deercountry | slowly lurching towards your favorite city

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slowly lurching towards your favorite city

NOVEMBER 2022 EVENT

Due to the cyclical nature of Trench, PROMPTS FROM LAST NOVEMBER are available to be used this year as well! Please be sure to note that you are using prompts from the last event when making your starters so people are aware.

IMAGE DESCRIPTORS IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE
Prompt One
[Image One: A still from Dali's A World of Nonsense, showing overly large, melting eyes filling a ceiling. ]
[Image Two: A hand covered in lady bugs. ]

Prompt Two
[Image One: Mushrooms inside of a tree. ]
[Image Two: A person kneeling in a cloak. ]

Prompt Three
[Image One: A text that says "Imma email the squad about the cult we're starting, brb." ]
[Image Two: The IT Crowd. ]

[NAVIGATION]

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

[JUMP TO COMMENTS]

A World of Nonsense

WHEN: November
WHERE: Throughout Trench
CONTENT WARNINGS: Eye trauma/gore, bugs crawling out of skin, hallucinations, paranoia, violence, self-injury.

The city is a mess. Streets don't seem to go where they used to, building warping constantly, architecture seemingly melting in on itself... There's something clearly off, something that is even making the Trenchies nervous. The Blood Crazed Zealots this November seem to be even more desperate to find sacrifices, convinced that it will somehow make the city right again.

It's not just the city that's starting to act strangely, though. As the month goes on, Sleepers will start to be plagued with odd hallucinations, ones that become more persistent and realistic with every passing hour or day. It starts off with hearing the sound of a child's laughter, maybe hearing them running through the hall, or the quiet singing of a children's lullaby running through the air. Sometimes, Sleepers may even think they get a glimpse of the child going around a corner, or standing in a crowd just... watching. A young girl with dark hair, who seems achingly familiar somehow, but who disappears before a connection can be placed.

The hallucinations start to advance rapidly from there. People will start to see images of random attacks. A woman getting her eye slit open in broad daylight, but the victim vanishes within seconds before she can even be gotten to. They may see a friend clutch their heads, screaming as bugs pour from their skin, only to have that friend be standing upright and looking at them funny when they've rushed to their side. Sleepers may even look down and see holes like a beehive in their arms, with large, winged insects crawling in and out of their skin. Blink and it's gone, with not even a hint of scarring left behind.

These visions will start to make people question reality. They will be unsure whether the pain they see another suffering is real or just in their heads and it begins to make them terrified of everyone and everything around them. It may start to feel like too much, like it would be better if things were over. Some people may start to react violently, trying to claw at their own eyes to get the visions to end, or attacking others who get too close in fear of it triggering another attack.

And just when it seems like too much, a clarifying thought will enter their mind, whispered in their ear in that familiar child-like voice: The Tower is weakening and soon shall fall. Say it out loud, spread the word, and the visions will clear up as quickly as they came.

To help others who could possibly be suffering from hallucinations, those who have had the clarifying thought themselves will be able to tell it to the sufferer in order to save them from the hallucinations getting worse. This will only work if told by someone who already suffered from these hallucinations, and the other person must truly accept it and start to tell others as well.

[JUMP TO TOP] • [JUMP TO COMMENTS]

WILL YOU BE A FRIEND OF MINE

WHEN: Mid-November
WHERE: Outside Trench
CONTENT WARNINGS: Themes dealing with disease

Anyone who tries to get in touch with the Tower will realize quickly that there's no use in trying to ask him directly what it is that's going on. His thoughts and words are steadily more incoherent, and while he can tell something is wrong, he doesn't quite know what. Those who see him in person will notice that his appearance is not as well put together as it usually is. His clothes are a little shabby at the edges and his attempt at a humanoid face is slightly off now, with his lips drooping and his eyes not quite evenly centered. It's almost like looking at an early cubist painting.

Never Mind is worried. Worried enough to start to reach out to Sleepers and ask for their help. It's strange to see from the Pthumerian who always has the answers, but for once, he seems to not know what is wrong with his lover. The only thing he knows is there is something that can help ease the symptoms, give the Tower some clarity, maybe in hopes that it will give them hints of where or how the Tower may have picked up this illness that is plaguing him. Or maybe just because he doesn't want to see him suffer the way he clearly is.

Those who respond to Never Mind's call for help will give them what one can only call a quest. He tells them of a mushroom that grows on the outskirts of Trench, deep in the woods, hidden inside a hole in an oak tree. It's a very rare, very small mushroom that blends in to the bark around it, making it difficult to see. The Pthumerian would normally go and try and get it himself, but the fibers of the mushroom are too delicate, and Pthumerians who have tried to pick it themselves have found that it crumbles to pieces in their hands. In order for it to help the Tower, it has to be used whole in the ritual that will help ease the Tower's symptoms.

Never Mind understands that it's a great deal to ask. Getting to the wood where the mushroom grows can take days for even the fastest runners and it's far enough outside of Trench that beast attacks are frequent. They even begin to attack in packs, making it highly likely that the Sleepers could be injured or killed. He also recognizes that many of the Sleepers are bitter with the Pthumerians at best, and outright blame them for their circumstances at worst. He will try to reassure them that they are not enemies, but it may be something some Sleepers will agree to disagree on.

