buttrinthum | TDM #9

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TDM #9

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 in scrawling, jagged lettering that seems a bit... ominous:

“Welcome to my LABYRINTH where your wish, you wish you wish youwishyouwish– Your CONTRACT is SEALED.”

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: Larkspur and Anemone You’ll soon find out that being around the Larkspur makes you almost overwhelmingly tired, to the point you might even feel sluggish and in desperate need of a comfy place to rest. Why not lie down right in the garden? Or better yet, find someone to snuggle up with and sleep your worries away. The only truly strange part? You don’t seem to dream. At all. Straying too close to the Anemones, meanwhile, grants an entirely different effect. One second you’ll be walking through the garden and then suddenly you’re twenty feet away and facing the wrong direction. Even worse, whatever those flowers have done to you will sometimes make it so you “glitch” through solid objects – your leg might suddenly be lodged in the ground despite it being perfectly solid a moment before, or your arm could be shoved halfway into a wall that… actually, was that wall even there before? Nevermind that. The effects only last for a few minutes at worst, so at least you’re not stuck there forever, right?

Liminal Spaces and Worn Out Faces

Thanks to the combined efforts of dreamers and dragons, Vaeros is asleep. No one knows for how long. The locals aren’t particularly pleased with this turn of events and the village is a mess, but at least the moon is high in the sky again and everything is back to normal… relatively speaking. Things start to change... morph into something more dreamy, more surreal. It's subtle at first but after a few days…

The aftermath of the overgrowth, animal attacks, and the overall chaos of Vaeros' tantrum has left the village a little worse for wear. While most of the damages are cosmetic and could be fixed by the local's efforts alone, maybe a little help would be appreciated? If nothing else, it might help alleviate a little bit of the tension still lingering in the air after the events at the castle.

That, and the locals seem to be acting kind of strange. Leaving them to their own devices might not be the best idea. The Gelfling you are aiding in repairing a half-broken wall has been hammering for what seems like hours and when you look to see what they're doing, they haven't actually made any progress - they're just hitting the same spot over and over again, potentially making the hole even bigger. Did the goblin you just passed have a completely blank face for a moment? Others might walk into things, off of things (Starlight Cliff might be a hazard zone), or suddenly and inexplicably become aggressive toward dreamers, grabbing anything they can get their hands on (kitchenware, vegetables, a goose??) to use as a weapon. It's a very bizarre scene and the villagers don't seem to notice there is anything wrong with the people around them.

It’s not just the locals either. The animals have been acting equally strange. There's a wolf inside the clothing shop trying on suits, a goat standing (or trying to stand) on its hind legs, bleating out random words like a town crier while jingling a bell around its neck to get everyone's attention. Where you should find the local baker, suddenly they're replaced with a deer holding a paddle in its mouth to stir up a batch of brownies.

To top it all off, there's an eerie sense of deja vu no matter where you go or what you do. Didn't you just help that goblin with the wheelbarrow an hour ago? So why is it halfway across town again? You could have sworn you had to go and grab groceries, but your pantry is full like someone already had.

Up is Down, In is Out

Days pass and the oddities continue to make themselves more and more apparent. The sidewalks seem uneven and wobbly at times, threatening to toss people walking across them to the ground or even fling them into the air with a sudden violent ripple. Walking through the forest sees the leaves of the trees melting into green goo that sticks to your clothes, your hair, and your skin - potentially staining them green and leaving you in dire need of a bath. You can always wash off in the lake, of course, but even that is not free of the strangeness occurring in Visium. The water of Lake Omen has turned to lava, at least in color; although there is no heat radiating from it when one approaches. That, and the locals are still fishing in it without issue, save the fact that they keep pulling up fish with tophats on.

Speaking of fish - they're raining from the sky now (tophats or not) in all sorts of different colors, shapes, and sizes. Good news! They're still edible. Bad news, they're probably trying to sell you something.

If you do decide to try the fish or any other meal in town, especially those served by the locals, you'll find that it doesn't taste like much of anything and most certainly doesn't fill you up, at least not at first. Everything is bland and unappealing until left in the presence of dreamers - and the more you share the meal with, the faster the taste returns.

Dream Within a Dream Within a Dream Within a Dream Within

Even with Vaeros asleep, only a small portion of the labyrinth is still accessible. Those that attempt to explore will find sections made up of pillows and cushions, and no matter what time of day it is elsewhere, this portion of the labyrinth seems to be stuck in perpetual twilight. Explorers will also immediately feel drowsy, then lulled to sleep by the quiet singing whispered through the air like a lullaby. Anyone brave enough to try and rescue those poor souls from their impromptu naps would be wise to plug their noses and cover their ears with earmuffs to block out the sound.

At night, dreamers dream. They will be visited by the same melody heard in the labyrinth, though it is distant. They will also hear a woman telling them to spend more time together, to bond and create things together in order to soothe the effects of Vaeros' magic growing wild in his dreams. Dreamers will also have the ability to visit other's dreams, meeting in a dreamy light liminal space that will not feel so real when they awaken.

