EVENT & TDM 012

[sticksandbonesmods]

IT'S GONNA BE MAY

WAKE UP

You open your eyes, and with a jolt, find yourself within the clearing of a miniscule town surrounded by trees and thick, black fog. Despite the ominous backdrop, nature seems to be thriving — it’s a pleasantly chill spring day, as far as anyone can tell, and everything is vibrant and blooming… even some of the animals. At some point, a friendly old dog with red fur approaches, carrying a basket in his jaws. Inside are blackberries and apples other fruits. Did he find this himself? Or did someone give them to him to bring to new arrivals? Regardless, he very clearly hopes that you’ll share.

A giant golden brown turtle sits by a tent, napping in the sunlight. Two statues sit in the courtyard by an old well — a haloed woman marked as the Goddess of the Sun, Beiwe, and a gentle woman looking adoringly at her counterpart, marked as the Goddess of the Moon, Ourania. If you pay your respects, the air feels gentle and warm in the day, and like a fresh cool breeze at night.

As you explore more, perhaps the bloomed animals will approach — a mossy squirrel, or a frog who happens to also be a lilypad. It’s charming, almost. Whimsical and kind.

Shame that the wall of fog looms ever on, watching. Waiting.

SHINING, SHIMMERING, SPLENDID

cw: hallucinations, compulsions, near-death experiences

For a while, spring seems gentle, almost. Peaceful. The previous month may have been full of jokes, but things are actually safe. Of course, that can’t last forever. Every night, a purple, shimmering mist floods the town. It does not breach the doors and windows, even if left open, but looking at it is… enticing.

Should you give in, the mist is cool and gentle, swaying around you like smoke. The longer you stay in, the more your eyes feel blissfully heavy. Soon, you find yourself surrounded by loved ones, in a place that brings you joy — a childhood home, a vacation spot, some place warm and safe and dear to your heart. Everyone is playing and having so much fun. Join them! Join them!

Of course, by the time you do jump into the fun, you’ll find yourself awakened with a start, just about to fall into danger. Perhaps you climbed a tree and were about to leap to the ground from too high up. Or maybe you stuck your head in the river and your lungs were about to empty. Regardless, the happy dream shatters with imminent danger, and perhaps you’d better hope that someone else is nearby to help you. … Especially since with each night you give in, the more enticing the mist is the next night.

DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY

At some point, the mist is forcibly dissipated and instead the moon shines brightly, almost like a spotlight. Investigation will reveal an absurdly large capybara that seems more like a vehicle than an animal, even with the jasmine flowers hanging off of it, siting down with the ‘door’ accessible to anyone willing to climb in.

“Come with me, and I will bring you to a night of festivities.” is all that it says when asked. And it knows that you will — you’re all curious as kittens, after all. Once the last person takes a fuzzy seat within the capybara, it slowly stands up and begins walking through the woods, and for the first time, everything seems peaceful. Normal, even. Why, there’s not even a monster or misshapen, grabby tree! Just a moonlit forest, and fireflies in the distance.

Eventually it brings you to a small but beautiful cabin, crouching down to let everyone out again. Outside is a layer of marble surrounded by pillars decorated with sheer fabrics and an abundance of lilies and calendula, jasmine and marigolds, hydrangeas and gladiolus. A buffet table has also been spread out, and within the cabin are changing rooms with a multitude of ornate gowns and suits, alongside sitting rooms and other potential necessities — though you get the feeling that you should still be on your best behavior here.

Gentle music plays from an unknown source. The capybara is resting, until it’s time to leave come sunrise. For one night, everything is at peace. You may as well enjoy it, and dance to your heart’s content.

SPARK NOTES

CLICK TO EXPAND!

WAKE UP

Welcome to Aldric's Grove! The fog wall is a little creepy, but worry not: A dog has brought you a snack, and the plant-bearing wildlife are pretty friendly. If you've been here for a while, no worry: You, too, are getting a basket of treats from the dog.

SHINING, SHIMMERING, SPLENDID

A purple mist fills the Grove at night, and stepping into it makes you experience a euphoric dream... shortly before you wake up because you nearly walked into death. Be careful, because the mists are addicting, and you may not have an easy time avoiding their temptation the following nights.

DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY

For one night, the mists clear up and peace settles over the forest. A giant capybara gleefully takes everyone to the site of a grand dance, where the clothing and food are all free, and the music swells with joy. Dance your hearts out until dawn breaks, and then the capybara will take you back home.

