saltburnmods: (Default)
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


unapparent: (021)

[personal profile] unapparent 2024-09-21 06:22 pm (UTC)(link)
Judicious of you. [ Part compliment, part observation. Should she attempt to arm herself? It seems a useless effort, when she hardly knows what she would do with a blade, but without her sons and guard, she has little chance of survival, in truth. Something to consider once they find their way out of this maze.

She clasps the fabric strips in one and extends the other to help him to his feet. ]


I see. [ A soldier, like Embry or even Cole, now. It does not occur to her to question his age, when her own sons have sparred since their arms could lift a wooden sword. She mislikes the thought of Koby in combat all the same. A sweet, clever thing might put his talents to use elsewhere. ]

Not to worry, I shall keep up just fine. [ Better to tire herself out and escape, than linger in the dark. She picks a direction and starts walking. ]

Tell me, then, if you are a soldier, do you fight in a war?
forzare: (Default)

[personal profile] forzare 2024-09-21 08:37 pm (UTC)(link)
Harry reaches down to turn the taps back on, with a little twist of his mouth in amusement. He doesn't have paint on his person, but he washes his hands anyways β€” scrubbing below his nails and right down to the webbing of his fingers, slopping water and soap up his wrists and forearms like he's preparing to go to surgery. There's no words from him, because his magic is all about the rite and the intent. Linking the two is how he's always worked his strange, violent miracles. As he scrubs, he glances at Matt through the side of his eye.

"How many chances do you usually give people? I'm usually a one-and-done kinda' guy," and he'd like to know, in case he fucks up and needs to do a lot of redeeming and begging to get back into Matt's good graces. He'd hate to fuck up, though. Unless it's deserved; Harry's kind of out of that stage where he feels the need to burn every bridge just to keep people from following him into danger.

He reaches for the towel after he's done, wiping his hands clean with the same methodical swipe of his palms and the twist of his fingers. Balancing one hip against the damp counter ( he left a mess of water, naturally ), he keeps his eyes down as he riffs: "I figure we could talk, first. No need to dive into the rites without knowing one another better and what sort of resources we need to pair up. Or what we're aiming to look into."

Basically, he's ready to talk like they're scientists readying an experiment. But also meeting on a blind date. " β€” we got All Hallows' Eve coming up, maybe could scheme to do something crazy then. It's good for big whammies, and I got power to spare on that day."
metalkinetic: (pic#17247577)

[personal profile] metalkinetic 2024-09-21 08:46 pm (UTC)(link)
I don't think this is the kind of place he wants to be.

[ The poor man could barely get through a conversation with Mystique about her blood and his obvious attraction for her without tripping over his tongue. That, and the fact that she had chosen to leave with Erik, would probably leave him feeling a little too sour to focus on such things.

Still, he would be useful. His mind, with Charles', and Erik's determination and manipulation... That would be handy.

Sighing, he tilts his head towards Charles, unconsciously anchored to him without question. ]


I'll keep an eye on the staff and see which staff go where. If we can identify the ones that spend the most time with our delightful hosts then we might be able to begin prying.
danced: (and he told me i was holy)

[personal profile] danced 2024-09-21 08:46 pm (UTC)(link)
[ it's more faith than anyone's had in her as a person and not an idol of worship, than she's had in herself, in years. centuries. she doesn't know what to do with it. part of her wants to run from it, because she knows he's not aware of the truth. he can't see her more monstrous features, doesn't understand what she means when she makes her promise. he doesn't know what he's getting into.

but he's making the offer, and she can hear in his voice and in the physical cues, that he's being honest. he's offering help and seems to have faith that she won't hurt him on purpose. and she wants to try, based on that. ]


DeberΓ­as serlo. [ it's in the same tone. she wants to at least warn him. ] No soy lo que piensas.
perzo: (pic#17394352)

cw: loss of infant, gendered language

[personal profile] perzo 2024-09-21 09:15 pm (UTC)(link)
[ In the wake of their loss, the child that had been born misshapen and deformed, and survived for only moments after it had come into the world, Rhaenyra had wondered, then, if her husband would ever seek her bed again β€” if the death of their one and only daughter, Visenya, had left him compelled against it. But now, she doesn’t just ache for them to regain what they once had in terms of shared intimacies; she has ached as a wife does for her husband’s touch, what cannot be satisfied by her own hand when she lies awake and alone, restless, at night.

