A city that never sleeps
The world isn't as it seems, and New Yorkers certainly know that well. While the element Asterium is not widely understood, those in the city's underground know better. For millenia, humans have known of this energy. They called those born with it in their bones changelings and mutants. Legends have told of werewolves and vampires for centuries. Those who can harness it became witches and warlocks. All they know now is that some things are better kept secret, and where else can you hide a secret better than New York City?
NEW YORK TIMES
07/07/2020 It's been (technically) our first month! Thanks to everyone who's joined us, and for more announcements, please check HERE for in-game and new developments!
17/06/2020There are staff & RP position tryouts here!
23/05/2020 Trying to gauge interest right now! If you want to help out and potentially take one of the leadership positions, please message me! (either on achromatic#7519 on discord or if you have my skype!)
A SUPERNATURAL ROLEPLAY SITE
Modus Operandi achromatic
Blueprint is a premade Proboards v5 theme designed and built by punki of Adoxography and Pixel Perfect. MODUS OPERANDI is the work of the mind of achromatic. All characters and content are copyright their creators, and may not be replicated without their creators' permission. All images belong to their original owners.
coincidentia oppositorum
CURRENT PLOT
We are currently starting up, and trialing some of the groups right now! There will be an upcoming plot in regards to some city shenanigans soon, but for now, we're simply fixing up the kinks and establishing roles/groups/characters. Feel free to join us! The community and the lore is still being built, and we're always open to new suggestions.
UPCOMING EVENTS
The strange Fourth of July groundhog day event is coming up! Please sign up HERE!
achromatic
Member
She / Her
GMT / GMT+8
achromatic#7519
my life is just constantly existing at ungodly hours
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Jul 19, 2020 10:26:16 GMT
Post by achromatic on Jul 19, 2020 10:26:16 GMT
Emeline had never really considered powers other than her own. Her flatmate was pretty normal even if he knew briefly about what she could do, but even her own powers were a bit...ambiguous. She wasn't exactly sure what she was, only that she could control ink a little more than tattoo artists usually could. It had helped her in her art but it wasn't really a useful gift, and it was certainly a lot different than Lycari's.
She snorted at the look the lady gave them; it wasn't anything unusual, people around here were definitely more uptight than usual, and Lycari wasn't exactly your average New Yorker either.
"That's really interesting," she hummed, absorbing his words, "like if humans are too complex, are there other animals that are too difficult to learn?" A bird sounded like an interesting creature to be; if she ever had to become an animal, a bird would've been her first choice. She'd always wanted to know how to fly, to actually fly without the help of an airplane. Of course, that was all just a dream of her own.
She snorted at his comment about the dog, giving a light roll of her eyes. Of course, alpha wolf crap even worked on people if they tried hard enough. "Sounds like it," she mused, "small dogs can be...yappy, that's all I know. I'm not going to lie, I'm probably more of a cat person than a dog person, if I'm honest."
The idea of letting him roam wild as a wolf didn't really vibe with her though. Of course, she could pretend he was just an oversized dog of hers, but she didn't have a leash and she didn't feel comfortable putting the man in a leash and a collar; that was just way too weird. "Um...let's see if we have time, okay? We should probably get your money situation and your basics sorted first."
The money exchange sign could be seen in the distance. "There, you can probably swap your canadian dollars there," she suggested.
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Jul 19, 2020 14:51:17 GMT
Post by stormaf on Jul 19, 2020 14:51:17 GMT
Lycari
As they approached the money exchange, Lycari dragged his wad of Canadian money out of his jeans pocket and held it closely in his palm. His hand was large enough that the money couldn't be spotted too easily. Before they went inside, Lycari touched Emeline's arm lightly.
"I don't think taking a cave lion for a walk in the park is a great idea. Someone would notice. And don't worry about me as a wolf. I can be very dog like if I want to and I'll do anything to find other shifters like me.
"My tribe needs them to continue on as a people. And I do love to play catch when I'm canine."
He gave her a wink and opened the store front door.
The inside looked very much like a bank, except there were fewer cashiers and more offices. An ATM sat near the door. The only cashier on duty sat on his stool and stared at his cell phone.
"What is it with people and those phone things?" Lycari muttered to Emeline. "People seem to be glued to them. Are there many accidents because of them? My guess is a big yes."
