The Alleyverse Post

[Arlin]

21 hours ago, Rushu42 said:

"It's probably redundant to print the Rebirth story, then?" Acacia asked thoughtfully, "If people have already heard it?"

"You would think so, but It's festive and part of the season." Bell swept his chair back under his desk. 

"Plus," he continued "This city has always been a pressure-cooker. It's good to remind people why they are here every now and then."

Edited August 5, 2020 by Arlin

[Rushu42 she/her]

2 minutes ago, Arlin said:

"You would think so. But It's festive and part of the season." Bell swept his chair back under his desk. 

"Plus," he continued "this city has always been a pressure-cooker. It's good to remind people why they are here every now and then."

"Okay, we'll write it up, then. Maybe put it on the second page. We'll want an article on the highlights of this year's festival, too, which Rathi should be working on. But what else?" Acacia drummed her fingers on the table, and took a sip of the coffee that Whisper had prepared. Most free-kingdomers had little taste for the librarian drink, But Acacia had grown quite fond of it over the years. She had never made an effort to convert her family to it, though; the Smedrys were terrifying enough without the added benefit of caffeine. She looked around the room, and adopted her best Leavenworth voice. "Okay, I want you guys to get out in the streets and look for anything interesting that you can find. Whether it's a lost cat, a new shop, or some weird magic thing, if it's even remotely interesting I want it written down and brought back here. Whisper, you said your specialty is secrets? Well, I want some juicy ones for the first edition. I'm sure you'll all find something excellent; get to it!"

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You can have your character actually wander around some threads for a while if you want, or you can just say that they talked to some NPCs and some right back. Or you can completely disregard Acacia's orders and do whatever you want - she's not nearly as charismatic as she tries to be.

@Voidus

[+Sorana she/her]

A woman walks up to the building of the Post and steps inside, heading over to the front desk.

"Hello." She smiles politely. "I have an advertisement I would like to place in the next installment of the post. Could you please tell me how much that would be?"

She reaches into a bag slung over her shoulder and places a slim folder on the desk. "Front page, if possible, otherwise I'll take the best free spot that you have."

Gently she pushes the folder over. "Here, that's the ad, so that you can take a look at it's length."

Pausing she laughs, lifts a hand and moves it through her hair. "I am sorry, I didn't even ask whether I'm talking to the right person. I hope, that I am?"

Inside of the folder is the following:

Spoiler

Sebastian ran. His feet pounded on the wet cobblestoned, his steps echoing through the night. He was breathing hard, trying to suck emough hair into his lungs and body, all without ever slowing down. His side ached, but he knew there would be a good spot to make a stand, nothing more than a few turns away. And so he ran. He ran with everything he had, aimed for the next turn, the next small place where he would have some room, some space around him. And enough metal to push upon. Once there, he would be able to face them, the three men following him through the night. He had taken a wrong turn, had ended up in the wrong place, his wellmade cloths immediatly marking him as a target. But he was no target. He had an edge they didn't know off.

With a grim smile he turned, his cloak moving with him, his hand closing around the vial in his pocket. Opening it with a quick motion of his thumb he smiled at them grimly, at the knives in their hands. This would be easy. Lifting the vial to his mouth he froze when nothing but a drip of water touched his tongue.

Maybe this wouldn't be easy at all.

Looking for a place where you can resupply easily? Where you can trust the quality and know that it is crafted specially for your use?

Visit Cassandra Adama's Metallurgic Emporium - all types of high quality metals and alloys today!

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I hope I was in time before you're gone, so that you can include it. And I hope the front desk part works - I just wanted to hand all information over, as you've asked for articles and things to be done this weekend. I had no clue about which formats you can work with, so I kept it as text only.

 

@Rushu42

[Scarletfox]

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@Rushu42 This is just a question about the Alleyverse Post in general: Is this where the actual newspaper will be put out, or is this just the place where the Alleyverse Post members rp about making the newspaper? Where will characters go to find a newspaper and where will the people writing that character go to find a newspaper?

 

[Rushu42 she/her]

On 8/9/2020 at 8:12 AM, Sorana said:

A woman walks up to the building of the Post and steps inside, heading over to the front desk.

