EVENT 037

[sticksandbonesmods]

Couleurs Embrasées

Drip. Drip. Drip.

As one month gives way to another, the rain begins to dry up. Though the trees above retain enough of the damp to splatter upon your head when you least expect it, the balmy days and shorter nights feel like they should be a promise of better things to come. The beach is but an Ark Gate away, and the mobster lobsters miss their god.

And yet, with the shackles of winter weakness and camp booty shorts cast off, and with his depleted strength beginning to return, it’s only a matter of time until the False God starts a new game.

It begins with a single streak of ink, as if a pen had been briefly dipped into the river. The cloud follows the swirling eddies of the river, little more than a shadow and barely enough to cause a stir. Just as the swath of ink disappears, however, more clouds begin to appear. Some are alive with color, and draw the delight of the Seaborn that make themselves at home within the depths. Others are deep as night, obscuring the depths and staining the skin of whoever might seek to cool off within the water.

Isn’t it strange, how the polluted waters almost seem to still, then change course whenever someone is around? Or how the ink from the water, as it finally washes upon the shore, begins to branch outward and form its own root system.

The disturbances are not limited to the ground, either. Trying to run any amount of water throughout the Grove brings with it the scent of turpentine for the first few moments. The sky above, only recently fixed thanks to the efforts of yourselves and Ydalir, begins to distort once more. Colors begin to drip and blend into one another. It makes for a beautiful sunset, sure, but proves to be an equally unnerving sight all the same.

And since when did your room have such an odd painting in it? Unfortunately, staring at it too long in an attempt to investigate results in a migraine. And yet, in spite of the pain, a compulsion exists within you. Perhaps just one more look?

Drip. Drip. Drip.

The ink continues to spread.

Vie à Pleurer, Vie Inachevée

cw: starvation mentions

Your room is not the only one adorned with a new painting. Within a few days, they can be found against the sides of buildings, splattered across trees, and eventually come to bedeck the stones across the river. Trying to scrub them away, as Luca does to the mural now adorning the bar, only results in it returning within a few hours.

Not that they are static things. The longer you find yourself looking at one, familiar shapes will begin to take form. The blob in the corner warps, taking on the shape of your nose, the cut of your hair, and the silhouette of your favorite outfit. For some, the paintings may take the shape of a life you wish you led. Others may find that it was the life you led before, a person they’ve lost, or even when things in the Grove were so much brighter. Whoever painted these, there seemed to be no limit to their creativity. Memories, wants, dreams all play out within the frame. All they need now is you.

And they will have you.

When the desire grows to be too much, when you submit to the indelible call of oil upon fabric, your mind will be drawn inward. A wash of ink and paint sweeps over you, an attempt to erase whatever you remember of the life outside. Whatever controls this space seems to desire complete assimilation, to forget what was and savor what is now. Whether you submit or persevere is up to you — it will not change what happens next. The painted world takes shape, crafting the new story of you.

Unfortunately, while you enjoy the peaceful dream granted by the inkscape, in reality your countdown begins. Both the changes to and deterioration of your body happens quickly. By the end of the first day, tears made of paint will begin to flow from a character’s eyes. Upon the end of the second, the effects of starvation and dehydration have become extremely apparent. At the end of the third, your character will pass away. Locked in the dream as they are, they will be unaware of the changes happening in their body, or even of the passing of time itself. Years, it seems, can pass in but minutes within this realm.

Help will have to come from the outside. Hope that your bonds remain strong, resident of Aldric’s Grove, for it is only your friends that will be able to save you. While it is difficult, those who are not subjects of the painting may still enter in an attempt to save you. The painting will try to push you out, while the painted folk will be hostile or even violent toward you. The message is clear: outsiders are not meant to be here. You will need to work together in order to find a way out, even as the painting tries to pull its subjects back into the blissful dream.

Be it through the carrot of an even more enticing shift in the paint, or a stick in the form of the painting’s false denizens turning against you, the artist seems determined to not let you leave.

Au Néant les Liens Perdurent

Outside of the paintings, the Grove begins to descend into inky chaos of its own variety. The strands of ink that had once been few and far between beside the bank of the river begin to thicken and grow. More streaks join them, streams of thick black slowly beginning to congregate and congeal within the center of the Grove. A circle is formed just east of the clinic and west of the inn, one that spans roughly ten yards in any direction.
For the first few days, you might be able to step over the perimeter it creates as you go about your business. However, around the same time that everyone begins to be drawn to their paintings, the roots of ichor take proper shape, forming an impermeable sphere around this central location. Anyone with the misfortune of being caught inside will lose consciousness and awaken several hours later outside of the orb, none the worse for wear.

At least, outside of the riot of color now dyeing their hair. That, at least, won’t last more than a few days.

As more and more souls begin to emerge from their paintings, they’ll be able to trace the liquid black veins within the grass and earth back to the orb itself. The message is clear: if you want to prevent your friends from being pulled back in by temptation, you will need to take out the beating heart that fuels them. Taking out the monsters on patrol throughout the Grove will be only part of the problem. You will need to band together and utilize your abilities, your magic, and your brains to figure out how to destroy the sphere.

Only then will you discover the heart of what has been haunting the Grove these past few days.

Continuer de Peindre

When all is said and done, there is one small matter left to resolve: the mess that has been made. You didn’t think all the ink and paint would just disappear, right?

Thankfully, Ydalir — now sporting both new found confidence and human skin — is more than happy to provide a solution. With the use of a few runes, the amalgamation of color is collected into a number of balloons and handed to players. She’s seen what you’ve been through. You have confronted monsters of both your own making and of Suri’s. It’s about time you caught your breath and had a little fun.