It is why she lets that careful wall she’d established between the two of them β€” the one she’d built, brick by brick, with every raven sent unanswered, every word exchanged between them as keen and puncturing as a dagger β€” begin to crumble again, here where no one else can see. The sound against his mouth, the one Daemon elicits from her, becomes somewhere near a moan and a grateful sob as he lifts her up, bearing her weight, her legs instinctively lashing around his waist as much as her dress will permit.

In her wardrobe, at least, there had been options to wear β€” strange choices, many of them familiar to her in silhouette but a few paired shirts and trousers too, and a part of her had been drawn to the latter before she’d reached for the dress she wears now. In hindsight, it may have been more cumbersome for him to navigate, and here, he can simply ruck up her skirt, thinner than the heavy gowns she often wears, and find her bare, apart from the stockings she has rolled up to mid-thigh.

Daemon’s mouth descends to her throat; her breathing is harsher now, panting, as her head lolls, as she grants him access to that vulnerability, sensitivity. The ache rises in her anew, only this time it is arousal conjured by his hands, rather than need pulsing in her amid his absence. Rhaenyra slides a hand between them, her wrist clumsily bumping his, for fingers to find the fastenings on his trousers so she can free his cock that much quicker. There will be other opportunities for him to pleasure her, to descend between the vee of her thighs and make her crest on his tongue. In this moment, she’ll act in haste until they’re joined properly. ]
homosexuals: (pic#17058734)

[personal profile] homosexuals 2024-09-21 09:30 pm (UTC)(link)
...What the hell is a Venus rising? Besides, I already know who to date and my flaws are limited. I'm practically bulletproof.

But alright Miss Leo-Virgo-Venus - I'll play along, what does all that mean?

Cute age. I'll agree with you there, it's not a good look, but this time it's out of your hands. Besides - you'll be relieved to know time passes differently there. According to some, it's like you never even left.

So you are, then? Experienced with this sort of thing?
longitudinal: (2024152_900)

[personal profile] longitudinal 2024-09-21 09:59 pm (UTC)(link)
[ it's strange how he feels like weeping. how her words do something to his chest that make his heart flutter strangely, that make him yearn for home now more than he ever has. the sea, furious and loving in all of her whims, will never compare to a lake.

quentin's eyes lose all trace of the honeyed brown, the amber of his eyes swallowing them up, glistening gold in the light streaming in through the windows of the pool room. the air around them bursts to life, a shimmer on the air visible to only those with magic, keen sight. still, quentin doesn't notice it - his eyes on hers, his hand round hers, the strange, twisted sorrow unlocked in his chest. ]


I have to stay away, even if it means I can't go back.

[ back to the sea. back to the life that makes him whole. back to the man he wanted to be versus the man he's made to be now. ]
longitudinal: (2007923_900)

[personal profile] longitudinal 2024-09-21 10:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Those glasses land crookedly across koby's flushed face and he laughs, bright and endeared, unable to help the way he leans in and kisses him hard and sweet, noses bumping awkwardly, the kiss messy.

"A date," he tries when he pulls away. He likes the way it sounds - a day wrapped up in everything just for them. With Koby in his arms, he carefully wades toward the edge of the pool, pressing his back up to it for one last lingering kiss, slow and needy and hot, as if he can pour all of his love into him this way over, and over, and over.

