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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
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[ He shrugs a bit. It's not a big deal for him since he's never had an issue with it, personally. Then again, most of the people he's had in his life have been... genuinely good people. So this is all kind of new territory for him. ]
Hm? Of course, We don't have anything to hide. [ The voices, the other ones, are suddenly back! And they are much, much louder than before. Clear. Crisp. Like there's actually a handful of people speaking directly into Dipper's ear. There voices are still sing-song and melodic, but they choose to speak English now: ] W h a t w o u l d y o u l i k e t o k n o w ?
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[Then again, keeping that kind of thing to himself means he's got nothing to compare his decisions against, which means he might not know if he's doing right or wrong and sometimes!!! Sometimes that choice is very hard! Sometimes he can lose his grip on that without realizing. Like when his sister caught him constructing personal nightmares for someone he was super pissed off at.]
[Anyway, that all stops when the We Many pipe up and Dipper goes very still from surprise. He isn't sure what he expected, but it sure wasn't that! The gears are starting to turn, though, as he pieces some stuff together.]
Whoa! I uh. Wow. Um. Hey, there.
[Oh god he's been put on the spot.]
I guess, I'm just curious ...Seaborn are in the river, right? And there were some in the tank with me while I was recovering. Are all of you guys like, connected?
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Anyway, yes, We Many are here. They’re always here, though, so that’s unsurprising. Weirdly, the other voices sort of just… sound akin to Mizuki? Perhaps because Dipper is in head. Mizuki’s never really been able to discern what thoughts are truly his and which were not, after all. Which is why Mizuki seems not at all fussed about this. For Dipper, though? It might be a lot easier to tell… ]
Of course. We’re often referred to as a “collective”. We’re hiveminded with one another. We can share information easier this way.
[ Dipper might be able to passively note this, as there’s the occasional singing in the background. It’s still in a language he doesn’t recognize, but the inference can be made all the same. ]
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[Anyway there's this thing going on right now that has Dipper's attention. The word "hivemind" had crossed his mind but having Mizuki, or perhaps the We Many, basically confirm it is sure startling. Is there a point where they end and Mizuki begins? Is it less cut and dry than that? Is it- well, no, it's definitely different than Oscar's situation, because there isn't a full assimilation but rather several joined together, which is what Dipper is putting together after the moments of listening to them.]
[Frankly it is kind of horrifying! To think of being in this situation! But Mizuki doesn't seem bothered? Or even worried...? He has a lot of questions but he tries to vet them before just blurting out something insensitive. While he does keep his thoughts clamped down while he does this, it should be clear to Mizuki though that Dipper's got like 756947038495 thoughts cycling in his brain for a few moments.]
Is this something Mizuki is cool with? Like- I'll admit, I don't have a lot of experience with this sort of thing, so this might sound really ignorant, but I do have experiences with ...millennia-old eldritch superghosts absorbing the souls of people into a single entity until those identities disappear entirely. This doesn't seem like that, but like, Mizuki's my friend so I am a little concerned? Maybe this is all super normal for you guys and I'm being a worrywort.
I guess I'm also friends with a guy who is a cursed sentient sword and a grass demon and like, that was just who he was! [Fern was a little murderous sometimes but he was normally a pretty cool guy.] I think I'm rambling so I'll shut up now, sorry, sorry!
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[ Mizuki shuffles up to Dipper to walk by him and gently nudges him. ]
We... mmh... It's hard to explain? I can do my best, but... the "Mizuki" you've known is still Seaborn. Always has been. Me being a part of the collective isn't a bad thing, to me. Other people might disagree, but... I don't mind. It's nice to have Us always here with me. It's not lonely.
[ There's a brief pause before the voices, melodic and intimidating, seem to speak against Dipper again: ] W e a r e t h e c o s m o s , t h e s e a , t h e s k y . W e a r e o n e w i t h a l l . B u t n o t a l l - c o n s u m i n g , a s t h o s e a g a i n s t u s m a y t h i n k .
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[Eventually he nods. Understanding enough of the situation that he isn't worried. Well, he will always be worried. He is worry personified, but that's like, baseline Dipper Worry and not something worse.]
Okay, man. I just wanted to make sure. Thanks for sharing it with me, though.
[He offers him a bright, friendly smile.]
It feels like I know you a little better now, and that's cool.
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You're free to ask questions about it if you would like to know more when we're not exploring through the forest.
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[Of course, should that change--]
I'll definitely take you up on that later.
[Anyway its true, they do have an adventure to go on!! Let's hit the first star shrine, shall we?
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What will you do?
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[Ah but the real reason he's here is to check for any writing, especially if its in the language that matches his decoder.]
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The lanterns are very small, and very pretty. The light here also feels like Revati's aura. There's no writing on them, but if the approaches the temple he'll recognize part of it from his decoder. It comes in two parts- the original language, and then a series of corresponding images.
Something's watching him now, too!
And launching itself directly into his stomach at mach speed with a gleeful cry.
SOMEONE'S HERE! SOMEONE'S HERE YOU'RE HERE YOU'RE HERE!!! HELLO!!!!!
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The little dragon does eventually stop and float through the air, nuzzling up against Mizuki's cheek next before backing away again.
Oh, right, um- Greetings, mortals! I am Luminota, the Great and Shining, Star of the Weeping Willow Shrine! I used to have a pond but it dried up. It's sooooo so so so good to see you! It's been forever since I got a visit!!
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[And then he will sit up and try not to look like that just happened. Cough.]
U-Um. Greetings! Hahaha, its nice to meet you Luminota.
[...]
Yeah, what Mizuki said, it's pretty hard to get out here. Since we are here though ...is there anything we can do for you?
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Luminota sinks a bit before perking right back up.
I don't think you can bring back my pond right now, but my tree is going strong and my light is spread! Maybe... Oh, I know. Take some of my light, and if you see any empty lanterns, light them! That's something you can do!!
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« Lanterns? Do we need something special to light them with? »
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[Dipper nods. That sounds fine to him! Being kind to these shrines is going to be the most likely way they learn things, and putting out good intent is how you get it back. That'll help the forest heal probably, right? Right.]
And does the light need to be carried in any kind of special way?
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You might be able to make a big lantern with it, it won't go out. But Stars will be able to see it through the fog!
oh my god I'm so sorry I'm late to this, sobs-
holds u
Maybe it'll make it easier to get through the fog if more of these lanterns are lit up.
sticks you both in my pocket
Luminota flies closer to the little shrine in the tree, and seems to turn into a small light as she dives within. After a moment, she comes back out with a silver branch.
... I- um. Before I give this to you, is there anything else you want to ask? Or- or you could have some of my berries, they're really good!
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i'm so sorry this got burried
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