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

dothelokimotion: (We are all invincible to bullets)

[personal profile] dothelokimotion 2021-07-04 05:58 am (UTC)(link)
[ loki bristles, despite himself. ]

Nothing is so black and white, Thor. Not even me.
assemble_the_lovbacken: (A Feeling . Suspicious and Unsure)

[personal profile] assemble_the_lovbacken 2021-07-04 06:14 am (UTC)(link)
[Thor falls silent for a few moments, a moment of lucidity coming back to him, his body suddenly aware of the water he's in. He fades back to the memory that he knows is his yet all together foreign.]

Is this—all of this—of your magical doing?
dothelokimotion: (Truth takes us to dangerous places)

[personal profile] dothelokimotion 2021-07-04 06:17 am (UTC)(link)
[ he blinks before giving a soft laugh, bemused. ]

No, Thor. I had nothing to do with this. Not all magical occurrences here stem from me.
assemble_the_lovbacken: (A Feeling . Playful)

[personal profile] assemble_the_lovbacken 2021-07-04 06:21 am (UTC)(link)
It wouldn't have been the first time. [There's the hint of humor in his face, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes.] It is as Father said: Mother taught you well.

So then it is the island's doing? Do you think it's that Strange Wizard? He seems like he would do something like this. For what purpose, I don't know.
dothelokimotion: (We've said so much)

[personal profile] dothelokimotion 2021-07-04 06:25 am (UTC)(link)
[ his expression shifts briefly at the mention of their mother before loki pushes it away. he gives a little scoff at the mention of dr. strange. ]

I doubt that wizard has the creative ability or skill to conjure anything of this magnitude. No, it is our strange overseers. Gods of another universe.
assemble_the_lovbacken: (A Sass . Didja Really Tho?)

[personal profile] assemble_the_lovbacken 2021-07-05 01:25 am (UTC)(link)
[Thor considers the sentiment for a few moments before, humored, entertaining a thought.]

Do you think they're different versions of us? Like I'm the God of Mischief, and you're the God of Thunder instead? And that's why they're angry with us to have brought us here?
dothelokimotion: (A life of pain is the pain of life)

[personal profile] dothelokimotion 2021-07-05 01:31 am (UTC)(link)
[ his lips curve upwards, despite himself. ]

Does this seem like the kind of mischief you'd cook up, brother? In that case, I'm not surprised it's limited to baths and flowers.
assemble_the_lovbacken: (A Sass . I Don't Think So)

[personal profile] assemble_the_lovbacken 2021-07-05 01:42 am (UTC)(link)
I never said they were good at having their roles reversed.

And you know, I know you meant that as an jab, but I'm going to take it as a compliment. Who doesn't like baths and flowers?
dothelokimotion: (Love- love isn’t a fact)

[personal profile] dothelokimotion 2021-07-05 01:46 am (UTC)(link)
[ he rolls his eyes, in good humour. this place has him relaxed and content, for the first time in months. all the aches and sorrows have ebbed to a low and it's just . . . good to see thor again. alive. happy. ]

It's not exactly mischief-making at its finest, Thor.
assemble_the_lovbacken: (A Sass . Sure You Did Buddy)

[personal profile] assemble_the_lovbacken 2021-07-05 01:51 am (UTC)(link)
[He's unbothered, glad to easily slip back into the back-and-forths.]

Baths can be mischievous. So can flowers. There are those flowers that kill you if you eat them. Though that seems more of your kind of mischief than mine.

.. I guess baths can be .. too hot. Or too cold. That's some sort of mischief.
dothelokimotion: (Money doesn't grow on trees)

[personal profile] dothelokimotion 2021-07-05 01:52 am (UTC)(link)
[ dryly. ]

Genius. I think you had better stick to weather-making. All that lightning has clearly fried your brain.
assemble_the_lovbacken: (Babby Mjolnir)

[personal profile] assemble_the_lovbacken 2021-07-05 01:56 am (UTC)(link)
I would if I could figure out how since our stupid sister destroyed Mjolnir.

Oo! Let's do "Lightning Rod." Say something to make me angry so I can see if I can hit you.
dothelokimotion: (All hail the mighty glow cloud)

[personal profile] dothelokimotion 2021-07-05 01:58 am (UTC)(link)
[ ah. thor only vaguely knows how to unlock his powers. this is strange, even for loki, to hail from two very disparate points in time. it sobers him up. ]

Let's not.

