yes I knew it was no moonshine, it is real

[faceblocks]

Who: vi and various people
What: a catchall for october feat. vileblood anxiety things, animal shenanigans, facepainting things, non-event things. starters will be in the comments. ping me at eisdamme or eisdamme#7495 if you would like one.
When: throughout the month of october
Where: the rookery kitchen, ursulas, cellar door, willful machine, the outpost, the entertainment feed, other places.

Content Warnings: tba

Comments

anxious tattoos/facepainting [open and closed all month]

[faceblocks]

a [vi can be found in a few locations for facepainting with both harmless paint and paint that's more like than not to merge a sleeper with its mask. if she knows you well, she might be doing that very painting from the rookery kitchen, or perhaps from ursula's if you're a casual acquaintance...]

b [...two days during the week (a perfectly respectable every other day tues & thurs situation) vi can reliably be found at ursula's ink. she's in and out at other times when the mood suits, or if she has an appointment: she's extra early because oh no what if she's late??

this month, one will find her in her corner station next to a large window, fiddling with her inks, setting and re-setting down her tools to make room for paints, of which there is an assortment! there's glittery paint, glowy paint, and she's unusually overwhelmed by the choices here. her (still growing) portfolio is not at it's usual place on the other end of that table - it's in various stages of re-arranging depending on the day. (it's full of mostly blackwork, a growing number of color pieces here and there, some similar to what's on her skin, as well as geometric shapes, and an assortment of creatures both of trench and not. fancy a nightmare steed? she's got several of those in various stages of completion, and a few pieces of portraiture that are not compiled in the book scattered about. or not. she can't seem to decide if they should be in the book or out of the book, and yes, they're all d. except for the one that's jinx.)

it's possible she's meditating - or trying to, and if that's the case it's a crapshoot here: she might have just recharged her chill and forced that vileblood anxiety down and away for a time, or she could have been so startled that she's even more anxious and maybe has to start all over.

vi will busy herself until she sees a face, familiar or strange. don't worry, if you're afraid of needles, she's got that covered, too: she's a vileblood, and she doesn't charge extra if you need a bit of numbing up. she's got a small sign that says as much, but it also comes with a warning. best not to lie about broken skin, etc. - because you could die. and she will not be held responsible for that. there is a form to sign. it is very professional.

no, wait, there needs to be another form after the paint has had ....incidents.]

c [she's also made a couple stops for private painting - perhaps someone is too sleepy (manabu) or doesn't wish to make the trek anywhere further than their own sofa or kitchen table - vi has got you. or, at least she thinks she has you. maybe she doesn't. so many choices. so many colors. she should really just pause to check on her sister - hold on. wait, which brush did she pick up? sorry about that, she'll switch to the other one.

not all of the paint is cursed - there seems to be a mix up between batches.]

a

[tealeafs]

[ When Chizuru heard about the face painting, she didn't just want to ignore it - not when ignoring anything can come with a risk in a place like Trench.

.. but on the other hand, she also had no idea how to go about this. She's never done anything like it, after all. And no matter how hard it is for her to reach out for help, people in this place have told her over and over to just do that if she needs it.

It still means she waffles for about half an hour while holding her Omni, but in the end she manages to send a message over to Vi to ask for help with painting her face - and after arranging to meet in person for it, Chizuru makes her way over to the Rookery. ]

.. Miss Vi? [ Chizuru slowly speaks up as she arrives. ] I'm here.

[faceblocks]

[hi. hello. vi is already at the door, because ...what if she's supposed to meet someone? and good thing she'd been there, because she was supposed to, and if she hadn't been here ...just now she would have missed them, and that is unacceptable.

she'd been so busy worrying about the paint that she'd forgotten about the appointment even though that's what the paint was for - but she's ended up in the right place at the right time so everything is absolutely fine, right?]

Chizuru! Hi. I'm here, too.

[she waves off her own awkwardness, gestures for the sleeper to come inside, and will seem perfectly composed until they reach said kitchen, at which point vi will puzzle for a moment before asking:]

Do you want to have a seat? Or we can do this with you standing if that's...

