#meridium tomas

[meridiumfarm]

* available produce *

the egg ration has been increased to two eggs per person every other day. Don’t ask why it’s not one egg a day. We have our own schedule.

a pig has been slaughtered. While the bulk of the meat is curing, there’s some fresh roasted pork available. Also available immediately: ears, trotters, liver, blood. 

[tamyrawilliams]

How has your muse developed or changed since you brought them on? What pivotal moments fueled those changes?

Tamyra has gone through a lot of changes since the beginning of the RP. She is still the confident, unapologetic mess that she's been, but she learned a lot of lessons and gotten better at things and keeps on trying to be better herself.

I think there are three pivotal developments for her that happened over the years:

First one was giving up on getting off of the island. She spent so much time trying to get out, did all she could and spent almost three decades hoping that one day her effort would have a result and she would actually get to go home from Meridium. The big, pivotal moment in that development and what pushed her to give it all up was when Emre, Aurélie and her tried to reach South Beach too early and she got her face scar - it sent her into a pretty low point and not being able to leave came out from that and it has stuck with her ever since. She hasn't completely stopped trying, she is just trying for different things now: trying to understand the island and figure out its secrets to make life easier for them and to be able to fight back against the island.

The second one is her journey of accepting herself and her bisexuality. At the beginning of the game she was completely closeted and didn't even think about liking girls, that was just not an option. Never have been, never would be, not even on this island. I don't think there was like, one pivotal moment for Tamyra in this - it was the culmination of plenty of moments, including her talks with Tomas and Kaz, the support she got from them, the way Emre and her shared their bi-awakening and found support in each other, the women she felt attracted to over the time, that first hookup with a woman on this island that ended horrible and Tamyra was an asshole but it jumpstarted the process in general, the way she just kept seeing queer people of all kind around this island and how nobody really cared about it, and then Wren coming along of course and realizing she might want more. She is at a much better place now here she is ready to be more open about it all and it's the result of such a long journey for her and so many of your characters were part of that an it's so so important for me that Tamyra got to go through all of this and was allowed to fall and fail in it plenty of times before getting things right and finding her own way.

And the third one is her relationship with her parents and her realization about them not being perfect people and parents and in combination of it her relationship with Jupiter and family in general. In the beginning she just idolized her parents and just wanted to get back to them and then the first pivotal moment was Clementine showing up and revealing that they were half-sisters, which sent Tamyra on a long examination of her own relationship with her parents and what kind of people her parents were and what she really wanted. That relationship ended way too fast with CLementine dying and Tamyra never really getting over the shock of the news to explore what it's like to have a sister, but then the other pivotal moment in this is Jupiter showing up. Tamyra has always been really vocal about how important family is to her and now she gets to know her sister and get to experience family in her life again and it's something that's really important to her and to me.

[kazxraval]

Location ~ the farm  Closed ~ @akbartheolder​

The last of what he needed had been placed behind the smokehouse. Scrap from the train. Parts, pieces, and small shells of harvested steel would soon become something new. Meridium had interrupted the particular project for far too long. As usual, he’d tell Tomas about it once completed. 

Kaz consulted the ‘blueprint’ -- a scratch of an outline made by Luis with the tip of a blade into wood. The fire nearby was then stoked. He straightened up to the sound of footsteps behind him. Happy, feet slightly turned out with heavy thuds. Not a care in the mother fucking world as they walked. 

He glanced over a shoulder but easily bet who approached. Kaz sent a message well before the other arrived. “Get outta the way, baby jailbird is flying free...” Someone else held down the fisher’s hut now. The I forgive you Matthew’s “spirit” uttered as they poured out of the tunnels on south beach pointedly at Esther.  All the thumbs-up-asses ‘uhhhh I don’t know why no one has bothered to look into his death, who knowsssss...’ 

What a fucking joke. Idiots. But good for Emre, honestly. He turned around as the steps came closer. “Time to party, hm? First round of shots is on you.” 

[starlit-lilies]

@hananzaki​

Well it had been about a week since the Heart Tree’s flare-up, and as far as Lily could tell, most things were going... okay? Her attunement worked, she didn’t swap memories whenever she touched someone, nothing was in danger of burning down.

Even so, when Seamus had told her to go ‘take a poll,’ and when she’d seen Hana (Hannah? Hanan?) by the sugarcane, she’d figured it would be wise to make the most of this opportunity.

“Hey!” she called out with a smile, heading toward Hana-Hanan. “Welcome to the farm! And Meridium too, but, y’know. Mostly the farm. I’ve seen you hanging out a bit more. I’m Lily, Tomas’s daughter. I’m so sorry it’s taken me so long to say hi!” She reached out for a handshake, giving Hanan an easy smile. “The Council’s been sending me around to poll people since the Heart Tree caught on fire. Have you experienced anything strange? Attunement going crazy, weird monsters showing up, funky weather, anything like that...?”