The shifter sauntered up to the cashier and cleared his throat. The man looked up from his phone and his eyes widened at the tall Lycari and his shorter friend. He put down his phone quickly.
"Can I help you?" The fellow asked.
"Yes," announced Lycari, "you sure can."
He slapped the wad of bills down on the counter.
"I'd be most pleased if you could exchange this for American money. Smaller bills would be nice."
The cashier picked up the pile of paper and replied, "I'm sure we can help you out. I need to check on the exchange rate. Shouldn't take a minute or so."
There were quite a few good sized bills in Lycari's collection. The cashier thumbed through them with the expertise of one who handles paper money a lot. When he finished counting, he looked up at the pair.
"There's a lot of money here," he said, "Maybe you should think of taking out an account at a bank?"
"That's the next step," Lycari smiled, "but right now I need the cash."
"Okay," the man agreed.
He tapped on his computer keyboard and watched the screen intently for a few moments.
"This is a large amount," the cashier informed them, "I'll need to get the supervisor's okay to hand out this much."
He rose from his stool and handed Lycari's money back to him.
"Be right back," he said.
The man hurried off into one of the offices and returned shortly with a much older fellow at his side.
"Is this normal?" Lycari asked Emeline.
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achromatic
Member
She / Her
GMT / GMT+8
achromatic#7519
my life is just constantly existing at ungodly hours
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Jul 20, 2020 15:54:00 GMT
Post by achromatic on Jul 20, 2020 15:54:00 GMT
She nodded. "Yeah...I just...well, there's a lot of places where you can't just let a dog run free, and to be honest, if you're a wolf, well, even if you look like a dog, there are going to be a lot of people who might get mouthy at me letting such a huge dog off without a leash, ya know?"
It was the truth, and not to mention, just the look on the woman's face earlier–the one with the pug–reminded her of how stuck up some people were. It was one thing when he was in his human form, but as a wolf? Yeah, that wasn't going to look good for either of them, and if anything, Emeline had avoided getting into trouble her whole life; she wasn't exactly ready to throw that all in the wind, even if it was for a stranger who sort of saved her life.
A snort left her mouth when he started raving about the cellphones, amusement flashing across her eyes. "You sound like my dad," she rolled her eyes, a light laugh leaving her mouth, "always on about how kids these days never look up or play in the park anymore. If my flatmate heard you, he'd definitely hit you with an 'okay boomer' or something."
She waited for the man to exchange his cash, watching the interaction for a few moments, before taking her phone out all the same, checking the map for their next destination. It was just a natural thing she always did, eavesdropping on other conversations. Huh, large amount...okay, maybe there'd be a little bit of trouble. She never actually checked how much money the man was carrying...
She slid her phone back into her pocket, walking up to the counter to see the cashier disappearing to the back. Biting her lip, she glanced to Lycari. "I...well, guess it depends. How much money did you have?"
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Jul 20, 2020 18:41:11 GMT
Post by stormaf on Jul 20, 2020 18:41:11 GMT
Lycari
He looked down at Emeline. In reality, he wasn't from a cash-centric area. Most of what the tribe had came from their own hard work and trade with other northern people during their migration. Now and again one or two of the more enterprising youth took off down south. Every generation had some individuals who wanted to live under the street lights more than the northern lights. They were the people Lycari had come to find.
"Um," he mumbled as he looked at his fanned out wealth, "Lots? I never bothered to count it myself. Up until now, I've not even needed it."
The clerk and his boss stood on the4 other side of the counter with smiles pasted on their faces. The younger man introduced the older one as Mr. Throckmeyer. Lycari looked from one to the other expectantly.
"Sir," Mr. Throckmeyer began, "You've got quite a stash there and the exchange rate is in your favor.
"It isn't in ours, I'm afraid. We only keep a certain amount of actual money on hand in our safe."
Lycari looked confused.
"How much do I have?"
"Well," said Mr. Throckmeyer, "You've got about three thousand dollars there, son.
"We can exchange about one thousand of that for you, but the rest should go into a bank account and soon."
"Oh," answered the shifter, "Okay."
He glanced at Emeline to see if her expression indicated that it would be fine, then he handed over his bills to the young man. The cashier took them, typed some numbers into his computer and waited for the cash drawer to open, which it did with a ding. Then he counted one thousand American dollars into Lycari's palm.
