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February 2023 Trial Event Plotting
Trial 10 Plotting Post
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.
Mid February, the weather remains much the same as it has for a while now: Wintermute is frozen, Willow covered in snowdrifts, Epiphany a mess of slush, Cruel Summer dangerously cold at night, and Exile wrapped in a numbing fog. Still, slowly the sun is beginning to rise a little earlier, and the sun to set a little later. The weather may still be wintry, but it’s more the pretty-postcard sort.
A definite improvement is that the blackouts that plagued Folkmore have ceased completely. The wells leading to the dragon’s lairs in Wintermute have closed up once again, vanishing under fresh snow. Hopefully enough information was collected that those at Thoth Academy can map out the underground caverns a little better. And hopefully nobody is still trapped down there!
The Naturmechs are still available for use, although the same process of establishing a mental link must be utilized every time. There’s still plenty of snow you can shovel with them so it might be worth it!
The Fears stalking the Star Children can still be encountered, and can still be defeated.
Of course, older residents of Folkmore know that things are always likely to change on the thirteenth...
Reminders:
🦊 JAEGER TIME and FEAR ITSELF prompts from last month's trial are still in effect. Read more here.
🦊 February is a low intensity month.
🦊 February is a low intensity month.
OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN★
You wake up. Checking your Relic will reveal two things: it is February thirteenth, and you cannot access the Network. Hm.
Maybe you get up and have breakfast, or do your morning workout, or just slam a bunch of coffee and shower. You go about your day however you like, finally tucking yourself into bed after the sun has set, falling into a restful slumber...
You wake up. Checking your Relic will reveal two things: it is February thirteenth, and you cannot access the Network. Hm.
Maybe you get up and have breakfast, or do your morning workout, or just slam a bunch of coffee and shower. This seems awfully familiar, doesn’t it?
You go about your day, and you realise that you know what’s going to happen before it does because it happened yesterday. Except it’s today. Again. It stays the same day until you fall asleep again and…
You wake up. Checking your Relic will reveal two things: it is February thirteenth, and you cannot access the Network. Hm.
The thirteenth of February is, for some, stuck on an endless loop. All those affected will be aware of what is going on; people NOT affected will be pretty clueless if someone tells them "the day has been repeating" and are likely to think you’ve maybe had a bit to drink or something.
Unusual events are not uncommon in Folkmore, but there is always a point to made. Stuck on repeat, you may begin to notice all the things that aggravate you, but you can’t stay angry forever and once you move past that you may begin to consider what good you can do with an endless day. You still have your free will even if the day seems predetermined, after all, and beings with free will always have the choice to choose kindness.
That of course is the key: Star Children must perform a genuine act of kindness that will affect another person to break the spell. What form will that act of kindness take? It’s different for everyone. For some people, helping an old lady cross the stress is enough, while others seem to need to do something a little more extreme, like building a Children's Hospital.
Once an act of genuine kindness has been performed, the day will stop repeating. Events will change, and you can move on with your life.
MOST FUN I EVER HAD★
Content Warnings: mood influencing events, NSFW prompts
Why's it feel so good?
Although it may not feel like it, spring is on its way. The spirits of Folkmore set candles and lanterns everywhere as a celebration of the return of the light after winter’s darkness.
In Wintermute, the ground floor of Cutting Edge has been turned into a trader’s market where spirits and Star Children are encouraged to exchange goods and services. The spirits are offering everything from foodstuffs to artisanal crafts to home appliances. Yes, there might be a rock creature who wants to trade you a toaster. If one has no physical goods to trade, a story is considered acceptable payment.
Over at the hot springs there is a nonstop party going on. It is a celebration of reversals and indulgence! There are heat lamps set up near food and beverage stations so you don’t freeze while enjoying your cakes and drinks of both the alcoholic and nonalcoholic variety. The springs themselves are open to all as usual.
Star Children are invited to build their own costumes and join the festivities. The costumes do not have to be serious or even that glamorous. Satire is welcomed (mockery of the Fox!) and so is depravity (dress up with a phallus if you want). Star Children who can't build their own costumes can ask someone else to do so, or have the Spirits paint their faces and bodies upon arrival.
What’s a party without a dance floor? There’s a large building serving as the hot spring’s own private club. It’s warm inside from all the moving bodies, so come on in and avoid the chill!
