sticksandbones | [CLOSED] YDALIRQUEST

Entry tags:

!quest

[CLOSED] YDALIRQUEST

Who: Zoey, Faust, Dipper, Lily, Mizuki, Lavi, Sanemi, Stardust, Ryan, Link, Min-Gi, Genya, Akaza, Mystery, and Ydalir and also your ✨beloved mod Wolfie✨
What: Ydalirquest
When: A point in time that does not interfere with the main event :3
Where: The Leylines themselves, baybee!
Warnings: will be placed in headers/I expect you all to behave regarding this

Alright crew here's how this is gonna work:
- Mod responses will come after every player has tagged in OR after 24 hours have passed. If you do not tag in those 24 hours you will be skipped over.
- OOC communication will be done through the Discord in a thread in RP-Talk-1. You don't have to unmute, but please have your pings on so that if I need to @ everyone, I can. For now we will clusterfuck everyone into one thread; if we need to split into 3 for the groupings we will, just lmk.
- I am going to give you an initial "go play" toplevel somewhere in this as a heads up (this is my contingency for "Wolfie is out/busy or players are out/busy and we still want to play"). I do not recommend hitting the bell on this one, but this is so that all fourteen of you can interact at once. I want you to fuck around and go play in this one. I promise you this one does not need to be mod-guided (but ask me questions if you need to). I sort of put a lot into this setting and I'd feel bad not letting you all do the thing oops.
- PLEASE GOD IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS @ ME IN THE DISCORD chat might move fast and I might not see it. PING ME. I'm begging. I'm on my knees. A ping for Wolfie, please.
- Please hit the bell on your group threads :) and try to maintain some semblance of a tag order. For the initial "all fourteen of you are together" I will not ask for you to maintain tag order and I'm sorry for anyone's inboxes. I will try to get through this in a manner that does not make you want to explode. I was woefully underprepared for 90% of the game to actually want to do this sorry-
- You will get rewards! for participating.
----> You can redeem participation in Ydalirquest for your entire month's AC if you want ~~I don't recommend this bc there are going to be subthreads and breakpoints and you could get like, 5 threads of BAC easily from this but you know it's there if you want~~
----> Participation in the quest as a whole can count for 2 threads of magic practice, and I'll let you use the threads for other BAC. But please when you do your next magic regain put "participated in ydalirquest" so that I remember. Please.
- ?? ??????? ??? ? ??? any other weird shit i'll put in toplevels or headers thank youuueueuuuuueueuuu for playing :)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Think the bird has a connection to other birds in this place? [Or it might just be the whole leyline thing, Lavi's not sure how much influence it could have.

But there's also the fact that this is reminding him of one of Tiedoll's drawings. The unfinished feeling. Like this place is meant to be influenced somehow. Or maybe it's currently being undone by something. Maybe the whole thing that threw the sky out of whack.

He's peering out into that direction Faust mentioned.]

I've got footprints! This is probably our best bet for now.

[And yeah, Dipper has no problem taking the lead, he only needs a quick glance to make sure no one's protesting before he shakes out his wings and starts heading in that direction. Let's see where we go!]

[Footprints, talking grass, a little bird who will Shriek and Stomp until the footprints are followed, and the idea that the bird knows other birds... these are what will lead you forward.

Thanks to the environment being largely two colours with the occasional splash of watercolour under your footsteps, it's easy to follow the footprints. They don't blend in very well with sketched grass, and especially not with the blank canvas of white sand. The path you've taken thus far has lit up like a Christmas tree behind all of you, the island forest and foliage taking on shades of browns and greens, and bright pinks and reds on the flowers. The sand becomes sand-coloured, no longer shadeless white but watercolour-speckled tans. A half-coloured-in seashell rests far up the banks, sketched teeth marks indicating that something must have brought it this far — perhaps a wild animal thought it was a toy or ate what was living in it? The watercolour fills in only where you touch and exude emotion so far, but it makes an easy trail back.

