Even paradise could become a prison if one had enough time to take notice of the walls
welcome to Dire Tactics
Oddities are individuals born with extraordinary gifts. Because of this they are hated, feared and generally persecuted across the globe. In an attempt to give them a refuge the billionaire Theodore Ashford has created Ashford Isle. Presented as a Sanctuary for the special some believe their to be much darker motives behind his generosity.
Ashford Isle
A state of the art city powered completely by renewable energy, gorgeous modern building erected against the backdrop of a tropical paradise. It has all the luxuries modern technology can afford accompanied by the natural beauty and serenity only nature can provide. This city is open to all Oddities and their families, along with several hundred A.R.I. employees, it boast a modest population of just over 5,000 individuals consisting of a mix between both human and oddity. This wonderful utopia however is shaded in mystery both metaphorically and literally. The United Nations have dispatched several fleets of O.S.E. ships near the island, this gives the coastline a ominous view.
Blueprint is a premade Proboards v5 theme designed and built by punki of Adoxography and Pixel Perfect. Dire Tactics is the work of the mind of Clover. All characters and content are copyright their creators, and may not be replicated without their creators' permission. All images belong to their original owners.
updates
1/06/23
We would like to welcome our newest citizens to the island! David, Alice, Lynn, & Emmett welcome to paradise!
1/01/23
Ashford Isle is finally recovering from the massive hurricane and officially back open for business!
chapter 12: feel the beat of the rhythm of the night
Dr. Cami Q.- Carter
Human
female
bisexual
married to Taylor
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Post by Dr. Cami Q.- Carter on Sept 5, 2023 18:33:28 GMT -5
She looked from left to right as she opened the locker and then scanned the papers. "Apartment 999," she said as she pushed the locker closed and made her way down. Cami did not need to be checked out having the second most level of clearance so she had simply left and now made her way down to apartment 999. "Sir, sir I need you to open this door," she said as she looked around. "Sir with all the babies open this door. My name is Cami and I, we need to talk. Mr. Quinzell are you at home?" Maybe he was not at home that did make sense. People went to work but she did need to talk to him. She simply sat down and waited. She was just about to give up hope as the night came and she thought she heard foot steps and yet nothing. "Maybe I will come back tomorrow," she said as she started to make her way down. "Funny I thought I felt something when I knocked on that door guess not," she said as she carefully walked down and looked up. Dr. Taylor Quinzell
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Dr. Taylor Quinzell
Human
male
bisexual
married to Cami and Carter <3
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Post by Dr. Taylor Quinzell on Sept 5, 2023 20:22:37 GMT -5
He was not sure how the first interaction would go, he only knew it was going to happen sooner rather than later. He did not expect it to be at night while he was trying to go the back way around and take out his trash. "Cami and her keys," he said as he stopped. What were they, oh estranged. Estranged husband and wife now. So weird but he was adjusting to it. "Are you the one that was knocking on my door?" he asked as he stepped where she could see him because he was a lot of things but a stalker was not one of them. "You and your keys might get you in trouble, we should get you back to the facility." Why had she came here? He looked at her but she did not seem to have that star on her forehead. "What brought you here Cami, our children are asleep. I planned to do a video call to you tomorrow when they were up." Dr. Cami Q.- Carter
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Dr. Cami Q.- Carter
Human
female
bisexual
married to Taylor
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Post by Dr. Cami Q.- Carter on Sept 6, 2023 5:56:02 GMT -5
"All true," she said. "I don't like it there so when the people are asleep I use my keys and sneak out. You would be surprised at the amount of treasure box stuff I keep locked away because I do not trust most people and well I opened this locker and it had things in it, stuff that seemed to say come here. Had no idea it was to you but here we are." "That's not a home Quinzell, it does not feel like a home. I mean do not get me wrong they are nice enough and it's not like I am on any medicine but home it is still not even in all of it's beauty. Maybe this was home once right or else why am I here, plus I am starving. They feed me like an old person in there." "Also video calls are so impersonal I do not care how good the technology is, so I need food and then I will go back unless I fall asleep in which case I will go back in the morning, as long as I am back before six am no one will ever know. You seem to be emptying your trash so I'm going to go down to this all night diner and get some food, guess I'll see you tomorrow." Dr. Taylor Quinzell
