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ph_memes2025-03-10 09:10 pm
TDM #10 - Wither and Bloom [First Edition]
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!
Page 1
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!
QUESTIONS/COMMENTS/CONCERNS
Swift Social
Step 2: Comment on someone else’s profile card with one of the icebreaker questions from “Further Details.”
Step 3: Mark the entry cost in your ledger! (Newcomers can play for free!)
SWIFT SOCIAL TIEM!! | John Rambo, 40
Pronouns: he/him
Seeking: Friends, and maybe romance. We’ll see—just lost a partner recently so I’m kind of a mess. Currently in a polyamorous relationship, bisexual, open to anyone I get along with on all fronts.
Fun Fact: I’m nearly fluent in at least one language from every country I’ve ever set foot in.
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Mandy Slade, 36
Pronouns: She/her
Seeking: Anything with anyone, so long as Cupid's not invited.
Fun Fact: I probably wouldn't be arrested if I were to visit Japan again, but I was very politely asked by some men in uniform to never come back.
HIIIIIII XD
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Radar O'Reilly, 20
Re: Radar O'Reilly, 20
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Swift Social | Ellen Ripley, 29
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Nimona, nebulously teenage/1000+
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Anders, Dragon Age, 39
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James Sunderland, 30s
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Michael J. Caboose | 23
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Swift Social | Agent Carolina, 29
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Zim, ambiguously older-teenage. I am so sorry about him.
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Time to make crossover history
YAAAAY
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Sephiroth | 33
Valdis | 2500+
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Godpoke | Great God Grove | 28
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Vespertine || DND-ish OC || 20-ish
Cassandra de Rolo, early 20s
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Edgar, early 20s
Major Margaret Houlihan, 32ish
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Josiah Cole | 31 (???) | OC
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Artemy Burakh | 26
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Hector Monaque, 56
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Swift Social | Leon S. Kennedy, 27
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Serranai, Mother of Land and Spring | NPC (local goddess) | ~4.3 Billion years of age
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OG Luo Binghe | IDK he's old
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John Rambo | 40 | FIRST BLOOD/Rambo movies
The kids are trying so hard to cheer him up, and even his friends are trying to get him to go out since he missed Merrymeet, so…one day. He spends one day of one weekend browsing at the yard crawl, mostly just to say he did.
And yes, Co comes with him. So does Bao—and, funny enough, Co is incredibly well behaved while Bao gets into a little trouble by nibbling on a willow basket at one person’s section, so John drops at least a couple brass here and there when Bao gets into a few things.
And yeah, a couple of them she didn’t damage: he just likes the lamp she tried to climb on, and he thinks Radar and Kitty will love the little calico print stuffed rabbits she tries to accost.
Fae Pranks
…yeah, John is taking full advantage of this to get in on the action.
He’s not sure if the blessing Serranai shared with Kitty is protecting them, or maybe Elsie put in a good word with her pops, but he’s been free of any supernatural pranks, and he hasn’t seen anything from the kids at home. Then again, he has at least one teenager, free range animals, and he’s dating a boisterous cook of a certain size…maybe he’s just used to chaos and missing the tricks.
But? Pranks are happening—and John hasn’t had a chance to make this kind of trouble in years.
So, in addition to the faerie mischief, Pumpkin Hollow is also beset by a merry prankster of mortal origin. Salt shakers with loose tops at the tavern, puddles appearing out of nowhere, wildflowers finding their way into your hair, a ‘HI MY NAME IS GOOBER’ sign appearing on your back…
Odds are, if you’ve been pranked and crossed paths with John Rambo during the outbreak? Faeries might not be to blame.
(Carte Blanche: want to prank your muse and blame John? He will gladly be to blame. Come try to make him confess. He dares you. XD)
Wildcard
CHOOSE YOUR OWN RAMBO!
Yard Crawl
Vespertine doesn't mean to distract Co from her Important Chicken Business. It just sort of happens. One moment, it's investigating an antique doll dress, pkndering if it could modify it for daily wear... and the next, Co is right there, giving it the Chicken Inspection eye.
Vespertine goes so still you'd think it wasn't even alive. When Co decides it's clearly not a threat, then it moves, one hand reaching out to pat Co's feathers.
That's when Bao shows up, and Vespertine gives up on this particular shopping trip. Both of John's pets are getting so much attention now. It even has little treats for the chicken, because. Well. There's a cat shelter in town. Enough said.
Vespertine is good with animals. Especially adorable little bunnies like Bao, and wonderful dinosaurs, yes, you Co, are a dinosaur, and Vespertine is sure you know but did you know?
Normally Vespertine is more discreet about this sort of thing but it's been so lonely it just can't help it.
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Yard Crawl
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Sephiroth | Compilation of FFVII | OTA | 33
Sephiroth wasn’t expecting anything unusual that night, especially. But when Zack the Umbreon started yipping excitedly, he stirred and opened his eyes to a confusing sight.
“Eevo?”
A little brown and cream animal was perched on the footboard of his bed. He blinked in disbelief, trying to understand what was happening.
“How did you get in?” he mumbled.
“Eevo!” was the happy reply.
He sat up, studying it. Well, at least she was certainly friendly. And Zack was excited.
Zack was always excited, though.
He petted the new animal and she jumped down, prancing across the bed. “Ee-vee! Ee-vee!” she chanted.
“... I believe this ... Eevee? ... has invited herself to become our friend,” he finally remarked.
Zack yipped happily.
Later on, Sephiroth can be seen taking a walk with Zack and the Eevee, who will be named Lucy. Both Zack and Lucy are delightedly skipping about, while Sephiroth watches in amazed amusement.
Fae Pranks - Prague Mill
Sephiroth is not at all happy to hear of the fae prank war. And he also isn’t pleased to hear strange sounds at Prague Mill. As law enforcement, he feels the need to investigate.
Perhaps you are out and about as Sephiroth approaches the mill? Maybe you’ve heard the odd sounds too? Or maybe you feel you’re in over your head and a dashing gentleman with long silver hair will need to rescue you from ... whatever?
Fae Pranks - Crying Women
Well, now it’s Sephiroth who needs rescuing, it seems. While in Safer form and investigating the forest, he heard mysterious crying and of course he had to follow it to try to save whoever was in trouble. But somehow something clubbed him over the head and now he’s laying unconscious awfully close to a drop-off. In Safer form he might not be recognized as Sephiroth (unless someone he encountered in the dream world finds him), but at least the strange man with seven wings is probably recognizable as a helpful sort ... unless it’s someone who hasn’t seen or heard the tales of the stranger in the woods. If anyone stumbles across an unconscious man 6'7", with one large wing on his right shoulder and six around his waist, please do help him, won’t you?
