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(event) WAY DOWN WE GO

EVENT LOG: WAY DOWN WE GO

AUGUST 14TH - 24TH

 ►  THE BASICS

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 ►  MOD NOTES

This log is a general dump for all log threads pertaining to August's Way Down We Go event - and in lieu of the lack of catch-all for August, you can feel free to do non-event log threads here as well! Go ahead and utilize vestigenet for any event-related network posts you'd like to make.
The main chunk of the event takes place between the IC dates August 17th (reveal of the hatch) and August 22nd (the latest the spelunkers can be freed before they drown). No rush leaping on this event post, since I know most folks are honestly still plotting about it.
All event information can be found on the July Event Infopost!
Please take special care in this event to label your top-levels with identifying information such as the IC date, any prompts specifically pertaining to event roles (spelunker, rescue efforts, etc), and/or 'non-event' for any non-event prompts you may include. Just trying to keep things organized!
I'm going to help solidify the plotting efforts over the next few days to help make sure everyone's on the same page, but none of it will be set in stone just in case latecomers want in too. If you want in, chime in on the spelunkers, rescue efforts, or support roles top-levels as applicable!
Any questions can be directed to this top-level or, for a quicker response, to Trace on discord/plurk.

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Open and closed prompts below, hit me up if you'd like an individual starter. He is on the spelunking team and will get his leg broken in the initial cave-in.

[ Out of all the people to be stuck in a cave far below a lake with, a Jiang Cheng who is in pain from his shattered right leg will probably be pretty low on the list.

Currently, he is laid out near the collapsed area, his shattered leg stretched out to rest after Lan Sizhui has spent some quality hours on mending his bones, resting while he awaits his next healing session.

He should be meditating and working on healing himself but instead, Jiang Cheng is glaring at everyone who watches him too closely, never mind dares approach him. ]

I'm doing fine! There is nothing to see here! If you'd just let me help we could be out of here already!

[ Because of course he's going to be lugging stones on one leg. That makes sense.

There's a tightness to his clenched jaw and around his eyes, and a thin layer of sweat to betray that this bluster might not be all bad temper. He is trying to distract from exactly how dire his miserable his situation is. ]

Edited 2020-08-23 22:47 (UTC)

[ Having just been successfully dragged out from under a pile of rocks which had crushed his right leg, Jiang Cheng is laying there breathing heavily and gritting his teeth, and somehow still finding the strength to be difficult.

He glowers at his phone, then at Lan Sizhui, then at his phone again. He had not actually promised Wei Wuxian to let the Lan brat heal him. He had only said he would consider it. ]

Go away! [ he snaps, or tries to snap at least. His voice is weak, shaky. It was only due to their bickering being in text that he had been able to keep up a pretense for Wei Wuxian. ] Go away. Make yourself useful. I can handle a little bit of pain.

[all the while, lan sizhui – patient, kind, determined lan sizhui – holds his ground the entire time jiang cheng scowls at him, unflinching even when he tells him to ‘go away!’]

No, [he responds simply, almost too reserved when he sighs and continues,] I was told to help you, that is making myself useful. And while I don't doubt you can handle the pain, Jiang-zongzhu, you don't have to let yourself do that when someone has the ability to help.

[after shifting to kneel beside jiang cheng's injured leg, sizhui's left hand reaches out, splays across the man's knee and holds it steady.] Before I'm able to do anything for the pain, we're going to set the bone. [a beat then,] Can you handle that?

Of course I can handle that! [ Jiang Cheng shoots back without hesitation, even though the thought of more pain leaves him feeling faintly sick. Not that he isn't already feeling faintly sick from the pain. This is nothing like when Wei Wuxian had broken his arm and there is a small, pathetic part of him which hopes that Lan Sizhui is right.

The rest of him remembers that it had been Wei Wuxian who told the Lan boy to heal him. ]

I don't need you coddling me.

