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polymods ([personal profile] polymods) wrote in [community profile] polylogs2021-08-02 02:05 pm

Eternal Summer

POLYMYTHOS: THE ISLE THAT BLOOMS

The Isle That Blooms


Ⅰ. ALWAYS BLOOMING, NEVER HARVEST
July flowers bring, well, August flowers.

Another month has come and gone, and you may have noticed things haven’t changed much. Everything is still beautiful. There are still no signs of babies or prepubescent children or young animals.

In fact, if you’re paying close enough attention, you may have noticed there are no fruits or grains or vegetables that have come from the constant riot of color and pollen. Only flowers, always flowers.

You still have access to the city’s temple and the baths. The High Temple’s doors are open to everyone.

Some of you may still be dealing with the unpleasant side effects of the Ancient’s now dead and gone Flower Oracle, but it should wind down before the end of the month. Or maybe you already faced your demons.

Hiding out in the Temples for the rest of the month is always an option, but be careful not to get too stagnant. It would be a shame if your ScryWatch stays stuck on the same color forever because you, too, decided to stop growing.



Ⅱ. FLOWER MARKET FESTIVAL
CW: Optional Alcohol/Drug Consumption.
You didn’t think the celebrations would be over just because the Flower Oracle came and went, did you? There’s always a new event, a new thing to do, a new way to make some benefit off the Travelers who pass in and out of the Isle looking to take something away from this place.

This month it’s the Flower Market!

During the days, stalls bloom beneath the elevated buildings and in the empty center where the Flower Oracle once stood. There are flowers, of course, in buckets, arrangements, wreaths, crowns, growing in tiny little pots, made into cakes, salsas, and snacks! Artists will find pigments, paints, inks, dyes, and papers. There are perfumes, lotions, oils, soaps, and more. Spices and herbs are abundant; you’ve certainly never seen saffron this cheap. If you haven’t gotten enough tie-dye from the temple, you’ll find beautiful batik clothing, purses, and even jewelry. Everything is bright, everything is for sale.

At night, the stalls are all folded away and instruments come out. Little stalls sell flowery alcoholic drinks and did you know or remember that cannabis is a flowering plant? The locals certainly remembered to make the edibles. Careful, though, drink or imbibe and you’ll find yourself talking about the things you need that you cannot buy. The things you are aching for.

And you won’t stop until someone acknowledges it.

Notes:
1. If you want it and it’s made of flowers, it’s here. No drugs or alcohol during daylight hours.

2. The Temple gives a small amount of spending money daily. Save up and get fancy, or buy a little bit of everything.

3. There is a tiny group of unknown Travelers that show up for the market. They don’t seem to have access to the same network as PCs, but their watches flash green, blue, or purple. They seem to be avoiding PC Travelers and disappear into parts of the Temples that don’t seem to be open to our group yet whenever they get too close.



Ⅲ. POISON GARDEN
CW: Poisons, narcotics, ect.
As you wander the now familiar village, you will notice a new pathway has opened at the edge of the village. It leads to an area with a high stone fence and a heavy gate. A skull and crossbones are painted on the gate in bright white paint, but there’s nothing actually stopping you from opening the gate and walking in.

The garden is beautiful, but surprisingly formal after the chaotic abundance of the rest of the Isle. The paths are wide and there’s space between the plants. Each one is meticulously labeled with a stake in the ground.

Do you read the labels? How long does it take you to realize everything in the garden is toxic or poisonous? There are so many options from hemlock and oleander to aconitum and angel’s trumpet and beyond.

Welcome to a study on how not everything that's natural is good for you as you continue to wander the fractal paths. Of course, not everything that's poisonous has no purpose. By the opium poppies there’s a sign that tells you that you can choose to wander the deadly garden until it kills you or you can own up to a toxic habit or behavior that you need to deal with.

Notes:
1. In theory, a character could wander forever without touching or consuming any of the poisons. For plot/fun reasons, feel free to make it a little more difficult. And remember, some of your characters can be poisoned to death.

2. Acknowledging bad habits or a need for change in an honest way is very likely to result in a shift in a ScryWatch color. Remember, the Ancient is looking for growth and improvement, not moral perfection.

3. Characters can collect poisonous or medicinal plants but will be at risk while doing so.



Ⅳ. FLOWERY FIELDS FOREVER
Maybe you need to get away from the fuss at the market or just want to stretch your legs, but it’s time to explore the flowering landscape around the village. The villagers have baskets waiting at each of the outbound trails with the request that you come back with the basket full in trade for the picnic lunch they provide.

