TDM #6 - The Wheel Turns [First Edition]

[pumpkinhollow]

Pumpkin Hollow Gazette May Issue

MODERATOR NOTE

Reminder that this is our first full TDM after the age minimum removal! Currently, we are asking 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. We understand that this strategy may not work, so pardon our dust while we try out something new!

Also, as of June 7th, Pumpkin Hollow will have been around for one whole year! Thanks for an awesome trip around the sun, everybody! Here’s to another! This particular TDM is going to be a celebration of making it through our first year and all the adventures we had along the way, so please enjoy this highlight reel of our year in review and take a crack at some fun you may have missed. Have fun!

[Find our plain text version here!]

Pumpkin Hollow Gazette

5/10/24 | TDM #6 - The Wheel Turns [First Edition]
Weather Forecast: Fog in early mornings, occasional rain, otherwise clear.

WELCOMING NEW RESIDENTS FOR ONE YEAR AND COUNTING!

By Mayor Hellen Poe

The crop for which the town is named.

ISLAND-WIDE - Last June, Jack’s Marina saw its first overseas vessel in five years come into port as the very first ferry arrived. Ever since that fateful day, that same ferry has ushered in newcomers from all over this wide, wild universe, bringing to this island a multitude of individuals. Each new resident has been unique --- most have been the only person from their world of origin, and each has their own skills and knowledge. However, all of them are unified by one characteristic: they have served as a symbol of hope.

Our island is deeply cursed, of that, there is no question. And in the past year, we have faced many challenges together, from cursed pirate treasure to nightmare carnivals, from food shortage to turnip overflow, from train rides to alternate dimensions to a parasite-infested ship. But in overcoming those challenges we have grown stronger as a community.

As the Wheel of the Year turns once more, we move forward with the hope built for us by our newest residents, and we are pleased to continue welcoming ferries into our docks. If you’ve just arrived, please feel free to stop by Town Hall or reach out to any of your new neighbors for assistance. Welcome, offworlders, and may your lanterns always be lit.

LAKE SAL-CO-PENN FOG ADVISORY

By Yorick Aberdeen

An eerie view of the notorious lake.

LOCKWOOD FOREST (Northern Marrow Isle) -The Pumpkin Hollow Board of Safety has released an important new weather advisory for everyone traveling through Lockwood Forest toward Paradesium on foot. As most of us are aware, the intense rain last month resulted in some very high humidity for this time of year, especially given that this time of year is still quite cool. This has resulted in some heavy fog around the notorious Lake Sal-Co-Penn at the base of Crane’s Ridge, particularly in the very early mornings and late afternoons as the sun begins to set.

For those not yet aware, Lake Sal-Co-Penn’s fog draws those exposed closer to the lake, where it will then subject the victim to dangerous illusory experiences. The side effects of these illusions include but are not limited to foul smells, supernatural compulsion, panic attacks, drowning, and death. If you come into contact with the fog from proximity to the lake, don’t panic! Once you see where the lake itself is, turn around so that your back is to the water and begin walking straight ahead as quickly as possible while reassuring yourself that you do not recognize the bodies in the water. Safe travels!

PAST FRIGHTS MAKE ROTATING ENCORES

By Chief Constable Janine Kilbride

ISLAND-WIDE - Reconnaissance officers set out by the constabulary, in conjunction with the Pumpkin Hollow Board of Safety, have reported multiple sightings of various hostile monsters and spirits that have plagued our town over the past year. These beings include recurring island staples such as Brutoks and the River Walker, as well as newer aggressive entities such as the Tristitia and some carnivorous creatures from Paradesium. They appear to be on some sort of rotation as to which will appear on a given day.

While the Board of Safety continues to monitor the situation and test theories about an observable pattern, please travel safely regardless of time of day or location. Report any monster sightings directly to the nearest Enforcer and keep an eye on the community bulletin board for information as this situation develops.

PUMPKIN HOLLOW JOB FAIR

By Yorick Aberdeen

FESTIVAL GREEN - Due to the success of our planting season recruitment efforts over the previous months, Pumpkin Hollow’s Town Council will be expanding upon its initiative to help people seek out career opportunities in a local Job Fair! Come down to the festival green if you’re interested in a new job, and one of our seasoned artisans and skilled laborers will show you the ropes!

MAGICAL CRITTERS GRACE ISLAND ONCE MORE

By Yorick Aberdeen

A little friend in the Festival Green tulips.