"Hello." She smiles politely. "I have an advertisement I would like to place in the next installment of the post. Could you please tell me how much that would be?"

She reaches into a bag slung over her shoulder and places a slim folder on the desk. "Front page, if possible, otherwise I'll take the best free spot that you have."

Gently she pushes the folder over. "Here, that's the ad, so that you can take a look at it's length."

Pausing she laughs, lifts a hand and moves it through her hair. "I am sorry, I didn't even ask whether I'm talking to the right person. I hope, that I am?"

"I can't say whether I'm the right person or not, but I can certainly take your article," Acacia replied, vaulting over a chair to reach the front desk. "As for money..." Acacia paused, presented with two dilemmas. The first was that the woman who had hired her hadn't specified the price of advertisements. The second was that Acacia had no idea what the standard currency was in this place. Well, making things up was one of her specialties. "$784.32 in exact change, please," she said smoothly. "We also accept bits of bark shaped like celebrities, if you prefer."

On 8/9/2020 at 2:40 PM, Scarletfox said:

@Rushu42 This is just a question about the Alleyverse Post in general: Is this where the actual newspaper will be put out, or is this just the place where the Alleyverse Post members rp about making the newspaper? Where will characters go to find a newspaper and where will the people writing that character go to find a newspaper?

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My plan is to put a post here whenever a new newspaper is released, and to edit it into the OP. IC, there would probably be newspaper stands dotted around the city, so you can just say that your character picked one up there. Or you can have them swing by here if you'd rather.

 

[+Sorana she/her]

7 hours ago, Rushu42 said:

"I can't say whether I'm the right person or not, but I can certainly take your article," Acacia replied, vaulting over a chair to reach the front desk. "As for money..." Acacia paused, presented with two dilemmas. The first was that the woman who had hired her hadn't specified the price of advertisements. The second was that Acacia had no idea what the standard currency was in this place. Well, making things up was one of her specialties. "$784.32 in exact change, please," she said smoothly. "We also accept bits of bark shaped like celebrities, if you prefer."

"Here you are." the woman smiled pleasantly. "Please let us know should there be any trouble with the formatting or the wordcount. We can always make a few adjustments and send you an updated article over soon."

She placed the exact amount of chrysts on the desk between them and then added her business card. It was rather simple, mostly containing some text that read:

Marian Cox
Marketing Assistant

"Do you have any other questions?" she inquired politely without ever stopping to smile. "Otherwise I would leave you to your business."

Edited August 18, 2020 by Sorana

[Rushu42 she/her]

6 hours ago, Sorana said:

Do you have any other questions?" she inquired politely without ever stopping to smile. "Otherwise I would leave you to your business."

"No, that should about do it. We may have to change the wording slightly; will that be a problem?"

[+Sorana she/her]

16 hours ago, Rushu42 said:

"No, that should about do it. We may have to change the wording slightly; will that be a problem?"

"Oh no, not at all!"

she smiled again. "In that case, I'll leave you to your business. Give me a call should you need anything else!" Turning around she lifted a hand and then walked out of the door.

[Arlin]

Bell leaned back in his chair, watching Acacia's slight hesitance with the carved mineral coins.

"You've been in the Alleys long? Your looking at glowing money like it might be radioactive."

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Did we ever determine an exchange rate for chrysts? It feels like there should be with there being 3 earths.

@Rushu42

Edited August 19, 2020 by Arlin

[Rushu42 she/her]

1 hour ago, Arlin said:

"You've been in the Alleys long? Your looking at glowing money like it might be radioactive."

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I think we just make it up. It's not extremely necessary.

"Well, it's refreshing to learn that it's not," replied Acacia. "I just got here last week. It's better than the Hushlands, at least."

[Rushu42 she/her]

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Alright, here's the next Alleyverse Post edition! Thank you to everyone who helped create it. I don't know what implications releasing this has for the ic thread, but we can figure it out as we go.

Spoiler

 

 

[Arlin]

On 8/19/2020 at 10:47 AM, Rushu42 said:

"Well, it's refreshing to learn that it's not," replied Acacia. "I just got here last week. It's better than the Hushlands, at least."

 

"Why? Is the money there radioactive?"

