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π–˜π–†π–‘π–™π–‡π–šπ–—π–“π–™ π–’π–”π–‰π–˜. ([personal profile] saltburnmods) wrote in [community profile] draino2024-09-07 10:00 am
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𝐈 πƒπŽπ'𝐓 ππŽπ‘πŒπ€π‹π‹π˜ π‹πˆπŠπ„ π‚π‡πŽπ‚πŽπ‹π€π“π„ π‚π€πŠπ„ β–£ SEPT TDM





SEPTEMBER 2024 TDM: LUGHNASADH


Welcome to SALTBURNT, a panfandom smut/thriller game based off the film Saltburn, where characters are encouraged to indulge their deepest desires. The money never runs out and the liquor never stops pouring, so you may as well indulge from the bounty. Of course, things are rarely what they seem, and the manor itself seems to have a consciousness of its own. Throw parties, trash the house, engage in youthful merriment, but remember β€” dangers come out at night, and no one, no matter how rich you are, is safe from demons lurking in the shadows.

Threads can be considered game canon, provided the players agree. Players can also start fresh upon acceptance into the game. In game characters can post to the TDM directly, using Β« NEW CHARACTER/IN GAMEΒ» in the header. There will be a spot below for new characters to link their toplevels for easy access. Alternatively, prompts on the Test Drive can be used for in game logs.







WELCOME TO SALTBURNT


It's the hangover more than the light streaming in through half drawn curtains that wakes you up, your brain rattling in your skull, your mouth dry and cottony, your stomach churning with whatever it is you drank last night. If self preservation is your strong suit, you might turn over in bed and see a few painkillers laid out for you on a silver dish, accompanied by a glass of water. If it isn’t, stay in bed and wallow β€” eventually a maid will be in to tear your curtains open, saying, "Breakfast is served," and scurrying out quietly, invisibly. Breakfast? Maybe it’s normal for you. Maybe it isn’t.

You're drawn from the room, either by the mystery, or an undefinable urge that could be supernatural in origin, or could be your hunger catching up to you. It's almost nostalgic, the walk to the dining room β€” have you been here before? Were you drawn up to this estate in a car? Haven’t you done all this already? Maybe you mosey around a library, maybe you run into your suite mate in your adjoining bathroom. Regardless, seemingly all hallways, covered in priceless artworks and ancient relics from times long past, lead to the dining room, where a comically long table houses the Balfours and their many guests, some who seem just as disgruntled and confused as you. No matter. "Breakfast will be out in a minute," they say. What's that?

EDIT SEPTEMBER 2024: For those who have attended breakfast with the Balfours before, a change in routine might come as a shock, given how rarely they stray from form. However, as of September, CARMY BERZATTO has taken over Head Chef position, alongside his cousin RICHIE JERIMOVICH and always the bridesmaid never the bride, SANJI. In place of the self-serve style breakfast, there is an elevated menu, including: a self-serve juice bar, with pitchers of various juiced fruit and vegetables, shaved ice, coconut water, green and black tea syrups, potted microherbs, sliced whole berries, and finger limes. There is also, naturally, liquor and champagne available. Guests can make their own drinks, or ask the allocated staff member to serve them one of the "specials" if they're feeling adventurous.

That said, these are world class chefs, so the gold is really in the menu:
THE EGGS

𝐓𝐇𝐄 π‰πŽππ“π˜: one runny boiled egg shelled and recoated in edible gold leaf, seated on a throne of fried bread soldiers, plated with whipped butter and italian parsley.
𝐄𝐆𝐆𝐒 ππ„ππ„πƒπˆπ‚π“: vinegar poached eggs with hollandaise foam on a bed of toasted freekah and baby spinach.
𝐄𝐆𝐆𝐒 π’π‡π€πŠπ€π’π‡πŽπ”πŠπ€: two eggs poached in a ramekin of pureed tomato, served with a crispy grilled cheese cut to dip.
𝐓𝐇𝐄 π’π˜πƒππ„π˜: french omelette with a light cheese filling, topped with crushed potato chips and chives.
πŽπ„π”π…π’ ππ‘πŽπ”πˆπ‹π‹π„π’: fluffy scrambled eggs in brown butter, served on sourdough.
π’ππ€ππˆπ’π‡ 𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓: mini-quiche made with caramelized red onions and jamon pata negra ham.
𝐄𝐆𝐆 πŒπ‚π’π€ππƒπ–πˆπ‚π‡: bacon, egg, cheese and sausage breakfast muffin that tastes weirdly like it was made at a popular chain with golden arches.

