methuselah (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
singmod) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
singillatim2024-07-10 05:05 pm
singmod) wrote in singillatim2024-07-10 05:05 pm
Entry tags:
- *event,
- bigby wolf: jelle,
- chloe frazer: tess,
- cornelius hickey: kates,
- francis crozier: gels,
- jason todd: jessi,
- john irving: gabbie,
- kate marsh: cheryl,
- konstantin veshnyakov: jhey,
- levi jordan: cirape,
- louis de pointe du lac: tea,
- randvi: tess,
- snow white: carly,
- svetlana nazarova: kota,
- the doctor: kris,
- thomas jopson: kota,
- william gibson: jelle,
- wynonna earp: lorna
there'll be oats in the water
JULY 2024 EVENT
PROMPT ONE — THE AURORA: REDUX: A storm finally arrives, and with it — Enola extends her hand to help the Interlopers once more, granting them new abilities.
PROMPT TWO — PENSIVE LOOKOUT: With the Forest Talker efforts focused on sabotaging hunting efforts, Interlopers can attempt to explore the Pensive Lookout Tower, where they can uncover secrets from the diary of Sam Bouchard — the former firewatch worker of the summer of 2014.
PROMPT THREE — A PEEK INSIDE: A group of Interlopers get their hands on one of the Forest Talkers in search of answers — and get a little more than they bargained for.
THE AURORA: REDUX
WHEN: Mid-month, for three days.
WHERE: Everywhere.
CONTENT WARNINGS: supernatural/extreme weather; lightning storms; potentially disturbing dreams; dreams of being trapped in ice; dreams of animal death; dreams of the death of loved ones.
July brings warmer weather. The fog has lifted, and the daylight returned — but an odd kind of pressure lingers in the air, the kind that feels similar with oncoming storms but something still feels off about it all. Measurements and readings are erratic, with them often making little sense. It’s hard to predict just what might be coming, but sure enough something is coming.
Hold on a little longer, Enola told you. A storm is coming.
It comes quickly, the gathering of storm clouds. At first, it looks as if a kind of snowstorm is moving in, but there’s something else at play here. Within the grey, cloudy skies, there is a tell-tale sound of an Aurora mixed within those clouds.
And with it, in amongst the dark, the swirling colours. Greens, pinks and purples weaving through the clouds, almost mesmerising to watch. The air is alive with sound: static noise, cracks and pops: a storm and the Aurora mixed into one. For those who’ve been here long enough, it’s a worrying, unnerving sight. The storm rumbles with the low roar of distant thunder, growing ever closer. The electronics of the world begin to come alive, and in the static of it all — you begin to hear Enola’s voice even clearer than before.
After so much darkness, now there is so much light. A lightning storm — aurora colours mingling with the grey clouds, punctured with crackles of lightning. Something powerful and strange — flash forking across the skies, followed by booms of thunder.
The storm lasts three days, and even though her voice is soft — you hear it over all the noise, nestled gently in your ear.
“You're still here. It means something. This isn’t the end, I refuse to let it be the end. It can’t win. You won’t go into the Dark.” Enola tells you. ”I will make you more than what you are, more than what was stolen from you. This place will not be your end. I have to try. We have to try. Together. I showed some of you, once. I’ll show you again.”
She tells you to sleep. For some, they recognise this and realise what may end up happening. For others it feels like going out on a limb. But you sleep, and perhaps a dream may come to you.
COLD FUSION: The colours of the Aurora dance around you in your dreamscape. You dream of a great hall of ice: as if it had been carved into some great ridge of it. You walk through it, marvelling at the beauty of it — a blue gloom, echoing with each of your footsteps. But as you take one particular step, the ground cracks and collapses beneath you, sending you into dark, frozen waters. In seconds, the water freezes around you, encompassing you in thick ice, your entire body trapped within it. The coldness burns you, and you are stuck there — frozen in agony. The pain is immeasurable, your entire body crushed and searing from the ice. There is no escape, no reprieve.
A voice speaks to you, perhaps it is the voice of a stranger, perhaps it is the voice of someone you know: Do you know how you survive the cold?’ They ask you. You do not know, and you wait for the answer: ‘You become colder than it.
Your eyes close. You believe those words, you do. You must become colder than the cold itself. And so you will. Your breathing slows, your heart slows and the cold… it stops hurting, it doesn’t burn. The ice around you begins the crack.
