sticksandbones | TDM 002

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TDM 002

SOMETHING WICKED

WAKE UP

Good morning, stranger. No matter what was happening within the last few minutes of your life, it's not happening anymore. All you recall about the transition from there to this sleepy, abandoned grove in the middle of the foggy woods is a collective of childish voices whispering in your mind, Do you want to play with me? And it did not care what the answer was. The manor, ever inaccessible, has not a single light within the windows, but the general store and the inn both seem to have some life- you may just miss the child watching through the manor attic as you approach the other locations.

Also notable is what looks to be a street stall manned by a shadow cloaked in red and a giant turtle. The warm glow of lights and the sourceless jovial music is also inviting. The woman herself, however, can only stare with her eye-lights a gray shade that seems unfitting. Even when she shakes off her dismay, there's something shaky in her voice as she speaks later.

Though there's an abundance of flowers, something about them seems wrong. Maybe it's the fact that some of them are the size of sports balls. Or the roots are starting to emerge through the dirt, sprawling across the grove's floor like a mess of cords. Or maybe it's the fact that the red dog keeps snarling and trying to dig through them. When you investigate, some of the flowers have leaves and petals sharp as knives. They do not grab you... yet. Do be careful, because they will if you let your guard down.

The entire place is strange and odd. But you are not alone. Be it those beside you, freshly awakened, or the residents already here. Welcome to Aldric's Grove.

ROLL BACK

At some point, the grove is more... open. With how closed in the clearing is, with it's dreary cloudy sky and the fog all around, it always felt small. But now? Now it's... strange. It's open. And perhaps that is when you realize, you can enter the woods. It's letting you in perhaps more than one might expect, but ultimately there is still no escape. But as you venture forth, some of the trees, you note, are oddly shaped. The trunk twists or warps into uneven lumps, or maybe a branch looks more like an arm than it should. And then you find them.

Someone you know, warped and wooden, leaves growing from them like any normal tree. Were they fighting? Were they fleeing? Did they freeze in surprise? All you can tell is that no one escaped. But why are they here? Where did they come from? Press your ear against their chest and you can hear the flow of water. Or... maybe it's... no, no, it must be water. Do you dare try and cut through the bark? Try and uproot the tree? And now that you see the faces, it feels like every single tree in the area is looking right at you. Watching.

Waiting.

Something in the air giggles.

SPLIT THE DECK

While the forest invites you to see the horrors of the forest, a more clear cut path through the fog also extends it's invitation. The narrow path through the fog may be easier than open air, now that you know what lies beyond. Eventually the fog dissipates and leaves you in a one-tree forest; every tree is the same species and, though it may not be true, feels as if they're exactly the same. Same height. Same width. Same space apart, from all angles. Even as the fog surrounds you, it feels like an endless pattern of wood, and you are the outlier. At least you are not alone.

The only other thing breaking the pattern is a gray, whispy figure made of smoke sitting at a raw log table, a deck of cards before it. The smoke breaks to offer a grin with too many teeth, and it gestures to the cards.

Round of cards? You pick the game. Win, and I'll give you something nice.

... At least there's no moosetaur ready to break your neck at a moment's notice this time, at least, but if you do cheat a hail of acorns and other tree nuts falls upon you. Hard. Bruisingly so, even. The figure does not stop smiling all the while. You can challenge the figure to any card game played with a standard deck of cards alone, or with up to two other players- so one to three players against the smoke total. Refusal to play is met with an easy smile... but the three-day loss of one of your senses.

FLOW

Several weeks ago- ... or... was it days? Time is strange here, foggy and unclear- there was a ruckus at the river. And then it had closed, cutting the survivors off from their main source of food. Now, the path to the river is open and upon entry, it's much different. The thorns and giant brambles are gone, the open space unblocked by the fog is wider, and a larger abundance of fish can be seen, none recognizable... except. Huh. That sure is a holographic turtle. And golden fish that glow like the sun...

