EVENT #1: FAE FESTIVITIES

[diceofthegods]

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:
⁂ Accept gifts from the Fae.
⁂ Sample the food provided at the party ONLY.
⁂ Play games with the Fae.
⁂ Feel at ease to rest in the provided huts.
⁂ Keep tabs on your shadow lest it wander.
DO NOT:
⁂ Make a TRADE with the Fae.
⁂ Provide any personal items as gifts or otherwise to the Fae.
⁂ Provide your true name to the Fae.
⁂ Wander away from the designated party area.
⁂ Ascend any staircases you find in the woods.
OTHER ITEMS TO NOTE:
⁂ If you see an old woman hiking through the area, feel free to stop her and lie to her. The more brazen and obvious the lie the better. She appreciates this!

GAMES & ENTERTAINMENT

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

GAMES

⁂ Battleship! (Fae Style!) A number of Fae will be hiding on a large grid of flowers. You guess the locations and if you are correct then you will win a small prize! It is a cup of nectar that refills endlessly, and numbs any pains you may have. This works even outside of the forest and can be taken home.

Every time you miss though, you receive a small 'curse.' Nothing harmful! Maybe you’re just rotating in place for the next hour, your ears become daisies, or you grow a tree out of your head? (Feel free to come up with your own silly ideas!) All of the curses will dissipate after a time or upon leaving the forest and none will do any harm or cause pain. The Fae are all about fun tricks, not hurting anyone!

⁂ Dress Up Darlings! You enter a booth and allow the Fae to decide your outfit! Upon the agreement that you'll wear it the rest of the party, of course, no matter how silly or ridiculous it is.

⁂ Bobbing For Onions! Yes, you read that right. Bobbing for onions. There are onions floating around... in water. You have to catch them with your teeth. The prize for success is a Bag of Onions. This bag never runs out of onions. They are always fresh and always onions. Not always the same kind of onion, but always onions nonetheless. This bag works outside of the forest and can be taken home.

⁂ What's In The Box? There is a box. There is something in it. Maybe it's frogs. Maybe it's slugs. Possibly bugs? Maybe apples. We don’t know. Stick your hand in the box and take a guess at what you’re touching! If you’re right, you win the contents of the box!

We'll let players decide via coin flip, rolls, or however they want if their guess is correct! Any items won though will be common, every day items like mentioned and nothing especially exciting. Unless you're really into frogs. Then it's your lucky day, apparently!

ENTERTAINMENT

⁂ Slayd & The Possums! Slayd is here and he’s throwing down the banjo tunes with his possum pals. Feel free to join him if you are musically inclined! The Fae will provide any instrument your heart desires! They can't grant you the ability to play it though if you don't know how.

⁂ The Crowning of the King of Misrule! Randomly chosen by the Fae, enter a lottery to be chosen as the King of Misrule for the evening. You will be dressed in a stupid outfit and granted Fae wings for the night! You also have the insatiable urge to play harmless pranks on people. The Fae will also give you a "Special Gift" at the end of the party...

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: If you roll a d20 above a 13, you can receive one of the nectar cups.
- Bobbing For Onions: If you roll a d20 above a 10, you can receive one of the bag of onions. En...joy...?

⁂ 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 ⁂

Comments

[firsteditionbfs]

She can look as monstrous as she likes, but Angeal figures they've done nothing really wrong. And he has some bullshit plans in place if she tries to confront him on it. As it is, however, he just flashes back a simple wink over his shoulder.

Fuck off.

As it is, however, things almost go well for about two minutes - which is longer than he really thought he'd get with Cloud. He knew the waist grab would throw the guy off-guard. This is just way more off-guard than he would have thought. He'll have to drop this little bit of information for Genesis... and maybe the Sephiroth he's dating, although he's not sure how inclined he will be to this sort of thing just because of the history going on here.

You never know, however.

"I mean, I probably don't qualify for a professional title as much," Angeal says, when Cloud's brain finally stutters into functioning order again. He's not leaving the waist-grab, Angeal mentally notes. "But I do know my way around one. Had a pretty good set-up before I was in here, however. Was working on a new sword for myself with a couple of different ideas from different problem thinkers."

He says, fondly. At least of Themis. Dirk Strider is... That was a whole thing, they probably shouldn't worry about it.

"What, you want me to show you proof?"