"Thanks," Lycari said with a smile, "I appreciate this."
"It's our pleasure doing business with you," the cashier returned.
As the pair left, Lycari stuffed his American money into one jeans pocket and the remainder of his Canadian cash into the other.
"Where to now, boss?" He asked enthusiastically.
After a moment he added, "I think your Dad's a smart man," and he companionably nudged Emeline with his elbow.
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achromatic
Member
She / Her
GMT / GMT+8
achromatic#7519
my life is just constantly existing at ungodly hours
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Post by achromatic on Jul 21, 2020 4:38:23 GMT
She let out a groan. Yeah, that could possibly spell trouble, at least. Even depositing that much in one go could make someone suspicious; she knew what it was like. They were always a bit suspicious of whether they had received the money under illegal means. Luckily, the manager didn't seem to comment, though Emeline watched his expression with scrutiny. Even if they didn't outright refuse, it didn't mean that they wouldn't ask for trouble. In a city like this, showing a lot of money could spell trouble.
"Yeah, maybe opening a bank account would be useful for you," she frowned, "but you'll need a proof of address that's...more permanent than a hostel. Your village up north wouldn't happen to have residence cards or anything, right? I mean...do you have any sort of identification or something?"
Emeline rolled her eyes at his nudge. Of course her dad was a smart man, but he was the kind that sometimes, she really couldn't stand. "You should tell him that, it'd inflate his ego even more," she snorted, before heading out again, glancing at her phone for a map. Midtown was a good place to grab food, and she was starting to feel a bit peckish.
"You up for a little breakfast? Or well, it's probably brunch time now."
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Jul 21, 2020 14:48:59 GMT
Post by stormaf on Jul 21, 2020 14:48:59 GMT
Lycari
"My tribe is pretty insular. We don't show up on the government's radar at all."
He'd found that out when he had tried to cross the border at a station. When he couldn't produce any citizenship card or passport, he'd immediately been detained and parked on a bench to the rear of the station, his back pack, after inspection, dumped on the floor beside him. They'd missed the money, as it was in a pocket sewn into the side of the heavy pack.
After an hour of sitting, Lycari had shifted into a wolf, grabbed the pack in his teeth and headed out through the front of the station. Screams and yells followed him, but he broke into a hard gallop as soon as he hit the pavement. He made a beeline for the forest, cell phones recording the incident, no doubt as there had been quite a line up to get through the crossing. Deep in the forest, Lycari the white wolf had dragged his pack across the invisible line and into the States.
"I came in as a wolf," he admitted, "I've got no identification at all. I've never needed any before.
"Is this going to be a problem?"
When Emeline eyed him, he added, "Okay then. What do I do?"
This small glitch in an otherwise nice day failed to dampen the shifter's spirits. Once back out on the main street, the thought of some sort of brunch, was it, appealed to Lycari. He beamed at her and tossed his hair back again.
"That sounds great," he pronounced, "On me, since I'm apparently so well off.
"I think I'd like your Dad," he teased, "DO you think he'd like me?"
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achromatic
Member
She / Her
GMT / GMT+8
achromatic#7519
my life is just constantly existing at ungodly hours
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Jul 21, 2020 15:52:14 GMT
Post by achromatic on Jul 21, 2020 15:52:14 GMT
She sighed. "Yeah, it's definitely going to be a problem," she frowned. She didn't want to mention anything about ICE; there were enough problems with him being here without mentioning immigration for gods' sake but then again, she was certain if the man really wanted to, he could find someone to get him some identification. Emeline herself didn't know anyone, but she knew it was possible. New York had any kind of person after all, and con-artists certainly fit the scene.
"You'll need to find a way to get some identification or you won't be able to get a place to live or open a bank," she sighed, "living in the city is a lot different from living in a village or something; there's a lot more rules here than back home, I'm guessing, and not a lot of these rules are ever mentioned. It's just all sort of–" she waved her hand in the air, "eh. It's like, they expect you to know it because you grow up here. If you don't, you just have to learn it really quick." Like her family had to.
She shrugged at that; she didn't mind if he wanted to pay, to be honest. "There's a pretty cool bakery down the street I think; we can just grab some food and all and I dunno, I can maybe answer any questions you have? Or I can at least try to."
