deercountry | magic, madness, heaven, sin

magic, madness, heaven, sin

JULY 2022 EVENT

IMAGE DESCRIPTORS IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE
Prompt One
[Image One: A statue of Lady Justice with her sword against a man's throat. ]
[Image Two: A pair of hands covered in blood. ]

Prompt Two
[Image One: Two people trying to reach one another being pulled back by multiple, disembodied hands. ]
[Image Two: A feminine figure lying on a boardwalk above the ocean. ]

Prompt Three
[Image One: A pair of black scales held by a statue. ]
[Image Two: A single hand reaching up from the water, implying drowning. ]

[NAVIGATION]

Prompt 1 • Prompt 2 • Prompt 3 • Plotting • Newsletter

[JUMP TO COMMENTS]

GOOD AND EVIL

WHEN: July
WHERE: All over
CONTENT WARNINGS: Violence, revenge, possible torture, possible death, mental manipulation

An excerpt from the book Thus Comes the Reckoning:

Are we inherently good or evil? Are we hard-wired for empathy? Or is violent behavior our innate reaction when the world has done us wrong? This is something that has been debated for centuries, even in the times Before Sodder. Have we evolved since the Dreamless World? Since the Nightmare? Have the Pthumerians and their blessings made us more peaceful and understanding?

While it is true that our world is more generous and caring than the ones we have read about in the Dreamless World, where in spite of our shortages, we want for nothing that we truly need, the very existence of corruption and beasthood should speak of our true natures and of the true natures of Sleepers. There is no time that this is more prominent in our world than in the month of July, when the Reckoning holds sway.

It is unclear if it is the unbearable heat, the Pthumerian's influence, or perhaps just our true selves coming forth, but each July is the prelude to chaos. The pleasantries die off, the generosity wanes, and we forget the lessons of our more kind and gentle benefactors. Fist fights over minor disagreements, people attacking one another with weapons when they don't get their way or wait too long in line, and murders over the loss of a game. Does the summer make monsters of us all? Or does the Beast Moon simply encourage what is already inside of us?

Sleepers will find themselves encouraged towards violence. Many will be drawn to do evil. They will feel a pull to hurt others, particularly those who have hurt them first. Anger will seem like a natural state and many will find that they have lost all ability to reason when they become even minorly frustrated. Vigilante justice will seem like a great idea. Did someone hurt your loved one? Then tear them apart! Did a person borrow something from you and never return it? End them. Criminal activity will skyrocket, particularly violent criminal activity, throughout the month of July. People will feel more inclined to steal, to damage property, to kill, and to get revenge. Torturing others will seem like a perfectly reasonable idea. It is the month to do so and it might even feel good to hurt other people.

Sleepers will also feel violently protective of those they love. They will want to make sure that the violent crimes happening to other people doesn't happen to their people and they might go to such extremes as locking their loved ones up so that nothing can get to them. It's an obsessive need to protect and not let go. Someone might even feel so inclined as to kill their friends just to make sure that no one else can hurt them.

On the flip side, those who manage to resist the violent urges will be more inclined to help those who are violent. Even if you are someone who has never wanted to help another person, you will be drawn to do good. It's not impossible to talk others down, to sway them to being better people and to remembering who they are. It's just a lot of work. But still, those who are impacted by the good will feel that same need to protect others; only for them, it doesn't have to necessarily be someone they know. They want to do the right thing, to protect people from themselves. Unlike the evil, they will know there are limits, and they will not hurt others in their attempt to protect them. But they may end up being willing to, possibly uncharacteristically, sacrifice themselves to do so.

QUICK FACTS: 1. You can only be impacted by The Good or The Evil at one time. Someone who is Good can be corrupted into becoming Evil. If someone is talked down from being Evil, they can either go back to being their normal selves, or they can become impacted by The Good instead. This can happen as many times in the month as possible, but they can only be Good or Evil at one time. You can not be both at once.

