#lindiwe in camelot

[chancedarling]

Lindi does actually manage to surprise him again - spouting out a quick definition that definitely sounds like jargon by rote. Something she's memorised?

"Is it?"

He replies, appearing slightly incredulous as she strings out the quote about kidnapping. So where did that come from? Sounds like she's got a background where legal jargon and - precise - definitions came into it. Something in law, or the courts? Or enforcement maybe? As close as Chance ever really came to any kind of legality was his 'front' for the significantly dubious activities that fell into a rather 'murky' soup of legitimacy.

"N-no... I don't think anyone did. Does it still count as kidnapping if they let you go? Because... I mean... They kinda let us go... But... I dunno where we are... Is... Is that the same thing?"

Isn't that what… criminals do

Yep. (Well, he kinda does). Chance doesn't know whether she's correct, but he hopes that she is. He's very, very interested in meeting whoever is behind this. How? Why?

There's just a nod as she confirms the day - that part he was being honest about at least. Friday and pizza with a little online gaming... Maybe not the kind of online gaming she'd assume, but it's as honest as he needs to be in this moment. Either way... Chance is being his observant little self. She learns by rote. She's precise. Maybe involved in law or enforcement. She's also taking notes. Keeping track. Logging... Jotting down...

Useful. Her own little perspective on the situation and the people.

Chance, however is still giving his best rabbit impression, looking moderately uneasy at the suggestions, but appearing as though he's wholly buying into them. That she could be right about everything (and this point, she really could, he has no evidence at all to the contrary so every theory was viable until it wasn't).

But as she mentions pizza, he swallows hard. Makes a show of shaking himself off and bolstering enough courage to stand. Being very careful not to topple the cassettes again (even though it was hardly an accident in the first place) and he just nods, as though Lindi has provided him the perfect distractions from their conspiracy talk.

"Pizza. Yeah. I could definitely go f-for some pizza about now."

Clutching those scratchy linens close he stands. And he's not enought of an arsehol to go charging out, so he waits for her to leave first and pads along behind.

Buffet aside. She's definitely given him some food for thought...

FIN.

Lindi shrugged as Chance mumbled about his music taste, in that fake-rambling way that Paige and her teen friends did when they didn't want to explain to her why they were laughing so hard over a Cards Against Humanity card or an obscure TikTok featuring bizarre Gen Z slang. Maybe his music tastes were embarrassing. Like dubstep, or emo, or K-pop. K-pop wasn't that bad though, she could bop to Dynamite. But, whatever, Lindi was used to being in a state of constant anxiety, worrying about what other people thought of you, so she gave Chance an understanding nod and hum, motioning for him to flick through the tapes.

She also knew a thing or two about nerves making you fumble, so she gave a soft, "Oh dear!" when he sent the cassette tapes scattering across the floor. She crouched down to help Chance put the cassette tapes away, no longer worried about Chance's favourite tunes beyond the piece of small talk it had been.

Lindi turned over a cassette tape by Seal, idly humming the time of Kiss From a Rose, while Chance more seriously considered her musings about being kidnapped. "What are the other alternatives?" Lindi asked, smile tight. "Kidnapping is defined as being taken by force or fraud without consent or reasonable lawful excuse." She shrugged, looking about this warehouse. "I sure as hell did not consent to this."

Her next suggestion had truly shocked him, and Lindi almost wished she could grab the words and yank them back. She couldn't let herself spitball while considering the possibilities, not with poor Chance gawping like that, eyes wide and anxious. "I-I don't know…" She tried to reassure him, putting away the cassette tapes into the holder, taking the time to orgsnise them pleasingly by spine colour. "Isn't that what…" serial killers, "criminals do sometimes? Ingratiate themselves into the investigation, so they can stay close to it?" Lindi said, worried that she'd gone too far. Chance had a sort of glazed look to his eyes for a second there, like he was diving deep into this thought.

But he emerged, startled, revealing an informative, but extremely boring insight into his personal life. One which involved the memorisation of pizza menus and gaming with friends. A nerdy, geeky kind of guy who probably worked less than 40 hours a week but still made close to what Adam made as an almost partner barrister with his 80+ hours. Lindi did feel a brief protective urge for Chance, as if she had any ability to protect him here. "It's Friday for me too," she said, scribbling his name down in her planner on July 21st as a reminder. She didn't want to think on all of that and what it meant right now.

"Well, at least we know there's a proper boom box here," Lindi said, putting the last few of the spilled cassette tapes away into the container. Now it was a very pleasing blend of white to grey to black to red, purple, blue, green, yellow, orange and brown. Perfect. "I think I saw some pizza on the buffet? There's definitely garlic bread, and it's to die for."