So you haven't . . . regained control of your powers?
assemble_the_lovbacken: (A Feeling . Hands on Hips)

[personal profile] assemble_the_lovbacken 2021-07-05 02:04 am (UTC)(link)
[He shakes his head, clearly still disgruntled about it.]

C'mon. You love it. Just like you love "Get Help." It's worked in the past! And you're fine; you always recover.

I had a moment on Sakaar when I fought the Hulk, but without Mjolnir .. I'm just criminally seductive, like the Grandmaster said. Hard to call yourself the God of Thunder when you don't have thunder or lightning at your disposal.
dothelokimotion: (A partial list of things inside you)

[personal profile] dothelokimotion 2021-07-05 02:09 am (UTC)(link)
[ no, he thinks with a brief stab of sorrow, not always. ]

I'm sure it'll come to you in time, brother. But the baths is no place to practice and if you so much as frizzle my hair, I'll make sure to stab out an eye.
assemble_the_lovbacken: (A Feeling . Tell Me a Tale)

[personal profile] assemble_the_lovbacken 2021-07-05 02:12 am (UTC)(link)
The baths are the perfect place to practice! It'd be a true test of the strength of it, if I'm able to do it.

[Thor concedes, only slightly.] I can buy you hair gel. ... Somewhere. I'm sure someone here sells hair gel. You'll get back to your witchy self in no time.
dothelokimotion: (Fear is a reasonable response to life)

[personal profile] dothelokimotion 2021-07-05 02:15 am (UTC)(link)
Still not a witch, Thor.

[ loki idly wrings some water from his hair. ]

And we can practice later, if you like.
assemble_the_lovbacken: (A Sass . I Don't Believe You)

[personal profile] assemble_the_lovbacken 2021-07-05 02:17 am (UTC)(link)
I'll stop calling you a witch when you stop dressing like one.

[That, however, makes him pause. He tilts his head, curious.]

.. You'd do that? Practice with me? [Then, the realization.] Oh, you mean with one of your projections. Not the actual you.
dothelokimotion: (As we understand our failure)

[personal profile] dothelokimotion 2021-07-05 02:22 am (UTC)(link)
[ loki huffs. ]

I don't dress like a witch! And yes, I'll practice with you. Just don't roast me with your lightning.
assemble_the_lovbacken: (A Sass . Didja Really Tho?)

[personal profile] assemble_the_lovbacken 2021-07-05 02:29 am (UTC)(link)
[Thor makes a face, completely unconvinced but amused all the same.]

We'll see. Given that I may not be able to control it all, you might get a little singed. It won't be noticeable, with all of the black.

But I have to ask, Brother: why are you so willing to help? It's not exactly your standard behavior.
dothelokimotion: (One arc to a finish)

[personal profile] dothelokimotion 2021-07-05 02:32 am (UTC)(link)
[ his expression spasms briefly, caught between grief and frustration before he huffs, crossing his arms all petulant. ]

If you're going to be like that, then I won't bother.
assemble_the_lovbacken: (A Sass . I Mourned You I Cried For You)

[personal profile] assemble_the_lovbacken 2021-07-05 02:36 am (UTC)(link)
If I'm going to be like what? Cautious and curious? Because I am both of those things, and with good reason. Or have you forgotten I've literally grown up with you?
dothelokimotion: (The curtain is raised a few inches)

[personal profile] dothelokimotion 2021-07-05 02:38 am (UTC)(link)
[ loki snaps. ]

Ah, yes. I'm incapable of sincerity and goodwill. How could I forget?
assemble_the_lovbacken: (A Sass . Um)

[personal profile] assemble_the_lovbacken 2021-07-05 02:50 am (UTC)(link)
[Despite the tranquility of the baths, Thor finds himself feeling annoyed.]Loki, that's not what I meant, and you know it.

We've done this over and over before, hundreds of times over our thousand-plus years together. I told you this on Sakaar, our circle of me trusting you, you betraying me. How can you be offended that I am weary that you'd help me? Especially with the risk of bodily harm and the frizzing of your hair?
dothelokimotion: (Love watches dispassionately)

[personal profile] dothelokimotion 2021-07-05 02:55 am (UTC)(link)
[ loki opens his mouth to protest, after ragnarok and thanos but he audibly shuts it closed, feeling uneasy. because thor doesn't remember any of it. and even if he did . . . his opinion of loki might just dive lower. heartsick and sore, loki pushes it away. ]

You're right. Forget I said anything.

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