Flower Fiends
Sephiroth is concerned by the strange reports of flower people. Certain this is not a good thing, he’s moving around town cautiously in the hopes of uncovering this odd mystery.
He stumbles upon one of these rare encounters when he sees one of the strange creatures approaching some unsuspecting soul. Sensing him watching, it stops.
“Get away from that ... being!” he warns whoever was about to get caught and touched. He doesn’t know what will happen, but the way it was moving so surreptitiously before it realized he was there disturbs him. He’s sure it’s up to no good.
((OOC: Sephiroth will not be touched by the fiends, but if you want your character to get touched instead of rescued in time, go wild!))
Fae Pranks - Crying Women
Vespertine made a promise to itself, last time it encountered... that one. The Laetitia. It hears the sound of a crying woman and makes an assumption, needles out and running fast. No victims for you, -Wait....
That's not the Laetitia. Thats' just... a lotta wings. Is there a guy in there, under all those wings? Maybe there is. He's perilously close to the edge, here. Vespertine's not nearly strong enough to move him, but fortunately.. It has Matutine! The worlds' greatest bulbasaur!
Matutine wraps vines around the man's waist, pulling him up and away whilest the foot tall doll climbs atop him to poke his face with a miniscule finger. "You seem to still be alive. Please wake up now."
Re: Fae Pranks - Crying Women
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Patty | 27 | Great God Grove
"So I can get all these for ten brass? Wooooooow, thank you! Hey, do you think there's anywhere I could try these on?"
A massive pile of flowery skirts, dresses, and fuzzy sweaters staggers down the street. Somewhere in there is a blue, furry little lass, one of the Bizzyboys who appeared to save the day at Merrymeet. Patty thought she'd stick around for a while, see the sights, make some new friends, keep an eye on her old bosses so they don't slide back into bad habits like trying to start the apocalypse...
And today? She's clothes shopping. She arrived with only her Bizzyboy uniform, after all, and while it is pretty snazzy (thanks Vibi!) she's also pretty tired of wearing it all the time! She wants to be girly! And comfy! And lounge around being cute and lazy, the uniform does not great loungewear make. Probably on purpose.
Anyway! Please watch your step if you're walking around the yard sale(s), because Patty actually can't see her feet right now. Or much of anything, really. Hm...maybe she should have grabbed a bag...
Wildcard
Want to explore one of the other prompts with Patty, or just get to know her? Send me a dm, or feel free to just jump on in! She's eager to meet everyone <3
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Buk! Bukbuk!
John makes a quick decision, darting over to snag the top of the clothing pile from the little lady as he sees her wobble and nearly trip on a rock in her path. This, at least, lets her see a little of the path in front of her feet as she walks.
“Sorry, uh—you were gonna trip.” He explains as Co struts over to peck at the rock Patty nearly tripped over like it has personally offended her.
“Maybe I can help you carry? We Bizzyboys gotta stick together.” John offers with a smile. “You’re one of Capo and Hector’s friends, yeah? I’m John—well, J. I’m having fun trying to earn my letters…Cap isn’t making me, I just like it.”
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Yard Sard
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helena adams | identity v | 22 | ota
It's a lovely crisp day as spring begins to creep into the world, a day where Helena goes out and wants to soak in as much daytime as she can. Still a bit sharp from the winds, but a good day nonetheless. The oddness starts when she's a little ways out from town - of course there are sounds and creatures about, but it sounds like someone is following her. Something small, a presence about, and when she stills to listen further, a soft nudging at her hand, a nose and a soft face that moves itself under her touch as if it seeks pets. The animal persists in trying to be in her company, having decided they want to get to know her. And really, Helena doesn't know what she ought to do about it aside from indulge the dear thing.
More and more in this month, she can be found with it nearby, their mutual trust building. Whether patiently waiting for her as she gets off work, seated at her side at Max's bakery trying to beg a bite, or just out walking next to her, the creature is becoming a furry shadow to be noticed around, feelers wrapped around her wrist or arm to walk nearby. Friends specifically might find themselves approached for advice on how to care for a little beast, or she might take herself out to Baker Ranch or the like in search of how to do this right. And on occasion, she can be heard talking softly, notebook in hand, reading aloud to the creature.
If it's going to hang about, it might as well help her workshop her poems.
wildcard.
[have a different idea? pm me, or just go for it! any and all welcome.]
Re: helena adams | identity v | 22 | ota
A tall man holding an Eevee soon follows after him. "Hello," he greets with a kind smile. "I hope he didn't startle you."
Zack stands eagerly with tail waving. He is certainly perky for an Umbreon.
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new friends
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Agent Carolina | Red vs. Blue | 29
CW: Hunting, guns, eventual animal death, issues with self-worth
The air is warm. Local flora rises from their snow-sodden beds to reach for the sun and the animals have come out of hiding.
She's going to kill them.
Scratch that— she's going to kill one of them. An old, red buck she's been stalking since dawn. But she's not a monster. She doesn't kill senselessly or cruelly or in unneeded abundance. Won't extend a creature's suffering past the barest physical requirement;
she's not like Agent Florida. This is work. Killing is work. It's something to do to keep her senses sharp, her mind occupied, her body moving. It's work and she'll do it right; she'll make it perfect or it isn't worth doing at all.If she isn't perfect, she might as well be the buck. Dead.
And she hadn't been perfect. And she is dead. She's dead because she failed to rise to the occasion and now she's being punished. This is punishment. Do better. You need to do better.
Agent Carolina reeks of deer musk where she crouches in the bushes. A shotgun rests, heavy, in both hands. It's unfamiliar. Clunky. Garbage compared to the weapons she's used to firing but acknowledging this in any significant detail would be an excuse, and she does not accept excuses. You need to do better.
The buck's eyes are black glass in the sunlight. He blinks long lashes, lowering his head to feast on grass and leaves.
The forest is silent save for his lazy chewing.
Carolina is silent. She's perfectly still. She's perfect. You have to be perfect. Her finger rests on the trigger, begins to squeeze. She's got clear sight, the perfect shot, but a shape flits out between branches. Papery and feather-light. A butterfly. Its white wings catch sunlight and in a swoop it lands on her shotgun's barrel. Another joins it.
