Hello everyone! We hope you’re having a good week! We know things have been a bit slow (on our end included), but we’d love to get back up to pace with this new event! We won’t be doing an activity check this week, but we will be doing one next Monday so please try to get some threads started.
That said, if you want to be more of an active part of this event, please like this post and you’ll get some additional information from us.
Community Potluck for the Goode family. It’s been a whirlwind few days, to say the least. The brisk October chill has settled into the bones of each and every citizen of Devil’s Knot, and the lack of progress in Brian’s search has everyone on edge. In an effort to come together as a community and reinvigorate morale, the Church has teamed up with the Town Council to throw a block party style potluck outside the Community Center. It is expected that each family bring a dish to share and try to keep spirits light. We will find Brian, after all. It’s been a few days since the town took to the woods to search for the missing child, a search which ultimately bore no fruit. With no leads, the police seem dangerously close to where they stood in 1984. Perhaps a new face might shed some light on matters...
The event starts at 6:00 PM and goes roughly until 11:00 PM. Devil’s Knot has a strict sound ordinance and curfew in place given the current circumstances (but who follows the rules anyway?).
OOC INFORMATION
This is the second event for Chapter One: Gone.
The in-game date is Monday, 14th October 1996.
Please tag your threads appropriately. Remember that all threads must be tagged according to chapter (i.e. ch:1, chapter one, etc.)
This is a heads up to start wrapping up your first event threads as we will be releasing the next event in a few days’ time. We hope you’re all as excited as we are!
Hi! I'm stuck between a couple characters and was wondering if the admins would be down to chat about potential plots they had in mind for each and help me choose? (Sorry about the anon I'm mobile for the next few minutes)
Of course! We truly want you to be able to make the character your own so don’t take any of the suggestions we give as absolute, but we’d me more than happy to talk over some ideas!
This is our first activity check here at Devil’s Knot. Most everyone has been really great about completing their tasks and making connections, so thank you! We love to see an active dash.
That said, the following accounts will have 48 hours to resume activity or reach out for a hiatus, or your characters will be reopened.
One of the primary ways we gauge activity is based on the responses to posted writing tasks. As one has just been posted, we’ll be giving it a few days before critically looking at activity.
Each chapter will have some mandatory and some optional tasks. You can complete these at any time, and they can be in any format you like. Please remember that if it is a mandatory task it will likely be connected to the events in the chapter, and so completing it in a short amount of time is advised. Tag your responses for this chapter as dktask1:2. Please like this post once read.
(IC, Mandatory) What were you doing last Saturday afternoon?
Congratulations, Rose! You have been accepted for the role of Linda Goode (FC: Jodie Whittaker). We have our heartbroken momma! You captured Linda’s motherly nature so perfectly, I was smiling through the whole application. You’ve made it so clear that while her life may not have gone according to her dreams or plans, the children she got out of it make everything worth it. I love her passion for writing, too! Welcome to Devil’s Knot! Please have a look at this page prior to sending in your account.
OUT OF CHARACTER
Name: Rose
Age: 23
Pronouns: she/her
Timezone: so I accidentally got it wrong in the other app haha, it’s currently GMT +1, soon just GMT because I’ll be moving to the UK
Activity estimation: Right now I have all the time in the world but in September I will start my masters so it will probably be a little less but I’m sure I’ll have time to work around it. Overall my activity would probably be around 7 or 8.
Triggers: REDACTED
IN CHARACTER
Full name: Linda Elizabeth Goode (nee Holland)
Age (DD/MM/YYY): thirty-nine (28-09-1957)
Gender: Cisgender female
Pronouns: She/her
Sexuality: heterosexual
Occupation: currently on the look for one. After living without Paul, her ex-husband, she has enough money to move and live for a few months with the kids but she’s been keen on finding a job and becoming a part of the community. Before that she was, and still is, a stay-at-home mom.
Connection to Victim: Well, about as closely connected to him as one could be. She carried him for nine months, goodness sake. He is her baby. Brian is her youngest son who she loves so dearly. With the other two being older and a little more rebellious, Brian is all she has left to love and hold dear of her children before he gets older and more independent as well.
