EVENT ★ BACK TO THE FUTURE

[futurologists]

BENDED TIME As outlined in the OOC post, things start to slow down and grow quiet in Oska for a few days as the bugs crawl away and slowly disappear. But then the cocoons hatch. Fully grown temporal insects claw their way out of them, each about the size and temperament of raging bulls. They come out far more aggressive and eager to fight, are are willing to take on anything that moves with jaws and claws alike. Except, of course, another insect — when two of them encounter each other, they enter into a mating dance and then slip away into another dimension, leaving behind only the temporary ghosts of years gone by. If you can’t find a way to pierce that thick shell to take one down, better find another one to pair it off with instead. Just try not to get bit while leading them around and find yourself suddenly 5 years old again. The insects aren’t the only thing going on in Oska, though. As it turns out, unicorns really hate this adult form of the temporal insects, and will start kicking their way out of their stalls in the stables to get at the insects in an attempt to impale or trample them. According to Uruz they’re gallant warriors, but not always quite cut out to take on a bug, and can easily get themselves hurt or killed. She would really appreciate recruits taking a moment to recapture any stray unicorns they may come across and leading them back to the stables. Try to avoid any insects on the way, or you’ll find yourself suddenly fighting insect and irate unicorn, which is no one’s idea of a good time. The lake is getting more active, too. All the fighting has woken up something in the depths of it. Dark red tentacles sometimes creep up onto shore — and don’t worry, this time they don’t belong to a sea goddess. The tentacles don’t attack unless attacked, and can in fact be quite agreeable. Nodes along the length of them act as primitive eyes, which see well enough to interact with anyone nearby. They’re also all a little peckish. Toss a tentacle a bit of food and watch it curl around and ingest it using tiny mouths on the underside. It might even be willing to play a few rounds of fetch or slap a bug into the sky for you if you put it in a good mood with a morsel of food. The senior ALASTAIR members can be seen out and about and doing their part, too. Uruz and Dagny fight as a team, centaur and elf, sometimes fighting back to back and sometimes as mount and rider. They’ll stop and lend a hand, but the cats are a little less generous. Cherenkov and Crowley fight inseparably and use magic and science in deadly combination to ward off and destroy the bugs, but can usually only be seen darting on their way from one place to another. They have a lot of magitek to repair in the destructive wake of the insects. Pomarr, neither as senior nor as invested in actively picking off the bugs, offers shelter near a tentacle-free portion of the lake, calling down storms to toss away bugs for her and anyone in the vicinity. OOC NOTES This log spans a week ICly. Characters will find themselves beginning to understand each other again as the bugs first vanish, as the effects of the cats’ work on the magitek pays off. The translation problem will be completely fixed by the time the cocoons hatch. All of the bugs will have been killed or shipped off by the sixth day, leaving the last day before their departure to the next mission blissfully relaxing. Any temporally misplaced recruits will be back to normal by the last day, as well. A reminder to anyone still texting: the texting feature of magitek jewelry operates based on thought! There are no physical keyboards, recruits merely think the message that they’d like to send to another recruit.

Comments

[boneafide]

...Oh, right, yes...! I've read Macbeth before! I don't remember that line though...

[ Because it wasn't there lol

Normally, he'd get mad at the pun, because goddammit, again? But this time, he doesn't. Just gives a light laugh. ]

Is something seeming like it's going on with me?? I thought I seemed fine... I mean, I am fine! Definitely fine, and certainly not feeling down!

[construing]

[ if only there had been one more denial. then it would have been convincing. but this? suspiciously specific denial is a suspiciously specific. ]

You actually seem a little high-strung. [ more than usual, she means, but not supposed to know him. this double life thing is a pain sometimes. :'|

this is solved by telling people and skele-people the truth, gwen. ]

If you don't want to share, it's fine. But, between you and me, I am an excellent secret keeper. Look. No mouth.

[ yes, she did point at her face. ]

[boneafide]

It's true, you don't have a mouth! Hmmm...

[Papyrus strokes his chin in thought, and then glances behind him, as if worried someone might be behind him somewhere. Eventually, he looks back to this spider-monster, and nods.]

Alright, yes, fine, but only if... you must promise, not to tell Sans! I don't want him to worry...

[construing]

Cross my heart, hope to die.

[ even buggy is quiet. even it understands solemnity. sometimes. ]

1/2

[boneafide]

[Papyrus rubs his arm, still glancing around, as if he still feels like someone might overhear them. His voice is, for once, quiet. Finally, he settles on looking at his confidant, and takes the crown off his head.]

I am... uneasy, like you said. Um. I ... I know, I have to be king! There isn't anyone else to do it... But I don't want to do this anymore. ...But if I don't! Then who will?

[boneafide]

[And so the crown goes back on.]

T-That's all! I just... needed to tell someone. But don't tell anyone else, okay?? I can't have people knowing that!

[construing]

Oh. That's rough, buddy.

[ yes. she went there.

gwen scratches at her jaw. ]

Just spitballing here, but, hey! What about democracy?

[ how to tell that spider-woman is so very american in a three word question. ]

[boneafide]

[ Gwen "A bastion of sympathy" Stacy. ]

What about it...?

[construing]

[ why did she have to open her big mouth? why did she think she knows anything about politics? she has a first semester polisci class under her belt. wow. big expert. even buggy is judging her. or it might be trying to figure out how best to free its mandibles to eat her head. either or. ]

I don't think you should feel obligated to rule if you're unhappy about it. It's a big responsibility. I get that sometimes you feel you have to do something because, if you don't, you'll be leaving it to someone who shouldn't.

[ definitely not speaking from experience here. ]

But you're a king! You have the power to do a lot of good. That means doing what's best not just for your people, but for you too. [ nor is the hypocrisy of "you have to take care of yourself too" sinking in. ] If you're really that unhappy, maybe it's time for changes.

[boneafide]

... It does sound that easy, doesn't it?

[ And normally, had this been a previous, younger, less-experienced-with-a-human-coming-in-and-murdering-everyone Papyrus, he'd totally agree. Take her up on the idea that he can just give up the mantle to someone else, because it'd be serving him better. He doesn't mean to be selfish, of course, but he's so stressed out from it, it's hard to not want to just think of one's self.

But he's not that kind of Papyrus anymore. He knows, if he gives up, there will be literal chaos in the streets, which will lead to an even faster and steeper decline into the end of Monsterkind. Right now, he's duct tape holding pipes together, when new pipes are what's needed, but if you take away that tape... ]

I can't. Monsters need someone to look up to. Everyone's already so hopeless... If I gave up... They all would.

It's okay. I can handle it. I'm very strong, you know!

[construing]

[ she smiles, a little sadly. a gesture, perhaps, lost under the mask, but something of it translates into her voice. ]

Yeah, you are. You're definitely the strongest skeleton I know. [ also because he's the only one. ]

Just don't forget to live a little too. Like now. We're still playing matchmaker, right?

[boneafide]

Oh... Oh, yes! Right, right, we were doing that.

[ He had forgotten, honestly. ]

Well, let's go find some other giant bug monsters to match this one up with!