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❅ SHITTY LITTLE TOWN ❅ PART 1
Each year in this town, the winters seem to get harder and the summers seem to get hotter, and this was no exception. After several months of sweltering afternoons and sweaty nights, fall is finally starting to break the town’s fever, although with the cooler weather comes the death of the horseflies, leaving many of the town’s flat surfaces coated in bug carcasses. The sky is overcast, the air remains humid, and in the distance thunderstorms can be heard almost every hour of the day.
During the day, people go about their usual routines, working primarily at the slaughterhouse or mines during the weekdays, vegetating in front of the television on Saturdays, and sitting straightbacked and paranoid in the pews on Sunday, fearful less of the wrath of God than the ire of the neighbors. Evenings for the average person are filled with drinking at Nog’s or Auntie’s or peering at the TV until bedtime.
This is where our heroes find themselves, waking with a new lifestory that integrates them into this, the shitty little town.
PROMPTS
a) NOG'S
Nog's bar is the preferred haunt of most of the miners and slaughterhouse workers in this town, who meet to drink their woes away, complain about their supervisors and speculate on the personal lives of the people around them. Despite Mr. Goluboy's constant harassment, Nog has managed to keep his liquor license, and as such is one of the few successful businesses in town on account of all the stress-induced alcoholism. While one won't find fancy cocktails here, if they're just looking for a beer and some scuttlebutt, this is the place.
Nog's bar is the preferred haunt of most of the miners and slaughterhouse workers in this town, who meet to drink their woes away, complain about their supervisors and speculate on the personal lives of the people around them. Despite Mr. Goluboy's constant harassment, Nog has managed to keep his liquor license, and as such is one of the few successful businesses in town on account of all the stress-induced alcoholism. While one won't find fancy cocktails here, if they're just looking for a beer and some scuttlebutt, this is the place.
b) AUNTIE'S
"Auntie's" is the name of the old-school, 1950's-esque, 24-hour diner in the middle of downtown, with big red pleather booths, checkerboard floors and a jukebox. Typically, the only difference in clientele between Auntie’s and Nog's is that the people at Auntie’s wanted a burger or a stack of pancakes alongside their beer – but unlike Nog's, Auntie’s is only barely hanging on, constantly getting ticketed for waterspots on the silverware and not having enough napkins. Thankfully, one can get a full breakfast meal at Auntie's any time of day for a few dollars.
"Auntie's" is the name of the old-school, 1950's-esque, 24-hour diner in the middle of downtown, with big red pleather booths, checkerboard floors and a jukebox. Typically, the only difference in clientele between Auntie’s and Nog's is that the people at Auntie’s wanted a burger or a stack of pancakes alongside their beer – but unlike Nog's, Auntie’s is only barely hanging on, constantly getting ticketed for waterspots on the silverware and not having enough napkins. Thankfully, one can get a full breakfast meal at Auntie's any time of day for a few dollars.
c) THE DOCKS
The town is alongside a lake, and once upon a time there was enough fish to sustain a modest fishing economy and a river that allowed for trade by boat with other nearby towns. However, with the mines' pollution, fish are no longer considered safe to eat, and only the water immediately adjacent to the springhead on the Warren Family Farm is safe to swim in. Draining from the mines has lowered the level of the river enough that it's no longer navigable. Residents will still occasionally use the lake for boating recreation, but fees at the marina keep going up (into Goluboy's pocket) and mothers are increasingly worried about letting their children get wet in that water.
The town is alongside a lake, and once upon a time there was enough fish to sustain a modest fishing economy and a river that allowed for trade by boat with other nearby towns. However, with the mines' pollution, fish are no longer considered safe to eat, and only the water immediately adjacent to the springhead on the Warren Family Farm is safe to swim in. Draining from the mines has lowered the level of the river enough that it's no longer navigable. Residents will still occasionally use the lake for boating recreation, but fees at the marina keep going up (into Goluboy's pocket) and mothers are increasingly worried about letting their children get wet in that water.
d) THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE
The other major employer, owned by Ms. Cygne. Most of the locals who don't work at the mines work at the slaughterhouse, where the work is disgusting, dreary and grueling. Sometimes people get promoted out of the trenches and into admin. Yay.
