November 2023 Event Plotting

[singmod]

NOVEMBER 2023 EVENT

PROMPT ONE — WHITEOUT: Methuselah makes an unexpected early return to Milton to warn Interlopers of an impending monster storm, and boy does it surely come.
WHITEOUT — CONTENT WARNINGS: extreme weather; storms; blizzards; themes of survival; possible character cold-related injuries; possible themes of peril.

PROMPT TWO — A CHOICE: Following the storm, sightings of a mysterious stag prompts a hunt down in the Basin and out in the Outskirts.
A CHOICE — CONTENT WARNINGS: survival themes; themes of hunting; possible animal death.

PROMPT THREE — REST MY WEARY BONES: While the storm causes a great deal of mess, it also uncovers some far more pleasant surprises. Hot springs.
REST MY WEARY BONES — CONTENT WARNINGS: LITERALLY NOTHIN', Y'ALL

WHITEOUT

In the times that he is no longer occupying the Community Hall in the center of town to help tend to the newcomers, Methuselah is out in the wilds. Despite his growing age, he is a hardened survivor, and has been more than accustomed to life living as a nomad, out in the thickest, deepest parts of nature. Sometimes he can be encountered, sheltered in a cave or out in the woods, huddled by a warm campfire, or busying himself with his latest game catch. He seems to be always on the move, never staying for too long, and never coming into town — unless it’s to begin preparations for the latest batch of new arrivals.

To see him returning to Milton outside of these times is a curious sight, and the grim expression he carries is enough to make anyone wary. Even his voice is grave. The warmth and kindness usually found in his expression is gone, replaced with a deathly seriousness. He doesn’t speak in jest.

"I am long used to this world and its weather, even with the changing times to more bitter nights." he will say. "I have seen the years rise and fall, too many to count. Please, I beg that you hear me with this— a storm is coming. Greater than some of you may have ever known. It is in the air, and we must prepare to see it through. We do not have much time. Three days, perhaps. But no more."

He will tell anyone and everyone; encouraging the word to be spread around. He will instruct on what needs to be done, what needs to be gathered. The storm will be long and hard, and will last for some time. With that, Methuselah will begin to prepare the Community Hall as a place of refuge with a stock of food, fuel and water to get through the storm. Interlopers will be free to join Methuselah and bunker down together, or can choose to bunker down on their own in their own homes, or with others.

You have only three days.

And sure enough, the storm comes. Maybe you can notice the signs too: the sudden updraft, the slow gathering of clouds, the drop in temperature, the changes of pressure in the air.

Halfway through the third day, the storm rolls in: a ferocious snow-storm unlike anything you’ve seen before. Even with the fading amount of daylight as mid-winter approaches, the sky turns as dark as night as will stay like night for the duration. Strong howling winds batter the town, and even the sturdiest of buildings creak and groan under the weight. Trees will be felled, some buildings might not fare the storm.

Relentless snow that falls so hard it’s a complete whiteout, and will be impossible to navigate if one were to step outside. Even then, it isn’t advisable. The temperature is bitter, with a frigid windchill. Going out in this kind of storm would be a death sentence. Staying out in it for longer than a half-hour will certainly kill you.

It would be best to wait it out, to huddle around warm fires in the darkness. It may certainly be a test of patience, depending on your choice of place to stay. The storm will last a full week, a stark reminder of what you are, the words you have heard in your arrival: thrown to Mother Nature’s mercy, the Interloper in her design.

But will you persist?

A CHOICE

After the storm passes, there’s a certain kind of hush that falls upon Milton and its surrounding areas as Interlopers are left to pick through the wake. While the temperature certainly doesn’t get that much warmer, there’s days and nights of clear, calm weather — short afternoons of weak sunshine and nights of chilly peace, the moon hung high in the starry skies. Winter is drawing ever-closer, but it’s still for a little while.

In the early evenings, before the sun sets, there’s strange sightings of a particular white stag that can be found roaming the area — particularly down in the Milton Basin. It seems quite elusive, but there’s plenty of Interlopers that have been able to capture a glimpse over the coming days. Even Methuselah himself has seen this beast before, remarking there has long been tall tales of a ghostly stag that roams the Northern Territories and is said to bring good fortune to those who manage to hunt it down.

