buttrinthum | TDM #8

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TDM #8

Arrival / Enchanted Garden

Whether it be sleep or death, you feel your eyes close, and as your body begins to let go, you see a barn owl that is flying through the darkness, soon sweeping you across the clouded sky. You feel yourself mouth the words, “I wish, I wish..” and utter your deepest and darkest desire.

When you regain consciousness, you’ll find you are in an unfamiliar place with no recognition of how you arrived here. You have the clothes on your back, but nothing else. No weapons and if you had a particular superpower, you’ll notice it is missing. All you have is a satchel with a piece of bread, a vial of water, and a potion. The potion could be red, blue or golden. There are no instructions about these potions other than two words: Drink Me.

Will you drink it or not?

There is a parchment, handwritten, and it simply gives you a welcoming:

“Welcome to my Labyrinth. Per our agreement, you have consented to live your life here for an undetermined amount of time. In exchange, I will grant you the wish that you desire the most.”

You’re in a garden, surrounded by flowers and plants– most of which you cannot identify. However, there are a few that you can make out: purple carnations and generous fields of shamrocks. You’ll soon find out that being around the purple carnations can cause someone to act impulsively, following every whim of their heart to the point of almost being erratic. It might almost feel as though they’re having a hard time keeping track of which way is up and which way is down the way their whims change on a dime. This can cause quite a confusing first interaction, but the fields of shamrocks are no less confusing considering laying about in or spending time walking through these fields will cause the dreamer to feel lighter than air. Literally. Be careful! It’s almost like interacting with the world as though you’re lacking gravity. Jumps are higher, staying on the ground seems a little difficult, (but don't worry you won't float away), and generally being easy to push around are all something you should keep an eye on. Luckily, 30 minutes away from the shamrocks will make the effect go away.

Flower Magic and the Plantening

Though it’s not exactly celebrated every year, and sometimes it’s done more subtly depending on the whims of the land, the locals (Gelfling and Goblin alike) always prepare for the spring. This year the locals can pull out all the stops for the changing of the seasons thanks to a genial past few months (give or, uh, take haha) . As the cold weather starts to warm and the snow drifts thaw and melt away, new life is already growing. It’s the signal that the locals need to prepare for the planting season of their gardens and crops as well as prepare for the magical cleansing meant to bring in good luck and positive magical energies.

Planting gardens and planning for vegetables and herbs of all kinds has a special twist to it, or this wouldn’t be Somnius. It’s a group effort, and not a soul will be allowed to skip participation. So long as the grumpiest plant at least one seed, their participation counts. But it all must be done with flower crowns made by locals and dreamers alike. The locals are happy to teach Dreamers how to weave the crowns together and dust in little bits of magic to make them glow pleasantly once perched atop someone’s head.

Just… one little thing? These flower crowns will enhance emotions, or feelings just a little or a lot. It all depends upon the flower the crown is made of.

Flower Choices
Amaryllis: The wearer becomes extremely boastful and confident, even when (or perhaps, especially when) they have nothing to show for it.
Bittersweet: Good luck lying until the crown is removed! The dreamer will feel compelled not only to speak, but to speak only the brutal and honest truth.
Columbine: The world just became 500% funnier. That random Gelfling sneeze? Adorable and hilarious. The way that Goblin’s hair looks? Absolutely hysterical. The dreamer will be unable to stop giggling until the effects wear off.
Fennel: It’s time to show your appreciation for everyone. The dreamer wearing this will feel extremely complimentary, and will not hesitate to tell anybody the things they like about them.
Rose: Love is in the air, but… have you… always felt this way about your friend, or is something strange happening? The dreamer who wears this crown will find themselves absolutely enamored with the next person they meet.
Tansy: Everything just seems to be striking a nerve with you today. The dreamer will find themselves gripped with an intense bout of anger, and they won’t hesitate to show it. Better tell that Gelfling that just bumped into you who you really are.

Only after you have a flower crown can you then participate in the real labor of spring: planting. Hoeing, watering, fertilizing, it’s all hard work but it’ll be worth it by the time everything starts to grow. Food tastes better when you grow it yourself. Try not to play around too much, but a little horsing around never hurt anyone.

Cleansing for a New Year

It’s not only the fields and flower gardens that need tending to with the turn of the seasons, and the locals are making a party of it. The morning hours are reserved for changing out of “seasonal” decorations and other tidying, while the afternoon and evening hours are reserved for celebration and commerce.

