EVENT & TDM 024

[sticksandbonesmods]

MONSTER MASH

WAKE UP

Where were you last? Do you remember falling asleep, thinking you’d wake up in your own home, your own bed?

When you open your eyes, the room you’re in doesn’t feel like your own. In fact, you’re almost certain you didn’t fall asleep here. You’re given only a short few moments to get your bearings before the door to that room opens, the doorknob jiggling as whoever is on the other side is unlocking it. Is it a library study room you’ve found yourself in, or an inn room that doesn’t belong to you? A home that isn’t yours? A business after-hours?

An unfortunate few of you may find yourself face-to-face with the real owners of these rooms, homes, and businesses — and surely they’re just as confused as you are. The lucky ones might instead find themselves being “rescued” from their sleeping states by a heavily scarred man with dreadlocks and an impossibly sunny demeanour.

“Mornin’, sunshine! Up and at ‘em!” he’ll say, hands on his hips and the door held open in a way that says he expects you to simply come follow him, whoever he is. “You ain’t where you’re supposed to be, but I’ll bail you out before the person who owns this place knocks your teeth out for trespassin’. It’ll be our little secret, ‘kay?”

TRANSPOREMATION

cw: body horror, monster transformations, fungal parasitism

As usual, Aldric’s Grove is something of a hot mess, and that’s especially true lately. Aside from random people popping into existence in various buildings, there’s a bit of a fungus problem lately. A wee little problem with cute little mushrooms. …a major, unignorable, horrendous problem with some very large, purplish-coloured mushrooms, fruiting on still-living trees and the forest floor. They look quite similar to meadow mushrooms, but far, far less harmless. While eating one won’t poison anybody too badly — aside from an episode of horrible stomach pain — stepping on them or touching them at all will cause them to shower you in a spray of spores, all of which suddenly curve around and cling onto you as if they have a mind of their own. Any attempt to remove them, to wash them off, to brush them away from your skin and clothes, only makes the spores cling more stubbornly. Soon, they’ve started to root under your skin, unable to be pulled out.

The resulting transformation is, for what little it’s worth, extremely swift. Perhaps you feel it, perhaps you don’t, but the spores leave you fundamentally changed no matter what.

Your bones lengthen and rearrange, grinding together underneath your muscle tissue. Snapping, creaking, where new joints form over the breaks. Wings rip through your back in a spray of blood and torn flesh, the wounds healing themselves over a short second later. You drop to the ground as your back legs become something foreign and new, toes bursting free of your shoes, claws digging into the soil as you writhe on the ground. Your spine elongates, the muscles in your neck tense and relax as it gets too long. The spores are deciding what to do with you, it seems, as extra eyes rapidly appear and disappear over your body alongside feathers and scales. Within the span of sixty seconds, it seems the mushrooms have come to a decision on what you should be, and the transformations it inflicts on you rapidfire begin evening out.

Whether that leaves you something wolflike, catlike, ghostly, chimeric, or otherwise… that seems to be up to the spores. Regardless, you’re no longer in your own skin. At least you’re still “you”, and at least you haven’t lost much more than your old form… right?

…

Well, not to worry. Try your luck stepping on the mushrooms again! This time, they might be kind enough to revert you back to normal… assuming they don’t turn you into a different type of creature instead.

TIME TREKS ON

For the foreseeable future, many people are “stuck” outside their normal bodies. It doesn’t mean that life in the Grove stops, however, as people flit from building to building — assuming their monster forms didn’t bar them off from entering most of them anyhow — and their daily routines continue. From the Church of the Golden Sun in the north of Aldric’s Grove emanates a lovely, warm light, inviting all who are loyal to the Goddesses within its halls and barring the Corrupted or those loyal to the Fallen Sun from entry. Describing it as a “church” may not entirely be accurate; instead of an altar, there sits a throne that automatically prevents anyone who isn’t the Goddess of the Sun from sitting on it (despite the fact she isn’t currently there). Instead of pews, the first room is a large combat arena, golden weapons hung up on the walls that are free to use if you need to spar. Thankfully, the doors are large enough to accommodate most monsters, though the halls in the back may not be sizeable enough for anyone over eight feet tall.