Wander the rolling hills and you’ll find a surprising amount of wildlife for an island without offspring. There are hummingbirds the size of chihuahuas, tiny pollinating bats, nectar eating possums, giant stingless bees, and more butterflies than you can shake a stick at. All of them seem entirely unafraid of humans despite being wild animals. If you get bitten or pecked, it’s your own fault.

As you fill your basket, you’ll notice patterns in what blooms. All kinds of plants bloom outside of reason and season and traditional need because the land is trying to talk to you through flowers. What did you need to hear? The villagers can help you translate when you come back from your adventure.

Notes:
1. The giant orchid mantises are still there! Thank Gideon and Harrow for negotiating a truce, so they probably won’t eat you. A mantis might even have a conversation with you if you ask nicely, (Quentin managed somehow,) and they have their own knowledge and worship of the Ancient.

2. Feel free to use any reference for plant/flower meaning. Here’s one to get started!

3. Don’t get too attached to any of the critters, they will stay here at the end of the month.

Bonus: music to watch the flowers bloom to.


Network · Logs · OOC · Memes · Plurk

quire: (smirk)

☠️♥️☠️

[personal profile] quire 2021-08-08 09:03 pm (UTC)(link)
"Oh. Yeah. They burned her huh? Well whatever. Odds are good if they don't want anyone in here it's because there's something worth hiding from people." He can always find a reason to go places he's not supposed to.

Quentin's grin is unmistakably self-satisfied. Convincing people to do things positively delights him.

"You know anything about plants?" he asks, unconcerned with the gate the clangs shut behind them.
helpdesk_hero: David Alleyne  / Prodigy - From Young Avengers (Default)

[personal profile] helpdesk_hero 2021-08-08 09:08 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh probably. Very probably. David offered a smile to him.

"That's very true. But perhaps there is something from your world I can play? Who knows, there may be overlap."

Which he doesn't expect, but he can sure try. In fact, he could probably ask to just borrow the knowledge.
quire: (uh ok)

[personal profile] quire 2021-08-08 09:09 pm (UTC)(link)
The unmoved expression on the man's face makes Quentin realize his incredibly specific cultural references aren't landing. "You know, like... FEED ME SEYMOUR. No? Nothing? OK, maybe not the same Earth then."

"I wouldn't worry about it. It's not most people's problem. Until you find yourself in a situation like this," he shrugs. What the average person needs to know about quantum mechanics seems moot.

"What's that?" he asks when the tall guy seems to handle one such plant like he knows his way around. "You know something about plants?"
helpdesk_hero: David Alleyne  / Prodigy - From Young Avengers (Default)

[personal profile] helpdesk_hero 2021-08-08 09:10 pm (UTC)(link)
"And this was anything but hands off or straightforward," David agreed. The Oracle had been kind to him, but vague.

He moves to pause near another flowering plant and starts collecting some of it. Good for sleeping teas.

"But do we know the date on this island? Are any of those who passed away recent? And yes, I can work with my hands. I don't have funds laying around, but if someone can get thread and the like, I know simple snares for things like rabbits and squirrels."

Thanks for that, life.
helpdesk_hero: David Alleyne  / Prodigy - From Young Avengers (Default)

CW: Referenced death

[personal profile] helpdesk_hero 2021-08-08 09:11 pm (UTC)(link)
"Oh, it gets worse," David laughs, bit it's bitter. "There was another guy, really in love with Josh. Me and him started sleeping together after my boyfriend left. And, shock of all shocks, he ended up going crazy and killing me. And that's before one even considers my life back home. I'm made of relationship drama. Pretty sure it's a secondary mutation."

But the hand on his shoulder is nice and maybe he leans into it a little bit.
helpdesk_hero: David Alleyne  / Prodigy - From Young Avengers (Default)

CW: Discussions of violent murders, strangulation

[personal profile] helpdesk_hero 2021-08-08 09:13 pm (UTC)(link)
"He's a rich white guy that killed queer black men," David counters. "The system isn't always against them."

And if something about his death ruined the justice those young men desired, he'd hate himself forever."
helpdesk_hero: David Alleyne  / Prodigy - From Young Avengers (Default)

[personal profile] helpdesk_hero 2021-08-08 09:15 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh come on, he's absolutely not curious about people getting it on. Quentin, he's got way too much of other people's sex lives in his head already.

