TDM #9

[labyrinevents]

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.

Comments

Himiko Toga | MHA | Current player (CW: Nudity and manga spoilers)

[bleedformeplz]

[Arrival | CW: Nudity with some manga spoiler]

[Well then. This wasn’t what she entirely expected. Himiko had a rude awakening with a satchel next to her. While this is embarrassing, Himiko didn’t let it bother her. What bothered her though was the change of scenery. Himiko took a moment and let her surrounding sink in. It was.. nice? Quiet? Enclosed?

It was like a dream and she had to pinch herself quite hard until she winced. It hurt. Himiko couldn’t help but smile, a small chuckle. Should she feel ecstatic? Relieved? Sad? Sometime, she searched her satchel and studied the note left there. Strange red bottle something, she wasn’t about to touch that. A contract huh? She wasn’t sure what to feel about this, but it felt nice to finally.. breathe.

So she’ll be that teenager walking nude around until she could find the exit, or some company. There is a big grin on her face as she waved her arm over her head.]

HEY! HELLOOOO~ I’m lost, can you help me?

[Nude teen girl with only a satchel to cover some with no ounce of shame or embarrassment to share.]

[Up is down: Green is on me.]

[After she finally obtained some threads to cover herself up, of course something happens. If anyone was in the forest, they would have certainly hear a booming voice.]

AHHHHH!

[Rush to her aid or take your time. By the time you get there, Himiko seemed disgust and dreaded. Some green goo dropped on top of the young girl. Her arms and fingers extended out as the goo trailed down her fingers and elbows. Some were on her hair. It was almost as if someone threw a bucket of this stuff over her as a practical joke. She wasn’t laughing. If anything, her small fang-like teeth were out simply grossed out.

She didn’t waste time, and try to shake like an animal most of this out. Was this toxic? Help her!]

Gross! Gross! GROSS! Eww! Ewwwwwww!

[Wild card]

[[ooc: feel free to post something else if neither is to your liking.]]

Arrival

[gurlravity]

With new people trickling into the village, Ochaco expands her patrols to include the garden and entrance to the labyrinth, in case she runs into someone new in need of assistance. It's something she can do that doesn't require use of her Quirk that still helps people.

Though seeing who is approaching her, Ochaco is suddenly wishing she had her Quirk back...or failing that, maybe a blanket or something.

"T-Toga-san?!"

That's definitely Himiko Toga coming towards her...all of Himiko Toga. First Shigaraki, then Kurogiri and now Toga...what's going on?!

"W-Where did your clothes go?!"

[bleedformeplz]

While Ochako’s reaction is valid, Himiko imagined she was used to this by now. Her expression is somewhat surprising, but nothing like Ochako’s. She blinks twice, as if trying to understand something. Calmly, the young girl replied.

“Ochako-chan?”

There was a hint of confusion and concern in her voice. As if, she was trying to piece together a puzzle and it refuse to fit in. Whatever the reason it might be, a grin stretched across her face leaving a gaping open mouth. If only Ochako could predict what was about to happen, Himiko’s expression was ecstatic as her topaz eyes had a hint of sparkle. And then.. Himiko threw herself to the young hero, open arms and all.

“You’re here! Hee-HEE!”

Incoming tackle hug.

[gurlravity]

She must have been using her Quirk before she arrived here. The thought arrives through the shock of seeing Toga. She's aware of how it works and how dispelling a disguise leaves her exposed. Of course having it taken would mean the same thing, it's just of all the people to find here in the garden, and in such a state...well, she wasn't expecting it.

Toga is grinning, and when Himiko Toga grins like that, it's cause for concern. "I've...been here for awhile, yeah. A few months. Me and some other of my classmates." She adds. She's not alone here...well, except in the sense that Deku, Bakugou and the others are elsewhere and she's currently alone with Toga in the garden.

When Toga throws herself at Ochaco, she's already tensed, ready to throw her down, get her in a hold, but instead the other girl throws her arms around Ochaco in a joyful hug. For a moment she shorts out briefly, but then it seems that all Toga is doing is...hugging her?

Steadying her breathing, after a moment, Ochaco carefully puts her arm around Toga as well. "...Yeah. Yeah, I'm here." She says finally. Her feelings about Toga are...complicated to say the least, but there's no threat here that she can see. Just someone very glad to see her. And...someone she vowed not so long ago to try and help.

"Are you okay, Toga-chan?" She switches to the more familiar honorific almost accidentally, but decides to leave it like that. "...We need to find you something to wear." Thank goodness it's not winter anymore or they'd have a real problem! But she can't bring Toga through the village like this (bring Toga where is the other question she doesn't know how to answer yet, but that's a problem for later). Who can she contact for help?

[bleedformeplz]

There was a lot to absorb here. Like that tense reaction, she knows it well. Still, the young girl didn’t care. Ochako was warm and alive. Honestly, she didn’t care if Ochako flung her somewhere or no gravity her. Her body muscle relaxes within the embrace. Awkward.

