EVENT 007

[sticksandbonesmods]

EBB AND FLOE

A WINTERFUL LIFE

cw: food scarcity

The December snows roll in heavy, and with it, the fear-monsters and little pranksters that harassed you all month disperse into black mist. Whether they were about to kill you, stalking you, or pulling your hair, as soon as the moon hits its zenith, the beasts are gone. The mists float harmlessly into the air, hopefully to never be seen again. Hopefully.

For now, you’re free. The Forest and the Creature within slumber, as the cold seeps into every corner of the confined space you reside in and beyond. No longer will the entities within the woods try to kill you just for putting a toe past the fog wall. No longer does anybody sense a lingering danger. Finally, the Grove is peaceful. You can only hope it’ll last.

Unfortunately, while no mysterious monsters are working to murder you in cold blood, nothing can be done about the river freezing over, cutting off access to fish, and nothing can be done about the General Store running out of meat. The river’s ice cannot be broken nor melted. The grasses and flowers have shrivelled under the extreme cold; the trees are twiggy and leafless. Mysteriously untouched are the gifts from the Guardians — the blackberry bush on the opposite side of the river and the apple tree on the bank near the school continue to fruit throughout the month. Remember to say “thank you” before you feast from what remains.

At the very least, the General Store has plenty of trail mix, vegetables, and crackers. It’ll be a difficult month — but so far, you’ve endured much worse. Surely a little hunger can’t kill you now?

FREEZE THE DAY

During the day, the cold isn’t that bad. Sure, there’s a foot of snow on the ground and more keeps falling, and sure, snowball fights aren’t exactly fun anymore because your fingers get way too chilly way too quickly — but the sun still shines, and sometimes you can stand out in a sunny spot and feel a whole five degrees warmer than you were a moment ago. It’s tolerable. During the night, however, the temperatures dip well below freezing, and the air is so frigid that it dries your skin out on contact. Frostbite threatens to set in within minutes if you aren’t properly dressed.

Fires are harder to light, too, even if they’re indoors. You’ll find that, should you get one lit, it’ll go out within half an hour. None of the buildings stay warm for very long past night, and though they aren’t completely frozen-over, it’s the least bit uncomfortable for those who aren’t cold-faring to cope with. What is there to do, other than grab as many blankets as possible and make a nest or a fort, or maybe even grab a friend and leech their body heat? They don’t need that, right?

While you’re bothered by the weather, the Shopkeeper, Trader, and the two Guardians present within the Grove are entirely unaffected. Rusty, however, is merely a dog. He’ll help himself to cuddling against you whenever he can, including letting himself into your room at night and getting under the covers while you sleep. He will thank you in the mornings by leaving you a simple gift at your feet: A bone he found outside, because he loves you.

…one has to wonder how he broke in in the first place, though.

PARTING IS SUCH SLEET SORROW

Midway through the month, the snowfall begins to pick up. While the Grove hasn’t quite hit blizzard territory yet, the snow is consistent and unending, especially late at night. On occasion, mixed in with the delicate snowflakes, are tiny golden lights. Should they go untouched and unobstructed, they’ll simply fade away when they flutter to the ground. But should you, say, catch one on your tongue with the other flakes, or have one brush your hand, or purposely try to grab one?

It will float through you, into you, and your mind will be transported elsewhere. To the past, as you were when you were here originally. It is a vision of your past life, of memories long lost, of a “you” that isn’t “you” as you are now. Whether the golden light has you spectating as if you’re seeing yourself on a television screen, or acting the part of the old “you”, that matters little to the vision the golden light wanted to show you. It will end when it wants to end, you see. You could get an hour of a memory, or a single minute, or three whole days. It might have even dragged in another with you, someone nearby who was hit with a ball of light themselves or happened to pass by.

For those of you who have avoided this fate, you get to bear witness to those that are affected — they’re standing stone-still wherever they last touched the golden lights, eyes closed, as if asleep while standing up. You can try to rouse them, but they won’t wake until they’ve fully experienced the memory being shown to them. The best thing to do might be to drag them inside so they aren’t icicles when they come back to reality.

SPARK NOTES

CLICK TO EXPAND!

A WINTERFUL LIFE

The Forest has gone to sleep for the month. Unfortunately, the river is frozen, and it's hard to come across much food, save for what grows upon the Guardians' gift plants by the river. Luckily, the General Store seems to have some sparser amounts of food throughout the month.

FREEZE THE DAY

It's cold outside! Below freezing, actually! And for some reason, heat indoors just doesn't stick. Luckily you can cuddle with friends, in your own nest of blankets, or with Rusty, who is somehow breaking into everybody's bedrooms even if you've locked all your doors and windows. Hello, hi, he loves you and he is cold.

PARTING IS SUCH SLEET SORROW

Golden lights fall amidst the snowflakes. If you come into contact with one, you'll close your eyes and dream of your past life within the Grove. You might even unwillingly pull someone else in with you.

OOC

Y'all how is it already December. If you'd like to plot with people for this event, head over to OOC plotting. Reminder that AC for the month of December is check-in only, which means that if you're not feelin' it you can simply put in a "hi I still go here" comment and exit for the rest of the month. It's the holiday season, after all, so we don't expect you to give up family time for our silly little game. Regular AC will resume in January, and that will also be when our next TDM occurs. Happy holidays!

UPDATES

❖ None yet!

SUBMISSIONS

QUESTIONS
INVESTIGATIONS
PAST-LIFE PLOTTING
INTEREST CHECK

(CODE)

Comments

QUESTIONS

[sticksandbonesmods]

 

[anthropophagite]

I'm not sure if it's an investigation or not! But Kaneki would like to ask the merchants where they get the special food u_u

Is it considered an investigation or should I head to the NPC contact?

