Seasons Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
seasonsmods) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
seasonsrpg2024-05-17 10:01 am
seasonsmods) wrote in seasonsrpg2024-05-17 10:01 am
Entry tags:
- !event,
- apothecary diaries: maomao,
- attack on titan: frieda reiss,
- attack on titan: hange zoe,
- attack on titan: jean kirstein,
- attack on titan: levi ackerman,
- d4dj: rinku aimoto,
- end roll: kantera,
- fate grand order: oryou,
- ffxiv: mira chambers,
- genshin impact: lynette,
- gintama: hijikata toshirou,
- heaven officials blessing: xie lian,
- honkai star rail: stelle,
- kokoro connect: himeko inaba,
- original: evangeline,
- original: nenonen,
- the owl house: hunter,
- the untamed: xiao xingchen,
- word of honor: zhou zishu
Event #8: Fairytale Gone Live
Fairytale Gone Live
LOGS | NETWORK | OOC | MEMES | NAVIGATION
Fairies have managed to uncover something in the Amberfall Library. Powerful magic had kept it covered, but with the help of their queen they managed to reveal what was hidden: an entrance to an ancient library. No one has recollection of a library being hidden there, but the fairies claim it feels 'familiar'. They started exploring the library in earnest and identified it as the Magical Library of Knowledge. As it's a magical library, it's completely possible that it teleported itself into safety when Darkness came and found its way here.
This ancient library is known to be good willed in nature. However, it does have some quirks and sometimes pulls pranks on unsuspecting visitors. Fairies are immune to such things, but there's a reason for it: fairies aren't able to pick up the books in the library, not even with their magic. Only those with the ability to touch the books will be affected by the magics that happen in the library.
The books contain important information about the world that has been lost, so a request has been sent to otherworlders to make a trip to the library and find important seeming information. Everyone who volunteers will be given a bag that helps carry any books (will keep the books safe and the bag remains light no matter how many books it has inside - only works on books) and an amulet that has a one-time magic that will teleport someone to safety if necessary.
Of course anyone is also welcome to just bring back books that interest them personally. The bag does have limitless space, after all. It was developed for people who want to loan a lot of books at the same time - good thing the invention will now have other uses!
After descending down a long spiral staircase, people will find a huge library that has more books than eyes can see. They're all on shelves, at least, instead of being scattered around. There are various sections and all of them have been put in an alphabetical order by the book's name, as most of them lack the name of an author. The place has three floors, all with various staircases leading up and down.
The ambience in the library is dark, making reading there seem a little bit unpleasant. However, anytime someone opens a book, a small lantern will float above them, making the surrounding perfect for reading a book without disturbing anyone nearby. Once the book closes, the lantern will float away to find someone else to help.
Floating lanterns aren't the only things moving around the library. Occasionally one may notice movement from the corner of their eye and if they turn around they might see an owl sitting on top of a clothes rack or a table. These are library owls - intelligent owls that oversee the library and just live there because they enjoy being there. If someone offers them a snack, they will perch on the person's arm or shoulder.
Even if the library seems extremely organized, the sad truth is that all of the important knowledge containing books have been hidden among normal books. But the library owls will know where the look, as long as someone is nice to them and will give them snacks. Those who are mean to the owls will be guided towards useless places - like the section filled with just empty books or one that has magical traps.
Some of the sections of the library behave differently than others. There are odd magical effects (like making someone act like they're in love when reading a romance book) or traps that have been made to surprise people (mostly harmless 'chalk dropping from above' or 'water sprouting from a fake flower' type of traps). Some sections even have guardian books that are floating books that will push people out of the section if they're being loud or otherwise disturb others. Attacking one of them will make the books reflect the attack back to the person.
Some of the rooms containing books take being magical to another level. Whoever opens a book will change the whole look of the room. All of the shelves and the surrounding area is replaced with a scenery from the book. If two or more books are opened at the same time, the scenery will be a mix of all of the opened books. Fortunately, none of it is actually real so if someone happens to open an informative books on sharks, they will just get a very realistic illusion of being in an ocean with sharks.