And another.
And another.
Carolina clenches her jaw, her heart beginning to race. Get out of my way.
A swarm of them, like ash caught on the wind following an explosion. The little life swept up into motion by Death's atomic heat. The mass is so large it obscures her vision— nothing but antennae and flitting paper and tiny legs that cling to leaves and metal and her. Carolina's lips make a silent snarl. She tries to shake them from her gun's barrel but they're stubborn.
The buck doesn't mind the swarm. His antlers act as a perch and he continues chowing down until—
Snap; a twig behind her. The buck tamps quickly through wet leaves, between trees and disappears into the forest. She whirls around and sees you.
Her gun is pointed in your direction. Her teeth gnash as she speaks. "I've been tracking that thing. All. Morning."
Laundry Day.
Agent Carolina has a complicated relationship with chores, and she can think of a million other things she’d rather be doing. There’s no winning in laundry. There’s no overcoming obstacles. She can’t push herself to breaking. The sweat at her brow is from pure toil, a useless secreting of water better saved elsewhere. Laundry is something that needs to be done, but not in the same way she needs to work, needs to move, needs to confirm she’s still on top of her game. Laundry is itself an obstacle. A thing to get over with so that she can move onto better, more important tasks. Laundry is like eating or sleeping.
But she needs to eat. She needs to sleep and she can’t strut around in dirty clothes.
So Carolina sits herself down at the furthest edge from where the community gathers, hair done up in a tight ponytail, keen on punching the soap and water from her clothes. She does so with almost comical vigor, squeezing and wringing, splashing water onto the ground, eyebrows knit and teeth gnashed hard, resenting the task. It looks like she's drowning someone.
If you choose to approach her, whether it be to ask for soap or discuss the nice weather, good luck.
Wildcard!
Hit me with anything!
the hunt
Monsters in the woods, he's kinda used to by now. People with guns? Not so much. (Pretty much all the hunters he knows around here are bow hunters.) Radar jumps backward, slaps both hands onto his head, reconsiders, raises them instead, reconsiders again and links his fingers on top of his hat as he babbles, "I'm sorry ma'am I didn't see you there I was just following the butterflies and saw the deer too and wanted to look a little closer please don't shoot me -- "
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The Hunt
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Laundry Day
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Pranks
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Agent Connecticut / CT | RvB | 29
Department of Supernatural Affairs
As always, the new season comes with new dangers around the island and new work for the enforcers meant to handle local supernatural problems. Which is just fine by CT—frankly, she needs the distraction, there's only so many times she can go over her notes on the greater mysteries before she gets a headache and with a recent arrival to town on the mind...
Well, like she said: she needs the distraction.
So, she works. Puts together a board of notes on the reported sightings of and currently-known information on the Hanahilators, sets up a smaller tracker for the various reported pranks from the fae, so on. Spends some time out at the library doing relevant research, as she often does. Does her rounds around town, just to see how things are. Work. Work, work, work.
And all the while she's tense, jumpy, borderline vibrating out of her skin. Not entirely unusual for the CT of a few months ago, but in comparison to recent weeks... those who know her well enough will likely notice something's changed.
Laundry
Part of a token effort not to isolate herself involves coming out to the communal laundry gathering. She settles a reasonable distance from the densest grouping of people, but not so far as to be obviously avoiding anyone, with her tools and clothes.
CT's a little more— aggressive, maybe, than she needs to be. Taking out some restless energy via the vigorous scrubbing of her dirtied work clothes and sweaty workout gear against the washboard, the firm twisting to wring them of water, so on. Always makes her miss the ease of washing machines, but at least it's something of an upper body workout in itself?
She's no less jumpy here, either. Someone passing nearby or setting up too close to her are likely to make her jolt or eye you dubiously before she manages to settle again.
(Fuck she did not miss this level of paranoia.)
Wildcard
Hit me.
Supernatural Affairs
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DSA
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INVADER ZIM | Ambiguously teenage | Returning player! Just goofing off!
[ Arrival ]
There is a little green alien on the beach, hiding behind a rock. He carefully dodged prying eyes and slipped off the ferry, managing to juke Yorick's introduction to hide somewhere, wringing his hands. They feel uncomfortably exposed without gloves.
"I can't go up to that primitive human cesspit without a disguise! They're even more underdeveloped than the ones near my last base! Gir, quickly, my spare human disguise!" He turns, casting wide pink oval eyes around to find---
Nothing but more rocks.
"Gir? Gir! Where are you?! I--- Did he--- not come with me?"
There is a moment of smallness and uncertainty in this realization. It feels unexpectedly lonely.
"W-well, I don't need him anyway. These humans must surely be dumber than the last. I just need to come up with a plan..."
Perhaps you spot this little weirdo talking to himself.
-Got an eagle beak and ostrich beak-
[ Rain ]
Water thumps heavily on the roof of the gazebo. There is a wooden table underneath it left from Merrymeet. And on top of that table is a little green fella all curled up into a tight ball.
He flags down a passerby, trying not to appear as panicked as he feels. "You! You there! The Mighty Zim requires your assistance!"
He seems to have some burns on his face and hands.
-Seven spider eyes for every day of the week-
[ Potluck ]
It's a beautiful sunny weekend day, and Zim is at the potluck, examining the dishes with scrutiny. His huge pink eyes squint tightly as he looks over the food, antennae twitching to take in more of the scents. He's used to mostly junk food --- Irkens gravitate toward grease, carbs, and sugars to meet their dietary needs, and the Empire is nothing if not cheap. So the amount of hearty, home-cooked foods around is certainly throwing him off.
He turns to someone nearby, pointing at one of the foods on the table. "YOU THERE. Concorde resident. What is this dish?"
-Means I'm still up workin' while your bitch ass sleeps-
[ Yard Crawl ]
This town's level of technology is utterly insufficient.
The city where Zim had landed on Earth was bad enough, with its complete lack of lasers and non-sentient computers. None of the vehicles could even fly, for Tallests' sakes. But this place is ridiculous. There aren't even cars, or fountain drinks, or TV! Something needs to be done!
So now there is a little green alien rummaging through the bins and boxes and tables of every yard crawl display in town, indignantly lugging around a child's wagon that is piled comically high with whatever broken machinery or bits of metal he could get for free. It's all junk, but he'll make it work. There has got to be a way to get some television around here. Or at least a working apparatus to play Doom on. Maybe you'd like to help? Or maybe you've got something to sell him. Whatever it is, he'll probably take it.