INVESTIGATIONS

[sticksandbonesmods]

Please use the following form for investigations:

Character(s):
Location:
Action: What are they looking for? What are they doing?

<b>Character(s):</b> <b>Location:</b> <b>Action:</b>

[sesa]

Character(s): Sesa and One (1) Elsword
Location: The forest, but particularly the area near the river
Action: Alright so Sesa knock knock knocked on Elboy's door and was like "hey do you want to explore", he's been checking things out slowly as he's able last month but the monster dogging his footsteps was making him so cold he couldn't comfortably be outside for long very often. He's...still cold, but it's bearable, and he thinks he'll go crazy if he doesn't feel like he's making some kind of forward progress, so! Exploring.

[nforcing]

Character(s): Serial Designation N
Location: He's following Rusty
Action: N loves Rusty and wants to make sure he stays warm, so he's just going to follow him for a whole night because he sleeps during the day anyway-

[cursedwords]

Character(s): Toge & Brook
Location: The Manor
Action: Toge and Brook are intending to climb the fence and try and climb the manor itself to get up at the new light in the attic.

They're stuck at the fence. So first attempt to climb over the front gate.

the sole purpose of this tl is to embarrass gnosis sorry (OTA + one closed)

[succiduous]

I. And they were roommates (closed to Sesa)

[At some point, Sesa moved into the lab in some official capacity. Gnosis only said "yes" because he rarely ever sleeps, and he knows that Heimr said he could build it out further if needed, plus Sesa is normally here working on semi-similar things. So whatever. Sesa can live in the lab, too. It helps to have someone there to help with mundane things since Gnosis spends approximately half the month being unable to move much on account of his broken leg and broken-er ribs. At least he still has a lung...

...

And then it gets cold out. Real cold. Gnosis is from Kjerag, he's used to it, you can remove the man from Kjerag but you cannot remove the Kjerag from the man et cetera. It gets cold, and Gnosis gets fucking exhausted, and that's how, against all odds, they end up sharing the bed. It's a bed meant for one six foot tall man, not two, but Sesa could use the body heat and Gnosis' entire body is sore from his injuries so there was no way he was sleeping comfortably anyway. At the very least, the Vouivre will be there to wake up and help him get out of bed if he needs it.

Early in the morning, the sun comes streaming in through the blinds, hits Gnosis in the eyes, and rouses him from sleep. He's dangling halfway out of bed with his arm off the mattress, Sesa at his back, and the only thing he mutters as he adjusts the pillow under his head is,]

We need a larger bed.

[Or just a separate fucking bedroom, by Kjeragandr.]

II. ice skating, kind of

[A broken leg will not stop Gnosis from ice skating*

*it will very much stop him from ice skating, so he's cheating by using his ice arts stupidly and recklessly (what is wrong with this bird) to a) support him and b) turn the crutch he's using into a third ice skate. You will not kill his fun so help him this man needs a break after last month's bullshit.

("Gnosis have you considered not doing this" no he has not, someone drag grandpa back to bed.)

It's very pathetic ice skating, to be fair, sort of a barely-balanced slide back and forth. If you approach and don't immediately try to drag him back to rest, though, he'll make ice blades on the bottom of your shoes and invite you to join him.]

III. the hit song "thnks fr th mmrs" by fall out boy
[At one point when he's out and about, (out and on crutches) (please stop doing this Gnosis) he'll accidentally get touched by one of those golden lights. Whoops. Sorry to anyone nearby who just got dragged into memories from a time long past because uhhh...]

a) Age 10

[There's a new kid in the Grove. It looks like his family just arrived, much like many other families here, and everyone is here to greet them whether they're newly-arrived themselves or have been here for a few weeks now. Everyone. Probably including you, unless you're some loner who doesn't wanna say hi to the new kid but wow bullying already huh—

He seems maybe a bit flighty, though, like he really would rather be elsewhere. He has a book tucked under one arm, and it looks like he's considering running off, up until you lock eyes.

Without so much as smiling or even looking remotely devious, he subtly holds the book up and waves it at you, points to the people who are presumably his parents, and then points elsewhere. It says both "hi, get me out of here" and "I'm looking for a quiet place to read, any ideas?" at the same time.

Help.]

b) Age 17

[Gnosis Edelweiss has a stupid crush on a stupid-ass silver-haired business prodigy, one "Enciodes Silverash", and he is not handling it well. Being a teenager fucking sucks, dude, this is dumb as hell, he wants to go back to the town library and read too many books. Science can't hurt him. Maybe he'll go see Ms. Grace at the clinic and ask to apprentice under her so that he can avoid Enciodes fucking Silverash and oh no fuck here he comes—

Gnosis quite literally darts behind a tree and wonders why in God's name he just did that. Why. He could've just walked past and been normal, "sorry I don't want to talk to you I'm busy". But no. No!! He can't do that much! Why did his legs move on their own like that ugh ugh ugh.

At least the man in question passes by without much fanfare and Gnosis just sighs, extracting himself from the woods like He Did Not Just Do That, and it is not Insanely Obvious He's Not Coping With His Feelings. If you saw that no you didn't, don't make a comment he's already flustered and gay. Nothing Is Happening Here.]

IV. card (wild)

[for all your non-Gnosis-embarrassment needs]

I :)

[sesa]

[Sesa appreciates Gnosis' hospitality in letting him stay at the lab. It just makes sense practically, given that he's there until late most of the time anyway. The inn isn't far from it, sure, but there's convenience to be had in being able to just work and sleep at your desk, then wake up and keep working. It's just like being back at Rhodes, truly.

It also has the positive side effect of giving Gnosis someone to keep an eye on him as he recovers. Sesa hadn't been there when Gnosis was injured- it was quite alarming, he was totally fine and then suddenly is brought back broken- but that doesn't mean he's just going to leave the man to fend for himself either. Even if he protests, this is Sesa's duty both as repayment for being allowed lodge and board, but also just...it's the right thing to do. As a friend.