2. Characters who can usually heal demons/possessions/etc. can cure Evil in people. Their powers will work the same as they would in their canon/from their blood powers. Game based items that would normally cure corruption however will NOT work to cure Evil. They will still work to cure corruption/beasthood.

3. The Reckoning can still punish you. Just because you're being influenced by outside forces won't matter to her. If she catches you doing something bad and it isn't for revenge purposes, she will punish you as she sees fit. This is left up to player interpretation.

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FORTUNE'S FOOL

WHEN: July
WHERE: All over
CONTENT WARNINGS: Star-Crossed lovers, encouraged suicidal ideation, possible death

Love. A complicated feeling that puts people into complicated circumstances. And yet, people will find themselves focused on this emotion more so than usual this month. For someone who is already in love, the emotions will become even stronger, almost overwhelming, wanting to burst out of them like a song. For those who were not in love before, they may find themselves suddenly easily falling for others. Maybe they will love multiple people or maybe just one, but love will be an all consuming emotion to those who fall victim to it.

The only problem is that love isn't always accepted. People who are deeply in love will suddenly start to feel persecuted and judged from those around them. They will feel as though their love is unallowed, that the person that means the most to them is being rejected by their family, their friends, by society itself. It doesn't matter if that's the truth: there's just something inside of people that makes them thoroughly convinced that their love is not meant to be. Star-Crossed. Unattainable.

There will be an increased urge to solidify that love as being real and unbreakable. Maybe this is done through fighting back against those who are saying no. Maybe it comes in the form of secretly saying vows and loved ones spiritually tying themselves together forever. Or maybe in the end, the only true way that lovers feel they can truly be together... is in death. All of these will seem like reasonable options— or maybe even the only option. Love is never ending, after all, even if life is.

QUICK FACTS: 1. Anyone can fall in love with anyone else. It doesn't have to be the character that you're already shipping with if all players agree! You can fall in love with someone you know, someone you've just met, or even a total stranger. Love is a gift to everyone, right??? Who needs pesky things like introductions.

2. You do not have to commit suicide. You can, of course, and many will definitely feel drawn to it with the basis of the prompt, but it is not required. Please make sure to mark all threads accordingly!

3. The persecution against your relationship does not have to be real. You can, however, tie this into the first prompt, and have even the smallest slights be reason to think that your love is persecuted. Similarly, people who are impacted by the first prompt may be more likely to actually shun those who are in love. Feel free to work with it however you see fit!

[JUMP TO TOP] • [JUMP TO COMMENTS]

OUR OWN PRISONS

WHEN: July
WHERE: All over, but particularly by the ocean.
CONTENT WARNINGS: Self-hatred, judgement, suicidal ideation, homicidal ideation, possible drowning.

Everyone has personal flaws. Things about themselves they don't like, reactions they wish they didn't have, habits that they want to break. Sometimes the awareness of flaws can outweigh the awareness of our strengths as well. It's easy to get caught up in the feeling that we're less then perfect, that we'll never be able to fix ourselves no matter what we do.

This month, those feelings seem to be amplified. Sleepers will see flaws everywhere; in the people they love, in the Trenchies, and most heavily in themselves. Feelings of self-hatred and judgement will be amplified and even those who are usually confident in themselves will find that they're suffering from it. Sometimes these feelings may manifest as a simple bout of anger and depression; but for others, it can become more severe quickly.

Those who find themselves suffering heaviest from these feelings will feel called to the ocean. Maybe it's a desire to go back to a squid form, a place that's simpler and more straight forward. Or maybe it's the unbearable heat that's putting these thoughts in someone's head and they'll feel like going for a swim would cure it. But there's something inside everyone that knows that if they go into the ocean, they might not come back out again.

Sleepers will feel like the ultimate judgement is waiting for them out there. If they are seeing flaws more in themselves, being by the ocean will amplify feelings of suicide. If they're seeing flaws in everyone else, they might feel compelled to bring those people down to the ocean to drown them. The ocean, associated so heavily with rebirth, could be the very thing to cleanse people of their imperfections, after all. Maybe it would be a favor to everyone if someone just gave in and tried to fix themselves and others. For the good of Trench.

