missrecalled_mods: (Isle Unwelcome)
Missrecalled Mods ([personal profile] missrecalled_mods) wrote in [community profile] the_isle2025-05-15 02:28 am

Your Friends Have Turned To Stone

As usual, the horrible thing happened around midnight. There was a terrible noise like stone scraping on stone and the whole school shook briefly and then they appeared. Crudely hewn stone statues that still somehow managed to evoke the memory of who they were meant to represent to those who knew them.

The statues were of enemies, foes, rivals, anyone that one of the Misery-called might never want to see again. The statues look like rough hewn stone, but any attempts to deal with them the way one might a stone statue would fail. Even moving them would prove impossible, even with team work.

There is one blocking the doorway to every room used as a bedroom currently. A person could get in and out past them if they are small enough, nimble enough, or just don't mind losing a chunk of skin to the rough stone as they scrape past. Those ones would especially be targeted at whoever sleeps there.

But the rest of them will scatter the halls, making them hard to transverse. The majority of them were blocking what little light sources existed in the halls, making the passageways darker than usual. Much darker. Darker enough that it almost seems like a prime place for jump scares...

Blocking the doorway out of the school were three such statues. One was of a young man with short hair. One was of a young woman in a ballgown with a skirt that alone took up most of the doorway. And one was of a barefoot girl with impossibly long hair that snaked down the hallway, making a tripping hazard all the way between the door and the room Mother Gothel had claimed.

Getting in and out of the school until at least one of the statues was removed was going to be nearly impossible.

The statues in general couldn't be moved or broken in any conventional way, however. But some trial and error... or just happenstance might well provide the answer. If the Misery-called who knew the person the statue represented talked about the person to someone else in front of the statue... That would work. Though what they said would matter.

If they managed to dredge up something to say, some tale or anecdote or comment that was actually positive... the statue would vanish in a haze of black and silver glitter that would spread everywhere in easy reach and defy all attempts to clean it.

However, if the story or comments are negative, or give away some secret that the person the statue is of would not want shared the statue will explode in a shower of stone, one stone of which would hit the Misery-called hard enough to hurt but not to break skin. However where the stone struck the Misery-called would bear a new scar. A small pile of stone would remain where the statue had been, also resting all attempts to move or remove it, causing anyone walking past to have to carefully step over it so as to not trip. Which is not ideal if one is carrying something, or for example, running away from a crazed animatronic.

When The Mess Fades - A week later.
A week after they appeared any remaining statues would just vanish with another loud and horrifying noise. As would all the scars, all the rubble piles, and all the glitter. In their place where each statue had been would be a small bunch of grapes covered in rock dust. They are extraordinarily sour. In theory edible once the dust is washed off. In practice only the desperate would want to eat them. Whoever does eat them will be plagued by nightmares about whoever the statue had been of, even if they didn't know the person themselves. The nightmares will only happen for one night after eating the grapes, but if someone stretches out the grapes to eat a few every night for a week... that is a week of bad dreams. And also, again, they are sour. The sourest candy in the world isn't half as sour as these grapes.

mist_the_point: (Small smirk)

[personal profile] mist_the_point 2025-05-25 07:38 am (UTC)(link)
He quirked an eyebrow at that particular tidbit of information, but didn't comment. "If this follows the pattern of previous odd occurrences, then a seven-night is most likely," he said. "A bit too long to remain trapped in a single room under current circumstances. And the task will get no easier the longer you delay."
fallen_child: (Unsure)

[personal profile] fallen_child 2025-05-25 07:47 am (UTC)(link)
"I'm not a human any more! I don't want to look like one! I'm me! I'm a Monster like you!"
ubuntu_programmer: (Are You Kidding Me?)

[personal profile] ubuntu_programmer 2025-05-25 07:50 am (UTC)(link)
"You can't be serious that just... talking about him... with make the statue vanish..."
mist_the_point: (Thoughtful)

[personal profile] mist_the_point 2025-05-25 08:26 am (UTC)(link)
He considered for a moment, how to reply. Now was likely not the right time to tell them that in his own world, he would have been considered human. But he also had to be certain that they wouldn't harm themself in a useless attempt to look more like him.

"I've come to believe," he said, "that appearance is a very poor way of judging who someone is. A fair face may hide a foul heart, and vice-versa. Thus, if you wish to be more like me, you would be better served by paying attention to what you are taught and continuing to work to better yourself as we've begun to do. Tis far more important of a thing for you to be a person of good character than for you to look any particular way."

