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ph_memes2025-05-10 09:03 pm
TDM #10 - Wither and Bloom [FINAL REPRINT]
We ask that all toplevels include the age of the character (or at least a rough estimate) for TDM posts, to ensure that players both old and new can quickly make informed decisions about how to interact with a given character. We also ask that if someone lists a prompt as having an age preference, that it be respected. This is specifically for TDMs unless otherwise stated. Thank you!
Pumpkin Hollow Gazette
12/13/24 | TDM #10 - Wither and Bloom [First Edition]
Spring Pokémon Types - Grass, Fairy, Ground, Bug, Normal
WELCOME TO PUMPKIN HOLLOW
By Yorick Aberdeen
The crop for which the town is named.
Greetings, Hollowites, old and new! We are pleased to bring you yet another riveting issue of the Pumpkin Hollow Gazette. Or perhaps this is your very first one?
For nearly two years now, the mysterious ferryman has brought new and interesting faces across seas and stars and dimensional planes to reach our fair island. Since then, our community has grown larger and infinitely more interesting--- and we’re glad you’re joining us! Just in time for the weather to be just lovely.
This time of year tends to be a bit lighter on town-wide events due to this being a vitally busy time for our local agriculture industry, but we urge you to get involved with planting season and spend some time in nature. Who knows? You might even catch sight of our goddess of Land and Spring if you spend enough time among plants! Just don’t look into the trees--- they look back.
We invite you, as with all those who came before you, to enjoy your stay at the Oak & Iron tavern inn while you settle in. Please stop by Town Hall to discuss opportunities for work and more permanent housing! All newcomers get 100 Brass in their pocket upon arrival as well, so we encourage you to take advantage of this as well. Reach out to your neighbors for help if you need it, and don’t forget to pick up your copy of the Pumpkin Hollow Gazette whenever you need the local news!
SPRING WEATHER REPORT
By Phil Connors
The breeze will make your clothes smell great!
Start dusting those homes and beating those blankets! The days are getting longer, and with it, the winds are getting warmer. Spring is here! We’ll see some days that are still chilly and windy, but the more warm and temperate phases will get more common later in the season. We’re also entering the rainy period, meaning flowers are springing out of the ground and we’ll be seeing some very beautiful sunrises on misty mornings. Color is coming back to the isle, the frogs are in the rivers, and the insects and lambs are in the fields. It’s a good season to be outside.
Which means it’s also a good season to do laundry! Join us for our Community Laundry Day, where we all do our much-needed chores together and hang-dry our laundry in the warm and breezy weather! Join us on the green for some team washing. Water provided. Bring your own tubs, soap, and of course, clothes!
COMMUNITY EVENTS KEEP TOWN LIVELY ALL SPRING
By Timothy Stoker
The gazebo in town square, beside the festival green, is the place to be this season.
Legend has it that this time last year, a packed ferry arrived with a mass influx of offworlders, and an emergency potluck dinner was held to welcome the crowd. Now, this reporter wasn’t here just yet when that happened, but stories tell of a gathering of epic culinary proportions that heralded a new age of prosperity for Pumpkin Hollow. Sounds like something worth celebrating! Now that the weather has turned lovely once more (as elaborated on above by our own Phil Connors), the town has decided to celebrate the anniversary of the newly dubbed “Harbor Day” by revisiting that potluck idea. Drop by the Temple of Sacred Roots every other Friday from now until June to sample the cuisine of your new neighbors and local businesses. New residents need only bring themselves!
Also, in the spirit of spring cleaning, residents will also be selling or giving away their old items every weekend, weather permitting, in a series of mass yard sales. Some of our more modern residents supplied the term “yard crawl” for the event, which was deemed to be fitting. So come out on Saturday and Sunday mornings and afternoons to see what useful used items you can take off your neighbors’ hands! It’s a great way for new residents to decorate their new homes cheaply and get some new clothes.
And finally, on Wednesday evenings the Festival Green will be hosting “Swift Social” events (to be held in the Oak & Iron in the event of rain). A reimagining of last year’s popular charity speed dating event, this new Swift Social is expanded to include individuals seeking platonic relationships as well--- though that doesn’t mean romance is off the menu! The 10 Brass will be used to support the town’s medical community and the Autumn Leaves Dormitory House for Young Residents. So come out and make a friend or meet someone cute--- it’s for charity!
