polymods: (Default)
polymods ([personal profile] polymods) wrote in [community profile] polylogs2021-07-02 03:00 pm

Something in the air...

POLYMYTHOS: THE ISLE THAT BLOOMS

The Isle That Blooms


Ⅰ. ARRIVAL
You can read all about your character's arrival in the game lore.
This is the first isle you can smell before you see it rising on the island. It starts with the faint hint of growing things that blossoms into a floral scent that teases you with the combination of familiarity and the unknown. The next breeze seems to carry you closer even as it coats everything in a delicate wash of golden pollen that only the Ferryman seems to be able to avoid.

Do you like your lips to taste the gritty sweetness? Or are you already starting to sniffle? Either way, the island starts as a smudge then turns into a riot of color as it reveals itself.

The Isle that Blooms lives up to its name as flowers vie in a silent war of roots and strangling vines to cover every viable surface with sprays of color and vibrant pulsing life. There are signs of human life in the form of a village built on stilts and full of little anachronisms like a glowing neon sign that hint that the island sees a large number of Travelers come through this place.

And who wouldn’t be drawn to the abundant flora, brightly painted houses, and lively locals?

Everyone seems to be glowing with health as the locals gather near the dock to welcome the latest set of tourists. They come with arms full of flower wreaths and friendly smiles, clearly in control of their faculties and interested in trade. Their clothing is as bright as the paintings on their buildings, as the flowers that surround them, and perfect for the warmth of the day.

Do you notice, though, the absence of any babies or prepubescent children? Or that while there are old people, no one shows signs of the infirmities that come with age? It might be easy to miss, especially as the Isle starts to affect you, too.

The ache in your back from that terrible fall, the craving for that next drink, the trauma that’s too close to the surface, all the petty hurts the build up in a lifetime start to fade as you, too, start to bloom.

Notes:
1. NO GUNS are allowed on this island. The Ferryman will keep them safe for you.

2. These residents of the island are normal humans. Killing them is possible and may affect the color of your Scrywatch.

3. Any type of flower could exist on the island, blooming somewhere, regardless of its real world requirements. Rare ones are difficult to find and magical ones need a check in with the mods.

4. There is nothing preadolescent of any animal species on the entire island, including insects.

5. The island’s ability leaves people as the healthiest, most energetic version of their current selves. Examples: A blind person in otherwise good mental and emotional health would notice minimal changes. A person with a disorder would find themselves having a string of good days. A 50 year old probably hasn’t felt this good since their thirties.



Ⅱ. THE TEMPLE
Orchids in shades of yellow and pink so bright they glow have been trained to grow along the walkways and bridges of the elevated village to guide Travelers to this island’s Temple. The building stands alone at the edge of the Village, extending out in the ocean of flowers that fill most of the isle.


The temple is made of simple stout wood that has been carved and painted in patterns ornate and lovely in a way that speaks of hundreds of hours of creation and maintenance. The same orchids that guided you here gild building and act as camouflage the sleeping porches ring the outside. They are kept private and safe from insects by fine netting, and you will find the bedding soft and fine.

This Temple’s Guardians are a pair of lazing cats with strange spots and scaly wings that regard you with affectionate disinterest as you explore the facilities. There are toilets and sinks, but no baths or showers. The pantries are stocked with edible flowers and fresh fish and the space and tools to cook. If you are brave enough, the Guardians will probably give you practical advice on how to use those supplies. There are new clothes and sandals better suited to the heat, and even practical machetes.

Notes:
1. The Main Temple is still open to those who are brand new to PM.

2. There are paints and carving tools if you want to add to the temple decorations. (Maybe mention it during the Oracle Event if you do.)

3. All fabric items are ridiculously bright and vaguely tie dyed.

4. The marker orchids have a distinctly strong smell of vanilla with a hint of lime.



Ⅲ. THE LOTUS BATHS
CW: fantasy setting drugs.
There’s only so long a person can stand to be covered in pollen, and when you ask the locals, they grin. Oh, you want a bath? There’s a path back to the ground and through the tall flowers to a natural spring. Make sure to head out early, they warn.

It’s always better to be in the village before nightfall, and you are clearly going to take a while.

