Event: Child of Mine (Plotting)

[thelostmods]

On the 7th of July, residents of the Meadous will wake to a note from Zephyr at their bedside. It's much shorter than it usually would be from the godling, and it's also much more direct.

Everyone,

I heard another voice across the planes. He sounds so worried. I've been hearing whispers when I listen across the planes, but this one is louder, louder than all the rest. He said he's scared, but he has to be strong for everyone else. I want to help him... no one should have to be that strong all by themselves.

Please meet me at the playground tomorrow at 3:00 PM. I know that's really early for some of you guys who are nocturnal, but this can't wait very long.

Love,
Zephyr


CHILD OF MINE

The Events Calendar post for the plot is HERE

This event will entail the Meadous' third foray into world-hopping.

In this instance, the realm is one that Zephyr heard a voice calling out for help from. On the morning of July 7th, the archway on the path next to the playground will become active in the Mirror Dimension. Those with senses related to space/time will get a reading that there is something 'off' about it. Looking at it through the silver kaleidoscope located in the playground will show that the archway is covered and absolutely roiling with Stardust. Stardust is usually associated with living things.

Zephyr will turn up at the appointed time and explain the following:

• The archway is a portal to another world.
  
• The only access to the proper archway is through the Mirror Dimension. (Zephyr doesn't want anyone accidentally stumbling in there.)
  
• The archway is a two-way connection to another realm. They DO NOT have control over that other realm. The only thing they can make sure of there is that there are no other connections. Characters can go to the new realm from the Meadous and come back to the Meadous from the new realm.
  
• THIS MEANS THAT INJURY AND DEATH IN THE OTHER REALM IS OUTSIDE THEIR DIRECT CONTROL.
  
• They're not sure who was calling for help, but it sounded like a boy. Zephyr couldn't make out words, they just know he was distressed.

As for the new realm...

Welcome to Timeless.

Timeless is a realm loosely based on Neverland from the Peter Pan books. It is a place of perpetual childhood and frozen in time, overseen by the Boy, a youthful god who appears to be in his early teens. He wears a cape of feathers, a loin cloth, and little else.

The main inhabitants of Timeless that characters will encounter apart from the Boy are children. Or they should be children. There are adults here now, as well, which isn't normal, they'll tell you. No one grows up in Timeless. They're not supposed to. But here they are. All of the characters will claim that they're naturally between the ages of 5 and 15-years-old. But they may appear to be anywhere from 5 up to 90-years-old.

The inhabitants speak of the awakening of the Crone, a wicked creature bent on destroying Timeless, the Boy, and the universe as a whole, and reshaping all of it as her domain.

Characters, themselves will find that they might experience a warped version of their own age. Simply stepping into Timeless, they may remain the same or they may rapidly age or de-age (to a minimum of 5-years-old). For characters without a physical body or who have never been children, the change may be more insidious. There are not only potential physical changes, but mental ones, as well. While they'll retain their memories, they may be regressed to an earlier state in their existence in terms of emotional or social maturity. This can happen in characters who do or don't experience physical changes, as well, not just those incapable of experiencing physical changes.

In addition to the people, there are a wide variety of creatures. They resemble Earth-based animals from all manner of habitats, but there are some subtle and not-so subtle differences. Add extra limbs, different colors, or maybe antennae and you'll have the common fauna. A majority of animals are non-hostile unless provoked, but if you enter into the Sunset Jungle, you may well be stalked by big cats wanting to eat you. Be careful. The plantlife follows a similar pattern of being Earth-like, but not quite with different colors, scents, and growth forms evident. Some of the plants are carnivorous and will attempt to eat people, but again, these are confined to the Sunset Jungle for the most part.

The goal here is to help find and potentially capture and stop the Crone, aiding the Boy and his flock in protecting Timeless from her influence. Aside from that, though, the children are also just carrying on with their everyday lives and trying to come to grips with... a great many things. They were all brought here to Timeless by the Boy for a reason. What those reasons are... it will be up to the characters to find out, potentially by aiding the children in small jobs around Timeless.

tl;dr version

• Timeless is an island that is meant to exist out of time.
  
