sticksandbones | EVENT & TDM 020

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EVENT & TDM 020

WAKES AND AWAKENINGS

Are you one to find yourself plagued with nightmares? Do you dream at all? Well, worry not, because tonight you find yourself in a somewhat alarming peace. You’re asleep. You’re aware of this. Yet, you feel incredibly lucid, all the same.

You hear the sound of water, like you’re under the ocean waves. You don’t see anything, but it’s almost as if you can feel others around you, despite not touching anything at all. They’re your… family? No. Friends? No. You don’t seem to be able to find a word to describe them. They’re important to you! …You think. Who are they, again?

You think they’re trying to speak to you, but all you can hear is the sound of gentle currents and air bubbles. Or maybe this is what they’re saying to you? You don’t know. Dreams are weird, aren’t they? But then they sing. It’s the prettiest sound you’ve heard. It’s the most haunting sound you’ve heard. It encourages you to move, at last. You didn’t realize you could. There’s a light that filters through the surface of the water…

…and you wake up. You feel strangely refreshed, like that’s the best sleep you’ve gotten in ages! You also feel… distantly sad, like you’ve just remembered something horrible that happened a long time ago.

It’s probably nothing.

For the rest of the month, you find sleep comes easy, and dreams are soothing. How uncharacteristically nice! Maybe don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.

A BITTER ARRIVAL

You wake up to bitter cold. It's dark, the winds howling and whipping through the air, snow battering anything not sturdy enough to stand tall against it... and even the trees seem like one more push could knock them over. This isn't a forest you know, yet it seems like home. If you're not prepared for the cold, the warm lights of a small town will guide you, call to you, and your heart yearns for warmth. As you stumble through the heavy snow and harsh winds, something heavy hangs from your neck and the winds begin to form words with your own voice- SACRIFICE... END THIS WINTER WITH SACRIFICE.

As more voices join the wretched wails, your eyes feel heavier. You're almost to the town, though. Is it one of the houses that you wind up knocking on? Or do you manage to get to the inn, big and tall and radiating more warmth than anything you've ever felt? Regardless, you are no longer alone, but the cold still aches and clings, and something with your voice still calls it's omens outside. Only when you melt the heavy snowflake-shaped amulet hanging around your neck in the fires does the cold abate and the foreign copy of your voice fall silent.

A COLD RECEPTION

In the forest of the lost, the worst winter you've ever seen has finally set in full. The lake and river are both frozen over completely, and even the most hardy of beasts have hidden away from the cruel blizzard. The sky is dark, the winds are sharp and the freezing temperatures permeate most buildings, creeping in like a thief ready to steal the breath from your lungs if you aren't careful. Even fires seem to bend to this cold, save for the ever-burning, ever-blinding light of the fireplace in the inn- though she's long since gone, it seems one woman's faith still protects those in the Grove. Shadows haunt the clearing and amongst the winds and even the deafest ears can hear the voices howling alongside the storm, always demanding the same thing: a sacrifice.

When shadows flicker across the window, that is when you know you aren't alone. Ghastly wraiths of frost and ragged sleet fly through the air, and it's hard to tell if they are commanding the winter winds or if they are working in tandem. Regardless, the cold seems to be enhanced by their presence and if they catch you alone outside, they curse you with a frost so deep it pierces the heart and spreads. To some, it may be familiar, like turning to ice from within. To others it may be entirely new. But it spreads slowly and with agony while the wraiths make their demand once more and then vanish. Thankfully, a bit of kindness can melt the ice, but the winter wraiths are always willing to inflict the curse again...

... But you are not powerless. So long as you don't go alone, so long as you have a weapon, you can fend these things off, for a time. But they will be back.

They must have their sacrifice, after all.

BEACONS

Not everyone can fight though. Not everyone should. The only peace that can be found is in the sleep that follows that odd dream... but eventually the large shadow woman known as the Trader, Ydalir, makes her way through the snow to find you. With a warm furry blanket and a cup of tea, she gives you a small kit.

"Build these lanterns and hang them in the window. Be a light in the dark, loves." Is what she says.

The lanterns consist of wood, paper and a little cup for a candle. They can be in any shape and color, and when you hang them in the window the candle sparks into light. As frost clings on the other side of the window and the snow shrouds the outside world and veils what lies beyond, you can see other lights. Other lanterns, shining brightly. It may not be much, but it is still a sign. A reminder. You are not alone in this blizzard.

