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Well Mod ([personal profile] wellie) wrote in [community profile] wellcome2024-01-31 05:00 pm
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5.1 Event Plotting

5.1 Event Plotting

OOC announcements

Welcome to cycle 5! The snow is gone, the flowers are blooming, and the town is alive!

There will be no event post on the main comm. Instead, make your own logs to include these prompts, and any other prompts you want to add. There will be a mini-event mid-month.

Use the happenings form to report on what your character’s been up to! Did you break something? Did you get into a screaming match in the middle of town? Spill the tea! Everyone’s thirsty for gossip.

Post any bulletins to the bulletin board. Remember that this is now on the new [community profile] wellcomms community. And remember that you can annoy everyone in town by using your walkie talkie! What will your character do with all this power?!
Plotting/CR form

Fill out as much or as little of this form as you like:


New this month

At the Staywell

The dining hall features one long table and the same meals every day: a nice, continental breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, and a roast for dinner.

The fires burn low, and it can get a little chilly, but there are wool blankets strewn around the parlor and the dining room to warp up in. There are bouquets of red roses on the tables, and romantic candles lit each evening.

Several new books appear in the parlor throughout the month:
Hearts, Cupids, and Alien Abductions: A Galactic Love Affair
The Werewolf's Mate: Howling at the Moon on Valentine's Night
Love in the Multiverse: Parallel Universes, Infinite Romance
Cupid's Conspiracy: A Romantic Thriller Under the Influence of Arrows
Valentine's Day at the Haunted Manor: Ghostly Love in the Moonlight
The door in the lobby has been closed, the wall is back to its original state, and there's a "Out of Order" sign hanging on it now.

The General Store

The General Store has its usual, new selection of renaissance knick-knacks, and a new stock of Valentine's themed merchandise: boxes of chocolates shaped like hearts; plush toys of anatomically accurate human organs: hearts, lungs, livers, spleens; and boxes of candy hearts.

The messages on the candy hearts are a little bit strange, including:
PLOT TWIST AMOUR
FOLLOW
SOCK BUDDIES
BUBBLE BLISS
SAUCY DEVOTION
I NEED
BANANA BOAT
PRICKLY PASSION
ROCKET RIDE
BEST WORM
HELP
WHY
IS YOU!
YOUR 1968 WIN
GGOD
DUMPLINGS
The walkie talkies for purchase are now all compatible with the network, and you can pick up some little charms that you can tie onto your walkie talkie, shaped like hearts or little Cupids.

Around town

The tavern’s special for the month: chocolate lava cake! It's molten hot. You may burn yourself.

The pub is offering the single's special: a pint of bitter beer.

When you visit the few other locations in town, you’ll find the employees friendly and welcoming. See the last prompt for the NPC's new phrases for the month.

Town gossips
Content warnings: potential creature death, gossip
There are strange creatures wandering around Wellstone. Unlike the lads in December, these creatures seem harmless. In fact, they seem helpful! Shaped like stars and roughly knee-height, and any color under the sun, paper stars wander the town. They may be familiar to our RWBY cast, if they remember the Paper Pleasers from back home.

The Paper Pleasers are literally smelling the flowers. They tend to the various plant-life that’s bloomed around Wellstone, and if you approach one, they may shyly offer you a flower they’ve just pruned. They don’t talk very much, but if addressed, they'll titter out a piece of gossip about someone in town. It could be about you, someone who’s with you, or just someone in town. The gossip can be anywhere from benign to life-shattering, from Wellstone or from home (remembered or not). It also doesn't have to be completely accurate--is gossip ever?

If asked about the gossip, they shriek and run away, only to settle on another bed of flowers where they continue to tend them like nothing happened.

Since they're paper, they also don't do that well in the rain. They get rather soggy and may completely collapse if outside for too long. You may find yourself walking over wet paper corpses this month.

Comment to share gossip that the Paper Pleasers can spread among the citizens of Wellstone. Specify if you only want gossip to be shared with specific people, or if it’s free and open for anyone to use.

tl;dr:
  • There are little knee-high paper stars running around tending to the flowers.
  • They giggle and spill gossip. Comment below to offer up gossip for the stars to share!