[relativefugue]

She snarls and hisses, but for now, it seems the fae creature waits where she is. She jeers back at Angeal when he winks, flashing some manner of obscene gesture with clawed hands as she spits what must be some sort of insult in an unknown tongue. The tone is there, though. This bastard is walking away with her well-earned prey.

Cloud, for his part, works to pretend that lapse in time did not happen. Everything is totally normal here.

"That last place you were in that you kept going on about," Cloud murmurs, "but yeah. You could say you did anything there, right? If you're going on about proof you must have some lined up. Bring it on."

[firsteditionbfs]

She sat there and talked bullshit, Angeal doesn't think that's a skill at all. Which probably says something about how it doesn't take any skill to trick Cloud Strife into anything.

Considering what he's done and is still technically doing, maybe he shouldn't be throwing stones in this house.

He will continue to do so anyway, and Angeal hums. "Well, the nicest way would be to get you to a smithy, and give a hands on demonstration. But I'd feel bad just randomly grabbing someone else's tools, especially in the middle of the night, so... I guess the engagement ring I made for my husband might work?"

[relativefugue]

Keep throwing stones, Angeal. Surely they won't come back to bite you someday.

Cloud has to admit, the thought of watching a blacksmith work is interesting, if not just for the end product. Not possible here right now though. But then, Angeal mentions the proof he can show and blond brows raise.

"Your husband?"

He... Does he mean Sephiroth? They did just kiss. It's why Cloud had to haul ass to the woods in the first place. No way he was sticking around with his own thoughts about that.

[firsteditionbfs]

Oh, right. He's going to have to tell this story a few times. So, Angeal reaches inside his shirt and, from a chain, pulls out a small but beautiful antique ring.

"Husband. Officially Angeal Hewley-Rhapsodos, although I guess it's not legal in Midgar." But it's not as though he figures he'll ever make it back to Midgar. Not properly. And if he does, this might be one of the least important things to worry about.

[relativefugue]

Cloud leans forward to inspect the ring. Sure enough, the craftsmanship looks excellent. However...

Rhapsodos?

But that means-

"You're married to Genesis?" Yet there he was, making a public display of kissing Sephiroth, in the middle of the party, and causing Cloud to have to shuffle off to the woods to survive the ordeal. What the fuck? "Didn't you just- y'know. With Sephiroth? In the middle of everything?"

Ugh. Talking about this makes Cloud's ears run hot. He focuses his eyes on the ground.

[firsteditionbfs]

Oh. Right. After being stuck in a place like the simulation for so long, where romance and sex and all sorts of shit just kind of blends together at times, Angeal forgets that some places still do things pretty... by the books. Of course cheating could still be a thing in the simulation, but he always sort of suspected that it would be far more messy and complicated than it would be anywhere else.

And their whole thing was complicated in entirely different ways.

"Yeah, and with me out of the party, Genesis is probably taking the time to do the same thing in my stead," Angeal says matter of factly, tucking the wedding ring back under his shirt.

"Frankly speaking, I think we would have married Seph at the same time as well, but there were other factors at play-" Lazard, for example, and how they both knew that maybe those two would like their own occasion. "-and now this is where we're at. Although it's been long enough, I suppose. Probably high time I talked to both of them about that sort of idea." Although should they do it while there's a mini-Seph running around who has weird feelings about puberty? Hm. Food for thought.

"Romance doesn't always need to be one flower on the bush, you know. They bloom together in the same pot."

[relativefugue]

He's what? Cloud has to shake his head lightly to chase away any mental images of that lovely, completely necessary detail from Angeal regarding Sephiroth and Genesis. Great. Now he gets to be haunted by the thought of all of them kissing. There's no way Angeal doesn't know what the hell he is doing. Asshole. "Great to know that, really important detail." The blond huffs and rolls his eyes.

But then Angeal is explaining things about romance, and other models of romance, and it is enough to make Cloud wrinkle his nose. Romance talk at all tends to do that to him. There's something buried, obscured in the tangles of his mind that lights up and begs to be seen, known and understood. Like a memory that sits just out of reach, of someone or something very important.

Whatever. He's fine. Multiple lovers? "Good for you, I guess," Cloud says, his gaze becoming just a touch distant as he grapples with the nagging presence of that obscured memory, and the feeling of empty loneliness that always ensues. Why is it always when the talk is about love? What the hell is he forgetting? Or who?

