TDM #6

[labyrinmods]

Arrival / Enchanted Garden

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.

Webby's Sleepover Extravaganza

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.
🎉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.

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!

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!

Bonfire of Growth

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.

Suspicious Message #4

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. ]

OOC

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!

Comments

Shoto Todoroki | My Hero Academia

[heir_conditioned]

---- Webby's Sleepover Extravaganza
---Sleepover
To some degree, Shoto has had sleepovers like this before. They weren't exactly meant as parties though, they were training missions and fieldtrips that went awry. So essentially, in a smaller group setting this may have been more functional as a sleepover.

In a larger group? He's just plain interested. What exactly are they supposed to do at a sleepover? He's assuming sleep, which is why he has a pillow and blanket under his arm looking relatively amazed that it isn't just for napping. He is a little tired, despite the situation, but he does seem interested in some of the goings on. He'll watch the games, interacting with them by that much as he's not yet wanting to engage as much as understand and maybe people watch to get an understanding.

--- Bountiful Buffet
Now here's something he's never been able to do back home, something frowned on all his childhood and something he carried into his teenage years. It's not a bad idea, to have a treat now and again. It's just engrained into him to not. So while he's looking at the various items, he looks vexed at them all the same. Which one actually tastes good? The best? Or should he actually be ingesting? Sato made them things in the dorms, but it's nothing like what's here. This seems like he would have a field day.

Out of his element, he almost reaches for one and stops, sighing out a breath of aggravation at his indecisiveness. If this were the battlefield he wouldn't be so hard pressed to pick. It's not, however, and he's staring, not certain what he wants.

If before or after he picks a treat, maybe someone can figure out for him if he's got the right one, is on the right track or really needs to put that one back.

--- Makeover Makeover Makeover
Todoroki is the sort that if you ask him to do something, he will agree most of the time. Especially if it's friendly people or a situation he seems to be interested in, even more so if it's actual friends. Nails? Hair? Makeup? He's for it all. He may be a little skittish with the scar on the left side of his face, but otherwise he is content to let people do whatever they feel.

That's why he's sitting still, wondering what exactly that particular item is for and asking it with the curious look behind mismatched eyes. He decides to speak up, to ask, that's the only way to get answers. "I only recognize one item here," he says as he picks up the eye-liner and then sets it back down. "What is this one supposed to do?" Yes. Any.

---- Suspicious Message #4
My mother.

[Before his fingers could even stop typing, he's laid that out there for the world to see, it seems. He does, momentarily, look for a way to stop it from happening but upon actually thinking about it... He leaves it. It's the truth. While he misses other people, too, the person he misses the most already is his mother.]

---- Wildcard
If there's something you'd like to do, you can either hit me with it and I'll roll with it best I can, or contact me by PMing or tlymphocytes on discord/plurk. Cerulean Potion/Healing was what I chose for him atm. He is in his hero costume upon arrival, and any other questions please don't feel you can't ask.

If you are an anime-only enjoyer, I support you and am manga canon so please let me know ahead of time what you do or don't want me to mention. That includes if you have issues with childhood traumas as it is part of his history. If you'd like to bracket at my prose, please do, if you need me to bracket for parsing reasons for you, let me know. First and foremost, partner comfort is what I prefer but default to prose. Last and least I will be using Shoto, please apply your u's wherever you'd like in his name.

[xploud]

"Eyelash curler," the response is spat out as Katsuki marches swiftly toward the exit. This is way beyond the limits of what he can easily stand of a big gathering and already he's feeling ready to explode - never before has his social battery depleted so fast. But he freezes in place a few paces away from the voice he definitely recognizes and a full body shiver rushes up his spine.

Slowly, he turns his head to look at the offending individual, and that same sense of elation and roiling fury suckerpunches him hard in the gut. Katsuki hates this slurry of emotions - it was the same when Sero showed up and left - and he's ill prepared to go through that shit again. But there the bastard is, in the flesh, with his stupid half and half hair and stupid half and half face. Katsuki grinds his teeth, a part of him wanting to blow out the wall and leave even faster than he anticipated upon arrival at the party because he can't do this shit again, but the other half of him is steadfast and stubborn and wanting of any one of his friends and classmates. It's...been a long and lonely bout for him - he's missed them all.

The latter part wins out, along with not wanting to look like a fucking coward in front of Icy Hot himself, and Katsuki rounds on him with a glare and a growl, stomping back toward where Shouto is seated and practically itching to grab him by the scruff of his shirt and drag him out of this damn party and back to the comfort of Katsuki's cottage. Same song and dance, different partner, but...fuck it, he's here and he's going to do this. No backing down now.

"When the fuck did you show up, you bastard?"

[heir_conditioned]

Picking up the offending object again, he looks down toward the item and then tries to look at his eyelashes. How do you curl them? This is a straight line with a straight line put in another straight line together? That's not cur-- His head whips over when he realizes the growled response he's gotten is from Bakugo. An almost double take moment with an 'Ah--' of surprise attached to it in the same second as Bakugo.