The other major employer, owned by Ms. Cygne. Most of the locals who don't work at the mines work at the slaughterhouse, where the work is disgusting, dreary and grueling. Sometimes people get promoted out of the trenches and into admin. Yay.
e) BIG TOP CIRCUS COFFEE
Dick's Coffeeshop is in the bottom floor of an apartment building, and many locals have no idea how it hasn't been shut down yet, given that the owner is famously generous with his resources in a way that clearly irritates the city council. Dick offers jobs to those who Goluboy and Cygne won't hire at the mines or slaughterhouse and frequently sneaks day-old pastries to the hungry. The coffeeshop is one of the few areas where artists tend to converge, usually at the weekly open mic night; however, whatever one expresses at the coffeeshop is likely to be picked up by the town gossips, mocked relentlessly, distorted and spread around.
Dick's Coffeeshop is in the bottom floor of an apartment building, and many locals have no idea how it hasn't been shut down yet, given that the owner is famously generous with his resources in a way that clearly irritates the city council. Dick offers jobs to those who Goluboy and Cygne won't hire at the mines or slaughterhouse and frequently sneaks day-old pastries to the hungry. The coffeeshop is one of the few areas where artists tend to converge, usually at the weekly open mic night; however, whatever one expresses at the coffeeshop is likely to be picked up by the town gossips, mocked relentlessly, distorted and spread around.
f) THE FARMER'S MARKET
Because Mr. Goluboy's malicious prosecution of small businesses has essentially shut down any legal avenue for a farmer's market, a few of the residents of the town have established a black market for homegrown fruits and vegetables, small-batch soaps and candles, and other small products. Words gets out through a whisper network, and a few times a month everyone in the know meets in a parking lot, opens their trunk, and does some bartering and selling with each other until they get found out. Sheriff Mallard and her deputies have arrested many people at these pop-ups and confiscated their products. By now, these pop-ups have around forty people trading and selling at a time, and the city council has announced that out of concerns for food safety the sentence for being caught vending homegrown produce will be increased to a misdemeanor with jail time.
Because Mr. Goluboy's malicious prosecution of small businesses has essentially shut down any legal avenue for a farmer's market, a few of the residents of the town have established a black market for homegrown fruits and vegetables, small-batch soaps and candles, and other small products. Words gets out through a whisper network, and a few times a month everyone in the know meets in a parking lot, opens their trunk, and does some bartering and selling with each other until they get found out. Sheriff Mallard and her deputies have arrested many people at these pop-ups and confiscated their products. By now, these pop-ups have around forty people trading and selling at a time, and the city council has announced that out of concerns for food safety the sentence for being caught vending homegrown produce will be increased to a misdemeanor with jail time.
g) THE LIBRARY
The library, once well-stocked and indulgently funded, is now kept alive sheerly by the passion of the one paid librarian, Aziraphale, and the volunteers who work there. There is no interlibrary loan program and there have been no new books in years. The library is reduced to loaning damaged copies missing pages, and story hours or public events are difficult to organize due to the complete lack of resources. The city council has also forced Aziraphale to put up a sign against loitering or using the library "for any purposes besides the borrowing of books." An organization of local busybodies drops in frequently to comb through the stacks for "objectionable material," which is then destroyed at Ms. Cygne's behest.
The library, once well-stocked and indulgently funded, is now kept alive sheerly by the passion of the one paid librarian, Aziraphale, and the volunteers who work there. There is no interlibrary loan program and there have been no new books in years. The library is reduced to loaning damaged copies missing pages, and story hours or public events are difficult to organize due to the complete lack of resources. The city council has also forced Aziraphale to put up a sign against loitering or using the library "for any purposes besides the borrowing of books." An organization of local busybodies drops in frequently to comb through the stacks for "objectionable material," which is then destroyed at Ms. Cygne's behest.
h) WILDCARD/NEW LOCATION
Feel free to set things around town anywhere you want or make up new locations.