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Dr. Taylor Quinzell
Human
male
bisexual
married to Cami and Carter <3
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Post by Dr. Taylor Quinzell on Sept 6, 2023 8:12:00 GMT -5
Of course she kept a treasure box. He took a minute to think of how to handle this situation. He turned and threw his trash away and then he sighed. "Just stay there a second," he said. He had to keep some sort of distance between them as he washed his hands and returned with food on a paper plate. "It's an adjustment learning to cook for one so you can have this if you want. I washed my hands so no worries there either." He took a seat on his front steps and put the plate down. "So you are not supposed to be here but since you are tell me about this treasure box." He was learning new stuff all the time and he did like it. Dr. Cami Q.- Carter
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Dr. Cami Q.- Carter
Human
female
bisexual
married to Taylor
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Post by Dr. Cami Q.- Carter on Sept 6, 2023 14:37:57 GMT -5
He was gone and then he was back and she watched him. She nodded as she too took a seat next to him and looked over the plate. "Ugh seasoning Quinzell," she said as she ate it anyway. "No wonder we are not together anymore," she said as she stopped eating. She shrugged. "Well I started this treasure box about three months ago. I still don't know why I guess it was just this thing that helped me when I felt lost, sad, was giving up hope. There are a lot of pictures of you in it. There are these star fragments, and this was in there." She pulled out the folded blue star paper and opened it as she started to read it. "What makes an epic love? I am not sure such a thing could exist but if it does I find it is a book of chapters we write without realizing it. We hit the highs, the lows, involve characters and emotions but at the center of it all, it is a treasure in a box that we open on the deepest of times when we are so lost." She shrugged. "So you know what that tells me? You're keeping something from me Quinzell because no one would be in my treasure box with tons of pictures and shit wrote like this if we were just friends with kids." She gently touched her forehead. "Also this little light scar hurts a lot," she said as she turned to him. She did not even ask to grab his hands she just did and made him feel the scar. "Your hands are warm, not cold like the others." Dr. Taylor Quinzell
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Dr. Taylor Quinzell
Human
male
bisexual
married to Cami and Carter <3
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Post by Dr. Taylor Quinzell on Sept 6, 2023 17:10:24 GMT -5
He laughed and shook his head. "Yeah my lack of cooking was the reason," he said as she started talking. This was news to him so much he had missed and looked over and all the reason they were where they were at now. They were indeed fragments of themselves, pieces of who they were scattered in the wind, trying their best to be who they are now and maybe find a way back. He listened and he heard her again. "I think you have read one too many detective novels Cami," he said. "I'm friends with all the mothers of my children." However then she had his hands and just sat still but he did not freeze up that would be too suspicious. "All I am aware of is that there was a very bad magic there and it had to be pulled out. I have one too," he said as he followed suit by placing her hands on his own head. They did not need to be doing this. She was not even supposed to be here and Taylor was already over emotional on his own. However he was going to keep it together as he put his forehead against hers. Luckily nothing happened, they could just be. "I'm sorry you hate it there but you can not come out like this Cami." Though it did make his heart less broken to see her he had to be stern. "You need to be with a group of women so you can express all of your feelings and then we go from there." He was honestly so far gone in her presence still. "You can stay like five more minutes and then you have to go back." Dr. Cami Q.- Carter
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Dr. Cami Q.- Carter
Human
female
bisexual
married to Taylor
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Post by Dr. Cami Q.- Carter on Sept 6, 2023 17:46:59 GMT -5
"So you keep saying but you are not saying why," she said as she stood up and looked at him. "So this is what we are going to do, you're going to look me in my face and my eyes and tell me to go back there. Then I'll go." She shrugged. "I think that you are keeping something from me to protect me Quinzell and I thank you for that but we share children, we apparently shared that magic, so why are you pushing so hard from me?" She pulled out her keys. "Want to go to my apartment? The children may prefer it there as opposed to yours." She felt like he was lying. "Well I mean what was the final straw of our break up, surely it could not have been cooking. Cooking can be improved upon." Dr. Taylor Quinzell
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Dr. Taylor Quinzell
