EVENT ★ TEAM BONDING

[futurologists]

TEAMBONDING TASKS Early in the morning, all characters will receive a message in their personal inboxes encouraging them to help with various tasks around the castle. Characters may either volunteer or be randomly shuffled into a group by accident; once assigned, they’ll be expected to show up and harangued by the castle’s animated suits of armor until they cooperate. The teams are as follows, though all groups besides the Training Center are open to sign-ups until the caps are reached. This OOC post may also be used for questions and plotting! LIBRARY: Anduin, Sigma, Rin, Keats, Papyrus, Adrien, Gumshoe, Sorey, Archer, Rosalind, Mikleo GREENHOUSE: Koltira, Julius, Sieglinde, Alice, Hellboy, Aqua, Dipper, Edna, Rodimus, King, Jekyll STABLES: Undyne, Khisanth, Mabel, Rey, Graham, Dezel, Olivia, Steven, Yata, Saber, Anakin TRAINING CENTER REDS: Shadow, Gintoki, Luciola, Gilgamesh, Ban, Melan BLUES: Kylo Ren, Pearl, Masamune, Poe, Barry, Lancer The Training Center will have a catch-all subthread below, but anyone in any of the other groups (or not in a group at all) is encouraged to make a top level and tag into whichever area you'd like to play in. TRAINING CENTER Once recruits step foot into the Training Center, they’ll find themselves suddenly outside. A voice coming from their jewelry informs them that this is a simulation of the world Asharion. There’s swamp for as far as the eye can see, and it’s dark and… sort of squishy in here. The two teams arrive at opposite ends of the swamp, where their respective “base camps” are located. Each of them will find themselves dressed head-to-toe in the color of their team, red or blue, and will see that a flag of their team color flies above their heads at base camp. There’s no concealing what team you’re on. If you look down, there’s also a HP bar plastered across the front of your shirt. Each time you’re hit, your HP goes down. (Remember, no one is actually getting hurt -- this is just a simulation. Once you run out of hit points, you’ll be kicked out of the simulation and offered a piece of cake from the kitchen as a consolation prize.) All powers are still around, but use anything too powerful, and the game will view it as a “cheat” and detract from your HP bar. A timer, floating in front of your eyes, starts counting down and the voice speaks again: ”There are three artifacts hidden within the swamp, and we’d really appreciate getting them back. The objective is simple: be the team with the most artifacts when the game is over. The game is over when all of a team is kicked out of the game or when the timer runs out. Good luck! Oh, and be careful with the artifacts. They have some… interesting magical properties. The aforementioned artifacts: THE STAFF OF INVIGORATION The staff is very plain and easy to miss. When you touch it, however, you’ll know. You’re suddenly filled with energy, flowing through your entire body. At least, for a little bit. It runs out of charge in about five minutes, and if you’re still holding it, you’ll find it actually starts draining you of energy until you’re too tired to walk. VENKAN STATUE A small, very delicate statue from the world of Venka, made of crystal. Try not to drop it. Whoever holds it will find themselves easily irritated, however, even by their teammates. The longer it’s held, the stronger the effect -- it starts out with mere annoyance, making you almost comedically ornery over small things, but if you hold onto it, you’ll find yourself becoming paranoid and aggravated. The statue is actually of the Goddess of War, and it turns out it might have started a few wars itself. THE RING OF… PUPPY LOVE? A beautiful sapphire ring in the shape of a heart. Once held or put on, the wearer will get an extremely awkward crush on the anyone they see, and be unable to do anything but giggle like a schoolgirl in their presence. The effect will only fade if they drop the ring. How embarrassing. The artifacts can be found anywhere in the swamp -- almost like they’re moving around on their own. Knowing ALASTAIR, they just might be. The countdown hits 0. From this moment forward, the voice tells you, you have exactly two hours. The blue team will end up the victors, but only by a hair. Cherenkov will be available for any questions and feedback afterwards (see subthread below), provided she's not napping. REWARDS: Both teams will receive a pocket watch, with very specific instructions attached. Both are capable of a one-time spell. The blue team’s pocket watches will administer a shock to stun the target when opened for the first time and the first time only, so don’t waste it. The red team’s pocket watches will create a barrier around the character that will shield them from any incoming attacks for three minutes. LIBRARY The library is enormous, with stacks that rise nearly to the vaulted ceiling. Rolling ladders lean up against the sides of the stacks, ready to be climbed, but the burly librarians that usually frequent the library are not found today. They have left only a single note behind, in neat, cramped script: Please clean up after yourselves. Thank you. There is a long wooden table in the middle of the library. Two closed books rest upon it: Escarpan Gardening And You and A History of the Hurricane of 62.516-18 A. Opening the first book will cause vines and flowers and other greenery to sprout up from nowhere, blocking the shelves and making traversing the library quite a difficulty. Opening the second will cause the entire library to be engulfed in wild winds, throwing books off the shelves and perhaps each other across the room. Opening them both will cause both things to happen, simultaneously. