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sticksandbones2024-08-02 09:35 am
sticksandbonesmods) wrote in sticksandbones2024-08-02 09:35 am
EVENT 015
BUY MORE CRYSTALS
COME RAIN OR EVEN MORE RAIN
Today, progress has been made in the Grove. The sun shines brightly on the cleaned-up remains of what used to be the “Burned Town”, now lovingly just called “north” for lack of a better term. At night, a small handful of stars finally shine in skies that have been empty for millennia, and birds sing loudly throughout, overjoyed now that they’ve felt the stirring of the long-dead Sky Guardian. All is peaceful. All is right with the world.
…and then there’s the sound of familiar, watery laughter from the Lake Guardian himself, having returned to the Grove for whatever reason he could possibly have, standing by the well and performing a jaunty dance on his scrawny legs. He spins around the well once, twice… and then the skies darken and the clouds swell, and suddenly it’s raining buckets, soaking you and everyone else to the bone immediately.
“It’s a gift for freeing me!!” Callan shouts joyously, unaware of the fact that gifts are usually nice things and not biblical floods. “Enjoy it!!”
Well, it seems like this will be the rest of your month. The rains don’t abate at all, but they do come with one gift that actually seems worthwhile: Any plant that stays out in the rain for long enough will suddenly spring out of the earth at gargantuan size. Enjoy your giant crops — they’re still edible! — and your flowers the size of pillows, everyone.
…and then there’s the sound of familiar, watery laughter from the Lake Guardian himself, having returned to the Grove for whatever reason he could possibly have, standing by the well and performing a jaunty dance on his scrawny legs. He spins around the well once, twice… and then the skies darken and the clouds swell, and suddenly it’s raining buckets, soaking you and everyone else to the bone immediately.
“It’s a gift for freeing me!!” Callan shouts joyously, unaware of the fact that gifts are usually nice things and not biblical floods. “Enjoy it!!”
Well, it seems like this will be the rest of your month. The rains don’t abate at all, but they do come with one gift that actually seems worthwhile: Any plant that stays out in the rain for long enough will suddenly spring out of the earth at gargantuan size. Enjoy your giant crops — they’re still edible! — and your flowers the size of pillows, everyone.
FURNITURE STRIKES BACK
If staying out in the rain isn’t exactly your thing (who could blame you, really?), you might consider heading back inside and spending some nights in. It’s been a while since everyone had a break without being exposed to water for way too long, and what better way to spend a night than curled up in bed in a nest of blankets?
As you drift off to sleep to the serene sounds of the river flooding, there’s a sudden loud bang, like someone slammed a door. You open your eyes and don’t see a thing… so back to bed you go, only to hear it again. This time, as you lurch out of bed and desperately try to figure out who the hell is slamming doors this late, you’ll see your door opening and slamming itself. Opening again, and slamming. Soon after, the windows follow, and as you rub your eyes, your bed suddenly bucks and throws you to the floor.
Cool. Phenomenal. What just happened?
Perhaps you go to the inn couch to try sleeping there, but alas, the old couch has had enough of you and will summarily flip you back onto the floor, losing its cushions in the process. If you turn your anger toward the furniture, it will — strangely — attack you right back, chasing you down on bizarrely-animated legs that furniture simply should not have. The coffee table might bite, or the cabinets might start flinging cups at you.
If you are patient, however, and if you clean the furniture off — wash the pillows, scrub that mustard stain out of the cushions, sew up a hole your dog chewed into the mattress — it will stop throwing a tantrum. Finally, you can use furniture for its intended purpose.
As you drift off to sleep to the serene sounds of the river flooding, there’s a sudden loud bang, like someone slammed a door. You open your eyes and don’t see a thing… so back to bed you go, only to hear it again. This time, as you lurch out of bed and desperately try to figure out who the hell is slamming doors this late, you’ll see your door opening and slamming itself. Opening again, and slamming. Soon after, the windows follow, and as you rub your eyes, your bed suddenly bucks and throws you to the floor.
Cool. Phenomenal. What just happened?
Perhaps you go to the inn couch to try sleeping there, but alas, the old couch has had enough of you and will summarily flip you back onto the floor, losing its cushions in the process. If you turn your anger toward the furniture, it will — strangely — attack you right back, chasing you down on bizarrely-animated legs that furniture simply should not have. The coffee table might bite, or the cabinets might start flinging cups at you.
If you are patient, however, and if you clean the furniture off — wash the pillows, scrub that mustard stain out of the cushions, sew up a hole your dog chewed into the mattress — it will stop throwing a tantrum. Finally, you can use furniture for its intended purpose.
GET (GEM)STONED
A bit of raw chaos in Aldric’s Grove is not uncommon; perhaps furniture unionizing and non-stop downpours are the least of your concerns in quite some time. After all, you’re not trapped anywhere. You aren’t underwater, you aren’t playing in some twisted life-or-death game, no one is making the passage of time here any worse than usual…
Of course, if chaos is preferable to true horror, you can always have more of it. On your bedside table or under your pillow, you’ll find a drawstring bag containing a small handful of polished gemstones. As you hold them in your palm or between your fingers and inspect them under the light, you’ll feel something within you stirring.