"Lets get new bracelets. I need to add one that says I'm with you. You need two more - let them know even if they find your bed the pillows will smell like me, letting them love you like I do."
semicharmed: (pyrokinesis)

[personal profile] semicharmed 2024-09-21 10:03 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Matt's mind is a little less wide open than it's been in recent months, thanks to his shielding lessons with Charles. However, he doesn't usually deploy his newfound knowledge unless he's in practice mode or he senses a reason to. So perhaps there's a bit of a gauze there, a hint of obscuring distance, but no more than that. ]

I wouldn't underestimate the hedges, [ he notes, eyebrows arching with the annoyance of a guy who's been wandering around here for awhile now. ] Watch this.

[ Matt lifts a hand, palm facing the nearest maze wall in a stop-sign gesture. He sucks in a breath, mind lighting with a flicker of the earth became an altar, heat was Agni--and as his breath hitches and cheeks heat, a column of bright orange, extremely hot fire erupts from his hands and into the hay bales.

It would make logical sense for this entire maze to go up, frankly. This hay looks dry. Instead, though the bales seem to catch and crackle, the fire dies down leaving them no worse for the wear. Matt huffs a slightly unsteady sigh. ]
cruciation: (006)

dracule mihawk | one piece | new player & character

[personal profile] cruciation 2024-09-21 10:17 pm (UTC)(link)
β€” welcome to saltburnt.
Leave the bottle.

[ the chosen red is familiar in its scent, as though the swordsman, himself, had spent the better part of his own time establishing its combination. and yet, ultimately, it is simply one more layer to the mystery he'd found himself unraveling within since his arrival here. even now, as he grazes a weathered thumb across a label he's never seen, the words ring an acquaintance he can only consider curious. but curiosity is, of course, hardly enough to discourage the very common need for a drink: to dull the mind, perhaps, but never the man's senses.

( dracule mihawk is no stranger to morbid spontaneity – kuraigana possesses its own shifting secrets, does it not? its own darkened dramatics. and yet, there is a delicious impossibility here that leaves him questioning everything, seeking all things, answers chief among them. in time, though; this was something he had learned very quickly – as in all things, this is a place in which each facet, every angle, they are due their time. )

there is a clatter of hands, of fork and knife that surrounds him. each face is new, never before witnessed by hawk's eyes. he notices, however, that without the presence of yoru, a wide-spread brim or a faithful plume, he goes generally unseen by most, unbothered. despite the brightness that seems to so frequently bleed in through the open settlement, he is never far from the threat of shadows, a welcome ideal he takes in stride. until – ]


It's impolite to stare.

[ he says, plainly, to the stranger who has finally taken notice of his presence, though his gaze never leaves the goblet of wine. instead, pale fingers bring it nearer again, allowing the taste to sit upon his tongue, careful and considerate, with another mouthful.

( so much, it appears, for invisibility. ) ]


β€” itsy bitsy teenie weenie.
[ the display is an unusual one in which to find the swordsman – parked beneath a plum colored umbrella somewhat later in the day, mihawk sits in a black swimsuit with his ankles hooked, a book settled neatly in his lap. the cacophony of the pool is merely the backdrop, long fingers turning page by page, leading to the blue bracelet he's decided to keep about his wrist. it is one more step to remaining both out of sight and out of mind: another brick in the proverbial wall, as it were.

he remains for some time, reading effortlessly even as the sun begins to fade and the world shifts into a bruising blend of color. his only hesitation comes when the noise does, turning louder, startling the night with bright arrangements of fireworks. a brow quirks, setting his hand as a placeholder against the book's spine and his allotted place. unfazed by this, he sighs one word, unamused, more to himself than anyone nearby. ]


Charming.

β€” fruits of labour.
Are you quite finished?

[ his head offers a slight cant, bright eyes sizing up his companion with consideration. at last, a challenge.

the ribbon came ceremoniously, presented with the idea of matrimony, gifted with the ultimatum of intimacy. he might have known something like this were to happen sooner, rather than later. this is a place that thrives on the otherwise taboo, that which happens beyond the normalcy of society. a bizarre, yet, fascinating little place, even he could admit. ]


You heard the rules.

