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)
singillatim2023-11-09 04:18 pm
singmod) wrote in singillatim2023-11-09 04:18 pm
Entry tags:
- *event,
- alluri rama raju: xil,
- bigby wolf: jelle,
- cornelius hickey: kates,
- dean winchester: verna,
- edward little: jhey,
- harry goodsir: karin,
- jack kline: jean,
- jason mcconnell: balsam,
- kate marsh: cheryl,
- kieren walker: cheryl,
- knives: lassie,
- la'an noonien-singh: amy,
- levi jordan: cirape,
- louis de pointe du lac: tea,
- max mayfield: jean,
- rei ayanami (ii): floral,
- rorschach: shade,
- thomas jopson: kota,
- tim drake: fox,
- vash the stampede: fen,
- vash the stampede: fyn,
- wynonna earp: lorna
nature offers a violence
NOVEMBER 2023 EVENT
PROMPT ONE — WHITEOUT: Methuselah makes an unexpected early return to Milton to warn Interlopers of an impending monster storm, and boy does it surely come.
PROMPT TWO — A CHOICE: Following the storm, sightings of a mysterious stag prompts a hunt down in the Basin and out in the Outskirts.
PROMPT THREE — REST MY WEARY BONES: While the storm causes a great deal of mess, it also uncovers some far more pleasant surprises. Hot springs.
WHITEOUT
WHEN: Early to mid-month.
WHERE: Milton.
CONTENT WARNINGS: extreme weather; storms; blizzards; themes of survival; possible character cold-related injuries; possible themes of peril.
In the times that he is no longer occupying the Community Hall in the center of town to help tend to the newcomers, Methuselah is out in the wilds. Despite his growing age, he is a hardened survivor, and has been more than accustomed to life living as a nomad, out in the thickest, deepest parts of nature. Sometimes he can be encountered, sheltered in a cave or out in the woods, huddled by a warm campfire, or busying himself with his latest game catch. He seems to be always on the move, never staying for too long, and never coming into town — unless it’s to begin preparations for the latest batch of new arrivals.
To see him returning to Milton outside of these times is a curious sight, and the grim expression he carries is enough to make anyone wary. Even his voice is grave. The warmth and kindness usually found in his expression is gone, replaced with a deathly seriousness. He doesn’t speak in jest.
"I am long used to this world and its weather, even with the changing times to more bitter nights." he will say. "I have seen the years rise and fall, too many to count. Please, I beg that you hear me with this— a storm is coming. Greater than some of you may have ever known. It is in the air, and we must prepare to see it through. We do not have much time. Three days, perhaps. But no more."
He will tell anyone and everyone; encouraging the word to be spread around. He will instruct on what needs to be done, what needs to be gathered. The storm will be long and hard, and will last for some time. With that, Methuselah will begin to prepare the Community Hall as a place of refuge with a stock of food, fuel and water to get through the storm. Interlopers will be free to join Methuselah and bunker down together, or can choose to bunker down on their own in their own homes, or with others.
You have only three days.
And sure enough, the storm comes. Maybe you can notice the signs too: the sudden updraft, the slow gathering of clouds, the drop in temperature, the changes of pressure in the air.
Halfway through the third day, the storm rolls in: a ferocious snow-storm unlike anything you’ve seen before. Even with the fading amount of daylight as mid-winter approaches, the sky turns as dark as night as will stay like night for the duration. Strong howling winds batter the town, and even the sturdiest of buildings creak and groan under the weight. Trees will be felled, some buildings might not fare the storm.
Relentless snow that falls so hard it’s a complete whiteout, and will be impossible to navigate if one were to step outside. Even then, it isn’t advisable. The temperature is bitter, with a frigid windchill. Going out in this kind of storm would be a death sentence. Staying out in it for longer than a half-hour will certainly kill you.
It would be best to wait it out, to huddle around warm fires in the darkness. It may certainly be a test of patience, depending on your choice of place to stay. The storm will last a full week, a stark reminder of what you are, the words you have heard in your arrival: thrown to Mother Nature’s mercy, the Interloper in her design.
But will you persist?
A CHOICE
WHEN: Mid-month, onwards to end of month.
WHERE: Milton Basin, Milton Outskirts.
