• Closed • I must be //dreaming// please stop \\screaming\\

[Pegasus]

She watched him as he slept and her face was almost tender.

Almost.
Not quite.
Hungry, too?

This scrawny child. This sickly boy. Her boy. Leaning forward, she planted a kiss on his forehead. It didn't wake him, of course.

It
sent
him
deeper

The kiss spread, it's eight-legged poisonnectar seeping into him changing himfreeing him. She moved to whisper in his ear, to tell him her secretslies but he stirred in his sleep. And so, she smiled a beautiful, hollow, dreadful smile.

"It's time, Steven"

"You have to go back now....."

And Woe awoke.

Warm and safe and in his bed, his eyes fluttered open as consciousness hit him. As his toes curled under the warm blanket he realised that he was not, in fact, where he had been when he fell asleep. He was in a bed, in a room, in a house. But the blanket wasn't warm, it was ragged. The bed wasn't a bed, it was a matress on the floor. Rats scuttled and squeaked, spiders wove intricate webs and he was a boy.

Maybe ten arcs old, in ragged pajamas which were too short in the leg, his feet were bare and the floor was cold. The house was ancient and dilapidated, but for all that it was that, there was no tell-tale covering of dust to let him know no one had been here. Because people had been here, and now he was.

Home

And so, he was in the room.

Modly Stuffs!

Hello! Thank you so much for being willing to let me have a bash at a new sort of "half-tracker/half mod". The plan is that this thread will act as a "central" thread, detailing the story of Woe's plot here. In between my posts you'll have tasks / objectives / things to do. These tasks can be done solo (or collab, possibly, for some of them).

Post 1: Awakening. Objective 1: Cold, barefoot, hungry
Woe wakes up in a strange place. He discovers himself to be a child - but he has more immediate concerns too. He is barefoot, cold and hungry. He needs to find some shoes, some clothes to wear, and something to eat. Which order you do that in will determine what happens next, so take one of those objectives and explore the room until you find it.
Restrictions are:
This room represents Woe, it is his deepest psyche. Therefore, feel free to have wardrobes that are other realms, drawers which open and he falls into somewhere, etc.
You should find other things before finding the item in your objective.
Each thing you find should be significant to Woe in some way.
Please use the what it seems to bewhat it is/ what it represents coding.
You may complete up to three solos finding other things, but it can also be done in one.
However, be aware, what happens here will impact all things going forward.

When you've done all your "finding other things" solo(s), please post here. In your next post:
1. Link the "finding other things" solo(s)
2. Maybe give me a summary of them, in your post?
3. Write the rest of your post with Woe finding either clothes, shoes or food. Describe what that is and how you find it. Get yourself to the point of putting it on / putting it in your mouth and then, I'll go.

PSF ticket for reference

[Woe]

Woe had managed to get himself dressed and booted and fed. Well, not fed yet. He had only just plucked the tomato from the low-hanging vine, after sacrificing the rat pups to the black widows of mother's vegetable garden. The vegetables were all in perfect condition on the outside, bright and full of color as opposed to the surroundings.

He held the fruit in his hand, it was bright red against his pale palm. He brought it to his face, and sniffed it. He'd rarely had anything but maggot-strewn gruel in his mother's house. So having something colorful to eat was a

treat

.

The more he sniffed in the aroma of the tomato, the more he held it in his hand without eating it, his fear mounted and built upon itself. From the child's skeleton that was still caught on the silken webbing behind him, hissing still at him from somewhere behind the fence of the garden. He wondered if it would get free, if the black widows would release it, on finding that it was already dead. Most spiders preferred their food live and wriggling, not dead and dry and full of nothing but bones and dust.

He couldn't wait for the skeleton to find him, or all of this would be for nothing. With a heavy sigh, he took a bite out of the tomato, shoving it into his mouth and eating of much as he could before

bedtime

came.

As he stuffed his face full of tomato, he heard the fluttering of wings on the fence. Crow had come to

say hello to

him. She brayed loudly, violently, and her voice filled his ears.

[Pegasus]

Her eyes did not soften, nor her demeanour change as she watched him. As she observed, coldly, one could have been forgiven for thinking that she was observing a stranger, not her son-brother-love. Except in one moment, that was.

As he edged towards the dawn.
The light.
Walking carefully in the clothes which didn't fit

As she watched that scene unfold before her, his Mother watched him with love shining from her eyes. She cried tears of blood and pain as she understood what he was doing, what he was looking for. The Crow flew over him, circling above in the vast and starless sky and then, as he emerged from the Wardrobe, all was right in the world once more.

Then
he fell
into the drawer

She smiled. Her beautifulwayward child, forever lostthinking for himself, what else would happen to him? Of course he fell into the drawer, it was inevitable amusing .

"My poor child"

He heard the whisper. It was lovedisappointment and deathfear. It was pleasurepain and abandonmentabandonment.

It was her.

"My boy. You're broken...."

He heard the words, but most of what he heard was the bayingwarning of the Crow.