A few months she said. Damn, this whole world was starting to sound like a manga series, she’d read that. She chuckled lightly at the thought of it. “Yeah, I was reliving a bad dream.” That last moment, she still remembered the embrace before she felt her conscious slipping. Wished for a better ending, a different life, countless wishes she thought to herself.

“Maybe, you can help fill me in about this place, for old times sake.” She suggests since, alas, Ochako been here for quite some time.

Himiko eventually picked herself up and away from Ochako, pressing both forearms close to her chest as Ochako suggests the next inconvenience. She knew about her ah hah, nude situation, and finally she decided to put some effort into covering the girls at least???

Her grin refused to fade. “Ahh, yeah. I should.” She chuckled as she tugged her new satchel. “It didn’t come with the free bag.”

Up is down: Green is on me.

[borbo]

( Isn't it lucky Hawks just so happened to be on patrol that day. The neighbourhood hero, a flightless bird, perking up at the screams and rushing to their aid, hopping on and over tree branches until he's perched above the unfolding drama...

His eyes go wide, a moment of obvious dread and guilt when he notices the particular girl trapped by a slime. But then it's gone, as quick as it came. Hero face sliding back on like a perfect mask. )

Himiko Toga. Just when I thought enough villains had showed up.

( Hawks is smirking, shouting down to the girl covered in green slime. )

—Need a hand?

[bleedformeplz]

[Suddenly she felt her skin crawled by the sound of a familiar voice. If looks could kill, Hawk would had been made a slice turkey for someone’s toast. Her expression darkened, eyes narrowed to the voice. Not a moment passed she remembered what happened that day. The only moment she could ignore the goop dripping down her face and skin.]

Naw. I like to stay alive this time.

[Here birdy birdy~]

[borbo]

( Yep. Toga remembers alright. The death stare she sends his way, one that could kill a puppy crossing the road. It's unfortunate because the pro-hero would have preferred to begin on amicable terms. And Toga in particular is unpredictable, impulsive; Hawks might end with a knife in his back before he knows it.

Better to stay wary then. Help when she absolutely needs it. )

Awh. Don't be like that.

( Still grinning despite the unwelcome reception. )

You know, If you're not careful, it might suffocate you.

[bleedformeplz]

[And only then she is reminded of her predicament. The deadly phase suddenly brushes off because nope, she doesn’t want to die by slime. Now she’s trying to comb her hair up to her buns and shaking like a wet dog.]

W-Well- I mean-!!

[Does she expect Hawks to help or not. To die by him or slime?]

Get it off then!!

[Look who’s flapping like a chicken again.]

[capillatus]

[When he hears the shouts coming from somewhere beneath the trees, Kurogiri pauses in his exploration and turns toward the sound. There's something—oddly familiar about that voice. He should check on whoever is shouting, in any case. They may be in danger.

When he sees her, he comes to a halt. Blinks. He hadn't expected to encounter her here. Now that he has, of course he has to assist her. He had had his own run-in with the green goo, so he knows how to deal with it.

The substance is harmless. It would be best if you were to remain calm. I can lead you somewhere you can wash off.

[He speaks with the same tone and cadence as usual, but his voice itself has changed. And there's also the fact that he looks like a high school student.]

[bleedformeplz]

[At this point, Himiko is relieved to see someone came to her aid. From her stand, every inch this gunk travels down, it’s making her skin crawl. So when this teenager suddenly arrived, the grin suddenly appeared over the panic. Arms flapping.

Sorry Kurogiri. It will take some time to put the pieces together, in the meantime, slime takes priority. She pulls the shirt away from her back.]

A-are you sure? It feels like icky crawly.

[Thank you high school student boy!]

[capillatus]

I'm very sure. That happened to me as well.

[Of course, Kurogiri's reaction to the annoyance had been understated, as usual. He had simply endured the indignity. However, he doesn't think there's anything unwarranted about Toga's response.]

It doesn't feel pleasant.

[High school student boy is happy to help! He's also focused on her problem, and he's not used to having to introduce himself to members of the League. The strangeness of this place can be extremely distracting.]

There's a stream not far from here.

[bleedformeplz]

[It’s like high school date!

At this point, she’s relieved this person isn’t afraid of her, nor know her infamous name and face? A normal conversation, with a guy close to her age, just covered in goop. Himiko is thrilled, despite the greens, her lips grinning across her face as she’s flapping like a loose chicken. So nice to find someone who ran into this as well.]

Really?

[A stream huh, Himiko’s grin refused to fade.]

Where is it? [She asks while she’s trying to shelter her eyes from dripping goop.]

[capillatus]

[Wait, who said anything about a date?!]

Yes, really. Someone I met here helped me to rinse it off.

[He nods, pleasantly. It's one of his responsibilities to look after Shigaraki's colleagues, so it's no trouble at all. Technically it's his duty, but he would do so anyway, these days.]

Follow me, I'll show you. I've been exploring, so I know the area fairly well.

[He gestures in the direction of the stream, indicating that she should follow him.

[bleedformeplz]

[Let a girl dream!