Perhaps you’re a little low on luck. Perhaps you’re feeling lucky. You’re going to find that stag.

Hunting down the stag, however, will take a great deal of patience and time. You might find yourself waiting several hours to wait for it to appear. Building a snow shelter, or hunkering down in some old shack might be needed in order to keep warm. But if you’re patient enough, and able to withstand the cold for long enough — the beast will soon make an appearance.

In the dying light of the day, it is there. It’s unlike any deer you’ve seen before: tall and majestic, with thick, soft fur of brilliant white. It almost looks ghost-like in some angles, it’s an incredibly beautiful creature. But it seems to have also noticed you, just as you have noticed it. It doesn’t dart away, however. Instead it stands before you, waiting for you to act.

You have a choice: slay the creature, or let it go.

It will not move until you make your decision, holding your gaze until you raise your weapon or until you lower it and give up your hunt. But there is a consequence to either action: if you choose to kill the stag, you will be rewarded with a sizeable bounty of venison. Eating said meat will help you feel fuller for longer, and the meat will keep for far longer than any other deer slain.

However, if you choose to spare the stag, the creature will lower its head, as if bowing to you. Then, it will disappear with a swirling of powdered snow. When you return home for the evening and go to sleep, the next morning you will find a gift at the foot of your bed: a pair of deerskin boots, or a deerskin blanket. These boots are supple, tough and waterproof — allowing for a great balance of mobility and warmth. The blanket is incredibly toasty, and will provide a great deal of comfort in the long nights ahead.

REST MY WEARY BONES

The storm has blown in plenty of snow to make traversing the area much more difficult, but there’s something else of note that comes with its passing. While the storm has brought much devastation, and some places have been buried in snow drifts, plenty of snow in areas has been blown away, uncovering otherwise lost secrets within Milton. Clouds of what looks like steam can be noted not too far from town, towards the mountains of the north.

If Interlopers head to explore the clouds, they will find old trails leading up towards the mountains. It isn’t a particularly difficult journey, for once, and they will soon discover that the storm has blown away the previously blocked access to a cave. It appears that this is the right place.

The air is warm here, pleasantly so. Warm enough that hats and mittens and coats seem a little unnecessary. One might wonder if someone lives within, and that a great fire is stoked to keep the place warm. But there’s no one in sight, no sounds of life: human, animal or otherwise. If they press on, they will discover that the cave floor is well worn with footfall: plenty of people have come here before, and the reason why is soon revealed.

The air grows even warmer, and more humid. The space opening to reveal small pools of slow-flowing water, warm water. The stone houses a natural hot spring, and following the cave out the other side will lead to another space in the rock open to the air, where there are even larger pools of warm water, perfectly sized and deep enough to bathe in. It seems that this place was frequently used by the people of Milton, where their life of hardship could be forgotten for an hour or two.

The water is pleasantly hot, and incredibly inviting. After so long in the freezing cold without modern appliances and utilities, a natural hot spring sounds like an absolute luxury.

FAQs

WHITEOUT

1. Characters are free to play around with this prompt how they want. Maybe they're dumb enough to go into the cold and get injured or sick. Maybe they're stuck in the Community Hall for the week. Fights might break out as tensions run high whilst everyone's stuck together, or maybe you're actually having a nice time.

2. For those stuck in the Community Hall: there are board games and old school textbooks stored in cupboards. There is also a piano.

A CHOICE

1. .... Yes, you can pet the ghost stag.

2. Characters will get one choice only with the ghost stag, meaning they can't keep going back to find it to get extra gifts.

3. If characters can't agree on a course of action, whoever acts first will get their gift. The second character will have a chance to try again another time.

4. If both characters agree on sparing the stag, but players want different gifts (ie. one player wants the boots and one wants the blanket), characters will get the gift the player wants their character to receive.