Bring me a dream
Content warnings: N/A
When you sleep during this month, you may sleep fitfully. You may dream of a memory of your own, or someone else’s. No matter which it is, you’re not there alone. You’ll find one of your fellow Wellstonians in the dream as you watch a memory play out. The memories are short snippets of your life, and it may flow from one memory into another. Maybe they have narrative parallels, like watching yourself make a sacrifice for someone, and then watching your dream partner do the same, or contrasts: if one of you commits murder, the other may save a life.

You can’t wake up until you relate to your partner: either what you agree on, or what you don’t. The memories will continue to play again and again, one then the other, until you connect on some level.

Then you’ll wake up, like nothing ever happened.

You can earn up to three memory points with this prompt. You may earn one memory point per time you interact with this prompt.

tl;dr:
  • You find yourself in a dream with another character. You watch a memory of yours, or theirs, and then a memory of the other person's.
  • The memories have something in common: either a theme or a contrast.
  • You're trapped in the dream until you find the common thread. Then you wake up in your bed.
  • You can earn up to three memory points through this prompt, one per time you interact with the prompt.

Quests a-plenty
Content warnings: game typical violence, potential to be injured or killed in acid, potential to disappoint a dog
This month, when you interact with the NPCs, it’s a little different. They all have new dialogue, and a lot more of it. They may speak without being spoken to and ask you for help. Their words are still clearly scripted, but they have a lot to say, and to ask.

The NPCs are giving out quests! Each character may complete each quest once. If two character complete it together, they may each reap the reward (and don’t have to share it. IE they receive two keys instead of one).

Comment with questions or ideas for how to complete the quests.

Owner of the General Store

While the General Store Owner doesn’t have a quest of his own, his rumors may help point your character to what needs doing!
“Heard any rumors? Sure I have!”
And he may add any of the following:
“You heard about the old willow tree in the woods? Heard that there’s something mighty nice under there."

“What’s a dog need? What any pup might want! Something to chew on, ain’t that right?”

“Heard that there’s a deal goin’ on, between some of the more shady folks around here. The gravedigger is a sightly woman, one of not many words but that don’t mean she doesn’t have her own wants, y’see.”

“Seen some mushrooms on the old oak in the forest. Nice lookin' bunch!”

The receptionist

“On your way out? If you happen to find yourself in the forest, something’s been stolen from me that I need returned. There will be something in it for you, too, of course. But only on delivery. Look for the willow tree. You may want to go armed.”
If you decide to brave the forest, the willow tree is deep along the meandering paths in a clearing. It seems peaceful at first, and dangling from the willow tree’s branches are many shining objects. However, as you approach, the ground around you rumbles, and strange, elemental plants burst from it to attack. They may attack with fire, ice, or electricity. If you defeat all three, you’re able to approach the tree and take one of the lockets hanging there.

The lockets are old, tarnished silver. If you crack one open (which is difficult to do), on one side you see someone who looks very much like a younger receptionist. On the other side is an eye, bloodshot and staring at you. You feel an awful feeling of dread until you close the locket.

If you return the locket to the receptionist, he gives you his same placid smile and says:
“I knew I could count on an esteemed guest like you! Please, take this as a token of my thanks. Enjoy."
He winks at you. It is a disturbing wink. As a reward, he hands you a heart-shaped room key.

The key unlocks the honeymoon suite. There is one honeymoon suite, so you may want to let others know if you're using it. It's a room much like the others, but the bed is massive, and there are mirrors on ceiling. There's a hot tub in the corner with jets and plenty of scents to choose from. On table is a bottle of champagne and a box of chocolates, as well as some condoms and dental dams. Have fun!

The bartender

“Hey, c’mere,” she’ll say this no matter how close or far you are from her. Her tone and volume doesn’t change. “Need you to do something for me. Take this to the gravedigger. She’ll know what it’s for.”
She hands you a small bottle of what looks like an aged scotch. If you decide to take it to the gravedigger, you’ll need to traverse the maze and contend with its winding paths and aggressive plant-life (the same plants from the TDM). If you make it to the graveyard and find the gravedigger, she’ll take the bottle without a word. In return, she’ll lead you to your grave, in which you’ll find a small item from home. If the item is magical or technological, it won't work (but you can still get it).