CONTENT WARNINGS: survival themes; themes of hunting; possible animal death.
After the storm passes, there’s a certain kind of hush that falls upon Milton and its surrounding areas as Interlopers are left to pick through the wake. While the temperature certainly doesn’t get that much warmer, there’s days and nights of clear, calm weather — short afternoons of weak sunshine and nights of chilly peace, the moon hung high in the starry skies. Winter is drawing ever-closer, but it’s still for a little while.
In the early evenings, before the sun sets, there’s strange sightings of a particular white stag that can be found roaming the area — particularly down in the Milton Basin. It seems quite elusive, but there’s plenty of Interlopers that have been able to capture a glimpse over the coming days. Even Methuselah himself has seen this beast before, remarking there has long been tall tales of a ghostly stag that roams the Northern Territories and is said to bring good fortune to those who manage to hunt it down.
Perhaps you’re a little low on luck. Perhaps you’re feeling lucky. You’re going to find that stag.
Hunting down the stag, however, will take a great deal of patience and time. You might find yourself waiting several hours to wait for it to appear. Building a snow shelter, or hunkering down in some old shack might be needed in order to keep warm. But if you’re patient enough, and able to withstand the cold for long enough — the beast will soon make an appearance.
In the dying light of the day, it is there. It’s unlike any deer you’ve seen before: tall and majestic, with thick, soft fur of brilliant white. It almost looks ghost-like in some angles, it’s an incredibly beautiful creature. But it seems to have also noticed you, just as you have noticed it. It doesn’t dart away, however. Instead it stands before you, waiting for you to act.
You have a choice: slay the creature, or let it go.
It will not move until you make your decision, holding your gaze until you raise your weapon or until you lower it and give up your hunt. But there is a consequence to either action: if you choose to kill the stag, you will be rewarded with a sizeable bounty of venison. Eating said meat will help you feel fuller for longer, and the meat will keep for far longer than any other deer slain.
However, if you choose to spare the stag, the creature will lower its head, as if bowing to you. Then, it will disappear with a swirling of powdered snow. When you return home for the evening and go to sleep, the next morning you will find a gift at the foot of your bed: a pair of deerskin boots, or a deerskin blanket. These boots are supple, tough and waterproof — allowing for a great balance of mobility and warmth. The blanket is incredibly toasty, and will provide a great deal of comfort in the long nights ahead.
REST MY WEARY BONES
WHEN: Mid-month, onwards indefinitely.
WHERE: Milton Outskirts.
CONTENT WARNINGS: n/a.
The storm has blown in plenty of snow to make traversing the area much more difficult, but there’s something else of note that comes with its passing. While the storm has brought much devastation, and some places have been buried in snow drifts, plenty of snow in areas has been blown away, uncovering otherwise lost secrets within Milton. Clouds of what looks like steam can be noted not too far from town, towards the mountains of the north.
If Interlopers head to explore the clouds, they will find old trails leading up towards the mountains. It isn’t a particularly difficult journey, for once, and they will soon discover that the storm has blown away the previously blocked access to a cave. It appears that this is the right place.
The air is warm here, pleasantly so. Warm enough that hats and mittens and coats seem a little unnecessary. One might wonder if someone lives within, and that a great fire is stoked to keep the place warm. But there’s no one in sight, no sounds of life: human, animal or otherwise. If they press on, they will discover that the cave floor is well worn with footfall: plenty of people have come here before, and the reason why is soon revealed.
The air grows even warmer, and more humid. The space opening to reveal small pools of slow-flowing water, warm water. The stone houses a natural hot spring, and following the cave out the other side will lead to another space in the rock open to the air, where there are even larger pools of warm water, perfectly sized and deep enough to bathe in. It seems that this place was frequently used by the people of Milton, where their life of hardship could be forgotten for an hour or two.
The water is pleasantly hot, and incredibly inviting. After so long in the freezing cold without modern appliances and utilities, a natural hot spring sounds like an absolute luxury.
FAQs
1. Characters are free to play around with this prompt how they want. Maybe they're dumb enough to go into the cold and get injured or sick. Maybe they're stuck in the Community Hall for the week. Fights might break out as tensions run high whilst everyone's stuck together, or maybe you're actually having a nice time.