[and sizhui closes his eyes rather than roll them anymore, lips pressed tight because gods, give him strength—] Here, [comes through a soft huff then he twists, reaches into his pocket to extract a long roll of gauze. after that's set aside somewhere clean and dry, he slides his sword off his back, undoes the makeshift cloth strap.

while holding it with both hands, his expression somehow holds firm as he presents the fabric, eyes daring jiang cheng to say ‘no.’]

Bite down on this.

[ Praying for patience might indeed be necessary to get through dealing with a Jiang Cheng even more irritable than usual, but he's not having any fun with this either.

Being presented with the gauze, he shoots Sizhui a particularly venomous look but then opens his mouth anyway for it to be shoved between his teeth... even if he may snap them shut a little bit too fast, and accidentally on purpose be trying to catch a finger.

What? He is in pain. He's allowed to be petty. ]

[...alright, fine, if a sect leader's allowed to be petty like this then sizhui has every right to be just as obnoxious right back. (his leg is broken, nothing about it is supposed to be fun!)

initially, he's kind about guiding the makeshift silencer into jiang cheng's mouth – gentle, even! – the moment one of his fingers almost gets caught in the process, however, that's when the gloves are immediately off.] Jiang Wanyin, you—! [sizhui's aware he should have better control over himself and he's usually well-behaved, but sometimes, one just does things without stopping to consider the consequences.

meaning that after he's given his hand a once-over, made absolute certain he hasn't lost any digits, the same one lifts and he flicks jiang cheng in the forehead; not cruelly, just enough to be felt alongside his stern warning,] Stop being so stubborn.

[ ...and Jiang Cheng just gapes and gapes some more as if Lan Sizhui had grown a second. Oh yeah, he also makes ~~dying whale noises~~ strangled little noises at the back of his throat as he tries to come to terms with the fact that he now exists in a reality in which he got his forehead flicked! By a junior!

And then he opens and closes his mouth a few more times, still unable to form proper words until finally... ]

But you are a Lan! [ comes the indignant yelp. Which, in his book, explains everything, mostly how he has just been tragically wronged. By a terrible Lan. ] Aren't you all supposed to be boring and without a personality?

[ah! the longer jiang cheng gapes, the more sizhui's expression falters, to the point he looks panicked almost; he hadn't really thought that through, had he? boy, jiang cheng must be pretty upset to have been rendered speechless by such a gesture!

he watches intently, steeling himself for whatever's headed his way, which isn't nearly as bad as he'd expected once sandu shengshou finally does speak.]

I'm... [but sizhui trails off, glances down at where he'd dropped his hands to wring them after realizing what he'd done. seriously, ‘boring and without a personality?’ he snorts, instantly reaches up and covers the smile spreading across his face until he can get it under control. afterward, the hand gets lowered again then his focus is back on jiang cheng's leg, although he has a decent distraction now while he works.] I'm sorry, but have you met— [whoops, that's gonna smart!] —Lan Jingyi? He has enough personality for the entire Lan clan!

[ Well. Alright. He's got him there, Lan Jingyi is really a very strong argument for Lan not being uniformly boring and bland. He scowls quite a bit more than before even now - knowing, even as he scowls, that this is as much as admitting to Lan Sizhui that he has a point. Only, just because he has a point doesn't mean Jiang Cheng has to admit to it. ]

Of course I've met him, but that says nothing! There's always one odd exception in every clan! [ Such as himself in the Jiang, he thinks bitterly. Shoving that aside, he sniffs haughtily, or as haughtily as you can sniff while you're still laying in a caved-in tunnel with a broken leg, anyway. ] I'd need to meet more Lan like him to believe you.

[it's convenient lan sizhui needn't move too far to collect a couple bits of nearby wood, both of which are just barely the length he needs. since jiang cheng seems alright enough to continue running his mouth, he collects the fallen fabric, uses it and the gauze he'd taken out earlier, wraps all the way up jiang cheng's leg, secures the finality of the splint into a knot beside his knee.] Well, [he sighs, brushing his hands off then withdrawing,] you'll have a hard time finding another Lan like Jingyi.

So, I suppose you've got me there. [his lips quirk then sizhui momentarily goes for his backpack that'd been set aside, yanks it over by a handle and opens the top uppermost zipper.] How is your pain level? Here, [and he holds out a small plastic package of cotton tissues so jiang cheng can take one for his sniffing.]