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the rest of the books do the same sort of thing. Open a book about medieval weaponry? Suddenly there are swords flying through the air. That murder mystery novella? Everything is now black and white with deep shadows. The encyclopedia? Nothing happens. Encyclopedias are safe, for some reason. How do you make these book effects stop? Shelve them in the proper place. But beware -- every misshelved book will cause another to pop out of place. Try to catch it before it hits the ground and opens, or you just may have a disaster on your hands. HINT: The solution is to shelve the books in order by size, large to small. REWARD: All participants will receive a fountain pen, with instructions: write a character’s name on any surface and you will be able to see through their eyes for thirty seconds. After using it once, it will become an ordinary (but fancy!) pen. Crowley will be available to contact for any general inquiries, though responses may be tardy since the cat NPCs are likely to be asleep on a high shelf together. GREENHOUSE The greenhouse and surrounding courtyard should be tranquil, but more often than not it ends up just as absurd as the rest of Oska. Recruits will be tasked with cleaning one of the giant glass domes that houses a massive, archaic tree at its core. Surrounding it is an entire biosphere teeming with life, but the fauna is limited -- that shift in the corner of your eye? Probably a slithering vine. The snapdragons here will take off a finger if you’re not careful, and the stinging nettles will leave worse than a rash. Some examples of the more fantastical plants are listed below, though players are welcome to create their own: Noxious Nightweed: the bright, glowing flowers of the nightweed are beautiful and full of nectar that smells of berries -- catching scent of it will cause drowsiness, lethargy, and thirst. As enticing as the flower sap may be to drink, it’s deeply corrosive and will burn on contact. Don’t fall asleep handling one! Kukichas: These large, puffy, red fungi are harmless to other plants and tend to grow on just about any other flora. However, they’ll stick to anything that brushes up against them and detonate some time later. Once they explode, characters will be plagued with itchiness, tickling sensations, and sneezing fits. Characters can remove these by quickly finding another person to stick them to. Beware though: kukichas reproduce by budding. Quickly. Mandrake: these plants appear to be normal, tiny shrubs, but when pulled out of the earth will become animate and let out a horrible, piercing wail that only increases in volume over time. They will cease when fed a drop of blood. But none of the compost should go to waste! After gathering trimmings and various plants, herbs, and flowers, recruits will be shuffled off to the greenhouse labs to make use of them. There are gargantuan, dusty grimoires full of recipes for various potions and all the necessary cauldrons and equipment to brew them. The directions are laid out thoroughly, but are quite complex -- one character may have to read an incantation while the other stirs, others might require careful handling of volatile substances, and so forth. The only thing they have in common is that none of them can be properly made without a little aid from someone else, so work together! Worse still, the books are old. Text in some places is washed out and requires quick, smart improvising. Or guesswork. ALASTAIR is not responsible for any toxic fumes, poisonous bubbles, or other strange side effects that may arise from randomly throwing ingredients together. Dagny will be available within both the greenhouse and the labs to offer assistance, feel free to snag her with any questions! There will be a thread below where you may drop links to threads you’d like her to briefly appear in. REWARD: All characters that participate may keep a single, one-use potion of their choice: mandrake potions are essentially magical molotov cocktails, kukicha potions cause euphoria and ease mental status effects (hallucinations, berserker rage, etc.), and nightweed potions will instantly evaporate into fumes that force anyone who breathes them in to tell the truth. STABLES The stables are a mess. It seems like all the stalls have been left open, and there’s animals of every sort everywhere, through courtyard, grounds, and castle. Most of them can be seized by the halter and led back into their