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!
turning shadows into shapes
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 Jul 6, 2020 5:08:34 GMT
achromatic
The sound of iron hitting iron, feet hitting the ground, and pedals whirring faded into the background as Declan strained to lift the bar balanced across his shoulders. His thighs burned and his core tightened as he extended his legs with a groan, racking the bar and wiping the sweat from his brow. His messy brown hair was pulled back in a bun, and his chest was covered with an oversized gray tank, already damp with sweat. Though most people were at the gym for their own reasons - wanting to lose weight, get fit, impress a significant other - he was there as part of his job training. As a volunteer firefighter he had to stay in tip-top shape or run the risk of getting himself or his friends hurt. He'd already finished his cardio for the day and only just finished his first rep of squats, but for some reason he wasn't floating off on the workout high he typically fell into. Kneeling down, he adjusted the weights, unclipping the safety clamp and sliding an extra 20 on each side. He'd push himself harder and see if that helped him get into the right mindset. As he stood up and stretched, his mind wandered. He was on patrol that evening for the Pack, in charge of patrolling lower Manhattan, and he couldn't help but feel a strange tension running through the air. His perception of the supernatural wasn't as great as, say, a demon or angel, but he still felt the hairs on his arms raise up when there was something afoot in his city. Shaking his head to rid himself of the wayward thoughts, he glanced over at the other squat station next to him absently, stepping under the bar to shoulder it. With the extra weight, he figured it would be helpful to have a spotter. "Hey," he called, gruff voice friendly. "Sorry to bother you, but could ya spot me really quick? I just wanna see if I can take the extra 20 or not and I don't wanna end up flat on my ass."
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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 6, 2020 13:01:44 GMT
Tobias didn't often go to the local gym. The hunters' training area was usually good enough, fitted with cardio machines and boxing bags thanks to the former shadowhunters and their connections. Usually, that was enough for him, a quick set of reps and hits to keep himself in shape, but frankly, not having some of the other weight machines was something that made things a bit more difficult. He had put it on his list, to get some of that for the others one day, but these days, funding and money was slow, and he had his own livelihood to take care of. It wasn't really his fault that he had inherited this business from a long lineage of shadowhunters who had the money to care. Hunters these days were few and far in between, unlike the old days.
So here he was, going for a leg day in preparation for catching a certain vampire. It wasn't his strong suite, and frankly, he didn't really think he needed it–he was more of a long-range fighter anyway–but it was better to be prepared in this kind of situation than to not be. He was finished with his usual workout, taking a gulp of water as he eyed a nearby rowing machine, wondering if he should work on that too, when he heard a voice speak.
Pulling out the earphones, he glanced up to the man nearby, politely asking for a spotter. Right. He nodded once, finishing his gulp of water, before screwing the bottle cap back on. "Yeah sure, what weight are you on now?" he asked. The other man seemed friendly, and while the others in the gym weren't rude, New Yorkers tended to keep to themselves. Still, he wasn't a New Yorker, neither born nor raised. Chicago wasn't friendly by all means but he wasn't the type to say no.
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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 Jul 7, 2020 3:39:27 GMT
"360," he said, glad the other guy had agreed so easily. "But don't laugh when I bust my ass because I bit off more than I can chew." The other guy was fit, and honestly looked like he belonged to the Pack by his build. "I'm Declan," he added, gripping the bar a few times until he found a grasp that felt secure and then ducked under it, placing it across his shoulders and readying for the squat.
"Okay, here goes," he said, then lifted the bar from the rack, the weight causing him to grunt. This would be hard, but hopefully enough to help get him into the right mindset. The muscles in his legs protested as he sank down, core screaming. When he finally maxed out as low as he could go, he held the position for 30 sections, muscles screaming. As he began to rise, he found himself stuck, unable to lift the bar any farther. "A little help," he ground out, face bright red from the exertion.
Unlike other some other guys he knew at the gym, he wasn't embarrassed to admit he'd maxed out his abilities. Though as a wolf he commanded more brute strength than in his human form, something told him shifting in the middle of the gym with a 200+ pound rack of weights on his back wasn't the best idea.
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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 7, 2020 10:42:09 GMT
The man raised a brow at the words. 360? Was this guy sure? Even for a fit guy–and from the looks of it, Tobias was certain the other man could lift plenty–360 was a lot. "You sure about this man?" he asked, but the man was already reaching for the weights. Okay. He could help, for sure, but even as a hunter, he wasn't the type to lift as much as the other man.
