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

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."
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."
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!"
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."
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."
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."
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."
what_fourth_wall: (someones gonna die)

[personal profile] what_fourth_wall 2021-08-24 06:15 pm (UTC)(link)
"Not the SNACK BREAD!!! That is criminal. Thou shalt not fuck with the snacks. It is a COMMANDMENT."

He makes to draw a gun and shoot one of the Temple guardians that should have been watching. Unfortunately, his hand and trigger finger are empty. Or perhaps that is quite fortunate. Instead of causing instant chaos, he just gets a few weird looks.

"Oh yeah. No guns. Probably good. I have poor impulse control. Meh." He tosses the invisible gun away.

His eyes cut back to Saxsice. "All eight?!? You have a deal and a second date, Sexy." He puts his hands on his hips and looks around. It seems this thread may be drawing to a close, which makes him sad. He likes her. She knows the value of snack bread, which is different from regular bread because it's a snack. But alas, time to start walking away and say something that'll make for a good stinger, like in the movie credits.

"You're pretty awesome, Sexy. I want to hang out more. Let's do that." He starts to walk away, then pauses and glances over his shoulder. "Northern Idaho, you say? If I find a way to send a message out from these islands, I'll make sure some friends of mine keep it safe. You know, for when you get back."
queenking: ([up] double eyebrow arch)

[personal profile] queenking 2021-08-25 02:03 am (UTC)(link)
It seems this strange battle-filled kinda-date is at it's end. Saxsice plops down cross-legged on the cot, covering her heart with one hand and nodding solemnly. "You have my word, DP. Gimme boots and I'll give you boobs."

This last comment actually gets her to sit up a little straighter, blinking a couple times before giving him a softer, more genuine smile. "That'd be real nice of ya."