EVENT 021

[sticksandbonesmods]

Feeding from the Ocean

Solitary Voyage

The first light of dawn does not come this morning. The moonlight outside continues to cast its muted glow over the Grove, still high in the sky. No matter how long you wait, no matter how many minutes or hours slip by, the darkness remains, and the silvery sentinel refuses to yield to the sun. It also appears bigger than usual, its surface etched with shadows that seem to pulse with a life of their own, and you swear there weren't this many stars peppering the night sky last night.

Despite the oppressive night that looms above, there’s an odd sense of calm. No werewolves prowl the streets, no ominous howls echo through the trees, or other dangers that usually seem to threaten the Grove. In fact, it's not making it more cold than usual, either. The ice on the river, once a solid barrier, begins to chip away, revealing glimmers of water beneath, giving new life to the creatures that call it home. A handful of the baby Seaborn even flop out of the water to explore the world, as if it's entirely new to them and hasn't only been a month since they've been unable to be on solid ground.

The only thing that the perpetual night seems to be affecting is the local wildlife. Disoriented and confused, they flit about in a daze, their natural rhythms thrown into chaos. The diurnal creatures now wander aimlessly with their instincts dulled. Someone should probably feed these poor critters before they forget how to forage for themselves.

The Grove also seems to be sans one sea jelly. Hope no one booked their therapy appointment this month.

The Reef is Immortal

It was the loud creaking that caught your attention first, a sound that reverberated through the ground like the groan of a ship caught in a storm. There's a... tree? Or, wait, no. That can't be right. It's colossal, easily taller than the supposed "limit" of the sky barrier, but it's also... blue? There's a smattering of bioluminescent patches that give a white glow, especially under the pale moonlight. The "branches" swayed unnaturally, each one moving independently, like a thousand skeletal fingers reaching for the heavens.

With the coming of this "tree" also comes something some of you may be familiar with - the Nethersea Brand. It's a blue, web-like membrane that more resembles flesh than what anyone would like to admit. Contact with the membrane is not recommended as it invokes a creeping dread that gnaws at the edges of your mind and locks your muscles and bones. It wears off... eventually, but if you don't get out of it in time it'll continue to chew at your nervous system.

It is not localized like it was last time, either. It spreads and expands to cover all of the Grove more and more with each moment, every hour swallowing more and more land, with just a few exceptions. One, the Inn's lobby, which is protected by the Inquistion's Fireplace inside. And two... surprisingly, the River and its banks, where the Guardians (and the Behemoth) seem to be taking solace from the threat.

The baby Seaborn are not aware of many things, but they are at least cognizant that some of you don't seem to do well in the Brand, with some control over what it covers. If you're by the river, they seem to be able to control the brand just enough to free you, chirping in an innocent manner. You do not know what they are saying, but you can imagine it's something along the lines of "Hi! What doing!" There's less of them in the river currently, but the few that are around are nesting on Moder or following Sinann around. They do not sense the distress. They are just babies.

The Mass of Sorrow

The sensation of being trapped in the web-like brand is suffocating, a foreign sensation of the boundaries that have been blurred between your identity and the collective consciousness of others. Each time you succumb to the nervous impairment, it feels like you’re slipping through a veil, where the lines between your thoughts and those of others dissolve into a swirling mass of emotions and memories.

You can’t shake the feeling of grief that lingers in your chest, a weight that seems to grow heavier with each passing moment. It’s as if you’re mourning something you can’t quite grasp—perhaps the remnants of your own past, or the fragments of lives that are not your own. When you finally come to again, rising up from the brand to attempt to move again, you'll notice you have tear stains against your face you don't remember crying.

It's not easy to escape the brand, either. Between the rough terrain flesh-y webs make and the way it slowly neutralizes your nerves, it's a wonder you can keep moving at all. But more than that, there's this... voice...

"Embrace... Our Warmth..."

In short moments of clarity, you remember... dreaming? Remembering? Commiserating...? Something. Whatever the case, you were in someone's mind. Maybe your own. Maybe someone else's. Maybe even something from the forest - the brand is taking all prisoner, after all.

