childrenofbahamutlogs | EVENT #1: FAE FESTIVITIES

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EVENT #1: FAE FESTIVITIES

INTO THE WOODS

Click Clock Wood (Spring) by Grant Kirkhope

2:05 / 4:59

▶︎

Click here to listen.

Grant Kirkhope is a Scottish composer and voice actor for video games and film. Some of his notable works include GoldenEye 007, Banjo-Kazooie, Donkey Kong 64, and Perfect Dark, among many others.

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After making your way through the tiny farming town of Ich and out towards the rim of a massive raised crater, you will find yourself being led through a narrow split in the canyon wall. Inside, glow worms cling to the ceiling and create the illusion of a thousand twinkling stars above the moistened rocks.

When you finally emerge, it is into an impossibly lush landscape of massive, redwood-sized tangling trees and a soft moss carpet. Life abounds here. It feels like an oasis of birdsong and animal activity.

A short walk leads you to the prepared party-grounds. A large clearing with quaint huts all around decorated with strange flowers for partygoers to rest or otherwise entertain themselves.

There appear to be several games and stalls set up, the sweet and savory scents of delicious food fills the air, and so do the patrons of the forest. Seemingly hundreds of Fae folk zip around and greet the newcomers excitedly by placing garlands of vines and crowns of flowers atop their heads.

Glowing flowers and toadstools light your way here. It also seems that even the animals get in on the festivities! Really, just about everything talks here. Almost everything, anyways! Talking to a tree stump might not yield many results but you're welcome to try.

Each entrant is also provided upon arrival a copy of The Rules. A rolled parchment that resists water or any other damage. It also prevents you from writing on it so you can't just do what you want.

The rules read as follows:

DO:

ONLY

DO NOT:

TRADE

OTHER ITEMS TO NOTE:

old woman

GAMES & ENTERTAINMENT

Amongst the games and attractions are a variety of fun possibilities!

GAMES

Battleship! (Fae Style!)

a cup of nectar that refills endlessly, and numbs any pains you may have.

curse

dissipate after a time

Dress Up Darlings!

how

Bobbing For Onions!

Bag of Onions

What's In The Box?

ENTERTAINMENT

Slayd & The Possums!

play

The Crowning of the King of Misrule!

a lottery

King of Misrule

Special Gift

FOR THE FOOLISH

Ahh, but there are rule breakers amongst us aren't there? If you choose to sneak away from the party, chances are nobody will stop you; however, you are now on your own in the Talahee Forest.

FIRST LAYER

Rak'tika Greatwood Theme ( Civilizations ) by Masayoshi Soken

4:34 / 5:15

▶︎

Click here to listen.

"Civilizations" prominently features a female vocalist. The lyrics are in the Ronkan language, and has not been officially translated.

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The first layer of the forest is very much similar to what you have already seen. Everything is coated in a thick mat of moss and trees wind away like a massive birds nest to form the canopy above. The faint sounds of animals can still be heard. Up here, you may encounter Fae who did not attend the party. They'll ask you your name and other personal details.

Best that you lie.

SECOND LAYER

Click Clock Wood (Autumn) by Grant Kirkhope

1:12 / 4:11

▶︎

Click here to listen.

Grant Kirkhope is a Scottish composer and voice actor for video games and film. Some of his notable works include GoldenEye 007, Banjo-Kazooie, Donkey Kong 64, and Perfect Dark, among many others.

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The further in that you head, the darker the forest gets. It seems you are following a downward slope. The trees get bigger here, as do the insects and toadstools. Bioluminescence rules down here it seems. You may encounter stranger creatures here. Ones that will try to make very tempting trades for your personal belongings. Things that will seem like an amazing deal to you. They offer magical items of great power, or even personal effects from home.

Don't be fooled though. These objects are cursed, and are not at all what they seem. You have the distinct feeling of being watched at all times here.

⁂ Possible Encounters: Owlbear, Displacer Beast, Giant Badger

THIRD LAYER

Saint Mocianne's Arboretum (Hard) by Masayoshi Soken

2:50 / 5:10

▶︎

Click here to listen.

...hordes of aggressive plant life exposed to the strange substance stand between you and the information you seek.

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Are you getting smaller or is everything else getting bigger? Were Slayd here, he would have told you about the concept of Deep Forest Gigantism. The deeper you go - just like the ocean - the larger that the flora and fauna get.

You are dwarfed by the mushrooms here in the pitch darkness and only guided by the latent glow of the creatures and fungi that dwell here. Bugs the size of house-cats skitter in your wake. Are you sure you want to be here? Should you encounter anything larger, you’d best stay silent. Or run!