He ate the tomato.

Almost immediately, it gave him cramps. Cramps in his stomach, in his legs, in his arms. Cramps of pain which travelled the whole of his body and twisted his gut. Nausea and heat and cold washed over him in waves and, although he held onresistance: competent for a while, he could not stop the vomiting and evacuation of his bowels. It poured from him, this poisonhumanity, tinged with red pieces of tomato.

And then, there in The Room, he finally saw her. He couldn't speak, of course, because the vomitingchanging was too much. Just how she wanted it.

"My broken child. I am going to fix you."

Her voice was sweet and melodic. Gentle and loving. She put one cold hand on his forehead and, just for a moment, the exodus of waste and fluids from his body stopped.

"I have medicine......"

Removing her hand, the symptomsdisease once more took hold. She gestured to a door. It was open and there, in the doorway stood a nurse. She was tall and imposing, stern and pale. Oh so very pale. She gestured to the child-boy-man-toy, holding out her hand for him to come to her.

And his mother smiled.

"This might hurt a little, but it's for your own good ."

She looked at him sternly.

"Do what she says.
She'll fix you.
You're broken...."

The Crow cawed and it's voice sounded like laughter - or sobbing.

It was hard to tell.

Modly Stuffs!

Hello! Thank you so much for being willing to let me have a bash at a new sort of "half-tracker/half mod". The plan is that this thread will act as a "central" thread, detailing the story of Woe's plot here. In between my posts you'll have tasks / objectives / things to do. These tasks can be done solo (or collab, possibly, for some of them).

Post 3: Reshaping. Objective 2: Wind-Up-Toy
Woe is taken into a therapy room / asylum. In there, he is brainwashed anew to be an emotionless killer (a wind up toy). It is the stuff of nightmares which he must endure - and pass - if he is going to perform Mother's task. The Nurse (you never learn her name, she's just "Nurse") has an assistant, Ethyl, who acts as Woe's companion / friend / torturer.
Restrictions / Notes are:
This "therapy" is being done to prepare Woe for a task. It is imperative in this task that he is in control of his emotions.
I should note that the music I link is significant -it would help you to always listen to the whole thing.
The Nurse and Ethyl and, in fact, any other NPCs (you are free to make up new ones, single-use in here only, no need to submit them for Dev) call him Steven.
No previously used / seen NPCs may be used. They're trying to make him a new boy.
Mentions of the past will be met with retribution during this "therapy" - they seek to make sure that he knows this is what and who he is.
The focus here is on Woe's psychology skill, as far as this part of the plot goes.
The "therapy" is in a series of sessions which seek to a) embed the "reality" that he's a child and b) ensure that he is so afraid of failure that he will comply.
Please use the what it seems to bewhat it is/ what it represents coding.
You may complete as many, or as few, solos as you wish for this; the "therapy" / torture from Sintra's Nurse can last as long as you choose - Woe/Steven can experience it for a day or a year (no more than that, please!) - once he's a good wind-up-boy, then he gets to see Mother.
However, be aware, what happens here will impact all things going forward.

When you've done all your "My Time In Therapy" solo(s), please post here. In your next post:
1. Link the solo(s)
2. Maybe give me a summary of them, in your post?
3. Write the rest of your post with Woe being brought to see Mother (he knows that this is what is happening) to prove to her what a good boy he is.

PSF ticket for reference

[Woe]

1st of Vhalar

• Rebirth: here, Steven is introduced to his new identity, who he is, and who he isn't. He's punished for every instance where he brings up or even thinks about his former life.
  Meeting Apples: Here, Steven is playing a game with Ethyl of truth with a spider named Apples who is Ethyl's pet. He must tell the truth as he's meant to understand it, or else suffer the bite of the spider. At the end, he mostly passes, and is given Apples to bring to Mother so that he can prove how he's become a good boy. It's implied that he'll have to kill Apples (which he's come to love/have affection for) when he meets Mother.

Steven walked through the halls, wondering just how he was supposed to find where Mother was at without so much as a direction. He looked at apples, and quirked a brow, "Any ideas, Apples?"

Apples shrugged, and then turned in his palms. It pointed in a direction, and he supposed that was as good a clue as any. "It's time to go then? Right let's go that way."

The maze of twists and turns in the place he was in were dizzying, but somehow Apple led them right. He could feel Mother's presence, how close he was to finding her. He came to a white door, and reached out with one hand, while the other held onto Apples. He twisted the knob, and opened.

"Hello Mother? Have I become a good

boy

now?" He looked around the room. He felt his Mother, but didn't really see her. "What do you want me to do?"

[Pegasus]

Her eyes did not soften, nor her demeanour change as she watched him. As she observed, coldly, one could have been forgiven for thinking that she was observing a stranger, not her son-brother-love. Except in one moment, that was.

Apples was nice.

He / she / it was the guide.

Leading him to the next step.

Stopping him from falling......

It was dusty and dark and beautiful and ugly there.

