Omniscience

Close your eyes; let my words wash over you. You are safe now. {Asphodel Valley}

[humblereporting]

OOC : Agh, I've really got to get to replying to some open posts... I'm very sorry about that.

[humblereporting]

Reboot (Part Two)

In conjunction with this post.

"Well, now that I've got this show off the ground and going, I think now's a good time to take a small break, don't you? Here’s where you come in, Listeners. If you’d like to join me on my show and engage in some idle chatter, now’s your chance! If you’d like to be on the show via phone call, please pick up the nearest phone and dial the first seven digits that enter your mind, followed by the pound (#) and star (*) key. I’d be more than happy to have you on the air with me. Or, if you’re feeling daring, why not swing by my apartment to be on the air with Yours Truly in person? I'm located in a building called the Seaside Apartments, located by the ocean and near what appears to be a boardwalk. Oh, the terrible, irritating memories I have involving boardwalks...

If the front of the door has the words 'Don't Dead Open Inside' carved onto it, then you're at the right place. Seriously, who thought something like that was a good idea to write? Whoever wrote that just severely decreased the value of this apartment by a good couple grand at the least. My door is unlocked, but I ask that you knock three times, pause, then knock three more times before turning the handle and entering. And whatever you do, do not touch the light switch located on the right wall of the entrance at all. DO NOT touch the light switch. Do not touch it.”

"Instead, I ask that you simply follow the sound of my lovely voice in the calming darkness, and once you’ve stubbed your toe on the leg of a table or chair, you’ll know you’re in the right place. I ask that you please take a seat in the chair across from me, and I will slide over the small, "guest microphone" over to you to speak with. This small table's a bit wobbly, so try not to lean too much on it. ... Until then, I look forward to hearing from you, my dear Listeners. Don't be shy; I don't bite. If anything, it'd be quite assuring to have this humble reporter know that he may not actually be the last living man on earth."

* * * * *

"Now, while I wait for your calls, I give you... the weather."

[humblereporting]

Reboot

"A small, seaside town that once flourished as a vacation spot now stands as a carved out shell of what it used to be. Things are not what they seem, and danger lurks just around the corner. The night sky greets all with a lovely kiss - the kiss of death.

Welcome... to Asphodel Valley."

* * * * *

"Good evening, Listeners, and thank you so very much for joining me on this crisp and chilly night. Of course, I don’t know how many of you out there are even listening to me speaking, but I might as well go on, right? Now, you all may be wondering: Why is a man with such a smooth, soothing voice speaking over the radio here in the first place? Who is he? Well, to answer your second question, my name is Cecil - a radio announcer and host of sorts. As for the answer to your first question, well… I’m honestly not so sure myself. You see, according to the feelings - or should I say lack of feelings - in my body, I’m dead. Yup. Dead. How I died is really anyone’s guess, because I don’t even recall myself dying in the first place. But, I can tell you with eighty-percent certainty that I am most definitely, positively dead. Several events in the past are a bit of a blur for me, but all that I can remember is that I awoke to the sound of roaring, crashing waves against the cliff-side. What's even more odd, I can't help but feel that I've... been here before. They do say that déjà vu is a normal feeling that many of us experience, after all.”

"I found myself in a room - resting in a small but oddly-comfortable bed. And as I looked out the small, foggy window and took note of the grey skies, rolling waves, and endless sea, I realized that I was most definitely not in my home community. Where am I? Why was I brought here? How long have I been here? I did not know the answer to any of those questions. All I knew was that this… this place was called Asphodel Valley, and that this would be my new home for the time being. As you can imagine, someone that's originally from a friendly, desert community known as Night Vale does find the coastal environment a bit weird. Regardless, the hordes of figures aimlessly wandering the landscape with loud moans and screeches do remind me so very much of home, so that's definitely a plus.”

"Anyway, all of that rambling aside, I am so pleased to announce that I will be continuing my job from back home, operating as Asphodel Valley’s very own radio reporter! From the local news, to traffic, weather, horoscopes, and pondering the very own meaning and existence of our universe and beyond, I am here to make your evening a pleasant and insightful one. …And just what are the odds that I was provided with some basic broadcasting equipment on this small, bedroom table? It's even portable! Isn't technology just amazing? 