Sometimes these sceneries will also change the clothes of the people to fit the book characters' clothes. Wearing these clothes might make the people talk like the characters do in the books (in accents or elven languages) or act out a dramatic death scene in the middle of the room. Usually this passes after the scene is played out or once the book in question is found and closed.
Another weird phenomena happens in the aisles that have books on fairytales. Anyone who opens a book in one of these aisles might find themselves become a fairytale character. The change is visual at least, but some might even go through a complete change. In other words, someone could just look like the Prince from Snow White, but another might even believe they are him. Someone who starts off as just looking like a character might later end up acting like them as well, but not the other way around.
The longer someone 'stays in the fairytale' the more likely it is they will be taken over by the character they've become. It will be harder and harder for them to remember their real name or react to someone calling them by it. They will share the goals of the fairytale character and think they're in a strange trials set up by someone that they need to get out of.
A way to break free of a fairytale is to either receive a kiss (preferably of true love, but just a normal kiss will do) or by having a key item destroyed. The key item will depend on the fairytale character in question (so for a princess it might be a crown or for a fairy godmother it might be their wand). Destroying the book that started it all isn't possible, as the book is 'inside the person' until they snap out of the fairytale.
CW/TW: horror, gore, paranoia, murder (attempts)
In the lowest floor of the library exists the horror sections. These aisles are full of different thriller and horror books. Unfortunately, upon escaping the darkness this particular section was partially corrupted. For that reason there's a high change of running into danger here.
The further in you go to these sections, the creepier the ambience becomes. Is that blood on the floor? Is that floating lantern flickering ominously? Some may even start seeing things that aren't even there or just generally feel paranoid.
If someone happens to open a book under these circumstances, they might summon a shadow of a killer from the stories who will attempt to murder the reader to break free. Some might become possessed by character from the books and do their bidding. The fastest way to break any of these is to destroy the book. This is the only time that doing so is encouraged. Other ways include destroying or capturing the shadow or knocking out the person possessed.
Perhaps the safest option is to just open a book and witness a gory scene being laid out on the ground beneath them, just like described in the books. It's not pleasant, but it won't hurt anyone. The scene will disappear once the book is put away.
Destroying books here also helps deal with the partial corruption, as it will slowly disappear and the aisles start feeling a little bit more "normal".
To those not keen on diving into a strange library, there are other things to do. Of course, anyone who went to the library can later also join the events happening in the city.
A public announcement is made that the next big mission would happen in the Winter Segment. More specifically, the Research Center and the four Power Holders are making preparations to tackle the mystery of the Frozen Falls. With the new information gathered from exploring, it's now a known fact that the storm preventing their access is actually the souls of the previous power holders keeping anyone from entering the place. However, with the right preparations, gaining access to and exploring the falls will be made possible.
The first set of preparations happen in the Frostreign District. Anyone is welcome to join the project in one of the big houses near the Sauna Spa area. The place is filled with materials for making winter gear for the mission. There's almost every imaginable colored fabrics, different accessories and even yarn for those who'd rather knit. The main goal is to make gear for themselves, but any extra is also appreciated.
Those who don't feel so confident in making gear can also choose from pre-made ones and edit them with the enhancements needed to keep the cold away. Even the most basic summer clothes can be made to be perfect for the cold weather, as long as the enhancements are made right. People are at least encouraged to enchant any metallic parts of their weapons (or even jewelry!) to prevent them from becoming too cold to handle.
Participants are taught a spell that will let them enhance the gear or clothes of their choosing into ones that resist cold. This spell needs to be chanted in a freezing temperature, which is why the event is held in Frostreign. Once the enchanted item starts glowing in an a warm, orange color, the spell has worked.
The spell has to include 'With the warmth I draw from' and 'I protect this', but otherwise it's up to the person how the spell goes. Popular phrases are 'from within' or 'from the earth'. Saying the spell wrong, such as 'With fire I protect this' will result in a burning item instead. It won't damage the item, but it will be impossible to use unless the fire is put out.
