May 2025 Event Plotting

[singmod]

MAY 2025 EVENT

PROMPT ONE: THE SHUDDERING EARTH: Quake activity in the area, paired with decaying infrastructure, reveals a way for Interlopers to make their way to the coast.
THE SHUDDERING EARTH — CONTENT WARNINGS: themes of natural disasters; earthquakes; potential avalanches; themes of exploration/survival; potential injuries, potential cold injuries/hyperthermia risk.


PROMPT TWO: THE LONG ROAD: Interlopers can now embark on the long and dangerous journey to Silverpoint, and make some grim discoveries on the way.
THE LONG ROAD — CONTENT WARNINGS: themes of exploration/survival; potential injuries, potential cold injuries/hyperthermia risk; corpses; dead npcs.

PROMPT THREE — TRY HONESTY: A dream leads to Interlopers being a little more honest with one another, in different kinds of ways.
TRY HONESTY — CONTENT WARNINGS: themes of honesty/forced honesty; potential body horror.

THE SHUDDERING EARTH

WHEN: Early May, onwards.
WHERE: Everywhere, Carter Hydrodam.

Seismic activity is well known within the Northern Territories. Both last year, and over the last month or so, Interlopers have felt intermittent tremors — the ground quaking beneath their feet, enough to upset some objects around homes but never quite enough to cause some serious damage. Interlopers have been fortunate, but the damage caused by these quakes have long left their scars over the years in this world: railroads and roads buckled and crumbled, bridges destroyed and tunnels and pathways caved in, cutting off access. The quakes can cause some serious damage.

Interlopers will find that out in the late evening of one otherwise calm day in May.

Animals will notice the signs of the impending quake before humans do, growing restless and agitated in the hour or so before the shaking starts.

A low tremor that makes items in homes quiver, the ground vibrating beneath your feet. It quickly grows more violent — items can be sent flying if they’re not secured. Light fixtures sway overhead, furniture will shake and topple over, dust and debris could rain down from above — some places worse than others, depending on the building.

Diving for shelter is the best thing to do, out of the way of windows and objects that can fall over. Finding something sturdy to take cover under. The shaking grows intense, especially in the Lakeside area. There is a strange and terrible churning of metal and stone, a crash, something giving way. Roars and crackles of noise.

In Lakeside, where the quake is far more intense, the sound reverberates around the area, but the sound can even be heard so far as in Milton — distant but noticeable. It comes from the direction of the Hydrodam.

The quake is fortunately short-lived and finally dies down. Interlopers will be able to come out of hiding and assess the damage and check on one another for injuries. Within Milton and Lakeside, some buildings that have never been inhabited by Interlopers and remained empty for a long time (and thus in states of disrepair) will be found severely damaged. Water pipes may burst, causing flooding in some unused buildings — ultimately rendering them now useless and uninhabitable.

Generally, it looks like large swathes of the area have come out unscathed — but there is a risk of avalanches in some of the more remote locations near to the mountains. It might take several days for Interlopers to take stock and assess properly, even check further afield.

Interlopers who choose to investigate the Hydrodam will come to find that sections of the dam itself have given way, the metal burst open and water spilling outwards and down the river towards the coast. The huge gorge which separates Lakeside and The Coast is a raging torrent. In time, these waters will eventually calm but it looks like the previously flooded sections of the dam that had meant it was completely inaccessible might be now free to explore with the fact the water had .

The Hydrodam has been in a state of disrepair for some time. Before The Flare, it barely had a skeleton crew running things. Now, with no one to maintain the dam itself following previous quake activity — it looks like this quake has been the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Traversing through the dam will reveal that the lower levels are now accessible and can be entered. But Interlopers should take caution: while the lower dam is now free to explore, this section of the dam still contains freezing cold water that can reach knee deep on the average person. What’s worse is these sections are filled with debris: equipment, furniture and even random junk and industrial supplies that had been once stored there. Some are broken, and can can injury to the unsuspecting traveller.