[ He snatches the tissue from his hands but just crumbles it in his fist, scowling at nothing in particular now.

The splint helps a little with the pain and it certainly helps him feel less vulnerable, though in truth he is no more capable of standing up and making himself useful than before. ]

My pain level is bearable [ he grinds out. It is, actually, Lan Sizhui has done a good job, the boy has talent as a battlefield medic - not that he has any intention to tell him so. ] You don't need to concern yourself any further with me. I can meditate and work on healing myself now.

[okay, well, he tried. not his fault if jiang cheng doesn't want the tissue for his issue.

and if the man attempts to stand up by himself, there is a very likely chance that sizhui will scold him despite the already remaining tension. the only motions he should be making are necessary ones and getting up right now doesn't qualify.]

Alright, [he concedes, knowing full-well there's no reason for him to continue asking. (though if he were to ever find out jiang cheng thinks his medical skills are good, he'd be downright flattered.) after replacing things in his bag and zippering it back up, it gets slung over his shoulder then sizhui moves to stand.] I'll be nearby if you need anything else. Please, don't... don't try to move too much by yourself? I'd hate for your injuries to get worse.

[ Jiang Cheng gives him another long, scrutinizing look which can even be called approving if you squint, maybe. Then he sighs and nods. There's nothing to it, really. ]

Very well. I'm going to be careful. I won't ruin your hard work.

[ And he just goes back to frowning at the tissue and his own hands, trying to feed spiritual energy into the injury so it will heal that little bit faster - trying to ignore the bubbling frustration at being trapped and useless in finding an escape. ]

[thank the stars, sizhui doesn't even need to squint; he's able to halfway read lan wangji, after all, so that has to count for something!]

Thank you, Jiang-zongzhu. As soon as we're able to get out, I'll come back to help you again.

[until then, he'll take his leave before he ends up ruining the tentative sort of alliance they've made at this point. he does briefly dip his head in a slight bow before straightening and heading back toward the hatch where they'd initially gotten inside to consider another possible way out.]

[ He had been annoyed when Jiejie had remained gone all day yesterday without having mentioned it and didn't respond to his messages - didn't she know that he would worry? He had been hurt when she didn't come home for the night and still continued to ignore him. It figured that she would like Wei Wuxian better, he had told himself, and would be so busy fussing over him that she would completely forget the brother worrying for her at home.

Now it is the next day and his messages remain unanswered.

Finally, driven more by an underlying panic than by the hurt and angry indignation he actually permits himself to show, Jiang Cheng drags himself over to Wei Wuxian's house. Broken leg and all - the pain is good, it will add to his fury.

He pounds on the door, his face furious. ] Open up! Who do you even think you are, Wei Wuxian! Is this a joke for you?! Do you have no respect for anyone!

( wei ying is eating some sort of early lunch when the pounding at the door draws his sharp attention. abandoning his food, he's already two quick steps toward the door (what if someone's in trouble? why else would they bang so urgently?) by the time the yelling begins, and wei wuxian stops in his tracks.

is what a joke to him? his mind reels, grasping for what he possibly could've done in the last day or so, but even as his mind turns up blank, jiang cheng nonetheless continues to thunder and yell on his doorstep.

so he's moving again, off toward the door (and possibly waving a dismissive 'it's okay' hand at anyone who peeks out of their room in bemusement) - and with a bracing sigh, the door opens. )

If this is about the tunnel, I couldn't just leave you down there. ( it's the only thing he can think of, and please pardon him for sounding a bit weary as he says it. he has most certainly recovered from the underground excursion, but one can never properly recover enough to have jiang cheng yelling on their doorstep first thing in the almost-afternoon. )

[ When the door opens, Jiang Cheng had only just pulled back his fist for the next round of knocking - he barely stills it before he goes knocking against Wei Wuxian's face instead, not that he would have been terribly heartbroken about that but dealing with his complaints would save time.

