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[TDM] September 2023 (again!)
SEPTEMBER 2023 TDM (part 2!)
You wake up, completely alone in an unfamiliar place. The forest around you is awash in the pleasant coolness of early autumn. Any time-telling devices have stopped working and nothing looks familiar. But the visitors center has maps and information on the area, and with a bit of looking around you find the name of a nearby town: Ashbrook.
Welcome to the (second) TDM for September! Please direct any questions you may have here.
Welcome to the (second) TDM for September! Please direct any questions you may have here.
Object Terror
What:
A haunted house with some haunted hitchhikers
When:
Evenings in October
Warnings:
Varies, see here
As the air chills, the nights cool, and the leaves dress up in autumnal splendor, the yearly spooktacular surprises begin to take root in the town once again. While Turnit Around Turnip makes their auspicious charms the focal point of their sales – it's good for casting away evil spirits and bad luck, you see – there's the rising excitement of Miss Fortune's Mystery Manor returning as well. It's a rather old house, normally abandoned with "private property" signs hung with care and watched over carefully by the local force to ensure no miscreants find their ways inside, but with fall sweeping in on the northern winds new signs have appeared.
Come on by! They say, decorated with colorful leaves and pumpkins stickers. Harmless as can be, skeletons greeting any who should pass with a hand perpetually raised. Feeling brave? Test your courage in this year's haunted house!
Bring a friend, it implies, or maybe a date. It'd be a nice time to try your luck with a little "physical comfort" as the teens like to say.
The yard is decorated with all sorts of 'spooky' bits and bobs, like inflated ghosts and a cauldron spilling out smoke. Hands from the ground. Shadows in the window. Maybe even a face or two, but it's plain to see they're just illuminated cutouts if you dare to look too long at them. Within is much the same affair, with cobwebs both real and fake in the corners of the rooms, a worn red carpet indicating the pathway through the haunted exploration. There's your usual jumpscares, closets opening and cabinets banging, dolls that blink and books that fall on their own... A ribbon that wraps itself around your feet, paintings whose eyes follow your every move, the hand of a skeleton grasping your arm that definitely was not moving before–
The guide had mentioned, you remember, that a number of the possessions here had come from possessed homes and individuals, knick-knacks that had a life of their own, and allowed out only this time of the year. Employees who work the haunted attraction can attest to suddenly finding hitchhikers when they'd gotten home, and warn with almost a joking tone to make sure you're not a victim yourself! How funny, charming, and definitely not going to happen.
But it does.
Some of the "haunted items'' look pretty nifty. A pocket watch that tells time backwards. A doll that bleeds from the eyes. A book that always falls open on the same pages, paragraphs describing the gruesome death of a young couple at the hands of some fictionalized serial killer with each sentence underlined in a dark, dull brown and dotted with the same. Easy to take, easy to fence off to the right sucker – or just to keep as a souvenir. Steal if you'd like.
Others seem to find their way home in a less natural way, tucked away in your pocket when you go to protect your digits from the chilly fall air or sitting in the entryway of your house. That large painting of a mysterious woman wasn't in your bathroom when you went in, but one look into the mirror and she's staring right back at you, judging your teeth brushing techniques. Just fascinating, unusual things like that – and they'll always find their way "home", too.
TL;DR
- A haunted house is in town, and in that house are haunted objects
- One way or another, these objects will find a way into a characters home, where they'll cause various spooky effects
- You can make up your own item and effects, or comment here to have the mods generate one for you
- Existing characters are allowed to request a haunted item, but we ask that they not post top level comments on the TDM itself
What:
A fundraiser with completely normal food
When:
Throughout September and October
Warnings:
Memory loss, delusional thoughts, aggression, violence, food that's been tampered with
Where there is fall, there is bound to be fundraisers galore – that's what the odd pop-up shop that seems to appear overnight is for, probably, though the most forgettable face on the planet running it won't say one way or the other. It's "getting pretty chilly out there, huh?" and "say, how about you take a few ciders off my hands" for starring topics, and to his credit the food and drink he offers does look absolutely delectable... not to mention perfect for the cooling weather.
