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!
lit a fire in your head, standing with a flower in her hair
nom_de_plume
Member
She / Her
GMT-5
Always_Player_2#9104
I know a trick to make a man's colors show / If he sees something he wants, tell him no
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Post by nom_de_plume on Jun 12, 2020 7:05:09 GMT
"I don't know," replied Bea easily, starting to shrug and stopping when she realized it would hinder Eme's work. "It's just a hunch. I can sometimes just tell when I look a plant. My Mama always said I had a gift for plants. You hear those crazy people who talk to their plants to help them grow? Fair warning, I am one." She laughed, making sure to keep her arm still and in place. "I dunno, I must sound crazy but it's actually really therapeutic. It's like a verbal diary and it always seems to help the plants grow better when they are spoken to. It's easy to forget that just because they're in the dirt that they're still alive."
Beatrice took a sip from her cup of tea, having waiting long enough for it to have cooled down. "I dunno, I've always loved the begonia," she replied, giving a shrug. "It's just such a bright flower, and it's meaning has always been one of my favorites. You know how roses are love or daisies are innocence? Begonias speak of caution and warnings of the future. I like that the happy looking little flower has a dark side. I guess the inner teenage goth in me." She chuckled, watching curiously as Eme went about the process of starting the tat.
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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 Jun 12, 2020 7:21:42 GMT
She nodded at Bea's words. Eme could admit that she was one of those people who'd forget. She'd even put a schedule on her phone to water her plants each day, and she'd snooze it enough times because her work was just more important. She didn't quite understand how plants could be a verbal diary, like Bea said, but she could understand the sentiment.
Huh, she didn't know what Begonias meant; it was one of those flowers she'd see here and there but if someone asked her to identify, she'd be unable to. "That's really cool," she spoke, putting the needle through the tattoo gun, "I never knew that it meant that. I know flower language is pretty cool, but I guess I never looked into it much. To be honest, my first tattoo was this chrysanthemum." She gestured to the piece on her collarbone. "My parents freaked out but I thought it was funny; my parents were always telling me to drink chrysanthemum tea to be healthy, so it's really their fault it became my favorite flower."
She laughed at the teenage goth comment though. "Trust me, your twelve year old emo-phase? That's never going to leave you," she winked at Bea, "my parents probably wish I had never found My Chemical Romance on the internet when I was a kid but here we are."
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nom_de_plume
Member
She / Her
GMT-5
Always_Player_2#9104
I know a trick to make a man's colors show / If he sees something he wants, tell him no
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Jun 12, 2020 22:59:38 GMT
Post by nom_de_plume on Jun 12, 2020 22:59:38 GMT
Bea listened to Eme distractedly, watching her go about putting the gun together and growing more nervous. She decided to put her gaze on Eme's face and keep it away from the needle entirely. "What should I know about aftercare?" she asked, trying to use the more cut-and-dry information to keep her mind off of the impending inking. "I know no swimming or whathaveyou, but what about bathing? Or am I in for a life of showers until it heals?"
She felt heat rise in her cheeks slightly, realizing mentioning her bathing habits might be a little awkward. "Anyway, we can talk about that later I suppose. What do you listen to now, if not My Chemical Romance? I thought everyone listened to it when they woke up in the morning." She laughed, recalling the too-heavy eyeliner, scolding parents, and eventual reform back into their perfect little girl by the time she was in her teens.
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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 Jun 13, 2020 4:50:58 GMT
She had quickly set up the machine, now finishing the little pots of inks she'd be using. Aftercare, right. "Don't worry too much about it," she smiled, "we give you an aftercare package when you're done and I'll go through it later, but yeah, you won't really be able to tan or swim for at least two months, three to be safe." She gave the other girl an almost apologetic look. "Hope you didn't have any summer beach plans."
She laughed at her comment. "Honestly, I still listen to the occasional Fall Out Boy and MCR these days," she admitted, grabbing a hair band from the table and pulling her hair up, "but my music taste is a lot more chill now, but you ever heard of Rich Brian?" She laughed a little. "Weird name I know, but we can play some music if you want, it might be nice too if you're a bit nervous."