...more comfortable?

[she will cover her sudden worry over seating with a huge grin. it's fine. this is normal. here is the smile of a confident person.]

b-ish

[strongroots]

[ There's the giddy whispers of festivities, celebrations to look forward to despite the uglier side of Trench happenings this month. Robby hasn't really thought about the Black Parade too much; a lack of good sleep has made him irritable, and even when he sleeps -- it's not restful. So he hasn't given any of that much thought, focusing on figuring out other shit.

Some of which takes Robby to Vi's work place, a bag in tow. It's deja vu, where the first time that bag held an assortment of treats when he last came back: twinkies (you've gotta), hershey's kisses, reese's cups and goldfish crackers. Also a loaf of cut bread in sealed plastic, because if a woman says she likes bread, well, why not oblige?

(And see how different one ranks the kind made in Trench, and then the kind replicated through blood magic. Does the blood magic give it flavour? Bread tastes like bread, to Robby.)

He'd been in a good mood that time, a small smile free to widen, his mood relaxed. This time when he enters and catches Vi's attention, there's a dimple that forms in place of a smile, exhaustion in the weight of his eyes. He lifts the bag with its hidden contents. ]

Got time?

[faceblocks]

[she's got time, and also: she's got two finger guns and a neck crack because she's just managed to beat that damn worry. her ink is fine, jinx is not going to starve because she's got an omen (and sansa) to check on her. it's all good.

her own face is painted and masked, an oilslick version of one of trench's own nightmare steeds, complete with a sharp little horn in the center of the mask, almost as if it's protruding from split, glittering flesh. (the blood's glittery, too.) she slips the mask off when she sees robby (the paint is enough, right?)]

Got presents?

[she makes a face, a handwave that says she's kidding, and she is, mostly. like ninety percent kidding, but her head tilts when she catches sight of ...yeah, that's exhaustion. that's ...not sleeping, or not sleeping well. or just having been through it. for a moment she wonders if he's here about one of the memory books.]

Yeah, nothing but. Take a load off, you look like you need to.

bonk

[megatheorem]

[Palamedes has never been to Ursula's before, but he supposes - first time for anything. His entire body hurts in a profound way he can do nothing about - thanks, darkblood! - and rather than sulk around at home or at the Sanctuary snapping at people about it (that's a paleblood's job, anyway), he's decided to go out. He remembers Vi telling him about her tattooing, and so it's more or less happenstance that brings him to wobble into Ursula's and loiter around until she's not too busy with whatever she's doing. He's just looking around... hmm, inks...

After a bit,] It's quite a place.

[Hi, Vi. How's it hanging. If he looks like shit it's because darkbloods never get it good, don't mind it at all.]

I was in the neighborhood, so I thought I'd come say hello. Can I sit down, before I fall over, please?

is bonked

[faceblocks]

[it is quite a place, yes. and one she's comfortable in, at least for the moment, having had a bit of time to direct her mental energies into trying to be chill, a thing she isn't used to trying this hard at. she'd been trying to hard to focus on that she hadn't seen or heard him slip in. if she had she'd have been worried sooner.]

Well, well, look what the cat---

---oh. Wow, you look---

[like you were dragged in by a cat she almost says, but there's no cat to be found. just a very worn down palamedes. so she's up and on the move. no fingerguns for him, she is quickly dragging over another chair for his chair so that his feet can have their own chair. he looks like it's a two chair kind of day.]

Yes. Sit. Please sit. No falling over allowed.

[you fall over, you get carried to a reclining chair. for a moment she thinks it's coldblood related like jinx, until she remembers palamedes isn't a coldblood - they'd talked about trying to find one, and it had led to big things. so it must be something else. and now she's dragging her own chair around her work area and closer to the little setup she's arranging for him. hold on, she's getting a pillow.]

Did you take a lamp or walk all the way from the Outpost?

[because dude. you look like you walked thirty miles over a path of legos.]