Like any normal shopkeep, he's got exactly three stupendous items for sale:
A warm, spicy apple cider perfect for chasing away the chill and easing that homesickness the Visitors might be feeling about now. It just brings back golden memories, sitting by the hearth or surrounded by loved ones, or if one's past is more of the sad type it's those snatches of happinesses, the small kindnesses shown to them and Lady Luck turning her wily gaze their way. It tastes like nostalgia, it just might not be your own.
Second for sale is the dark rustic coloring of maple syrup in its own leaf-shaped glass jug, sweet enough to give the dentist a week's worth of appointments. In fact, the salesman claims that "nine out of ten dentists" recommend it as a mouthwash – he's just joking of course, for legal reasons. Perfect for everything breakfast and finding a place in some beverages as well, take a bottle or two home for the missus (or mister!) to make use of this autumn season.
Lastly is a special spice mix for the culinary connoisseurs of the town, a special blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and his own flair thrown in that gives it a bit of je ne sais quoi (just like how grammy used to make it!): black pepper. Guaranteed to kick any recipe up a notch, he claims it can be used in drinks, desserts, and as a topper for each as well. Just don't do what the kids call the "pumpkin pie spice challenge", or the hospital's the next place you'll wake up.
But of course, it can't be that simple. Each of these food items has a strange effect on Visitors—and only on Visitors, as it turns out. Each of these effects will last for up to an hour, and are as follows:
The apple cider feels so much like home you'll forget you aren't home. Visitors will forget their lives in canon and believe that they are, in fact, their Ashbrook counterpart. They won't gain any new memories to facilitate this belief, however.
The maple syrup is so sweet you could forget all your worries! ... Literally. The syrup causes total amnesia, causing Visitors to forget their canon memories and their time spent in Ashbrook.
The spice mix has some kick! Too much kick. Characters will find that they're hearing other people's thoughts, projecting their own thoughts at other people, and moving objects without touching them. This can happen even around townsfolk, though they'll be quick to dismiss it as their imagination.
And, finally, all of the foods have a chance of causing heightened feelings of aggression, anger, and paranoia. This could just make you a little more snappish in a slow checkout line... or it could drive you to commit acts of violence, even extreme ones, against your fellow residents of Ashbrook.
TL;DR
- A suspiciously normal man is offering spiked food to any interested parties.
- Every food item has a chance of increasing aggression, anger, and paranoia, which could lead to violent outbursts.
- Apple cider makes Visitors believe that they're actually their Ashbrook counterpart
- Maple syrup causes total amnesia
- Spice mix gives Visitors minor—and uncontrolled!—telekinetic and telepathic abilities.
Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble
What:
It's time to learn magic!
When:
Weekends in September and October
Warnings:
None
As many Visitors were able to establish last month, the Witch of the Woods isn't just a rumor. She's a real person, a stern but beautiful woman who's willing to teach anyone who seeks her out. Bring her a suitable offering and knock three times on her door in the middle of the night, and she'll answer to teach you what she knows of the supernatural and magic.
... Or at least, those are the rumors. The truth is much simpler: flyers, decorated childishly with bat and cauldron stickers, can be found throughout town, inviting the reader to the "Witch's Retreat". They appear as a Visitor glances away for a second to pick something up, or gently drift down right into their hands. Even the most skeptical, scoff-likely of Visitors will find their interest piqued in the days before it, mind drifting back to the promise of help in their unusual situation.
The retreat itself is headed by a middle-aged woman, who's narrowed gaze inspects the people who've come before she grumbles something under her breath and waves her hand.
"Look in the tree holes for your books and pick a partner to pair with — they aren't the kinds of things you'd want to test on your own. First rule: Always have a third hand. Second: Don't do it in public if you can help it. Final: Don't even try skipping ahead, because they won't answer you."
Whatever that means. It's time to learn magic.
The Witch — if pressed, she'll begrudgingly allow the students to address her as 'Ms. Spinner' — will force characters together with a surprisingly powerful shove of her hand if she passes and you aren't already paired with someone too, so don't think you can get out of this little exercise by going solo! You can't. As far as the promised spirituality goes... listen to the voice within, find your inner peace, and the rest'll come naturally. The Witch isn't too pressed for you whelps to understand off the bat, though she won't leave you out on a limb either.