-I'm an alien among the human beings-
[ Wildcard! Hit me with anything or check Zim out on the Swift Social! ]
[Rain]
Well, in any case, she's not one to turn down a request for help.
"Dayn juli, molamer. Good day, warrior. What assistance can I offer?"
Re: [Rain]
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Fell down to Earth
Fell Down To Earth [Arrival]
Oleander (The Long Quiet) | Slay the Princess | ??? [Adult]
The First Thaw [Fae Pranks]
No longer does frost crunch beneath Oleander's talons as he sees himself outside for the day.
[VOICE OF THE HERO:]
Oh, that's a shame. Here I thought we'd get at least one more snowday before it was all said and done.
He hasn't been here all that long, and has made himself fairly elusive in the time that he has been about. After a brief-run in with a new friend, he'd mostly stowed away in his own room in the Oak & Iron - save for, of course, a few bouts of wintertime fun that he couldn't resist, having never seen snow before. Today, however, there's no snow to draw him out, and staying cooped up (pun half-intended) is finally starting to become too much. Not to mention, here, he actually seems to experience hunger. How inconvenient.
There's nothing left to do besides try to put on a brave face and face the public, though, is there?
[VOICE OF THE PARANOID:]
Ohhh, sure, yes, the public that was apparently terrified of something that looks exactly like us. That's definitely a good idea. Are you out of your mind?
Unfortunately, a little trek out into the woods for a stretch and fresh air doesn't go nearly as smoothly as other ones have. He's tripped at least a dozen times now over things that certainly weren't there a moment ago, got lost and burned away several of the morning's hours following a small fire-light that lead nowhere at all, and now...
Of all the things it could have been, he's being attacked by butterflies.
[VOICE OF THE STUBBORN:]
The indignities truly never do rest, do they? Can you just--- they're bugs, just smash them to pieces and get on with it!
"Attacking" is a strong word, really - the butterflies just attempt to land on him, over and over again. For an entity of such intimidating stature, it's almost hilarious how little he's able to do to deter them; no amount of fluttered wings and attempts at walking away sways the colorful swarm. At this rate, black feathers are almost swallowed by delicate little pink wings. Maybe he could use a hand?
Birds of a Feather [Pokemon/Rainy Day]
"KUU-ROW!"
"Coo... row?"
[VOICE OF THE OPPORTUNIST:]
No, no, I think you've got to put more u sound on it. Cuuu-row. Cuuu-row.
"URK-CROW!"
"Urk-crow."
[VOICE OF THE CONTRARIAN:]
Eloquent little thing.
Parroting strange little calls back and forth between a "hat-wearing" little black bird that perches on the back of a chair beneath a porch, Oleander's strange snout is pulled into a grin. Rain pours just to the side, and his feathers are freshly fluffed to shake the chill from them while he makes this new friend of his.
Unfortunately, he hasn't taken into account that this is most certainly someone's home, and that the owner might not take kindly to the intrusion to visit with this little bird. Nor what it might look like from a passerby's perspective.
(At least he and the Pokemon look equally ridiculous.)
[VOICE OF THE HERO:]
Oooh, see if it knows any songs! Maybe it can learn?
Beautiful on the Inside [Floral Fiends] (CW: Gore, character death, body horror)
No, no, no.
[VOICE OF THE PARANOID:]
Breathe. In, out, in, out. Keep your muscles tense. They can't push out of you if you're all tense. Stay tense, and try to find someone. Breathe, in, out, in, out...
[VOICE OF THE HUNTED:]
No. Find somewhere quiet and dark. Please. We need the quiet and the dark...
He'd thought the source of the weeping was one of the floral figures, branches curling in the shapes of legs and outstretched palms. He took those hands, careful and afraid, and tried to lean in closer to listen to what might have been whispered in that weeping.
There was nothing but silence and flecks of yellow pollen.
Oleander tried to do what he could to keep himself hidden away, wrapped up in anger, agony, grief, terror, but now, now, it is too much to bear. He feels a splitting beneath his skin, rending through his muscles, trying to turn him into something new.
It's terrifying. (Some part of him knows that he has felt such a thing before, but this is wrong.)
His steps are clumsy as he staggers out into the streets, dimly lit with the street lamps, and struggles to clutch at his chest as he looks for anyone who might be out at this late hour (having already spooked the late-night folks inside of the O&I too thoroughly to help). When he spots a face, familiar or unfamiliar, he stumbles their way, breath escaping in cloudy wheezes in the cold night air.
[VOICE OF THE PARANOID:]
In, out, in, out, in, out...
[VOICE OF THE HERO:]
Over there! Hurry, they've got to know where a doctor is, or--- or how to help!
"Pl--- please, please help me," he pleads, his voice shaky and vulnerable, hardly befitting something such as he. "Something's--- something is wrong."
Birds of a Feather
They hold something in their hand. It looks like a mouth.
Stooping nearby, they pull the trigger on their strange device. "KUU-ROW!" They mimic the creature perfectly with their funny object, echoing its cry.
Then, they look up to Oleander, tweaking a setting and pulling the trigger again. "What is that thing, anyway?" The question comes in the form of a woman's voice.
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The First Thaw
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Beautiful on the Inside.
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The First Thaw
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Sakura Matou | Fate/Stay Night | Now 17!
Her birthday comes and goes. March second. Her seventeenth birthday. Not at home, but in this strange place. Sakura's still getting adjusted, hasn't really made many friends, has mostly kept to herself. Hasn't bothered to tell anyone about her birthday.
It felt strange, intruding onto a place that wasn't her home, and then demanding to be celebrated. She'd rather not.
Instead she purchases a small cake for one at the grocery and travels to the park. She sits amongst the grass, unwrapping the small cake from it's paper, and taking a bite.
It's good. Different than what she would have baked a loved one, but still good. More of a poundcake, plain, but still tasty.
She's not looking for attention out here so imagine her surprise when an Azurill approaches her. While she's curious about the creature, it clearly doesn't want to cause her any harm, and it seems to want some of her cake...
Guess she's sharing her birthday cake after all.
[Yard Crawl]
Sakura is in her element with this one. She isn't particularly buying a whole lot. She is being very particular about what she's looking over. She seems to be mostly interested in cooking and cleaning implements and seems to only be going after things she can truly use. She's also looking for a good deal and will bargain if given the chance.
She's taking all of this incredibly seriously.
