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Entry tags:
- ! mod event,
- arknights: shalem,
- bleach: grimmjow jaegerjaquez,
- bleach: jugram haschwalth,
- danganronpa: fukawa toko,
- encanto: bruno madrigal,
- ennead: set,
- fe3h: claude von riegan,
- fe3h: felix hugo fraldarius,
- ffvii: vincent valentine,
- genshin impact: tartaglia (childe),
- genshin impact: the traveler (lumine),
- hades: zagreus,
- htwmho: rudbeckia de borgia,
- jjk: fushiguro megumi,
- jjk: itadori yuuji,
- naruto: uchiha sasuke,
- orv: han sooyoung,
- orv: jung heewon,
- shadow and bone: the darkling,
- stranger things: steve harrington,
- the last of us: joel miller,
- vld: keith
(no subject)
I. PUSHING UP DAISIES
cw: depiction of hanahaki, mention of blood, mild body horror
The Frightful Harvest ended on a bloody, eerie note, but the Respite's most welcome interlude has proven exceptionally fruitful. The sky's darkened again, moons struggling to glow through turbulent clouds, but crops all over Stygia have grown dense and healthy, herbs and plants and flowers aplenty. Normally, it'd be a time to rejoice, even as sleet pours and winds grow bitterly cold -- and it might have been, had greens and stems and petals NOT elected to blossom inside you. Your lungs, specifically.
It's an uncommon side effect of the Harvest, affecting those who foster affection or attraction towards another, triggered only by a stray thought. Almost as if punished by Oblivium for harboring any kind of positive feelings. The worst part is that the object of your desire doesn't even have to be in the Netherworld for you to be afflicted. Over the span of three months, you'll gradually experience various degrees of the "harvest's curse", depending on the source of your feelings:
II. DO NOT PASS GO
cw: mention of blood, torture, branding, violence, forced captivity
Full-swing investigations concerning the Harvest's murders have begun, though the mysterious rider has yet to resurface. The day is young still, but no matter; the Hierarchy firmly believes that the creature was summoned by a group of renegades, fully intent on finding and dismembering the organization. Perhaps even literally.
If you've spilled blood not your own in the previous event, the Hierarchy finds you. Do they know? It doesn't really matter; they've targeted you for reasons they won't divulge, persuaded of your involvement -- and off to the Gallows you go. Each of you receives the same greeting when you arrive, held down by rough hands and branded upon the arm with the letter F. The mark signifies ‘forsaken’, and the painful scar is indelible proof that each of you has betrayed the Hierarchy's hospitality. Writhe and scream and glower as much as you want; next thing you know, something heavy hits you across the head, and you collapse.
When your vision slowly creeps back, your eyes adjust to a dimly lit stone cell. Your feet are secured by iron cuffs tethered by one long chain, and you lie in nothing but filthy, tattered rags. It's dark; the air is bloated and filled with agonizing shrieks. Dead vines scrap the walls of half-crumbled buildings, weather-worn stone pillars surrounded by withered clumps of grass. You may converse with your cellmates: the guards patrolling the Gallows couldn't care less, convinced that no one could possibly escape anyway.
III. TO THE RESCUE
cw: depiction of hanahaki, mention of blood, mild body horror
The Frightful Harvest ended on a bloody, eerie note, but the Respite's most welcome interlude has proven exceptionally fruitful. The sky's darkened again, moons struggling to glow through turbulent clouds, but crops all over Stygia have grown dense and healthy, herbs and plants and flowers aplenty. Normally, it'd be a time to rejoice, even as sleet pours and winds grow bitterly cold -- and it might have been, had greens and stems and petals NOT elected to blossom inside you. Your lungs, specifically.
It's an uncommon side effect of the Harvest, affecting those who foster affection or attraction towards another, triggered only by a stray thought. Almost as if punished by Oblivium for harboring any kind of positive feelings. The worst part is that the object of your desire doesn't even have to be in the Netherworld for you to be afflicted. Over the span of three months, you'll gradually experience various degrees of the "harvest's curse", depending on the source of your feelings:
► PHYSICAL/EMOTIONAL ATTRACTION & REQUITED LOVE
It starts with an itch. Your throat tickles, an odd sensation in your lungs, slightly constricted. Allergies? Not quite. It worsens overtime, and days pass by, perhaps weeks. You cough, a little more every day, a little deeper, and then it happens: petals, stuck to your lips as you wheeze and try to empty your chest. Marigold, carnations, daisies, peonies... Thankfully, for you, it's more of an annoyance, sporadic at best and leaving you exhausted at times, but you're in no immediate danger. Unfortunately, not all Restless share the same luck.
