EVENT 018

[sticksandbonesmods]

LIKE BRANCHES ON A TREE

A WINTER WONDERLAND

For a brief time, the world seems brighter; the sun pokes through the clouds more, and the gloomy atmosphere of the constant overcast days lessens ever so slightly. The sky seems bigger, brighter… but, it is the end of autumn as we know it and with the change of leaves comes bitter frost. The change is practically overnight — one morning grants pretty frosted windows and pleasantly crunchy leaves underfoot, and the next the world is being softly blanketed in snow.

Heimr stands at the window of the General Store, and every time he sees someone not dressed for the weather, he immediately calls them in. No one leaves without a proper pair of winter shoes and a coat, and the more you try to decline, the more he adds. Hats. Scarves. Gloves. Snow pants. Just make it easy on the both of you. Although, if you do feel you need that for the weather, he’ll oblige … And at least everything is nice to look at alongside being high quality.

Those with the bone ring may hear childish giggling as they leave, see the flick of a fox tail out of the corner of their eyes — but Plum is content to stay in the shadows still.

Winter frost and the falling snow seem to spread everywhere — Callan’s lake already has ice forming a thin shell on top while Terho’s cabin is blanketed in white. The river water is crisp and clear as ever, but the cold is bone deep and the Guardian tires from it already. Even the beach seems washed over with the cold.

Winter is here, and the cutting chill already tells you one thing: this won’t be an easy one.

WHISPERS IN THE WOODS

As the weather worsens, the forest and fog seem to open in sprawling paths. Some are inviting, a warm feeling in the air and even plant life poking through the snow still, an early spring! Some are alluring, wind beckoning and urging you forward. Come home, it says. Come home.

Even if you know it’s a bad idea, others might not — will you really let Mamika wander into the woods alone? Not that it’s truly her. The forest isn’t above tricks to get what it wants, and will lure you down these paths with illusions and mirages, the sounds of voices you know and love calling for you, for help, for anything and anyone — and maybe that is a trick, but can you really risk it?

Regardless, once you’re on the path, there’s no going back. It leads to a dead end and the fog closes around you. You’re trapped, alone in the woods, and all eyes are on you.

A DIFFERENT “ME”

… But only for a few hours. After that, you’re free to go, unharmed and unscathed. It’s just that… are you really you? Your clothes are different. Your memories too. Maybe now you remember making a different choice at a major crossroad. Maybe you didn’t save them. Maybe you did. Maybe everything went wildly wrong, and maybe it actually went right. But you’re different now, despite remembering your life in the abandoned Grove and all the people here clearly.

As you wander back off the path into town, you know this is right. You’ve been trapped here for however long with the people here, and maybe you no longer love them like this, but you know them, know yourself, and know what’s happened.

You’re just from a different walk of life, now.

SPARK NOTES

CLICK TO EXPAND!

A WINTER WONDERLAND

Winter has come, and during the light snowstorms, Heimr is lovingly forcing everyone into winter clothing. The more you say no, the more clothing you get. Be warm or else!

WHISPERS IN THE WOODS

Mysterious pathways open up in the woods. Should you go into them as they tempt you with murmurs and whispers, you'll be trapped for a few hours by a fog wall you can't pass through.

A DIFFERENT “ME”

But don't worry, you'll come out fine in the end - just with a few memories, or maybe even your physical body, changed entirely. Everyone will still recognize you as "you", and you'll still recognize the others... but maybe you know something has changed. Or maybe you don't.

OOC

Everyone thank Aspen for this month's player plot! Enjoy playing your AUs (or not) and get ready for winter. OOC Plotting Lives Here if you'd like to plot anything out!

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Comments

[quirkynote]

[Good baby, sweet baby. A.B.A strokes his head lovingly, her touch gentle. ...Both for the baby's comfort and hers. She knows well enough sharks are known for their rough skin, who knows if it's the same for shark dragons.]

So brave. Did you know? Bravery isn't the absence of fear, but rather what you do in the moment despite it. You were quick to act...

[A pause. She takes another careful look at his grey skin and bites her lip.

Maybe...maybe she can make it up to him by giving him his name... Something far better than Affogato's Peeeaaarl. Something meaningful... Beautiful...]

You are Quicksilver...

[Sorry aqua dragon, his early hatching is now a part of his identity.]

[submittome]

[ Oh my god look at his sweet toxic little baby boy. When he comes back, he will get scooped up and cooed over, praised. Good boy! Good baby! Get cozy and sleep little one yes kissy kissy look how brilliant and wonderful you are!! Extra helping of milk for you!! ]

[submittome]

It's me, you moron.

[ That thrown snowball is going to hit its target with Wolfwood stopping like that. And his voice is snappish, like Wolfwood has inconvenienced him terribly by wandering his way off into the woods. Nevermind the other didn't exactly ask Affogato to come get him.

Shut up.

He brushes some snow off his clothes that landed on him from a tree branch, scowling as he steps closer. The metal rings on his staff jingle quietly with each motion. Just in case there's lingering monsters.