Thirteen figured Star Children might need a little bit of inspiration at this party, so she invited a friend of hers to provide some: Euterpe, the Muse of flutes and music! She has a stage to command, and command it she does. Her voice influences the Star Children, and different styles of music cause different effects.
They say I did something bad
If you’re not much of a dancer but still want to get physical, there is another building available. Inside is a roller skating rink, but one with a twist.
This particular rink is a fetish party.
That’s right - bring your sexy primal energy, and leave your inhibitions at home! Step into the kinky Rolla Lair to sample devious delights!
There are poles in the middle of the rink upon which spirits and Star Children can show off their athletic prowess. Go-go cages line the perimeter, with space to dance around them as well. Of course there’s a bar set to one side of the room, while the other side a full fledged dungeon is set up, complete with demonstrations! There are several private rooms down a short hall as well, each filled with all the toys and equipment anybody could possibly dream of.
Maybe you’ll meet someone to experiment with. Or maybe you just really want to rollerskate in vinyl hotpants.
Why's it feel so good?
Although it may not feel like it, spring is on its way. The spirits of Folkmore set candles and lanterns everywhere as a celebration of the return of the light after winter’s darkness.
In Wintermute, the ground floor of Cutting Edge has been turned into a trader’s market where spirits and Star Children are encouraged to exchange goods and services. The spirits are offering everything from foodstuffs to artisanal crafts to home appliances. Yes, there might be a rock creature who wants to trade you a toaster. If one has no physical goods to trade, a story is considered acceptable payment.
Over at the hot springs there is a nonstop party going on. It is a celebration of reversals and indulgence! There are heat lamps set up near food and beverage stations so you don’t freeze while enjoying your cakes and drinks of both the alcoholic and nonalcoholic variety. The springs themselves are open to all as usual.
Star Children are invited to build their own costumes and join the festivities. The costumes do not have to be serious or even that glamorous. Satire is welcomed (mockery of the Fox!) and so is depravity (dress up with a phallus if you want). Star Children who can't build their own costumes can ask someone else to do so, or have the Spirits paint their faces and bodies upon arrival.
What’s a party without a dance floor? There’s a large building serving as the hot spring’s own private club. It’s warm inside from all the moving bodies, so come on in and avoid the chill!
Thirteen figured Star Children might need a little bit of inspiration at this party, so she invited a friend of hers to provide some: Euterpe, the Muse of flutes and music! She has a stage to command, and command it she does. Her voice influences the Star Children, and different styles of music cause different effects.
🦊 Pop: Whatever emotions one has been feeling most lately will suddenly appear above your head. Words like "happy" or "sad" suddenly just floating above you, possibly revealing more than you’d like! These emotional signs will disappear after talking about said emotion with someone else.
🦊 Country: inspires a deep and urgent horniness, often with the urge to engage in exhibitionism and voyeurism. This urge only abates after indulging. What a fun group project that could be!
🦊 Classical: Hanahaki Disease in which victim coughs up flower petals when they suffer from one-sided feelings. It ends when they confess their feelings. These feelings do not have to be romantic - perhaps you’ve been hiding your disdain for someone, or your anger at something they’ve done.
🦊 Rock: The very first creature you lay your eyes on will be the most charming and irresistible thing you’ve ever seen. You will be temporarily infatuated with this person... or spirit... or walking bunny... Yes, you can become enchanted by NPCs. (You can of course play out any of Folkmore’s spirit people or animals - major NPCs such as Thirteen’s iterations are off limits so you’d have to obsess from afar.) This enchantment simply wears off over a period of time.
🦊 Jazz: Red string which temporarily attaches two people together. Physically! They can't cut the string and move away from each other. They must to share something physical (a kiss, a hug, etc) in order to break the string.
🦊 Metal: Temporary telepathy! You and someone else will be able to hear one another’s thoughts and feel one another’s feelings. This link wears off over time - embracing it speeds up the process. The more you resist this and try to deny or suppress the link the longer it will last.
🦊 Rap and Hip-Hop: You feel the urge to compliment a stranger… with some sick rhymes. It’s impossible to resist! If you’re lucky you might already know some songs whose lyrics you can borrow. If not, well, someone might be subjected to your personal attempts...