The water is cold and clear. The riverbanks are full of flowers and clovers. Scales and bones and medalions still wash up on the shore or can be fished out from between the cracks, but the teeth seem to be gone at least. Compared to the watchful, hateful, despairing air of the forest, the river is welcoming. Above the water, it feels like there's not a cloud in the sky. Nothing can reach you here.

Growing around the river is also some fruit trees- apples, primarily. If you take one, it's the brightest red you've ever seen on a fruit, and should you bite into it, it's perhaps the most delicious thing you've had in a long while. Idly, there is a soft voice flowing through the water and the air, gentle enough to go unnoticed.

thank you.

SPARK NOTES

CLICK TO EXPAND!

WAKE UP

Welcome to Aldric's Grove! While you may be dismayed about your presence, so is everyone else. No one is happy! The flowers are getting worse! ... And there may be more life in the manor than previously assumed.

ROLL BACK

The fog pulls back to reveal more of the woods, but the trees further in are unsettling, as they look like people you know. Maybe they are. The feeling of being watched intensifies.

SPLIT THE DECK

You're once again invited into the forest to play- this time it leads you to a same-tree section of forest that's eerily sterile. A smoke-like entity invites you to play a game of cards. Submissions will be linked below.

FLOW

The river had blocked itself out for a time, and now it invites others back in. Now it's healthier, even more vibrant and diverse with even the cloud coverage gone while at the river, and the calming effects are stronger. The brambles and threats are gone, and apple trees grow. Something feels grateful.

OOC

Welcome to the second TDM of Sticks and Bones! This TDM is game canon and will double as the event for the month. We also have a rather barebones EMP for the game, and we'd love to see your considerations! Invitations are open by current players, and if you're not a friend of the mod or current player, please feel free to reach out to the mod account if you'd like to join anyways. We can talk things out! (Also my apologies that some pages are currently still under construction.)

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TDM TOPLEVELS!

TDMS

❖ Tyki Mikk | D.Gray Man

SUBMISSIONS

QUESTIONS & INVESTIGATIONS ⚘ NPC CONTACT ⚘ PLAY TIME

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Ask or investigate here! If you're doing an investigation, at least two player characters must be present. Please use the following form for investigations.

A large man made of shadows who runs the general store. He seems tired, but not unkind.

A woman made of shadows who stays by her stall and giant turtle. Everything about the setup is warm and inviting. She tries to be, too.

An old, red dog. He doesn't like the dangerous flowers all that much and will try and destroy them on sight! But he's but a dog. Otherwise, he tries to get into the manor, or follows some of the older residents around.

He doesn't talk, but he's got a whole lot to grump about.

The woods has invited you to play a card game of your choice! Up to three challengers per game can play.

Results will vary!

_{cw for references to unreality / character experiencing hallucinations in the past, believing he sees one now

[ you, yes YOU, went out in the woods with Rennuid to poke around! the buddy system is a great idea, especially in a place like this. He tends to stray ahead when something distracts him too much, though, and this was--

this time was no different.

it was a flash of corpse-gray pallor between the trees, at first. something long and loping and smooth, like a cetacean out of water. he's seen it all before. he's imagined it all before, in fact, that body laid-out and still-- so he kept quiet when he first saw a sliver of it, rennuid drawing a little closer to you all of a sudden. his eyes skitter away from the sight like looking would make it more real. it's not what he thinks. it can't be what he thinks. after the initial shock, he starts walking faster, leaving you behind as he stares right ahead.

but you can see it laying down in the leaf litter yourself, if you look where he was looking. like a great, scale-less snake, a body frozen in time, rimed with foliage. there are what look like big round fish eyes spilt around its mouth like scattered marbles. It's massive. also ignore the Rennuid in that picture he's not there, he's getting further away ahead of you. ]}

Edited 2023-06-11 22:52 (UTC)

Character(s): Tyki
Game of choice: Poker
Do they cheat?: Yeah he cheats—
Roll: that's an 18 total chief

[A]ce of diamonds

[Sometimes, one wakes up in the middle of the woods, not entirely sure how they got here. This definitely happens to a lot of people all the time, at least once in their lives.