⁂ Possible Encounters: Giant predatory Elk (RUN), Rodents of Unusual Size, Extra Large Bugs

FOURTH LAYER

Poison Tree by Grouper

0:30 / 3:16

▶︎

Click here to listen.

'Poison Tree' is a meditation on the complexities of anger and the internal conflict it causes. It draws inspiration from William Blake's poem of the same name.

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The trees seem to clear out here as you reach the bottom of the forest. There is no light here so hope you brought a match. The landscape down here is a blanket of moss dotted with countless shallow pools. Looking into one of these pools, you will see your reflection... though it may look different in some way.

You will feel extremely compelled to reach down and touch the reflection in the water. Should you give in, you feel as though your world is turning upside down. You could receive memories not quite your own. Memories of a different version of you, even! (CRAU, Canon Update, or Canon AU!)

Yet, you will be experiencing them as your own. A long time could pass in your mind while only seconds have only elapsed in reality. Upon waking, you will find that you have been ejected from the party and the forest entirely. You find yourself at the entrance to the crater. Disoriented, and compelled not to re-enter, you have only yourself to blame as you must shamble your way home with this burdensome knowledge.

Notes

⁂ For the game prizes, we're using the honor system here! So long as you clear the roll then you can receive a prize with no mod permission needed.

Battleship

above a 13

Bobbing For Onions

above a 10

⁂ To sign up for The Crowning of the King of Misrule, comment here! We'll RNG the winner likely within a few days to a week to give folks time to participate if they want!

⁂ The plotting post for this event/November is up!

⁂ Additionally, we have a state of the game post available to people read about updates, clarifications, and a poll to participate in!

⁂ If you have any further questions or feedback about this event specifically, please comment here!

⁂ Full Navigation ⁂

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Sephiroth is not used to people being that close. The only time anyone is, with such a threatening aura, is when they absolutely mean harm. The genuine clown suit doesn't even weigh into it as he immediately uses his own frame to hide the plate of delicious meat variety as if it might be stolen from him, a low, rumbling growl rising.

An actual growl. It's not a metaphor, it's the sound an annoyed animal (or a dragon) might make. "Step. Back."

Vegetables are a perfectly reasonable idea, but first he's going to protect what he has.

Avan does not step back--he is in full-on Lecture Mode and growling is apparently not enough to deter him. He continues looming with a disapproving finger wag.

"No, no! This is your third plate that is almost entirely meat! Meat's all well and good, but you need to eat more balanced meals than that if you want to stay strong and healthy!"

The warning isn't heeded, which is.. unfortunate. Avan's no authority, and has chosen to threaten a stranger. The plate is shifted from left hand to right, freeing up the other, which immediately lashes out to grab wagging finger, Avan and all - and if he catches hold of him, shove backwards with as much force as he determines necessary to get the blue haired teenager out of his personal space and protect his meal.

There is a whisper in the back of his thoughts that suggests resource guarding food is something only hatchlings do, but he ignores it.

Avan does not resist getting shoved back (and it doesn't take all that much force to do it, either), but that doesn't mean he's been deterred from his lecturing. At least now he's got his hands planted on his hips instead of pointing anything at Sephiroth?

"There's no need to be rude! This is important advice!"

If looks could kill, Avan would be a smoldering pile of ash. As they CAN'T, the glare he's fixed with is merely unpleasant and thoroughly unwelcoming. "I owe you no obedience. Look at your own actions if you wish to complain about rudeness."

It's very deliberate, the way Sephiroth turns his back on the other teenager, readjusting his hold on his dinner and apparently fully intending to just walk away, that growl returning, but much much quieter, little more than a surly grumble. Just for that when he finishes this he's going to go get more meat!

"It's not about obedience! I'm telling you this for your own good! Vegetables! Fruit! Grains! Meat! You need to eat all of these things, not just one! If you don't, your body will regret it!"

Sephiroth you're going to get dragon scurvy!!!

"Do you know what I eat on a daily basis?"

What looks like a chicken wing is picked up and waggled a little, his expression dark. "Do you know anything at all about me or about my dietary requirements, how many calories I burn a day, and what I normally consume, or are you basing this around a five second at most guess? Are you chasing around the people bobbing for onions because they're not getting enough protein? Are you hassling the people eating candy apples because it's not a grain OR a protein?"

He's willing to bet the answer is no. "Start thinking very carefully before your incredible ignorance earns you consequences."

Avan will not be swayed by these distractions. He's deeply familiar with how sixteen-year-old boys eat, he is one and so are most of his friends.