Fearsome Fae Antics Cause Town-Wide Trouble
By Melanie King
Up to no good, probably.
Things have been getting tricksy around town as, apparently, the fae population are staging the prank war to end all prank wars—or so local experts are telling us. If, like this reporter, you thought you were just having terrible luck with forgetting where you put things down or waking up with horrible bedhead, surprise! You've actually been caught in the crossfire of the fairies' games and may be entitled to financial compensation. (Not really. That's a joke.)
It looks like their antics are escalating significantly over time from harmless inconveniences to active dangers, so beware of any unusual sounds, behaviours or visual phenomenon you may encounter. Alluring or pleading voices from the woods, ghostly lights, critters acting oddly—if it's out of the ordinary, think twice. Or it might be the last time you think at all (at least, until tomorrow morning).
Fiendish Floral Figures Take Root Around Town
By Yorick Aberdeen
How eerie!
Spring is a time of year characterized by new life and by fresh floral blooms. It’s said that the land is Serranai’s canvas, and flowers are her paint. There is no debating that watching the Spring goddess’s artistry come to life in her season of power is an activity beloved by all! However, the Department of Supernatural Affairs is currently investigating some strangely behaved plant life.
While sightings have been somewhat rare, locals have been reporting eerie structures made out of flowering vines or woven flower stems that take the shape of hollowed out humanoid silhouettes. The poses seem to indicate motion and appear capable of springing to life at any moment, but the strange figures never seem to actually move --- at least, not that anyone has actually seen. However, many have cited that upon looking away from the figures and looking back, they appear to be closer. Those who have had direct contact with these floral armatures of people are also reporting some kind of ongoing allergic reaction from the encounter. Symptoms include severe shortness of breath, unpleasant itching that feels like it is coming from beneath the skin, and intense bouts of emotion which vary from person to person.
The Pumpkin Hollow Board of Safety is currently investigating long-term effects of contact with these beings and advises residents to avoid them. They seem highly resilient to fire, impact, and tearing, and while cutting with a sharp implement seems to have some success, it’s inadvisable to get close enough to the things to use such tools in the first place. Local alchemist Aeryn Sallek and local non-magical chemist Sally Boyle are currently working together to develop an herbicidal blend that is safe for human skin contact and potentially consumption to try and deal with the flowery menaces, which the Board of Safety has begun calling “Hanahilators”. But don’t let the name frighten you--- steering clear of these freaky floral followers should be a more than sufficient safety measure until the threat can be dealt with. Probably, anyway!
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Yard Crawl
Participate in the Yard Crawl as either a buyer, a seller, or both! When you take on a job in Pumpkin Hollow, you are supplied with permanent housing outside the Oak & Iron as part of your start-up kit, and most of them are full of old and worn furniture and clothes left behind when they were abandoned. Get rid of some of it or find something new at the Spring Yard Crawl! Plus, some of the native residents will also be selling or giving away their own old things.
Here’s how the Brass shakes out:
- Buyers can spend 50 Brass and get a haul of their choice of used or free clothing, furniture, or small decorative items. All of it will be of decent to low quality and relatively unremarkable design, so nothing extravagant. (Although a lone exciting knick knack could be considered passable!) Reminder that newcomers are given their first stipend of 100B upon arrival, so new characters are welcome to participate--- you’ll just need to mark that on your ledger if/when you app in. Ask for help if you have questions about this!
- Sellers can make 50B off of their participation but must make a toplevel. Only apped-in characters that are not Laggards can participate as a Seller.
- Those who are both buying and selling end up with a net zero of Brass, but all the aforementioned rules apply!
- Transactions related to the Yard Crawl can be applied to a character’s ledger three times --- once per month for the duration of this TDM!
Swift Social
Under the Swift Social toplevel posted from the mod account, join the fun by posting a starter with the provided code to create a profile card! Then comment on someone else’s starter with one of the following icebreaker questions to get started:
Which would be more surprising to see on your doorstep, a unicorn or a walrus?Be advised that you must post a comment with your profile card so that any Swift Social partners you have can reference it for your age and preferences.