A

[survivalthroughhate]

[Maul is definitely done with masks this month. After being turned into a dinosaur and going on a rampage on the last day, he doesn't trust any of them. Fortunately, everyone who is aware of what happened last time is more than happy to steer him clear of anything that might be cursed.

One of Maul's followers gently steers him clear of one of the stalls that may have cursed masks or facepaint.]

I don't think you want to try that one, Lord Maul. Why don't you try Urusula's?

[They suggest. So Maul finds himself back at the tattoo parlor. When he spots Vi, he lifts a hand in greeting before he makes his way over. His two followers remain in the front area while he goes over to her.]

Are you doing facepainting as well as tattoos this month?

[faceblocks]

[no cursed paint for you, maul. you have had enough bullshit from this place. thank the pthumerians for followers. or thank the followers for following.

she's having a crisis over paint. none of it looks right, but oh, hey, hi, there is no problem here. she is professional. she can make decisions. yes, she just dropped that particular paint jar right into the fucking trash bin.]

Yup.

[there are two followers. oh no. is this three faces she has to paint? a momentary look of panic. (lies - it's not momentary, it's still there.]

What kind of paint? [the kind that's not cursed, vi.] I mean, what kind of design?

black parade [open all month]

[faceblocks]

[vi is wearing a either a cat (early october) or a unicorn mask (later in the month), nodding to the music as a float or a kite passes - a bottle of cider in her hand and a look of relief on her face as her anxiety ebbs for a moment, singing along to lyrics she's only just picking up, getting them wrong sometimes (it's fine) and pausing here and there to take a deep breath, to use the music as a mantra - breathe out. just feel the fucking nonsense float away. breathe in strength, breathe out bullshit. she's good, mostly. are you?]

early october;

[manyone]

[ Beatrice is laughing as she mingles with the crowd along the route of the parade. She's dressed for it as well, a stark black dress, glittering with dark gems that catch the light, while her face is covered by a half-mask in the guise of a death's head. A bottle of something in her hand--wine, probably, she sways along up to Vi with a brilliant smile, wips of blonde hair falling about her face. ]

Oh, this is wonderful. I think this is my favorite month so far!

[faceblocks]

[squints. oh. that's ...the pretty witch she'd gotten bristly about. she's seen her around the sanctuary, but they've never really spoken aside from that ridiculous network misunderstanding. hadn't it been a misunderstanding? probably. she'd been prickly. it shouldn't still bother her. why is it suddenly all she can think about?]

I don't hate it! [she has to raise her voice a little over the music, but this whole thing is a good break from her new hobby of worrying. that seems to have resurfaced now that beatrice has appeared. it's a good costume, and vi can't help but look her over. which she will also later worry about. but right now she will redirect with a compliment, as she gestures to the mask.] That's a sick outfit! I like your mask.

Early October

[foulhussy]

[ The moon is hard on the Vilebloods this month. Even with the Crescent Moon Pendant that she'd received for her Blessed Day in July, she's been anxious and irritable. But she can't let it interrupt her life. The threats that Hunters protect against don't stop, and neither can she. And sometimes that rhythm of life is something that seems perfectly innocuous. Like this masked costume parade.

She wears a leopard mask, standing back a little ways from the crowd as she takes in the sights and sounds of a grim city in celebration. She nods at Vi as she takes a swig from a bottle of beer. ]

This is more like it. Didn't know this town could throw a party that didn't involve people dying and shit.

[faceblocks]

[anxious and irritable are inevitable in trench - but this is some bullshit. vi hasn't yet learned all of the ways to manage her newfound anxiety. who knew that the music works almost as well as the meditation? not this lady, but...]

Party's not over yet. But yeah, this I can deal with.

[she's two ciders in, and about to chug this next one fairly happily. she'll need something stronger if she wants it to make a difference, so she's mostly just drinking to drink. a bit of a fidget, and the taste of the cider's pretty good.]