"However... if when you've committed to such for some time, and are capable of making the decision calmly- not merely reacting out of fear or shame-, if you still desire it then, we can begin to seek out a safe way to alter your appearance. Which does not in any way include attempting to stretch your ears; much to the dismay of many a short-eared Elezen, they do not work that way."
fallen_child: (Simmish angry)

[personal profile] fallen_child 2025-05-25 08:28 am (UTC)(link)
"I don't want to look human! I don't! I'm not human! I hate humans! They should all just die!" Their voice got more and more shrill and panicked with each uttered word.
mist_the_point: (Thoughtful)

[personal profile] mist_the_point 2025-05-25 08:45 am (UTC)(link)
Foulques sighed, and picked them up, turning as he stood so that Chara was facing away from the statues. "I will not say that you don't mean those things," he said. "For at present, I'm sure you do. I too have said many things in the midst of fear or anger, meaning every word, that I came to greatly regret later. And I believe that the same is true for you, as you are a child with a good and kind heart."

"I cannot change your appearance, nor the appearance of the statue. But if you need to cry, or rage at the unfairness of the world, do so with me. I will still be here when your tears have left you."
mist_the_point: (Small smirk)

[personal profile] mist_the_point 2025-05-25 08:51 am (UTC)(link)
"Not vanish exactly," he said. "But it will no longer prevent you from getting in and out of the room."
fallen_child: (Awkward)

[personal profile] fallen_child 2025-05-25 08:54 am (UTC)(link)
Char clung to Foulques sobbing and screaming in frustration. Had it been anyone else there would have been trashing and struggling rather than clinging. "I'M NOT HUMAN! NOT HUMAN!!!"
ubuntu_programmer: (Unsure If Wanted)

[personal profile] ubuntu_programmer 2025-05-25 08:56 am (UTC)(link)
"No offense to those of you who chose to stay here, but I really want to go back to Auradon if I can't go all the way home. Fine. Do I have to talk about him loud enough to be heard?"
mist_the_point: (Thoughtful)

[personal profile] mist_the_point 2025-05-25 09:07 am (UTC)(link)
He occasionally winced slightly at the volume of Chara's cries so near his ears, but otherwise stood firm, supporting them with one hand and gently rubbing their back with the other. Sometimes hard feelings simply had to exhaust themselves before one could be open to reason, and this was likely one such time.
fallen_child: (Fallen Child)

[personal profile] fallen_child 2025-05-25 09:09 am (UTC)(link)
After a while, Chara was screamed out, trembling and sniffling but no longer shouting. So... an improvement...?
mist_the_point: (Small smirk)

[personal profile] mist_the_point 2025-05-25 09:12 am (UTC)(link)
Foulques gave a wry smile. "Believe me, no offense is taken," he said. "As for if speaking loudly enough to be heard is required, however, I'm uncertain. Both Chara and I spoke aloud-", very loud in Chara's case, "-but you can try speaking quietly first to see if it has any effect."
ubuntu_programmer: (Furrowed Pained)

[personal profile] ubuntu_programmer 2025-05-25 09:13 am (UTC)(link)
Ian tried mumbling. To... no avail. "I think I'd almost rather rewrite 40 year old code from scratch then do this, you know that right?"
mist_the_point: (Thoughtful)

[personal profile] mist_the_point 2025-05-25 09:16 am (UTC)(link)
Definitely an improvement. He continued to rub their back gently as he held them. "Do you feel a bit better now?", he asked gently after a few moments.
fallen_child: (Awkward)

[personal profile] fallen_child 2025-05-25 09:20 am (UTC)(link)
"I'm not human," they said in a raspy sob. "I'm not. I don't wanna be."
mist_the_point: (Thoughtful)

[personal profile] mist_the_point 2025-05-25 09:35 am (UTC)(link)
"You are what you choose to be," he said gently. "The Dreemurs accepted you as you are. As do I. And Sun. And Chell. They did not ask you to grow fur, or longer ears, or branches, or to make parts of yourself glow in order to have a place with them, and neither shall we. You are Chara, and that is enough. Whatever you look like, you will always have a place at my side, and I at yours."
fallen_child: (Awkward)

[personal profile] fallen_child 2025-05-25 09:36 am (UTC)(link)
"Then why does that stupid old rock hafta look human?" They asked in a broken sob.
mist_the_point: (Small smirk)