If a Sleeper chooses to go to get the mushroom, it's recommended they go in groups for safety. He will also suggest those who obtained the compass last month use it to make sure they don't get lost, as well as to help strengthen the gem inside of it. Never Mind will also provide them with a small, silver ring on a chain, one that glows when the moonlight hits it. The ring will help to lessen how easily beasts can detect the person wearing it and help to give them a chance to run away rather than fight if they need to. He will provide enough rings so that each member of the group gets one.

Because Pthumerians can't touch the mushroom, he will also provide Sleepers with a single pouch, one that will fit and protect the mushroom from harm on the journey back. Be careful when picking it, as human hands can also destroy the fibers if it is handled too roughly. Never Mind will be eternally grateful to those who help the Tower and any who do will find that from now on, ravens are more likely to try and protect them from harm around the city.

[JUMP TO TOP] • [JUMP TO COMMENTS]

NOT GONNA REACH MY TELEPHONE

WHEN: November
WHERE: The Network
CONTENT WARNINGS: None.

With the rest of the town falling apart, why wouldn't the technology do the same? Throughout the month, the network, particularly the omnis, seem to be malfunctioning at random. There's no rhyme or reason to when or how it breaks and it doesn't seem like there's any quick fix to it.

Types of malfunctions include randomly changing usernames, misfired texts, voice-to-text failures with awkward typos or completely altering what was trying to be said, glitching videos, sudden audio playing without prompting, and completely shutting down. Anything and everything seems to be breaking when it comes to the omnis and no hard reset will work to fix it.

Omens can still be used to avoid the errors, though there's no guarantee their connection to the network might also end up malfunctioning. It seems to be entirely up in the air. If you want to guarantee not being impacted, maybe stick to face to face interactions this month.

[JUMP TO TOP]

CODING

Threaded | Flat

i. sleeper farm : semi closed: eden, jun, jinx, luz, you?
[last year's prompt: link here.]

a. stalls: 1st floor RESCUING VI OR JOINT BREAKOUT : open to any rescuers

[everything smells like blood. it's flowers and metal and a dull, hammering in her head that she recognizes as machinery - gears, pistons? (isn't that a fucking laugh?) and when she lurches forward she finds that she's chained at the wrists, but she's not sure to what, yet.

Head swimming, she tries to stand, only to feel that her feet are bare, and opening her eyes in a panic she's ...well, someone's decided to give her a shitty style downgrade. no shoes. fuck, no omen either, because this jumpsuit's got no pockets.]

"Hey!"

[smoke answers her, swirling around her chest but not bursting forth. maybe another person answers her, too.]

b. stalls: 1st floor RESCUED BY VI : closed to Eden

This place is too familiar, and the blood on her hands this time is mostly not her own - and what's her own is purposefully placed - she's thrown the gauntlet down metaphorically and literally - wearing only one. the other hand is slick with viscous green, the flecks of red owed to vileblood and other blood. Old Sleeper blood. Zealot's blood.

She's moving from stall to stall, rid of the shitty jumpsuit, geared up and grim-faced. But she's twitchy in a way she hasn't been in a long time, and she keeps turning back over her shoulder.

Her eyes are no longer grey, but a sickly green and swirled with red as she peers in, stops and huffs a breath.

"Seriously?" Double fuck these Zealots. A beat as she blinks, looking closer, checking for injury, for anything out of place besides the entirety of the farm. "You ready to make a break for it?"

c. storage: 2nd-9th floors RESCUING VI : open to any rescuers
[she's come to several times only to go dark again, hung from a wall with several other sleepers in various states of recognition. none of them are conscious. at least three of them no longer have skin at all. one's been flayed open from the chest, a bloodflower bloom fanned out and pinned.

if it looks like she's wearing sleeker gauntlets that's only a trick of the light. one arm's free: fingers to elbows are redgreen and raw, bits of bone peeking through to shine under slick, dripping fluid - and the other arm is pinned to her prison with a huge blade, right through meat of her upper arm - blade so deep in the wall that only the hilt can be seen, a cascade of blood beneath, some dried and some still spattering on the floor.

her shirt's been torn open, and there are several cuts in her chest - it's the start of a star pattern, and if one looks close enough it resembles the flowered flesh of that other sleeper, only it seems as if her tormentor was called away.

maybe they're hiding.

maybe they just left her here like this on purpose.

in any case, she's only just started to wake now that you're here. one eye opens, and a small cry escapes her.

when her other eye opens, she screams.]

d. blood harvest: 10th floor RESCUED BY VI : closed to Jun

[she's stunned speechless by the statue at the topmost floor, it's something out of nightmare piltover with it's gleaming, impassive face, its sleek lines - and the piles of slick, shining meat in its palms.

but she pushes past that and toward the closest door, shoving it open and finding herself wordless once again at the sight of tables. of tubes and cylinders. of splayed open, flayed open, discarded bodies of all shapes and sizes, some reduced to less than bodies, just ...parts.

she eyes the jars, the vials, flinches at the huff of the flame and shiss of steam, and moves past each piece of unrecognizable meat, searching, searching until she sees what she'd been most afraid of. there's horror in her cry even if there's relief in it.]