Within that church, the kilns in the back are fired up, pottery baking while animal spirits resembling lions and dogs mix paint with their paws. It’s difficult, being a little guy — help a critter out? You can paint a selection of finished pottery when you’re done, which they’d tell you if they could speak to you. If they bring you a flower-shaped plate or a vase in the shape of a tulip and a paintbrush, will you figure out what they mean? If you don’t, that’s not a problem, as they’ll nudge you toward the pottery wheels and get you clay to work with. When you make your own thing, they think you’ll be more willing to paint with them. Hope you brought your art hands, assuming you have any at all after those mushrooms got you.

In the opposite wing from the pottery room, the kitchen is going strong, the smells of freshly baked bread wafting down the hall. Here is where Ydalir is, the shadowy woman wearing silks who normally casts magic and sells items, who turns to you and extends a flour-covered palm. Come here! Let’s bake something together — it’s the least she feels she can do, since she can’t exactly eliminate the fungus problem. There’s a host of food sitting in the dining room nearby already, with Heimr and Renard setting the table, Heimr nitpicking the setup while Renard focuses too hard on decorating with garlands and candelabras.

If you can’t fit into the dining room for any reason, one of the three will bring you food. They’d hate to see you go hungry, after all.

IT NEVER ENDS

While the Guardians themselves are immune to the transformations — Moder is, in fact, eating the mushrooms when no one is nearby to get spore’d — it doesn’t mean they’re not enjoying the fact that some of you can now spend more time with them in ways you couldn’t before.

Those of you with wings or flight abilities are invited by Aurora and the newly-resurrected bone dragon Sehul to come flying. Though Sehul won’t land in the Grove (too many buildings too close together for a hundred-foot dragon to feel comfortable, you see), they’ll land on the seaside, and even invite you to race them there. They do have something of a body mass advantage, but when they eventually win, they’ll fairly concede that it doesn’t really count. Aurora, meanwhile, wants desperately to teach you to do a midair flip.

Those of you who find yourselves suddenly aquatic will be literally accosted by Callan, who swims up into the river for once only to wrap his tentacles around you and drag you off toward the lake with a watery laugh. He expects you to do the same to him in return, but the Guardian’s extreme strength might make it difficult. Worry not, because if no one comes to your rescue, Sinann will chide him until he lets go, and show you the nest the baby Seaborn have built at the deepest point in the river. You’re welcome to live with them for a while, if you want. Their pastime is singing, and they’d love to sing with you.

And to the folks with a sudden craving for plants, Moder will gladly show you where the best snacks are — her favourite trees to reach into, the best flowers to eat, a fragrant patch of wild herbs. She’s happy to stroll through the forest with you, calmer than her peers are. If you need a ride on her mossy back, she’ll accommodate, so long as you don’t mind her telling old tales of a world long gone.

The final Guardian, Zahliya, doesn’t seem too keen on playtime, and will simply perch in various locations throughout the Grove to keep watch, as he normally does. Gifts of food given his way are rejected for the time being. He has a job to do; why don’t you go play with everyone?

It’s a beautiful, sunny day. This world isn’t often peaceful and playful. You should take advantage of it before something horrible happens… you and everyone else here know the good mood can’t last too long.

