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sticks and bones. ([personal profile] sticksandbonesmods) wrote in [community profile] sticksandbones2023-10-04 03:16 pm

Event & TDM 005

SPOOKY SCARY SKELETONS
WAKE UP
cw: immolation, sinkholes

When your eyes open, you’re lying in crisp, blackened grass. The sky is dreary, the world around you is still and silent. Were it not for the ash raining from the sky or the acrid tang of burnt flesh, it might almost feel peaceful. Familiar-feeling memories wash over you — a town burning, the cackling of an unknown beast, the shrill screams of friends and loved ones dying a slow, painful death—

Where did that memory even come from? You’d better shake it off and rise to your feet before the ash buries you, too. It isn’t real… right?

The town you’re in is dilapidated and charred. Something snaps under your feet, and when you look down, a bone lies pressed into the earth, perfectly broken into two neat pieces. You press on, toward the destroyed remains of houses — some missing roofs, some collapsed in on themselves, others still weathering the test of time — to where the trees are vibrant and orange, to where the grass has regrown and the buildings stand tall. You press on… and your foot catches in the mud, a hole opening up beneath your feet and dragging you in. If you’re quick enough, you might be able to escape the collapsing earth before it buries you alive in years of muck and decay. If not… perhaps you’ll be lucky, and someone from the nearby settlement will bail you out.

Hopefully you won’t have to wait long.
KEEP MY HEAD TOGETHER
Somewhere on your body is an intricate, black mark that doesn’t come off no matter how hard you scrub. Perhaps there are two, or even three, or more. You don’t exactly remember getting these small, medallion-sized tattoos — it’s almost as though you woke up with them. Better make sure no one’s drawing on you in your sleep.

As the day progresses, the effects of these marks become apparent. Suddenly, everything hurts — a dull, throbbing pain as if you’ve been stabbed. Perhaps the pain is quick and sharp, like you stubbed your toe on the inn’s coffee table. Perhaps it slowly burns, like hot coffee accidentally splashed on your lap. No matter what the pain is, you feel it at less of an intensity than you would if you’d actually done these things. Later, you might meet with the person who shares a mark with you, and maybe they’ll tell you — they stubbed their toe, they spilled their coffee, someone randomly stabbed them, how weird is that?

These marks link you and your partner(s) — any pain they feel, you’ll feel, too, albeit at half the intensity they do. If you’re sharing that pain between three people, it’ll be at one third the intensity.

Negative emotions, though? Those, you get at full throttle. If those you share a mark with cry, you’ll cry, too; you feel their rage at being stuck here as though it were your own; you long for home, and you miss a mother that isn’t yours. Fight through your blurring sense of self, friend. Surely you’ll get used to it soon. After all, these will stay on your body for the rest of the month.
THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE
A week into October, a skeletal visitor comes rattling into the Grove, wearing a top hat on its bare cranium and a name tag on its ribcage: “Mr. Bone-Jangles”. Mr. Bone-Jangles cannot speak, but he’s very excited to take willing people into the burned town and lead them toward the far north of it, where a small army of fellow skeletons have put up a circus tent. Pumpkin-shaped flags decorate the scorched remnants of a street, and mysterious skull-shaped lights float in the air. Mr. Bone-Jangles joyfully motions to the tent, where a banner placed over the tent-flaps reads “MASKERADE”... you assume this is meant to be “masquerade”, but it would be rude to point out the spelling error. Skeletons don’t have brains.

Before you can even enter the tent, Mr. Bone-Jangles’ employees direct you to a smaller tent set up to the side, demanding with clacks of their jaws in morse code that you put on your costume and mask. Costumes are optional; masks are not. Luckily, all of these are free. The costume tent itself is entirely empty save for one giant mirror which, when gazed into, shows you standing in your outfit of choice. Once you exit the tent, you’ll be wearing that outfit, and the skeletons will hand you a wooden mask in any design you feel suits you, matching or not. Where did your old clothing wind up? Great question! They’ll be teleported back to your bed in a wrinkled heap, but you don’t have to worry about that until the party stops. And speaking of that mask… when you put it on between the party start at 10pm and end at 6am, it won’t come off no matter how hard you pull until 6:01am approximately.