e. blood harvest: 10th floor RESCUING VI : closed to Jinx

[past the statue, past the door with the vileblood stone in its center, vi is strapped to a table much like the table she'd seen her sister fastened to in that hellscape of a memory - and she's gone through her own bit of transformation.

like before (she remembers in fits and starts and tries to scream each time - sometimes the sound gets free, but she never does) her arms are torn and ragged, slick and bonebright - but there's a blossom on her chest that's fresh opened and a pale cylinder siphoning out her heartsblood up and out and along the wall - up, up further and into the ceiling.

her eyes flutter open at the sound of roaring fire - her own bloodrush pounding in her ears.

through all the pain, and there's plenty of it - she feels a strange exultation, a sense of purpose - a pride that she can't give name to, it's echoes of what she's given the zealot who has done this to her, thanks to her blood effects. so forgive her, sister, if she laughs just a little, if she smiles.

her mouth is full of blood.]

ii. blood crazed zealots : semi closed: beato, you?
[last year's prompt: link here.]

[vi has stopped still on a misty, blood-flowered street in lumenwood. the hairs on the back of her neck rise, and she swallows down bitter bile and backs up into the shadows. there's a shift and a shudder and it almost feels like time has stopped, here. it hasn't, but it's ...altered in a way she can't describe.

she recognizes this one, with its withered claw hands and its black, beakish features and a distinct lack of eyes. it clicks its fingers together as it moves, little mouths opening and closing at the end of each appendage, searching the streets for someone, maybe even for her.

she growls out a wordless sound as it comes closer and bids the venom to rise in a sheen on her skin. a steady drip of vileblood from her nose, and a steadier hand as she spots another sleeper. her eyes narrow as she tries to catch their gaze.]

mushroom season.

[seeing some of the distinctive caps of mushrooms springing up is...strangely relieving, despite how much of a distaste Manabu grew to have for them in food. having one winter in Trench under his belt prompts him to get out there and really heed the insistence of locals also on the lookout for the safer morsels, and him? he needs to make sure the Outpost stays stocked with Weepers.

he does his foraging in Lumenwood, the Outpost, and near the Waystation at the outskirts. his omen, Magnet, is with him as always, but a little dog is no help in hauling around bags worth of mason jars, you know? and Manabu might be hardy, but he's still short and rather encumbered - like the guy who hoists more groceries than he can handle up a flight of stairs.

breath leaves him in icy vapors - colder than the chilly air - broken up by his repeated lifting of his head to keep looking about. mushroom season is also zealot season and he knows it, so his lone seeing eye is constantly working to scope out for trouble.]

Uoh-- [a soft grr-ruff from Magnet prompts him to sit up and look around.] Hh, hey. Are you here to forage, too? Or...?

at the roost.

cws: hallucinations, blood

[despite the shifting of the city's...everything, the Roost's windows are aglow at nights - a refuge from the disorienting changes, even as the exterior itself is subject to the Tower's influence. it feels important that it stays open - that there be somewhere to run to if the zealots venture too deep into Cellar Door, if something worse happens...

...if...if someone hits the window with a bloody hand and streaks it across on its way down. Manabu sees it out of the corner of his eye and rushes to the door, swinging it open to--]

HEY-! [to reveal...you? he grimaces, trying to peer past.] Wait, where is-? Are they-- [where...

where did they go...?]

rat maze days.

[between foraging and shifts at the Roost, Manabu tries charting the city: counting corners to lampposts, double- and triple-checking the skyline for new changes...and approaching folks who seem very lost or isolated.]

Hey-- [he approaches with a strained expression.] You okay? It's not good to be out here alone. Is something up?

on the coast.

Where...where are the ships...?

[the question is spoken into the air, venting his confusion as he stands out on the beach, watching the tide crashing ahead of him, straining to get a glimpse of shipwrecked shapes, but all he can see are the craggy rocks that often catch unsteady, malformed Sleepers before the tide can ease them onto the shore.

there are supposed to be ships here. right? he grimaces, rubbing the back of his head.]

Maybe...maybe the people made it to wherever they meant to go this time? [or maybe they sank further out at sea. maybe it was those pirates. maybe...maybe there are no more people out there.]

[whyellewhy me if u wanna do somethin else COME AT ME]

❝Hallucination❞

❝I don't know what's real, what is fiction.❞

(click box for more fancy words/lyrics.)
Like I'm swimming in a wave of sound
& every melody's an ocean
Breathing out, breathing in
I let it wash away my suffering
& when reality won't keep me sane
I gotta go where they don't know my name

My name is Jinx. I'm eighteen, I have blue hair, pink eyes, and I'm a Coldblood...

(she's been muttering this over and over to herself as she attempts to make her way down the streets. it's hard to make out what's up, what's down, what's left, or right when each building structure is twisting and curling. still, jinx stumbles as she continues forward while reciting what she feels are facts. as long as she can keep that straight, things will follow suit, right?)

My name is Pow—Jinx. I'm eighteen, I have blue hair, pink eyes, and I'm a Coldblood.