Frostreign also offers other ways to prepare for the coming mission. A challenge has been posted on the billboard outside the Sauna Spa area; The Ice Hole Swim Challenge. The goal is to first go into the sauna and then walk through the snow in just their swimwear to the ice hole at the center of the district and dip in. Those brave enough to enter the water will get a reward. After the swim everyone is encouraged to run back into the sauna to warm up.
Another challenge is starting to heat up in the sauna, which isn't really related to withstanding the cold. Some Sauna Fanatics are challenging people to stay in the sauna as long as possible while the heat rises higher. Those who manage to stay inside the longest and in the highest temperature will get a reward! However, those who cheat using seasonal powers will be subjected to the ice bucket challenge, which is basically having a bucket full of ice water dumped on them.
One of the more traditional challenges is the snowball fight where the goal is to hit as many people as possible with a snowball. Those who manage to hit at least ten other players will receive a rewards. Those who don't manage to hit anyone at all will received a star that said 'You tried' with a sad snowflake drawn on it.
The fourth and final challenge is a speed contest that's run on a rink made of ice. No one is allowed to use skates; just normal shoes (or no shoes at all if they prefer). There are multiple races and multiple winners in this contest - as well as a lot of medicine for the pain caused by falls.
But what are all these rewards that someone can earn? It's a choice between various things: one free item from Riki's Rewards (max. 30 comments price), a set of five different gift cards for five different restaurants (of characters' choice), a collection of useful potions (one that fixes any status effect, one that creates a substitute to take damage for the user, a five hour invisibility potion and a potion to revive someone from a fatal hit) or a giant teddy bear that feels like hugging someone the person loves. All rewards can be taken once, but someone can do multiple challenges to get more than one reward.
Just participating in any of the ongoing challenges will get someone a five star gourmet meal in the Frostreign's famous Northern Cuisine Restaurant*. Currently staying in the Sauna Spa hotel rooms is also free for the duration of the events.
* As long as the food is from "somewhere north", like even 'northern part of country in the south', it's likely a dish can be found in this restaurant.
• Ask event related questions here.
• In this event, gathering information is the main goal. If you wish to participate, please see this comment for OOC mechanics. The more people participate, the better! All requests are OOCly open until June 9th, 23:59 PST!
• Information gathered may not match the section explored.
• Feel free to come up with new fairytales, use existing ones (with changes, if a character of that fairytale exists in the game) or even use mythologies as fairytale stories. Have fun!
• Any types of books can be found from the library, even those that come from characters' worlds, as long as they're not straight up a manga or diary of someone's life from home. Feel free to come up with the weirdest cookbooks or a "X thing for Dummies".
• Smut is not allowed on the event post, so if your thread is heading that way, please move it to a separate entry (like to your musebox or characters' journal).
• Remember to content and spoiler warn as necessary!
• Reminder to players that this month is Activity Check-in month and check-in ends on May 31st, at 23:59 PST.
no subject
It really feels like being struck by a beast - a bear, a tiger, something much larger than this feline enemy who's a good bit smaller than her. The strength behind it throws her to the ground and knocks the wind out of her, and his claws tear her shirt to shreds at the collar and shoulder, leaving red gashes on her skin - and another important thing becomes collateral damage: Her necklace, which breaks and gets flung away.
Fortunately for Frieda, it isn't her treasured Mermaid Necklace, but rather a simple locket-type one that materialised along with the rest of her fairy tale outfit (which looks quite plain and common, honestly, but that's just the kind of hands-on prince she is!).]
Max!!
[Her beloved dog!! Sure, it's only a picture of him in there, but it's the next best thing since she can't in good conscience take him to sea with her anymore after all of them nearly drowned! She reaches out for the broken keepsake, but it merely gives off a glow as it disappears... and with it, the spell wears off, and her attire chances back to how it was before.]
..?!
[As her awareness of her real identity seeps back in, so does her understanding that she's ill-equipped to fend off her attacker. Whether he's a beastman who made his home in this forgotten library, a spectre (unlikely, with such a strong physical presence), or a fellow researcher possessed by something, he's clearly a lot more combat-experienced than her.