The skeletons insist you don’t try to tug your skin off, though, and instead direct you inside the masquerade tent itself. It’s almost akin to being teleported to another dimension — a grand ballroom is decorated with classic Halloween decorations, a buffet of spooky-themed snacks is laid out on the tables, the music is almost too loud, and a lounge is set up off to the side for those who’d like to rest between dances. If you lack a dance partner, worry not — the skeletons are more than happy to waltz with you. And, if you’re of age, they’ll serve you any liquor you’d like.

Stay too late, though, and the skeletons will kick you out. They’re stronger than they look and aren’t afraid to toss you like a wet rag onto the burnt streets. Once the party ends for the night, you won’t be able to get back into the tent no matter how hard you try, so don’t leave anything behind!
DON’T CHASE THE DEAD
Turns out, the masquerade isn’t just for one night, but for every night for the rest of the month. On the second night of the masquerade and on from there, ghosts appear in droves, gathering at the party and in the burned town for a night out. No matter how hard you try, you can’t get their attention; they’ll merely pass right through you as if you aren’t there.

Some of the ghosts look eerily familiar to you, like people you knew in the past who aren’t here now. It could be your mother, your brother, a close friend, or maybe your old neighbour or coworker. Each is dressed in masquerade attire, each intends only to party until the sun comes up, and at that point, each ghost fades from the world as if dissolving away into nothingness.

They’ll be back the next night, of course. And the next. And the one after that. Until finally, the last day of the month rolls around, and the ghosts aren’t there. If you come to the burned town at 6am, you’ll be greeted by the sight of the skeletons packing up their tents and decorations. And if you stick around until 7…

Mr. Bone-Jangles takes off his top hat and takes a bow, waves one last goodbye, and then him and his skeleton crew take a dive into the sinkhole that was, somehow, underneath the masquerade tent the whole time.
SPARK NOTES
CLICK TO EXPAND!
You find yourself in a burned-down town. As you try to leave, a sinkhole opens beneath your feet and sucks you in. Screaming for help is a viable option.

Everyone is now sharing pain and negative emotions. Please try not to get stabbed so that your partner(s) don't have to also feel stabbed. You can pair up with as few or as many people as you want, as long as you're paired up with minimum one other person.

Welcome to the masquerade! Mr. Bone-Jangles hopes you have a good time. Masks and Halloween costumes are provided free of charge, but be careful, because donning the masks between 10pm and 6am makes them unable to be removed until the party stops at 6. There's tons of food and drink, and liquor for those who are old enough to have it. Just don't stay past the party's end or the skeletons will yeet you out onto the street.

The masquerade goes for the rest of the month, and after day 1, it'll be frequented by ghosts who look like people from your past. They don't seem to notice you and will float through you if you stand in their way. At the end of the month, the skeletons pack up the party, the ghosts disappear, and the skeletons jump into a sinkhole underneath the masquerade tent. Goodbye! Happy Halloween! Mr. Bone-Jangles sends his regards.

Welcome to the fifth TDM & Event Log of Sticks and Bones! This log is game canon. The prompts are meant for all players, current and future, so have fun! Our applications operate on a rolling basis, so applications are open with no end date unless we suddenly cap players. If there are any questions, please direct them to the "questions" header below.

❖ None yet!