As you walk the winding path to the baths, the everpresent flowers seem to thin out and even disappear as ground warms and rock rises from rich soil. You can smell the mineral richness of the bright blue pools that form waterfalls over a series of rising ledges. There is life, though, even here, in the form of delicate lily pads that float in rafts around vivid lotus flowers.

If you test the water, you’ll find it’s warm enough to melt the knots out of muscles and make it easy to understand why the few bathers seem to be so languid and relaxed. If you sink all the way in, well, not only will you manage to get clean, but you might find yourself mellowing out even more. So mellow you’ll hardly notice when the pleasant hallucinations start.

You’ll find yourself drawn into visions of your most private joys and of the pleasures you keep to yourself. Maybe it’s a matter of shame or maybe it’s because they’re too precious. There’s one small problem, though. If someone else gets in the same pool, not only will they start to share the same vision, but you’ll start to see theirs too.

Will the fantasies become a nightmare or will you manage to navigate them together? Will you ever be able to look at each other the same way again?
Notes:
1. The hallucinations will end when you leave the water, but only once you and your bathing partner are both out.

2. The flowers are magical and will affect everyone, even robots or super powered people.



Ⅳ. NIGHTBLOOMING
CW: abduction, violence.
You are warned to stay in the elevated village at night. The flower fields are safe enough during the day, but things happen at night. It’s hard to imagine during the day when stingless bees that glitter in jewel colors bumble along and hummingbirds the size of chihuahuas feed from the abundant flowers while squeaking their strong opinions at each other.

But as the moon rises, and most of the flowers close, there’s rustling sounds that make it clear that there are big things moving through that growth. Things that make the hair rise up on the back of a person’s neck. It would take a big prize to make it worth finding out what makes those sounds. A big prize or a reason to face your fears.

There’s a scream in the night. You can ignore it, of course. Not everyone is meant to run towards the scream. It might not even change the color of your ScryWatch.

But if you go to the source of the sound you’ll find a mother weeping openly while other locals gather around to comfort her. It seems her teenager decided that the best way to woo their lover was with glowing flowers that only open under a full moon. The teen has been gone for hours, and the grim expressions on the people around you say his chances aren’t good.

You have a choice to make. Will you go into the dark to face the unknown dangers? Will you offer some other form of comfort? Or will you go back to hide in the safety of the Temple?

Notes:
1. The danger in the flowers consists of six foot tall nocturnal orchid mantises who have the teen pinned in a tree. They are currently singing a human language lullaby to the kid to get them to go to sleep and fall out of the tree.

2. The mantises have a hive mind and will retreat if one of their number is killed, but can also be talked to and negotiated with. They will be willing to trade a regular supply of fish for no longer hunting people.



Ⅴ. SPECIAL EVENT: THE FLOWER ORACLE
In the center of the village, there is a giant flower bud that is bigger than a man is tall. The villagers tell you that you are lucky. You will be here when the Flower Oracle blooms. You will have a chance to speak directly to the Ancient One through the Oracle, and She even answers. All it takes is a little sacrifice.

Notes:
1. During the week of July 12-18, there will be a special event post where characters can choose to interact with the Flower Oracle for a chance to be rewarded, get an answer, get silence, or get punished by the Ancient.

2. Any starter posted during this window will be honored, specifics to come.

3. This event is optional!

Bonus: music to watch the flowers bloom to.


Network · Logs · OOC · Memes · Plurk

bookerlesigh: (hmm)

[personal profile] bookerlesigh 2021-08-09 04:40 am (UTC)(link)

There's... a lot to unpack there, and Booker abandons his food for the time being, watching her closely now. He starts with, "Necromancy. You, do, necromancy? Reanimate bodies," he adds, just so they're on the same page.

Maybe that's why she has a big sword. Though the surge of zombie media informs that idea; slicing would work better on dead people than peppering them with tiny bullets. If that's what they were in fact talking about, here.

... does that make him, with his immortal life, a zombie? A zombie with a heartbeat.

"Where I'm from... dead people tend to stay dead." Present company excluded, of course.