Historia is in this library--! At the thought of her sister, Frieda unconsciously lifts her hand towards her face - but she can't possibly turn into a titan in here. The lightning strike would cause severe damage to all levels of the building, and it might even set the books and shelves alight. She'd devastate all the valuable sources of knowledge they found! (It would be in line with her ancestor's actions, she idly realises - but no, no.)
Given that Levi likely isn't giving her much time to recover, she makes an attempt to roll out of the way of his next attack, then scrambles to her feet and runs down the nearest aisle. I can't get outside, not on this level. I can't risk luring him towards other people, either. She figures that her best bet is to try and entrap him, so once she confirms his pursuit of her, she sharply rounds the corner where the row of shelves ends and throws herself against the last shelf to topple it onto her pursuer.
Chances are that, unbeknownst to her, he only let her get up from the floor so he'd get to play cat and mouse with her a little longer... and is he really still where she expects him to be this second? Moreover, her mass may not even be enough to get the shelf to fall.]
no subject
[ There's an eerie silence as the shelf wobbles under Frieda's weight, but doesn't quite topple over. In fact, it somehow feels... heavier than it should be? ]
[ There's a low growl from above. ]
[ If she looks up, she'll see the cat-person perched atop the very bookshelf she's trying to fell, claws out and tail flicking in annoyance. ]
[ A moment later, and he's speeding down the shelf, trying to latch onto her arm. As he does, however, a pocket-sized book titled The Green Woods Ripper seems to slip out of his vest... ]
no subject
Her eyes dart to the book as it falls, brain speed-assessing the significance of its presence without parsing the title - was he reading it? Is it to blame for his berserker state? Just until a moment ago, she thought she was the prince from the mermaid fairy tale - it stands to reason that whatever beast he thinks he is came from a story, too.
Without the luxury of time to scan him for any other key item comparable to the prince's necklace, she targets the book, grabbing it and trying to run once more - if need be, she'll elbow Levi in the chest or whichever other body part she can hit! It's fortunate that it's a small pocket book, because if it were a full-sized one, she'd at best be able to rip out its pages - as it it, she's able to make a vertical tear in its spine while fleeing. She'll do her damndest to deepen it!]
no subject
[ As he'd stopped pursuing her, Frieda has the chance to pause and tear the book clean in half. If she does do that, there's something like smoke suddenly pooling out of Levi's mouth; the ghost only makes it a few feet away before it bursts into flames. ]
[ Levi leans forward a bit, resting a hand on his good knee and another covering his mouth as he coughs. He's still a tiny cat person, but at least he's not trying to kill everything that moves. As long as Frieda is still within earshot, he'll do his best to wheeze out a, ]
...thanks.
1/2
Are you alright?
2/2
catboysbeastmen in their world! But it's happening! She sees a blue-eyed king with a crown, an excitable donkey person with grey ears and glasses, more animal people and other humanoids, a castle and a forest and a swamp, fast-paced scenes of adventure-- and in a blur, it's over.She gingerly lets go on him. This felt like a fairy tale... but also so real. Did he get hit with a double whammy of book spells? Or is he truly from a fanciful world like that? At this point, she can't exclude the possibility!
Meanwhile, her wounds have fully healed, having been superficial enough to not consume much energy to fix.]
no subject
[ Levi's eyes still flick immediately to the touch, apparently suspicious, but this time he recognizes it as an attempt to help and doesn't react violently... except the lady herself seems to flinch away from him after a moment. Huh. ]
[ He blinks and shakes his head briefly, as if splashing off unwanted water or fleas, and peers up at her, ears perked and tail lifted in greeting. ]
I'll be fine- I'm tougher than I look, you know. They don't make just anyone Kingsguard. But I am grateful for your help in banishing that... vile spirit.
no subject
Any time - though it was luck rather than skill.