Emeline didn't know how to respond to the comment about her dad, opting to just press her lips together into a rigid smile that didn't quite meet her eyes. Her dad didn't exactly like anyone, especially after that that last fiasco with Lance. He always thought her friends weren't high-achieving enough, or were bad influences on her, just like how he always thought his son could've done better, or he shouldn't go for a gold digger, or something else. The man was impossible to please.
"Let's just say my dad's impossible, so if he doesn't, you wouldn't be the first one," she grimaced.
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Post by stormaf on Jul 22, 2020 2:35:37 GMT
Lycari
The shifter realized that he'd stepped on a sore spot, so he cut the comments about fathers of any sort and concentrated on the problem at hand; how to get an identification card. He knew no one here.
"Where can I go to get a fake ID? I know I'll likely have to go underground for one. I've heard about the criminal underworld. On TV shows. At a couple of the farms. They never bothered me about IDs."
Lycari had no problems with skirting the law for things like this. There had to be someplace, someone in a city this big who could fake IDs. All that faded from his thoughts when the aroma of baking bread hit him. It was heavenly. He stopped walking and closed his eyes, savoring the amazing smell. His Mom used to make pemmican, but it never smelled like this. He'd had bread before, but it had never been fresh bread.
Opening his startling silvery eyes, he asked, "Is that smell coming from where we're headed?"
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achromatic
Member
She / Her
GMT / GMT+8
achromatic#7519
my life is just constantly existing at ungodly hours
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Jul 22, 2020 11:32:59 GMT
Post by achromatic on Jul 22, 2020 11:32:59 GMT
Fake IDs huh. "To be honest, when we were younger, I think the people who knew how to get fake IDs are the ones who's dealer sort of knew someone who knew someone...I'm not sure if I know anyone right now," she gave him an apologetic smile, "but I mean, my flatmate might know someone."
She knew Ash had friends in...strange places. She didn't exactly approve all the time, but then again, she had been the same as he was a couple of years ago. She had been just as wild of a party kid as he was; she couldn't blame him for being friends with his friends."
"I could ask him if you want," she shrugged, "I don't really think it's going to be super fancy or anything, and it might not work with a bank though. I guess you can try."
She could smell the bread from the bakery. Mm, she really did love this place. It was the kind of place that felt homey, as if you could almost picture yourself waking up in Paris with some fresh baguette at a local bakery. It was decorated in such a lovely, rustic way too, as if she had just disappeared and found her way in Europe.
"Yeah I think it is," she smiled, "they have the best focaccia, you have to try it. They add like, rosemary and garlic on it and it's literally the best bread in the city, I swear." She was walking faster now, glancing up ahead. Hopefully there wouldn't be much of a line today.
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Jul 22, 2020 14:21:52 GMT
Post by stormaf on Jul 22, 2020 14:21:52 GMT
Lycari
The shifter trotted to catch up with Emeline. As she opened the door, it was like a gateway to heaven! The smell of fresh bread and spices hit him like a brick wall. His wolf senses started to do a little dance. Display bins filled with different types of bread surrounded a center aisle that already had four people lined up before the order desk. The pair joined the line.
"By all the gods, Emeline," Lycari whispered, "My inner wolf is doing parlor tricks right now."
A couple more customers joined the line right behind them. It sure was a popular place. Every time the broad rear doors opened up to allow bakers to bring in more cookies, buns and breads, the aroma of baking filled the room. For someone like Lycari, it was like torture. He held his hunger tightly in line. Going all wolfy right now wouldn't be good thing.
To take his mind off the temptation, he decided to ask Emeline about her flatmate.
"Would you please ask your flatmate if he would help me? I can pay him. I don't need fancy, I just need something that'll help me get settled here."
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achromatic
Member
She / Her
GMT / GMT+8
achromatic#7519
my life is just constantly existing at ungodly hours
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Jul 23, 2020 13:40:50 GMT
Post by achromatic on Jul 23, 2020 13:40:50 GMT
She smiled at that. Emeline had to admit, she loved the fresh smell of bread all the same; she could relate to his excitement that was for sure. She turned to the front of house, giving a quick 'two seats please,' and a 'yeah I don't mind sitting outside,' as she turned back to the other guests.
Her flatmate? She gave a slow, contemplative nod. "Yeah, let me text him," she replied. It wasn't like Emeline to really encourage Ash's less than pleasant habits and behaviours these days, but well, a connection was a connection, and she wanted to make sure the other guy didn't run into anymore problems.
