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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.
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[ Sometimes, when We Many are angry, his hunger is just an all-consuming force. It's rare that it happens, but he'd be lying if he said it never did. ]
Has anyone talked to it?
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Can it… hear us? Or…
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[ Mizuki's not… not going to talk to the forest— one eldritch being to another! ]
Then, if you don't mind me asking… um, what… all do you know about it?
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... Didn't come out of the woods, either...
And... when it lost, it attacked us with lightning.
But it also promised us a prize if we won, and gifted us with powerful magic charms.
It's childish and cruel but holds it's word, in so much as it feels like it. It's petty and spiteful. It wants us to suffer and gets mad when we fight back.
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Well, I guess it doesn't matter right now. Hard to… think, anyway. I'm sorry — I'm not all that smart, so I don't think I'll be a very big help…
… It's not bothering you so bad, is it?
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He stares at Felicity's smile in a brief silence, his own that always seems plastered to his face nowhere to be seen. There's something almost… panicked(?) in his eyes. Maybe that's not the right word. Protective, maybe? Or… how about… dangerous. Something dangerous. Something that said nothing should try to make my friends suffer. He squeezes her tighter.
A beat. Two. Three… ] Just because you were raised to do something, doesn't make it right. [ Mizuki was raised to be a Bishop, but he's not a very religious person at all. ] You should take care of yourself, too… Worrying about me should be the last priority.
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( even though she just called it hell...
felicity returns the squeeze for a moment, but relaxes again. )
... I was raised to do a lot of bad things, but looking out for the people in my care will never be one of them. I know I'm one of the younger ones here, but I've always been the one in my groups to take charge and that will be no different here. So. You're in my care, too.
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I don't need you to worry or take care of me. That's not where my use lies. [ Phrasing could be better here, but with all the noise in his head, it's a blessing he's able to form coherent sentences. It's not terribly far off from his feelings, anyway. He is, in essence, just a tool to be used, right? ] I'll be okay. [ Always is, always is... ] You can put your attention elsewhere.
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( what then? )
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[ It needs reiterating, apparently. ]
I'm sorry to have worried you to begin with...
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You're… a good person, Felicity.
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( squish a jelly... )
1/3
[ There’s whispers in his head, all of them reminding him that if he’s not useful, then he is worthless. ]
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His face buried against her to hide the red tinge. ]
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