"They aren't on their third plate of only meat!" There's that lecturing finger again. "That's not good for your stomach! You'll make yourself sick eating like that!"

"I will not, protein, raw or cooked, is one of the few things I can reliably eat large quantities of without becoming ill. I can't say the same for many of the other offerings available." He knows! Because he's experimented!

Granted, not here and now, but he's learned to touch anything fried with extreme caution, and be wary of anything most people would generally find very rich.

Avan's face twists into a comical grimace as his shoulders slump. "You're not supposed to eat large quantities of any of it." Large quantities overall, sure, yeah, we're both growing boys here, but not of any one thing!

This earns another one of those long, unblinking stares.

"I don't think I'm ever going to reach my daily required caloric intake if I don't." His tone is flat. "It's not as if I have access to nutrient loaf here."

Nutrient what. "You obviously are well intentioned, but my requirements are likely very different from yours. I have been informed that the point of these 'festivals' is to indulge. I am indulging."

Avan can do a long, unblinking stare, too!

Which he holds as he dumps a spoonful of green beans onto Sephiroth's plate.

Immediately the offending beans are herded off to one side in their own little circle, out of the juices and gravies already on the dish.

And then everything the greenbeans touched right after it, in a second little section, all on their own.

"That's disgusting." His voice is utterly level. "What makes you think I want your spoon germs on anything of mine?"

"They're not germs, they're green beans." What's next to the green beans on the table? Asparagus? Have some asparagus, too, Sephiroth.

It isn't that Sephiroth has not or would not under other situations, eat vegetables. They're fine.

That is NOT the point to this.

The second time Avan moves to put anything even NEAR his person, his free hand moves to intercept the offending counterpart hand, and if he can catch hold, tighten his grip to viselike- but only to stop forward motion. Back is fine.

"Oh? Not a fan of asparagus? It's a strong flavor, I understand~"

"I will be perfectly clear, so there can be no 'misunderstandings'." Sephiroth liked to think he was patient with civilians. But most of them knew when to back off, and would have by now. Killing Avan was out of the question. He's killed one civilian in the past, and preferred not to again.

He lets go.

"If you touch anything of mine, including myself, or attempt to put anything on my dish, or remove anything, I will hurt you. You have reached the limits of my patience. Test it no further."

Sephiroth has been keeping an eye on his younger self over the course of the evening. He hasn't wanted to stifle him or interfere with his being forced to adjust to an obviously uncomfortable social situation; while he sympathizes with how his younger self must be feeling, he also appreciates that it's only by exposing themselves to things like this that they can become accustomed to it.

(He, himself, is still not accustomed, but...moreso than his younger self, that's clear. While the boy is actively on edge, the man is simply resigned.)

And he's been watching very closely, ever since that first shove. If his younger self is being moved to actually take a disagreement to a physical level, either he's truly under an unmanageable level of stress, or he's being extremely provoked. From Sephiroth's admittedly distant observation...it looks as though it might be a bit of both.

Well, maybe a lot of both.

Either way, Sephiroth intimately recognizes the sort of dangerous calm that comes over his younger self after the offense of the vegetables. He's already moving through the crowd by the time Avan is grabbed, and reaches the two of them just about at the moment when Avan is released.

"Excuse me." He's already 6'6", but somehow, right now, he seems taller. This is because, while in most cases Sephiroth doesn't want or try to be intimidating, he's carefully adjusting his body language to project all the remote chilliness of a glacier. There are times when he can indulge his wish to be normal, and times in which the menace and unapproachability of being the most powerful and dangerous man alive has its advantages.

Usually, those advantages are avoiding fights rather than starting them, because what Sephiroth is good at and what Sephiroth wants don't necessarily have anything to do with each other. Today is no different. He doesn't want an argument, and he certainly doesn't want a fight(with either version of himself); he simply wants Avan to leave.

"You're upsetting my brother. I ask that you leave him alone." His tone is perfectly even; the words are perfectly polite. The atmosphere, however, is that of a thunderstorm rolling in. While he does not actively indicate this in any way, there is still an implication that the request he's making is a consideration he's offering. And that he may not offer such consideration a second time.

He does, in fact, think both boys are at fault here. Avan clearly didn't take any of his younger self's warnings - and, while Sephiroth knows that their emotions and body language can be subtle at times, there has been very little that was subtle about his younger self's communication here. The shove alone should have been a massive red flag to anyone. But also...his younger self is reacting far too strongly to what is indeed rudeness, though of a quite mild variety. (Certainly compared to some of the genuine misery they've been subjected to.) But he's not going to lecture his younger self in front of someone else...and, obviously, the most important thing to do right now is separate these two before he has to actively restrain his younger self from further violence. So sending this other boy away - and making it clear that what was indeed rudeness on his part was not acceptable, or will be permitted to continue - is the obvious solution. Then he can deal with...himself.