Travelling through the dam through an Aurora would be incredibly dangerous due to damage in the building, with exposed wiring and partially flooded areas not mixing great companions. The utmost care should be taken when exploring and finding the way through, or it may spell trouble.

But what it will lead to is a way out. On the other side of the dam.

And a way out to the coast.

THE LONG ROAD

WHEN: Early May, onwards.
WHERE: Carter Hydrodam, The Coast

Coming out and down from the other side of the Hydrodam will bring Interlopers to the destroyed Connector Bridge and onto Coastal Highway — the main road that leads to Silverpoint. There are a few extra outbuildings on this side of the dam which are dry but not particularly comfortable — but it’ll make do in the face of recovering from getting through the dam itself.

But after that? The world is far more open compared to Lakeside and certainly less sheltered than Milton, meaning winds are incredibly biting and difficult to contend with whilst travelling. There is little in terms of cover, and thus Interlopers may need to really plan well in order to keep themselves alive. Hopefully Interlopers have come well prepared for the journey ahead of them.

A great deal of the landscape has been damaged by quakes, making the terrain difficult to navigate: with huge, icy ridges and gorges in the earth and roads — providing ample danger to travellers. But sticking roughly to the road means a straight-forward way down but it will take several days to walk down, given the difficulty.

There is nowhere indoors to shelter on this journey save for a single garage and gas station about half-way through the trek south. Interlopers will need to brave the outdoors, even sleeping out doors or in the shallow, sheltered caves that may be seen just off the road. Interlopers will need to huddle for warmth, keeping an eye on one another to make sure they make it through the night. The gas station will provide decent shelter and warmth, however, and even boasts a few supplies left of food, water and fuel. Some one has definitely been here, but with it being so remote, it’s no wonder it’s generally been left alone.

The reasons why will soon come to light.

On the road down, Interlopers will make grim discoveries: frozen, partially mummified remains of people, half-hidden in the snow and ice. Many of them appear poorly dressed for the journey, and look to have died from hypothermia or some other kind of cold-induced injury. Some may be found as if they had simply collapsed in the snow and died. Others may be found in small groups, huddled and slumped together — having succumbed to the cold. Suitcases and bags will be littered around with them — sometimes luggage will be left abandoned alone, as if someone just gave up carrying it.

Some Interlopers will realise: these are the remains of Milton’s original residents. The ones that made it out of Milton and Lakeside, only to die on the way to the coast. Dozens upon dozens of bodies, making you wonder if anyone ever made it out alive at all.

One long road, a graveyard.


And then, in the distance, where the ocean stretches out before your eyes: the outline of a village can be seen before the land meets the water. Civilisation? People?

As twilight falls, more curiously, a light blinks slowly on the landscape. It may be easier or hard to spot, depending on the time of day. What… is that?

Silverpoint.

TRY HONESTY

WHEN: May and into June.
WHERE: Everywhere.

It begins with a dream. You stand in the atrium of a large cave, lit by a large campfire — the smoke drifting out an opening in the cave’s roof above. Someone sits by the fire with their hands covering their face and as you draw closer and closer to the flames, you realise it is a woman who sits on the opposite side of the flames. For some, they will not know who this woman is but some will recognise her: Enola.

She does not speak, does not look at you. She keeps her face hidden behind her hands, almost-childlike as she sits. The light is low but it’s a pleasant, peaceful kind of ambiance — even if Enola’s actions are a little strange, almost troubling. If you listen carefully, you’re almost sure you can quietly hear crying.

Across the campfire, on your own side of it, there are three stones laid out on the floor, each of them carved with a rune of sorts. It’s hard to tell what the runes mean, exactly. They don’t appear to be in any symbolic or runic language you’ve seen before. Even if you don’t understand them, you find yourself drawn to one of these runes.