[thestrandedrpg]

News travels through the air on the island like salt on a sea breeze. Here is the gossip currently circulating as of January 13, 2023. Read on below the cut!

GENERAL NEWS / NOTICES:

ISLAND UPDATE: The tree grove on North Beach now seems to house only normal trees. The trunks that previously held the encased figures of the departed are now bare wood. There is no sign of where these previous inhabitants have gone.

ISLAND UPDATE: The Labyrinth is not moving. Local Labyrinth Lady Libby Blum states, “I’d prefer if you didn’t call me that.” But also, “I haven’t seen anything like this. Even when it kept still enough for us to live in one place for a while, there was always movement in the periphery. There hasn’t been a thing in weeks now. But listen: if you take that as an invitation to go in, you’re an idiot. Yeah, you may quote me.”

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. Over the past several months there have been multiple instances of earth-attuned people almost or actually drowning—and a lot of you are quite useful so dying would be inconvenient. In a show of aunt-niece bonding, Aurélie Marchand and Lily Takahashi will be hosting swimming lessons this Friday afternoon at the farm river. These lessons will include seminars on floating, treading water, overcoming your preternatural earth-gifted density with your own force of will, front vs. backstrokes, and more! You don’t have to be an earth-gifted to attend. If you skip work to go to this just tell Tomas it’s to improve your chances at survival so you can continue working on the farm the rest of your immortal life, he’ll probably be OK with it then.

SPECIAL EVENT: Come down to the foot of the cliff by the High Settlement where somebody drew an ugly mural of Spongebob in charcoal and take a five-question quiz to find out what your Alphonsussona is! The results are drawn from a composite of personality traits of Matthew and Nick. Which Alphonsus is your persona? Flavorless NFT? Party Bland? Noncommittal Shakes? Results are certain to make you question your own worth!

KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOUR: This feature spotlights something new and/or exciting about a resident. Today’s lucky person is Harry! Did you know that Harry exists? Well then SHUT UP ABOUT IT because she does not want you to run your mouth about her! If you want to know something new about her here it is: MIND YOUR OWN RUTTING BUSINESS

QUEER EYE FOR THE ISLAND GUY: Fixing up a Trainwreck. This week's island makeover features a certain, shy island lady who was in need of a little love. Our team of island experts rocked on up to the abandoned train to find Amelia trapped in an overgrown bush (haven't we all been there?). While (our brand spanking new!) home-designer Willie worked hard on livening up her train cab, Amelia enjoyed a day of pampering around the island. First up, Mik gave Amelia a rousing pep-talk (which she nodded along to!) and a discount voucher to join his Beach Gym Elite Squad. Nick helped Amelia let her hair down (literally) with a steamy hair styling. Amelia scored herself a new wardrobe from some newly scavenged threads. Unfortunately, Tamyra couldn't make it to Amelia's makeover, so island superstar Alex Woo stepped in to help guide Amelia's choices. When we returned to Amelia's new and improved cabin well, Amelia was so overwhelmed from the day that she simply bust into tears! If you or someone you love needs a makeover, give us a call! Here's a hot tip from our hair expert Nick: if you're earth attuned, please BRUSH YOUR HAIR FREE FROM ANY BRANCHES OR DIRT!

THE MERIDIUM UNIVERSITY PRESS

The Press has received an unprecedented anonymous tell-all manuscript about the Castaways!

Told in unvarnished and some might say unnecessarily ebullient prose, this stunning expose, confusingly titled “My Gap Year in Uppsala”, will leave you reeling, riveted, and wondering why it was even written.

Some of the toothsome tidbits revealed: ALEX WOO spent two weeks wearing a crop top and bikini bottoms for no discernable reason LIBBY BLUM ate more pieces of fish jerky than all the other Castaways combined JUPITER GEORGE insisted on using spit and her thumb to clean people's faces KANG SAE-BYEOK never once washed a dish! LILY TAKAHASHI did twenty-two somersaults in a row to prove it was a viable means of locomotion MAVIS WHATEFIELD skinned a lizard. Not for any purpose just for fun SIOBHAN WALLIS let her hair fall in front of her face and found her way through echolocation

Don't miss out on securing your copy of this vomitously candid book, printed on mulberry paper with stitching of squid-ink twine for that evocative smell of afternoon fish markets!

CHEERS to Emre Akbar for finally deciding to stop being codependent! Now he can concentrate being overly invested in Madi, Aurelie, Kaz, Wren, Noura, Tomas, Lily, goat, coconut, etc. JEERS to Madi Byrd for starting some kind of trend on the island for people to hoard booze. You might have done it first but other people are doing it louder! Gotta keep up!

NEW YEAR, NEW YOU. It’s a new year and (almost) everyone is still alive. Congratulations! Want to do something with the endless eternity of free time ahead? Check out the top 5 best things to do near you!