With the turning of the seasons, the Witch has a new spell to teach: protection against intruders. Combine rosemary and bay leaves in a stone bowl and set the mixture alight on your doorstep. Mix the ashes with rock salt, then sprinkle on the window sills and thresholds of exterior doorways of your home.
The Witch warns that this spell won't keep anyone out (Invest in a good lock, she advises instead), but it will make uninvited visitors feel uneasy about entering your home. Sometimes that's enough.
TL;DR
- The characters — Visitors, as they're referred — are able to learn basic level magic with the help of the Witch.
- Pair up and practice. This is essential to the process, and the Witch will force unpaired individuals to partner up.
- Any higher level magic won't come to the character; it may feel like there's a kind of blockage, even to those who're used to magic themselves.
- The Witch isn't open to questions about the town in particular (are you here to gossip or learn?) and won't answer anything about it, so stay on task if you want answers to your questions.
A Day In The Life
New Visitors may wake up in the woods, but that's not where they're going to be spending all of their time. They have homes, jobs, work, entire lives they need to attend to. They'd better get to it!
A Visitor will be instinctively drawn towards both their home and job; they will always know how to navigate the former, and may find the tasks they perform at the latter suspiciously easy. Outside of that, their life will be incredibly normal for the first few days. No one will acknowledge the strangeness in the woods, and a Visitor's insistence that they're not from around here will be treated like a joke.
And then suddenly it's weird again. They wake up one day and realize they have a different job, perhaps even a different home. They will lose any instinctive understanding they may have had of their old job and gain similar understanding of their new job. Visitors will retain all of their memories of their previous job, but if they bring it up to the townsfolk none of them will have any idea what they're talking about.
TL;DR
A Visitor will be instinctively drawn towards both their home and job; they will always know how to navigate the former, and may find the tasks they perform at the latter suspiciously easy. Outside of that, their life will be incredibly normal for the first few days. No one will acknowledge the strangeness in the woods, and a Visitor's insistence that they're not from around here will be treated like a joke.
And then suddenly it's weird again. They wake up one day and realize they have a different job, perhaps even a different home. They will lose any instinctive understanding they may have had of their old job and gain similar understanding of their new job. Visitors will retain all of their memories of their previous job, but if they bring it up to the townsfolk none of them will have any idea what they're talking about.
TL;DR
- This prompt is meant to allow players an opportunity to experiment with the role mechanic, without forcing them to retcon their threads if they receive a markedly different role after applying.
- Retconning is, of course, still an option - but if you want to give your character another bit of existential confusion, this is the prompt for you.
OOC Notes
If your character dies... While characters may die during the TDM, these deaths do not count towards a character's death count. If a character dies, they will vanish the instant they lose consciousness. The dead character will reappear safely back at the nearest visitors center, and both they and any witnesses will have only a hazy recollection of the event.
If you have any questions, please direct them here.
If you have any questions, please direct them here.
no subject
It's okay.
[ His tone drops much softer, and he averts his gaze to take some pressure off Mayoi. He's very familiar with how heavy eyes can be. ]
They probably should fix the ceilings. [ They'll have to now. ] Just glad you're not more banged up.
You should sit down for a minute. There's practically nobody in this part of the school right now, so you don't got to rush. [ He pauses, weighing how blunt he should be, and decides to go for it. ] I won't tell anybody this was you.
And I'm Yoshiki Tsujinaka.
no subject
Y-Yes ...I will be fine! A little bruised, maybe ...but that's all.
[So hopefully Yoshiki will not be fussed.]
It ...is a pleasure to meet you, Tsujinaka-san. [Ah, perhaps he is also a native Japanese speaker ...that would be comforting. Hopefully he is alright with the honorific. He doesn't use them for the English speakers in town but it feels rude to not do it with anyone who might be from Japan.]
I-I would hate to continue imposing upon you with my dreadful presence but- [He takes a set and he feels the protest from most of his body.]- That is best, I think...ah. I'm sorry.
no subject
Not like you were trying to take a fall.
[ He doesn't know if he should offer to do anything else. Normally, he'd suggest going to the school nurse, but even with the brushing it's not as though Mayoi is free of dust. It wouldn't be hard to connect the dots when people find out about the ceiling - and he's got to come up with a reasonable lie and hope his reputation carries it. ]
It's not a hassle. I was just about finished up here anyway.
