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folkmore mod ([personal profile] folkie) wrote in [community profile] folkooc2023-01-11 10:10 am
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January 2023 Trial Event Plotting

Trial 9 Plotting Post
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Welcome to our plotting post for this month's event! This plotting page doubles as our monthly CR meme. If you have questions about the trial, ask them below.

Although the longest night is behind you, there is still time to go before the warmth of the sun returns in full. The weather remains much the same as December: Wintermute is frozen, Willow covered in snowdrifts, Epiphany a mess of slush and black ice, Cruel Summer dangerously cold at night, and Exile wrapped in a numbing fog.

There is some change, and not for the better; all across Folkmore blackouts begin to occur at random. The power is cut to both businesses and private residences alike, which can be very worrisome for anywhere that is not equipped with a wood burning fireplace! The spirit folk of Folkmore are concerned, and you may see your favourite neighbours scurrying about trying to find ways to stay warm. Star Children would do well to to help those around them - interacting with others always generates Lore, which may help get the power back on. If nothing else, a good old fashioned cuddle can help you stay warm.

Not every building will lose power so you may just be one of the lucky ones who doesn’t have to scramble for blankets. Maybe you could offer up a place to stay for those who aren’t as fortunate?

With the power being such an issue, you might not notice right away that things seem to be going missing around here. Books. Jewelry. Socks. Bird feeders. Bicycles. All sorts of things, both big and small. Eventually even pets begin to go missing! You better keep an eye on your Pokémon! And your friends, too, for that matter - there are rumours that even Star Children are up and vanishing.

Now where on earth could everything be going?


Feel free to use the following form for your plotting and CR needs.


Reminders:
🦊 The game alternates between high and low intensity events each month. January is a high intensity month.

[ Prompt OnePrompt TwoPrompt Three ]

MUTING WINTER
Content Warnings: kidnapping,

What Have We Here?

It’s mid January when the transmission comes out from Cutting Edge. Thoth herself informs the citizens of Folkmore that her researchers have discovered the source of the blackouts: all over Wintermute deep wells have opened, created with Lore stolen from the rest of the world. They seem to have stabilized, so that should help with the power outages, but the question of where the wells lead remains!

"Everything in nature is beautiful, and it is no less beautiful because it is understood," she tells everyone via their Relic. "The challenge put to you, Star Children, is to explore so that we may understand."

Thirteen’s Trial is to study the wells. Although she is a little loose with the idea of safety, Thoth apparently does remember that Star Children might need a little help, and so she has tasked Cutting Edge’s mascot Togo to lead adventurous souls to the wells. A huge grey wolf, Togo is able to split into many versions so that they can lead multiple groups to different wells. The Togos are not affected by the harsh conditions of Wintermute, but the Star Children are and you’ll want to be mindful of frostbite, avalanches, snowstorms, and attacks from polar bears or other wolves. Even a simple thing like snow blindness can slow you down or get you lost... and Togo isn’t particularly fussed with babysitting you. It’s better to rely on your fellow Star Children for help when it comes to anything life threatening.

The journey can take hours or even days, but eventually Togo will stop in front of a large natural well. Surprisingly they are quite dry, and you can descend into them with no fear of drowning. The wells are deep, and they open up into large underground tunnels that in turn lead to massive caves. The caves are warm and dry, and you will discover that they are not unoccupied.

Dwelling inside the caves below the mountains of Wintermute are dragons.

Some are scaly, others furry, but all are absolutely massive. It would be foolish to attack one unprovoked as they are so big and so well equipped for destruction. Luckily, they don’t seem particularly interested in fighting! They are happy enough to have company in their dens and will invite Star Children to sit and chat, partly so that they can show off their marvelous collections.

Or 'hoard' if you prefer. Yes, the dragons are great collectors, and are in fact responsible for all that’s gone missing! How did you not notice a giant dragon stealing your socks?! Great question, maybe you should work on your perception! Or maybe it’s dragon magic. Yeah. Probably that.