BEST GYM: Looking for a workout you can easily dip out on by February? Want to lift small rocks? How about medium sized rocks? Wait, what about really, really heavy ones? Mik’s gym has them all! Sign up now and get five free motivational cheers of “yaaas!” with your first workout.

BEST VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY: Some say the greatest gift is giving time to those in need. Why not volunteer to help some recent newbies to the island, like Hanan Zakir and Rakesh Ghai? If explaining the uncountable dangers on Meridium is too daunting, perhaps talk about… eh, you’ll figure it out.

BEST NIGHTLIFE: The latest hotspot on Meridium is The Bridge! Dance the night away under the blue lagoon lights with Kang Sae-byeok. Or grab a drink at the labyrinth bar with Wren Augustine. This Saturday is Emo Night, because let’s face it. You’re not okay, I promise (please be advised: crying on the dance floor is forbidden).

BEST ISLAND TRANSLATOR: Do you see parrots at every turn? Ever wonder what the hell they are squawking about? For these and other Meridium translations, we recommend Lily Takahashi. (Disclaimer: Lily may or may not tell you what you want to hear).

BEST GHOST WALK: Jupiter George is running a weekly ghost walk called Straight Outta Meridium. Hear insights such as “baby, don’t touch that”, “sorry baby!!”, and “ohhh my goddd!”. For a personal video of your ghost walk, please see Jovi George before the tour begins.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Tomas the Farmer will now like to be called Tomas the Conscientious Objector, in that he will object in good conscience to anyone who tries to mansplain/girlboss him about things he already knows about.   What does objecting entail?  No violence!  Maybe a raised voice and perhaps a segue way into lyrics of some old-hippie folksong.  When he starts constantly snapping his fingers, it's time to hurry away before things get really bad.  (Beat poetry about mesoamerican agriculture).

COMPETITION: Team Forge has landed on Love Island and is ready to compete for the title of top Survivor!  Make sure to cheer MikkyK and KenzieR on, as they flex thicc muscles and throw winning smiles (so dazzling! so fake!) to woo their competitors into jelly-legged submission.  That's how the game works, right?

SUPPORT GROUP: Wren is now forming a support group of uncoddled orphans struggling to stay positive and smile in the face of adversity. Bonus if you also discover unseemly deets about one of your parents actually being a total weirdo and all this time, you never even knew?  Like wtf, dead mom, why you gotta be like that. Am I more like my mom or my dad?  Oh damn, am I having a crisis?  AHEM anyway - snacks and fruit drank provided!

HELP WANTED: Noura is looking for a hunting partner in her biz!  Mandem requirements includes: ability to haul carcasses over long distance, good sense of humour, loves the scent of blood and the sound of a death rattle, and gives proper head as needed.

RUMMAGE SALE: Anybody who has an excess of belongings (quality items) and would like Lina and Alex to come rummage through them and take what they want for their own homestead, please respond to this -- what's that? A rummage sale is like a yard sale? They're supposed to sell things and not appropriate them? Oh. Hmmm. Well never mind then. Also nobody check your belongings for missing items.

BEACH FIT! - MERIDIUM'S PREMIER WATERFRONT GYMNASIUM GRAND OPENING! When you live on Meridium, you need a beach bod all year round! Maybe you've made a New Year's Resolution to look after yourself, maybe you want to be able to run faster away from the horrors, maybe your husband disappeared into the forest and then re-emerged and you're kind of separated and you want a smoking hot revenge bod to show him what he was missing, or maybe you've emerged from the jungle and you want to win back your wife with a sizzling six pack! At the Beach Gym, whatever your motivations, we've got you covered! Come join Mik, our friendly founder, as he helps you to love your body and push your limits. Be one of the first five to join, and you'll become part of the Beach Gym Elite Squad. So what are you waiting for? Go down to the beach and join in on the fun today!

CHARITY DRIVE

The Lower Farm has come into the possession of some very young, very orphaned birds whom the farm folk have dubbed Flapfoots since nobody knows what the hell kind of bird they actually are! Flapfoots seem to be quite valuable to have in a homestead as they are alert to atmospheric changes and eat pests. They are however somewhat neurotic and so the farm is experimenting with acclimating the Flapfoots to human residents and have decided the best thing is: hair nests!

Come on down to the stone circle where that one goat just glares at everyone, and donate some of your locks for the cause! No need to wash your hair first, it's important that the Flapfoots are saturated in human scents. Yes yes it sounds gross but that's zoology for you, get over it.

All donors will be rewarded with a small tub of scalp lotion for tending to their shorn heads, a kiss from Willie Shaw unless EXPRESSLY waived, and a stylish donation pin fashioned from a slice of dried corn cob.

NOTICE: Residents of South Beach are kindly reminded that basic rules of conduct and decency apply when utilizing common areas! Complaints have been made of all manner of item being left around (including but not limited to: discarded phones filled with photos of Tamyra Williams, sucked-clean coconut crab shells, bloody glass slivers, and endless pieces of red thread) for days on end. Please pick up after yourself and remember, your mother doesn’t live here! (Unless you are Jovi George or Lily Takahashi, in which case your mother does live here and we apologize.)