Alibi: The Saturday that Brian went missing, Linda had been busying early in the morning. She had woken up at her usual time, seven in the morning, and prepared breakfast for her children. They all came tumbling down one by one, eating their pancakes bleary-eyed except her daughter who always looked ready to take on an army with her deep scowls. After that, she went food shopping and came back. She had just made lunch for herself and Brian, her other two children out for the day, while she loaded all the dirty plates and cups into the sink and started to clean. All it took was a split second while her hands had been in soap or while she had been drying the plates for Brian to leave. Linda left looked up through the kitchen window where Brian had just been, only to find him gone. She shrugged it off for a second as she tidied everything away first. After that, she decided to ask if he felt like coming in. When she went outside and found him nowhere to be seen, that’s when she started to panic.
Faceclaim: Jodie Whittaker
WRITING SAMPLE
“Mom! Mom, come on!” Brian yelled from the car, his brown hair waving along on the breeze of the wind. Linda, feeling like a sumo-wrestler, walked towards the vehicle with two big bags in her arms. One on each side, swinging back and forth with every huge step she took. Pushing them inside the boot, she closed it as she moved to the front. As she did, she walked past the rest of the car where within lay her three greatest treasures. David, Beth and Brian. Her eldest son was sat in a corner, shading his eyes from the sun. The wrinkle between his eyes indicated what he truly thought about being trapped in such close vicinity with his two younger siblings. Beth sat in the middle, her unruly red hair tumbled down her shoulders while her blue eyes moved around the car to see everything that was going around her. In the other corner sat young Brian. His wide eyes, similar to Linda’s, watched his siblings with great interest. The smile on his lips seemed to brighten the entire world. Linda felt a surge of pride and pure happiness as she saw them. Moving to the front of the car, she sat down and turned to face her children.
“Who is ready to go to the beach?”
Linda enjoyed the gritty feeling of the sand between her toes as she slid them deeper into it. The big lime green towel that was their collecting point lay flat open with a parasol to keep create a little shade in this otherwise lovely warm weather. Through her sunglasses, she saw her whole new world unfold before her. The lovely warm glow that was cast on everything she viewed. Beth’s hair was the colour of live fire as strands of it almost seemed gold, David’s skin seemed slightly tan and warm and Brian’s smile and bright yellow sunhat seemed as bright as the sun itself. It created a warm feeling in her chest that spread through her, turning the corner of her lips up. Paul had left for a few days on a trip to another state so Linda wanted to make the most of her time with the children. It was summer and the weather was so nice, that when they’d come down in the morning she immediately asked them what they thought about going to the beach. They spend the entire day there until David had a slightly red-ish hue to him, Beth had managed to pick a fight with someone and Brian had stomped off because she hadn’t let him get every ice cream he wanted to try.
As they were about to leave, Linda called the three of them to her and told them to sit down on this wooden bench close to where they were parked. Judging by the annoyed groans and sighs she could tell that they weren’t in the mood for a picture but Linda had enjoyed this day so much that she wanted something tangible to remember it by. They were perched on the bench and faced her as she took a photo. She took a few extra ones for good luck, or so parents always said but she enjoyed having as many pictures of her children as she could.
A deep sigh escaped her lips as she looked down at the photo in her hand. She remembered so well David walking next to Brian as they chatted together. Laughing together. Beth running around them. Helping her younger brother get up after she’d pushed him too hard and caused him to fall down. Brian. It had been a week since she’d last seen him and the weight of that reality settled heavily on her shoulders. She’d walked passed the mirror, catching a glimpse of her ghoulish appearance. That’s the best way she could describe it. Sleep didn’t come easily but so didn’t getting out of bed. The dark shadows under her eyes revealed as much. Her hair, pulled back in a ponytail, hung loose and you could see the greasiness of it in the morning light.
It was her real face, but the town of Devil’s knot had no time for reality. They wanted to see a mother put together, one that was not a failure, that could stand up to the unbearable of a missing child. It was impossible, but she tried, stepping into the shower as if it could wipe away all that buried into her heart.
