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sticks and bones. ([personal profile] sticksandbonesmods) wrote in [community profile] sticksandbones2024-07-05 09:23 am

EVENT & TDM 014

THE OCEAN IS ONLY SCARY IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT
WAKE UP
You open your eyes to a peaceful, beautiful forest. Whatever you were dreaming about — be it something happy, something sad, or something nightmarish — seems secondary to the bright wash of greenery and the comforting, cooling breeze that washes over you. It rustles the leaves of the canopy overhead, disturbing a small nest of two-headed birds who chirp as the sticks for their nests are blown away. A hop, hop, hop later, and they return to continue their building, unbothered by your gaze.

As you walk around, you will find that Aldric’s Grove feels… empty. You pop your head into the inn only to find a fine layer of dust on the furniture, and an ever-burning fireplace refusing to be put out. The General Store is unmanned, the door locked, and the lights inside completely out. The house to the south is abandoned, and a building labelled as a clinic sports no patients. The most life you’ll find lies in the church, where the pigeons see you and swarm at your feet, cooing and asking for breadcrumbs.

Flowers bloom, a deer with a halo of horns skips through the clearing, and a small lizard shaped like a leaf climbs the well. You spend several hours alone… and then from the woods to the east comes a giant capybara and a monstrous moose two stories tall. Upon each of them, they carry a hoard of people coming back from what is clearly a summer vacation, if the inner tubes, swimwear, and overwhelming stench of sunscreen are anything to go by.

Maybe the people dismounting the two animals will be nice enough to greet you and tour you around. It’s the least they can do, since you were excluded from the vacation activities.
NOT A MOMENT OF PEACE
It’s still early in the month when a cacophony occurs; an enormous crocodile with too many eyes, known simply as “The Behemoth” suddenly rushes out of the river in a panic as some kind of blue, veinlike latticework covers the surface of it, nearly trapping her within it. It spreads across the entire length of the river from east to west, creeping onto the shoreline up to the church and across the back of the home to the south. When touched, it stings bad enough to paralyse the nervous system, and after making contact for too long while you’re unable to move? Death is imminent, unless someone saves you.

The Behemoth certainly doesn’t try to, too occupied plonking around on land to look for something to do while she can’t go into the water. She won’t attack anyone, but she’s normally searching for a meal, if you don’t mind sharing a snack. As for the other supernatural creatures in the Grove…

Ever since that latticework covered the river, the moose monster — Moder — and the gargoyle that sits on the church’s roof — Zahliya — have only stared and scrutinized. One wrong move, one fight with another resident of the Grove, means either of them are getting up to deal with the problem. It seems that they’re waiting for someone here to show the wrong hand, suspicious of everyone — including those who have been here for over a year at this point. And the second one toe is out of line? Either of them are willing and ready to kill.

Though the suspicion of the Guardians doesn’t wear off and won’t any time soon, the blue gunk covering the river disappears at the end of the first week of July, and it’s anyone’s guess what’ll happen for the rest of the month.
UNDER THE SEA
cw: thalassophobia
What happens is pretty simple if you don’t think about it: Another week passes in peace, and then a disembodied voice somewhere in the woods says, “You guys still smell like seawater and sand, and it’s putting me off of my lunch,” and if you’re new and haven’t gone to the beach yet and have no idea what the voice is talking about… too bad, you’re being lumped in with the crowd. Being lumped in also includes, well… a burst of magic, the sound of fingers snapping, and a loud splash of water. When you next open your eyes…

You’re underwater in some kind of reinforced metal base, one thousand meters under the sea, and something is slamming against the outside of it in an attempt to get in and — presumably — eat you alive. If anyone finds the on-board torpedoes in the command room in time, you might be able to kill the creature before it breaks through the hull and kills everyone inside. And with that hopefully taken care of…

Welcome to your new home for the next two weeks. Your only objective is to survive. There are several rooms here dedicated to underwater research, a bedroom with enough uncomfortable single-person beds for everyone (sadly glued to the floor, too), and a “cafeteria” type room that you can eat in. While the seabase comes equipped with supplies — torpedoes, enough rations to last for everyone but not enough for big eaters to eat big, diving suits and oxygen tanks, and underwater planter boxes growing strange fruits — it may take some effort on your part to ensure that survival is guaranteed. After all, the hungry leviathans know exactly where you are, whether you go outside of the base or not. Water, of course, may pose an issue; there’s no way to filter the seawater here, so the bottled water you have is all you’ll get.

