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sticks and bones. ([personal profile] sticksandbonesmods) wrote in [community profile] sticksandbones2023-08-04 10:59 am

Event & TDM 003

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!
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.

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.

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!

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

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.

❖ 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!
mooninthewater: (14)

3/3

[personal profile] mooninthewater 2023-08-21 09:04 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Mizuki takes a few very long and exaggerated seconds to take in his surroundings before his face fills with an absolute joy. Waking up in the Grove was kind of upsetting, but this place? The smell of the sea, the feel of the ocean breeze, the sound of the waves... Mizuki is so delighted. He wants to say something, to ask her about this place, to ask what she did, to figure out what he's doing here -- so many things. Alas, he fittingly just opens his mouth and closes it like a fish.

And then he walks into the water to faceplant into it. ]
devilishkouhai: <user name=minamisakura011 site=twitter.com> (76)

[personal profile] devilishkouhai 2023-08-22 02:41 am (UTC)(link)
Alright well, Im going to go do some homework - BB will be back~~~ Let me know when youre all done. Just call 'BB-chan I Misss youuu~~!' and I will come runnning back!! Don't worry I'll hear you. [ And she will go slink off to the Hills where the famously placed Telescope within Luluhawa is located. In order to use the labs there and do a diagnostic on the flowers - but also this... Strange creatures tentacle thing -

WHAT WILL SHE FIND!??!?! ]
mooninthewater: (313)

[personal profile] mooninthewater 2023-08-23 03:06 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Mizuki totally forgot he was supposed to be sticking with her to make sure nothing Bad Happened(tm) with her and his tentacle, instead just having the time of his life out in the ocean water. When she leaves, he even swims further out to dip under the water to stay for a while.

The tentacle itself is... mostly just what you'd expect when examining a jellyfish tentacle. It's got a slick coat of mucus around it that seems to remain for a while despite being severed. The look of it gives a general sense of unease -- not quite madness, but the sort of tense feeling that one might feel if they believe they're being followed. If BB tries to extract the venom from the stingers, she'll have enough toxin to drive one whole person to absolute madness, though! Huzzah!!!!

The tentacles have regenerative properties, so it'll be easy to infer that he can grow these back fairly fast. She may also be able to infer that there's something about the genetic make-up that seems to be altered, somehow. Things don't quite click into place as seamlessly as they should. Not having any other Aegir to compare it to, unfortunately, means that it's hard to figure out the specifics... ]
devilishkouhai: <user name=minamisakura011 site=twitter.com> (25)

PUTS THAT POST IN MY MOUTH FEEDS MY DND BRAIN CELLS

[personal profile] devilishkouhai 2023-08-23 03:21 pm (UTC)(link)
[ It is enough for her to feel satisfied by the information - considering she has 1 nothing to compare it to and 2 nothing really else to want to take from it other then the intended information thus: Him maybe being the cause of the madness within the flowers. It makes her delighted, she keeps her hypothesis to herself for now as she needs to test this theory - and will when the flowers become ravenous and feast on her blood.

For now - everything is good...

BB will do this for several hours at her science area - before BB goes looking for Mizuki, it will start to get dark. Does he go looking for her or is he lost in the ocean waters? ]
mooninthewater: (33)

[personal profile] mooninthewater 2023-08-24 08:37 am (UTC)(link)
[ He is one with the sea. Which is to say, he's still swimming. He will probably continue to do so for as long as he's allowed to. Either because he wants this moment to last, or just simply because he missed the ocean waters this much. ]
devilishkouhai: <user name=minamisakura011 site=twitter.com> (63)

[personal profile] devilishkouhai 2023-08-27 12:38 am (UTC)(link)
[ It becomes - night fall. The sun sets in the distance, and the beautiful orange colors meld with purples as the night sky begins to dawn stars across it. BB stands on the water surface looking down into the ocean, where her friend was left for the time being. She is simply there floating, looking down at the figure wiggling through the rippled surface. ]

Oyeeeee!!

[ BB calls out from above! ]