Her hair hung in its usual styled bob and a little make-up worked miracles to hide the dark shadows and harsh lines that had become prominent on her face. Once perhaps she’d have spent a moment to appreciate her features, wide doe eyes and small lips that had been admired for long ago. The notion of such fanciful ideas was laughable however, in the face of a tragedy such as this.
“Mom, are you ready?” David stood in the opening of her bedroom, seeming larger than life in the shadow of the hall lights. He’d become the man of the house, or at least tried to, and she found herself being so very proud of the effort. But it was too much to ask him and Beth to keep a brave face. The haunting of Brian’s absence was replicated on them as well.
Linda tried her best to conjure up the warmth and be the caring mother they needed, but a facade could only do so much. The practical was easy, making breakfast, doing simple chores, but when it came to the emotional, to actually looking them in the eye and saying it would be okay - she wasn’t sure she could really be there. Linda let out a soft sigh as she tried to rid herself a little of the pain and emotions that raced through her. She tried not to let her children see too much of what it was exactly what she was feeling, she wanted them to see her as strong and determined because that’s exactly what she was. Linda knew her son was out there somewhere and she was sure she’d find him, as sure as the earth goes around the sun.
“Yes, come on honey. Let’s go and look for your brother.”
ANYTHING ELSE?
→ Linda was a girl who didn’t look like a “nerd” but she was smart. During her high school years, she worked hard to get the best grades that she could get and worked for it. Her wide eyes and soft smile caused her to receive quite some attention from guys but she never pursued them. After graduating, she got into her state university and pursued her dream to become a journalist. Her love for writing grew as she read literature and got involved with extracurricular activities and what was going on in the world. At that moment in time is when she met Paul Goode, the darling of the political classes and one-time guest speaker at her university. He was the most charismatic man she’d ever met, and she fell, easily, dramatically, and most of all, foolishly. It wasn’t his wealth that got her, nor his position, but his passion. He had a drive that was infectious and a tendency to sweep you into his path whether you want to or not. And so, like a love-struck teen, she let him spin her into his web and he kept her there in every sense. Her pregnancy for one. They started dating in her second year and in her third year she found out she was pregnant. She was worried her mother would disown her, instead she fully embraced it. The woman smelt the opportunity with such a man on the up and up, and so, they were married. You’d think for someone so clever she’d have avoided that easy pitfall, but no, she ended up with David at the age of 21, with no prospect of finishing her course and no choice but to lean on Paul. Till unhappiness do them part…
→ Linda is a good mother. Perhaps too good. There’s such a thing as caring too much and that’s exactly what she does. But what else can she do? They were after all her life, literally. After giving up her own dreams and ambitions, she has close to nothing else to do except care for her children. It’s not her intention but its manifested into a deep, constant need to take care of them. From fussing over their hair to making sure their rooms are perfect to accounting for their location almost constantly. Over time the incessant has produced friction in the house, especially with David and to a lesser degree Brian. Who unlike their sister were unable to easily break out the chains of her overbearing nature and Linda tried her best to break habits far too old in the making. It makes Brian’s disappearance all the more stinging, knowing that she could have stopped it if only she’d loved him more and kept a closer eye.
→ The notion of putting on a good face is not exclusive to Devil’s Knot. In fact, it has been Linda’s recipe for life ever since she had gotten pregnant. No matter the abuse Paul threw her way, nor the stresses of essentially living as a single mother even when she was married, she could always be relied upon to put on the show of a happy housewife. The truth, however, beneath the mask, is that Linda has been unhappy for decades. It buries down to her bones, a dark stain, that clouds her mind in the moments that she was alone. All it would take would be a few visits to a therapist to know she had depression, but the notion doesn’t even enter her mind. Instead, she loses herself in her duties. When she makes the kids dinner or folds their laundry, she’s not ever really there. She’s just an empty shell, going through the motions, watching the world pass but taking no joy in it. She’s afraid that should she take a moment to really face what she felt, she would no longer be able to keep going.