stalls easily enough, but there are a few species that are a little trickier than that. Lucky for you, Uruz has a checklist of exactly what’s missing. On it, you will find: Spiked Horkles: These things are enormous, it’s unclear how people are even meant to ride them. They’re giant, bipedal, white-furred monstrosities, with spiked ridges all down their back, intimidating tusks, giant horns, and one single, central eye. The tallest of them are almost fifteen feet high, they look like they could snap you over one knee with their massive hands. They don’t seem to be inclined to violence, but they’re also utterly uninterested in following you anywhere, and impossible to budge. That is, unless you’ve got an instrument or a good singing voice. They’ll happily and docilely follow anyone putting on a musical performance, straight back into their stalls (sized accordingly), if that’s where the route takes them. Sixers: A sixer isn’t really all that different from a horse… except for the fact that it has six legs, and each of its hooves strikes sparks whenever it lands. This is fine if it’s taking a stroll in the wake of a light rain, or over stone, but entire fields have been lost to a herd of sixers. And unfortunately the whole lot of them seems determined to go sightseeing into the castle itself. They’re relatively easy to lead around, all it takes is any sort of food a horse would be inclined to eat, but the route you lead them on is the important part. Try not to cause any more property damage than necessary, please. Boxing Peters: This creature looks like its closest relation might be a giant anteater, although this version is several times larger. Also, nearly hidden along the long, hanging hair of its stomach is several more pairs of legs, tucked neatly into its body as it walks. They’re content to snuffle about in the courtyard, but will resist tugs at their halters, and utterly ignore any attempts at herding. The only way to catch the attention of a Boxing Peter is to challenge it. Drop into a fighting stance in front of it, take a swing at its side (not too hard, Uruz would remind you), shout insults -- whatever it takes. Upon being challenged a Boxing Peter rises up onto its hind legs and unfolds all ten of its hidden limbs, each of which ends in a large, padded hand, ready to fight. You don’t actually have to fight, but it’ll pursue a challenger wherever it might lead, until mutual bows signify the end of the match. Webbed Gliders: These are ALASTAIR’s aquatic environment mounts. And, oddly enough, they’re just tiny frogs with webbed limbs like a flying squirrel. They don’t need to be very large to be useful, as it turns out -- each one secretes a special slime which, when touched, shrinks whoever has done the touching to a size small enough to comfortably ride it. You’ll have to get these little guys back into the tank inside the stables without touching them, and they can be found anywhere outside where it’s damp. Any shrinking will wear off after 5 minutes without contact with the frog-slime. Ferrets: That’s it, they’re just ferrets. They’re enormous rideable ferrets, but still just ferrets. They’re just as energetic and playful as their smaller counterparts, and they have way too much energy to want to go back into their stalls. You’ll have to wear them out first, and it’s suggested you do so by playing with them. Did you know most of these ferrets are trained to fetch? Uruz is very proud of that. Uruz is happy to give pointers for the trickier species, but she’ll have to be found before she can be asked. She’s off wrangling some of the more volatile mounts, and can be spotted throughout the grounds madly galloping after something or another. If you have any interest in snagging Uruz for part of your thread, feel free to drop a link in her thread below for a tag-in! REWARD: As thanks for their assistance, each recruit will be sent away with a small, silver whistle. Blowing it will entrance all animals within hearing range, putting them into a placid trance for about a minute. This whistle will work for about two months before its effect begins to wear out. OTHER If your character isn’t signed up for any of these tasks, you are still welcome to tag into other characters carrying them out! The Training Center will be locked for the duration of its event, but the Library, Stables, and Greenhouse are all open to visitors. Characters are free to stop in and help (or mock) their friends, but they will not be receiving the same rewards as characters specifically contacted for help. You are also free to create open prompts within Oska at large, or your own logs. This log covers the next 2 weeks, so feel free to set them at any time within that timeframe! UNIFORMS: Every character will also find their official uniforms when they return to their rooms, accompanied by a note from Dagny: A reward for being you! :) - Love, Dagny. There is a gold star sticker by her name. The uniforms are instantly respawning, no matter how damaged they get. Whenever a character opens their closet, they will find a brand new one.

