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buttrinthum2023-10-31 08:17 pm
TDM #6
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: holly and bluebells.
Standing too close to the bluebells for too long or smelling them will make a Dreamer unable to refuse requests. This can last for however long a player may wish, whether it be for a few days or just a few minutes. The holly, however, also gives off a strange effect when getting too close to it: Dreamers will feel compelled to be more helpful & outgoing, no matter how gloomy and closed off they are. This effect can also last for a few days or a few minutes-- it is up to the player!
Eventually, Dreamers will find their way out of the Enchanted Garden and into the city of Somnius, whether it be by following the alluring light or on their own.
It’s funny how if you ask for something, sometimes that’s all it takes to have it given to you. Maybe Webby is just that lucky, or Vaeros is feeling just that generous the day it’s requested but for two days and one night only in the beginning of the month of November, a large castle stands where one didn’t before. It’s grand in that it doesn’t need repairs like some of the available housing does, but it’s certainly nothing too awe-inspiring. But, it’s big enough for its purpose—a sleepover party for every inhabitant new or old.
During the night a few days before the party, EVERY person receives a handwritten invitation to this sleepover blowout. It doesn’t matter who, young or old. For those who wake up in Somius after the invitations arrive, they’ll find an invitation just for them in their pocket or satchel, like they were always meant to be invited from the beginning.
Decorations are bright and colorful, spanning the whole rainbow. One giant room full of cots and sleeping bags, blankets and pillows has been made to be the centerpiece of the whole affair. This is where most of the partygoers will mingle and play games, if they’re not too busy with one of the other activities located in one of the other rooms nearby. There’s plenty of room to wander, though any room that has not been decorated and made up for the party is locked down completely with no way in. There are, of course quiet spaces provided for those who need a quick getaway from all the partying. Or maybe going outside for a stroll in the night garden would be calming too?
For those who don’t have anything appropriate to sleep in, pajamas are even provided. But they might be a little silly, since beggars can’t be choosers. Who wants the unicorn fuzzy pajamas?
Games Galore - There’s plenty to play with, at Webby’s insistence (and by insistence we mean she gives you the biggest doe-eyes you’ve ever seen) and she’s more than happy to give you overly-detailed means on how to play the following -
🎉Twister - a huge sheet blotted with colorful spots has been laid on the floor, along with a square with similar colors and a spinny arrow. The rules are simple - one person spins the arrow, and where it lands you put your foot or hand. First to fall loses, so amp up the embarrassment - er, fun as you all get tangled up with each other.Bountiful Buffet - The best way to stay up late is to stuff yourself silly with sugar, which is why the dining room table is loaded with all kinds of desserts. Remy and Aurora have supplied some of their own sugary confections, and you’re more than welcome to have added your own creations to the buffet. Just don’t start any food fights. At least not where Webby can see it!
🎉Truth Or Dare - Two options, one chance for chaos. Surely you’re all going to be mature individuals and not ask mortifying questions or dangerous dares.
🎉Pin The Tail On The Donkey - Yes, Webby’s sole guardian was a woman whose idea of fun was from the 1950s, how did you know? But she’s also put up optional sheets of different animals to stick their tail/bodyparts on while you’re blindfolded, including past threats like zombies and skeksis.
As though the castle (or whoever ACTUALLY owns it) wants to help assist the party atmosphere, those who partake of the food might feel a little more inclined to be friendly and amenable to party activities. You know, just for those gloomy gusses out there. There are no drawbacks to this little bit of fairy dust, just a little bit of social greasing, you know?
Makeover Makeover Makeover - Vil has ever so kindly offered his beauty supplies for those of you who want to experiment with some new looks, and you’re free to have brought your own. Test it out on one another or try it out yourself. Then again, when he’s not looking, what’s to stop you from trying to paint yourself up like a B-movie monster?
Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark - Some of you may have had more than enough of your share of frights due to last month’s… fun, but surely you can handle a bit more fright? In a dark room with only one light torch, gather in a circle and share a spooky story from times gone by. Just be prepared for that one person who always sneaks up from behind and goes BOO at the right time. It’s inevitable.
Pillow Fight - Pick a side or be a lone warrior, grab a pillow and show no mercy! The last one standing wins! The only rule is your pillow is your sole weapon! In fact, there seem to be more pillows available than there are people here, so let the feathers fly! If the castle magically produces more, who’s to say? Shrug and keep the battle going!
CW: memory share, character specific trauma
Some may be aware that harvest season is a season of growth and not just in the cultivating sense. Townsfolk take this time to evaluate themselves and really think about things in their lives that have potentially been holding them back from being their strongest and truest selves. With the newly accessible Indigo Beach providing plenty of room for multiple bonfires, Dreamers will see several bonfires stretched across the dark blue sand, logs and rocks assembled around each one, beckoning Dreamers near.
As soon as they step out on the beach’s sands, characters will find a slip of paper on their person (in their pocket, up their sleeve.. any readily accessible portion of their clothing.) On that piece of paper, they will have a personalized phrase catered to them, making them remember a painful memory that has held them back in some way. The phrase can be anything players want it to be as long as it jogs the memory back into the head of their characters. Those with a paper slip will feel compelled to sit around the bonfire and contemplate their memory; they also will feel encouraged to share that memory with anyone who is sitting nearby. If characters choose to throw the paper slip into the fire, those who have heard the story of their grief will have a very vivid visual of the event in their mind’s eye along with feeling the exact pain they went through as well.
Once these memories are shared and characters take a moment to grieve, they will feel significantly better about the past situation that caused them so much pain. This can be temporary or permanent, it’s up to the player.
