he ate my heart

[reddosmod]

AUGUST 2022 EVENT

EXTRA WARNING:

IMAGE DESCRIPTORS IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE
Prompt One
[Image One: The shore line lit up by some sort of bioluminescent organism. ]
[Image Two: A sunken pirate ship covered in algae, seaweed, and suffering from wood rot. ]

Prompt Two
[Image One: A tentacle wrapping around a persons hand. ]
[Image Two: A close up of someone's shoulder which is turning black and cracked and dripping water. ]

Prompt Three
[Image One: A statue of a human face, split in half, with a golden devil mask between the two halves. ]
[Image Two: A number of golden hands reaching up for a white sphere. ]

[NAVIGATION]

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

[JUMP TO COMMENTS]

WE GLOW SO DIM

WHEN: August
WHERE: The Ocean
CONTENT WARNINGS: Deep diving, possible drowning, possible death

---

Early on in the month, the waves start to have a strange look to them. They seem a little brighter, even at night, and it's then that it hits you: the waves are glowing. It's easy to at first to brush it off as the bioluminescence of certain types of plankton, but the way it moves and sparkles has an other-worldly quality to it that can't be explained by science. Those who look even closer at the glow will notice that it seems to be forming some sort of path into the watery depths.

Those who choose to follow the path despite the angry waves and awful storms that plague the seas this month will find that the ocean seems to be at its calmest along these illuminated, watery roads. Diving down to follow them won't require any equipment, as Sleepers will find that staying within the glowing path allows them to breathe under water when they might normally not have been able to. The pressure changes don't seem to be impacting anyone who follows the light either, allowing them access to deeper depths of the ocean than may have previously been explored.

Continuing to follow the path will lead Sleepers to a series of ship wrecks under the water. These ancient vessels are rotted and covered in seaweed, but anyone who is familiar with the cultures of Earth will notice that they seem to come from all over the world and their styles vary by multiple centuries. But all the ships seem to be covered in this same, strange glow that has brought people here.

Exploring the ships will lead to multiple different discoveries. There are chests filled with ancient artifacts: carvings of squids, statues of various sea creatures that feel a little off somehow, and stones carved with a strange text that is almost impossible to decipher. The artifacts are covered in strange, rust-looking stains that penetrate deep into the materials they're made of. These artifacts can be brought back to shore, and if someone were to try and ask the Trenchies what the writing said, they would only be able to say that these are clearly texts of the Old Ones from long before any recorded history that Trench has in its Archives. When asked about the sea creatures, they'll think it's obvious: these are Mariana's various forms from over the years. The off qualities are her unique takes as a Pthumerian on the creatures of the ocean.

Prolonged exposure to these statues of Mariana will cause people to become more bluntly honest, more open with their emotions, and often much more prone to large outbursts from said emotions, both good and bad. However, Sleepers who keep these statues near them will also find that they are able to keep more control of their blood powers. It's up to each individual if it's a worthy trade off.

If you leave the path, two things can happen: Sleepers will either turn into their squid selves and can continue to swim or they will drown. There will be nothing of interest outside of these paths, just typical ocean creatures, and maybe some of those monsters that have been crawling out of the watery depths as of late.

[JUMP TO TOP] • [JUMP TO COMMENTS]

MONSTER WITHIN

WHEN: August
WHERE: All over
CONTENT WARNINGS: Body horror, mentions of potential cannibalism/vore, possible death, contagious curse

---

Soon after people start to explore the ships, a strange occurrence will start to sweep through the city. Locals start to mutter something about a curse, one that seems to only be impacting Sleepers. The early signs that there's something off is an increase in strength and stamina. For example, Sleepers will find that they might go to pick up a chair or a mug and it shatters in their hands. Some people may find that they are incapable of sleeping. Others might find they're able to move quicker and for longer periods than normal.

If they look themselves over, they will start to find small patches of skin that have started to gray and blacken. These patches will be cracked, almost scaley, and will be consistently damp no matter how hard you try to dry them off. As time passes, this odd rash will start to spread, taking over more and more of the body. The torso might start to swell and distort, making Sleepers feel particularly top heavy. And eventually, suckers will start to form on the arms and legs.