VARIOUS LOCATIONS (Lockwood Forest, Crane’s Ridge, Paradesium) - This past autumn, a host of eerie, magical animals resembling ghosts took over Lockwood Forest, but departed just as mysteriously as they’d arrived by the end of November. These creatures of unknown origin were found to possess incredible power, and while some were hostile, others seemed quite friendly and were content to follow us home. Those that decided upon homes remained even when their brethren vanished with the snowfall.

Now it would appear that another wave of these helpful companions has appeared in the wild! While some are familiar, many of them are entirely new. Most seem to bear plant-like features, but some whimsical pink creatures or pastry-themed animals have been spotted as well. If the pattern follows, they should be around until summer reaches its peak, so go out there and make a friend, and make sure to bring treats!

HELP WANTED: Piano Wrangler

By Dottie Siward, owner of Empty Pockets

DOWNTOWN HOLLOW (Empty Pockets Music Lounge) - Local music lounge seeking assistance taming piano mimic(?) acquired from Calloway’s Curios. Our old piano got bashed to bits in the flood a while back and we bought a fancy new grand piano for a ridiculously low price, especially for Calloway’s. This was a terrible mistake. The piano eats people. Especially people who play badly, which happens a lot on open stage nights. Please help. Half-price drinks for life to anyone who can get this thing to behave, at least until we get a new piano.

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Further Details...

Year in Review

Monsters from our previous TDMs will be making victory laps in a week-long rotation. Which creature you’ll encounter depends upon the day!

Monday's Child is Fair of Face [cw: facial mutilation]

On Mondays, Smiling Jack from TDM#3 - "It Came from Beyond the Veil!” will appear in and around the cemeteries and farmlands, primarily at night. He is a hostile spirit with a Jack-o-Lantern over his head to hide his Glasgow smile. He attempts to make his victims laugh with morbid jokes and pranks and will attack those who do not find his antics funny, exposing his mutilated face and inflicting his same injuries on them. Those who do laugh will be followed until they cross paths with someone new for him to torment. Defeat him by breaking his pumpkin head!

Tuesday's Child is Full of Grace

On Tuesday nights, starry-bodied, glittering monsters themed around constellations from TDM #4 -”Aurora Borealis Blitz” can be found roaming the streets and beaches looking for people to aggress. They only appear interested in people, not in buildings. Unlike the previous iteration, they do not require the aurora borealis or a clear sky to manifest, but there are also significantly fewer of them and they do not seem interested in doing any property damage. Defeat them in combat to get a handful of magical stardust! Each monster’s worth of stardust grants one of the following wishes if tossed into the wind:


Luck: One unexpected fortunate circumstance occurs organically within the next 24 hours, and any dice rolls made during the OOC week will gain a bonus of +2.
Shimmer: A Shiny Pokemon will appear.
Weather: You can decide the weather for the next day, which can only be interrupted by Cecil Palmer’s Weather with consent from the user.
Fortune: Gain 10 Brass! Wow!
Abundance: Mysteriously acquire one delicious home-cooked meal of your choice with no apparent source.
Safety:: One immediate respawn from death (only works once per character for duration of the game).
Pants: A fabulous new pair of pants, free of charge.

Those who acquired stardust in the prior TDM can now use it for these purposes.

Wednesday's Child is Full of Woe

One of the island’s local cryptids, the Tristitia, can be found wandering the streets of town on Wednesdays. She originated from player action but made her first official appearance on TDM #5 - “Paradesium”. She is a banshee-like evil spirit appearing as a veiled woman with a hollowed-out chest.

While normally she is not particularly aggressive if given a wide berth, on her day of the week she has become more hostile. She is ever-grieving and will attempt to embrace her victims and force them to share in her anguish by drawing out their personal trauma and sadness. She is extremely difficult to kill, but will vanish on her own when satisfied with her work.

Thursday's Child Has Far to Go

On Thursday afternoons, Greenstriders from TDM #5 - “Paradesium” can be found coming all the way up from the underground jungles of Paradesium to hunt and forage in Lockwood Forest, even coming as far as Northwest Hollow to try and steal from farmers. They are violent, loud, aggressive, and venomous, and they work in small packs. Good luck if you get caught outside on a Thursday.

Monsters from Paradesium, including Greenstriders, were studied and reported on during an expedition led by Dr. Elias Coldwood. More extensive notes on greenstriders can be found in Dr. Coldwood's improved besiary.