Although, as I said before, I’m not entirely sure if any of this is getting through. … ... I should also note that I never did make any sort of arrangement with the mayor or whatever communications department this town might have, so if I am suddenly taken off the air either temporarily or permanently, well… Then it was nice serving you while I could, my dear Listeners."

* * * * *

"Anyway, let's move on to the news, shall we?"

Outside my window, for example, there is nothing but the cool ocean breeze and crashing waves to keep me company. I am sitting here, isolated from any sort of present society in this apartment, and all that's here to keep me company are the words 'Save Yourself' scratched in repeatedly on the walls and floor. ... Kind of a crappy thing to leave for someone who's just moved in, don't you think? But, no, what I'm getting at with this is... This looming sense of quiet and isolation that fills both my mind and soul have left me feeling both anxious and at peace. As I let out a breath and fog the cracked window, I can't help but wonder what will happen next. I'm honestly just as confused as you all are, Listeners, and I'll make certain to share any updates that I receive on this story."

* * * * *

"In other news, the local police station is reported to be currently harboring the smell of rotting flesh inside. All across its dark, long hallways and cells, this terrible stench is overpowering the entire building, and the source of this smell has yet to be found. Without any, direct source located, many theories can be produced about where exactly the smell is coming from. If you're asking me, I'd like to think that it's coming from something like, say, the durian fruit. For those not aware, durian is a popular fruit from southeast Asia that packs quite a terrible smell inside. I remember eating one once, and the flesh had the interesting taste of a soft, almost caramelized onion. But the smell, oh, the smell!

Think about it, Listeners. What if this rotting flesh smell is actually coming from a storage locker in the police station packed with durian fruits? Why someone would want to fill a locker with something like that is beyond me, but I think we're currently living in the times where it's not so polite to judge someone on their personal habits and lifestyles. What could be a putrid but enjoyable fruit to some could be regarded as a sacred, priceless object to another. In fact, if we all begin to regard the durian fruit as our righteous lord and savior, we could very well be blessed with a grand fortune within a manner of days! Let us all make a prayer, Listeners. Let us pray that the source of this smell really is just from a holy, smelly fruit sent by God and not something less... appetizing, to put it softly. ... ... This will also require more investigation before it can be made official, so please take much of this as pure speculation."

* * * * *

[humblereporting]

OOC : Gahh, I should also probably put this out there, but I think how I'm going to do Cecil's open posts is actually separate them as two, different posts. If you've seen my previous open posts that I've done, you can see that they're fairly long, because I write a very large chunk of Cecil's broadcast into one. What I'm going to do is have the first post contain just the good chunk of the broadcast and have a lot of it under a read more so it doesn't bother anyone when looking through the tag or on their dashboard.

The second post will be much shorter, and it will more or less just consist of Cecil asking for people to respond to him. I'll also specify in the second post which broadcast it's in conjunction with. Sorry if that sounded a little bit confusing, but I hope it'll make more sense once it's actually said and done.

[humblereporting]

OOC : Since others are making little introductions, I thought I might, too!

Ahh, hello! I go by Grant, and I'm currently role playing Cecil from Welcome to Night Vale! I was in the previous run of Asphodel Valley with Cecil, and I thought I'd bring him back with a hopefully stronger muse. I'll be working on my open post over the night and tomorrow, and I really look forward to role playing with all of you!

[humblereporting]

OOC : Please ignore any posts that were published before this! These posts were made during the previous run of Asphodel Valley, and things have changed since then and now.

[humblereporting]

Pilot (II)

"Welcome back, Listeners."

"It looks as though I haven't been receiving any calls or visits from any of you, but that's completely fine! I did say that I wasn't entirely sure if this radio equipment was actually fully functional, right? Perhaps I'm simply voicing all my of thoughts and recollections of past events to myself and the pair of bright, glowing eyes staring at me from the corner of the room? Or, maybe I really am the only one that's, oh, how can I put it... Dead but not entirely dead? Sure, let's go with that."

"Regardless of all of that, the only thing I really know how to do is give my reports and talk about whatever else crosses my mind. If I can't do that, then I might as well be dead and non-existent, and that doesn't really sound like such a fun idea. I shall continue to speak and let my voice travel across the airwaves of this gloomy, gray town or have them simply bounce off the shabby, wooden walls of this apartment overlooking the ocean.

...I really do say the strangest things sometimes, don't I?"

* * * * *

"Time for traffic, everybody!"

