buttrinthum | TDM #4

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TDM #4

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It's a side of Erwin very few people get to see. Even though he's closest to rarely see him like this: when a question he's had gets answered, and he's enjoying the simple pleasure of discovery. He can be almost childlike in those moments, and he knows it. Hence, he normally keeps himself in tighter check, his emotional reins in a rigid grip, lest anyone think he's foolish.

But here, for whatever reason, the warm water, black sand, and little silver fish stir up something in Erwin's chest and bring out that boyish side. Maybe it's relief from the crushing weight of what they're about to do back home, relief from the knowledge that he's likely riding to his own death. Maybe it's discovering an ocean for the first time, and finding it friendly.

Maybe it's that Levi is here with him.

In any case, Erwin watches and smiles as Levi pads over, then bends down with him to examine the fish.

"I wonder what else is out there. There must be bigger fish than these."

What kind of people would they be, if not for titans?

It's not a question that occurs to Levi. Thinking so broadly, wishes of what could have been, are futile. Better to concentrate on what's in front of him, and maybe, maybe, what could be. Erwin is better at envisioning the future, and seeing a path to it. It's why Levi follows him. One reason, anyway.

Even so, the glimpses of such unguarded moments have never failed to affect him, even if only quietly.

Levi glances out toward the open expanse of glittering blue. "There's always bigger fish," he says somewhat dryly. "Wonder how far out you'd have to go..." The water looks mostly calm for now, but even so, he's not so sure how keen he is to get on a boat.

A larger wave ripples up to his knees, threatening to knock him off balance - he manages to stay upright, shifting his weight easily, but if the waves start getting much larger, he's going to have a problem.

When the larger wave hits them, Erwin puts his hand out to steady Levi. He doesn't even think about it; it just happens. The skin of Levi's back is warm under his palm.

"I'm going to ask about boats." Not that Erwin is eager to get on a boat and try to chart their way back home. No, this is more for personal curiosity than anything else. Besides, there aren't any oceans behind the walls, so it would be pointless. He just can't help but wonder what's beyond this ocean, what might lie on the other shore.

The waves are getting taller, splashing up around Erwin's knees, and the fish have all scattered away. Erwin glances at Levi, then jerks his head back to the shore.

"Come on, let's go back." Erwin does know how to swim, but goddess only knows how well he'd do with only one arm. He might end up paddling around in circles. This also doesn't seem like the best time to try and teach Levi.

His skin feels heated, warmed by the sun. In truth, he probably shouldn't be out in it so long like this, and neither should Erwin, for that matter. He looks sturdy enough, if thinner, but the last thing they both need is to be sunburned on top of everything else. Levi can't help his gaze lingering on the wound, the ragged edge where Erwin's arm once was. He's since learned that the potion he'd been given allegedly gives someone the power to heal wounds, and he can't help but wonder if there could be a way to heal Erwin's warm. Somehow.

As ever, Levi follows Erwin's lead, sloshing through the water and sand. The water is warm, but admittedly does feel good. Still, he's not really in the mood for learning how to swim with waves crashing around. The black sand is even hotter beneath his feet the farther away from the waves. He's really going to be missing his boots, soon.

"Think they'll bring our clothes back if we walk far enough away?" he mutters.

Erwin is very aware of how quickly he'll burn out here. He's already feeling a tingling on his shoulders, which indicates he should think about getting under some shade. He's unaware of it, but his nose and cheeks are already pinking nicely in the sun.

He wasn't ready at all for tropical sun.

Once they're out of the water, Erwin makes a beeline for a tree and some shade. Even the trees are different here, taller and more spindly, with all the leaves coming from the top. They wouldn't be good trees for the maneuver gear.

"Maybe our clothes are in our bags?" For the first time, Erwin takes a moment to get a better look at what he's wearing. Long black shorts with a vibrant, pink and green floral pattern on them. Not something he'd normally wear at all. "Do you think this is how the locals dress all the time?"

Weird.

Levi won't burn quite as fast, but the heat is already making his skin tingle. He follows Erwin off to the shade, thankfully locating their belongings quite quickly. After being in the water, the dry sand now clings to his ankles and feet, leaving a coating of dust on his skin. Levi wrinkles his nose in distaste.

It's only when Erwin comments on the strange clothing that he even really stops to look, arching an eyebrow at the colors, which are exceedingly bright. He looks down at himself, the plain fabric barely more than undergarments and shrugs.

"No fucking clue. Have you seen some of the 'locals' though? Creepy ass creatures. Don't think they were wearing anything that bright."

"I think there's a pump over there." Erwin noticed it as they walked back, and points it out now. The dust on his legs doesn't bother him, but he knows Levi would rather wash it off before putting his boots back on.

"They weren't, were they..." Something to think about! Either way, garish ~~80s jams~~ colours aren't exactly Erwin's style, and he digs his shirt out of his bag. He gets it draped over his shoulders fine, but the buttons give him trouble. He can handle them, but it's going to be slow going.