He watched the man move behind the weights, and immediately, he moved to stand behind him, his arms in position to help. Frankly, he was already impressed that the guy could lift it, and squat with it, much less do it more than once. Wait. He wasn't coming back up. His frow furrowed in concern; should he jump in?
The man's face was turning red, and Tobias almost let out a sigh of relief, grabbing onto the weight and helping the man lift it up once more, letting him get a better hold of himself. Shit. It really was quite heavy; he thought. Maybe he should get back into weights again.
"You good?" he asked with a frown, concerned for the other guy, "you didn't hurt yourself or anything, did 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 Jul 7, 2020 19:59:30 GMT
When the weights were safely racked, Declan stretched with a sheepish grin. "Yeah, I'm fine," he chuckled, wiping the sweat from his face with his towel. "Just a little cocky to have tried it though. Thanks for having my back." He cast a regretful look at the weights on the bar, silently vowing to work his way up to them soon. "I'm not a total dumbass, I swear. Just a little bit of one, I guess." He unpinned the weights and slid off a 10 from each side, sliding them back onto the rack with a clang.
"Haven't seen you around here much before," he said amiably, taking a long swig of water. "You new to the gym? Not to the workout scene, obviously." He looked towards the other man's biceps, clearly formed from regular exercise. "I'd love to have a partner. If you couldn't tell, I can sometimes get a little over zealous. I'd love to partner up and workout sometime. I figure I could learn something from you."
He came to the gym with some buddies from work from time to time, but having only one circle of friends outside of the Pack was little exhausting, and this guy looked like he'd be interesting to get to 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 Jul 8, 2020 4:14:23 GMT
Tobias nodded, cracking a faint smile on his usually serious demeanor. He could understand that; he had been a cocky bastard as a kid too, playing tricks on his neighbors and doing whatever he wanted on the streets as long as he didn't get caught. "I'm impressed that you could even get one rep done," he shrugged, "haven't really been working on weights recently, but maybe I should get back into it."
He grabbed the towel that was slung across his shoulder, wiping his forehead with it. "Yeah, my work place actually has a gym too but it's mostly cardio, and I do boxing sometimes, but I missed having some of the other machines, and the weights too." He raised a brow at the other man's compliment and the proposal he gave, before pondering it over for a few moments.
"That sounds like a plan," he replied, "you can teach me how to do the weights and...I don't know, if you ever need boxing lessons or something, let me know?" There was no harm in having a gym buddy, even if he had no plans to stay here permanently. After all, his job was a 24/7 one, and he always worked odd hours anyway.
"What's your schedule?" he asked, before pulling out his phone, pausing the music, "I might as well give you my number then, if you wanted to coordinate." He glanced up. "Oh, I'm Tobias by the way; I'd shake your hand but they're a bit sweaty right now."
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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 Jul 15, 2020 4:49:25 GMT
"Declan," he replied, giving him a lopsided grin. "Nice to meetcha. Yeah, I was into power-lifting in high school and never really dropped the hobby, I suppose." He shrugged, taking a long drink from his water bottle. "I've been coming pretty much every day except Sunday, but I don't expect you to match that by any means. I'm on call at the fire station most days, but since it's nearby they let me work out on shift for the most part."
He took out his phone and began Tobias' contact, then held it out for him to finish the rest. "I'd actually really like to start something new like boxing if you're offering. I'm always down to help with lifting if you need it." He wasn't sure exactly how this would work out, but having someone to teach him boxing would be helpful in the Pack, if nothing else. He could show off in front of the pups to give 'em something to talk about.
"Where do you work that you have a gym on-site, if you don't mind me asking? I wish I had a posh job like that. The closest I get is the fire pole which lends itself to a different form of working out, if you catch my drift." He laughed, shaking his head slowly. "The guys have been lobbying to get some weight equipment at the station so we can workout there and not have to risk wasting time getting there to suit up, but so far the answer's been no."
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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 15, 2020 15:23:28 GMT
Post by achromatic on Jul 15, 2020 15:23:28 GMT
Ah, a fireman? That was interesting. It was a relief to know that at least he'd be on duty for odd hours, similar to his own. That was the problem with getting to know people these days; they had so much of a routine that it became difficult to go about his business without some sort of suspicion. He had no way to explain why he was so tired some mornings and less so in others, or how his work seemed to be at strange hours of the day–some nights he worked at three in the morning, and others he'd be up at eight in the morning–even for a private investigator.