Said fun comes in the form of chucking balloons at your fellows. They explode in washes of color that leaves clothes, skin, and hair dyed. Some of them even have glitter in them? There definitely wasn’t glitter in your paintings, where did that even come from?

Anyone that might worry that this activity is counterproductive will get a pat on the head and told not to worry. And indeed, within 24 hours, any new messes, either on your person or splattered across the ground and buildings in the area will magically clear up.

It’s just a shame that your own problems could not be cleaned up so easily.

Spark Notes (Click to Expand)

summary

Couleurs Embrasées: The waters of the Grove begin to run with ink, and mysterious paintings begin to show up within the Grove.
Vie à Pleurer, Vie Inachevée: More paintings, including murals and graffiti, show up along the buildings. The paintings take the shape of the life you wish you led, or they might take shape of who you were before, or who you don't want to be. They could even be from your past lives. If you stare into them too long, your mind will be pulled into the painting. If you spend more than three days with your mind in the painting, your body will deteriorate in the waking world and you'll die.
Au Néant les Liens Perdurent: Within the centre of the Grove is... an inky orb. It looks like something you might be able to break into, but be careful: monsters roam, and you'll have to take them out if you want to make any headway.
Continuer de Peindre: It's time to clean the Grove up... by throwing paint balloons at each other! Don't worry, all magical paint will disappear in 24 hours. This is just for fun and therapy.

out of character

Happy June! Everyone say thank you to Aspen for writing this event, and we (Aspen & I) hope you have fun! Please break the orb it'll be soooo funny if you guys break the orb. C'mon. You know you want to break the orb. Please please ple-

updates

Any potential updates, such as characters damaging something important or whatever else, will be put here.

submissions

❖ Questions
❖ June Plotting
❖ Past Life Plotting (Closed to Game Members)
❖ Investigations

code

Comments

QUESTIONS

[sticksandbonesmods]

[belovedtomorrow]

hiiiiiiii since water is effected when you turn it on at first, what is the state of water that is like. constantly running (ie either of the two bath houses)

INVESTIGATIONS

[sticksandbonesmods]

Note that if you're investigating something specific to the event that Aspen will need time to respond and take people through things!

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>

[foreversembrace]

[Till...would usually enjoy the art appearing everywhere, but not when an abstract, yet oddly realistic painting of Mizi in profile has appeared on the side of his house, as if she's in the process of turning to look over her shoulder.

He can't stand to look at it. He can't, he can't-

He's taken a can of black spray paint outside, and is going to try to cover it up.]

EVENT SUBMISSIONS

[sticksandbonesmods]

Submit your threads/battle strategies here. Submissions are due by June 20th. Please remember that while character overlap is acceptable for threading purposes, if submitting an out of character strategy, your character can only participate once.

Ryan Akagi | Infinity Train | OTA

[chickenchoicejudy]

A. So Many Colors in the Morning Sun (All over the grove, early event)

[The paint thing is a mixed bag for Ryan. On one hand, everything is gorgeous and vivid and breath-taking. He's been catching every sunrise and sunset like it's favorite show, marveling in all the colors. If you don't catch him watching them swirl and change like a kaleidoscope, then maybe you find him down by the river with his sleeves rolled up, dunking his arm in the water. Paint stains, right? And it's all swirly because of the water, so like. Obviously he's a visionary. Truly ahead of his time. Join him!

That being said, the fun doesn't last long - he's been getting headaches that he assumes are from constant paint fumes (which just isn't fair. Aren't you supposed to be able to get high off of huffing paint?). But the new paintings keep catching his attention in quiet moments, where the ink moves and shifts into something...

...something warm. Kind.

He resists for a bit, and keeps insisting that far-off look is nothing. The most he'll admit is that the painting seems kind of sad, but then quickly backtrack that that's silly - it's abstract, after all. It could literally be whatever.

But if it's whatever, then why can he almost hear a softly accented voice calling him home?]

B. And I See Everyone (In the painting In the backyard of Ryan's childhood home, on a warm summer day) cw: mentions of period accurate homophobia

[It's been a while since the entire Akagi family was able to get together, though they always make the time when they can. It's just a lot of moving pieces, a lot of lives to coordinate, but today they're gathered for a backyard barbeque. Every year, for Ryan and Min-Gi's shared birthday, the Akagis throw a barbeque. The other siblings all have their own little something, but today isn't their day. It's Ryan and Min-Gi's day, and they're all just thrilled the boys made it home in time from their busy tour schedule. It's a beautiful day, bathed in almost unnatural warm tones - reds, oranges, yellows, and browns all vivid and bright.]

The family

The sibling line up [art credit Temaru on Tumblr] is as follows:

Kimberly (28) is the eldest sister. She married nearly five years ago now, and Ryan was allowed to stand with the bridesmaids in a suit. Ryan is closest to her, and she's always the first one he calls when something is going wrong. Her husband is the only one who could not make it, but she's brought her young baby with her - Ryan's first nibling! He's promised to be the most fun uncle, despite his brothers' protests.

In another world, Ryan doesn't know how Kimberly's doing now. He knows she didn't go to college and married a boy from a nearby town. Sometimes he wonders if he's an uncle by now, but he suspects he'll never know.

Nancy (26) is the second eldest, and on summer break from her master's program. She started as a math major but pivoted to journalism, which Ryan loves to tease her about - she was always the biggest gossip growing up. She spends a lot of time with Kim, but also makes sure to swing by and bother the birthday boys for details on their tour so far.

Nancy had only just left for college a couple years before Ryan left home. He knows her major is math, which he always thought was kind of nerdy for her. She comes home for the holidays, but tries to be home as little as possible during them.