This curse isn't beasthood in its usual forms; instead, it seems to be some sort of malady in of the magical blood that Sleepers have been granted. If the blood of an infected Sleeper is looked at under a microscope, there will be black patches clinging to the cells, similar to the patches that people see on their skin. If it isn't stopped, the person suffering from the curse will ultimately turn into a monstrous form of their squid-selves: these monster forms are large, aggressive, and able to move on land. They will feel a hunger for destruction and some Sleepers may find in these forms that they are only satisfied if they feed on other, uncursed Sleepers.

There are two ways to lift the curse. One is through a thorough blood transfusion with a blood type that is compatible with your own. This becomes more difficult to do the closer to the monstrous form people get, both due to aggression from the curse, and also due to the fact that the black patches of skin are highly difficult to puncture. Once the blood is completely replaced by fresh blood, the skin patches will disappear over 48 hours and the Sleeper will be left feeling thoroughly exhausted.

The second way to lift the curse is through death. While these monster squid forms are difficult to kill, it is not impossible, and they are particularly susceptible to magic over weapons. Once a Sleeper has died, they can be reborn, and their blood will be completely free of the curse.

The blood malady can be spread outside of those who come into contact with the ship wrecks. People who touch a cursed Sleeper, particularly the scaley patches of skin, will also run the risk of being cursed. It takes roughly a week for the signs of the curse to show, and can spread as slowly or as rapidly as players choose.

[JUMP TO TOP] • [JUMP TO COMMENTS]

LAVISH DESIRES

WHEN: August
WHERE: All over
CONTENT WARNINGS: Personality changes, mental manipulation, hoarding, obsessive anxiety, disassociation, depersonalization

---

The high waves seem to just be getting higher at the beginning of the month. Rougher and rougher seas start to cause something anyone who's lived around water will be familiar with: flash floods. These floods are large, powerful, and fill the streets of Trench. First-floors of buildings may get extreme damage, though they can be protected with physical and magical barriers if people are smart about it. The floods happen multiple times throughout the month without warning, so it may be good to get that protection built up sooner rather than later.

The after effects of these floods aren't just structural devastation though. People who get caught up in the water, particularly those who end up swallowing it, will have one word echoing in their mind on a regular basis: More.

More of what? That seems to be different for each individual. Maybe one person wants more and more food, anything from an extra slice of cake after dinner, to wanting to stuff themselves until they just might pop. Or maybe they want to hoard all of their favorite objects or pieces of clothing, filling more and more of the space in their homes until they're ready to burst at the seems. Some might find it's their emotions that come in excess, with over the top anger, or irregular excitement that leaves them unable to sleep for days. Anything and everything can come in excess and it certainly seems to be this month. Some people may get these obsessive needs to such a degree that they start to feel disconnected from themselves, fractured by the overabundance that has taken over their lives.

If people ignore these desires, they'll start to find they're plagued by hallucinations. Strong, life-like visions that riddle them with anxiety and leave them petrified of what might happen if they don't partake in this gluttonous behavior. They'll feel shaken to the core and slowly go mad with need and desire for whatever it is they've been craving. This feeling of madness can make them become violent, lashing out at those around them, even killing those who try and help them out of belief that they're trying to force them to give in to their vices.

The impact of the water will wear off either after one week without re-exposure, or by using a Moon Drop to help to cleanse the mind.

[JUMP TO TOP]

CODING

Comments

Nico di Angelo | Camp Half-Blood Chronicles

[umbraportation]

i. we glow so dim

[ Glowing water in the water, monsters coming up on the beach, it's an adventure. Nico will be going down to the wreckage several times, sometimes planned with people, other times at random. He will stand by the shore to see if anyone needs a swimming buddy or guardian. Sword strapped to his waist and glowing an eerie purple.

Upon someone showing up, Nico looks at them. ]

Going down?

ii. monster within
[ cw: body horror ]

[ Things seemed relatively fine up until now, nothing horrible has happened. Probably a trap of safety. It feels like he's in battle even though there isn't an enemy in sight, his focus too sharp and honed. Hyperaware of everything happening around him. The first time he notices the extra strength is when Nico is cleaning the Sanctuary, broom in his hands to sweep the floors.