THAT SAID...the room they have for the both of them is limited, and as it turns out Gnosis wasn't going to just have Sesa sleeping at the work tables all night. It's how the two of them have ended up in bed together, this poor bed barely managing to hold both of them because...

It is not just both of them. Rusty, everyone's favorite companion, had snuck into the lab at some point during the night, and has somehow managed to tangle himself up at the foot of the bed between them both. He is vibing and having the time of his life, meanwhile Sesa is jammed against the wall trying his level best not to shove poor Gnosis out of the bed with his fat tail. Never mind his horns, which are long and sharp and wide, forcing him to keep his head turned at a not-all-too-comfortable angle.

He groans when Gnosis speaks up, vaugely aware of some sort of...shape by his ankles (it's Rusty), and the fact that his left arm is entirely numb from holding it under his pillow.]

Haah...that might be a good idea. [MIGHT] Though, it isn't helped by the fact I believe we have company...

II

[mooninthewater]

…Mister Gnosis, I'm glad you're out of the lab, but…

[ He's just watching this man struggle and recklessly using his arts, and… grandpa, please, he knows you're stubborn, but goddamn. Before he ends up eating shit on the ice, he's going to be gingerly hoisted by a couple of tentacles. Get noodled, idiot. ]

You should still be resting. You're going to get hurt if you keep doing that.

ii

[oleaeuropaea]

[You know who's not going to stop this? Vash the Stampede! In fact, he is standing at the edge of the ice looking absolutely enamored. His eyes are wide. He's grinning. He's about to encourage bad behavior!]

Whoa! How are you doing that! Teach me! C'mon!

II

[cursedwords]

[ It's chilly, and it's especially chilly since Toge looks a little rough himself. He's probably dropped ten pounds or so from the end of November, but on him it's pretty noticeable.

However, Gnosis is ice skating, and he's out for a walk because he's sick of sitting around.

He has no intention of joining him, but he will sit back to watch the spectacle. He's on crutches - this should be amusing. ]

II

[interestingtimes]

[Once again, Taliira is more or less memorized by winter and all the things that come with it. The snow had been here for a while and yet it hadn't lost it's charm — well, most of it. It was starting to get a bit annoying, but overall, she still thought it was beautiful.

The cold she could do without, though.

But this was new. The ice skating thing. She didn't know you could do that.]

While it's nice seeing you out of the lab, Gnosis, should you be doing... this? In your condition?

[Not that she was moving to stop him. She was just sort of standing there, watching him in a mixture of awe and confusion.

Because, really, how is he not falling through the ice? Or slipping? You needed a lot of dexterity to keep your balance like that. Has Gnosis passed his Dex saves?]

Sesa | Arknights | OTA

[sesa]

A) I had a dream the other night

[Being freed from the clutches of the monsters from the previous month is more of a blessing than Sesa realized. He hadn't been sleeping well, obviously, and thus had been instead working to not only keep himself occupied, but to try to keep himself warm. The only thing that had been staving off the miserable numbness in his extremeties had been constant movement, for even the hottest burning fire barely seemed to touch the core of the cold.

It may not be surprising- then- to find Sesa on the first day of the month passed out asleep in the lab across one of the tables he'd been working at with his grenade launcher opened up near his elbow, bits and pieces of it scattered across the table along with papers filled with notes and diagrams. It isn't all just about his work, either.

B) About how we only get one life

[It doesn't take more than a month of living here to realize that their primary food source is fish from the river. It's not the only food of course, but during the winter it's vital to have access to a protein of some kind for energy, of which they currently have none. Though Sesa has been made aware that animals don't live in the forest, he has seen at least one thus far...and has seen the tracks of other, much larger ones. Neither are promising, but now that he's explored things a bit with Elsword, he feels less concerned about striking out into the woods all alone.

And now, they're running low on food. They have food to eat of course, but it could easily run low, or something could happen to the supply they do have. That's why- despite the snow- Sesa is tightening his boots and pulling his jacket closed in front of the Inn, ensuring his grenade launcher is loaded and primed. If he notices you looking, he'll stand up from where he'd been sitting and dust snow off his pants.]

Ah, good morning! The bitter cold tests even the most resilient of hearts, does it not? And yet here we are, defiant in the face of mother nature's wrath.

[He does not try to explain what the hell he's even saying, nor is he giving any clues as to what he's planning on doing, turning towards the forest as he talks with his weapon on his shoulder.]

C) Woke me up right after two

[You've been sucked into a memory.

The version of the Grove you're currently standing in is not one of the present day, but many, many centuries ago. It's a town that's bustling with life, with buildings still in the process of being constructed. You won't have much time to take it all in, though, because there's a young boy approaching you from the distance with hair as firey red as the sun that's been pulled back into a low ponytail, hailing you with a toothy grin. He looks a little battered but not necessarily in a bad way, obviously dirty and bruised from long days working on construction sites. He's limping along as he makes his way, one of his legs outfitted with a wooden prosthetic, but it seems to slow him down little as he shoves something into your hands.]

Here ya go! I told you I'd get it fixed right up for you, good as new.

[It is a toy train, which presumably had a broken wheel in a past life, seeing as how one of the wheels has been made with a slightly different color of wood. And now the boy is looking at you expectantly, like a golden retriever waiting to be praised.]

So? What do ya think?

D) Stayed awake and stared at you

[At some point later on, Sesa can once more be found back in town proper, though today he's hanging out at Mizuki's therapy building. Not for therapy reasons, he's totally well adjusted he promises, but mostly because it feels more..."relaxing" to be here than the lab, even if the latter is more like a home to him currently. He's sitting in the lobby, but instead of playing with the various gaming consoles, he has what appear to be a few star-shaped rocks in his palm, turning them over with the tips of his claws. They flicker and glow every so often when he touches them.]

