robot_mod: ([ ultraviolet ])
robot_mod ([personal profile] robot_mod) wrote in [community profile] poly_tldr2013-07-14 11:47 am

"The Horseman Rides!" Planning Post

An ill wind is a-blowing through the City... ("We need help, the poet reckoned.")

As noted on the Calendar*, starting Tuesday, July 16th, characters will start to fall mysteriously ill...

There seem to be two strains of illness in the City.

One appears as a bad bout of the flu--with physical symptoms like fatigue, migraines, vomiting, strong fevers, appetite- and weight loss.

And the other affects a character's very presence in the City. Sick characters gradually cease leaving foot or hand prints and will slowly become more "transparent" (going as far as becoming invisible, if so chosen). At times, they will no longer be seen, heard, or even remembered. Increasingly, it will be as if they do not exist in the City.

What a terrifying thought... What can be done...? And what's an essence rite, anyway...?

This post is for plotting and planning--both for illnesses and for essence rites. Even though the essence rites will take care of the biggest issue--that would be disappearing--medical attention can be given to the affected characters. One can certainly treat the symptoms to alleviate some discomfort. Is there a doctor in the house? (Also, as an aside, characters who die or fade away into nothingness will not be able to return to life until either their essence rite is performed, or the event ends.)

This event will last until July 26th.

Now, for the important part:

Essence Rites


Once the illness starts sweeping the City, members of the Anonymous Movement will start researching what's going on or going wrong. They will announce their findings on July 19th, that sick and fading characters will need to have an "essence rite " performed, something that will cement a character's existence.

On the night of July 19th, characters OOCly arranged to participate in an essence rite (or rites) will experience a dream or vision that will tell them symbolically what is needed to heal and ground in existence the sick character(s) for whom they will be performing rites. (Characters OOCly arranged to help one another need not yet know each other ICly--this is a good and fun thing! Feel free to set this up!)

The dream and its meaning is up to you, the player of the ailing character. Dreams for the ailing character and any assisting characters may be identical, or different, or different but interconnected--that's up to the player of the central ailing character. These dream-visions will vary for every ailing character because every character is different and, therefore, every essence rite will be different. But the dream will indicate the ailing character and what rite or act is necessary to heal that character. Dreams can be as weird as one pleases. Parsing out the meaning and discovering what rite must be performed is up to you and yours.

The rites themselves will consist of the suffering characters either being brought something that resonates with them, or having some kind of task performed in their name in order to solidify their existence and reality. Rites can be as simple (an act, an object) or as complicated (a multi-part process resulting in a final act) as one would like, and they do not have to relate directly to a character's personality or canon. We do encourage you to be creative and cause a little trouble for your characters--think of it more like a quest than simply the end result of healing a sick character. Rites can be carried out from July 20th to July 26th

Some examples:

→ A hunter's essence rite might consist of being near the elephant tusk from which her special dagger is made. So other characters will have to hunt down an elephant and bring her more tusks.

→ If a baseball player falls ill, characters designated to help with his essence rite might begin having visions of baseball games. Those characters might have to play a game of baseball in order to cure the player.

→ A character closely associated with a particular place might need to touch or obtain something from that place. If a king falls ill, other characters might have to scramble to find him a stone from the walls of his castle to revive him.

→ A character's particular personality traits can play into the rites as well. Presenting an arachnophobe with some spiders could bring them around. A character inclined to anger may have to be made angry to recover, or a vindictive character may have to act petty to recover.

Finally: sickly characters can participate in their own rites. Rites can be performed alone or in groups. Sickly characters can enlist friends, enemies, or others they have not yet met yet for their quest. Remember: characters OOCly organized to help may not yet know each other ICly and this is an excellent way to build new CR.

So give some thought to what it is that could sustain your character's own existence. An object? An act? A belief? How could that appear in a dream? Hmm...

So!

For Ill Characters:



For Healthy/Helper Characters:



As ever, please feel free to ask any questions you might have here in this post. If you expect your character's essence rite will require an unusual or otherwise normally unobtainable item or creature, please just ask a mod on this post. We're happy to sort things out.