Eventually, after what feels like half an hour of following that trail, the combination of footprints/yapping plants/a screaming tiny bird will lead you to the aforementioned pretty old lady. She holds a spear in one hand and is, unlike a lot of the environment, completely coloured in much like you all. She dons armour, plain and tattered, and her hands white-knuckle that spear as if she's been fighting something off. When she speaks, her voice sounds exactly like Ydalir's does, but her personality seems just slightly off.]

Halt. You shouldn't be here. Go home.

Not without you.

[ just... a knee jerk response. They are absolutely not leaving her here.

He does at least expand on that after a moment to process. ]

We aren't really allowed to go home yet, either.

[Genya looks between woman and boy for a second, then back again. Sure, the voice sounds a little similar, but...

His attention shifts back to Faust.]

The hell are you talking about? [He looks at the woman, then back to Faust.] You don't think that's Ydalir, do you? Does she even look shadowy? Or goopy or even seem like a nice lady. [He jabs a thumb at the woman.] She obviously doesn't recognize it.

[And under his breath, he mutters:]

You're kidding me, right? Guy who got pissed off and shot my fake brother suddenly thinks he can trust someone because her voice is a little similar -

[He shakes his head, then turns his head to the woman. His voice rises again.]

This is obviously a trick. They're playing mind games with us here, right? This is probably part of it.

Edited 2026-05-16 03:44 (UTC)

[All the while Genya is ranting and raving, the area around them grows dimmer, somehow more desaturated. The scent of gunpowder and ash, faint on the wind, and with it distant sounds of swords clashing and men yelling; either in anger or in pain, but there.

Doooooooooon't mind Lavi here, Genya. Just. Gonna put his hand on top of your head. It doesn't quite say shush, but it might as well.]

Forgive us, we were told our friend was here and unfortunately we can't leave without her.

[Worse comes to worse...he can bubble her and take her with them?]

[Oh, Genya just goes off huh. He's starting to suspect there might be some beef here too, ah.]

[The lady who he definitely thinks could be some iteration of Y'Dalir looks less friendly than who we know, but being someone who has experienced peoples memories and dreams, that might just mean they're seeing some lessor known version of her. She was split into three, after all.]

[She's also holding a spear so like.]

[Lavi tries to settle Genya while Dipper steps forward with his hands up in a nonthreatening manner.]

We don't actually want any trouble, we were following some footsteps that might have been hers. We'll be happy to leave as soon as we find her.

[A pause.]

Why shouldn't we be here? Is there danger? Is something wrong?

[You don't quite get the sense one way or another that this is Ydalir yet; some things say she is, some say she isn't. What Ydalir do you know holds a spear? But on the other hand, what entity simply blurts out—]

Faust, I can't leave. Not yet.

[—surely you hadn't announced your names to anyone here? But maybe you have? Either way, she shakes her head. The colour bleeds away from her, too; for every minute she tries to remain, she blots out the watercolours in her own grief. Between her and Lavi, it won't be long until the entire watercolour path that you all made here disappears.]

I have too much to protect. Too many burdens to bear. I won't push them onto all of you anymore. [Her hands shake around the spear, and for what it's worth, she does look a bit guilty.] I've made mistakes, and I have to fix them, and I can't let any of you intervene.

[Genya scowls, if only because he's mildly bitter over Faust being right. Maybe his bird was onto something — it'd taken them where they needed to be twice now. Paired with the bubbles that the weird new guy was pulling out and Dipper's wings.

... Well. Whatever, more important things to think about.]

Nuh uh. We're not going anywhere without you. [Genya pauses for a moment, glancing at the three other denizens of the grove. He doesn't love airing out his dirty laundry, but... Well. If anything was going to get through to her.] My brother tried that shit with me. It didn't go well.

Besides, you've done... a lot to help us out. Ain't it time we returned the favor?

[No bubbles yet. Just a battlefield that seems like it's slowly fading; something keeps it lingering, though. Perhaps their current "confrontation" with Ydalir-who-says-they-aren't-Ydalir. But Lavi, at least, removes his hand from Genya's head.]

Besides, fixing this isn't just a one-person-job. Especially when the results will affect everyone in the Grove, not just us here.