At any rate they have piles of all sorts of stuff. Gold, sure, but it’s just as likely you’ll find a dragon who has thousands of pencils, or fish. Some dragons don’t even collect physical objects, but concepts like stories or numbers.

And some collect Star Children.


Collector's Edition

Yes, it’s entirely possible to be kidnapped by a dragon! It’s a rather nice sort of kidnapping, as the dragon dens are warm and comfortable, and the dragons provide food and water and everything else you could need, but it’s still kidnapping. You can send out a distress call on your relic, but you won’t have any real idea where you are as you’ve inevitably been flown through a snowstorm to reach the mountains, rendering visibility impossible.

The dragons are not aggressive, but they are very protective of their hoards. You can probably afford to let one keep your socks, but your best friend? The only way to get a dragon to give up anything from its hoard is to trade it for something else. Hope you’ve been working on that charisma.

The dragons are open to other deals, too - if you ever wanted to ride one? Now’s your chance to ask. You’ll have to trade something, though. Maybe you can offer to brush their fur or polish their scales...

At the end of the month, the wells will be locked again, cutting off entrance to the dragon tunnels and dens. The School of Thoth will be working on mapping the mountain properly so that these passages can be found once again in the future. Anyone is welcome to join the school if they wish to study dragons and their wells.

Whoever met the dragons will receive a shiny golden scale. This scale will allow characters to temporarily become a dragon themselves. This transformation only lasts about half an hour, but studying with Baba Yaga can prolong the length.


JAEGER TIME
Content Warnings: Potential (optional) death.

Folkmore is severely lacking in snowplows. In areas where the snow falls, it builds up so much that some people are going to be snowed in! Unable to open their doors, some residents might be feeling a little cabin fever. Luckily before anyone can get too familiar with an axe or something, Thoth will transport some Star Children to Cutting Edge. There she will lead you to her 'experimental naturmechs' - huge humanoid robots that resemble the regular golems found around Folkmore. Each of these mechs requires two pilots who must forge a temporary telepathic link with one another in order to control it.


Initiation

Once you and your partner have agreed to link, your minds will connect.

Initially, this will manifest in your mind's eye as a memory place; characters will be transported to one of their ‘safe’ spaces, someplace they remember fondly. This is not a living memory or a scene playing out, it is only the location.

The person who the place 'belongs' to will feel the urge to remain there, potentially forever. It is up to the other person to use the link forged between them to haul them back to reality. It is possible that the character who wishes to stay can influence the other, of course, and then both characters will decide to stay put. What happens then? Why, the mech absorbs the Star Children, killing them.


Operation

Assuming you both return to the real world, now comes the fun part: operating your naturmech! The two of you must communicate across your link and work together in order for the thing to move and do what you want. Sounds easy enough, right? Well...

Some people tend to try and dominate situations. People. Life. Everyone has had the experience of working alongside someone who thinks they're in charge (if you haven't, surprise! it was you) and it doesn't work so well when you're not in agreement with them.

Whenever there is a lack of cooperation, whenever one person tries to entirely dominate the command of the naturmech, both characters will be drawn back to one of their memory places. When this happens, the mech will shut down if you're lucky, and run amok if you're not!


C-C-Combo!

Although the telepathic and emotional link forged in the mechs is much like the one formed between Familiars and Myths/Legends, it can exist between people with any role. Some roles are easier to navigate than others, however, making it more or less likely that the struggle for dominance will thwart your piloting attempts.

The role combinations are as follows:
Familiars + Myths/Legends: These roles will typically link with ease, and be able to work together smoothly. These robots will have strength on their side.

Familiar + Familiar: These typically will be able to form a link easily. These robots will be able to fly.

Myths + Legend | Myth + Myth | Legend + Legend: These are the most difficult links, as both parties will naturally try to be the dominant pilot. These combinations will have to work especially hard to learn how to work together and balance out their traits. These robots will have agility on their side.

