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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

speed_of_snark: (look up)

[personal profile] speed_of_snark 2021-08-18 04:22 am (UTC)(link)
"I'm not." His smile remains. "I'm sorry that you think that's the metric."

He picks a random flower and then plucks at he petals. "So we've essentially decided to wait a while and try and collect more information before we do something drastic about this whole island getaway. And we're not going to try dying for fun. Leave that to Wade." He sighs and tosses the flower away.

"This place makes me feel mellow. So I know it's fake."
quire: (hangin chillin little bit'o illin)

[personal profile] quire 2021-08-18 04:32 am (UTC)(link)
"If it's not YOUR metric, what exactly are you accusing me of being immature about?"

With a huff of impatience, Quentin plunks himself down amongst the flowers and goes about picking another pile of them without every leaving his seat. Just the valuable ones of course. The one's they'll offer him more for at the market. "I guess. Unless something fucked up happens on the next island. Then all bets are off.

Kind of high strung, huh? Yeah. It's weird when there's quiet in your head where there used to be a voice."
speed_of_snark: (look up)

[personal profile] speed_of_snark 2021-08-19 02:33 am (UTC)(link)
"Anyone who has to remind people that they're legal to drink is not a pillar of maturity. Nor SHOULD you be. You kids all had to grow up too fucking soon."

He glances down at Quire. "Very weird," he agrees. "Especially someplace strange, like this. At home? Fine. Makes sense. Creepy island with huge bugs? No sense at all."
quire: (uh ok)

[personal profile] quire 2021-08-19 02:54 am (UTC)(link)
He folds his arms across his chest. "Your aged memory says nothing of my maturity, thanks."

"You can kind of overcome with it enough caffeine," he says like he knows from experience.
speed_of_snark: (look up)

[personal profile] speed_of_snark 2021-08-21 04:34 am (UTC)(link)
Jean-Paul doesn't even bother to roll his eyes.

"Really? Hn. Might have to try it."
quire: (cocky)

[personal profile] quire 2021-08-21 04:44 am (UTC)(link)
Judging by the smug satisfaction on his face he takes that to mean he's won.

"It doesn't taste incredible. Sort of like herbal tea and radishes. But it's caffeinated as fuck so. Whatever."
speed_of_snark: (look up)

[personal profile] speed_of_snark 2021-08-21 04:53 am (UTC)(link)
"Whatever indeed. Is that what you've bene up to all month? Finding coffee substitutes?"
quire: (hangin chillin little bit'o illin)

[personal profile] quire 2021-08-21 05:16 am (UTC)(link)
"Not ALL month," he insists. "I figured out those giant bugs can communicate telepathically. Wade and I did some gardening. Found a fuck buddy. Scraped every mind I could to find out everything people asked their little plant god. Do you KNOW what the old man asked? God what a waste..."
speed_of_snark: (look up)

[personal profile] speed_of_snark 2021-08-21 05:31 am (UTC)(link)
Jean-Paul's eyebrows lift. "Can they? Oh. I killed a few. Oops."

His eyebrows stay up. "You? Found a friend? Well. That's lovely, Quire, didn't know you had it in you. And non, what was so dumb about what he asked?"
quire: (lux)

[personal profile] quire 2021-08-21 05:58 am (UTC)(link)
"Ew. Were they crunchy or gooshie?"

"Did I SAY a friend? Don't sanitize my experiences. It's prudish." He gives Jean-Paul a sour look but it's easily replaced by his usual state of lazy contempt. "Ugh, he was THIS close to serving that stupid plant with the Euthyphro dilemma— which MIGHT have told us something about this place's metrics for moral judgement. And then he wasted it with some self-pitying shit."
speed_of_snark: (waiting)

[personal profile] speed_of_snark 2021-08-21 06:02 am (UTC)(link)
"Crunchy on the outside, gooshie on the inside."

One of his eyebrows raises. "Mm, right. Fuckbuddy then." He looks at him evenly. "What's the Euthyphro dilemma? You might be well educated, but I'm a high school dropout."
quire: (akshully)

[personal profile] quire 2021-08-21 06:12 am (UTC)(link)
"Ah that's the worst."

"Is the pious loved by the gods because it is pious, or is it pious because it is loved by the gods? It's basically the BIG question about what morality even is. You know like; do the-powers-that-be approve of goodness because it's good, or is what's good good just because they approve."
speed_of_snark: (fuk off)

[personal profile] speed_of_snark 2021-08-21 06:15 am (UTC)(link)
"Sort of satisfying to tear through, I think."

Jean-Paul wrinkles his nose. "Why d'fuck would he have asked about THAT? That's stupid. I bet his question was better."
quire: (omg wut even)

[personal profile] quire 2021-08-21 06:25 am (UTC)(link)
"I'm not much for physical exertion."

"Are you kidding me!?! It could have been a baseline for understanding why any of us are here!? Why we've been tagged with these fucking stupid colors! Why this place seems to think it's doing us a fucking favour! Instead he ran his big stupid mouth and got some bullshit horoscope for it!"
speed_of_snark: (look up)

[personal profile] speed_of_snark 2021-08-21 06:28 am (UTC)(link)
"I am." He's a jock. A well groomed, bitchy one with expensive tastes, but a jock nonetheless.

"So why didn't YOU ask the Eudippyness question or whatever?"
quire: (omg wut even)

[personal profile] quire 2021-08-21 06:46 am (UTC)(link)
"Don't you think that's maybe what they wanted out of you?"

"Because he was supposed to! I went first!"
speed_of_snark: (homo superior)

[personal profile] speed_of_snark 2021-08-21 11:51 am (UTC)(link)
"For me to kill the wildlife? I don't know, a kid was going to get eaten so I saved him." Punch first, ask questions later.

Jean-Paul laughs. "So you wasted your own question and now you're mad Logan used his own to fulfill a personal need? That's funny."
quire: (glower)

[personal profile] quire 2021-08-21 08:16 pm (UTC)(link)
"And you think I'M immature."

"I didn't waste anything! I had a great question too, and as expected it was wholly dodged for the sake of punitive efforts."
speed_of_snark: (a smile)

[personal profile] speed_of_snark 2021-08-24 05:02 am (UTC)(link)
Jean-Paul shakes his head. "Quire, you really are quite amusing. Alright, fine, you were cheated out of a real answer. Next time maybe convince someone else to ask what you want them to instead of relying on people not to be selfish."
quire: (nerd rage)

[personal profile] quire 2021-08-24 02:59 pm (UTC)(link)
"Oh, don't worry. I can be way more persuasive than I'd been."