Edited 2021-08-10 03:20 (UTC)
queenking: (Default)

[personal profile] queenking 2021-08-09 05:13 am (UTC)(link)
Ohhhh, okay. Gotcha. [A pause, then, confidingly:] Your family's wild, man.
necrosavior: (action; flex (killing it))

[personal profile] necrosavior 2021-08-10 11:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Her eyebrows shoot up behind her glasses, and Gideon waves her fork back and forth. She chews her food and lets him finish. "I'm not a necromancer," Gideon says, "My mom's skeleton did work the snow leek fields at some point. Skeletons and bone constructs are things, the things I'm most used to. Wards, revenants, siphoning... It's not just corpse recycling."

She watches him, trying to read his reaction. Obviously, Blood of Eden thinks the Nine Houses are shit, but there's other people out there. She doesn't know the kind of reputation either group has or how much people know. Her life isn't exactly average or representative of most people. "Generally, dead people tend to stay dead," Gideon says, "The Resurrection was a major one off. Revenants come from dead spirits, and constructs from dead bodies. Most people, even most necromancers, tend to stay dead. Once they're dead." She's not sure if 'God' actually died or not. He definitely didn't stay dead, if he did. Lyctors and regular necromancers to a lesser degree can recover from would otherwise be a death sentence shit.
what_fourth_wall: (Default)

[personal profile] what_fourth_wall 2021-08-12 04:03 am (UTC)(link)
"Huh, so when you're in this form you look 100% bombshell blondie, but you still have canine DNA in there? Does this make me a furry for checking you out? Oh god, am I learning a lot about myself tonight?"

He makes a mental note that if they do get to hang out more, he will absolutely find a way to release squirrels and see what she does. It could be the most entertaining thing he's done yet on these islands. It would be fun to do right now, since she'd have to choose between the toga and the squirrels, but alas...no squirrels.

"Do we even know what these things can really do? Maybe they'll murder us all in the end. You know, make some grand point about how you can pretend you're on some redemptive path all you want, but in the end it doesn't even matter." Somewhere, somehow, notes of Linkin Park float on the air.

Deadpool can't help but grin at having gotten it right. "Awwww yeah, Canadian camaraderie for the win. We gotta stick together." A pause. "Makes the white wolf thing make sense, too. You're all arctic and shit."
hostile_encounter: (6)

[personal profile] hostile_encounter 2021-08-13 04:34 am (UTC)(link)
"People were complaining about the options, and I noticed a lack." She doesn't strictly mind the tie dye that came with this island, but it was never about making something she wanted.

The thought that she made a meat substitute has her grinning breifly. "Give me enough time, and I probably could, but there aren't a lot of veggies out there. Or anything that requires fertilization, for that matter."

His question stops her from expanding on that. "Honestly? I was in New York before I got grabbed. But which New York, right?"
prodigalmess: (question?)

[personal profile] prodigalmess 2021-08-15 12:22 am (UTC)(link)
"White's not my preferred color for clothing either," he comments, thinking of the white suit his mother managed to get him into before she tried to make him go on vacation. Tie-dye's on the other end of the extreme though.

"I'm sure we're probably limited to some tropical fruits and vegetables here, maybe even ones we've never seen or had before." Malcolm doesn't think he's eaten flowers before he came here, but he's found the ones on the island to be surprisingly good.

He raises an eyebrow. "Is there more than one New York? Or are you talking about New York in different years?"
lickstheevidence: (Default)

[personal profile] lickstheevidence 2021-08-15 04:36 am (UTC)(link)
[RT600 Chloe is going to have to learn a few things about Elijah Kamski. Like he's not her owner. Like she no longer owes him anything, if she ever did. Like even if she was made for him, she has the freedom to make her own choices now. Like she no longer has to obey the programming that compels her to care for him. To love him. And that she has it all wrong- there is no place in Chloe's world for Elijah Kamski.

If Connor can throw aside the shackles of his programming, then surely Chloe can do the same. If she needs help, Connor will help her. Kamski doesn't matter anymore.

He stares down at his hand, damaged as it is now, and then Chloe taking it in both of hers. Her touch is soft, gentle, calming.]


He shouldn't have treated you like he did. He never should have put me in a position of having to choose between your life and some stupid information. He's a selfish, arrogant man and he had no right to toy with our lives like they meant nothing. You never deserved any of that. [His words become heated and vehement.] He'll never treat you that way again.

