it to whoever's near-by. Just because.] Hey! Keep an eye out, will you?

[Yes, she thinks she's hilarious.]

C. NATURAL HISTORY

[You know, speaking of smashing stuff... Miu was having a good enough time until she comes upon a display of stuff from her world. There's some fancy ceremonial robes in the display, but it's a foreboding reliquary that's drawn the most of her ire.

She purses her lips and moves away to grab one of the fake fossils, hurling it at the display reliquary.

SHe's going to keep picking up things and throwing them unless stopped, so...]

D. Wildcard

[For anything else!]

c.

[excaliburden]

[Honestly, rather than stopping her, Altria is inclined to join in.

But she kind of needs to know why, first, so... after watching the destruction for a moment, she tilts her head.]

Is this a bad display?

Wanderer | Genshin Impact | CW: Gore for the Zombie Apocalypse prompt

[featheradrift]

i. Body Works
 A puppet on display—

[ Among the various dioramas of the "Body Works" exhibit, one might find a familiar drifter in the section of the exhibit dedicated to non-human species. To be precise, he's not there as a visitor, but as a display for "Divine Mechanical Puppets", if the plaque under the glass case is to be believed. The description on the plaque elaborates further, stating the puppet was created by the God of Eternity using an ancient civilization's technology.

The Wanderer is strung up exactly how one might expect a puppet to hang, arms held up by wires wrapped around his wrists and under his shoulders. There are wires attached to his feet, as well as wires wrapped around his neck to keep him standing and upright. His head is tilted down, and he's still in his unconsciousness. Anyone who observes him closely will note that he's not breathing at all. If it weren't for the fact that he looks far too realistic compared to most of the other dioramas, one might think it's simply a replica of the surly, hat-wearing vagrant.

You can catch him while he's still unconscious, or find him ripping the wires off furiously before exiting the glass case and glaring viciously at the plaque describing his creation. ]

ii. The History of Us
 Death for the undying—

[ Later on, the Wanderer can be found in the "History of Us" exhibit, where it takes him no time at all to figure out that pressing the exhibit's buttons meant being transported to certain death. Like most, the first time is an accident—he hadn't expected to be transported into the photo itself and made to experience the death it presented. Suffocation—it's something he never thought he'd experience, as mechanical being that didn't need to breathe. But suffocate he does, and he can't help but think it's a terrible, undignified way to go.

Unlike some people though, he isn't done pressing buttons. Death is a shock that isn't quick to recover from, but once he processes it and shakes it off, he finds himself pressing more buttons out of morbid curiosity, though he spends half an hour to an hour in between each button press loitering in the exhibit hall, watching others who enter the exhibit and wander about.

Should you approach one of the photos with the intention of pressing the preview button, he will pipe up. ]

I wouldn't press that unless you have a death wish.

iii. CE-38, Endless Zombie Survival
 Nothing like a good fight—

[ Congrats! Somehow, you were unlucky enough to be transported into a photo with the Wanderer! Specifically, it seems to be CE-38: the zombie apocalypse scenario. There's no way to get out without dying, but the drifter cracks his knuckles expectantly, a vicious grin gracing his face before he notices that he's not alone. Whoops. The grin is now aimed at his companion; he's not at all apologetic for getting them involved. ]

I hope you know how to fight.

[ Join him in endless combat survival, or cower behind him! Either way, he launches himself at the zombies, taking out the first of many more to come with a brutal upper kick that decapitates the zombie. ]

iv. Live Science Lab
 Borb get!

[ With new areas comes new offices to explore. Of course, the Wanderer is quick to go exploring, because he wants to find more documents to read. He eventually stumbles upon the Live Science Lab, filled to the brim with unfamiliar machines, which he quickly finds manuals for. So the machines here could print various organic creatures and food items. Interesting. He's less interested in the creatures and more interested to know how it creates food, so he finds a machine with a blinking light and an empty platform to fiddle with.

Unfortunately for him, the blinking light is indication of a pending print job, and once the machine finishes its startup sequence, it gets to work on its queue and prints out an adorable little blue bird. The bird shakes its body and flaps its wings, getting used to its body, before chirping and flying around the drifter in joy, who looks absolutely bewildered by the animal's excitement. ]

Hey, leave me alone! Shoo!

v. Wildcard
 Feel free to hit me with any scenario you want, or plot with me at Tenkomi!

i.

[excaliburden]

[Her hair is down, instead of its standard twin tails, and she's just wearing a simple dress and tights, which is about all the nods there are to the fact that she was also brought here when fast asleep.