"I'm not curious. About anyone. Especially people from home. Why would you assume that I want to know what they're up to? Or is it just that you live vicariously through other people's sex lives?"
quire: (confident)

[personal profile] quire 2021-08-08 09:24 pm (UTC)(link)
He rolls his eyes. He won't believe that. "Don't be such a prude. Everybody likes to know things about everyone else. It's in our nature."
unkindled_madness: (skeptical)

[personal profile] unkindled_madness 2021-08-08 09:29 pm (UTC)(link)
Sephiroth looks decidedly skeptical. He doesn't even listen to popular music in the first place; what are the chances something from his collection exists identically in another universe?

"I doubt it. I've yet to find any such overlap in literature-- nothing but a few names." He thinks for a moment. "Perhaps if you know any Nordic tunes...?"
helpdesk_hero: David Alleyne  / Prodigy - From Young Avengers (Default)

[personal profile] helpdesk_hero 2021-08-08 09:49 pm (UTC)(link)
"You remember my ability, right?" David asked, his face calm as he looks into a small basket that seems to be filled with mustard blooms. Those he could use. "It's not that I'm a prude. It's that I literally know all there is to know about a lot of people's sex lives already. I don't need more in my head, especially not seeing it in person. The only sex life I'm concerned about right now is my own, and I don't have one. So I'm fine."
quire: (calm)

[personal profile] quire 2021-08-08 11:39 pm (UTC)(link)
"Yah so you're literally incapable of not knowing. Even more potent than mere curiosity I'd say. You're like an uncontrollable gossip monger," he smiles.

He points to the basket. "Who are those for?"
helpdesk_hero: David Alleyne  / Prodigy - From Young Avengers (Default)

[personal profile] helpdesk_hero 2021-08-09 01:29 am (UTC)(link)
Nordic tunes. David closes his eyes for a few moments to try and figure out just what he might do. At last he settles on something he learned from Loki himself. He starts to strum a complex ballad of a warrior people.

"I hope this will work. I don't sing well, if I'm being honest."
helpdesk_hero: David Alleyne  / Prodigy - From Young Avengers (Default)

[personal profile] helpdesk_hero 2021-08-09 01:33 am (UTC)(link)
"Ah, but that's the difference, isn't it? To know everything doesn't mean one will say everything," David answers with a smile. Maybe that will make more sense. "Maybe of us, I'm the greater gentleman."

As for the flowers, he trades them for coins.

"They're for tea, if you must know. Mustard blossoms have a peppery flavor, they'll go great with a tea I'm trying to create."
unkindled_madness: (awkward)

[personal profile] unkindled_madness 2021-08-09 01:58 am (UTC)(link)
Oh. He didn't realize this would include singing. Should he say it isn't necessary...? He isn't really concerned about insulting the man, but he doesn't want to admit to apparently not understanding what he was requesting.

"Ah... As you will." Smooth.
wwrench: <lj user=proverbially> (pic#13651254)

[personal profile] wwrench 2021-08-09 02:38 am (UTC)(link)
Maybe. The explanation earns another noncommittal wobble of the tall man's hand, but this time Wrench reaches further into his memories for why the line feels so familiar. It's not long until he latches onto something, but the realization makes him swallow a short laugh. You're talking about a musical? The enormous venus fly trap? His expression alone might be enough to tell the kid he needs to get better material.

Wrench deposits the gathered seeds into a little vial, and is already on his way down the line when his ScryWatch buzzes. Castor beans, he explains simply, watching out of the corner of his eye to see whether or not any of the uses of this particular shrub might be familiar to his companion. I know a little. My... the man who raised me taught me some.
quire: (cocky)

[personal profile] quire 2021-08-09 03:17 am (UTC)(link)
“You don’t have to spread gossip to enjoy collecting it.” His eyes light up a little like he knows he’s sharing some pleasure in the mischief of that with David. “You’re not immune to those compulsions and I don’t believe you if you say you are. Everybody thinks they’re above that sort of curiosity when they’re not. It’s the whole reason reality TV exists.” As always Quentin gladly holds a rather bleak picture of human and mutant nature.

He snorts. “Funny. If you’re going for the title that doesn’t sound like a very gentlemanly thing to say.”

He watches the exchange and quirks an eyer brow at him. “Is someone paying for you that? Bougie herbal teas?”
quire: (unimpressed)

[personal profile] quire 2021-08-09 03:27 am (UTC)(link)
"Yeah! That's the one! C'mon it's a classic," he says like he's more disappointed in the other man's slow uptake than he ever would be with his own references. He's eclectic damnit.