She turned to the side. "Hey Alexa," she called out, before turning to Bea, as if asking whether she wanted to choose the music.
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nom_de_plume
Member
She / Her
GMT-5
Always_Player_2#9104
I know a trick to make a man's colors show / If he sees something he wants, tell him no
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Post by nom_de_plume on Jun 14, 2020 2:57:01 GMT
"With skin like this?" Bea laughed, holding up her ghost-white skin with a wry grin. "There isn't an SPF high enough for me to spend any real time outside in the summer. Apparently when I was created, I was only given the options for "Beacons of Gondor" or "Roasted Lobster" with no inbetween." She laughed, brushing her hair back with her other hand. "But I take your meaning. No swimming, gotcha."
She laid her head back against the leather chair, closing her eyes as she tried to ignore what was about to happen. "Yeah, you're not alone. I tend to listen to more indie stuff, but I'm not immune to the allure of a well-timed Panic! at the Disco song." She racked her brain for the singer's name, but came up blank. "Nope, haven't heard of him. Can't judge his name either; who do you know that's named Beatrice in this day and age?" She laughed, cracking an eye to glance at Eme.
"Rich Brian," she filled in for Eme, hoping Alexa would know how to pull up the singer. "I don't know him, but if you listen to him he can't be too bad, can he? And it'll give me something to keep my mind off of the whole process, y'know?"
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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 Jun 14, 2020 3:35:29 GMT
Emeline laughed at that. "Honestly? What a mood," she grinned, "I don't tan really easily either. My parents always said it was kind of a gift to have skin this pale," she looked at her own arm against Bea's, "though to be honest, I think my parents are just a bit old fashioned, you know how asian parents are, they think fair skin and having long hair means you're automatically pretty or something. Like bitch, we live in America, not ancient China."
She chuckled. "I feel like plenty of former emo kids become your current indie kids these days," she grinned, before turning to Alexa again. "Hey Alexa," she called out, waiting for a moment, "play The Sailor album by Rich Brian." The blinking blue lights confirmed it, and the song began. "I don't listen to a lot of rap, but you know, he's fun. What kind of indie did you like? I know Jack is definitely more of an indie person than I am, but I'm more of a hip hop person I guess?"
"Beatrice is a pretty unique name," she offered, "but I guess I haven't met anyone named Emeline either. Lots of Emilys though. Whenever I tell people my name is Em, they assume it's Emily; guess it doesn't matter much. It's nice though, having a name that's not as common, even if you don't find it on those one dollar keychains."
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nom_de_plume
Member
She / Her
GMT-5
Always_Player_2#9104
I know a trick to make a man's colors show / If he sees something he wants, tell him no
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Post by nom_de_plume on Jun 14, 2020 4:25:24 GMT
"God, parents can be the worst," agreed Bea, feeling the hairs on her arms rise when Eme's arm brushed against her. Forcing herself to ignore it, she offered a half smile, glancing between their two skin tones and seeing only a bit of a difference. "I'm lucky to have parents that're mostly chill, but being forced to live and work with them as an adult can get old quick." She shook her head, just glad that now she had the place to herself.
"Oh, he's rap?" Bea couldn't hide the small frown line between her eyes when the music began to play, but forced herself to tune it out. If it was something Eme liked to listen to and relaxed her, it couldn't hurt to have it played while she got inked. "That was Jack? I wonder what indie he listens to. I've kinda burnt myself out on the same stuff and could use some recommendations, if the embarrassment doesn't make me melt away when I see him again."
"I think Emeline is so pretty," she blurted, before she could reign herself in. "I mean, like you said, it's unique. I've never been a fan of Emilys, too many of them in my school were asses. But Emeline is one I don't hear often. I bet it's a good name to have in a business where word of mouth is your main source of advertising, huh?" She tried to bluster past her compliment. It wasn't strange to tell someone their name was pretty, but something about Eme made the compliment mean more and she wasn't ready to go there.