You move to kneel on the cave floor and you reach forwards. Your hand hovers over it — a strange thrum in the air, like you can feel some kind of energy of vibration coming from it. You reach for the stone, Enola doesn’t move. As you move to pick up the stone, you feel the sharp burning sting of pain—

The dream ends.

You awaken. Not the sharp snapping of sleep to waking. Just the simple, natural waking that comes when one wakes up. But you feel… different somehow.

Honest. But honest, how exactly?

It all depends which rune you picked in your dream.

HEART RUNE: Interlopers who chose this rune will find themselves more emotionally honest. How this manifests is an aura of colour that surrounds the Interloper which will reflect their current emotional state — ie. golden for happy, shades of grey for exhaustion/tiredness, pinks for romantic feelings. The aura is dynamic and can shift with colours and even have multiple colours in play, depending on the complexities of the emotions.

MIND RUNE: Interlopers who chose this rune will find themselves with an honest mind, and will feel compelled to speak it. They are honest with their words: blunt and to the point, avoiding lies or bending truths. They may even feel compelled to reveal things that have been playing on their mind for some time — choosing to clear the air, and potential dirty laundry.

FORM RUNE: Interlopers who chose this rune will find themselves physically honest. Their previous hurts and injuries will become visible on their skin. This can be previous injuries or sicknesses the Interloper has sustained over the course of their life — even if they are now long since healed. It could be a physical manifestation of emotional or mental pain in some way. Your body no longer holds it secrets, they’re now plain and open for the world to see.

FAQs

THE SHUDDERING EARTH


1. Players are free to destroy their own homes/make them uninhabitable if they wish. Please amend the Housing Spreadsheet to reflect this. Commercial/Public buildings are off limits for destruction but players can handwave any other random buildings/empty homes in Milton that have been destroyed in the quake.


THE LONG ROAD

1. The Coast is now accessible to all players. Please see this page for further information.

2. Beach.....................

3. As a reminder. It takes about 24 hours to get from Milton to the Carter Hydrodam. Once out of the Dam, travel down to Silverpoint will take a number of days.

4. Three minor NPCs have been introduced! Molly, the owner of The Frozen Angler; her teenage son Jace; and Father Thomas of St Christopher's Church. There will be an opportunity to ask them questions, a top level of which can be found below!

5. Marra will not be open for interactions just yet.


TRY HONESTY

1. The durations of the effects are down to player choice, but will last at a minimum of three days or can last up to a full month or so and even continue into June.

PLOTTING FORM

<b>Player Name:</b> Your name here. <b>Player Contact:</b> What’s the best way to reach you? <b>Pacing:</b> What's your monthly speed looking like? Explain it here. <b>OOC Limits:</b> Any hard limits for RP go here. <b>Character Name:</b> Your character name here. <b>Canon:</b> Your character canon here. <b>Aurora Feat:</b> Does your character have an Aurora feat? List it here, and any other information on how they're doing with it! <b>Wanted CR:</b> Friends? Mentors? Hunting buddies? Lovers? State preferences here. <b>Unwanted CR:</b> Not keen on romance? Mortal enemies? State preferences here. <b>Event Ideas:</b> Your event plotting here! <b>Anything Else?:</b> You know what to do.

EVENT POST

Comments

[gildedlife]

Player Name: Ami
Player Contact: On plurk at amiasha, Discord at amiasha, or PM!
Pacing: Depends if I can manage to not be sick for more than like two weeks at a time; I prefer to get to tags at least once every two days and faster if possible, though I certainly have times where it (unfortunately) goes longer.
OOC Limits: Nothing really; if something comes up I'll let you know.

Character Name: James Fitzjames
Canon: The Terror (2018)
Aurora Feat: Efficient Machine; he's soooort of figuring it out at this point but doesn't totally have it down.

Wanted CR: He's had A Time recently and lost the person he was closest to, but for a long time has felt disconnected and directionless here, so he really needs to form closer bonds with people! Whether those bonds are good, bad, or weird are all possibilities I'm here for.
Unwanted CR: Nothing in particular! Romantic stuff would be complicated but certainly not ruling it out.


