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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
( she inhales sharply and seems to be bristling like an angered cat before she slowly exhales. )
Right... we were able to recover some things from the manor, recently. Including a group photograph. A few of us were in it- and some of the people who vanished before you arrived. More, yet.
no subject
[He'll have to go talk to the photograph's owner, the other character I play,]
Rest assured, Felicity, I mean no harm in doing this. I'm trying to piece together the puzzle. [And then... because she was nice enough to hand hers over, he'll fish in his pockets and hand over his own. Baby Gnosis pics on main.] My thought was, if I could find differences and similarities between the photos, I might be able to come up with a theory. For instance... the ones I've gathered so far seem to be of everyone here as a child. Isn't that odd?
no subject
... Mine is of me and my brother. The thing is- my family... didn't... want me. I was abandoned in a different country where no one even heard of them. He was no exception.
... Like I said. Offensive.
( but she kept it anyway. )
no subject
...]
It wasn't necessary to let me in on such a sordid tale, [he ventures, and then, softer,] though I'm more than willing to take it out of your sight so that you do not have to remember.
[Also for science but she knows that already—]
no subject
( however cruel it is, it's another aspect to the mystery before them. )
no subject
I see. Forgive further questioning on my part, [he's not actually sorry, just being polite,] but as far as you're aware, you don't suffer from any amnesia, do you?
[She might know that answer if she'd been diagnosed, but...]
no subject
( she is blatantly looking to the side, fiddling with the sleeve of her cardigan- for the first time in a mere conversation, felicity is visibly and vividly uncomfortable. )
But, like I said, that came way later. He got me when I was ten, I'm... seven in that photo, I think...
no subject
Alright. I believe some tea is in order. [ARE YOU GOOD???] Do you prefer yours with steamed milk or sugar?
[He is getting up to make tea. Fel will be coming with. Stop being uncomfortable he doesn't know how to handle it—]
no subject
but she lets him do as he wants, just sort of watching for a moment before she smiles sheepishly. )
Both. And- sorry. I just- needed to be clear on the circumstances? For the data.
It's just that the circumstances suck.
no subject
[This is awkward science bird for "we are kindof maybe almost friends so please have self-care thanks". It is not normally in his wheelhouse to care about others so much; there are very few he actually cares for. So congrats!
The kitchen isn't too far of a walk, and luckily there's plenty of tea within the cabinets. Gnosis settles on a nice lavender blend to accompany the steamed milk.]
I've been told I make an excellent cup when I have the opportunity [the time] to do so.
no subject
I'll trust that, then. ... And I appreciate it. Thanks.