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
azurestar: (it must be better than i think it is)

[personal profile] azurestar 2022-08-28 12:55 am (UTC)(link)
[He'd been keeping to himself a lot for a while, but when a friend calls for help, he's going to come, hell or high water. His memories have been screwy since he was a deer for all that time, and they've been slowly coming back (slower since he died), but.. he might have gotten lost on the way to her house.

He tests the door when he finaly gets there, not entirely sure that he has the right place. He's kind of poked his head into stranger's houses twice already and gotten things thrown at him. So the first thing that's obvious about him is that he has some kind of food in his hair and a bruise forming above one eye.]


Vira…?
onerthes: (05)

[personal profile] onerthes 2022-08-28 03:07 am (UTC)(link)
[the first thing to reply when he poked his head in was Vira-Lorr's litwick. It was there, on the mantle, smiling at him and waving, the little candle clearly more than a little pleased to see him... though it was fair to say it was always happy to see anyone, so yeah. But, it was still a familiar creature that used to hang around her house.

From the kitchen, Vira-Lorr's voice echoed.]


I'm in the kitchen, Lance. Come on in and leave your shoes at the door! What do you want to drink?

[She certainly sounded happy to see him at the very least!]
azurestar: (when you were young)

[personal profile] azurestar 2022-08-30 06:26 am (UTC)(link)
[Lance raises his brows at the litwick and lets out a huff of breath in no small relief that he got the right place. Now… to just try and remember where the kitchen is. Luckily, he has enough situational awareness to follow where her voice came from. His own pokemon, a dainty glaceon bounces in after him on his heels and wiggles at the sight of the litwick.

He kicks off his shoes and starts heading in the direction of her voice, calling back.]
Uhh, got any of the hard stuff?
onerthes: (09)

[personal profile] onerthes 2022-08-30 07:54 pm (UTC)(link)
[It didn't hurt that it wasn't a large house either. The two-story place was laid out so that only two people would likely ever live here, with only the one bedroom upstairs. It made navigating it simpler, and he'd find the kitchen on his left pretty soon after entering the living room.

The Litwick waved down at the glaceon, tempted to make a leap to try and settle on its head, because that seemed like a good idea at the time. But, instead, it reached behind it and held out a poketreat, tossing it to share with the guest.

Vira-Lorr, meanwhile, turned and looked over her shoulder at him with a sad smile and a wink as he came in.]


Mmmm, sadly, not what you might imagine when it comes to the hard stuff, but I do have some strong teas. I hope you don't mind.

[She definitely still seemed to be steering away from alcohol, even at rough times. Perhaps especially at rough times.]
azurestar: (mememachine)

[personal profile] azurestar 2022-08-31 02:10 am (UTC)(link)
[He blinks a bit owlishly as a faint hazy memory of Vira saying something about alcohol comes to his mind. Was she purposefully not drinking? He can't really recall clearly, but lets out a laugh, trying to cover up his mistake and one of many lapses in memory.]

Oh, I toootally meant coffee. I'm Cuban, it's practically mainlined into our bloodstreams when we're eight. [Another nervous little laugh.] But I can do tea.
onerthes: (Commission: Pls Ask first) (16)

[personal profile] onerthes 2022-08-31 03:40 am (UTC)(link)
[She wasn't offended, at the very least, but as his foggy memories were hinting at? She'd given up alcohol a while ago, originally because of the meds she'd had to taken and then just to start changing her life. She grinned over at him oh so owlishly when he covered up and winked.]

Ooooh, coffee he says. You want it strong? Strong enough that it puts hair on your chest? I'll make it black as sin.

[Hey, at least she'd let him play along.]
azurestar: (you were the one)

[personal profile] azurestar 2022-08-31 04:11 am (UTC)(link)
[He snorts at that and comes into her kitchen further to find a seat and plop himself down. His hand goes through his hair and he finds the piece of food and makes a face as he picks it out, then replies.]

I'm pretty sure I couldn't grow hair on my chest even if Moira came back and I asked her to rewrite my DNA with a chest hair growing power. But give me your best shot, sure. Cafe Cubano isn't one of my nicknames for nothing.

[It's totally not related to coffee but he's presenting it that way.]
onerthes: (Default)

[personal profile] onerthes 2022-08-31 04:22 am (UTC)(link)
[She grinned at him and went to collect the coffee maker. Hand grinding was much more of a thing in this house, but it had the added bonus that the smell would fill the room. Before she did that, however, she put a plate half full of what looked like... uh... mushroom filled savory pastries. Look, mushrooms were everywhere. They were at least decently savory.]

Let me get started on that, Cafe Cubano. [She winked.] And you can get started on those. Gods but i am starving today. I can't get enough, and the smells are making me want even more. I haven't eaten like this in a long time, but it all tastes so good.

[She didn't say 'is that normal' as she started grinding the beans. She probably didn't have to, though she was still smiling at least.]
azurestar: (if i only could)

[personal profile] azurestar 2022-08-31 06:18 am (UTC)(link)
[He raises an eyebrow as she goes on about how great smells are and being starving. If he didn't know better, he'd think she was pregnant or something. Aaaand he's just not even going to mentally go there given his history with Keith and pregnancy scares.

