DON'T TOUCH THAT DIAL - INVESTIGATION

[goneawaymod]

DON'T TOUCH THAT DIAL

There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call...The Twilight Zone.

LINKS
OOC FAMILY INFO/WORKSHIPPING
PLOT PART 1
NIGHT EVENT
NETWORK POST

MAP


Click for larger map

Darlington High School: The town's high school, home to various cliques of teenagers, and containing secrets that can only be discovered after dark.

Sheriff's Station: The sheriff seems like a typical sitcom sheriff, neighborly and helpful, but the sheriff's station has carefully guarded files that might be of interest to the New Hires.

Abandoned Factory: In such a sunshiney town, why is there an abandoned building?

Library: Information about the town can be found here, including a section with town records.

TV Studio: The possible source of strange broadcasts that can be found on TVs in Darlington.

???: A completely unassuming house.

Abandoned Mall: Another abandoned building, and one that's outside of time. This shopping mall is a decade or two early for the time period in the sitcom. Perhaps something useful can be found inside.

Murnjgod Appliances: The TV's in the window of Murnjgod Appliances sometimes display cryptic messages that might offer clues or puzzles to be deciphered.

DETAILS

The first night and day don't leave them much freedom. The sitcom scenarios keep them occupied periodically during the day and evening and then whatever brought them there dragged them "home" the first night around 10 pm and then battened down every door and window of the building they were each in.

The second day is much the same. Forced scenarios, some free time in between. It's only at night fall that something relaxes, like the world is letting out a sigh. There is a sense of pervasive fatigue like whatever was pushing them through this has just exhausted itself trying to control all of them at once.

That means the doors and windows stay unlocked that night, allowing some of them to move around.

The streets are empty - emptier than streets often are in reality. There's no one driving home from a late shift or walking their dog. There are no barking dogs for that matter, either, despite them sometimes being visible in yards around the neighborhood.

Sitcoms tend to move to interior settings at night. So the streets are eerily quiet and empty. At 10 pm on the second night, instead of dragging them home and trapping them, every light in town other than their own house lights and the street lamps turns off simultaneously.

Their doors lock once but almost as if it's for show, a bluff to make them think they're trapped again. They can be unlocked and opened this time. The houses all have flashlights, and sheds full of tools that can maybe be used to break into places.

It's time to get to the bottom of this.

Comments

[credit_not_blame]

"Same kid from before," Stacia says, tapping the name on this colored file. "Sounds like he's a tech whiz in addition to being a TV and film buff. Maybe we should skip the records room and go right for the film club? Hard to say how long before something notices we're poking around where we shouldn't be."

[tr1xx]

"Yeah, probably a good idea. We can hit the records after if we think we have time," Cammie agrees. "No way this kid's name coming up twice in some of the only real files in the place is a flippin' coincidence. The fact he picked sitcoms for his prank and we're flippin' stuck in one, like...."

She gestures vaguely. He's gotta be connected to the state of this place, some way. Deliberately, or willingly or not is harder to say.

"Alright. Let's go check the film club." And hope it's not all freaky in there.

[piper90npcs]

The film club seems shifted into the real world. It's a room filled with dusty computers and abandoned cameras. The kind of equipment that's normally too valuable to leave abandoned, but only in a world that isn't post apocalypse, where food and medical supplies are far more valuable.

There is nothing really significant to be found here but there are at least pictures in places, mostly on a bulletin board.

Nichols' picture is here, tacked up with a handwritten letter he sent to the teacher in charge of the club, complete with little TV related doodles he clearly thought she'd get a kick out of in the margins.

Dear Mrs. Grady,

Guess who got into UCLA? Ya boy!

I'll be starting in the fall!

This summer I also got a temp job at KGJM, Clarksdale's local (and only lol) tv station. It's not an internship exactly but they needed someone to work as a gofer and I impressed them during the interview because of the awards I won so they probably think I'll be all eager to do a ton of work for like no money (and they're right lol).

Bringing people's coffee. So super glamorous. But I'm ready to start paying my dues and am already practicing the "How would you like your latte, Mr. Affleck?"

Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you because I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for you. Not just when it comes to video production, or finding my voice with what I create, but also in how you helped me with what was happening at home. If you hadn't told the school counselor to get DCF involved I'd still be festering in that rat hole.

I'm not ready to call Shelly and Trish mom and mom yet, but I think I might get there. They actually care about me, and home isn't all crazy now. I live in a house that actually has stuff like food, and forget just getting new clothes, they got me JORDANS. They're always nice to me and they listen and they actually pay attention to me. Everything got so much better after I came to live with them.

I know my bio parents aren't bad people. They were good parents whenever they were lucid and they tried to quit so many times. Their druggie shit was always just sad but I finally realized they're just never going to get better in the amount of time I needed them to. And it's not my job to babysit them until they do.

But I still could get better. And I have.

Thank you for helping me find the thing I was passionate about, but also for basically saving my life and making it so I even have a future. Hopefully my parents will get better someday but in the mean time I have Shelly and Trish helping me be okay. (Along with a butt load of therapy).

So thanks for everything. I know you told me before, that the way I could really thank you was making it so you see my name in some credits somewhere. So keep an eye out. Someday my name's going to be in lights, baby! Hollywood, here I come!

-Osh Kosh B'Josh, not to be confused with Josh 2, Tall Josh, or Ninja Josh.

(Srsly how were there four of us at the same time??? lol)

[ooc: Go ahead and have them react but stay in the room, there will be a surprise lolol.]​

[credit_not_blame]

Food and medical supplies may be more valuable than computers and cameras, but the Rig technically supplies the former to their "employees". Stacia mutters a thank you to Cockroach and to her Glass Walker friends for teaching her about what is and isn't useful and lets Cammie check the room while she loots the computers for parts she can smuggle back onto the Rig.

[tr1xx]

"Not sure if I like the fact this place isn't all sitcom-y," Cammie comments idly as she examines the bulletin board, then she goes quiet as she reads through the letter.

It's quite sad, really, reading something like this in the midst of the abandoned school.

"Looks like that Nichols kid's life really did turn around after that report. Heading to college, got a summer job... sent a letter back to his teacher thanking her and everything. And then..."

She remembers the big hole in the nurse's office and shudders. War sucks. And whatever's happening here in the aftermath of it is even worse.