TDM #4

[labyrinmods]

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: honeysuckles & day lilies Time spent too close to the day lily invokes a state of forgetfulnesss. The longer characters stay in the garden, especially if they are close to the day lilies, they will begin to forget important things about themselves. What they forget is up to the player, but longer time spent in the garden can reduce them to a completely amnesic state. Better hurry out and try to find the way out while you can! Honeysuckles will have no effect on characters unless they decide to drink the sap from them. The honeysuckle nectar will give characters a temporary power boost. This applies to characters who have drank their potion or have regained their powers. This might be useful to salvage for later, especially considering the chaos that goes on in Somnius!

It looks like there are plenty of others who are just now waking up from their dream-state as well.. why not go ahead and say hello?

[ The arrival aspect of this prompt is reserved for new characters, but anyone can interact with the garden flowers. The effects will last for a few hours or days. ]

It's Getting Hot in Here

Speaking of chaos, the current state of Somnius is.. not great. It's not by any other means than a natural disaster that is completely a coincidence and not because Dreamers rebelled against the Skeksis and didn't heed to townsfolk warnings, right? Right.

As the weather gets hotter and hotter, the obvious side effects become clear - most notably, the townspeople are closing up shop until the weather settles down. The usual markets don’t open in the wee hours of the morning and even the blacksmith has laid down his hammer during the midpoint of the days, trying to avoid the peak of the warm rush. Anyone trying to speak to the townsfolk about the sudden change in weather will find them oddly standoffish and almost rude - it’s obvious who they’re blaming for their predicament.

Another clearly dissatisfied group of society are the mermaids of Lake Omen, who may be spotted more regularly than usual across the span of the boiling hot heat. While still a rare sight, the warmth of the water encouraged a few more angry and bitter of their kind to poke their heads out and try and find the source of their woes - hand in hand with their usual siren call. It may be possible to have them leave you be if you offer them something a little on the cooler side, but with the weather as it is… It might end up being more of a challenge than anticipated.

The days go by and it doesn’t seem as though the heat is ebbing in the least, the sun blazing in the sky and the shops still kept under tight lock and key. Even some of the town staples - the bakery and the inn - have their doors close to strangers, trying to find some means of keeping cool. As the days go by, characters that have affinity to fire (or any kind of fire power!) may find that their powers are a little… Out of control.

With the sun high in the sky and blazing hot, some fire seems to be going a little haywire across Visium and not acting as it should. Be it burning a little hotter than intended, blazing out of control or simply refusing to work whatsoever, fire powers are acting with a mind of their own. Characters who have fire-related powers, be it their own or through potions, may experience the same hazards, on a scale of disobedience to refusal to work.

Finally, the heat does seem to die down and the townsfolk release themselves from their self-inflicted isolation, but they’re still not completely at ease with the strangers and keep them at an arms length: some things are not easily forgotten, and the damage seems to have been done when it comes to the skeksis. They may speak to characters once the heatwave is over, but will consistently refuse to talk about the Skeksis, the attack or anything to do with the taxes. You had your chance, you blew it.

So Take Off All Your Clothes

Somnius has, from everyone's knowledge, always been nestled around a giant labyrinth built by The Almighty Lord Vaeros, as some townsfolk say. What's so good about a lord who seems to leave a town in shambles and doesn't seem to help? He's sus. Everything about this is sus.

However, one morning during the heatwave, both townsfolk and Dreamers alike will hear a crumble and a crash.. almost as if a wall is broken. The labyrinth has always been indestructible, but as Dreamers investigate, they will find a hole broken through the labyrinth, opening up to a new era. Should you go through the hole, Dreamers will see an area they haven't ever seen before...