[OOC: I told myself I wouldn't write a million words and I did it anyway I'm sorry- anyway if these prompts don't work lmk we can do something else, I'm flexible!]

sighs gimme C thank u

[simplicitas]

[The person Sesa walks up to is a small kid, bright red and covered in freckles, and also dirt and carrying a wooden stick with some tape on the end of it made to kindof be a sword hilt but not really because It Is Tape. He's five. It ain't art.]

Woooooooooooow, that's cool! How'd you do that anyway?

A

[oleaeuropaea]

[Out of place as he's felt, and as solitary as he is, Vash has been making a point of laying low of late. Mostly, he spends his time observing others, trying to get a feel for his new surroundings, and understand what role he's meant to take.

The diagram at Sesa's elbow catches Vash's attention as he moves through the various buildings and areas that make up his apparent new home. He feels a little guilty, snooping like this but... this is his special interest! And this poor guy looks so exhausted anyway. Maybe he can just help out a little!

His intention had been to silently put the rocket launcher back together. Unfortunately, Vash very quickly not only drops a screwdriver, but also proceeds to bonk his head on the table with a yelp.

Uhh... Good morning Sesa?]

B) Brook wakes up everyday and chooses violence sorry-

[reaperbunny]

[ Brook often comes to the river, looking at his reflection in the water or just following along the bank, or just watching the fish flop out of the water. He had feared this, though - the currents of the water were too calm, so of course it would be easy to freeze over. It's not like the rivers back in Russia, too violent, too fast, too resilient to freeze over.

He doesn't miss them, though.

There's someone else here, though. There's the briefest of moments where Brook thinks maybe things aren't so bad here and maybe he can try to make friends again. There's comradery in adversity, right? He can move on. He can get better. He can forget about everything that happened. He can have a fresh slate.

And then Sesa opens his mouth and all those thoughts are out the window. ]

Are you LARPing at me or just pretentious? Either way, do everyone a favor and slip on the ice - maybe a concussion will help.

Mizuki | Arknights

[mooninthewater]

I. I don't want to say that I'm afraid to die (Open)

[ It's not as though Mizuki minds the cold. He's good in most temperatures, actually. The depths of the ocean get real cold, and the sunny beaches can get real warm, too. He can handle all that. It's the dryness that is the biggest issue. He has to stay hydrated more than most because of the whole literally a sea creature thing. It sucks that his water bottles keep freezing over. It sucks he doesn't have a microwave for stuff like that.

He does have his undying lantern, though. So, he sets this up in the inn's lobby. There's enough traffic there, he thinks, that it should be warm enough there, right? He settles his water bottles by it to help them defrost. Anyone who decides to stay in the lobby and have a seat is absolutely going to have this jellyfish scoot in your direction to lean up against. He's warm, at least, so maybe it's not entirely unwelcome? ]

II. The past is in the past, it isn't meant to last (Open)

[ The silence from the forest is… well, unsettling in the sense he doesn't understand why. It doesn't make sense for it to be so… quiet, does it? Maybe it's the snow? The cold? Does it not like things to be like this? (Gnosis freezing the forest arc when?)

When he isn't busy trying to thaw his water bottles inside, he's found patrolling around the forest's edge outside, and it's here he'll find these little motes of light. Reaching out to touch them is a silly thing to do, considering he's still so skeptical of the forest's slumber itself, yet he foolishly does so anyway. If he can investigate things like this, maybe he can come back with valuable information to others?

Or, in this case, he'll get to see more insight to the "Mizuki" that was here once upon a time, apparently.

If you happen upon Mizuki as he's doing this, you'll be pulled into a scene of the inside of a church. In front of "you" is two holy people, one donned in bright colors and sun paraphernalia, the other a stark contrast, in darker colors and moons all along his cloak. They're talking about something that doesn't seem to translate well to "you". The memory is a bit hazy in that regards — a child meant to recount boring, adult matters. They don't seem happy with one another, whatever it is, which is why "you" stay quiet.

Until you cough, anyway, startling the man in the light clothing.

"When did you get here??"

You shake your head. You've been here? You don't know how long it's been. You're waiting for Mister Cicero. He said he would watch you until Mama was done with teaching. You're used to this, though. People don't seem to ever notice you're in a room until you say something. The other man laughs, though, walking over to you and patting your head.

"I suppose this is boring for you, though, isn't it? Apologies, little Mizuki. Would you mind waiting outside for a moment?"

You nod. How boring, but it's fine. ]

III. But if I can't let go, will you carry me home? (Open)

[ Another memory you might stumble on is one of staring at the ceiling. You feel… miserable. You feel absolutely horrid, like someone took an egg beater to your insides and nailed a few dozen bolts into your head. You cough. You wheeze. Everything feels hot.

"Hey, you're okay. I'm here."

Lulling your head to the side, you can see you're 1) in a bed, and 2) the person speaking is a familiar girl, actually. You don't say anything, mostly because it's hard to breathe, but you hold your hand out for hers. You hope she knows you're thankful. You feel bad she's here. You should be able to take care of yourself. You just turned seven, after all, you're a big kid now! ]

IV. Can we celebrate the end? (Open)

[ Meat being scarce is… well, actually a problem for Mizuki. He's a carnivore, after all. But he's nothing if not always prepared for the worst. Besides, it's not really so bad! If nothing else, he can just sleep for an obscene amount of time. "That's a coma" sounds festive—

For now, though, he'll gladly share his "food" with everyone. There's a bunch of dishes made daily from Mizuki and they all… look absolutely horrible. They're odorless, which is a relief, but they just look like someone took old, chunky, dark paint and plopped it into a bowl. Is this really edible? Looking over at Mizuki who's eating one of the bowls says it probably is but… this is also the same jellyfish who ate Moder raw before, so who's to say for sure??? ]

V. I'm asking for a friend (Open)

[ Mizuki has made a variety of different little toy made out of fabric and string he's managed to find. None of them are particularly well made, but Mizuki has set up quite a few of them in the lobby under with little ribbons on them. Gifts, perhaps?