Holly and pine wreaths and garlands are taken down, animals are finally let out from their cozy barns to graze on the new shoots of grass peeking from the chilled soil, homes are being aired out and well traveled roads need to be reblessed. Everyone seems to be doing their part in some way, but it’s still a lot of work to be done by the time things are in full swing for spring! Those dreamers who live to clean will really be living this month. Just make sure to sweep OUT the bad energy. Never in.

The locals encourage (and some even insist) that the ones they share space with pick up a broom, shovel or just get their hands dirty and start working. Animals need feeding and tending to and barn hands are in high demand! Whether it be chickens, ducks, cows, or sheep, the animals need their feed and also need their spaces to be cleaned, too. No one said this was glamorous work, but hey! Maybe you’ll manage to come away with some animal products from a particularly grateful farmer.

Salting the roads not only helps keep still receding ice from being as slick but it also brings in good luck and good energies. Be careful to spread the salt given out through the streets, but don’t spill any in the dirt or where things grow. Salted earth or plants will doom Dreamers with bad luck if they make this grave mistake! The effect will last for a week or so, so it’s best avoided.

When the warmest part of the day hits, that’s when the working gloves come off. The centermost part of town has been turned into a festival area complete with a may pole, potluck pot the size of a small boulder the size of a large boulder, tables of roasted food, and a variety of drinks. There are also a few games, including cheese rolling in which dreamers can either roll cheese or be turned into cheese to be rolled (maybe that’s just a joke? Hmm). Lively music played by one of the ~~least terrible~~ most popular goblin bands fills the air.

Contributing to the potluck pot will give participants a little joyful boost, there’s a little more pep in their step, a little less fatigue from working all day, and some may find that their dirtied clothes are woven into clean, springy attire for the celebration that lasts well into the night to wear at the Night Bazaar.

Nightlife Bazaar

cw: spiders

Coming along with the other festivities is a convention of sorts, for all things magical! Witches and all kinds of magical practitioners are here to show off their skills and sell their wares to anyone interested - locals and Dreamers alike. Take a look around, there might be something that catches your eye that a hag or so will be willing to part with…for a decent price.. Be warned though, not every witch and warlock at this bazaar are totally honest. Phonies will try to peddle basic goods and magical objects for far more than they’re worth. Keep your wits about you, Dreamers, otherwise not only will you lose your shards and come away with nothing but junk, but you may find some items that are more trouble than they’re worth.

Just a FEW of the Booths...

Fortune Telling: A hag that is DEFINITELY not three kobolds in a trenchcoat is offering fortune telling services (tarot, palm reading, crystal ball, etc. Go nuts). Dreamers get their fortunes told! Can be about love, luck, other stuff.
Brooms: Want to take a ride on a broomstick? Well, look no further! A dandy young witch is offering (insert pun about brooms/horse here) rides for anyone looking for a fun time soaring through the moonlight! Pay a fee and get a ride for you and maybe another person, if they’re bold enough to hang on tight… The moon is looking lovely tonight, so why not take a spin over the treetops? Just don’t try and go too far - these cleaning utensils are magicked to fly back to their “pens” after a certain amount of time. Also if you crash it, you cash it. So don’t.
Brews and Tonics: That shifty-looking wizard there is offering up “brews” for an outrageous price, so clearly they must be potent, right? He seems very eager for people to try and even offers up a couple of sample sippers. Looking for teeth whitening? He’s got that. A growth potion for you shortstacks? Obviously, it’s right here. Can’t get senpai to notice you? Well, he’s got a brew that’ll make them never take their eyes off you! And with a smile as wide and toothy as his, surely nothing will go wrong, right? [[Note: They will ALL go wrong. How, is up to the player!]]
Familiar Petting Zoo: Careful, some of them do bite, but that’s only the more exotic ones. Black cats of all shapes and sizes, corvids that will tell you to shove it if you ask them about Lenore, and toads that may or may not have hypnotic powers if you stare into their unblinking eyes a little too long - all manner of fun and interesting creatures are here to pet and play with for a small fee. Just do try not to poke and prod at them too much, will you? They only have a meager amount of fortitude and tend to, ahem…combust if under enough pressure. But not into flames! Goodness, what do you take us for?! No, Dreamers will find that once a familiar combusts, their hands and clothes will be stained with a glow-in-the-dark “secretion” that might cause them to sparkle under the moonlight. ....It also attracts spiders. En masse.