"Riding along the waves of the grayish waters, there appears to be a fishing boat with the strange habit of appearing and disappearing. I would look out my foggy, cracked window, turn my head, look back, and I would notice that it had moved into a different location in the waters. Sometimes it would appear closer, while at other times it looked like a small, black speck off in the horizon. Not only is this fishing boat playing a friendly game of Red Light, Green Light, but it is completely vacant of any fishermen or people entirely, for that matter. I had called out to the boat, only to receive no human replies. Instead, the boat let out a slow, hissing noise, and a strange, greenish liquid began seeping from the windows of both the boat and my apartment. You know, I don't really know much about boats, coming from a desert community and all, but I'm pretty sure that that's something that they're not supposed to do."

"I reached my hand out to the liquid that was on the floor by my feet, but the pair of bright, glowing eyes in the corner of the room appeared to be telling me through a series of blinks that touching the liquid was not a smart idea. I don't know why, but I chose to follow the eyes' advice."

"Anyway, I'll have more on the mysterious fishing boat as soon as I feel like it's safe to look out the window again, don't you worry!"

* * * * *

"Well, Listeners, since this is the debut of my show in this neck of the woods, I think it would be fun to have a super-special edition of tonight's horoscopes, don't you? After all, these horoscopes aren't being read from the small slips of paper or prompt that I'm normally given, no no. Do you remember that book that I took with me from the library that had a note telling me not to read it? Well, I'm not really sure why, but this amazing thing that I'm holding in my hand right now must be a mind reader, because it appears to have turned to a page with a whole list of interesting horoscopes! This is as real as it gets, Listeners, so I hope that you'll enjoy this as much as me! Anyway, let's begin..."

"'Capricorn : He is here. He resides within you. Call him out from inside of you. Let your mind be overcome by thoughts of lust and carnage. Call him out. Call him out.' 'Aquarius : A single star remains in the sky. It glows a faint purple, and it smells of evergreen trees. Reach out to it, and feel its cool touch against your skin. Keep it safe, and don't let anyone know.' 'Pisces : You're changing. Inside, you can feel yourself evolving and becoming more whole of a person. Embrace it. If you have the feeling that you're drowning, don't be afraid. This was meant to happen.' 'Aries : Wealth and power is headed in your direction, but beware of people that may try to take those away from you. Arm yourself, and don't fall for false promises. They're all lying to you, all of them.' 'Taurus : Your faith is being challenged. Stick to your beliefs and remain true to them. If you feel a sense of doubt, drain the blood of a lively ox, and keep it under your bed.' 'Gemini : Love is in the air, and you are at its center. If you see your double, tell them that you love them. Tell them quickly, before it's too late.'"

"'Cancer : You feel a sense of great accomplishment. Take the knife out of his hand and plunge it into his chest. You will feel even more accomplished.' 'Leo : Do whatever it takes to get what you want. Your friends, family, and lovers don't mean anything now. It's all there for the taking.' 'Virgo : Examine yourself and think about where you are in life. Look so deeply into your mind that you can hear your thoughts echoing deafeningly in your ears.' 'Libra : Are people treating you unfairly? Now's your chance to take things into your own hands. Show those fools what true justice is.' 'Scorpio : Change is good. Change is good. Change is good. Death is good.' And finally, 'Sagittarius : Stress at work can be difficult. Treat yourself to a good drink, but remember to not pay attention to what it is that you're drinking.'"

"Now, wasn't that exciting? I hope all of you Listeners out there have gained some valuable information from this very special horoscope reading. The mysterious book has now closed itself, and I can hear a muffled growling coming from beneath the cover. I am putting the book down on the table. The bright, glowing eyes in the corner of the room appear to be satisfied..."

* * * * *

"Anyway, I'm still waiting patiently for your calls and visits, dear Listeners. As I have mentioned before, if you would like to call to be on the show, please enter the first seven digits that enter your mind, followed by the pound (#) and star (*) key. If you're looking more for that hands-on experience of being on the air, then please feel free to pay a visit to my humble abode! I am located in the Docks at the Seaside View Apartments. If there's a trail of a strange, greenish liquid leading to my door and leaking from underneath, then you're at the right place! I'll be eagerly awaiting your calls and visits, Listeners.

Don't be afraid. I'm just a voice - what's the worst that I can do to you?"