► UNREQUITED LOVE
It doesn't matter whether it is truly unrequited; as long as you think it is, whether you're fully convinced or distantly resigned, you get the whole package. It starts the same way the lesser variation does, gradual, and with unsavory (!) additions: lilies and dark red roses. The first slowly spreads its poison in your body, inducing fevers, skin rashes, blistering in your mouth and stomach aches. The second pricks your throat bloody, making speech difficult and breathing even more so. It spreads throughout Stygia, and if most wound up meeting their end in the past, some speak of a highly hypothetical cure. It's believed that if the object of your affection confesses equally strong feelings for you, the curse should rapidly subside. If this option isn't viable, Doran promises that all Healers in Hale are working extremely hard to find a solution. In the meantime, symptoms can be partially soothed with poultices and spells that you can find in the Marketplace or in Serene. Some merchants might even take pity on you and offer them for free.
It starts with an itch. Your throat tickles, an odd sensation in your lungs, slightly constricted. Allergies? Not quite. It worsens overtime, and days pass by, perhaps weeks. You cough, a little more every day, a little deeper, and then it happens: petals, stuck to your lips as you wheeze and try to empty your chest. Marigold, carnations, daisies, peonies... Thankfully, for you, it's more of an annoyance, sporadic at best and leaving you exhausted at times, but you're in no immediate danger. Unfortunately, not all Restless share the same luck.
► UNREQUITED LOVE
It doesn't matter whether it is truly unrequited; as long as you think it is, whether you're fully convinced or distantly resigned, you get the whole package. It starts the same way the lesser variation does, gradual, and with unsavory (!) additions: lilies and dark red roses. The first slowly spreads its poison in your body, inducing fevers, skin rashes, blistering in your mouth and stomach aches. The second pricks your throat bloody, making speech difficult and breathing even more so. It spreads throughout Stygia, and if most wound up meeting their end in the past, some speak of a highly hypothetical cure. It's believed that if the object of your affection confesses equally strong feelings for you, the curse should rapidly subside. If this option isn't viable, Doran promises that all Healers in Hale are working extremely hard to find a solution. In the meantime, symptoms can be partially soothed with poultices and spells that you can find in the Marketplace or in Serene. Some merchants might even take pity on you and offer them for free.
if your character has heard of similar diseases in their home world, they're absolutely welcome to share their insight on the netherwork or anywhere else
the evolution of the disease can be as gradual, as fast or as severe as you wish it to be
a mini quest to retrieve ingredients for a cure will be available in december or january
by february, all characters should be cured
II. DO NOT PASS GO
cw: mention of blood, torture, branding, violence, forced captivity
Full-swing investigations concerning the Harvest's murders have begun, though the mysterious rider has yet to resurface. The day is young still, but no matter; the Hierarchy firmly believes that the creature was summoned by a group of renegades, fully intent on finding and dismembering the organization. Perhaps even literally.
If you've spilled blood not your own in the previous event, the Hierarchy finds you. Do they know? It doesn't really matter; they've targeted you for reasons they won't divulge, persuaded of your involvement -- and off to the Gallows you go. Each of you receives the same greeting when you arrive, held down by rough hands and branded upon the arm with the letter F. The mark signifies ‘forsaken’, and the painful scar is indelible proof that each of you has betrayed the Hierarchy's hospitality. Writhe and scream and glower as much as you want; next thing you know, something heavy hits you across the head, and you collapse.
When your vision slowly creeps back, your eyes adjust to a dimly lit stone cell. Your feet are secured by iron cuffs tethered by one long chain, and you lie in nothing but filthy, tattered rags. It's dark; the air is bloated and filled with agonizing shrieks. Dead vines scrap the walls of half-crumbled buildings, weather-worn stone pillars surrounded by withered clumps of grass. You may converse with your cellmates: the guards patrolling the Gallows couldn't care less, convinced that no one could possibly escape anyway.
► Ironically, a magical barrier around the Gallows prevents magical/spiritual abilities from functioning. However, characters who roam free still can absolutely sneak in! Be careful not to get caught, though!
► Loud disagreements might attract unwanted attention. A single guard will come, and if he finds nothing else amiss, will threaten them to be quiet. A second violation earns the offender a rap on their bare feet with a club. A third violation will cause the offender to be gagged. Note that in order to beat or gag the offender, the guard must first open the cell.
► If you share affinities with Gargoyles, incapacitating a guard in any way will draw the attention of one. It'll show you to the gates where you'll be able to escape, taking care of sentries on your way. You should probably keep a low-profile from then on, and avoid showing-off your brand.
