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

[selfimage]

Do you?

[ the words come out more earnestly amused than challenging. perhaps he gave himself away somewhere amid their exchange, but he doesn't necessarily care. it had taken a long time for him to settle into something that wasn't outright evil, and it feels nice to know that she's not going to follow up that with villain.

when he finishes wrapping her hand he leans in a little bit, a smug, playful little smile on his face. ]

Where I come from they call me Loki, among other less pleasant things. You probably understand the whole less pleasant thing more than you'd like, from the sound of it.

[ and he knows more than he's willing to give. it's difficult to play around the knowledge without giving hints. (he also realizes that it would be hypocritical of him to base his perception of her on text, when he's trying so desperately to define himself by his own actions rather than former stories.) ]

[conqueress]

[ More than anything else, his words had sounded of disorder. A hand that sends plans to toppling, a fierce opposition to constraint, and at last some wisdom on the nature of change. He is rebellion and chaos. Perhaps she is wrong, but Dany doesn't think so. Here is a man who would send a world to reeling if he deemed it necessary, one who wore his defiance like a cloak. And yet there is an absurdity to him as well, as if he's a god who delights in behaving the opposite.

Somehow, his manner is overly familiar to her, now that he's released her hand. She meets the smirk with a raise of silver brows. It wouldn't be valid, anymore, to tell him he presumes too much--not when she's already given him good reason to suspect the truth. ]

There speaks one who finds too much pleasure in insult, [ she scolds. Why does she chide him? It is easy, somehow. But as for her own case: ]

My people have lost their love, I fear. [ She sighs. ] My decrees are not always kind, or easy, or what I would wish to do. But a queen must keep her word and remain consistent, elsewise that word is worthless. [ She had been charged by an angry boy, her face spat upon by a freedman, her life threatened by Xaro--a man she had once thought a friend. There are many people she's failed. Too many, but how was she to appease them all? ]

I started a war. I married for peace, that my people might live without fear of having their throats cut in the dark. [ A fragile peace only, one that the slavers are shattering now, she's certain. Gingerly, she runs a thumb over her burn. ] My lord husband says we are at the forefront of a new city, so why do I despise myself for it?

[ She doesn't expect he can answer, but she's finding there's a strange comfort in speaking to him. ]

[selfimage]

[ she jabs him and Loki retreats with a self-satisfied (possibly) yet non-committal shrug. a little self-depreciation serves both as an honest warning and a means of low expectations. where he had seemed older than he was before, he now seems to act his apparent age.

for the moment he listens, coffee in hand, slightly thoughtful. for someone who's done terrible things, and who finds his own meaning in chaos, there's little judgement to be had.

he tosses his hand with a little sigh. ]

You're in chains. Not literal, of course—but there are expectations. What other people want you to be, what you want yourself to be. Everyone wants something from you.

[ Loki had been bred to rule (or had always thought he had), and had his own part to play in the Asgardian royal family. both his father and mother had been watched carefully for centuries. that, unfortunately, didn't help Thor in his terrible, albeit short, reign. Thor had too much storm in him to be a proper king, though he was at no lack for ferocity. Thor needed to be free. Loki hadn't appreciated that until recently.

Odin had ruled without question. if crossed, he met with sword and spear, moving heaven and earth for his people and his family. Freyja, who took a less favorable turn in Loki's eyes, had brought what Odin couldn't: change. the Ten Realms shivered in turmoil while the old was peeled away and discarded.

he leans back on his hand, waving the half-filled coffee cup absently. ]

Ah—perhaps ... you're like something new in an old world, and the old world is enamored, but resists.

[ a thoughtful pause, and a furrow of his brow that follows. ]

Then there's what sounds like a boring husband.

congrats, loki; you got her to be catty

[conqueress]

[ He is too bold. And yet Dany finds herself laughing in delighted surprise, because that much at least is no lie. Drogon takes flight from the pitcher, joining a shriek to the sudden sound. She is newly wed still, but Hizdahr's words are as lukewarm as his lovemaking. There had been a flicker of refreshing anger in his placid gaze when she'd ordered him to release the dwarves from their folly, but otherwise, he was only a useful opportunist, no more. ]

I married the noble Hizdahr for his coin and his friends, [ she points out, ] not his vision. [ One step, and then another, he'd promised her. Together, they would make a new Meereen--and yet, his new Meereen had not carried a shred of her in it. It was his dream, not hers. ] I am a queen, and so I must make concessions, even when my consort is not who I would wish. [ He was better than the Shavepate, at least. Better than Daario, as well, though she wishes it were otherwise.