[Had that book been a tome, she'd have struggled with it, and had the murderous ghost not played with her (perhaps influenced by the cat instincts of the one it was possessing?) rather than fully availing of his small body's unexpected strength, she'd probably be dead now. Given what happened to her own sense of self earlier, she tries to figure out how she can convince him of the predicament he may still be in right now.]
This may be a strange request, but would you happen to have a particularly prized possession with you right now? I feel like you may still be affected by another spell. When my necklace broke earlier, that took one off me that I wasn't even aware of.
no subject
[ He doesn't seem to think he's in any kind of a predicament, however, and he eyes Frieda a bit suspiciously as she asks her question. He looks ready to argue -- he said he was grateful, not that he's willing to give her any of his stuff! -- until she clarifies, and then just frowns slightly and contemplates a moment before answering. ]
What makes you say that? I feel fine. Besides, I don't carry anything I couldn't exchange for another. Obviously I'm not going to just throw my sword away and be left with nothing to defend myself with, that doesn't mean it's cursed or whatever.
no subject
I'd offer to trade you mine, but it seems to have disappeared.
[Along with the rest of her prince stuff.]
Were you looking for something specific down here before the ghost possessed you?
[It feels safer to stick together - and depending on what section he was looking for, maybe she already passed it by and can show him the way! Then again, who's to say that there won't be more dangerous books hiding on the shelves of this level? She looks at the unassuming remains of The Green Woods Ripper.]
There may be more ghosts hiding in books... sadly, I'm not an exorcist.
no subject
[ Let it not be said that Puss is anything but gallant to damsels. Even though this one technically saved him... well, whatever. Fairytales get with the times, too! ]
No, I was merely looking to cleanse the darkness from this place.
[ After all, he has the power of exorcism-- Wait a second, does he really? That might be a bit too much of getting with the times... ]
no subject
[She lets her eyes wander around... and eventually, they rest on one of the floating lanterns.]
Let me see if I can take the candle out.
[That'd be a surefire way to tackle even thick cursed books! However the lantern doesn't seem to like the young woman striding towards it - it speeds up!]
Wait! Hey-- look, I need you!
[She stops and takes a random book from the shelf! Without activating her tattoo-granted light magic, she certainly looks like an average reader in need of lighting... and sure enough, the lantern floats over to her, albeit seemingly more cautiously than they usually do. It stops a bit higher above her than usual, too - and when she jumps to grab it, it shoots up! No burning the library!!]
no subject
[ Being a hero isn't "safe", or anybody could do it! Where is her sense of adventure? ]
As long as we defeat the phantoms or the books they came from, it should be fine.
[ A little confused, he watches the spectacle of the young lady chasing the lantern. It seems that it is suspicious of her, and while he doesn't think fire in the library is a great idea, it's understandable that she wants some way to fight back. ]
Hold on. Do it again.
[ And he's clambering up a shelf, seemingly effortlessly, to get into a prowling position again. ]
no subject
As Levi's eyes track the lantern from his perch, it seems torn between its duty to shed light on people's reading material and something like a self-preservation instinct, hectically swinging back and forth between both their immediate proximity and some distance away. She cheers the cat-eared hunter on!]
You can do it!!
[A little nagging voice in the back of her mind tells her that maybe this isn't a good idea. What if it crashes down and sets the floorboards alight? She's nowhere near good enough with her wind magic to find the right gust strength to blow flames out rather than feeding them!]
no subject
[ Levi goes still atop the shelf, crouched as if ready to pounce, his ears turned back and his tail wiggling lightly, his eyes glinting phosphorous green in the dim light. Like this, he really looks just like a cat! ]
[ He waits for the moment when the lantern floats closer again and leaps, gripping it with his claws and probably smashing it into the floor in the process. Unless it's covered in papers, it probably shouldn't immediately get set ablaze... probably! ]
[ Levi is, in fact, extremely proficient with water magic at least... but he may not be aware of that at the moment. ]
no subject
When Levi takes his prey down, Frieda steps back and excitedly balls her hands into fists.]
You did it!! Hold it down, I'll take the candle out!
[And she does just that! The lantern immediately stops wiggling and struggling.]
