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buttrinthum2023-01-01 04:59 pm
TDM #1
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: poinsettias and mistletoe. You’ll soon find out that being around the poinsettias give you an odd sense of joy no matter how confusing the situation may seem and the mistletoe, which is left over from the holiday season, gives you the desire to kiss or hold hands with the nearest person to you. 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?
With the influx of new life, the humble town a barkeep tells you is called Somnius seems to come alive as well, with new faces to join that of the resident fairies, goblins and other townfolk. There’s bustling energy to the land that the townfolk will tell you wasn’t quite there before, and some suspect that the presence of the new arrivals might be powering the world around them in some way - but that’s a question to be answered on another day. The quaint town of Somnius needs a little bit of care, that rustic feel to the mushroom houses, old shops and weathered castles too evident at first glance, but it’s not a bad place to live, as the locals will tell you. It almost seems like everything will be okay…
But of course, things are never so simple.
Whether you have been wandering around to get your bearings, talking to the locals or exploring your new humble (very humble) abode, you can expect to find mysterious ice sculptures - fashioned in the shape of snow angels, with blades in their hands - appearing in random places around the town. There are some that manifest in the middle of the street, some that sit quietly at the edge of an inn, and even some that appear right beside your bed, staring at you as you wake up. It’s unclear how these sculptures even got here, but close proximity to them will conjure up feelings of unrest, like you should not step any closer.
It’s smart to trust your gut in these situations. Step too close to a snow angel and it will come to life, moving with the grace of flowing water. They make a vague request and will spare only those able to heed it.
“Cold … so cold … Even the days of Visium are so cold. Have you any warmth to spare us?”
Some angels will accept an article of clothing as warmth. Others are greedy and keep demanding more, wanting to take everything that you have on your body. Heed their requests and they will spare you. Resist even just a little, and that’s when they draw their swords.
It’s not too easy to defeat an angel with brute force given that they reform themselves immediately. Running away or blasting them with fire could do the trick. Be careful not to get cut by their blades, however…
Characters who get cut by their blades will experience an inconsolable sense of chill and emptiness, right down to their bones. They will find themselves desiring ‘warmth’ from others in different ways - whether through physical contact, or affectionate words and gestures. There might be the few who go feverish in their desire for warmth. For those characters – the open fireplace is looking like a very tantalizing place to sit in right now (Yes, sit in, not by). They might even feel compelled to pull a friend in with them. That can’t be good for anyone…
The effects will only subside if the condition of receiving ‘warmth’ is met. This can be in the literal sense (physical warmth and intimacy) or figurative (feelings of love, acceptance and happiness).
When night falls, the temperatures only drop further, which does no favours for the poor souls who had to give up their clothing. The locals want to welcome the new arrivals and give everyone an opportunity to unwind from a busy and chaotic day of being hunted by snow sculptures. That’s why they’ve set up a gathering in the middle of town square. Food and alcohol is being generously supplied by The Cask & Anvil, and marketplace vendors have set up pop up stands to try and cajole the new arrivals into purchasing some fancy new clothes or a pretty gemstone they claim will ward off danger (claims not verified).
At the center of it all is a large bonfire that’s warming up the square. Everyone is encouraged to warm themselves by it after a long day, eat, and make merry. In fact, there’s a certain sense of enchantment to the crackling fire that seems to draw even the shiest wallflower in, pushing them to sit with others and make conversation. As the night goes on, the newly arrived dreamers will find themselves settling easily into the warm and bustling mood, any stresses and anxieties melting away. With time, they’ll start to find themselves without a filter, more than happy to talk about themselves and the life they had led prior to coming to Visium. In fact, they will feel compelled to share a story from their past - one that might be joyous, comedic, thrilling, or tragic. Whatever sorts of feelings come attached to their story, it will be one of emotional significance.
In the back of their minds, they might get the sense someone else is listening.
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. Please comment here to request an outcome for your character's labyrinth exploration and a moderator will get to you shortly. (The longest a character can stay in the Labyrinth is 3 days.)
You can find more information about the game here. Any questions regarding the TDM can go under the comment below.
no subject
You dimension hop? I haven't met many who could do that. Do you do it on purpose or are you just sort of dragged around? How does it work for you?
[Qinghua himself was only familiar with two ways of traveling between universes - or rather, two ways that actually worked. The rest were all still firmly in the realm of fiction. Well... maybe three with whatever dragged him here.]
no subject
[There's a short moment where the look on The Doctor's face is questioning, why is he saying this? Then sticks a marshmallow near his mouth and begins to eat that a bit suggestively.]
I sent my console on randomizer so the Black and White Guardians couldn't find me, in order to use me to assemble an item that could in fact re-start the entire universe. And my Tardis slipped into E-Space...
[A loud exhale]
Where Gallifrey should have been... [The Doctor's eyes seem to stare up at the sky for a long moment]
it was someplace else.
It was Argolis. Same coordinates as Gallifrey but in another dimension entirely.