→ She may be a housewife, but that didn’t mean Linda was without skills. She had been a journalism major for a reason, and she had a mean prose when she chose to wield it. In the fleeting moments of loneliness at home, she sometimes returns to her old flame, but she’s scared to really consider it again. Writing was hard enough when you’re young and unafraid, but she has a family to support, and a dismal lack of self-belief means that she often considers it a fancy that she has no right to indulge in, despite the deep joy that it brings. Watching the evening news and the morning paper will just have to do. She hopes one day to be able to pursue a certain kind of job that would allow her to write again like she’s always wanted to, but for now, that’s not something she’d want since she’s still completely focused on her children.
Congratulations, Rose! You have been accepted for the role of Brooke Youngblood (FC: Devery Jacobs). Brooke is such a weirdly wonderful character and you did her such justice. She’s sassy and looking for the world to just wake up and I think you captured that beautifully. Her angst and black eyeliner will be a welcome addition to the town! Please have a look at this page prior to sending in your account.
OUT OF CHARACTER
Name: Rose
Age: 23
Pronouns: she/her
Timezone: so I accidentally got it wrong in the other app haha, it’s currently GMT +1, soon just GMT because I’ll be moving to the UK
Activity estimation: Right now I have all the time in the world but in September I will start my masters so it will probably be a little less but I’m sure I’ll have time to work around it. Overall my activity would probably be around 7 or 8.
Triggers: REDACTED
IN CHARACTER
Full name: Brooke Enola Youngblood
Age (DD/MM/YYY): eighteen (14-11-1978)
Gender: Cisgender female
Pronouns: She/her
Sexuality: heterosexual
Occupation: high school student and cashier at Piggly Wiggly
Connection to Victim: Brooke has a few classes with the older two Goode siblings but doesn’t know much about Brian or their mother. She’s probably seen them in passing while she was working at Piggly Wiggly but nothing more than that. However, she feels for the family, she, unlike them, was born and raised in the darkness that can sometimes be Devil’s Knot. It’s unfortunate that a family from elsewhere be dragged the shadows created by the events of 1984 that lurks in their town.
Alibi: The Saturday that Brian went missing, Brooke had been working the entire day at Piggly Wiggly. As usual, there was an assortment of customers who came and left. Children buying sweets, mothers doing a grocery run, guys buying some beers, girls buying new glossy magazines. It was business as usual. Around 5 the shop closes and so Brooke leaves the old decrepit place that always seems to be on the verge of financial problems for the next day. Her evenings were always spent out doing whatever she felt like. Sometimes it was to watch a film, sometimes to get high and other times just drive around until it was pitch black outside. Brooke explained that she’d been out for dinner, eating a meal in peace and quiet and drove around till she arrived at Videoport, flicking through DVD’s she wants to watch. Around midnight, she arrived in her old Chevy Impala, turned matte black due to the dust and dirt over the years, back home where she found her mother passed out on the sofa with the tv on. She moved her mother upstairs and cleared away the wine glass and wine bottle, the only two witnesses to this affair ever happening. After that, she went to bed.
Faceclaim: Devery Jacobs
WRITING SAMPLE
Biting a fingernail on her left hand, Brooke Youngblood surveyed the scene in front of her. Her almond-shaped eyes glazed over to the one side of the table where John was sat. Well, actually her father but she saw him so rarely that she normally just referred to him by his first name, something neither of her parents seemed to like much. His dark hair was still quite full for his age and his smile was as dazzling as ever. It wasn’t hard to see why her mother had fallen for him. Now he wore a crisp business suit with a white shirt and striped tie. He fit right into the image that had been created by both of them when they had gotten married at 21. So young to be making choices that would affect you for the rest of your life. You can never know if it’s going to be influenced in a good way or a bad way. Only time can tell and it can sometimes be a bitch of a master.