THE SWEETS

❖ momofuku's "cereal milk" ❖
❖ fette biscottate with a sour cherry jam and peanut floss ❖
❖ a warm cinnamon bun served with a shot of espresso coffee for dipping ❖
❖ a macadamia-marzipan croissant with a wattleseed and burnt-honey filling ❖
❖ poffertjes with a liquid nutella injection ❖


If you want to leave, you’ll have to tell Giles, the housekeeper, who will arrange a car for you that mysteriously, or perhaps suspiciously, never arrives. Unfortunately, confronting Giles about it is near impossible, as he’s as good at being invisible as the rest of the house staff. Of course, there’s no reason why you can’t just walk out. The front gates are easy enough to jump over, even if the walk towards them gives you a strange sense of foreboding, or just outright discomfort, as if the ground itself doesn’t want you to leave. Those more sensitive or fragile might find they can’t make the jump, no matter how physically able, or desperately wanting. Still, a strong person could continue on, over the fence and into the lush English countryside. The feeling doesn’t dissipate, though β€” this sense of wrongness, almost sickness, like a weight on your back. Walk into the evergreen, carry on, but the strongest will make it perhaps a mile or so before the weight of dread and paranoia brings you to your knees, and then to your face, flat in the middle of a dirt road. What were you thinking? Is this really better?

Wake up with a hangover, in a bed, the curtains drawn, the maid saying, "Breakfast is served," before scurrying out. The painkillers are there, just like you remember. In fact, it’s all exactly how you remember, as if you never left an imprint the first time, or any mess you made was cleared away while your back was turned. Walk to the dining room, find everyone there eating away at their breakfast.

"We dress for dinner," says Portia, with a kind, if discerning smile. "Black tie."




ITSY BITSY TEENIE WEENIE

CONTENT WARNINGS: drugs, alcohol, nudity, potential for nsfw.
POOLSIDE PLAYLIST courtesy of Robin

It's an innocent enough, offhand suggestion from the mouth of one (1) DIARMUID about wanting to learn how to paint, and honestly, the house couldn't agree more: a party is necessary. As August winds down, it's important to go out with a bang, and what better way than through an explosive end of summer pool party? To say goodbye to the waning summer nights, the manor is throwing a pool party with an artistic neon twist. Per the growing complications of everyone's relationship status in this new age of bisexuality, polygamy, and pegging, glow-in-the-dark bracelets with matching solo cups have been set out with the appropriate labels β€”Β TAKEN, SINGLE, OPEN, and IT'S COMPLICATED, depending on your interest. Lounge by the water in your cutest bikini or trunks or nothing at all and engage in some very relaxing full-body painting using the supplies provided β€” that is, the paint is supplied, though brushes and sponges are few and far between. Better just to use your own body to paint your masterpiece. Put yourself on display as a model by the pool, or engage in a brutally competitive game of chicken fights, wherein the loser loses their clothes and the winner gets to keep them.

Not your style? Sneak off somewhere more private like the twinkling gardens illuminated with multicolored tiki lamps, lakeside decorated with bio-luminescent rocks, or the (perfectly safe, wolfless, we promise) maze to indulge in your inner desires. You might find that certain colors glow beneath the moonlight and unlock desires you’ve kept tightly under lock and key. It's hard not to feel impulsive or unrestrained under the full moon's light, with your body paint as armor. People might appear more attractive to you under this witching light like a magic spell cast β€” but really, you haven’t had any trouble with that, here. Have you?

If you’re thirsty, the house has tasked RICHIE, CARMY, and SANJI (dressed as cabana boys) with an extensive poolside drinks menu, since they’ve been so helpful with breakfast. Thanks, boys. Ask them for anything. In fact, ask them for everything. They're here to serve.

As the night closes out, turn your eyes heavenward for a spectacular fireworks show. Many apologies to those of you who suffer from PTSD; you can head inside for an early night and cover your ears with a pillow, but do be careful not to suffocate yourself, unless you're into that. The fireworks shimmer and shatter, and those watching closely might start to see hidden messages written in the stars for you, though is that your eyes playing tricks? Better ask that friend you’re snuggled up with. As anxiety weighs a little heavier on your heart, you might feel compelled to confess a few secrets on this last night of summer, big or small, something loving or not. Seek out that destructive habit, or take some steps toward healing. Let the fireworks drown out the noise.






FRUITS OF LABOUR


CONTENT WARNINGS: body horror, gore, cannibalism.

Saying goodbye to summer means welcoming in the new season, and as August nights turn into September mornings, the landscape of the grounds changes from verdant greens to egg yolk yellow and sunburnt orange, a gradient of autumnal colors. To that end, a week long festival erects outside to enjoy the last of the year's good weather β€” a generous harvest bounty fills up tables and tables of ample displays, full of ripened fruits and fresh baked breads, baked potatoes roasted in the coals of a bonfire, sausages, wheels of cheese, marshmallows, cider and apple juice, tomato soup, apple and blackberry compote, rhubarb crumble, all richly decorated in sunset hues. Among the servings, anyone with a birthday in August or September will find themselves a individualized cake, perhaps with some motif to define them, otherwise just with the harvest decorations of gourds, leaves, wheat, and fruit. Alongside that, a new smaller maze has been made from hay bales on the lawn. During the day it's just a silly and fun maze, but at night it takes on a new form and characters can easily become lost and find themselves in a maze that seems to go on forever, with the ominous lowing of a bull somewhere in the distance. Luckily, everyone is released at daybreak, maybe a little traumatized, but all in one piece.