When you awaken the first thing you realise is despite the temperature, you are completely cosy and warmed. You do not feel the slightest chill. It is perhaps only once you are around other than you truly notice the difference to you — you are cold to the touch, lacking the heat you once had. An understanding comes: you are at one with the cold, it will not beat you, it will not cause you agony. Winter is at peace within you: perfect Cold Fusion.
MOON TOUCHED: The colours of the Aurora dance around you in your dreamscape. You dream of running through the silent woods at night. The moon is full above you, the air is calm and still. Hunger draws you forward, everything is so sharp and vivid in your senses, even in this dreamscape. You hear the crispness of the snow beneath your feet, smell the scent of the pines on the air, feel how warm you are against the coldness around you.
The snuffling of a rabbit catches your attention, and you swiftly leap after it, jaws opening and closing around its neck as you capture it. You bite down hard, feeling the crunch of its bones as they break, the sweet coppery taste of blood filling your mouth and nose. You lift your head towards the stars, blood on your tongue. You realise you are not a person at all, but a beast on all fours: a wolf, content and filling your belly with meat.
You wonder, for a brief moment: were you ever a person at all?
You do not know the answer to the question. You do not seem to worry about such a thing but there’s a flash of warning on the air. Something you cannot quite place, but you know that you should not forget it.
When you awaken, you feel… different, somehow. Everything seems a little sharper, as if the world around you had been dull, or behind some pane of frosted glass. With it comes a strange balance of calmness and chaos, tameness and wildness, fear and bravery. You find yourself looking for the moon in the skies and when you finally find it, it hits you — this is what it means to be Moon Touched.
INTERLOPER’S SACRIFICE: The colours of the Aurora dance around you in your dreamscape and then fade into nothing. You dream of kneeling in a darkened, charred wood. You are not alone. In this dreamscape, you dream of a loss, or a time you have never felt more helpless in your life. Perhaps it is when someone you knew died before you, or you stood as someone was sick and injured and you were unable to do a thing. As you kneel, they are there with you: sick or dying or even dead in your arms. You cannot do anything but hold them, and the helplessness is overwhelming.
You look up and a woman in furs stands before you, her expression solemn. Enola herself. There are tears in her eyes, as if she shares the very pain you do: the loss, the grief, the hopelessness, the powerlessness. She approaches you and lowers herself to kneel in front of you and your companion, bracing your shoulders for a long, lingering moment. There are no words, none from neither of you.
Enola shifts slightly, leans forwards. She kisses your forehead, much like when a parent kisses their child: sweet and tender.
And then you feel it, as if you are set alight: an agonising pain that encompasses you whole — so painful you cannot even open your mouth to scream. You feel yourself growing weak, the corners of your vision blurring into black. It feels as if you might die from the pain, and you want for it to stop but it doesn’t.
Enola pulls away and you gasp, slumping in exhaustion, but still alive, somehow. You stare at her, sweating and clamouring for breath, and she offers you a sad smile. Never again. you feel the words inside of you. This time, it will be different. Better.
When you awaken, you can still feel the kiss upon your forehead — enough to make your fingers reach up to touch it, your entire body tingling a little. A small voice in the back of your mind whispers, reminding you as you find yourself looking down at your hands: never again. Never again, you tell yourself and the comprehension comes to you: you have chosen. This is what it means to be: this is your sacrifice. The Interloper’s Sacrifice.
NOTHING: The colours of the Aurora dance around you in your dreamscape, but only for a moment. The edges of your vision begin the blur with black, slowly closing in until everything goes dark and you fall into a deep, dreamless sleep. You awaken, and although you feel rested, as if the dreamless darkness has helped you feel a little more ready to take on the day — nothing else about you has changed.
PENSIVE LOOKOUT
WHEN: The month of July.
WHERE: Pensive Lookout Tower, Lakeside.
CONTENT WARNINGS: themes of survival; possible fall injuries/treacherous climbs; themes of terror; themes of diminished sanity; themes of starvation.
The Old Hunting Lodge is located in the southern-most area of Lakeside, and its surrounding area is generally considered no-go territory with the presence of the Forest Talkers. As June turned into July, the Forest Talker’s presence in the wilds of Lakeside has begun to grow again — but their efforts appear to be focused on sabotaging the efforts of Interlopers, Methuselah and Young Bill in hunting fresh game. If anything, it could mean that with attentions drawn away — perhaps the braver sorts of the Interlopers can explore the area a little more fully.
