angryhearts | SO RESTED HE BY THE TUMTUM TREE

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SO RESTED HE BY THE TUMTUM TREE —

AND STOOD AWHILE IN THOUGHT

What an unfortunate time to be short-staffed, when there's so much to do! For days, staff members can be seen bustling about, always on the move. No time to stop and talk — the Queen is preparing a surprise! Staff members seem to positively hum with excitement. Their numbers are replenished in fits and bursts. Groups of new hotel staff appear all at once, until there seems to be even more of them than there were before the disappearances.

They don't seem to understand who you're talking about, if you ask about those disappearances. "Staff turnover happens in every establishment, dear. Why — they might have even gotten a promotion!" Aren't you much more interested in the upcoming trip, anyway?

Now that there are more of them, staff members are eager to expand on the surprise. Oh, to see the gardens and the forest! You Oysters are so fortunate that the Queen wishes to show you the wonders of Wonderland. Of course, the forest can be dangerous — or is it only rumors? The opinion seems to change with every staff member you talk to, and no one can pin down why it might be dangerous. The only consensus seems to be to stay close to your escorts.

And most importantly: please remember the buddy system at all times.

BUDDY SYSTEM
07/11 - 07/12

At some point during all the preparation, Oysters may find themselves pulled in by another person. Physically pulled in, in some cases. Once this initial draw happens, the pair will be unable to stay very far away from each other.

When asked, staff members will reply that the two have been paired up for the upcoming trip! They are quite serious about the buddy system, you see. Going out into the forest alone is never a wise idea, and the Queen is so very concerned about your safety.

What's that? You don't trust, or even know, the person you've been paired with? It's a good thing you two will be spending so much time together, then, isn't it? Plenty of opportunity to learn to understand each other.

Shouldn't you be packing, anyway? You'll be leaving soon, after all!

THE QUEEN'S GARDEN
07/13 - 07/14

The garden itself is beautiful and spans multiple acres. There is a winding path lined with neatly manicured rose bushes in all colors, groves of fruit trees, wildflower patches where the air is heavy with bread and butter flies. Elaborate water fountains and delicate streams flow between small ponds, each bordered by different types of water plants and filled with everything ranging from goldfish to koi. Bright, sunny spots perfect for a picnic are easy to come by, as are quiet nooks tucked away in the shade.

Everything needed for a rousing game of croquet is set up in a relatively clear area of the garden. Participation in a good, friendly game of Oysters versus their staff escorts is encouraged — all in good fun, of course! Croquet is the traditional game of the royal family, after all.

As afternoon begins to wind into evening on the first day, Oysters are ushered towards a part of the garden that contains a large hedge maze. The group is kept together as they wind through the maze. The staff members who lead them clearly seem to know exactly where they're going, and never hesitate at the many different forks in the maze.

Before the sun has set, they will arrive in a large clearing in the middle of the maze, where a great feast has been set up with the food they helped to prepare over the last few days. Oysters are informed that this is the last time on the trip that their meals will be taken care of for them. Enjoy it! Once they're out into the forest proper, they will have to make use of the Wonderland information pamphlets and their camping skills.

It is in this same clearing that they will stay the night. For this first night, staff members will assist in setting up tents if needed.

THE TULGEY WOOD AND RUINS
07/14 - 07/18

The next day comes with more bright sunlight, at first. As the group continues through the second half of the maze, the foliage above grows thicker and the inside grows darker. Astute Oysters may notice that the make up of their staff escorts seems to have shifted overnight. The members of the hotel staff that were so excited and helpful in the garden are few and far between, replaced by those in dark suits, all with some form of club pattern on them.

It's the Order of Clubs, the few remaining hotel staff will say when asked. They are protectors, enforcers — and the forest is dangerous. The Queen is so considerate of their safety, to bring the Order out now.

The end of the maze comes relatively quickly. It opens out onto an expansive forest, but even here the sunlight does not return in full force. Whether it's the density of the branches, the overcast day, or the wisps of fog that drift through the trees, the light overhead is weak and the air chilled.