NOTICE: Though we have all benefitted from the reveal of our old belongings, residents are urged to exercise care and caution when enjoying the spoils of your previous lives! K. Raval was grievously struck by a holiday ornament shaped like a Santa wearing angel wings and a halo. Said ornament, which is roughly the size of a full-grown wombat, was poorly attached to a shed doorway by a wad of “sign here” post-it flags. The innocent Mr. Raval was merely attempting to procure a dried agouti paw (don't ask) when the ornament came free of its moorings and crashed onto him, knocking his shades askew and causing him to spill the coconut he was holding. Further insult was added to injury when the ornament began to play “Jingle Bells” in dog woofs as Mr. Raval attempted to maintain dignity under the assault.

DEBATE SEMINAR: What can be more exciting than a theological seminar on Catholic demagoguery, or transubstantiation versus consubstantiation.  Fighters in the ring: 'pero por favor, where am I? ha ha!' Franciscan monje Joaquin pitted against 'totally wears a leather jacket over his Catholic collar' Priest Ned.  Featuring Hanan as the confused ring girl, wearing a very modest, very good Muslim girl glitter costume.  Place your bets!!  (You cannot bet on Hanan).

FASHION CORNER: Doing her soldierly duty, Mavis will be strutting down the catwalk, modeling her latest fashion trends: tank tops!  Oh wait, this is her only fashion trend, for the past twenty years -  but what a classic it is!  Just ask Willieboy!  Best to wait until Willieboy stuffs his googly eyes back in his sockets and rolls his jaw up from the ground.  HAWOOGAH! HONK HONK! HUMMINA HUMMINA!

WANTED AD: Looking for all variety of mechanical and electrical goodgads, geegaws, doohickeys, thingamajigs!  Please place in collection box near the George home.  You'll know it by a sign made by a momma who claims not to be a helicopter mom to her perfectly independent adult son, no ma'am.  (Literally the sign on the collection box says:  Genius at Work.  Ooooook, helicopter mom).

ART SALE: Stop by the high farm on a good day to trade for beautiful artwork by Aurélie Marchand!  Many decorative choices to spruce up your South Beach Manor.  Some art pieces include:  a  beautiful sculpture of a rock perched on a slightly bigger rock, entitled:  Le Balancer, 2023.   Looking for something to prettify your walls?  Aurélie's beautiful quilt made from scraps of cloth, 2x2 ft square, entitled:  Donc, j'ai essayé, 2023.  And la piéce de resistance: a clay bowl with an imprint of her fist punched into the bottom of the bowl.  Literally entitled: Resisté! 2023.

RECIPE: LABYRINTH CARROT CAKE - submitted by mother-daughter duo, Libbly!

1 carrot

Wash, and consume fresh.

What, did you expect more?  It's the fucking Labyrinth, we didn't have time to sit around making pretty cakes, okay geez.  Lily says Labyrinth Carrot Cake is superior and better than any of these overly-sweet, mushy, tender beacher carrot cakes.  Carrot cakes have got to have some crunch or what's even the point!?  Also, the colour reminds Lily of her mom's beautiful hair???  This cake is made from LOVE, deal with it you spoiled beacher assholes.

DEAR MS. MERIDIUM

Anonymous islanders are invited to voice their questions, complaints, and compliments to the island itself. Replies are not guaranteed.

Dear Ms. Meridium, I would like to request that you reprint the maze puzzle about Labyrinth Libby and guiding her through it. I think it might come in handy. Honourably, Not a Castaway Honest I Swear

dEAr MS. merIDIum, will there be more JUNGLE TOURS offered by that sexfoxxe Kaz Raval and that silverdough Tomas Hardy? I want to sign up! I want to learn how to huddle together for warmth at night and filter water to make it potable and sing sweet sweet harmonies with them. PS this is all code for sex I want to have sex with them please lmk when the signups happen. Thirstily, My Yurt is Ready

Dear Ms. Meridium, Am I The Asshole? You see I (200+ M) and my not-girlfriend-she-is-the-devil (57 F) were having dinner and she said that I quote ‘hate women.’ I told her I knew plenty of women! Loads! Love them actually! To which I accidentally air-powered my spoon at her. She says it hit her misogynistically! I don’t even know what that word means?! Anyway is she right? AITA? Sincerely, She’s not a duck, she’s a goose Dear Ms. Meridium, In your humble, wise, all-knowing opinion... would it be terrible if I took one of the DVDs from the stockpile on the High Farm to use as a tanning mirror? The selection of movies is mediocre at best. Who’s going to miss The Return of Jafar, really? Palely, You Ain’t Never Had a Tan Like Me