2. For those stuck in the Community Hall: there are board games and old school textbooks stored in cupboards. There is also a piano.
3. A floorplan of the Community Hall can be found here.
1. .... Yes, you can pet the ghost stag.
2. Characters will get one choice only with the ghost stag, meaning they can't keep going back to find it to get extra gifts.
3. If characters can't agree on a course of action, whoever acts first will get their gift. The second character will have a chance to try again another time.
4. If both characters agree on sparing the stag, but players want different gifts (ie. one player wants the boots and one wants the blanket), characters will get the gift the player wants their character to receive.
1. The hot springs will now be a permanent fixture in the Milton Area, enjoy!
ii
Bigby didn't exactly expect anyone to call him out like this. He heard of the story, knows he's a good hunter, thought that 'good fortune' might have something to do with them finding a way out of here, and.. well, having made those connections, Bigby figured the least he could do was actually go out there and try to find the stag.
It'd be one thing if someone else asked him that. He might have brushed it off and walked on, not the most social type, but he does remember talking to Vash before during a pretty difficult time-- and the other being relatively kind about it, if not a little naively idealistic.
So the man actually stops walking, turning towards Vash. ]
Isn't that the inevitable end of a hunt?
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When he finds it's a familiar face stopping and turning towards him, Vash's smile widens with the earnest joy that comes with the recognition. It's already been proven that anyone can die at any time here, their losses have been numerous since their first arrival, and so getting to see that someone known is still around is plenty cause for happiness. Especially so when it happens to be a person who reminds him so closely of a dear friend already lost. (Even if that's kind of selfish, in a way.) ]
It doesn't have to be.
[ He abandons what he was doing, hoisting his bag a little higher over his shoulder before he wanders closer. Bigby might not be the most sociable, but Vash sure is and if talking also happens to help distract from the intended hunt? Well, he's eager to converse. ]
It's good to see you again.
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Because the moment Bigby sees the other smiling like that, he's pulling a Face. It's not exactly a face of disapproval or anything, more just.. a little unsure? Confused? Look at this gruff-looking man, having absolutely no idea how to deal with someone actually acting friendly towards him, let alone greeting him with a smile.
How does someone deal with that? Someone please give him a clue. Drop an instruction manual from the heavens. Anything. ]
It is?
[ See? Without said instruction manual, Bigby just says dumbass stuff like this. Is it really good to see him, Vash? Why would it be good to see him?
At least Vash did manage to stop him from moving on, if not for a moment while he's busy trying to interpret Vash's behaviour. ]
Do you need something from me or something?
[ Is that it???
Vash, you're so confusing, my man. ]
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Sure is!
[ No hesitation whatsoever. Vash is clearly not deterred in the slightest by the Face or the confused questions, still beaming happily as he draws near. If anything, the latter question makes him laugh a little. With that attitude, Bigby would fit right in with No Man Land's wary populace. It's a good thing Vash is so used to it and that, even if he wasn't, it wouldn't throw him off his friendly disposition all that much. ]
Nothing of the sort, my friend. I'd just like to know how you've been.
[ Vash cares, not only on the principle that has him caring about everyone in general, but because it's especially impossible not to care about someone who shared a moment of vulnerability with him. Sure, it's obvious that Bigby has survived the voice and everything else this place has been throwing at all of them by the fact he's standing before Vash now, but he'd like to know if he's made it through all that worse for wear or not — if maybe he can help again in some way if that does happen to be the case.
Let him have this two for one deal of helping the stag and (potentially) spending time with a friend. ]
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[ Listen to how dryly that question is voiced.. Even though Vash - if he's listening closely enough - may be able to tell that Bigby is really just masking uncertainty by using that dry tone, it lingers a little in the edges of his tone and expression..
He can count the number of people who have called him a friend on less than one hand's worth of fingers, after all. And that's even including all the people back home.
.. on the other hand, he did tell Vash some stuff he hasn't told anyone in this place. Not even now, such a while later. ]
That's usually not the kinda thing you decide by yourself. [ And yet his words don't sound like rejection.
