all i know is i don't know nothing

[reddosmod]

SEPTEMBER 2022 EVENT

A SPECIAL NOTE NOW THAT THE GAME HAS BEEN OPEN FOR A YEAR: Due to the cyclical nature of the world, during certain months, prompts from the previous year may be available to use. You can see September 2021's prompts here. Please make sure to note if you are using a prompt from last year, so that others will know where to look for the original content.

IMAGE DESCRIPTORS IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE
Prompt One
[Image One: Black birds flying in front of a church shrouded in heavy fog. ]
[Image Two: Red tinted clouds with a flash of red lightning piercing through them. ]

Prompt Two
[Image One: A stack of leather bound books. ]
[Image Two: A close up on the detailed arches of a Gothic/Neo-Gothic building. ]

Prompt Three
[Image One: A path in the woods with fallen leaves and bare trees. ]
[Image Two: Two swords covered in blood laying across one another in an X pattern. ]

[NAVIGATION]

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

[JUMP TO COMMENTS]

Leap of Faith

WHEN: September
WHERE: Alternate Dimension
CONTENT WARNINGS: Parallel worlds, violence, possible death, religious cults

---

Throughout the month, people seem to just be... disappearing. It starts off as just a few locals here and there: maybe it's a butcher that's become a staple in the community, or a textile merchant that some Sleepers have come to rely upon in their time here. These disappearances seem to vary in how long they last. Some people are only gone a few days, others may never be seen again. The ones who return refuse to talk about where they've been or what has happened to them and will adamantly shut down any attempts to find out information. Rumors spread around the city at what could be going on and there's the occasional bit of conversation that mentions the possibility of reality bending Pthumerians being behind the ordeal.

It doesn't take long before it's Sleepers who start to disappear as well. It can happen at what appears to be any moment: sometimes during the middle of the night, a bed will simply swallow them up. Others might be walking along a path or road and suddenly drop through the ground, even when there's no hole to fall into. If a Sleeper with the ability to see invisible supernatural forces sees this in action, they will notice what looks like black, charred hands reaching up out of the earth and latching on to their victim before dragging them into black mist.

Sleepers who have been grabbed will find they've been yanked into a pocket dimension, a version of Trench that seems to be even more corrupt, even more polluted, and covered in dark fog that is difficult to see through. There's a heavy humidity in the air, the sound of constantly rolling thunder, and the occasional flashes of lightning across the sky. Bright bolts occasionally crash down through the fog and hit the earth, cracking it open and creating deep caverns filled with tar that is hot enough to melt a human being. Beasts larger and even more dangerous than those regularly seen back in Trench roam the streets, ready to tear apart and devour anything in their path.

The buildings are also crumbling to pieces and many of the staple locations of the city of Trench have been completely turned to rubble in this alternate world. Only religious buildings seem to be left standing and they have become crowded by locals who have yet to escape this new world. Sleepers will find that these religious buildings are the only ones that are completely safe from the beasts in the streets, offering themselves as Sanctuary from the out of control corrupted forces of this new world.

The locals in this place aren't here to make Sleepers feel safe and cozy while they wait to get out of this dimension. They're here to convert and it becomes obvious quickly. They claim this universe is the True World, the world that the Old Ones had wanted Sodder to create, one that they think the Nightmare could have evolved into if Sodder had been given the proper guidance. They believe that a Pthumerian by Riteoir brought about the perfect world that punishes those who have done wrong swiftly and spares those who are righteous and dedicated to a just path. This cult has elevated Riteoir to a God-like status in their eyes and they will do their best to try and convince all who gather in the buildings for safety that they are protected here because of their faith and dedicated to Riteoir's ideals.

They also become highly violent towards anyone who dares to insult Riteoir or who questions their beliefs in any way. Killing the non-believers is a perfectly justified reaction to these worshippers, convinced that any doubt in Riteoir's power to protect them will cause their safety net to collapse. They justify brutal murders of those they deem unrighteous as being necessary to keep the peace they have found for themselves in an otherwise clearly bleak world.

Playing along might be the best bet, but isn't required for people who would rather fight monsters over people. Sleepers may run in to other locals who also chose to get away from the cult madness out on the roads and these locals are more than willing to share the knowledge they've found while exploring this dimension. There's only one means of escape: finding a weak spot in the veil between worlds and performing a ritual to break it open.