And have fun~

*Please do check the calendar page for more details on this event!
brobeforehos: (Default)

ill / helper | i'm a rebelllll

[personal profile] brobeforehos 2013-07-15 04:15 pm (UTC)(link)
What symptoms will they have?: The bad bout of the flu in Mae's case. She tries her best to be a tough little nut to crack, so it certainly won't start to get noticed for a few days; by the 18th, I reckon she'll sign herself into the hospital (ahem, ahem, she's got a doctor in mind thanks), and afterwards probably be miserable. No twists to it, just debilitating flu that has her bedridden and feverish and generally not a beautiful sight at all. (She'll be literally hot. I'm waiting for the chance to use that line.)

Note that Mae won't ask anyone to help her with any essence rite once she knows of them, because "it's just a flu, you're supposed to wait it out".

What will their essence rite will be?: THIS IS VERY DIFFICULT. A mix between protectiveness and leadership. Taking charge with a purpose and a cause. Mae does a lot of stunts for her loved ones - Jamie being the very first - and she's fiercely protective of all her friends! And since I like to make things difficult for her, she'll have quite a few ritest to complete! But look - choices!!!

1. Help others: this rite is hers to see to an end, as Mae will try to help as many of the people down with the same bout of flu in the hospital as she is with their rites, provided she can.
2. Organize something for a cause: scavanger hunt, party, bake-off, rave - collect the money, and donate it all towards citizens (not anons) working to keep everyone safe in the City, and those who try to get people out of the City, too.
3. Go literal: get her a crown, or a mug with the title "Best _____", or a tiara, or any other symbol of leadership. (Crown works the best, because she's British.)

What is the dream hinting (or outright telling) helpers about the essence rite like?: This conversation, or this conversation, or this conversation.



Are you open to anyone performing the essence rite?: Yes! Why not! I'd love to get her healthy by the 23rd, however, as I'd be leaving on vacation the day after that.


Are you open to your character performing an essence rite? As long as the character who needs it is confined to the hospital, and the rite isn't difficult to manage.
Are you open to your character receiving an essence rite related dream?: Yes.
Do you have any preferences or "do not"s about the dreams/essence rites?: N...o? I'm not sure how to answer this. Since helping out and taking charge will be part of Mae's essence right on its own, she'll do her best to help everyone she can.
hexuality: (ply; coaxed; you must know)

[personal profile] hexuality 2013-07-15 04:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Once Ginny feels like she can manage it, she'll go help Mae! With a CROWN. That she'll... make out of magic. Because British parlour ladies for tea and it's happened before.
brobeforehos: (charming)

[personal profile] brobeforehos 2013-07-15 04:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Can she keep this crown, can she can she can she please?
hexuality: (laughing; learned from tricksters)

[personal profile] hexuality 2013-07-15 04:26 pm (UTC)(link)
OF COURSE
intheblanks: (Default)

Re: ill / helper | i'm a rebelllll

[personal profile] intheblanks 2013-07-15 10:19 pm (UTC)(link)
I'll snag that first convo for a dream and consider what presents he might give her. He can probably wheel in some NPC patients for her to help if she complains at him enough, too.
brobeforehos: (billy crystal)

[personal profile] brobeforehos 2013-07-15 10:21 pm (UTC)(link)
It's yours.

She'll be like a sedentary Santa and he can be her magical helper elf. (Shhhh she don't whine!)
intheblanks: (⚡ RETHINK)

[personal profile] intheblanks 2013-07-15 10:27 pm (UTC)(link)
as long as he doesn't have to wear bells on his hat.
brobeforehos: (amused)

[personal profile] brobeforehos 2013-07-15 10:28 pm (UTC)(link)
Just a skirt.
extend: (die young. leave a handsome corpse.)

[personal profile] extend 2013-07-17 07:05 am (UTC)(link)
I'm not actually here to volunteer for anything 'cos fuck Mae getting well, really, but from universes away, Alan side-eyes those dream-conversations.
brobeforehos: (rage)

[personal profile] brobeforehos 2013-07-17 07:42 am (UTC)(link)
fuck Mae getting well, really - what, what has she done to you, rude!!

Alan get out of her business.
extend: (Default)

[personal profile] extend 2013-07-17 07:51 am (UTC)(link)
What's she done for him--well, absolutely nothing. That's the point. :(

Though he could get her a mug, I guess. With a tiny crown printed on it.
brobeforehos: (capisce?)

[personal profile] brobeforehos 2013-07-17 07:56 am (UTC)(link)
A tiny crown as tiny as his hammer.

You have to give a little to get a little back! And you get more with Mae, okay. :| Redheads........... /fist shake