What would a festival be, without some games to indulge in? Around the celebratory grounds, there are four pumpkins painted gold, hidden around the festival. Anyone who finds one is entitled to a boon from your very generous hosts (join the race HERE). Hunting not to your tastes after the last few goose chases? No worries, there's plenty still to do β€” from apple bobbing, jumping over bonfires, throwing discus/shotput, horseshoes, and more, it's a festival jam packed with games and prizes to be won, from little jars of handmade jam from France, to stuffed chicken plushies, to tin cans with the labels ripped off, full of ... well, it's anyone's guess, really. Crack it open and find out!

In honor of the handfasting ceremony, characters are selected at random and tied together at the wrist, much to everyone's amusement. Once knotted, the ribbon will not give way under any physical or magical duress, meaning you'll be stuck together until the tie undoes on its own. It could be day, a night, two nights, or more, but it seems like the ribbon is waiting for something in particular β€”Β a genuine heart to heart, maybe? Consummating the marriage? Hopefully you like the person you're tied to, because you're going to be spending a lot of time with your temporary spouse, in immediately close quarters.

At the end of the week, there's a final end of summer ceremony, wherein the vampire ARMAND is given special homage for being an especially adored guest, donned in floral regalia and ordained with crowns of flowers, much to his growing malcontent. In fact, he and all the vampires present in house seem to be given the regal treatment from the staff with less grand flower crowns of their own, honored at the head of the festival's final gluttonous table, lined with naked, giggling bodies covered in autumnal produce, sprouting mushrooms, blooming flowers, and distinctly meaty dishes β€” steak and kidney pie, blood sausage, pumpkins stuffed with zebra meat. It's only after you drink the wildflower tea and locally (Very, Locally) crafted beer that things start to feel a little off. The happy bodies used as serving platters look sometimes, between one blink and the next, like masticated corpses, the gourds and fruits set more deeply in the cornucopia their opened chest cavities make. Despite that, there's no real sense of death in the air β€” get a better look, and you might find the veins of the dead work more like the vines for the plants, giving them life.

The question becomes: which is the hallucination? The smiling faces or the blooming corpses?

Though hysteria rankles through the crowd the more people come to terms with the visions they're seeing, given the population at the head of the table, it's a fairly easy riddle to crack. Can vampires eat the cursed food? In short: yes, they can. Sorry we made you eat people again.



DIRECTORY


perfectionner: (pic#17282908)

[personal profile] perfectionner 2024-09-11 03:53 pm (UTC)(link)
Lost in a looping composition, Lestat doesn't immediately notice his shifting surroundings. Even if he had, he would have at least one means of escaping from the maze, even though he has been attempting not to draw too much attention to his true nature. That secrecy has been preserved through their apparent immunity to the sun, among other things, but there do seem to be a few guests who are starting to catch on to their strange dietary requirements, and Lestat can only erase the truth from so many minds before he risks being surrounded by morons of his own making.

All other thoughts flee, however, when he's confronted by Armand's presence, which has the ability to be both all-encompassing and more demure given the other vampire's physical stance, hands in pockets and shoulders somewhat slanted.

"When inspiration strikes, who am I to fight it?" Lestat rejoins, head tilting slightly, his gaze lingering on Armand's features in profile.

"There are moments when one desires an escape, for thoughts to persist without competition." Yet he isn't outwardly bothered by Armand's presence, especially in the wake of their previously established conciliation. The sun carries a distinct warmth now, in its setting, its dying rays gilding the older vampire's frame, and Lestat has little difficulty recalling what they once so easily shared.

"And you seem more at peace."
unconscionable: (125)

[personal profile] unconscionable 2024-09-11 03:56 pm (UTC)(link)
There's about, what, eight of you now?

[ A slight miscount, due to how he registers who's a vampire and who isn't catching some other similar things in scope. Still a concerning number. ]

Nah, look, it's fine. I'm probably just jealous.
homosexuals: (pic#17058755)

[personal profile] homosexuals 2024-09-11 04:07 pm (UTC)(link)
I don't give a shit about astrology. I don't even know what my sign is.

I was gonna ask how you got here, but I'm more interested in this now.