Best hope We Many doesn't share anything you don't want anyone to see, because it doesn't seem like you get much of a choice.

Elegy of the Outliers

Those holed up inside are not entirely forgotten. While the warmth of the fireplace and the kin of the river may keep the brand at bay, the persistent weight of grief and sadness still reaches those within. It is the curse of an ancient being long gone, a sorrow that lingers like a scar. Yet, this sorrow can be softened by the company of those around you. Distractions, warmth, and togetherness serve as reminders that collaboration is, as always, the answer.

Gazing out at the brand, one will notice shadows moving along the fleshy web—shadows that seem hauntingly familiar. Loved ones move through the Grove as if it has come alive again, as if the threat of an obsessed, fallen deity has vanished, and things have reached some form of normalcy once again.

Upon closer inspection, the observant may discern that these are not true apparitions, but rather the brand's way of storing memories within We Many's consciousness. It is a surreal experience, reliving moments through the Seaborn that drift freely about. This phenomenon is both unsettling and captivating—perhaps it could even make for compelling television while you remain trapped inside. Yet, the sight of a loved one, even as a mere shadow, may also be overwhelming, pulling you away from your current sanctuary.

Be careful out there.

Spark Notes

summary

Solitary Voyage is this moon's journey. The expected dawn fails to arrive, leaving the Grove shrouded in an unusual, persistent moonlight. While the darkness disrupts the local wildlife, causing confusion and disorientation, it also brings life to the river as baby Seaborn venture out.

The Reef is Immortal, bringing forth a colossal, bioluminescent "tree" in the Grove, accompanied by the spreading menace of the Nethersea Brand, a blue, web-like membrane that induces paralysis upon contact. While the Brand expands across the land, the Inn's lobby remains safe, and the baby Seaborn near the river seem to possess a surprising ability to help free those ensnared by the Brand, blissfully unaware of the surrounding danger.

The Mass of Sorrow is the experience of being ensnared in the Nethersea Brand. Personal identity blurs with the collective consciousness, leading to overwhelming grief and confusion as emotions and memories intertwine.

Elegy of the Outliers, or those sheltered from the Nethersea Brand, still feel the Arbor's weight of grief and sadness, a lingering curse that can be eased by the warmth and companionship of others. As shadows resembling loved ones move through the brand, it becomes clear that these are not true apparitions but memories stored within We Many's consciousness.

out of character

This month's event has been written entirely by Rubie! Please be nice and say thank you Rubie! Enjoy your memory shares and your eldritch horrors, and remember that questions asked should be asked in public channels and not DMs if they're related to this month's event. Have fun!

updates

Any potential updates, such as characters damaging something important or whatever else, will be put here.

submissions

❖ Questions
❖ February Plotting
❖ Past Life Plotting (Closed to Game Members)
❖ Investigations

code

Comments

Pure Vanilla Cookie | CookieRun: Kingdom

[purevanillacookie]

(( ooc: nesting options and open to wildcards! dm me and lets hash something out! ))

The Mass of Sorrow (memshare)

[purevanillacookie]

[ Truthless has managed, so far, to avoid the brand. He's even rescued quite a few people out of it. But with every inch it creeps closer, avenues of travel close off, and though he is currently roomed in the Inn, even he must leave it from time to time. Especially when he makes a round to check to see whose stumbled into it this time.

Which is how he ends up ensnared himself, with only a vague feeling of annoyance as the paralysis crawls over his body and pulls him into the webbing.

He should have just left them and stayed inside. ]

A Little Lamb
[ The field one might find themselves in stretches on forever, lush long grass waving in the warm breeze, while the sun shines down bright and cheerful from above. Cream sheep move around you, chewing contently on the grass, while a few lambs prance about in defiance of staying close with the herd. It carries with it an overwhelming feeling of peace. You could simply lay down in the grass and rest a while. Whether you be Cookie or something else, the sweet wind and sweeter scents are comforting and relaxing.