One particular swipe of the bristles against the ground and the broom snaps in half in his hands. Nico feels like he felt the break before it happened, that he saw the wood become splinters as the wood distorted unnaturally. ]

Schist. [ He frowns down at the two pieces that remain. ] Okay, broken broom that I've used every time I come to clean. Maybe it was old.

[ Or maybe Nico is just out and about, browsing foods to buy for any attempts to cook later. Squeezing a fruit to make sure it's not too squishy when it bursts in his hand, juice going everywhere. ]

I'll pay for it. [ Spoken immediately. ]

iii. lavish desires
[ cw: personality changes, mental manipulation, disassociation, gorging ]

[ Nico's gone down to the shipwrecks multiple times, it was only a matter of time before something went wrong. He thinks nothing of swallowing sea water, it wasn't enough to be harmful. Though, the demigod is starting to wonder if things in Deer Country happen in threes. Tries to keep his eyes open for anything unusual happening to him or around him.

One thing he does notice is that he's eating more. Not a bad thing, honestly. A piece of fruit here, some snack food there. One day, Nico sits down outside to eat, a collection of food in front of him. By the third item, he doesn't even realize that he's the one eating. Nor how much he's consuming. A hand is moving down to grab something else, lifting it to the mouth and eating it. It's a strange out-of-body experience, dark eyes distant staring out at nothing. ]

iv. wildcard

[ OOC: Hit me up on Tsukeru or my plotting comment if you need to, though I've flexible at jumping into it. ]

@palamedes

[umbraportation]

[ cw: body horror, blood, blood transfusion ]

[ When the odd bursts of strength and speed lead into patches of black and cracked patches of skin, Nico doesn't waste time. He heads to the Sanctuary to have it checked out. This time when he shows up in Palamedes' office, it isn't by shadow travel and nor does he plank across the desk. Instead, Nico plops himself down in his usual chair with an irritated sigh. ]

Here you go.

[ The demigod holds out his left arm, showing the inner side of his forearm where his black patch of skin is located. It only looks a little swollen, as Nico didn't attempt to hide it for days - not when Palamedes would probably make Faces at him. ]

[megatheorem]

[There's something to be said for being a blood minister during times like this, namely: nobody has to sit Palamedes down and get him caught up on what's going on. He'd seen the first few cases firsthand at the Lumenarium and stocked up accordingly for the Sanctuary, that is to say: he's got a lot of blood on hand, and only most of it is his own.

He's taken a considerable amount of notes on the condition and its progression, for study and future reference, and so when Nico shows up with his disturbed arm, Palamedes is prepared - at least enough to not ask questions.]

Ah— let's have a look. Come, put it on the desk.

[So he can shine the desk lamp at it, for some preliminary peering and poking.]

Is this the only affected spot?

[umbraportation]

[ It honestly feels like that as long as Palamedes is here, Nico will never have to go to what passes as a hospital in this place. He would if that's where the necromancer was at the time, but he'd come here to this office first. Would refrain from showing up at the other's home, unless it was an absolute emergency.

So when he's instructed to put his arm on the desk, he does so. Laying it flat against the surface. Allowing the man to manipulate it as he needs. ]

No, I've got another one on my chest. [ With his free hand, Nico points to the right side, just under his collar bone. For a general idea of location. ] Just those, though.

[megatheorem]

[Well, he does pull the lamp over to shine it down at the affected spot, squinting at the patch of skin. Yep, it sure looks like the beginnings of what he's already seen, that's lovely.

He glances up to see where Nico's indicating the other one is, then looks down at the arm again with a hum, taking hold of his wrist to tilt it this way and that, observing.]

Well, it's not going to stop spreading; we already know that. You're going to need blood, and we probably shouldn't do that in here.

[Mostly because the office doesn't have a door, and nobody wants to be bothered during hours of blood time.]

Let's go upstairs; I can move some equipment. How are you feeling, besides the skin? Any pains, strange feelings...?