My people invented, no grew these ships called a Tardis. And they're alive in a sorts of way. And they can travel in time and space.
no subject
The important bits seemed to be that he traveled by ship and that it was apparently called 'Tardis'. Also, that the man in front of him was a potential component for restarting the universe.]
So you always dimension hop randomly or just in that specific scenario? And since it's your ship that does it, does that mean you can control it if you wanted to by setting specific dimensional coordinates?
no subject
[The Doctor remarks firmly for a moment. His ship identifies female]
Yes, well, not specific dimensional coordinates [The Doctor gives a small sniff with his nose] but specific space and time coordinates.
[There's hurt in those brown eyes. He misses his Tardis and wonders where she is.]
But - yeah. Well, more or less. Rose and I -
[The Doctor looks out again at the sky. Where is his Rose?]
Ended up in a parallel Earth, recently. Which should havef been impossible. With my people, all gone, now. The Time Lords.
[The fire in the pit seems to reflect in sad brown eyes]
Usually, just sort of wander around me.
no subject
[Well, he did say 'ship' and ships were usually treated as women no matter the shape or purpose. Should be easy to remember.]
Okay wait. Why would parallel Earth's be impossible. It's just another type of universe slash dimension in space-time, isn't it? Even if you're the last of your people - awesome name by the way - the fact that you remain means that they aren't all gone. So if the ability to jump into alternate and parallel timelines and what-if scenarios requires the presence of one of your people, then by the very fact of your existence as the last one, it's not, in fact 'impossible'.
CW for implied genocide
[The Doctor gives a small cheeky grin, cleary impressed, a bit.]
Good questions. Because they held up the walls of the universe. My universe. So, when I did that - thing, hundreds of years ago, that ended me and Romana - Oh Fred. Oh Fred.
[Someone clearly misses Fred.]
Ended up on Argolis. Adric. Oh Adric.
[The Doctor's hearts seem to cry out for a moment. The Doctor is quiet for a moment as he sips on some tea.]
Thar... Was a war between my people and the Daleks, a war for the whole of creation. And everyone lost...
[There's a loud exhale. He looks so old and tired for a someone who appears so, very young]
Us... ending up in a 'what if' dimensional plane, should havef been impossible. Some - gap in reality wasn't sealed and we just - literally dropped into it.
Re: CW for implied genocide
[If someone thinks he's clever, they might try to make him do some sort of work! He'd much rather be idle! Especially right now...]
Okay. So. The Daleks won this creation war and because of that, the gap in reality shouldn't have existed. Because they would have sealed it? But it did so you just fell through. Does that mean in this other what-if dimension the Daleks didn't win? Or did they still win there but it was weird?
CW for implied genocide
I'm the only one who came out of it. But the rest of the universe - was at the very least, okay. [The Doctor closes his eyes for a moment and the look on his face seems to read, "thank goodness"]
And with the Time Lords gone... Thar wasn't anyone else to hold up the walls of the universe. So- should have been sealed.
Blimey, why I am telling you all of this?
no subject
[he shrugged. it was writers logic. At the question, though, Qinghua stilled, head titled. Took a look around and listened again, to the others around the fire. Then went over how he'd felt since sitting down...
Then let out a big sigh.]
We're under some sort of compulsion truth effect. It's a standard trope for forcing characters to resolve situations or created drama that can only be resolved by them talking it out or have the drama created through one of them learning something they'd rather not know. I should have recognized the signs. I've used the same canned trope how many times?
no subject
Yeah.
[The Doctor pulls his hands down his cheeks.]
Expect... I don't believe in thar beliefs. So, I guess thar out of luck. Which, in all honesty, is for the best.
[There's a pause, and he wonders what caused that.]
I'm so, so, sorry, you had to sit though all of that. And you're right. Generally, I don't make a point to talk about this.
cw: this guy writes porn and is very open about discussing it
[A beat and then, because he can't help himself because compulsion and all that.]
That's not to say it's not super interesting and if I was still writing hetero-focused porn I'd probably use it as inspiration for a save-the-species-orgy. Though actually, I've heard that mpreg is pretty popular now... But which of my children would make a good mother/father? Yue-shixiong maybe?
Anyway! You're fine! At least you didn't die, right?
LMAO
[The Doctor gives a playful eye-wink that doesn't mean a thing]
Yeahhhh - expect the thing is - [The Doctor covers his mouth with both of his hands. After a few moments when he's done saying, something. Uncovers his mouth and exhales loudly] Blimey! I need to shut up.
[The Doctor reaches into his inside pocket for his sonic screwdriver] Now, let's see if I can detech the exact source of the truth shield.
Oi! Where's my sonic screwdriver?! [Ten pouts in frustration.] And my Tardis key and psychic paper! [WTF!]
[There's a very long silence and The Doctor's eyes once again, reflect the flames, along with a broken expression.]
I have... Several times.
no subject
[. . .]