The last of the hotel staff remain in the maze. From here on out, Oysters are accompanied only by the Order. As they walk through the forest, a member of the Order seems ever present — there's always one within eyesight, if not within hearing distance. Occasionally, Oysters will catch sight of someone else mingling with the members of the Order. His dark suit is sleek, plain, and the figure he cuts might not have been distinct from the rest if it weren't for his height. And if it weren't for the ceremic rabbit head on his shoulders.

Oysters who seek him out will find that he is no longer present among the group of Order members by the time they arrive.

"You saw Mad March?" one of the Order will say if asked, sounding startled that he was seen. "You best pretend you didn't."

The nights in the forest are even colder. Oysters better hope they can start a campfire, put up their tents against the chill, or stay close to each other for warmth, as the Order will offer no help. They are here only for guidance — and protection.

On the third day in the forest, the group will arrive at the ruins of an old kingdom. Old cottages and shops are only faint outlines, everything but the stone long since rotted away and overgrown with foliage. The remains of a castle isn't in any better condition. Oysters who choose to explore may notice that all shown signs of a battle from long ago. They may even find the skeleton of the king himself, still sitting on his throne. The members of the Order now seem to be alive with activity, splitting off into groups and venturing out while others stay with the Oysters.

Remember the buddy system, the Order tells them. They will stay here for a few nights. This is the last place that is safe to tread, but danger lurks on the outskirts.

THE RETURN
07/18 - 07/19

It starts on the night of the 18th. The woods have been quiet for the most part, with nothing other than the sound of nearby streams and the noises of various animals. That night, even those are gone. An unnatural stillness takes over the area. Those who venture out to find the cause may find nothing — or they may be one of the first to discover that what lurks beyond the old kingdom has ventured closer.

Throughout the night of the 18th and into the day of the 19th, Oysters are at risk of encountering one of three types of creatures.

It may come as the sound of many legged-footsteps, first off in the distance and then close enough that the creature should be within sight. There are only trees, as far as the eye can see. And then motion. Briefly, it seems as though the very trees themselves are coming alive, but it will soon become apparent that these are legs. The creature stands on four limbs as tall as the trees, and when it holds still it camouflages easily among them. The roots it buries into the ground are long talons when unearthed, each tipped in a hooking claw. Its long neck is lined with the same armored scales that make its legs look like trees, and its small head is dwarfed by its extremely long snout, filled with rows of sharp teeth.

This is the Bandersnatch.

Or maybe it comes first as a shrill scream, like nails against slate. The shriek will seem to echo, instilling an unnatural sense of fear in any of those who are unlucky enough to hear it. Before long, the scream will be accompanied by the heavy flap of huge wings. The creature's approach seems to be imminent, and yet, it doesn't come. The moment draws on — and on — and on — and on — is there anything there, or is it only your imagination? Are you afraid of your own shadow, are you hearing screams in the wind and wings in the rustling of the trees?

Until it swoops down and tries to pick you up in its claws. It is a massive bird of prey, resembling a vulture, if a vulture had a twenty five foot wingspan and eerily human eyes. You've found the JubJub bird.

Then there is the reptilian Jabberwock.

There is no subtlety in its approach. The ground shakes with every step, announcing its arrival well in advance. It is bipedal and seems almost ungainly as it stalks through the trees, lurching its scaly body around and whipping its long tail for balance. Whenever this causes it to connect with a tree, the force behind it leaves the tree broken and bent. Its arms end in three fingered talons, and the round head at the end of its sinuous neck is almost entirely mouth. There is the lick of flame in its eyes, and the drool that escapes from its powerful jaws is hot enough to burn.

The members of the Order who had always seemed to be so close are conspicuously absent. It looks like the Oysters are on their own to defend themselves against these creatures.

The Jabberwocky, JubJub bird, and Bandersnatch will not be easily defeated, and few who fight will escape injury! There may be more than one of each creature type, so different groups can encounter the same type of creature if you choose. You can choose to have your characters ultimately triumph and take down the creatures, or fall to the creature. The members of the Order will arrive at the end of the fight. They will take out any creatures that remain, for those who choose not to have their characters successfully kill one, and will begin clean up of the others.

