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

Louis de Pointe du Lac | Interview with the Vampire

[flambeaux]

Player Name: Tea
Player Contact: permissions/journal contact post with options
Pacing: Backtags my beloved. I've been clearing all tags every few days but sometimes I do enter a fugue state and suddenly it's been a week and whatyearisit.jpg. Time is fake.
OOC Limits: insect pics

Character Name: Louis de Pointe du Lac
Canon: Interview with the Vampire (AMC flavor)

Wanted CR: Generally I like to slowburn all CR. Louis is in a bad trashfire place rn, but he likes to pretend to be keeping it together. Fun for me, not so much for him lol. Louis ICly is motivated to find people who can teach him wilderness survival, but is hampered by 1) he's allergic to the sun 2) he doesn't want to sleep around others.
Unwanted CR: Not sure! Ask about anything with investment I guess.

Event Ideas: I'm down for all prompts.

1. Whiteout: Cozy up with a vampire--abort, abort, SAVE YOURSELF. As the storm progresses, Louis will be starved for blood and alternating between hangry and out of it. Up to you whether he reveals he needs to suck blood or toughs it out. I haven't decided where he will stay, but it will be mysteriously rat-free. Don't worry about it!
2. A Choice: Hunting trip hunting trip! Louis sucks so much at hunting that he will not trust a deer acting docile to him lol. He'll spare him, and be super elated to have a warm gift--until he starts suspecting someone is messing with him... Louis please...
3. Rest My Weary Bones: Pipe dream, but Louis would like to live here forever pls. He could start a business... Louis NO

Anything Else?

Re: Louis de Pointe du Lac | Interview with the Vampire

[friendsfordinner]

Hunting trip buddies, y/n? Hickey is the sort of person who happily talks up about how wonderful and useful and knowledgeable he is about wilderness survival but also kind of sucks at the whole 'survival' thing. But he's definitely going to be weird about the stag + spare it and can happily talk down those 'someone is messing with me' feelings! No worries, dude! It's just a god! Gods love Hickey!

Re: Louis de Pointe du Lac | Interview with the Vampire

[flambeaux]

They sure do love that Hickey flavor! Yeah I was looking at your ideas for that prompt and rubbing my hands together evilly, always a good sign. It would be really funny if Hickey convinced Louis this trip was a good idea and then it just gets Worse.

Re: Louis de Pointe du Lac | Interview with the Vampire

[friendsfordinner]

Louis just disassociating into space as Hickey continues yammering on about his delusions. ~what could possibly go wrong~

Re: Louis de Pointe du Lac | Interview with the Vampire

[flambeaux]

You can use my tl if it works!

[skelters]

honestly i wanted to come in here and say that im keen for vash to be Hella Stupid (his natural unbothered state, really) and offer his blood ... he will only be worried that it isn't human / terran blood???? anyway dwbi i'm just sliding this offer here across the table so it can sit.

otherwise i am down for just more interaction, vash will ask him if he's found room to put the coffin in, or something ....

[flambeaux]

Louis is very reluctant to feed on people or be witnessed feeding at the moment. He is trying to keep the vampire thing secret for as long as possible; he doesn't want a witch hunt in this tiny place.

I think it would be interesting for the themes of his character to be stuck stewing in the temptation during the storm in the Whiteout event prompt, and for people (like Vash) to start going "Yo is he ok, he looks like he needs a fix??" But of course there's nothing really indicating that the fix is blood lmao.

[skelters]

YEAH I MEAN NOT IMMEDIATELY this was kind of down the long term cr line if it does end up happening, and also fully knowing louis' issues, totally.......

but i mean just one day, if vash does end up finding out and connecting dots between the 'fix' and 'blood', he will probably be dumb and offer without a second thought. hahahaha what is having self preservation instincts, amirite?

[flambeaux]

I may have to confer about plant blood tasting notes another time LMAOO. I do think Louis could hold out for a week if he willpowers enough, but it's on the table just in case he gets especially starved. In the meantime, he can distract himself from the cold storm with idk a rousing game of Jenga and a million blankets.

[skelters]

a southern boy and a desert plant .... they are really gonna enjoy this snowstorm

[flambeaux]

he's in the community hall during the snowstorm, does that work? it's when he's 'hungry'.

Or he can run away to the church maybe?

[triedtobelong]

hello I don't... actually have specific ideas to be honest but I greatly enjoyed tagging Louis on the TDM with Abigail despite being canonblind and would be super up for hitting you up sometime again and seeing how this goes.

[flambeaux]

Louis used to be closeted and Catholic lma...o... so I think it would be nice to have that solidarity if Louis can get his head out of his own ass. What's Jason doing with himself these days? I'm thinking your ideas for Whiteout might be good to do with Louis but I'd love to hear your thoughts.

[triedtobelong]

Oh boy, that sounds like it could be a recipe for some interesting conversations, yeah. It'll be a while til Jason's ready to admit to things though so he'll have some time. XD I'm still trying to find some footing for him, so plans are pretty loose -- I'm thinking it looks like he's gonna start out the storm alone and then realize he made a huge mistake and book it over to the community hall, so they could possibly run into each other while trying to tough it out and/or attempt to defreeze together at some point?

[flambeaux]

Yeah I think a quick struggle in the storm and some defreezing aftermath when they get to shelter sounds good!

[flambeaux]

Feel free to use my first prompt if it works for this!

[alef]

reaches for louis!! all of your event ideas sound super good. i'd be up for toughing it out through the storm, waxing poetic on whether it's Ok To Kill Animals Actually, or hyping up the hot springs

[flambeaux]

I can't decide between Louis projecting hardcore while trying to look out for Rei during the storm, or Rei talking about murdering animals and Louis having cursed vampiric undertones. Clearly he can't have nice things.

[alef]

ooooh i'm up for louis projecting hardcore in the storm if you are! he's an olympic-level projector one of the best in the business and i personally would love to see him go

[flambeaux]

You can use my tl first prompt!

[alef]

hell yeahhhhh ty!

[ployboy]

Tim is going to try to bully Mr L into staying at the community hall. Just sayin just sayin

unfortunately he did not find nyquil he got distracted by wheeling and dealing and potential power politics through control of resources I mean--

why are you so stubborn old man

[flambeaux]

It really does look like Louis is finding his way to community hall, looking at the collection of prompts I'm building for him. Do you want Tim to actually wheedle Louis into trekking there or just see a vampire popsicle through the window and help him in?

[ployboy]

It looks like Tim's emotional support Jason is going to buddy it up with Louis. So with that and the hilarity of the mental image of Tim snarling at the oldgay to get away from the closetgay, it looks like he's going to be on popsicle patrol.

Then he can frown at 2 dumbasses for the price of 1.

[flambeaux]

Louis is going to find out they're friends(?) and think they're sooo cute together, surely they won't be a trashfire like him and a certain French vampire! Louis Stop Projecting Challenge: Impossible.