Spark Notes

summary

wakes and awakenings will bring you into a strange dream of being with many being, important ones, and a haunting song. Despite the melancholy feeling, it also brings a month of restful sleep no matter what.

a bitter arrival is how our new arrivals find themselves: lost in the woods in the middle of a terrible blizzard with only the faint lights of the Grove to guide you to safety. While you wear the snowflake amulet, the winter wraiths can use a mimicry of your voice to make their demands and curse you with a lingering freeze- only melting the amulets in a fire will set you free and silence the copy of your voice in the cacophony.

a cold reception shows just how bad the winter's gotten, with impenetrable ice freezing both the lake and the river solid. the wraiths curse whoever they see with turning to ice from within, but a genuine act of kindness or love will save their victims. the wraiths can be fought, but only with a companion or two, and definitely not with your bare hands. ... they will return though, again and again.

beacons grants perhaps a bit of hope in this dark winter- ydalir brings people supplies as best she can since the cold doesn't affect her shadowy body and there is nothing for the wraith to freeze, and she also brings a gift- a lantern to craft and hang in the window to show the others in town that you're all still here, cutting through the darkness.

out of character

Welcome to the first TDM of 2025! Regular AC resumes this month and as you can see, we're changing things up a little. TDMers are welcome and encouraged to reach out on our plotting post linked below. We're so excited to start the new year with everyone, and may the horrors stay in writing... because they are resuming now.

updates

❖ AFFOGATO COOKIE has used a magical artifact as a sacrifice. This has resulted in the blizzard lessening but still being present and the wraiths being banished from the grove, but still haunting the forest. There are further effects but they will come in to play during a player plot. ... Get your sacrifices in still though.
❖ MAYOI'S prayer to Ourania the day of the fight with Suri invoked a blessing: an aurora shines through the sky, and anyone in it's lights will be gradually healed and soothed.

submissions

❖ Questions
❖ January Plotting (Open to TDMers)
❖ Sacrifices (Plot relevant, open to all)
❖ Past Life Plotting (Closed to Game Members)
❖ Investigations

code

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[Man, Ryan never fully appreciated what a miracle it was that the train kept him and Min-Gi together from the start. Not until now anyway, when he woke up stranded in the worst snow he's ever seen, alone. And he's been all over Canada! He's seen storms, but nothing anywhere close to this.

There's no time to mull that over though, because he doesn't want to freeze to death and apparently his voice is whipping through the window chanting something about sacrifices and nope! Nope! He'd like to wake up from whatever this fuck this is!

He's frozen down to his bones and definitely not in warm enough gear for this weather, but he trudges through the thick snow to civilization anyway. It's the only place to go, but it feels right. It's probably warm there, and he's so cold that's honestly all he can think about. ...Well, that and a memory of him and Min-Gi ribbing each other over who is truly the worst Canadian. That keeps him warm in other ways.

When he reaches the inn and opens the door, the wind is so strong it whips in around him, bringing some stray snow into the doorway as he stumbles in. He's not sure anyone else is here, but he yells anyway.]

Min! Min-Gi?! Are you--

[Oh, it is warmer in here though. Ryan curls in on himself and shivers.]

W-Woah. Fuck, it's cold out there......

[Min-Gi hadn't appreciated it either. Not that he wants Ryan here, of course. The last thing he'd want would be for Ryan to wind up stuck here too, but that doesn't mean waking up here without him hadn't been scary. It doesn't stop him thinking about him either. Building the lanterns has helped take his mind of things a little, but it's not exactly the most taxing job in the world. It still leaves plenty of time for missing him. It's strange not to have him here laughing with him, or trying to come up with silly designs for the lanterns. They've spent so much time together that he actually feels less himself without Ryan by his side, and the only time they've spent apart was the most miserable of his life.

It would be even stranger to hear his voice while he was thinking about him except... well, it's not as though Min wasn't spending a disproportionate amount of time doing that anyway.

Regardless, it's definitely unexpected. Min almost jumps right out of his skin, scattering the wooden frame he'd so carefully constructed for his latest lantern. It's in almost the same movement he's running over to him, enveloping him in a hug that feels more fitting for someone who he hasn't seen in months rather than a couple of days.]

Ryan!

[Hope you don't miss breathing too much, Ryan. On the plus side, Min is very warm after spending all that time by the fire.]