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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 Jun 14, 2020 4:54:40 GMT
She laughed. "Tell me about it, and yeah, that was Jack. He owns this place," she chuckled, "don't worry, he won't remember you accidentally crashing into him; he's a chill guy. You should ask him when he comes back; he loves sharing his spotify playlists honestly."
Emeline smiled at that. She liked her name well enough too. "Yeah I suppose," she laughed, "but to be honest I still haven't made any business cards or anything, other than the standard ones we get at the shop. It's always on my to-do list but you know, life gets in the way." She was sitting down now, finishing the setup of her tattoo gun.
"Okay I think we're ready," she murmured, as she brushed against Bea's arm. "Okay, I'm going to start now, so just try to stay still, it might tickle a bit, but you should be fine. Tell me if it's a bit too much or anything." She spoke, her expression already turning into a concentrated one. She gave Bea a smile. "If I stop talking, it's because I sometimes tune out when I'm working, not because I'm ignoring you."
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nom_de_plume
Member
She / Her
GMT-5
Always_Player_2#9104
I know a trick to make a man's colors show / If he sees something he wants, tell him no
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Post by nom_de_plume on Jun 14, 2020 5:14:17 GMT
"Remind me to ask him if I forget," said Bea with a small smile. New York could often feel overwhelming because of the sheer crush of bodies at all hours of the day, but it was small, personal encounters like this one that make Bea love the city. Though everyone might be a stranger out there, everyone was still a person too, and that helped with the loneliness. Mostly.
"God do I know that," she laughed, thinking of all of the work she had to do back at the shop. "I've already gotten my cards done, but my list just keeps getting longer and things just keep getting pushed down it. I promised myself I'd have the radio ads done by this Friday, but there's no way I'll have a script written by then." She sighed. "Oh well, que sera sera I suppose."
Beatrice nodded once when Eme declared they were ready to start, then closed her eyes again. Though she was sure it would be fascinating to watch the tattoo come to life on her arm, some level of ignorance would hopefully help with her minor squeamishness. "No worries," she assured Eme, already allowing her mind to wander to all the things she still had to do. "Focus as much as you want. I'd rather have a great tattoo and some silence than...not."
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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 Jun 14, 2020 5:27:16 GMT
She didn't give the other girl a notice before starting; it was always easier to just start than to warn them, especially when they were squeamish. She was slow, careful with the first few lines. The outlines were the important part, after all. Details she could go over, but lines needed to be done once. She hated going over the lines anyway; it usually became more painful after the first line was set.
"Yeah, honestly things just kind of escape you," she murmured, starting on the petal first, "like, you just end up making a list and five days later, you realize you've done loads of things but nothing on the list is done, right? I totally get that."
"How does it feel?" she asked, as she finished a curve of the first petal, "is it more or less painful than you expected?"
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nom_de_plume
Member
She / Her
GMT-5
Always_Player_2#9104
I know a trick to make a man's colors show / If he sees something he wants, tell him no
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Post by nom_de_plume on Jun 14, 2020 5:36:13 GMT
Bea unconsciously jerked at the first prick, her eyes shocking open before she closed them again, determined not to show Eme how big of a wimp she was. For all of her big talk about roses and thorns, she really was a wimp for pain. She bit her lip to keep from speaking and forced her mind to focus on something else. Her left hand curled into a fist on in her lap, the knuckles white. Why had she ever thought getting a tattoo would be a good idea? And now she was already committed - there was no eraser on this pen.
She barely heard Eme's comment on their lists, trying to think about the orders she had the next day to fill and other dull things. When Eme asked how it felt, Bea knew she had to lie. There was no reason in admitting it hurt - Eme couldn't magically make it hurt less, and it had to be finished, besides. Not to mention this was practice for Eme that could go into a portfolio and help her out later. The only decent thing to do would be to lie, then.
"Not too bad," she replied, her tight voice betraying just a bit of her discomfort. "It's different from what I expected, but nothing I can't handle. How long do you think it'll take to finish?"
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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 Jun 14, 2020 5:43:15 GMT
She could see the other girl tense. Right, first tattoo. "Mm," she murmured, holding Bea's hand down in hopes that she wouldn't move too much. Tattoos were really different for everyone, after all, so she wasn't too surprised the other girl had more sensitive skin.