Perhaps you’re holding rose quartz, the gemstone that symbolizes unconditional love, and you suddenly feel empty and loveless. Perhaps it’s amethyst, the gemstone attributed to calm emotions, and yet you’re feeling the most anxious you’ve ever felt in your entire life. Whatever the gem may be, its meaning is now inverted, and you get to suffer the effects of it.
Luckily, this curse — a gift from, who else, the Fallen Sun — can be broken quite easily. Simply clutch the gemstone in your palm and perform an act that embodies its true meaning, and everything will be back to normal. You’ll be holding a mundane rock to do whatever you want with, including throw it into the forest in hopes that it hits the Fallen Sun in his big, stupid head.
Of course, if chaos is preferable to true horror, you can always have more of it. On your bedside table or under your pillow, you’ll find a drawstring bag containing a small handful of polished gemstones. As you hold them in your palm or between your fingers and inspect them under the light, you’ll feel something within you stirring.
Perhaps you’re holding rose quartz, the gemstone that symbolizes unconditional love, and you suddenly feel empty and loveless. Perhaps it’s amethyst, the gemstone attributed to calm emotions, and yet you’re feeling the most anxious you’ve ever felt in your entire life. Whatever the gem may be, its meaning is now inverted, and you get to suffer the effects of it.
Luckily, this curse — a gift from, who else, the Fallen Sun — can be broken quite easily. Simply clutch the gemstone in your palm and perform an act that embodies its true meaning, and everything will be back to normal. You’ll be holding a mundane rock to do whatever you want with, including throw it into the forest in hopes that it hits the Fallen Sun in his big, stupid head.
I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW
When the rains stop at the month’s end, the clear skies yet again show the stars, and it’s a beautiful sight to behold. It’s no galaxy, even with every light in the Grove off so you can see them all — but it’s special nonetheless, especially to those who have been here under an empty sky for so long. The moon itself feels like it casts joy down upon everyone, and a sense of overwhelming peace settles like a blanket over the entire settlement.
Should you visit Ydalir or Heimr at all, they will both encourage you to spend a night camping out, providing you blankets to lie out in the grass with. While it isn’t much, Ydalir has pulled an old telescope from her mirror for those of you who want to nerd out a bit. Snacks, tea, and hot chocolate will be provided to anyone staying out for the night, too. For better or for worse, you’re all here together, so why not bask in a moment of peace?
Should you visit Ydalir or Heimr at all, they will both encourage you to spend a night camping out, providing you blankets to lie out in the grass with. While it isn’t much, Ydalir has pulled an old telescope from her mirror for those of you who want to nerd out a bit. Snacks, tea, and hot chocolate will be provided to anyone staying out for the night, too. For better or for worse, you’re all here together, so why not bask in a moment of peace?
SPARK NOTES
CLICK TO EXPAND!
COME RAIN OR EVEN MORE RAIN
Callan is giving gifts as all Guardians do. His gift... is a whole tempest. Luckily, the plants will get massive from this. Enjoy your giant produce and flowers!
FURNITURE STRIKES BACK
What could go wrong if the furniture went on strike? Surely it won't toss you out of bed or buck you onto the floor or try to bite you. ...oh, well, if that's the case, you might want to give it some TLC so that it stops.
GET (GEM)STONED
The Fallen Sun's "gift" to the residents is a lovingly-customized bag of rocks. Each stone represents some kind of meaning, but that meaning will be inverted and make you feel the opposite effect from it. To break the curse, all you need to do is clutch the gemstone and perform an act that it originally embodies.
I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW
Finally, the rains clear up, and Heimr and Ydalir are encouraging everyone to stare at the night sky. It's beautiful with those few stars in it, isn't it?
OOC
How is it already August?? We don't know either. OOC Plotting Lives Here if you'd like to plot anything out! If you need rocks randomly assigned to you for the gemstone portion, head there and drop us a comment, we will give you rocks.
UPDATES
❖ None yet!
SUBMISSIONS
Timekeeper Cookie | Cookie Run | Ruler of the Ephemeral Flow intensifies
[If it weren't for her own curiosity about the contents of a very nice leather bag with golden embroidery that had appeared on her desk overnight, Timekeeper Cookie might have figured out the irritable furniture. She might have noticed that the only thing not trying to attack her was the ottoman, which she'd patched a threadbare spot of fabric on just hours earlier using some fancy stitchwork of her own. Out of boredom, of course, and perhaps out of a small bit of frustration at not having everything around her just exactly the way she likes it.
Unfortunately, it's a lot harder to notice things when your mind is suddenly a chaotic whirlwind of distracted pessimism. She was just finishing something else when the furniture became uppity, and since her scissors were already in hand, she met the violence in kind. There's a few minutes of loud noise echoing down the inn hall - scrapes, bangs, the sound of wood cracking - but no voice.