Whole pack's on the line, whenever you're ready.
nishtha: (pic#17235205)

[personal profile] nishtha 2024-09-11 04:07 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Intruding into John's thoughts is a bad idea in the same way that swimming across a whirlpool is a bad idea. All Armand has to go on is the look on his face, the all too mortal lines that bracket his eyes, the softness of his mouth. The steady beat of his heart. ]

An eternity of life. Passion, love. Loneliness. Violence. Suffering, pain. Watching those around you die, or go mad, or succumb to the fire. You know this. What is there to be jealous of?
unconscionable: (129)

fruits.

[personal profile] unconscionable 2024-09-11 04:12 pm (UTC)(link)
Dunno. Don't think so.

[ Kiwi accent; slump-shouldered, substitute teacher demeanour; boring clothes. John could be any second guy on the Auckland streets, except for the black sclera and the way his body is medically perfect to a trained ear.

John figures, he doesn't really remember when his birthday is, but he likes the look of the cakes this month, spiced and iced, and there's a fair whack there. Nobody else is eating them. He didn't really expect to be questioned about his theft, but doesn't seem particularly fucking concerned about it either. He's the golden boy in this mansion; he still has his pantheon statue tucked away in the corner of the bathroom.

John approaches Homelander with his cake in one hand, trying to read the vibe.
]

Want some?
unconscionable: (016)

[personal profile] unconscionable 2024-09-11 04:17 pm (UTC)(link)
Not of your, uh, baby bat. Of you.

[ A dissatisfied little smile. He finally eats some bread, chewing it slowly, thinking about that litany. Maybe he can make himself be happy for Armand instead. He'll try. ]

Are you going to change anyone who comes asking or is this one special?
seventails: (Default)

Pian Ran | Till the End of the Moon | New Character

[personal profile] seventails 2024-09-11 04:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Welcome to Saltburnt

[Waking in a strange bed and a strange place is not such an uncommon experience. Pian Ran accepts it with mild interest as she searches her mind through the haze of all the alcohol she doesn't remember drinking. The bed is empty, so she doesn't even have a clue about who she went home with, and the furnishings are of no design style she's seen before.

Pushing herself up out of the tangled nest she's made of the blankets, she huffs a strand of hair out of her face and looks around for clues. None. Only a few hard pellets beside a glass of water. She sniffs the pellets, wrinkling her nose at the harsh scent. Medicine, probably. She leaves it, but drinks the water.

The clothes that have been laid out for her are a mystery to her, and though she makes an attempt, the fastenings of buttons and zippers remain too confounding, so she abandons them and retrieves her own apparel from the back of the closest, a flowing red hanfu.

Further confusion awaits her at breakfast as she attempts to negotiate with the wait staff over the question of how she'd like her eggs, because all the available options don't include the one she wants most.]
As eggs. [Of course, miss. How would you like them cooked?] No, thank you, don't bother. Just the eggs. [Her smile is friendly and polite, though it becomes more forced as it takes a couple more exchanges before she understands what they're not understanding and manages clarify that she wants the eggs raw in their shells.

She orders plenty of other things off the menu, one each of all the available sweets, excited to indulge in each new thing. When the eggs are brought to her, she cracks each one one-handed into her mouth, swallows, a practiced gesture that doesn't spill a drop, and sets the two halves of the egg shell down on her plate.

No one has behaved as though her presence is strange, so she assumes that sooner or later she'll figure out who she bedded in order to end up here. In the meantime, she guesses it's best to pretend that she's supposed to be here, and turns to whoever's beside her at the breakfast table to try and get information.]


How are you acquainted with our hosts?


Itsy Bitsy

[With a little help from the staff, Pian Ran has embraced the provided poolside attire, lounging in a tiny purple bikini with gold accents. She lounges by the poolside, with a green OPEN bracelet on her wrist.

Entertained though she is by watching others playing in the water, she has no intention of going in herself, a fact that's easy to guess from a glance at her artfully styled hair. She's not getting that wet.

Eventually she's tempted by the paints, picking up a pot of blue paint and sniffing it once, nose wrinkling. She has no idea how anyone got that shade of blue into a paint and it smells terrible. Still, the art project sounds fun.]


Are you much of an artist? I'm willing to try painting, but it won't be very good.


Fruits of Labour

[Pian Ran submits willingly to the handfasting, amused by the game. She's always enjoyed attaching herself to people, though it's usually not in such a literal manner, and she assumes that the ribbon can be untied or cut as soon as she gets bored. For now, she offers a playful smile to her temporary spouse. There's a seductive glint to her eyes, simply because she's spent so much of her life using seduction to get what she wants, so it's a simmering undercurrent to everything that she does.]

What will you give me for a wedding present?


Wildcard

[Open to anything! Feel free to reach me for plotting at [plurk.com profile] marlovingian ]
nishtha: (pic#17235160)

[personal profile] nishtha 2024-09-11 04:25 pm (UTC)(link)
No.