Zach (18) just graduated high school! Everyone's really proud of him for passing with flying colors. It's a frequent mention, but they had his grad party a couple of weeks ago so it doesn't take over the entire barbeque. He still isn't sure what he'd like to do, so he decides to take a gap year like Min-Gi did - and as a result is Dumpty's newest cook. Sometimes their dad even lets him take over the grilling.

When Ryan left Zach was 14, and you know how 14-year-old boys are. Ryan's sexuality was an open secret in the family - he never came out formally but everyone knew. Things were said that Zach can't take back, and that Ryan doesn't believe Zach would want to take back.

Davey (17) really wishes everyone would call him David by now, but some habits are hard to shake. Now that Zach's graduated, he's the last one in high school. He's a more serious student than his older brothers were and will probably head to college, but he isn't sure what he wants to do. He spends a lot of time hovering near Zach, of course, and he's secretly glad he's still around.

Davey was always Zach's shadow, so he always believed all the scary things Zach told him. He wasn't as mean as Zach by a long shot, but he stopped letting Ryan touch him, and Ryan holds memories of him fully startling and pulling his hand away.

Their parents (Yui and Hiroyuki) have begun to relax more over the years - though there's an argument to be made that their father was always relaxed. Years ago he turned down a promotion that would have kept him in Vancouver more than half the year and it made money a little tight, but it was worth the cost. There was often an extra pair of hands around, even after a long day. This life wasn't always easy for their mother, but as each child became an adult she regained more and more of herself. More tea with Mrs. Park. More time for hobbies. More quiet moments. Less frustration and more love in all directions. She has a warm hug ready and waiting for her little lion Ryan. His father affectionately noogies him before asking for every detail of their last tour. Out of all the siblings, Ryan looks the most like their dad.

Their dad took that job. He nearly missed Ryan's birth. Their mother effectively raised them alone and was often stressed beyond her limits, and then their father would swoop in like nothing was wrong to be the fun dad they never get to see. For Ryan's graduation, he begged his dad to give him his old van so he could leave on tour with Min and never come back, and he said okay with no hesitation. His mother didn't stop him. His brothers wanted him gone. No one said anything when he left without Min-Gi. They all just let him go without protest. He has not spoken to any of them since that day four years ago.

Also present are Min-Gi's parents, because of course it's a joint birthday. The mothers spend a great deal of the party catching up, and the fathers have more trivial but no less meaningful conversation. They're delighted to see both Min-Gi and Ryan, and Ryan gladly takes a hug from his second mother. Min-Gi's father has always been a little harder to read, but he's proud of their mild success and happy to celebrate in his own mild way.

Ryan is closer to Min-Gi's parents than his own at this point, but it isn't saying very much. He still feels bad that he stole Min-Gi away from their perfect American Dream for him, but he also knows they want Min to be happy - so if Min is happy with him then he's doing them proud.

And then finally, Min-Gi is sitting by Ryan's side. They aren't overtly flirting, but they also can't help making eyes at each other now and then, and holding hands under the patio table as though no one can see. They don't say anything openly to confirm, because even that feels too unrealistic for a dream like this, but everyone knows. Everyone knows and is happy for them. No one is scared, everyone approves, and their love is just accepted without question. Everyone's happy to see them and "Min-Gi" is handling the excessive attention pretty well. Almost too well?

Before he can dwell on that thought though, his sisters are in his face begging him to play them a song. They want to hear his music! He playfully bows to Min as though they're about to dance, and Min-Gi laughs and takes his hand in front of everyone, leading him to set up their instruments.

He is likely by Ryan's side in reality as well, as his unconscious body cries paint. As he deteriorates. As he scares the ever loving shit out of Min-Gi just shy of their 22nd birthday--]

[And if you enter this party uninvited, everything stops. All of the guests, minus Ryan, turn to stare at you. It's Nancy who speaks up, nose wrinkled in disgust.]

What are you doing here?

[ooc: Second prompt is OTA, but Min-Gi gets first dibs on actually saving him! Everyone else will be bullied out.]

A

[foreversembrace]

[Till's impression of it all has been much the same. Mixed. Very Mixed. Part of him wants to revel and enjoy the art strewn all over, but the other part...he recognizes it for what it is: insidious and not to be trusted. It's hard to separate the two feelings.

He's on a walk to kindof try to clear his head when he spots Ryan down by the river, watching him dunk his arms in from afar for a bit before he approaches with his hands in his pockets, crouching into a squat without taking them out.]

That's pretty cool. What made you think to do that?

B.

[outofsynth]

[The scene is familiar and unrecognizable all at once. He knows all these people. They're either family or were something close to it when he was growing up. These aren't the barbecues of their youth though. This is something that's happening now, and it's far too cordial to feel comfortable even before Nancy confronts him. They'd been fun, but they'd never gone this smoothly. There was always at least one minor disaster, argument, or at the very least sibling mischief gone too far.

The wrinkle of Nancy's nose stings. She's always teased him, always kept him on his toes, but he doesn't think he ever remembers her giving him a look that outright made him think she hates him.

Of course this isn't really Nancy. Just like the man holding Ryan's hand and leaving him with a confusing feeling of jealousy isn't really him. Min-Gi ignores her, studiously avoiding looking at his parents. He doesn't want to see what kind of expression they might have for him, real or not. He doesn't need to have extra ammunition for when his mind starts dwelling on how they might react to the things he has to tell them when they go back home.

Instead he keeps his eyes fixed on Ryan, reminding himself of the importance of bringing him back him. He takes a breath, calling out so he can grab his attention.]

Ryan!

Arbiter Vildred | Epic Seven

[bladeascent]

i. taking a bath with paint

[Vildred just wanted to take a goddamn bath, man.