Comments

[heavyhitter]

[ The reaction is faint, but doesn't go unnoticed. She's reacted like that herself a million times, she's seen it in the people around her even more. Wariness buried under the look of perfect ease. It's understandable, especially considering that he's new here and has just met her — and it also doesn't make her any more likely to let up or avoid it next time. She walks on, unbothered, like she hadn't seen anything at all. ]

I dunno... three and a half years? [ She thinks it over for a few seconds, the nods. ] Been on Earth for the last four, but I didn't spend too long in Italy.

[gutpunching]

[She's not wrong. His poker face is pretty good when he's trying, but it's not nearly infallible. Especially when someone knows how to look for it. (You don't bullshit a bullshitter, after all.) Even when playing casual, he carries his tension in his back, the set of his jaw, the twitch of his fingers when someone gets too close or moves too fast or speaks too sharply. The kind of subconscious ready thing that might save your life, one day. That already has. And it doesn't have to have anything to do with the whole cape and cowl game.]

Earth's a big place.

[He can understand not wanting to spend your time stuck in one part of it. There was a time he could only have dreamed of the kind of freedom to do the kind of globetrotting he's done in just the past few months. Not even counting the inadvertent universe hopping.]

Was it business or pleasure?

[She can't be any older than he is, if that. So four years is a pretty respectable amount of time. He mostly assumes the answer to be neither.]

[heavyhitter]

[ She realizes, with dawning discomfort, that she has no idea how to answer that. Furthermore, he's somehow stumbled onto an unintentionally incredibly personal question. She's usually an open book, but there are some topics that aren't for strangers. Or anyone she's met here so far, for that matter.

But she has to give some answer, the only thing worse than opening up to someone is looking like you've got something to hide. So, after just a slightly too-long pause: ] Pleasure. Big Earth vacation. It's been great.

[ And there's the kitchen, thank god. She immediately pulls on a bright smile and gestures grandly toward the door, even if it's still closed. ]

Oh shit, there it is! I hope you're ready to be amazed, or at least really well-fed.

[gutpunching]

[Whoops. Hit on a bullseye without even trying. She's been nothing but immediate and chatty so far, right up until she trips on the question. If he notices the lie and the off-beat in the conversation, it doesn't show. (He does, but she's entitled to her privacy on the matter. She's not his fish to fry, so while he marks it, he doesn't have a reason to bother pressing it.)

The kitchen makes for an easy subject change away from it. He'll even reach for the door, look what a gentleman he is.]

It'd have to be a real good chili dog.

[He's not that easy to amaze, anymore. But he'll bite—now that he's not immediately focused on getting the lay of the land there's room for things like realizing how long he's actually been at it.]

Lucky for you, I'm not picky.

[heavyhitter]

Not that it needs it! This kitchen's never let anyone down.

[ That's probably not any kind of true, there's always someone shitty enough not to be impressed by a magic kitchen, but whatever. Close enough. She pushes the door open and stands in it to hold it for Jason with a mock bow. ]

After you.

[ And once she's slipped in after him, to the sight of the usual dishes and entrees sitting out and ready on any available surface, she clears her throat. ]

Okay, kitchen. Two chili dogs. Really good ones, none of that subpar shit.

[ The kitchen, apparently, is taking a while to stew that over. She doesn't look too worried, and leans against a counter to wait. ]

[gutpunching]

[A bold statement!!! The kitchen's already stocked with full course meals, like they've just walked in on the prep for a banquet. No staff in sight, of course, which doesn't seem to stop Ramir from ordering.

And at first, they get...nothing. After the first handful of seconds, Jason leans back against a countertop to wait. Can't blame the kitchen for needing a minute to think about it. Chili dogs are complicated business, after all. Regionally, there's probably a hundred different ways they can differ in composition and condiment, and that's just on Earth. Which doesn't even account for things like time and space. And this kitchen apparently takes its job very seriously.

He doesn't see it happen. Like the place waited for the moment he looked away—to cock a skeptical brow at his happily waiting company, what are they looking for?—to materialize the goods on the edge of the nearest table. (Nothing up my sleeves, and—)

He smells it before he sees it. When it hits him, he startles in a subtle way. Blinks rapidly and lifts his chin like he's looking for a catch. That definitely wasn't there before. He pushes off the counter he'd been perched on to get a better look. Regardless of how Ramir takes hers, the powers that be are still kind enough to cough up one of them Gotham style for him. (Side split roll, mincemeat chili, no tomatoes. Raw onions. Brown mustard, not yellow—)]

Alright, now you've got my attention.