By the time anyone gets there to throw open the door and see what's going on, Timekeeper herself is gone, the window wide open. Most of the furniture is destroyed - sliced into pieces most commonly, though some survivors may yet be moving. Most strange and notable, however, is that there's a big pile of something golden and gleaming - almost glowing, really - on the floor.
On closer inspection, it's hair. For those capable of sensing it, it's hair utterly saturated with the essence of time, and well that can only belong to one person, really.
Something rattles near the closet. There's a small chest that's avoided destruction, and it's desperately trying to keep itself closed as something bumps around inside it.]
II. I've got Anubis on my back and something in my shoe
[Isolation is a hard thing to find in a small town. Timekeeper has taken a frantic, distracted path through it, stopping in various places, but never for long. If she sees anyone, she leaves. Rooftops, uninhabited buildings, public buildings that are simply empty and quiet for the moment - you might find her in any of those, if you can successfully corner her. Even if it's out in the relentless rain, she doesn't seem to care that she's getting soaked.
It's immediately apparent that something is wrong.
Her hair is cut short - roughly too, simply chopped off at the back with only enough left to still curl around and frame her face. She's carrying the Sonic Embroider with her as always - but it's damaged. Broken in half, actually, only one blade in her hand, and it looks somewhat crumpled at that. It was never a thing made to brutally destroy furniture with, that's for sure.
(If you're lucky, perhaps you found the missing half at some point, embedded in a random tree near the edges of town and looking just as sorry in state. The poor tree is probably suffering some sort of temporal anomaly until that thing gets pulled out.)
As she tilts her head towards you, you might notice that her eyepatch is cracked. Something glows behind it.]
III. Don't walk backwards, don't be jealous
[After having the absolute roughest time of it, Timekeeper is probably the least keen person on going stargazing. But, well, she had needed quite a few repair materials from Heimr, and the man was strangely convincing. It couldn't hurt, at least - and the cosmos and time are closely related enough.
Anyone familiar with her might be forgiven if they don't recognize her at first.
Her hair's been properly trimmed down to its shorter style by now, and she's not wearing her usual outfit - instead, she's wearing black suit pants and a loose but simple white shirt. No brooch or cravat - the shirt simply sits slightly open at the collar. Her top hat and scissors are both missing - she's still in the process of fixing them - and she wears only a simple black cloth eyepatch tonight.
But she's here, lingering on the edges of the group and nursing a hot chocolate. Her presence might be somewhat betrayed by Continuum Cog, who is much more openly relieved and is happily wandering around making upbeat clockwork noises at people and accepting any food (or random objects) offered to it as snacks.]
Hmmm, I might have to do something about that begging habit you've developed.
[She directs the comment in Continuum Cog's direction, but the little singularity might not even be in earshot. Still, it doesn't quite hold her usual level of glib. She's tired, folks.]
IV. Wildcard
((I know these aren't the most active prompts in the world - surprise, TK clams up and isolates herself when under duress! - but if you have further ideas or twists absolutely feel free to go for it! You can hit me at
ii!
the state of the scissors themselves is worrisome. he doesn't know what would happen if he touched them, so he decides to try to find timekeeper instead, hoping that she's doing better than her ride.
given a bit of tracking around the grove, he's pretty damn sure he catches a glimpse of her slinking into the rec center. liv can tell she isn't the most social creature in the world, but making sure a fellow resident is okay is just as important as giving them space, right?? so he hurries in through the front doors, calling out as he does so. don't run, he's trying to help!]
Miss Timekeeper -- I found yer -- part of yer -- weapon? It's all busted up. Are ya okay?
no subject
Have you? Does it matter?
[There's no less confidence in her voice than before, the words still clear and measured. But, well... a light has gone out. Before, she spoke as if nothing could stop her - now, she sounds equally certain that there's no point in trying.]
no subject
'course it matters. What happened...?
no subject
[The battered half of the scissors that she still carries dangles loosely in her hand, its crumpled tip leaning carelessly against the floor. In this moment, it very nearly slips out of her fingers - but her grip tightens at the last second, almost regretfully. There's still some sentiment keeping her from letting go of it entirely, despite her words.]
...Nothing of concern.
[Both the furniture and her own feelings ganged up on her, and she does not want to talk about it.]
no subject
I don't mean to be a bother, but y'look... hurt.
[and clearly the scissors aren't just something she'd throw away on a whim, seeing as she's still holding the other half. maybe...]
If yer not up for gettin' the other half back, y'think it'd be okay if I did? It's stuck in a tree...
no subject
[She speaks it in a dry, dead tone, one step from truly sarcastic, and follows the statement with a hollow laugh. Even now, there's a smile on her lips, but it's as empty a mask as ever.
Timekeeper waves her free hand dismissively, her eye narrowing.]
Do whatever you wish. If even the power of time cannot change fate, what good is it anyway?
no subject
[god. it wasn't too long ago that he spoke and felt like this. a little less sarcastic, but just as heavy on the nihilism. it's... uncomfortable, to say the least, but he tries to ignore it.]
If I go fetch it, will y'still be here?