"That's cool," he nodded at the other man, "must be tough huh? But yeah, sounds like a good trade to me. I can't promise a routine sunday or anything, but I can try to give you a heads up when I'm at the gym."
The next question sort of caught him off guard a little bit, but his expression didn't change from the friendly politeness that he had carefully placed. "I...uh, I'm a private investigator, but my job sort of forces me to keep it on the down low...I share an office at a coworking space actually." That was an easy enough lie; there were plenty of those popping up these days and it wasn't hard to get access to one. "They sometimes have some workout classes on the ground floor so you know, there's space to do cardio at least. It's funny actually, I'd expect that fire stations would naturally have workout equipment, since you're expected to keep in shape AND you always have to be on the go."
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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 Jul 16, 2020 5:10:15 GMT
"Nah, no worries. Honestly, just whenever you're in here works for me. I'm mostly looking for someone to hold me accountable and keep from slacking off, if I'm being honest." He scratched the back of his neck and looked down at himself. "I'm a sucker for cheat days, if you couldn't tell."
He threw his towel around his neck and began to take the weights off the bar and rack them back up. He had been just about down anyway, and it felt rude to stand there chatting when someone else could use the equipment. He grabbed a sanitary wipe from a nearby dispenser and wiped down his station, humming to himself.
"Yeah, it's not great but they argue that we should work out on our own time since it's not 'required' for the job," he replied, using air quotes to make his point. "It's like the city doesn't realize most of the time we spend at the station is just waiting around, and there are worse things we could be doing than working out." He shrugged, clearly over the argument already.
Declan accepted Tobias' explanation readily, not really too concerned by how realistic it sounded. He has his own secret life he was a pro at lying about, and rarely suspected anyone else out of instinct.
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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 17, 2020 5:11:35 GMT
He chuckled at that. "Sounds like a plan," he nodded. He couldn't really tell, if he was to be honest; the other man looked fit enough, and considering how he tried to lift more than Tobias had expected to probably said something too. Declan looked like the type of person who underestimated his own strength, at least from the initial glance, but that was just what Tobias thought. He could be right, but he could be wrong just the same.
The other man was quickly packing up the weights again, and Tobias grabbed the last few, putting them back onto the rack for him. It seemed like he was about to leave, and well, maybe it was a good time to head home just the same. He rarely had days off like this, and if anything, he didn't plan on getting another Chinese takeout because he didn't leave enough time to cook or anything.
"Sounds like they don't really have your interests in mind," Tobias quipped in response to his comment, "you'd think they'd want you to do something productive like workout instead of slacking around, you know?" He knew that firefighters had to be on alert at all times; it was something he could relate to at least. "So are there a lot of emergencies in New York or nah? I always wanted to slide down the fireman's lift when I was a kid," he chuckled as he headed towards the showers.
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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 Jul 17, 2020 7:11:10 GMT
"One could only wish," chuckled Declan, shaking his head ruefully. "The city is in charge of our spending budget, not the chief, so we're kinda stuck with our hands tied. The city never bothers to come out and actually see what we need. I swear they spend out budget based on some sort of firefighter catalog." He rolled his eyes but didn't seem too upset. "Anyway, I gotta run. I've got some business to take care of and I doubt they'd want me to show up as sweaty and gross as I am now. It was great to meet you, man. Hit me up any time you wanna work out and I'll try to make it fit. You're also welcome at the station anytime. Who knows, I could arrange for a slide down the pole." He laughed, slinging his bag on his shoulder, and waved. "Later." skippity dippity
Declan shook the water out of his hair and roughly toweled off. Using the gym showers wasn't his favorite thing, but he had a Pack meeting scheduled too soon for him to run home and with their heightened sense of smell he knew he'd never be allowed in after hitting the gym. After meeting Tobias, they'd worked out a few times together and had seemed to hit their stride pretty well. He was still shit at boxing and probably would be for a while, but it was more fun than he'd thought and a great way of expending some of his frustrated energy.
He pulled on a pair of jeans and buttoned his shirt up, only taking the time to pull his hair into a messy bun and give his face a cursory glance. He'd already said goodbye to Tobias before he came to shower, but saw the other guy heading out about the same time and hurried to catch up to him. "Hey, good workout today," he said, pushing open the front doors of the gym and stepping into the busy sidewalk.