Unbirthday
A tall man with silver hair and black clothes hurries after him. "Zack, no." He reaches to try to take hold of the Umbreon and hold him back.
Although the man might not look familiar, his voice may be familiar as the mysterious winged man in the woods. He's in his normal form today.
Vespertine || DND-ish OC || Fully Grown In Evil Doll Years
Laying Out Traps [Fae Tricksters]
Vespertine is no stranger to pranks, even those of the lethal kind. It is, after all, in its very nature... But these fae are escalating, and that won't be good for anyone. It has some experience with fae, from its previous life, and thinks maybe if it can trap one, it can work out the rules and wring some kind of agreement out of the to tone it down.
So it1s out in the woods, climbing on rooftops. Setting out traps. Tripwires. Little plates of milk and honey. It purchased scrap iron in hopes that that would work here, and is careful with its own silver thread. Perhaps you find it laying out one of these traps, or letting some hapless animal out of the thread.
Or maybe you find it in its human sized form, reading in the library, trying to learn if there's anything there it can use.
It just has to keep busy, so it doesn't get distracted by its own, growing problems...
On The Hunt [Floral Fiends]
And there's other problems for it to focus on, too. Floral monsters aren't new either, but it doesn't think it has the tools to kill them. Needles aren't cutting weapons, and while its too hyperalert to get caught out, it has no desire to see if the flower sickness can get it.
These Hanahilators remind it too much of itself. So it's trying something now, when you stumble across it. In bursts of magic and shadow, it's pulling and pushing itself around the flower creature without taking its eyes off of the thing, wrapping it in a thin silver thread.
It doesn't seem to notice you, or perhaps it simply can't devote the attention to saying words while it tries to effectively restrain the hostile shrubbery.
Violence! [Vespertine Kills You!]
Some time soon, Vespertine will have a problem. It's fundamental nature is that of a killer, and the longer it goes without doing so, the more stressed and violent it gets. It's been managing this with a lot of isolation, and the occasionally satisfying chance to hunt monsters... But it was made to hunt people.
One day, it's going to snap, and then it will have hell to pay. But this struggle is not subtle, or even particularly secret. Vespertine often tells the story of what it is, and what it was made for. Perhaps someone will offer to help. Dahlia, after all, is well loved. But it could never ask. It was put on its best behavior and four months of isolation may have warped its idea of what that is, exactly.
[If you take this prompt, you're the unlucky victim, or a willing sacrifice it would never expect. Hit me up on discord to talk about it!]
violence timeeeee
And it means that when she feels like it, she lies down in the earth and closes her eyes. Vulnerable. Paying less attention as she hums to herself, trying to think about dirt and roots and growing things, to try and see if any of the spring that's coming can be felt this way.
But she's living, breathing, neck exposed. And no one's around for at least ten minutes of running.
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Huzzwuzzle? Here we ares! || Huzzle Mug || Great God Grove || Several Hundred Yearturnings of Age!
Despairisorrow! Disasterdooms! TEARFLOW SADNESSTIMES! [Arrival Part I]
Huzzle Mug comes off the ferry absolutootly COVERED in tears! A bright, yellow and green and orange and bird and cartoon creature runs through the town, crying loud and dramatic. It runs right past the inn, right past the town hall, makes a loop around the church, and eventually finds itself halfway up a tree, distraught!
It's gonna stay there till someone shows up to help, anyone who's heard it crying can tell. It's so loud! Half the town can probably hear it! You definitely can! Who! Who will help Huzzle Mug, inventmakingest sadmost god of all the otherland! Who can soothicalm the despairstorm? OH HOW IT MISSES GODPOKE!
The wailing has another effect, flooding the ground around it, a river forming across the street and flowing oceanward, catching peoples feet in the flow and potentially drawing the attention of a helpful hand.
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Whathow in the WORLDITALLS?? [Arrival, Part II, and also Yard Crawl!]
Soothed and calmed by someone, maybe even manyseveral someones, Huzzle Mug wonders greatly what to do. Maybe some craftmaking would do it a goodhelp? But first it needs materials. And where better to get those then at the Yard Crawl? Maybe then it can worry less about POOR TRAUMISADDENED INSPEKTAFRIEND, oh- Oh no! Huzzle Mug shakes its silly head. Inspekta will be okay!
So now there's a Huzzle Mug across the Yard Crawl, making confusing conversation and causing much commotion. Anything with a hint of color might find its way into the giant bag it first purchased, carried messily over its shoulder all silly-like. If you are wearing something shiny, pretty, or just colorful, it'll come up and introducify itself!
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You trick Huzzle Mug? You PRANK the ultimate ideathoughticreature? Chaos! Infinite Funmusement times for YOU! [Fae Pranksters]
It's out there, minding its own business, thinking up new wordimakes, when out of nowhere, the flower pot it was looking into (flower pots are sometimes secret fonts of great ideas, you see,) explodes into a shower of colorful splashes of paint, covering its face, its hands, its EVERYTHING! OH! A jesterjape! A prank war.. But who! WHO! Who is the culprit, the initiator? It can't see anyone!!!
But it sees you! You find yourself confronted by an extra colorful Huzzlemug, hands held together as it please. "Hail and dayhappy you! The Huzzlest of Mugs needwants ASSISTIHELP! A cleversneak trickyster has ladled out a prank! But ANONYNMONIMOUS the trickytricker is! Oh helpful friendquaintance! Find them with Huzzle Mug?"
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Makeayourowns!!! [Wildcard!]
Pranks!
"What assistance can I offer?" asks the heavenly horn in the musical voice of an older woman. So nice to not have to explain! Huzzle Mug was the one that created Megapon, after all.
Re: Pranks!
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Arrival, part... TWO!!!
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Yard Crawl
The Shade {Josiah Cole} | 31 (??? 140-ish) | OC
Arrival
"I can sense the disturbance. Something's come, something I'll tear down the sky to keep from one of mine. You give 'em back to me, or you send me back to 'em."
"This is not the same as it was when your soul needed you before. Chris has made their bargain, your claim is secondary."
"With all due respect--"
"I am not turning you away, Lord Reaper...but if you are to return, there will be a cost. Not just your power, but your godhood. You must join the community as a man, not a god, in the truest sense of the word. Is that a price you are willing to pay?"
"...yes."
"Then walk through the door and lie down."
When he opens the door, Josiah Cole's eyes snap open, his heart racing and his head spinning.
"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't know the room was occupied..."
Josiah looks up at the young woman, and around the strange room. It's not his room at home, everything's too damn small. And the maid walking in, well...he don't have no maid.