[ Still somewhat thrown by John's confession, but the answer is immediate, genuinely meant. Behind his glasses, Armand's gaze travels back to Daniel. His fledgling has been joined by House, who is wearing a hat shaped like a chicken and appears to be trying to convince him to play horseshoes.

Armand watches them for a moment, a fond smile rising across his expression.
]

This one will be my only wonderful failure. No others after him.
redsoil: (pic#16220818)

SET ( ENNEAD ), EXISTING CHARACTER

[personal profile] redsoil 2024-09-11 04:29 pm (UTC)(link)

β€” ITSY BITSY TEENY WEENIE.

[ PAINT & BRACELETS. For your consideration, and toward your interest, the notation accompanying the bracelets says.

Honestly, he doesn't know what to make of such a simple thought.

No, the message is clear. Pick a bracelet, display your relationship status to all who look upon you. What he doesn't know is β€” how to explain his own. In the end, he takes all four colors in hand and grips them like his life depends on it without donning one over the other; instead, he rolls the circlets through his fingers at the poolside, legs dipped into the warm waters and brow furrowed in thought. It's obvious he's having a hard time deciding what one he wants to put on himself. Talking it through might help, but he's not about to just up and say that.

Dressed in a vintage Jantzen swimsuit ( cute! ), he pushes the large sunhat he's gathered his hair up into the crown of higher on his brow and scowls a bit. Not the most friendly-looking sort, even with as pretty a face as he's got. All red eyes, plush red mouth and β€” sharp teeth, bared as he 'tsks' in concession. He fishes a cigarette out of the halter-style top of the swimsuit, and puts it between his teeth.

]


β€” hand me a brush, [ grumble, ] and I will get your back for you. The least I can do is give you a fetching design.

[ Casually, he tries to toss the bracelets aside in favor of the alternative pursuit….. ]

[ MAZE. And maybe by evening, he has accepted a few painted designs of his own from other guests ( were you one? ), and finds himself a vagrant in the maze. That wide hat held on his head in the brisk evening breeze, hair coming down from the pins holding it up in the protective twist to sit coiling and wavy across his shoulders. Whatever's in that paint, it's just enough to loosen his tongue. To soften up the stern brow and frowning mouth, so that when he catches sight of someone else rounding a corner, his eyes glow ( literally, ruby-incandescent, pupils thin and dark as a cat's eyes, a demon's gaze ) and mouth tugs to one side. ]


I hear that some think that this place exists to bring out our most wicked selves.

[ There's a note of plaintive desolation in that casual tone he strikes. A sort of careless nihilism that is ill-suited for as vibrant and lively a character as him. ]

β€” or that maybe, it is to punish us because we already are them.

[ FIREWORKS. By the time the fireworks begin, Set is enthralled by whatever spell has been cast to evoke deep anxiety. As the thunderous sounds of fireworks explode around the estate, he paces like a caged animal, the edge of a thumb tucked between his animal-sharp teeth, worrying at it as he prowls from maze to poolside, through the grounds. Anywhere at random, like a man who cannot stop trying to run, escape. He's silent in that anxiousness, but the sunhat has been lost and his hair is in utter disarray, a cigarette held forgotten between two fingers as he frays at his thumb until blood runs down the heel of his palm and leaves a little spattered trail behind him.

I will not fail, I will not fall. Please wait for me, I will come back. I will escape this place. He can be heard muttering through clenched teeth, trying to reach for the defensive fury within him and finding it muted and crippled underneath rising doubts and fears. ]


β€” FRUITS OF LABOR.

[ SCAVENGER HUNT. With the anxiety and fears from the poolside party-become-hated-vulnerability over, Set immediately returns to his old self. Determined to pretend as if nothing happened, he will absolutely become a competitive terror during the scavenger hunt β€” he likes winning, after all. There is no competition too childish, nor too silly, for him not to throw himself into with aplomb! However, coming across him while he searches for one of the pumpkins will invite one, of two, responses ( depending on how you want to swing it :) ).

The first being a bright cry of delight, as he points directly at whomever has stumbled across his efforts and declares: ]
You! How about we strike a deal to help one another? I will have a pumpkin, and so will you. The benefit being that I am a very powerful god, and you are… well, you can serve me in this endeavor.

[ set honey………………..

The second, however? Is the one where he's a little too competitive, and has decided that whomever he's stumbled across is likely not going to be amenable to a team-up. Thus! They must be eliminated. ]
I will give you one opportunity. You may leave the competition willingly, or I will gladly leave you incapable of further participation.

[ How does he sound cheery while threatening bodily harm? ]

[ HANDFASTING. The moment he realizes he's tied together with someone else?

Where there was a man, there is now a pile of sand. And the ribbon is still embedded within that sand, oddly enough. No amount of tugging can free it.