"Castor beans?" Quentin repeats. "Like Castor oil? Little backed up are you?"
wwrench: <lj user=proverbially> (pic#13703906)

[personal profile] wwrench 2021-08-09 03:38 am (UTC)(link)
And as you've observantly concluded, I'm a total fanatic for classic musicals, Wrench quips back. He doesn't bother masking the roll of his eyes or the shake of his head. In fact, he might exaggerate it just a little. Fact is, however, the kid might have a point. Not so long ago Wrench would've scoffed over human-sized mantises or bumblebees the size of housecats, but it seems that here anything is possible. If they do encounter a sentient, singing carnivorous plant, he hopes the other will know what to do.

Sure, like castor oil. Wrench has to assume that he's not being put on. Though he wonders why anyone would tromp into a garden marked with a skull and crossbones in search of a common laxative. Someone having a really bad day, he guesses. You sure you ought to be in here? Just don't touch anything, all right? He's about to suggest that maybe his companion head back out the way they came, but when he looks toward the entrance they only just passed through, Wrench is a little startled to find it gone and nothing but a stretch of garden spread out in all directions around them.
quire: (cocky)

[personal profile] quire 2021-08-09 03:48 am (UTC)(link)
"It's a cult classic from your generation. You DO look old and like you know a thing about cults. Sue me," he says with a dismissive little flip of his hand.

"No, I'm pretty sure no ones supposed to be in here, that's exactly why I'm here. If they think they're hiding something I'm gonna find it," he explains, perfectly unaware of the lack of a path they've left in their wake.
wwrench: <lj user=roximonoxide> (pic#13397459)

[personal profile] wwrench 2021-08-09 04:11 am (UTC)(link)
Old? Despite his directing the expression of disbelief at the face of his ScryWatch, Wrench doesn't quite manage to hide his displeasure at the implication. As opposed to whatever I'm supposed to assume you want me to know based on this? He flicks his hand demonstratively up and down, indicating towards him from head to toe.

Wrench isn't likely to do too much protesting to that point. Suit yourself, he decides with a shrug of his shoulders, though the sign may look more positive than dismissive when it ends in a thumbs-up gesture in the boy's direction. He ignores the puzzle of the missing fence and passes along to the next marked plant that catches his eye.

What's your name?
grayshulk: (pic#12883338)

[personal profile] grayshulk 2021-08-09 04:12 am (UTC)(link)
"Thanks."

After a month on the island, Jen's pretty used t everything tasting like flowers. The drink gives her a moment to try and collect her thoughts. The dreams were bad, and there's no pressure from a hulk in her head to orient herself against. Everything still feels wrong, and she doesn't go for eye contact.

"I appreciate this."
quire: (phoenix fire)

[personal profile] quire 2021-08-09 04:21 am (UTC)(link)
"If there's something you wanna know about me all you have to do is ask," he says with an annoying flippant little shrug.

It's a worthy quest perhaps, but it would be a lot more efficient if he had any idea what he might be looking for. Instead, he moves from plant to placard looking for anything that might strike epiphany in him.

"Quentin Quire," he says. "Kid Omega if you prefer."
wwrench: <lj user=proverbially> (pic#13651255)

[personal profile] wwrench 2021-08-09 04:27 am (UTC)(link)
Really? Wrench purses his lips and gives a tight smile. The kind that indicates he might just be willing to take the kid at his offer, and that might lead to a few places that could cause him to regret it. All right. He seems to hold the suggestion in his back pocket for a minute, not hurrying himself to get around to much of anything, save plucking a few brightly colored flowers carefully from one of the bushes, and stowing them away in another little satchel he's brought with him.

It's your name, he volleys back easily. I don't have any preference about it. At the start of this all, the very idea of the latter wouldn't have made any sense to Wrench. Now, it gives him exactly the opening he needs to test the waters on that offer.

You're from Earth. Are you human?
quire: (confident)

[personal profile] quire 2021-08-09 04:38 am (UTC)(link)
"Sure. I don't have anything to hide." Least of all, he thinks, from a bunch of strangers on this God forsaken island.

"What's that one?" he asks, without looking over his shoulder. It's a wonder how he even noticed the tall blond had found himself another plant worthy of his collection.

"Pftf, no. I'm a mutant. Homo superior. Emphasis on the superior."
extrasensory_problems: (concern)

Re: CW: Referenced death

[personal profile] extrasensory_problems 2021-08-09 04:44 am (UTC)(link)
"The guy you slept with...killed you?" Carter asks, his eyes going wide. He is both shocked and upset at the fact that someone would do this to David as well as the semi causal nature in which David tells him this.

"Holy shit, David....that...." He trails off, trying to think of something that doesn't sound stupid. Somehow he doesn't think that 'gee that sucks is going to exactly cover it.

"Fuck."

Well.....still stupid sounding but he can't think of much else to say.