Brooke swung her gaze to the other side of the table where her mother was sat. Rozene was an image that one doesn’t forget and deliberately so, her mother had worked at it. Her dark hair fell effortless down in waves as she wore a linen dress, casual yet chic. Her mother’s make-up was flawlessly applied, no signs yet of the mascara that could possibly end up running down her cheeks or any lipstick smudge on her chin from reapplying lipstick in a giddy fashion. Their whole house seemed like something that one pulled straight of a poster for the American dream. Well, it was more like the all-American nightmare for her. She let out a sigh as she passed around the casserole that her mother had spent the entire day making to her dad. It tasted good but there was nothing, nothing, that could decrease the tension in their household. Taking a sip from her glass of water, she could tell that it would only be a matter of minutes before her parents would start talking to each other. Now they were sat in deathly silence, only the sound of cutlery on plates and eating could be heard.
Eating the last mouth full of her plate, she set down her knife and fork and her napkin just as she’d been taught all those years ago. She thought back to when she’d been taught proper etiquette. For months she had to ask her parents “please may I leave the table?” whenever she even wanted to go for a piss. From all the fine things her mother tried to teach her, that was the only thing that had stuck. She quietly uttered the sentence as she stood up and picked up her plate, setting it in the sink. As soon as she was out of sight, their voices started to push through the walls. Her father’s deep, baritone muttering something to her mother as she heard her mother throw down her fork and heatedly reply back. “For fuck’s sake Rose, you know this isn’t normal. This town has always had its demons…. Now, this….”
Her mother replied back, but the words were cut out as she turned on the tap and rinsed her plate clean.
“Also, what the fuck kind of food do you call this?”
“I spent HOURS cooking that, you piece of shit. I don’t see you offering yourself up to cook a meal for us.” Their voices were rising over the noise of the tap, that’s when Brooke knew she had to get out. The plate clattered in the sink as she pushed her arms into her coat, grabbed her keys and left.
Her trusty Chevy Impala had brought her to one of the few places she could think of that was clear of any people. Piggly Wiggly. It was stupid to come to work after hours but right now there was no chance of anyone being there and that’s all Brooke needed right now. Sitting on the hood of the car, she slipped her hand into her pocket and pulled out her pack of Marlboro and a lighter. As she inhaled the soft grey smoke of the cigarette curled up and into the night air, the embers of the tip burning a fiery orange. Her eyes cast upwards as she exhaled the smoke. If it only was as easy to disappear from this town as the smoke disappeared in the night. The cold nipped at her cheeks which she stubbornly refused to acknowledge as she lifted to the hood of her coat onto her head, keeping herself as warm as she could. The size of the cigarette seemed to be dwindling fast as Brooke started to feel this dark feeling boil inside of her. Anger started to build as she thought about her parents. Why couldn’t they just have one normal meal? Just one. Is that too much to fucking ask for?
Dropping the cigarette to the floor, she stomped on it with a force that wasn’t necessary to put out something so small. No, it was measured against the fire that was burning through her veins.
Brooke’s hands started to itch, a desire to hit something rising, like a coiling serpent ready to strike, trying to find a way to let out all her anger. She popped the boot of her car and pulled out a green canvas bag, slamming it closed again. Her footsteps were full of purpose as she strode up to the sidewall of her workplace. Her hand reached in and grabbed a can as she let the bag go. The can felt cold, the sharp biting making everything seem more real, as she lifted it above and pressed hard. The colour was neon green and spread like a wildfire as she started to draw.
A smile slipped onto her lips as her anger faded and instead the feeling of thrill ran through her body. It lasted about a minute. She saw before she heard. Her eyes caught the sight of red and blue light as she swore loudly. Bright lights shone in her face as she tried to shield her eyes, automatically watering due to the brightness.
“Oi! Hey you!” Brooke dropped the can into the bag and slung it over her shoulder as she tried to get away.
“Hey! You! Stop right now! An officer of the law is speaking to you!”
She turned and ran right into a body. “Well, if it isn’t Brooke Youngblood. You’re coming with us. Vandalising property.”
An officer picked her up by her armpit as she tried to wiggle free. The other officer came up behind her, huffing and puffing despite the short distance. He observed her bag and the scowl that she wore. “Don’t you think we aren’t busy enough as it is? All us looking for that Goode kid?”