For those who are interested in having their characters seriously injured or even killed, for ease of reference here is the information regarding death and injury from the FAQ:

With the Carpenter's skills, no death or maiming in Wonderland is permanent — though the consequences of it might be. When your character dies, send the mods a PM describing any injuries the character sustained in their demise. For lacerations such as being stabbed or sliced with a sword, etc, characters will be returned to full health in a few days with gold filling in their wound in the style of Japanese kintsukuroi. This repair is permanent and will be a part of your character for the duration of their stay in Happy Hearts, even if you drop and reapp. If your character is killed or maimed through decapitation or the loss of a limb, your character will be in recovery for three days, and will return to the hotel with a ceramic replacement — an animal head for decapitation, and a non-articulated limb for lost appendages. This repair is not permanent unless you wish it to be, and Carpenter will have a flesh replacement ready for your character after another week.

Characters who have medical skills, abilities, or supplies may work to tend the wounds of others in the brief aftermath of the fight. Members of the Order will assure them that they will return to the hotel in the morning to get the medical attention that they need. And indeed, those characters who are still conscious after the fight will find themselves falling asleep at some point. Characters may dream about the same padded box from their first arrival. When they wake, they will be back in the hotel.

If you have any questions, please leave them here!

PREMISE RULES FAQ TAKEN RESERVES APPLICATION MOD CONTACT HIATUS & DROPS WORLD INFO NPCS CALENDAR AC REWARDS PLAYER CONTACT

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Ah, it's good, but..." he starts to check his form. "Maybe... more like..." he guides Wei Ying's wing through a motion. "Like that. Birds only make it look easy because they practice for a long time. They aren't born knowing how to fly."

They also have to be taught, and they don't know other movements. How long did it take Wei Wuxian to learn how to write?

Aziraphale nods and says, "try to fly up a bit, but not too much. You don't know how to land. Just up and down, one step."

He doesn't have much confidence that he is going to be able to fly up even a little bit, but with Aziraphale helping his motion it did make him understand a little more about how it was supposed to feel as he did it.

With considerable effort he tries to repeat that motion and does it slightly faster so that eventually his feet do seem to lift off the ground. It shocks him so much that it immediately sends his rhythm off and he comes back down, stumbling once more into the other man.

"Did I..was I.." failing at flying? Yes..but at least he got off the ground!

Aziraphale had anticipated that something like this would happen, so he has his hands out to catch him, and steadies him once more. "That's it! But yes, you've got to watch out. If you get distracted flying, you'll fall."

It's sort of dangerous in that way, as swimming is. He hopes Wei Wuxian knows how to swim.

"Let's stay very low for now," he says. "And you can transform into a bird to practice, in case I'm not around, and a friend can catch you if you fall!"

"Ah..yes! I'd be much smaller and easier to catch like that." He gets ready to try and fly again. It's going to be particularly hard for him to keep his concentration while flying. He's going to have to make sure that until he is more adept at using the wings, that he try not to look at too much.

So he starts to try again, moving those wings like he was shown and this time he doesn't freak out when his feet are no longer on the ground. But he doesn't say anything, afraid to lose focus.

Aziraphale watches his form, and watches how he seems to innately understand hovering, which is very good. "You'll be able to figure out how to glide and slow down in order to land," he comments.

"But I must ask you to keep it to short and low trips until you've mastered landing. It will hurt for you to fall from a great height," he says. "I wouldn't want that."

He lowers himself back down, growing even more excited again as he realizes that with a little more work he will actually be able to fly. He hasn't been up in the air like that since the loss of his core and he is sure that flying with wings is going to feel a lot different then flying on a sword.

"Is landing the hardest part?"

"Oh, no, the control is the hardest part. But if you're not good at landing, you can only fly the once."

So it's very important, even if it's not the hardest thing to do.

"Understood!" He doesn't need to get hurt because of the ability. Getting hurt while fighting hotel people is one thing. Getting hurt trying to enjoy a power..more humiliating then anything.