AO-TREE

TITLE: where you lead, i will follow RATING: T SUMMARY: when single teen mom libby blum moves out on her own, she’s surprised that the quirky cast of meridium hollow welcomes her and her newborn daughter lily with open arms. as the years go by, they carve out their own place in their unique town and learn how to rely on each other while also navigating their respective teenaged and adult years. (**meridium gilmore girls AU! i’m team emre!!!**) TITLE: not enough jungle for the both of us RATING: T SUMMARY: Hairy has perversely enjoyed her status as jungle cryptid for the past eighty years. The legend of the Jungle Hag has grown as she spent her time skirting the outskirts of the small town of Meridium, stealing food, scaring young women. But a new cryptic being has come onto the scene, and is stealing Hairy's ill begotten limelight. The End is a strange beast, tricking passersby into arguments so twisting they forget where they were going, and sometimes their name. Now it's up to Hairy to stake her claim as resident cryptid, and chase out this pretender for the crown.

TITLE: the godson RATING: M SUMMARY: after his uncle gets shot in the heart by a rival gang member, nick steps up to the plate and has to find a way to get the mob under control. all whilst said rival gang is encroaching on his territory, and his boyfriend has been kidnapped! nick must find a way to placate or destroy rival gang leader – emre akbar.

TITLE: House of Lies RATING: R SUMMARY: Lily never knew much about her birth family, apart from the fact that her parents had mysteriously disappeared when she was a year old. One day, she receives a mysterious letter from Harriet Atkinson, her biological aunt, inviting her and her family to stay at her home. When they arrive, it becomes clear to Lily that Harry doesn't want to just meet her niece. They've been gathered, along with a cast of strangers that Lily hasn't met before, to determine the fate of John Atkinson.

KIDDIE CORNER

Per request to the editor... help The Labyrinth Lady Libby get through the maze! Solution at the end! *

* There’s no way out. But you knew that already. Didn’t you?

[madibyrd]

You wake up and it's your first day on Meridium all over again, but you've retained all of your memories of the future. What do you do differently?

"I-- cry a lot. Probably. Like, a lot, in the beginning. Just from the sheer setback of it all and knowing what would come. And then I-- I'd get myself together and do... well, I guess I would do things mostly similarly.

I would work really hard on the farm to make sure when the snow hits, we are more prepared and it doesn't all go to a big mess, like it did last time. That would be such big help moving forward. I know Tomas would probably think I am an idiot for even worrying about snow, but it would pay off in the end, so it would be worth looking little insane for it. Definitely would build the apiary with a snow-protection built in.

I'd-- I'd make sure Angie doesn't walk into the jungle alone and doesn't end up among the tree people. I-- she deserved so much better. I know she still thought this was a cult of some sort when she walked into it, so I'd try to convince her better what this place is and just-- yeah, make sure she still lived, if I could.

I'd make sure that day, when Guy and Rakel and Jacey and the other guy shows up, that Hazel isn't there. She couldn't-- she couldn't possibly be there. I don't know what that would mean for me, but-- no. She could be there. I'd do anything to make sure she'd be okay, not hurt.

And I-- I would--

Here's the thing, this is a really hard question. Because it's like, asking if you had all the information in the world and could go back in time, would you stop the second or even the first world war. And the obvious answer should be yes, I would want to, but how do you do it, you know? And what kind of repecussions would that have with it? Obviously I would tell people what I know, but saying that I would try to stop, say, Kotka and her friends is so simplistic and so easy in theory, but hard in execution. And it's me we're talking about. What would I really do? Go up to Kotka and cry and ask her not to do it? You know? It's not really-- it's not really plausible. I'd try to ask for people's help in it, obviously, and warn the right people about her and what she was planning and other island events, but it's impossible to get everything right even with all the knowledge, not to mention what kind of other horrible things would happen instead of those things?

Anyway, what I am trying to say is, I am not sure how it all would go. And I just-- There's that really big elephant in the room with the name of Emre Akbar and just-- I wish I could just say that like, I make sure he doesn't do it and then problem solved, right? He doesn't kill Suresh, it's all nice and dandy but-- but it's not that easy and it wouldn't change-- it wouldn't change the fact that he did or that he killed Carmichael, even if he asked for it, or that he's-- he's who he is. None of that would change, even if I wish I could. But-- anyway, I think-- I think I would just stay away from him as far as possible. Maybe actually befriend Iyaz instead of Emre, choose the right Akbar brother as my friend this time around and then if all of this happens again somehow, differently, at least Iyaz wouldn’t be that alone. Not that he is completely aloe now. And not that-- not that it's a choice like that, of course, if he doesn't wanna be my friend or if things don't work out like that, I wouldn't force him or anything, or anyone for that matter, I am just saying, I-- I am not even sure what I am saying anymore.

And this is hypothetical anyway, nothing actually could be changed, so, anyway... I am going to shut up now."

@sagetomashardy; @hazelbeaufort; @akbartheolder; @iyazakbar

[wrenaugustine]

You get to live the life of another inhabitant of Meridium for one day. Whose life would you live?