This is later confirmed by the few gifts that have actual names written on them. There's not many, but there seems to be wrapped presents for Caoimhe, Gnosis, Add, Elsword, and Sesa respectively. The other little toys are, apparently, free game. ]

VI. Can we go, can we go, can we go home? (Wildcard)
hmu on discord or plurk if you want to do something else with me~!

IV let's say after he loses his eye-

[simplicitas]

[Elsword doesn't have the capacity to question the appearance of the food, really. Like... yeah it's weird, yeah it looks like over-mixed Home Depot paint, yeah it looks super questionable... but food is food, and he has something of an iron stomach and doesn't have much time to consider if this is gonna kill him or not. Elsword would rather not waste anything right now (or ever in his life).

So. Down the hatch it goes, as they sit in Elsword's kitchen at the kitchen island. ...it tastes good, actually. Hm.]

Thanks for cooking.

[Is it warm, too? Because good god is it cold out, they could use something at least lukewarm.]

N | Murder Drones

[nforcing]

INIT: What Da Dog Doin'?

[ With the winter months coming in, and N being acutely aware that Beings can feel temperature and be Uncomfortable if they lean too hot or too cold has lead N to immediately tracking Rusty down to make sure he's okay. He gets pets. He gets a little space heater in the hot drone that is N, but mostly just he's here to keep the dog company. He talks to Rusty about his day, and the things on his mind, and about all his special interests.

But he spends a lot of time just following around Rusty to see what he does. Sometimes at a distance. Sometimes right behind him. Sometimes in the air flying around with his big bladed wings… you know, normal stuff. He just wants Rusty to be okay!

When he sees the dog wanting into people's rooms, he is absolutely going to help him inside when the others aren't around to doing so. In this regard, you might incidentally wake up to not only a dog in your room, but a weird robot hanging from the ceiling with his wings tucked around him like a bat.

Don't worry about it— ]

INIT: SpaceHeaterNoises.mp3

[ He is also aware people beyond Rusty can get cold, of course! So he'll absolutely wiggle himself next to anyone who seems to be shivering or trying to bundle up more. N is practically radiating heat off of him at any given time. Though his metal is strangely not that hot to touch? It's a very happy medium, really. Which is a good thing, considering he's trying to give you a hug to help you stay warm.

Someone program some personal space boundaries into this robot. ]

WildcardI was going to do a memory prompt, buuut I decided I needed a little more time to flesh that out for N, so!!! just hmu if you wanna wing something with him, though!

Dog n Bot Jumpscare

[oleaeuropaea]

[Vash is not often a heavy sleeper. Being as cold as he is, and running himself as ragged as he has been, however, has rendered him absolutely dead tired. Which is why he doesn't process both dog and robot sneaking their way into the room until they've both settled down.

As Vash wakes up, he can feel that something is off. But it takes squinting into the murk of the night to realize that... something is wrong.

Cue the screaming. The scrambling. And then Vash falling flat on the ground as he scrambles for some sort of weapon. He's tangled in his blankets too so... Enjoy that plantman flopping around on the floor like a tangled up fish, buddy!]

elsword from the mmo of all time, elsword

[simplicitas]

I. *woody toy story voice* there's a plant in my eye
cw: graphic eye gore/horror, general body horror

[Elsword's forest corruption has only worsened since April. It's to be expected, the prognosis has always been bad, but he'd been content until recently to keep his right arm fully bandaged to spare people from seeing the black veins in his arms and the tiny white blooms from the skin. And for a while, it worked, especially as the surrounded skin started to turn black as though he'd covered himself in soot.

Then, last month, the bandages stopped staying on. The vines growing out of his skin in painful, barbed-wire-looking black tendrils forced their way up through the cloth, and so Elsword simply let it be. His arm is totally black currently, with large white flowers growing out of his skin and the surrounding vines, and maybe it would be pretty if he weren't getting worse rapidly. The black veins have spread to the right side of his cheek, slightly obscured by the fluff of his hair, and ever so slowly... they've begun to creep toward his eye.

He knows what's coming before it even happens. The question is when, and that much, Elsword can't possibly predict. That's why, when he's out and about one morning, he goes from simply walking through the Grove to do his usual round of patrolling and good-mornings to suddenly looking panicked, unfurling his wings, and flying off toward the river. He can feel something behind his eye socket squirming, and it's only just barely that he makes it to the iced-over river and collapses on the bank.

Then, amidst the silence of the winter's snow and the wind blowing through the trees, there's a scream, ear-splitting and gut-wrenching, as the thorny black vines wriggle through his eye socket. There's a sickening squelching noise, a pop in the back of his skull, and all vision on his right side suddenly disappears, like someone flipped a light switch and cast him into the dark.

It takes Elsword a good minute to realise that he's still screaming, blood turning the snow a deep crimson and the light of his halo strobing.]

II. blanket forts are not just for children, they are also for grown-ass adults
cw: brief beginning mention of eye stuff

[So anyway, Elsword has flowers growing out of his eye now, and he's not thinking about that. We're just not thinking about it nope nuh-uh he refuses, bye, he's building a giant blanket fort in his living room and rearranging all the furniture to make it as cozy as possible since the fireplace won't light.

Although... it would help if he had some people in here to share the warmth and start a slumber party with (it's like noon) (no one is sleeping yet), and so he trudges outside after it's all built and approaches the first person he sees. That's you!]

Hi. I made a blanket fort in my house since it's so cold. Do you wanna come over? I have food and stuff, too.