• There are dangerous creatures here that may hurt you, but most of them will only do so if aggravated.
  
• The goal is to find the one responsible for destabilizing time in Timeless and either stop them or help them (this is up to the characters).
  
• While in Timeless, characters may or may not age/de-age due to the destabilizing effects to time that are in play.
  
• Characters may experience yo-yoing aging (old one minute, a child a few hours later, and back to their regular age a few hours after that), or they may de-age/age and stay that way until they go back to the Meadous where their age will be restored.
  
• The de-aging/aging process may be mental OR physical or mental AND physical. It's up to you!
  

More information is in the comments below:

• General Questions
  
• What are the Main Locations in Timeless?
  
• Plotting!

Comments

General Questions (please post here with other questions you have)

[thelostmods]

Which Mod is running this plot?
Terri is in charge of this plot and will be responding to questions. The other mods have had minimal input on the plot design and what will happen.

May I opt out?
Yes! Your character can simply not enter Timeless.

Can we talk to Zephyr?
Zephyr will be available through the usual means, as needed.

How exactly is time going off the rails?
In addition to the aging/de-aging going on, the setting of Timeless itself is destabilizing. There is no time in Timeless, so the island is broken up into different physical sections of time. The Cliffs of Dawn are in a perpetual state of dawn. The Sunset Jungle is forever existing at sunset.

Or that's how it's supposed to work. Characters entering into different sections of Timeless may find them temporarily stable or they may find that section of the world rapidly changing times, cycling from dawn to dusk or even just jumping from dawn to night to high noon.

How are these areas actually delineated?
Invisible, magic barriers developed by the Boy. They barriers are also in some disarray and breaking down in some places, mixing locations that have never been mixed before, resulting in things like the Moon Lagoon and the High Noon Desert fighting for time dominance and maybe having the sun and moon in the sky at the same time.

What ages can our characters age between?
The only limit is that they can be de-aged to no younger than 5-years-old.

What's the difference between physical and mental regression?
Physical regression means a character's body actually changes. They'll grow or shrink. Their clothes will not grow and shrink with them, so... hope you guys brought some kiddie clothes or you're going to be going native.

Mental regression means a character's mental processes change. Someone in a 30-year-old's body may be acting like they did when they were a moody teenager or a spoiled 6-year-old.

Are memories affected by mental regression?
They are not. But they could be devalued. For instance, if someone mentally regresses to the mindset of a moody teenager, all of those 'valuable lessons' they learned as adults may seem stupid and they'll ignore their experience to do what they want to do as a teen. Or someone who has been regressed to a 5-year-old may not fully understand the lessons they remember learning, so they'll go and do something childish and stupid that they might not usually do.

My character has always been this age/has no real physical form/doesn't have a younger form, what do?
Characters without a physically younger form may still experience mental regression effects.

My character has powers directly related to time and can control it. Can they fix this in a snap?
Sadly, no! Whatever is mucking with time in Timeless will muck with these powers. Characters who try to use them will find that they simply don't work at all or that or they'll lose control of them entirely for a short duration and experience something akin to rapid aging/de-aging/resets because they can't get a handle on what their powers are doing.

If my character leaves Timeless, will they be restored?
Yes! Time is running correctly in the Meadous, so you'll be restored to your proper age and mental state when returning there. That doesn't take away the memories, though. Some of them may be more embarrassing than others.

NEW UNIVERSE! Can my space-hopping character go hog wild and escape the Meadous?
No. That is the only vestige of real control that Zephyr retains. Characters can universe hop between The Meadous and Timeless, but that's it.

What about powers, in general?
Zephyr's training wheels are more or less off on character powers in Timeless. Your characters will be fully powered over there WITH THE EXCEPTION of game-breaking abilities. Please use discretion and make sure you talk to your fellow players if your actions are going to have a major impact on their characters.