But she's awake now, and she stumbles her way into his exhibit and is first shocked, and then frowns tightly at seeing him strung up in such a way.

That's...

.......

If only she had her staff. She's thought this more than once since arriving here. But it's fine. If she has to use her fists, so be it.

That's all she thinks before she aims a solid punch at the glass of the exhibit--which doesn't shatter it, but it does make a sharp little crack!]

Astarion | OTA

[vampires_pawn]

i. body works

The second Astarion received the alert on his device, he’d known it was only a matter of time before he ended up in some new and dreadful place. If anything, part of him has been waiting for it. Ever since the Halloween party in October, he’s gotten the sense that the city is biding its time, waiting to compel its residents into the mouth of some fresh new horror.

Yet, he never feels that familiar compulsion guiding his steps in the days after receiving the message. Instead, he simply goes to sleep in his dormitory as he would any other night—

—and wakes up somewhere else entirely.

Or, will wake up, at any rate. As it turns out, Astarion is still asleep when your character arrives in the Body Works exhibit. They’ll find him behind a glass display case, posed quite naturally in loose-fitting cotton clothes: standing with sloped shoulders, head tilted just slightly to the side, one hand extended palm up as if inviting the viewer closer. Looking at the way he’s posed, one almost expects to see a convivial smile playing on his lips, a lively glint in his eyes. Except, that’s not the case at all. Instead, Astarion’s eyes are closed, his face slack, and his head bowed—quite obviously asleep. An informational plaque at the bottom of the case reads:

PREDATORS OF FAERÛN: VAMPIRE SPAWN
Vampires, and by extension their spawn, are camouflage predators, most often inhabiting areas with a high population density of humanoid races, their favored prey. They are able to hunt through a strategy known as aggressive mimicry, in which a predator or parasite simulates the appearance and behavior of a harmless or attractive organism to manipulate the behavior of its prey/host.

A vampire or its spawn may be distinguished from its living counterparts by a number of visual and sensory cues. The skin of a vampire is often of a paler and less saturated color than that of most living humanoids, though this difference may be negligible if a vampire is well-fed. A vampire’s canines are also longer and sharper than those of most humanoid races. On a tactile level, vampires do not generate body heat and thus may also be distinguished by their exceptionally cold skin. Finally, vampires may be detected via their scent, which is distinct from that of living flesh.

Vampires typically hunt by luring their prey to a secluded location and dispatching them with either their teeth or weaponry. Once its prey has been disabled, a vampire will drain it of blood using its specialized canines to puncture the jugular vein or carotid artery in its victim’s neck. Because vampire covens are highly hierarchical, prey hunted by a vampire spawn is typically brought back to their sire to be consumed.

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
1. Which living humanoid race is being mimicked by this specimen as part of its predation strategy?

a) A wood elf
b) A high elf
c) A drow

2. Which habitat would you be most likely to encounter a vampire spawn?

a) A busy tavern
b) A dark woods
c) A secluded manor

3. What are three indicators of vampirism displayed by this specimen?

Meanwhile, Astarion slumbers on, blissfully unaware of his current role as a museum display piece.

ii. the story of us (ce-44)

[ After a rather rude awakening, Astarion can eventually be found browsing the photos on display, brow furrowed in confusion. All the photos seem to depict some calamity befalling the city, each one so totally ruinous that it seems impossible that all of them could have actually happened. One would think that after the first two or three, there wouldn’t be any of the city left to destroy. So what are these? Hypotheticals? A macabre art project?

Eventually, Astarion comes to the photograph labeled CE-44 and on this one, he lingers. In the photo, he sees a scene of carnage before the city hall: humanoid figures on one side and huge, furred monstrosities on the other, tearing into each other with claws and fangs. And what fangs they are—even in the little photograph, Astarion can tell when he’s looking at a legion of vampires. ]

A war between vampires and werewolves? [ Astarion scoffs. ] Ridiculous.

[ Still, this iteration has piqued his curiosity. He reaches out and presses the silver button beneath the frame, then peers into the newly-lit photo. A strange feeling comes over Astarion, then. He swears he can smell blood in the air, thick and tainted, overwhelming his senses for a moment, and suddenly he can hear the sounds of battle: screaming, tearing, and unearthly howling. It must be a recording, and yet it sounds so real—as if he’s right there in the midst of the battle.

He shakes his head and steps back from the photo, but the photo isn’t there anymore. The museum isn’t there anymore. Instead, he finds himself standing on bloody brickwork outside of City Hall—

—and there’s a battle raging around him.