...

Anyway, Tyki needs a drink, a smoke, and to find out where the fuck this is. It seems like his contact to anyone else he knows or can feasibly contact is cut off — there's no reaching out to the Millennium Earl or the rest of his family or even the Akuma to like, bail him out here — so he's on his own. And currently, he's blaming his niece for this. Like. Yeah, she would trap him in a dream world that's a big, empty (?) forest that he can't get out of.

Luckily, there's an inn. Or, rather, the only inn as he will soon discover, out in the middle of buttfuck nowhere. Not the worst place by appearance, but certainly not as luxurious as he's used to. Of course, when he discovers it, he's coming in from the side — where he can't quite see into it to see if it's abandoned as some of the decay makes it look — and Tyki is too impolite to use doors.

It would take him like, two extra minutes to find the front door. Not doable. Not today.

So, instead, he simply decides he'll go through it, in a very literal yet very non-destructive sense of the word — Tyki phases through the wall until he's inside, where he spots you in the lobby doing... whatever it is you're doing. While he's literally clipping halfway into the wall, he asks:]

Olá! What city is this, exactly?

[Try not to scream, please.]

two of clu[B]s
cw: smoking, gambling

[By nature, Tyki is something of a card shark, so the fact that the forest wants to play a game with him isn't exactly something that frightens him. He always has a deck of cards on him. In this instance, he's sort of "taken over" in a way; the forest is a bit of a sore loser, he's discovered, as it dropped acorns and the sort on his head. He let most of them phase through him, but the forest seems to have figured out his abilities and reacted accordingly. A bit annoying; this whole area must contain some weird type of Innocence, or at least, that's what he's telling himself.

Point being: Don't play cards with the forest, play cards with him instead! He's set up (read: stolen) a table from the inn and has it nicely tucked under some shady boughs that will probably Not drop acorns and sticks on him or anyone who chooses to sit down. On this table is a deck of cards that he's riffle-shuffling as you walk past, a pack of cigarettes that he might share with you if he feels inclined to, and poker chips that he also probably stole from somewhere. Don't ask.]

Care for a game, amigo? Loser has to do whatever the winner says for an hour. What do you say?

[He has literally nothing else to give or bet on, unless you want a button with someone's name on it that he uh. Got through totally ethical means.]

wild[C]ard

[my name is wolfie and i am reviving a canon from 2006 for rat bastard stuff. hit me with whatever, i'm down!

since he is a rat bastard i highly recommend poking his opt-out because he comes with a handful of triggers. ok thank u]

i. dies iræ, dies illa

Have you seen— [Elsword half-keels over, hands on his knees, panting heavily. It's unlike him to be winded, full of stamina as he tends to be.] —have you seen Add anywhere?

[Elsword's been looking all morning, which is why the first thing he says to you isn't "hi", nor does he give you his usual trying-hard-to-feel-something stares. Instead, he looks almost panicked, though through the thick fog obscuring his emotions, it might not entirely reach his brain. Bits trickle through like rain, rattling around inside his chest, marbles in a bag — and maybe, if he really focuses it down, he can feel it. One of the few functioning emotions he has left, the never-ending feeling of needing to protect someone close and being alarmed when they're not nearby.

Unfortunately, he doesn't have time to focus on it, nor does he have time to stand around talking. He plans to ask you if you've seen anything and bolt; his wings are already spread.

Elsword has run and flown circles around the grove already. It shows in how tired he is.]

I haven't— I haven't seen him since last night.

[Where do people go, when they leave Aldric's Grove?]

ii. solvet sæclum in favilla

[...apparently, that location is not the trees themselves, twisted and mangled as they are. Something deep down inside him is... disappointed, he thinks, something akin to it — part of him is relieved. Add isn't among the recognizable people here. Maybe it means he escaped, somehow.

