Event & TDM 003

[sticksandbonesmods]

I AM THE WILD

WAKE UP

You open your eyes.

It feels like you’ve been here before, like you’re finally home. Today, the sun shines brightly, brilliantly, on the open forest clearing making up Aldric’s Grove. Vines wrap around old buildings, overgrowth covers ruins of what once were homes and shops, and weeds poke up through the cracks of foundations. Before you stands an inn, a well, and one hundred beautiful flowers peppered throughout the clearing. Be not fooled by their beauty, wanderer; should you stray too close, the flowers are happy to bite.

Fret not, however; should you seek escape from the carnivorous foliage, the inn is plenty safe from attacks. Perhaps you ought to get acquainted with others like you, lounging in the lobby with nowhere to go. Perhaps you should find yourself a room, a place to stay. After all, room and board is completely free of charge! Should you dig through the bedside table of your new room, you’ll find only one thing within: A Polaroid photograph of yourself from years ago. You were younger, then — or, if age doesn’t define you, you were different. Still, you remember posing for this photograph… don’t you?

If the photo is too much for you, a trip to the river might offer respite. The oppressive fog wrapping around the grove and obscuring much of the distant forest some miles out won’t let you wander too far. Luckily, there’s a stretch of river perfect for a round of fishing, playing in, or simply relaxing by. Mushrooms grow along the banks and on the trees, but remember to say “thank you” to the forest if you take them. You wouldn’t like the consequences otherwise.

HEY

cw: madness, hallucinations

You might have had luck avoiding the gnashing fangs of the flowers thus far, but they begin to get restless and aggressive the longer they go without feeding. They can’t quite uproot themselves and chase you down, but they will stretch their stalks as far as they can, unfurl their petals and try to wrap sharp leaves around your legs and anything else within reach. If you aren’t careful, their fangs will pierce your flesh, and they will drink from you until they drain you dry. Shout for help if they latch on. Surely someone will come to your aid.

…just try not to look at them much. The flowers take passive abilities of anyone they feed from, and that means they possess powers of their own. Stare for a moment too long, and you’ll begin to see your nightmares brought to life, feel a crawling down your back like one million insect feet, a grappling at your ankles as something tries to drag you under the metaphorical tides. Black tendrils sweep over your eyes, they grip the facades of buildings, they tear your friends to shreds and eat them whole. Focus. Focus on that voice telling you to snap out of it, on the people around you waving their hands in front of your eyes. It isn’t real. Blink, shake your head, and clear your thoughts.

Or don’t. “Give in,” a sultry voice murmurs, “Let me consume you.”

IT'S ALRIGHT

cw: auditory hallucinations, animal butchery

From the fenced-off, locked-up manor to the northwest of the Grove, a spill of magic begins to leak out from boarded-up windows. It’s gradual at first before it suddenly bursts, and that’s when everything starts to go haywire. The Manor’s heart aches, friend. Something in that house is oh-so-miserable with no way out… and it intends to make you feel its pain.

Every regret you’ve ever had — every word left unspoken, every lie you’ve told, everything you believe you’ve done wrong — those feelings are brought to the surface and magnified. No matter where you look, what you do, or how much you try to distract yourself, those emotions will always bubble to the surface.

You might think wandering into the forest will help you flee from yourself for a time, but as soon as you cross the threshold, the path back to the clearing closes behind you in a rustle of leaves. The only way out is forward, it seems, but the forest won’t play fair. The path will shift unexpectedly, blocking your route, forcing you to backtrack, but never quite allowing escape. All the while, voices fill your mind, chasing after you no matter where you go. They are the murmurs of those you have wronged, the murmurs of a conscience slighted.

Seeking out a companion in the labyrinth will quell them, for a time. Should your heart weigh too heavy, confessing to your labyrinth-partner what you’re grappling with will absolve you of your guilt and leave you feeling clear-headed enough to escape. At that point, the forest, too, seems content to let you solve the maze without interference.

Should you escape fairly, without harming the labyrinth, you’ll be rewarded: A freshly-hunted game animal from your homeland is dropped at your feet just as you step back into the clearing. Enjoy it, for you will not have the opportunity to get another. The forest only allows one round per person.

I'LL TAKE CARE OF YOU

The residents of Aldric’s Grove have had a rough time here, but not everything has to be bad. On the night of the new moon, the Shopkeeper leaves his store for the night, and alongside the Trader — who normally sits outside the inn by her stall and her giant turtle — he constructs a bonfire some distance from the carnivorous plants. Nearby to it are tables with a feast set upon them, free for everyone to enjoy. There’s music playing from… somewhere. Don’t think about it too hard. The wispy, sentient shadows that comprise the Shopkeeper and Trader are happy to dance with you, too, if you ask.

Enjoy your night, friends. You’ve made it to the end of the month, and you deserve a break.

SPARK NOTES

CLICK TO EXPAND!

WAKE UP

Welcome to Aldric's Grove! Watch out for the carnivorous flowers. There's a photograph of you in the inn, by the way. Don't worry about it.

HEY

The carnivorous flowers are now causing visual hallucinations and madness. Try not to look at them too long. Maybe buddy up for the time being, to make sure that the forest's whispering voice doesn't drag you too far down.

IT'S ALRIGHT

A flood of magic hits the Grove. Characters will be subject to reliving and re-experiencing all of their regrets, and should they wander into the forest to escape, they'll be made to play in the forest's maze game. The forest won't play fair, but seems to relent when you confess to a companion what's on your mind. And hey, that makes your heart weigh less heavy, too. At the end of the line, you'll get a reward of fresh meat as long as you didn't try to cheat!