Oh shit. That sucks. Dying once was bad enough, I've done everything I can to avoid doing it again! Are you just death prone or something?
no subject
I'm sorry. I'm so, so, sorry that you died at all. From both of my hearts.
[He definitely knows it's awful]
It's been varying - reasons. Sometimes to save the Earth. The universe. Others. And sometimes it was just really stupid.
[The Doctor hides behind his hands]
no subject
[He shrugs again and lounges back as he takes a few marshmallows and munches on them lazily. Now that the shock has warn off, he's feeling pretty mellow about the whole multiple deaths idea. Definitely a spell or something but he didn't know if it was the food, the drink, a hidden array, or something else. So just getting up and leaving might not help.]
Besides, my death had to be one of the top 100 stupidest ways to die, so even if you've croaked a few times - especially for heroic causes and all - you probably don't even rank in the top 500 for stupidest deaths.
no subject
[There's a pause and those eyes seem too dark and alien once again, as they reflect the fire.]
Ten times total. Twice for saving The Earth. Twice for saving the universe. Twice for my friends. And the rest - well those seem sort of wasteful when compared.
[There's something definitely going on, given Ten even acknowledges War Doctor. Why doesn't he just get up and go from the fire pit? Because, outside of needing the warmth, it feels safe here. That nothing bad is here or will be here but he does feel some sort of listening- somewhere in the back of his mind. The wornness of dying and coming back so many times is very obvious in his eyes. That has mentally gotten to him.
There's a very faint smile about not even ranking in the top 500 stupidest deaths.]
Thank you.
no subject
[He shrugged again. He wasn't lying. He really was human. Just... unlucky maybe? or lucky depending on perspective.]
Did you have to grow up again, too? I had to go from being a baby to full grown again the long way. But I know someone else who just got to be full-grown and super OP out the gate.
[Yes, that does imply he was aware of his previous life while living as a toddler.]
no subject
So... something like -
[The Doctor stops because he's not sure what to refer Jack as but there is a non-verbal look of fondness while thinking of the other man. That was, after all, a rather good snog, in his last face.]
Someone I care deeply for. He's human, he can't die anymore either. Don't know if he starts over again completely...
[The Doctor mumbles]
Wonder when I'll meet up with him again...
[Then in his normal volume.]
No. My body changed and I just kept going.
no subject
I'm almost to immortality. Or I would be if my core hadn't been sealed. I can't feel it at all, so whatever did it, they must be really powerful. Probably an immortal themselves. But it's cool that you didn't have to suffer through being a kid again. Zero stars, do not recommend.
no subject
Well, that's what's so amazing about you humans! Your strive for immortality and the different ways that happens!
Like Charles Dickens and his books or Walt Disney and his films.
[The Doctor smiles very fondly]
And that's what makes you human. Wanting that. But it's not the time that matters. It's the person. Some do more in twenty years than others do in eighty
no subject
He let out another sigh and this time fell backward with a whine.]
Ugh! Don't remind me! Two lifetimes and I've practically done nothing with them! I won't even be remembered if I die again... Not that I was likely remembered the first time, either... Let's talk about something else. Something fun.
What's your dream guy like? If you could have any man, ever, what would he be like?
no subject
[The Doctor goes for more marshmallows but decides against it]
I like these teeth. And I'm keeping these teeth.
[And offers some to Shang Qinghua]
Ummmm.....
[The Doctor ruffles his hair.]
You see the thing is - I don't care what form my friends or - emotionally more invested look like. I'm more into personality and intellect.
Charles Dickens.
[There's a very smudge/suggestive look on The Doctor's face]
But thar are two individuals, I am very fond of. But thar genders don't have anything to do with it.
You?
no subject
[He insisted very primly before grinning a big dopey grin and going all love-faced.]
Ah, my perfect man already exists. "Eyes deep as night, nose straight and high, full of heroic spirit, icily arrogant beyond compare~"
[If he sounded like he was reciting a litany, he practically was. Those sixteen words had defined the love of his life long before the man was real.]
He's exactly as I wrote him. So cool~ So perfect~
no subject
Someone who can have a good, thoughtful, insightful conversation with me. Remind me to be human. Make me laugh. Oh yes!.. Someone who can light the darkness. Who isn't afraid to stand up for what is right. And maybe - get into a bit of trouble with me. [The Doctor teaseful remarks] And - holds my hand.
[Then an after thought]
And doesn't mind - if my face should change. Not that it should. I love this face, me. Why would I change?
Oh! Oh! Blimey! That was beautiful!
no subject
[He brings his hands up to his cheeks and rolls back and forth, heart going doki doki just thinking about holding his King's hand. Yes they were married. Yes they kissed often. Yes they had great sex. But holding hands!]
When one hand is held at the perfect angle to rub your thumb over their knuckles and the quiet, earnest affection it conveys sends shivers up your spine and curls your toes and makes your cheeks warm up as you can't help the smile that blooms~
Ah~ Sweet! Sweet! So very sweet~!
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