Welcome to the New Location: Indigo Sand Grove. As the name implies, the sand here isn't white or.. well.. sandy colored, but instead a beautiful dark blue with the occasional glitter grains. It almost appears black if the scorching sun isn't hitting it just right. Any other foliage or trees seen here will be typical of Earthly tropical beaches with the occasional unidentifiable vegetation. All in all, Indigo Sand Grove and its beaches seem welcoming and not harmful at all. In fact, there are bamboo garden chairs sitting out, enticing people to have a beach party and sun bathe! As soon as characters touch their feet into the indigo sands, their clothing will change into a swimsuit from their home. The swimsuit is for keeps! Enjoy!

The sea is safe to swim in, filled with typical fish that would come from Earth and crystal clear waters. Characters will feel a sense of joy on the beach. It's not a forceful kind of magic, but something about this place really wants you to have a good time, so why not take advantage of that?

I am Gettin So Hot, I Wanna... Hunt Beetles!

CW: bugs, beetle imagery

Along with a swimsuit, characters will find a bamboo net, designed for hunting beetles. You may see that there is a bamboo forest neighboring the sandy beach where characters will find insects to capture with their net. If capturing beetles isn't your forte, maybe just go up to the person you have a close bond with and hit them over the head with your net. The choice is yours.

Among the typical insects, there are three types of horned beetles. Anyone familiar with beetle fighting may see this as an opportunity to find their new pet, but those with money on the mind may find out that the townsfolk will purchase beetles for bonus shards. Here are the types of beetles and their values:

CLICK FOR BEETLES!

Horned Dynastid (Red): 5 bonus shards.

Horned Atlas (Black): 10 bonus shards.

Horned Hercules (Gold): 15 bonus shards.

There will be a ruined down, old sign on the main path in the bamboo forest that lists these types of beetles and their price. Team up together and enter the forest to find a fortune!

Suspicious Message #2

On the morning of the 1st, some dreamers will receive a message from an unknown user.

Who or what has broken your heart before?

They will feel compelled to respond with a truthful answer, as if their brains had gone into a trance, and before they know it, their response will be there for everyone to see. It cannot be deleted or changed. The user will not respond personally, but you get the sense they are definitely reading. Characters who are disinterested in romance can also mention familial or platonic heartbreak. It can also be a devastating event or anything else.

[ This is an additional network option for characters to interact with. Feel free to add a network prompt into any of your top levels. If you do not want to interact with this prompt, simply assume your character did not get the message. All threads are public unless actively privated by characters. We generally encourage threadjacking and engagement, so feel free to mention if threadjacking is fine with you so that others are aware. Note that the NPC will not be actively responding. ]

OOC

Welcome to the labyrinthum TDM! All events are game canon. New characters (invited or not) and old characters alike are welcome to play in it. Existing characters can start their own logs or network posts for the event if they wish to.

New and Old characters are welcome to top level on the TDM. Please state in the header if you are a new or old player! Also, new characters may link their top levels under the new character comment so they are easier to find. Thanks for your cooperation!

New 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.

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

Unique to this TDM, we have a beetle hunting event. Be sure to comment under the RNG Beetle Hunt to see which beetle your character finds in order to exchange later for bonus shards! One RNG per character, please.

Comments

Willow Park | The Owl House | Current

[anything_grows]

A. Beach Day

[ Willow couldn't help being curious about the new area that had been opened up as well, though when she steps out onto the sandy shore, she doesn't expect the swimsuit that she's suddenly wearing. And it takes her a moment to even realize why she even has it, as she gazes out towards the ocean. Because even though she knows that not everything is going to be like the Boiling Sea back home, she can't help still feeling a bit wary about getting too close to the water.

But then, the sea does look pretty, and it would be nice to cool down given how hot it's been lately. Plus the atmosphere is relaxing, and it doesn't seem that anything is too dangerous here. So eventually Willow does find herself standing where the water just meets the shore, though anyone close by might notice her simply watching the waves for a moment, standing just out of reach of the water with a contemplative expression on her face. ]

B. Beetle Hunt

[ Willow was less interested in really catching any beetles and mostly just wanted to take a look at the bamboo forest. Still, she'd taken one of the bamboo nets with her anyway, just in case.

