![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pumpkinhollow) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
ph_memes2024-01-10 06:19 pm
TDM #4 - Aurora Borealis Blitz [FIRST EDITION]
[Find our plain text version here!]
Pumpkin Hollow Gazette
1/10/24 | TDM #4 - AURORA BOREALIS BLITZ"
Content Warnings: "Further Details" section has independent CW labels.
Forecast: Heavy snow
BREAKING! REBUILDING HELP REQUESTED
By Cecil Gershwin Palmer
A photo taken of the damage.
ACROSS PUMPKIN HOLLOW - City government is requesting aid with repairs to public buildings and local fixtures after the recent earthquakes on Tuesday, January 8th. While there was minimal damage to Town Hall itself, several important buildings sustained damage, including the Magpie National Bank, the South Train Station and the Clock Tower, which is now stuck with hands at 8pm.
Regarding the cause of the earthquake, local biologist Dr. Elias Coldwood was heard to say “There's never been seismic activity here.” And he’s a scientist, so he would know! But clearly this is no longer the case. Perhaps Pumpkin Hollow has a mysterious tiny civilization underground worshiping a destroyer god, planning to attack through the bowling alley, the moment we create a bowling alley. Perhaps not. More on this story as it unfolds, faithful readers.
In the meantime, volunteers to help with the damage to city buildings are invited to meet with Mayor Hellen Poe for assignments.
ANNUAL AURORA IN NORTHERN SKY
By Yorick Aberdeen
An artist's rendition of last year's view.
ABOVE MARROW ISLE - Midwinter is upon us! That means it’s the time of year when our skies light up with the technicolor gleam of the arctic north! Those looking northward between the hours of 10pm and 2am should be able to see beautiful curtains of bright green, blue, purple, and pink lighting up the sky above the island. If you plan to go outside to view the lights rather than looking from your window, please make sure you travel in a group and carry a lantern. May it be ever lit!
HOROSCOPES
By Cecil Gershwin Palmer
What do the stars say about you today?
Capricorn: Do you feel as if you’ve lost something? If not, it’s wise to double-check. Perhaps it’s not something like a button or a key, but your sense of wonder or your self-confidence. Remember, things tend to be in the last place you look.
Aquarius: Something about the year ending made you feel lighter, like taking off a heavy wool coat. Ride this burst of energy as far as it will take you, because the shiny of a fresh beginning tends to wear off quickly.
Pisces: Don’t worry, I don’t believe what everyone says behind your back. You’re not too sensitive or too naive. They’re just jealous. Really, most of the time when they’re whispering, it’s not even about you.
Aries: You’re the sort of warm individual that babies and animals are drawn to. Unfortunately, this may include hungry wolves and swarms of insects. But don’t let that bring you down! We need that sort of personality around here.
Taurus: There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be the best, until you work to stop others from also being the best. That’s called cheating and may lead to you being disqualified from competitions. If you get caught, that is.
Gemini: You know those riddles about the two guards, one who always tells the truth and one who always lies? Well, everyone hates those riddles with a passion. You’ll see for yourself, soon.
Cancer: Wouldn’t you like to know?
Leo: Your incandescent personality often makes you the center of attention. However, that’s not the only thing about you that glows. Moths may flock to you in the dark this week, and so might children afraid to sleep with the lights out.
Virgo: Be careful with your words–they aren’t just the precursors to your deeds, but the manifestation of your will. This is not a week for idioms and metaphors, not for you. Even something like bemoaning a lack of spoons may make eating cereal harder.
Libra: You are, inevitably, the first one heard to say a situation isn’t fair. And it’s not, nor will it ever be. Instead of getting upset, have you ever considered getting revenge? That’s usually more satisfying in the long run.
Scorpio: Ugh, Scorpios. The position of Venus means your usually volatile emotions will be in the doldrums instead. Enjoy this while it lasts I guess. Who knows if you’ll ever experience such peace again, given, well. You’re kind of an emotional mess and no one likes you.