[He lets her tend to his hand, watching her closely, wondering if Kamski back home is finally realizing what he's lost.]
hostile_encounter: (56)

[personal profile] hostile_encounter 2021-08-15 07:15 am (UTC)(link)
"You trying to get in on the dark clothing, too?" She sounds both amused and open to it.

"No fruit at all. No vegetables that aren't greens or roots. Apparently, some of the locals trade pretty well to anyone who shows up with fruit. Makes me wish I'd grabbed some raisins or something." She'd noticed the suspicious lack pretty early in her adventures and followed up by talking to some of the islanders.

"Both? Seems like we aren't coming from consistent points in time or necessarily the same." Multiple universes is a known fact from her previous existence, so she's pretty comfortable with that statement.
neverwither: (Default)

[personal profile] neverwither 2021-08-15 07:48 pm (UTC)(link)
( Silent, she keeps dabbing at the thirium. Even when his hand is no longer stained with the blue fluid, she still cleans his skin.

A selfish, arrogant man. He shouldn't have treated her like he did. He had no right to toy with their lives. He'll never treat her that way again.

He's a brilliant man. Others don't understand him. Understand them. There was never any danger. He wouldn't allow her to get hurt. And he has backups.

Countless Chloes who exist in the ether. Old versions of herself. Better versions. The Chloe she was made to be.

Would she even know? If he uploaded one of his backups, would she even know?

An experiment. Always an experiment. New software. New upgrade. Test. Recalibrate. Rinse. Repeat.

But he has to do those things. He wants her to be healthy. He wants her to last. RT600 Chloe is to be with Elijah forever. Young and beautiful forever. A flower that will never wither.

That agonising splitting apart. She can feel it. An urge that tells her to keep going. Another that tells her to stop. One that says think and another that says don't. It feels like hands grasping at her, pulling her up, while others claw to drag her down. Maybe one day she'll just tear in two.

But not today. Today, like so many days before it, Chloe tells it all to hush and waits for the roars to fade to whispers. )
queenking: (Default)

[personal profile] queenking 2021-08-16 03:29 am (UTC)(link)
"Yes. You are absolutely a furry, Mr. Pool," Saxsice says gravely, with the tone of someone who is well-accustomed to being the bearer of this news. It's almost a part-time job, at this point.

Then she grumbles, kicking at a rock on the path and wincing a little, having forgotten that she's...completely barefoot. Ouch. "With my luck, seems likely. Maybe they'll feed us to the mantises. Mantids. Some sorta metaphorical group sacrifice." That sounds like something that might happen on an island with no children or baby animals.

"Most of us are regular wolfy colors, but clearly I'm special." She flashes him a grin. "Makes camouflaging a real bitch, though."
bookerlesigh: (pensive)

[personal profile] bookerlesigh 2021-08-16 03:59 am (UTC)(link)

The split second of relief that she's not a necromancer ( never mind that she could be lying about that ) is short-lived. Skeletons, bone constructs, corpse recycling...

Booker blinks at the flood of brand new things to unpack. She looks completely convinced of herself as well, no bullshitting or bluffing. Booker's good at cards, is pretty good at reading people, and so either wherever she's from is completely fucked up, or she's just... delusional.

Given their current predicament trapped on an island, delusional isn't his first choice. Thankfully, he has a pretty good poker face, so he nods along, downing the rest of his drink and refilling it, only vaguely bemused.

"So... what are you then?"

what_fourth_wall: (luv)

[personal profile] what_fourth_wall 2021-08-16 05:35 am (UTC)(link)
"I am surprisingly okay with that." Now it's his turn to be solemn. "If you showed up at my place at 2am ready to go, I'd hit that however you wanted, fluffy or not. Whatever feels best! I'm not a real hero like Batman." He pauses. "Actually, what does feel better? Now I'm curious. Do you like it better as a hot blonde, or as a white wolf? Or in between? Do you have an in between form? I mean, I know I asked if you had like eight boobs in that form before, but that's assuming you even have a hybrid form. No that I think about it, if you did, you probably would have used that to rip through the mantidisesi." When in doubt, use ALL the plurals.

It seems like there should be a song about that, too. Low Self Esteem by the Offspring? Oh shit, hopefully not that one. Then she'd tell him she sleeps with his friends.