Friday's Child is Loving and Giving

Featured in our December Mini TDM - “The Dead of Winter,” the Whispering Trees of Lockwood Forest are found to be active throughout the day on Friday. Gentle voices from the trees lure unsuspecting, emotionally vulnerable victims out into the woods by telling them that they are loved--- moreso by the trees than any other time in their lives. Following their dulcet tones resulted in hypothermia back in December, but without the aid of snow, the trees will now attempt to manipulate their victims into other deadly behaviors. Lovebombing has never been so toxic.

Saturday's Child Works Hard for a Living

On Saturdays, the River Walker from TDM #2 - “Down in the Underground” will be skulking around the Paring River which separates the town from the forest. A spider-like monstrosity with chitinous legs resembling rough hewn wood that bears the face of a drowned woman, the River Walker enjoys catching people unawares and knocking them unconscious. It then drags its victims down to labyrinthine tunnels where it will chase them through the claustrophobia-inducing burrows for hours and hours at a time, catching and killing them only when all hope is lost. However, the River Walker is quite weak and can only fight off one assailant at a time. Occasionally one can stop the Walker from kidnapping someone, but this is challenging as the creature is quite sneaky. The best way to defeat it is for two victims to find each other by sound in the tunnels and work together to escape, at which point the River Walker will avoid the pair and let them go for fear of retaliation. Escapees are let out near the mines in Crane’s Ridge!

And the Child Born on the Sabbath Day is Bonny and Blithe, Good and Gay

Last but not least, on Sundays during daylight hours, one has a chance of being targeted by one or more Brutoks. Having been the very first monster to ever appear in a Pumpkin Hollow event, they were featured in TDM #1 - “The Vengeful Forest”. Brutoks are tricksters who hide in trees and then attach themselves to victims who make accidental eye contact. If attached, they will pull mean spirited pranks, steal personal belongings, vandalize property, and eventually try to kidnap the victim. Taken victims will be planted in the ground and slowly turn into trees that must be destroyed in order for the person to die and resurrect.

To dispel Brutoks, one can look for their simple but well-camouflaged puzzles, which will be outside near the space they’ve attached to. Or, you can set them on fire. Dealer’s choice.

Additional Prompts

Lake Sal-Co-Penn

Lake Sal-Co-Penn is an infamous SCP which creates dangerous hallucinations. It presents the viewer with a vision of one or more floating corpses, which appear vaguely featureless until closer inspection. At this point the corpse(s) will take on the form of someone who the victim knows personally in an attempt to get them to enter the water, where they will be drowned and consumed. Feel free to roll dice to determine how well you can resist the illusion, and don’t forget to fill out a Death Certificate if you die!

Magical Creatures

The aforementioned mystical critters are Pokemon! Some Pokemon already exist on the island--- Ghost types were available during October and November. This time, both Fairy and Grass types can be found around the island for the duration of this TDM! (May & June). Here’s everything you need to know:

• Dual-types and pre-evolved forms of Pokemon that will gain Fairy or Grass types later are available. (Except for Eevee, due to its many evolutions. But Sylveon and Leafeon are available!)


• Evolution is possible--- stone deposits will be found in the mines later!


• Each character may have up to three Pokemon companions


• Neither Pokeballs nor the knowledge to create them currently exists in Pumpkin Hollow. Unless a PC with this knowledge shows up, you will just have to befriend them rather than capturing them properly.


• No Legendaries or Mythicals are available for adoption (for the sake of fairness), though Ogerpon can be found near Elsie’s Tree of Trinkets in Lockwood Forest. However, she is extremely shy and will flee from most people. She seems to respond to certain individuals, though…


• Shinies can be obtained through stardust or by purchasing a Sparkling Talisman from Calloway’s Curios for 50 Brass. Each character may only have one shiny. (Note that new arrivals begin with 100 Brass.)

Job Fair

The Pumpkin Hollow Job Fair is a great meet-and-greet for older residents and new arrivals! Farmers, artisans, fisherman, and more can set up booths, Q&As, or sign-ups for job shadowing on the Festival Green. New folks are given the opportunity to drop by and learn more about potential career options! Not only is this a recipe for new CR, but anyone who participates in a Job Fair thread (both presenters and newcomers) will gain an extra 100 Brass on their next (or first!) activity check! This bonus can only be claimed once per character.