Spark Notes

summary

WAKE UP: Welcome to the Grove! You've found yourself in someone else's home/business/room it seems. Good luck explaining this one, but maybe Renard will be in time to bail you out?
TRANSPOREMATION: The mushrooms in the woods will spray you with spore clouds if you're not careful, and then transform you into something else. After a potentially-painful transformation, you'll find yourself in a new, more monsterlike body for a while.
TIME TREKS ON: Despite the monster mash, Beiwe's church is going strong, providing an opportunity to get creative or cook some dinner. Ydalir, Heimr, and Renard are all happy to see you and invite you to a home-cooked meal. They'd probably appreciate help with the dining room decor, too.
IT NEVER ENDS: Despite the transformations, it seems like the Guardians are all super pumped to spend time with you guys in their own domains. Many of them will invite you and your friends to hang out, some more politely than others. It's peaceful for once, so why not take them up on that?

out of character

Happy May! Here is your usual reminder that TDM threads are game canon. Per our plotting post (linked below) please keep in mind our rules for the monster transformations, and have fun!

updates

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

submissions

❖ NPCs List
❖ Questions
❖ May Plotting
❖ Past Life Plotting (Closed to Game Members)
❖ Investigations
❖ TDM NPC Contact

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Comments

ii. Beast-Yeast ep 9 spoilers below

[lovelyredthread]

[ After the mess that was his arrival to this strange place, Pavlova Cookie had been willing to assume all of his belongings had been forfeit aside from his bow. It's not like he had all that much to begin with, so it wasn't like it was a tragedy, but he was surprised to find his lyre kicked haphazardly under the bed of the room he was found in. He'd have to look closer later to see if there was anything else... but for now he was plucking idly at the strings, listening to the burble of the stream and... trying desperately not to think of the garden.

The feeling of a claw around his ankle really shouldn't startle him so much, but it pulls him out of his thoughts so abruptly that he yelps, wings flapping wildly as he tries to avoid tipping into the river. Not a good idea since he doesn't know how to swim.

It's only when he notices the person attached to the claw that he settles down, looking a little pouty. ]

What is it?

[livlaughlove]

Well, I -- guess so. I try to! I mean...

Yeah, they're gay, keep scrollin'!

[liv just jaw drops at raz for a second. where did he even learn that? what the fuck. also --]

Hypocrite...

[notsonewbie]

So...both of you then? [And under her breath...]

Guess Wolfwood isn't the only whore.

[notsonewbie]

Excuse you? [A defensive huff.] You don't learn how to defend yourself on No Man's Land without knowing what bleeds and doesn't bleed badly.

Besides, what happened to insisting I stay inside and not come out. It sounds like coming outside would be the reason I bled out.

[cryopathy]

[... oh! nomansland, huh. tucking that away...]

Were you to let me in the window, you could still use your little gun and run to the fireplace in the lobby if you felt unsafe... It might not be too hot for someone from a desert planet, but it would certainly keep a vampire at bay!

[livlaughlove]

[livlaughlove]

[livlaughlove]

BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

[notsonewbie]

Mmm. Yeah, no. [She barely fights the urge to stick her tongue out.]

Meet me at the front door in five minutes?

[notsonewbie]

[Yeahhh she's gonna grin. Real proud of that one.]

[cryopathy]

[if meryl strains, she might be able to hear kiera scoff, even at this distance.]

I would prefer avoiding the lobby entirely... even the front door.

[livlaughlove]

[livio out here trying to clear his throat and get over his embarrassment as razlo is still all but rolling.]

... Sooo, didja need any assistance, Miss Stryfe?

[notsonewbie]

[Meryl isn't exactly listening. She dips back inside, already searching for a mug and a knife. She does just barely manage to pick up on a little something, though.]

Never said I'd invite you in!

[And true to her word, Meryl pops her head out of the front door five minutes later. Her hand is bound with a hand towel and very obviously stained with blood. So is the mug she sets down before dipping back inside.]

Hey! Tall, dark, and hungry! Come and get it!

[notsonewbie]

Mmm, nope. I think I'm doing just fine on my own.

[Is that a wink? Hard to say, she turns away awful quick, offering only a little wave over her shoulder.]

You won't win me over that easily, by the way!

[cryopathy]

[oh, this time, the scoff front the shadows is not restrained at all. kiera's eyes glint off of the light from inside the inn, even as they remain mostly cloaked in darkness. the tension in their muscles from earlier has returned, keeping them stiff like a cat ready to pounce.]