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.

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There, see? You're on the ground.

[She's so helpful, is Azula.]

Now, where does it hurt?

[Ugh. This was... uncomfortable.

One of the most frustrating things about the Doctor, the last time he'd been here, had been his tendency to be disturbingly distant and yet sincerely concerned at the same time. The former meant the latter couldn't be manipulated, and the latter prevented her from simply avoiding him altogether.

And she suspects, infuriatingly, that he genuinely cares about her answer. Which is only more unnerving.]

... Most recently, one of the little beasts attempted to murder me. It was, of course, a pathetic and ineffectual attempt, but it's nevertheless illustrative that they cannot be trusted.

[Shared dreams? Even Somnius couldn't be that obnoxious, could it?

Then again, it was barely a step beyond shared memories.]

If it is a dream, whose is it meant to be? Yours, or mine?

[The surroundings weren't familiar- just an unremarkable forest, though she didn't think it was the sort of forest that surrounded the village.]

Really, Princess, what do they teach in Agrabah? Surely I don't have to explain the concept of an assassin to you.

[She sneers it in her usual smug and taunting fashion, but almost instantly the smirk slips from her face and she's back to glowering at the gelfling.]

The hammer on the ground was the weapon.

I've been trying to persuade them of the obvious need to disentangle our lives from these treacherous little beasts since they first tried brainwashing us.

[Each momentary lapse in her self-control is punctuated with another aggressive shove of the gelfling against the wall, drawing a whimper of pain or protest from him.]

It's not bad enough that we're the only reason most of the useless vermin don't simply die and save us the bother every time there's a crisis, they then consistently betray and sabotage us to appease our captor, whom they persist in worshipping despite his refusal to protect them.

Well, it will be pleasant to work with somebody who isn't too nauseatingly sentimental to see reason.

[What just transpired was apparently 'reason' in her books.]

Both, because I woke up here with a satchel of my own a few weeks ago.

[He grimaces.]

And I'm afraid Angel won't be rescuing us this time. He arrived before I did, he's here as well.

[Also please never talk about Angel's 'manly bosom' again, he is begging you here.]

[Hm– But– See– Aubrey is a disgustingly sentimental person, and she knows it. She goes tight-lipped for a moment at the phrase, but tries to play it off with a shrug. The declaration isn’t not amusing.

[For better and/or worse, that same sentiment doesn’t incline her to ditch the dubiously-paranoid fire-wielder. Aubrey meant what she said.]

Well, I sure don’t have any sentiment for our “Overseer.” [One-handed air quotes included. This, too, is honest.]

Where were you headed, anyway?

"Oh no, there's an actual village here, and outside of that is a forest, and - "

She then 'heard' the rest of that sentence. "Huh?"

It doesn't end. No. Which sometimes I wish I could at least get a break during the times that I would be in class.

[Miles says with a shrug, Gwen definitely smirking under the mask as she glances between Luz and him. He is still just starting, still only a couple of years into all this. Still learning to balance it. Figuring it out mostly on his own beyond that initial few days she and the others had been here.

But, well. Luz isn't wrong. There's definitely chemistry between them. Gwen knows how he feels. But she also knows things didn't end up do well between other dimensions version of their Gwen, their Spider-Man.]

Trust me, once you're here, you'll be a little overwhelmed, but at least there are breaks.

[If everything was crazy all of the time, Luz was pretty sure she'd have lost it a little bit. It came in waves, so there was at least that.

As for these two? Luz knew that was going to have to find its own pace. There's no way you could account for everything, and she knew enough from her own experience that things might need to be slightly nudged].

If you're someone that fights, it never does really feel like that ever ends, and so you have to gets stronger, when you have the chance to do it.

"And it chose wisely," Luz said sagely, well aware that she was being made to sound like the hindrance and playing that off on purpose.

Luz wished that she had Stringbean with her at least, so they could attempt to fly off and away from the fog, but it looks like it was going to be a part of whatever all of this was.

"Sure feels like it," Luz said, indicating that whatever this was, and Luz was getting the feeling it wouldn't be great, it would STILL be something was part of their psyche. That was usually what happened in these situations.

[ He sucks in a winded gasp, and oh the glare she gets from those needle-sharp gold eyes says a lot from someone who gave off an anxious kindof look before. Hisssss-

One hand slips to his left rib, lower, coughing out a breath. ]

Hhhh-here... And my leg?

[ Yeah that ankle doesn't look right. ]

[The Doctor appears shock but it is the first time he's heard one being hostile; though they are acting - weird. He wonders if they're under some sort of hypnosis.]

How are you?

[The Doctor asks concern and is pondering what they should do with the one who attempted murder besides run a few health tests on the being, first.]

... I... What... Oh... [ It takes BB a moment to realize that Gumshoe qualifies himself as a Servant, because in technicality alone, he is a Public Servant after all... BB begins to set up a dumb situation within her fanatical mind, where she comes home and starts screaming ACAB for no reason, other than to be a menace onto his life. She leaves it alone, lets its disappear from the conversation they had with one another. ]

Sure, youre gunna bring me there? Lock me up, send me to baby jail?