"It should take maybe an hour without breaks, a bit longer if you want to pause," she offered, "it's small so it won't take forever, but take a deep breath, it'll get easier once you're used to it, and it's pretty simple so I won't have to go over the lines too much."
She looked sympathetic, the other girl was clearly trying to pretend that it was okay, but she also seemed like she was in pain. Then again, it was better to get it done with than to wait. She patted the girl's arm again. "Just try to stay still and it'll be done before you know it," she spoke, before pressing the needle to the arm again, the soft buzz of the needle melding into the sound of the music in the background.
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nom_de_plume
Member
She / Her
GMT-5
Always_Player_2#9104
I know a trick to make a man's colors show / If he sees something he wants, tell him no
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Post by nom_de_plume on Jun 14, 2020 5:57:40 GMT
"An hour, okay," nodded Bea, not opening her eyes. "That's not too bad. Besides, you warned me anyway. I knew what I was getting into, it's no biggie. An hour." She repeated, wishing she didn't look like such a major wimp in front of Eme. Of course the one girl she wanted to impress would see the baby side of her.
"I can stay still," she said, determined. She wasn't a child, she could control herself even in pain. "Sorry, I didn't mean to jerk there at the start. You just caught me by surprise, that's all. It's really not that bad, just like a needle poking me a million times a minute." She let out a tight laugh, wishing she could muster more bravado.
Swallowing hard, she tried for some conversation. "So, you're a tattoo artist and the human body is just a canvas, right? So you're not super judgmental or squeamish or anything, huh? Still, there's gotta be something you've seen - old tattoo, goiter, puss-filled nodule - that's grossed you out, right? Give me your worst horror story."
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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 Jun 14, 2020 6:04:41 GMT
She smiled at Bea. "It's fine; a lot of people get nervous for their first tattoo. Pretty sure I was, even though I knew what I wanted for a really long time. It just gets better the more tattoos you get, I suppose, and some places definitely hurt more than others. The one on my collarbone hurt like a bitch compared to the one on my arm."
It was good that Emeline could work fast. The details were slower–that stuff needed a bit more oomph, but lines came easily to her steady hand, and frankly, her gift with ink really made it easier. She had finished her training plenty faster than usual thanks to her gift. She hummed, listening to Bea's question, before grimacing.
"Honestly? I haven't had any difficult cases yet...but I've seen someone come in who wanted advice to fix their tattoo. I think they probably went to a really cheap place when they got it, they had no idea how to take care of it, and it was just...infected. Like the whole thing was red and swollen and the lines were really messy. Like, I honestly have no idea where anyone would go to get such a mess of a tattoo, but it was really bad."
She swallowed, glancing to Bea, wondering whether she'd be ready for it. "Like, it was so bad that the ink was practically peeling off," she frowned, "which is why you really shouldn't be getting your first tattoo anywhere cheap. Or any tattoo at a cheap, rundown place. It's just asking for trouble."
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nom_de_plume
Member
She / Her
GMT-5
Always_Player_2#9104
I know a trick to make a man's colors show / If he sees something he wants, tell him no
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Post by nom_de_plume on Jun 14, 2020 6:22:07 GMT
Bea finally forced herself to open her eyes when the pain faded to a dull sting and found herself amazed at Eme's artistry. She already knew what the tattoo would look like thanks to the stencil, but seeing the ink on her was another thing. The skin in the wake of the needle was just starting to grow red and inflamed, but thanks to Eme wiping it every so often with gauze the picture was clear and coming together beautifully.
"I'm here, aren't I?" she teased, pulling her gaze from the tattoo. "I've heard my share of horror stories, thanks to the many lectures from my parents on why I shouldn't get this tattoo. I suppose I'm glad you haven't seen anything too bad yet, but...yikes." She sucked in air through her teeth, eyes sympathetic. "I can appreciate being broke as well as the next guy, but even I know not to get a cheap tat. If it's worth getting, it's worth getting right. At least, that's what I've heard."
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