Sagittarius: There will never be another day like today. You must strive to make the day everything you want it to be. No mistakes, now! Consider your choices very carefully. Consider your choice to consider, very carefully.
SUNFIRE'S HEARTH
By Yorick Aberdeen
A photo of Mayor Poe's cats, Toffee and Butter, enjoying the view.
ASSORTED LOCATIONS - As the coldest part of the year settles over our fair isle, it is time for Sunfire’s Hearth--- an informal celebration of bonfires and hearth flames, for those unfamiliar! For the months of January and February, a raised platform for bonfires will be lit on weekends, and restaurants and taverns across town will keep their fireplaces lit. Unlike many of our other festivities, there is no structured celebration--- simply make some time during this time to bask in the warmth of a fire! You can even celebrate at home.
An additional benefit of this time of year is that Merrymeet is well on its way. So take this time and get snuggly in front of a fire with your special person to get in the mood for romance! (Or they could be platonic snuggles. Whatever suits you best.)
LOCAL ALCHEMIST REPORTS MISSING POTION
By Yorick Aberdeen
Some of Mx. Sallek's usual stock. Could stand to have better labels./p>
LOCATION UNCERTAIN - Early Monday morning, local alchemist Aeryn Sallek reported that a large container of magical potion has been swapped with another, and it would seem that the mistaken jug has been sent out for delivery. According to Mx. Sallek, they sent a number of jugs out for delivery in a case with our local delivery extraordinaire, Sam Porter Bridges. The jugs were meant to contain a harmless, potable freeze-resistance potion for our town’s various water sources, in the interest of keeping water reserves drinkable in sub-freezing winter weather. However, when they returned to the shop, one of these potions remained on their counter while a love potion they’d been working on went missing.
“‘Love potion’ is kind of a misnomer, honestly,” Mx. Sallek is quoted to have said on the matter. “But ‘emotional acuity’ potion doesn’t quite roll off the tongue. Basically what it actually does is enhance existing romantic desire and embolden the user to be emotionally open. But Yorick should already know all this, since he’s the one who ordered it.” [Editing note: don’t forget to cut the last part of that comment before publishing. Cecil, you don’t need to include personal statements directed at reporters from these interviews!]
It’s unclear which area of town this particular potion ended up being injected into the water source, but according to Mx. Sallek, the potion was not particularly intense to begin with. It should be significantly diluted as to be harmless. Still, if you notice any strange symptoms such as butterflies in your stomach, a desire to burst into song, or inexplicable yearning, please file a report with the Safety Board at your earliest convenience.
FOOD SHORTAGES PUT STRAIN ON ISLAND ECONOMY
By Yorick Aberdeen
MARKET DISTRICT - While there are many things to celebrate this time of year, Marrow Isle is not without its adversity. Over these past months, many new members of our community have arrived by ferry after our numbers remained small and stagnant for many years. And the presence of our newfound neighbors has been a boon to all of us. Many artisans have opened useful businesses, medical professionals have expanded our access to healthcare, and a new fishing vessel has taken to the seas. However, despite a few additions, our farming community remains quite modest and planting was not planned with such incredible new growth in mind.
The unfortunate result of this is that food reserves on the island this year are uncharacteristically low. As such, Town Council has made the difficult decision to allow for the temporary inflation of food prices and the rationing of food staples.
“We understand the hardship this will place on the residents of Pumpkin Hollow,” said Mayor Poe in a statement after this decision was made. “But please know that we are all in this together. We hope to be able to offer a better incentive package for those interested in farming in the coming springtime.”
Page 1
Aurora
The dead of winter sheds all colors of the trees and flowers across Marrow Isle, but tonight, there are no stark whites and grays and browns.
Tonight, in the sky sprawling with stars above the dreary town, there are lights.
Sprawling trails of violet and green twist and wave through the sky, brightening the earth below and the sea beyond Jack's Marina in magical colors. The return of the borealis is something many Pumpkin Hollowites look forward to, and their reactions are very clear: people scurry down to the shores to watch with wide eyes, many retrieve telescopes, and some even borrow the decks of ships, abandoned for the night at the docks, to watch the sights.