[ mihawk reminds, dryly, his tone seemingly unaffected by this sudden change of pace for the pair of them. he raises his arm, and with it, his partner's. an arch of his brow gives way and he offers the recall himself. ]

It appears we've work to do.

β€” wildcard.
( if none of these appeal, you are more than welcome to wildcard him; he's just a guy i love putting into situations. if you have any questions, ideas, or would just generally like to contact, feel free to pm me, or hit me over at [plurk.com profile] acechemicals! )
semicharmed: (coat)

[personal profile] semicharmed 2024-09-21 10:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Matt smiles sheepishly when Harry starts to wash up--he could've asked, he supposes. He considers the question, matching Harry's regard as he settles down on the edge of the bathtub. Not pushing for eye contact at this point, but available.

"I don't know if I have a limit, per se," he muses. "Not a numerical limit. But if something's bad enough, I try to call it quits the first time."

And the Balfours, with their hideous transfigurations, have tripped his no-forgiveness wire.

"The way you were talking outside, I thought you had something specific in mind," Matt adds, amused. "We can talk. I have a couple things going for people around here, but in the name of privacy I wouldn't wanna share too many details without asking them." His fingertips strike up an absent drum against the edge of the tub. "I can say I haven't noticed much seasonal difference in terms of my abilities. In my experience, if I can generate the energy, either by sacrifice or with a partner ... then it's kind of all good. But I can pencil you in for late October if you'd like."
theminotaur: (πŸ”ͺ 44)

[personal profile] theminotaur 2024-09-21 10:45 pm (UTC)(link)
[ abigail sits cross-legged, seeming perfectly fine in the dark maze. it's hard not to be dismissive of some danger when you're already dead. ]

I'm not very tired yet.

[ still, she unwinds her scarf from her neck, baring her scars to koby in the dim moonlight, slashes across her throat looking stark in the silvery light. she ties a knot in one end of the thin fabric and passes it to koby, tying another knot in the end she keeps in her own hand. ]

So we don't get separated.
aurad: (3316220 (52))

wildcard-ish + excuse my tl;dr

[personal profile] aurad 2024-09-21 10:47 pm (UTC)(link)
( the lingering heat from the long-set sun sits on her skin like a balm, various layers of paint drawn and dried across her sternum - colored over her collars, the slope of a shoulder, down along the cage of her ribs on the opposite side. the crocheted bathing suit complimenting her frame and matching creme top slouched over one arm surely hadn't been brought with her β€” but then again, how did she end up here in the first place? rouge burns the tip of her nose, the rounds of her cheeks, and she's cupping her own bronzed mug of spiked cider. something to take the edge off of the battering heat of summer coming to an end β€”Β something, perhaps, to help her slip a bit further into the delusion that any of this was by happenstance.

a towering bonfire keeps her gaze where she's found herself perched, but what's more is the verdant hues of another just above the lick of the highest flame that for the third time meet with hers. there's nothing to say it's not merely the dance of fire playing tricks on her, the alcohol humming at the tip of her skull feeding her illusions, but there's something about the paint left aglow on the bodies that still linger amongst the grounds - how the air still feels thick even without the sun - that unsettles her, leaves her restless, eyes searching for some sort of escape.

inevitably, something draws her to the evergreen maze just beyond a twinkling garden. and it’s not long within its stretching limbs that she meets now familiar eyes again, the same glittering of green and smattering of freckles, just after coming to an opening at the heart of the maze.

a fountain separates the two, drink nearby the pout of her mouth where blue and pink bracelets hang at her wrist, and she pauses. the faint breeze skirting the grounds rustles neatly-cut ivy bushes, stirs at her hair, and heart thuds something stern in her chest. it's just the two of them, and so when she calls out he'll know it's to him, brow raised and cider still glistening on her lips. )


The glow in the dark paint really ruins your camouflage.
missed: (113)

[personal profile] missed 2024-09-21 11:30 pm (UTC)(link)
It's a good place to live.