Event Ideas:

Shuddering Earth - I don't have any particular plans except that he'll definitely be out exploring and will end up going to the Hydrodam. I'm open to plotting any misadventures with that, particularly on an Aurora night someone here still only understands the basics of electricity, or also just anything else around Lakeside or Milton.

The Long Road - Hey finally his expertise in walking horrible distances in poor conditions might come in handy!!! Also he's been wanting to try pushing the boundaries of their explorable surroundings for a long while now, so he'll be very enthusiastic about making the trip. As mentioned he does have experience in long trips over hazardous/inhospitable terrain, including cold environments, so he might actually be helpful here, and he's also got the Efficient Machine feat.

Once at Silverpoint he'll be exploring everywhere, and will be most interested in the lighthouse and ocean. It's been awhile since he's seen the ocean, and he'll be curious about the frozen ship wreckages; he's also pretty fearless about the ice and water, so should anyone explore too far out and end up in a difficult situation with thin ice, he could be around for plotting.

Try Honesty - I want to do something with this but I'm not sure which to go with yet! Since he's someone who likes to carefully control his image I'm definitely tempted to go with the mind rune, but the other two have a lot of potential also, so I'm still on the fence but happy to plot anything.

Anything Else?:

[desperate_times_right]

Randvi is also heading out to Silverpoint if you'd like these two to interact again!

[gildedlife]

Oooh yes; now that he's settled in more and all sorts of stuff has happened I think they'll have more to talk about too!

Also, I think James and Chloe should definitely meet at some point, since they have so much shared CR and also I think it'll be a disaster and that's always fun.

[desperate_times_right]

Randvi is also having some Identity Issues he might relate to if he catches her at it lol.

Chloe and James are so similar that I think they will hate each other instantly lol. Real recognizes real but for facades.

[gildedlife]

Oooooh he has no idea what identity crises are like... Not at all...

YEAH I think the same and it'll be hilarious. Spiderman meme pointing at each other but also refusing to acknowledge it in the first place.

[(Anonymous)]

Is all he knows about Chloe that she slept with Billy Prior? Lmao.

[desperate_times_right]

That was me, login didn't work lol.

[gildedlife]

LOL dreamwidth trolling but no I don't think he even knows that much!!! He probably knows she has the greenhouse and maybe that she was involved with the party for Hickey and Billy's wedding (if I'm even remembering that right myself)?

[desperate_times_right]

I can't remember if it was James he told but I know Prior’s alter ego told someone he was fooling around with the “gardener” (I remember because Chloe would be so offended at this designation lol)

And you're right about the party! That was held at Chloe’s old Greene St house and I think her friendship with Gibson at least is public knowledge since she sat with him at the post-Midsummer trial.

I'm not sure Chloe knows anything about James at all since most of Billy’s real resentment was aimed at Irving and Little lmao.

[gildedlife]

Ooooh you're right I think he did say that to James though I'll have to double check; James wouldn't put two and two together to realize it was Chloe though, which is probably for the best.

Excellent~ Yeah James and Billy kind of just go 'oh right you're here' about each other, and there's something inherently funny to me about James starting off on a neutral-ish foot with Chloe because of htat.

[desperate_times_right]

I'm sure they will both squander that goodwill immediately lmao but it is pretty funny.

I’ll be top levelling for both if there's anything you're interested in there.

[pitofguilt]

Ami hello let's do things

[gildedlife]

YES let's!!! I can't believe it's been so long since we were in a game together omg

Want to plan for them to run into each other just after the earthquakes while people are out surveying the damage and all that, before the trip(s?) to Silverpoint?