Two Sleepers of differing blood types must find and gather together the claw of a large beast, a silver bowl, a piece of rubble, and a single red rose. Roses are hard to come by in this alternate world, but there is a small garden that grows in one of the churches. It requires sneaking around the cult members in order to obtain and they will attack anyone they find trying to cut the rose from the bushes. Once these object are found, the Sleepers must bring them to the area that would have been known as Sleepytown in the original Trench. Here, it is now a vast, open wasteland, with smoke rising from the crack in the ground, and a never ending fire burning beneath the ground. The faint sounds of screaming can be heard under the ground, but there isn't any way to determine if they're real or simply echoes from the past.

The claw can be ground down with the piece of rubble inside the silver bowl. The rose petals should be carefully plucked and placed on top of the claw. Finally, each Sleeper must cut themselves, and add equal amounts of blood until it begins to thicken. It doesn't take much, the magic working quickly to turn the mixture into a substance almost like slime. Each Sleeper must dip their hands in the slime and spread it onto the chest of the other, right above where the heart would be located. If the Sleeper has their heart located in a different area of their body than normal, then the slime must be spread there instead. Once this is complete, it will feel like acid burning against the skin, before it glows brightly. The lights will join together, forming a laser like beam that will then slice a hole in the air in front of them.

This hole will show the original Trench on the other side. It will only remain open for a few moments before closing up again. Sleepers must jump through the hole together in order to return to Trench. If the ritual fails, they will have to wait three days to try again, and will have to find a way to continue to survive in this alternate world. If it succeeds, the Sleepers will find themselves in the original Sleepytown, and will be able to return to Trench from there.

Bringing up the alternate universe, the ritual, or even Riteoir will put the locals on edge and they will quickly close the door of their shop or turn their backs on anyone who tries. Apparently this is a touchy subject that they'd rather ignore.

[JUMP TO TOP] • [JUMP TO COMMENTS]

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

WHEN: September
WHERE: The Gaze
CONTENT WARNINGS: N/A

---

The Never Mind believes in knowledge and learning above all else. He can be found beckoning many towards the Gaze, encouraging them to attend the School of Mutter or visit the Archives to expand their knowledge. His ravens will try to guide people here as well and many Sleepers will start to feel a compulsion to follow.

There's talk of a prize being given by the Never Mind himself for those who learn something new while inside the Gaze. A bracelet shaped like golden wheat that can rid a small patch of land (roughly 4 square feet) completely of pollution, allowing the area to properly grow a small amount of plants. In Trench, this is almost as priceless as the gold itself, and so many are quick to encourage anyone to go and get one for themselves.

People can't just learn anything, though. When Sleepers arrive in the Gaze to claim their prize, they will be given a specific task: get to know someone new. There's no wiggle room for interpretation in the words. The only way to obtain the bracelet is for a Sleeper to talk to another person that they have never spoken to before. Casual small talk won't earn them this prize either. Sleepers must dive into a deep conversation that forces them to truly learn about the other person. It can be about their feelings, their past, their hopes and dreams... So long as it's something that they truly learn about the other and should, ideally, no longer make them feel like a stranger.

Bracelets will appear magically on the writs of each Sleeper once their conversation ends, so long as the criteria is met. Happy gardening!

[JUMP TO TOP] • [JUMP TO COMMENTS]

THE GREAT HUNT

WHEN: Mid-to-Late September
WHERE: Trenchwood
CONTENT WARNINGS: Hunting themes, possible death, large beasts, descriptions of gore.

---

An excerpt from Ancient Notable Beasts:

The story goes that as the Blood Moon rises and the farmers begin to hope for a bountiful harvest, Trenchwood begins to hear the growls of the Bugge through the trees. One of the largest beasts to ever roam the lands, it seems to only plague the woods in the autumn months, just before the leaves begin to change their color. Legend has it that the blood shed by the Bugge falls onto the green leaves from summer and poisons them, changing their colors, and slowly killing them until they fall to the ground. The Bugge hunts and feeds on any who enter the forest, but particularly enjoys to devour those who have let corruption touch their souls.

