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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
Psh, [ he goes on to the admonishment of abandoning his kid, shrugging. ] I was gonna go back. I just got paid. It's not abandonment if someone kills you, now is it? Didn't even leave him by himself in the meantime.
[ it's more than toji was ever afforded. maybe he never did right by the kid, but he did more than he had to. the thought itches now and then. ]
no subject
he exhales quietly. slowly. ) We apologize your experience wasn't what you were expecting. ( he keeps up with his monotone, though implementing a tinny sort of quality to make it sound like the other is calling a help hotline and complaining about his sexual encounters to customer service. ) If you'd like to take our survey, we'll know just what sort of service you'll be expecting going forward. ( gojo …
we understand how much you Do Not Like( ™ ) this man, but you're going above and beyond just to be a bastard about it. ah well, that'll be the end of that, at least.
he snorts. ) Sure you were. You were going to sell him to the Zen'ins, so don't you dare lie to me. ( pause. ) But I guess you do have a point … I did him a favor, then.
no subject
[ but then gojo goes on, and toji laughs a sharp, manic laugh at the entire procession of words. he's not sure why he expected any different from gojo, except he forgets sometimes just what a different world he lives in from the rest of them. ]
The fuck would I lie about selling him? Of course I was, I'm not that kind of stupid. He's got real talent, enough for them to shell out the big bucks. He'll be okay there, even if it's a fucking den of wolves.
[ rolling his shoulders, toji stretches until his neck gives an audible crack. if the idea that killing toji was a boon to megumi is supposed to hurt, it misses its mark. he just grins, shrugging. how many times had the kid told him to not bother coming back next time? feels like since the brat could talk he was scolding toji for his failings as a father. the money was always gone, the food was never right, toji didn't do the school enrollment paperwork properly, he didn't keep the girlfriend megumi liked okay around, he didn't get megumi clothes that fit, he didn't, he didn't, he didn't.
some days toji was so buried under it, he almost felt at home.
being sold to the zenin was better. megumi would get all the things he needed, would learn what he had to learn. he'd have a chance.
toji's eyes feel tired, so he squeezes them shut briefly. ]
Sure. Probably. [ toji's actually struggling to come up with anyone who wouldn't thank gojo for putting zenin toji down like a dog. that, too, is funny. ] Did you ask him?
no subject
( yeah … yeah, he mad. but there is a lot of pride in him for the individual that megumi has started to grow into, the sort of man he's going to be, and if you don't think he's going to protect that with everything in him whether he needs to or not —
you really don't know who you're dealing with.
he takes in a deep breath and holds it, counting the seconds until his lungs begin to protest before he lets it out in a slow, slow exhale. he's not going to do himself any favors by letting this man get the better of him, by letting him get under his skin because he hadn't been so much of a problem until he'd plopped down next to him. little more than the memory of a time he sometimes wishes he didn't have to remember, except for what it meant going forward.
he chews idly on the inside of his cheek until he tastes the threat of broken skin before he speaks up again. )
No. Why would I?
no subject
Yeah? [ toji asks at the news that gojo evidently personally kept megumi out of the clan's hands. he has no particular emotion about it, the last remnants of dark humor evaporating from his face. his words are irreverent, his tone dismissive.
it doesn't matter. it hasn't mattered in a long time. self-righteousness, too, is a luxury of the privileged. it's accomplishment enough that he manages not to sneer at gojo satoru himself looking down his nose at him for not being able reach the same places as him while wearing shackles when gojo can fly.
yeah, it's so easy, saving megumi from this world and its curses. so easy to raise him well, raise him right, raise him free and safe and happy in the sun. effortless to grasp eternity with outstretched hands.
it doesn't matter. toji's dead and gone. he's let go. it doesn't matter. there was never any hope. toji has always been a tragedy that happens to others, and his first victim was himself. ]
Good for him, bagged the limitless six eyes user himself. Pretty much the jujutsu version of marrying rich, ain't it?
[ toji can tell that gojo's pissed, and that much at least gets him to crack a smile again. is it too much to hold out for, that gojo's actually fond enough of the kid to get this pissy on his behalf? that's what he's seeing, right? not just wishful thinking? ]
Guess that explains how strong he's gotten, too. Well, kind of. For a normal person I'd say it's not bad. For you. [ toji lets out a derisive snort of a laugh. ]
Seems like slacking.