(a giggle of a little girl startles her; a sharp grip of herself and a turn to the voice. she stands there in the mix of others with round eyes and a faint smile -- merely observing the other from afar. who is she? and why does it feel as if she has seen her before? the small child disappears the moment she blinks and there stands in her place is mylo and claggor. the two of them look exhausted, exasperated, and maybe even rushing her to catch up to them as they turn a corner. there's some sort of trance her body seems to fall under as she lags on behind them.

her fingers tighten onto the strap of her machine gun as she returns back to reciting: )

My name is Powder. I have blue hair, blue eyes, and I'm a screw-up...

(that is what she was saying before. she is pretty certain. and as she cautiously move over to the corner, there is a woman getting attacked -- eye slashed apart and ripped out. a sharp spin and there's someone else clawing at their skin and face in anguish. her heart races in a frantic pace and her breath shallows when suddenly vander towers over her monstrously.

jinx squeaks then quickly turns her back to him with eyes shut tight. cowering and covering her eyes, there are mutters of "i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry" from her -- like a small child bracing themselves for a lashing. vander never did such a thing but vi struck her once, so whose to say he is now considering to do the same.

the voices for her are growing; a mixture of her own and trenchies. even with her ears covered, they are still crystal clear for her. it's too much, it's all just too much. )

My name is...! I-I don't have a name. Powder fell down a well, Jinx fell down a well. I'm a mistake, I'm a problem.

(she then drops to her knees; curling herself up in a ball while covering her head. jinx is hoping they'll buzz off if she just burrows somewhere and act invisible. from there, she does one fatal mistake and that's to peek up to see if everything is back to normal. what she sees are chalk-like sketchy monsters who are so close they could touch her nose.

in an enormous panic, the blue braided girl scrambles up to her feet -- rapidly swinging her heavy machine gun to her front. and in no time flat, she tugs back on the trigger. the barrel spins then gradually speeds; bullets soar throughout the air as she swings the weapon all around her -- shooting all the monsters who has her surrounded. she's not going to die here. no way in hell she is letting these creatures swallow her whole. not now, not ever!)

(OOC: feel free to get shot by her panic shooting if that's your jam! contact me @

buttlet for questions!)

Edited 2022-11-10 15:24 (UTC)

1) Mushroom Harvesting (Old Prompt Mushabooming)
One small advantage of the records from last year and her transformation into a vileblood was that Vira-Lorr knew something the moment she saw them out in the middle of the night. "Floaters," she muttered. A seasonal threat, but she remembered something about them from last year. They'd been dangerous to her then, but they did nothing to vilebloods. It was a cold comfort considering the awkwardness she often felt because of her body, but it was comfort.

It was late at night and she was out alone, or perhaps someone was already with her. She was keeping an eye out for any of the floaters who encroached on the Cellar Door and Gaze districts, hunting them down, felling them and harvesting the parts. She had a stern look as she did, intent on taking as many as possible and drying the parts. They sold well, but it was more the threat she wanted dealt with.

Perhaps you're there helping her and she's glancing back at you and motioning towards one nearby. "Careful," she murmurs, whether or not you're a Vileblood like her. "If you hear one shuffling towards us, let me know. It's the floaters we want."

Or perhaps you've been snared by the paralytic bastards. If she sees you, she'll be running over soon afterwards, huffing as she did. "Damned nuisance, these things. I'd say hold still, but... yeah, I know. I know." She was already reaching for the tendrils, clearly unconcerned.

2) Them (Old Prompt The Sleeper Farm)
Floor 2, Storage
How you got out of the stalls was on you. Whoever was now wandering the horrid space of the Sleeper Farm, they were in amongst the lowest levels of the cold storage. It was a grisly sight, several bodies in states of having been chopped up all around. But what was even worse in the sights was a strange, acrid, pungent and horrendous odor. It did not smell like the stench of decay, but rather like a sharp, biting, eye-stinging scent. It cloyed and hurt the nostrils until the corner was rounded and the source seen, just as it sounded like someone had dropped to the ground.

Around the corner, Vira-Lorr resolved into sight. There was a ruined trio of buckets nearby, each of different substances. They looked like something had worn holes in them, their bottoms had collapsed and they'd broken apart. The floor had several thick holes in it, and smoke still trailed up from them. Smokey, acrid plumes were rising from her wrists as she got shakily to her feet and tore the bonds off of her ankles. Where a few drops of blood ran down her hands from shallow wounds at her wrists, more sizzling occurred, the blood eating into the floor hungrily. She flexed, wincing. Her arms formed a pale, chitinous look that covered them visibly over the ruined remains of her sleeves, but the bleeding stopped and she put her fingers to her lips.

"Stay quiet. They've left for now, but they'll be back." She remembered how to get out of here. She didn't give a shit. She had business to settle while she was here. Someone had had a lot of trouble figuring out how to bleed her safely, and she wanted payback.

3) A Friend of Yours
Vira-Lorr held the compass, or perhaps her partner did. She was looking at the directions that she'd been given and the pouch, her lips thinned into a line. They were a couple days out by now. The directions said it wouldn't be too far from this region, but at this point... well, the beasts were starting to encroach and no matter what they did, stealth was going to get harder and harder.

"We may have to fight this out," she said, reaching for a shrug in her pack. It was covered in white feathers. She affixed it to her shoulders, but left it off of one side. "Are you ready for a fight if something comes?"

(OOC: Sneaking past monsters or fighting a group of lesser beasts of your choice are both options. I can come up with something if you prefer.)

