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buttrinthum2023-06-30 11:42 am
TDM #4
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. ]
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.
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?
CW: bugs, beetle imageryAlong 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!
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. ]
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.
no subject
[But she says it lightly. They both know where the other stands, don't they? No need to make a fuss over it. The question makes her smile.]
I know how to use a knife. I'd sooner not; a gun is safer, but I can use one if I need to. I'm also reasonably good with an axe, if that counts. Provided it's a small one.
[She definitely assumes that Rose will know far more than her about bladed weapons, so there's no hint of boasting here, just a dispassionate assessment of her abilities.]
no subject
[Rose sighed and shook her head some]
The thing with a steel blade, if it's too ridged it will be brittle. The edge will chip and can shatter on impact. But if the steel goes through the right treatment it will have a bit of flexibility. It will be able to handle impacts and be considered a much stronger blade for it.
The same can be said about people, regardless of species. A little flexibility will make one much stronger than trying to be unbending to the impact of change. You may want to keep that in mind.
[She turns to walk away since it seemed like Tayrey wasn't going to listen to her anyway.]
no subject
You don't care if you're rude? I wasn't lying. I was being polite. As polite as I can be when I'm approached by someone who wants to give unsolicited criticism on my dress and my actions, and won't let it go. What did you expect, that I'd say yes ma'am, I'll change everything about myself that you object to, in accordance with your wishes?
The locals are sulking over the Skeksis. [She had taken Rose's advice and toned down her approach to that after their last conversation, not that it seems to matter now.] They don't care how I look. They don't have a military organisation here, it means nothing to them. The patrol? The ones whose lives I saved before you even got here are grateful for it, and I and the rest of the militia do it out of goodwill. No pay. If you want to take a different approach, you're very welcome to do so yourself.
And you have no idea what I... there was a time I lost everything. My captor took everything from me. Except this uniform. It was all I had to remind me who I was and what I stood for, in the face of terrible adversity. It means nothing to anyone else here. It means enough to me that the weather is utterly unimportant by comparison.
[She turns away, not wanting Rose to see the tears that threaten to spill from her eyes. Weak, Tayrey. Damaged. This woman's opinion shouldn't mean anything to her.]
no subject
I don't expect you to do anything, much less say "yes ma'am." It was advice, and yes it was unsolicited. I expect you to do with it as you will, which also includes ignoring it altogether if you so wish. I didn't even say for you to stop patrolling altogether. Just to be smart about it considering what happened recently.
Throughout the millenniums I have met many who were like you, resistant to change because they thought they would lose a key part of themselves. The majority of the time, it ended badly for them. It's just this time, I can actually say something instead of being forced to just watch it all play out.
Nothing any captor can do can take away what makes you you, and it has nothing to do with your clothing. In the end, that uniform is mainly a security blanket.
[She goes to walk away again.]
Though if you were completely opposed and against everything I said, you could have just ignored everything and not run in front of me when I tried to leave. Clearly, I did at least give you something to think about.
no subject
Or I could disagree with what you say, but have no wish to be on bad terms with you as an individual. Do you usually run away when someone disagrees with you? Look at me. Let's talk this through.
[She thinks they can, or at least that it's worth trying. She's much calmer now, despite the blunt words. Whether or not Rose chooses to turn back to face her, she'll keep talking.]
I think you're projecting. You're thinking of bad situations in your past, seeing a superficial similarity, and putting all that on me as if it's just the same. My clothes are the only thing here that is the same as home. If I couldn't handle any change, I'd be curled up helpless on the floor. I flew a starship. This place doesn't even have steam engines. I've never lived on a planet's surface. I've never had to do half the things that are part of my daily routine now.
[She really had done well, handling the lack of technology with a surprisingly cheerful attitude. Having to carry water from the well would make up for the lack of a gym, she'd said, and wasn't it nice to try new foods, and lucky that she'd been taught how to do stellar calculations without the aid of a computer? Not to mention that back home she'd have laughed at the idea of doing any kind of community work without pay, and here she was championing the militia.]