OOC

Welcome to the labyrinthum TDM! Characters will arrive depowered and with only their clothing, and will be given a satchel with a crystal pendant, a communication device, some water and bread and a magic potion. If they drink the potion, they will manifest an elemental, healing or animal transformation ability.

With the exception of Castle Vaeros, characters are free to go as they please, so feel free to place them in any of the locations available on the map. Yes, this includes the Labyrinth - though characters will not be able to clear the maze.

You can find more information about the game here. Any questions regarding the TDM can go under the comment below.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Take a vacation, Dad. It's okay to do that."

"After we're done searching for the Tardis."

"We'll search for the TARDIS today. If it's not here, promise me you'll take a break."

"Her!" The Doctor exclaims, continues on his quest because he's stubborn and doesn't want to think that he's separated from his Tardis. He is starting to grow tire again and finds a spot to sit down. He doesn't like being so human. He likes his limitless endurance.

"Yes, her! Promise me, dad!" Stubborn daughter is stubborn.

"okay! I will! Blimey! No need to be all shouty!"

"Like father, like daughter, yeah?" In short, he started it.

With that done, she continues to show him around while keeping an eye open for the TARDIS before eventually showing him the beach.

"Beware of mermaids if you go in the water. They're not all that friendly." She'd remembered others giving her warnings about them back when she'd made her way to the hot springs at one point. Water sources around here never seemed to always be the safest options.

Edited 2024-04-07 00:12 (UTC)

The Doctor doesn't remark to that because he's much older than her but still suborn and shouty. It's been a very long time since he's been a father. Specifically during his First Incarnation. He needs to the mature and responsible one.

By the time they reach The Beach, it was the last location and no Tardis. And The Doctor, is very silent.

"Mermaids? Really? Haven't seen one of those before." Which leads to him stripping off most of his clothing and dashing in to see if he can find a mermaid.

They may not have found the TARDIS, but hopefully her dad would take a break now and just have some fun.

She jumps into action with a laugh. "Just be careful! They always act a little fishy!" She calls to him as she pulls her boots off and runs after him. Wading into the still chilly water. Even now, having to get used to feeling temperatures on a human level threw her off and she couldn't help but shiver slightly. She really needed to get back her tolerance.

The Doctor will moan his Tardis for awhile but mermaids are a good distraction. He doesn't seem to care if he's not as tolerant to the water temperature, he's pushing himself though for the moment.

"Oi! I'll be fine." He doesn't think he needs someone coming in after him but he can't stop her either.

If anything he did enjoy being back at the beach. It's been far too long and trying to remember why he hasn't for awhile - and the answer was the companion. He went for them.

"This isn't your first time at the beach, now is it?"

“No, of course not. But I haven’t been to the beach often either aside from this one.” She admits. She couldn’t say she was the most familiar with the beach.

But honestly she wasn’t coming in after him, just putting her feet in the water while she watched him. As long as he was careful there was no need to go out there and she figured it was her dad and he could deal well enough if the mermaids decided to cause trouble.

“I’ll admit I spend more time sparring then I do at the beach here.” Hopefully he wouldn’t be disappointed in her for doing that much since it was just for fun rather than really fighting. Helped keep some of her fighting instincts under more control.

"Good. Glad." He would have been disappointed if she hadn't beached somewhere else before. The Doctor dunks himself under the water a few times and disappointed by the lack of mermaids being found and he's making this work rather than fun. He comes to the realization he might need to re-learn play.

The Doctor doesn't remember the last time he did play; maybe when he drove Santa's sleight with Clara. Play has been lost in his faces.

"Sparring? Blimey you take after me. Should had seen me Ching's ship."

Well, it was time to learn how to play again.

"Wait, so you've sparred with someone? I somehow can't imagine it with you. You've got to tell me that story."

"The Master originally and later the Sycorax leader, and more recently a pirate. Which one? Blimey, I had the Tardis submerged in water with a pirate ship above and no mermaids."

The Doctor inhales to hold his breathe to go under water. He is very determined to spot mermaids and resurfaces and remarks; "Nothing. Beginning to wonder if mermaids are true to here."

"Never heard of the Master or the Sycorax. Who are they? And wow, you sparred with a pirate? How'd you end up around a pirate? What happened to lead to all of that?" She asks, her curiosity peaking. "And I promise there are mermaids. Maybe they just don't want to be found today."