Should you venture out, make sure you’re equipped with the proper gear first. Those of you who cannot swim should probably stay indoors, as there are no fancy vehicles to take you anywhere. Those of you capable of going out may consider braving the danger in search of additional supplies… or perhaps you’re just curious about the ecosystem. You’ll be here for two weeks, after all, there must be something to do. Travel far enough from the base and you’ll find the skeletal remains of something far larger than the Grove itself… and if you’re not careful, a monstrous, snakelike thing who wants you for dinner.

Try not to lead it back to the base for the others to deal with. Who knows how kindly people will take to that?
AN OMINOUS RETURN
As always, when one of the Forest’s “games” ends and you’re returned to the surface when the magic wears off, there’s a reward waiting for you. This reward isn’t as obvious, however. The fog wall is, for the most part, rolled pretty far back. The folks that have been here before may expect to see it revealing more of the trees, or showing off some new area that hasn’t been accessible yet, but the Grove remains quiet upon return. The Guardians, too, have little to say. Normally, they’d be a little more overjoyed at your return… alas.

No, the “reward” for surviving — or blowing up the base immediately and dying, either way — is that the fog wall obscuring the lake ever so slowly rolls back. From within it, something jumps out, a dark black shape, and disappears into the forest.



Perhaps you’ll see whatever it is another time.
SPARK NOTES
CLICK TO EXPAND!
WAKE UP
Welcome to the empty Aldric's Grove! ...oh, here come the people, back from summer vacation! Hey hello.

NOT A MOMENT OF PEACE
The river and shoreline near it are messed up for a week. The Guardians are suspicious of everyone here. The Behemoth is taking big steppies around the Grove asking nicely for food. A week passes, and the Guardians are still suspicious of everyone. Yaaaay.

UNDER THE SEA
And then, everyone was trapped underwater in a seabase, made to survive the horrors of the open deep sea. Watch out for leviathans! And try not to eat and drink all of the rations immediately; that's all you'll get.

AN OMINOUS RETURN
Your reward for playing in yet another of the Forest's games is the fog wall over the lake rolling back. Of course, what jumped out of it and ran off into the woods could either be your greatest boon, or your biggest nuisance. It all depends on you.

OOC
Happy summer! This is a reminder that TDMs are considered game canon. For your threads, feel free to make up your own leviathans/weird fish/whatever you want for spice, or just steal from Subnautica, it's all good. OOC Plotting Lives Here if you'd like to plot anything out!

UPDATES
❖ None yet!

cosmoscrusader: (pic#17313581)

[personal profile] cosmoscrusader 2024-07-26 10:27 pm (UTC)(link)
[well, hopefully mei enjoys the laser-sized hole in his breastplate she gets to see every time she looks at him!]

Aw, man. Trapped by the evil government together and you still gotta poke at me. A guy can't catch a break!
starwalk: (Default)

[personal profile] starwalk 2024-07-27 05:02 am (UTC)(link)
[She doesn't, thanks!!!]

I have to make the most of my eternal punishment, don't I? What better way than to make your suffering worse!
cosmoscrusader: (pic#17313577)

[personal profile] cosmoscrusader 2024-07-27 05:15 am (UTC)(link)
What have I ever done to you?

[like, he isn't the one who did the punching and kicking for five minutes straight when they finally met!]
starwalk: (pic#17313415)

[personal profile] starwalk 2024-07-27 05:51 am (UTC)(link)
You mean aside from following me around like a lost puppy the last few weeks?

[She crosses her arms, raising a brow even as she does.]

I mean. What else am I meant to think of all of that?
Edited 2024-07-27 05:51 (UTC)
cosmoscrusader: (pic#17313583)

[personal profile] cosmoscrusader 2024-07-27 06:01 am (UTC)(link)
I go from a ruthless bloodhound to a lost puppy so quick! Do you hate me or not?

[as much as he attempts to weave humor and snark into every damn word he blabs, craig... doesn't actually want meiara to answer that. not with a yes, anyway.

he may sober up ever so slightly under her gaze.]


Guess I'm doing a pretty shit job of making my intentions clear enough in that time if you still feel the need to question 'em.
starwalk: (Default)

[personal profile] starwalk 2024-07-28 01:44 am (UTC)(link)
[It's bad news, if Craig is getting serious. Not that he doesn't deserve to. He probably has a thousand questions, all of which she doesn't care to answer. More than anything, she wants to shift the topic far away from this particular subject.]