Others, though, are here. Others, with their now-wooden faces frozen in horror or shock, though some are completely expressionless. If his memories are going to disappear slowly, then why does he have to be reminded of those he cares about like this?

Elsword stops dead in front of one tree in particular. If one squints really hard, the wooden visage might look very similar in likeness to himself — the same eye shape, the same cheekbones, the same sort of overconfident-in-the-face-of-death expression. His sister is one of few not screaming in this part of the grove, defiant to the end. And Elsword... isn't sure what to think. How can he think? In a few weeks, without this, he would have forgotten everyone's faces, then their names, and finally it would just be "him" in his own head. No reason to feel guilt or remorse or sorrow, all things he lost years ago.

Those feelings are very real now, though by tomorrow, they'll be gone. Both the forest, and the Illuminous Phenomenon itself, take and take and take.

...

He thinks, as he turns to leave the grove, that the water on his cheeks must be from a sudden burst of rain, because he hasn't cried since he was a child.]

iii. wildcard

[hello elsword is unlocking emotions this month apparently, oops! hit me up with whatever, i'm down to clown]

[Of course, Elsword would go into the woods with Rennuid, because they're ~~at a stalemate about which one of them can sacrifice themself first~~ friends, and friends don't abandon friends to the very-dangerous woods.

He's not expecting Rennuid to just run off, though. Elsword gives the snake-creature barely a passing glance before he's spinning on his heel to chase after the guy.]

Rennuid? Rennuid! Where are you going?

_{It's not there, it's not there, it's not THERE it'snotthere it's not--

[ Elsword catches up to him, easy, since Rennuid's power-walking rather than outright running-- but he's tuned in to his own little chant more than to words, right now. It's not like him, for what Elsword's seen of the man. He's airy, but he pays attention to people's words. ]}

Edited 2023-06-13 03:16 (UTC)

So, like. He does win. But he gets rained on, hard. Even as the smoke smiles politely (if not too widely), it rains and rains and rains. There's even a buckeye or three. Good thing he can cheat punishments, too!

Tyki's prize is... well, at a glance it looks like a wine bottle! But it's just full of more acorns.

Someone's bitter! Wow!

[He sure does, that much is easy enough to keep in the back of his head. Little traits he's picked up as they've known each other. Elsword is nothing if not a persistent nag when he needs to be, though, and so he falls into step (falls into power-walk) beside Rennuid to lean over and fix him with a stare.]

Rennuid? What's the problem?

_{[ the direct eye contact makes him blink, harshly. he fights the urge to look back over his shoulder, staring up at Elsword like a deer in the headlights. ]}

..Tyr'oc. I-- I just... I dreamed up something. Between the trees. While we were walking. But that's all it was. I'm not sleeping well.

( don't mind the pink haired gal just. kind of fumbling around. when she glances over to the source of the sound, it's clear why- her eyes are almost white. in her refusal to humor the entity in the woods, she's been blinded.

not great, considering she is, as far as she's aware, the only remaining healer and cook.

with an uncharacteristic tightness, she smiles and waves almost dismissively- )

I don't think I could even be sure the cards are facing the right way right now, unless you really want to take advantage of a blind girl that badly.

( thankfully, this is before her encounter in the woods- so she can look directly at elsword and see for herself the impact this is having on him. immediately, she puts her book down to sit up properly, frowning. )

I... no. No I haven't...

( before she can think too hard on the implications, she offers elsword her own glass of a chilled grape juice. seeing him out of breath and worried like that is- it's jarring. she's not sure she likes it.

but

where could add have gone? it- it wasn't like shinpei, was it? )

[His stare continues, but this time it's a bit less of his usual "hi I'm trying to memorize you" and a lot more "I'm Extremely fucking concerned".]

Then you should go to bed, [he suggests, suddenly and flatly.] It's dangerous to go out when you're sleep-deprived, especially here.