[ and he yearns for it sometimes, the swampy walks of his home. he hasn't been since he fled the ghost of lestat, blood on his hands and misery in his heart. too long now to go back and see it changed, see it transformed for something he won't recognize. one day.

his eyes flicker to the pain on his arm, his head tilting a little. koby's talented. ]


It is beautiful. Tell me something - about your home. [ eyes meet koby's, watching as the other focuses on painting, uncaring about the scars that map his chest. ]

Wanna hear it from you - not just see it myself.
missed: (318)

[personal profile] missed 2024-09-21 11:56 pm (UTC)(link)
[ a moment of doubt dissolves as quickly as alicent pulls his arm around her. she could have turned him down - screamed and caused more alarm, drawn attention to the blood at his mouth and the wild, blown-out hunger in his eyes. but she doesn't. he lets his palm slide down to her arm, holding her tightly against his side.

chaos - some people turning and fleeing from the table, one of the not-corpses-not-human sacrifices rolling from it and crawling up into the lap of someone stunned with fear, blood and guts spilling everywhere. someone bumps past them, another person throws up in the corner.

he doesn't think twice before he scoops her into his arms, unceremonious with strong arms tucked under her legs and moves.

it's not far - but the swiftness alone might be startling - one moment in the chaos, the next up a flight of stairs where the bedroom corridors start. instead, the large door before them holds the solarium - the doors left open and the glass peering out into the night sky, quiet, save for the chittering of a cricket that's made its way inside. his eyes turn to her, holding her, a little stunned at the door, hearing the noise echoing in the foyer behind them. ]


I'm sorry.

[ for what he is. for not telling her. for letting her stand among the ruins of this place like she undoubtedly has at home so many, many times. ]
queenking: ([neutral] ew no why)

[personal profile] queenking 2024-09-21 11:56 pm (UTC)(link)
dunno if you heard but there are nine whole planets out there.
where they're at is important too!
flaws aside from not being acceptable by the zodiac crowd?

saxsice. that's my name. and it means i'm a pain in the ass who demands all your attention, cries about it, then dances on a table somewhere.

cute's a word for it. he's nine going on forty-seven, though, so i gotta keep any words of affirmation to stuff like his credit score or whatever.
can you guarantee that? if i'm having a narnia moment or whatever, i need to know he's not gonna be left without me.

yeah. pretty damn experienced. i could show you, but i don't wanna get fur in the carpets, you get me?
queenking: ([up] on the sidelines)

[personal profile] queenking 2024-09-22 12:08 am (UTC)(link)
Saxsice winces, shoulders scrunching up towards her ears as she turns on her toes towards the main house. "Don't remind me. Every time I eat it, makes me sick as a dog." Hah. "Drinkin' it's even worse, but you know how sometimes you just gotta live on the edge and mainline some Swiss Miss?" One last headshake, then she's bumping her elbow companiable against his, naturally affectionate and effusive, but cautious.

"Yeah, it's a big wide world out there, sugar. If you can taste it, there's liquor flavored like it. Apple pie shots are cider, juice, some cinnamon and a shitton of Everclear." She sips at the juice she'd taken from him, humming again at the sharp, sweet flavor of it. "I dunno a lot about good food, but I know good drinks, and this place does it's drinks right. I bet whatever you eat's gonna kick ass."

Tilting her head, she smiles, bright teeth sharp. "I'm Saxsice. Tell me bout what kinda food they got where you're from, punkin."
kobes: ([:)] hi i'm ur friendly neighborhood mar)

[personal profile] kobes 2024-09-22 12:53 am (UTC)(link)
I'm pretty sure it is. I've been doing as much research on it as I can. [Koby's still trying to be as calming and reassuring as possible, but there's a note of steel in his voice and in the way he squares his shoulders.] We can't brute force our way out of here -- Luffy's tried, over and over. So I figure knowing as much as possible about this place and the guests is the best way to find a way home.