Although refreshments won’t be provided, Dreamers are encouraged to bring their own. And yes, something adjacent to s’mores can be something characters may bring.
On the morning of the 1st, some dreamers will receive a message from an unknown user.
Who or what from home do you miss the most?
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.
[ 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. Special thank you to Melissa for the player plot and prompts!
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That's probably an exaggeration. But only just.
Yang's compliment makes her smile, cheeks tinting pink. "They're a little on the nose," she admits, carefully sweeping the brush over Yang's eyelid. "But if you can't laugh at yourself, what can you laugh at, right? That's what my dad always used to say, anyway."
And she wouldn't have been able to wear something ridiculous like this even last year. She'd been so serious for so long, so shut down, but now she feels like she can be a little silly. Like maybe she doesn't have to be so serious about everything, like she can dance badly and make dumb jokes and make fun of herself.
Finishing up with the eyeshadow, Blake leans back a little. "Okay, you can open your eyes now." She doesn't take her hand off Yang's cheek, though.
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Possibly to both her and Blake's detriment though; that might be too much Dad Power in one place.
At the go-ahead from Blake, she carefully blinks her eyes open, momentarily getting used to the feeling of the eyeshadow. She definitely doesn't seem to mind that Blake hasn't pulled her hand away. If anything, she is extremely content to have Blake's hand remain there as long as her partner wants.
Particularly since, barely a moment later, she inclines her head against her partner's hand in a way that can only be described as "puppy-like".
"So, what's the verdict? Am I bee-yoo-tee-full now?" She exaggerates each syllable by batting her eyes an amount bordering on absurd, pouting her lips out.
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"Yes. You're beautiful. You always are, Yang. Even when you're covered in Grimm ash, or half-asleep, or when you're covered in Cheeto dust-- you've always been the most beautiful woman I've met. You don't need to makeup to make you pretty."
Oh, gods. That was too much. That was too truthful.
But she's not going to take it back. Yang deserves to hear compliments like that, and if Blake had her way, she'd give them gladly every day for the rest of her life. Her heart is pounding because those three little words are right on the edge of her lips, and she doesn't know if she can stop herself this time.
Is it fair to Yang, for her to confess feelings like that? What if Yang doesn't feel the same way? What if Blake destroys their friendship with her feelings? This is scary, but... Blake's ready to take that leap. Here, at a sleepover, the two of them in ridiculous pajamas, where the air smells like cotton candy and her knee's resting against a unicorn orb pillow, and the black on her nails stands out so sharply against Yang's skin. Blake's thumb sweeps over Yang's cheekbone, cradling her, heart in her throat.
"Yang, I..." Blake starts, takes a deep breath, and tells herself to be brave. "Is it okay if I tell you something?"
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She hadn't been expecting well...any of that, and the ardent honesty of Blake's words has left her completely stunned.
Something's changed in the atmosphere around them. It's like that ridiculous closet in the Labyrinth all over again but softer and yet somehow more poignant than ever before. Suddenly her heart is beating a lot faster, her mouth has gone dry, the butterflies in her stomach have decided to take flight at once and all those other things the writers in Blake's books like to use to describe the nervous excitement she feels right now.
But just when it starts to feel like it might be too much all at once, she feels that gentle brush of Blake's thumb against her cheek and, just as abruptly, any background chatter or noise or overwhelming feelings fade away as the world shrinks down to just herself and Blake.
This probably isn't the right time, but what is? And maybe it's not the most romantic of places but Yang barely notices. They could be literally anywhere, on a battlefield, or in the middle of a crowded street, at school, or in a thunderstorm, and it'd still feel like it was just the two of them. Wherever Blake is, that's the perfect place and time.
"Yeah...of course." Her voice is breathy and hushed, still gazing at Blake spellbound. "I-if I can also tell you something afterwards."
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Whatever time you choose will be just right, he'd assured her.
With her free hand, she takes Yang's, curling their fingers together. "I don't think I've ever been honest about how much I like you," she murmurs, her voice hushed, just for the two of them. "You make me laugh. You make me want to be more confident. You always keep your word; you do what you say. You always light up every room that you're in. You're so brave."
It's like she can't stop once she starts, compliments and the honesty of her respect just pouring out of her. "Your friendship has made me a better person. A person that I actually like being. And it's all because of your care, and strength, and generosity."
Blake's eyes are molten gold as she smiles, and in this moment, she forgets why she was ever afraid to say these things.
She has more to say -- those big three words -- but for now, she'll allow a breath to let Yang absorb the first part of her little speech.
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Blake pauses and Yang realizes she's been holding her breath. Like reaching the top of the big hill on a roller coaster, or just before taking the plunge off a diving board. She could urge Blake on, indulge herself in her partner leading the way on this. But she could never let Blake put herself out there alone. Not without walking there with her together.
"You say I'm brave, but..." Yang takes a soft, bolstering inhale, holding Blake's gaze. "...You're the most courageous person I've ever met."
Her remaining free hand comes up to encompass the hand Blake still has cupping her cheek.
"I said once that you never back down from a challenge...and I still mean it. Even when you've been scared...you never gave up. Even when people hurt you, you didn't give up on them either."
On a whim, she uses her hand to gently press Blake's a little more against her cheek, closing her eyes a moment as she lovingly nuzzles into her palm.
'And when I wasn't ready to fully accept you back, you didn't give up on me...'
Opening her eyes again, she gives Blake a small but heartfelt smile.
"You know what matters most to you." The gentle dust of pink on her cheeks flushes a little brighter. "A-and I think your drive and your passion are inspiring."
And also incredibly attractive but she's trying so hard to meet Blake at least half-way when it comes to an eloquent and profound confession.
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