🦊 Electronic: Floating on a euphoric high, you are compelled to disclose a hope or dream to someone nearby. The urge passes once you have done so.
🦊 Country: inspires a deep and urgent horniness, often with the urge to engage in exhibitionism and voyeurism. This urge only abates after indulging. What a fun group project that could be!
🦊 Classical: Hanahaki Disease in which victim coughs up flower petals when they suffer from one-sided feelings. It ends when they confess their feelings. These feelings do not have to be romantic - perhaps you’ve been hiding your disdain for someone, or your anger at something they’ve done.
🦊 Rock: The very first creature you lay your eyes on will be the most charming and irresistible thing you’ve ever seen. You will be temporarily infatuated with this person... or spirit... or walking bunny... Yes, you can become enchanted by NPCs. (You can of course play out any of Folkmore’s spirit people or animals - major NPCs such as Thirteen’s iterations are off limits so you’d have to obsess from afar.) This enchantment simply wears off over a period of time.
🦊 Jazz: Red string which temporarily attaches two people together. Physically! They can't cut the string and move away from each other. They must to share something physical (a kiss, a hug, etc) in order to break the string.
🦊 Metal: Temporary telepathy! You and someone else will be able to hear one another’s thoughts and feel one another’s feelings. This link wears off over time - embracing it speeds up the process. The more you resist this and try to deny or suppress the link the longer it will last.
🦊 Rap and Hip-Hop: You feel the urge to compliment a stranger… with some sick rhymes. It’s impossible to resist! If you’re lucky you might already know some songs whose lyrics you can borrow. If not, well, someone might be subjected to your personal attempts...
🦊 Electronic: Floating on a euphoric high, you are compelled to disclose a hope or dream to someone nearby. The urge passes once you have done so.
They say I did something bad
If you’re not much of a dancer but still want to get physical, there is another building available. Inside is a roller skating rink, but one with a twist.
This particular rink is a fetish party.
That’s right - bring your sexy primal energy, and leave your inhibitions at home! Step into the kinky Rolla Lair to sample devious delights!
There are poles in the middle of the rink upon which spirits and Star Children can show off their athletic prowess. Go-go cages line the perimeter, with space to dance around them as well. Of course there’s a bar set to one side of the room, while the other side a full fledged dungeon is set up, complete with demonstrations! There are several private rooms down a short hall as well, each filled with all the toys and equipment anybody could possibly dream of.
Maybe you’ll meet someone to experiment with. Or maybe you just really want to rollerskate in vinyl hotpants.
HOW THE WORLD WORKS★
Content Warnings: interdimensional kidnapping, enforced sharing time.
Many Star Children will have experienced the 'safe space' memories of the Naturmechs already; they manifest in your mind's eye as a memory place, someplace they remember fondly. This is not a living memory or a scene playing out, it is only the location.
The safe space pocket dimension works by separating the mind/soul from the body - this is why being stuck there can kill the flesh. Now they can be accessed by the entire person - soul and body.
The entry to the safe space works thusly: one must realise that they need help, and then accept help from another person. The two things may be entirely unrelated; one may realise they feel depressed and need to talk it out, and then someone just happens to hold the door for you because you’re struggling with your groceries. As with many things in Folkmore, it’s not an exact science.
Once this helping connection is made, you and your helpful fellow will be sucked into the safe space. Inside, you are meant to connect, heal, bond, and of course help each other. If you happened to go to your best friend for advice on a situation, this is likely to be a pretty good experience. If someone just picked up your scarf for you, it could be significantly more awkward.
In order to leave the safe space, one must experience some emotional change and improvement. You may not be able to solve a problem completely, but achieving a state of calm or acceptance can do the trick. A door will appear somewhere in your safe space through which you can return to the real world.
Are you the stubborn sort? Or is your helper not helping? Then this comforting location will begin to twist and warp, becoming frightening and threatening before you are both rudely ejected.
For those who bond very deeply through this process, they can become soulmates temporarily for a week. (Players may convert this link to a permanent one through a spoons purchase, but if you link to the thread in which you become bonded for a week you get a half-off discount!)
Many Star Children will have experienced the 'safe space' memories of the Naturmechs already; they manifest in your mind's eye as a memory place, someplace they remember fondly. This is not a living memory or a scene playing out, it is only the location.