She reaches over to pat Loki's hand in gratitude, though whether she's more grateful for his honesty or the laugh isn't clear. ] I suppose I must find a way to break my chains. [ My chains, or my people? ] But how can I do that, when I have only just secured peace? I have given up everything, and still the slavers come petitioning for more.

he's gonna add it to his greatest accomplishments

[selfimage]

[ a child of Odin, Thor, Loki, Tyr and a few choice others that Odin had taken under his wing, were afflicted from "I do what I want" syndrome. entitled, arrogant, and unforgiving audacious, all of them seemed to suffer from Odin's worst parenting traits.

she's patting his hand, and he glances down in some curiosity at their fingers. ]

To define yourself in the face of the universe is no easy task. [ and he's speaking from experience. ] Everyone else has an idea what you should be. Luckily for you, you have some time to figure it out. Such resonance may carry weight, but there's always some wiggle room.

You just have to find it.

[ which, coincidentally, he happened to be in the process of. for someone undergoing the same predicament, he at least seemed to have an idea of how to go about it. ]

[conqueress]

[ Dany pulls her hand away at the look. I should not have done that. Strangely familiar though he seems to her, he is not Jorah, or Ser Barristan, or else anyone she knows. He is only someone who speaks with reason, who has struggled enough to fit into the world, to offer her vindication and hope alike. As intoxicating as that is, and as much as she might learn from him, she's allowed herself to stray too far. ]

Wiggling may not be enough to suit my needs. [ Dany smiles, but there's no warmth in it; only distance. She is a dragon, and dragons were not meant for chains. ] But I thank you. [ Discussing her troubles with someone who is not a part of her court, not even a part of her world, has proven queerly cathartic. ]

And now I fear I must return to the cell they have given me. [ Her filth feels somehow heavier upon her skin now that she's no longer raiding the kitchens. Curiously, her newly-regrown hair is clean and only slightly mussed in comparison. A little furrow appears in her brow as she examines it for the first time, staring at a silver-gold strand before brushing it away. She thinks to ask where she might have a bath drawn, but decides against it--she has already revealed too much of her own uncertainty. Her glass of water is mined for the dregs at the bottom, and then she returns it to the counter. ] You were kind not to take your leave of the kitchens.

[ It's a tease, though it's subtle. She knows she must reek of sweat. ]

[selfimage]

[ she examines herself, and Loki watches her with mild interest. it was as if all of that weight encompassed something more than consideration to her appearance. if he had known her any less than he did, the familiarity might be a little bothersome, but it's somewhat comfortable. since Thor left he'd been scraping and scrounging for something to hold onto, some level of connection was nice.

there's a faint shift, and he leans back a little smugly. a smile curls up on his lips that's playful and a tad dangerous, like he's weaving some sort of grand scheme. ]

Next time you'll be kind enough not take your leave of me so soon.

[ yeah, take that. he's a dirty flirt. ]

[conqueress]

[ Flirting with her even when she has great need of a bath, or even a rainshower. Must he be so shameless? He is smiling almost wickedly, but somehow, it only seems to add to the comeliness of his features. She laughs again, and gestures to Drogon, who seems to have little interest in leaving. ]

Ah, but next time I must be lured by other means. [ In other words, not bacon. She isn't certain that he made the offerings, now half-destroyed and lying in disorder thanks to her and Drogon, but it scarcely matters. ] I am a queen, and I command you to surprise me.

[ Return shots fired. She takes another sandwich for good measure, and turns back to the countertop. ]

Drogon! To me. [ The name is used to chide now, and in great reluctance, the black dragon flies to her side, though he does not land this time. Trailed by black wings, Daenerys Targaryen makes her exit, whip already tapping upon her thigh. ]

[selfimage]

Command. [ as if he wouldn't do it anyway. ] There's no need for that. I'll do well on my own.

[ it's difficult to tell if he's talking to her, or himself when she swaggers (well, it's not exactly a swagger, but he'll consider it so) out the door of the kitchen. there's a little snort of amusement and a hn that follows that. he won't even complain about his kingdom of bacon that she left in ruin. ]

Ah, so short, my reign as bacon king ...