His morning starts normally enough. The water from the showerhead has yet to become watercolours, and so, as he normally would, he takes his morning shower. Little does he know that the longer he's in here, the more the water starts to run with paint, the more his hair slowly starts to become a mix of blue and green. It's only when he's done lathering his hair that he realises his skin has taken on a lovely shade of rainbow, and he stares up at the showerhead with the look of a man despairing that he'll have to call the plumber.

They don't have a plumber.

Why is there paint in the water?!

So he sighs. Towels off, dresses in clothes he doesn't particularly care about, and marches down to the inn. In his mind, it's only his shower that's been affected, not the whole Grove's water supply, so it makes sense to just save the showering for the inn and not bother dealing with the plumbing until he's clean enough to talk to Heimr.

This is about when he passes you by and, defeated, with wet hair and rivulets of paint dripping down his face, he sighs:]

I just want to take a shower. Please tell me the inn has non-paint water.

ii. art spawn-camping

[And then, paintings in places paintings weren't put before start popping up. Instinctually, he tears down the ones that appear on his and Ras' walls whenever they pop up, but a day later, heads into the thick of the Grove to try to properly assess the damage. He's certainly not the only one with this issue, after all.

There's graffiti on the bar as he passes. If they weren't already dealing with paint-related chaos, he'd assume someone thought it was funny to harass Luca. Vildred will wave and offer Luca some help, winks at Aspen, and after that's done he's headed off to go start ripping paintings off of walls.

He starts with the inn, and sure enough, the lobby is fucking covered in them. He swears when he looks up that there's one on the ceiling.]

My gut says we should take these down. [He explains loosely, frowning at the portrait of himself in his hands before he shakes his head rapidly and snaps it over one knee. Not today, Satan.] Need a lift for the one on the ceiling?

iii. *a joke only one other person will get voice* do you hear the approaching ruin?

[Outside of the paint orb, Vildred is currently fighting someone else's demons. His goal is to keep the monsters distracted so that everyone else can deal with the orb, because this is what he does best. He distracts. He leads the enemy away from the main contingent. That's always been his thing, even though he probably could be lending a hand to the orb-popping.

Part of distracting, though, means being ready to evacuate people at the first notice of things going cockeyed, or at least being willing to take hits for people. The attack coming for you isn't blocked by Vildred directly, though — he's a bit too far from you — but rather by a shadowy, purple-black serpent that comes from his back to quite literally devour the enemy whole.]

Watch your back!

iv. wildcard

[you know where i live]

i

[lupusxylem]

[Well, Wolfwood is not...difficult to find, considering. He'd just arrived with his silver-white hair that just so happens to be a perfect canvas for dyeing with whatever color under the rainbow one could imagine.

It seems that the bakery's water supply is currently pink, purple, and blue. So, that's what Wolfwood's hair looks like right now.

Happy Pride!]

Take a wild fuckin' guess.

ii.

[electricego]

[ On account of his extreme (read: death-inducing) allergy to the sun, Kaigaku has spent much of the daytime sequestered in the boarded-up inn room graciously pawned off to him by Akaza. He has also largely kept to himself, as he had little desire at the present moment in time to even attempt to begin greasing palms. The people here were varied and strange, and he had little patience for tempering his sharp tongue this early on.

At least, until the paintings start to appear. The war stinks of turpentine so powerfully that Kaigaku's enhanced senses balk inside his ringing skull. Desperation for some sliver of fresh air – and to escape the re-formulating painting in his own dark room – finally pushes him out into the lobby. When he nearly runs straight into a stranger that is almost a whole fucking foot taller than him, he pulls up short in abject disgust for all of ten seconds.

When he is more or less directly addressed, that scowl remains firmly intact. A lift? What the fuck? Who was this irritating giant even speaking to? Surely not him? But the painting was unsightly, and he begrudgingly agrees it would likely be best to remove them in this safe haven. ]

… fine. Where did these even come from?

[ No, he isn't going to introduce himself. Why would he do that. Hoist, giant. ]

Lavi | D.Gray-Man

[inkandhammer]

✑ DRAGON BLESSINGS [LOCKED TO DGM HOUSE—6/1]

[While not normally a LOUD presence in the house (surprisingly), one always knows when Lavi is (1) awake and (2) rattling around somewhere in the halls. Breakfast this morning was a blink-and-you-miss-it sort of moment with him; bundled up with a blanket over his head in quiet grump he made his way in and whisked away a bowl of plain oatmeal and some tea, disappearing back into the room he (and Alma) claimed. Any attempts to get him to vocally respond will be met with silence and peering into the room reveals nothing but darkness. Stand in the doorway's gloom long enough and you'll see a mound of blankets on the bed claimed by Lavi, empty dishes on the floor nearby.]

Close the door! [A voice hisses out from under the blankets, they shuffle just a little. Just before you shut the door—either inside or outside of the room—the light coming in catches on a puddle on the floor. Is that...

Is that blood?]

✑ PAINT WITH ALL THE COLORS

[Due to his headache from the scales and horn growth, Lavi doesn't really truly notice the paint-induced headache. But he stares at the painting of a quaint English town, it pulls at his nostalgia for the countryside of home and yet he can't place ever having been to this particular town.

He doesn't know it and yet...

Yet when you enter the painting, the Lavi that you encounter there...

Well, he isn't Lavi.]

✑ WHACK-A-MOLE

HI BAN!

[A series of fire snakes—similar to loong dragons—race towards the monster that is blocking one of the main pathways to the orb. The ice creature melts in the places where the fire serpents either hit, bit, or wrapped themselves around it and it lets out a loud cry, attempting to call more frost around it to rebuild itself.

Lavi leans against the handle of his hammer, momentarily winded—he's still not back to normal after having been in the painting. His eye-patch is missing. Will be for a while now. But also that right eye is still fucking closed.

He tilts his head a little, tail whisking in slight agitation.]

Of course ya wouldn't make it easy, ya icicle.