► A secret passage may be found through a mausoleum nearby; an arrow of flaking red paint marks the entrance. Or is it blood? Inside, it's nearly pitch-black. Perhaps, if you're lucky, your vision extends as far as 30 feet in front of you, but occasionally, the darkness is broken by clinging phosphorescent fungi or crawling luminescent creatures, and from out of the silence echo sounds of dripping water. You're underground, and Abysmals can be encountered here if you're too loud. You should also watch out for cave-ins, but as you get farther away from the general region of the Gallows, your magical abilities gradually come back.
► Eventually, a long, broken staircase will lead you to Hale. If you're injured, you'll be sent to the main infirmary; characters with healing abilities or knowledge are super welcome to help!
Luckily for you, there are so many prisoners it's a difficult task for the Hierarchy to always keep track of all of them. Your brand, however, is a dead giveaway, so you might as well try and find a way to get rid of it; you might hear through the grapevines that the dead skin of Badaliscus can be used as bandages, and overtime, the brand will fully heal and disappear.► Loud disagreements might attract unwanted attention. A single guard will come, and if he finds nothing else amiss, will threaten them to be quiet. A second violation earns the offender a rap on their bare feet with a club. A third violation will cause the offender to be gagged. Note that in order to beat or gag the offender, the guard must first open the cell.
► If you share affinities with Gargoyles, incapacitating a guard in any way will draw the attention of one. It'll show you to the gates where you'll be able to escape, taking care of sentries on your way. You should probably keep a low-profile from then on, and avoid showing-off your brand.
► A secret passage may be found through a mausoleum nearby; an arrow of flaking red paint marks the entrance. Or is it blood? Inside, it's nearly pitch-black. Perhaps, if you're lucky, your vision extends as far as 30 feet in front of you, but occasionally, the darkness is broken by clinging phosphorescent fungi or crawling luminescent creatures, and from out of the silence echo sounds of dripping water. You're underground, and Abysmals can be encountered here if you're too loud. You should also watch out for cave-ins, but as you get farther away from the general region of the Gallows, your magical abilities gradually come back.
► Eventually, a long, broken staircase will lead you to Hale. If you're injured, you'll be sent to the main infirmary; characters with healing abilities or knowledge are super welcome to help!
III. TO THE RESCUE
As you attempt to escape, or perhaps once you’ve successfully snuck in, you come across a terrifying spectacle: in front of you, impaled through the shoulder by a spear, a weary humanoid figure covered in blood. The body is being restrained by additional shackles on each arm and leg, which are linked to chains anchored within the walls. There's a guard nearby, armed to the teeth… and still you decide to free them.
The guard’s magic is just as useless as yours, and while impressive in size, dexterity definitely isn’t his main strength. He hits hard — with brass knuckles, a chain mace, and a sturdy shield — and his stamina almost seems endless, but it’s not. Keep evading, and he’ll eventually tire enough to topple over. It’s also possible to have him chase you around if you don’t go too far, which would allow someone else to grab the spear. Once he’s too exhausted to go on, you can either kill him or chain him to the wall. The keys are in his boots, and you’ll find a bottle of water as well as a small vial of ointment in a satchel on the ground, where he previously stood.
The prisoner is a young man, perhaps in his mid-20s. Once freed from his shackles, he immediately keels over, though he’s not unconscious. He thanks you with a deep and raw voice, begging for water. You can tend to his wounds if you’re able—the ointment quickly soothes—and when he finally stands again, he asks you a question: “I’m a stranger to you, and you could have died. Yet, you chose to free me, unaware of my past. Of my crimes. Of my virtues. Why?”
Regardless of your answer, he smiles, a private understanding that turns the stretch of his lips enigmatic. There’s a bubbling chuckle in his throat, very hoarse, and then he hisses, touching where you’ve helped him apply the ointment on his body. “You know what they say. If it stings...” He looks at you, deliberately pausing there and staring bold into your eyes. “... then it must be working.”
It might feel like there’s more to what he’s trying to say, though it’s pointless to ask: he bows, and then he slowly inches away from you. “Until we meet again.” White and thick tendrils of smoke envelop him, seemingly coming out of nowhere, and then just like that, he’s gone.
The guard’s magic is just as useless as yours, and while impressive in size, dexterity definitely isn’t his main strength. He hits hard — with brass knuckles, a chain mace, and a sturdy shield — and his stamina almost seems endless, but it’s not. Keep evading, and he’ll eventually tire enough to topple over. It’s also possible to have him chase you around if you don’t go too far, which would allow someone else to grab the spear. Once he’s too exhausted to go on, you can either kill him or chain him to the wall. The keys are in his boots, and you’ll find a bottle of water as well as a small vial of ointment in a satchel on the ground, where he previously stood.