...and yet, he's not afraid. Not--terribly confused.
"...Marrow Isle." he mutters to himself, peering at the woman as he rises from his bed, just barely avoiding hitting his head on the beam over his bed. "Is that where I am?"
"Yes, sir...wait, you seem familiar. You're that undertaker, aren't you?"
Josiah nods, and realizes the maid looks familiar.
As he leaves his room and heads downstairs (The Oak & Iron, that's what they call the place), he realizes a lot of things look familiar despite the fact he's never been here before, never seen these people before...
...and yet, down in his gut, feels a sense of--well, something he's never felt in thirty one years of living.
He feels like he's home.
Yard Crawl
"Mmmmm...twelve brass and you got a deal. All due respect, Mr. Wheeler, but that there chisel's got a busted handle and it's rusted..."
Five minutes later, Josiah's feeling pretty good about the set of carving tools he's just picked up at the Yard Crawl thing the town's doing. They're in poor shape, but he's done worse in terms of restoration before, and the busted handle's an easy patch job on the chisel. He's got plenty of tools for the work he'll be doing around town, but the smaller carving stuff he does in his spare time? These will be perfect.
He's still considering the little set of tools when he nearly runs into someone. Deftly side stepping, he catches their arm with a firm but cautious grip to make sure they don't fall.
"Hold up hold up hold up there, friend! Gotcha--gotcha, there we are. You all right there, partner?"
Fae Pranks
For the fourth morning in a row, Josiah has woken up with braids in his hair. Today, he's leaving them--complete with flowers woven into them.
He can only assume he's being treated more gently because he's doing what Mama taught him: leaving gifts out for the fair folk, avoiding bad luck and omens, making sure they feel welcome in his rooms. Treat the faeries well, and they'll not cause you harm, that's what Mama used to say.
He isn't immune--but to those who are suffering at the hands of these faerie pranks? Feel free to giggle at the nearly seven foot man walking around town with his flame red hair done up in pretty, flower-dotted braids he's just a touch afraid to mess with lest the pranksters decide to give him an even harder time.
Yard Crawl
There's a moment, when Chris looks up into this face that they've been missing so much, where the urge to throw their arms around him and hug is almost overwhelming.
But the moment passes, because the face is the same but there's something missing in the contact of his hand on Chris's arm. And yet, they smile anyway.
"I'm all right." Chris can't look away, and they venture -- so as not to seem an offputting kind of strange -- to ask, "You're... Josiah?"
Once, that name was a secret. Chris doesn't think it will be now, if this is who they think.
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Zivia Birnbaum | OC, age 45 | OTA
Zivia is prepared for the potluck this year, all the more so because the holiday of Purim falls on one of those Fridays. Which means a little get-together for the island's tiny Jewish community, with a reading of the Book of Esther and a nice meal with appropriate amounts of booze (some of it supplied by Hawkeye and his still), but it also means that the potluck is getting holiday foods.
A platter of varicolored triangular pastries, with similarly varied fillings, is labeled HAMANTASCHEN in large letters, with further details in smaller text.
Yellow pastry, brown center: pecan pie fillingYellow pastry, light brown center: apple filling
Dark brown pastry, red center: chocolate dough, raspberry filling
All are mezonot (containing grain flour) and pareve (containing no meat or dairy ingredients).
An only slightly smaller platter holds more pastries, these in the shape of a flatter triangle and topped with toasted sesame seeds. The larger label on these reads SAMBUSAK.
Filling: cheddar cheese, potato, caramelized onionMezonot (containing grain flour) and dairy
A sign between the two platters is decorated with comic and tragic masks, and reads HAPPY PURIM!
And because the holiday also calls for a few other important things, a handful of people in Pumpkin Hollow will get a basket delivered to their doorstep, containing more hamantaschen (one of each flavor), a few pieces of candied ginger, and a small jar of homemade pickled green tomatoes -- and Teddy Pennyburrow will find that a donation of 800B has been made to the orphanage.
[Tag Zivia at Purim festivities or at the potluck!]
spring cleaning
Zivia can also be found at Community Laundry Day, idly humming or singing to the rhythm of the work. Will she try and get anyone else singing along with her? Will this annoy somebody? Probably, on both counts.
The yard crawl is appealing, too, but she's also now got less than a month to get her house completely cleaned for Pesach and that's about to take up most of her weekends. Maybe someone could persuade her to take a break and a walk for her own sake? It couldn't hurt.
[Tag Zivia at Laundry Day, enmeshed in housecleaning, or taking a break to look at other people's yard sales!]
wildcard
[Hit me! I'm not involving Zivia directly in the Hanahilators plot, but anyone having to deal with fae pranks can come to her for advice or sympathy. And as ever, she's available weekdays at Town Hall for all your bureaucratic needs!]
days of feasting and gladness
They pocket the snacks and point at the sign. "What's Purim?"
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Feasting!
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Tarantulas | 6 million+ | And child | 11 months and counting
"All right, the creature seems to be calm. Now we're going to slooowly open the box and see if it takes any of the food we prepared. Remember what I taught you, darling, we need to be very quiet and make no sudden moves..."
On the town green, near the public vegetable gardens built by Mairi Miann and her druids two winters ago, Tarantulas is guiding his daughter through a little recreational field science. They've managed to trap a Caterpie in a wire crate, and now Dawn watches raptly to see if it will eat the vegetables she picked for it, or run off as soon as her father opens the door.
It's a tense moment, full of potential. Try not to startle them.
Shen Qingqiu | 30-something | SVSSS
A community laundry day! What a perfect idea, a perfect way to get everyone out into the sun and enjoying the warm weather while making some needful tasks less unpleasant for all. Of course, doing laundry at Marrow Island's level of technology is a ~weighty~ endeavor, if you'll pardon the pun. All those dirty clothes, all that water to haul...all those waterlogged clothes to scrub, wring out, and hang to dry...
Good thing they've got a guy with superstrength here to help out!
Of course, Shen Qingqiu's normal attire isn't exactly practical for this kind of work -- so he's tied the sleeves of his green overrobe around his waist, leaving himself in his white underrobe from the waist up to preserve his modesty. (Until it starts getting splashed with water, of course.) Oh, and he's tied all his hair up in a bun to keep it out of the way! (Leaving his neck totally exposed and bare -- until flyaway start escaping the bun, of course.)