If anyone is giving mixed signals, it certainly isn't you. [ANYWAY.] I suppose we ought to see what else our mind torture chamber has yielded for us, don't you think?
cosmoscrusader: (pic#)

[personal profile] cosmoscrusader 2024-07-28 02:08 am (UTC)(link)
[hell, it's just as comforting that mei doesn't want to get into all that. craig will happily go along with it. with a little bow and an extended arm and everything.

and a shit-eating grin. can't forget that.]


Sure thing. Ladies first.
starwalk: (pic#17313424)

[personal profile] starwalk 2024-07-28 02:10 am (UTC)(link)
[Oh she hates him. Oh she wants to punch him. Oh she is... strangely comforted by the normalcy.

Likewise, she extends an arm and motions him forward.]


If you insist, milady.
cosmoscrusader: (pic#17313582)

[personal profile] cosmoscrusader 2024-07-28 02:48 am (UTC)(link)
[yet another wounded cry.]

What are we, twelve?

[fine, fine, he'll be the one to strike out. at least there's a finite space to explore, if the view out the windows is to be believed.]
starwalk: (Default)

[personal profile] starwalk 2024-07-28 02:50 am (UTC)(link)
You certainly might be.

[Since she's taking up the rear, she doesn't have to worry about him seeing the faint grin she cracks. Craig, however, will have to worry about her continued teasing, though, considering:]

Are you sure we're going the right way?
cosmoscrusader: (pic#17313578)

[personal profile] cosmoscrusader 2024-07-28 03:58 am (UTC)(link)
I gave you the opportunity to lead, y'know. What way'd even be "right?"

[he stops at the next doorway to peer in before passing -- force of habit from recon, maybe. when it proves empty, he moves aside so mei can take a look too. a vestibule, stocked with wetsuits and oxygen tanks and masks.

could it be that "out" is what meiara would prefer?]


Fancy a swim?
starwalk: (pic#17313425)

[personal profile] starwalk 2024-07-28 04:05 am (UTC)(link)
Whatever way isn't this, of course.

[She almost laughs at her own joke. Almost. Unfortunately, she's too busy staring out into the great, blue abyss. It makes her stomach flip uneasily.]

You know, most of us didn't grow up on planets with water safe enough to swim in.

[The fact that she can't swim is heavily implied, and also deeply untrue. But what she learned in the Caelian special forces is none of his business, now is it?]
cosmoscrusader: (pic#17315590)

[personal profile] cosmoscrusader 2024-07-28 04:57 am (UTC)(link)
Of course! [he doesn't even complain that there was literally no other way to go! see, he's so nice and compliant!]

No, I don't suppose most of us did. Why don't you take point, bossy boots?
starwalk: (pic#17313424)

[personal profile] starwalk 2024-07-28 05:45 am (UTC)(link)
Because this is my act of rebellion, obviously. [Said with a scoff and everything.] If we're meant to suffer here, I'm at least going to have a good time in the process.

[Which, speaking of bossy boots. She rears back far enough to plant her boot against his lower back and give him a shove forward.]
cosmoscrusader: (pic#17313581)

[personal profile] cosmoscrusader 2024-07-28 05:52 am (UTC)(link)
[honestly, it's on him for not expecting this or being prepared for it. she tips him forward with enough leverage that he faceplants right into one of those oxygen tanks. the bigger they are, et cetera. at least the resounding thunk is good for a laugh!

given a couple seconds to sit back on his heels and rub his poor forehead, craig gives a single, pitiful whine.]


Damn, you're really leaning in to the whole torture thing.
starwalk: (Default)

[personal profile] starwalk 2024-07-28 04:12 pm (UTC)(link)
In my defense, didn't I always?

[She heaves a heavy, if playful shrug. At least once she's done, she offers a hand out to him.]

Come on, big guy.
cosmoscrusader: (pic#17313577)

[personal profile] cosmoscrusader 2024-07-28 06:43 pm (UTC)(link)
[he eyes her extended hand skeptically, more than likely expecting her to fuck with him somehow, but... eh, whatever.

once he's straightened up, he runs a hand through his hair. much more important than, say, checking for a concussion.]


Alright, seriously, though. I'm liable to walk us right out a window at this point.