The prisoner is a young man, perhaps in his mid-20s. Once freed from his shackles, he immediately keels over, though he’s not unconscious. He thanks you with a deep and raw voice, begging for water. You can tend to his wounds if you’re able—the ointment quickly soothes—and when he finally stands again, he asks you a question: “I’m a stranger to you, and you could have died. Yet, you chose to free me, unaware of my past. Of my crimes. Of my virtues. Why?”
Regardless of your answer, he smiles, a private understanding that turns the stretch of his lips enigmatic. There’s a bubbling chuckle in his throat, very hoarse, and then he hisses, touching where you’ve helped him apply the ointment on his body. “You know what they say. If it stings...” He looks at you, deliberately pausing there and staring bold into your eyes. “... then it must be working.”
It might feel like there’s more to what he’s trying to say, though it’s pointless to ask: he bows, and then he slowly inches away from you. “Until we meet again.” White and thick tendrils of smoke envelop him, seemingly coming out of nowhere, and then just like that, he’s gone.
so you’ve chosen to free him, which in turn has generated a future plot point that’ll occur some time in february. some of you WILL see him again.
what he says to you is a clue.
you can answer his question OOCly right here. it’ll have some bearing on the way your character will be approached re: future plot point.
if you've voted no and would still like to participate, you could always allow your character to be convinced or reluctantly dragged by another!
ooc note
► As always, check out the Notice Board if you'd like additional prompts! Older quests from previous months are always available as well. You'll also find the Calendar right here.
► You'll find already answered questions just here, and if you'd like to ask new ones, ask them here!
► For fun's sake and similarly to the puck adventure, you may play it out in different groups or on your own, and still obtain the same results as everyone else whether your characters threaded together!
Saaaaaaaaammee - also I am very sorry for also a long tag xD;;
He'd lean over and kiss her cheek, a sign of comfort, of connection, to show her she wasn't alone, even if she felt it so deep in her bones it ached. And then he'd rummage through the pockets of his pants and pull out a napkin for her. He had often cleaned up blood too, just -- for a different reason.
He'd hand her the napkin and then cough too, tho his was much less severe then hers. He sounded congested but otherwise seemed okay.]
I'm sorry about that person... someone dear to me.. actually, the person dearest to me, sacrificed himself too, for my sake. After I, you know, stabbed him.
[He'd pause, threading his fingers and glancing out across the stream again.]
My story's way less traumatizing than yours, and I guess.. you could say I'm the villain in it.
I grew up in Tokyo. If you don't know, it's a big fucking city with a shit ton of neighborhoods filled with adults who don't give a shit about you and a lot of kids who don't either. Most people are cold. My dad was cold, when he'd beat me and my mom up; he'd like to remind me that I was a disappointment. It went on for years. Finally my mom divorced him, and she made me promise that I was on her side and that she was right and that I'd never leave her. But I mean, heh, she was just as crazy as him, just in a different way... They were both crazy and look! Wooo! [He'd wave his hands jazz like in mock joy] They made a crazy kid!
[He'd set his hands down with a soft smile..]
She never paid any attention to me, barely was home. But she gave me money that my friends would use me for. On my 11th birthday, they showed their true colors as users and losers, but that's the day I met my true friend.. and the guy I eventually fell in love with. Baji.
We grew close. He introduced me to all his friends, and he even started a gang with them, and with me, to protect me from another gang that had been bullying me.
[His eyes would close briefly and then reopen, glazed as he'd transport himself to another time.]
For a few years, I was really happy. I had my friends, real friends, and I had a purpose.
.... but I fucked it up. [A soft shrug] The night before a friends, Mikeys, birthday, I made Baji break into a bike shop with me so we could steal his favorite bike as a present. The owner saw Baji's face, so, without thinking I-- killed the guy. [He'd blink slowly] Hit him over the head too hard and down he went.
He was Mikey's brother, turns out.. we didn't know.
And I-- [Lifting his face up and laughing a little, sadly, before shaking his head.]-- I lost it. I just-- lost my mind. I couldn't handle the blame. I couldn't handle what I'd done. I didn't understand how I'd even done it or why it had happened. I funneled all of my trauma into a single thought -- that if I killed my friend, if I killed Mikey, I would be absolved. Why I thought that-? I couldn't say..
I spent two years in jail. They were awful years, and I hated every minute. Baji wrote me letters, every day. They were my only solace. He sucked at writing, but he did it anyway. I thought of him as my savior, my only friend. I loved him dearly.
