EVENT 009

[sticksandbonesmods]

RULER OF MY HEART

HOW SWEET IT IS

As time ticks on in that strange, wobbly way it does in this place — where the nights feel like they last days, and the days feel like they’re only a few hours long — the fog, ever so gradually, rolls back in, until it’s that oppressive black wall it normally is. It means no more trips into the greater forest for the time being, though the surrounding ring of treeline around the Grove and the burned town to the north remains readily accessible.

The woods, now awake and alert, sends its regards with the occasional roar of a beast in the far distance, and the occasional biblically-accurate deer wandering into the Grove proper to nibble on grasses starting to spring up through the snow. Speaking of things springing up through the snow, there are some new trees near the riverbank, sporting perfectly normal lemons that are growing perfectly normal eyeballs. It’s fine, they’re edible, although they don’t seem to be native. Hmm.

All is peaceful thus far, until you open your dresser drawer. Suddenly, a little  creature flies out at you, or cries out angrily because you woke it up. Perhaps, that creature climbs on you instead, shuffling into your pocket to snuggle up. Or, maybe you lay down for a nap, and your pillow feels just a touch lumpier than normal, and when you move your head, something squeals at you. No matter where you find them, even if they’re being a nuisance and eating your shoelaces, these creatures are harmless: they’re merely cold, and you, a Warm Thing, will now be their space heater.

I REALLY LIKE YOU

One of Ydalir’s secret passions is cooking. You would not know this, because she doesn’t have the ability to eat, but that doesn’t mean she lost the ability to cook. A holiday is coming, you see, and it’s tradition for everyone to partake in cute chocolates and have candlelit dinners! (She will not be providing the dinners, that’s on you.)

What feels like early on in the month, Ydalir will approach everybody with a box of chocolates customized for each person with their favourite flavours. For those of you who don’t eat human food, don’t worry: These are safe for consumption for vampires and robots alike.

Like with most things here, though, things are not as they seem. Eating one of these chocolates suddenly makes you feel very, very cuddly, like suddenly you wouldn’t care who you snuggled up to right now so long as you were comfortable. With the candy in your system, you feel affectionate to anyone who you come across, even if you may not have liked them previously.

As it turns out, mixing magic with cooking makes a potion. Ydalir swears up and down she didn’t mean it, but enjoy your cuddle-chocolates anyway!

LET’S STAY TOGETHER

Sometimes, when you touch another person, your mind goes elsewhere. This isn’t a result of the chocolates, but rather some other force at work. If you see two people asleep somewhere — the ground, the couch, the kitchen counter — it’s best to leave them where they are, unless you want to risk passing out with them and seeing what they see. They’ll wake up in a little while.

What those who get dragged into their own minds see depends on the person, and what lies within their heart. These “heartspaces” are made up of core memories to the participants — important locations, emotional states given form, meaningful items, or anything else, really. When in contact with another person, these heartspaces will combine into one, perfectly interactable and wanderable at your leisure. Touching objects within these spaces will play a core memory before your eyes, or even change the scenery a bit, depending on whose heart it is you’re messing with.

Perhaps now is a good time for bonding and learning about one another, in the comfort and privacy of your own minds. After all, you won’t exit the heartspaces for quite a bit.

PAIN IN MY HEART

…just try not to break anything while you're there.

It might be an accident. Maybe you walk backwards into a table containing a framed photograph, and that photo falls and the glass breaks, the picture inside the frame ruined. Maybe you broke that cheaply-made but still-important toy while fiddling with it. Or, perhaps, it wasn’t an accident at all: You broke that thing on purpose, you punched through that wall, you set that fire.

Whatever broke the thing in question doesn’t matter in the end. What matters is that the memory associated with it begins to fade away like smoke on the wind. Fixing the broken object will bring that memory back, but failing to fix it before you wake up from the dream will have that memory gone forever.

Although, there are some pretty bad memories out there… if the memory broken was terrible, or if the item in question showed someone a dark secret you didn’t want them to know… shouldn’t it stay gone?

SPARK NOTES

CLICK TO EXPAND!

HOW SWEET IT IS

The fog is back. The creatures are clinging to you because they're cold. The eyeball lemons are, uh... lemon...y. Enjoy your completely normal slice of nature.

I REALLY LIKE YOU

Ydalir has made everybody chocolates! They're delicious and induce feelings of affection and a deep need to cuddle others. Surely this won't go terribly awry. Also, she's very sorry.

LET’S STAY TOGETHER

Sometimes, touching someone else takes you to a combined mental space made up of the important things to you and the person you touched. You can touch things within the space to play memories, or explore the environment together. Outside, you're just asleep on the floor somewhere probably, so hopefully no one trips over you.