OOC

Happy May! This is a reminder that TDMs are game canon. Enjoy your dreams, enjoy your prom night, enjoy the capybara. OOC Plotting Lives Here if you'd like to plot anything out!

UPDATES

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SUBMISSIONS

QUESTIONS
INVESTIGATIONS
TDM NPC CONTACT
PAST-LIFE PLOTTING

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Comments

[mooninthewater]

[ Mizuki nodding and still holding onto Ain's hand like :)? ]

Okay. Can I ask about why you've come to that conclusion? Is it just easier? Do you not like hard things? Do you think it's okay to lie about certain things? Are you good at it?

[eidxiety]

[We're holding hands now. He is tolerating this. Luckily Mizuki is getting the version of Ain that will tolerate this.]

Yes. [He'll answer the questions in order.] Yes... I don't like difficult things, lying is okay, I'm pretty good at it!

[squints at him. is he though.]

[mooninthewater]

So then… what do you consider to be going too far when it comes to it? Is there anything? How about if you’re the one being lied to rather than being the liar? Is that answer still the same? Is it always in someone’s best interest to lie if it benefits them, regardless of circumstance?

[eidxiety]

Mmm...

[Looks briefly confused...]

I wouldn't tell the truth if it didn't benefit me. [AIN PLEASE] I don't think about it. If someone lies, it's because they want to omit something, whether it's "too far" or not. I guess... I would be upset if one of my friends was keeping something from the rest of the group, like, "I'm being stalked by a big monster or an evil cult" which does happen, but that's more because they're putting people in danger. I guess that's the line?

Haha, this is a hard question, Mister!

[mooninthewater]

[ Fascinating. It’s been a while since he’d met someone who’d so earnestly answered like this? He’d absolutely love to sit here and pick his brain with more questions. It’s the closest thing he can get to putting him under a microscope. ]

Ehe… sorry… I have a bad habit of asking questions that aren’t very easy. I think maybe… they’re not supposed to be? It’s getting you to think that is the important thing for analysis… I think.

I’m not very smart myself, so I’d really like to find out the answers from people who are, you know?

[eidxiety]

Mm... questions don't have to be easy. I know someone who asked me a lot of difficult questions, but I couldn't give her a proper answer because I didn't truly understand. Sometimes I think I still don't.

[That's sort of the human experience, though. You know, that thing Ain is trying to live despite being Very Much Not Human.]

[mooninthewater]

Oh?? What kind of questions? What do you consider "proper" to be in this context? What confuses you? What sort of things did you think about when she asked them? Was it a lot of difficult questions? Did she have the right answers and was waiting for you to tell her?

[ Sorry for being in your face, Ain. Mizuki couldn't help but lean forward, and instead of only holding one of Ain's hands, he's holding both. And his arms, with slick, sticky tendrils. ]

Tell me everything, I want to know what makes you tick so bad.

[eidxiety]

Ummmm.

[Mizuki, you're gonna have to give him a second to think here, none of his friends are yanderes (he's the yandere in the group but only slightly) he's not used to this treatment!! His friends are so normal (source needed).]

It's complicated. She said I have a lot of anxiety about the future. [You just Have an anxiety disorder my guy.] That's what we talked about — things like what I would do and how I would act if my mission was never completed, or if something were to happen to my friends.

[He is saying Very Little with that on purpose.]

I get confused by emotions. I don't know what they are pretty often... hm, and I guess she had some answers, but they weren't helpful. It was all stuff like what to do when I feel like I'm drowning in all these feelings I don't understand, but I'm still not sure what I should be doing? Haha, emotions are complicated... I'm not used to them.

[mooninthewater]

[ Mizuki nods a bit. Of course! Having anxiety about the future is completely normal, especially for people who are going on their own journeys, but... uhh, then Ain keeps talking! Oh, he keeps saying words and Mizuki is fascinated. You can't just tell Mizuki you don't know what emotions are without him being like "hi, let me study you for science". To not feel them is one thing -- as evident with Elsword, who he just wanted to help get back to that point.

But to not know? To not understand? To say he's drowning and he's anxious and he's not used to them and???? ?? ? ???

Ain will immediately feel himself hoisted by an ensemble of tendrils and Mizuki starts to drag him to the Therapy Building. ]

Oh, keep talking, please. This is so interesting~! I'd just like to get you in a space that we're not so out in the open for -- and also because I'd like to write some stuff down. I like to keep notes on all my patients!!