Which means when he reforms partially from that heap ( it's a bit like watching a shark breaking the surface of the waves ), it's with an accusing glower. This is OBVIOUSLY not his fault.

]

[ END OF SUMMER | CW EMETO, DISTRESS. Set doesn't eat. It's not a necessity, but when he chooses to partake it is generally for social reasons.

To find himself at the table, laden with a variety of foods upon the reclining, nude bodies of individuals set up as serving platter, he is reminded of Hathor's orgiastic parties β€” handsome men ( and sometimes women, for her guests ), writhing and begging to be granted the attention of the divine. Some enjoy this sort of thing, but Set has taken his seat with obvious discomfort. The sensual decadence before him is a little too much, akin to dropping someone entirely unprepared into the deep end of a pool and watching them slowly drown. As the night rolls on, he does not touch any of the food β€” his face bright red, his hands clenched tight to one another in his lap. Conversation with him is terse and brief, for he is trying to be a good guest ( a lie; he is trying to be an attentive detective! ).

And then, the giggling people are β€”

they are β€”

torn apart, chewed up, violated. And the moment the hallucination(?) begins, he backs away from the table so quickly and strongly that his chair smashes against the wall behind him and snap-cracks, denting the wall and shatteirng the wood. His expression punched-out and pale with shock. Disgust. Turmoil. His eyes are scarlet-hot, pupils thinned into cat-like slits, mouth agape and animal teeth bared defensively against the sight. And then he cover his mouth, as a wave of nausea overtakes him so quickly that he is forced to turn and flee the dining room. Immediately spilling his guts into the nearest decorate vase out of spite. ]


Oh, not again. Not again, please. Do not make me relive this, too β€”

[ He utters it, and around his left wrist, a dark bracelet ( he always wears it ), begins to leak miasma and poisonous-black smoke. The aura of hatred, the distant echo of screaming women seems to emanate from it. ]


β€” WILDCARD(S).

[ Or wildcard me! I'll write in brackets or prose, no worries there.

Some other non-event/casual event prompts for Set can be found here, ignore that I dated it for August, they're for forever. Set's not currently available for full sexual encounters, but physical/intellectual intimacy isn't off the table due to the influences of the estate. He's not good at flirting, unless you think bratty threats of violence count. HMU at [plurk.com profile] cryptids or on Discord ( pax._ ) if you want to chat about a closed prompt; I love slowburn and long-term plots! ]
Edited 2024-09-11 16:32 (UTC)
unconscionable: (101)

[personal profile] unconscionable 2024-09-11 04:34 pm (UTC)(link)
[ There it is again, same as at the pool. A little worse when he's looking at Molloy and House right there together. ]

That's what I thought, yeah.

[ You really only need to do it once, if you've picked right.

John eats some more bread. Daniel glances once at House's neck.
]

If he kills my husband I will kill him, FYI.

[ Like he's remarking on the inclement weather. A fact of the world that Armand should be aware of. ]
dead_tongue: (gosh)

[personal profile] dead_tongue 2024-09-11 04:39 pm (UTC)(link)
"It's like, the ability to attract people," Iggy supplies helpfully. "Like being charming or charismatic."

"Indiana!" He says it like it's exotic. "Oh, gosh, and a cruise ship? I'm scared of cruises, I've watched all these videos on how gross they are and if you die on them they cover it up and stuff."

He smiles brightly. "Maze. It's autumn! We gotta do the maze. Besides, we're already in it."

He picks a direction at random and starts walking.

"I love your hair. Natural?"
nishtha: (pic#17203700)

[personal profile] nishtha 2024-09-11 04:45 pm (UTC)(link)
[ It's entirely acceptable to Armand, and unsurprising. He watches House switch tactics, now offering Daniel a drink from a flask he takes from his jacket. ]

His instincts are strong, and may take him beyond reason. But I will intervene if necessary. [ A flicker of wry amusement. ]

I fear I underestimated how bloodthirsty he would become.

[ Not entirely unhappy about it, as if they're discussing a particularly naughty puppy. ]
unconscionable: (001)

[personal profile] unconscionable 2024-09-11 04:53 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Recalling something Molloy had written about himself on the network a few weeks ago: ]

He's a journalist, so that's not really surprising.

[ Bloodthirsty motherfuckers. He's very charmed by the note in Armand's voice, though, elbows his ribs lightly with a handsome flash of a grin. ]

Congrats, I guess.
semicharmed: (I'm onto you)

[personal profile] semicharmed 2024-09-11 05:18 pm (UTC)(link)
Matt's lips twitch at the suggestion. Harry has no way of knowing the echoes Matt hears, how this reminds him of Daniel ushering him into the shower after their encounter with the aggressive indoor plants. He can't tell if it's amusing or depressing that so many people seem to see him and immediately conclude he needs tending.