..when I got out of jail, I still wanted to kill Mikey. Baji left Toman, the gang we'd been a part of and the gang Mikey was the head of, to join me.
... but-- [His fingers would tremble and he'd chuckle] He hadn't actually joined with me. In the middle of this massive fight where I was gonna kill Mikey, I found out that Baji had betrayed me.. He had never had any intention of helping me kill Mikey. He never thought Mikey was wrong. He had never agreed with me.
He had lied to me.
So I stabbed him. To kill him. The only person I'd ever loved, the only person that ever meant a damn to me, and the only person that ever seemed to care about me..
[Fiddling with his fingers, picking at his nails as his eyes would lid.]
I fell into despair, thinking I'd killed him. Mikey went to kill me and I was happy to just let it happen, after that..
But then Baji stood up, made a show of showing he was fine-- and then stabbed himself. Killed himself, so I wouldn't blame myself for his death. So Mikey wouldn't kill me.
... [He'd sigh and look over at her with a soft smile.]
Sorry, that was a long story, huh. I gave myself up to the police and have been trying to be a better person. I realized he had loved me back, and I had been an idiot all that time. He wanted me to heal, he'd killed himself so I could go on, so.. I'm trying. I'm trying to be better. For Baji's sake..
I love it!
But isn't this kind of stuff what got her into this mess in the first place?
It's when he hands her the napkin that she snaps back to reality, though that blush probably isn't going away anytime soon. She wipes the blood from her lips and holds the napkin between her hands.
Then he starts to tell his tale and she listens intently.
The story was like a ride through water rapids, the way he'd had good times and bad, the insanity, the loss, the grief.
When he was done, there is a moment of silence and she hesitantly reaches over and covers his hands with one of hers. She's not sure it's the right thing to do because of what she's going to say next, but she's trying to offer comfort as well.]
These hands aren't as clean as they appear. [She's not the best at comforting people, but maybe if she shows him he's not alone...]
I've killed. I've killed a lot. Some of it was because of Tyrann's influence, but I'm no pacifist. I know I'm the violent type.
[Kainé has even beat the shit out of the person she loves, more than once. She hesitates again and then turns towards him, pulling him into a hug. Again, she's not great at this.]
What I'm trying to say is, you're not alone in being crazy. Shit happens that pushes us over the edge. Minds are fragile things. [She continues talking as she holds the hug.] I think you're doing the right thing by trying to better yourself and be the best you can. It's really all we can do, right?
[She pulls back so that she can look him in the eyes, but doesn't pull too far back.]
I can tell you're a good person. You wouldn't have stopped for a freak like me if you weren't.
[[ooc: I tried to friend you over plurk, but I don't know if you got it. Do you have Discord? I'm Millaa Maxwell#1225 if you want to friend me!]]
alskgaljagj I'm sorry again for the MASSIVE delay, the end of year work crunch is REAL!
He'd hug her back and close his eyes. He didn't feel like he was a good person, but he so wanted to be. Hearing Kaine say she thought he was filled him with the desire to keep pushing, to keep trying, even in this crazy place, even with this crazy voice in his head..
When she'd pull back, he'd sniffle and laugh a little, shaking his head.
You're not a freak, Kaine. You're not. You've had such a tough life, so much tougher than I can even wrap my head around, and here you are comforting a stranger.
He'd chuckle and wipe the tears from his cheeks, before pressing his forehead to hers, holding her face softly in his palm.
The whole time I've been here, I thought I needed to find a therapist to help me, but now I realize.. [He'd rub her cheek with his thumb slowly].. I just needed a friend.
[He'd lean in to nuzzle her cheek, pressing the tip of his nose against her skin, whispering.] Thank you..
[[ooc: I'm so sorry I missed it!! I'm been in a wormhole of work the last couple of weeks, but I've added you now! That being said, discord is way better for me, I check it much more often, so I sent you a friend request there <3 it'll be from ozturknf#9933!]]
I totally get it! Lol working 11 hr days here!
[Kainé blinks when he hugs her back, almost unsure what to do next. She doesn't know why she was so overcome that she hugged a complete stranger with how unsociable she is. However, her own touch-starved self almost cries as well with the soothing show of closeness in return.
Seems they hit it off immediately. Like there is some kind of connection there.
However, she can't help but look away when he says she's not a freak. Surely he would think so if he knew the truth. And she can't bring herself to say it anyway. She's been too hurt, discriminated, ostracized for it.]
Friend... [She repeats. She's never really had many of those either. Emil was definitely a friend, but more like a little brother. Nier was a friend too she supposes.] Yeah... yeah. I mean, no problem. Us messed up people gotta stick together, right?
no subject