Well, it's relaxing until a young shepherd surprises you with a "Hello!". The Cookie is small and beaming upwards at you cheerfully. There is a baby lamb by his side, which he's holding on to so it doesn't run off again. ]

Hello! Are you lost? I don't remember seeing you before! That's okay, my lambs get lost sometimes too! What's your name? I'm Pure Vanilla Cookie! It's nice to meet you! Do you need help finding your way back? I can show you the way back to the village! Or were you going somewhere else? There's not much out here just lots of grass! And you can't eat it, it's not very tasty! I know, I've tried it!

[ BREATHE, LAD, BREATHE. ]

A Card Game (past life, semi-closed to Stan and any other old geezer I guess)
[ ... Hm. Percival is pretty sure Stan is cheating. No, he knows Stan is cheating. The other man crinkles every time he moves, how can he not be? But Percival isn't sure if he's cheating in this particular moment. He reaches up to take his glasses off and fold them before sticking them into his breast pocket, his lips pushing into a frown as he studies the cards in his hand. If he takes much longer, he knows the other is going to start teasing him. Finally he reaches out to pick some chips up off his side and lays them in the growing pot in the middle. ]

Call.

[ He's not going to raise again, he's already down enough to owe the man several rounds. ]

Let's see your hand. [ Cheater. ]

a little lamb so lily can cry over something good for once this month-

[lilyberation]

( ... where is she...? she'd been trying to get to the store for groceries, but... that web...

...

and then there's a baby. and it's not just any- it's... pure vanilla cookie.

her husband, as he once was before he even met her. oh.

oh stars, her heart. it's so hard not to laugh- )

One thing at a time, sweetheart. Let's see... I am White Lily Cookie, and I'm a traveler. I wouldn't say that I'm lost, but I do wind up in unexpected places. And grass isn't for everyone, but that's alright, because that means there's more for the sheep.

the tiniest little crumble

[purevanillacookie]

Yeah! More for the sheep!

[ Said sheep are indeed very busy eating the grass and slowly wandering away from the young lad, who ohs!! and moves to catch up with them again so he can herd them back. ]

Hello, White Lily Cookie! Is this an un-uneggpected place?

[ He knows that word, thank you, it's just a very big word to say and he is a very small Cookie. ]

hes but little...

[lilyberation]

( she laughs softly and it feels foreign in her heart. )

That's right. I'm not sure how I wound up here, but surprises lead to good things, most of the time. Like... I got to meet a sweet little shepherd! And this is your flock, yes?

a gust of wind will blow him away

[purevanillacookie]

I'm sweet cause I'm Vanilla! Are lilies sweet? I've never eaten one before! But you smell really nice!

[ The lack of stranger danger and filter is strong. She knows he only barely gets better in Academy too. ]

Yea! I take them out every day! That one's Buttercream, that one's Frosty, that ones Cream Cheese!

[ He points to each Sheep as he names them, then holds up the wayward lamb. ]

And this one's Meringue! The other babies are playing and I don't get to name them til they're older but this one's always getting into trouble so I gotta call it something for it to come back!

[ INHALE. ]

noooo my baby

[lilyberation]

Lilies... hm. Flowers can be sweet or bitter, but they have a subtle taste. But only specific Cookies can eat lilies, or it will make you very sick. Chamomile, honeysuckle, and several other flowers are safe to eat though.

( she's just going to have fun with this. it's- it's not the same, not in the least. but it reminds her of innocent times, before she ever once had jam on her hands, but she had a best friend.

she nods and greets every sheep as it's introduced. )

They must be happy to be in good hands like yours.

floating away on a breeze

[purevanillacookie]

Oh!! We have honeysuckle!! All the time! It's really good!

[ He beams up at her and then mashes his face into the baby cream sheeps wool because it's soft and fluffy, and it feels good to do so. The lamb takes it with a tiny 'meh!' that makes him giggle.

He speaks from there. Cause he's a goober. ]

I hope so! I wanna become a really good herder! I love my sheep and I love it here!