[The mention of giant god-types gets a soft huff of a laugh, and Koby leaning back to reach for his drink, in a bright pink cup.] At this point I've seen so many strange things, I'll believe anything. The last place turned Zoro into a cat. [Not without a note of amusement -- listen, it was dangerous and scary, but it was also really funny.

Another sip of his drink, then Koby gives Usopp his most "I'm a courageous strong Marine and you can trust me" smile.
] There has to be. And we're going to find it. And we're here together. That's the most important part.
thirsted: (Default)

[personal profile] thirsted 2024-09-22 12:59 am (UTC)(link)
The option still has a certain appeal, [ Astarion responds, the words carried on a despondent sigh. Still, whatever grouchiness he feels is tempered by the lights Matt conjures up, his eyes following the sparks as they bloom again and again. ] I'm sure they'd call it an honor, to be so feted, butβ€” I don't know if I'd agree.

[ At length, they seem to pass some invisible marker that satisfies Astarion's desire to get away from the festivities, as his steps slow and then finally come to a stop.

Suddenly, he feels foolish. Perhaps he'd reacted too harshly, perhaps he ought to have stomached it and played along. (Perhaps he should have fed while he had the chance. He's largely tried to avoid the mysterious blood that seems t be available at every meal for the estate's vampiric guests, for lack of any apparent provenance, but what that means itβ€” he still has only fed on beasts.) He shakes his doubts off for the moment, gaze refocusing on the blossom of light that floats above Matt's hand.
]

Do you keep it a secret, in your world? Your abilities, I mean.
kobes: ([:)] fellas is it gay to)

[personal profile] kobes 2024-09-22 01:23 am (UTC)(link)
[Koby has the unique combination of needing to please and needing to be brutally genuine in everything he says and does. Everything is out on his sleeve, which is a strength and weakness, he's well aware of. But Iggy has a raw, genuine need to be seen that Koby feels, in that slowly-developing part of his senses that's constantly scanning people's emotions, their presence.

So he smiles open and warm, and he laughs without artifice.
]

I mean, I think so. Or scary or -- something. I guess I fit in just fine, then, though. The other girls would call me spooky, growing up.
thirsted: (Default)

[personal profile] thirsted 2024-09-22 01:28 am (UTC)(link)
[ Even before the words do I have to leave his mouth, the ribbon constricts, resulting in an annoyed purse of his lips and a soft tch before he sighs, rubbing his chin with his free hand.

It must be a powerful magic, to know when they are or aren't telling the truth. So the question becomes: how large or small of a truth will satisfy it, and what is he willing to say? Not much, really, though as far as keeping things impersonal goesβ€”
]

I have a tadpole living in my brain, [ he says, in a tone of voice that clearly communicates the fact that he's aware this is not an appealing quality. ] Prior to coming here, I was en route to be rid of it.

[ The ribbon remains as it is. He frowns. ]

But Iβ€” well, I'm not so sure I want to be. It's proven helpful.

[ Wait, he's stepped in it, it here meaning potentially personal territory. He seems to realize it as he speaks, the following pause drawing out for a second, then two, as he worries his lower lip.

Softly:
] ... What I most prize is the ability to walk once more in the sun.
kobes: ([:(] is this a date?)

[personal profile] kobes 2024-09-22 01:45 am (UTC)(link)
[At least Koby seems done with the massive, dramatic file-burning for now -- the remainder of the papers are just scratch notes he's already compiled in a more complete, coherent way elsewhere, but confidential enough that he wants to ensure they're safely destroyed. These he crumples up into balls as Matt speaks, nodding slowly.]