"How long do you think it will take me to learn all of this?" Because he wants to be able to fly as soon as possible considering he doesn't know how long they will be outside. Which means practicing as much as possible.

"Well, that's difficult to tell," he says. "It shouldn't take so long, birds pick it up rather quickly." But maybe it won't work that way.

"I've never actually taught anyone how to fly... We were sort of... created knowing."

"Ahhh that's no fair! I should be able to just know how to do it since I can create the wings." He laughs though, thinking how lucky he would be to just be able to gain any ability the animal had.

But he is content to keep learning. He isn't afraid of hard work. He just gets a little impatient.

"That does seem like it might be a problem if you were to turn into a fish!" he exclaims. "And you couldn't swim."

But then he continues with the lesson, extending his wing. "Mostly, birds will use their tails to guide which direction to go, but you'll have to use your feet, so make sure not to move them too much. And to glide..."

He points his wings downward a bit. "The air goes over, like this, so you don't have to keep flapping."

"I'm an excellent swimmer! Just..maybe not with a tail." How different could it possibly be? Might be interesting to try..but probably with some supervision. Just in case.

"Ahh so gliding will help save energy right? I bet flying is pretty exhausting.." Especially when you aren't used to it. he better make sure he sticks around the camp until he builds up some flying muscles.

"Yes, it's not energy-efficient to keep flapping to get somewhere you'd like to go." He flaps his wings a little more and then he says, "ah, why don't we try it one more time? You need to practice!"

He nods and spreads the wings again, concentrating as he flaps them a few times and once again lifts off the ground. It might only be a few inches but just this much is like a victory for someone who could barely stand a few minutes ago.

He claps his hands together like a proud mama bird. "Ah, you're doing so well! Let's see if you can get a little higher. I'll be here to catch you if you fall, so don't worry!"

"I'll give it a try!"

He flaps a little bit harder, keeping in mind all of the tips that he has been giving him. He tries not to get too excited when he goes higher, not wanting to throw off his concentration like he did before. He does feel like a baby bird feeling the air for the first time.

Aziraphale is very proud of him, and then asks, "and how are you feeling? Not too tired?" Because it could be difficult to make long trips if he got tired. Birds' bones are hollow, and Aziraphale is extremely strong, so he'd never had an issue with keeping himself aflight.

"I feel okay right now. I'm sure I won't be able to fly very far or much until I work on it more. But because of these bonds we have right now, I don't think I have to worry too much about that."

He lands again. He will make sure that he doesn't overdo it just in case.

He looks up. "You know, you could just carry your bond partner!" He says that as if Wei Ying might be strong enough to do so.

"I think that would be pushing my luck...I barely can lift myself!" He laughs and wonders if River would even be interested in being carried.

Well, it was worth a shot. "Perhaps next time, then," he answers. Quite a shame though, because it's nice to fly up above the cloud cover. He'll save those stories for another time.

"I'll build up my muscles so I can take anyone and everyone for a ride!" It would be fun to be able to share this with others.

"Do you think the hotel will let you guys fly again someday?"

"Oh, I don't know," he responds. "I sure hope so!" He looks on sadly. "I quite miss it. I hope you get to fly as much as you can while you're able. There's nothing quite like it."

"I'll make sure to take full advantage of it! At least until they shove us back into the hotel." He wishes they could stay out here but he knows that isn't likely. Chances are there is a reason the hotel has sent them out here on their own and it is possible they won't like the answer of why if they find it out.

"I'm quite jealous," he says, thinking it would be so nice to get to fly outside right now. "We must find a way to do this again. Both of us able to fly. That'd be fun."

AND STOOD AWHILE IN THOUGHT

BUDDY SYSTEM 07/11 - 07/12

THE QUEEN'S GARDEN 07/13 - 07/14

THE TULGEY WOOD AND RUINS 07/14 - 07/18

THE RETURN 07/18 - 07/19

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BUDDY SYSTEM
07/11 - 07/12

THE QUEEN'S GARDEN
07/13 - 07/14

THE TULGEY WOOD AND RUINS
07/14 - 07/18

THE RETURN
07/18 - 07/19