"I wonder if the colours signify anything."

Levi glances over in the direction indicated, and indeed there is one. Across more hot sand, but he'll manage. The water has also somehow left his skin feeling strange, almost sticky, rather than clean, and he feels a strong desire to bathe before even considering putting his currently only set of clothing back on. It might not entirely be an option, but the pump will help with the worst of it.

Still, he likewise pulls on just his shirt, leaving it open. As soon as he sees Erwin attempting his buttons one-handed, Levi flows easily back to his feet and silently moves Erwin's hand away before doing them himself.

"No idea," he says almost absently, fingers deftly working the buttons. He leaves the first one open, because it's fucking hot, and reaches around the back of his neck to adjust Erwin's collar, nearly like an embrace.

"Seems like we're going to maybe be in this weird place for a while. We should find a place to stay."

Erwin lets Levi swat his hand away to attack his buttons. He holds still and lets Levi do his thing, knowing that it's faster to let someone with two hands do the job but still internally wriggling with shame that he can't do it himself anymore. This is something he'll be practicing once they're settled in somewhere, until he can do it himself.

Although when Levi reaches up to adjust his collar, Erwin's remaining arm twitches, like he really does want to turn this into an embrace. He ignores it, and nods when Levi steps back.

"Thank you." He's not going to ask Levi to help him with the brightly-coloured shorts. He can handle that himself, thank you very much, and will wait until Levi is using the pump to clean his legs.

"We should walk back towards the hole in the wall. This area doesn't seem to have anything permanent." He looks back at the water, his brows drawing down in thought. "Although I wouldn't mind being able to see that every day."

It would be so easy to just lean into him, and take a breath. A few moments to just let it all go. There's a knot between his shoulders that's only gotten worse with every hour since they found themselves here. Being at Erwin's side again is probably the only reason why he still feels sane at this point.

Levi follows his gaze out toward the water, the sun sparkling almost too bright on the blue that extends seemingly endless toward the horizon. When he looks back to Erwin, he silently notes that his eyes do, indeed, match the sea.

"Yeah," he agrees quietly after a moment, and begins to gather his things.

"I'm going to wash up before this shit reaches all the way up my ass."

Erwin can feel how tense Levi is in those moments when they're close. If he thought it would help, he'd reach up and rub his fingers along Levi's spine, right between his shoulders where he carries all his tension. He won't, though; Levi doesn't want to get manhandled by Erwin. It would probably make the knot worse.

"You go do that." Erwin can't help smiling a little; leave it to Levi to jump right back to practical concerns. It's fine. They don't have time for Erwin to go on any flights of fancy. "I'll pack up the rest of our things."

And once Levi is off washing his legs, Erwin is going to engage in a brief but intense struggle with first his board shorts and then his pants from back home. He will not expect Levi's help getting his zipper back up. At least getting his shirt on first keeps him covered and decent. He'll deal with the struggle of tucking it in later.

It would help. Immensely. Erwin is pretty much the only person whose casual touch doesn't automatically put him on guard, whose hand on his shoulder is more grounding and guiding than anything else.

They have time. Somehow Levi gets the feeling that that's all they'll have here; he's sure that some dangers await, but compared to what they left, it feels peaceful, here. It's less time and more place; it's hot, and the longer he's caked in sand the crankier he'll become. Otherwise, he'd be more than happy to let Erwin wax poetic on any of the wonders they find here.

He scrubs his feet and legs off as best he can with nothing really on hand to scrub with. Likewise lacking something really suitable to *dry* himself off, with, he carefully uses the edge of his cloak. It's seen worse things than sand and water, but as it's undetermined if he'll ever be able to obtain another, it wouldn't do going and unnecessarily wearing it out.

Occasionally, he sneaks glances out the corner of his eye at Erwin - from this perspective he can't quite see him fully, but enough to ensure that he's not face down in the sand. He knows he shouldn't hover; Erwin is still mostly capable of looking after himself, especially now with some of his strength back. But after willingly putting his life on the line for him over and over again, what was a few buttons?

Levi spies a changing tent only a few paces over, and dresses quickly. He returns to Erwin, shirt halfway buttoned and sleeves rolled up, his cloak and cravat under his arm. "C'mon, let's find some real shade. I'm fucking over this heat."

Erwin is dressed and looking perky by the time Levi gets back. He's managed to get into both his pants and boots, and while his shirt is untucked, he doesn't care.

"Look what I found." He holds up an item he noticed while pulling his boots on. "It's a hairy rock."

It's a coconut. Erwin carefully tucks it into his bag for further examination, then nods at Levi's suggestion.

"I agree. I wouldn't mind finding something to drink, either."

They are... very overdressed for this weather. Erwin is starting to sweat all over his shirt. He doesn't yet know the word for humidity, but he already doesn't like it.

Levi gives the 'hairy rock' a big frown, almost protests when Erwin puts the filthy thing in his bag, but doesn't. There's much to discover and learn about this place, and there's no reason to discourage Erwin's curiosity.

