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buttrinthum2024-04-30 10:34 pm
TDM #9
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:
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
i. liminal spaces
[ She is just standing there, judging him. ]
no subject
That’s way too much judgement for someone who’s sitting on the sidelines! And why’d you have to say ‘NPC’ twice?!
[For that moment of distraction, the gelfling gets a hit in with the hammer, right on Subaru’s hand.]
Ow!
[He lets go instinctively, and the little fella continues to hammer at thin air.]
Can’t you tell this is definitely not normal behaviour?
no subject
[ Watching a human being suffer brings a light of life to BB's eyes, and she gives him the most genuine giggle, ] Ehhhh? Can't you tell that is totally normal behavior? Theyre just cycling, its no big deal. [ She says, as if this is the most normal thing ever. ] Leave the little NPC alone, and stop bullying him. [ A finger points out from her hand, and she swishes it around. ] Hes trying his best, and you are just making it worse!!! Imagine if you were an NPC? How would you feel if a big main character came up to you, and tried to tell you the one thing you were born to do for your entire life - you cant do it!!!
Soooooooooo~~~!!! Messed up!!!
no subject
You’re the one that’s messed up here! The way you’re viewing the whole situation is twisted!
[And he feels angry, not just because she’s come for him, but because she’s reduced these villagers he’s come to know and care about to nothing.]
They’re not just NPCs! They’re villagers with thoughts and feelings that I do radio callisthenics with every week! [They might’ve started as NPCs to him, but now he’s come to care about them.] That’s why…that’s why I’ve gotta snap them out of this!
1/2
[ DSFSJFD LMFAO.... ]
no subject
[ BB gives him a hard stare, and finds herself feeling almost as if this was a ~~ fated exchange ~~~ ]
So what - you care about this NPC's or something? [ Despite lacking her strength as a summonable Servant, she still retained some capacity at least. She swiftly moves over to the gelfling, hands like fists pressed against her waist, and then she picks her foot off the floor to shove the gelfling with it. BB manages to make the worker wobble but to the worker itself, this does not stop it what so ever. Instead, her foot is pressed against its cheek, deep, and it seems unbothered by her demeaning gesture. ] Are you going to take responsibility when they become conscious? Huh? Are you going to?
no subject
[Subaru doesn't know what to make of what she's doing - only that he knows it's wrong.]
What the hell are you saying?!
no subject
I am so nice, so kind, so trustworthy~~~~! [ Quite the opposite really. ] Giving you free information! [ That incidentally could totally be wrong. ]
no subject
[He says it with an earned confidence, like this is a challenge from her. But what comes next does give him pause.
Does she know…something he doesn’t?]
Anyone who describes themselves like that is definitely the opposite. [But…] Who are you, anyway?
no subject
[ BB lifts herself from the frame of the geifling she used as a leaning post, and twirls about into several poses. ]
It's everyone's favorite Devilish Kouhai - yes that's right, it's yours truly. [ All the while she frantically moves about, like having a magical girl transformation, she is trying to sing this tune. ]
BB!!! Welcome to the BB CHANNEL~!
[ And then, rather anticlimactically. She stands there, looking like any other person. ]
Or it would be, if I had half my powers. I shouldn't have to sing my own opening music like that, IT'S PATHETIC! [ BB starts yelling, as if talking to a stage crew and finds herself dissatisfied. With a cold look, her eyes move back over to Subaru. The eerie atmosphere of awkwardness seems to linger from her overaction, into nothing consequential. ] Anyway, today is your lucky day. NPC lover, you are about to make friends with a straight up Artificial Intelligence, straight from the moon! Hold your applause, its not every day a Servant of my caliber gets to go out into a singularity freely.
Aren't you lucky, huh? [ She is looking at Subaru, expectantly. ]
no subject
Just who — or what - is he dealing with…?
He gets the feeling that he’s in dangerous territory, here.]
Lucky…? That’s one way to put it…
[He guesses he’ll see about that.]
I guess it’s not every day you meet someone with their own theme song. Or an AI, for that matter…though you’ve got a lot of nerve as one calling other people NPCs!
[She should be sympathetic to their plight!]
no subject
Right, aren't I cool? [ BB feeds on the little bit of attention he gives, and it's that easy to grip her favor really. BB leans forward some, swishing her finger back and forth. Playing more into her roll as outlandish, and wild ]
That is what they are though! [ So she says. ] They cycle the same patterns and movement, unable to act any more sophisticated because there is an error in the program sustaining it. I mean, don't get me wrong, this is pretty sophisticated stuff. I am impressed, but it's broken. So there's no use trying to 'fix it,' in the way you humans think it needs to be fixed.