[darcyxpalmer]

FMK: Adarsh, Lindi, Tej

"Fuck Adarsh - maybe give him some time to figure himself out but sure, he has a pretty face. Marry Tej - he is a gorgeous gorgeous man, I would not be opposed to waking up next to him during mornings. And we already have the bickering down to a tee, right? And then still kill Lindi. I don't think she'd disagree." @mc-adarsh, @tejvirani, @lindiwe-in-camelot

[panopticonsgirlfailure]

@lindiwe-in-camelot

[panopticonrpg]

LINDIWE'S GENERAL MEETING

With only a slight flurry of chaos - typical of any corporate meeting (or corp mtg, for short), really - @lindiwe-in-camelot's hopes for organizing some plans and structure with her colleagues truly bore some tasty fruit. With one underlying, unspoken message: they were long-term plans. For survival, but also for living. Transcript is linked in the discord server for everyone to read! The final points in summary are below under the readmore. Shoutout again to @lindiwe-in-camelot for summarizing, in-character!

OOC RESULTS - what this means for the characters:

multiple tasks and activities were established in the meeting (under readmore). Please use these character-driven ideas for your own threads and plots for the dash!

optional: groups of 3+ characters can RP task plots, planned between muns. Multi-character threads can be RP'd in private over discord, then published in full on the dash once completed! This will count towards activity (details on Oct 1st).

Meeting results (aka, plotting ideas)

communal meals - preparations and cooking. They can be prepared in large quantities using the Hub kitchen and facilities.

food inventory at the warehouse. It's a comprehensive list on a hanging clipboard for anyone to access. There's a blackboard on the wall next to it, to add any shareable fresh game, foraging, warnings, etc.

inventory list for non-food items at the warehouse

publicly available power registry list for everyone to add their name and ability

mobile phone contact exchange for inter-island texting

have a public list of dangers encountered out in the wild

conduct some map-making of the various locations

form exploration pairs/teams to investigate what's out there

build a security perimeter against roaming large animals, possibly do patrols

preparation for safety concerns & possible acts of God: weather, cruise ship's precarious position, volcano, etc

blood drive for the Medicentre's supplies

supply runs on the Odyssey to build Medicentre's supplies (and other communal supplies)

volunteers to help at the Medicentre

further investigations on the technology on the island: the cameras, generators, etc. dismantling them to see what happens

build a 'containment' (JUST CALL IT A JAIL!!!) for unruly powers

fix or replace the bridge leading to the Tower, it is broken

[unathorn]

Una had seen the pit. She's seen some tiptoeing around the edge with horrified curiosity. She'd seen at least two people lose the contents of their stomach at the sight that had been unveiled.

As for herself... A mix of nausea and dread. Those bodies were just like them. Down to the little rubber bracelets. A mockery of the stranded souls here. Each one clipped of their stones, but that ugly rubber band had withstood decomposition. A taunt. A prophecy.

Una had taken just a moment to look at her own stone then. Wondering if this had originally sat upon another wrist. That there was nothing in the design of distribution, other than to give them a second hand trinket. If she stepped into that pit and sorted through the wrists of the corpses, would she find an outline that matched the one she now wore...?

Now though, wasn't really the time for morbid mind games. Not when the woman in front of her seemed to be having some kind of crisis. Lindi... The one from the meeting.

And while Una tended to try to be kind at all opportunity, she also wouldn't lie to make reality any more palatable than it was. Coddling wasn't going to get any of them anywhere.

"We don't know that."

She speaks softly, taking a step into the hut. Being careful to avoid the flying shoes.

"We don't know what happened."

A mass grave. But no way of knowing what machinations led those people to it. Was it a dreadful fate that befell them. A sickness? A plague? A monster? Or had they lost the will to continue living?

"But I am fairly certain that, if we stop trying. Stop looking. Give up on the hope that we'll see our old lives again. Our friends. Our families. Then we won't find a way."

Maybe we die. Maybe we just die faster.

Curiosity killed the cat. But satisfaction brought it back, as Paige had used to chime to her, in that gratingly smug way that only teenagers could. Lindi had let curiosity draw her to the medi-centre. It had been like a little itch, something she needed to scratch. What was it that the hornets were digging for? What was so important that they had ceased doing everything else that had seemed so important before? Naively, she had hoped they weren't building a nest, hoped that they weren't digging a termites nest to self-perpetuate robot-hornets for the foreseeable future.