You may also choose to drink the scotch with no penalty (although then you can’t complete the quest). The scotch is very good. It’s smooth and delicious.

The waiter

“Oh, I feel so awful asking you for this, but I need help. Please. I need some mushrooms to make a pie and I can't find any! You can find some around town BͥË͌ͧ҉̙̻͍NE̔ͥ͋͢Ả͖͠T̯̳̆̾H̙̉ or in the forest!”
His voice is taken over by a chorus of voices ala the ghostly encounters we've had previously when he says "beneath".

There are in fact mushrooms in the forest, growing on dead trees or out of the ground. You may or may not know if these are edible or not. Maybe bring him one of those?

If you bring him a normal mushroom, he'll gush a thank you and present you with, what else? A mushroom pie. How did he make it so quickly? Comment to roll for if you poisoned yourself!

Or, if you choose to answer the chorus of voices, you may think they're referring to under the Manor. There are glowing mushrooms in the cistern. There are several areas of them, all quite far from the base of the staircase.

You'll need to find a way to traverse the cistern without being eaten by the acid. You can comment with ideas for how to get through the cistern and the mods can let you know if you succeed.

Along the way, your characters may be attacked by strange, fleshy bugs. They aren't difficult to kill, but they are really gross and explode in blood when hit. Characters will also find skeletons at various degrees of decay. Several of them are wearing thick metal boots, where the parts of them that are sticking out of the water aren't corroded, but the rest of them are just rusted dust.

If you return to the waiter with a mushroom from the cistern, he says,
“Thank you! You're awfully brave aren't you. Please, come closer.”
If you come closer, he places two fingers on your brow, and a shot of pain runs through your head. You gain a memory point that you can use now, or save for later.

The sheriff

Whines at you and his tail wags behind him. His ears perks up and he gives a bark, then another one. He wants something, but he lacks the ability to communicate it in a way that translates to words.

What he’s asking for is a stick. Or something stick or bone shaped. If you return to him with a stick or a bone or something gnaw-able, his tail will wag profusely and he will lower his head for a pet. He will be more willing to let you pet him from now on, and will offer you the nicer towels when you come to the baths.

tl;dr:
  • The NPCs are offering up quests with various rewards!
  • The receptionist wants a locket from a willow tree in the forest. The willow tree is guarded by elemental plants. The reward is a key to the honeymoon suite.
  • The bartender wants you to deliver a bottle of fine scotch to the gravedigger. You need to traverse the maze which is still infested with the plants from the TDM. The reward is an item from home.
  • The waiter wants some mushrooms. You need to find mushrooms either in the forest or in the cistern. The reward for forest mushrooms is a slice of mushroom pie. The reward for cistern mushrooms is a memory point.
  • The sheriff wants a stick to chew on. You need to find a stick. The reward is better towels.

more_magic: (30)

free for all

[personal profile] more_magic 2024-02-05 04:54 am (UTC)(link)
Daniel Arlington went to Spain and came back absolutely glowing.

Daniel Arlington gets horny around danger.

Whatever you do, don't ask Darlington what happened on Halloween.

If you're the right person, Daniel Arlington will serve you 'til the end of days.

Darlington has all the answers, but never asks the right questions.

There are apartments in Manhattan worth more than Danny Arlington.
more_magic: (64)

[personal profile] more_magic 2024-02-05 04:55 am (UTC)(link)
Your name: Caitlin
Your pronouns: she/her
Contact: [plurk.com profile] gripyfish

Character name: Daniel Arlington
General ideas for...going forward? something: This has been slowly building over the months (in large part because the idea's been coming to me in bits and pieces, but whatever works, right?), but I would really love to do more with the theory about himself and Well that Darlington's been putting together--and getting just slightly wrong.

So far, he knows things here move in cycles; people come and go, and possibly even return. Cecelia's told him he was here briefly before, when Well was a desert, and while he doesn't remember it he's not totally discarding it out of hand. In December, she even showed him a roster of the missing that included his own name, so that's just another point towards believing this to be true. Maybe he was here before--and if so, what happened to the previous him?