QUICK FACTS: 1. These feelings can cause people to become more corrupt. The longer they are exposed to these feelings, the closer they will get to high levels of corruption, and eventual beasthood.

2. Because these feelings can cause corruption, they can also be relieved through the same methods as corruption. Talking, touching, Moon Drops, get some therapy, whatever the player chooses.

3. People who do not address their feelings and/or who spend too much time by the ocean will inevitably deal with feelings of suicide and/or homicide. Please be sure to handle these topics appropriately and content warn your threads.

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CODING

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴇᴠɪʟ — until july 14th; cw includes violence, bullying

[ the heat, the abrupt storms and rain— everything about the weather this month made shoyo feel like he was in his second home all over again. the beach would've been a wonderful place to bring the kids at koz orphanage to, consider it a field trip. if it was safe enough. the weather grows worse into the first week of july, they don't get a break. everyone seems to have beef with shoyo. it sucks!

he's bummed about the constant rain. he can't walk through the street without someone trying to pick on him for no actual reason. even trading for food and working on his nightwalker shifts doesn't go well. characters will find shoyo having plenty of problems with trenchies: he gets his food thrown, either on the ground or on him when shopping for foods to make at home. rice grains, vegetables and fruit are lost, and shoyo is made a mess of it. shoyo arrives for volleyball club almost always with a new split on his lips or swollen eyes. passerbys jeer and forcibly bump into him at the district of cellar door when he's working, bags of balls over his shoulder held together by fishnets being torn by hangs, or a new set of dumbbells being hauled on wheels and knocked sideways— they curse, scorn and shove him about what it is he does. pleasure person, hustler— which is far from what he does! he offers sports, exercising, a lifting buddy, not . . . those things. a handful of encounters become particularly dangerous when he's ganged up on and shoved into the closes alleyway. maybe you saw one of these— hopefully, you'd want to help. or else he'll come out of there battered, bruised, bleeding deep burgundy and with his eyes stinging red, but his brows slant and his expression steams hot with anger. ]

ɴᴏᴡ ɪᴛ's ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴇᴠɪʟ — after july 16th; cw includes violence, some elements of corruption, toxic positivity

[ shoyo becomes odd during the middle of the month. he's either irritable or too positive, combative or a little . . . pushy! volleyball club is suspended for the rest of july. some guys still want to beat him up? bring it! he's ready to kick some ass, and he wants you to be the judge! what about food being thrown at him instead of handing it to him? he starts a foodfight. maybe he's not the one fighting off some provoking trenchies, but you are. if it's a one-on-one, he's cheering you on. quite. graphically. if you're outnumbered, he jumps in to drop kick some poor dude with the grace of a learning ninja (or maybe not poor, maybe he DESERVES IT).

ᴡɪʟᴅᴄᴀʀᴅ

[ my starters are vague and suck but please allow me to write u a personalized starter if you would like one........ plot w/ me liberos or owlie#3609! ]

ᴛʜɪs ɪs ɴᴏᴛ ᴀ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍ — until july 15th; cw includes character death

[ shoyo had woken up as his usual hour, on point: 5am. he rested well, slept through the whole night as he usually does. the alarm of his omni rings and he's quick to tap it into silence, raising to sit and slip away from the bed, careful to not wake his partner. shoyo's soft smile wanes when he sees the dribble of blood from lazarus' nose staining the pillow he rests his head upon. huh. was he okay? he didn't want to wake him up at such an hour, but his thumb brush at the stain.

it's dry.

from there, shoyo's alerts flag high. he leans over and places his fingers beneath bangs to brush hair away, palming the frail man's cheek.

he's cold.

yellow warning signs flash bright red, but at the same time, shoyo's heart skips so panicked, he doesn't know what he's feeling. the world stops. impossibility tries to bargain with him: this isn't real.

he's stiff. he's not breathing. he doesn't have a pulse.