III. hey guess who's babysitting now (it's you!)
Age 5)

[Elsword is, by all measures, a normal-ass five year old. He likes playing in mud, bonking people with sticks (swords), pretending to go on adventures, actually going on these adventures and stressing the adults out when he wanders into the forest for four hours, et cetera. Very normal. And very pointy and red, not only his eyes but his hair and his freckles and everything else — so very unlike the Elsword of today that everyone currently knows.

He also has a habit of knocking on people's windows to get their attention, so hi. Do you live in this house? There's a tiny little fist knock-knocking at the window, and then Elsword's bright eyes over the sill as he waves a too-large stick around.]

Do you wanna come play adventurers with me?

[yes even if you're like 20-something he's still asking you this, adventures do not stop at adulthood.]

Age 16)

[Here comes a special boy, here to be the loudest motherfucker in the entire Grove. Is that a real sword on his back? Yeah, it sure is. Who let him have this??? Great question, he's about to answer that anyway, as he bounds triumphantly toward you and skids to a stop shortly before he crashes into you. You might be too close. You might wanna take a step back, because he's sure not.]

Guess what!!! [he's not giving you time to guess—] I'm gonna join the town guard! Are you jealous or what?! Haha!!!

one one oneoneoneoneone-

[mooninthewater]

[ It's probably not all that surprising that Mizuki is nearby. After all, when isn't he around the Grove's residents, quietly observing them and simply making sure they're doing well. Elsword especially, since Mizuki hasn't been speaking to him as much. Occasionally enough, since Mizuki technically lives there, but face to face interaction still feels a little weird.

But that can all go out the window the moment he screams.

The camouflage is immediately dropped, and Mizuki nearly slides through the snow to get to Elsword's side. He doesn't seem to panic or worry openly - internally, that's all there, but he seems to cope with this by focusing on doing something to help. That's a lot of blood. He knows there's flowers in the way of where the eye once was, but it's not like that's stopping anything. He thought the creature wasn't going to do anything? Did winter not stop Elsword's corruption, too? Whatever, he can't think about questions right now, he has to shove some cloth against his eye, below the flowers, to help stop the bleeding for now.

While Mizuki doesn't say anything, his worry, panic and care for Elsword manifests in his tentacles, which coil around him and make a mix between a nest and a cocoon around Elsword. He's here, he's here, he's here. He should've ate that arm those few months ago... ]

Ken Kaneki / Tokyo Ghoul

[anthropophagite]

[ Opt-out | Permissions | Past life ]

A WINTERFUL LIFE

[ Kaneki is still very much new and very much still in shock from it all. He isn't sure what to expect from this place, and he isn't sure if he wants to believe everything happening in this place, either. Jaybe it's just a dream, maybe he will wake up soon, maybe, maybe, maybe.

Despite that, Kaneki is still one of the (probably very few) people who can handle the lack of food better than everyone else - he doens't need food that often (once a month!) and he had already arrived satiated. Which means he won't need food for a while. The problem will come after the "while" because, in the end, he still doesn't know how to acquire what he needs to eat, and that will eventually be a problem.

Maybe the merchants... although Kaneki didn't have the courage to approach them. He did peek inside the General store, but eventually decided against it. Nope, that looks really freaky.

In fact, he would rather just wander around Aldric's Grove, exploring the small location, because... well, what else is he supposed to do? He eventually will take refuge in the Inn, the only place he found that has what appears to be rooms. He can't sleep out there in the snow, after all. Its hard to keep warm, but Kaneki stays in a corner, hoping to wrap himself in blankets as he can. he won't even say no to Rusty! While kaneki is not an animal-person, Rusty is a good boy and also warm. ]

PARTING IS SUCH SLEET SORROW

[ He touched those lights. And now he is frozen in place.

And then a memory unfolds.

It's a bright beautiful morning, but most people are already awake. Kaneki is rushing out of the door, carrying a book, and well prepared for the day. From behind, his mother reaches for him "You forgot your apron!" and she is quick to wrap it around his waist while Kaneki comments how she is such a motherhen. Her response is to grab his face and fill it with kisses while he laughs and pretends not to want them. ]

I will see you later! [ he waves at the woman and leaves, running to the Inn. Inside, he puts his book down and greets clients and his boss ] I'm here, I'm here. [ "Late, you are late." kaneki laughs and waves his hand, while he rushes to the Inn's kitchen. ] I promise I will pick up the pace! Breakfast will be ready in a moment. [ and he truly means that because Kaneki will work hard. Once the first dish is ready, he brings it to someone sitting at a table ]

Here you go- eggs, beans and toast with jam. I made the jam myself. [ he is proud of his jam ]

Parting is such sleet sorrow

[sesa]

[Sesa- "Sebastian"- has been awake since before the sun rose. Right now he's having his "lunch" at the inn as he and his father break from their construction work on one of the buildings coming up in the town, which means that the table he's serving? It's the one Sesa and his father are seated at, the older man regarding Kaneki with a warm smile and a nod of his head.

Sesa, meanwhile, leans forward with a toothy grin, his wooden leg lightly tapping against the floor.]

There you are! I was startin' to make bets with my Pa that you weren't gonna show up today.

GARA UKAI. 💀 HANDEAD ANTHEM.

[shurajodo]

01. ) A WINTERFUL LIFE

//////////////////////////////// RIVER // CW: STARVATION ////

( This is a bit of a nightmare for a guy like Gara; it isn't that he can't eat food other than his favorites, but rather that it's what his body is used to. Eating vegetables and little else has him feeling hungry enough to venture into the forest alone.