Help Wanted

The man-eating piano in question is Yamaha, a staple of a previous game that much of our current player-base has migrated over from. While it has a particular taste for bad players, mistake-makers, and your sheet music, it seems to have an affinity for specific individuals. This is mostly a treat for our CRAU folks, but feel free to get eaten! We’ll see you tomorrow.

Comments

[decohere]

"Oh..." a soft, somber sound, her feet touch back to the ground. "Eventually they'd run dry, nothing left to give," Ava confirms. "Countless replacements, over thousands of years. Probably a million lost souls..." at least a few other versions of herself amongst them. "I... found ways to survive." Mostly through friends, having people that cared about her providing her reason to keep going, keep loving despite all of it. Her emotions were her own to use, she wasn't allowing anything else to steal them away. And that includes allowing herself to still feel bad about it now, because Fever was right. She doesn't have to pretend it's all better, just because it's over.

She turns a corner, gesturing ahead to the building he's so anxious to get to.

"Exactly. You start learning about one subject, and that just leads into another... and next thing you know it's 3 in the morning and your husband is like darling, come sleep..." or at least that's her experience.

[mindflayed]

Ah. Right. People do not like being reminded that they can be reduced to shells via trauma response. Which is why he doesn't say something like a million? Those are rookie numbers. Also her general demeanor makes him think she'll probably throw it back into his face that he too could be reduced to nothing. Better to not give her the chance.

Instead he will drop the subject of the past realm she was subjected to and focus on the building in front of them. It's hard to tell without a visible mouth but he does look happier already, a little less furrowed around where his nose should be.

"Yes, it's something like that." The 3 am part for certain, not the husband part. "I'm going to live forever and there still won't be enough time for all of it."

[decohere]

"So are you a magical scholar of sorts?" Ava's happy enough for the subject change, a topic they both seem to prefer.

"Your... levitating. Is that a manipulation of the air currents? A friend of mine, a sorcerer, tried to teach me that way. Or is it... directly upon the object itself?" She phases through the library entrance, waits patiently for him upon the other side. Ava chose to be ahead of him not necessarily to be first, but so she could see the expression upon his face upon seeing the books.

[mindflayed]

"One could say that, though magic isn't my preferred area of expertise." He almost wishes he could unlearn some of the magic he knows. Almost.

"No, it's.." an annoyed noise as he finds himself alone talking to the door instead of her. That's her loss as she misses him gesturing the door open instead of using his hand like a peasant. His reaction doesn't disappoint, pausing right on the other side of the door and taking it all in. It's smaller than some of the one's he's ransacked before, but those had also been abandoned and a lot of the books were in terrible shape and he had to fight spiderwebs for them. This is in excellent condition and has a promising second floor, everything looking neat and orderly. He's never going to leave.

"This is more than I'd hoped for." The small population of the town didn't seem to require a library of this size. But there were indications there used to be far more people - if only he knew to look for them.

"And no, it's not air currents, nor repulsion against the ground like magnetic polarities. It's innate. Psionic. I'm manifesting the power of my own consciousness and utilizing that to manipulate my relationship with the world around me." He gestures to a random book on the shelf, telekinetically pulling it towards him and tilting the spine so he can look at it. "Think of it as not pulling the book from the shelf, but rather bringing it to myself. I'm the center point."

Which explains a bit about his relationship to the world around him, he's quite literally the center of his world.

[decohere]

She grins, even if he's not looking at her. "See, wasn't this worth the wait?" For all the hassle of putting up with her, Ava does like to think herself capable of delivering upon promises.

She listens to his explanation, trying to catalog that word away. Psionic. "That's interesting," she remarks, as the book obeys his thoughts. "My friend had me trying to move a paperclip. Stared at it for a couple months, with no success at even wiggling it. But," Ava shrugs. "I'd probably mostly utilize it to be lazier than I already am. So it's for the best I have to actually walk to get things."

[mindflayed]

An annoyed huff is what she gets in agreement that yes it was worth it. And he now has shoes so its been doubly good, not that he'd admit that out loud. Walking over to the closest book shelf he neatly puts back the book he'd pulled out of there and starts inspecting the other titles. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to when he decides to levitate or to walk.

"The reason it didn't work is because the one teaching you was a sorcerer. They have innate magical properties that manifest themselves at will. You'd need a wizard to teach you, since they also learned from nothing. Telekinesis and levitation are rather advanced, I think the standard starting point for transmutation is learning prestidigitation."

Let him just consult the Player's Handbook real quick.