If you could commit any crime with no consequences, what would it be?
If you were caught in a trap and the only way to escape from it with your life was to do something genuinely impressive, what would be your approach?
If you had to live on only one food for the rest of your life, what would you choose?
If you were held at knife point and instructed by your assailant that you must call someone on their sending stone, and if they do not answer, you die, who would you call?
Which would be most frightening to encounter in a dark alley: a ghost, an alien, or a horse?
If you could have any wish granted for you, no matter how big or small, what would it be? (Cannot ask for more wishes, that’s cheating!)
What’s a subject that you could confidently teach an hour-long class on with no preparation?
If you could instantly become an expert in any skill, what would you choose?
Make your own!
Fae Pranks
It’s a fairy prank war! A few of the local fae courts are using Marrow Isle as their battle ground, since the demons made it trendy. They’re mostly out to prank each other--- but they’re also happy to practice their tricks on you! And fairies have some very odd ideas about boundaries when it comes to pranks. Here’s a few examples of some of the tricks you might encounter, ranging from silly to genuinely dangerous:
- A truly outrageous amounts of butterflies
- Sightings of Edwin the Headless Postman, a Dullahan (this is a played character that a mod will tag out with, please leave an OOC note if you’d like to opt out)
- Will-o-wisps that lead you in circles or into danger
- Fae dance parties that will have you dancing yourself to death!
- Missing objects
- Mysteriously spoiled milk
- Your hair got braided or extra tangled while you were asleep
- Weird sounds in Prague Mill after dark. Is it haunted?
- Strange women crying in the forest or by the Bluffs, but when you approach them to try and help, you find yourself suddenly in life-threatening danger!
- Create your own! Have fun with it, get spooky or goofy as you see fit.
Floral Fiends [cw: body horror, death]
Loosely inspired by the Hanahaki disease and the film Annihilation, Hanahilators are uncanny figures made out of flowers that move when they are not being watched. If they catch you, they will grab you, but seemingly have no interest in harming you as they will relent as soon as they’ve touched you.
However, once you have pollen on you, the effects begin to take hold, and flowers begin growing within your body, first in your lungs and then pushing into the rest of you. These parasitic blooms feed off of your strong emotions and are influenced by the emotions which define you. (Feel free to use the Victorian flower language to determine what kinds of flowers you get!) Once strong enough, the vines begin feeding on your body, destroying it and leaving behind a brand new Hanahilator. But don’t worry, you’ll be back to your old self tomorrow, so enjoy the opportunity to explore the island as a ghost! Apped in characters should remember to fill out a Death Certificate! It’s a relatively rare encounter, so don’t worry about running into one if you don’t want to.
Pokémon
Each season, new types of Pokémon can be found in nature around the island! They cannot be captured as the technology does not exist on Marrow Isle, but they can be befriended and kept as pets. Since there is no PC, each person can have no more than six. You can befriend any Pokémon whose primary type matches the list at the top of the newspaper. (Eevee can be caught in any season.) Legendaries are off limits for obvious reasons, and mythicals can be encountered for fun but not kept! Evolutionary stones can be found in Paradesium, the magical subterranean jungle beneath the mountain to the North. Every type will be available at some point throughout the year, so if you don’t have access to your fave yet, check back next season!
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At the bottom of the grave, flat on her back, one Nyx - Number Forty-Four - is pinned beneath the deeply sleeping, loudly purring Christopher Mango, who has colonized her chest.
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The last few steps are not steps at all, but strides, and then she's kneeling in the dirt on the edge of the grave peering inside. From Nyx's perspective, it's a nimbus cloud of pale hair and big red eyes that gaze at her and the cat in a mix of shock and amazement - outside of demonic pull and influence for the moment, and if not for the cat, she might have been tempted to see if Nyx was capable of enduring the weight of a whatever-she-is-now being dropped onto her from the top of the grave.
The cat, peacekeeper that he is, does not know what fate he has helped avert.
"When did you get here?"
She hadn't been on the documentation. Fever's nosy enough to check who might have newly arrived at least every other day, so sue her. There are those who she still holds out hope for, after all.