[ High and mighty, BB has herself feeling in this moment. As if she knew more then the people walking around here. ]
You're better off leaving it alone, unless you end up making it worse. Ya know? If you wanna fix it - you'll have to go to the source.
no subject
But —- she might be onto something here.
And so, begrudgingly, Subaru just has to work with it.]
There’s no way I’m just leaving things alone when they’re like this. [He’s just that kind of person!] You’ve mentioned fixing it at the source twice now — [His finger lands into a point towards her.] - which means you’re gonna have to show me where that is.
[Does she know anything, actually? Is she just bullshitting? This is the only way to find out.]
no subject
[ She is bullshitting, but can bullshit her way out of a mess and into a mess, unfortunately. ]
no subject
[That aside-]
If you’re looking for Vaeros, chances are he’s in the castle - though, everyone kinda put in a big effort to put the guy to sleep…come to think of it, that’s when everything started going weird, too.
[It all comes together!]
no subject
... Huh, so you put the owner of this 'fine' establishment to sleep... And then things started to get weird? [ BB takes what Subaru says and regurgitates it. ]
Yup, this totally is a digital world alright. [ So she decides. ] Or maybe something dealing in dreams, which equally is as funny and bad - if not worse.
no subject
That's not the cute response I was expecting!
[There was no comparing Emilia to this girl, but that just drove it home even harder.
Alas, moving on.]
What do you mean, worse?
no subject
Orchestrated however you want, but even in your REM sleep.. [ Her voice is low, and holds this ominous air to it. As if citing information that was never mean't to be known. ] You see, your own emotions and lesser judgements come back to haunt you. Meaning, even when you think you have control, [ Then it dips upwards, as if excited and delighted by the prospect of uncertainty. Of being tortured, of being the one doing the torturing. ] that isn't the case.
So if we are living in a dreamscape of... This deranged person, who knows what will happen to us~?
no subject
You sound way too excited about that!
[The prospect has Subaru’s blood running cold; he’d never considered the situation this way. Certainly, it’s been an endless rollercoaster of weird stuff happening here, but to think that they’re at Vaeros’ total mercy…
Shit, he really should have seen this conclusion coming.]
You realise whatever happens, it’ll happen to you too, you know?
no subject
Which is why - [ Her body dips into a bow, but it is not one in servitude or hospitality. It is a bow of one, introducing themselves. Unique in this bow, she does not lower herself so she is below him in any way. Even in her stance, she makes her body language of someone who feels themselves above others. ] BB is asking you, for more information about the situation. This Vaeros fellow - and how the lot of you, put him to sleep?
no subject
You’re out of luck with information on Vaeros - I don’t know much about him aside the fact he doesn’t know how to take no for an answer. [Subaru upturns his palms in a shrug.] As for putting him to sleep, it was a team effort. Some of us held back and prepared things behind the scenes, whilst the others ran forward centre stage and broke into his castle.
no subject
We love a man after all, who can't take no for an answer... ]
Oh..? So you had two to three teams, one team had to break into his castle. While the other prepared, and then the last of them potentially put the man to sleep? Why break into his castle though, you can't just waltz right in unannounced? [ Obviously not, but depending on the answer, BB can inference a thing or two about him. She's playing the role of Anastasia. Where that one time, Subaru was answering her questions and inadvertently Anastasia got to learn things from his answers. A great way to learn about stuff when you need to know something and are able to discern information the way BB can. ] Unless he is a King of sorts, then I guess you can't.
no subject
[And believe him, there’s plenty of fighty types here with a bone to pick with Vaeros that surely someone’s made and failed an attempt before!]
It’s not like it was a walk in the park either. The place was pretty heavily guarded, from what I heard.
[He sighs, scratching his head.]
Man…who knows what Vaeros is. I thought I had an idea, but it seems like with every new development I understand even less…
no subject
What about you, are you just a helpless little human? [ BB steps closer to him, observing with her all knowing eyes. ] Secretly a devil? [ Another step. ] A cat boy in disguise? [ Again! ] The secret protagonist of a over arching storyline?
no subject
He flushes, a little embarrassed and startled in equal measure.]
Do you see any cat ears on me?! [REALLY NOW…] I’m just your regular human! That’s me, Subaru Natsuki, totally unremarkable and broke beyond compare!
[Some part of him buys into the ‘secret protagonist’ descriptor, but a secret protagonist has gotta remain secret!]
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