The berries along the bushes ... Shit, they look enticing. He's staring at the bushes, uncertain, for a few moments before he decides he's hungry enough to just go for it. The juice stains his lips, the pale skin of his living flesh, the dark of his necrosis. )

02. ) FREEZE THE DAY

//////////////////////////////// INN ////

( Temperature control isn't something Gara is good at, if he even notices he's cold in the first place. It comes and goes, and that's just the nature of his body.

At the inn, he's seated at an empty table, fiddling with a ... femur? He got it from Rusty, but it might look like he has a trophy ... )

03. ) THE SUN RISES

//////////////////////////////// TOWN ////

( Gara is singing again, though not terribly loud. It's not like he's trying to keep himself hidden, but rather that he's singing to soothe himself.

The song chosen is a little somber. )

04. ) WILDCARD

//////////////////////////////// ???? ////

( feel free to wildcard! or PM/discord (i'm in the server)/vandalisto to hash things out! )

2

[mooninthewater]

[ Mizuki plops himself on the table next to Gara, settling his lantern right next to him. It doesn't give off a lot of warmth, but it's enough of a welcome change that Mizuki still carries it around with him. ]

Hey! Are you trying to figure out how to eat that? [ No, it's a bone, Mizuki, what- ] I could show you.

Nicholas D. Wolfwood | Trigun Stampede, Trigun spoilers in prompt A

[lupusxylem]

A) I'm like a one hit wonder

[It's a shock to the system, to last remember one's self in the heat of the desert, only to wake in the cold of winter. A cold that Wolfwood, personally, isn't intimately familiar with. It's not freezing- the interior of an Inn wouldn't be- but cool in a way that speaks of something immediately being off, never mind the fact that he doesn't remember falling asleep to begin with. He'd- they'd- been on the landship, and even though the burns are no longer present, he can still feel the distant ache of scalding his hands trying to get it to stop.

But that isn't where he is.

Where is he?

He sits up and looks towards the nearest point of light, where a tapestry hangs over the window. It flutters slightly due to the breeze coming in underneath the edge of the windowpane, letting in the occasional flicker of light.

Wolfwood does not pull it down so much as he nearly rips it apart getting it off the window, throwing it aside just in time to see a body outside, laying prone in the snow.

It doesn't feel real. It's like he's still dreaming- he must be, right?- as he stumbles for the door, knocking over things in his haste to get outside. He's left everything behind in that room which he'll likely discover later, but right now? A man explodes from the Inn, skidding through the snow (he's never even seen snow in his life, so he nearly falls flat on his ass when he hits the icy slurry and it turns out it's not super stable), catching himself against the outside wall as he turns a corner to where he knows what window had to have been.]

Livio-!

[But there's nothing there. There is no one there. Not even the imprint of what once used to be a body.

He leans back on his heels, swaying, his breath coming heavy and hard in large bursts of steam in the chilly winter air. It isn't until his back hits the side of the Inn that he finally comes to a stop, simply...standing there, trying to catch his breath.]

B) I do the show once so take a number

[This isn't No Man's Land. But that doesn't mean Wolfwood is content to merely stay in this ramshackle town and hope that answers to what's going on fall out of the sky for him.

He isn't exactly a difficult figure to spot, what with the massive cross he carries on his back that dwarfs him in size. It seems exceptionally heavy to just be lugging around, but he has it slung over his shoulder regardless, holding it in one hand while he uses the other to light a cigarette clutched between his teeth before putting the lighter away in his inner pocket.

Snow, sand, it makes no difference if it's hot or cold. But the forest, which stretches impossibly huge beyond this town's borders, would catch anyone from home off guard. How are you meant to react, when you've never seen plants and flora in your entire life? It's hard to fathom what it all even is.

It's why he ends up faltering at the forest's edge when he'd intended to immediately disappear straight into it, to head...well, where hasn't yet been clarified. Somewhere. Away from here.

...but before he manages to take a step, he catches you staring. He shifts his weight from one foot to the other, looking nonplussed.]

What? Got something to say?

[Uh yeah maybe they're wondering what the fuck that is on your back- Oh you're still talking okay]

Beat it. I'm trying to concentrate.

C) Wildcard

[OOC: Hit me with a different prompt if none of these work for you, or feel free to poke me on discord and we can come up with something! I decided not to do memories since I haven't decided yet what Nick's former life will be yet, but yes. Hands you a wolf]

B

[oleaeuropaea]

Concentrate, huh? No wonder I smelled smoke!

[Vash grins, but it doesn't exactly reach his eyes. He shuffles closer to Wolfwood, though a respectable distance is left between the two of them all the same. He tucks his hands deep into his pockets, trying to keep them warm and failing. He's quiet for a moment, staring out into the woods just as Wolfwood has been.]

You're not thinking of going out there, are you?

[He knows the answer. Wolfwood wasn't the type of guy to stay in one place. Neither was Vash for that matter. But he's been here just long enough to have heard the warnings. He's just trying to figure out of he's stupid enough to ignore him or not.

Maybe Wolfwood's judgement will help him figure that out.]

Vash the Stampede | Trigun Stampede | OTA

[oleaeuropaea]

i.

[Vash barely sleeps a wink. The weather was already cold when he first arrived, and he'd been left with little time to adjust before it had become absolutely frigid. By the time the witching hour rolls around, his teeth are chattering despite being bundled in his jacket and a large blanket. Keeping a fire lit has been a miserable experience, and he's given up in favor of huddling in a corner and trying to wait it out.

It's only once his toes reach the point of feeling like they're going to fall off that he takes drastic action.

Which is why you'll suddenly hear grunting coming from Vash's room. Rhythmic, breathy, and heated. Occasionally his bed even creaks with some effort. Do you knock? Tell him to keep it down? Or do you barge in?

If you do, you'll be in for a truly terrible surprise. A man exercizing, doing sit ups with his feet tucked beneath the bed as a counterweight, pushups, or even jumping jacks. Vash appears to feel no shame for this. He just lifts a hand and waves.]