Hunters try to bring down the Bugge every year, many losing their lives in the process. The creature stands as tall as the old pine trees, covered in gray fur, and has claws said to be sharp enough to slice through diamonds. Drool pours from its mouth, matting the fur along its jaw and chest, and dying it a deep, rusty brown. Looking into the eyes of the Bugge can make a person paralyzed with fear, forcing them to relive their worst fears, and some say even freezing them into solid ice if they do not break free quickly enough. It is said that it is most important to track the beast as quickly as possible, for if you do not hunt the Bugge first, than the Bugge will find its way behind you and hunt you instead.

No one has ever managed to truly put an end to the Bugge. Even when it is slain, the shrieks of the creature are heard again mere hours later, and more who go into the woods unprepared end up never returning. Despite the danger, the farmers do no wish to be rid of the Bugge as the Hunters do. The blood spilled by both the Bugge and the Hunters who attempt to slay it does not seem to pollute the ground as it does other times of year: instead, the Blood Moon shines brighter, and the crops for the September harvest become richer than they were before. The farmers see the Bugge not just as a necessary evil for good crops, but as a blessing, a reward for all their hard work during the year.

Sleepers who go near Trenchwood will hear the Bugge from the trees. Getting too close to the woods will cause the cycle of needing to track the Bugge to begin. It does not matter if the Sleeper leaves the woods after, the Bugge will be willing to stalk them into the city, and kill them in the streets if it is not found first. Killing the Bugge is the quickest and easiest option, but the Bugge can be healed by those willing to put in the work. If a Sleeper has the ability to see souls, they will notice that the beast seems to holds a presence similar to that of a fairly large bear. However, if healed, it will run off before the Sleepers can see its true form.

Unfortunately, those who choose to heal the Bugge will find that there are consequences. Where killing the Bugge brings about a more bountiful harvest, healing the Bugge causes the crops and other plants in the farming district to suffer and wilt. The local farmers will be furious if they find out who has chosen to heal over kill and will deny any further trade with the individual in the future, seeing them as a weak link in the natural balance of this world.

Those who choose to shed blood through September, whether the Bugge's or others, will find that the legend is honest about its impact on the earth during a blood moon: while it won't rid the ground of pollution, it seems to make life around it stronger and more durable. This includes not only the harvest but all life forms, including Sleepers.

[JUMP TO TOP]

CODING

Comments

Luz Noceda | The Owl House |OTA

[imaglyphwitch]

Leap of Faith

It was funny. When Luz had found herself in the cave of those cannibals, it had been nothing less than horrifying, and she'd been tied up. When she'd been in the factory, she was strung up and bled like a pig. Both of these things had been horrifying, and should have been enough to trigger a PTSD response when Luz awoke in this bad ending world.

But Luz had been through the end of Deerington, and while it had been one of the more traumatic things she'd ever been through, it had been the most awake she'd been in her life. Waking up to this dystopia, dark and scary and monsters lurking, seemed to wake up the part of Luz that managed not to die back then. She hid where she could, she used her glyphs when she needed to, and it turned out? Sometimes she had to be even smarter with them now. Luckily, she'd learned more about them being here. If she needed to sneak past a monster? She could go invisible. If she were being dashed against rocks? She had her glyph combo ready to give that final crash a pause and she'd make it to safety before the final blow happened. If those Riteoir psychos pushed? Luz pushed back.

This wasn't friendly, nice Luz from Trench: at least, not when these troubles came at her, or a friend. Now Luz was quick, and she'd bite if she needed to. It wasn't how she wanted things, but after the business with the factory and then her first death? She wasn't about to take a death for being too soft.

It certainly didn't help matters that Owlbert wasn't here.

Knowledge is Power

Luz wasn't a person that frequented Gaze terribly often. Granted, she knew enough to follow the ravens: after all, she could turn INTO a bird, why wouldn't she trust them? So she sought out the thing Nevermind spoke of: the wheat that could help uncorrupt a piece of land. Luz knew that this was something that would help grow a patch of land, help her continue the quiet dream Margot had hoped for, her little garden. Sure, you could grow other things too, but Luz would be just a happy with the little bit of plot that she could share with those she loved.

And the condition? Well. Luz tended to talk to people in general, though she'd not done that as much the last few months. Now was the perfect time to change that.