[pitofguilt]

Yes good. I'll hit up your tl if you post one

[gildedlife]

I've just popped one up here and of course feel free to wildcard if none of them work. c:

[pitofguilt]

Why did i read his username as gefiltefish, i need to go to sleep lol

Anyway yes i will tag tomorrow :>

[castitas]

Kate's going to Silverpoint, so we definitely need to do another thread with these two! It's been a while since Kate's seen the ocean too considering Arcadia Bay's by the coast. Maybe they can do some exploring on the sea-ice (he's a Responsible Adult, so Irving won't get himself in a tizzy, lmao) or maybe try to get to lighthouse (and find it locked since Marra isn't available yet and ignoring visitors) and note how the light works??

[gildedlife]

Yes for sure! He is certainly not a responsible adult and will gladly accompany her on adventures, whether on the ice or to the lighthouse or both. c:

[castitas]

djfkghdfkjg the responsibility has once again been thrust upon him. at least this time it's just one teenage girl and not a whole ship's worth of me.

I think the Lighthouse in particular would be a pretty neat exploration to do! how is it working, who is in there

it is a mystery....

[gildedlife]

But which is more difficult to deal with... The true question...

Yes definitely! I tagged her beach prompt but I figure it'll be easy enough to transition to exploring the lighthouse from there. c:

[sputnik]

"if I can manage to not be sick for more than like two weeks at a time" grasps your hands, biggest mood ever.... I'm forever loving and looking forward to all the FitzLittle times (and how Crozier's Death will continue to affect their own relationship ;~;) but I've also thought Kostya would be very fun to toss at James sometime too for some potentially lighter-hearted times...!

I think they could maybe vibe pretty well re: commander dudes who were A Big Deal back home, dealing with things like greying hair and Crises of Identity + being more of A Concept TM than a real person...

[gildedlife]

IT'S THE STRUGGLE why must we suffer... method rp to the fullest extent...

SAME I'm loving our sad boys who are once again unwillingly 'leading' their group; their bonding recently has been so good and I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how things develop with them! But I also love the idea of some CR with Kostya because YEAH the parallel themes... What do you do when you're 40-ish but never quite figured out who you actually are because you've been trying so hard to embody an ideal instead of being an authentic individual...

also don't talk to him about the greying hair

[sputnik]

Ned's so weird right now and trying to stay away from everyone for the month BUT I fully predict that when he comes around again, he's going to want to keep even closer to Fitzjames, no matter where he ends up being...! First Goodsir vanished, now Crozier's dead, he's going to be so terrified to lose more cold boys...

But in the meantime, unlike SOME soggy sad dogs around here, Kostya is extroverted and friendly and sociable, so maybe he can bump into Fitzjames in Silverpoint at some point! He's been learning to embrace the grey, don't worry James, it makes you look Experienced and Sophisticated! We can be two Cool Hot Guys around town! (the town: an isolated coastal village that has like five people in it and a lighthouse)

[gildedlife]

How dare Ned be weird after all the horrible and confusing things he's gone through... Gotta be perfectly normal, no excuses. But yes definitely; James is feeling the same, both because of losing Goodsir and Crozier and because he's now 'in charge' in the sense that he's responsible for those remaining and he takes that seriously. :c

LOL god I feel like these two are going to be either the worst influences on each other by encouraging/enabling their terrible traits and end up as great friends, OR they're going to be totally jealous of each other and not-so-subtly competing to be the cool hot guy around town, and whatever happens I am completely here for it.

[sputnik]

right?? Like you said, them once again being the ones left ~Leading... The canon parallels.... Ned will definitely also be having Flashbacks of Unwanted & Sudden Responsibility and I'm so looking forward to how they might both ultimately deal with it this time... Once he comes out of his funk I can foresee Ned falling to being James' devoted second sooo easily...

And I'm laughing so hard at the mental image, no matter how it goes it sounds like such hilarious and colourful potential... two male peacocks in the same room... It's so funny to me because Kostya definitely likes being around people who are ~As Equally Impressive As Himself~ slfd;f his confidence... but he's also riddled with insecurities at the same time... I'm so here for however it plays out, I'll definitely hit up your toplevel!