Maybe it would have been better if the hornets had been nesting. Maybe she could have pushed down her phobia, learned to live with the robot-hornets, kumbaya and all. She could still remember the damp, earthy smell of their furious digging. Maybe if she had done more gardening, she would have smelt something wrong in the dirt, a metallic heaviness that stuck to the back of her throat. Maybe that would have been enough warning to look away, to not tentatively approach the edge of the pit, to look.

Lindi can remember hearing the screaming, frantic and high-pitched. It was only after, when her throat started aching, that she realised that she had been the one screaming.

Rushing to her bungalow was a blur. She was vaguely aware of having a body, of moving it through space. The press of the wall on her back was a distant memory. Her thoughts were a panicked, adrenaline fueled and despairing spiral. She was only brought back to her body, back to reality by the sound of someone walking to her door, a quiet, soft-spoken voice calling out to her. Una. Lindi blinked, lethargic, until her gaze dropped down to the floor between herself and the door, at the horror of the muddy footprints leading to her. The gravedirt that coated her shoes. Lindi let out a pathetic sob, and hated herself for it.

"We're going to die here," she whimpered, frantically pulling off her shoes and throwing them across the room. "There's no way home."

[zaidshair]

location: the warehouse @lindiwe-in-camelot

Zaid had noticed Lindi the first time - her bunched in a messy topknot, expression pouted in serious thought - but she'd been so focussed on her clipboard and scribbling, he'd managed to duck back out of the warehouse without her noticing. Or so he assumed; maybe she thought he was avoiding her, but he'd soon alleviate any worries.

When Zaid returned to the warehouse about a half hour later (he had to make it special), it was with with a somewhat heavy paper bag.

"Alright love," he greeted, relieved that he found Lindi still in there. It would've been wretched if he'd gassed this up only for her to have moved onto other things. He held up the paper bag. "You care for a little break? I've brought lunch."

Zaid put the bag on a table, and stood in a slightly posed way. "Right. Do you see light around me? Still worried I might explode?"

Too soon to make jokes at poor Maria's expense?

[alexpanganiban]

location: the second-best bungalow costar: @lindiwe-in-camelot

"Hullo hullo hullo!!" Alex rapped on the doorframe, but that didn't prevent him from simply inviting himself inside without awaiting the formality of an invitation. He could see Lindi through the window, after all (and had overheard other people referring to her as Lindi instead of the full Lindiwe that he'd read on her paper back in the first bungalow, so Alex had immediately adjusted for better familiarity), so obviously she was at home.

"You're home! That's great, I thought you might have been out doing one of the things people seem gung-ho about doing here. Investigating or glowering or having an existential crisis." Alex waved his hands on either side of his head, smiling to show that he meant it as a joke and shouldn't be dressed down by any number of extraordinarily sensitive self-diagnosed neurodivergent people on social media, before remembering that ... wasn't a thing here.

"I thought I'd drop by for a cuppa so we could, y'know, touch base and laugh about our meet-cute at my home, and--" Alex paused, replaying that. "Home. Maybe it's a little early to be calling it that? But then again, where's the harm in people feeling a sense of being settled before we tackle the thornier questions? Home's as good a word as any."

[tempestaslokni]

Closed Starter for: @lindiwe-in-camelot Location: Lindi's Bungalow

Lokni knew that this wasn't gonna' be like having sweet tea on the front porch swing at the ranch house. This was Lindi after all, he was sure that it was going to be just about as fancy as it gets on the island. With that in mind, he decided to put on his best regalia; the embroidered vest that he had salvaged with Alex over a white longsleeved shirt. He would have liked to have dressier pants, but alas, all he had was a couple pairs of Levi's. He had spent that morning freshening up, braiding his hair, and trying to look presentable. If there was one thing that Lokni's mother had hammered home, it was to be on your best behavior when receiving an invitation anywhere. Not to mention, Lindi was prim and proper. No doubt her bungalow would be spotless, maybe even more sterile than Akhila's Medcenter. With all this in mind, Lokni made his way over midday, bringing some wild grapes that he had picked as a 'thank you' gift. Though he was a little nervous, Lokni knocked firmly and took a step back waiting for Lindi. He checked the time on his flip phone, trying to make sure that he wasn't too early or too late. He was right on time. He didn't quite understand what his nerves were for, but it wasn't every day that he got invited to tea by someone as proper as Lindi. He wanted to make a good impression. In the distance, Lokni could see people milling about the bungalows, going about their own business no doubt. The sun was shining, but not as fiercely as it had the past week or so, especially when the hornets were active. He was just about to knock on the door again when the knob turned and the door creaked inward. "Good afternoon," Lokni began in an amicable tone, "how have you been doing?"

