Sophie’s Tuesday evening odd encounter(Esme)
Date: 2025-08-05 20:20
(Sophie’s Tuesday evening odd encounter(Esme):Esme)
[Tue Aug 5 2025]
At Thornberry and Washington/span
It is after dusk, about 71F(21C) degrees, and there are clear skies. The mist is heaviest At High and Blackstone/span
There is a waxing gibbous moon.
Dovie adjusts her handbag as she looks around a moment before turning to Esme to await instructions.
Obadiah slips his hands into his pant pockets, stretching his face muscles as he waits for instructions, getting his best used car salesman face ready
Sophie ruffles her hair, looking up at a stray strand.
claps her hands together, leading the trio to a storefront that has been turned into a temporary popup because of course it has. Money and connections. “Okay! So. The bullshit goin’ on here is targeted ad campaigns and all these companies essentially being bribed to do it.” She explains. “Some target supernaturals, encouraging them to take what their owed and the naturals are feelin’ less than an’ therefore are easier to manipulate.” There’s already people running around the space – laptops set up and printers firing on all cylinders. “Our job is pretty simple all told, I think? Pushing counter ad-campagins, shoving flyers in people’s hands. Shoutin’ from tha rooftops it’s all bullshit. How’s that sound?” ((OOC: Obviously open to ideas, but I’m figuring a series of related rolls and some montaging make the most sense here with all the info I’m seeing. But I primarily leave it in your hands!))
Dovie nods at Esme, letting out a hum and she strokes her chin in thought. “Maybe one of the parts of the counter ad campaign is treat others the way you want to be treated? The Golden Rules seems applicable here, as simple as it sounds?”
Sophie shoots Dovie a quick grin, eyes bright with approval. “Honestly? I love that. Feels almost too wholesome, which makes it perfect. Hits the gut.” She glances between the three of them, then adds, “We can build off that. Contrast the Golden Rule with what these ads are actually pushing. Like, ‘Treat others the way you want to be treated… not bought, sold, or broken.'”
Sophie snaps her fingers as an idea clicks. “What if we stage a mirror wall? Big installation, middle of a busy spot. Across the top, it just says: ‘What do you see when you’re not being sold something?’ Let people stop, really look at themselves without an ad in their face.”
“Sounds good to me!” Dovie chirps back, though as she sees Obadiah gathering those around him, Dovie starts to put herself out there, flirting and hypnotizing her way shamelessly into trying to get an even BIGGER amount of volunteers than Obie…
“Welp,” Obadiah says before wandering off, using his best charming smile, Mercer Money (Maybe a smidge of Chandler-Wei, and a bit of Fairchild) and worst come to worst, good old fashioned mind control to gather an army of loyal henchman. When he is finished pied piper-ing the masses he returns. “Ok, now what?”
Dovie returns with a crowd of volunteers that add to the ones Obadiah has brought, she bops back over to Obadiah, Esme, and Sophie. “What game? You did so good, darling! Now we just tell the lemmings to make some noise and such.” She looks towards Sophie, calling out, “Do you need help with that?”
Sophie nods at Esme, asking for some volunters to help draw people to use the art installation and to use their social media to spread the word.
“I feel like crowd building is like Scuba Vampires,” Obadiah squints at Dovie before looking at the crowd of lemmings as it grows and Dovie wins the biggest cult following game.
Sophie giggles, “Scuba Vampires sounds like..” She shakes her head, “I don’t wanna think of underwater vampires.” She hooks up a bluetooth speaker to blast positive tunes and to draw more people in.
Dovie snorts at Obadiah. “Takes one to know one,” she quips back before she instructs a group of those volunteers to begin singing Imagine by John Lennon. A good number of them put their cell phone flashlights on, holding them up as the crowd chants and swas.
Sophie runs around collecting people for the sing-a-long excitedly while filming.
Between all four of them it’s fairly easy to get a decent number of volunteers and curious pedestrians. The pop up is full of people working to push #GoldenRule on social media and other inspiring tags about loving ones self and not buying in to false propaganda. There’s definitely no fae games afoot though Dovie clearly has more people coming to her to ask questions between herself and Obadiah. Sophie and Esme work on the Installation right there in the square near the shop. A large mirror and banners questioning people and making them stop and think, especially with Sophie’s extra work engaging people who stop.
Between the music and Dovie’s abilities, there’s a nice little chorus of “Imagine” happening to accent the bigger crowd being drawn by Obadiah’s fliers and the social media ad campaign.
Sohpie’s able to wrangle in a few more stragglers. Once theres’ a good group going on, Esme moves to the trio, “Okay, now which one ah you wants t’ tell them all they’re bein’ lied to an’ expose the companies?”
Sophie looks at Obadiah, Dovie and Esme, “Someone with an alluring voice and way of speaking. Which, is not me. I’m best in text.”
Obadiah sets in motion his grandest move yet, deploying the Obieites, to distract the masses from the marketing by preaching the Truth, that Scuba Vampires are real and pose a threat to Fae and Human alike. He whips his followers into a frenzy, deploying them en mass to preach the good word, and also hand out flyers for the art exhibit and coupons for free pizza at Vincenzo’s. Those are probably counterfeit. Sofia can spank him later for it.
Sophie follows the lead of those around her, aiding where she can. She doesn’t have the same networks or the same social skills, but keen. She’s also, as an employee of Vincenzo’s able to put some weight being Obie’s promises. Even if it gets her glared at later.
Esme nods to Sophie, “Yeah, I’m not one for this kinda stuff.” Then she looks to Dovie, “You wanna take the stage? Tie this all in ah bow? Bein’ a siren an’ all.”
Sophie grins at Esme, “We’re good minions, they’re good face people.”
Dovie cheers and sways with the crowd, she nods at Esme before walking up to the stage, taking the mic in hand. “Hello New Haven!!” The crowd cheers. “I want to dedicate a song to all of you here tonight as we gather as one…” She begins to sing, an unearthly, unusual melody rising from her voice.
Sophie whistles loudly for Dovie in an encouraging and excited manner.
The crowd is fully focused on Dovie and her beautiful singing!
When Dovie finishes the song, she beams out at the audience, “Remember,” she says into the mic, which booms around in the area. “Tell all your friends, family, and anyone you know really about this amazing message of peace and community!” She looks to Obadiah, Sophie and Esme to see if there are any other words.
Obadiah shakes his head, “Nope I think that about sums it up!” He glances to Sophie, “Any wise words from our Master Scroll in training?”
Sophie grins at Obadiah, “A single grain of rice can tip the scale.” She looks at the group, as she chuckles, “Haven’t quite hit the class on wise words. Seriously though, this was impressive.”
Dovie puts the mic away, hopping off the stage and telling Sophie. “Your art installation is awesome!”
Obadiah motions for the Obieites to cheer loudly for Dovie and Sophie. Their leader demands it.
Sophie funnels off that praise to the rest of the team and throws it back out into the audience for being amazing and brave enough to look inside themselves.
There’s lot of cheering for positive messaging and booing for evil corporations that take bribes! All in all? Extremely successful detractions from the original messaging and as for the cleanup? Well, that’s what they have people for. Their work is done.
Dovie claps. “Great job everyone!’
grins. “Great job!” She echoes. “I gotta jet but hopefully that’s Elysia handled for a while.”
Obadiah nods and winks at the gathered women, “Alright! Let’s head home. Sophie need a lift somewhere?”
Dovie nods at Esme. “Me too, thank you for organizing.” She waves to Sophie and Obadiah.