[eidxiety]

[Ain was once fairly emotionless! And then something happened and he realised he likes humans so so so much and wants to feel what they feel and love them and kiss their foreheads and kill for them— anyway those are all normal emotions but anxiety? love? depression?? remorse? Yeah he's still working on those. What are Those Emotions. As far as Ain is concerned, there are three emotions and they are friendship (this is not an emotion), anger, and joy.

(The "friendship" emotion is his love for humans, he'll maybe figure that out one day. The other love emotion he's confused about is the obvious.)

Ain gets noodled and his reaction is to kick his feet overhead like wheee!!! and not think about how Mizuki is just noodlenapping him. The little guy isn't hostile exactly, so... sure whatever, he'll be tolerant of this.]

Are you an octopus? Or... a jellyfish? A plant? Something else?

[...patients????? Hold on—]

[mooninthewater]

[ Really, Mizuki should just wear a sign around his neck that just reads “don’t stare into the noodles”. Anyway, Ain’s being carried, yes, glad he’s having fun. The Therapy Building isn’t super hard to get to, being pretty close to, like, most things anyway— ]

Ohh, you got it in two~. I’m a moon jellyfish. You’re the first non-Terran to assume so, though. How fascinating. [ Taking that down as a mental note, too. He’s slowly making a road map as to how Ain thinks. ] Oh, if you keep going, we can make an exchange? I learn more about you, you learn more about this place? Sound fair?? We could make it a game~.

[eidxiety]

[It's okay Ain is immune to mental effects. Yes this lore blindsided me when it came out i wish this game made sense.]

I've seen lots of jellyfish. They're in the Demon Realm. [Thanks.] We can make an exchange! It sounds fun, Mr. Jellyfish~.

[mooninthewater]

[ Fantastic! Ain is spared The Horrors(tm). ]

Oh! Interesting! I've eaten a demon once, but I'm not from where they come from. [ Thanks, Mizuki. Regardless, Mizuki pulls Ain through the lobby of Therapy Building so he can set him down on the little couch in the office. He shuts the door and sits in his own seat. ] Great! I've already asked you a question, so do you have any for me?

[eidxiety]

[Ain is put on the couch and he just sits there politely with his hands in his lap. He will inevitably drape himself across this couch, but for now, he's sitting up like a person.]

Why did you eat demons? Don't they taste bad?

[mooninthewater]

Mmh, they’re not my favorite thing, that’s true, but I prefer my meat with a bit of seasoning. I technically only ate the one anyway, and it was quite an ordeal.

And I ate it ‘cause it’s evil, silly. What do you usually do with evil things??

[eidxiety]

...kill them?

[mooninthewater]

And just leave their evil there to fester???

[eidxiety]

Nnnoooo, because they're dead and the evil goes with them...?

[mooninthewater]

When you kill something evil, if you don't get rid of the evil in it, then other creatures will eat it and absorb that. Then, others will eat that creature, and so on, until the evilness is spread further than just through the original thing you killed. But so long as you know how to rid the evil from yourself, then it's fine if you eat it.

That's what I do.

[eidxiety]

Huh...

[Ain is thinking about this.]

...I dunno if that's how it works on Elrios, Mr. Jellyfish.

[mooninthewater]

Are you positive? I mean, you and the others still fight evil, don't you?

[eidxiety]

We do, but I don't think the evil really transfers. And Elsword hasn't exactly eaten any of our enemies. Even Ms. Demon hasn't, which I'd expect from demons, honestly.

[Ain: Ciel and Lu are my friends :)
Also Ain: the most racist shit you've ever heard]

There are lots of people we've defeated in a fight that haven't died and decided to be on our side, too. Like Mr. Dog.

[mooninthewater]

Well, people can expel evil from themselves, so it's alright if you don't. But when they're there, it festers and has the chance to spread to other people, you know?

I guess maybe... that was something not taught in other worlds? That's alright, things will still get better where you're from, no problem.

[eidxiety]

They've been getting better gradually. I'm pretty confident that Elsword and everyone can do it. There are a lot of issues we've solved.

[They're gonna have to be fine without him. Ain wonders if they miss him, or if they've forgotten about him again.]

Nevermind. We were supposed to be asking questions. You put me on your fancy couch and everything.

[mooninthewater]

Right, right, sorry. I'm so easily distracted~.

You brought up "the Demon Realm". But that's not where you're from, right? Are you from where Elsword is from? He didn't tell me a whole lot about his home. I assume it was because he couldn't remember...