[An odd reaction, that brief moment of hesitation, and Azula's eyes narrow fractionally.

Still. She was being reasonable, which still put her ahead of most of the useless weaklings in this spirit-forsaken place.]

I'd intended a shopping trip. Now I'm wondering if food I purchase from this filth can even be trusted.

[In response to the glare, the smirk only gets broader. So ungrateful, these people.

She kneels next to him and firmly- painfully- presses her hand against his rib to keep it firmly in place, her hand glowing faintly as the bone knits itself together. It is not comfortable or pleasant, but once she finishes, the rib is healed.]

There. Now try not to squirm, I'm probably going to have to move your ankle back into place.

A gelfling attacked me with a hammer, and almost everybody who saw it said that I was out of line for defending myself. I'm ecstatic.

[She huffs a sigh.]

This place is a worse madhouse than the actual madhouse. I'm uninjured, obviously, no silly little gelfling could hope to threaten me.

Edited 2024-06-03 18:43 (UTC)

Hasn’t killed us yet. [Wry. Hardly a defense, and not trying to be one.]

If you mean the Marketplace, I was going there too, so. [A nod in its direction. Aubrey was being literal about the back-watching; a few ventures through the overgrowth had taught her how to keep alert from behind.]

Lead the way.

[A darkness flashes across The Doctor's eyes he's not please what the 'townies' did.]

You didn't do anything wrong.

I'm not sure what it is either but...

[He said with a mumble or two.]

However, this world is very odd as it can create things that seem so odd...

[ The boy is so quick to let out a very brief laugh.

Suspiciously so, really. Inigo is not a particularly difficult boy to read in this sort of way, and it's very obvious that he's attempting to quickly brush this off on purpose. ]

Oh, not at all. [ He even shakes his head, like he wants to strengthen that point. ] I'm not even truly sure it's the sort of thing that could be passed down so easily. Sure, I liked to dance with her when I was younger, but.. you know, in the sort of way kids dance.

[ Granted, Inigo doesn't look that old. He's still a kid by every modern standard of the word. But where he comes from, he's definitely considered an adult at this point, hence why he can't help but speak of it that way.

The boy doesn't seem to notice - since he isn't remarking anything about it - but Maruki might actually see something happen. As the young man speaks of these things, he'll be able to see the memory itself. In the distance, but not too far away from them, is a woman dancing among the flowers. Inigo apparently wasn't lying, since she really is good, her dance practically mesmerizing as her long pink hair flows around her. There's a boy near her - very, very young, looking wobbly and a little unsteady on his feet - who is clearly doing his little kid best to keep up.

Judging by the similar hair colour, that boy definitely has to be a younger version of the person standing in front of Maruki right now. ]

[ He's trying his best. Her words aren't too reassuring, but that's not really fully Toph's fault as much as it's because of the situation. It'd be difficult for anyone to reassure him in the middle of a wild situation like this one, even someone who may be a little less direct or a little more openly compassionate than the girl.

So even though his heart is still pounding with fear and uncertainty in his chest, Inigo does what she's asking him to do. Follow behind her, trying his best to feel out his way as he goes, even though it feels like he could trip over something with every single step he takes in the run.

He even tries to think of ways to be helpful here, since Inigo hates feeling like he might be hindering her progress, but it's hard to think of what he can do if he can't even see. He doesn't dare to pull his sword out - does he even have it? He only now realised he never checked - for fear of accidentally hurting her when he can't see. ]

Where-- Where are we heading?

[ Inigo at least asks, hoping that he may be able to navigate a little better by himself the more information he's got. ]

[ Cat will be able to see that he's right even before Inigo answers. The water of the river is not incredibly clear, but Inigo's top is still very much visible right underneath the surface. It's practically entirely red, but it's obvious that it's blood, especially with some of its original colour peeking out from small spots between all of the blood that's on it. ]

Yes, I-- I want it out.

[ He sounds so desperate. Inigo's hands are scrubbing the top underneath the water, but it's not doing anything at all. The blood isn't disappearing from the top even the slightest bit, and at this point it seems like the young man's hands are also entirely covered in the dark, rusty blood.

He doesn't look over at Cat, seemingly too busy with fruitlessly scrubbing the cloth. ]

I keep trying, but nothing's happening..!

[ There's a slight pause, and then Inigo's cheer seems to dim into something that's a little more like confusion. At least the young man doesn't look upset or something - he looks more like he's trying to think really hard about something Miles just said here.

Apparently he can't quite figure it out by himself, so after a moment he just slowly asks: ]

What's.. a school assignment..?

[ Just a very normal question, clearly. You can almost hear air quotes around those last two words, that's how unfamiliar they apparently are to Inigo. ]

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TDM #9

BECAUSE SHE'S THE WORST.

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Despite her question, I assume this is meant to be Azula's nightmare, yes?

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BB vocie: #ACAB

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