"Fine by me," he says easily, once the fireworks die down. He thinks he caught a hint of something written in the sky--some urgent message or taunting sigil--but he can get eyes on the display from indoors. Matt starts to turn, crooking a finger towards Harry in suggestion to follow. "Fair warning, though, I don't clean up all that well."

He's leading them more or less towards the wing of the manor where all the bedrooms are--where Harry woke up recently, if Matt guesses correctly.
forzare: (Default)

[personal profile] forzare 2024-09-11 05:27 pm (UTC)(link)
Don't let it get to you, Matty! He'd do the same for anyone else in this place!

Following the glow-in-the-dark paint through the darkness is easy, and if he really had to, he could spark a light in the night and let it carry them forth. But, while he's pretty sure that the estate is aware of what he's capable of, not everyone else is; keeping a few things under wraps for the moment might be wise. Making himself seem harmless β€” or as harmless as he can appear, what with all his scarred glory and tall-dark-wolfish vibes looming around the estate β€” could pay off. It lets him observe, keep tabs. Do his job. And hey, if this is anything like anything: everyone's life could depend on it.

"Eh, that's fine. You looked a little cold, getting you into a warm spot and polishing you up might be some good foreplay for a conversation like this," he drawls it, lazy and casual. Whomever his neighbor is, he hasn't met them. If there's even anyone in the room next to his to begin with, he might have lucked out for the moment! Being lead to Matt's room means stepping into the soft lights of the manor house, though, and all Dresden's dangerous angles stick out like he's a wolf come to prowl for a victim.

" β€” sooo," except, he's a good guy in this. A real bona fide gentleman with a motormouth, is all, and he falls into line alongside Matt, with his hands stuffed into the pockets of his Rugrats board shorts. Fucking weirdo. "What do you think about magic, hm?"
sonatinas: (bridgertons3ep1-58)

[personal profile] sonatinas 2024-09-11 06:16 pm (UTC)(link)
[It it hardly something personal, but she realizes belatedly that it might be taken that way. She opens her mouth to object, like she can try and reverse what offense she might have accidentally given-- even if she doesn't know him actually. It's not what she intended, nor does she really think there might be some consequence to whatever that ceremony was--

At least outside of the manor.

But then he's clearly trying to undo what they've already done, and it looks like he's struggling. Which makes her think there is far more to the ceremony than previously thought of. She tries to pull away from him herself to no avail-- her mouth opens and then closes.]


I do not think we can physically separate. [Her face pales, and she tries for a meek smile of apology. She should not have said anything before. They are stuck. Will all of her pushing it seems there is something else at work here, one of the strangeness that she still cannot understand, but it slowly realizing is just a part of being in this equally strange place.]

My apologies. I hope you did not think that my-- my apprehension to this was anything against you. [Round eyes look back at him with a slight squint. She doesn't even know him. It is just a touchy subject, but she does not want him to think it is on him if they are suddenly in this position a little more long-term now. Whatever the definition of this ceremony is meant for.]
unapparent: (215)

[personal profile] unapparent 2024-09-11 07:18 pm (UTC)(link)
[ For a brief moment, she stills. At least on the surface. Beneath the skin, her pulse skips and stutters, moved by his kindly sentiment. What could he know of her worth, in the weeks they’ve kept each other’s company?

She edges closer to give the ribbon more slack and to just β€” be nearer. ]


No kids. [ echoed agreement, trying out the idea of it. A wife, not a mother. A lover, not a subject.

Her free hand brushes his to take the cigarette and press it between her lips, elegant enough that she must have made use of the packet from the library on her own time. ]


[ quietly teasing, ] You’d stay quarrelsome, then. [ because she deserves it, or simply because she likes the way he challenges her without disrespect. A smoky exhale. ] And handsome, as you are.
nishtha: (pic#17353285)

[personal profile] nishtha 2024-09-11 07:37 pm (UTC)(link)
[ It's been a very, very long time since anyone dared to elbow Armand like that. Louis, perhaps, had come close, but this is less about flirting and more about -- playfulness. Boyish good humor. He surprises himself by laughing, pleased and embarrassed in equal measure. It makes him seem, for a few moments, very young. ]

Thank you, Maestro.

[ He sobers up as he returns his gaze to his fledgling. ]

I never thought that I would take part in the act of creation. It has always.. horrified me. Terrified me. To make a vampire. But.. I find no regret in my heart. Is that strange?
Edited 2024-09-11 19:37 (UTC)
semicharmed: (elemental)

[personal profile] semicharmed 2024-09-11 08:16 pm (UTC)(link)
Matt's eyebrows arch at foreplay, even with the softening context of conversation. Surprised, but not displeased at all. He's constitutionally incapable of finding Harry intimidating based on looks alone. He likes scars--on other people, at least. They're a fascinating record of life lived, danger overcome, a history you can touch with careful hands. And differences in height and build don't really hit the same for Matt, a guy with cosmic powers whose limits have yet to be discovered.