He bares his teeth at him when the first thing that comes out of his mouth is utter impudence... oh yeah, maybe he should have taken that fist to his face.]

It's not about the tunnel! I don't care about the tunnel! I just want you to tell me when Yanli is staying with you all day and night! You never have a problem talking to me when I don't want you anywhere near me!

( for his part, wei wuxian doesn't actually expect the hit to come (usually he has to do something first), eyes daring to flicker down just briefly at the crutches tucked under each arm. it's impossible to see what the state of his leg is, with his robes in the way. he'd better have swallowed his stupid pride and braced it somehow.

'- when yanli is staying with you all day and night!' he tunes back in at that, eyes lifting to jiang cheng's face in sharp confusion, because - ) What about Shijie? ( no, that's a stupid question - he heard, he doesn't need it repeated, so he's shaking his head and: ) She's not here. I haven't seen her since-...

( since after the tunnel, when so many people disappeared.

a rush of breath escapes him, as if he's been punched in the gut but refuses to flinch - and then he's ducking past jiang cheng, not even thinking to shut the door behind him as he jogs out away from the cabin a few steps, gaze darting around as if it would truly be so simple as to spot her gathering herbs nearby.

the look he turns back on jiang cheng is dire, almost helpless, mouth opening to say something but he doesn't know what he can even say - as if she really were supposed to be with him and he'd somehow lost her, as if this just kicks off the mountain of wrongs he'll apparently somehow commit.

what eventually comes is, ) I'm going to look for her. ( and he's in motion, with every intention of jogging briskly off down the lake shore unless jiang cheng says something to stop him. )

You... You... What...?!

[ He is still sputtering in indignation at being left standing like that but in truth, Jiang Cheng knows exactly what this reaction means. It confirms what he hadn't dared contemplate.

Jiejie may go spend time with Wei Wuxian without telling him, since she knows it upsets him, but she wouldn't disappear on both of them without saying a word. There is nothing that would hold her interest so much that she would forget to contact them for two days and a night.

Cursing himself now for his own stubbornness in refusing to see Klaus for magical healing, he hobbles after him on his crutches. ]

Wei Wuxian! Wait! [ For what? He will just hold him back during a search but he can't let them both just vanish on him, either. ]

( despite the need to find shijie (a need that feels like it grows more dire by the second), the words stop him in his tracks - perhaps a bit too abruptly, not at all like they would have if he and jiang cheng were on remotely decent terms.

eyes turn back on the man crutching toward him at what wei ying can only assume is top speed, and the look in wei ying's eye is caught between 'i don't have time to stop' and 'we don't have time to fight' as he says, ) If you check the cabins, I can take the woods and loop down to the gas station. We'll find her quicker that way. ( because obviously they're going to find her. they have to. )

[ He opens his mouth, wanting to argue simply because that is all they have been doing for years now, but... It's a sensible suggestion. It's not like he can explore farther until he's had his leg fixed.

It's not as if he could ask Wei Wuxian to stay, either, or as if they have any comfort to give another. The last chance of that died when their sister was stabbed to death in the battle Wei Wuxian had started.

So he gives Wei Wuxian a sharp look out of narrowed eyes, followed by an equally sharp nod. ]

Very well. Find her. [ Said in a tone of voice as if this is indeed something he can simply give an order about, as if it is a mere matter of a sect leader's conviction and ability to enforce authority to bend the world to his will - a skill Jiang Cheng has always been woefully lacking at anyway. ] Go.

( that's fine - wei ying can be ordered about, at least in this case. he can be ordered to find their sister. he's going to find her. there's no other choice, really.

and so, with a nod only fractionally less sharp, he turns and takes off again at an even brisker jog than before, heading off toward the woods to the north this time without a glance back. even from here, jiang cheng can probably hear him call - ) Shijie!? ( as he reaches the treeline, and then he's disappeared altogether. )

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(event) WAY DOWN WE GO

Jiang Cheng | The Untamed | OTA

After the cave-in - open

after the cave-in - closed to Sizhui

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25th, day 2 of Yanli's disappearance, closed to Wei Wuxian

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