It's not that kind of tone. Maybe this is just Bigby feeling like he needs to put up some slight protest, even though a part of him deep down might be a touch glad.. ]
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Including keeping others at arm's length.
Perhaps it's true and it's not something he should have decided on by himself, but what else would you call someone you poured your heart out to? They're certainly not strangers anymore and acquaintances feels far too impersonal after the moment of weathering an internal storm that they shared. Friend seems most fitting and it also holds a hope. ]
Would you rather not be friends?
[ He asks simply in return, tilting his head to the side. The question and gesture are innocent enough, but there's something more beguiling to the way he peers through his lashes and purses his lips just slightly in a near-pout.
Will you really let him down, Bigby? Can you deny those big baby blues of his? ]
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Especially when he actually asks, out loud: ]
What're you making that face at me for!
[ CALLING YOU OUT ON THE POUT, VASH.
FIGHT HIM. ]
You want to be friends that bad?! [ Honestly, that idea by itself is absolutely baffling to Bigby. People generally can't stand him, and here there's a guy pouting at him because he might potentially not want to be his friend after an awkward moment of sharing emotions before?
Forget the stag. This is the true mystery of the day. ]
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By pouting all the harder, the jut of his lips becoming more pronounced and obvious. There's absolutely no denying that it's a full-blown pout now. If there's one thing most people are quick to learn about Vash, it's that he has no shame whatsoever. No matter his age being that of at least two (regular human's) lifetimes, he's not hesitating looking like a petulant kid. ]
And what if I do!?
[ Yelling back is the right way to make friends, right?
It's kind of a reflex, used as he is (was) to his best friend's similar attitude and responses, and he's toning it down immediately when he realizes a split-second after the reply has left his mouth.
To actually help his case, he'll... clasp his hands together and look semi-forlorn while also batting his lashes. ]
Is that so bad?
[ BE HIS FRIEND, YOU GROUCH. (pretty please.) ]
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This is so weird. ]
It's weird.
[ There, let him actually voice the sentiment out loud. Because rather than it being necessarily bad - though he won't confirm or deny that either way in a court of law, you can't make him!! - it's just.. weird.
Bigby is not used to this at all. ]
People don't want to be my friend. [ Let alone give him stares like this one over it! ]
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They shared a vulnerable moment before and that's shown enough of Bigby's character. Nothing about him has warned Vash to stay away. (Although even if that were the case, it's unlikely Vash would have anyway.) It's quite the opposite, really. He'd seen someone kind underneath the gruff exterior. Surely others could see that too?
The statement then gets a puzzled tilt of his head, expression dubious to match. ]
I don't see why not. You're a pretty good guy.
[ Just calling them how he sees them, sorry not sorry! ]
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You think I'm a pretty good guy. [ It's literally the words the other said only a moment ago, yet Bigby is repeating them as if Vash spoke an entirely different language to him that Bigby doesn't understand..
Like the words don't make sense to him.
And while he will most likely regret asking this question as soon as he hears the answer, he isn't taking that into consideration quite yet as he just asks: ] Why do you even think that?
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[ Vash's tone implies a 'duh' like it's the most obvious thing in the world. Which it is to him. From the moment he's met Bigby, the other man has been nothing but kind to him. It's not even that living on No Man's Land has lowered his standards for basic decency or that Vash only ever wants to see the best in people. Not in this case. Bigby's actions and words have shown plenty that he isn't a bad guy. He'd had accepted Vash's presence with grace during a bad time and one of the first things he learned was that Bigby just wanted to keep people safe; a desire that resonates strongly with Vash. It might be hidden behind a gruff exterior, rough around the edges and awkward, but the intentions are there and they are good.
That Bigby can't see that is what baffles him in turn, but isn't that usually the case when it comes to the kindest people with the most tender of hearts? Vash's answer comes quick and easy. ]
You care about people and want to protect them. You were nice to me when you were in a pretty bad spot yourself.
[ Yeah, he's bringing that up. SUE HIM. But for the real coup de grâce: ]
You're kind. I can see it in your eyes.
[ He's saying that while maintaining direct eye contact and smiling the surest of smiles. ]
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.. but then he just had to hit him with that last extra part, huh. ]
In my--
[ Bigby starts to echo the other's words, looking completely baffled - and perhaps just a tad flustered too. No, you don't see a darker hue growing on his cheeks, that's just-- it's just the cold, okay?!
