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

[timidheart]

EH!?

[love_swan]

I thought you and Tattsun-senpai were dating this whole time....

[ THE MOTHER AND FATHER SHIT WAS PRETTY DAMNING OKAY. ]

Oh this is embarrassing... I had no idea...

[timidheart]

O-Oh...

[Well. He wouldn't say they were dating but their relationship had gotten ...close...]

[He tries to clear his throat.]

N-No, ah, he and I, we were very close, b-but it wasn't exactly the same a-as... as Mafu-tan and I.

[love_swan]

Well I know that now...

[ Sigh. This is so embarrassing. Head in his hands. The rest of it is slow to catch up to him ]

Mm, but if she's your betrothed, then... do you think she'll like me?

[ He knows he can be an acquired taste and he doesn't always do well with new people especially when he wants them to like him for one reason or another. ]

[timidheart]

[He is quick to nod his head.]

Of course. She's already familiar with you from how I speak of Alkaloid, and we ah, we've watched plenty of our Lives together! You could say she is already a fan.

[He makes something of a strange expression, thoughtful.]

Even if some of those Lives are a mystery to me, I do not recall many of them...Ah, that aside, Mafu-tan is also a musician!

[love_swan]

[ This is not comforting! In fact he is now self conscious because oh god she definitely knows he's the worst in the group then. ]

Some of them are a mystery to you..?

[ Gonna try focusing on the less distressing part of this. ]

[timidheart]

[Aira please, she is going to adore you.]

Ah… I don’t recognize some of them…? I-I worry that my memory is unreliable, but-

[He will get up and go fetch them from a shelf.]

I think many of these happen well past the point I can last recall…

[love_swan]

[ He looks them over when they're brought over and... Hm. No, he remembers most of them save for the two on the bottom-- though the fact that Mayoi was evidently in a movie does get him to raise his eyebrows. He never would have thought that Mayoi could manage that on his own, but he's proud of him-- and then he sees Kohaku and his heart aches. ]

I remember most of them except for these two.

[ He nudges them forward and sighs softly. More discrepancies... He has to wonder if Mayoi's gem is still damaged and that's why or if it's a matter of the time he was taken like in Leo's case. ]

How the tables turn, I guess.

[ When they met before, Aira knew next to nothing and now he's the one who knows more. ]

[timidheart]

[Ah, that is also ...something Mayoi recalls now. That Aira-san had been missing a lot of his memories before. But ...]

[He looks at the stack and he feels strangely relieved. He had wondered about these albums and lives and couldn't help the way he spiraled thinking about what it could mean. He had hoped it was simply a descrepancy in his memory, but the notion that he was the Wrong Mayoi had also floated about. That these were the performances of another Mayoi.]

[The one that had apparently taken his place in the Nest.]

[But now it seems at least its more likely he is just missing memories. He sighs.]

The last thing I remember is our live that you planned. Feather Touch. I was terribly startled to receive all of these. Ah ...but that you recognize most of them, that relieves me a lot.

[love_swan]

[ His expression softens a little, looking at the album covers. ]

If you want, I could talk about them with you? There were some other things that happened too.

Last I recall was the SS ending.

[ If the last he remembered was Feather Touch then... maybe his improvement will impress him? He likes to think he's gotten better since then. ]

[timidheart]

[His improvement has impressed him! There were quite a few lives where Mayoi was so impressed with all of them! Vermillion had struck him in particular, all of them had such an energy, it had almost overwhelmed him.]

[He thinks maybe they will not watch the movie for some time. He doesn't know how Aira's heart might take watching him die on screen like that. When he watched that scene with Mafuyu, it had affected him in ways that were hard to articulate.]

I... I would love that. I'd love to hear all about it. I-

[Oh...oh he is getting emotional again, the tears are back. He brings his hands to his face a moment.]

I-I thought I would never see you again... I-I thought I had lost everything about Alkaloid...

[love_swan]

[ Aira shifted, moving from his chair to hug Mayoi. Given the circumstances he doesn't think there's anything he could do that would be more comforting than merely being present. ]

You'll never lose us... not really.

[ he brushes his fingers through the loose parts of Mayoi's hair just like he did when he styled it before. Loving and familiar. ]

You have these... you have the memories. You love us and we love you so much... That fact isn't going anywhere, no matter what. No matter where we are.

[ He presses a kiss to Mayoi's head. He doesn't usually do that but it feels necessary this time. He's gone a whole year without that comfort. ]

[timidheart]

[Oh.]

[He wasn't expecting that- such kind and loving words. He feels them resonate deep in his heart. He's missed Aira so much. He lets out pathetic little sobs and hitches, because his tears are both anguished and happy. His chest hurts, his throat hurts, everything feels wretched, but it's okay.]

[Because he loves them, and they love him, and he will never understand what he could have done to earn such a thing, but greedily he will accept it, take it, and he will drag Aira in for another hug once he's placed such a soft little kiss on his head. He will hold him like he's certain he might vanish in his grasp and sob in earnest.]

[He babbles through his tears, but its all upset nonsense. Reaffirmations that he loves him back, that he loves them all, that he missed them, that he'll never let him go again, uuue]

[love_swan]

[ The reaffirmations are met with more sweet words and gentle hushing. He's gotten... unfortunately very good at comforting in his time at the Nest. Between Hiiro's borderline catatonic state and the other Mayoi's panic attacks he'd barely had a moment to breathe. He'd never complain about caring for them of course, and he won't complain now, but the fact its an unfortunate situation remains.

He doesn't fight the hug he's pulled into, accepting that he's somewhat of a teddy bear for Mayoi in these moments, opting to rub circles into his back instead. ]

I'm not going anywhere, it's okay...

[ for better or for worse, he's stuck here now. Mayoi doesnt have to be lonely anymore. ]