You brought us here to help, yeah? So let us help.

Also I happen to know from experience that even if the mistake was yours, it's not always possible to fix it alone, and that's okay.

[He shakes his head.]

We're here to help, whatever burden you think you're giving us, we don't mind carrying it with you.

[Not for you, but with. because that's what friends and family do.]

[ Genya immediately goes into berating him despite him having thought they settled that issue already, and all it manages is getting a low growl out of Faust in place of whatever he had been meaning to say, likely an explanation or something to fix things. But was there a point if he was just going to keep throwing it around like that?

He lifts a branch-hand to his skull, but it doesn't offer any answers, which only frustrates him further. Why would her looks matter here? None of them look right. Why would he not trust his bird when it got them down here despite the erratic portals?

Genya to his view starts turning steadily more canine. He takes a good few steps away. ]

rrrrrr... burdens grrrrrr... easier shared. Not- grrrrrr... pushing if we ask.

[Her teeth grit and grind a little bit, but not audibly so, though it's obvious by the way her jaw clenches that she too is the least bit frustrated. Can't you all let her handle things in her own way? But she would be lying, too, if she said it didn't mean a lot to have people reach out regardless.]

Do you not all feel guilty for mistakes you've made in the past, and stop wanting to let others share your burden because of it?

[She looks between Genya and Faust and frowns a little. Boys... why fighting.]

[ Rather abruptly, a cheerful voice blasts into the heads of everyone within the group. Equally cheerful are the emotions that are brought with it! You're getting hit by the sunshine and happiness isekai truck without the benefits of getting further isekai'd, sorry. Everyone is hugging over here and you're just going to have to deal with that. ]

Yoo-hoooooo! Big summer blowout! Is anyone there? Hellooooooooo~?

[ She. She might not, uh. Have an indoor voice mentally. ]

[Lavi winces a little as the sunshine and rainbows burst into his brain. The battlefield that had started to swarm back with Faust's continued "grr" abruptly shoved out of existence.]

Anyone else hear that?

[Or know how to...respond???? If they did, anyway, otherwise Lavi's just got a new fun thing to figure out.]

Well, yeah, of course. That's human. But-

[And then he gets absolutely brainblasted by- what? Hello? Oh god, at least it wasn't Joshua this time asking about his car's extended warranty.]

Ow! Zoey??

[Telepathically this time, from the telepath. ZOEY??]

S-Sorry, I think someone just tried to make contact. Anyway, yeah, absolutely. I've made tons of mistakes, and a few that have ended in people getting really hurt, all because of my pride when I couldn't admit to needing help.

[The environment around them shifts a little, his gift from the leylines working to help him explain. What appears beside him is a smaller, younger version of him holding a book and looking like he hasn't slept in a month while he chants something out of it. Like watching a silent video, little Dipper activates some spell that causes him to go from determination to terror in seconds as a bright light evaporates the image entirely, it fizzling out.]

It's admirable to want to fix things on your own, but you'll just keep falling into the same trap over and over again if you do. Please, Y'dalir. Let us help.

[The good news is that Genya, at least, is not fighting so much as... Genya-ing. Which just looks like fighting. It's different, Miss Ydalir, he prommies. It isn't even personal, so much as him just being an agitated little gremlin.

But hey, the better news is that he's distracted from said fight (and the weird growling coming from Faust). The fact that he puts his hands to his head and groans is enough to keep him from continuing to escalate the "spat" between the two of them.

Instead, he all but cowers, eyes locking on the ground. It's not that he's afraid. Oh no. He's afraid he won't get shit done if Zoey is actually around.]

Y-Yeah. What they said, too. [What were they even talking about? Oh, right.] Probably not a single one of us that hasn't made a mistake that fucked things up real bad. Or two. Or three.

[A glance toward Faust, and then a sigh.]

Or four.

[ just opening his mouth had ruined his best friend's life. It feels like he hasn't learned anything at all from that given he still blurts things out without thinking when emotional.