On all sides, vampires are locked in close combat with their werewolf opponents, sinking fangs into throats and clawing open flesh with unnatural strength, even while the werewolves snap and rend their huge jaws at their enemies, taking entire limbs with them when they hit their mark. In the midst of the havoc, Astarion stands perfectly still for several moments, too bewildered to move. And then, instinct takes over—he picks a direction and bolts.

For better or for worse, he’s bolted towards the vampire lines, though he’d ideally like to get away from both breeds of lunatic, thank you very much. He’s only just made it away from the worst of the fighting when a cold grip, as hard and implacable as iron, closes around his wrist, and wrenches him back so hard he thinks his arm might pop loose from its socket. The grip flings him to the ground and Astarion suddenly finds himself on his back, bright little stars of pain flashing around the edges of his vision, while a pale, fair-haired woman stares down at him, her face twisted with fury. ]

Coward! [ she snarls. ] You would let them overrun us?

[ Yes, Astarion thinks, he absolutely would. In fact, his dream scenario right now is that both sides tear each other to efficient little ribbons and leave him to find his way back out of this nightmare in peace. And while he has the presence of mind not to say any of this aloud, his stunned silence doesn’t seem to placate the woman much either. In fact, she looks very much like she’s considering tearing the throat out of this deserter herself.

Astarion might be in need an assist. ]

i.

[fauned]

( someone's still a little groggy from her own unwitting relocation. at least it'd been cold enough to warrant sleeping in a giant sweater rather than naught else. not that she probably can't just take whatever's on display if she cared enough to. she kind of does miss her blanket though? waking up posed over a throne of bramble and flora was not exactly her idea of a good morning.

blearily, this one's wandered off in search of an exit or breakfast and found.. neither! she's found glass partitions in spades though. with her face, mostly. one of which belongs to the very vampire spawn that's currently being played with as a marionette by their overlords, just as she was. )

- Ow!

( ...... hm? she's seen this guy around hasn't she?

clearly in no rush to wake astarion whatsoever, she circles the case in idle wonder. curious. the plaque is given a quick glance but not much more than that, happier to marvel at the poor man as though he really was meant to be examined like a specimen. a vampire spawn, huh?

tap tap! )

Do I get a prize for getting them all right?

Argalia / Library of Ruina

[entwinedfate]

a. normalcy (ce-39)

[ There's a pervasive feeling of despair, of existential dread, that weighs on the city in this photograph he's found himself in; it sits like a thick woolen blanket across the shoulders of those who stand, suffocating the ones who've chosen to lay down and accept their fates.

Argalia himself has simply decided to sit at a cafe with a bit of tea, prepared himself, with a second cup nearby. Despite whomever has come upon him most certainly feeling the crushing dread of their very existence being meaningless, without purpose, so on and so forth...

... He doesn't seem particularly bothered, though he must be feeling it as well. Honestly, it almost seems as if he's waiting for someone -- someone who won't come, though the disappointment doesn't show itself easily when the person isn't who he's looking for. ]

Hiya, friend. Care to take a seat and enjoy the day?

[ What's so bad about the world ending in such a way, really. A little depressing. But at least you get to decide when you die by giving up. ]

b. recital (body works)

[ While he had started in a glass box and left soon after, he returns to sit in the seat offered and picks up the viola at his side. The species plaque identifies him as "Human (?)", and the notes he plays seem to be music for music's sake. ]

If there's a question you have, [ he says above the gentle notes of his song, ] I'd be glad to answer; it's been a while since I've been put on display.

[ He's gotta find his fun somehow. Maybe he'll even tell the truth. The robin that nests in his hair seems to have decide the music is pleasant enough to sleep to, too, though it stirs at the presence of people. ]

c. anything else

[ just a short thing this time!!! if there's any other realms you'd like to explore, argalia isn't shying from pressing most of these buttons. do as you'd like, drop me a PM or hit me at sundrymunity ]

A

[killed]

[ Who knew death could be so scary?

Everyone, everything, every living creature, and yet who could call it scary when it's not death at all? Just a blink, a moment of time, no more harmful than a papercut - less, even, when it doesn't even leave that mark.

Death is frightening, but the threat of it quickly loses its value.

Thus, the end of the world is boring, mundane, hardly worth noting when there's so many way of accomplishing it... He really does hate it.

But the second cup is interesting, enough to warrant a moment of notice, and finally draw out an apologetic smile. ]

Of course... Forgive me, I'm certain that you were waiting for someone else, hm?