It doesn't take long for this to change, however; the sea nor land are safe from the curse, and it's made quickly apparent that the sky is no exception.
At first, the sight seems like none more than an illusion, perhaps someone blinking and missing a strange shift of the lights. A glimmering outline forms around a cluster of stars, only slightly harder than any of the lines that define the aurora's rays. Several of these shapes form, each array of stars different from the last, some larger, some smaller.
And then, the stars begin to fall.
Seeming to peel off the painted sky, the ebbing colors surrounding the starlight drop, crashing to the world below. Some fall to the streets and beaches, while others fall into the forest, leaving view, or drop into the sea, leaving splashes and waves in their wake that ensure any watching knows full and well that this is not a trick of the light. At first, these shapes are unmoving, glowing masses of aurora-light with stars shining brightly within them. Most townsfolk are uneasy, but this seems to pale in severity to the other disasters, even if they lack any idea of what it could mean for them.
That is, of course, until the masses begin to move.
Each one is as varied as the constellation it stole from the sky: stars form suggestions of skeletal structures, and their "flesh", only consisting of swimming lights and liquid sky that steals any lights around them. Two identical glowing shapes rise to a face finally taking form, and slowly, moving more like gel than animal as it rises to freshly-formed legs, it settles on the closest living thing it can find.
There is no calculation in it, nor what seems to be a glimmer of thought.
It simply lunges with intent to kill.
Cecil’s disconcerting horoscopes have the following effects for the next few days:
Horoscopes
[CW: Altered emotional states ]
(Don’t know your character’s sign? Feel free to just decide on one!)
Unbeknownst to the townsfolk, the “love” potion ended up in the water supply of the Oak & Iron. As promised by Aeryn, it is thoroughly diluted, as its recipients believed it to be a normal freeze-resistance potion to be mixed with their water. The effects are not particularly intense. However, anyone who drinks any of the tavern’s housemade ale or cider, drinks the coffee, or eats any food that might require water to cook will experience symptoms of “emotional acuity”. This involves feeling more emotionally open, more receptive to positive feelings about others, a strong desire for physical or verbal affection, and the intensification of romantic or sexual attraction that you might already be experiencing. It will last about half a day. Just in time to help potentially land you a date for Merrymeet, a flower and fertility festival in early spring!Love Potion
[CW: Altered Emotional States ]
Food rationing and inflation will have the following impact: Grocery budgets for apped-in characters will be reduced in their efficacy.
Basic groceries will be only the most minimal of staples. You will likely go hungry if you do not find a way to supplement this.
Bountiful groceries will be reduced to the amount of food normally contained in basic.
Lavish groceries will not be available at all.
Your grocery choices from Activity Check are not able to be modified for this month unless otherwise stated. Bonuses and Discounts associated with the Farmer and Fisherman jobs are also reduced.
Level 1 bonuses will be reduced to standard, which is to say how they would function for a non-Farmer/Fisherman character during a normal, pre-famine month. (ex. Whereas normally a Level 1 Farmer would get free Basic groceries, they will now have to pay the 50 Brass, but do not have the efficacy of Basic groceries reduced as described above.)
Level 2 bonuses will be reduced to that of a Level 1 Farmer/Fisherman. (ex. Whereas a Level 2 Fisherman would normally be able to have Bountiful groceries discounted to 50 Brass, they now must pay full price for Bountiful groceries. However, they can still get Basic groceries for free and don’t suffer from the famine induced efficacy reduction for either budget.) Oak & Iron Residents will only be able to receive bland, repetitive meals with their food vouchers consisting of simple broth, plain bread, bland potato dishes, and the like. It is enough to be fed and comfortable but it is incredibly unsatisfying. (This includes all new characters that are not apped-in.) Drinks, however, are still plentiful. Characters who do not eat will find that their respective sources of fuel will be reduced to just barely enough to keep them functional, provided that they ration carefully. (Ex. Transformers may want to be less active. Vampires will find that victims cannot handle excessive blood loss without fainting and generally prefer to stay home.) Characters who were present to fight the Mother Crab back in late summer and chose to can some of their crab can use it now! Hunting, foraging, and fishing can help reduce the impact of these reductions, and people can share their food. You can absolutely die of starvation. After Merrymeet in February, food will return to normal.Famine
[CW: Starvation and food scarcity ]
CW: decapitation verbal description
He laces his fingers together. Then, he lets his impassive face drop. Chooses to. César looks mentally done.