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(Dead is one thing. Dead and restless is another.)
Since Nyx is trapped and unable to violate the most sacred of laws regarding cats and their sleep, Fever adjusts her position to be lying down at the edge, angling her body so she can still look down at the grave occupants.
"Not to sway your opinions of this place, but you came at a decent time. Still in the heart of spring, before she gives over to summer in full."
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Look at him Fever. Look at your idiot orange child.
"The Father said I missed some bad shit. Tell me there's been good shit too."
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She's biased in that regard, though, because her category includes such things as the caterpillars are coming out and got to talk to Alice for an hour instead of working and murdered large swathes of the undead.
"We got through the winter without straining the food supplies of the town. The holiday season was new to me, and I learned how to drive horses for one of them. Made some more friends - one of them, he'll want to draw you, you're probably going to want to get weird about it and it will only make him more interested if he sees you as you are. Passed a full year of being in this place, and no sight of the bastards I'd destroy if they so much as set a single toe on these shores. The hot springs are still in operation and infinitely better than that...what was it, hot tub. And one of the cats has kittens, but I can't figure out where she's keeping them to go look just yet, she's too clever."
A tiny pause.
"And we're making progress on the whole barrier situation, if you heard about it. Enough that no one's going to need to ask you to take up a new cause if you don't want to."
Unspoken, that Nyx might be able to truly rest.
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A good winter. A hot spring. Kittens...
"How's the love life, your taste get good enough to ditch me yet?"
She has, after all, broken her promise. Nyx vowed to haunt Fever, and yet...
Here she is.
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"Wh- do you really want me to answer that? I can tell you about fifty more interesting things than that. Besides, we've got to think about yours, anyway."
She can only imagine what Nyx would say if she knew the full truth of it all.
BY TRADITION
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There's something like a little groan from overhead.
"...When you say ditch you, have you...did you attach more to the sex than friendship?"
She has to ask this, because after Lae'zel, she can't be sure with those words.
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"I'm not `thou art only for me and I for thee`, no. It's...I'm free to sleep with who I want. Still do."
Which still feels like giving something away, but on the list of things she wants to talk about without crawling into the other grave? Her love life is not one.
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"As far as the clothing situation goes, that's easily solved. The secondhand shop has a deal for newcomers, and there's enough to suit whatever face you want to be wearing. Or faces. And more to your benefit, I've been doing the introductory speech and tasks enough to handle and answer anything that might be tripping you up."
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Pause.
"And a home with exits. Ground floor."
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"...You'll need a job, for the home part. Even I can't skirt around the lines on that, but name what you want to do, and the keys will be yours. I'll make sure it's in a decent area, too - even at a remove, if you want your privacy."
An exhale.
"If you want to pretend at peace, there are going to be a few souls you want to steer well clear of, lest you get drawn into the crossfire of what some of us are messing with. Dahlia Leeds - blonde, young, the air of old and new money on her - is someone you should avoid. I don't, but I wouldn't know what to do with peace if I found it. Neil West - glasses, scholar type, dream therapist -" she says the words with disdain, "- has apparently been poking around the cult problem that's been going on. I'm not as versed in his side of things, but I wouldn't be, since I've publicly chosen a side, so to speak."
She'd be shrugging, if the Darkling could see her.
"Some things happen that none of us can avoid. But leave it to me and the other fools that choose to throw ourselves into the maw of the beast to take up the mantle of the task. The most anyone might ever ask you for is help with protection, if it gets really rough." And a tiny pause. "Mulcahy could use it. Though I don't think he'll ask for it."
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Rolling back towards the grave, she reaches down to collect the cat, pulling him up and settling him on her own chest for the moment. Floor time is good time, even when it's the dirt.
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"So I can talk to rats."
TRADITION
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Sitting up, she holds out the cat again so that Nyx can get the maximum amount of Mango Time that her day can possibly hold, and gets to her own feet.
"And one thing you'll have to get used to - when people offer to help you, here, they actually mean it."
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It'll take her a long time, if ever, to shed the idea of something owed for what others will see as simply her due for existing on the same isle.
"But there'll only be so much talk of debts I'll endure from you in regards to myself."
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TRADITION
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Wrap?
wrap!