Quickly pulling out her phone, she sent a quick text to Ash.
'hey you free? might need some help, u still hang out with Jack? He knows the fake ID dude right?'
A few moments later, a reply pinged on her phone.
'yea y tho lol ur legal???'
She quickly returned the message. 'a friend of mine needs an ID, he can pay for it'
Ash sent a message in return. 'yea i can ask if he still doing it lol, if not he might kno someone else'
She turned to Lycari with a shrug. "Uh so my flatmate said he might be able to help, but we might have to wait until he finds the guy. I'm sure he can though, so I guess we can add that to our list for maybe later on?"
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Jul 23, 2020 15:27:32 GMT
Post by stormaf on Jul 23, 2020 15:27:32 GMT
Lycari
"That's great!" He replied happily, "Until then, I'll just keep things on me for safe keeping. In the meantime, we can tuck into some of that bread."
His inner wolf was sitting up and begging.
"Maybe I should go outside and sit at a table? This is getting very hard for me."
He handed her a fifty dollar bill.
"This should cover things," he noted, "Get something for your flatmate too, if he likes bread."
Lycari couldn't possibly fathom how anyone could NOT like bread. It smelled like heaven on earth. His inner wolf was now rolling over hopefully. He had to get out before he accidentally bit one of the loaves in the bins. The shifter swallowed hard.
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achromatic
Member
She / Her
GMT / GMT+8
achromatic#7519
my life is just constantly existing at ungodly hours
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Post by achromatic on Jul 24, 2020 4:05:12 GMT
"It'll just take a minute," she replied with a light laugh. She could tell he was hungry, and she took the fifty from him. It would certainly cover the bill and the tip too. He was right; it was a good time to stop by and grab some bread for home too. She could have sandwiches for breakfast or something the next few days.
The waitress came just in time, it seemed, as she showed them to a small table on the patio. It was cute, really. There weren't too many restaurants that had a nice outdoor seating area, but this certainly was one of them. The young woman handed them their menus and Emeline gave her a small smile and a quick thank you before glancing at the selection.
Brioche french toast, Sourdough pizzas, muffins and cookies, focaccia and hummus, a selection of sandwiches...Emeline could never make up her mind. Everything always sounded so good.
"You know what you're going to get?" she offered, looking up to Lycari as the woman came by with a small basket of breadsticks and some fresh butter.
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Jul 24, 2020 19:18:40 GMT
Post by stormaf on Jul 24, 2020 19:18:40 GMT
Lycari
He really had no idea what a lot of the items were on the menu. A couple of the sandwiches sounded good and he could understand what they were. He imagined that in time, he'd learn 'city speak.'
"Oh, I'll probably be fine with one of those roast beef sandwiches and maybe an egg salad to go," he decided.
"To tell the truth, I don't know what a bry-och is, nor the "F" one. Sandwiches I get," he admitted with a wry smile.
"I had a sheltered childhood."
He looked over at Emeline with a teasing glint in his eye.
"So, where to after brunch?" He asked.
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achromatic
Member
She / Her
GMT / GMT+8
achromatic#7519
my life is just constantly existing at ungodly hours
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Post by achromatic on Jul 25, 2020 9:44:57 GMT
Emeline laughed. "They're honestly just different types of bread," she explained, "I think they're made in different ways or something but I'm not really sure. My flatmate might know–he's more a bread person than I am–but to be honest I just know what I like and what they're called. That's it."
The sandwiches did sound nice. Emeline herself did have a bit of a sweet tooth, so french toast it was. She called the waitress over, ordered the dishes plus an extra iced tea, before turning back to Lycari.
"Hm, we could find you that job first?" she offered, "and I'll just give you some tips on interviewing and everything since you don't have a resume. I mean, I can just type one out for you if you want too, it might be helpful. There's a shop nearby we can grab some supplies, and if Ash replies my text, we can get that fake ID I guess? We'll just probably have to use one of the smaller banks; they might not be as strict with documentation you know?"
She didn't know how he'd get an address, but maybe she could check online for that. "I think you might want to get a permanent address though, but you might have to pay a lot in advance since you don't know anyone who can be your guarantor," she mumbled. There were a lot of things he'd need for that.
"I don't know, which thing do you want to do first?"
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