Assuming the pilots can return to their physical bodies and maintain a healthy link, they can use the naturmechs to clear snow and ice.


FEAR ITSELF
Content Warnings: Stalking, phobias likely in comments, potential (optional) death.

With the streets cleared by the naturmechs, it is easier to get around in the more populated areas of Folkmore. You might leave the warmth and comfort of your home a little more often to get some fresh air and see other people. It’s most likely that you won’t be in your own home when you first see it.

It might be in a crowd. It might be alone, standing at the far end of a road. You can’t quite make out any details, but there’s definitely something weird about the figure you notice once... twice... three times and more. Gradually you realise that this figure is following you.

It doesn’t run. It doesn’t have to.

The figure will walk ever closer, and as it does it begins to change, morphing from something nondescript into something you fear. For example, if someone is afraid of freezing to death, this creature starts to look frozen. If someone is afraid of spiders, the creature starts growing spider legs. If someone's fear is more metaphorical such as "fear of love", they can visualize something (or someone) that would remind them of the fear itself. This creature instills a deep animal terror in Star Children, and the closer it gets the more you will begin to panic. Everyone has their own personal fear (or fears - you’re not just scared of one thing, are you?) but they are visible to everyone.

The motive of the Fears is simple: they want to kill you. Being caught by one of these creatures means a death brought about in some way by that fear. Are you scared of horses? You’ll be trampled to death by a roving herd. Loneliness? You will die of a broken heart. In some way, no matter how abstract, your doom is written by your fear.

Characters can help each other, but once someone gets in the way and tries to stop the Fear, the Fear will start aiming for them too. This can cause characters who were just trying to help to also become terrified of the one thing the Fear represents too.

How to stop this? Face your fears. Fight them. Destroy them. Attack them. But not with the innate powers each character has, but with the powers each role provides, as well as any powers given by Thirteen in past trials or powers acquired through Spoons. So for example, Mr. Freeze’s ice powers would be useless, but if his role as a Myth gave him fangs and claws those would work just fine. Gandalf’s spells from home wouldn’t work, but as a Familiar he could use any of his animal forms to inflict damage. Be creative and fight!

Your chances of winning are improved, of course, by joining forces with someone else. The Roles of Folkmore play an important part here, too, as they will be affected in different ways.


Tag-Team

During the fight, Legends and Myths will end up becoming more emotionally unstable. This makes it important to have a Familiar nearby. This does not need to be a Familiar you have an established connection with! Any Familiar will be able to provide a stabilizing influence that prevents Myths from acting completely immorally and selfishly, or from emotionally detaching from the situation. They can keep Legends from acting solely based on emotions and ignoring rationality.

(For example, a Myth might decide the best way to get rid of a fear is to feed other people to it. A Legend might lose sight of rationality and run into a situation that is way of out of their depth and likely to get them killed.)

Familiars themselves require the presence of a Myth or Legend. Without one, they will become physically weaker as the fight goes on, or succumb to terror more easily. The presence of a Myth or Familiar provides them with strength and energy.

Characters must utilize their unique traits to help one another in order to defeat the Fears. If that is accomplished, you will be able to move on from that fear and no longer have such a strong reaction to it. Your deep terror of flying? Not so bad now. You may never let go of it completely, but it no longer controls you as much as it once did.

Those who do well and survive will be met by a Golem. Consider it a little gift from Thoth herself. The Golems will follow Star Children, wanting to help them, and can obey simple commands - if you tell them ‘goodbye’ they will power down.