The safe space pocket dimension works by separating the mind/soul from the body - this is why being stuck there can kill the flesh. Now they can be accessed by the entire person - soul and body.
The entry to the safe space works thusly: one must realise that they need help, and then accept help from another person. The two things may be entirely unrelated; one may realise they feel depressed and need to talk it out, and then someone just happens to hold the door for you because you’re struggling with your groceries. As with many things in Folkmore, it’s not an exact science.
Once this helping connection is made, you and your helpful fellow will be sucked into the safe space. Inside, you are meant to connect, heal, bond, and of course help each other. If you happened to go to your best friend for advice on a situation, this is likely to be a pretty good experience. If someone just picked up your scarf for you, it could be significantly more awkward.
In order to leave the safe space, one must experience some emotional change and improvement. You may not be able to solve a problem completely, but achieving a state of calm or acceptance can do the trick. A door will appear somewhere in your safe space through which you can return to the real world.
Are you the stubborn sort? Or is your helper not helping? Then this comforting location will begin to twist and warp, becoming frightening and threatening before you are both rudely ejected.
For those who bond very deeply through this process, they can become soulmates temporarily for a week. (Players may convert this link to a permanent one through a spoons purchase, but if you link to the thread in which you become bonded for a week you get a half-off discount!)
Usagi - [Emporio Alniño]
Player Name: Usagi
Player Pronouns: She/They
Player Contact:
Preferred Tag Style: Both Action and Prose are fine! I style match.
Monthly Pacing: I'm at my typical speed at this point, potentially even a little speedier- now that Valentines/Superbowl have passed, things ought slow down again until Easter...and for that matter I have a vacation week coming up in early March! That aside, I also work fulltime nights in the EST timezone, so I often can't boomerang on a thread even on my nights off- I'm simply not awake when the others are! Even so, I try to tag every day for network, and every other day for prose, worst case.
OOC Limitations/Disinterests: For obvious reasons, since my only muse is a child, Emporio is not being tagged into anything romantic/further than romantic. As far as anything else, I simply recommend looking at his Permissions post, as it doubles as an Opt-In and Opt-Out, and has more detail on what is and isn't alright for threads over all.
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Character Name: Emporio Alniño
Permissions: 🦊 Permissions 🦊 Opt-In 🦊 Opt-Out
Character Role: Myth
🦊 Manifested Traits ➟ Currently he just has little fangs and claws. Babby myth. edit - He also has star shaped freckles over his face from the Anti-Hero trial; that feels worth noting.
🦊 Exploring ➟ At the moment I'm still somewhat unsure about exactly where the limits are for myth traits and the like, but beyond that I'm interested in having someone perhaps prod him about just what roles even Are. He hasn't really discussed that with anyone.
Public Knowledge: oh boy
🦊 Associations with his Username 'Speaking.In.Tongues' ➟ Emporio's revealed a number of things either through mistypes or subtle slips here, including the fact that he's 12, and lives in a 'ghost house' that therefore lacks certain ammenities. People could reasonably deduce from this where that house is (as he notes houses in the area are fragile- it's Talaria), and presumably sort out a number of other things about how Not So Great his homelife might have been. Feel free to ask if you want to have your character make some educated guesses!
🦊 In Person Knowledge ➟ Emporio's not especially social despite his efforts, but people who haven't encountered him quite yet can do two things- one, they might hear about someone whispering comments and advice from behind trees and poles and whatnot throughout Willow and even Wintermute (as Wintermute has been where many of the trials brought people these past few weeks). Two, they can use the above to figure out that the 4'7'' kid running around bundled so much he looks like a rainbow marshmallow is 'Speaking.In.Tongues'. Other than that, he's not shared his name outside of personal encounters. Feel free to have a character pull the 'username in public' shout though!
General CR information
Wanted CR: Family! Friends! Emporio needs to come out of his shell a bit, and by a bit we mean a lot. He'll be likely to draw back no matter the case, but he'll find it easier to warm up to someone who doesn't loudly make a deal of it- or even with someone who needs his help, go figure.
Unwanted CR: Right now, he doesn't really need negative CR; let him have proper footing first, I say about the kid who arrived in November. (Slow...slow...) As noted in OOC Limitations/Disinterests, romantic matters are also off the table for now...but that's more of a 'he's 12 y'all' deal.