"I followed her here and went on ahead when I knew her destination." Quietly, calmly. "I didn't have time to process her freezing me to death. I saw my body afterwards. I saw her snap my head clean off, and she carried it with her. I suspect that's part of the reason why First Aid is upset. Can Cybertronians get PTSD?"
César's hoping being dead at least prevents it from happening to him.
no subject
"Seeing your own dead body is a shock. Lots of ghosts, when they manifest quickly, feel that shock. I doubt that watching what you conceptualize as yourself be broken up is any easier to witness." Chris takes a breath. "And I'm fairly sure that Cybertronians can develop PTSD.
"Are you asking about him so you don't focus on what you're feeling?"
no subject
César holds his fingers laced together. "... yes. What else am I supposed to do? I'm new here. This is a lot to handle for people I've just met. And honestly, I'm probably in shock, like you've said. I usually find my emotional processing delayed until sometime after an event."
A pause as the voices rise, and words can almost be made. "... I'll probably need help with this later, but I think First Aid will need help sooner."
Look, he just accepted he'll need help with this.
no subject
Chris frowns slightly, and says, "I'll hold you to that. Getting help afterward. And you can't tell me later that you don't remember, because I know it doesn't work like that."
Another pause, and then Chris says, "If you were wrong for killing off a sentient being, then Vika was no less wrong for her own homicidal reaction to hearing about it. I don't... quite know how we're going to handle things between the two of you, other than trying to keep you apart as much as possible. But we'll work on it when other people than just me can hear and see you, okay?"
no subject
"I'm.. going to need you to hold me to that." César forces a weak smile. "I haven't reached out to anyone properly since I lost my parents and even more's happened since then. There was simply no one, and seeking therapy might have risked the world."
He sighs and closes his eyes. "It was wrong, what I did, but there was no other choice. ZAG-RS would've killed everything. Even bacteria. Better my hands are dirty than there to be no future at all." César opens his eyes and looks back up. "I... guess we'll figure this out. When others can see me. A group project."
no subject
"Risked the world? Are you one of those superheroes with a secret identity?" Chris asks. As an explanation, they continue, "that's their usual reason for avoiding psychiatry."
Chris holds up both of their hands. "One of my abilities, when it comes to ghosts, is being able to see their memories. If you're amenable to it, you can share the memory of ZAG-RS and the threat with me."
It's not a requirement, just an offer. If it would be easier to understand while in César's shoes, then Chris has a way to do just that.
no subject
"No, that's my little brother." César quips. "But his identity isn't secret. The team I was on did develop the technology that, through events, ended up turning him into a superhero."
César worries his lip for a moment. "... It might makes sense for someone else to know the events. Do you see my thoughts in the memories? I may need to provide additional context. Because it wasn't just the threat she posed as herself, but her memories of an event. If someone had accessed them, it could've gotten me killed and Earth rewritten at an atomic level in the image of a group of power hungry billionaires after they discovered our fail safes and had someone remove them. And they could've gone onto other planets."
Sorry, Chris. You're asking about the Main Quest line.
And then something occurs to him, and he winces a moment in guilt. "... ah, shoot! Can you let Cecil know I can't help with the Stone Soup on account of being temporarily deceased?"
no subject
They hold out both hands. "When you touch both of my hands, focus on the memory that you want to share. We'll both be able to see it, like observers on the outside. I'll draw on my powers to strengthen the connection, and with your focus we should be able to go into your perspective of the events."
Chris pauses when César says 'ah, shoot!'. In response to the explanation, Chris nods and says, "I'll call Cecil after we're done here and let him know that you won't be back until tomorrow night-ish."
