[OCTOBER'S MOD OPEN POST - PART ONE]

[desperatemods]

all work and no play makes jack a dull boy

all work and no play makes jack a dull boy

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy

ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY

ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY

It's almost Halloween in the world of the mansion spirits -- so it's time for some fun! These words have ominously appeared on one of the mansion walls and if a character even so much as looks their way or glances at them, they will either de-age or age up. Let's just be glad it isn't waves of blood of threatening twins.

Welcome to Kidmas v 2.0! A bit of a throwback to "i want to play a game". This is the first of two age-manipulation posts! Your characters can either be de-aged or aged up -- and while it's recommended to split multiple characters up between the two posts (mostly for the anti-captcha comment load), the time streams will mesh so that different affected versions can interact with each other. Ageing/de-aging and their memory of these events are by typist discretion, as always. Have fun playing!

Comments

[wickedwit]

“E’en so!” Claudius declares, in the particular pleased tone of an adult looking an excuse to praise a child. “How learned thou art. Know thou, some scholars say bamboo is one of the Four Gentleman. They see these plants not just as charming additions to a garden, but as admirable worthies with traits worth emulating. A bit fanciful, but I like it.”

[lightbearinglord]

Lan Zhan slips the fresh praise into his sleeves, something to fortify him later when Uncle is scolding him about having gotten lost. It is said so kindly. He nods, only a little bit tremulously, only a little bit overcome. "I'll be a gentleman when I'm grown. Like bamboo."

[wickedwit]

"So thou wilt!" Claudius almost seizes Lan Zhan and tosses him in the air, but he supposes such rough affection might be too sudden for him. "So tall and so proper. Thou wilt learn to bend with the wind and not break."

[lightbearinglord]

Quietly studious, turning over the wisdom inherent in these words, Lan Zhan nods again, stoutly this time. "I will practice the gentlemanly arts every day," he promises, as if he thinks this is an answer that was awaited by his chaperone. He steals a furtive, fascinated glance at the closely-clustered bamboo, which looks as if it might hide further wonders of nature.

[wickedwit]

"Such a bright young lad thou art." He leads Lan Zhan down the path that naturally follows, that he spent many days with Magnus pacing back and forth and arguing which path naturally followed -- thankfully, Claudius's rambling explanations fell under 'infodumping' and not prescriptive control. At the end of the day, perhaps nothing informed Claudius's perspective except a vague sense of rightness, but it does feel right. The principles of feng shui alone will lead them into the inner garden. "When I was thy age, I wanted to be a proper gentleman more than anything -- but I'd idealized gentlemanliness as a denial of one's own, sinful nature. 'Tis not so with bamboo. Bamboo will grow where'er nature wills it. To deny its growth ... is to hide a light within a bushel, using one our holy text's examples. Better to let it shine."

[lightbearinglord]

Lan Zhan trails along, keeping step in a way that suggests he is well-accustomed to walking with and in deference to someone taller and more authoritative than he is. He isn't certain what to make of this garden, a slice of the home he has been seeking in the midst of a tall, imposing forest of unfamiliar trees. Uncle would warn him to stay out of these woods, but he would never have seen this startling piece of beauty if he had not ventured through something unknown.

His small hand tightens in Claudius', as though he has found himself at an abrupt precipice and must hold onto something to prevent a steep fall. Perhaps what is found at the bottom will be something good, too, but the uncertainty, and the distance between this place and Gusu, feels treacherous. "Nature is meant to be an example for us," he offers, maintaining a steady voice with a valiant effort.

[wickedwit]

"I've often thought so," Claudius says, as he leads Lan Zhan along the path. It's a path that winds in ever deeper, past the tall stalks of bamboo, until the forest slips away. "When I was younger, I wanted desperately for someone to tell me how to live. I knew all about what I couldn't be, I shouldn't strive for ... but I knew nothing about what I should. Nature is full of living things that need no instruction. They thrive sometimes despite our best efforts. I learned a great deal from wildflowers and weeds, watching them season to season, seeing them survive drought and frost and predation."