Something about this guy reminds Himiko of something.. or someone. She couldn’t pin point a memory, but his.. gesture and guidance rings a few bells.]

Thank you so much! You’re so nice~

[Strangely, nothing about him set’s off bad, which is good. Himiko grinned happily and humming as she follows the young man, wiping every slime she could off her face.]

I’m pretty new here.

[Arrival ]

[devilishkouhai]

UH M . . . [ The last thing BB expected to see was someone naked - ]

Help you? Girl, the help you need is beyond what I can do for you, I think. [ But a HUMAN - as far as she can tell - is asking her for help. So she can't deny them, it would go against her existence as an AI. ] But maybe if you beg nicely, I GUESS! I Could help.

[bleedformeplz]

[Well then, that last bit part suddenly turned her grin to grim. Certain keywords clicked into thought. Himiko’s expression looked last and almost rejected for a brief moment.

That is..]

I see.

[What to do in this predicament? While Himiko is nude, she doesn’t seemed particularly embarrassed so much. With a quick grin, she responded.]

Yeah, nope.

[Dug one heel to the ground, turned herself around gracefully, arms out and all away from the girl to another direction. Bye!]

[devilishkouhai]

!?!??!?

[ BB has the most surprised look on her face - as if in this moment she herself could not process everything transpiring at this time. She has records in her data, and is not a stranger to crazy antics being a servant from Chaldea. However, BB being suddenly ignored by a naked girl, who straight up denied her - her, BB, a helper of humanity. Offended her so much, and made her all but forget to be a practical person in this moment. ]

WHAT THE FUCK - YOU CANT JUST IGNORE ME LIKE THAT YOU BITCH GET BACK HERE!!

[ And then suddenly, for whatever reason, her feet begin to move and she is running full force after the girl. ]

[bleedformeplz]

[Meanwhile, Himiko is quietly plotting her next adventure because SO-CALLED AI is junk. Just because the other screamed being ignored, Himiko didn’t bother to offer the other a glance. Petty revenge is sweet, and she is still grinning ear to ear. Yeah, as if Himiko would go down on her knees and beg for something like that.

As she is walking and humming to herself, then the sound of stampeding reach her ears. She glances back and her eyes widen. Is that girl full throttle charging her?!

Himiko’s face gawks and her feet is picking up the pace as well now trying to run far far FAAAAAR away from this character. Now Himiko is darting fast as her bare feet could carry to get away from the other girl.]

KYAAAAAAA! CATCH ME AND I’LL RUN YOUR FACE ON THE GROUND!!!

[So many options and running seemed to click first.]

[devilishkouhai]

LIKE HELL YOU WILL! [ Sharp and menacing words fell out from her mouth, snarling like some crazed lunatic. The incapacity to have power, gnawed at her insides. BB's inability to have control of this situation, bubbled into a chaotic state. It made her insides buzz like bees stinging at her from within. Was this embarrassment? Was this shame? BB did not like it one bit, and her inability to take this foolish human in front of her. Then step on her like a bug, only made BB act more frantic.

She couldn't delete this moment, she couldn't get rid of her, and she sure as hell couldn't kill her. All that BB could do... Was run straight at this girl she just met, and face the situation for what it was: Utter Chaos. ] GO AHEAD AND TRY!!

NOT ONLY DID YOU IGNORE BB!! BUT YOU LET YOUR WHOLE BODY IMPRINT ITSELF INTO MY MIND, AND NOW I CAN NEVER UNSEE IT! DO YOU THINK ITS FUNNY? HERE BB WAS, FROLICING IN THE FOREST OF THIS CRAZY FAIRY TALE SETTING, WAITING FOR MY SENPAI TO COME SAVE ME!!!! ONLY TO BE FACED WITH SOME NAKED GIRL!!

[ They are still running... ]

NOW BB IS TRUAMATIZED!!! [ She is not traumatized. ] TAKE RESPONSIBILITY YOU FREAK!!

up is down

[freecssgonwild]

( The shout is definitely alarming enough for someone like Gon to run to see if someone's in danger. He's not the kind of person who can just ignore something like that.

But by the time he reaches Himiko, it doesn't seem like she's in any real trouble...

Was she... just alarmed by the goo? He couldn't smell anything toxic about it, at least. )

Oh-- you're alright, then?

[bleedformeplz]

[A kid?]

NO I’M NOT!

[Himiko shouted in defense, arms flapping and goo flying.]

It’s eating me alive!!

[Perhaps not, but this is Himiko over reacting.]

[freecssgonwild]

Please, you're going to make it worse!

( With the way that it's making the goo go everywhere... It's just going to get her even more dirty. )

I'm sure you can wash it off! I'm pretty sure there's somewhere near by that you could go.

[bleedformeplz]

..Is there?

[Just knowing some information helped ease her anxiety. Her eyes darting to the young lad, topaz eyes searching curiously. Both hands clamp together close to her chest, will this boy truly save her?]

[freecssgonwild]

Yeah! It's close by!

( He looks to the direction of the lake. )

Do you want me to take you there?