(Yeah, this man has no idea he's turned himself into a wuxia wet tee-shirt contest waiting to happen. What a dummy.)
Pokemon
The notice on the town bulletin board reads as follows --
Wanted -- A traveling companion fit for a trip into the Paradesium, in order to gather evolutionary stones for our Pokemon friends. Martial skills preferred! Please contact Shen Qingqiu by sending stone for details.
Wildcard
Feel free to message me if you'd like to brainstorm a plot using one of the other prompts <3
Pokemon
Vespertine is on his head. It's possible, probable, even, that this has happened before. It's so light that its tendency to climb on its friends is usually met with eventual acceptance. "I would be honored to attend your trip into Paradesium. I have become quite familiar with it." There's a playful static to the words, there. Is Vespertine in a good mood?
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Laundry Day
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Laundryyyyyyyy~
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Ellen Ripley | 30 | Alien (1979) | Returning Player!
YARD CRAWL
It's about time Ellen decorates her lackluster little home. Three months have passed in a flash and she's acquired a whole lot of nothing to call her own, save for a pair of sneakers and an old cat. Clothes, of course, but they'd been provided for her as opposed to self-selected. Plain overalls and worker's boots are the closest she's felt to home. Home, what she'd once considered to be the planets and stations within Sol's orbit, the memories of which now half-obliterated by time.
Maybe this could be home. Amongst the fine, strange people who've set up their goods to sell.
But she's wary. Her brief run-in with Efrain leaves her scathed and unsure where reality ends and Hell begins.
What better place to start than tchotchkes?
Fellow shoppers will find Ripley inspecting each table single-handedly. Literally. Her opposite hand holds fast the fluffy bottom of the cat Wigglesworth, tucked safely inside her jacket. His head sticks out the top, swaying back and forward. He mrows an occasional protest, but otherwise looks quite content enjoying the spring air.
She, too, has something to offer. Rocks, crystals and geode chunks of all kinds. She might even be kind enough to give you one for free, if you make a good impression.
LAUNDRY DAY
It takes the better half of three hours to scrub the dirt and grime from her uniforms, and by the end of all she's beat. Mining is dirty work, and Ripley has come to terms with the fact she'll always sport smears of soot across her lapels and sleeves; that no amount of scrubbing will wash away the mire completely. Nitrate and fuel oil cling to her like perfume.
She carries her pile of clothes to hang. (Truth be told she's looking forward to collapsing in the grass afterwards).
Shouldering her way next to you, stripped down to a tank and shorts and enjoying the warm weather, she says, "You don't happen to have any extra clips, do you?"
WILDCARD!
Have something else in mind? Hit me! I'm down for anything.
yard crawl
He's trying. That's all.
So today, that means he's out tchotchke-shopping. The geodes catch his eye early on and pull him closer to Ripley's table. (He doesn't look quite the same as the person she met in their shared nightmares: he's more tired, with gray lacing his hair, and walks with both a cane and a noticeable limp.) A faint smile quirks his mouth as he studies how an amethyst catches the light. Then he looks up --
"Oh."
-- and realizes who's behind the table. Gaeta swallows, mouth dry. "...Hi."
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Closed to Patty
The spoiled milk was one thing. The missing objects, too, were an annoyance, which inadvertently caused some stress in a home already beset by the growing pains of a new resident. Patty moving in and the disappearances started around the same time, almost as if intended to make them needlessly frustrated with each other. Thankfully, a look at some of the fae prank reports cleared things up before they escalated enough to threaten the delicate balance of a new relationship. Thank goodness for level heads and good communication skills.
Unfortunately for Patty this also means getting roped into some ridiculous heroics and/or shenanigans.
Darkness nears, and Godpoke has Megapon tucked into their bag so that they can carry a lantern in one hand and link fingers with Patty using the other. "Apparently the weird noises come from that mill in Northwest Hollow." Their voice is muffled by the bandana but still audible from Patty's distance. "I think we might be able to find one of them there. Maybe we can get this whole thing sorted out."
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She's also kinda low-key pissed at the faeries for messing with her domestic bliss right now and makin' her feel all this stress. She's not going to mess up Pokey's pitch if they actually find any of 'em, but if the chance comes up...ooh, she'd like to give them a piece of her mind.
"So it's gonna be a stakeout, right?" she checks in with Pokey. "We'll find a good place to hide ourselves and wait to see if any faeries show up?"
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OG Luo Binghe | IDK he's old | Scum Villain | Returning player
Laundry
Flower Power
Laundry
(The garments carry a faintly sweet smell, oddly reminiscent of sickness but not sour in the same fashion.)
"Oh! Good day, muthsera. I do not believe we have been introduced."
That accent reminds me of Shen Qingqiu, she thinks, but she does not say it. She is a Dunmer, after all, so she is inherently a little cautious and secretive.
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flower power.
Siebren de Kuiper | Overwatch | 63
Arrival
He isn’t dead. That’s a small comfort, but a comfort nevertheless, as Siebren is released from his onboarding with little instruction beyond a map highlighting the tavern downtown. He isn’t all that good with paper maps– from what he’s seen so far, the technology of this entire island leaves something to be desired– but making his way to the Oak and Iron shouldn’t require more than a few wrong turns unless something else catches his interest.
Yard Crawl
Investigating yard sales, it turns out, is much more interesting than looking for a tavern. He’s hesitant to make any purchases, so new to Marrow Isle that he doesn’t have a good sense of what brass is really worth beyond the weight of the metal itself. There’s no payment required to pick things up and look them over, however, and with all the clutter on display Siebren won’t have any trouble wasting an hour or two poking around.
Wildcard?
[Nimbus look I’m in DWRP again, I'm being supportive! I’ll try not to get overwhelmed this time… TT_TT ]
Yard Crawl (Float?)
Well, it isn’t a melody, exactly. Rather, it’s a sort of strange whistling hum, the result of impossible vibrations caused by a certain gravitational anomaly.
“Kena!” she calls out, heart overflowing with joy. He’s back, he’s back when she had thought she might never see him again, and all of her resolve to mend her broken heart and move on melts back into the churning caldera of her emotions. She moves with such urgency towards him that she actually stumbles a little, the rhythmic ringing of her bells “choking” for a second as she fights to regain her balance.
Re: Yard Crawl (Float?)
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Arrival
Re: Arrival
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Yard Crawl
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Arrival
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Neil Blair | OC | approx. 40s
...yeah, this is nothing like what he was expecting when he imagined taking his dark reward at the Sky Maker's side, or even being subjected to the Sky Maker's fury if he wavered too greatly in his darkness. Still? It's--kind of fun.