[ He sighs as he takes a seat, playing with the handle of the cup without taking it up, voice soft and thoughtful, unconcerned, ]

The end of the world, is it...?

[korol_rezni_nikolai]

I. BODY WORKS

[ In spite of all the warnings he's received about all the tricks the city can pull, Nikolai has gotten complacent. He knows better than to eat food he didn't prepare himself; he doesn't go wandering off into any new sections of the city. The security measures he'd put in place with Onni have successfully prevented any... nighttime incidents. There haven't even been any near misses.

Until today, of course.

Nikolai comes to awareness inside a glass display case in the museum. It doesn't quite feel like waking up; his mind remains sluggish, his senses muffled, his control over his limbs faint. At first, he assumes it must be a nightmare. He peers out of the glass, trying to figure out where he is.

It's not until his eyes fall on the plaque beside his display that he realizes what must have happened. Those little symbols mean something: he knows that. But he can't read them. That is enough to jolt him back to full awakeness with a sickening lurch of fear. This has happened before.

One look down at his hands confirms it. His fingers have lengthened and sharped into black talons. The ugly scars stretch up his wrists and along his bare arms, black veins against his pale skin. Nikolai catches his faint reflection in the display case glass and sees those scars covering his chest, his neck, his face. He sees his mouth full of black, jagged, needle-like fangs. The eyes that look back at him are empty and black. Behind him, wings made of shadow are tucked tightly against his back; he doesn't have room to stretch them in the confined space.

It shouldn't be possible. He had been so careful. Nothing had been different when he went to bed last night - he had drunk the sedative that Daan prepared for him and Onni had chained him up, just like normal. How had he fought the drug, broken out of the chains, and somehow still had the energy to get past the protective spells on the basement room?

Something else doesn't fit, either. But it's so hard to make his brain work. Nikolai has to struggle for every rational thought, like swimming through sludge. He loses the thread and lets the helplessness and rage overwhelm him, pacing tight circles inside the display case, slamming fists and shoulders against the glass walls, snarling with frustration. He keeps on battering himself against the display like this, fortunately unaware of the meaning of the small sign at the back of the case reading 'LIFT GLASS AND PRESS BUTTON TO EXIT'.

The plaque, for the curious visitor not currently having a complete meltdown, reads: ]

THE BEAST
The darkness inside isn't separate from you it is a part of you. You will never pull it up by the roots.
The darkness inside isn't separate from you it is a part of you. You will never pull it up by the roots.
The darkness inside isn't separate from you it is a part of you. You will never pull it up by the roots.
The darkness inside isn't separate from you it is a part of you. You will never pull it up by the roots.
The darkness inside isn't separate from you it is a part of you. You will never pull it up by the roots.

II. WILDCARD

[ If you'd like a different thread with Nikolai in the science museum or elsewhere, PM or poke me at platoapproved ]

[miyagimagic]

[ Something about the exhibit was already vaguely unsettling. Maybe it's something about some of the bodies looking just a little bit too real.

.. though not as real as the one actively causing a huge commotion. Daniel already hears it from a distance, and though he approaches with caution when he can't see what's going on yet - look, sounds like that are hardly ever a good thing in a place like this awful city - he stops for a moment when he does spot what's going on, frozen in place.

The last thing Daniel expected to see was one of the bodies trying to break out. It certainly doesn't help that this one just looks like a monster at first glance, and every part of Daniel tells him to get out. Just go away before that thing breaks free.

But when he stands there for a moment, he's slowly realising that it doesn't just look like a monster. During the rare moments where the being inside moves a little more slowly, Daniel realises it looks.. weirdly human.

Approaching it still feels like a bad idea, but there's a part of him that can't help but worry that maybe it is someone from the city. Another prisoner like them. The same thing had been happening back at the Halloween party, after all - people being twisted to look like monsters against their will. ]

Hey!

[ Daniel calls out from his side of the glass, trying to grab the person's attention. ]

Hey, hold on-- Can you hear me?!

[abstractart]

live science lab-

[we'll start with the most chill prompt. netzach stays settled here for some time, after experiencing the rest of the exhibits; he hasn't printed his own animal yet, and instead he's settled somewhere in the lab just sketching while he observes. kind of like a fucked up little life drawing session where the model is half of an animal.

after finishing his current sketch, he takes another glance around the room, turning to whoever else might be here.]

You think we could do some customization? I don't have any experience with the tech side of it, but I bet I could draw something up and we can find somebody who does. Maybe Kaveh could figure that out...

