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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.
no subject
( ... technically, their current lives would be the underworld, anyways. )
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You seem normal. [ There's a quick glance down at her, a familiar mark of the sinner on her. ] Relatively. [ It's all snark from here!! He can't help it. He doesn't actually think any more poorly of her, realistically. She doesn't look that old, and he's made his fair share of poor decisions… ] I just assumed this was a weird dream, but everything feels… different.
no subject
( says the thrice-rare witch who bleeds stardust and was a certified architect at fourteen, for villainy reasons. and also the sinning, yes. she's so good at that, actually, what with her general brand of hedonism.
curiously, felicity watches the boy. he looks about her age... maybe a bit older? despite the height. crouching down, she sighs with her chin in one hand and her elbows on her knees. )
Thats understating it. I've been here for months now, and it still feels surreal.
cw: drug ment
[ Maybe he is dead. Maybe this is hell. Maybe he didn't come back this time. Oooorrrrr maybe that doctor just injected him with one hell of a drug and he's seriously on a wild trip. ]
Huh. [ Just… "huh". ] I guess weirder stuff has happened…? [ ??? Not really??? ] Here, though. Thanks, but I don't need to eat. [ He holds the apple back to her. ]
no subject
( her musing is interrupted by the return, though- felicity blinks before smiling. )
You're talking to the wrong girl- I'd eat even if I didn't need to. Food's one of the best pleasures in life!
( she is. on some level. a hedonist. )
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… I still like food. Just… [ Ahem. Desserts. He just eats sweets— ] take it back, okay?
no subject
( this is a threat. but she does at least take the apple back. for now. )
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Did you miss the part where I said "I don't need to eat"? Worry about what other people want. [ Which is broody-but-caring speak for "If resources are finite, then you shouldn't waste them on me." ]
no subject
So no, I'm not dropping it.
1/2
[ Well… if she's going to continue to offer then… it's fine, right? Brook doesn't seem happy about it, if just because he has no idea how to accept comforts from people, especially since…
… ]
2/2
It doesn't matter. I'm not going to take the time for leisurely bullshit when there's other things I should be doing.
Re: 2/2
( felicity leans against the tree, arms crossed. it's equal parts lax and uncomfortable, a bit of a buffer between her and his glare.
but it doesn't show on her face. )
no subject
no subject
( said in a very "get a load of this guy" tone- yet still playful...
for a moment. )
... Don't dismiss what we've done or what we've been through, though. You weren't here. You don't know.
no subject
[ It's hilarious to hear her say that. Isn't there something inherent to being a Grim Reaper to never understand what people have been through. Everyone marked with the X's of sinners, yet never knowing what they did. Never knowing if they were victims of circumstance. Never knowing if they were a mass murderer or a homeless thief trying to get by. He should be numb to the feeling.
He's not. ]
I wouldn't do that. I know I don't know. This… isn't me calling any of you stupid, just that… I'm here to help now, that's all.
no subject
... Sorry. I don't always react to tone well.
( especially not when it comes to her pride. as genuinely powerful and talented as she is... it's a fragile thing. )
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…I'll try to be better about that.
[ They're all stuck here for the moment, anyway. Not his smartest idea to go making enemies. ]
I'm Brook, by the way.
no subject
( it's just what she does. finds people's taste in food, how they cope with the rough and worse, what they need to be cared for, how they emote. )
Felicity.
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[ "Brook, are you saying your attitude is bad?" Of course it is. He knows it. He just doesn't care enough to change it. Or... didn't. This place and these people probably didn't deserve his snide remarks, but it's going to be a bit before he can train himself into doing otherwise. ]
no subject
( spoken like a
professional babysitterformer team leader. )no subject
[ This, in itself... is sarcasm. He won't actually try to make Felicity's life more difficult. ]
no subject
( ... she both is and isn't joking. )