"The Master is another Time Lord. The Master tries create superiority to the whole of creation. The Sycorax were a race of space gangers. I beat them fair and square Christmas Day. Blimey, that was a long time ago." The Doctor rubs his five o clock shadow, "Zheng Yi Sao was looking the lost treasure of Flor De La Mar. And so were the Sea Devils So, Yaz and I went to go looking for the lost treasure of Flor De La Mar ended up in a Sea Devils liar. Ended up on Zheng's ship to look for Sea Devil keystone, that was on board and found out the Sea Devils were looking to flood the Earth. And that's when the sword fighting. Didn't do too bad as woman. Reversed the polarity on the Sea Devils secret liar and ran off with the treasure."

"Wait! You were a woman? I didn't even know that was possible. How is that possible?" Of course of all the things, that was her takeaway here. "And Yaz was another companion? What was she like? Wait, even more, what were you even like as a woman. I really can't imagine it."

"Yes, I was a woman. And I was brillant. It's just gender." There's a short pause and quieter, "Yes, Yaz was another companion. She was very clever." And that's it, he doesn't want to go on how someone still loves Yaz. He hears their conversation, about them being something more - and how the Doctor flat told Yaz, someone isn't brave but The Doctor still wished for them to go on and that's why someone took time to have ice cream while looking at the Earth. There was a deep fondness for Yaz, as there had been for Rose and The Doctor went under to avoid talking more about Yaz. Because - it hurt.

If he thought he was getting off that easy, he was mistaken. "You're always brilliant. Would have liked to meet you as a woman though. To see what you were like. Now, Yaz, just clever? That's it? Nothing else?" Yup, she was poking that bear.

The Doctor resurfaces to breath. "It's just a shape. A form." The Doctor grows quiet again because he would like to have Yaz still at their side but knew it was a choice to push Yaz away in the end. He knows from experience how Rose and Clara have reacted and thought it was best.

"She was clever. And we had a lot of adventures together. Shame we couldn't have more... Think you would have liked her. And Rose. They were funny. Not sure thar isn't someone you wouldn't have liked meeting. But that's the hard part. Sometimes they want to leave."

"You'll have to tell me more about your adventures. I think you'd have liked Noah too, would if I can get things sorted out or he comes here. He's very smart and clever in his own way. Good heart. Him and I can be a lot alike when it comes to some things. Both of us coming from nothing and all in our own ways. Learning the universe together."

She pauses, watching her father. "I met Rose at least, but you'll have to tell me more about your companions. The adventures you had with them. Like Yaz. Tell me more about her. Your adventures with her. More of what she was like."

"Thar all clever and good hearted. Eventually, anyways." The Doctor buys time by going back to shore and putting his clothes back on. He wishes he would have met Rose again. That would have been nice but he isn't sure if he'd talk to her. She's happy with his Meta Crisis self, she doesn't need The Doctor anymore. Even if someone still loves her. And is wishing he could meet her in a pocket universe.

"Once were we in the 17th century, and something was possess the villagers and making people. Naturally, they were blaming it on a local witch but it actually ended up being Morax, tree aliens, that were banned to Earth for war crimes. Yaz and I did a good job being level headed with the mass hysteria. Or when were we in 1816 in Switzerland - the house was weird because thar were perception filters in the house and a lone cyber was walking though time and space very determined. Sorta Cyberman I haven't seen before, still had some of its human face. Yaz was always brave and kept together but then she was a trained police officer when first met. And kind. Took her a bit to open up but eventually. Graham was always kind right from the start."

The Doctor stops because it hurts talking companions gone by and Jenny will see that look on her father's face.

"They're all alive. That group. They were brave, smart and kind. I miss them. I miss all of them."

"Oh! Noah and I ran into Cybermen. Called themselves the Suits! All Cybernetically enhanced with nano technology, and the leader still looked mostly human. They tried converting Noah." She figured considering what he was telling her that it might be important information to share. "They were on New Damson when we ran into them trying to work out a new energy source. That's why they wanted Noah. He's good at those kinds of things."

The Doctor stares because he doesn't like hearing on the Cybermen keep finding ways to survive and keeps his lips pressed and firm. "Somehow they keep surviving." The Doctor remarks dryly.

"How?" She asks simply. "Are they just recreating themselves over and over again, or are others just recreating them somehow?"

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