[ He lifts his face and there's cream wool stuck to it. ]

What do you wanna be! Or are you gonna keep traveling forever? See everything? Will you see the big oceans? I heard there's boats! Will you see boats?!

A little lamb. Its time for baby communication

[ghostharasser]

[He is a cookie again. He's getting weirdly used to this? But he looks different than normally. He recognizes the clothing he's meant to be wearing ...it's an old outfit he hasn't thought about in years. The vest, the shorts, he reaches up and finds his old pine tree had that he had gifted to Wendy at the end of a summer long, long ago.]

[But it's nice out here, isn't it? He can't help but appreciate the peacefulness out here. All his other run ins with the cookie dimension had been so dire, it's almost startling to see something so nice and quiet.]

[Until the even littler cookie comes up to him. Dipper lets out an undignified shriek at the sudden Hello!]

[And then he keeps going and Dipper is struck silent while the little guy just an impressive amount of questions in one breath.]

Oh man.

[Alright, hold on, lets back up a bit.]

So, uh, in order: Maybe! D- [He pauses, and then he corrects, thinking perhaps its best to blend in better.] Campfire Cookie. Nice to meet you, too. I might need directions, yeah. I'm looking for my family. What did the grass taste like? Shouldn't it be sweet?

a wee little baby for Dipper

[purevanillacookie]

[ The shriek is FUNNY and he giggles, holding the lamb up to his face to hide behind it a little. He scared him, he scared him! He doesn't seem sad about it, so that means it's funny and okay to laugh.

Then his questions are answered and he beams, happy. He likes it when the older Cookies come out and join him. ]

It's kinda bitter! I can help you find your family but I don't think they're out here! There's just me and my sheep!

[ He holds out the little lamb he's holding, which looks at Dipper silently for a few seconds, then throws it's tiny cream head back and goes 'mleh!'

Dipper might recognize the sound as a very tiny version of Peepaw distress call.

Pure Vanilla oh's! and lets the little thing go so it can run to it's mom. ]

Weird, Meringues usually a lot bolder than that! What does your family look like?

hols him

[ghostharasser]

[Dipper leans in to look at the cream sheep when suddenly it just wants nothing to do with him. Weird!]

Maybe he had important sheep business?

[Sheep, man. What funky little creatures.]

My family ...uh. Has kind of a tendency to wander off. They could be literally anywhere. [Mabel could be out here eating grass, it's entirely plausible. Anyway he thinks over how to describe his uncles to a very young child while trying to pretend he is a cookie from a family of cookies.] My two uncles are like me but waaaay older and grunklier. Tall, gray h- uh. Grey icing, glasses, and they're twins so they look really similar! One of them really likes money and terrible jokes and the other is a researcher and likes books.

[A pause. They will not find Mabel here, but it feels wrong to not mention her too. His expression is a lot softer as he talks.]

I have a sister, too. She looks a lot like me but her dough is baked with glitter and poprocks. She's the brightest, friendliest person that ever lived. I think you two would be really good friends.

gentl like cookie

[purevanillacookie]

It is nap time!

[ Solemn nod of baby agreeance. Nap time is important sheep business. And he listens intensely to the descriptions of Dippers family. Nods to "grunklier" like that explains it. He gets it. He knows. This child Understands. ]

What's grunklier?

[ HE understands but he wants to make sure Dipper knows.

Excuse him as he reaches up to take Dipper's hand. They're holding hands now, that's how being around baby Pure Vanilla goes. ]

Glitter and poprocks! Uhm! There's only Vanilla's around here but they might be in the village! All the elder Cookies stay there too cause they say their dough is too stiff now and it might crumble away if they stomp around the hills with the sheeps but I think they just wanna be comfy. And sleep a lot. We can go look!

[ INHALE.

Meringue takes that moment to bounce it's way off away from the group, getting the other lambs to join it in a Tiny stampeding little herd that goes in every which direction. The moms Do Not Seem to Mind, they're still eating, but Baby Vanilla ohs!! and let's go of Dippers hand. ]

Babies!

