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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
toji lets go of his throat and geto shoves himself free roughly, coughing at the sudden rush of air into his lungs. he will sport the red marks on his throat for awhile yet, a thought that further infuriates him.
he massages it, taking quiet note of the fact that it actually aches, meaning: he's not dead. and despite history, toji isn't dead either. it's fortunate for the both of them that toji let go when he did, because that's about the extent of geto's arsenal vis-à-vis gay chicken without having it get unsettling for them both.
but here, when he gets to look toji right in the eye, geto is acutely aware of something else: that the man is also a convenient vehicle for his hatred. the cult who hired him and all the ugly, ugly humans in it -- how the star vessel incident seems a thousand years away and yet is not, the splintering of his path from gojo, the one true connection he has ever had in his life.
how did geto survive him?
grandly, he holds his arms out, because it will not do to tell the truth: that something broke and died inside of geto that day, swallowed up by unaddressed guilt, grief, rage and resentment. and geto had been lost, untethered to his only friend who had become so strong that geto could never reach him again.
and then geto had fallen, forever lost. the man that geto suguru used to be did not survive fushiguro toji at all.
and so geto looks into the face that embodies his greatest, most devastating failure, and smiles. it's a wonder that he doesn't choke on the weight of his resentment. ]
Wonderfully, of course.
[ his smile sharpens, and there's nothing friendly about it even if he objectively knows that fighting about this is pointless. they're both already dead. ]
Have you met your son yet?
no subject
yeah, there's something wrong with this guy. toji thought he just looked different, older, more worldly or something. but no, this is looking at someone he used to know through a mirror that's been cracked. ]
That good, huh?
[ the sarcasm is dripping from toji's voice, but he settles himself next to geto once he's shoved back, no more manhandling for the moment but he's certainly still well within the other man's personal space. ]
Who told you about my kid?
[ the question is asked flippantly, in the voice of someone who just barely remembers even having a child, like toji is asking who told geto about a family pet or an embarrassing haircut toji used to have.
toji's eyes are fixed on geto, however, sharper than his demeanor lets on. he's evaluating the interest, deciding if it's going to turn into a problem for him. ]
no subject
but instead of shoving him away, geto lets toji settle beside him again. despite the hostility, he knows that there's no reason to engage in violence -- there's nothing to be had here. nothing to be proven, or won.
geto notes his interest, and takes note of toji's acknowledgement; the man's definitely sizing him up. ]
He looks exactly like you. [ he slips his hands in his robes, giving him a sidelong glance. ] Don't worry. Unlike you, I don't kill sorcerers.
no subject
Oh? So you wouldn't kill little old me anymore given the chance? Or did you turn into one of those who doesn't consider me one of you?
[ he leans in as he speaks, their shoulders touching, peering into geto's face from bare inches away. ]
no subject
[ geto doesn't budge out of sheer stubbornness, even if toji's blatant disregard for personal space makes his eyes narrow. for all of the grudges he holds against the man for almost killing him and gojo and decimating his favourite curses, there's something about toji that he's come to realise: ]
...seems like being alive is causing you more grief.
[ he smiles, cat-like. ] I enjoy that.
no subject
does being alive cause him more grief? that makes him want to laugh a bit, actually. what is grief, anyway? strumming his fingers thoughtfully against his knee, he mulls a bit longer before offering an answer. ]
You want me to take that personally or something? Might have to disappoint you. Good for you, you know? Enjoy it. You're in good company.
[ the zenin, gojo satoru, his son. toji is past caring about who treats his suffering like a spectator sport. some days he's even one of them. ]
Grief's a funny thing, though. It's weight. It's something you carry. And at first it's so heavy it makes you hurt. Everywhere, all the time, and you can't move because it pins you down and there's no air. There's nothing but the weight. You think it'll kill you, you want it to kill you. But it doesn't, and bit by bit, you can move again.
And eventually you get used to it. You can walk, you can run. Sometimes you can even laugh. Sometimes you forget you're even carrying it. But you don't. It's always there. And once in a while it catches up and you remember how fucking heavy it is.
[ cracking a smile, toji plants a hand on geto's head to ruffle his hair like they're friends, like geto didn't just tell him he loves to see toji suffer. ]
There's never any more or less grief. I'm just real fucking tired. But you're welcome to enjoy it if that's what makes your weight easier to carry.