And not just whispers. Power. Home. You can belong just come! ]

Has winter truly messed with your sense of preservation? I have seen snow madness before, and the inanity of you rushing off into the woods alone fits.

[purevanillacookie]

[ The yawning makes him smile and he shuffles around to tuck them in and give them little kisses, everyone getting a tiny one on their little heads. ]

Sleep, lovelies, and dream sweet dreams.

[purevanillacookie]

[ Ah. Though he knows Passengers ultimate dislike for him - and he does not blame him, after what he did - to hear it out loud hurts. But only because it was his own doing.

However, the request hurts more because.. ah, Sesa. ]

Oh. My friend. I will find a cure. I am not alone in my research, and we have made great strides. He will not suffer.

[ You will not suffer either is the undertone there. ]

[ephemeralflow]

Okay, okay, give me a moment, I might have something.

[Croissant returns the wrench to her belt before opening her hip pouch and digging around. She has a number of little nuts and bolts and screws and things in here, all fairly useless now as they were machined for devices that don't exist in the Grove, but most are too small for her to feel safe giving to - ah!

She pulls out a chunky bronze cogwheel, about the same diameter as her palm, and holds it out to the little dragon. It, too, is well polished, giving it a brilliant golden shine - and had yet to be used in anything, so it's free of scratches to boot.]

Here, you can take this! That's the best I can do right now, but I'll make something extra special for you and your siblings later, all right? Hm, I've never made toys or trinkets before, that will be exciting!

[lupusxylem]

damn okay ill try that when im in next
maybe somethin sweet too...i like sweets on occasion

[Mr has lollipops in his pocket right Now]

my world dont have much in fancy cuisine
prolly cause most cities dont even really have clean water to cook with

[lupusxylem]

[For what it's worth, getting hit in the back of the head with a snowball does snap him out of it. Wolfwood is quite literally shocked back to reality, prompting him to snap upright as he whips his head around with a low, hissing snarl in the back of his throat. He squints through the snow until he sees Affogato standing there, his gaze narrowing just that much more.

Yet, he's still trembling, even if it's slight.]

Tch. Why do you care?

[submittome]

[ Fascinating, it's almost like a disturbed cream wolf, hackles raised and teeth bared against whatever disturbed it. Even if that snarl is more Prowler. Affogato knows he should beware the other - he knows the physical prowess the other boasts and even now, though it's been months, his stomach recalls the punch into it - but at the same time... ]

I wonder. I should let you wander and succumb to the elements, chasing whatever madness has gripped you. It would serve a dire warning to not treat such weather lightly.

[ He reaches up to grip his scarf and pull it up a little further over his mouth and nose, hiding his face a little more as he frowns. ]

And yet... as much as I disliked then and still dislike your methods, you did save my life. Allowed me to make amends and set myself onto a better path. I would be remiss in not attempting to offer you such a chance. Return to the Grove. Whatever you see - or hear - out here is not worth it.

[eidxiety]

[What a baby! Truly the most supreme of round blobby things.]

I dunno. The Phoru, that tall one that has the big claws for digging, [like a mole rat] just really likes fireworks. Mr. Shopkeeper gave me some when I went in to buy them.

[This seems like a horrid idea, really.]

It's kind of early in the daytime for fireworks, but I bet they'll show up in the skies! [ain the barrier. the barrier that prevents things from going too high. the barrier?]

[andacht]

[Tail wag tail wag tail wa—]

Yes!! We are perfect for each other! [Wag wag wag!!!] I love you~ I love you so much!

[Unhinges his jaw

BITES Wolfwood's shoulder.]

[forwander]

Yes, that would cause issues, wouldn't it? Does the lack of clean water lessen agricultural output as well?

[forwander]

[Ignoring that undertone because he's mad at you >:( ]

I am depending on you, for his sake. He will likely refuse treatment until others are treated, yourself included — do not be shocked when he attempts to wait until he's the last one who requires treatment.

[Passenger knows for a fact that Sesa would truly rather die than go first here. He's far too kind for his own good. He wishes the man would be the least bit greedy from time to time.]

Let us hope neither you nor he progress further in the disease until then, hm?

[forwander]

[Wish Craft being a thing wouldn't even shock Passenger. He knows a girl that can control time because her staves are made from God Bones. The Sankta god is literally a computer. Seaborn exist. Loop could be like "I can literally do anything I want" and Passenger would nod and be like "cool".]

Unfortunately, I don't believe we have rituals around that. Most Sargonians are born with mouths — no offense, of course. Medically-speaking, someone born without one would be hooked up to tubes for the rest of their life, provided they lived past infancy.

[And like

that is not common,]

There likely exists types of Arts that can change the taste of food, but you would need to be able to taste in the first place — such would be ineffective on you. [Frowns.] I am sorry you're in this situation.

[sesa]

Oh...what a precious thing.