(this isn't real—)

he calls for lazarus, shakes him awake. he does nothing but continues to sleep, soundlessly. oh, no. the nos that drip in whispered hushes past his quivering lips is constant and escalating. no, wake up, you're not— no,. lazarus had died in his sleep. he didn't notice. he didn't see. what happened? what was happening?

before shoyo's horror reaches its cusp, he bolts for his house's opposite room, on the side, opens the door, and reaches out for the only immediate help he had. ]

Senpai, Senpai— [ shoyo still regards the fact that his housemate is sleeping and it wasn't his usual time to wake up, but he does try to shake him awake. when oikawa does open his eyes, shoyo's breathing is quickened and his eyes wet, red and wild with panic— ] Wake up, please—

Edited 2022-07-13 17:28 (UTC)

[Tooru's been feeling a bit more irritable lately, and getting suddenly woken up by his friend and roommate doesn't help that much, ready to snap until he sees that Shōyō isn't his usual chipper self but instead an absolute mess of a man.

Strange. And worrying. So Tooru swallows down that annoyance of being shaken awake, though does shoot the smallest of glares. Waking him up on a good day without an emergency is grounds to be snapped at, but he's got the awareness to see it's clearly an emergency, but is still a bit grumpy. Although his tone lacks any and all snippiness when he does finally speak, and is closer to worry and concern.]

Shōyō, calm down. Breathe. What is it? What happened?

[ it does nothing to calm shōyō; he still breathes quick, still hastens and paces back and forth with the utmost urgency. there was something wrong, there was something so wrong— ]

It’s, It’s Lazarus, he’s— He’s not waking up, he’s not, [ shōyō’s voice cracks into a squeak as if it’s being choked to the death. he leaves the room immediately with his hands running through his orange hair, and he full hopes that oikawa would come after him. he can’t bring himself to say if, and softly sobs: ] I— I need to take him, to the hospital, I need to do something—

[It takes all of his energy to, but Tooru forces himself to fully wake up as well as process exactly what's going on. Especially with how frantic Shōyō is acting, and gets up to follow him, quickly throwing on a shirt as he follows.

Firstly, something being wrong with Lazarus wasn't good. The man was strange but Tooru wouldn't say he's bad, just odd, so something wrong is a concern.

Secondly, he needs to do something to try and calm his friend, but how? Iwaizumi's the one better with words in his opinion, Tooru mainly is just there or offers a pat or hug unless it's something he knows he can help with. Like volleyball, or homesickness.]

Shōyō, YOU need to breathe too. If you pass out from hyperventilating, it won't help anything.

[But he soon understands just why the younger man is freaking out. Not good.]

I need to breathe—

[ the trickling words come exasperated and questioning, as if it was possibly the most ridiculous thing he’s heard, the last thing he’d ever wanted to hear. it’s not oikawa’s fault. it was no body’s, at least not at the moment.

but shōyō felt like the weight was on him, as much as lazarus’ dead weight was on his bed. he storms into his room and stops just short of the mattress, with the body there, peaceful, motionless, as if he were really still sleeping soundly— until the gasp behind shōyō’s had, wet and choking, breaks apart to say: ]

He’s not . . . Breathing . . . He needs to breathe—

[ the most he could do then is slowly turn away in disbelief, in a hush, a whisper. lazarus stained the pillow with a nosebleed, and was both cold and stiff to the touch. ]

SHŌYŌ! If you pass out, I'll have two things to worry about. Calm DOWN.

[So Much for keeping as calm as he can, even with the situation as it is. Guilt hits immediately after the snarl, and Tooru pinches the bridge of his nose with a huff. As much as he's kept his nasty temper in check over the years since middle school and kept calm outwardly, some things unfortunately don't change at 27.

And the timing couldn't be worse, just his luck. It's almost as if he's flung ten years back with getting riled up.]

Sorry. We need to think clearly here. I'll help you get him to a hospital.

shoyo hinata | haikyuu!! | warmblood

@oikawa

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good and evil

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Just Evil

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