[ Yoshiki debates taking a seat, and which one he should take. He settles on a chair next to Mayoi but not as close as the one on his other side. These are things he spends too much time thinking about. He's always worried someone can tell he's thinking too much. ]
Are you sure you're okay?
no subject
[Trying to fully grasp the casualness of how Americans talk to each other gave Mayoi hives.]
I-I will be fine. I avoided any harm to my face, and I know a little about how to fall properly, even if it did catch me off guard. I …suppose I will have to sit out during gym tomorrow.
[Remarking on his face might be strange to anyone else, but as an idol, your most important feature is your face. To harm your face …ah, that would be catastrophic.]
…Pardon me for prying where I don’t belong, but what brought you to this part of the school…?
[It was pretty quiet here, after all, which is why Mayoi had cut through this part of the ceiling to get to where he was going.]
no subject
Thinking that means Yoshiki can't say anything about Mayoi's face. He shouldn't even look at it, no matter that something about the shape of his teeth keeps catching Yoshiki's attention. ]
You're not prying.
[ Shouldn't Yoshiki be the one asking what Mayoi is doing here? It feels impossible to ask that now, given how shaken the other boy is. ]
I was going through some of the pictures I took of the corn maze. [ They're still spread out where he left them. ] ...if you were thinking about going, I wouldn't this year. Apparently, there's some kinda corn disease in the crop, but they ain't telling anybody that to keep business coming in.
[ It's technically true. It's also lying through his teeth by way of omission. But what kind of person would he be if he didn't try to warn people? ]
no subject
I see …I was interested in it initially, but the popularity of it made me think it would be terribly crowded, so I thought better of it.
[People are scary.]
Are you with …ah, what do they call it here… the newspaper club?
no subject
[ Yoshiki knows exactly what Hikaru would have to say about Mayoi avoiding the corn maze because of people. He'd lean across the desk and pull a face, dragging his words out into an exaggerated drawl to counterpoint Mayoi's polite way of speaking: no nice, cozy ceilings to crawl in there, huh, Ayase-san?
Hikaru wouldn't do that. He'd be trying to get tips on getting up into the rafters.
Yoshiki won't do any of that. ]
It was pretty crowded. Noisy, too. And the corn dust gets into all the nooks and crevices. You ain't missing much. [ He shakes his head, lets a slight beat pass. ] Not my favourite kind of thing either.
no subject
Crowds of strangers is true hell.
[One might think he was making a funny joke.]
[Mayoi is dead serious. Gloomily, he picks some dust out of his messy braid. There's a melodic quality to the way he talks, in the way he picks and pulls his words out.]
It would have been nice to visit in the dead of night with no one else aroooound but there's no sense in that is there...? No, it's better this way. Even the darkness here is all wrong.
no subject
You shouldn't go anywhere alone here at night.
[ The strain in Yoshiki's voice is strange and wavering. His fingers twitch like he wants to lock them together, his heels coming off the ground as he leans his weight forward over his knees. He's not curling up on himself, but the desire to is scrawled all over him. ]
You're right. It's not- [ safe ] -a good idea. Too easy to get lost, and all, and it's gettin' cold...
no subject
...I-I understand.
[He leans down a little, as if to see Yoshiki from under his hair. His hand reaches out to touch his shoulder, but he stops just shy, as if worried he'd be burned.]
Something ...s-something about this place ...the dark is something I've always found comfort in but ...here, it's like it is alive, sinister, and it's watching. It makes my skin crawl. I have been told that I am telling rotten stories or making things up ...but.
Perhaps ...Tsujinaka-san understands as well...?
no subject
...yes.
[ His head bobs, then so does his throat. He rubs his sweaty palms over his knees, balanced on the edge of confession. ]
I feel the same way. I...
D'you believe in ghosts?
no subject
Mm. But the whisperings of spirits...they have never truly frightened me. Perhaps because I have always been regarded as a "Phantom" myself.
[Mayoi raises a hand to surreptitiously cover his mouth just a little while he looks down in thought and worry.]
I have never feared the dark before now.