✑ WILDCARD

[Can reach out on plurk or discord or PM if ya want something not mentioned or just throw out your own prompt. The rest of the month Lavi can be found like he was last month, at the riverside or at the bar.]

whack-a-mole

[belovedtomorrow]

[For a moment, Lavi will find himself surrounded by a flurry of gentle pink petals, dancing about and filling him with a distinct sense of warmth and love. When they dissipate, he'll find himself with a renewed and enhanced sense of strength, followed in turn by a volley of crystalline arrows raining down on the enemy from somewhere behind him — if he turns around, he'll find a woman hovering slightly in the air, almost aethereal looking, her ornate crystal bow drawn in hand.]

Stand tall, friend~♪

The Prompt for Me

[missinglink]

[Link had made breakfast that morning like he does every morning, and if it were...say, Allen coming to just get a bowl of oatmeal and nothing else, he'd be really worried. With Lavi, not so much, but it's still pretty weird. Not weird enough for him to comment on it, but certainly weird enough for him to commit it to memory while everyone else gets their food. When Lavi doesn't end up returning with his dishes, Link decides to take that as an opportunity to both collect them for him and to check and make sure he's alright.

He isn't expecting to get barked at immediately upon opening the door, which prompts him to still for a moment. Something doesn't feel right the second he enters, his eyes darting across the floor until they catch on that suspiciously dark puddle on the floor.]

Lavi, are you alright? You're behaving strangely.

painting hours be upon us

[lotusflower]

[Kanda is one pissed off sonuvabitch today, and has no time for this painting nonsense. He's about to go grab Lavi and ask the redhead to come with him on some sort of patrol — monster-killing, painting-smashing, the works — when all he comes across is a mindless almost-corpse crying paint.

He's pretty fucking sure he can't just smash that painting on their wall over his knee and be done with it, so impulsively, Kanda lets his mind venture inwards, physical body left next to Lavi on their couch. Maybe one of their housemates will find them comatose like this later. Kanda doesn't intend to spend too long within the painting, and is fairly confident that he'll luck out.

Alas, time will tell.

The denizens of this cute countryside do not like his presence here. Eyes are immediately on him as he strolls his way through, nonplussed by their glowers because it isn't like he doesn't already get that in the waking world anyway. When someone throws a rock, he simply ducks underneath it. It takes maybe ten, maybe fifteen minutes before a familiar splash of red alights in his vision, and Kanda pivots on his heel to make a beeline toward Lavi.

Lavi, who looks a lot different than he remembers, but they really don't have time for this.]

Lavi, we need to leave.

ur making a mess out of our room lavi

[karmicwomb]

[Alma had noticed something off about Lavi, but he didn't know the man like the others in this house did. They had just met last month after all, and though they were roommates, Alma didn't want to presume to know him Like That.

So, he gave Lavi some space. If the guy wasn't feeling well, then maybe he just needed to rest.

So he, as he always has since he arrived here, bothered Kanda for a while.

Still, they did share a room, and he did feel kinda bad that Lavi might be feeling bad. How do you help someone who's sick?

Soup!

Did he make the soup?

Don't worry about that part.

Alma nudged the door to their room open with his hip, quickly stepping inside with Lavi's voice filtering through.]

Sorry, sorry. [He sets the tray down, and squints into the darkness towards Lavi.] You okay? I brought you soup. Don't know if you're feeling bad, but I figured you are.

[Squint x2

Was that blood?]

Sanemi Shinazugawa | Demon Slayer

[purifyingwind]

i. gratuitous paint scenario

[ After the disastrous events of the prior month, Sanemi has been largely keeping himself sequestered and immersed in rigorous self-improvement. Though the labyrinth had been a danger, he had the distinct understanding that it was only the tip of the iceberg; whatever came of the Forest's bolstered strength in the coming months would prove a bitter struggle.

Though he had avoided the river until now, the growing heat in their day-to-day ultimately encourages him towards the riverbank eventually. It is one such afternoon that finds him briefly dipping into the water to cool off only to emerge with the two brightest items on his person – his white haori and his white hair – completely and utterly stained in a psychidelic wash of colors.

Regardless of whether you are passing by, blissfully unawares, or were standing close enough to the river to draw his attention, you get to be subjected to bewildered, spitting outrage. He's sticking his arms out as far away from his body as possible like a terrible parody of a zombie. ]

What the fuck happened to the river?! Is this normal?


ii. finally, violence!

[ Freshly returned from the foray into the leylines and thus incredibly short on patience when it came to problem-solving, Sanemi wisely deigns to leave the conundrum of the orb to the more intellectual of their retinue. Besides – his untimely demise in the labyrinth has left him more than itching for a fight.

Prowling the perimeter immediately surrounding the orb like a caged tiger has been keeping him more than busy. Any monster that shambles a centimeter too close, be it to a person or himself, is ripped to shrieking ribbons by howling wind centralized around his blade.

Pay no mind to the fact he seems a bit too eager about the entire affair. The enthusiasm with which he tosses one of the twisted abominations to the forest floor and practically disintegrates it is surely due to his eagerness to protect and nothing else! ]

Don't get me wrong, I ain't complaining – but where the the hell are these things even coming from?


iii. paint balloon shenanigans

[ When all is hesitantly resolved, Sanemi finds himself parked outside and firmly, wholeheartedly off to the side. Though he knew that Ydalir meant well with her proposal, he was a grown ass man. He had had more than enough of tossing balloons when they had all been stranded in that ridiculous camp. He assuredly was not about to throw himself into the proverbial ring –.

At least, until a stray balloon absolutely smacks him upside the head. The explosion of paint and glitter that showers over him is met, for a single precious moment, with wide-eyed and open-mouthed confusion. He had only just scrubbed the color out of his paint-dyed hair earlier that month!