Bugge Hunting

She'd gone into Trenchwood with Scorpia as a way to explore what they could do with their astral projecting, though the two had been unaware that something had been watching them that night. It had been just an itch at first: a little after attending Vira and Minako's wedding, she started to feel eyes on her, and tended to hurry home when she could. She'd had her staff, and seeing her fly on it, it knew she could escape. So it waited, and waited, to catch Luz without it.

And then one day, it came for her.

She was by herself, had let Owlbert stay in the barn for a bit, and she was with Tempest when she felt the eyes on her. She swallowed, then looked at her omen.

Just this once.

And now Luz was riding her wolf omen, a beast in hot pursuit, letting put low growls and coming AWFULLY close at times.

Luz sure could use some help here!

leap of faith

[entreats]

You know what the thing is with trying to go around while hiding?

Eventually you run into the same hiding spot as someone else. Which means that Luz may be trying to duck into an alleyway to hide from either a monster of a bunch of cultists, only for Ange to already be sitting there, trying to catch her breath - though she raises her hand, glowing golden with magic that she seems ready to fire off.

A hand that is lowered the moment Ange realises she actually recognizes the person entering the alleyway. It's not some monster, or one of the crazy people in this place.

".. Luz," Ange says, letting out a deep breath. "You nearly scared me to death there."

Not that it's Luz's fault. The girl was just trying to hide, the same thing Ange is doing here. But it's hard to not be totally on edge in these surroundings, where everything seems to be out to kill them.

Re: leap of faith

[imaglyphwitch]

Luz was similarly on edge, so when she saw the glowing gold, she had her hand reaching into her shirt to use a glyph. Without her staff Luz would likely have gotten the onslaught blast, nut luckily things weren't headed that way. She lowered her hand back to her side.

"Oh, Ange!" Luz breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought you were one of those cultists. Can't be sure if they have magic or not."

Luz was a little scared too, mostly because she didn't like having to deal with a situation like this without Owlbert.

"Are you ok? You didn't meet up with any monsters, did you?"

[entreats]

Ange sighs again.

"I'm pretty sure it's impossible to go around here without meeting those monsters." Because they seem to be all over the place. That's the weird thing about this Trench - or rather, one of the weird things about this Trench. Sure, sometimes there are monsters back home, but never in these numbers. This place is like a stealth game gone terribly wrong.

There's no way she otherwise would have been so twitchy about Luz suddenly appearing, after all. But with the sheer frequency of monsters and cultists it was hard to imagine that it wouldn't be one of them.

Thankfully it isn't.

"I haven't gotten hurt so far though. Just.. ran away," Ange explains, gesturing with her - now not-glowing - hand. ".. How about you?"

Look, it's not like she wants Luz to be hurt or get hurt either. And it's really easy to get hurt in this place, she thinks. Even when you know what you're doing.

[imaglyphwitch]

"I guess that was a pretty silly question." Especially when this "version" of Trench was so much more dangerous. Luz had been good at keeping herself scarce, and one thing she had going for her that she hadn't in past Deerington endeavors was that she had the invisibility glyph.

It was still pretty dangerous though: between monsters and cultists, Luz had kept her eyes and ears open, and had her glyphs ready if she needed them. Not having the staff with her just heightened her anxiety there.

"I've been doing my fair share of running too. Don't want to attract too much attention, with the monsters or those church guys. So if I meet them by myself, I run or I, uh, fight."

Luz was a little scuffed, so clearly fighting wasn't always a clean get away for her. At least she didn't look too beat up though.

"But now that there's two of us, we can at least attempt to get out of here together."

[entreats]

"Yeah." Usually Ange isn't too big on doing things with other people.

But in this place, that's a luxury she can't afford. She hasn't been able to get out of here and back to the regular Trench yet by herself, after all, so the chances of actually being able to pull that off only rise when Luz is involved in the equation.

There's still the question of how they find a way back together, but first she takes a look over Luz when the other mentions fighting, a tiny frown on Ange's face.

"Did you get hurt during one of the battles?" Luz looks scuffed, sure, but not injured - unless Ange isn't spotting it yet. "I can help heal you, at least for the time being."