She's not in much of a hurry, though, taking her time as she walks almost leisurely through the forest, examining the bamboo trees up close. Upon coming across someone, she'll offer a wave and a smile. ]

How's it going? Any luck so far?

C. Suspicious Message

A few years ago, when we were younger, my best friend at the time told me she didn't want to be my friend anymore, and picked probably the worst reason for why. We've made up since then and are friends again, but a part of me can't help wondering sometimes how different things might have been if we'd stayed friends. If she hadn't abandoned me for all those years.

[ A few moments later, after Willow realizes what she'd said, she quickly posts a follow-up. ]

But it wasn't all her fault! In a way, she had also been trying to protect me. Things were complicated, but the important thing now is we've made up and our friendship is better than ever.

[ Even though the damage had already been done. ]

D. Wildcard

(( Feel free to do something else, or hit me up at usamichan13 to plot something! ))

Beetles

[thedreamrenewed]

Net held like a sword in her hands, Yuuki is ready to strike...if any dang beetles would show up. Her concentration is broken when Willow asks how she's doing and she shakes her head.

"Not so far. I figured they'd be easier to come by, but I haven't seen even one yet. You want to party up?"

[anything_grows]

"Yeah? To be honest, I haven't really seen any either." Then again, Willow hadn't been looking to hard for them. Still, that does surprise her a bit, so at the second question she nods. "Sure, I don't mind. It should help having an extra pair of eyes."

[thedreamrenewed]

"Yeah, totally!" Throwing her net over her shoulder, Yuuki approaches Willow and offers her hand out. "Name's Yuuki. I'm new here. Nice to meetcha, partner!" Excellent, PUG acquired. And this doesn't seem like a hard task, so they should have this wrapped up in no time.

"Pretty sure there's nothin' back that way." She thumbs to where she came from. "But maybe if we go in a little deeper?"

[anything_grows]

With a smile, Willow accepts the hand with a firm shake. "Willow Park. I'm new here too. It's nice to meet you."

Following the direction the other girl indicated, she nods a little. "Yeah, I haven't seen much over that way either." She waves in the general area that she'd come from. "We can try going in deeper. I'm sure we're bound to come across something eventually."

[thedreamrenewed]

Handshake done, Yuuki balances her net over her shoulder, and they head off. "Neat forest, at least." She mentions as they walk. "If we don't find anything, at least we got nice scenery to look at." Reminds her of places back home, places she'd never been but wanted to. The bamboo is comfortingly familiar, at least.

"So you been here awhile?" She asks as they walk. Odds are most people are going to be, right? "Anythin' unusual about the beetles here?" Are they big? Are they ill-tempered? Honestly, even if they are the latter, it's kind of refreshing to have a quest this low-key, Yuuki left these sorts of noob quests behind a long time ago. Like she really is starting over again.

[anything_grows]

Willow nods as they walk along, looking up to admire the bamboo trees. "It is really pretty here, huh?" She giggles a little. "Honestly, I was more interested in getting to see this forest more than catching any of the beetles."

Idly she twirls her net in her hands as they continue making their way through the forest. "I've been here about a month, I think?" she answers after a moment. "This is the first time I've been in this forest, though, so I haven't seen any of the beetles yet." She hadn't thought that there would be anything unusual about them, but then again she was used to a lot of strange things.

C UN: Konpeito-Maou

[konpeito_aji]

I don't think I could forgive that so easily, personally.

How was it protecting you?

[anything_grows]

I'll admit, it wasn't easy. But to be honest, it wasn't really worth being upset with her either.

Like I said, it's complicated. We have magic where I'm from, and there are schools to help us practice and study our magic. I didn't know it at the time, but I guess her parents had threatened to make sure I couldn't get into one of the schools if she didn't stop being my friend.

I was a bit of a late bloomer with my magic, so I guess they felt I wasn't good enough to be friends with her.

[konpeito_aji]

I see.