REST MY WEARY BONES

1. The hot springs will now be a permanent fixture in the Milton Area, enjoy!

PLOTTING FORM

<b>Player Name:</b> Your name here. <b>Player Contact:</b> What’s the best way to reach you? <b>Pacing:</b> What's your monthly speed looking like? Explain it here. <b>OOC Limits:</b> Any hard limits for RP go here. <b>Character Name:</b> Your character name here. <b>Canon:</b> Your character canon here. <b>Wanted CR:</b> Friends? Mentors? Hunting buddies? Lovers? State preferences here. <b>Unwanted CR:</b> Not keen on romance? Mortal enemies? State preferences here. <b>Event Ideas:</b> Your event plotting here! <b>Anything Else?:</b> You know what to do.

EVENT POST

Comments

Jack Kline + Max Mayfield

[dimensionalcanopener]

Player Name: Jean
Player Contact:
Pacing: I vary dependent on what's going on and how work looks, and can sum up as medium. I tag heavy after I first post something, then taper off, but still willing to backtag!
OOC Limits: In this game death and permanent loss of limbs are deal breakers for me. Hitting my two is ill-advised. Jack is trained to throw punches (and worse), and Max might just make your life hell if she gets a baseball bat or mace. (I mean, if you want that? Then go for it, just making sure people are warned.)

Character Name: Jack Kline
Canon: Supernatural

Wanted CR: Friends and mentors are very welcome. Hunting buddies would be nice, too, even if this is a different sort of hunting from what Jack is accustomed to. Negative CR is good, too. Jack is the type he doesn't exactly hold a grudge, but if he doesn't like you and doesn't trust you after you break trust, that's pretty much it.
Unwanted CR: I am actually not the biggest on romance for Jack. If it happens, it happens, but I'm here more for the survival.

Event Ideas: I don't see Jack killing the stag, to be honest. I can see him look for another way and feel drawn to want to do something else when it just approaches. He will spare it. I'm down for him to team up with someone who just takes it out despite his choice. He will be infuriated. Otherwise, if someone wants to team up for the more pure option, totally down.

Hot springs are a must. It's really cold out there, okay. Maybe he'll even catch an actual human cold and be under the weather for a bit to know what that actually feels like, tops.

Anything Else?:


Character Name: Max Mayfield
Canon: Stranger Things

Wanted CR: Friends and mentors are very welcome. I'm definitely down for Max to learn survival skills and while some female role models are super welcome, down for her to have positive friendship/bonds with older men as well, since the men in her family sucked (the boys, along with Eddie and Steve are exempt from this, of course). When you can say Billy's controlling, abusive, toxic brand of protectiveness was probably the best connection she had between her bio dad, stepdad and Billy? Yeah, it's bad. Allllll for her to have negative CR with someone to yell and scream at, though.
Unwanted CR: I'm not here for romance.

Event Ideas: Ok, I don't see Max killing the stag, either. I feel she's more logical about not caring too much if someone kills it, at first, but I can see her thwart that intention when she realizes the stag comes willing. If it can be brave, so can she. She'll tell it to run. So team ups should either be people more for the letting it go, or someone who oocly won't mind if she ruins the attempt. ICly it's fine if she pays for that.

Also hot springs. She can be spared getting sick, for now.

Anything Else?:

[solitarysoul]

Levi's thinking of starting to go hunting lately, so he could be hunting buddy. Their thread on tdm was good so I wanna see them interact more

[dimensionalcanopener]

That would be a great start. Especially since Jack doesn't know how to do this kind of hunting. It's very new to him.

And yes, they hit it off pretty well!

[pacificator]

Wynonna needs to meet them both!

[dimensionalcanopener]

She totally does! Hot springs with Max, or finding one of them lost in the snow, and maybe stag hunting with the other? They don't even have to find the stag. It could fail, since you can only find it once. Orrrr there's always for Wynonna stuck in the hall because of the weather getting testy and either Max snarks at her or Jack is all obnoxiously, "This is a little rough, isn't it?"

idk, possibilities. Anything speak to you?