Avan looks up at the older Sephiroth, easily a foot taller than he is, and smiles pleasantly, apparently completely unbothered. If he even notices all the intimidating vibes that Sephiroth's giving off, there's no sign of it. Is he just that dense...?

"Oh, there is someone to look after him here, how nice! Do you know that he's refusing to eat any vegetables?"

By the way the smallest of the three stiffens a little, the appearance of the older Sephiroth may not necessarily be in his favor. He shouldn't have to step in, that's something that should be completely handleable on his own! That Avan pretty much instantly proves why there's a problem by not taking yet another blatant 'hint', he breathes out a slow measured breath between clenched teeth. A faint acrid smell of something chemical follows.

The despoiled dish is set on the table. He won't be eating any of that now, and will just have to start with a new one. "He has no say in my diet. Nor do you."

"It is rude to lecture strangers on their habits," Sephiroth says flatly. He's not thrilled that intimidation didn't work, but also not surprised; Avan certainly isn't the only one who's ever ignored such things. Some of the people Sephiroth is closest to have been similarly unbothered. "It is also rude to continue to inflict your presence and advice on others after they have made it clear they wish to be left alone. And while eating vegetables may be important, one night without them isn't going to harm him unduly." A little memory from Angeal unwinds. "There are such a thing as 'cheat days'." You can practically hear him handling the unfamiliar slang with tongs. "It is common for people to eat unhealthily at festivals, as they are special occasions. So his refusing to eat vegetables tonight is not a problem that requires a solution, much less forced intervention.

"I ask that you go elsewhere." There is no 'please' this time. "If you do not, we will. Your presence and help are not required, and unwelcome."

Being uptight sure does run in the family, huh? But okay, Avan can tell he's not going to make any more headway here, inasmuch as he's made any headway in the first place.

"Alright, alright," he lilts in his usual carefree manner, "I'll be going now. Enjoy the rest of the festival!"

He even bows politely before he takes his leave, like he didn't instigate this whole thing. Little shit.

Still being hungry wars with irritation and the desire to simply leave the entire festival. Surely by now their fae hosts have been satisfied with his presence and he'd fulfilled the obligation the invitation caused!

Avan's little bow and words of parting earn another dark look. "I wasn't going to kill him."

Probably not to the blue haired teenager. Killing people at a party is not how it's done in most societies, and as frustrating as all of this had been, even he wouldn't go that far.

Edited 2024-11-12 21:39 (UTC)

Sephiroth sighs as he watches Avan leave - both in some relief at his finally departing, and with a bit of weariness for the argument he knows is about to ensue. "I am aware. But escalating to violence against a civilian, even for the most persistent of annoyances, is not acceptable. You know it would have reflected poorly upon both you and ShinRa, from a public relations perspective."

Which isn't something that matters to Sephiroth at all anymore, but he knows that his younger self still operates by ShinRa's rules, still conducts himself by the company's standards. He suspects that this argument might be the most persuasive at his disposal.

He certainly doesn't have full confidence that a morality or personal responsibility argument is likely to gain traction. Not yet. While those matter a great deal to him, they're also largely incompatible - if not downright incomprehensible - concepts to someone who's still working from ShinRa's playbook.

"While his own behavior was also unacceptable, your own conduct is your only responsibility. And there were other, better options to explore if he continued not to listen to you."

There might not be as much of an argument as anticipated, because as aggravating as it is, he also knows it's true. There is a higher standard he's expected to meet, not just from his instructors and the Professor, but his own. "... I know." He does, which is why he exercised what he felt was almost saintly patience! "But there is also something to be said for teaching someone the value of respecting another's personal space and possessions in a situation that doesn't leave them maimed or dead."

Like biting, a helpful whisper in the back of his thoughts suggests. One good bite and he'll never get in biting range again.

The thought made his teeth itch and that chemical bitterness return across his tongue, but as soon as it's suggested the interest in doing so is replaced by disgust. He wasn't interested in touching anyone more than necessary, never mind biting. He's not as strong as he was, and Avan simply not being part of a military Sephiroth knows doesn't mean he's not part of some other one. Or skilled in some other fashion that would be suddenly and unexpectedly trouble in a murder attempt. "..Coming here was a bad idea."

EVENT #1: FAE FESTIVITIES

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