I'LL TAKE CARE OF YOU

The Shopkeeper and Trader are throwing a lighthearted bonfire party. Dance the night away and eat your heart out!

OOC

Welcome to the third TDM & Event Log of Sticks and Bones! This log is game canon. The prompts are meant for all players, current and future, so have fun! Our applications operate on a rolling basis, so applications are open with no end date unless we suddenly cap players. If there are any questions, please direct them to the "questions" header below.

UPDATES

❖ For those who enter the inn in the morning, a breakfast spread of scrambled eggs, bacon, smoked fish, roasted tomatoes on the vine and assorted fruits wait for you.
❖ Several patches of the murderous flowers seem to have been electrocuted, lit on fire or cut.

TDM TOPLEVELS!

TDMS

❖ Shalem (Arknights)
❖ Toge Inumaki (Jujutsu Kaisen)
❖ Jade Leech (Twisted Wonderland)
❖ BB (Fate/ Grand Order
❖ Akki (Original)
❖ Nikaidou Eisuke (Tsurune)
❖ Arthur Pendragon (Saber) (Fate/ Grand Order)

(CODE)

Comments

[floraldisclosure]

[A sailor, huh? He doesn't much look like one... but then again, she can't really say she knows what a sailor is supposed to look like. Just like anyone else, probably. Landlocked as she's been her whole life, all she has to go on are storybooks and her imagination, and it isn't hard to imagine what a sailor's life would be like: a ship out on the boundless ocean, nothing but water from horizon to horizon, the open sky above completely unbroken by anything.

Just the thought of it is kind of unsettling, but she won't say that.]

Well, I'm sure they'll be okay. They'll find what they need.

[Considering how there aren't any dead ones, something probably falls too close often enough. Aerith looks at them again, the deceptively beautiful petals that hide a carnivorous nature, and nods. Yeah, they'll be just fine.

She then turns to look at Kazuha, standing and straightening out her skirt with a smile.]

I'm Aerith, by the way. Nice to meet you, Mr. Sailor.

[whitherwander]

[Kazuha straightens alongside her, a tad embarrassed to realize that the concept of introductions had not occurred to him, preoccupied as he was with the flowers and the strangeness of the place.]

And I am Kaedehara Kazuha. A mediocre sailor at best, I'm afraid, though fortunate enough to find a captain who would have me.

[His self-deprecation is breezy and matter-of-fact, without a hint of self-pity. He seems entirely unbothered by being a poor example of the profession, if indeed he is. His small smile has a slightly wry edge to it.]

I admit, I find your concern for the flowers admirable, if a tad misplaced considering our present circumstances.

[floraldisclosure]

[Kaedehara Kazuha... That name sure is a mouthful, and very different from what she's used to hearing. Not that it makes a difference! A name doesn't make a person, after all. She hums thoughtfully.]

Well, the only way to go from mediocre is up! But I don't know that you're going to be doing a lot of sailing here, so maybe not.

[Not that she's looked around the entire place. There might be water somewhere! Maybe. The mention of the flowers has her looking back at them again, and she tips her head in consideration.]

Well, I take care of flowers back at home, too. It's just kind of neat to see something I'm not used to.

[whitherwander]

[She speaks like someone who has either seen too much of the world, or too little of it. Given her youth, Kazuha's money is on the latter. It's something he can empathize with--though it's been many years since he felt the same, there was a time when every new sight stirred excitement in his soul, even the ones that were frightening or dangerous. Especially those, perhaps, depending on the day.]

I imagine it must be difficult to travel, with so many small lives to care for.

[floraldisclosure]

[It had been just one little concern out of many when she'd left Midgar behind. Aerith likes tending the flowers, and she likes talking to them, but ultimately? They'll do just fine. It isn't like she's left them alone, after all, and her irrigation efforts have made sure that they'll get plenty of the water that they need to thrive.

It's interesting that he's making an assumption about her, though. Or maybe it's not an assumption at all. Maybe he's questioning without actually questioning.]

Maybe a little. But they'll be okay on their own for just a while, I think. They're in good hands.

[She clasps her hands in front of her waist.]

So, what about you? Is it hard for you to do all that sailing? It sounds like you'd see a lot of places, but what about home?

[whitherwander]

[Kazuha chuckles, wistful and just a tad uncomfortable.]

I can't deny that the life of a wanderer comes with its share of hardships, and that includes homesickness, on occasion. Still, I have no regrets.

[He says it like he believes it, at least. Which is perhaps not quite the same thing as it being true.]

I've learned much from my travels so far. Perhaps there is something to be learned from this place, as well.

[floraldisclosure]

[Regardless of whether or not it's true, the way he says it says a lot. Aerith nods, glancing upward toward the sky.]

That's good, though. Living with no regrets. Even if things get hard, you're living the way that you want to live and not how someone else tells you to. Living life to the fullest, making the most of every moment of every day...

[It's what she tries to do. It's what's important.]

There's a reason for us being here. I'm sure of it. Maybe we don't know what it is yet but we'll figure it out.

[whitherwander]

That's right.

[He glances at her, then follows her gaze to the sky. His voice sounds increasingly confident now, the remnants of tension in his body beginning to fade. It's a nice feeling to have found a kindred spirit.]

Please, forgive me if you feel misled by my previous comments--though I have spent some time at sea, my background is as a wandering samurai in Inazuma, and as such I have some skill with a blade. I will continue to hope it proves unnecessary here, but the sounds and scents that are carried to me on the wind make me think we will not be so fortunate.

I say this not to frighten you, but to offer my assistance, should you find yourself in trouble.