Good mask. Cats are where it's at.

early october

[givetheslip]

[Maria's been back from the other Trench for a couple of days now and she's still exhausted, but she drags herself to the festivities anyway. Forcing herself to be up and about seems to help a little, strangely, and it's not as though she can just sit around for days and days.

She looks fairly out of place, not exactly one to join in carefree merriment, but she spots Vi and smiles as she makes her way over.]

You look slightly ridiculous. I like it.

[faceblocks]

[the other trench was ...something. something vi would rather not think about, is actively trying not to, but the fact that people are still disappearing? not great. it's one more twig on the bonfire of her anxieties, which ...wow, that's a pile. she'd rather direct her attention to the other bonfires, and to the fake ones on floats, behind the eyes of mock dragons and other beasts - behind curiously carved pumpkins.

vi smiles back, her little leather batwings bobbing as she raises her bottle.]

Ridiculous, huh?

[she is playfully affronted. how dare. ridiculous: it's what she was aiming for, mostly. trench has been playful lately, but not in the fun way. its tricks have been mean, and meaner still.]

Thanks.

Lemme guess: you're too cool for a costume?

[what she thinks but doesn't yet say: you look tired.]

unmask [open early october]

[faceblocks]

[turns out that being a batcat is not all bad.

it had been frightening at first - the shrinking, the moving of things - but vi has been mercifully spared the finer memories of it - and it had been more like transforming into a squid again, though as familiar as that had felt ...this was the opposite.

the pros? she can fly. sort of. this batcat is a bit of a fail at first, tumbling over herself and dropping without meaning to - opening her mouth to speak and only getting a shouty meow that sounds decidedly less questioning than she'd meant it. her what the fuck had sounded like anything but.

another pro? catnapping is a meditation of sorts, and after the initial kerfluffle, which tires her out she curls into a little sleepy ball of cat and when she wakes: it's not so bad? she will zoom with other batcats and learn quickly to do loop de loops whilst engaging in friendly tussling with murderpaws. she will mew at vhagar and knight and the wolves, and perhaps she has perched on your shoulder ...whoever you are?

if you are jinx she will be extra cuddly, and she will bring you food. this batcat? definitely seen carrying a sandwich here, a small container of noodles there, flitting from foodstall to foodstall, and at one point definitely pilfering a candy apple for her sister.

she also sits sulkily on a bar-top, sniffing the air and trying to get your attention if she'd planned to meet you here for drinks.

batcat shows up for work, too. batcat shows up for all her appointments as long as she gets those naps in.]

[chessboardturn]

Hey, where'd you come from?

[ Battler is a little surprised to find a batcat perched on his shoulder but he's not that upset by the idea. He sways a little with the weight and then reaches up to offer his hand. As far as he knows, she's just an animal! Which might not be the best assumption, but hey. ]

What makes you like my shoulder so much?

[faceblocks]

[she doesn't know this sleeper, but that's never stopped her before - and it's not about to stop her now as she settles in, getting the hang of retracting her claws just enough so that she can balance and grip. she sees why visenya does this. it's comfortable, and it's a nice way to get a headbutt in just against a waiting chin. oh! that's a hand. which she sniffs - making a surprised face (perhaps too surprised for a batcat, it's a very ...personlike expression) - she is continuously shocked by how different and overwhelming things smell. she's only been a cat for a day, and it not yet tired of it.

forgetting for a moment that she can't speak as she's used to, she attempts to answer his question, but it all comes out in a series of punctuated and very purposeful meows.]

[cuddlery]

[Scorpia's dragged herself over to a bar in hopes that a drink will wake her up. But once she gets there, she quickly sees something else that makes her feel alert. Her eyes widen with joy as she beholds the creature on the counter!]

Kitty!! [She reached her arms over with a gentle attempt to scoop the batcat into her arms, while registering the details as she goes along.] ...With wings!

[opheliac]

(jinx isn't sure what is up with this creature. she's been noticing whenever she wakes up from sleeping for the billionth time, it's sitting outside of her window sill with food. but luckily for the batcat, jinx has a soft spot for animals. so despite how she feels, she always lets it in.

this particular time is no different than the last time the batcat shows up. jinx stands up, bitches and moans, then drags her feet to the window. she lifts it up and then instantly turns her back to the animal.)