"With that you could light candles, flavor food to your liking, or create small gusts of wind to move things. Useful if you don't want to use any of your spells for offensive or defensive purposes."

A snort as he flips open a book to scan the pages, "It's not laziness, its utilizing yourself to your full potential."

[decohere]

Prestid- she can't even begin to guess what that means, nor risk mangling the pronunciation to even ask. "And what sort are you?" Ava asks instead, because the only difference she can discern after all the various explanations, is that wizards are the ones with the pointy hats and beards and robes...

"I gained the ability to fly, in other ways. Which was the ultimate purpose of trying to learn. Don't need more potential. All my powers are a bit much to handle on their own, and when I'm an octopus I start getting some of them mixed up. Especially the ability to vanish with... camouflage," a pause, "or sometimes more embarrassingly the inking." She sighs out and pokes at a few of the books on the shelf.

[mindflayed]

He skims a few pages of the book in his hands before putting it back and selecting another. This one apparently seems more interesting as he goes through it slower.

"He was a conjurer." Said simply as if that answers anything with no indication of who he might be. "I'm a psionicist, which again, is innate. It's part of being an Illithid, I didn't need to be trained I just know how to do these things. Levitation, telekinesis,"

Telepathy.

That last one said in her mind rather than out loud. "Even being able to talk is a magical process. I don't exactly have vocal cords."

His eyes slide over to her, "Perhaps you need to spend more time as an octopus to practice."

[decohere]

"Who was...?" Ava asks, a tilt of her head as she mentally scans through the conversation for who he might be referring to as a conjurer. "Ah, so everyone of your species... race? Can do such things," Ava really has such a difficult time trying to keep track of all this stuff, when it all gets so jumbled into her mind under the categorical umbrella of 'idk, magic.'

She nearly squeaks in surprise at the voice in her head. There's a power she has that she hasn't quite explored yet that vaguely flickers back in response before she pulls herself intangible for a brief moment to try shaking it all off.

"Well," she pivots from whatever that was. "Yeah, so I don't know why you were so shocked that I could," she says as if being a regular octopus is somehow the same as being an Illithid. "But you're right, I probably should. Just not out there again."

[mindflayed]

"Correct, we all have the same abilities, derived from a central source we're all connected to." He snaps the book closed and tucks it under his arm, apparently going to keep this one. "Well, that's generally how it works, I've been severed from my collective when the Elder Brain was destroyed - but all the rest of the colony was killed so it's for the best."

Not to mention the whole "sudden freedom and autonomy thing" that he's still figuring out.

Hm, that's an intriguing response, he's never had someone try to avoid his telepathy by going invisible. It's actually rather charming.

"Because octopii aren't magical. Unless they were a familiar of some kind, but an aquatic familiar would be a poor choice unless you were constantly sea faring. A pirate maybe." He now very much wants there to be pirate rangers with octopus companions. That would be fascinating. "Maybe you should try in the fountain? A safer environment."

He's never been inside an actual house and is forgetting that bathtubs exist.

[decohere]

It takes her a moment to process all that. She doesn't forget that he doesn't answer her question about the conjurer, but she does become far more preoccupied with this bit of information that it doesn't seem to matter as much. "What, so some sort of... hive mind?" Ava asks. "How'd you survive?" That has to be rather horrific, she thinks. To be mentally linked to a mass death event.

"I knew some pirates, once. They were rather silly," Ava shrugs off, still flickering a bit as she steadies herself. "But I can only turn into an octopus when I'm in a particularly grumpy mood. So the timing is never great. We had a huge flood here recently, and I spent a lot of it exploring... found some giant eels." She glances over to see what sort of book he's grabbed, openly nosy.

[mindflayed]

"Exactly like a hive mind. A collective consciousness, though there is a dominant force that guides the others." A pause, "Guide is a bit of an understatement, but that is how my society is structured. And I was not killed I think because I was extremely far away, and the psychic burst didn't fully reach me. Not that I was unharmed, but I did survive."

And woke up without access to the hivemind, with additional memories, and badly injured. If he was capable of panicking he would have had an immediate panic attack. Fortunately his emotions are a little stunted from not being his own so he just got mad about it.

"This is an odd curse you're under, you can shape change into one creature but only in water and only when you're in a particular mood? I wonder if you can harness that to shapeshift at will, there must be a mental trigger as well as a physical one." If he had any of his books from his satchel of holding back home he could probably do some research into werewolves and offer some actual helpful suggestions. Maybe there's something in this library...