Oh... did I kill it?
[Now she feels bad! She looks at the candle in her hand, which is still long despite probably having burned for a while already. Addressing the still lantern, she promises:]
I'll return it when we're done! I promise.
[Hopefully, that'll "revive" it!]
no subject
[ Levi watches her disarm the lantern, frowning slightly as it apparently "dies". Huh. That's odd. He stares at it grimly. ]
It's for the greater good.
[ He doesn't seem too distraught by it, though. ]
What's the plan? Just set fire to this corridor?
[ Doesn't seem like the best of an idea in a library... they could probably have a really thrilling escape scene, though. ]
no subject
At his question, she shakes her head.]
No. We'd destroy so much knowledge that way. We need to figure out a way to identify the cursed books.
[The irony of her advocacy for the preservation of historical records isn't lost on her. But the matter of identifying the possessed works really is the crux of it, isn't it? How are they supposed to do that? They need a winter power holder... she glances at Levi. He doesn't remember his life before he got fairytale'd.. so it's worth a try.]
This place gives people special powers. You should have received them too, even if you can't remember it. I have the ability to restore plants and heal animals and people, and there are some who can see ghosts and exorcise them from this world. There's a one-in-four chance that you received that power! Earlier, when you picked up the book, did you notice anything strange about it? Or are there any around here that looks different from the others to you?
[If he only sees rows and rows of regular books like she does, they'll have to be careful as they traverse the place until they (hopefully) do run into an exorcist.]
no subject
[ Levi's ears turn a little backwards, his tail flicking uncertainly. He's a pussycat of action, not plots and ghosts, but he's confident he can still beat them! ]
Huh? I'm not a witch nor a fairy.
[ Nonetheless, he frowns slightly as he stares down the hallway. ]
You mean besides the dark aura some of them are exuding?
[ Surely everyone is seeing that... right? ]
no subject
[If he goes to pick one of them up, she'll hurry to follow and caution him:]
Be careful! If you don't know how to exorcise it, we'd better destroy it without even opening it. We can use your weapon, or the fire... or your ice magic. You won't remember that either, but if you can tap into it, we can perhaps freeze and shatter it.
no subject
[ Then he pulls out his sword and cuts the nearest one vertically in half. There's an explosion of ghostly shrieking and the aura sinks into the floor like tar, and then it's gone. Maybe Frieda can set another one on fire in the meantime! ]
no subject
She does want to make herself useful, but her hands shake as she touches the candle to the topmost book on the next stack. This isn't wrong. We're cleansing this place..! Yet she can't help but see images of book confiscations and -burnings in front of her eyes. King Karl was radical in his measures to ensure that no trace of the world's history would remain within the Walls before he erased and replaced his subjects' memories.]
no subject
Oi! Don't get soft on me now!
[ Of course, he doesn't know her context... if he did, though, he'd probably give her even more shit. The audacity, acting all shaky about destroying evil books after perpetuating the complete lack of history inside the Walls, not to mention letting countless people get meaninglessly slaughtered. Priorities!.. ]
no subject
[She lights the stack decisively, making sure to catch each book's pages so they can burn between the covers. This is nothing compared to what terrible things need to be done for the greater good sometimes. While she and Levi have distinctly different ideas on whether the erasure of the Eldians' history falls under that category, Frieda mentally chastises herself for the same reason as he would. She needs to step it up! How is she supposed to do anything if she can't even burn some cursed books?
As she and Levi keep moving, with him identifying and gathering the books and both of them destroying them, the inhuman screeches of ghosts fill the air, significantly adding to the haunted atmosphere on this level of the library. Frieda keeps an eye on all the fires, intent on snuffing out any stray embers - but if Levi can get a hold of his ice- or water magic, he can likely do that more efficiently.]
no subject
Think that's the last of them.
[ He looks around, ears at attention, sniffing at the air. Once the lingering corruption from the books he destroyed fades away, the corner of the library feels... almost brighter, somehow. He can't see any more tendrils of darkness for now. ]
I should find my liege.
(no subject)
wrap!