That's...a lot of options. I do like the idea of the locking spell, though -- that'd be the most convenient. Would there be a way to allow more than one person to access it? In case I need to share information? [In a casual way, yes, but also in a worst-case-scenario kind of way. Koby's never not thinking about the possibility of something happening to him and his friends needing the knowledge his research might provide.]

I think if I tried to remember anything more, I might lose my mind. [There's a bit of a wry laugh, one smudgy hand reaching up to rub at his forehead.] I've asked too much of my mind already, lately. I've been, ah -- practicing some things. Extrasensory things. I'd been meaning to ask you for advice, actually.

[Then, glancing up at Matt from over the tops of his glasses, lenses reflecting the fire:] Remind me. How do you power your spells, again?
kobes: ([:)] fellas is it gay to)

[personal profile] kobes 2024-09-22 02:04 am (UTC)(link)
The words are all new, things Koby's only ever read so far, concepts and ideas that belong to people in books, people in other places. Not to him. It doesn't change what he feels, how much he loves the beaming man pressing him up against the wall of the pool, but it -- adds something, maybe. That's his boyfriend, kissing him, asking him on a date. It's new, it's dizzying, it's something Koby's never let himself even think to ask for.

So he grins against Quentin's mouth, cradles his face for that last kiss, then reaches back to tug himself up onto the edge of the pool, sitting there for a moment and adjusting his glasses. "New bracelets," he repeats, cheeks flushed. "Purple and green. Right?" This is also new, the idea of seeking out the warmth, the affection of others while still returning to one bed night after night, a home port amidst the myriad journeys. But it's...nice, too. Koby thinks of Louis, of his partners, of the warmth he carries for others in the house as well. He thinks of his own connections, how they don't cheapen or nullify what he feels for Quentin too. It's complicated, but it's also wildly, wildly simple.

And he grins, scooting back and offering his hand to help Quentin out of the pool. "And maybe some new clothes. I think we'll both get cold, soaking wet like this." Not that he minds the shirtless, soggy look for Quentin, if the way he stares, the way he teethes at his lower lip is any indication.
kobes: ([:)] i'm ready)

[personal profile] kobes 2024-09-22 02:40 am (UTC)(link)
It's trickier here, when only some of the threats are physical. [Koby accepts the hand, his own callused, scarred -- life at sea is hard, and despite his relative short slightness, he's definitely used to hard work, if the state of his hands are any indication. Getting to his feet, he nods thoughtfully at the state of Alicent's dress -- easier to run now, at least.

Satisfied, he starts tying off the small strips of cloth every few steps, marking corners they take, forks in the path, etc. He's careful, mindful of the fact that though the maze seemed limited in the light, it's nighttime now, and it wouldn't do to run out of markers.
] Have you run into anyone else? I hadn't talked to anyone who made it through, before I went in -- which I'm realizing now isn't good. I should've stayed away.

[A little sigh, examining a meeting of two paths, then indicating one with an arched eyebrow, waiting for Alicent's confirmation. Even though she's clearly not military, his need to defer to some sort of authority figure never quite vanishes.] Sort of? It's really more of a constant defense force -- Marines against pirates. Nothing as formal as a war.
semicharmed: (it's like this)

[personal profile] semicharmed 2024-09-22 02:45 am (UTC)(link)
[ Erik's mental image is pretty dead-on, as it happens. Matt regards him with a pleasantly narrow-eyed look, like he's trying to gaze into Erik's very soul. Luckily that's not actually one of Matt's magical abilities, and what he's actually doing is envisioning what might look good on his skin.

Well.

Everything would look good on him, it's more a question of what's most fitting. ]


I think it'd be interesting to try some kind of spell, [ Matt says with a small smile, leaning in slightly and lowering his voice. ] I don't know what effect you might be interested in, though. Your mutation is pretty cool all on its own. So maybe I'd want to go with poetry. Something like ...

[ Matt's still and thoughtful a moment. Then a line strikes him, and he lifts his hand as if to sketch it in midair. ]

"A pearl in the shell does not touch the ocean."