"Just not something I think about. Sure as hell wasn't a thing in Midgar. Fair enough, though, you proved you can work metal. You going to try to drag me back to that noisy mess now? We're pretty far out. I can watch after my damn self."

Plus, it isn't Angeal's business to worry about him anyway. Or anyone in this weird place's.

[firsteditionbfs]

The funny thing is that his wedding ring, the one that Genesis gave to him, isn't something that Angeal made, but rather far more sentimental in other ways... but Angeal won't correct him on the matter. It'd just be a whole other thing, and he figures they got something more important to focus on for now.

"Considering that you wandered out here in the first place, I have to wonder just how well you can actually watch yourself," he says wryly. "But that's besides the point. If we're both going back to the party, there's no point in separating, is there?"

[relativefugue]

Cloud doesn't find remembering the specifics of wedding traditions worth any of his time or energy, let alone to be schooled on it by Angeal in the middle of the woods. The First's thought on the matter is a safe and spot on one- easy enough for him to prove Cloud wrong and shut him up by showing off a blade of his make back home, whenever he gets his hands on a forge. Hell, it might even win him some respect.

"Not dead, am I?" Cloud grumbles with a shrug. Granted, he also hasn't come to blows with anything yet. He knows there's no chance at wielding Buster for any long span of time with his SOLDIER strength drained. So does Angeal- this is a losing battle. Hell, wheeling and dealing for another sword was a dead giveaway. "I wasn't going back but I assume you're not about to let that be how things go, stubborn ass. I know how this works. Still, now you're taking on babysitter along with being my boss?"

But who really is the stubborn one here, Cloud?

Cloud rolls his eyes, but starts to move in the direction from which he came. Strangely, it seems like the forest has shifted a bit. It doesn't entirely look the same as when he got there. Probably a trick of the mind or something.

What isn't a trick is the strange sounds of cackling surrounding them. The source of them jumping and changing every few moments, causing Cloud's eyes to dart to and fro. Nothing is jumping out at them at least. For now.

[firsteditionbfs]

"Maybe stop needing a babysitter, and we wouldn't be in this kind of situation, Strife."

Yeah, he'll say that. Cloud can prove him wrong if he doesn't want to hear it.

But that will have to come later, because this kind of situation is a huge pain in the ass, and Angeal already knows what the deal is even before the cackling starts up. Sighing, he pinches the bridge of his nose. Really, he should have taken a cue from old folktales and leave a trail of garlic bread or something.

"Alright. So I'm going to need you to keep your calm and not wander off. Got it, Strife?"

[relativefugue]

"Didn't need one in the first place," Cloud huffs. "Not planning to run off again. You'd probably just foll-"

Another round of cackling rings out.

Cloud goes rigid at the sound, glancing about more fully as he tries to figure out the exact direction it is coming from. Not so easy- it nearly seems to be coming from above, in front, and behind them at the same time. Definitely some manner of Fae nonsense. Which, he still doesn't fully believe in, mind. At least the arbitrary rules. They're written like a joke at the expense of those who don't know better.

The cackling, however, is very much real. As is the tall, spectral shadow that appears to flow through the trees ahead. She looks like a ghost, a gaunt woman fading into swirling fog and shadows, long hair suspended around her. The cackling starts to become something else- a soul-piercing wail. Cloud's hands fly up to his ears as he grits his teeth.

[firsteditionbfs]

On the one hand, it's good that Cloud is getting an understanding just what the situation is actually like here.

On the other hand, of course two seconds of peace can't last.

It's times like these that Angeal really hates the dumbing down of his senses. He'll reflect on that later about how he hates being inhuman but so many inhuman qualities are ingrained into him - maybe he will at any rate. But right now, it's a flickering thought because of how he can't immediately sniff out the new enemy before he focuses on what he can do.

And what he can do, after slapping his hands to his ears, is dig the tip of his boot right into the earth and haul it up in a dirty kick - literally - right at their new friend.

He's hoping it's enough to make her choke. If not swallowing dirt, then a bit of coughing would be fine too. It doesn't really matter.

All he needs is the distraction.

"Move it, popcorn!" Because that's sure as hell what he's doing, although he's making sure Cloud comes with him first.