[All of a sudden, Ryan is practically scooped into Min-Gi's arms. It's tight, maybe even too tight, but Ryan hugs him back with all the strength he has. He's an icicle in his grip, still shivering but happy to absorb any and all heat.]

M-Min! Oh my god, you're actually here! I-I woke up with no one around and I thought I was...I-I thought you weren't...

[Min-Gi can hug him hard enough to snap his spine if he wants. Right now, Ryan has no plans to let go - he just turns his head and makes himself comfy exactly where he is.]

Dude, you're so warm...

[Ryan is freezing, but Min isn't put off by that. It's just so good to see him. Enough that he forgets for a moment that's bad for him to be here.]

I know.... I know. You weren't here, Ryan. I didn't think you were going to be here...

[But he is, and even if it's selfish for him to think that way it's impossible not to feel glad he's not alone anymore. If it wasn't for Ryan speaking again the moment would probably go on.

Min has no issue touching Ryan. They've known each other their whole lives, and there's no one he feels more comfortable around. Even in public, most of the time. They're best friends. Why would he mind? Except there's something about the way that Ryan comments on how warm he is that abruptly makes him very conscious of how public the inn is. He drops his arms immediately, letting them hang by his side with an awkward laugh.]

Y-yeah. There's a fire. You should probably sit by it...

[It's probably for the best that Min-Gi is so uncomfortable with this public display. Ryan is very touchy-feely in general, but even this is a bit much for him in public - a sign he's not feeling great and prioritizing immediate relief over anything else.

Min-Gi mentions there's a fire though, and his whole face lights up.]

Y-Yeah? Lead the way, man...

[A beat later though, and Ryan forces up a belated laugh.]

I had to be here. Couldn't-- couldn't let you freeze alone!

[Bold words coming from the only person freezing right now.]

[Very bold words, and ones that Min's not about to pass up calling him out on, no matter how important warming him up might be.]

Thanks, man. If you hadn't showed up I might still be out there.

[Min-Gi claps him on the back, nudging him over to where he'd been sitting.]

Do you have an amulet? If you do, you need to get rid of it.

[Ryan laughs and lets himself be shoved wherever. There's a big roaring and Ryan is three seconds from plunking himself down right in front of it when Min-Gi asks about an amulet.]

Huh?

[He feels the pockets of his jeans, then his jacket - no and no. But after an awkward pat to the chest he reaches into his turtleneck to pull out a large snowflake-shaped amulet he hadn't even realized he was wearing.]

You mean this?

[There's a beat for a second as Ryan processes this. Then, unceremoniously, he breaks the chain and chucks the amulet into the fireplace. There! He got rid of it!]

[He's quicker to get it than Min-Gi had been. He'd thought he'd have to instruct him, but Ryan throws it in the fire with no hesitancy. Maybe it shouldn't surprise him. Ryan's always been more impulsive. Sometimes that worries him, but this time he's definitely made the right call.]

Yeah. You should warm up quicker now, but you should still take the blanket.

[Min picks it up from his seat, handing it over to Ryan so he can wrap it around himself. He's already spent more than enough time by the fire not to need it now.]

[Now that it isn't directly on his skin, Ryan already can feel himself starting to thaw a little. He still takes the blanket though and wraps himself up inside it immediately, happy to be warm again. When they sit, Ryan pulls his feet up inside crisscross and tucks the bottom of the blanket to trap the heat, making him look a little bit like a person-shaped onigiri.]

Thanks, man.

[It's only then that he starts to take in his surroundings, and what Min-Gi had been working on before he burst in the door. Some kind of arts and crafts? Something about that seems...off. Min-Gi tends to need time to feel comfortable with things, so...]

...Hey, seriously, how long did I leave you hanging?

[It warms him to see Ryan already looking like he's feeling better. He still probably has a lot of questions, most of which Min hasn't figured out the answer to himself yet, but for the moment he's happy to let him warm up.

They're together again, and even if it would be better if neither of them were here it is comforting that he's no longer alone. Perhaps he shouldn't be surprised that Ryan doesn't feel the need to keep up the silence for long though.]

Just a couple of days.

[Which isn't long. He knows that. It hasn't meant it hasn't been tough. The lanterns have been a good distraction, but things are always harder without Ryan around, and not knowing when or if he'd finally see him again has been a struggle.]

Have you been okay...?

[Presumably he's actually ended up here separately to Min and hasn't spent the last few days wandering around in the snow. He'd sounded far too frantic when he'd burst in, and even if he hadn't the weather isn't exactly the type you could get away with sleeping out in.]