I'm gonna just leave it open from now on. So you can just... do whatever, I don't care.

(she grumbles while forcing her body to move to the couch; immediate flop with her eyes shut. )

unmask but it's a murder horse [closedish to duty : later october]

[faceblocks]

[the nightmare that approaches seems more cautious (anxious?) than the others - definitely more curious and willing to make eye contact than the rest of the herd - and if one keeps track of this sort of thing it'll be a noticeable +1 to the outpost herd ...maybe also if one doesn't keep track because it's wearing neither sash nor sigil, and if she comes close enough her markings look a bit more like gears than swirls.

wojciech, the stallion she'd recently befriended after an extended period of misunderstandings, isn't sure what to make of her. she smells like one of them but also poison (??) and there's the stink of anxiety that hovers over her like a cloud. she smells like his (sigh) human and though he tries his best - he had led her to the freshest beast carcass of the lot and she had poked at it with her horn, side eyeing his peace offering and finding that while she does find this appetizing on some level, a remaining part of her is completely put off by it and...

...would possibly prefer some tea. (???)

so she goes in search of that, venturing near the outpost walls, tossing her head like a nod. using her horn to point. pawing at the ground.

does she keep trying to catch your eye? yes. are there a few threads of pink in her mane and tail? also yes.]

[martyrofduty]

Up on the wall after a nap, checking things out given the break in his ability to pay attention, Duty looks at the nightmare approaching the wall and walking around it. Prancing almost. Duty shakes his head slightly but leaves the guarding to the guards.

He stops by the kitchen to take a whole pot of tea with him. Sorry folks, brew some more tea. There's a demanding nightmare on the other side of the wall, and Duty recognizes her. He exits the safety of the walls with seemingly little regard for his well being. He carries two pistols and a baton of bone, like always, but they all rest at his waist, not in his hand.

"My little pony," Duty greets the nightmare. He sets down the tea pot and removes the top to make it more accessible.

unmask : steed in the feed [closed to eden : later october]

[faceblocks]

[vi isn't sure how the lamp understood her when she requested the entertainment feed - perhaps it had been another speaking at the same time (had someone helped her out?), but all the same she's ...well.

she's there.

this is a small space, and she hadn't thought this through when she'd voiced it (more a scream than anything else) - but now there's a panicked nightmare in a familiar space - the anxiety causing her to rear up and then ground herself, huffing, backing up, turning, and turning again.

fuck. she's bumped into something. which she suddenly tries to bite. vi finds that horsing is much more difficult than catting. for one: the meditation is just ...inexplicably harder. small bonus: she doesn't even need to close her eyes.

let the horseshit (ugh) of the external world fade from your awareness. if you find your mind wandering to other thoughts...

...don't let it concern you. just acknowledge that all that shit is fucking bullshit. you’re here now, in this place, with your inner still---

fuck. her tail has flicked - something's fallen. sorry about that. the nightmare sheepishly smiles - or attempts to. to anyone looking on it might seem a threat. what had she thought she could accompish here? in retrospect it seems like a bad idea - and she winces as someone approaches.]

[offinventory]

The Entertainment Feed, generally, is open to all. Murderbot is even proud of making the elevator work again so that it's more accessible to people who cannot use stairs. Sure, the ravens didn't care last month about it being a lamp location. They made their own entrance through a high window and flew all the way down to the ground floor (probably for the dramatics). Most people have few problems.

Murderbot clearly hasn't accounted for everything.

It should have, it thinks, remembering back to its first meeting with Waver, then a horse-human construct. Now it has an actual horse/unicorn, if it came from a horror film instead of a fantasy serial. The drone network tipped Murderbot off, and it's glad because it doubts this would go as well for someone else.

"Hey there," Murderbot says gently. It's hands are up, showing empty palms. "You're stuck facing the wrong way. Would you mind if I pick you up and turn you around?"