[Not quite enough to make a believer out of him, but it's a start. (The real trick's not in how it looks, after all.)]

[heavyhitter]

[ Ramir looks delighted when the chili dogs appear, and she's quick to push off from her lean to head over. Patience doesn't come easily to Ramir, so it's great when it actually pays off. ]

Try it and tell me how right I am.

[ She looks smug enough for these two dogs to have been her own doing directly. She reaches to grab one — done up identically, because like hell is Ramir going to be picky about it — but doesn't quite indulge. Jason first. She's primed and ready for a pleased I told you so. ]

[gutpunching]

[The rational part of him thinks that magic food seems slightly suspect for one reason or another. But come on, even he can admit that it's actually kind of cool. And if this is the only option then it's magic food or starve, in the long run, so might as well go the route that nets you the perfect chili dog on the way. It's the little things in life, you know?

Anyway. This very suspenseful thread needs a verdict and a conclusion. He perches himself rudely on a countertop to take his share and scarfs like, half of it at once. Drumroll please.]

Pretty good for a gutbomb.

[He's playing cool, it's probably fucking amazing. Magic. Shockingly, she does get an actual grin with this to tip her off, if the baldness of the lie doesn't. And if that doesn't, the fact that he finishes the rest off pretty quick ought to do it for good. He dusts his hands off on each other once they're empty, then raises them up in mock surrender.]

All right, I know when I'm beat.

[In this, at least. You win. Ramir : 1, Todd : 0. He'll never doubt your kitchen-related claims again.]

[heavyhitter]

[ Uh huh, pretty good, she knows it's better than that. This kitchen doesn't disappoint. Her I told you so doesn't even need to be vocal as he finishes it off (in record time), it's written all over her face. ]

Yep.

[ She leans back with arms folded over her chest, satisfied. ]

I'm never wrong, you'll figure that out sooner or later. And— [ The gleam of a sudden brilliant idea comes over her. ] I'd even say you owe me for a tip this handy. It's just fair, right?

[gutpunching]

[Never wrong is a tough claim to live up to, Ramir. But wow, okay. Not shy, is she?]

That sounds like a business proposition.

[And while he wouldn't much like the idea of being in her debt over something more serious than lunch, he can humor her on this for the sake of making friends. You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours. Probably. (Really, he's only a man of his word up until he decides not to be.)]

Might have to make it an IOU, though.

[First day here, he's not exactly swimming in options, if she's looking for a trade.]

[heavyhitter]

[ While usually she's all about the idea of an IOU, her brilliant idea wasn't just to collect it. She pushes off from her lean with the bright smile firmly in place. ]

No, hang on, you won't hate this-- [ unlike many of her ideas. ] For a month, do Italian around me. This is an Italian-only zone. [ She cocks her head, looking delighted with herself. ] Capire?

[ She hasn't run into anyone else yet that speaks it, you gotta take what you can get. Even if it's so thickly American-accented. ]

[gutpunching]

[Well, that's pretty painless. Despite the initially ominous preamble.]

Capisco.

[Hey, maybe he'll try picking up some of her accent for kicks while they're at it. Never know when you might need to sound like you come from space-Italy. In a show of good faith, he switches gears immediately.]

I think I can manage that.

[heavyhitter]

[ Okay, now they're definitely friends. She liked him before, but now she'll be impossible to get rid of. She's switched over to Italian as well when she answers. ]

Perfect. I mean, still a stupid accent, but perfect-ish.

[ It'll definitely do. But in the meantime, her chili dog related work is about done here, and she's headed lazily for the door. ]

Anyway, I gotta do my rounds. Got people to terrorize, et cetera. Call me next time you wanna break into something, okay?

[gutpunching]

[Despite these aspersions being cast on his performance, he'll keep his seat and let her go. Don't let him keep you from hassling the masses.]

I'll think about it.

[Let's be real, he won't actually call. (He doesn't even have your number, Ramir. Which is fine, because he's not handing his out just yet.) But maybe he'll think about it. That's almost something.]