The door
was
made
of
bone
and sinew......

The knob of the door disintegrated in his hand, crumbling to dust.

Everything does, in the end.

And the door swung open.

"I'm here, my poor child"

But he couldn't see her with his open eyes.

Only when his eyes were closed. Then he saw her.

He heard her, too. Skittering. Moving from placeweb to stinking placeweb.

When his eyes were closed, he saw her perfectly. She was beautiful and awe-inspiring.

But when he opened his eyes, the monsters came. Shadows danced and it was a nasty place.

"I want you to bring me people ...."

The Crow watched, balefullylovingly

"Visit me in your sleep."

She sang to him.

"I will see your life. This Cycle, I will watch you. Always watching"

Her gaze turned to Apples.

"Bring them, their lives, their deaths. Bring them to me."

Her smile was beautiful and deadly.

"Make new connections, strengthen old ones. Choose wisely and bring them."

She leaned forward to kiss him. It was a maternal gesture of lovebiting, ripping, tearing of flesh .

And in his bed, Woe woke up. .....

Modly Stuffs!

Hello! Thank you so much for being willing to let me have a bash at a new sort of "half-tracker/half mod". The plan is that this thread will act as a "central" thread, detailing the story of Woe's plot here. In between my posts you'll have tasks / objectives / things to do. These tasks can be done solo (or collab, possibly, for some of them).

Thread End.

I have loved this thread. You've been an absolute delight to mod for. Please see your rewards (awarded via UCP) below.

Woe

• Renown: 5
• XP: 20
• Knowledges:
  • Politics: x5
  • Dreamwalking: x5
  • Discipline: x5
  • Resistance: x5

Consequences

Apples - Apples will accompany you for the season. Apples is a spider who can talk - but only you can hear them. Apples is able to "phase out" (think like a Velduris wolf) but Woe is able to summon Apples, or Apples may choose to be visible / not. Should anyone try to stomp Apples, they'll discover that Apples is a Very Very Very Tough spider.

Dreams - throughout the cycle, when Woe dreams he is the child Steven and he is in the Asylum or its surrounds. The dreams feel more real, more than just dreams.

Next Step

1 month before Cycle Change (or sooner if you feel you've done what she asked) I will mod a finale thread for you which, in order to ensure you're not time-locked, I'm happy to power-post to.

PSF ticket for reference

[Woe]

Thread Submission Code

Form for thread completion:

Code: Select all

Thread Link: [url=]Thread[/url]
Summary:
Which  part of Sintra's request does this Fulfill:

[Woe]

Thread Link: Interlinked
Summary: Woe wakes up in his new establishment, the Bones, in the former residence of Efah. Lacrima is there with him, and he helps her with some healing after an encounter with Apples, who he meets for the first time in the waking world. This is just waking up from the dream of the prior cycle, where Sintra held Woe as the child Steven.
Which part of Sintra's request does this Fulfill: Bring me People. Woe arguably brings Lacrima into this situation, although unwittingly as he hadn't anticipated the dream-rapture of Sintra.

Thread Link: Everything I loved was lost But no aorta could report regret.
Summary: Steven dreams in his altered dreamscape. He approaches the Terrace of Lethroda in his dream garden, where the statuary of Sintra lies. It's dilapidated and neglected, much like his former devotion. Here, he begs Sintra to leave Lacrima out of whatever she has planned. He has a brief philosophical conversation with his impression of Sintra (not really Sintra, but how he imagined she'd respond to his words). In the end, there's not much conclusion other than Steven is determined to do what is necessary to keep Lacrima out of whatever Sintra is hatching.
Which part of Sintra's request does this Fulfill: VIsit me in your sleep.

Thread Link: Again Interlinked
Summary: Woe stalks a customer on her way home, in order to figure out more about her. He gets ambushed by her sons and dragged into her house, where she eventually discovers them and admonishes her sons. He spends the rest of the next tentrial or so in her house recovering.
Which part of Sintra's request does this Fulfill: Make new connections.

Thread Link: A sun of rubber was convulsed and set;
Summary: Woe suggests to Sintra that she accept Navnea as his tribute of a person to her. Filling the aspect of her Eight-Fold Labyrinth or Reverie of Grief. He brings Navnea's dreamscape self to Sintra's shrine in his own dreamscape, where she spills her beans.
Which part of Sintra's request does this Fulfill: Bring me people, bring me their lives, their deaths.

Thread Link: And Again Interlinked
Summary: Woe meets with Jan after trying to suss out and smoke out elements of the Centipede, in hopes that he might meet with a representative of that group. He also meant to cure a mage or a cursed, but nobody showed up.
Which part of Sintra's request does this Fulfill: Strengthen Old connections.

!	Message from: Peg
	Excellent stuff - accepted! Steven dreams and knows that there is more wanted from him. More people brought to Sintra - that is what she hungers for, really - all of it is to bring them to her. Making new connections as him is not enough - she wants them to be able to access his dreamscape so that she can access them, also.

[Pegasus]