The lower level is a public space. You're not safe -- like that.

[their gaze shifts to the bloody towel and doesn't move again.]

[livlaughlove]

[livio is once again slack-jawed, and would be more than a little red if not for the scales.

razlo, however, has just remembered how much he loves a challenge.]

[notsonewbie]

Then I'll go back upstairs. You're welcome for the snack, by the way.

[She turns on her heel, but she's not so dumb as to leave herself unprotected. Turning her back to the enemy might have been foolish, but judging by the way her uninjured hand remains in her pocket, she hasn't let go of that gun. She might not have silver bullets yet, but she's pretty sure a gunshot would still hurt.]

[cryopathy]

[kiera certainly catches that body language. who's to say if the promise of a bullet, the nearby fire, or their own self-control is what keeps them from pursuing her. ultimately, they lunge for the mug, then disappear back into the night.

no more wolves or pale figures haunt meryl's window this evening. if she does happen to venture outside in the morning for those silver bullets, the mug is waiting back on the porch, scrubbed spotless.]

[jesterlies]

No one will be crumbling you.

[It's said with such a sharpness. Unyielding and absolute. If the Forest so much as lays a hand on Pavlova he will find every one of his leyline anchors and set them aflame once more.]

[But he gives Pavlova time to let that settle, to cry his quiet tears while he thinks over their situation, Tries to find his own sense of calm because the more he thinks about it, the more he's angry about- everything. About Pavlova getting dragged here to be the Forest's plaything, about what might be happening in the Garden of Delights, what Eternal Sugar has been doing to his wings-]

[His hair, short as it is, puffs up a little. The eyes are visibly closed and have been closed all this time.]

Mm. It sounds absurd, trust me, I thought so too, but I've confirmed much of it as Truth between ...myself and the holder of the Soul Jam of Truth. I've found records, belongings, and other things that belonged to my previous self. If we look around, I'm sure we'll find the same for you.

[He wonders, though, how Pavlova fits in. He will have to go through Seamus' writings again, to find out if any names stand out.]

[lovelyredthread]

[ His dad is so sure of that, but he just... can't be. Not yet when so much is unknown. Not when, from his father's own story, he'd fought this demon once and lost. It is a little bit comforting though. It makes him feel loved. He hasn't felt that in a while. ]

How many of the Ancients are here?

[ It feels weird calling them that when he's from an older time period, but he's not stupid enough to call them "heroes". The question is quiet and scared. He hadn't shown it with White Lily Cookie, but he was scared they'd want to hurt him. It's a very quick way to piss off at least two of the Beasts. There's a reason he kept his status quiet from Hollyberry.

... He doesn't speak at first, doesn't comment on the idea of finding his original self's things. Part of him is curious, and he knew at some point he'd want to know what his father finds about him, but... right now the idea turns his stomach. His mind fills with questions about how differently that version of him lived. Could it even be called him? What if they were completely different?

What if he'd had what Pavlova wanted? He doesn't think he can face that. ]

Okay.

[ ... he packs those ugly feelings up in a box to deal with later when he hasn't just arrived and had all this thrown at him.

His attention is quietly caught by his father's hair literally raising. He remembered when he was younger how it would billow about according to his mood, sparkling like the night sky.

He's not sure how to describe it now, and those were... eyes? In his hair? That had to be part of the corruption thing, but the first thing that came to mind was that he wouldn't be able to braid his hair if there were eyes in it.

... probably a sign that he's been through a lot, if ever there were one.

He's so tired. ]

... Was yours like you, dad?

[jesterlies]

[That question- he takes a sharp breath.]

Only ...only one, now. The other two- [He won't say dead, he refuses to say Pure Vanilla is dead, he's just. Trapped. Taken. Somewhere they can't reach, maybe beyond the door in Seamus' basement, but not dead-]

The other two are missing. Dark Cacao cookie, who has Misty's other half, and [His voice falters a little, but he moves past it quickly.] Pure Vanilla Cookie, the holder of Truth.