PAIN IN MY HEART

Be careful in the heartspaces. Anything you break will take a relevant memory with it. If you can find a way to repair it, the memory will come back. Although, sometimes memories need to stay gone, don't they? Maybe leaving it broken is okay?

OOC

Happy February! The mod team will not apologise for the amount of pink in this event log. If you'd like to plot with people for this event, head over to OOC plotting. We will allow you to make up various plantanimal creatures for this event, they don't have to be like the images linked as examples. Have fun, enjoy creatures, they're here to stay. Reminder this month will have Heimrquest, so if you want to sign up, please do so on the OOC plotting post.

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Comments

[unheiring]

Shhh.

[Hello, Lizard. Meet your friendly neighborhood sunning rock. Luca runs at an extra toasty temperature, warmth that he's more than happy to share as he shrinks back against the couch. Plenty of room for Sesa to take up and sprawl alongside Luca with.]

Just stay right like that.

[He finagles himself just enough to be able to nuzzle himself up against Sesa's shoulder, perhaps even nosing against a few stray strands of hair.]

[sesa]

[Ope, and just like that, he's been dragged down to cuddle. And, well...given the fact that he's all dosed up on cuddle candy too?

Yeah, Sesa has no issues with this whatsoever. He loves the warmth and immediately gets in as close as he can, his larger frame supporting Luca's easily. He may be unsurprised to find that Sesa is a strong, built Vouivre man, but that doesn't mean he isn't soft and nice to lay on. It's quite comfortable actually, especially with the way Sesa's tail slithers up onto the couch to carefully wind around them both.]

Ah...you're so warm. Is that normal for you?

[unheiring]

[There's much to be admired about Sesa's frame. He's sturdy, without being too firm to call comfortable. Luca hasn't done much in the way of indulging in the more gentle comforts of intimacy, but if he had to guess — the Vouivre man ranked on the far more desirable side.

The tail, admittedly, is strange at first. Some part of Luca thinks to flinch, but the candy in his system soothes the more frayed of nerves. Instead, he finds himself relaxing all the more, appreciating just that little bit of pressure.

Where once, the question might have brought a level of consternation, Luca can only let out a faint snort.]

Normal, yes. [His feathers ruffle with the lingering mirth.] Surely you don't need the paltry details that come with the question "why."

[sesa]

[Sesa is, how you say.........beeg. He's a beeg man.

A beeg man whose tail tip is flicking back and forth happily as Luca cuddles up close to him, giving him more of that coveted warmth. Luca might be making a mistake here, as Sesa is going to be loathe to leave. You see, he's had his warm kotatsu all day, and you are.........actually warmer than that, oops.]

Intrigued though I may be...a simple acknowledgement that you are not dying from fever is good enough for me.

[unheiring]

[Sesa is beeg, and Luca is very smol. It makes for quite the satisfying dynamic, as far as the Phoenix-blessed was concerned. He does spare a bit of concern that, perhaps Sesa might not be as satisfied with their current arrangement, given that discrepancy, but he doesn't vocalize it.

Instead, he laughs. It's a faint noise, but it's the most light-hearted sound he's made since he arrived.]

No, no fever. You can rest assured knowing that a high temperature is very normal for me.

[sesa]

[On the contrary, Sesa doesn't mind one bit. He'd be more concerned about accidentally rolling over on Luca and hurting him maybe, but he seems to be made of sturdier stuff than that.]

Ah! You must be like Vouivre then...or Draco, perhaps? I am not possessed of fire based Arts, though I wish I was.

[unheiring]

Vouivre? [Is it obvious that Luca is unfamiliar with the word. His brow furrows and his tongue stumbles. He shakes his head.] No, nothing like that.

It's like... being a Phoenix. The Phoenix. It's... weird.

[But it would explain the feathers, at least!]

Someone said something about a Vouivre once, I think. [A squint.] Are you... mushroom man?

[sesa]

[Urk.]

Ah...yes. That is me...though I would prefer to just be called Sesa.

[Please no mushroom man he'll cry-]

So you are...Liberi, then? Or I suppose adjacent to what I know to be Liberi...to be more specific, they are a race of bird people from my world.

[unheiring]

[Oh, pardon Luca as he buries his face in Sesa's tits. Not intentionally, he's just muffling his laughter. When was the last time he felt this light and easy, anyway?]

Sesa it is, then. [He shifts his head, chin resting against Sesa's chest. He fixes those big, golden eyes on the Vouivre.]