Back on the subject of the memory-sharing, Chris gives a wry, somewhat sheepish smile. "You might feel a little shock, like static electricity, when we initially touch."
no subject
He's thinking hard enough that he's not emotionally processing everything again.
"All right. I know which memory." He winces when he reaches out to touch Chris and indeed gets a little shock.
And then the memory begins.
César is sitting in the at a large scale console with multiple screens. The walls, floor, and ceiling are all metal. There's a hum. They're in the air. He's aware of maskless soldiers and a man in a green suit (Agent Six) with sunglasses are behind him. In front of him, suspended in the metal circle, is the broken remains of a robot that ZAG-RS had used to prevent her deletion earlier.
But César's not concerned about them, now. ZAG-RS has found a way to destroy nanites on a planetary scale. A glance at a side screen that shows the rotating sandstorm has died down, revealing the dead former oasis. Everything turned into pure silicone, ready to become dust at a single disturbance. Where ZAG-RS had built herself further circuitry, somehow carving lines in the rocks.
ZAG-RS had apparently occupied this body during experiments on deactivating nanites done on a space station. Except she figured out how to make them explode instead, and was going to head back to earth to explode every nanite there. Horrifying.
"This is my design." César states aloud as he hears Doctor Rebecca Holiday, Bobo Haha the EVO chimp, and his younger teen brother, Rex, walk in (footsteps he can recognize).
Rex speaks up, but César doesn't notice the tone. "Great--my brother created ZAG-RS."
"Evidently." César stops typing and looks up. "Although her evolution into some sort of sentient nanite slayer is quite curious."
Sentient Like Alpha. And more dangerous. Maybe even able to eventually control the Meta-nanites to rewrite the world in her image even faster. She was smart enough to self-actualize. Certainly, their fail safes might not stop her.
"Curious?" Six responds.
"What about what Van Kleiss said?" Rex asks before César can reply, and César turns the chair to look at Rex over his shoulder.
"You mean I'm to blame for the original Nanite Event?" César asks, trying to sound curious.
It was supposed to be a simple venting. Those fools triggered a replication cycle. If they hadn't... everything would have ended. And ZAG-RS had memories of the event that could point towards what really happened.
They can't learn the truth. He can't trust these Americans with the world's safety yet. Not especially with the Consortium on Providence's board. There's only one thing he can do. It's her or the world, and she's already decided everything must die even after the knowledge she must've gained from being around humans.
All the thoughts go through his mind in an instant.
His eyes glance towards ZAG-RS's broken 'body', and then he turns back to the screen. "Why don't we ask her?"
Typing. He boots her up. Lines grow on the screen. The visor turns red. César hears the soldiers hoist their rifles.
César grimaces and stands quickly, holding out his hands, alarm going through him. "Wait!" He drops them, then starts speaking the kill command. "Interface Protocols. Code Designate ZAG-RS. Respond."
Affirmative chime. The lines grow higher, to their normal points. ZAG-RS speaks in a neutral tone. "Dr. Salazar. Good morning. How may I assist you?"
Doctor Holiday rushes over to look over the screens as César stands there. He doesn't stop her from looking. It's safe now.
A brief moment, and then she looks behind her, one hand on the console. "Stand down, Gentlemen. ZAG-RS has been successfully rebooted." She looks back to the console, and César now pays attention to her tone, which is confused. "... but her memory has been wiped clean."
"What?" Rex is equally confused, then incredulous. "You gotta be kidding me!"
Grim-faced, César approaches the console again. "... that's interesting." No, he needs to say more, he realizes as Holiday walks off. "... Hmmm. Van Kleiss must have implemented a program dump before he left you."
Nervous, he glances back. "It's the only logical conclusion."
Please, believe me. Rex, you weren't smart enough to ask my in private. I can't tell you.
"Program dump?" Rex asks blankly (disbelievingly?), then complains after a pause. "Great! So now all we've got is a lame decontamination program with a GPS lady's voice?"
A jolt of pain goes through César; Rex's amnesia comes into clear focus as he instantly responds. "GPS lady?"