Zoey's interruption garners a fierce growl, partly just because she startled him. At least Genya has ceased becoming doglike.

"That's human," Dipper said, but...

Well, it isn't like she ever asked to be a person, now is it?

It feels like ages since the mountains. Since her identity issues were put on display.

He's still growling with every word, but he fights through it. ]

Grrrrrrrrr... end up grrrrrr... isolated from who grrrrrr... who you want to protect.

[ Oh thank god she got an answer. ]

Dipper! Hi! Holy crap I thought I was just talking in my own head for a second. Hi everyone else!

[ Though, oof, these VIBES, guys. On her end of things, her ears are lowering and her tail slows its wag, but the only way that translates through is that the cheerful vibes drop like, 1%. ]

Uh, am I interrupting something? You guys feel kind of down over there. Are you okay? Are you with Ydalir? Please tell me you're with Ydalir.

[Won't someone please tell Zoey you're with Ydalir...]

...who is contacting you?

[Yeah she doesn't hear it. Sorry. No brain blast for her, but it gets her to loosen up just slightly. Alongside the words people speak, of course; her grip on her spear slackens before she opts to flip it arrow-side down and plunge it into the sand. While before her sort of black hole of negativity was draining the watercolour from the metaphorical pages, it now seems more like you all are managing to colour it in again.

It's a bit scary to ask for help, but she's taken the words to help.]

Is it someone important? Tell them... hi. And that I'm trying to get us all out of here, and that I was always trying to do the right thing. And I guess maybe I'll get better at asking for help.

[For the first time, Genya seems to take notice of the color billowing around them. He isn't sure if it's the fact that the color manages to spill out from "Ydalir" or if it's the fact that every single one of Zoey's words sends pink little ripples flooding from from the area of his face. The point is, he does take notice.]

It, uh. It's Zoey. She wanted to make sure you're okay. [Maybe not entirely true, but also not false, either. He'd like to think he can read Zoey well enough, if only because she's an open book.]

Anyway, uh. Clearly you're doing the right thing. I mean... look around you.

[He motions with his arms, hoping that maybe he might be able to manifest some color.]

It's uh. It's like you, um. Color our uh. [Never mind, this is so stupid. He puts his hand to his face. How did Tanjiro do this sort of shit on a regular basis.] itslikeyoucolorourworldandmakeitbetter.

Yeah, let me take this call real quick.

[It looks like the others have said about what he wanted to say anyway. He puts a hand up to his temple mock like how someone might bring a cellphone to their ear.]

Hey, Zoey? Yeah, we've got Y'dalir. We're on an island that's like ...basically a living sketchbook? We had to take a weird portal to get here though. Where are you guys?

[Lavi would attempt to bubble Faust just to keep him to himself, but doooooooesn't feel like that'd be a hot idea right now. Especially when they're making good progress with getting Ydalir to...well...cooperate.

He tilts his head a little.]

Asking for help when you're used to shouldering it alone is...hard. Maybe think of it as a team-building exercise, bonds 'nd whatnot. [Bleh. As soon as he mentions them, the damn things flare into his vision again, a myriad of colors showing up where they weren't there before. But only he sees them.]

[ He doesn't even mean to growl. His hackles aren't raised, it's just... how his voice is coming out. Don't look at him, he hasn't figured it out.

The color coming back does uh. Give rise to the deep purple coming off of Faust, a mix of his frustration at his inability to talk and his sadness at not being able to help how he wants to. ]

Can get rrrrrr... out together.

[ And he offers a 'hand' to Auntie because he missed her and he was worried. ]

[ oh thank GOD ]

Oh! We had to take a portal too! Sort of! Like there were these purple wolf people in the floor, like we were walking on a mirror or something but the mirror was a window? But we went through the floor and came out the other side and oh my god they said it was a potluck but I didn't see any food. Was there food? --sorry, sorry, I just realized I forgot about the potluck. Anyway! Ydalir is here, too! She said there were other parts of her but she didn't know where they were, so I thought maybe you guys were with those parts since we were with one! I, uh. I don't think I know where a sketchbook island is, though, sorry.

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