Yeah, he looks ridiculous. Bristling, shaking with outrage, covered in glitter and paint. ]

What the – watch where you're chucking those damn things!


iv. wildcard

YOU KNOW THE DRILL. DM me or feel free to drop whatever you'd like, here. I'm flexible with this guy unless there is death involved, so feel free to pull him freely into any shenanigans.

i

[infinitemist]

[ Oh- well he was just patrolling since he hasn't been enjoying the way he's been smelling weird chemical paint smells lately. He is not anticipating rainbow-nemi ]

No.

[ A single, deadpan answer, though the way he follows the now very colorful streaks in his hair implies he's holding back amusement. ]

I think we're going to be pulling up well water for a while to wash all that off, if the river's tainted.

Nicole Reeyn | Genshin Impact

[quietangel]

i. art critique

[ As someone with a strong and outspoken insistence on aesthetic, Nicole is completely and utterly perturbed by the sudden incursion of unwanted paintings in her home. Everything had been arranged perfectly to suit her tastes, after all; an outside force meddling with the layout of the artwork in her lodgings was utterly unacceptable!

Necessity demands that she march her way from her home and into the center of the Grove proper. She does not quite sweep into the inn on a warpath, but her displeasure will be blatantly obvious as she tears a painting off the wall.

Given the telepathic communication, her complaint will likely ring loud. ]

What is the meaning of these dreadful paintings? They are completely and utterly ruining the interior design of every building in the Grove! Oh – and they're so tacky.


ii. orb observation

[ Circumstance had ultimately found Nicole in the direct path of the orb's diameter the moment it manifested within the Grove. Rousing in the grass a scant few feet away from the orb with her hair dyed a shocking shade of blue is, somehow, not the strangest experience she has ever weathered with a mysterious sphere!

As is her wont, though, she is immediately curious both about the origins and the make of the thing. As if completely and utterly oblivious to the sudden influx of monsters roaming about, the afternoon will find her as close as she can possibly get, head tilted in obvious curiosity. She is also tapping a fanciful quill against her bottom lip, though she does not appear to be… writing much of anything down! ]

What a strange little thing. It almost reminds me of the memory bubbles Alice and I concocted back in Teyvat, but far less aesthetically pleasing. I wonder if popping it would be a good idea or not…


iii. wildcard

The same spiel as ever, here. Nicole is also flexible and can be roped into shenanigans, so feel free to approach either her or myself with anything. Da world is our oyster.

ii. o r b

[karmicwomb]

Ooh... Do you think it will explode if we try? We'd be covered in paint. Or maybe more of those weird monsters will come out.

[Where did he come from?

Don't worry about that.

Alma was crouched beside Nicole, his form slightly less human looking please ignore Kanda. The halo above his head glowed faintly, and his tail curled around his ankles as he stared at the orb in front of them.

He had just finished taking out some of the monsters, and his form had yet to revert to normal.]

Ain (Bluhen) | Elsword

[eidxiety]

i. get healed idiot
a) it is mid-fight

[You are, currently, surrounded on all sides by various monsters of all shapes and sizes. The paint orb ominously thrums and undulates nearby, and unfortunately, it looks like you got a little too close to it. Surely, you're capable enough to not get overwhelmed and killed — but Ain doesn't take chances like that. Seconds before the pack descends upon you, you'll hear a very German voice shout out something—]

Vertraunen Melodie!

[—and then you're surrounded by a translucent green shield that only your weaponry and magic can get through. The enemies clonk harmlessly off of it, for a time anyway. Long enough, perhaps, for you to counter or get away.

Overhead, Ain in full angel form "lands" nearby, though it's more like hovering several inches off the ground.]

I'll back you up, haha~ if you could do most of the heavy lifting, I can keep you safe~.

[Something in his tone betrays that he's capable of more than just that, but the offer's on the table regardless.]

b) it is not mid-fight you're done fighting

[Whether or not the battle ends doesn't seem to matter to Ain, who has decided you are currently Too Injured To Continue, and "too injured to continue" in Ain-land means that you're probably on death's door or close enough to it that he feels the need to pull you away. It's a literal pull, by the way; his dragon tail hooks around you and drags you off toward the clinic for a small break.]

Haha, you're bleeding~ so you don't get to go back out there until I give you the clear.

[Luckily Ain has healing magic, so this shouldn't take long, although he may just slow himself down to give you more of a break if you protest too much.]

ii. paint-inspired fashion for trauma-healing

[The tailor shop doors are thrown wide open at the end of the month, and that's simply because Ain doesn't have enough space inside to hold everything he's working on. Aside from the dressed-up mannequins inside, there are more lining the wisteria-covered pathway outside, all showcasing various outfits inspired by, well... the paint issues.

Now that everything's cleaned up, Ain thinks this is a fine point of inspiration. Trauma-healing, he thinks.

There are a lot of pieces. Maybe too many pieces. Sometimes inspiration strikes and you have to capture it, okay?

You approach to the tune of him instructing both of his summoned owls to weave some fabric together at a table sitting just outside. One holds a spool of thread in its beak, and the other rhythmically moves his little head to follow the marks Ain has left on the fabric. He has them quite well-trained now, but then again, they are magical creatures that follow his whims.]

Hi hi~. [He waves at you.] Feel free to browse! I can make on the fly adjustments to anything or do something custom, too~.

[This is a magical place and I'm saying that clothes fit well already because I don't have time to think of clothing size logistics in a fun prompt. Thanks.]

iii. wildcard

[ain is also available for painting adventures, pitch something my way if you want! we can do current lives. past lives. au lives. not lives. i don't know i'm not your dad.]