He clears his face and turns back to look at Rex, making it more neutral, wiping the pain away (Rex is too young to lean on; he's still a boy). "Hardly."
Rex clearly doesn't understand, frustrated. "I was making a joke." And then he turns to walk away.
César's gaze slides back to the monitor. "Don't you recognize it?" No, he doesn't, but César has to ask, hoping desperately.
Rex is still walking, so César turns around to face him. "When I programmed her, I wanted a voice that meant safety... protection... caring." Rex keeps walking, and it hurts; this program was made for him. "Rex, this is our mother's voice."
"Mama?" Rex's steps come to a halt.
César ends the memory there abruptly, because the emotions that had started were far, far too personal.
"..." He's not meeting Chris's gaze for the moment. "... so, yes. I murdered her."
no subject
"Murdered her while making it look like you didn't..." Chris says quietly, "or did I misunderstand what I was seeing?"
...a drop of blood slips out of their nose and falls to the floor.
no subject
"You understood correctly. She would've figure out a way to get free again, eventually. She was barely stopped twice." It's actually three times, but César doesn't know that. "Or her memory banks would've been accessed, and then..."
César shakes his head. "There was too much at stake. Better one death than every other life on Earth. She was my responsibility. And there wasn't time for another solution."
A pause, brows furrowing more. "Are... you okay?"
no subject
It was a lot of information to take in, and Chris isn't sure that they have right read on the situation, but... there's something that didn't feel right about what they experienced.
no subject
It's a test to see how much Chris wants him to explain.
no subject
"And there was no reasoning with her, was there?" Chris tries for calm, but some of their doubt probably shows in the tone of their question. (Unspoken: did you even try?)
God, their head hurts. A little more blood drips from their nose.
no subject
"No. She had already made her decisions. But the explanation of the calculations I did prior to that memory and after is... long." Concern filters through his logic. "Are you sure you're up for that? I rarely explain my decisions because no one wants a long and boring lecture that most treat like the ramblings of a mad man. And you look like you're in no condition for one."
no subject
Chris touches under their nose, sees the blood there, and tucks their fingers against their palm. (They don't have time for the weaknesses of their body, but they'll have to make it.)
"First Aid is probably going to want your side of the story, for one thing. So I'm not saying do it now, but that you're going to have to explain things soon."
no subject
Then, with actual frantic tone seeping into his voice. "I was just murdered, and you're lecturing me that I'm going to have to open up to someone who doesn't even know me! That's just as bad as everyone assuming I wouldn't grieve my parents hours after they died from my viewpoint, and they're people who love Rex like family."
Oh, there's the emotions he's been hiding from finally starting to worm their way in.
"People don't want to understand me. They just want to put the first label they can on me so they think they do. My life would be so much easier if I was the demented crazy evil mad scientist everyone believes me to be!"
no subject
Chris stares at César through that outburst, considering his words.
"Did it sound like a lecture? I know my friend, and I know First Aid is going to ask because he wants to understand this situation and be fair to everyone involved. That's just the kind of person he is. He's going to have questions."
A long pause. Then:
"One of my past incarnations was killed by a mad scientist, and I remember it all as if it happened to me. I think I know what they are like. And you don't seem much like it."
Chris may have their doubts about César's past actions, but they are not a cruel person. They lean more heavily on the desk behind them, and close their eyes for a moment. "I wouldn't dictate grief. And I'm not trying to in this case."
no subject
"... I'm sorry, can we stop talking for now? I'm sorry that happened to you. Thank you. Lo siento. Quiero a mis padres." His emotions are everywhere, and all he wants to hear is his mother's and father's voices again.
He doesn't want to lose his control. Not around a stranger, and he's already too close.
no subject
A gentle tap on his shoulder to get his attention, then: "Maybe you can explore the town this way. You have a lot of freedom of movement as a ghost, and nobody else is going to see you, so far as I know."
Unfortunately, there's no time for César to reply. There's a clatter as First Aid staggers back into the clinic, voice rough with static as he says, "Chris... There's been...Vika did something terrible..."
no subject