[pacificator]

lmaooooo if Max snarks at her, Wynonna will just get even more annoyed, but if Jack starts snarking at her, they may end up in a full-on brawl (she's a demon hunter and trained by a Marine, it's fine). And then she can head out into the storm in a huff and maybe have something awful happen to her!

Max can be part of the teen girl group Wynonna will somehow end up chaperoning to the hot springs, only for the teen girls to realize the problem was Wynonna All Along.

[dimensionalcanopener]

lol, with Jack just, "I was trying to sympathize" might be hilarious.

And yes! Omg. that's funny, though. Wynonna the chaperon - fantastic. Are you TLing this round?

[castitas]

yes, hello. I am here for things.

Kieren is 100% here for sparing the deer with Max because he's got zero interest in killing the stag. So them just kinda letting the stag go could be a really nice introduction to one another??

[madginger]

Yes, I like that! Will you be TLing with Kieren?

[castitas]

I won't, unfortunately! I'm technically on hiatus this month so I'm mostly tagging out or maybe doing a handful of closed starters???

[madginger]

I can do a closed starter for us, then, that's ok!

[nugent]

we need more stuff with dean & jack!

[dimensionalcanopener]

we should! they could try to hunt the stag and fail it / just freeze their butts off? he's going to find it with Wynonna so saving that for them.

[nugent]

haha yes! that's perfect! dean being all cranky like THIS WAS A BAD IDEA

[madginger]

That's hilarious, especially with Jack trying to diffuse his upset.

Will you have a tl for Dean?

[alef]

hey!! i'd love for rei and max to get some cr with this event if you're up for it. idk if you're canon familiar with evangelion, but if not, rei has some things in common with eleven (trauma from being raised in a lab) that i think could make cr interesting with these two. i'd be up for either the stag or the hot springs! rei will also be sparing the stags and checking out the springs.

[madginger]

It's been a while, but I am familiar! I would enjoy that. They could find the stag, if you're ok with Max sparing it.

[alef]

that sounds great to me! rei will also want to spare the stag (she thinks meat is gross)

[madginger]

That works out! Forgot to ask, will you have a TL for Rei?

[amo]

here to offer max a positive bond with someone who is... technically not human, but very much man-shaped! vash is a staunch pacifist and a gentle soul who's generally great with kids & teens (mostly because he lets them bully and boss him around lol) so he could be good for her. he'll also be out there dissuading people from killing the stag so potentially they could team-up for/bond over that? let's go pet that ghost stag instead.

also would love cr with jack because i adore that cutie patootie. maybe they can catch their first human cold together? commiserating over the horror that is having a stuffy nose...

[madginger]

Oh, that's so pure! Max would think Vash is ridiculous, at first, but I could see him growing on her, especially when she realizes there's more to him than that. She is going to pet the Stag with Rei, but she could still team up trying to dissuade others.

And awww! Sure. Jack can totally get a cold with Vash.

Will you have a TL?

[amo]

vash very much lives by the "the horrors are endless, but i stay silly" philosophy so she wouldn't be wrong to think of him as ridiculous, but there's certainly a lot he keeps hidden under the surface that's fun to uncover. (namely that he sort of is one of the horrors?? kind of.) but yes, totally down for teaming up to be stag defense squad!

oh man the poor inhuman angel-adjacent beings are going to be in for a miserable time, can't wait!

i'm not 100% sure if i'll top level yet as i'm also planning to do a catch-all post and might just include current event stuff in there, but i can always write up tailored starters there or hit you up if you do top level!

[finefurryfella]

I can offer Roy as an older man for Max to have a positive bond with although he's grumpy (like a British Hopper). Looking after younger characters brings out his softer side since he has a niece he babysits back home. He will swear in front of her if that earns him any cool points.

[madginger]

You had me at British Hopper! But yes, swearing is definitely a good start, too.

Any plans this round? They could meet in just trying to find the stag and failing, since she's got plans with others to actively meet it.

[finefurryfella]

My only issue with that prompt is that Roy has no interest in looking for a stag (he's not terribly adventurous at his age, he'd only accompany someone if they thought they might get into trouble on their own) but he'd definitely investigate the steam coming from the hot springs if you want them to go on that journey together.