Bell reached out his hand and shake'd his tupperware under Acacia's nose. "Congratulations for landing yourself a management position, on your second week in a new reality."    

[Rushu42 she/her]

2 minutes ago, Arlin said:

 

"Why? Is the money there radioactive?"

Bell reached out his hand and shake'd his tupperware under Acacia's nose. "Congratulations for landing yourself a management position, on your second week in a new reality."    

Acacia grinned, grabbing a cupcake. "Why, thank you! Honestly, I had no idea what was happening for most of the interview, but here I am! And I wouldn't put it past the Librarians to do something ridiculous like that. They're so irrational, unlike us Smedries." She took a bite. "Hey, this is really good. How are you a reporter and not a baker?"

[Arlin]

3 hours ago, Rushu42 said:

Acacia grinned, grabbing a cupcake. "Why, thank you! Honestly, I had no idea what was happening for most of the interview, but here I am! And I wouldn't put it past the Librarians to do something ridiculous like that. They're so irrational, unlike us Smedries." She took a bite. "Hey, this is really good. How are you a reporter and not a baker?"

"yes, 'rational' which is why my chair along with this was in the break-room this morning ." Bell held out the 'Editor' plaque and took one of the cupcakes for himself. "'You should have had them fresh, these are just my leftovers from last night. It is sort of a family thing."

Bell took a bite of his cupcake "Have you checked the roster yet?"

[Rushu42 she/her]

37 minutes ago, Arlin said:

"yes, 'rational' which is why my chair along with this was in the break-room this morning ." Bell held out the 'Editor' plaque and took one of the cupcakes for himself. "'You should have had them fresh, these are just my leftovers from last night. It is sort of a family thing."

Bell took a bite of his cupcake "Have you checked the roster yet?"

Acacia accepted the Editor plaque, twirling it in her hand as she spoke. "As a rule, I don't believe in rosters. They're restrictive and tyrannical. But yes, I did glance over it when I got here. Any thoughts on it?"

[Arlin]

"Ever get a look at my name?"

@Rushu42

Edited September 6, 2020 by Arlin

[Rushu42 she/her]

Acacia Smedry was getting tired of her job. It's not that she was bored, not really - there was always plenty of weird news to go around. It's just that that news had been getting a lot less fun. It used to be that the most unsettling reports they got were of flying cats or strange patches of greenery in alleys. But now there was talk of an explosion at the hospital, of strange creatures glimpsed in alleys and sewers, of people vanishing, of an attack at the Scholar's Guild. Heck, on that point, Acacia's boss had apparently vanished. Who knew if she'd even have a job much long-

Acacia's feet fell off her desk. "Al- Ms. Sheneth?" 

"Aln is fine," said the guild leader, pushing open the door to Acacia's office and promptly tripping over a poorly placed stool. She seemed physically unharmed, despite the torn and dirtied state of her clothing, and she clutched a sheaf of papers in her hands.

"What happened to you? We're printing a story on the Scholar's Guild attack right now; we thought you were-"

"Cancel it," said Aln. "I have a very important edition for you to run. How quickly can you have this to the press?"

Acacia took the papers and started flipping through them. "The Dark Alley? 'Voidus'? No offense Aln, but did you get hit in the head during that attack?"

"It's not a conspiracy theory," she said. "I have proof - or at least very compelling evidence - that our reality has been altered by a SoulForgery on a grand scale, enacted by a group of incredibly powerful and secretive demigods. I have a way to counteract this Forgery, but it requires the use of this newspaper. Will you help?"

"I- what?"

"Unfortunately," said Aln. "I may have to ask you to just trust me on this. I don't know how much time we have before the beings who attacked the Guild find me again, and it's very important that these images get distributed."

Acacia blinked for a moment, then shrugged. "It's still not weirder than some of what my cousins ask me to do. I'll get my team on it, and we should be able to have this out on the streets in the next day or two."

She stuck her head out of the door and hollered, "Hey Bell, get in here! We need to get these papers formatted for print ASAP!"