A couple of days?!

[They haven't spent days apart since before they got on the train, and it was probably the worst time in both of their lives. Hearing Min-Gi was on his own that long is more than a bit of a shock.

He looks from Min to the nearest window, and watches the snow blowing around in the wind for a moment. There's a lot swirling in his head, and he tries his best to reel it in a bit. Min's the one who's been here for days by himself. He probably doesn't need to have him freaking the fuck out on top of that.]

I...yeah! I'm good! Totally good. I don't think I was out there that long? I mean...kinda hard to tell in the middle of a snowstorm with creepy voices chanting and all that, but I wasn't out there days. Actually, I...feel like I just saw you?

[None of this feels very reassuring as it comes out of his mouth, but he's trying at least.]

Sorry you got stuck here alone. [A beat, and then a hopeful smile.] ...At least I'm here now?

[That answer clearly wasn't as reassuring as he thought it would be, and only makes the situation even more confusing. There's no way Ryan should have just seen him. Are the wraiths somehow back home too? Are they capable of imitating more than just voices?

Min-Gi nods, but seems troubled.]

I haven't figured out how we're supposed to get back yet. This isn't like the train.

[Something Ryan's already probably realized for himself given the lack of numbers on their hand.]

[Oh, he definitely looked at his palm the second he woke up in the snow. Now that he's inside and things are more calm though, he peeks his hand out of the blankets and shows his palm to Min-Gi. There's nothing there, just as expected.]

Yeah. Didn't run into any parka aliens or anything!

[It would have been a weird thing to happen more than once in his life, but after the stuff they've been through, nothing is out of the question.]

How did we even get here? I'm pretty sure neither of us have been screwing up our lives recently, so...

[Min-Gi shrugs, not having any answer for that even after a couple of days here.]

No. Everything's been going so great.

[They still have a long way to go, but they're out there and they're playing shows. There's no way the train should be pulling them back.

Except of course it hasn't, and wherever they are now the rules seem to be different.]

I don't think things work like that here.

[He can't help it - he lights up at mention of how good things have been, Because they have been good! They've been amazing!]

Dude, our show last night? It was so good! I still can't believe people are already asking about tapes!

[One. One person asked about tapes. And they're still not fully ready to put an entire album together (and communicated as such! More evidence that they're doing well!) but it's still exciting to be asked.

The excitement fades quick though - they've been whisked away from all of that, and who knows when they'll get back there.]

How do things work then? I mean, what's it been like? Since you've been here.

[It's jarring to hear Ryan refer to the show as though it was last night, but he manages to keep himself from commenting. It's weird, but they can with that discrepancy out later.

On the other hand it does kind of suck to admit he's been here for that extra time and still doesn't know that much about what's happening here.]

I haven't had much chance to figure things out, but we should stay inside. At least until those things are gone. It's not safe out there.

[Ryan isn't thinking about it that way - after all, he just got here, so Min knows more about this place than him by default. He's asking for information, but it's not a pop quiz.]

I didn't actually see whatever those things were, but I heard them for sure.

[He does a big, over-dramatic shudder.]

Could be worse though. I mean, "Oh no, we have to stay inside by the fire during a huge snowstorm and not freeze our asses off outside!"

[How terrible for them. A huge tragedy.]

I haven't either. Not up close. I'm trying to steer clear of them.

[It's easy to admit that to Ryan. Neither of them are fighters even if Ryan can be pretty tough if push comes to shove.

He decides not to mention that he might have to go hang some of his lanterns at some point, content to laugh with him.]

It sure beats that last motel. I think I'd choose the snowstorm over another night there.

[Ryan nods. They can't just be cooped up inside forever and eventually he'll get stir-crazy, but for now it's easy to just accept that they don't need to deal with whatever the fuck is outside.]

Ugh, right? Something was totally growing in the shower.

[He wrinkles his nose at the memory, but then he laughs.]

Honestly I'd even pick another night in Morgan over that grody room.

[Which is saying something, since Morgan is a sentient castle who tried to murder them both. Now though, long removed from the situation, it's feels more like an inside joke only Min-Gi will ever understand.]

[Min-Gi snorts, giving him a look of amusement and disbelief.]

I don't know. We don't know for sure that mould was coming to life...

[He's only half joking. The motel might have been back in their own reality, but after the train it's hard to rule out anything definitively.]

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EVENT & TDM 020

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