4) Hallucinations/Misfire
(OOC: Vira-Lorr left an accidental message on the network as she was freaking out. It was possible to encounter it there. Or just shoot me a line if you want to do any particular hallucinations this month.)

A World of Nonsense

This had to be one of the worst months for her in Trench.

The Zealots had been enough last year. Luz had been pushed to the brink of her sanity there, and then it was brought up yet again when she was with Vi. So Luz had wracked her brain for what to expect this time, arming herself with whatever weapon she could find, refamiliaring herself with spells she knew and would need once the month rolled in.

November came, and sure enough, the mushrooms were back. People were going missing. But it felt somehow worse, because the Zealots were getting sloppy, and things were starting to feel really oppressive. Luz, who had been lovingly helping her girlfriend look after their bookstore, was now taking a leave to prepare, and that shut her in more than usual. This led to another kind of problem.

Luz was starting to see people attacked everywhere and was now being a little more reactionary than usual. She might mistakenly accost someone on the street, only for Luz to come to and give a million apologies and say she thought she was seeing something else.

Once she started seeing people she knew look like they were being maimed though, Luz REALLY started to lose it, shooting a fire glyph at whatever invisible entity was attacking her and making people start to keep way from her. Maybe it's happening with you this moment, or maybe you see her doing it from afar and want to save her from some pretty angry Trenchies likening her to the menace plaguing them to start.

Luz is going in and out of trances, and that's starting to get a little worrying.

Will You Be a Friend of Mine?

She'd seen him in her mind when she was going through her trances. It was annoying that she'd gotten so out of hand, but at least now? She understood why. Last year, it had been the mushroom's fault. But that had been on a smaller, more annoying scale. What seemed to be happening here was a lot more alarming. She knew now that she was not the only one feeling this way, and that meant someone had to actually help an ailing Pthumerian.

She didn't LOVE the tower, she mused. At least, she certainly didn't love their followers, those mad zealots who got their joy torturing and hurting other Sleepers in Towers' name. Luz supposed that the Tower had as much control over those psychos as Maul might with his cultists. That being the case, Luz could see this was going to impact everyone if she didn't do something. Everyone going crazy was not going to help anyone.

So Luz was already prepping to go on this mission, already arming herself with her staff, a bag of provisions, the compass, and had chosen Delyn to help her get there. Mila was watching Luz forlornly, as if wanting to know why SHE wasn't going too.

"Maybe you will, girl," Luz said. "I'm going to need some help doing this. It's way too dangerous to go out on my own."

Blood Crazed Zealots

Just because Luz had felt sorry for your god did NOT mean she felt sorry for you. If a zealot thought they were going to be safely getting a sacrifice? They'd be finding the business end of a red bat and some glyphs. Luz is through having people be victims and going through what she had to those monstrous few days! If you happen to spy Luz later in the month, you'll either see her in a beanie and a mask obscuring her face.

It'll be hard to find her though. Luz knows that Zealots work in secret, and so does she. You'll see her maybe out of the corner of your eye, or maybe you can actually see invisible people, and that's the easiest way to spot her. She'll be going in and out of sight, sometimes on the staff, sometimes reappearing out of thin air.

OR maybe she needs help, because she's fighting a zealot that got the drop on the poor girl! Give her a hand, please? These Zealots are no joke!

Edited 2022-11-10 18:51 (UTC)

[ Chizuru isn't even chained up much. Maybe it's since the zealots figured that she can't run in her current state anyway. The girl's body is slumped over, half sitting on the ground, half leaning against the wall with her back - looking more like a ragdoll than a human being, like she wouldn't even be staying up in the slightest if it wasn't for that wall propping her up. The only thing that technically forces Chizuru to stay in the spot is the shackle that's stuck to her ankle, chaining her to the floor, but the chain between her ankle and the bolt on the floor is still slack.

The girl can't even try to escape, after all. If you happen to be going across the sleeper farm, trying to get out, or perhaps looking for someone to save, you might spot her there - on the higher up floors, that is, among all the bodies that are worse off.

Because Chizuru is one of them. The area around her is absolutely covered in Chizuru's own paleblood. It's all over the girl herself too. It's splattered onto her cheek, soaked into her hair, the jumpsuit more coloured by Chizuru's blood than its own redness at this point. The source of all the blood is pretty easy to figure out - because her jumpsuit is ripped up around her stomach area, and where there should be skin, there's just an open wound. An open wound with nothing inside it - just a cavity.

If you know anything about anatomy, there definitely should have been one or two organs in there, but there's not. There's just a bloody hollowness, like whatever was in there has been brutally ripped out.

One may assume Chizuru is dead because of it. There's no way anyone could survive that.

.. but she's not. She looks out of it, sure, but Chizuru's eyes are still open, and there's still life in them. They slowly turn towards you if you're standing there, looking at her, and the girl swallows as she tries to force out words despite her condition. ]

Sorry, but.. could you.. please help me..?

[ Her voice is weak, but her words perhaps a little too clear for someone in her condition. She truly is hanging on. ]

Not Gonna Reach My Telephone.

[Just a variety of texts that may reach someone from Ruby Rose at some point.]