What he has currently is a botany book about the flora and fauna of the Emerald Isles. Next he needs to find a geography book. The first step to figuring out this place is massive amounts of research.

[decohere]

Ava feels somewhat proud of herself for using the term correctly, even if the extent of what she knows of the concept is vague cultural osmosis of the Borg. She's sure a 'resistance is futile' reference would be both too cliched and go to waste, but she looks appropriately sympathetic about the rest of his experience. Though...

"So you gained freedom your type generally do not experience?" Ava suggests curiously, wondering if in the end it's not such a bad thing, or if she's simply viewing it with her own human bias. "How long has it been, since you've been on your own?" She wonders if it's somewhat comparable to when SHIELD was dismantled and suddenly she had nobody telling her what to do or what lies to believe or when to eat or sleep anymore. But amplified. She had felt rather aimless for a bit, but mostly relieved.

"And I can only fly when focusing on happy thoughts," Ava adds in, grabbing a book on crop breeding for herself from the section on the shelf nearby. "There... was quite awhile I couldn't manage it anymore." When the nonstop horror was starting to overwhelm her ability to sustain such feeling. "But maybe there's more to it? The shifting. That's just about all I've been able to figure out. It's helped though, I think. Being more aware of balancing my emotions, instead of just trying to suppress them."

[mindflayed]

"Very, very rare. I know of one other." And it's not like he's actually met Grazilaxx, He just knows it exists, or rather existed - he hasn't heard what became of it after the Society of Brilliance. "Approximately five months now, and it has been... an adjustment. Being here is certainly not helping things."

Bad enough he has to try and learn how to function slightly depowered and without the knowledge of the Hive Mind, now he has to be part of a society? And to make matters worse a society of mostly humans? He's not at all prepared for this.

"It is freedom I suppose, but at a cost. I don't have access to the vast wealth of knowledge I once had. Which is leaving me feeling rather..." if he's honest with himself he feels fairly stupid most of the time. Which is not something an Illithid, the superior race in the realms, the ones who dominate and subjugate others, should ever feel. "...adrift."

Alright now he straight up doesn't believe her, "You turn into an octopus when upset, and you can fly when you're happy. Are you certain that isn't some psychosomatic fallout from feeling upset when you're an octopus and being happy when you're flying and doesn't have anything to do with the method by which those things are achieved?"

[decohere]

"I guess it's for the best you were disconnected first, before arriving here. Not having to adjust to both at once," Ava comments, skimming through the book she's picked up to make sure it's relevant to what she wants to do.

But his remark about losing access to all the knowledge he's used to, she suddenly understands the specific preoccupation with getting to the library. Shame they don't have the internet here, where she could hook him up with the instant gratification of google. "Ah, now you have to learn things the way the rest of us do. It's frustratingly slow," she admits. "But I tried to learn as much as I could about the last world I was trapped in. Thinking maybe I could... do something useful with it." Which never occurred, making her absolutely miserable in the process.

"Now I have no real interest at all, other than..." a shrug. "Minding my own business." She can't blame herself for failing at things if she never gets involved at all. "It's much quieter," a tap to the side of her head. Not relentlessly pursuing every bit of information she could and obsessively spinning theories out of it has been rather beneficial to her mental health.

"And no, no. It's definitely the other way around. Because I can fly while happy, but as soon as I get hit with a sad thought, suddenly I'm tumbling out of the sky..." she had tried so many times while depressed to overcome it, with no success. "Plus, getting to swim around as an octopus usually makes me feel better than when I started."

[mindflayed]

It hadn't occurred to him the ways in which this could be worse, but that's certainly one of them. Having to deal with newfound autonomy while also being in an entirely new realm would not have gone well, but it also may not have come to that. He's pretty sure he would have attacked the woman talking to him on sight and then she likely wouldn't have made the offer of coming here - and he'd just be dead.

"It's not just the learning that I have to redo, it's the remembering. Everything I experienced was stored elsewhere and easily retrieved at any moment. I didn't have to consciously commit it to my own memory, and I'm very unused to doing that." He says it matter of factly but the idea of not being able to recall everything he's ever done or experienced is vaguely terrifying. There may come a time when he doesn't remember most of the accumulated knowledge from the hivemind and only has his own memories. How will he manage?

"The quiet is the worst part."

What she describes is a very cursed system of magic and he's not sure he wants any part of it. So he'll just let that go.