"I think I would like to live Lily's life. Don't tell her I said this but...if I think about it too much, I do get a little jealous of what she has here with Tomas, Libby and Flora. A perfect little island family that I really miss having. Getting to have that again for even one day would be...everything. Probably the best feeling in the world. I'd give anything to have a day where I can just go home and be able to say ‘hi mom, hi dad, what did you do today, I missed you.’ and just experience having a family one more time."

@starlit-lilies

[dreams-of-a-lark]

Date: A week AM Time: Late evening Location: Meridium Farm Closed Starter: @sagetomashardy​​

Following the horrors of the fog, Lark had retreated to his shanty like a dog to lick his wounds, both mental and physical. He’d gotten into more altercations that night than he had in a long while. In one night so many bonds Lark thought he had were fractured and, as a result, recovery seemed like something that needed to be done alone and in the relative comfort of his own home. In fact, he’d holed himself up so much that news of Matthew’s death hadn’t reached him until he overheard passerby's talking about it outside. That brought about a whole new set of scars that needed to be seen to, involving a lot of curling up and shaking himself to sleep with staggered tears.

He’d been living off a hoard of carefully rationed dried foods he kept for emergencies (this certainly seemed like a reasonable application), however, this morning he’d checked his stores to find his supply running dangerously low. This could only mean one thing and it was about the last thing he wanted. He’d have to go to the farm. Goddammit. After their little stint in the corn field, Lark found it near impossible to imagine facing Tomas... possibly ever again. So, instead of doing the mature thing and sucking it up for the sake of feeding himself, he decided to go the day without food and wait until long past nightfall to sneak onto the farm and gather necessities.

The day passed and his stomach began to scream at him with growing intensity. Lack of sustenance also didn’t help the torturous body aches from still healing injuries. It felt like forever before the light seeping into his hut started to dim. He peered through a makeshift window facing the ocean and waited for the the sun to languorously dip below the horizon. Never in his life had a sunset felt so excruciating to watch. 

Finally, the sky grew dark enough for him to feel comfortable slipping outside. He shrugged on a large, frayed, black blanket in the hopes it would further cloak him from view, grabbed his pack, and headed out. When he reached the farm, the coast seemed clear, which came as a great relief. Still, something told him he needed to make quick work of this little visit, just in case. He crouched and scurried over to the field to gather whatever fruits and vegetables he could get his hands on, it was too dark and he was in too much of a hurry to be selective.

Just as he’d gathered enough to keep him going for a few more days he heard a rustling in the distance. Fuck fuck fuck. He looked around frantically and decided his best move would be to try to blend in with one of the trees in the orchard and hope that whoever was nearby would pass without suspecting anything. However, as he was trying to fumble his way to the nearest tree, his foot slammed hard against a rock and he impulsively cried out, “Ow! Bollocks!” before tumbling to the ground, losing grasp of his pack, and spilling his haul every which way.

[lostboyjamiebevans]

@j-crain​

Jamie was having a bit of a lie-in. As much as Meridium would allow anyway. Soon enough there was sun streaming in through the porthole, and he opened his eyes reluctantly, stretching, and climbing slowly out of bed. 

He dressed without any real intent - a black vest and a pair of shorts - stopping to eat a bit of mango (what harm could it do now, after all; his attunement had already been stolen), then headed for the door wondering what had taken Teak out so early. He supposed he’d find his brother sooner or later and made his way out onto the deck of the Leander, sighing contentedly as the sunshine warmed him and the island breeze brushed past. It was another beautiful day, and even though he was still processing the loss of his earth attunement, the magic he’d only just learned how to efficiently command, he had a lot to be thankful for. Glancing down at his scarred sandaled feet and his one spoilt shin, Jamie gave a little snort. Well. Maybe he didn’t need to be thankful for jellyfish stings. You had to draw a line somewhere, after all. Even Joaquin would agree with that.

Heading down to the beach though, Jamie noticed a rather good-looking bloke not quite skulking, but definitely examining the ship, perhaps looking for a nonchalant way to come aboard; and Jamie smiled, happy to be playing welcoming committee again, knowing Tomas and Iyaz would forgive his lateness this morning; and he called out, “Oi! Are you looking for someone, mate? Maybe I can help.”

[phoebedarlings]

monday, november 30th, 2020 ; mid-afternoon. → north beach, in the meridium farm. close for: tomas hardy.

Phoebe has distanced herself from Tomas over the last few days. Not on purpose, by any means ... Well, okay. Maybe a little bit. Part of her distance was for him. After what had happened with Aurélie at the beach, it had been festering in the pit of her stomach. The dark emotions that feel like she has too much salt in her mouth. These difficult emotions, as she works on the garden, flow like a river. She sits there upon the grass and moss and dirt and onward they go. Phoebe just wants to stay calm, or else she was willing to do something heinous, and something she wont regret, but will stay with her.