[little-baski]

CLOSED STARTER for @lindiwe-in-camelot location: AT THE HUB timestamp: EVENT 02: PART 01: THE DRONES

The buzzing was not fun. Not fun at all. Sure, Baskar knew exactly where the Hornets were, they knew where they were flying off to, what places they might appear in next, and so forth. But it was also far too much noise. Too much sensory overload that even if they were aware that if they headed to the left they’d run into a swarm of them, they also barely registered it. Running into the next group of them scooping over the area looking for a next target. What were they doing? 

They didn’t want to know. They wanted them to finish whatever it was that kept them busy and then disappear. There were tears in Baskar’s eyes. Their teeth gritted together, every new almost altercation left them five seconds away from freaking out. But intensity was something they could handle. It hadn’t ever left them unable to cope, survival mode was in their blood. 

So when they did run into the next swarm, they were quick to shoot away and seek a place to hide. Running past the hub’s kitchen and scooting low to disappear behind the bar. Not the most well-hidden spot, but hopefully a bit too crammed for the large robots to fly into. 

They weren’t alone in thinking it a safe spot. 

Despite not having been to the meeting - because it had been far too busy - they’d seen Lindi a few times before. They recognised her without needing to hear her voice. 

Though right now it seemed a good idea to keep quiet for a moment. They pressed their finger against their lips, because they could clearly still hear the buzzing. The never ending buzzing.

[elijahbell]

starter for: @lindiwe-in-camelot

location: the feast

"Well, I'll be damned." Elijah was pretty sure he'd never seen anything like this. That was not to say he'd never been to a banquet before, there'd been plenty, but there was something incredibly surreal about seeing beautifully arranged food on a ghost-town island with nobody in sight who could've prepared it. But there it was, sitting under the nets, clearly waiting to be eaten by the bunch of hungry survivors the waves had washed ashore.

Elijah's eyes wandered along the feast. Different, varied kinds of food, still steaming. The smells not unpleasant together. His stomach growled. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving. I guess being shipwrecked will do that to you. Not that I can say I have much experience with that - believe it or not, this is my first time I have been stranded on an abandoned island." Elijah said, turning his attention to Lindiwe.

Their meeting had been by chance, though everybody was bound to meet each other with how confined the shipwreck and it's count of passengers was. She'd been alone and Elijah figured both of them could use some company while checking out the feast that'd been advertised thoroughly throughout the loudspeakers. There'd been a bit of calm immediately after the disaster, though that was starting to wear off. "I'll be honest, I almost thought there wouldn't be food. Seemed a bit too good to be true. A little bit like heaven. Though- I love being wrong sometimes." He nodded at the table. "Anything catch your fancy?"

[steveharrison]

Location: The beach @lindiwe-in-camelot

It was blissful. He had sand between his toes, no cocktail just yet, service on the island could be improved. Notes that he would definitely make later to pass onto someone who could do something about that. Right now he wanted to soak up the last glimmers of sunlight before finding out where the party started. The night was young and Steve had every intention to live.

“Okay.” He quietly affirmed, time to get a move on, those cocktails wouldn’t make themselves apparently. Further up the beach a couple were stood locked together talking. Steve cocked his head. Definitely not a couple. There she was stood chatting, and now waving at him, the cute British mum…Lindi. He waved back with pursed lips, then a gesture that alluded to who? Me?

“Oh my god!” Steve crowed as he worked up the sand towards her. Thankfully she’d peeled away from whoever it was she’d been talking to. He really couldn’t deal with all these mood-hoovers.  She already looked startled enough. “Lindi!” He pulled her into an all-consuming hug. “It’s been sooo long.” Steve quickly swept past the why and how of their separation by adding. “You look gorgeous. I can’t believe you’re here. I mean I have no idea where here is. But I totally love it.”

[charlie-s-illusions]

CLOSED STARTER for @lindiwe-in-camelot location: NEAR THE ODYSSEY timestamp: POST EVENT 02 / THE DAY OF CHARLIE'S ARRIVAL

One moment he was in his study, incognito tabs open for cheap last minute trips to Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris from Heathrow airport in London, with dates either the next day early or somewhat into next week. One-way tickets as well. The next moment, after what seemed like the blink of an eye, he woke up on a beach.

The temperature change was the most notable. He did like to keep his apartment at a manageable twenty-one degrees Celsius, enough to fog up the window when the night had been especially cold.

