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sticksandbones2023-08-04 10:59 am
- !event,
- !tdm,
- arknights: gnosis,
- arknights: mizuki,
- arknights: shalem,
- baldur's gate iii: astarion ancunín,
- elsword: elsword,
- fate: bb,
- handead anthem: gara ukai,
- i'm the grim reaper: brook,
- jujutsu kaisen: toge inumaki,
- original: caoimhe ailbhe,
- original: felicity morais,
- original: rennuid tathviel
Event & TDM 003
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.
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.”
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.
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.
CLICK TO EXPAND!
❖ Several patches of the murderous flowers seem to have been electrocuted, lit on fire or cut.
Claude von Riegan ➵ Fire Emblem ➵ TDM (new!)
Entering the inn is strange in and of itself. Odd torches, unique plants... and while the young man considers taking a few samples to study, he decides it's safer to investigate where he's ended up instead. He's already dug through the room empty room he found--only to be met with an even more unexpected twist.
The picture burns a hole through the front of his coat from where it's tucked into his sash. He'd never seen a Polaroid before, but it still feels so... familiar. It leaves a foul taste on his tongue.
Yet his expression is pleasant when he returns to the lobby. Even though he feels he might stand out more to the residents there than he intends thanks to his fairly 'outdated' clothing. His smile doesn't reach his green eyes, but he looks easy-going enough when he greets whoever's closet with a wave of a gloved hand.
"Hey there. Mind answering a few questions?"
➵ It's Alright.
"Are you alright?" Brows raise in slight concern when he happens upon someone. The various leaves and twigs scattering across the ground being committed to memory to the best of his ability--with no walls to follow and such thick trees, it's difficult to get a complete gauge of where he's ended up.
"Want to stick together? Two minds are better than one!" He doesn't mean that really, but it's still a nice thing to say, right? He's still open to ideas.
➵ I'll Take Care of You.
Normally, the Duke didn't mind a party. While he often found himself overdoing himself on the side of blending in, it felt better to stand on the outside to watch. People are different when they feel they should be celebrating...
Which, in nothing but the light of the bonfire, he feels relatively unsure of. He'd survived a few days, but was that truly a reason to celebrate when he had no idea where he'd be going or how to get back to a very pressing war that should be the height of his attention at the moment? A Sovereign Duke going missing would likely make the rest of his deerlings a touch jumpy. Yet as he holds a glass, he doesn't sip from it. Cautiously swirling it so he doesn't look too overly avoidant of it as he admires a carnivorous plant.
And to the first that will listen; "Do they throw these kinds of parties often?"
[ ooc: Prose preferred but not required! Tag in however you're comfortable and I will gladly match. Feel free to shoot a DM if you'd like to plot something specific! ]
Wake Up
"You must be new," he says, "how can I assist?"
no subject
Claude debates moving further into the lobby, but decides better of it to lean against a wall. A pleasant smile on his lips despite the nerves chewing at him from underneath it all. "Sorry, I got ahead of myself. I shouldn't just throw around questions without introducing myself first, right?" A quick bow is offered, though fortunately for both of them, it isn't overly deep or formal. Just a fast habit from the standards from home. "My name is Claude von Riegan."
At least the clothes don't bat much of an eye. His own wardrobe is wonderfully fabric-heavy to match.
no subject
"Gnosis Edelweiss. A pleasure." And nice to see someone decently polite besides. "In this place, questions are to be expected, and it would be remiss of me to interrupt you for an introduction when you're likely just as lost and confused as I was upon my arrival."
It's Alright
But the subtle presence of at least three knives on her would show that any softness is a lie, not unlike how the air around her feels electric.
"Alright. We just need to get back to the Grove."
no subject
She looks harmless enough, but he's seen equally pink girls wield axes heavier than him.
no subject
"I've been here for several months now- almost a full season and a half."
There's the sound of something running through the trees around them, and she takes care to follow the sound with her eyes but... nothing. There's nothing there. Is it paranoia or the forest toying with them?
"Just showed up, I take it? I wish I had any good news for you, then. ... I'm Felicity."
➵ I'll Take Care of You.
"That beats me! This is BB's first time here, but if you ask me, they suck at throwing parties." BB answers him, his voice ringing out into the still cool, but warm air thanks to the friendly bonfire, "So, who are you? Looks like you're a new face in town - huh?"