She has had company, though in the form of Matthew’s cat that has been visiting Phoebe here and there. The cat she’s fondly named Agatha. The feline comes to Phoebe when she wants, bumping the flat of her head against the woman's elbow, nudging her as she takes care of the garden.

Dirt as accumulated beneath fingernails as day progressed into evening. It has just finished raining and Phoebe, with bare-feet, was quick to leave her solitary territory and pitter-patters around the garden she’s been working over the course of a few days. The garden was a shade brighter in the rain. The grass has become the shade of every dreamers meadow, the roots are now quenched, soil renewed. Phoebe has become protective over the the seedlings that have made a home in their pockets of soil, each of them with the natural yearning to spread their roots deep into earth. Yet, within a few days they will be an inch tall or more, waving in the breeze.

Feeling a familiar presences behind her, Phoebe whips around. 

❛ Oh, hi. ❜ Seeing Tomas coming towards her, Phoebe can't help but tilt her head to one side, become dazed ; physical and even sexual attractive was something that Phoebe never felt like most people do. It's honestly never really been a thought. She was pulled towards personality or someones spirit ... Right now, though, she was able to appreciate how beautiful Tomas looks too, after the rain. ❛ I’m not, -- Doing anything, ❜ She says, falling back onto her bottom while crossing her arms, as an attempt to show how ‘ relaxed ’ she feels. - Why did she feel like she has just gotten caught doing something wrong? 

[leon-cresswell]

Sign names have been a crucial part of Leon’s life, they are a part of the way he interacts with the world. How he is known and how those around him are known. And so, over time he’s started giving sign names to the people of Meridium, composing signs that try to capture the essence of who they are and how they present themselves to the world.

( If it interests you, you can learn more about sign names here )

PEOPLE OF MERIDIUM AND THEIR SIGN NAMES

ANTOINETTE “TONI” GRAVES

AURÉLIE MARCHAND

BRIAR CARNAHAN

CALLIOPE WARREN

CASH CARLISLE

DOROTHEA “CONOR” CRAVEN

ELIZABETH “LIBBY” BLUM

EMILIA RAMOS ALVAREZ

EMRE AKBAR

ESTHER ACHEBE

FRANK HAUPTMAN

IYAZ AKBAR

JAMIE BEVANS

JOAQUÍN SAELICES

KATERINA “KISKA” SOKOLOV

LEON CRESSWELL Mix of the signs for gentle and tall. It can interpreted as ‘gentle giant’.

LUCAS LOWE

MADISON BYRD

MAGNOLIA BEAUFORT

MALLORY CASTLE

MATTHEW ALPHONSUS

NORA HASTINGS

PETRA BRIGHT

PIPER BRIGHT

PHOEBE DARLINGS

ROSE HAUPTMAN

SEAMUS HAYES

SYLVIE DAVIS Mix of the signs for see and eyes, ending with the sign for dreams. It can interpreted in multiple ways: ‘eyes that see dreams’, ‘watcher of dreams’ or ‘seer of dreams’.

TAMYRA WILLIAMS

TEAK MIDDLETON The sign for tea and man. It literally means ‘tea man’ which is a bit of a pun for ‘T Man’.

TOMAS HARDY

[meridiumfarm]

charlie

A young capuchin monkey that Kaz and Tomas captured. Charlie willingly accompanies Tomas, Kaz, and Emre around without too much fuss or convincing, but can be standoffish with other people so far. The goal is to get Charlie accustomed enough to human presence to easily go with most anybody without the use of a leash. Charlie’s broader function on the farm is one that isn’t particularly savory so Tomas doesn’t discuss it with anybody; so far as people know, Charlie’s a farm pet on a whim.

[tamyrawilliams]

Who do you think is an invaluable part of life (or for the newbies, your potential survival/sanity) on Meridium?

“Nobody would survive without Tomas, that is just a known fact I think,” Tamyra said without thinking. “He runs the farm and the apothecary. Doesn’t get any more invaluable than that. Has a lot in keeping all of us alive. And on a more personal level,” she said, taking a moment before she continued, “as much as the pragmatic nature of his can be annoying sometimes, it’s really nice to just hang out with him. So, you know, he’s good for my sanity.” She often just ended up sitting on the fences of the farm, ranting on about something or listen to him grumble about this or that, and those definitely belonged to the moments that she actually enjoyed on the island. Not that she ever said that out loud. Maybe she should, though. At least to Tomas.

“And then the planning sessions with Frank were pretty invaluable in the last couple of years as well,” she continued. “He’s just as invested as I am of getting out of here and it’s nice to have somebody who doesn’t think I’m insane for wanting to get out of here after all these years, you know?” It could get exhausting sometimes when people asked her if she ever got tired of trying or if she ever lost hope.

@sagetomashardy, @frank-hauptman

[norasbolting]

Who do you think is an invaluable part of life (or for the newbies, your potential survival/sanity) on Meridium?