Goals For Your Character:
🦊 Move Out Idiot ➟ Emporio needs to move somewhere that isn't a ghost house! This is a pretty hard thing to make him do, because even if he's aware that it's not really a sustainable situation, he's understandably REALLY ANXIOUS about potentially sharing housing space with someone!
🦊 Go To School ➟ And on the flipside, smart as he is, he's working with ~spoiler things~ that mean it might not be a bad idea to try learning some magic matters. Plus, he needs distractions to stop sinking into his own head about more miserable matters. In canon, he was a tremendously curious kid, and when given the chance, jumped at the oportunity to try some of the things he'd only ever read about! But he's been pretty crippled on that, and needs to renew that spark. School might help!
Specific CR for the trials: New CR is always welcome, but when it comes to the Trials themselves, especially right now, they do also largely focus right now on...well, how he's feeling. With that in mind, people who might have worked their way through his network info, or talked to him once or twice in person, are preferred for any scenarios where actually talking about feelings is necessary. Otherwise he'll feel even worse! Oh no! That aside, I'm a pretty flexible person- if you can sell it, I'll probably buy it.
Trial information
As a note, Emporio will not personally be participating in 'Over and Over and Over Again'.
Trial Reactions & Goals: I try to take the Trials at a more organic pace, but that aside there is ONE goal here- which is, someone needs to get his traumas off his chest. He can't just sit on all of this, he's just going to run into a wall on it- and it's not even a myth worthy wall.
Also statistically speaking, becoming a shut-in is bad for your financial health here.🦊 Jaegar Time ➟ (From Last Month); Emporio didn't get any hits on this prompt last time, so it was assumed he didn't participate, since you kind of need two people to pilot a golem! As it is, I look forward to the idea of him either helping to pull someone out of their memory place, or someone pulling him from his, as this particular trial doesn't require delving into the other's emotional matters.
🦊 Most Fun I Ever Had ➟ Since Emporio's just a kid, he's only participating in certain parts of the party- a little bit of hot spring soaking, a little bit of party, and the only music he'll be under the effects of will be Pop, Metal, and Electronic- as all three of these won't poke into the very much Not For Kiddos aspects. It is also worth noting that his party prompts will be After the 17th, as he's essentially using it to 'cheat' himself a birthday.
🦊 How the World Works ➟ I have one specific prompt in mind for this, so this could potentially become first come first serve; as it stands, it will be before the 17th, and involve his Ghost Room- as well as discussing the spoilers of his canon that have since left him traumatized.
Trial Accomplishments: Alright lets get onto the flipside of this thing-
🦊 Jaegar Time ➟ As noted above, if there's no bites, there's no Golem. Emporio can't even attempt this trial if he's alone! As it stands, he'll do better pulling someone else out than being pulled out himself, given his mental state. I'd rather he not die though, so the idea is he'd successfully be tugged back to focus.
🦊 Most Fun I Ever Had ➟ This is actually a trial I'm willing to delay any success on, especially with Pop. Go figure, seeing literal words spelling out how upset you are half the day is something people try to hide! That aside, the obvious idea is to get him talking. C'mon kid, get to it. Metal and Electronic have the chance to be more fun though- they're essentially there specifically to ease the kid into some socializing, trauma free, and that's what he needs! Socializing! Friends! Make 'm bud!
🦊 How the World Works ➟ Ideally, Emporio would come out of this one with someone he can trust and talk to about...well, what he needs to talk about.
Timeline of Trials:
🦊 Jaegar Time ➟ Notably, this one only has the time limit of 'February'. It can happen at any point! As long as there's snow. Snow is important.
🦊 Most Fun I Ever Had ➟ This one as noted, will only be from the 17th onward; what do you mean this doesn't count as a birthday party it Absolutely counts leave him alone-
🦊 How the World Works ➟ And meanwhile, this one comes before the 17th, partly because it will be prompted entirely because of a pile of things he's fussing over leading up to that day. Whoo!
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And yeah some music bonding could be fun! Much as Emporio probably trusts Gara with sad details, it's probably better for Gara himself if things stay simple for now ahaha
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If we're aiming for something a little less heavy hearted, Metal or Electronic is probably best; Metal being the telepathic connection (and thus one easily likely to turn into Emporio Shares Trivia All Night Long), and Electronic being the one where people share their hopes and dreams.
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