B

[loansharpedo]

[Funnily enough, Corbeau had never intended to get out in the middle of the fray. He's not a fighter and he knows that about himself, it's not something he'd ever try to deny...but with his newfound abilities, alongside his actual, flesh-and-blood Pokemon at his side? Well, it gives him reason to think maybe he could do something.

That, along with the several ton Salamence he's summoned to his side. That probably had something to do with it.

Of course, a summoned dragon type, plus Scolipede and Roserade, can only do so much, and it isn't long before Corbeau is both covered in paint as well as struggling with a puncture wound in his left upper thigh. It's probably not life threatening (probably, he's no doctor, but also that's where the femoral artery is so I mean), but he can't stand much less walk, so Ain suddenly yanking him back is for the best. Scolipede brays and chases him down until they've come to a stop, his antennae vibrating with worry as he curls himself halfway around where Corbeau ended up sitting on the ground.]

Hhh...I'll have to ask that you don't tell Urbain about this.

Urbain | Pokemon Z-A

[justacityboy]

i. trapped in the painting

[A painting on the wall of the inn lobby depicts a city with a castle. Nearby said painting, collapsed on the couch and completely unresponsive, is Urbain — paint-covered and guarded by one (1) pissed-off Meganium who looks at you like you personally burned his flower. You probably don't know where the other two of his trio have wandered off to, and that probably isn't the concern.

Regardless, if you decide to enter the painting in an attempt to get him out, you'll find yourself in the beating heart of Hammerlocke City in the Galar region. Urbain himself won't be difficult to find: you'll quickly spot him walking down the street in Galar's gym challenge uniform, accompanied by a taller blonde woman who looks similar to him and a much older man who is towering over the entire populace of the city. Notably, Urbain looks very happy, though it's clear that his accent is much different than you're used to — those who are from Earth or Earth-adjacent will recognize it as starkly British, very different from the mix of British-French he normally speaks with.

He doesn't notice you. He's too busy yapping about the Gym Challenge to his mom and AZ, the latter of which being the only father figure he ever had in his life before AZ's eventual passing in the real world. Alas... they notice you, and they're not too pleased with your presence here. Mom's eyes are sharp and focused, and AZ straightens his back as much as the old man can in some attempt to use his bulk to intimidate you.

The message is clear: you should probably leave. Sooner, rather than later.]

ii. floette is yet again doing war crimes

[Outside of the paintings, Floette has yet again been left to her own devices. She is very tired of all y'all kidnapping her Trainer and is about four and a half seconds from blowing this whole place up. Being seven inches tall will not stop her.

Of course, there's a more urgent issue in the form of the Paint Orb and Monsters, which pose a direct threat to Urbain everyone else who she definitely cares about as much as Urbain yeah totally. So, when this itty bitty tiny Pokemon suddenly floats in front of you, holds her flower out, and laser beams the fuck out of some monsters and clips the orb in the process...

What do you do?]

iii. look at this photograph

[Free from the painting and alive, Urbain is now here for paintball. Except! He's mostly here for pictures of everyone else doing their thing. What can't be captured in Polaroid, though, gets captured by his Rotom phone hovering probably too close to the scenes of the crime. Don't worry, Rotom will be fine.]

Sorry if it gets in your face, bestie, I'm trying to get a closeup!

[Urbain is shouting this, standing about five feet away so he doesn't get hit, which means... it would be incredibly fucking easy to whip around and fastball a paint balloon at him, right?]

iv. wildcard

[here he is a special boy]

ii

[lupusxylem]

[Hi, hello, what the fUCK-

It's funny because Wolfwood had his Punisher at the ready, about to do just that when Floette ends ups stealing his thunder. It causes him to gape with bewilderment at the tiny Pokemon, lowering the end of his gun a bit just as the light from the attack dissipates.]

The hell did you come from?

Alma Karma | D.Gray-Man

[karmicwomb]

I. diluvium

[Alma had spent all of his life as a science experiment or in a coma, so given the chance that he had now, he could often be found exploring the Grove. He's gone to the library, and even attended one of Professor Anaxa's classes (that was fun and he will be back, though will he be a good student? Who knows!).

Now, though, he finds himself at the edge of the riverbank. It felt nice and cool here, where the breeze would pick up, so he found himself sitting by the edge and enjoying the afternoon.

It was the movement in the water that caught his attention first.

And perhaps, this is how you find him.

With his head in the water, blowing bubbles at the seaborn that came to say hello.

Or perhaps you catch him finally pulling his head out of the river, his lungs burning for air. His face, shoulders, and hair all painted in streaks of pink and blue.]

II. a hand in the bush or however the saying goes

[While the month started on a good note, Alma can confidently say that it has quickly fallen downhill. Between the paintings and that weird ink orb, he didn't expect things to get worse! He hasn't been here long; he doesn't know anything.

Perhaps he's helping people, or you find him fending off whatever this is, but if you've met Alma before, his appearance is slightly different (ignore Kanda, he's not important here)

He floats above the ground, his tail snapping back and forth angrily as beams of dark matter shoot from his hands to rip the monsters apart. He lands for a moment, only to curse under his breath as the smoke clears and more of those freaky hand things seem to emerge.]

Oh, come on!

III. scheming for fun

[After everything is said and done and they aren't being terrorized by monsters and paintings of doom and despair, Alma was introduced to the concept of a water balloon (full of paint).

There is nothing evil being planned. Nothing at all.

And he's definitely not hiding in a bush, with a stockpile of said water paint balloons waiting for... you!

He pops out of the bush, takes aim, and throws the balloon directly at the back of your head. He's beaming from ear to ear, and the moment the balloon explodes in a rainbow of colors, he ducks back into the bush for safety and covers his mouth to muffle his giggles.

You didn't see anything. He's totally hidden.]