"Who? You want me to start name dropping these people I barely know?" She had only met a few people here, how was she supposed to know which one of them would be able to make life on the island more bearable. "Well, I have a feeling that dude that was going on about his sweater getting destroyed won't last very long. He sounded like someone that preferred living comfortably." That was her assumption at least, who knows. All she had to go on were first impressions and her first impression of him didn’t really fit deserted island living. “Maybe I’m wrong, maybe he'll just rip off the sweater and become one with nature and end up saving everyone's lives!”

Sighing, she leaned her head back and gave the question some actual thought. "I guess for me...Tamyra Williams, she gets me and my humor, she seems cool and could totally keep me sane. If she doesn’t kill me in my sleep. We’ll see.” she joked, chuckling softly for a moment. “And that Tomas guy seems trustworthy. He seems like a good guy to stay close to." Now if the two of them even wanted her around was a different story.

@iyazakbar / @tamyrawilliams / @sagetomashardy 

[starlit-lilies]

Do you think that it might come down to you having to choose between Libby and Tomas? What do you think about your family, now that you've seen the DVD?

“I don’t think so. I think they love each other very much, and Meridium brought them back together for a reason. I have faith they’ll work it out. Even if they don’t, Tomas has become... he’s become pretty important to me. I don’t want to make that choice and I don’t think Libby would enforce that sort of thing, where it’s either her or him. 

The only way I’ll have to choose between them is if Libby goes into the Labyrinth and leaves us behind. And then—yes, I’ll choose Libby. It’ll always be Libby. Tomas will be fine without me.”

@libbyblum @sagetomashardy

[thestrandedrpg]

CHAPTER NINE FINALE

When: June 20, 2022. Where: South Beach.

The buzzing is louder than ever on its tenth day. As if it knows something is coming. Perhaps it does.

Seamus and Esther call for a group gathering on the beach to address the issue as noontime grows near and the noise reaches a nearly ear-splitting level. The sky is cloudless and conversation is difficult over the din.

“It appears that this won’t be stopping any time soon,” Esther begins, raising her voice somewhat to be heard. “Given the circumstances, we’ve begun planning for –”

She doesn’t get the chance to finish that sentence. It’s as if she’s summoned this, as if the sky bursts on itself, a ripple that starts somewhere in the middle of the horizon then extends outward. Like thin fingers that reach across the sky, the lightning stretches overhead at stunning speed, sparks showering down. The buzzing is louder than ever. Some move to shield each other in spite of the memories that it makes you see. Others run.

And then, between one breath and the next, the sky is clear. The air is abruptly, overwhelmingly quiet. Quiet enough for you to hear Seamus’ trembling voice as he asks: “You?”

His gaze is on Esther as they pull away from one another, having collided during the second shock. And shock is what replaces his usual gruffness, widening his eyes, slackening his mouth. “All this time – after everything – it was you?”

Esther stands, frozen, her usually measured expression pinching with dread. “What did you see –” She begins, but Seamus quickly responds.

“You know good and well what I saw. You?!” There is a new bellow to his voice, outrage replacing the numb astonishment now. “After all that he did for us? After all that he did for you? He fuckin’ loved you, and you –”

Before Seamus can get too far into his blustering, Libby steps forward, balancing Flora on her hip. “Seamus, man,” she prompts. “What are you saying?”

“Esther killed Matthew.” There is a heavy finality to his words. The beach is hushed. The buzzing in the air is gone as Seamus turns to his fellow leader. His friend. “He trusted you. I trusted you –”

“I can explain,” Esther begins in a trembling voice. “It was the fog, Seamus, I hardly knew where I was or who I was or who he was –”

“Enough! I don’t want to hear it! You killed him, Esther, and then you lied to us! All of us! To hell with it – to hell with you. Akbar –” He whirls around suddenly with a definitive point at Emre. “You’re out of the Fisher’s Hut. Back to the mainland. You –” Now he’s pointing at Esther. “Get the fuck out of my sight. And you two –” Now it’s the Hardys. “Come with me.” 

After more than a year, the truth has emerged: Esther Achebe killed Matthew Alphonsus. What’s more, for better or worse, and without a vote from the people, island leadership has changed hands. A new trio has formed, consisting of Seamus Hayes, Tomas Hardy, and Libby Blum. Esther has not been put to trial. Will she be? Will her hasty sentencing stand? And how will this new leadership fare?

These are the questions that hang in the air on this hot, dry afternoon. Otherwise, it is mercifully silent.

To the muns...

This concludes Chapter Nine: The Shock! While much of the physical island has stayed the same this time around, it seems like dynamics will be changing in the wake of the onslaught of new information revealed during this chapter. I’m intrigued by the potential longterm impacts of this event!

You may take as long as you need to wrap event threads.

During this interlude between chapters, keep your eyes peeled for some plot drops, Meridium news, and tasks, including our third AU event!

Thank you all for joining in on yet another exciting event. I think it’s safe to say that, one way or another, every islander has been truly shocked.