Prior to that, at John's party in November, he witnessed something come out of the woods and rip a man named Elliot Sandow to shreds. This is one of the memory scenes, but there was no indication at that point of whose memory it was. Before the torture began, the demon told Sandow none go free, which hits really different in a weird town where everyone is trapped. Not long afterwards, on his sword quest with Pal, the two of them ran into peril (TBD, the thread is still ongoing) and Darlington's demon side manifested itself--in horns, and glowing eyes, and long sharp claws. Just like the demon in the woods, but not as big or scary. Darlington's still mostly a man, just...a little more. Since then he's been sneaking off for what I keep calling 'demon practice' because it sounds good and is funny to me, trying to figure out how to trigger it, or control it, and learn exactly what it is he can do.

Putting these things together, Darlington's starting to think that whatever happened to Elliot Sandow happened here in Well, and that somehow, the previous version of himself lost control of that demonic side of himself. He became monstrous, eager for power (and the false memory his AU double gave him of killing Pamela Dawes hasn't helped quell this theory), and willing to kill and torture to get it. Obviously, this can't happen again.

Now that the pieces are starting to fall into place, I would love for Darlington to take people he trusts into confidence about this--Pal, John, and Flynn, definitely, maybe Cecelia or even Olympia? He'll need research friends, and people to help him practice controlling the demon side of himself. I think there's a potential to connect this to actual Well lore, too, since he'll be digging into the history of the town, such as it is, in search of answers he's not actually going to find about himself.

Right now this all still feels like a nebulous idea, but one with potential, so I would love to get folks involved if they'd like to be!

General ideas for February specifically: Excited to get Darlington involved with both Alec's player plot and Pal's possession shenanigans!

I need to log it on the memory post, but thanks to the memory point gift from the mods, Darlington's getting back his knowledge of death words--in the Ninth House universe, ghosts can be banished through the use of any kind of memento mori: poems, songs, even a well-written mortuary ad. Basically, sometimes the best way to fight ghosts is to recite poetry at them. Don't knock it till you try it.

Event ideas:

Gossip: I have been thinking for days about good Darlington gossip, so there's plenty (good, bad, and honestly very mean) to mortify my boy with! I don't have specific ideas for this plot prompt, but please consider Darlington here and available to hear about all your secrets (and absolutely hate that you're hearing his in return).

Dreams: Would love to team up with people for this, so give me your ideas and we can find something that works! My main memory idea for this is pretty light and gentle, since it feels like we all need that after last cycle: just an afternoon with a younger Danny (anywhere from 10 to 15 years old, let's say) walking through the exhibits at the natural history museum. Come look at the dinosaur mural with him!

Quests: I am all about the bartender quest, both for the chance to get Darlington something small from home even if it's unusable, and because the choice between 'something from home' and 'really nice scotch' is actually going to be difficult for him for Reasons (the reason is that cask-strength scotch was his grandfather's go-to drink). He'll probably pick getting something from home. Maybe.

Please also consider Darlington available to help with the other quests, should anyone want!

Are you planning to create a log this month? Most likely yes!
bolstafir: (Default)

[personal profile] bolstafir 2024-02-05 05:06 am (UTC)(link)
how large/edible are the bugs compared to the blood sucking bugs from cycle 2?
cultivable: (pic#16505288)

[personal profile] cultivable 2024-02-05 05:08 am (UTC)(link)
that'd be great! hope astarion is ready to have a conscience in the form of a redhead
snackin: (Default)

[personal profile] snackin 2024-02-05 03:29 pm (UTC)(link)
asking for public posterity: If one wanted to drink NPC blood, what would happen? How's it taste? Would the NPC respond in any way?
sighsheavily: (Default)

[personal profile] sighsheavily 2024-02-05 06:15 pm (UTC)(link)
over here c: if u see something more gripping than archive pls feelmore than welcome - i tried to provide a good variety
bollinger: (who's to blame if you're not around?)

Free for all!

[personal profile] bollinger 2024-02-05 06:31 pm (UTC)(link)
Alex Drake thinks she created this world.

Alex Drake couldn't save her parents even to save herself.

Alex Drake couldn't remember her daughter's face even when she had memories.