What if we die in Timeless?
They don't, is the simple answer. While time seems to be going mad, there is one feature of this world that seems to have been left intact: death reversal. If a character is killed, time will reverse for that character to the point when they're alive and in a position of relative safety (no time-loops of continual death while sinking into lava). ONLY that character will be affected. Everything else around them seems to stay still and anyone observing would see the reviving character literally seeming to go in reverse.

Can I bring an NPC out of Timeless and into the Meadous?
Possibly. If your character can convince an NPC to leave Timeless, they can definitely travel through the portal.

Where do characters arrive in Timeless?
The Meadows of Morning, just below the Lookout Treehouse! The archway to the Meadous is there and will remain so for them to come and go.

[ignes_fatui]

Ssso if our characters spent some significant amount of their lives with their consciousness split into two halves (say, raw emotion and higher thought), would it be possible for them to manifest as both of those or would we have to pick just one?

I don't actually know if I want Ienzo's Heartless running around but the idea of shitty teen Zexion having to babysit it so it doesn't flip out is good enough that I have to at least ask.

[equal_shots]

I would like to ask about aging up! It's fairly specific so please bear with me.

"Aged-up" Kid really means reaching Lord Death Kid, as in he's become the next shinigami and stuff. He also...stops aging. So, you have this reality where Kid is now Death and has done associated memories and physical changes associated with this, and is also some ridiculous age, but could look almost exactly like he does now.

I all because this specifically happens canonically, and with aging him up I would really want to bring in some of the knowledge that we presume he gets just by virtue of replacing his father. For example, he has a new understanding of the madness wavelength and his own madness (I'm feeling a little bit mad trying to explain this...), his soul grows significantly, he has a power increase since the growing is in large part determined by him tapping into the power itself.

It's that in any way possible? Can it be presumed that an aged-up Kid gets the knowledge and mindset that would automatically come with being the new Lord Death? While there is a power increase I'm not married to that at all, since it's very vague in the series anyway.

I'm hoping I make sense here. Please let me know if I don't!!

[bywolves]

weird random question: can I use a different journal for kid!royce when I'm tagging around as him? solely for the icons, honestly.

Re: General Questions (please post here with other questions you have)

[greengiant]

Given that Lin's a changeling, if she regresses to an age before she was kidnapped by fairies, will she be younger and a changeling or would she be more or less human again? (In this case, she was seventeen when she got grabbed by the Keeper.)

[empireofrats]

Piggy backing on Kid's reply just to be sure: This is simply a bodily age/de-age and not an aging/de-aging through timelines, right?

I know Em's case is weird af; the powers she gets when she's older aren't innate and are given to her by a "god," so I'm making sure she actually doesn't have them (or all her combat skills) when I potentially age her up to her adult self.

[equal_shots]

I have a Big Stupid Question!

Can order-obsessed young Kid find and borrow clothes/shoes that fit from some of the kids in Moon Lagoon?

[thewarningafter]

If a character with the ability to portal from one place to another tries to portal to a point deeper south in the Anthill (basically guessing where they think a tunnel should be and trying to magically travel to that point), will he be able to do that? If not, should I handwave it as him being unable to figure out how to place the portal without knowing exactly what's on the other side, or would something be magically preventing it?

[aigue]

Ienzo and Renart are examining one of the walls that popped up while they were exploring the Anthill. Would there be anything unusual about it? (Renart is sniffing and listening, and Ienzo can smell magic.)

[telecosmetic]

If Eliza brings her Pokemon into Timeless, is it possible that they might spontaneously evolve into their next stages? At least the ones that evolve by level?

What are the Main Locations in Timeless?

[thelostmods]

Cliffs of Dawn

[thelostmods]

The Cliffs of Dawn are the earliest time available in Timeless. They are rocky and overlooking an apparently vast ocean. The fauna found here is mainly seabirds, making their nests on the cliffs. The children come here to steal eggs and occasionally fish or cliff-dive. You're going to need to be a very advanced cliff-diver here.