Feel free to set things around town anywhere you want or make up new locations.
i) THE SPOOKY WOODS
Outside the town, there are foggy, dense woods, difficult to navigate by foot due to thickets and brambles that come up to a grown man's waist. The city council has done what they can to ban people from going into the woods, and the gruesome animal maulings are a compelling disincentive.
Note: Let the plot mods know when your characters are going into the spooky woods.
Outside the town, there are foggy, dense woods, difficult to navigate by foot due to thickets and brambles that come up to a grown man's waist. The city council has done what they can to ban people from going into the woods, and the gruesome animal maulings are a compelling disincentive.
Note: Let the plot mods know when your characters are going into the spooky woods.
❅ OOC Plotting: Here. More locations can be found there. You can also ask the players running the plot questions there.
❅ Event Length: This part of the plot is to establish CR and characters' roles in town. It will last about a week and half before future parts that allow the characters to start digging into the mysteries of the town.
❅ New Characters: If your character is introing at this time, assume they arrived just in time at the location the plot takes place in to be caught up in the magic drawing everyone in. They would have gotten the Man in the Moon's spiel from the welcome page right before being magically sucked in.
❅ Opt-out: Anyone that doesn't want to play in the plot can handwave their character didn't go on the mission that put the characters in the location where they were sucked in. You can thread your characters back at the Pole or send them on another smaller mission with other characters.
Brigid Finn | Open and closed prompts
"Good morning!" She chirps as she bumps her hip against the door on her way into the mine office. Brigid always has a happy smile on her face, despite her situation. She loves having a job and is grateful that she can work here, and not in the slaughterhouse. Her tender sensibilities wouldn't allow for it. She sets a dark chocolate muffin down on Miguel's desk and grins. "Try it. I added a little bit of a kick of chili this time, like you suggested."
Despite losing her father in a mining accident and her mother in a car accident, Brigid has always been upbeat. When she's down everyone knows it because she doesn't cook, she doesn't bake, she just holes up with her books and rereads them again, hiding from the world.
Stuck in this little town, she's had big dreams, and bigger thoughts. She wants out, but there's a certain charm to this little town, and there are worse things.
She slides into her seat, ready to start the day.
II. The book house [open]
Brigid walks among the shelves of books, her fingers trailing over the spines absently. She wants something new to read. She's read all their fairy tales, here. She's read the spooky tales, and the few horror books. She's read the socially acceptable legends and biographies that are allowed on the shelves. She's read... well, not all the books, but a very big chunk of them.
She wants something new to read. She wanders through the stacks, looking at all the books - her friends, almost - and trying to decide what she's in the mood to read. Not watching where she's going, she bumps into someone's back. "Oh! I'm sorry! Are you alright?"
III. Date night [closed to Jackie]
Brigid holds onto Jackie's arm as they walk down the deserted main street toward Auntie's. It's really the only place to go when going on a date. She leans her head against Jackie's shoulder.
Work was... exhausting this week, and she just wants an evening away from her dinky little apartment. Sure, they'll probably end up back at her place to watch a movie until he has to go home.
"How was your week?" She asks, sliding into a booth.
IV. Anything you want!
[ Open prompt. Hit me up if you want something special! ]
no subject
When the food finds itself at his desk, it takes him a moment to blink and look up. It looks like he had another restless weekend, because his eyes bore the weight of a few late nights already.
"Oh, you did... Thank you."
He's gotten enough gifts like this to stop telling Brigid she shouldn't have. So he aquiesces and tries a bite, enjoying the flavors and looking impressed at the mix of bitter, spicy, and a touch of sweet.
"You nailed it on the first try. Where did you get the ingredients? Trying to find something quality is like a scavenger hunt around here."
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"Give away my source? Miguel... you know better." She scolds gently. That means she got the chilis from the farmer's market and she's not telling. For all Brigid is a good girl, she's not a rat either.