@Arlin

[Arlin]

 “Alright what is it, Did Little-Phantom finally make it back? Does she have anything for-“ Bell popped into the office and immediately stiffened with layered recognition of the woman standing opposite to Acacia’s desk. That coat, caked in gray concrete powder which he now realized was worn by a face he could quickly attach a name to. Scud.

“Alanis Sheneth, people call me Bell I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure of meeting.” Bell shook himself “But clearly not what is important here, lets see what brings our guild leader down to the ground floor.”  Bell began thumbing thru the pitch. “Right. Kay, can see why brought me in on this… Wait, is this a Headline! I mean, I’d be fine running this in my column but you’re sure you want a story based on folklore and doctored images as the front page article?…” Bell stoped, and a chill ran past him. There was a familiar cast to Alanis’s eyes a distance yet focus to them. As if what they saw wasn’t what they expected to see anymore. Like his mothers eyes the night after he had last seen this woman.

“Spikes, you really believe this don’t you?”

 @Rushu42

Edited October 5, 2022 by Arlin

[Rushu42 she/her]

9 hours ago, Arlin said:

 “Alright what is it, Did Little-Phantom finally make it back? Does she have anything for-“ Bell popped into the office and immediately stiffened with layered recognition of the woman standing opposite to Acacia’s desk. That coat, caked in gray concrete powder which he now realized was worn by a face he could quickly attach a name to. Scud.

“Alanis Sheneth, people call me Bell I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure of meeting.” Bell shook himself “But clearly not what is important here, lets see what brings our guild leader down to the ground floor.”  Bell began thumbing thru the pitch. “Right. Kay, can see why brought me in on this… Wait, is this a Headline! I mean, I’d be fine running this in my column but you’re sure you want a story based on folklore and doctored images as the front page article?…” Bell stoped, and a chill ran past him. There was a familiar cast to Alanis’s eyes a distance yet focus to them. As if what they saw wasn’t what they expected to see anymore. Like his mothers eyes the night after he had last seen this woman.

“Spikes, you really believe this don’t you?”

 @Rushu42

Aln met his eyes. "I don't just believe it. I remember it."

She pointed at the pictures decorating the papers - great birds of flame circling above a crumbling skyscraper, strangely twisted beasts running through the streets, a figure seen at a great distance hanging in the sky, hand outstretched over the city - and they fuzzed into stormlight for a moment. "These are no 'doctored images'. These are lightwoven recreations of my own memories, memories that every resident of the Alleycity should share. Our collective history was rewritten by beings that treat our lives as their playthings. Somehow I managed to slip through the cracks of their WorldForgery, but the majority of the Alleycity is still under their control. I believe that the 'folklore' you study is the last remnant of our true history bleeding through into the stories we tell."

"I hope that you will be willing to believe me. I understand that this is quite a bold claim to swallow, but I have sworn myself to seek truth - I may be mistaken, but I am not deliberately lying to you. This is perhaps the greatest deception in the history of the world, but this newspaper and these images may have the power to take it down. I only apologize for the risk that this forces you to take."

[Arlin]

Bell watched the radiant mist breifly rase off the paper slowly shifting the black grains in his vial pendent to white. He began to reflexively store and tap his breath, calming himself. "Maybe folklore was a bit impersonal. I don't know why but something about letting this run terrifies me. These 'storeis' are what my parents used to scare me to sleep at night, scared themselves to put me in self defence classes."

"I am not going to pretend that I'm arrogant enough to challenge you on this. If the guild leader says she needs this to be the Headline article, I will make it happen. Its just, and I'm sorry if I'm overstepping but I won't be able to sleep if I don't ask. If its true that you that you remember all this," Bell said, holding up the pitch. "can you honestly tell me the past you remember is better than the present we live in now?"

@Rushu42

[Rushu42 she/her]

17 hours ago, Arlin said:

Bell watched the radiant mist breifly rase off the paper slowly shifting the black grains in his vial pendent to white. He began to reflexively store and tap his breath, calming himself. "Maybe folklore was a bit impersonal. I don't know why but something about letting this run terrifies me. These 'storeis' are what my parents used to scare me to sleep at night, scared themselves to put me in self defence classes."