Human
male
bisexual
married to Cami and Carter <3
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Post by Dr. Taylor Quinzell on Sept 6, 2023 18:47:28 GMT -5
"So ever curious duckling," he said under his breath. "I mean leave," he said as he did not look her in her face. He knew he should have stayed in the house. "I mean, what, girl, no." He was about to melt down he could tell. Not mentally but just fold over and tell her all that she wanted to know. "I'm not pushing hard from you. I am gently skating around you because we share four kids." Yes he did. "No, Cami. I mean it's just bad if we wake them up and get them off of sleeping time which they do not sleep very long anyway." Oh, well he could not say that she went crazy that would be rude. "Well," he said. He sighed. "I think we wanted it so bad but where we were was not in a place of people who need to be able to take on what it meant to be married. So now we are still married just in different places. I had no idea you were making a treasure box, if I had.." Be strong. He had to make her do this which sucked but she needed this more than she needed him at the moment. "Now I'm going to go in the apartment and lock the door and I'm sorry but you need to go back." He quickly walked into the apartment and shut the door and locked it. Dr. Cami Q.- Carter
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Dr. Cami Q.- Carter
Human
female
bisexual
married to Taylor
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Post by Dr. Cami Q.- Carter on Sept 6, 2023 18:49:57 GMT -5
EPIC. Endure. Peace. Integrate. Ceremony. They were collectively at the endure stage. to remain firm under suffering or misfortune without yieldingWhat he said before did not matter because when he walked into that apartment and she heard it lock, she simply stood there. Shock ran over her body because why. She wanted to rage and yell at him and she wanted to just kick him in his pretty mouth. "Bye," she simply said as she turned herself to walk away. "You can have the treasure box, Quinzell. Perhaps you can find something to do with it since it's new." Dr. Taylor Quinzell
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Dr. Taylor Quinzell
Human
male
bisexual
married to Cami and Carter <3
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Sept 7, 2023 16:48:45 GMT -5
Post by Dr. Taylor Quinzell on Sept 7, 2023 16:48:45 GMT -5
Enduring was hard because you had to be firm when all you wanted to do was to collapse, but this was, well it was ironically a Miley Cyrus song of all things. He hated Miley Cyrus songs but their marriage had literally seemed to layer itself up under the words of a song of Miley's. He carefully watched her leave and only once she was out of distance did he unlock the door and stare down at the treasure box. Pictures and pictures and the star noting what an epic love was. Did she know? Questions on top of questions but he hoped that she did not for he could not endure if she knew and did not let it play out. Let the chapters come and let the moments, be surprised by them. He felt the small tug on his leg as Star began to climb his leg. He picked her up with his free hand and sighed. "Yes Star, it is indeed the climb," he said as he gave her a slight squeeze. "Oh my god you feel normal." As the next morning came he had decided to see if he could get clearance to take the four kids to actually see Cami and boy having a boyfriend who worked for Avery did indeed pay off as he was able to take Skylar, Star, Hunter, and Hayden to see Cami. He had even been able to arrange for them to be a small bit away from the center so neither one of them had to worry about the impression it might leave on the young kids minds. "So, I had a thought after you left yesterday. Thank you for not pushing on the subject by the way." Dr. Cami Q.- Carter
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Dr. Cami Q.- Carter
Human
female
bisexual
married to Taylor
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Sept 7, 2023 18:48:14 GMT -5
Post by Dr. Cami Q.- Carter on Sept 7, 2023 18:48:14 GMT -5
She nodded as she listened to him. "Well I did not know if it would lead to anything so I truthfully just left as you asked. I figured when you were ready if that time would ever come then you would come to me and if not then this visit though it changed I was not expecting you to show up in person." Also with the kids. "Thank you for bringing them so how are we going to do this, who is going to hold who?" she asked. "I mean I can hold them all four Quinzell if you want me too." She raised an eyebrow at him saying that he had a thought. "What is that, if it involves you running again, I'm not up for it." She reached over. "Hand me the boys won't you?" Dr. Taylor Quinzell
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Dr. Taylor Quinzell
Human
male
bisexual
married to Cami and Carter <3
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Sept 8, 2023 6:17:37 GMT -5
Post by Dr. Taylor Quinzell on Sept 8, 2023 6:17:37 GMT -5