1. If we were unicorns we would fly together. Like in a pack. A pack of flying unicorns.

2. I feel like words wont express my appreciation properly. So at some point I'm just going show up with a pizza and we can play video games for an hour. Sound cool?

3. You can order These Hands(TM) for one easy payment of $Try.Me!

Will you be a friend of mine.

[Ruby didn't often go out of her way to talk to Patron's. It wasn't so much that she didn't trust them. But she was content enough to go about her business and let them do theirs. Part of it was out of guilt for how things ended off in the dream, she didn't want to anything like what happened with Julia Sodder to happen again.

...But she couldn't exactly just ignore a cry for help when Never Mind Approached her. Which is why she's out in the forest following her compass with whoever has decided to tag along.

That is until a very large and very dangerous looking beast leaps out from the shadows.]

Don't worry! I've got this!

[And instead of grabbing her massive scythe. She hucks the compass at the beast, which bounces off it harmlessly. A moment passes before she realizes what she's done and let's out a scream.]

Why did I do that!?

[At least she is self aware.]

Sleeper Farm.

[It's not the first time Ruby has woken up to find herself hanging in this place, but it's just as miserable as she remembers it. She feels a dull ache in her arms as her senses return to her. Her mechanical eye blinks a few times as she regains her senses.

Eventually she'll notice that she isn't alone and she'll wave a shackled hand at her cellmate.]

Hey... Uh- You okay?

We'll get out of this. I promise.

Wild Card

[Feel free to choose your own adventure or hit me up for plotting!]

Not Gonna Reach My Telephone.

1.Drinking beer at the bar and I look around and there are like 12 people copying me.

2.We just had a had a week. How can we have another already. This is bullshit.

3.Listen. I don't know who Pandora is or what's in her box.

4.You want to fuck me so bad it makes you look stupid.

Sleeper Farm

[This place was a nightmare. There was no other way to put it. Of all the terrors Johnny had seen in Trench, this one had to be the worst. At the same time he wasn't about to let any one hold him like this.

If there was one skill Johnny had outside of karate and babes, it was that locks didn't tend to keep him held down very long.

So it's not long after he's regained consciousness that he's managed to break out of his cell. Armed with his fists and a crowbar he managed to pick up he's busting out of here.

Any other sleeper in the area may hear a few ominous thuds and the clanging of steel before everything goes quiet for a brief moment. A few seconds later the weird karate guy is passing by the cell, a splatter of blood across his face. He'll stop and turn to face whoever's on the other side of the cell.]

Shit... And I thought the other guy looked like shit.

Wild Card

[Feel free to choose your own adventure or hit me up for plotting.]

▌ ▌ ▌ I. A WORLD OF NONSENSE

[ Sharon handles the hallucinations in stride, so used to the horrors of them that it only makes her heart stutter in her chest. They catch her by surprise but she never crumbles under the weight of them. She doesn't cry out when a woman gets her eye cut into, gore pouring down her face in a wet, sticky river nor does she scream or flinch away when every person on the street suddenly stops what they're doing to turn and watch her, their eyes large and their mouths held open wide as bees crawled out. She just stops what she's doing and looks down at her Omni.

At times, she'll stop in a high-traffic area. Maybe in Prufrock or Willful Machine or back in Crenshaw. She'll stop so suddenly that strangers may crash right into her. She'll freeze in place and her breathing will pick up but she'll look away from people. She'll look down at her shoes or the pavement or squeeze her eyes shut in a desperate bid to get control over herself.

She may talk aloud, quietly to herself. ] It's nothing. It's nothing. You're seeing things again. It's okay. They're not looking. They don't know. It's not real.

[ Other times, she'll approach you, a stranger or friend, and show a sketch of a dark-haired little girl. There's an edge of frantic worry in her voice. ] Hey, have you seen this girl? I need to find her.

[ Or maybe you encounter her as night arrives. At first, you'll only hear the soft sound of humming echoing off the walls of an alleyway. It's a haunting song but it's sung without purpose, starting and stopping a little erratically. Should you dare go down the shadowed alleyway, you'll come across a form hunched over on the ground. Sharon's got her back up against a wall and her palms pressed into her eyes and there's a gentle rocking of her body. She doesn't even notice you. She just keeps humming, rocking, and stopping to catch her breath.

It seems that, maybe, those hallucinations have started to wear at her already worn mental state. ]

▌ ▌ ▌ II. THE SLEEPER FARM (CLOSED TO LUZ)

[ Sharon's head lolls, left and right in a swaying motion, as she comes to. Her whole body feels weighted and her arms ache. She tries to move away from the wall she's situated against but finds she's stuck; shackled to it by her wrists, held awkwardly, painfully, above her head. Panic blooms up in her chest like a flower and helps bring the world into sudden, sharp clarity.

She's in a metal pen, chained to the wall like an animal. Everything is wet. The grated flooring beneath her bare feet is wet. The jumpsuit she's been dressed in is wet. Even the fucking air she's breathing has this metallic wetness to it that she feels she can choke on it. And there are these sounds, people groaning and gasping and heaving.

Her head swims with fear but she swallows it down like bile. She rips her arms forward suddenly in an attempt to pull herself free but the only thing she manages to do is cause herself more pain. ] Fuck! Fuck!