There’s little in terms of buildings of interest in this area. The wilderness is thick and deep here. Perhaps the odd ransacked cabin once belonging to a local may be stumbled across — its contents picked clean, presumably by the Forest Talkers. Many of these buildings will be completely inhabitable due to the damage done — with some cabins being razed to the ground.
However, on higher ground, with a good hike to access it, stands a watch tower.
These lookout towers could mean a number of things: a chance to access supplies that may have otherwise been forgotten about due to the hike to get up there, a better view of the surrounding area, and the possibility of a radio — given the sign of a radio transmitter that can be found blinking a feeble red on Aurora nights.
With the snow on the ground it’s a little more treacherous, but given the circumstances, anything’s worth a shot, right? Those who attempt the hike may fall foul to slips and trips along the steep slow to reach the tower, and should take care in the ascent. Even with the warmth of July, it’s difficult. One might hope this might make the place a decent outpost, if you think about it. Somewhere hard to reach, and with such a vantage point.
Reaching the tower and climbing it to its interior will it largely intact but a mess. Someone has lived here for some time. Interlopers will find no food here, but some useful tools that belonged to the lookout: binoculars, maps, a compass, an alidade. There is even a radio sat upon a desk, and with it — a journal.
The journal, Interlopers will find, belonged to a man named Sam Bouchard — the firewatcher for the season during the previous year, detailing the months of his arrival and ending in November last year. It is unknown what happened to Sam, but his journal will perhaps offer some insight and even some information.
A PEEK INSIDE
WHEN: The month of July.
WHERE: The Gas Station, Milton.
CONTENT WARNINGS: themes of kidnapping; imprisonment; self-starvation; blood/minor injuries; psychological torment, supernatural abilities.
The Forest Talkers have a long history in the Northern Territories, long before Interlopers started arriving in Milton. Champions of nature, they have sought to put an end to the industries and tourism-related expansions in the Lakeside area, first peacefully and then… not-so-peacefully. But with the events known as the ‘The Flare’ last year, Forest Talkers have been… acting peculiarly, disturbingly, aggressively.
There are plenty of questions to be asked. But the Forest Talkers are difficult to communicate with. Previous attempts have ended up in aggression or being ignored entirely. And now, even with the events of the previous month coming to an end — game remains difficult to find, and Forest Talkers are keen on sabotaging any attempts of hunting made by Interlopers, Young Bill or Methuselah. And more importantly: what is the yawning grave?
It starts as mutterings between tired and disgruntled Interlopers. They need answers, and there’s got to be a way in trying to get some. They’re hungry and exhausted and so many of their numbers are now dead. Those mutterings grow, and soon enough a plan is put into place. A small group of Interlopers embark into Lakeside and wait.
Soon enough, it bears fruit. A man is captured, bound and blindfolded — quietly and secretly brought back to Milton to be held up in the unused Gas Station to be questioned. It is not the leader, but surely one of them is better than no one at all. He is injured, but not enough to kill him. It will prove challenging in trying to get answers out of him, but soon enough the Interlopers will get him to talk.
News of the Forest Talker in their midst will inevitably spread, as most things do in small communities. Secrets are hard to guard. It won’t be just those behind the kidnapping who might end up coming across the man being held in the Gas Station.
Anyone who goes to investigate will find the man sat on the floor in quiet contemplation. Attempts of conversation will be met with long, silent stares — holding your gaze for an uncomfortably long time. He will spurn any gestures of kindness: spit on the floor at Interloper’s feet, refuse any food offered — as if the man has chosen to starve himself in protest. He says nothing, at first.
But after some time, he will look into an Interloper’s eyes and utter something. A word. A phrase. It may be a name, or a place. It may be a specific thing an Interloper has read, or been spoken to by someone. Something that holds meaning to the Interloper. It may be the name of a loved one from home, or the last words ever spoken to you by a friend. Something the man shouldn’t know.
Whatever it is that he speaks to you, it is not something that will fill you with hope or fondness to remember — but quite the opposite. A reminder of something painful, of a loss, or some other thing that caused you misery. As if he had reached right inside your mind and plucked some painful part of your past from you and spoken it to the wind.
The Forest Talker smiles, and will say nothing else. The damage has already been done.