"So the currency's brass, right?"
"Yes, sir--ferry?"
"Obvious?"
"A bit, yes--but that's all right! We welcome all newcomers, and we're here to help. Some more than others, I actually work at the Oak & Iron."
"No kiddin'? Well, then, maybe I'll take another look at those gloves you got there..."
The people are so normal. Too normal, and yet they're strange. He's been to the temple of the Mothers, and while it's worlds away from the Old Way back home, there's threads that are blessedly familiar. The image of Mortanne, the acceptance of death and other dark things, he's pretty excited to see if their Givingstide is anything like the homecoming of Eventide in the Five Realms.
Granted, he's hoping he won't be here that long, but he'll leave it all in the hands of the Ember's wisdom.
So, instead of stressing and hoping that his king will be safe in his absence, and fully aware that a royal assassin has no place in a world like this? Neil Blair is spending his second full day in Pumpkin Hollow roaming this Yard Crawl thing. It strikes a familiar chord with something called garage sales from the world of his birth, which was sometimes the only way he could pay for the kinds of clothes and shoes he liked to wear growing up.
History in the realm of his birth isn't something he was ever super up on, but this thing is a good place to forage for useful stuff--and learn more about his new home for the time being. Find the familiar, study the alien...and pray to the Sun Goddess he doesn't spike a Fever while he's here.
Laundry
Now this feels more familiar.
Being new, he doesn't have much, but Neil travels enough that having to do his own laundry in rough conditions is as natural as breathing--fortunately, there are creature comforts here he doesn't have on the mountain roads of Torrell, or the Ember-forsaken Isan tundra. Nocturne's a little easier when he's on the road home towards one of the bigger cities or home to the capital, but in a realm the sun never touches drying your wet armor is hard, Triton-weave or no.
So, he does precisely as invited: he brings his laundry out to the green, and he gets to work.
Which includes, near the end of his washing, blithely skinning off his shirt, which has gotten sweaty and soapy in the process of scrubbing. Makes perfect sense to wash it, hang it, and take the chance to make a proper prayer to the Sun Goddess without his king looking over his shoulder, or being worried someone is about to stab him.
It's perfect, right? Because what are Victorian-era modesty taboos--literally. What are they? Someone explain why he heard gasps when he peeled off his shirt, he's confused...
Floral Fiends
"Hookay, I'm in trouble."
He just wanted to get a workout in. He's seen rock formations that would be good for climbing, but he read the fucking paper. When he sees the first floral figure, he just steers clear.
Then two more join it.
Neil figures out a couple things pretty quickly: the arms remain outstretched, so they're gunning for his ass, and they move when you're not looking. They also never congregate all together, not well enough for him to keep them all in his eyeline.
He's read the stuff about their seeming resistance to fire, but he's been unwilling to use his own for fear of losing control. Dragon fire is so different from the elemental stuff it eats it, quite literally, for breakfast. It feeds on every source of fire, energy, heat it can find, including the stuff his body produces.
And any time he uses it, it's tough to reason with it. Magic is one thing, fucking sentient magic is another.
Instead of trying to burn these things, he instead summons a tongue of dragon fire and pushes extra magic into it, feeding that element of intelligence.
The tongue of flame leaps off his fingers and darts around his head. The sprite, a rudimentary little servant, is just that: a tongue of dragon fire, pure white at its center with edges of crimson and sparks leaping off its edges. It's bright, but so dense it seems touchable, moving and undulating rather than just flickering. It looks like it would be soft, silky, warm--it's as predatory as the creature that manufactures it in its lungs.
And Neil carries it around in his very blood.
"Invenias alaquiem! Anzo!" he barks, watching as the sprite dives into the trees and vanishes quickly from sight to follow the command given in Rueni.
Find someone. Get help.
And the sprite will do as asked: anyone who encounters this little creature will find it behaves like a dog trying to communicate. It will circle anyone it finds, float away into the trees, and return to them if they don't follow immediately.
It will lead them to Neil, who has been backed up against a tree by a trio of these humanoid flower-tree creatures, and once Neil has been perceived, the flame will wink out of existence.
Wildcard
Choose your own Neil!
Fiends
She knows what she’s up against when she smells the distinct perfume of those flowers. Immediately, she begins to sing, wildly, frantically, to draw attention to herself and away from the cornered man.
Joe Smith | SAMARITAN (Movie) | late 60s/early 70s
When Joe arrived, knowing he was dead...yeah, he was upset. And--okay, he's still pretty goddamn messed up, especially not knowing what happened to the kid.
But...and he's barely able to admit this to himself...there's something about this place that soothes his soul.
He gets hooked up with the necessities for the communal wash day and heads out to engage in the simple task of laundry. For him, especially doing it by hand this way, it's an activity that requires real concentration and effort on his part to measure his strength, take care with even the smallest injuries...and it's really quite meditative. It's calming to scrub, to wring out, to hang his wash on the lines to dry in the sun. It's...not terrible to be able to help out a few people lacking in height or strength that ask with innocent, neighborly good humor for a hand lifting a pail or hanging a sheet.
He's not social on purpose, speaking when spoken to, but overall...it's...it's nice.
And to his chagrin, someone actually says it to him. Comments that this is nice. Makes the comment at him.
After a beat, he just shrugs casually.
"Yeah, I guess. If you're into this sorta thing."
Yard Crawl
This? This right here--this is the thing that makes Joe fall in love with this town.
Dumpster diving on the job is one thing, but this? Cute little community yard sale full of junk and notions and all manner of nonsense is exactly what he needs to unwind. The number of projects he sees in his first five minutes of wandering is enough to make him smile as he moves from lot to lot of used goods for sale.
He's looking over what appears to be a candy press that's in bad shape when he spots someone nearby haggling over an item that's visibly broken. Two seconds of peering at it, however, and Joe knows he can probably find or rig up the part it needs to be whole.
Not my fight. Don't matter. Leave it alone.
...he lasts all of five seconds before he puts down the candy press, walks over, and touches the person's shoulder to interrupt the haggling. Leaning over, he whispers softly into their ear so the seller can't hear, his deep voice still intense even at low volume.
"Get mad, come up five brass, it's busted but almost new and I can get that fixed up for ya in five minutes, free for nothin'. Trust me, you'll have gotten away with highway robbery."
Wildcard
Choose Your Own Joe!