Shoto also has no idea just how much trouble his shirt might be in while he looks up at his classmate standing with him while he's sitting at a mirror. "Bakugo." He's keenly aware of the 'no shit' approaching him in the near future, but he is surprised. Pleasantly surprised, at least someone is here that he knows. And of all places to find them.

"I..." He turns in the chair he's sitting in front of in the vanity, "Today? I think."

[xploud]

Todoroki, please fucking focus. At the very least, the half and half bastard has the goodwill to at least look surprised to see him, and that sort of eases Katsuki's nerves. It means he might be real, and not a joke this place likes to play, but Katsuki doesn't want to get his hopes up. He's been burned already, and it's starting to take its toll on him. Hopeful, but hesitant, that's what he wears as he sits cross-legged (yes, on a chair, this fucking delinquent) from his classmate.

"Aa, it's me," he grunts, and tosses a pillow at Todoroki mostly to make sure this person is actually there, and to maintain that he is also real to the other boy. God he hates this shit - it's easier when he's on patrol, stumbles across a stranger in the Garden. With people he knows, he has to be careful.

"Mm...so how much do you know about this place then? Need to know what I have to explain and what I can omit. Though..." Katsuki squeezes his eyes shut and grips the arms of the chair, lips curling over his teeth. "I can't fucking hear myself think in this Kiddy Corner."

Suspicious Message Text; UN: Liddellest

[madcuriosity]

I miss my mama, too. I'm never sure if it's worse or better if time is going on without me back home. I want to be missed, but I also don't want to be missing.

[heir_conditioned]

Is there any measure that time doesn't go on without us? I don't want my mother to worry, either. Or anyone. How long have you been away from her?

[madcuriosity]

I haven't left since being here, I don't know that time does or doesn't pass. You would have to ask someone from the same place who came at different times or who left and came back.

I hate thinking I'm making my family worry.

I think 10 months? Or there about.

Buffet

[justdontgiveame]

Puck has likewise been enjoying the food, and when the younger man comes up to the table and seems to pause in thought, Puck considers for a brief second in playing a trick but decides against it. He'll joke around and have laughs, but first impressions seem to be important here. He reaches forward, picking up a small plate and starting to fill it with small fruit tarts.

"If you're worried, nothing is dangerous, and everything I've had has been surprisingly good." He assures with a glance over, adding.

"But if you're looking for any sort of drink without sugar, I'm afraid that's all that's on the menu. Punch, soda, fizzy seltzers that don't quite taste like fruit and the like. But no milk, plain water, or coffee."

[heir_conditioned]

The voice beside him catches his glance and he turns his head to look on at the man standing next to him. The worry that it had been poisoned had only vaguely crossed his mind until this moment when now he's not certain if he gave it enough of a thought for as hungry as he does feel.

He's watching, carefully seeing what exactly is being picked out and looks at his own options in front of him. Alright, these little baked goods in elaborate aluminum shells it is. "I hadn't given thought to if they couldn't be eaten, I'm just not sure where to start."

The concept of not having water, though, that's not so bad really. Or it wouldn't have been if he had his quirk at all. Damn. "...Do you have any suggestions on what to drink with it then? I can't imagine that much sugar is going to do anyone any good."

[justdontgiveame]

"No, that's a very common response to having a lot of choices. Your mind can just kind of halt for a moment before you catch up to it."

Puck finishes filling his plate and moves aside to make room. He grins at the question. "I was kidding about the lack of water, by the way. There are cups and faucets, and I'm sure ice in the kitchen." Puck nods towards a tray of sliced fruit for example.

"Some of these look like they've been chilled, I doubt whoever owns this has set up a few dozen boxes packed with ice. But I agree, this much sugar will have people up for hours which seems to be the point, for all the merriment. If you're still wanting a drink suggestion, I would go with the seltzer- it's the closest to water and doesn't seem to have as much sugar as the other options."

Sleepover

[anything_grows]

On the lookout for any wallflowers by themselves, it isn't long before Willow spots Shoto on his own, and soon enough she plops down on the floor beside him.

"Hey there! Having fun?"

[heir_conditioned]

If there's ever a definition of wallflower he's probably the poster boy unless he's drug in and so when someone comes to sit next to him it's about the only time he's said much to anyone.

"I am." Even if he looks like he isn't, even if the monotone sound of his voice might make someone question, he really is having fun. "I've never been to a sleepover this big."

[anything_grows]

It is a bit difficult to tell if he actually means it, or if he's just saying he is, but Willow is going to take him at his word and nods. "Good. I've never been to one this big before either. But it's kinda cool, because people can group off into different things at the same time, right? So if someone doesn't wanna play one of the games, they can still go do something else without feeling left out."