[humblereporting]

OOC : Sorry about the inactivity; I've had some personal things going on, so I didn't really have the motivation to touch anything role play-related... I'm going to try replying to an open post or two, and I'll also add more to my drabble/open post. I still haven't really gotten Cecil to interact with anyone yet, so I know that I've got to get that going.

(I realize that it's actually rather difficult to role play a character who I've given a lack of physical presence when a lot of these open posts involve the characters approaching or calling out to someone. Ahhh, this is going to be interesting...)

(I just sent an ask that will hopefully give a little bit of clarification about something and hopefully make it easier for Cecil to reach out to people aside from his radio show that I realize has a lot of length to the posts... I'll just wait for an answer in the meanwhile. I also sent in an application for another character that I've been wanting to role play, so I'm excited for that!)

[humblereporting]

Pilot

"A small, seaside town that would make any horror movie writer squeal at its atmosphere and environment. Fear lurks just around the corner, and you may end up just another victim. But, don't worry - you're dead after all."

"Welcome... to Asphodel Valley."

* * * * *

"Good evening, Listeners, and thank you so very much for joining me on this crisp and chilly night. Of course, I don't know how many of you out there are even listening to me speaking, but I might as well go on, right? Now, you all may be wondering: Why is a man with such a smooth, soothing voice speaking on the radio in the first place? Who is he? Well, to answer your second question, my name is Cecil - a radio announcer and host of sorts. As for the answer to your first question, well... I'm honestly not so sure myself. You see, according to the feelings - or should I say lack of feelings - in my body, I'm dead. Yup. Dead. How I died is really anyone's guess, because I don't even recall myself dying in the first place. But, I can tell you with eighty-percent certainty that I am most definitely, positively dead. Several events in the past are a bit of a blur for me, but all that I can remember is that awoke to the sound of roaring, crashing waves against the cliff-side."

"I was in a room - standing in a small but oddly-comfortable room. And as I looked out the small, foggy window and took note of the grey skies, rolling waves, and endless sea, I realized that I was most definitely not in Night Vale. Where am I? Why was I brought here? How long have I been here? I did not know the answer to those questions. All I knew was that this... this place was called Asphodel Valley, and that this would be my new home for the time being. Night Vale is my hometown you see, and... let's just say that it's nothing like this place environmentally speaking, of course. The pair of bright, staring eyes that lurk in the shadows happen to be something that both places share in common, so I guess that's a bit of a plus."

"Regardless of all of those boring and insignificant things that I had just mentioned, I am so pleased to announce that I will be continuing my job and operating as Asphodel Valley's very own radio reporter! From the local news, to traffic, to weather, to horoscopes, and to pondering the very own meaning and existence of our now-extinguished lives, I am here to make your evening a pleasant one. ...And just what are the odds that I was provided with some basic broadcasting equipment on my kitchen table? Although, as I said before, I'm not entirely sure if any of this is getting through. ... I should also note that I never did make any sort of arrangement with the mayor or whatever communications department this town may have, so if I am suddenly taken off the air either temporarily or permanently, well... Then it was nice serving you while I could, my dear Listeners."

* * * * *

"And now, the news."

"The Library, located in the Old Town, was overrun by mysterious, shadowy creatures earlier today. You see, I took it upon myself to explore my surroundings and get some fresh air, which sounded like a perfectly normal idea. After traversing through the chilly Docks, I eventually found myself in the 'Old Town' as it's called. Now, I don't about you, but I feel like a library is the first place you'd want to explore when entering a town filled with decrepit buildings that look as though they might collapse at any moment, you know? I entered the building and continued to eat away at an ice cream cone that was given to me by a young girl dressed entirely in white. Her smile filled with pearly-white teeth and black, empty eyes just made it impossible for me to say no. And, yes, it was vanilla ice cream. Anyway, I was taken aback by the great and wondrous selection of books that the library held. All of these books were mine to browse and enjoy, and I couldn't have felt anymore at peace than before. As I was flipping through the pages of a tome written in a language that I couldn't understand and had a note attached to it that read 'Do not read this book. Why are you even reading this note? Put this away right now, you idiot.' I soon felt the stares of a million figures falling upon my body."