FAQs
1. The next three Aurora Feats are unlocked! Please see the following page for more information.
2. Aurora Feats are completely optional.
3. Interlopers will only receive ONE Aurora Feat. The only time this is available is this month. After July, players will have to wait for the next Feat round for another chance at an Aurora Feat.
4. This Aurora/storm will last a full three days, darkening the skies almost to night.
1. Interlopers who dwell in the lookout for the next Aurora will find the radio works, albeit poorly. They will be able to pick up the same broken morse code message.
2. There are no signs of blood/injury that befell Sam in the lookout. It appears he made good on what he wrote on in his journal and attempted to leave to get to Silverpoint.
1. While only a small number was involved in the kidnapping itself, anyone can discover the fact there's a Forest Talker being held in Milton.
2. In terms of appearance, the Forest Talker is very much your typical average white guy. Bearded, weathered by the cold, someone who's lived several years without much in the way of comforts or luxuries.
no subject
It's nice to know he's listening. He's real good like that. ]
I can't be scared of the outside forever. Like that's just... really dumb. [ Everything is outside. There's more outside than inside in this place. ] I just wanted to do some foraging.
[ She's fallen behind on things the last two months. ]
So I was around the gas station and— I think there's a person in there. Like... like it looked like they were being held prisoner, or something.
[ A beat. ]
... We wouldn't do that, right? We're... we're better than that.
no subject
A part of him figured there might have been some new threat around to startle Kate like this, but.. this is beyond what Bigby was expecting. It feels like an entirely different category. A person being held in the gas station? It can't have been someone from town, or she would have recognized them, so-- who would it be then? And who would hold them there?
A few pieces click together in Bigby's mind, and-- god, it's one of the Forest Talkers, isn't it. Did someone kidnap a fucking Forest Talker?!
It's definitely a worrying and agitating thought, but Bigby knows he can't run off to check. Not when Kate is right here with him and still worried, when she's at risk of getting too scared after everything to ever leave her room again. So Bigby pushes down the anger for later, instead moving up to put his paws on her lap and looking right at her.
He nods. It's a little hard to do as a wolf with how unnatural it feels, but-- it's the only way he's got to communicate with her right now.
(At least it makes it easier to lie, because Bigby really isn't sure if they're better than that. In fact, in the light of this knowledge he's pretty sure they aren't.
But he doesn't intend on dragging Kate down to cynical reality.) ]
no subject
Thanks, Sheriff Wolf
[ She reaches out to gently pet one of his paws on her lap, a gesture of thanks. There's a pause: hey, that feels a lot coarser than she imagined it would. Like... wolves always look so fluffy. She'd thought maybe they'd feel like a husky or something, considering they look the most alike. ]
... Unrelated, but— wolf fur does not feel like dog fur.
[ She doesn't hate it! It's just... not how she expected to feel. ]
no subject
Still, his fur being more coarse than she expected isn't the most offensive thing he's dealt with, so Bigby can easily shrug it off. His mind is still on the Forest Talker too, and what has to be done about that, and.. god, this place is exhausting.
It's part of the reason why he suddenly climbs up on the couch, trying his best - it's hard when you're this big, but he's trying! - to fit on there next to her, gently pressing his warm, furry body against her. He lays both of his paws on her lap this time, and then lays his head down on top of them. He's tired, Kate, let him rest like this for a moment - and if it gives her some comfort about having found out something distressing, then it just means it's a potential win-win situation. ]
no subject
But she can't know what he's thinking, other than maybe thinking she's offended him when he removes his paws from her lap, her face creasing slightly in a wince — maybe she did say something— oh!
She watches with wide eyes as he hops up onto the couch next to her and just... settles his legs and head in her lap. She holds her hands up, not really sure what to do with them because that sure is Sheriff Wolf who... is not a man right now but an actual wolf acting like.... well, a wolf. Or dog. Although, technically speaking, he is the Big Bad Wolf. Even if he doesn't seem particularly big or bad right now. Just kinda fed up, maybe. ]
... Okay. [ There's another long pause from her and she pauses her lips, hesitant. Of course the natural thing for if a dog snuggles up to you is to... pet it. But it's Sheriff Wolf, but he's also just... kind fed up and... very warm. Her fingers flex in the air slightly and she very tentatively lowers her hand to his head. It's a ghost of a touch at first, fingers gently brushing into his fur. ]
... Is this weird? It's probably sort of weird.