He knew he had to approach and handle this with extreme care. "Will you just call me Taylor," he said. He did not know why she was referring him by his last name, it was not like he was his father. He looked them over and handed Hunter and Hayden to Cami. "Here," he said as it put him in close proximity with his estranged wife. "Sometimes I have amazing ideas and other times not so much but yes, no running. It's about that treasure box," he said as he watched Star and Skylar crawl towards Cami as well. "What are the rules to what go into it or is it just like a keep sake?" If he expected her to ask questions then he needed to start asking questions as well. "I want to make you one that way you do not have to make it yourself." How alone had she felt to make something so valuable he had thought about that too. "Thinking perhaps I could put four things in it, I just need the correct four things." Four seemed to be the thing, the beyonce and jay z of the island he thought as well as he shook his head again. "I am a hardcore deep down romantic but this is something that I am doing for you so I figured it best to ask." Dr. Cami Q.- Carter
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Dr. Cami Q.- Carter
Human
female
bisexual
married to Taylor
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Sept 8, 2023 8:25:14 GMT -5
Post by Dr. Cami Q.- Carter on Sept 8, 2023 8:25:14 GMT -5
She took a second and looked at him as he handed over their children and the other two begin to crawl on her. "Sure," she said. She adjusted herself and then she stood up as it was easier than trying to sit with them. "There are no rules Quinzell," she said. "The treasure box is just something that says hey I know that this or in your case these are important. The reasons do not matter it just shows that time and effort are important." She handed the boys back over to him. "Never been good with boys," she said as she watched the girls finally let loose of her and began to crawl around her and him. "Look Taylor, if I have to tell you what to put in it then you really do not get it. Apparently I chose you so that should tell you everything about where I was, where I am. All those keys and I came to you. I chose you so I mean, it obviously broke me." She shook her head. "Neither here or there though, perhaps you will figure it out, not like I'm getting completely out of here any time soon anyway." She reached under the table and pulled out a key. "Look we are going to put these babies in the daycare and then I am going to show you something. Maybe it will help you figure out what you want. You do trust me right?" Dr. Taylor Quinzell
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Dr. Taylor Quinzell
Human
male
bisexual
married to Cami and Carter <3
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Sept 8, 2023 12:05:09 GMT -5
Post by Dr. Taylor Quinzell on Sept 8, 2023 12:05:09 GMT -5
"So no rules? What about feelings?" He sighed as he listened. "The reasons have to be important I mean the thoughts that go into the reasons that we do things are important but okay," he said. "I am going to figure it out," he said as she was pulling out keys. That was a bit concerning but he nodded. "Of course Cami," he said. She still had so many keys, so so many keys and look at him, talking about treasure boxes and not realizing the answer was right there staring him in the face but it was not time for that quite yet for endure, endure. Once they had dropped the kids off he took a second to run his hands through his hair and spoke. "Do you know?" he asked as he went and stood under a tree. "I think that you might know so do you know?" he asked. Dr. Cami Q.- Carter
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Dr. Cami Q.- Carter
Human
female
bisexual
married to Taylor
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Sept 8, 2023 14:14:17 GMT -5
Post by Dr. Cami Q.- Carter on Sept 8, 2023 14:14:17 GMT -5
"Feelings are the things that guide us," she said. She walked with him to drop the babies off and she was surprised when he stopped under a tree. Oh right hardcore romantic as she turned and looked at him. "Do I know where the key goes? Yes Quinzell, I know where all the keys go. I mean that's a part of my job to know all the apartments and to know where the keys go and the levels of access." She looked at him and shrugged. "Other than that I do not know anything. You are quite hard to read," she said. "It's like before I got in here I could feel your energy but now I can't so I am having to relearn you as it seems you are having to relearn me." She blinked sadly. "I have never been in the position of being a wife who has had to relearn her husband, excuse me estranged husband so we are both doing something new. I am not capable of treasure boxing this because I only have small amount of memories to go on. It sucks but you said it was best for us so I am holding onto that." She grabbed his hand and walked with him. "Now come on, I need to show you this," she said as she stopped and turned to face him again holding his hand. She looked down at their hands and she looked at him as she snaked her hands up his arm. "Hmm, look at that Quinzell," she said as she stood there. "Wow you really are broad shouldered," she said as she put her hands on his shoulders. "Like, damn." Dr. Taylor Quinzell
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