Meadows of Morning

[thelostmods]

The Meadows of Morning are where a lot of the general fighting action takes place in this world. It's a series of rolling hills with occasional clumps of trees. There are all manner of weapons practice grounds set up here. These include archery targets, dummies, saw-horses, and small obstacles courses. There's also one intense obstacle course that seems to be designed for the older children.

In addition to these, there is a large treehouse that serves as one of the main outposts here. There's always food in the fridge here, as well as lots of cold drinks.

Daytime Beach

[thelostmods]

The Daytime Beach is a place of relaxation and fun. There are long stretches of beaches and huts that house all manner of swim gear and water sports equipment (e.g., snorkeling, diving, surfing). There's also a set of changing rooms that will magically produce a small selection of swimsuits for anyone entering into a changing booth. Depending on current physical age, the swimsuits will also be offered with accessories like water wings or life vests.

There's no apparent lifeguard on duty, but anyone who gets into a tight spot will find themselves accosted by friendly dolphin-like and seal-like creatures that will rescue them.

There are foodstands here manned by robots that have typical beach fare, including ice pops, ice cream, hot dogs, hamburgers, and the like. Some of the robots have been painted by the children and sport odd patterns.

High Noon Desert

[thelostmods]

The High Noon Desert is one of the more dangerous areas in Timeless, less because of the local fauna and more because of the conditions. The sun is relentless and barely anything grows. Your best chance for respite in this place is in the shadow of one of the giant rock formations or mesas here. This is where a few scattered watering holes are located. In one rock formation, the children have carved out a small network of caves. This area is known as the Anthill and is where most claim the Crone came from.

They dug too deep...

Afternoon Pass

[thelostmods]

Afternoon Pass is a scenic hiking destination. It wends its way through mountain passes and is warm, but not overly so. There are natural caves here with things like bears and mountain lions. If you leave them alone, they'll mostly leave you alone. There is equipment here for white water rafting or kayaking down one of the main rivers in the area, and there are a few scattered dwellings that have been constructed of stone. The Wormies live here, the kids who have been shunned by the others for one reason or another. They are considered lower than the other kids in the social pecking order.

Sunset Jungle

[thelostmods]

The Sunset Jungle is one of the most dangerous areas of Timeless. Here is where children are taken as a Rite of Passage, sent into the jungle to retrieve an artifact from the Ancient Ruins. These ruins have various dangerous and potentially deadly traps in them, but there are friendly rats that will typically assist children who are having trouble... or just visitors.

There are also man-eating plants, man-eating animals, and various biting insects that produce magical effects in this jungle. The most common side-effect of bites is earning yourself a set of animal-like characteristics for a few days. It varies on what you get, but they're going to be jungle-based animals and for those who really study it, they might pick up that the bugs are transferring the characteristics of whatever animal they most recently bit.

This does go the other way, as well. There are were-type creatures roaming around in there that have been affected with human characteristics from the bugs.

Caves of Dusk

[thelostmods]

The Caves of Dusk are located at one end of a long beach. Inside, there's a warren of caves with lots of open areas in the cave ceiling that show the sky above. There are pools where sea creatures gather here, and there are glowing crystals set into the walls. This area is mainly used for ceremonies or gatherings that the children want to hold. Not all of these gatherings are formal. Some of them are just for fun and the caves are occasionally decorated in streamers with glitter thrown everywhere.

There is one cave that is blocked off particularly in here. It's said to lead to a dangerous whirlpool where a few children have nearly drowned.

Moon Lagoon

[thelostmods]

The Moon Lagoon is where most of the children actually live. The Boy lives here, as well, in a big communal mansion that includes amenities like a pool that's tended to by sapient otter-like creatures. The rooms are looked after by a crew of giant (around 3 feet tall) rat-like creatures.

The lagoon itself is inhabited by enormous sea turtles and sea horses. They're gentle enough that if you can latch onto them, they'll give you a ride around. There are fish and signs of small boats that the children use to go fishing here regularly.