[if you want a canon animal but can't make a 3d model yourself: come bother the art boys (art boy for now because c is busy, but kaveh will also help!)]

history of us-

[netzach ends up lingering here for... a good long while, just taking in the photographs (and probably being taken in by them by extension, once in a while, if he happens to be too close when someone pushes a button.) there's no horror in his expression, though, not even when he gets an initial look at what these are; more than anything, he seems tired. resigned. it's depressing to look at, but it's probably important in some way to get a good sense for what might have come before, right? so here he is, sketchbook at his side, open to a blank page.

he can't quite bring himself to document these at the moment.]

Figures that it's like this, doesn't it.

[(open to the photograph scenarios also! i'm okay with any of them, feel free to slap buttons in threads for this one.)]

displays- (cw: idk how to phrase it but description of body parts in machines)

[in the earlier exhibits, because oops i sure wrote these in reverse chronological order didn't i-- netzach hasn't ended up in one of the displays himself. he's come of his own volition to check things out, toting along a sketchbook and assorted materials in case there's anything he decides he should draw out.

as he wanders through, though, looking over various models, there's one that catches his eye. a clearly fake model of what looks like a boxy, almost entirely rectangular robot with spindly arms and legs; an antenna sprouts from the top, and on its body, there's a darkened strip of display screen above a single closed eye. few others would recognize it, but netzach can almost picture it with its eye open, glowing a familiar orange. behind it is a diagram.

sephirah, the label reads. plural: sephirot. a biomechanical being consisting externally of a mechanical body and internally of the partial or whole human nervous system, soul, etcetera, as available. capable of ingesting substances not intended for machinery, but generally unaware of any previous existence tied to the biological material used after conversion.

if functionality is compromised, they may be scrapped and replaced, and the original internal materials repurposed without the sephirah retaining memories of the previous model.

at what point is a human soul not human any longer?]

displays

[featheradrift]

[ Besides the basic and clearly false displays in the exhibit, there have been plenty of displays describing creatures and phenomena from various worlds. Admittedly, the Wanderer has been curious about these other worlds that people have been pulled from, so he's been wandering through the exhibit, inspecting everything out of curiosity.

Like Netzach, this display also stops him in his tracks. A mechanical being with organic internals, sourced from a previously living human... And the label is quite cold in the way it describes how this being can be scrapped and replaced without a second thought, if it can't fulfill its function. Even though they apparently have human souls. ]

They never seem to think about the feelings of the beings they create, do they?

[nomoresharks]

Of a Perfect World

[Amongst the various otherworld displays, tucked somewhere with an appropriately high ceiling, is a section of a city in miniature, filled with skyscrapers and spires of gleaming stone and brass and a multitude of spiraling sculptures decorating rooftop and street alike.

"The city of Amaurot as it may have looked over 12,000 years ago," a plaque helpfully points out. "While the majority of the city lies deep under the ocean in modern Etheirys, its ruins have remained preserved in remarkable condition on the planet's many 'shards.'"

Not far away are several images--paintings, really--depicting buildings of the same architecture as the model, only now half buried and broken and covered in coral, rock, and other sea life.

"These buildings now serve as shelter for all manner of marine life."

On the other side of the paintings is a statue of a dripping, amorphous beast, black as tar. It stands frozen in the act of dragging itself along, stance almost aggressive.

"Deep beneath the waters of the shard known as The First, a sorcerer of eld conjured a powerful illusion over the ruins of Amaurot, recreating the city as it looked just before the Final Days, complete with shades to act the part of its populace. These shades, however, were unable to wield creation magicks like the people they were based upon, and their failed attempts would only succeed in creating a hostile creature: the Cubus.

Standing behind picture, city, and beast, is the display's most ambitious model, and the clear reason why it is placed where it is: a humanoid figure wearing a familiar set of robes and a mask, standing two to three times taller than the average person.

"Owing, perhaps, to the much, much greater amount of aether (life force) of Etheirys prior to its Sundering, Amaurotines could grow to incredible heights!"]


Wildcard/Bonus

[Hythlodaeus can be found all around the science center, looking over all that it has to offer, so if you would like to thread something else, please feel free to drop down a different scenario! You can even drag him into one of the images if you would like, though he himself is unlikely to be the one to press the button.

I can be reached at shadetoshade if you want to plot anything!]

yesod | library of ruina

[wordchain]

A. BODY WORKS

[ Yesod, clad in purple pajamas, is on display in a glass case bearing a plaque that reads "Human?" He has been arranged into a butterfly yoga pose, at least, safely seated until he stirs. This happens fairly quickly, with an abrupt start — he isn't accustomed to sleeping in strange places.