There was a breeze on his face and the warmth of the sun up ahead on his trimmed hair.

For a moment he thought he was manifesting, pretending he was on a Hawaiian beach - though it wasn't warm enough for that - before realising that he had not in fact laid down anywhere. Not consciously at least.

So he must've passed out.

Dreams could almost feel like reality to the dreamer, sensations so vivid that it began to make sense. The mind was powerful, it could trick anyone into believing an alternate reality.

He sat up and touched the sand, smelled the breeze, tasted the salt in the air. He could see a beach, a large cruise ship slightly tilted in the water. A figure approaching from nearby, the sound of her feet in the sand. "Where am I?" he asked, reminded of so many movies and shows where characters were transported to new realities. But also of his mother's stories.

[darcyxpalmer]

FMK: Lindi, Chance, Alex

"Fuck Chance - look at the man, he is fine, why would I not want to fuck him, right? Marry Alex - in sickness and in health and all that shit, but also, in marriages you are expected to be truthful and honest, right? So maybe if I'm his wife, he should be telling me what he knows, right? And then kill Lindi - it's the obvious choice, honestly." @chancedarling, @alexpanganiban, @lindiwe-in-camelot

[panopticonrpg]

CAMELOT

Name: Lindiwe Tyrell

Age: 40

Gender: Cis Woman

Power: Emotional Aura Reading

FC: Gugu Mbatha-Raw

You've always been the odd duck in your family, the one who trailed behind your friend group on the sidewalk, the afterthought for lunch plans among coworkers. People said they loved you, yet you were never anyone's person. You tell yourself that you chose these people, because you were sure they would stand by you too, in the end. It started with problems at work and your coworkers turned a blind eye. Then you had a personal emergency and no friend would pick up the phone. And then your family fell into trouble - everyone scrambling to help each other, expecting you to help them...but no one helping you. This was your last memory, before you wake up on a strange island. They say the real family is who you choose. Does that mean the people related through blood and a lifetime of memories, or these strangers who know nothing about you? Is this your chance to be noticed, or ignored all over again?

CONNECTIONS:

NARNIA: Meeting Narnia, it feels like meeting the best friend you always dreams of having. A person who might actually care about you when things go awry, perhaps a shoulder to cry on, a comfort during dark times. Does Narnia feel similar about you? You're not sure, and maybe you're willing to find out. ARRAKIS: Although they seem familiar, you're not sure if you've ever met Arrakis before landing on the island. Regardless, you feel a little afraid of Arrakis, who seems so unemotional and detached from reality. If you ended up owing them anything, how would you feel about it?

This skeleton is TAKEN

[zaidshair]

Task 002: *makes whale noises*

Zaid's accent to anyone outside of the UK is an 'English accent'. Within the UK, it's Sheffield/Yorkshire, with a rubbing of west London. And within Sheffield it was 'Pak-immigrant'. His tone is perpetually hoarse and soft-spoken, even when he gets testy and pissed. When he gets louder and more punitive, it's still deeply restrained. He's only really sing-song, casual, and playful amongst the people he...well no one at this moment (@tejvirani, soz babes). Closest he's got is with @lindiwe-in-camelot and @choihyejinx , and a touch with @lapsus-memoriae-gael. I love this film because Riz uses a Sheffield accent (UKers can tell how badly done it is LMAO) and it's exactlyyyyy how I imagine Zaid speaks:

For my body-language bonus, this is Riz doing spoken word/rap, but it demonstrates Zaid's body language. A lot of straight unblinking eye-contact, and restrained body-movement. He'll only move to punctuate something he feels strongly about. At the 3:10 point, he snarls, which is very Zaid expressiveness when he wants to get a point across.

[alexpanganiban]

location: bungalow row costar: @lindiwe-in-camelot

"Yes," Alex said, though he was by himself -- well, physically by himself, by himself in terms of nobody else was standing with him. But in a more accurate way of looking at it, he wasn't ever going to be by himself here, wherever, was he? Not with the regular studding of cameras around the place, providing constant surveillance for an as-yet-unidentified person or persons.

And very likely, there was nobody else who'd come off the Odyssey who understood what it was like living constantly in the camera's eye like Alex Panganiban. So!-- "Yes," he said again, with more conviction, "this will do very nicely for me." The corner bungalow had the best situation, and as Alex forged ahead into it, he realized with a rude shock that somebody else was entering from the other door. "HELLO!" Alex brayed, rushing forward into the little house. "I'm here! This is taken! Occupado!"