IV. Wildcard

[Got something else you wanna do? Have thoughts and feelings? My DMs are always open :)]

iii because i asked for it-

[lotusflower]

[Kanda is innocently walking by and doing nothing in particular when, in yet another moment of not paying attention (because apparently Alma doesn't set off his paranoia gauge or some shit I don't know), he gets fucking clocked by a paint balloon. He spins on his heel like he's about to blame one of the nearby people until he hears Alma teeheeing and heeheeing over there.

You little fucker—]

You have five seconds to run!

[...this might bring out his inner kid, he might be going for the stash of balloons. They may engage in war.]

Anaxa | Honkai: Star Rail

[alchemization]

i. gnosis anaxa bombs a railroad bridge paint orb

[In the centre of the Grove is an ominous, undulating orb of paint. Also in the centre of the Grove are monsters trying to protect said orb. Unfortunately, the third factor in the centre of the Grove is one (1) green boy, who has loaded the underside of the orb with enough explosives to level a large building.

Which could mean nothing. Or it could mean the entire Grove catches fire. He'll find out in a second.

If nothing else, Anaxa is a reckless sonuvabitch, and you'll probably witness him suddenly pivot from where he's crouched low under the orb, duck between the legs of the creature that was about to cleave him in half, and skitter like a bug out of the blast radius. This is the most agile he's probably been in his life and his scoliosis Will kill him for this later, but!

He loads his shotgun with bullets, spins on his heel as he gets up, and fires several rounds at the pile of explosives, which lights up like a Christmas tree sat next to a candle that's been laced with gunpowder. The resulting explosion is much like the beat drop at a rave; one second everyone's dancing, and seconds later there's a cacophony of noise and bodies on the floor. The Grove itself doesn't light up thanks to the Setting Is Not Destructible Clause, but Anaxa still wears a manic look on his features nevertheless.

Body count: 10 monsters. 0 paint orbs. And also, 0 craters in the ground.

He tsks and reloads the gun.]

ii. wildcard

[nax is mostly on tagout duty this month i'm sorry but feel free to throw anything at him. paintings. paintballs. more bombs. y'know.]

[lupusxylem]

[Wolfwood, meanwhile, was. Distressingly close when those millions of bombs went off just then, and it would have been more distressing if he wasn't 1) in a situationship with a guy who blows himself up ALL the fucking time and 2) wanting to be in a situationship with a guy who loves to blow other things up.

Still, doesn't mean Wolfwood is any less explosive or flammable than he was yesterday. He has to thank his lucky stars that the dearly departed Sesa (he isn't dead) fixed up his gun so well, because he's able to whip it up in front of his face to dodge the brunt of any shrapnel and debris being launched at his face.

Once the fireworks die down, he whips his head around and shouts:]

Warn a guy next time, Jesus!

Mydei | Honkai: Star Rail

[warchiseled]

I. Crowned in Blood cw forms of torture, dismemberment, drowning

[If you find yourself by the Rec Center, you may find a large portrait of three individuals. It seems to be a royal portrait of a King, Queen and their son. On the right is a beautiful woman with long blonde hair that is braided to one side. On the left is a man, his expression stoic and the crown on his brow gleaming. Between them is Mydei; his parents' hands resting on his shoulders.

If you were to look around, you can find Mydei himself slumped over on a bench, his skin pale with streaks of paint. He seems unresponsive, no matter how much you try to wake him. Beside him is Fig Stew, making sad little awoo's as he tries to wake up Mydei.

If you decide to enter the painting in an attempt to rescue him, you find yourself within the halls of Castrum Kremnos. There's a crowd of people gathered before three thrones that stand tall in the back of the room. There, you can see Mydei with his parents. It seems you've entered during a council meeting.

The room is loud, the people around you talking all at once as Mydei's booming voice passes judgment on the current topic at hand. King Eurypon's smile is unsettling if you know Mydei's history, but there seems to be pride on his face.

Or, perhaps you come into chaos.

The crowd is screaming in panic, or perhaps the screams are for violence. You quickly spot Mydei in the center of the crowd, his body being ripped apart by the mob of his people. And where the King once stood, now stands the Titan of Strife, Nikador, his massive lance pointed at Mydei in judgment.]

II. The Lance of Fury

[Now outside of the painting and in an attempt to deal with emotions calmly and healthily, Mydei can be found by the orb.

He seems to be taking his frustrations out on the wave of monsters that seem to be emerging from it. If you watch him for too long, you might think he's a bit reckless, perhaps putting himself in the middle of a horde. Don't worry, this is exactly where he wants to be.

Mydei moves quickly, grabbing hold of one monster after the other and ripping them apart with his bare hands. Red crystals burst from the ground to impale others, though not nearly as much as Mydei is used to wielding. Golden blood seeps from wounds that are taking too long to heal, though it doesn't seem to slow him down.]

III. Wildcard

[Wanna do something else? Hit me up on Discord:)]

ii

[belovedtomorrow]

[One monster sneaks up behind Mydei while he's distracted with those coming from the front and sides, poised to strike — a familiar crystalline arrow shoots clean through its skull, crumpling it to the ground before it even has a chance to think about cutting into vulnerable flesh. Alongside it, Mydei can suddenly feel himself immersed with renewed vigor (one might even say an extra 200% crit rate and a free charge of godslayer be god) and a distinct feeling of someone's adoration enveloping him, warm and familiar in nature.

If he turns to look, Cyrene is a few paces behind him, levitating slightly with her bow drawn taut once more. She's a bit worried about just how injured he seemed to be, uncharacteristic for the man known as Mydeimos the Undying, but Cyrene also trusted him to know his own limits — doesn't mean she wont watch his back though, even if he's unaware that she too knows the secret of his weak point.]

Sorry to kill steal~♪