"They can try. Most things don't like eating me. I got spit out by a shark recently. Sephiroth tried to feed me to them, but they were not fans."

He waves a hand. "Part of being a Mary Sue, it's all good. Besides, that just means you're not trying to camo in the right place. You gotta hang out where it's snowy!"
prodigalmess: (doubtful)

[personal profile] prodigalmess 2021-08-17 12:31 am (UTC)(link)
"Yes. Well, dark-er," he replies with a shrug. "I look better in jewel tones."

It's interesting that this island has no fruit. It seems like it would fit right in with the aesthetic of the place.

"It's possible, based on conversations that I've had with some other people here." After locating some coffee, he sets about brewing it in the makeshift pot that somebody set up. "My New York happens to be located in the year 2020."
necrosavior: (Default)

[personal profile] necrosavior 2021-08-17 02:06 am (UTC)(link)
Gideon looks at him and blinks. Nothing in any of that says anything's special with her. Because what's special about her isn't a what. With no other information, she's assuming her dad's why she lived past age one. The rest, what matters, is all her. "A person," Gideon says. "You could say swordsman or cavalier. If you need magic done, look to someone else. Only magic I do is fight shit really good."

It is a fair question, after all she said. Gideon shrugs. "I don't know. What are you?" How do most people answer that question?
queenking: ([up] oh hey there)

[personal profile] queenking 2021-08-17 02:56 am (UTC)(link)
So many questions and yet what Saxsice fixates on is the matis plural. "That's too many damn syllables. "Bugs". That's enough. Don't need all those fancy names, bugs is bugs." Then she shrugs, palms up in a helpless gesture. "Never done it while wolfy -- there's somethin' real messed up about flirtin' with actual dogs, yaknow. They're worse than human dudes. And there's no in-between, I'm like Pringles. Once you pop, the fun don't stop. Once I start changin', I don't stop til I'm Cujo."

Then she barks (hah) out a laugh. "That sounds like Sephie. He's a big grump, innit he? What'd you do to get sharked?"

Making a face, Saxsice kicks at a rosebush as they pass, so now she's got thorns and bruises on her foot. Knock it off, dumbass. "Ow. I'd take snow over all these plants. I don't even got allergies, but I feel like I will once we're done here."
hostile_encounter: (12)

[personal profile] hostile_encounter 2021-08-17 09:58 pm (UTC)(link)
"Darker is doable. Easier than black, honestly." She's mildly amused but the jewel tone observation, but willing to concede the point.

Elenore has lots of thoughts about their setting. Especially its plant life.

"2021. Was magic a factor in your New York?" She's content to delay giving specific information until she gets a feel for him. The coffee smells good, though.
what_fourth_wall: (Default)

[personal profile] what_fourth_wall 2021-08-19 06:14 pm (UTC)(link)
"Holy shit now I need all of your dog flirtation stories." They may be walking, but he somehow manages to do a chinhands. "And does it hurt when you change? Oh man, have you ever changed on a dude during sex just to fuck with him? THE POSSIBILITIES."

Deadpool actually has to think back to what he did to get sharked. Then he remembers, because it's most certainly worth remembering forever. "I touched his hair. It was glorious. SEPH-IR-OTH!!!!"

His eyes are drawn to her kicking something else. "You really do hate your human feet, don't you? Hey, I've heard you can get allergies by exposure, but I think it takes a while."
queenking: (Default)

[personal profile] queenking 2021-08-20 04:10 am (UTC)(link)
"Usually it's just some punkass German Shepard givin' me the eye and then I change back and I'm like BLERG, I'M A PERSON and he freaks out." There are a lot of possibilities, even more so if you're of a furry bent. Which...by nature of being furry, Saxsice kinda has to be? Maybe? The implications are limitless. "It kinda feels like pullin' all my muscles at once, so it doesn't feel great, but it's not like...uncontrollable agony or anythin'." Then she snorts, shaking her head. "I'm lookin' for a good time, not to give a guy a total crisis."

Saxsice nods seriously, pushing open the door to the temple and even holding it open, cause she's a lady. "Worth it. 500% worth it, man. I'd get sharked to touch his hair. It's like a curtain of silvery mystery. Did it feel like touchin' a cloud?"