Anyway, while it's nice to see her so upbeat, he's starting to wonder why she asked him over. Not that he's complaining, he just had a different impression…]


Uh, yeah, it does smell pretty good… sooo what did you need my help with?
onerthes: (09)

[personal profile] onerthes 2022-08-31 09:18 pm (UTC)(link)
[Nope! Though she would definitely have found the allusion humorous. And in this world? She wouldn't have put it past Trench to have made it possible. After all, it had been possible for the Pthumerians and the Sleepers were very close to them at times. Still, this was definitely something more ... cursey, know it or not.

She was grinding the beans as she grinned over at him, winking.]


Eating, of course! I've been making food for the last three hours straight and even as hungry as I am, Minako and I can't possibly eat all of this!

[...and by the looks of it, she wasn't done cooking. This was definitely a LOT of food.]
azurestar: (u ok bro)

[personal profile] azurestar 2022-09-18 05:54 am (UTC)(link)
[Lance blinks, not… expecting something that mundane. Usually when someone needs his help around here it's in relation to something awful and likely bloody.]

Oh. Well, I am Cuban, I'm used to getting a whole lot of food pushed on me so you called the right guy. [A pause as he looks around at the signs of continued future cooking…] Sooo, what's the deal with all this anyway?
onerthes: (05)

[personal profile] onerthes 2022-09-21 01:33 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, I'm almost certainly cursed!

[...]

Why in the world would I be eating this much food if I wasn't cursed, unless I was pregnant, and I think we both know it's not that. [She gave him one of those twisted little grins she had when she made a terrible joke and winked.] I've been positively ravenous, but if that's all the curse entails then I'll just lean in. What's the harm in stuffing myself silly, mmm?

[Ya know, when you get cursed almost every month for years and years, you just get used to it sometimes.]
azurestar: (just a misunderstanding)

[personal profile] azurestar 2022-09-24 09:52 pm (UTC)(link)
[Lance's expression can only be described as 'welp'. And he cough-coke-awkward laughs into his fist at the pregnancy joke.]

I can tell you with a hundred and ten percent certainty that not even pregnant people eat that much. [Then he clears his throat awkwardly.] And I guess there's totally worse curses to get…
onerthes: (09)

[personal profile] onerthes 2022-09-25 02:40 am (UTC)(link)
[She laughed right back and leaned against the counter, chewing on a scone she'd made while the oven was going. Winking right back, she couldn't help but chuckle.]

I'll just have to work off the excess calories later. It really does feel harmlessly indulgent, but I think I'm starting to get too used to being cursed. It's just the cost of doing business in this town.
azurestar: (talkup)

[personal profile] azurestar 2022-09-28 10:38 pm (UTC)(link)
[He heaves a breath and chuckles lightly.]

Yeah, tell me about it. It's kind of funny how all this weird and horrifying stuff is just another day now… maybe you should start up a bake sale.
onerthes: (10)

[personal profile] onerthes 2022-09-29 07:10 pm (UTC)(link)
Don't tempt me. I know how to make mushroom tarts now. Just imagine. Sweet mushroom tarts to celebrate the horrors of trench. It sounds positively mundane.

Also, awful. They taste terrible. Never add sugar to mushrooms.
azurestar: (ironheart)

[personal profile] azurestar 2022-10-07 09:11 pm (UTC)(link)
[He makes a gagging face at the very first mention of "mushroom tarts."]

Why would anyone even think that was a god idea to begin with?
onerthes: (05)

[personal profile] onerthes 2022-10-13 02:36 am (UTC)(link)
A desperate attempt to make them palatable when you don't like them and they're the main sort of protein we get? Yes, that makes sense.

Because everything is better with sugar.

Except it isn't.
azurestar: (bad at love)

[personal profile] azurestar 2022-10-19 10:22 pm (UTC)(link)
[Lance is pinching the bridge of his nose.]

It really isn't. Have you really never cooked mushrooms before? There's so many ways to make them taste good without sugar! And how do you have so much sugar, anyway?
onerthes: (05)

[personal profile] onerthes 2022-10-20 01:56 am (UTC)(link)
At the time, I hadn't cooked them that much. Trust me. I've had time to learn how to do it properly. But I still kept the recipe. You know.

To torture people with. [Ahem] Beets. Beets are the kind of thing you can grow around here. Pity cane doesn't grow in the area, but ah well. It's a little bit painstaking...

But hey, having sugar is worth it.
azurestar: (clarity)

[personal profile] azurestar 2022-10-27 08:21 pm (UTC)(link)
[He snorts in amusement when she admits she keeps it around to torture people with.]

I guess that would make an awesome prank. [Then his brows go up.] Beets, huh. I haven't had beet sugar since my grandma made it when money was tight. Good thinking.
onerthes: (12)

[personal profile] onerthes 2022-10-29 03:05 am (UTC)(link)
It's a lovely thing to have any sort of sugar. But oh gods. You have to slice them, dice them, mash them up, boil them down and then reduce it until it's a syrup. It's suuuuuch a process.

What I do for a little sweetness in my life.
azurestar: (the cure)

[personal profile] azurestar 2022-12-04 06:39 pm (UTC)(link)
Y'know, you could hire people to make it a whole business production. Get other people to do it and make a profit.
onerthes: (05)

[personal profile] onerthes 2022-12-07 05:23 am (UTC)(link)
I think I'd have to be more of a money lover to want to go that far. Though... sugar would make a decent sort of coinage. I think I remember reading once that they used tea as coinage in an Earth nation.
azurestar: (the love of you)

[personal profile] azurestar 2022-12-09 09:16 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah, and sugar was like as valuable as gold on Earth too. [Maybe not like gold, but still rather sought after.] We later figured out it was totally addictive.

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