I... don't know about that. [His expression turns thoughtful, perhaps even melancholic.] The traits you see are exclusive to my family line. And I am the last of that line.

[sesa]

Is that so? Mm...I apologize then if I've misspoke.

[Look at them big ol eyes. Will Luca be mad if Sesa very gently places his claws on his head...maybe plays with his hair a little. It looks very soft.]

It continues to shock and amaze me just how different other worlds are from my own, even with things that seem so similar.

[unheiring]

No, no. There's no need to apologize. You had no way of knowing.

[The good news is that, like this, Luca's temper is dulled significantly. Even the additional voice in his head seemed pacified for the time being. He was, for all intents and purposes, at peace. It wouldn't last, but he could enjoy it for now.]

I could say the same. It was... quite alarming to see so many people with such similar traits to myself. [He's been creeping on Gnosis and Passenger in particular for some time. Though their plumage and how it manifested was drastically different than Luca's own, he had spent a fair bit of time searching for any other similar traits.

For better or for worse, he'd wanted to know if they were like him.]

[sesa]

I can imagine. What a cruel trick for the Forest to play on you...

[Sesa shakes his head, drawing Luca a little more securely into his arms. You are being (gently) squeezed now, nestled not just into Sesa's arms, but into those titties. Naturally.]

Not to fear. You may be new, but you have us now. And we function as....I would be so bold to say a large family. We try to look out for one another, here. That includes you.

[unheiring]

[Any of the bubbling negativity starts to settle again. There's something about strong arms and a very solid place to rest his head that soothes his usually frazzled nerves. Pacified as he is, there's no reason to put up a fight, or even attempt an argument when it comes to Sesa's assurances.]

It sounds. Pleasant, despite the circumstances. [There's a sideways glance, a touch hesitant.] I hope you still feel that way later.

[sesa]

[Yes, good. Be soothed. Small voice, small baby bird, thank you.]

Why wouldn't I? You've given me no reason not to.

[unheiring]

I'm not... usually this kindly. Or friendly.

[So you know, fair warning.]

When we next meet, I may be a touch more... aggressive.

[sesa]

I see.

[Sesa hums, brushing his claws through Luca's hair again.]

You know, Vouivre tend to be aggressive as well. We can actually be quite vicious if we let our instincts get the better of us.

All of that to say, no matter how you behave later, I'm sure I'll be able to handle it.

[unheiring]

[Okay, Sesa? You can't just say things like that to him. He shivers vividly, a chill racing down his spine.]

I hope that happens to be a promise, my new friend.

[Stop, stop, Wolfie's gonna get the newspaper-]

[sesa]

[It's too late. You think this man uses his brain before he says anything? It's even worse now that he's had so many of these chocolates already.]

Oh? Does someone enjoy a bit of rough handling...?

[STOP]

[unheiring]

Oh, very much so.

[Is his voice a purr? Maybe. Who know birds could do that.]

Unfortunately, too many people play far too nice with me.

[sesa]

[Unfortunately?

Consider his interest piqued.]

Well...I'll only be gentle if you want me to be.

[That hand in his hair...tugs. Just a bit, just to see how Luca might respond.]

[unheiring]

[Lord help us all. Luca makes a noise that should not be made on a couch in the middle of a hotel lobby. His eyes roll back briefly, before he remembers to get a damn handle on himself and calm his dick. And while the cuddle candies can keep his inhibitions loosened, they can't entirely control just how embarrassed he gets afterward.]

Ah - I'm - [He clears his throat and promptly dips his head, trying to hide in the curtains of hair] That was - very out of line.

[sesa]

[Oops!!!! Sorry Luca but Sesa is just as afflicted by these chocolates as you are, so it’s difficult for him to not be a gremlin. And he’s already so friendly on a good day…]

My apologies. You are just so endearing, I couldn’t resist.

[Sesa pulls his fingers gently through Luca’s hair again, in a way he hopes is soothing.]

Are you alright?

[unheiring]

Endearing is - not something I get called very often.

[Give him a second. Let him calm his feathers a bit. The soothing touch definitely helps, too.]

You - flatter me deeply Sesa. Truly.

[sesa]

[Would Luca believe him if he told him it wasn’t entirely due to the chocolates that he’s saying these things? That he actually means them?]

I only speak to what I can see with my own eyes. I’ve enjoyed getting to know you, even in the short time you’ve been here in the Grove.

[unheiring]

[Luca would not believe it, one bit. It's been a long time since he's ever thought of himself as someone worth being around. Behold the pessimist bird in his natural habitat.

Except not right now, though. Right now, Luca manages to utter a soft, breathy little laugh.]

Even after I insulted you repeatedly for your foraging skills?