TDM TOPLEVELS!
mooninthewater: (319)

[personal profile] mooninthewater 2023-10-06 03:25 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Literally no one is going to think that, BB. ]

Are you really going to deny me a hug because of what other people think??? [ Hey, get off the floor, idiots- ] I'm much happier to get a billion hugs than stop people from spreading rumors.
devilishkouhai: <user name=minamisakura011 site=twitter.com> (157)

[personal profile] devilishkouhai 2023-10-06 09:26 pm (UTC)(link)
[ No don't tell her that, not in her head. ]

Oh I would never deny you a hug of all people, [ BB preens, shes going to give him a whole breasty hug. You get boobs galore in your face Mizuki. She is also petting his head, and playing with his hair thinking. ] there is nothing but rewards for my favorite little Jellyfish~♡! Especially with a welcome home gift like this dress.
mooninthewater: (141)

[personal profile] mooninthewater 2023-10-11 04:30 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Those sure are. There. BB sure does have. A chest. Hhh.

Some of the tentacles are going to shift her so she's not doing that because he is a polite boy and also how the fuck has he touched more titty in these past couple months than he has in his whole life. Why does this keep happening? Is this his harem anime awakening- Is this his Isekai Harem Anime Protagonist Moment- ]


I think calling me your favorite jellyfish when I'm the only one here is a little redundant. But I'm really glad you like it!!! And I'm really glad you're back, too!! There's so much we have to catch up on!!!! You should stay with me tonight~! It'll be a fun sleepover.
devilishkouhai: <user name=minamisakura011 site=twitter.com> (29)

[personal profile] devilishkouhai 2023-10-12 06:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Whaaa - don't point out the obvious it makes the importance of what I said moot - anyways, I do know more than one tentacle monster by the way. [ BB muses, teasing as he is trying to move her away, but then she just latches on tighter. Even pulls her knees up!! ]

A... A sleep over?

[ WHAT? Are they like ? ? ? 10? BB makes a face like she genuinely got caught off guard by that comment, it's enough to have now properly moved her how he would like. ]

You can't just ask a girl to sleep over like that, what lewd things are you thinking about Mizuki? Suddenly BB is back and now you want to do things to her~? [ BB starts poking at his cheek, being annoying and teasing. Such an innocent moment was ruined by her ever chaotic mannerisms. ] Ehh~~?
mooninthewater: (357)

[personal profile] mooninthewater 2023-10-15 02:01 am (UTC)(link)
[ He was just shifting her so there wasn't cleavage in his face, okay?? She can stay on him! He is more than happy to cling to her, he's just a little bit shy when it comes to stuff like that! Blame his shoujo manga. ]

—-Pfft. [ Okay. That gets him to giggle. ] Oh the lewdest of things, BB! Everyone knows by now the horrifying truth that I really like hugs. Truly, I am vile.

[ He shakes his head a little. ]

I wouldn't care if you were a girl or a boy or something else completely. You are BB, and you are my friend, and I missed you. Why wouldn't I want to try and spend as much time with you as I can?
devilishkouhai: <user name=minamisakura011 site=twitter.com> (204)

[personal profile] devilishkouhai 2023-10-17 07:11 pm (UTC)(link)
[ She hates this actually, what is she supposed to do with all of this information? The system she relays on is quiet and silent - disconnected because it is still healing. She is unable to operate as an AI, and instead, she is left with very human feelings.]

You are lucky you are my [ Not BB. ] friend, fine!! Whatever, I'll have a sleepover with you but we're gonna do whatever I want!!!

[ Which she currently has no fucking idea what that is or will be. ]
mooninthewater: (94)

[personal profile] mooninthewater 2023-10-18 01:32 pm (UTC)(link)
That was always the plan~!

[ A beat, and then he carefully raises both of them back up to their feet. Skeleton's probably don't do an awesome job at cleaning these floors, anyway. ]

I'm really glad you're back, BB.
devilishkouhai: <user name=minamisakura011 site=twitter.com> (122)

[personal profile] devilishkouhai 2023-10-25 04:27 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah, I can actually tell. [ BB raises up her hand with a marking on her wrist. ] These new tattoos are interesting - pain sharing? I should have thought about that when I was working on my Devilish Sakura Labyrinth.