The officer shook his head as he signalled her to come along to the patrol car, a hard push sending her that way. Brooke decided not to say anything as she sat down in the back of the car, the leather seats feeling slight warm despite the cool October air. Yeah, that’s right. Finally, this town is being woken up. All of these idiots get to see what’s actually going on behind all these smiles and closed doors.
A smile slid onto her face as they drove off, only one thought on Brooke’s mind. Wakey wakey, motherfuckers. You’re all in for one hell of a ride…
ANYTHING ELSE?
→ The Youngblood household is less a home and more like IKEA showroom, all gloss that when disassembled is just cheaply made wood. The matriarch, Rozene Youngblood, is the epitome of the notion of a two-faced coined. On the one hand, she is a classy lady, married to the esteemed businessman John Youngblood, who she met at Devil’s Knot very own highschool as a senior, who performs the duties of a housewife to a perfection. On the other side, the real side, she’s a bored, lonely, repressed alcoholic. She hides her misery behind glasses of Rosé and plastic smiles as she laments the singing career she abandoned for traditional atomic family life. Her parents play the roles but never truly mean it, and while the rest of the town is fooled, their only child is not. Brooke has spent her life clearing up empty bottles and sick, while her father graces them with his presence every few weeks if only to criticise and make barb comments at the dinner table. Is it any surprise Brooke strives to break every social conformity she meets? She has first-class proof that bliss is not picket fences and neighbourhood barbecues.
→ After years of not only seeing her mom consuming more alcohol than Brooke ever thought was possible and the unhappy effect it’s had on their family as a whole, Brooke doesn’t drink. Even though she’s not of the legal age to do it yet, she’s already decided that way in advance. There have been moments she’s had it offered to her which she declined. On the whole, the number of parties she gets invited to is also on the low side so peer pressure and her exposure to it, besides being at home, is limited. She’s more open to drugs and has been known to smoke on certain occasions. Handing some of her cash in and sneaking a packet of cigarettes out, going on quick breaks just to have a quick smoke is rare but it happens as she tries to relieve herself from the not stop grind of her work ethic. Besides that, she’s open to experimenting and having a fun time. Anything to get out of this dreary, awful town, right? Even if it’s just mentally.
→ If Piggly Wiggly is an American staple, then Brooke Youngblood’s dark eye shadow and blunt cut bangs are a Devil’s Knot staple. As a young girl, she used to run around in colourful dresses and bows in her hair. It all slowly started to fade away but when she started high school, that’s when it really peaked. On their first day of high school, Brooke stepped out of her mother’s pristine car and all eyes met her. Her dark, long locks were always braided or beautifully taken back now were let loose and hung like a curtain down her back. A blunt fringe had been cut, somehow framing her face better and making her face seen at least five years older. Her eyes were rimmed with deep purple eye shadow, highlighting all her best facial features. She wore a simple purple dress with black Dr Martens. Since then that’s become her style and it’s what she’s faultlessly known for. Some say she’s the only fashionable thing about Devil’s knot and others say she seems like a demon sent from hell. Whatever it is, Brooke Youngblood is in never going to change it, despite her parent’s wishes to the contrary.
→ Brooke drives a old Chevy Impala. Although it’s not traditionally a car for young girls, Brooke isn’t traditional nor a young girl anymore. Once she got her license, she went car shopping with her mom which turned out to be a disaster. Her mom wanted to get her new, fancy open-top cars which she definitely didn’t want. As they drove back, Brooke spotted an auto shop where they fixed old cars. As she walked in, it took her all of one second to spot the car and ever since that moment it’s been hers.
→ Even though her parents met in Devil’s knot and it’s all she’s ever known, Brooke despises the town. It seems to be filled with pretentious people who are so worried about fitting a certain societal mould that they can’t think straight. All this white-picket-fence crap is enough to make her sick. It’s definitely not the kind of life she ever wants to live. One of the first things she wants to do is travel. Leave Devil’s Knot for good behind. She’s always sensed the darkness in this place and now with Brian missing, it’s only affirmed it once again. Even if no one else will follow her, Brooke knows she won’t be staying here forever. If she can help it not even another year. This very purpose is what drives her to work so hard, either she’ll leave by savings or good grades, whichever ends up being first.