[He does not say "the holder of the other half of his jam" which Pavlova may pick up on. He may also pick up on the sheer wave of grief that welled up in his heart the moment he spoke of him. Don't worry about it.]

[He moves onto the subject of his past self easily, though being called "Dad" does something to him that he hadn't expected. A warmth and ...fear? That feeling of still wearing the mask of someone Pavlova loved remains with him, and it will take time for him to work through it.]

Seamus Maverick was his name. He was a school professor, accomplished in maaaany subjects, but was the most renowned for magic! So, not a shocking twist or anything, I'm afraid.

[lovelyredthread]

... Alright.

[ Oh he can certainly tell. Heartache rolls off of his father in waves, and he almost feels bad for asking... but at the same time he knew if he didn't ask he'd never be able to settle down.

Funny how in any other situation he'd be ecstatic over the doomed lovers trope. Maybe he'll look into it later. For now he's somewhat grateful he only has to deal with one. Maybe he can help find them later. Much later. He feels like he could sleep for a week, though he's also kind of scared to fall asleep. Would all of this melt away and be lost forever? Maybe this was a stress nightmare. ]

Seamus Maver... S.M.?

[ That's certainly a coincidence. Though him being a teacher and focused on magic definitely tracks. His dad did love to teach. Or, he thought he did, at least. He's still not sure what caused him to fall. ]

I guess maybe I might have been one of your students? I don't really know how this works but...

[ ... He can't see a world where he didn't at least like being around his father. ]

Oh, right um. Did you have questions for me?

[ Yes, he noticed. ]

[lupusxylem]

Two?

[Though Wolfwood did eventually regain his memories of the incident at JuLai, he only just regained them. As in, the very last thing he remembers was that. The city was blasted off the face of the planet, Vash disappeared, and...then he woke up. Though he may have a wolf face now, it's clear by the tone of his voice that he's not fucking with Meryl this time.

Him taking off after that...doesn't surprise him, actually. He had no particular obligation to stay after everything, and he'd almost left before Vash went on a suicide mission, but two years...suddenly, the whole thing with Eriks is starting to make a lot more sense. Way more time passed than he himself can remember.

Wolfwood lifts both of his...hands? Paws, holding them up for a minute with his ears swiveling back as he tries to pick this apart one thing at a time. Vash first.]

He's fine. I mean...fine might be a strong word, but he's alive. I know it's hard to believe, but he survived. He disappeared 'cause he like...

[He gestures at his head.]

He got some kind of amnesia after the fact, so he was off doing his own thing for a while.

[outofsynth]

[The around his tail ripples as he flicks it, still watching her warily from the water. It rankles to be told it's not about him when he's the one being scrutinized and photographed without his permission, but she lowers the camera so he answers.]

I'm usually human if that's what you mean.

[He knows it is, but currently that feels abnormal to him.]

[outofsynth]

[Min-Gi's unfazed by the lack of any official greeting. He and Ryan have always been comfortable around each other, and him joining in almost feels like a greeting in itself. It does leave him feeling warmed in a way he'd ordinarily be too scared to examine, but for once doesn't bother him. It's nice to be around him. It's nice to get to sing with him. Why should he feel bad about the specificities when he can just be glad to see him after they've spent so long apart?

He strays closer as Ryan joins in the song, unable to take his eyes of him. He stays resting against the rock he's perched upon once they tail off, a blush that spreads to his shoulders present even before the praise. He averts his gaze after that, biting his lip.]

Sort of? These guys have been helping me work on some of the songs we've been stalling on. They're really talented.

["These guys" refers, of course, to the Seaborn. They're very excited to be credited, and some of them had already been vying for Ryan's attention even before the song ended. This is only exacerbated by being talked about by Min. Obviously now Ryan should give them attention!!]