1

[threelayers]

[She'd been at the shore this whole time, staring out into the roaring of the ocean. No monsters right now. Good. There'd been too much of that lately. Her body was aching from the exertion of the last fight. But she was here, on vigil like always, when she heard a voice nearby.

Regarding Nico curiously, she looked at the water and considered for a moment before nodding once. She strapped her umbrella to her back. Look, it was sealed against water. It would be fine. Walking over towards him, she raised an eyebrow and gesturing for him to lead the way. Hey, maybe there'd be something useful, right stranger?]

[umbraportation]

[ It had probably been her lingering that had Nico finally approaching her. Uncertain if she was here to head underwater or some other reason. Some might head down by themselves, but that seems stupid when they know monsters have been crawling onto the beach.

Nico isn't one to question her choice with the umbrella, maybe it's her weapon, maybe it's a shield, or maybe she just isn't willing to part with it. So he heads into the water first, looking over his shoulder. ]

My name's Nico. Have you gone down before?

[threelayers]

[Definitely a weapon, and a shield all in one. It's more than able to handle even the salt water, but that's what investing it with aura helps with. Following along after him, she reached up and tapped her lips before making a quick nodding motion, holding out her omni for him to see the text displayed.]

Neopolitan. I haven't been down yet, but am thinking it's worth a trek.
Might be something useful down there.

[umbraportation]

[ Oh, Nico watches as she makes that signal and then leans in to read the text. ]

Nice to meet you. We should have a signal for danger, just in case something happens.

[ The teen says it like he would to anyone else, not intending to let this information about her to change anything. ]

ii

[tealeafs]

[ Though Chizuru is rather used to seeing odd things here and there while being out and about, apparently 'someone squishing a fruit like it's nothing' wasn't on the list of expected events.

It shows in the way she stares at the other, her eyes going wide as she sees the poor fruit's fate. Thankfully the vendor seems alright with it as long as Nico pays for it, but Chizuru is a little more concerned about the way Nico squished that fruit like a bug.. ]

Um..

[ She speaks up. Perhaps a little meekly, given how surprised she still feels, her eyes still wide. ]

Was that.. normal..? [ Hey, who knows. People come from strange worlds here, or have strange powers.

Maybe some, like him, can squish fruit like it's nothing. ]

[umbraportation]

[ Nico hears a familiar voice in the market, looking over to see Chizuru and it's clear she saw him kill that fruit. He sighs and moves to pay the vendor before they get too antsy, knowing that some of the natives have been a little gun-ho lately. ]

No, not normal at all. I'm usually better controlled with my strength, all I wanted was to test the firmness, and suddenly I've got superstrength or something.

[ The demigod will move towards his cooking partner, shaking his head. ]

Maybe it's this place doing whatever it tends to do.

[tealeafs]

Doing what it tends to do.. [ .. which is.. doing weird stuff, Chizuru assumes? That's pretty much the only way to sum up all of the odd stuff that happens in this place..

Still, she seems pretty concerned. The girl's eyebrows practically knit together into a frown as she stares at Nico, considering the implications of this. ]

But that could get really dangerous really quickly, right?

[ Thankfully it seems that whatever is going on with him hasn't messed with his mind - which is even more of a good thing if he's suddenly super strong. ]

I mean, you could accidentally destroy something so easily like this.. [ Not that she thinks he wants to. Nico has seemed nice, after all.

But if an accident already happened here with that piece of fruit, then who's to say what else could still happen? ]

[umbraportation]

Yeah, if this is all there is to it, I'll be glad. [ Though, Nico fully expects to get worse before it gets better.

A small sigh as he looks down at his hands. ]

It could. I can be careful with how much force I use, but if it gets worse, I may have to find a place to hunker down until it passes.

[ He would be fine if he destroyed items, those can be replaced and paid for. Accidentally hurting someone wouldn't be good./ ]

Most things can be replaced. So I'll have to be way more careful with people for a while. I could probably ask Palamedes if this is a blood thing that can be fixed.

shopping

[tempredmental]

[Keith stared at the crushed fruit in the other person's hand for a moment.]

Hey, at least it wasn't a crate of watermelons you accidentally chucked across the alley.

[He shrugged.]