"I felt nervous and tense. My body felt cold, but I began sweating horribly. As I slowly turned my head to look behind me, my eyes met upon dozens of strange, shadowy figures. They simply stared at me, and I could think of nothing else but to stare back. But, as they began to slowly move towards me, I knew that it was probably in my best interest that I got away from them. Book with a warning note in one hand and vanilla ice cream cone in the other, I power-walked through the maze of shelves, making my way towards the door. All around me, those empty, and brightly-colored eyes were staring back at me, and I tried to crack a smile. There was a deep, muffled roar that soon sounded behind me, and I felt it grow louder and more guttural by the second. The door was finally in front of me, and I grasped the handle with my hand that I held my ice cream cone with, almost spilling some on my shoes. I escaped those staring eyes and growls, but I swore that I felt something brush against my back for just a quick moment before standing outside."

"The door slammed shut behind me, and loud thuds and crashes were heard from inside the library. I abandoned my ice cream cone and fled with the book that I had taken from the library back to my small, seaside apartment. As I ran, I felt the warm breath of someone against my neck, rasping out the words 'Why...' repeatedly to me, but there was no one there no matter how many times I looked back. I was eventually back in my apartment, and I was safe. The voice that breathed against my neck had stopped, but those growls... Those growls still echoed in my mind."

"Really, I was just trying to explore the wonders of literature and this is what I get? They could have at least tried to keep to a whisper inside of a library of all places. Now, I'm not one to judge, but a lot of those shadowy figures happened to be lurking around the Romance for Mothers in Their Early 50's and Young Adult Anthropomorphic Creatures Thriller shelves of the library, just saying... ... Anyway, the growling appears to have stopped, so I can only assume that the library is now back to its peaceful and quiet state of being. But, just to be safe, I'll keep all of you Listeners updated on whatever happens inside of that building.

It would be pretty unfortunate if one of you suddenly became overwhelmed by shadowy creatures with such questionable taste in literature, wouldn't it?"

* * * * *

"Well, now that I've got this show off the ground and going, I think now's a good time to take a small break, don't you? Here’s where you come in, Listeners. If you’d like to join me on my show and engage in some idle chatter, now’s your chance! If you’d like to be on the show via phone call, please dial the first seven digits that enter your mind, followed by the pound (#) and star (*) key. I’d be more than happy to have you on the air with me. Or, if you’re feeling daring, why not swing by my apartment to be on the air with Yours Truly in person? I'm located at the Docks in one of the rooms of the Seaside View Apartments. If the door has what looks to be an image of a goat's head carved onto it, then you're at the right room. Ahhh... Those silly, little rascals and their interesting ways at having fun... My door is unlocked, but I ask that you knock three times, pause, then knock three more times before turning the handle and entering. And whatever you do, do not touch the light switch located on the right wall of the entrance at all. DO NOT touch the light switch. Do not touch it.”

"Instead, I ask that you simply follow the sound of my lovely voice in the calming darkness, and once you’ve stubbed your toe on the leg of a table or chair, you’ll know you’re in the right place. I ask that you please take a seat in the chair across from me, and I will slide over the small, "guest microphone" over to you to speak with. This kitchen table's a bit wobbly, so try not to lean too much on it. ... Until then, I look forward to hearing from you, my dear Listeners. Please, don’t be shy; we are all friends and fellow, dead people in this small town. Or, I could very well be the only one."

* * * * *

"And now, while I eagerly await your visits and phone calls, the weather."

[humblereporting]

OOC : I'm gonna try to get an open post up for Cecil sometime today if I can, haha. I'm looking forward to role playing with you guys!

[humblereporting]

OOC : I probably should have said this a lot earlier, but Cecil is now no longer affiliated with Toshi City. Ahhh, yeah, I'm really sorry for not mentioning that much sooner, hah... Anyway, please feel free to unfollow this blog if you're a part of Toshi City!

[humblereporting]

WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL BETTER WHEN YOU ARE IN A BAD MOOD?

"Oh, what’s this? A letter from a possible Listener asking me a personal question. Well, I can’t just refuse to write back, can I?"

"Well, of course, thinking about Carlos and his beautiful, immaculate hair does do the spirits in helping me to ‘turn that frown upside-down’, like my mother used to say. But, sometimes there’s those days where even thinking about a perfect person’s lovely locks doesn’t do the trick, you know? When that doesn’t work, I like to think about how the person or creature that put me in a bad mood will eventually be reduced to nothing but decay several feet below the ground, a pile of ashes in a box, or food for the enjoyment of one of the many Great Old Ones that resides in the greatness of our universe. You know, whichever pops into my mind first, I guess.”