At the word magic, his amused, arched-brow look instantly falls away. He laughs, his eyes gone wide as dinner plates. And he says:

"Uh ..."

Matt looks left. Looks right. No one around but a prurient-looking portrait of an elderly gentleman, leering down from the landing ahead of them. His gaze returns to Harry. And with a quick indrawn breath, soft gasp of sound, to thee dispeller of the night-- a bauble of golden light appears before him. It lifts into the air above them like a luminous balloon, lighting the carpeted stairs.

"I think it's pretty cool," he concludes. Matt's a little breathless, cheeks slightly pink, but he's smiling.
thenovice: (pic#14010809)

[personal profile] thenovice 2024-09-11 09:50 pm (UTC)(link)
[Ah, a man has been spared. Diarmuid secretly breathes easier for the man. Not that he knows just what Alia is capable of, but someone who happily boasts about their blade is probably someone who has some knowledge of using it. Woman or not! In fact, he would dare say that it would be far too easy to underestimate an armed woman, especially from a world and time like his own.]

Oh, but can you imagine a more perfect prize? Look how soft. [He is such a little boy, when it comes to these prizes. He'd grown up making toys from sticks and rocks, and so he cannot help but be awed by these things.] Creations like these, they must have a high cost to own. It's no wonder they're at this manor, among rich families.
lessnosey: (pic#17379996)

[personal profile] lessnosey 2024-09-11 09:56 pm (UTC)(link)
[See, they've known each other for about ten minutes, but they both apparently share a similar tenacity for being the most nervous and unsure person in a room. Like, day and night everywhere else, but the anxiety binds them. That same anxiety now makes Usopp's laugh trickle into something awkward.]

Totally. That's us. Totally awesome.

[He smiles, and stares, and smiles, and stares. And then:]

That's why we're here. Isn't it? And we're all good?

[... Koby...]
cicatricem: (pic#15317418)

[personal profile] cicatricem 2024-09-11 10:00 pm (UTC)(link)
[He squints at her, taking another puff.

... Ugh. Bullies.

He throws the cigarette on the floor and grinds it out with the sole of his shoe.]


Stop looking at me like that. I didn't tie you to me.
semicharmed: (talking shop)

wildcard: handfasting

[personal profile] semicharmed 2024-09-11 10:29 pm (UTC)(link)
"Oh, hey, are you who I have to thank for the new breakfast routine?"

Says the guy being tied to Carmy at the wrist. Matt's at most breakfasts, usually doodling or reading, but as somebody who strives to treat his body like the temple to Aphrodite he believes it to be, the juice bar has been life-changing.

"One of the people," Matt amends, "I know it's a team effort."

He's wearing one of Alia's sweatshirts (pink) and a printed scarf of Jack's that Matt believes he stole, but which Jack may have incepted him into taking. The outfit should be nonsensical, but its overall effect screams 'prep.' You truly can't hide from your roots.
seventails: (amused)

Handfasting

[personal profile] seventails 2024-09-11 10:34 pm (UTC)(link)
Pian Ran has a long way to look up at her new temporary husband, but she gives him a grin, eyes glittering. She's not taking any of this too seriously, which is in her nature. Though there are reasons that she wants to get back home, there's not actually any urgency to those reasons. The things she's lost will still be lost.

In the interim, she has yet to encounter any serious danger in this place. If no one's trying to eat her (which is a danger back home), then she can just focus on having fun while she's here. Fun is an enormously important priority, and she hasn't gotten nearly enough of it lately. (Who could have guessed that amoral devil gods don't provide adequate breaks and time off?)

"That sounds nice. But first--" she lifts a finger to emphasize the critical importance of what they must secure before cuddling: "Snacks."
seventails: (why are humans like this)

Fruits of Labor

[personal profile] seventails 2024-09-11 10:44 pm (UTC)(link)
[Pian Ran certainly doesn't want a turn at this ball-throwing game. She has plenty of experience in putting too much effort into a rigged system, thanks. However, she does thoroughly enjoy the exquisite pleasure of watching someone else doing work. Even though this isn't really 'work', it's still an exhausting amount of effort, and thus an entertaining spectacle.

Someone else who wanted a turn storms off in a huff, but Pian Ran just wanders over, leaning her arms against the counter of the stall. She puts herself on the scary ball-throwing woman's side away from the throwing arm, though it's still maybe not the safest place to stand.

As she walked up, she'd heard Furiosa state to the other person that she wanted the stuffed dog, but Pian Ran spectates several throws before she finally comments.]
What will you do once you have it?