[ Says the baby as he takes off after to try and herd them back, grabbing his little shepherds crook as he does. The moment he's away from Dipper, the mood seems to turn. While the skies over Vanilla remain bright and sunny, Dipper will find a shadow cast over him, and it turns colder. There's a small bleat behind him. ]

[ghostharasser]

Grunkly. You know, how like when cookies get kind of old and they act kind of [He makes a very silly impression of Stan when he tries to get up from a chair.] Like that.

[Anyway, yes, Dipper will hold your hand little vanilla. Please don't run off without him he'll lose it-]

That sounds awesome, thanks. My family travels a lot so, they could have passed through.

[And then suddenly the sheeps scatter and Dipper watches him run off before Dipper could do anything to stop him. Sigh. Well, he can wait here for him to get back. Ahaha, what a cute kid. A-]

[Ah.]

[It really doesn't take Dipper much to figure out what's happening here. He sighs, but doesn't turn around.]

Even here, huh?

[purevanillacookie]

"Oh, don't seem so surprised. I told you, I've always been with him."

[ Is that true, though?

Sadly it's a memory; as much as a certain blueberry would love to change it, turn it into a nightmare for the interloper, he can't. So Pure Vanilla gleefully rounds his wayward lambs up, brushes them down, and begins to go about his business. Without Dipper there beside him, the memory has continued on and he's forgotten about "Campfire Cookie".

It tugs the other with it as Pure Vanilla moves through the fields, however, though Shadow Milks influence keeps Dipper on the fringe. Away from Pure Vanilla. ]

"You're quite nosy, aren't you? I usually like that, but you're just so so so so SO irritating!"

A Card Game

[charlastan]

[Listen, just because Stan has cheated once or twice or a dozen times before doesn't mean he's cheating now. Because, half the fun is cheating! It keeps things interesting, and keeps all the old men in town sharp. He absolutely would tease him for taking too long though and has before - "C'mon Percy, we don't have all year!". There's never any malice to it, just friendly ribbing between opponents.

Before he can open his mouth though, Percival calls. Stan looks thoughtfully at his hand, and then at his opponent. Then, smoothly, he spreads his hand out in front of him: four sixes (one of each suit, if they're being scrutinized closely), and an otherwise useless Jack.]

Well? You got anything good, Percy?

[He'll have to pull off something pretty good - Stan's hand is a little tough to beat. Not impossible, of course, but it's when you play the impossibly hard to beat hands all the time that people get all uppity about cheating.

...Not that he's cheating. Who said he was cheating?!]

[purevanillacookie]

[ Percy says you're cheating, you old fart.

And with four sixes, he truly suspects he is, but it's just shy of something that would be considered cheating. With a soft humph! he lays out his two pair. Bested. ]

If I didn't know you of a man of such good integrity, Stan, I would believe you cheating.

[ The tone of voice says he can't call him out and it's frustrating. He could tell the other to turn everything out, but really! ]

[charlastan]

What! Cheating?

[Stan scoffs - or pretends to, at least.]

I've never cheated a day in my life!

[This is objectively not true and he has been caught cheating in the past at other things. He's having fun though, and he laughs.]

So, you up for another round, or are you all poker'd out for the night?

[purevanillacookie]

[ That makes him scoff in return, but he's smiling around his irritation. ]

And I'm secretly a Fae-lord in disguise. My friend, I am quite sure you came out of the womb cheating.

[ He settles himself back, raising a hand to rub at his eyes with his fingers, shaking his head. ]

And put myself into further debt?

[ A pause... a sigh. ]

Oh, deal up another round. And please, turn out all the cards in your sleeves!

[charlastan]

[Stan laughs loud at that. Percy's not wrong!]

You'd make a terrible Fae-lord, y'know. Those guys are terrible at being humble. Even in a disguise you can spot 'em a mile away!

[Is that a compliment? Unclear! But he's friendly enough when he says it, so it seems like he thinks it's one.