Each character will have their own Golem, who will show up whenever called by the Star Child. These Golems are smaller than the mech versions, and are not interchangeable; other Star Children can't give orders to someone else's Golem. If you don’t want one, you can simply refuse to accept Thoth’s gift, or at a later date instruct it to return to her. (You won’t be getting it back again if you do that, though.)
bardicdisaster: (Default)

crystal 🎶 jaskier 🎶 familiar

[personal profile] bardicdisaster 2023-01-11 07:38 pm (UTC)(link)
OOC information
Player Name: Crystal
Player Pronouns: They/them preferred, but not gonna get upset about she/her
Player Contact: [plurk.com profile] rebreather or PM (if adding on plurk, make sure your plurk profile indicates who you are or otherwise lmk you're adding me so I don't think it's a rando!)
Preferred Tag Style: I tend to do Action, but I will always match my partner and have zero issue with Prose. They are The Same For Me.
Monthly Pacing: I am back to my usual speed of tagging once a day or once every couple of days. I do not anticipate this to change, but I might have a touch of a slowdown at the end of the month due to increased paperwork again at work? We'll see!
OOC Limitations/Disinterests: Check out my permissions post for things I would prefer warnings for or a prior discussion about before introducing into a thread. Otherwise, everything is pretty much fair game. Any questions or uncertainty, definitely don't hesitate to reach out. It's never a bother and I appreciate the consideration even if it ultimately ends up not being particularly necessary!

General character information
Character Name: Jaskier
Permissions: 🦊 Permissions

Character Role: Familiar

🦊 Manifested Traits ➟ As of right now, nothing! Jaskier is oblivious that he's even capable of turning into any animal whatsoever and is just Concerned he'll suddenly start sprouting weird body parts that he has to hide somehow. Honestly, he's trying not to think about it too much. At some point, he will figure this out, but I'm waiting for the Right Moment (TM).
🦊 Exploring ➟ Honestly, the role is something that Jaskier's gonna grow into over time since he's right now just an idiot baby bard. If you need an emotional support bard in these trying times? He's available. No witchers around here, so!!


Public Knowledge: What can other characters readily know about yours? What can people reference without checking in with you? Examples include job, school, where they live, etc.

🦊 Music ➟ I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. It's the only banger he's got in his arsenal right now! But as he writes songs or they come up in threads, I do keep track (no pun intended). So, you're always free to have a point of reference for songs in his rotation whether it's the canon jams, "canon" jams, or music unique to game settings! (Just as a little note, never anticipate that I will ever write any of the lyrics for these things because I am absolutely not lyrically inclined and woof. Woof, nobody needs that.) For now, Jaskier's been performing in familiar settings to himself in terms of taverns/bars. He is also doing some street performances, but he will pretend as though that's not the case. But he's willing to provide the tunes for your social event. He can be convinced to perform other peoples' work since his catalog is so small, but he's absolutely putting his own flair on it whether you want him to or not.
🦊 Familiar Haunts ➟ Jaskier is most often found in Willow more so than anywhere else. (He lives in one of the treehouses. Neighbors are free to complain about the noise from working on music at weird hours of the night because he might not yet be a fantasy rockstar, but he's living that lifestyle already.) Y'all, he basically just graduated university (and will brag about it if asked), so he has z e r o interest in any of the schools be it as a student or teacher. That being said, he could maybe perhaps be convinced to do a little musical tutoring or if you're looking to be a better poet, if anyone's interested in that. Pay him in food tbh and he's happy.


General CR information
Wanted CR: Yes. Yes, yes, yes. Please gib. Jaskier has so much love to give whether it's friendship, family, or romantic pursuits. I'm down clown with any and all of that because, honestly, I think Jaskier will shrivel and perish if he doesn't have someone to love. So, if you need someone who's very unconditional positive regard/love, this is your emotional support bard. Just note that I play Jaskier as poly if looking to ship whether FWB or something more serious! I'm also cool if anyone wants to start developing a petty rivalry with him. He's more likely to be petty with other artists, particularly if he perceives them as a threat to his spotlight. Otherwise, honestly, Jaskier gets along with more or less everyone.