Looking down at her bruised, bare feet, she wiggles her toes mournfully. "I'm used to wearin' bigass boots all the time. I can kick whatever I wanna then. But here it's all waifish big cloaks and barefeet."
prodigalmess: (suit)

[personal profile] prodigalmess 2021-08-21 12:49 am (UTC)(link)
He might deny it if confronted, but Malcolm's a little bit of a fashionista. He likes looking good, particularly if it involves an expensive, well-tailored suit.

"No," Malcolm tells her, one eyebrow slightly cocked. "I'm guessing it was in yours?"
what_fourth_wall: (lol at you)

[personal profile] what_fourth_wall 2021-08-21 06:52 am (UTC)(link)
"Wait, so you've trolled more dogs than people?? That can't be as much fun. Look, if you ever wanna try it out on a guy that you can't possibly traumatize, just let me know. I'm your guy. You can't phase me. I'm already fucked up!"

At her question, Deadpool snorts laughter. "Oh no. Cloud is more of a Saiyan. But he also like's having a big sword. His has more girth though."

He strides into the temple and then glances around as if he's surprised to be there. Dang, that walk had gone by fast! And this time, he hadn't been riding her bareback!

"You want me to find you some boots? I can do that."
hostile_encounter: (62)

[personal profile] hostile_encounter 2021-08-21 11:21 pm (UTC)(link)
"Yes, but only slightly. Mostly focused on individuals as far as I knew. Nothing like the Oracle." She pauses and considers the limitations of her own experience. "At least as far I knew. Same with the Ancient, you know, beyond people's various religious experiences. But I would have guessed there was nothing like this direct intervention.
queenking: ([down] loud squinting)

[personal profile] queenking 2021-08-22 05:43 am (UTC)(link)
"I'm an equal opportunity troller, my dude. Dogs just don't usually cry as loud as dudes." Saxsice pauses by the cot she'd claimed as hers and fishes out something a little more modest, because funtime is over. Then she paws through the messed-up bedding and grumbles, "Someone took my snack bread. It's different than the regular bread cause it's for snack."

That gets a thoughtful, intent squint. "Is Cloud another of Seph's secret boyfriends? He's got like, five of them."

Plopping down cross-legged on the cot, Saxsice gives Deadpool a very serious look. "If you find me some boots I will show you all eight of my boobs."
prodigalmess: (listening 4)

[personal profile] prodigalmess 2021-08-23 01:04 am (UTC)(link)
"So, some people had magical abilities, but not everyone?"

He gets out two mugs, one for each of them, as the coffee percolates.

"Does the Oracle take appointments?" Malcolm asks. "I mean... are they willing to converse with us?"

People talk to God back home and may feel that God is speaking back, but it's not literal. He has a feeling that it's different here.
honeybadgered: (malagraphic-9wLzpmW)

[personal profile] honeybadgered 2021-08-23 03:32 am (UTC)(link)
"To be fair, the whole petting tummy thing is a pretty established way to get mauled by a kitty. I'm not mad. Just sad. It was so soft."

She sighs dismally, flopping onto her back, then looks up at the woman. "No, I just keep a lot of ketchup packs under my clothes to fuck with people." It's sarcasm, but now that she thinks about it, that would be hilarious.
honeybadgered: (malagraphic-YcVHwEb)

[personal profile] honeybadgered 2021-08-23 03:38 am (UTC)(link)
[Gabby tilts her head, giving him a considering look. The fact is, even with the enhanced speed and strength that runs in her family, she's still pretty tiny. There are a lot of people that could take her in a fight. This guy might be one of them. She doesn't know for sure.

But the other fact is that this dude wants to stop her because he's afraid of her getting hurt. That means he'll probably be trying to stop her without hurting her. That's a whole lot harder. Well, technically it isn't, since she doesn't feel pain and will heal from anything, but she's not about to tell him that. Claws in her hands, assassin training, healing, all of that is great, but when it comes down to it her real superpower is cuteness. People underestimate her, and it's annoying sometimes, but she's more than happy to use it.

She shrugs a shoulder.]


Okay. [With a snickt, she extends her claws.]

Bring it.