[fuck. fuck fuck fuck fuck—]

I can't— not right now. [He's already done so many laps around the forest, he's exhausted, where did Add go.] If he... if he encounters something, he's really not much of a fighter. I have to make sure he's okay. It has to be me.

[He's feeling so many things. So many turbulent things, swirling just out of reach, and he knows as well as anyone else that they'll be gone the moment Add is gone too long. He won't remember, and maybe that's what scares him most. Whether Add got back home safe or simply disappeared forever in the forest is unknown, but not being able to remember him for either outcome is distressing.

Elsword has no way to put it into words, but the distant feeling of worry gets closer and closer every time he breathes. Maybe it'll break through the surface fully.]

[That is some GODDAMN bright pink hair, shit. And, of course, leave it to him to find the one blind person here to ask to play cards with. That won't exactly work, will it? It's a shame; Tyki cheats only when he can clearly get away with it and make it look legitimate, he's not going to do this. He has a little bit of shame (sources needed).

He whistles lowly, leaning back in his chair. Okay. Minus one point for Tyki.]

Meu erro. There's a chair in front of you, three steps to your left, if you'd rather sit down.

[Wisely gets headaches so bad sometimes that he literally cannot see, so Tyki is weirdly used to this.]

I won't challenge you to a game, but you're more than welcome to help yourself to a bottle of acorns. [no he does not explain.]

( softly, setting aside the glass for now since he's rejected it, felicity puts a hand on his shoulder. )

I'll help you. He's got to be here somewhere. Okay?

( ... except it feels cruel, offering what may well be false hope. there's only so many places he can go, even with the fog pulling back slowly. )

Ah- thanks...

( felicity does manage to get to the chair as directed, with minimal bumping into something vaguely in the way.

with a sigh, she shakes her head. )

If this is permanent, I'm going to light something on fire. But, uh- turns out the forest isn't only a sore loser, it's also a giant baby about being rejected. I'm newly blind as of... twenty minutes ago?

( the impenetrable fog made for a great guide out if only because she kept bumping into it. but once she got to the clearing? the grove full of bladed flowers and visible roots and building foundations half-abandoned?

her legs are covered in bruises and slight cuts. she'll deal with that at some point. right now she's pointedly ignoring it because ow. )

...But then you would have gone out all alone.

_{[ it's something to focus on. other than the feeling like needles between his shoulder blades. turn around, turn around. look at what you did. ]}

It's-- I'll have somewhere I can rest better, soon. I've almost woven a... _{[ nope, giving up, too rattled to conjure something to replace 'hammock' with rn ]} ..a thing. But it isn't always open, like this! I can't afford to just be waiting at the inn, what if...

...I thought I saw someone I knew, out here, the other day. So I can't just do that. I'm sorry, Tyr'oc.

Edited 2023-06-16 04:45 (UTC)

The only place I haven't checked is the manor, [Elsword informs, standing up straighter now,] but I don't know how he'd get in there. He's always had his ways of getting into things, if I'm... remembering right.

[He has to be. Please, please, he has to be remembering right. It can't have been anyone else.]

I can fly us there. You just have to hang on.

[A thing...]

...I understand, [Elsword says, quietly, because he has his own motivations for being out here; killing monsters and looking for other people and just patrolling to keep everything safe, because it's all he knows how to do.] I'll help you look for them. What do they look like?

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Page 1 of 5

TDM 002

QUESTIONS AND INVESTIGATIONS

NPC CONTACT

Shopkeeper.

Trader.

Rusty.

PLAYTIME

ROLL BACK / 1 prompt i can do more later i just REALLY WANTED TO SLAP THIS ONE DOWN

i'm sorry

Tyki Mikk | D.Gray-Man | TDMing but y'all know i be apping

hey demons, it's me, ya boy,

ATTACKS you

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Win...?

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b

i, my boy.....

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beats him with the chair

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:(((((

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