Declan raised his hand to cover his eyes as the sun blinded him, but a jolt ran down his spine and his attention snapped to a woman on the other side of the street. Before he even had time to wonder why he found such interest in her, a man in jeans and a baggy black shirt ran into the woman, practically knocking her down, and took off. "Hey!" shouted Declan, already dropping his bag and taking off after the guy. "Wait!" |
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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 17, 2020 13:55:34 GMT
Post by achromatic on Jul 17, 2020 13:55:34 GMT
It was a good workout. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he enjoyed these meetings. It was nice not doing everything on his own; being a hunter could be a lonely existence. He thought he had gotten used to it these days–how many years had it been since he had moved to the big city? The hunters were a good group; they weren't tight-knit but they understood what it was like, to know things that others didn't, to fight for their lives and to rely only on pure luck–and perhaps a bit of skill–to survive.
It was nice to have someone who didn't depend on his direction to save a life. It was nice having something akin to a friend again, Tobias supposed. Declan was getting better at boxing. The man had quickly rinsed off, opting to shower later on. Gyms didn't have the right kind of shampoo and the thought of drying his locs in public seemed like a daunting task.
"Yeah, good work today," he grinned as he grabbed his bag, swinging it across a shoulder and leaving along with Declan. "So where are you heading? You mentioned having something to do after–" Next thing he knew, the other man was racing off after a man. Tobias quickly realized what was going on–or at least what he assumed was going on–and let out a quick huff of disbelief. And to think he had good reflexes; clearly the other man was paying attention more.
Without a second thought, he found himself racing after Declan, looking at the man ahead. They weren't going to catch him by speed alone; he was far ahead. "Hey!" he shouted after the werewolf, "get him to turn, and I'll cut through the alley!"
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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 Jul 22, 2020 2:52:55 GMT
Declan felt the urge to shift cause his muscles to cramp, the effort of keeping his human form almost too much. When something ran, he chased. It was instinct, and though he was human and could ignore the urge for the most part, the moon was waxing and his inner wolf was growing stronger. He gave a sharp nod at Tobias' command, assuming the role of subordinate easily, and began to move to the man's left, crowding him towards the upcoming street corner.
"Stop!" he called again, though he figured it was pointless. If the man was willing to sprint down the streets of New York with two guys following him at a full tilt, it was unlikely he'd stop just because Declan called out. He swung wide to the guy's left and then closed the distance, forcing him to swing around the corner and run right past the ally Tobias cut through.
sorry not my best work x.x
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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 10:38:14 GMT
Post by achromatic on Jul 22, 2020 10:38:14 GMT
Tobias didn't question it; everything just felt automatic. He had done this too many times–as both a hunter and as a former cop–to forget the automatic reaction he had. He waited in the alleyway and as the man came hurtling towards him, he steadied himself, watching the man who seemed determined to slip past him run straight for the alley and duck, but he was ready.
Immediately, his arm shout out and his foot wrapped around the other man's ankle, pushing forward just enough to sweep the stranger off his balance to throw him to the ground. Immediately, he was onto the other man, grasping at his wrists to pin them, his knee in the center of his lower back. He glanced up just to see Declan running towards him, and suddenly, Tobias realized he certainly had a lot to answer for.
This was just another stranger who barely knew who he was, and any other person on the street probably wouldn't have been able to do this without practice. Right. The other man was certainly going to have questions for him.
"We got him," he offered with a weak smile when Declan came around, "good thing you noticed this guy."
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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 Jul 25, 2020 7:12:30 GMT
Declan turned the corner into the ally just in time to see Tobias expertly trick and pin the man to the ground in one smooth motion, a technique he himself knew but was unsure if he could pull off so quickly. Stopping at the man's side, Declan pulled out his phone, quickly reported the theft and assailant's location, looking at Tobias curiously the entire time.
By the time he hung up the phone and slipped it back into his pocket, Declan knew two things. 1) Tobias hadn't told him the entire truth about who he was and 2) He was not a pack shifter, so the likelihood of him being a friend was...low. This realization struck him pretty hard, and his expression shuttered in response to this fact. Finally, he scratched the back of his head, catching his breath, and offered a conciliatory half-grin. "Yeah, me too. He was acting kinda shifty as he approached, so I was pretty prepared when he actually snatched her purse."
Declan wished he could just outright ask Tobias if he was a supe too, but the amount of damage he could do to their community with such a simple question was pretty high. Instead, he was just glad Tobias hadn't questioned his own ability to notice the crime as it happened, or to run as hard as he did and barely have to catch his breath. Not wanting to burn any bridges between them yet, he chuckled and said, "Looks like your kickboxing skills must be way better than what you show off at the gym, huh?"
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