Once he has freed himself from the display case, whether or not someone comes across him, he will unfortunately be forced to wander around still in his sleepwear, barefoot, which is displeasing. Hopefully the floor is clean... ]

B. THE HISTORY OF US

[ The latest documents recently discovered have been an indication of what to expect this month, and Yesod spends some time in this section of the building, studying the photographs one by one. That said, he only intends to examine the images themselves without pressing any buttons — there are a few in front of which he pauses in particular, such as CE-09, CE-40, CE-41, CE-42, and CE-47.

There are also some that cause Yesod's frown to deepen not because they are especially disturbing, but because the scene seems absurd and beyond excessive, and they disprove an earlier hypothesis. CE-36 with its shark-filled waterspout looming over the city, for example, or CE-45's dinosaurs.

He'll advise against touching the buttons, but it's entirely possible that he and others end up in any of these sooner or later. ]

C. ART MUSEUM

[ Separately, but included here, coming across this exhibition can be handwaved or interactions with Yesod can happen on some suitable day. There, the following works of art are arranged along the wall:

Aspirations: a painting depicting a group of people, most of them wearing lab coats.

End?: a mannequin dressed in a black turtleneck and dark trousers, a white lab coat draped around its shape, and black gloves. The mannequin is lying on the floor in a crumpled heap, hands positioned as though they were clawing at its body.

Penalty Points: a sculpture of a robot standing over the "End?" mannequin, arms crossed.

Festering: hanging beside the robot, this painting of what appears to be a small tree with a glowing eye is strangely pixelated.

Technological Sciences: a painting of a very purple space, containing neatly-ordered bookshelves and lighting fixtures shaped like gears. ]

D. WILDCARD

[ Anything else! Plotting comment or feel free to contact me if you'd like to make any plans. For the photographs, I'm open to whichever chosen scene already being underway. ]

a...

[abstractart]

Yesod-?

[HELLO??

this is, in all likelihood, after one of the nights netzach spent elsewhere... he's wandered over here to check out exhibits he missed on his first visit, but spotting yesod in one of those cases stops him right in his tracks.]

Hey, can you get out of there...? Do I need to break it?

[justscribing]

[Body Works on Display: You]

[Alhaitham is here on purpose. After the annoying early disturbance, and entirely too short time to savor his coffee, Alhaitham and Kaveh had taken the train to the station and arrived within the hour that the new exhibit became accessible. There was always the certainty something was coming today. The only question was what.

That's why he's standing outside the display case, casually reading the information cards despite the fact that there is very clearly a fellow resident sleeping inside of it. Or, well, was sleeping inside of it.

The moment their stirring catches the corner of his eye, he looks up at them properly.] Oh.

["Oh."] You're awake.

[The History of Us: Photos of Photos]

[It only takes one terrible foray after pushing a button for Alhaitham to decide he definitely doesn't want to do that again. The better solution: take photos of the photos while nobody else is standing nearby so that he can look at them a much safer distance from the actual display.

He's carefully angling his phone on its side to capture the next one with as much of the frame filled out as possible. Anyone passing by is given a quick glance and:] Don't press the button.

[Body Works and Natural History on Display: Misinformation]

[Once he's gotten a copy of all of the previous dissolutions, safe away from any button-pressing risks, Alhaitham decides to indulge his curiosity and explore more of the new exhibits. In browsing the more generic and common displays he stops and does a double take with the realization that this particular information card is... well, wrong. And he quickly realizes it's not the only one. Incorrect chemical formulas, faulty explanations for human body processes, and that is not how gravity works.

Which is how he ends up with a permanent marker, pouring over displays of information he's familiar with renewed scrutiny to cross out anything that's incorrect. Make notes on the glass displays that clarify misleading phrasing. And on particularly egregious displays (look at you, house of internal organs) he simply writes 'FALSE' or 'NO' over the placard. or case. Just because it's aimed at kids doesn't mean it shouldn't be right.]

[Wildcard]

((If you want to catch Alhaitham for anything else. My plotting comment is here or I can be reached by PM or monochromic.))

for Kaveh

[justscribing]

[Here they are at Entirely Too Early In The Morning, standing in front of row after row of photographs. It's impossible to miss what they're referencing, especially after cross-checking CE-09 and seeing what appears to be a frenzy of people attacking one another.

These are how they terminated every prior failed experiment.