Unwanted CR: The only thing I'm not particularly interested in contending with is expectations of monogamy in terms of any shipping/hooking up that's going to be a long-term issue. I'm fine if we chat and we wanna do something kinda brief like a misunderstanding that can be cleared up and resolved one way or another (meaning either continuing to hook up, pumping the brakes, and just being friends, or the relationship ends sour!), but it's definitely a pass if it's gonna be a long-term issue that comes up over and over.

Goals For Your Character:

🦊 Goal/Arc ➟ So, my whole reason for taking Jaskier from such an early canon point is really just to see what happens in terms of his own development outside his friendship with Geralt. (Which is not to say I wouldn't do a lot for a Klondike bar certain witcher to be here!) Jaskier develops so much of himself and his identity around that friendship in canon, so I just thought it'd be neat to see what else can come of it. Particularly as I do plan on eventually updating him to later canon points until eventually having CRAU from Penance. For those that are canon familiar, I am keeping my eyes on pulling him from the betrothal banquet turned wedding turned pregnancy announcement and then in some nebulous point post-mountain before dipping somewhere into season 2. I've no timeline of when I'll be doing these updates, just that they will happen at some point!
🦊 Goal/Arc ➟ I would just like the bard to have some dingdang relationships and opportunities where he's not the butt of the joke and he's actually acknowledged as important, okay. Like, I know Geralt and other people in canon have their own love languages, but!! Just a couple of compliments, as a treat??? Thank you. I just would like for Jaskier to have opportunities to get back what he puts out there.


Specific CR for the trials: See below.

Trial information
Trial Reactions & Goals:

🦊 Muting Winter ➟ I am 1000000% having Jaskier kidnapped by a dragon, are you absolutely shitting me? Yes. Please!! I am down for having multiple people come to his rescue as multiple dragons could have decided to take him into their little hoards because he is a funny little man in colorful outfits who sings nice and probably gives good belly rubs. Jaskier will not be particularly distressed about being part of the hoard because he's 1) being treated just fine, 2) probably gathering any and all tea that he can get from the dragons because uh, hello??? when is he ever gonna get such hot goss from dragons ever again, and 3) he's fairly confident someone will come for him eventually. I'm down for threading that out as well as threading out any return journeys if people are interested. Or if you'd like him to accompany you on the way to reclaim something of yours, he can certainly go back and help with that, too. Established and new CR both welcome for this one!
🦊 Jaeger Time ➟ This one will be one that I'm likely passing on unless there's an expressed interest from someone about it! I would say this is definitely reserved for pre-existing CR rather than new if interested in it.
🦊 Fear Itself ➟ I will definitely need a little bit of time to brainstorm how Jaskier's specific fear will manifest (I lean between being alone and/or being irrelevant as to what the fear is, but beyond that I need more time to think), but I am definitely more interested in Jaskier's role of a Familiar being a stabilizing influence and helping to dislodge heads from behinds as needed. This is a prompt I'm also reserving for established CR just given the nature of it.
Edited 2023-01-11 19:39 (UTC)
maserannas: (glance | it's growing faster)

[personal profile] maserannas 2023-01-12 02:05 am (UTC)(link)
slides in for a: muting winter, does he want one of his rescues to be an elfy one, where the dragon demands a song or two in return for surrendering his current bard, y/n
bardicdisaster: (Default)

[personal profile] bardicdisaster 2023-01-12 01:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Big Y! A very good exchange for the bard tbh
maserannas: (Default)

[personal profile] maserannas 2023-01-12 04:37 pm (UTC)(link)

wonderful, I'll slate this in--would you like me to set up a starter for them once everything's live?

bardicdisaster: (Default)

[personal profile] bardicdisaster 2023-01-12 04:41 pm (UTC)(link)
That works for me!
maserannas: (ask | but you're trying to like this)

[personal profile] maserannas 2023-01-13 10:28 am (UTC)(link)
let me know if this works, and if not, what i can change so it works for us!: https://folkmore.dreamwidth.org/35318.html?thread=6346230#cmt6346230
defenderoftomorrow: (Pretty boy)

[personal profile] defenderoftomorrow 2023-01-12 08:32 am (UTC)(link)
I'm not just imagining Jaskier finally walking away from a dragon just to be snatched up by another before he can properly leave. You're the shiny pokemon everyone wants, my man.