[umbraportation]

[ Nico looks over at the person who spoke, blinking at the appearance of the older teen. Freaky. ]

That would have caused a lot of damage, yeah. My bill is going to rack up, I guess.

[tempredmental]

[It was like looking at a younger version of himself through some sort of goth filter. Keith managed to shake it off, though. Alternate realities were a thing. He knew that. Though, meeting his own alternate self? He wasn't sure if that was the actual case here, but he was just going to ... move on.]

It's not exactly weird around here to have stuff happen. I've been here since the winter and yeah. It's... a lot.

[He rubbed the back of his neck.]

I'm Keith. [He honestly was curious if this kid was going to give the same name...]

[umbraportation]

[ Nico doesn't even know how to describe this older version that looked nearly identical. While he might believe that alternate realities exist, finding another version seemed unlikely. ]

Yeah, I'm getting that. It's a different kind of weird stuff than I'm used to.

[ He expects more Greek stuff to pop up in front of him, not Eldritch squid things. ]

Nico. [ So definitely not an alternate self. ]

wildcard + lavish desires maybe 😌

[asas]

[ a morning at ninja training is where shōyō finds nico, right before his own lessons take place. he’s been meaning to ask him something and go through with their plans, and thus! shōyō announces his presence way before he actually gets to the other, buried in unconscious food consumption. ]

Nico! Hey, Nicoooo— [ maybe he’s sleeping with his eyes open, like palamedes? (does palamedes actually sleep with his eyes open? shōyō spreads that rumor). by the time he bounds up to him, shōyō waves a hand in front of his face. ] You awake?

[umbraportation]

[ Nico is actually pretty deep into the disassociation, he doesn't even hear his name from a distance. Or when the other teen closes that distance. It isn't so much that he's sleeping with his eyes open, even if one could question if he's sleep eating. ]

Yeah. [ His answer sounds automatic, almost monotone. ]

[asas]

[ —that doesn't look natural. ]

Doesn't look like it, [ and now that his #alert!# has been sounded, shoyo lowers his energy; it looked serious. as the great kid-uncle of all trench, shoyo looks after the kids like a senpai would. ] what's going on?

[umbraportation]

[ It's totally fine, he always does this. Not. ]

Just want to eat, that's all. [ His word choice is an odd one, there's wanting to eat and then there's this. Nico doesn't even look as if he's enjoying the food. ]

iii. v late

[bleedformeplz]

[Lately Himiko's stomach felt like an endless pit. No matter how much she consumed, she craved more. After her ordeal with her monster transformation self, sweets and chocolate wasn't a bad idea. It was strange, but she didn't mind it. It was a nice change of pace.

After consuming a piece of cake, Himiko tapped her chin lightly, lost in thought as she walked about. Ugh, this emptiness void continued to fill her stomach, it needed to be filled. With little options in hand, she scanned and found a young man with a buffet of finger food, she could almost drool. Clearly that guy has much more on his plate.

Without a second thought, Himiko casually made her way there, unsuspicious as she could be. Just a practical teenager, strolling by, nothing better to do and--

Yoink! That would be Himiko's swiping attempt to grab her prize under his nose, that delicious cream puff.

Was she about to steal? Yes. Did she care, it never crossed her mind.]

not as late as me

[umbraportation]

[ What is it with people trying to swipe food where he could it? This time someone was taking his food. If it were any other time, he'd hardly care, but today he definitely does. ]

Hey, what the Hades are you doing? That's my food you're trying to swipe.

ill forgive you. <3

[bleedformeplz]

I'm hungry.

[And just look at this cream puff! It looked addictive! Old habits don't die hard. This was perfectly normal for Himiko. Himiko does stop mid-way when she's called out. After she spoke her words, her hand swept the table for the prize.]

You have enough on your plate. Don't be so greedy~

[What does Hades got to do with this anyway?]

excellent

[umbraportation]

So am I.

[ No he's not, but he's too possessive to give it to someone that tried to steal from him. Or even anyone that asked. Nico is going to grab all of the plates and drag them closer to himself. ]

If you want it so much, go buy your own.

[ Just go with it, Himiko. ]