What begs the question to Alhaitham: why are they so dramatic? Was this necessary? Are they bored? He's stopped in front of CE-44, observing its horror movie showdown with a critical eye before he looks over at Kaveh.] So, do you think this iteration had an even higher concentration of vampires and werewolves, or did the experimenters just start changing people themselves?

Emet-Selch | Final Fantasy XIV (Spoilers through Endwalker)

[recreator]

Of A Perfect World; Reprise.
[There is one other fixture present in the Amaurot exhibit, but rather than painting or sculpture, that fixture is a living man (of less unusual height) garbed in identical black robes with a red mask hanging loose around his neck. Emet-Selch has been standing vigil for well over a bell now, his countenance rigid and inscrutable from a distance. Up close, however, one might make out a conflict of emotions playing out beneath the yellow flash of his eyes. Anger, sorrow, desperation -- as if he can't quite bring himself to accept what he sees, yet can't quite deny it either.]

[These sights align perfectly with the verbal account of certain unusual company. Yet is this a reflection of that tale, or a mirror of the unignorable future? It truly does feel as if The City is a testing facility, just as they've already debated before, and he the unwitting creation being watched - and judged. How long until he breaks? How long and how much will they be forced to endure? Will he simply accept the role granted him, or will he find a means to flip the entire script upon its head?]

[At the moment, he's hardly scheming, for at last he sighs aloud like a sentimental fool witnessing the disgrace and ruin that's befallen his very first love.]

Ah, you certainly took "drowning in a sea of grief" to the most literal of extremes.


Darkness Blooms.
[Emet-Selch has had quite enough. Yet despite that, he finds himself searching; for what, he knows not. His eyes sweep over each of the displays, and yes, he even pauses there before that most unsettling gallery wall filled with photographs before making his way into yet another wing of the museum. And so it is that he eventually passes through the doors marked "Live Science Lab".]

[The corridor he discovers is nondescript, yet 'tis clear this area was originally meant to be off-limits to the wider public. While he highly doubts he'll locate any of the museum staff, perhaps there has been something of use left behind. Some mechanism, some detail.]

[What he finds is...not at all what he expects, yet it proves oddly entrancing all the same. Emet-Selch is not well-versed in machines of this nature, but what becomes abundantly clear to him is that these complex structures are made for creating.]

[He steps closer to one such printer, brow wrinkling as he examines the lighted screen before him and the realistic glyphs which appear. Some of these creatures are familiar to him, while others are unlike anything he's seen before. Perhaps Hythlodaeus has witnessed their like and other similar iterations in his time as Chief of the Bureau of the Architect, yet he himself is hardly so versed.]

Most peculiar. If these machines are still operational, then why are there no avian or terrestrial lifeforms present out of doors? How long has this facility been left untouched, I wonder? And, more importantly: why.

[Does he dare? Or does he refrain from getting sticky fingers even now?]


Wildcard.
[Choose your own adventure or send me a PM at circadia. While Emet-Selch will not be poking at any of the photographs, he may be present to observe - and subsequently get pulled into one of the available scenarios. Opt-out post available here for anyone avoiding spoilers.]

Of a perfect world

[pyrrhichope]

[Jullus knows very little about Amaurot. Indeed, he knows very little about much of anything that has happened before what he knows as the present, save for what the Warrior of Light has explained over the course of providing context for their adventures - and even those he knows better than to assume are the full story. Just enough to get the general idea of whatever it is he needs to know for anything to make sense. Yet all the same there's something familiar about the exhibit. The faintest echo of a city he know, that now also lies in ruins.

And that's more than enough to have him pausing just long enough to overhear Emet-Selch's comment.]

Sometimes that's all we have. A grief so deep it feels almost desperate.

[A grief he knows all too well.]

eddie munson — stranger things

[thefreak]

i. night at the zoo

( It's understandably jarring to go to sleep in his own bed and wake up in the middle of...not his own bed. And, considering he just woke up, Eddie should be forgiven for any potentially offensive actions between waking up and realizing he is not safely back in his own apartment but on display.

When he realizes this, the offensiveness becomes more rampant as he utters a rather impressive string of curses.

At least he had the good grace to wear a complete set of sleep clothes to bed last night, though the mess of hair looks like it hasn't been tamed in a while. It has, but tossing and turning all night will do that to it.

He's too tired for this shit. He'll just stand here and stare at whoever looks into his display case until someone offers to help spring him loose. )

ii. die like this

( Well, since Eddie is here now...when in Rome, right? Hawkins doesn't have much in the way of museums, but a trip to the Children's Museum in Indianapolis boasted a similar idea, encouraging hands-on and immersive interactions with the exhibits. They didn't usually have live dioramas, though.