He quickly looks ahead of him, rather than over at Vash. Even his steps may grow just a touch quicker. ]
Every single day I'm more surprised to learn you haven't gotten eaten by something here yet. [ BIGBY..??
Apparently this is his defensive system activating when someone is being a little too nice to him and he doesn't know how to handle it.. Implying that Vash is too nice to everything around him, and that something is going to end up killing him for it. ]
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Vash doesn't even miss a beat, he's just gonna move to keep pace — those long legs of his aren't just for show — and laugh at the response, at least having the decency to sound slightly sheepish about it. Only slightly though. ]
You're not the first to say something like that.
[ It's a sentiment that's been echoed many times before: how he hasn't gotten himself killed already being the way he is. By all accounts, he probably should be long dead given the plethora of scars his body is littered with and the amount of times he's been shot... and yet, here he is. Not being human has its perks.
More importantly, Vash is noting the lack of denial and protest and he's latching on to that. ]
But I'm not wrong, am I? You're kind. Isn't that reason enough for someone to want to be your friend?
[ Sorry buddy, he's not letting it go! ]
cw: talk of technically-not-cannibalism-when-you're-a-wolf
[ Usually Bigby wouldn't give that information away so easily.
But usually people aren't this nice to him either, so he feels like all usual standards are already lost in this conversation in the first place. He might as well admit to the most deplorable thing about himself, before Vash starts to be too nice to him. Before Bigby gets too used to it, and then inevitably loses it when that ugly truth comes out.
It's how things always go, after all.
He doesn't look at Vash as he says it. Instead he keeps his gaze trained ahead of them while they walk. He doesn't want to see the look on the other's face when Vash inevitably hates him for it. Like everyone does. ]
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He still doesn't think he's wrong in his judgement.
Besides, Vash can't really speak when it comes to having committed atrocities. He's been turned into a weapon of mass destruction before; thousands are dead because he wiped a thriving city off the map. It doesn't matter that it was against his will — not to his victims, not to him. For all his strong morals and convictions, his best friend was an assassin who he's thanked before for killing people when he couldn't do it by his own hand. In the end, Vash couldn't escape having to make that awful choice either. He had to willfully kill someone of his own accord to preserve what said friend gave everything for to protect. He's as much a murderer as someone who's eaten people.
Whatever reasons Bigby might have had — sheer desperation is one that comes to mind, but he can't know for sure — what matters in the here and now is one simple thing: ]
Would you do it again?
[ Asked plainly with a calm regarding gaze. ]
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[ That's an easy answer.
It's not even said because he wants Vash to think of him any specific way. Honestly, it's probably easier if the other does judge him like everyone else, because nothing makes Bigby worry more than getting too close to someone, than someone treating him just a little bit too nice, giving him hope.
It's so easy to snuff out hope, after all. And it hurts.
No, instead-- that small 'no' is just the truth. He doesn't want to go ahead and lie about this, just to seem worse. Especially when it'd just give him trouble in this place if he'd lie about it. ]
Stopped that shit a long time ago. I'm done trying to go where that was gonna take me.
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That's good.
[ His judgement wasn't wrong then. People can change, he's been a staunch believer of that fact and it seems like he's found yet another perfect example of that walking right beside him. If anything, it only convinces Vash more.
There's a soft hum, thoughtful, as he chooses his next words with care. ]
We all have done things we regret in the past, some more terrible than others. What matters is that you made the choice to change and by the sound of it, you have. That's admirable.
[ Vash is nothing if not utterly sincere. It's there in the tone of his voice and his smile. He might be too forgiving by a lot of people's standards, but he's forgiving nonetheless. (At least of others, never himself.) ]
I won't judge you for a past in another place. You're here now and you've been kind. That's enough.
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And yet here he is, walking next to Vash, and the other tells him that he's admirable - as laughable as that idea is - and it feels almost.. normal. Expected.
It's so damn weird. Bigby wants to shake it off entirely and yet at the same time hold onto it. ]
A whole lot of people think I didn't.