Change isn't always bad, and it isn't always good. Some things are worth preserving, and others aren't. Individuals are always going to disagree on where to draw that line. You've lived so long that it's hardly surprising you won't have the same perspective as me, but that doesn't mean my choices aren't right for me and my life. Even if they wouldn't be for yours.
[Another quick breath.]
And if in all your millennia of life you've never had to think about what a captor might do to someone to slowly break them, twist them until there's nothing left of the person they were? I'm glad for you. I'm glad that whatever other hardships you've had to face, you've never seen that. You want to call my uniform a security blanket? Fine. I've been through hell, I'm keeping my damn blanket.
[Own it, and then it can't be used to hurt you, isn't that the way?]
no subject
I do not wish to waste my time and breath on a child who has no intention of listening to what I say due to their own foolish stubbornness. Who keep running after me because they feel like they have something to prove. Who is spouting what they think is proof of their argument and saying I'm the one projecting when they know nothing about me beyond just basic information. Don't make assumptions. You are not the only one here who has been to and seen Hell.
[In Rose's case it was quite litterally when she and her fellow Dragoons actually stepped into the Death City.]
I'm walking away because I honestly don't care. You said you disagree with the advice I gave. Fine. That is your business, not mine. I said my peace and I'm not going to humor you just because you think I should just agree with you and your ways.
Just don't whine when you finally break.
[She was done. If Tayrey tries to stop her from leaving again, she may have to resort to physical force.]
no subject
'Don't whine when you break' is laughable in its petty cruelty, and it proves that whatever Rose thinks she knows about Ari Tayrey, she's wrong. Ari had been close to breaking, once. Somnius is an easy little shuttle flight compared to the Serena Eterna. She's happy here. She'd be happier without the few people determined to see the worst in her, but that truly is a minor trouble.
As for calling her a foolish, stubborn child because she won't do what Rose wants? Well, that tells her a lot. She'd misjudged the woman, held her higher in esteem than she deserved. Young Tradeline officers know exactly how to deal with that sort of attitude. Ignore the person, dismiss them as they've clearly dismissed you, and keep right on being competent and capable. Prove them wrong, without expending any extra effort, just by doing your job. Yes. She can do that.]
It's a real pity you can't hear another perspective, agree to disagree and let the issue go, and hold a civil conversation. No matter.
[Bluntly stating an opinion won't bother Ari too much, even if she dislikes it. Pointless rudeness and name-calling, however, she has no time for, so she's done trying to explain her perspective. Rose clearly isn't interested in cross-cultural understanding and accepting their differences. Ari doesn't try to stop the woman from leaving again. Instead, she turns sharply on her heel and heads off in the other direction. She has a patrol route to finish.]
no subject
[The audacity of this girl!]
I was agreeing to disagree when I walked away! You were the one who stepped in my way because you didn't want to leave things as is! There is no point in continuing a discussion when it comes to that point but you couldn't let it go. You are the one who isn't satisfied unless the other bends to your ways! You are the one who is projecting because Soa forbid there is someone who doesn't agree with you no matter what you say.
No wonder there are planets in your world that want nothing to do with your organization if this is the kind of mentality it breeds.
no subject
Tayrey just quickens her pace. She doesn't even look round, as if she hadn't heard. Yes, she knows Rose had wanted her to meekly take the unasked-for criticism and let her walk off, without right of reply. That wasn't agreeing to disagree. Not even close. Rose wanted her to bend, to conform, to give up what precious little she still had of her own culture - and then acted as if Tayrey were trying to force her to follow Tradeline ways when she simply explained why she behaved as she did. But she hadn't said a single critical thing about the way Rose dressed or what she chose to do in Somnius. Live and let live.
It doesn't matter. The opinion of someone who looks at a qualified and hardworking Tradeline lieutenant and says 'stupid child' is worthless to her. She's no longer interested in trying to clear up any misunderstanding. There are plenty of other people here who value her for who she is. She can forget this one.]