[personal profile] mist_the_point 2025-05-25 09:38 am (UTC)(link)
Well that answered that. "Then best do it quickly," he said. "Sooner begun, sooner done, as they say."
ubuntu_programmer: (Furrowed Pained)

[personal profile] ubuntu_programmer 2025-05-25 09:47 am (UTC)(link)
"Ugh fine. Gideon Ridge. My partner's boss. Horrible smarmy self important creeper who somehow managed to have exactly the bit of tech I needed when things got desperate. And I mean desperate. I had no choice but to agree to his terms, to give him confidential information, but he put a backdoor into it and instead of waiting for me to fulfill my end of the bargain he stole the data directly, and more. And then he sent one of his goons to blackmail me. Once we dealt with her, we got the backdoor reverse engineered out and cut him off. But Tom... long story there. Basically we got in a lot of trouble and they were supposed to fire me, but..." Ugh. UGH. "Look, Magic fell on his sword for me, okay? It should have been me or Jenn fired, and it got put on Magic to make the call, so Magic... fired himself o we could keep working. But that wasn't enough for Gideon. Apparently he was behind the order that I should be fired, playing both sides. Now he's trying to get our whole program shut down and if he does that... my best friend is going to die, okay? He ruined Magic's career. And my partner is probably finished for life too, he's trying to ruin the rest of us and it is going to kill Ben and if I ever fin a way to get back at the slimy little toad...."

And the statue exploded at that, one of the shards striking Ian hard between the eyes, knocking them back.
mist_the_point: (Thoughtful)

[personal profile] mist_the_point 2025-05-25 07:09 pm (UTC)(link)
"Because it is, as you said, a 'stupid old rock'," he said. "Stone is a thing very resistant to change. You are a living child and will grow and change over time, but even years from now, a stone will likely remain exactly as it is. Assuming, of course, it doesn't vanish in a seven-night like most of the strange occurrences here."
mist_the_point: (Default)

[personal profile] mist_the_point 2025-05-25 07:22 pm (UTC)(link)
Foulques listened. He wasn't sure what a 'backdoor' was in this context, but the rest of the story made it clear that whatever it was, it allowed this man to steal information regarding whatever Ian and their cohorts had been working on. The rest, however, reminded him of the worst sorts of unscrupulous merchants from Ul'Dah. No wonder Ian despised the man so.

And just as he knew it would, the statue eventually burst apart. Though a piece struck Ian in a rather more sensitive spot than it had done him. Wincing in sympathy, he stepped carefully over the small pile of stones that was left behind and moved to check on Ian, crouching down next to them. "Are you alright?", he asked.
fallen_child: (Awkward)

[personal profile] fallen_child 2025-05-26 03:43 am (UTC)(link)
"I want it to vanish now... before anyone else sees it."
ubuntu_programmer: (Furrowed Pained)

[personal profile] ubuntu_programmer 2025-05-26 04:17 am (UTC)(link)
"Even as a statue he managed to hurt me. I won't be alright until he is no longer an issue for any of us." They rubbed the wound that gave them a scar of a third eye, up and down rather than side to side like their actual eyes.
Edited 2025-05-26 04:17 (UTC)
mist_the_point: (Thoughtful)

[personal profile] mist_the_point 2025-05-26 04:26 am (UTC)(link)
"I don't think that anyone who has seen you would find it a great revelation," he said. "But perhaps we could put it behind something at least." With the larger statues it would likely be impossible to hide them, but they might be able to manage it with one Chara's size.

"Tis almost a shame though. I've never had any great affinity with sculpture, but I wouldn't mind having one of you. Or perhaps Sun or Chell, though perhaps not one large enough to block the doorway. Or perhaps a painting. It's been some time since I had any place to display any sort of artwork that I've had little time to think about it." Maybe a slight shift in topic to something a bit lighter would ease Chara out of their distress?
mist_the_point: (Default)

[personal profile] mist_the_point 2025-05-26 04:43 am (UTC)(link)
Well that was enough of an answer in the context he'd been asking anyway. He extended a hand to help Ian up, properly this time. "Apologies for not warning you about that, but there seems to be no avoiding it if we want to get rid of the blasted things," he said. He glanced at where the statue had been a moment ago. "The man sounds like he'd be right at home among the worst of Ul'dah's merchants. Ul'dahns have a reputation for being willing to do nearly anything for coin, and while tis certainly not true of all of the city's residents... there is a reason such a reputation exists."

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