Jayce is also going to be kidnapped by a dragon, but he won't mind all that much because DRAGON!!! He wants to talk to them and ask a lot of stuff like the nerd he is. They could either end up picked by the same hoarding dragon, or maybe see each other in the caves underground...?
bardicdisaster: (Default)

[personal profile] bardicdisaster 2023-01-12 01:55 pm (UTC)(link)
Haha either that or he's somehow part of multiple dragons' hoards all at once and it's a timeshare. Gotta buy out all the others to get him full-time!

And yeah, I'm down for them to have the same hoarding dragon and get to vibe together!
defenderoftomorrow: (Default)

[personal profile] defenderoftomorrow 2023-01-13 11:02 pm (UTC)(link)
That sounds great too, communal bard roflmao.

Excellent, I look forward to that!
twatter: ([ 170 ])

[personal profile] twatter 2023-01-12 11:17 am (UTC)(link)
He gets ONE rescue from Tech. If he's gonna go ahead and keep getting kidnapped, he's gotta find others to save him.
bardicdisaster: (Default)

[personal profile] bardicdisaster 2023-01-12 02:01 pm (UTC)(link)
Is okay. One rescue from Tech is all that matters because it's the only rescue that actually matters 🥺🥺🥺

I kid. But also! Tech could be the one that actually finally gets him out of there if you would like and be the final rescue. Predecessors managed to get him out for like 5 seconds and then another dragon just like BUPBUPBUPBUP my turn with the bard. Then Tech would get to be a proper hero!! He wouldn't get criticized for his choice in heroics this time as long as he is not ridiculous about what he trades to get Jaskier back!! 😤😍 And a proper hero deserves a proper reward. So. 😘
twatter: ([ 07 ])

[personal profile] twatter 2023-01-12 03:34 pm (UTC)(link)
Lmao...... don't offer something ridiculous you say!!! As if Tech doesn't always jump to the most extreme of heroics....

Remember what he was willing to do for Yennefer???

Lol but no. He'll probably trade Jaskier's ring for it and then be very sad about it. 😭
bardicdisaster: (Default)

[personal profile] bardicdisaster 2023-01-12 04:38 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh. Oh my heart. 🥲

I feel like Jaskier will try to encourage him to think of something else just because he knows that ring means a lot to him, and like who is Jaskier as he is right now to sacrifice that for!!! He gets that Tech sees him as important, but that's really, really important. But he won't scold Tech or be mad at him for it. He will just be sad for/with Tech about it if that's what he ends up trading.
moseyin: (Default)

[personal profile] moseyin 2023-01-12 08:24 pm (UTC)(link)
i'd love to have CR with jaskier!!! cloud's an acquired taste but honestly he's friends with a ton of eclectic personalities, so he's actually pretty easy to get along with once one gets past that initial stranger danger

i see his rescue is lined up but ngl it would be HILARIOUS to me if cloud was in there saving someone else, saw jaskier, and jaskier was like "no i'm good i'm still getting the full story out of thundertail and tiamat over there"
bardicdisaster: (Default)

[personal profile] bardicdisaster 2023-01-12 08:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Honestly, I love that. Cloud just having to grapple with the fact Jaskier being like Megara out here with I'm a damsel, I'm in "distress," I can handle this. (And only in this instance because if it was real distress...) A perfect introduction to Jaskier and how much he needs an adult at all times because look at his decision-making skills.
moseyin: (Default)

[personal profile] moseyin 2023-01-14 01:18 am (UTC)(link)
TO BE FRANK......cloud does not have the time to rescue someone who is perfectly happy not being rescued. he might try to convince him a little bit but like, HE WILL LEAVE HIM THERE, I'M SO SORRY