Hey! Come on in!

ii.

[At some point, someone has to tell Vash to shut up. And once they do, he promptly gets cold again. With physical exertion out of the way, he has to turn to other people. And so you might hear a knock on your door, late at night.]

Hey, uh. This is weird but... Can we share a room? You know! For body heat!

[Good god.]

iii

[Somehow, Vash survives the night. As the sun rises, he finds that he's not only freezing, but also starving as well. And having suffered as he has, there's only one thing to do.

Obviously, he teaches himself to make donuts.

Does it go well? Not at all. The second he plops the first bit of too-wet, not at all well made dough, some oil splashes over and threatens to light something on fire. Vash, of course, hunkers down and tries to blow on it frantically. He doesn't seem to notice as another glob of hot oil spurts out, landing on his hand.

Well. Now there's screaming and the smell of smoke coming from inside the inn's kitchen. Oops.]

iv

[After successfully terrorizing the inn, Vash is finally kicked out able to make his way outside. He has a shittily made donut in hand to munch on as he begins to trudge around Aldric's Grove. He isn't investigating so much as getting used to his surroundings.

He peeks into buildings. He looks inside garbage cans. He even lets himself skitter on the ice again. To anyone seasoned, Vash sticks out like a sore thumb. He knows it, too. But trying to lay low in a town with as few residents as this wasn't going to go well anyway.

Which is why he doesn't hesitate to approach a few faces, here and there. He waves, offers a too wide smile, and after the pleasantries are out of the way:]

So... what can you tell me about this place?

i'm wildcarding this try and stop me (cw: plant based body horror in p2)

[mermaidcursed]

( at some point in the chaos of vash's first winter days, there will be a girl. and unlike many residents of the grove, she's completely unaffected by the cold. if anything, her wooden legs move slowly and she's visibly tired, but otherwise? not a single chill, shiver or sneeze.

which is precisely why there's no bulky winter coats to hide how vines coil and wind around her, from her neck to her wrists to her legs, how small flowers are growing from her skin, how her eye is a pink carnation. hello, vash. meet the plant girl as she wanders around looking for even a patch of sunlight on this dreary day.

or, she was until she saw him- at which point she jolts, wide awake- )

You- you're here...?

Toge Inumaki | Jujutsu Kaisen | OTA

[cursedwords]

I. So It’s Winter

[For the end of November which was apparently the month of plenty, Toge had already been in dire straights, holed up in his room to avoid injury. Everyone had a lot going on, he can’t complain about having been on his own, but without his sight, touch or his voice he’d had no way to do anything about it. He’s already looking a little rough, having missed out on a few days of food.

The food scarcity in December is just an extra bonus, since he was already looking like he’d dropped a few pounds.

And yet-

Catching Toge sitting with a bundle of trail mix, curled up in a chair for his food he’s all too willing to give it up. He smiles and offers it to anyone looking hungrily at him.

He can handle adverse conditions – other people shouldn’t have to. His protective instincts die hard. ]

II. Frigid Times

[ Toge is the type to try and sit by fires when they have the chance, a single blanket bundled up around him.

Early in the month he’s cheerful enough company.

However as time ticks on, curled in on himself, even he’s hiding his face in his arm and looking absolutely miserable and exhausted. He’s all too stubborn to reach out and ask for help.

He’s learned long ago help never comes, there’s no point in asking, but at the rate he’s going, he’s going to be sick by the new year. ]

III. Leave The Past In The Past

[ Being transported due to a light and Toge here is much younger. He’s healthy – small, but healthy. He’s also fully whole, and roughly ten years old.

And yet, despite all of this, his memory is still a solitary one. The rec centre likely betrayed his athletic spirit – but this cements it.

Toge is with a soccer ball. He’s not narrating, no, he’s still quiet. The curse marks are gone, and he’s about eleven. He’s dribbling the ball between his feet and weaving in and out of trees like they’re his own playground.

He doesn’t know he’s being watched, but he has a bright smile on his face. Behind him, a school bag has been tossed carelessly against a tree trunk.

He wants to get better. He wants a ticket out of this place to go on an adventure, but still, his skills are...lacking. He’s young yet. ]

IV. Wildcard

[Choose your own adventure with Toge. In his past life, he died at 12 so there’s not a lot of leeway for him to be any older.]

II

[interestingtimes]

[Taliira had made it a sort of habit to come out and sit by the fire when she had a chance, her sketchbook in hand. Especially after last month, when she barely had the opportunity to put charcoal to paper given the annoyance of mischievous little imps. Scratch, the white dog that had followed her here, often trotted behind her and curled up by her feet to enjoy the warmth as well.

Today was no different — well, except for the fact that Toge was slumped over, and clearly not.. okay.]

Toge? Are you alright?

[He had done a lot for her, and she cared a lot for him. Most people — okay, her people — would have turned a blind eye to him, or ignored him altogether. She'd like to think she was at least getting better in not being much like what Lolth intended her to be.]

May I sit?

winterful life and idk maybe i'll do more later but this is here for now

[cleavethetides]

[ In the Inn's lobby, Irene is flitting about with various Christmas decorations she pulled from the big box in the middle of the room. She seems to be tackling this project mostly on her own, despite the amount and... well, despite the fact that she is 5' on the money and can't reach half the things she needs to. Maybe someone like over a foot taller than her should help her before she starts stacking chairs on each other dangerously to decorate the place? ]

[succiduous]

[Okay look neither of them are fit for this, Gnosis needs to rest but he's still going to try to help anyway. He's 6'2" he's got the higher stuff, and he won't lose his balance too easily. Give him the horrible shitty garland that's gonna get fuckin everywhere he'll string that stuff up.]

Ydalir's idea, I take it?

[Remember that time he had to go to people and tell them he loves things because Ydalir told him to, that sucked,]