[ It's hard to think straight. She can't even remember what she was doing before she woke up here. When she hears someone moving about outside her pen, she calls out, praying it's a friend or someone who can help rather than the ones who brought her here. ] Hey! Hey! I-I need... Listen, can you come here? Please?

▌ ▌ ▌ III. NOT GONNA REACH MY TELEPHONE

▌ III.A

UN: alessa

I don't think I can stay at home right now. You mind if I crash at your place? I just keep hearing shit. I don't feel safe alone right now.

▌ III.B

UN: motherofgod

̸̫͔̬́̃͘ ̷̹͔͚́̾ ̵̧̦̈͋́̂ ̶̘̪͆͆͝W̷͉͌͌̆h̵̖̩̙́ͅá̷̖̰̝̈́t̶̬̩͚̆̀̿͜e̶̢̤̭̞̿v̶̨͎̤̙͆́e̷͚̥͂̽r̴̨̠͖̫̀͐͝ ̷̞̇̈́͆d̵͍̈̽̍a̷̱̭̜͒r̸̹͈̲̿ḱ̵̦̇̚͝ͅn̵̻̜̫̋͗͘ę̶̧̝̰̐̂̈́s̷͙̞͗̈́̿s̸͙͎̿̀̔ ̷̼̤̯̥̍͐̏m̶͙̻͆̄̓a̷̗̒y̴̨̥̦̓ ̷̠͎̗̪̾͝b̷̤͙̆̽e̵̹̳̓f̴͉̔̓å̷̳̈͝͝l̶̙̜͚͒l̶̪̱̜͚̓ ̸̬̪̽̏̀m̴̤͍͈̈́́͐̈́e̴̹̒̎,̵̳͉̲̽̕
̶̙̽ ̵̭͙̯̓͐ ̵̩̥̲͋͗ ̸̧̻̥̲̅ ̴̧͓͍̱̀͑̀̾I̶͕̖̿̎͘̕ ̷̡̛̯́̀w̴̪̗͘i̸̟̹̫̺͑̃̈́͑ĺ̴̨̗̦͔̕l̵̬̼̮̠̇̏͛͊ ̶̣̞̥͒̑̒̈́e̸̫͙̺̾̃͑̚n̵̛̻̩̞d̵̖͒͐͝u̷̳͊̎͝r̶̹͔̾̾͐͋e̵̜̎͌̊ ̵͕͑͌̐w̸̬̠̉̓͜͠i̸̥͌̈́̏̿t̴͓͍̽͜ẖ̴̘͙͛̽̌̉ͅ ̵̡͉̟̐̆͝ỳ̵̛̮̐ọ̵̳͊̄u̵͉̱̤͌̆ ̵͈̊̅̑̃ḃ̸̼ë̷̳͕̭s̸̮̮̱̱͌̋̈͘i̷͕̟͌̄͂̃d̶̰̯̭̤͂e̴̛͉ ̴͈́m̵̨͇͙̀͑̓e̶̟͎̊̄̚.̴̹́͑͋̈́

▌ III.C

UN: a.gillespie

[ you receive a series of photos sent to your device. there's no real rhyme or reason to them. most of them just seem like someone who takes photos of life here in Trench. A bunch of flowers, a dark forest, an image of the docks, but the last one is strange, haunting, maybe even horrifying. It's a creature moving towards the camera, limbs too long, body not right. no text accompanies these photos. ]

Not Gonna Reach My Telephone

Taro uses his omni a lot, even if it's being a bit glitchy right now. Maybe he sent you one of these?

1. when you have to take a shit really badly but you hold it in until your body turns the shit into vitamins and you dont have to go any more
2. If you're cremated after you die, you can be put into an hourglass and continue to participate in family game night.
3. There are TOO MANY KINDS OF SPIDERS. I'm sick of this shit.
4. not enough people are talking about the national brain cell shortage

A World of Nonsense (cw: reference to past drug use)

Taro's not a fan of hallucinations. He's the one who's supposed to give people illusions that mess up their world, not get them. Sure he's tried some... illegal substances in the past, but not recently! He stumbles around a bit as he hears the child laughing, and pushes his way through a crowd when he thinks he sees her.

"Hey. Hey!" He starts to run after her but stops, He sees someone get sliced open by a knife with no discernable source and he takes a step back. The man vanishes before his eyes, and he blinks hard, turning around to try to get back. He works his way through a group of people when claws come down and slash the person next to him. He backs up and stares, the man staring at him as well - because in truth, nothing happened.

"G... great, I'm cracking up. Shouldn't have eaten that fish last night..." Jokes. He can do jokes? He can try, at least. He takes a deep breath and shoulders his bag, moving through the crowd. No one looks like they have anything good to pickpocket, and it's not like paper or plastic money is any good in this place. He's fine, he's totally fine -

The shape of a large bird moves over the street, casting a shadow directly in front of Taro. He freezes and... no one else is reacting. Right. Illusion. He stumbles back into a group of people and directly into another Sleeper. "Shit - hey, sorry..." Did he make them drop something? Or are they just concerned about his display of fear?

Mushabooming

Taro is nothing if not good at survival. (Well, to a point. You can only do so much against a hitman.) He sees all the mushrooms in Trench and starts collecting them. The ones he remembers from Japan and the other ones he's eaten or seen used dried in medicines or charms - those are the ones he targets. He finds a book on mushrooms (with some difficulty, given the current popularity of the subject) and reads up on the new ones.