Overall Map

[thelostmods]

PLOTTING

[thelostmods]

[ignes_fatui]

I'm not sure what exactly Ienzo will be up to during all of this, but I do know that I'm definitely aging him down. As a little kid (probably in the range of 6-8) Ienzo was kind of weird. Much more curiosity than sense, almost completely fearless, recklessly independent and almost completely nonverbal. Like as not while he's in this state he'll wind up more occupied with exploring the island than actually trying to help in any real capacity. I think Renart has dibs on pied-pipering him off with her, but given his tendency to wander it'll be easy enough to come up with excuses for just about anyone to encounter him anywhere.

If anyone specifically wants it, I'm also willing to break out his teen abomination phase (ages 9-17), where he'd lost his heart and with it his capacity to feel feelings and was essentially a lifeless body animated by its own stubbornness ghost. Ironically despite having no emotions he was way more of a moody jerk during this part of his life, but maybe that's just being a teenager.

[aigue]

Renart will be flinging herself into this world head-on as another coping mechanism to avoid thinking about the murder stuff in Recuerdo! So that is fun. She will be wandering around casually kidnapping children who look like they're lost or need an adult for whatever reason as she did when she was a much younger Fairy Tale. I think she will also gravitate towards the Wormies, because taking care of socially outcast children is her jam. Any characters who would like a good foxmom, let me know! She will also be interested in investigating the whole Crone mystery, because she knows how much it sucks having your body changed against your will, and no kid should have to go through that trauma.

She'll also be deaging. Since Fairy Tales don't age physically it'll be a mental deage back down to her first few years as a Fairy Tale. This means she's going to be going through the process of getting used to her more human body and intelligence level all over again (she wasn't happy about the change for a long time). Her fox instincts will also be a lot stronger, so she'll find adult humans suspicious and more likely to see them as threats; kids less so because they still trigger her desire to parent.

[voiceinthephone]

Phil Gray
If you thought PG was a ball of energy as an adult, boy, are you in for a surprise. Phil's going to de-age down to 8 years old, probably carry around a Freddy or MOST LIKELY a Foxy Plushie. He's very much a curious and social kid who wants to pet everything and say hello while talking about why Foxy's the best. Sure he'll help in what he can but THERE IS SO MUCH TO EXPLORE! He'll happily try to help in what he can.

Should he retain any werewolf traits, they'll pop up when he's extremely happy, excited or angry, his lack of control very evident. He's got everything else nerfed for as long as he's a kid.

Ellis

Ellis was already a menace as an adult, as a 10 year old child, he's a pack of dynamite with a constantly lit fuse. Some scars persist the de-aging, meaning he's at the age when he met his buddy Keith. That's not a good thing since it means El will be very reckless and jump at anything will be thrilling.

His Capitol-given powers are adjusted to a child's level so cue him lifting improbable things and generally raising hell. He'll also be available to help other characters in the problem at hand, but don't expect him to be any less destructive.

Leo

Leo's going to back to nine years old, just before he lost his chance at becoming a Career Tribute. So, if he was already a District 2 loyalist as an adult, he's much worse as a child. He trusts no one, everyone's a fellow Tribute but he'll be open to talk and cooperate with others. He'll probably spend his time in Timeless scoping for threats and maybe getting a proper feel of the land.

He does have a heightened sense of duty at least, so he'll help should the other person be "worthy of his assistance". That ego took decades to develop, this is when it started.

[termineur]

Gabriel Gray will be spending a good chunk of his time de-aged down to 15, so get ready for a kid with a lot of emotions and no way to emote them. He'll seem like a quiet gentleman at first (especially when compared to other Meadous representatives), but will soon show himself to be wholly uninterested in anyone else's problems. He'll be likely to play pranks on people with his powers and generally be the quiet nerdy jerkface he was always meant to be.

His curiosity is still intact, so he's likely to at least try to solve the mystery of time leaking into Timeless. Or parts of the mystery. Whatever seems cool. He'll also be far more likely to show sociopathic tendencies, with the occasional dip into pure self-pity.