Alex Drake is never going home.
cultivable: (pic#16505288)

[personal profile] cultivable 2024-02-05 06:32 pm (UTC)(link)
suletta and darlington should look at dinosaurs! she's never seen anything in person like that before so if he wants to geek out at her, it'd be well-received.
guidemyway: (Default)

[personal profile] guidemyway 2024-02-05 07:52 pm (UTC)(link)
Suletta should grab ruby’s boots
lunartes: (058)

[personal profile] lunartes 2024-02-05 09:13 pm (UTC)(link)
What would happen if Estelle used her powers in the meat hole?
toxicyuri: (☢️ every single pain that infects.)

[personal profile] toxicyuri 2024-02-05 09:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Excellent. So, all right, Ruby's got Crescent Rose and her Semblance, and Em stole some of the chains from the bathhouse that Ruby's double used to tie Ruby up last month. I think me and Josh are basically imagining an increasingly convoluted rappelling adventure aided by Ruby's Semblance to get down safely and prevent them from getting too obliterated by the acid.

If that all works out, then a few follow-ups:

- Can they actually fight off the bugs with the weapons they have available to them?
- How far would be reasonable for them to go while basically wandering aimlessly?
- How messed up are we talking when it comes to time and space? Would it be, say, really easy for them to get lost down there?

Also in case it wasn't clear, we're both completely okay with any sort of consequences for these stupid and rash actions.
cultivable: (pic#16505290)

[personal profile] cultivable 2024-02-05 09:47 pm (UTC)(link)
this all looks great, tyvm! i'll def try to tag by tonight.
rustedknight: (Default)

[personal profile] rustedknight 2024-02-05 09:47 pm (UTC)(link)
Alec is enthusiastic about wrecking the paper guys RIP Pleasers...you have DISpleased them. Maybe they throw them at the big flowers. But yeah that sounds excellent!

And here is the Jaune starter.
snackin: (Default)

[personal profile] snackin 2024-02-05 10:05 pm (UTC)(link)
Amazing, and here is a starter we can use for Alec & Astarion!
snackin: (Default)

[personal profile] snackin 2024-02-05 10:06 pm (UTC)(link)
I can't wait. Here you go!
kaientai: (Default)

Re: Questions?

[personal profile] kaientai 2024-02-05 10:16 pm (UTC)(link)
So, this isn't super relevant right now because Ryouma is in high denial mode about what he is, so he's not rushing to explore the meat rooms, but I figured I'd ask just to have a solid answer for it going forward since it might have some interesting applications down the road.

How would the acid in the cistern affect someone whose body isn't made of flesh and blood? There is a lore precedent for this sort of thing, which is what got me thinking since if he potentially won't die immediately, maybe something else will happen. I have a lot of fun messing around with the consequences of world effects on the magic body, so I will probably have questions like this a lot SORRY!

Of course, cistern!acid doesn't have to work the same way canon!acid does, and in fact, if this is an opportunity for you to do something extra horrible or spooky with this, I am here for it! And if the answer is just "yeah, he'll dissolve too", that's also fine! Basically, immunity is lame, so how do we make this worse.
forgeabettertomorrow: (That's amazing!)

[personal profile] forgeabettertomorrow 2024-02-05 11:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Holy crap yes??? I want more of these two since Darin gives off total Thor vibes. I'll be posting a log today or tomorrow!
snackin: (Default)

[personal profile] snackin 2024-02-05 11:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Here we go!
forgeabettertomorrow: (I'm about to do something awesome)

[personal profile] forgeabettertomorrow 2024-02-05 11:04 pm (UTC)(link)
Would Ryouma try and drink Darin under the table? Spoilers: because of his powers, alcohol metabolizes too quick for him to get drunk.
forgeabettertomorrow: (eyyyyyy this guuuuuy)

[personal profile] forgeabettertomorrow 2024-02-05 11:05 pm (UTC)(link)
The idea of these two spelunking in the meathole is too good to pass up. I'm throwing up a log today or tomorrow. Maybe Astarion can talk about Darin's sketchbook if he wants to find it?
kaientai: (261)

[personal profile] kaientai 2024-02-05 11:14 pm (UTC)(link)
lmao he probably wouldn't go into it with that goal, but it would be very easy to inspire him to try, especially once he got started. He has an inhuman alcohol tolerance but there is a limit and he may be stupid....

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