reddosmod: (Deer 2)
Deer Country Mod ([personal profile] reddosmod) wrote in [community profile] deercountry2022-08-08 09:32 pm

he ate my heart

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. ]

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.

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.

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.

CODING
megatheorem: (022)

[personal profile] megatheorem 2022-08-16 03:01 am (UTC)(link)
It's the water, as far as anyone is aware. But apparently not an automatic consequence, given— well, [he gestures at himself; he is fine? He's been in the awful ocean, and it hasn't bothered him for once. Amazing.

Anyway, now he's going, after a short nod, leaving Nico to hang out for the twenty-odd minutes he needs to gather the things he needs. Help is appreciated, and he hauls the lot of it over to the table, nudging the board games out of the way to begin organizing all this stuff.

And, as if he didn't just leave for twenty minutes, he continues,]
I'm wondering if it's entirely random, like things often are here, or if some of us are more likely to get it— or others are immune, as it were. Is it a disease borne of local magic or something to do with our physical, arguably-still-quite-magical bodies, basically.

[Fascinating stuff!!!!]

Or am I spared because Mariana decided not to kill any doctors this month. Who can say.
umbraportation: (close your eyes)

[personal profile] umbraportation 2022-08-17 05:37 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Nico will wait to continue any conversation until Palamedes is back, setting things down where he can. ]

Maybe it's the length of time spent in the water? I've gone in several times beyond the times I went with you.

[ With people he just met, but he doubts it was anything to do with them. ]

Random is also a possibility. I've noticed that not everyone gets hit with the same things. Other people have talked about swapping bloodtypes, but I haven't yet.
megatheorem: (024)

[personal profile] megatheorem 2022-08-20 11:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Maybe it's an apology.

[Because he got thrown off a boat and nearly drowned last month, but no one need belabor that point right now. Regardless: any number of reasons Mariana could have decided to pass him over for annoying seas scabs, and he doesn't care that much. A little.

Less than fixing the problem here, with this blood transfusion, anyway. He fiddles with a stand, getting it ready to hang some blood bags on. Fun.]


Swapping— as in, permanently? Or for an evening, and perhaps not the blood at all? Say, only the abilities?

[very nonspecific example palamedes]
umbraportation: (walk among the shadows)

[personal profile] umbraportation 2022-08-25 01:59 am (UTC)(link)
Maybe. Not sure if an apology from a Pthumerian would be a good or bad thing, though.

[ Especially if the particular one was just pissed in general. Maybe it's an apology for a future thing. Either way, sounds sus.

Nico simply stands by and watches, clearly not bothered by all of this medical stuff. ]


I don't know. The person I talked to did mention there had been permanent swaps before, but she froze her entire house on accident this month.
megatheorem: (023)

[personal profile] megatheorem 2022-08-25 05:15 am (UTC)(link)
Who knows. I'm not really interested in asking any of them their thoughts on good manners. Hm, sit over there- [the couch in this room, which is a little dusty and looks more rickety than it really is, honest] and I'll pull up a chair.

[Allow him to do this, and then wheel over the stand next. Come, get ready to sit in the blood seat for several hours.]

I've never heard of a permanent swap; that's bizarre. I'm forced to believe it's random, otherwise the blood types mean something about us, and that's even more... balderdash.

Anyway; I think I tapped into the paleblood abilities not long ago, which is why I asked. My blood didn't change.
umbraportation: (fight till the last drop)

[personal profile] umbraportation 2022-08-25 07:10 am (UTC)(link)
Not even your Patron? [ Nico will go to sit on the couch, thinking they really need to clean this couch later. ] Just need a vein, or the affected areas?

[ He should have brought a book or something. Good thing he's got his omni and any sort of media he can think of. ]

I'm not sure what would cause a permanent swap, but maybe they had a personality change? Power change?

She didn't say anything about checking what her bloodtype actually was when tapping into Coldblood powers.
megatheorem: (021)

[personal profile] megatheorem 2022-08-30 11:46 pm (UTC)(link)
Not even mine. Give me an affected area; I'll find a vein under there somehow.

['Somehow,' like being a necromancer isn't precisely how. He has a natural advantage over all other doctors, as usual.]

But, see— that's what I'm talking about. A personality change or et cetera implies that there's something innate about us that determines blood type from the beginning, and that's reductive at best. It's not how ordinary blood types work; there's nothing particularly meaningful about it now.

[A shrug!] Consider it this way: I know more palebloods than any other blood type, and they don't all carry some innate paleblood personality trait. So, why should it change? It's random.
umbraportation: (make the most of every day)

[personal profile] umbraportation 2022-09-13 01:11 am (UTC)(link)
I guess with enough observation, you could make an educated guess. Okay.

[ Nico lifts his arm with the affected patch of skin, no hesitation in the act. He'd rather this one first if it will fix the one on his chest too. ]

We've been turned into squids that can die and come back, our blood type entirely changed from the start. That isn't exactly ordinary.

[ A thoughtful hum. ] Then maybe a permanent change also means a change in their original powers. If I suddenly start having better control over my elemental abilities, then maybe we could check my bloodtype.