Buffet

[dedoink]

Shouto may be hesitant at the buffet table, but the large man next to him certainly is not. And by large, we mean large. Over eight feet tall, grey skinned, bald save for a large bushy black beard, shirtless and covered in scars and tattoos, the goliath is gathering heaping armfuls of treats and baked goods, ready to take them back to his comfy spot and chow down.

He looks over to where the red-and-white haired teen hesitantly withdrew his hand from reaching for an eclair, and pipes up in a deep, accented voice, "D'you want that? Or can I have it?"

[heir_conditioned]

Shoto's hesitation is certainly nothing small, but the looming feeling let alone the looming shadow of a man that large isn't too out of the oridinary. ...Ish. Because as soon as he comes over, as soon as Shoto is certain he's very near, the teen is keenly aware of how short he is, even among the tallest in his class.

After a moment or two of assessing just how large the person beside him is. Shoto gains his senses and shakes his head. "No you can have it. I'm not certain what I want." When the answer seems to be 'yes' to everything for this man. "Do you want some help carrying it?"

[dedoink]

The guy is definitely taller than Shoto's father, with a beard to rival Endeavor's, too, only deep black instead of fire-y red.. He even beats out All Might's height by over a foot. But from the looks of the way he's carefully picking up the eclair so as not to crush it and squeeze out all the creamy filling, he appears to be something of a gentle giant. At least in this moment, anyway.

"No, I got it," Grog says, adding the eclair to the top of his gathered armful. Only, it appears to be the dessert that broke the camel's back, as it were, and things start toppling out of his grasp. "Oop—! Maybe not!"

Buffet of Bounty

[callmeaprincess]

Jasmine's about to sample another one of Aurora's petits fours when she spots Shoto waffling over the treats. After noting his intense concentration each time he picks something, only to set it back down, she finally lets out a light giggle.

"It's a buffet, judge, not a baking competition."

[heir_conditioned]

The giggling catches his attention just before she speaks and he looks toward its source, glancing to the things and then back to her. "Oh... I wouldn't even know how to judge them, I just can't pick."

His eyes fall back over the treats again and he's certainly narrowed it down to three. Some sort of cookie with a happy face on it, some kind of doughnut, or a pastry that if he tried he wouldn't know the difference in. "I don't normally have these in my diet. Do you?"

[callmeaprincess]

"I wouldn't say normally, but for a special occasion..." She eyes the treats catching his eye.

"You can never go wrong with cookies. We bake them all the time back home and no single one is the same."

Bountiful Buffet.

[whose_son_am_i]

"Trouble deciding?" Don't mind the tall man in old fashioned pajamas with a deep green robe over it. Silly in that 'too formal' way, but somehow he pulls it off with style. "It all seems safe enough, if not overloaded with sugar. The party is mostly designed for children."

[heir_conditioned]

Shoto's mismatched eyes turn upward to the man taller than him. He's used to tall men in his family, so he isn't put off craning turning his head up a bit. "More than trouble." The man also looks very comfortable, Shoto approves and wouldn't have. He probably should've been in something more sleepwear-y but his remembrance of sleepovers meant they never slept. At least from his second hand experience.

"Oh? I didn't see any children. I've seen a lot of adults, but not children." He tilts his head, considering a moment, looking down at the food even if it's mostly his thoughts behind his eyes. "Would they gear a situation exclusively to children and-- ohhh. We were invited to take care of them?"

Buffet

[catsgothistongue]

"It's food, man. It's not gonna bite you. That's what you're supposed to do."

Sorry Shoto, when a snarky teen notices someone drifting off into space while staring at food, nine out of ten times he's going to snark. It was mostly just a tease and nothing too mean. The martial artist reached over to take an orange, peeling it while talking to the other teen with white-red hair.

"Pretty good too. I've been mostly sticking with fruits, but a lot of the other stuff's actually tasty."

[heir_conditioned]

Snarky is welcome and no sorry is needed. That's one of the nicer ways that people in his life can put things. Looking at you, Bakugo.

Shoto's eyes scan the food, he hadn't considered it might bite him but a quick certainty check never hurt anyone. "Oh? I've been trying to decide. I want to try something sweeter. Normally I don't at all." But fruit... that does feel like a safe food, so he joins in with an orange for the moment. Just a small one with an easy peel on it that he starts dividing the parts of onto a plate.

Now he can binge on sugar and totally not feel guilty, right? Right? "I heard from another person here that these--" he picks up a little pastry, icing powder on it, what looks like apple in the middle, "--are good, and they're fruit." He offers it over to the other teen politely inside the parchment paper it's wrapped in to keep it separate.

Message!

[theheartofahero]

I miss my mom too. Are you very close with her?

[ He doesn't realize he's talking to someone he knows, oops...! ]

I'm sorry not sorry for his derp tyyesiamsorry

[heir_conditioned]

With your mother? No... We don't know each other. But with mine yes. I wasn't always able to be and now that I can be, I like to be.