[Even being in the precarious mood that he is, Sesa cannot be angry about a cute little lion.

He'll reach out and hold his hand near the dandelion's face, just in case it wants to sniff him before Sesa cautiously offers a headpat.]

The cold must be harsh for a plant-based creature. Did you get them from Enciodes?

[lupusxylem]

[Fucking OW-]

Christ, you're like datin' a piranha.

[He squeezes Ain's cheeks together, then pulls his face forward for a kiss regardless. Fortunately for Ain's continued biting, Wolfwood finds it hot, so!]

[lupusxylem]

[Wolfwood's teeth click together, audibly, and if he had hackles to raise, they'd be raising hard. He feels his hair rise on the back of his neck regardless, and he ends up snapping without thinking:]

I ain't takin' the fuckin' chance. If...if she's really out there, and I let her freeze to fuckin' death? I'd might as well throw myself in the god damn ocean.

[There's a voice, deep down, telling him to be reasonable. When has anyone who has shown up here been lost wandering the forest proper? You can't get past the wall, so there's not even much chance, really...

But the louder voice is screaming, shouting that if he were wrong, this one time? It wouldn't matter. He'd never forgive himself.]

[lupusxylem]

we dont really have...much of any agriculture
comin here was what caused me to see flowers for the first time. green grass...we just dont have it at all

[submittome]

[ The snap makes his own hackles raise but less angrily and more defensively, and he shifts his staff a little as if positioning it better for quicker magic casting.

Just in case.

Ugh, he should just turn around and for a moment he's silent, his eyes narrowed, like he's debating it. Just let the wolf wander off, chasing whatever imps have his mind. ]

Your senses really have taken leave of you, have they not? I knew you were foolish, but I had some hopes a higher thought process existed in that mind of yours.

[ He turns as if he's about to go but doesn't. Hesitates. ]

Tell me, oh wolf. [ Listen to the siren song and join, be a part of something greater, powerful. A place that wants you. Come! ] How do we normally arrive here? We stumble out of the forest, not into it, no? Would your precious she not do the same?

[purevanillacookie]

[ Be mad all you want he still loves you.

Sucker.

And he sighs softly cause of course Sesa will. So will Flamebringer. So will himself. He pinches the bridge of his nose with one hand, rubbing it gently. ]

Thankfully White Lily Cookie will make sure none of us are allowed to out-stubborn the other.

[ She will beat the cure into them. And he will curl his left hand to the comment, smiling a little to hide that haha nervousness. He will not let Passenger see under the gauze and glove on his hand. Every time he fails after poking and prodding the disease in him.... ]

Do not worry, my friend, if he requires it I do have medication I am able to share that Mizuki thoughtfully provided.

[forwander]

I see. Sargon is a desert as well — but we have oases and natural plants that grow there regardless. The grasses that grow here are different, but we still have them.

If I may inquire: What do you eat? How do people survive?

[forwander]

[Your love baffles him, Pure Vanilla.]

Mizuki is quite thoughtful. I'm glad to have him here with us. [Hums.] I assume he got it from Ydalir. It's hardly a large ask for me to procure more, both for your research and for Sesa's sake.

[And everyone has Infection monitors, and Gnosis has Kal'tsit's computer and is probably keenly aware that Infection prognosis for people here isn't great...]

One last note: Originium and Arts — what you call magic — go hand in hand. Make sure to use a proper focus for your Arts if you don't already, or you'll worsen your Oripathy and kill yourself far earlier than anticipated.

[sticksandbonesmods]

His skin is pretty rough, yeah. Softer since he's still a pup, but it's not entirely pleasant if you aren't expecting it... he leans into the touch regardless, cooing happily.

"Baba...! Babababababa."

You're Baba now.

[purevanillacookie]

[ Good, be baffled and mildly concerned about it. He smiles and waves about the research. ]

Ydalir is refilling it for me as I need, but do think about getting some for Sesa. If he will take it. I have heard Flamebringer is incredibly stubborn about his.

[ He wonders if you can mash it up into food, like treating a sick kitten. And he pauses, thoughtfully, as he considers that. Gnosis DID explain that it fuels it - his arts use the stone from his staff - he ponders his palm. He's ... mostly talking to himself as he ponders. ]

I wonder... Would it fuel magic not based off of it, or would it be like attempting to use a wrong size battery. Ah, Lily might be angry if I tested- Ah- yes, I will keep that in mind, thank you, my friend. I will be sure to take precautions.

[ And finally, he sets a list and a bag of medallions on the counter. It's a rather large order, after all, because there is a lot of mouths at home and they all want to try the new savory things - and more of the sweets. And Cacao is going to want Coffee and- ]

I promise you, we will cure it. For him. [ For you. Flamebringer. For anyone else who gets it, has it. ]

[sticksandbonesmods]

She fiddles with the cog, twisting it around in various ways in her tiny baby claws before she bites it gently and then squeals happily. This is her favorite thing now. It's hers now! Yaaaay!