"Now, what did you do this weekend?" She asks, softly.
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Miguel had yet to catch on to some of the more surreptitious happenings in the town. He kept himself too busy to really embed himself, and his impression of most of the townsfolk could hardly be called positive. Still, he won't press if Brigid didn't want to talk about it here, and follows her change in topic.
"Weekend was the usual. Trying to see if we can avoid too much subsidence with the new dig. The old tunnel system wasn't happy with our last test." he admits, meaning he was locked up at home pecking away at models on a laptop. "...And Gabriel sent another package. If you've never tried mango chamoy, now might be your chance."
Since they couldn't meet up in Mexico City like usual, his brother saw fit to send gifts on his yearly trip in the fall. It seemed to be a cosmic joke, of sorts - his brother, the free artist wandering about as he pleased, and here Miguel was trapped by obligation. Still, the thought seemed to lift his spirits this time of year.
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"You really should get out more, Miguel. I know there's not much to do around here, but a good run never hurt anyone." She teases because she cares.
"Mango chamoy? Never even heard of it."
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He realizes she's telling him a secret at the last moment, narrowly keeping their cover! Farmer's market. Right. He'll have to ask her about that later. That sounded like a prime spot for better ingredients.
"I go out, Brigid." he protests gently.
He does goes out....! to the lake, by himself.
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"Uhhuh. When was the last time you went on a date?" She asks. She goes, every week with her boyfriend to Auntie's.
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Brigid seems to have caught him completely off-guard! This is a rarity for Miguel, whose emotional range seems to stick between varying levels of 'tired' and 'deeply annoyed at the world'.
"That's a question with a very long answer. The short version is that I had better luck in New York."
Before he even moved here.no subject
"Well, have you even tried your luck?" She asks, tartly.
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"Didn't really have time for that. It sounds like you have a suggestion in mind?"
He's not dismissing the idea outright...
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"There's June who works at Nog's and the coffee shop." She ponders, and then names a few other women, offering him an age range. She's seriously pondering this. But then, Brigid is a hopeless romantic.
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"You're more optimistic than me." he says lightly. "Maybe when I'm less married to MineCorp..."
It's only half a lie - by the time his work is wrapped, he'll be looking for a way to head back to the big city. But it's not impossible.
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She shakes her head. "Have to make time for the nonwork side of things too, Miguel." She says, tapping at her computer as she prepares payroll. "All work and no play, after all." She's still teasing though.
II. The book house
"I'm fine," he says, quickly standing up and taking a step back, the hand not holding books against his chest half-raised as if to ward her back. "Sorry, I didn't see you."
He tries not to interact with most people around here. Even he can tell they don't like him very much. He's not sure why they don't like him, but he never is anyway.
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"I'm sorry, I don't know your name? I'm Brigid Finn." She offers a hand to him, not having seen him here before. That's unusual for this little town. She's heard rumors of several people coming to town, but not having listened to many of the rumors, she isn't clued in.
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"Uh, Louis. Townsend." He juggles the books he's holding so that he can shake her extended hand and almost drops one in the process, one of the few books on mythology that the library has left. He catches it before it hits the ground though; he's at least got good reflexes.
Unfortunately, good reflexes is about all he's got going for him, because he's already apologized for being in her way and told her his name and he's not sure where to go from there. Awkward silences follow him around like loyal dogs, and he hasn't figured out how to shake them.
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"It's very nice to meet you Mr. Townsend." She says, politely. She notices the book. "Oh, Egyptian Mythology? Are you interested in mythology?"
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He briefly considers throwing the Egyptian mythology book at her and running while she's distracted; but Mr. Fell would absolutely be disappointed in him if he did that.
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Luckily, Mr. Fell doesn't mind being her dealer, as it were.
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He doesn't really care about knights so much, but she came up with those suggestions because he said he liked monsters. So there's got to be monsters in those, right?
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"Here. This one is Beowulf. Not my favorite translation, but a good enough one." She says, offering him the book. "The Green Knight stories are the next shelf down."