At first, the section with the photographs seems like just a gallery. Boring, if you ask Eddie. But then he notices the buttons underneath and freezes for a moment, almost as if debating with himself before he reaches out to press one of the buttons. )

I wonder what this does?

( Will you let him press it? Will you swipe his hand away? Or will you redirect it at a different button? )

iii. that unwanted animal

Holy shit, what's this?

( The sign for live science lab beckons, and despite curiosity quite literally kicking his ass already, that doesn't stop Eddie from bursting through the doors and peering at some of the samples.

Until his eyes land on one of the machines that appears to be jammed or dormant but still boasting an unfinished animal. )

Hey, what do you think these do?

( Whoever is with him is in luck, this man knows how to hotwire a car. Surely those skills are transferable to fixing a highly sophisticated 3D printer?

Or maybe they just need to turn it off and turn it back on again.

It's worth a try. Do it for the puppies. )

iv. (wildcard)

( If any of these prompts aren't doing it for you, please feel free to toss something else Eddie's way! For the photography prompt, if it's death you seek, pick your favorite or let rng decide. Will also match prose if that's your preference! and as always to discuss details before jumping into anything, please pm or reach me on plurk at metalheads )

ii { die like this

[matermali]

[ This is exactly why nobody should risk falling asleep nude in this city. Fortunately, Vanessa was chaste enough the previous night to awaken in a modest nightgown, but it's still no state she'd want to be witnessed by the public.

It's while she's rushing through to find the exit that she catches a familiar face in her periphery. Stopping with a jolt, Vanessa's trajectory immediately shifts. What is he— ]

Wait!

[ Her voice is a hushed rasp while she hurries over to reach for his hand. Taking risks is one thing, but he should not do so alone. At this point, she doesn't think the City can hurt her more than it already has, though the picture above the button isn't very comforting. ]

I should be the first to risk it. There is no telling if it will try to enchant or electrocute you.

Johanna Constantine | The Sandman | general cw for death, depression/existential dread

[keepgodwaiting]

The History of Us

i. tell me do we get what we deserve (open)
She stands at the entryway of the circular room for a long time, her notebook in one hand, just gazing at the photographs. Her palm leaves sweaty marks on the book's cover. Eventually, she flips the book open and starts checking on unsolved words, muttering as she does.

"Each image was accompanied by a ... plaque? No, still not right ..."

She spends a while in here, moving slowly from photo to photo, noting down the iteration number and any details she can glean just from looking at the image. If you come in and join her, please make noise. She's on edge.

ii. way down we go: CE-01 (Closed to Loki)
So, obviously, all these photos have buttons. Obviously, they are meant to push them.

Obviously, something is going to happen. Resulted in a REDAC REDACTEDREDAC REDACTEDRE of the dissolution pictured. The guesses in her notebook for that ten-letter word are unnerving: ACTIVATION. RECREATION. EARTHQUAKE.

She's not going to not push the button. But she did tell Loki she would call him before doing anything stupid. So she sends him a curt message: I'm going to do something stupid. Meet me in the Science Center. "The History of Us" exhibit.

And she waits, in front of CE-01. The sinkhole.

iii. run you down, down 'til the dark (open)
She does three on the first day before she has to stop. She goes home after that.

Actually, that's not true. She goes to a liquor store and grabs the first six-pack of lager she can find, and then she walks around the City perimeter most of the night drinking it slowly enough that she doesn't get sick. Eventually does find her way home and sleeps fitfully.

The next evening finds her back in the exhibit hall, sitting cross-legged in the middle of the room, considering the photos. She looks a little hungover, truth be told. Dark circles under the eyes, slumped shoulders. When someone else enters, she looks up at them with a tired expression.

"Reckon they're getting any good data out of this shit?"

iv. and way down we go (WILDCARD, open)
See her out walking at night? Catch her as she's leaving the Science Center so you can show her your pet? Something else? She's around, whether she likes it or not.

[ooc: Plotting comment! Feel free to DM or hit me up at AdivaCalandia for questions or planning. ]

iii

[strongroots]

"Any data's good enough when nothing's really at risk."

Robby had approached her, soon after entering. A curiosity for the other person here, and then realising who it is. He's dressed better on this day than he had before, a bag hanging off his shoulder and his phone in hand. His own expression weary, that he turns to the different photographs adorning the atrium walls.

"Which end's your favourite?"