[imaglyphwitch]

Luz, on the other hand, liked seeing other people in action and using her abilities to help them out. She just wished it didn't have to be in this drastic a way.

"Hmm? Yeah, but it wasn't a monster. I was trying to find out how to get out of here, and I think it didn't agree with the dudes running the church. They kinda launched into me. Luckily, I didn't trust them to start so I managed to get out without having to kill anyone."

And it just reminded Luz that in Trench? Religion usually tended to snowball into mania.

"I'd appreciate that, thanks! Turned out, it was the people who steered clear of the church that were more helpful. I at least know HOW to get out."

[entreats]

Ange gestures with one hand. "Show me where you're hurt then, I'll see what I can do."

Hopefully her magic still works fine under these circumstances. Healing magic isn't something she's used too often yet, so she knows it's a little shakey. On the other hand, Luz doesn't seem too hurt, so it should probably be fine..

"And then you can tell me what way to get out of here you've heard about while I'm working."

Might as well maximalize all the time they're using here. Ange would rather not be stuck in this weird parallel version of Trench for much longer than absolutely necessary.

[imaglyphwitch]

"It wasn't anything big. They just skinned my knuckles when I was fighting them off and then I did get the back of my leg singed a little when they were coming at me with a torch. They got the worst of it, really!"

Not that Luz wasn't hurting, but she was the type of person to not make a big deal about her own injuries if she could put it off. In this case, she was starting to feel the sting, but she was trying to be casual about it.

"Right. So it looks like we need to perform a ritual to get out. We not only need to get the right items, they have to be at the right location too. But let's start with the items. To start, we need a monster claw, a silver bowl, rubble and a rose. You can probably make a guess where the rose is."

Knowledge is Power

[occultfan]

Ada for once was sitting on the side with a book in her hand and her cat Omen by her side as if protecting her for the most part. There was a reason for that and that was the fact she couldn't see at all currently.

So her omen was making sure she was safe and sound when out and about. But it meant Ada could hear pretty well and could hear footsteps close to her. Were they friend or foe? She wouldn't know but she was going to at least speak. Maybe if she did she could get closer to what she wanted.

"Hello there, hope your day is going well."

Re: Knowledge is Power

[imaglyphwitch]

Luz didn't see the girl at first because she was sitting, but then she spots the shock of blond hair. Hey, here was someone she hadn't seen before...and AWWW, her omen was a cat! Luz couldn't help but make a little squeak of joy.

"Hi! It was going all right, and then I spotted your omen! Pretty cute! I noticed you had the book but weren't reading it. Just taking a rest?"

Oh, and Luz's omen? Her timberwolf was eying the cat suspiciously, as if Luz might suddenly forget that SHE was plenty cute too.

If you were into wolves, of course.

[occultfan]

"Shadow is pretty cute, though he doesn't like it when I call him that to his face." she said with a chuckle as her cat went to lie down. Clearly was not impressed at being called cute. He thought he wasn't cute, he could be intimidating.

"But yes for now I am taking a break. It's a lot to take in considering the subject so I take a moment and think an let the information sink in." Considering the subject was mostly about the occult or things of that nature at times it could be a lot, but she loved it regardless.

"Also your omen is pretty cute too I should add."

[imaglyphwitch]

"No kidding?" Luz couldn't help but give the cat an affectionate glance in her general direction. He seemed like a sweetheart!

Granted, Luz thought this about most cats.

"Right, I glanced at the cover. So what are you looking up, as far as the occult?"

Luz, who could perform magic AND a co-owner of a bookstore, was very interested]!

"She is, though she still gets a little jealous when I mention other people's omens being cute. I think she generally just looks at herself as being ferocious."

Tempest's reproachful glance at Luz seemed to say it all.

[occultfan]

"Currently looking at what blood and such is used for. I've been looking into the membrane stuff we come out of too sometimes. So been studying a lot of subjects."

If it as something that pinged her she was going to look into it which here was a lot really. Plus she was figuring out what could actually be fact and what might not be. Was all very fun for her.

"I think that is because she's your omen she gets jealous and maybe that is true. She looks like she is. Cute but fierce."

[imaglyphwitch]

"It looks like there are a lot of uses for blood. That seems to be the real currency in this world, if you ask me. The more rare, the better."