[ There's a few more pets, still gentle but a little more purposeful. Actually— ]
It's... sort of nice, too.
no subject
It's not something he's ever had, after all. People are at least smart enough to pet wolves, and though communication between humans and animals was a little more common in the Homelands than in most worlds, it's not like anyone was going to pet the Big Bad Wolf of all creatures.
.. it might mean these are the first pet he's had ever, actually.
And he seems to enjoy them. Not only is he leaning into the pets, but he starts letting out some huffs after a few more pets.
He could get used to this. Especially in the middle of a rough situation like this one, where he's going to have to decide later what to do about the Forest Talker. J-Just don't tell anyone about this, Kate! They'd never let him live it down! ]
no subject
So sure. She'll keep petting him. And yeah, it's actually really nice for her. It makes her miss her bunny Alice a whole lot, she's the sweetest thing. She misses getting to pet her and cuddle with her. She hopes she's doing okay. ]
Lucky for you I'm not a gossip. [ So sure, your secret is safe with her, Bigby. Although... honestly, it's... probably gonna be a bit weird when she realises she's pet him and....... then he's a guy again.
Maybe it's for the best they just don't talk about it. Probably. ]
no subject
(And thank god for that, because Bigby knows he'd never live it down. This is why he can't cuddle up to anyone else..)
He enjoys for a few more moments, but then - especially when he's seen Kate visibly relax - realizes they can't do this forever. Especially when he has a problem to solve, if what Kate told him was accurate.
So the wolf slowly moves off her lap until he's next to her on the couch again. The wolf stares at her for a moment, and then slowly tilts his head sideways.
He means to ask if she's feeling a little bit better, but it's hard without human words, or without Kate's ability to read wolf body language as well as Bigby.. ]
no subject
And then Bigby's getting up and she exhales, straightening up a little. She's okay, she thinks. Kate might not totally get it, but she's guessing the head tilt means some kind of question. She pauses for a moment, trying to work it out. It's probably what she thinks it is. ]
Yeah, I'm okay. [ It seems like the reasonable question he's asking. Checking in on her. That's what he does, to be fair. She smiles. ] Thanks for that, Sheriff Wolf.
[ And then she has to ask: ]
What are we gonna do about the... gas station? Should I tell Lieutenant Little?
[ This... feels like one of those thing she should absolutely tell him, but she also knows he's... got a lot on his plate right now. Last month was... really hard on him. ]
no subject
Though he tenses a little bit again when she makes that suggestion.
God, Edward. Bigby can only imagine the other guy being told about this situation. He'll probably pass out due to the stress or something, especially with how tightly wound up the man has seemed ever since what happened the other month.
It means the wolf shakes its head really quickly after that suggestion. Nope, Kate, let's not do that. Let's spare Edward a little.
Instead the wolf sits down so it can raise a paw to itself.
Leave it to me, he means.
Not that Bigby has any clue what the hell to do about this - but he'll have to do something. He's going to figure it out. You can rely on him, Kate! ]
no subject
You? [ She looks down at his paw. Well, he's definitely another trusted adult, and also a cop so— like— it's definitely someone who's best to be told about all of this. Besides, she does remember the one time he'd told her she could go to him for the kind of stuff that might need... uh, less talking. Maybe this is one of these moment. ]
Okay. [ She nods, letting out a breath. ] Just— just please be careful. About whatever this is. Someone being held prisoner right here in town? It— I don't think it's gonna be anything but Big Trouble.
[ Can you hear the capitalisation, Bigby? It's absolutely there. ]
no subject
Yes, Bigby sure gets it. He has a very bad feeling about this too. It's exactly part of the reason he's telling Kate to leave it to him, not wanting a girl like her involved in the messiness that this situation could bring.
He moves over to the door and sits down next to it - like he's waiting for her to follow him there. He's sure that she must want to go home to get some comfort there, but there's no way Bigby is going to allow her to walk around town alone when stuff like this is going on. He'll go with her until he knows she's safely back home. ]
we can probably wrap this one?
There's a little pause when she reaches for the door handle, her head turning to look down at him for a moment. After a little hesitation, she reaches with her free hand and gently gives him a little scritch on the head. ]
... Good wolf.
[ There's a tiny hum of amusement and she takes a steadying breath before turning back to the door to open it and head out. ]