[ He has to admit to that - if not just due to that conflicting desire. ]
Guess you have the benefit of never having seen the old me. [ While many Fables back home had.
.. though even the ones that didn't still judged him similarly. This may be one of the few times where someone has decided to actually forgive him. ]
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He hums, soft and thoughtful, before responding. ]
It can take time for people to catch on, but so long as you persist, I'm sure your actions will convince them eventually.
[ Wishful thinking on his own part, maybe, yet it's a belief he holds fast to. It always comes down to time. Time changes everything, it's inevitable. Some just have more of it than others, unfortunately. ]
Even if I had met the old you, I'd still say the same.
[ He can at least say that with full conviction. Granted, he's never been in the company of someone who's eaten people before (that he knows of), but when his best friend had been an assassin, suffice it to say he doesn't judge someone by their dark past nor has he ever been swayed from trying to persuade even those who are unrepentant about their actions — past or current. ]
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He knows nothing he says will change Vash's mind though, so he doesn't.
Instead he just continues stepping through the snow, speaking up about something else entirely.
Or rather-- it's related. Just in a way that's a little more thematic, than anything else. ]
When we find that stag, I'm going to kill it, you know. [ There's nothing menacing in it. Not even something intimidating.
It's just an announcement. Maybe a touch of a warning.
Don't have too much faith in me.
Because he doesn't know how to handle that. ]
This is a hunt. That's the inevitable end of a hunt. And if someone is gonna have to bloody their hands, I'll do it. [ He always does, after all. Someone as soft on the inside as Vash shouldn't have to. ]
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It hurts how much he reminds Vash of Wolfwood sometimes — the reminder somehow both a balm and a stab to his grieving heart at the same time. So protective and willing to be the beast of burden so others won't have to carry that heavy weight...
If the fact is meant to change Vash's mind then it's doing the exact opposite. ]
Why go after that particular stag? Because of the rumors?
[ He's not so naive that he thinks they can survive by not killing animals at all, he's well-aware that it's necessary. Even if he leaves most of the hunting to his brother, it's not like he doesn't help. It's more that he feels for the stag, being hunted simply because it's rumored to bring luck; for being different.
Vash understands all too well what that's like. ]
no subject
Methuselah is just about the one thing in this place that has only provided us good stuff so far. If even he's talking about that stag, then it must mean that hunting it down is going to bring something good to the village.
[ It's not like Bigby, really. He doesn't do blind trust. Maybe that's why he puts the emphasis on what Methuselah has done for the town so far - it feels like the only lead they have to cling onto. And when Bigby knows the canned rations in town are going to run out one day, he knows he has to be prepared to always be chasing down leads to try and keep the town alive. ]
I'm not going to pass up on an opportunity like this if it's something that could keep us alive further down the line. [ Or rather-- he doesn't want to regret not having done it later on. ]
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[ Methuselah is only human (... as far as they know) and humans are prone to believing things. Vash has grown up learning human history, knows of all the wars they waged in name of various religions and all the species they drove to extinction simply because they believed parts of them to hold mystical powers. It had made him cautious of humanity then as a child where his brother wouldn't lose his bright-eyed hopeful optimism that they could be accepted and get along with mankind until later when they were confronted with humanity's cruelty up close and personal.
Vash has chosen to believe and think better of humans now, but he still knows. That Methuselah means well is something he doesn't doubt. Just as he doesn't doubt that Bigby does, too. ]
It's kind of you to look out for everyone like that. [ He doesn't hesitate pointing that out because it is. Deal with it, Bigby. ] I just feel bad for it, y'know? Being hunted because it's different somehow.
no subject
[ Sorry for the callout, Vash. It may partially be because Bigby really wants to escape that compliment, but it's also because Bigby can easily see through these sorts of things. Sure, he can't be 100% sure about what he's assuming here, especially with how little he knows about the other's life, but..
This feels right. Somewhere between that very specific wording and Bigby's experience as a sheriff-turned-detective-most-of-the-time. ]
Is that why you're saying all of this? [ There's no hardness to it, no accusation in the usual Bigby style.
Maybe it's just him still figuring out how Vash works. Why he's always spouting the nicest possible shit anyone could say in any given situation. Why he seemingly wants to spare anything and anyone. ]
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