That was pretty admirable, honestly. They needed to focus on some of this stuff, when they weren't openly sniping at each other.

"Tempest knows I like cute. That doesn't mean she's not my sweet baby!"

Luz buried herself in her omen's fur. Tempest sniffed reproachfully, but didn't push Luz away, so there was at least that.

[occultfan]

"Yeah, like even back home blood has it's uses but here it's a lot more to it." It seemed everything went back to such a subject and Ada just wanted to understand all of that.

As she poke at least Shadow was getting a bit of a fuss from her which he was happy about moving to lie down comfortably in her lap.

"To us our Omens will always be out sweet babies, I think. Though Shadow makes me miss the cats I had back home too. They were very good cats and helped me when needed."

[imaglyphwitch]

"There sure is. Before this blood didn't really matter for me other than me being a human. Now we have these powers with them if you're not warm blooded, and then too MUCH blood, and corruption! It's all really strange."

AW! Still cute! She could feel the dirty look Tempest was giving her.

"I think Tempest likes to be one step in two minds. She wants the attention I give to cute things but she HATES me thinking she should be fussed over like that!"

Knowledge Is Power

[survivalthroughhate]

"Are you here for the prize as well?" Maul was sitting at a table reading one of the many tomes that could be found in this place. His feet were propped up on another chair. He wasn't much interested in approaching anyone else and figured he'd let them approach him instead.

He put in one of the fancy leather bookmarks that were provided for the books and looked over to where he could see Luz.

Re: Knowledge Is Power

[imaglyphwitch]

"Maul! Hi!"

Luz knew there was a part of her still disappointed that Maul had made Fern and Varian so upset with him before they were gone, but she found herself always sort of wanting to see him, despite everything.

"Sure! I wouldn't mind having a patch of uncorrupted land to plant some flowers for a garden. It was...something that Margot was trying to do, before Deerington went ground up."

[survivalthroughhate]

Maul's bearing changed when Luz mentioned Margot, no longer quite so easy or relaxed. He looked down at the ground for a moment before looking back up at Luz. He didn't entirely feel bad about what he did to the wolf girl but he knew it had caused Luz a lot of pain and for that he was sorry.

"That sounds like a lovely goal. Have you found anyone to talk to yet?" He asked.

[imaglyphwitch]

Luz would have piped up that nothing Margot had done deserved that (though she knew Margot had her own feelings about her past), but she also knew there had been something that had influenced his mind at the time.

"I haven't had a chance to do it yet and I want at least a little part of Trench to have some of her spirit."

She sighed. "Not yet. Still looking. What about you? Just catching up on reading?"

[survivalthroughhate]

"I'm sure it will be amazing once you're able to accomplish that goal. I can't offer any tips on how to garden but speak to Ariadne. She's well-experienced in the way to make plants flourish." Maul had given her a rosebush that was in rough shape as a gift and the last he'd seen it, the bush was doing much better.

"I came to get one of the prizes as well. Considering how often things given to us give us an advantage months later, this might be a good thing to possess." Be prepared and all that.

[imaglyphwitch]

"I think I will. I tried to do it on my own before, and it didn't work out so well. I guess Margot was a better gardener than I was."

Luz had never talked to Ariadne, but she HAD been over the house when Varian was recovering from corruption, so she at least knew what she looked like.

"Really? Huh. What are you going to do with it?"

[survivalthroughhate]

"Well, this place isn't very conducive to gardening to begin with," Maul pointed out. "Even those with a green thumb have struggled to make it work."

"I don't know," Maul admitted. "But it is abundantly clear that the Pthumerians never give anything here without a plan in mind for how it will figure into their goals later on down the line. To miss out on this might mean losing a key that could help unlock the answers to other questions here."

[imaglyphwitch]

"Don't I know it," Luz groaned. "When Fern tried to grow stuff here, the soil made him wig out something awful. I'm not sure what exactly can fix this place when it gets, you know, BAD, but growing things here can be a pain. I think you might even need blood for THAT."

Not that she was about to do anything like that soon. She hoped it wouldn't get to that.

"That's a good way to think about it," Luz said, nodding. "If you can get something outside of blood magic, that might be good for something that happens later. I don't know exactly how to explain it, but the way things are headed, I can see that helping us later."