Stan's reaching for the cards when Percy tells him to turn out his sleeves. He looks mock offended for a moment, but then rolls his eyes and starts taking things out of his sleeves with a heavy sigh:

• 6 of diamonds (that he already smuggled back into his sleeve from the previous round)
• 6 of spades
• 6 of...what seems to be a made-up suit with a fish symbol?
• 6 of clubs
• King of...Stans? With a hand-drawn picture of himself?
• Queen of Mabels, a glitter-covered card that's bent with age. It's already flaking onto the table.

He raises an eyebrow at Percy. There, you happy now?]

past life (memshare extra)

[purevanillacookie]

Don't Stop When You're In hell

[ His wife suffers and Percival is in the basement of their house. It's been overturned into an organized mess. Symbols have been drawn on the wall and floor, magic he barely understands. Books lay open around him, their text haunting, because some of it is certainly not speaking of healing. How to call the soul back, how to fill a corpse with vitality, how to ensure the thread of life is secure and rebound. Everything he's learned about magical curing and everything for the after, because his wife is dying mad in the Inn and if he cannot heal her, then he will bring her back.

Uncursed.

He's currently in the middle of drawing a large circle on the floor with hands that shake of age but are steady enough that the circle is straight. It's only when he's done that they tremble, as he pushes himself to his feet, using his cane to aid himself up. The room is well lit, not what you would expect for sinister arcane things, but his eyesight isn't that good anymore and his glasses can only fix so much.

Which he is adjusting as he peers at a book, muttering softly to himself as he has always done when thinking. There's thick scars across his face from Lily's attack on him, healed but left to remind him of what he's working for. ]

But it cannot tie too tightly for the soul itself is in constant state of flux inside us... too tight and the soul stagnants, becomes unbendable. Rigid. Breaks. It must be able to learn and grow upon reviving, so the tie must be gentle. Yes. Gentle but secure...

[lilyberation]

( his wife is gone, so she cannot take her place. but white lily cookie- bearing magic scars and dragon horns and bruising still, different and harrowed but still the woman he knew as a young man- is here instead, feeling like a ghost who should not be here.

she listens quietly as she takes everything in, and she wonders if this is how vanilla felt back when they were doing their research- the way her heart cinches and guilt hangs heavy in her stomach.

lily gently crouches before him, careful not to scuff his lines as she cups his face. )

When's the last time you rested...?

[purevanillacookie]

[ The touch to his face makes him pause, and he focuses on the figure in front of him.

Oh, she's haunting him again. Her specter is so young here this time, so vibrant. The additions don't seem to phase him, he's sure they mean something to his heart. Symbolize something. He just doesn't know what. His head is too clouded. He reaches a shaking hand up to place it against hers, fingers trembling as he folds them together.

She's so heart achingly beautiful. ]

Oh, my Lily dear... I cannot rest. To rest is another second of agony for you, another minute wasted. I must find a way to save you...

[lilyberation]

...

( what he wants, grace achieved on some level, somehow. she's not sure how, given the woman is more mist and flower than woman, and nene won't bring her to the garden unless someone needs escorting, but it was done.

she cannot fully discourage this. but... )

And what if you hurt yourself? Will you make me live with that? When's the last time you ate, had water? Every moment may hurt... but every moment you don't care for yourself... that hurts, too.

[purevanillacookie]

[ Those are all good questions he can't answer, because he can't remember. When was the last time he has done anything but hunch over his books, draw circles around dead animals, and fail time and time again? Whether they come back wrong, or not at all, twisted or lifeless.

His exhale is shuddering and tears spring to the corners of his eyes, begin to drip down his cheeks as he stares at her. ]

But you will live, and I will live. We may be hurt, but we will live and be together. I cannot lose you, my dear. I cannot. You scream in that room and I cannot lose you...

[ He touches her cheek gently, fingers soft as they stroke along the curve of it. ]

You are so beautiful...

[lilyberation]

...

( lily lets go, instead tucking herself into him in a hug, eyes watering.

she's already gone, she wants to say. i'm already gone. no one's going to survive, so please, rest.

but she can't bring herself to say it. )

How long has it been?