They need a cooler place to be. According to what he's heard, this place is currently experiencing an unusual heat wave, which is comforting only in the thought that they aren't stuck somewhere that is always this insufferably disgusting.

They manage to find some shelter and water again after a while, but the locals are strange, ugly little creatures, and Levi prefers to avoid them as much as possible. Eventually someone gives them information about places to stay, and they wend their way towards the treehouses.

Have you ever seen a hairy rock before, Levi? No, Erwin thought not! He's going to study this thing later, and try to figure out why it's making a sloshing sound, like there's water inside.

Once they make their way to the treehouses, Erwin turns up the charm and manages to get some information about what they are. After talking to a handful of different people--some of whom aren't even people, and how interesting is that!--Erwin gets a treehouse assigned to the two of them. He doesn't even think to ask if Levi would rather have something closer to the ground; after living so long with titans, and being unsure about what this world might throw at them, being above the fray just feels natural.

The rope ladder up to the treehouse gives Erwin a little trouble, but he manages it without making a total fool of himself. Once they're both up in the treehouse, Erwin drags the ladder up after them.

"There." He sits back on his heels, laboriously folding the ladder into a neat pile. "Now anything from the ground will have to work to get up here."

Levi falls into step, easily letting Erwin take the lead from place to place and doing the talking and negotiating. When they finally make it up the ladder, he can't help feeling almost overwhelmingly exhausted. It's a little ridiculous, given that he hadn't done anything particularly strenuous, but perhaps it is the heat and just the overall what the fuck of finding themselves in a completely foreign environment.

He leans near the door with a slight sigh as Erwin finishes, certain that if he sat down anywhere now, he'd never get up again. A headache pulls at his temples.

"Let's hope no one sends their dragon after us," he says, weariness plain in his voice.

Inside is a small but adequate living space; a kitchen with an interesting looking stove and a table with chairs and a bookshelf nearby, a washroom, and two bedrooms on opposite sides. It's unclear how long it's been unoccupied, but Levi goes and runs his fingers under one bookshelf ledge, and makes a disgusted face when they come away dirty.

"This whole place needs a thorough cleaning."

"Tomorrow." Erwin is exhausted too--it's the heat, he thinks--but he's not going to let Levi get started on a cleaning frenzy. Once that begins, it doesn't stop until the place is spotless, and that could take hours. "We're both too tired to start that now."

He walks up to Levi and puts his hand on his back, between Levi's shoulder blades. "Come on. Get some rest, and I'll help you clean tomorrow."

He opens his mouth to protest, but then Erwin's hand is at his back, a familiar, grounding touch. The tension in his shoulders visibly relaxes, muscles unwinding under Erwin's palm as he leans back into it, ever so slightly. For a moment or two, Levi is just quiet, eyes closed, as he lets it all settle. There's no knowing what the next day will bring, but at least Erwin is here.

Finally, Levi looks up at him, and as much as he hates the idea of sleeping in a dusty home, he's dealt with far worse for far longer. Especially recently.

"All right, Erwin. I'll hold you to that."

Erwin is a little surprised when Levi leans backward onto his hand, but he keeps the pressure steady. Levi must be exhausted, to both give up on the idea of cleaning so easily and to also lean on Erwin like this.

"All right." Erwin smiles at him. "Then I better get some sleep too, since you'll be putting me through my paces tomorrow."

Erwin has been a helper during one of Levi's cleaning frenzies before, and delegated that job to new recruits as quickly as possible. With no new recruits here, he's just going to have to buck up and do the work himself.

"Damn right." For all that he's quietly fussed throughout the day about Erwin's current state, Levi's not going to let him off easy when it comes to this.

A thought comes, one that's been held back for most of the day - they should have ridden out towards Shiganshina today, making their way towards their most dangerous and important mission the Survey Corps has ever faced, towards Erwin's dream, his real dream, and yet they found themselves here. For one more moment, he stalls, mentally tracing the outline of Erwin's hand at his back, and wonders, silently, if Erwin feels frustrated or thwarted.

He doesn't ask.

"I'm going to wash up and see if it's possible to make some tea." Finally he steps away, because if he doesn't, he might not ever move from the spot.

"Want any?"

Levi's fussiness doesn't extend to shirking on cleaning duty. Erwin knows this, and accepts it. He'll be hauling water one-armed all day tomorrow.

Erwin has, very pragmatically, decided not to think about what they'd have been doing today back home. They'd be retaking Shiganshina and riding straight into the mouth of hell; instead, they're in a treehouse after seeing an ocean with black sand and finding a hairy rock. This is, while not what they're supposed to be doing, much better and more interesting, and Erwin is going to lean into that.

"Of course." Erwin gives Levi a gentle shove when he steps away. "You go wash up, and I'll get some water boiling."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

TDM #4

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Levi finds a changing tent, Erwin flashes the whole beach

That tracks, also Erwin's endless curiosity is so cute brb dying

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