I guess that wouldn't count as a betrayal then. My world doesn't have magic, so to convert it to my world's terms; it would be like an ally going deep undercover until they were able to get free enough to rule their life under their own freedom and terms. All the while, they still acted in your best interests, even though politically they seem opposed to your radical ways in favor of traditions.

Were you able to prove your strength on merits despite being nontraditional?

[anything_grows]

Yeah, something like that. Though it still really hurt at the time, I know better now.

[ If only Amity hadn't spent the following years twisting the knife deeper until the truth finally came out. ]

It...didn't feel like it at the time. I struggled a lot in school, and everyone - including myself - thought it was because I just wasn't good at magic. But it turns out I just wasn't practicing the magic I was actually good at.

[konpeito_aji]

How many types of magic are there?

There's not really schools at all in my time. Indeed, the more I learn about the future and other worlds, I think it was a mistake on my part not to set up a more formalized education system to wrest it out of the private tutoring domain. Especially since I knew of Lisbon's university, but even that is rather religious.

All of this is to say, I know very little of academia, but desperately seek more information.

[anything_grows]

Well there are nine main magic tracks. There's Abomination, Bard magic, Beast Keeping, Construction, Healing, Illusion, Oracle magic, Plant magic, and Potions. My dads wanted me to study in Abomination for a long time, because there were better job opportunities once I graduated school. But I wasn't really good at it, and eventually my principal switched me to the Plant track, and I was finally able to thrive.

Schools can be nice, but you also have to be careful about what you're learning in them too. Sometimes they can be used to spread misinformation too.

A

[woo_oo]

HI WILLOW WHAT'RE YOU DOING?

[ Enjoy that yell from right behind you, friend, because that's just how Webby is. She smiles up at Friend, oblivious to any heart attack or strokes she may have just given her. Obligatory swimsuit share! ]

[anything_grows]

[ Willow jumps with a startled yelp, nearly losing her balance and falling face first into the water. She just manages to catch herself though, and turns to look at Webby. ]

Oh, uh...hey, Webby! [ She breathes out the nervous energy in a laugh. ] I was just...thinking of taking a swim, maybe.

[ Maybe. ]

[woo_oo]

It looks really nice, doesn't it? And it's good exercise!

[ Without any further ado, she begins to run into the water! ]

[anything_grows]

[ Willow is quiet for a moment as she watches Webby, still hesitating about whether to actually follow. ]

So, uh...how does it feel?

[ She feels a bit bad, waiting for the other girl to test it first before trying to join in. But Webby seems pretty confident that nothing bad would happen... ]

[woo_oo]

Very wet!

[ She means this sincerely! She even does a little twirl in there. ]

And soooo refreshing! Come on in, there's room for everyone!

[anything_grows]

[ Hesitating for a moment longer, Willow then takes a breath and steps into the water.

And can't help a surprised sound, even as she laughs. ]

It's cold!

[ Which, given the heat lately, is refreshing. But more importantly, it's not painful. ]

[woo_oo]

It sure is! Doesn't it feel great?

[ She grabs Willow's hand, trying to encourage her to walk in further. ]

[anything_grows]

[ With another laugh, she nods as she follows Webby a bit further into the waves, even kicking up a bit of water as she goes. ]

After all this heat? It really does.

[woo_oo]

Do you get to go to the beach a lot where you're from? I only get to go when there's adventure involved. I don't really get a chance for this kind of stuff.

[anything_grows]

No, not really. Where I come from, the beach itself is okay, but the ocean is boiling hot, so it's dangerous to get too close.

Beach

[ricketybiscuit]

[An alligator boy with swim trunks comes dashing past, lunging into the water with a splash. He lets out a joyous laugh,.]

Whoooo hoo!!

[He pops his head just slightly above the water, spotting Willow.]

Hey! What are you standing there for? The water's great!

[anything_grows]

[ Surprised, Willow just manages to step back to avoid the splash when the figure jumps into the water. When he turns towards her, she waves a little. ]

Yeah, it looks it. I guess I was just...making sure.

[ And he doesn't seem to be hurting at all, so... ]