"I am not going to pretend that I'm arrogant enough to challenge you on this. If the guild leader says she needs this to be the Headline article, I will make it happen. Its just, and I'm sorry if I'm overstepping but I won't be able to sleep if I don't ask. If its true that you that you remember all this," Bell said, holding up the pitch. "can you honestly tell me the past you remember is better than the present we live in now?"

@Rushu42

Aln paused, framing her thoughts, as Pel spun slowly beside her. "You are correct. The world that I remember was, in. many ways, a cruel one. The ever-present threat of the Dark Alley led to a city often plagued by fear and violence."

"But," she continued, "these things still exist today. They are simply easier to ignore. Over the past several days, I have twice nearly been killed by denizens of the alleys. Had they succeeded, I have no doubt that I would simply have been written out of the WorldForgery, and you would have continued your life unaware that there ever was such a person as Alanis Sheneth. Is this safety, or merely the illusion of bliss that is afforded by ignorance? I understand that it is often easier to turn a blind eye to the world's horrors, but given a choice between the easy lie and the difficult truth, I will always choose the truth."

[Arlin]

"You want this pumped out 'ASAP' right? Well your in luck then I guess, because it turns out I won't be getting any sleep tonight." Opening the door, Bell's hand stilled on the handle. His face breaking into a self-deprecating smile. "This pich is your memories, your story; and I'm making coffee with brown-suger in it." 

"You want in?"

@Rushu42

[Rushu42 she/her]

8 minutes ago, Arlin said:

"You want this pumped out 'ASAP' right? Well your in luck then I guess, because it turns out I won't be getting any sleep tonight." Opening the door, Bell's hand stilled on the handle. His face breaking into a self-deprecating smile. "This pich is your memories, your story; and I'm making coffee with brown-suger in it." 

"You want in?"

@Rushu42

"Coffee would be much appreciated, thanks. And - thank you for trusting me."

Aln turned back to focus on Acacia, who had already begun sketching a mockup of the front page. "You're not bothered by what I'm asking, then?"

Acacia shrugged. "I didn't understand most of what you were talking about, but it sounds like these DA folks are the evil librarians of this world. Sounds like messing with their plans is a no-brainer."

Aln nodded, grateful. Storms, Pel, I really hope we're doing the right thing.

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Are you interested in RPing this out any more, or do we want to skip to the paper being printed?

 

[mathiau he/him]

Folorian was standing at the entrance to avoid disrupting Aln's illusion, accompanying his word with lightweavings of the words at her intention he voiced his concerns

"Are we really sure about that plan? We are basically diffusing a major infohazard to the whole city there, whether or not the plan succeed we will be responsible for the death of many innocents, we're bending the first oath very far here."

Of course it wasn't exactly like they had any significantly better alternatives. If they had any idea of a way to stabilise the Forgery things would have been different -at least from his point of view they would be, Alanis would probably not agree with him on that point.

@Rushu42@Arlin

[Rushu42 she/her]

1 hour ago, mathiau said:

Folorian was standing at the entrance to avoid disrupting Aln's illusion, accompanying his word with lightweavings of the words at her intention he voiced his concerns

"Are we really sure about that plan? We are basically diffusing a major infohazard to the whole city there, whether or not the plan succeed we will be responsible for the death of many innocents, we're bending the first oath very far here."

Of course it wasn't exactly like they had any significantly better alternatives. If they had any idea of a way to stabilise the Forgery things would have been different -at least from his point of view they would be, Alanis would probably not agree with him on that point.

@Rushu42@Arlin

Doubt twisted in Aln's insides like a knife. She had accepted the fact that she and Folorian didn't see eye-to-eye on the Forgery, but the risks to the people of the Alleyverse were very real. "Of course I'm not sure," she said. "I don't pretend to understand the motivations of the Dark Alley; I am simply gambling that their actions will remain consistent with the past. If we get this paper widely distributed, we are placing them in a situation where they have no choice but to be revealed; either by the fall of the Forgery, or by their own attempts to cover it up. In the past, it seems that the DA has preferred that the Alleycity remain largely intact, so I am hoping that they will not respond with widespread violence."

"It's- it's not a decision we have the right to make, truthfully. But I'm not willing to leave the city in this state, unaware of the danger in its midst. Perhaps we can try to find a way to minimize the damage."