They intrigue him, but he's not sure how to get a hold of them. He spots some walking terrors but... no. No eway is he getting close to something that can fuck up his world that much without a Pink Floyd record or some kind of movie. No thank you. Floaters intrigue him, and he spends some time staring at a patch of them, ducking out of the way when they come close. Maybe someone can help him with those?

Or maybe you've spotted him with some blue cheeks, carefully putting them in a leather bag and looking around to make sure no one sees him. Or maybe, just maybe, he's found a weeper. But maybe you have, too - who gets the mushroom when two people have a claim? Maybe he can work it out with them...

Wildcard

[Got another idea? Grab me at

atrypical, Matt#6266, the plotting post, or a PM!]

I. A World of Nonsense

Since his and Jin Guangyao's brush with these hallucinations has been enlightening, Xichen has taken to the streets of Trench to do what he has always done in times of adversity; help.

In this case it means spreading the message as much as he can. Moreover, he finds places to play Cleansing on Liebing. While it won't stop the hallucinations, it will keep the mind clear and calm enough to face the terrifying visions and see them for what they are.

(Besides, he needs to get out on his own a bit and clear his own head).

This evening, he's found a small perch to seat himself on top of a wall, under the thinning brown canopy of an old oak tree. Dry leaves rattle in the chilly late autumn breeze as a gentle melody floats along, carrying with it the soothing energy to ease the turmoil in people's hearts and minds.

Pay no mind to the frost gathering along his flute, or on his clothes (or just in his general vicinity), it's fine, really, it's probably fine.

II. Will You Be A Friend of Mine

Even after his adventures with his friends, Lan Xichen still finds himself heading into the woods once more. This time he is on his own, out to clear his head while lending his skills to other in search of mushrooms. He is, after all, no stranger to trudging around through monster-infested moors, mires, mountains and woods (though how he manages while keeping his silvery blue silks and flowing dark hair perfectly pristine is a mystery for the ages. Probably some super secret Lan Hair Care For Men technique.)

Like the sweet, well-meaning idiot he can be, he will swoop in like a cool breeze and ~~killsteal~~ assist with the disposal of ghosties, ghoulies, and anything else that goes bump in the night with use of his sword, talismans, spells, or maybe just a bit of a toot on his flute.

~~It is not remotely silly or melodramatic, what are you talking about?~~

1. Sleeper Farm, Blood Harvest (last year)(closed)

This isn't Alice's first rodeo - guess what, she hates the rodeo, this sucks. She is much further down than before and she has been impaled by a whole bunch of hooks and tubes? She is missing some important meat, from her actual body? It sucks. Real bad. It would suck more if she wasn't all fuzzy from all the blood that she does not have. Maybe it would suck less if she had more blood, that was not being sucked out, ha ha, that would be a really funny play on words, if it was happening to somebody she did not like. As it happens, Alice likes herself very much, and does not enjoy being in pain and scared at all.

She's sent Raspy for help and all, but for all she knows the little idiot's been ground up for sausages by now.

1a. Need A Saddle For This Dog (closed)

After the prior, extremely sucknificent occurrence has been halfway resolved, this does leave Alice in gory poor health, riding a canine beast through the streets at midnight. Her knight in shining armor is out the fuck cold, as is his habit, slung across the back of the dog. Raspy is hovercrouching on Alice's shoulders, wings and antlers and fangs a-bristling, in case they are followed.

"Couldn't you hold out for longer, idiot?" Alice lectures an unconscious man who has saved her from a fate more unpleasant than plain death, "I'm still extremely wounded, you know, who's going to patch us both up?!" What she actually says is much more indistinct and slurred but she is hollering for her own sake more than his and she knows what she meant.

Knowing who does what is Break's job, uuuuuugh, she is very woozy in the head. Doctors always have a name that start with Doctor, and she doesn't know any of those. Sewing up is a lot of what needs to be done here. Alice knows people who sews.

Who's closest? Sansa, probably. She also does cake, which feels pretty important, medically speaking. If you can make a cake you can. Make a medicine. Alice gives directions to Baltus and sends out an opnen the door we need a meciden over the Omni. If that doesn't do it and get Sansa up to see this display like a bloodsoaked musicians of Bremen on her stoop then creative measures will have to be taken.

3. Not Gonna Reach My Telephone (Open!!)

When all is said and done, Alice has been laid the fuck up in bed and plied with various painkillers. She is aware that the omni is fucking up. The best fucking thing thats happened to her is getting the clown - fine, Xerxes Break, he deserves it for once, getting him to send her a moving picture of someone else's moving picture of a dog chasing a cat, which turned out to run backwards and to have an overlay of someone singing some sort of indistinctly creepy folk song in Alice's own voice. So she's sending this to everyone she knows, and probably some other people because Omni does what Omni wants.

sebd it back i want to see how swoggled it gets nect

Not Gonna Reach My Telephone

[Jun doesn't use his omni much, but it does take a few misfires for him to realize it's got a problem. Which... is a problem for him, as his omen is helping him heal.]

1. Are you coming over tonight? I don't think I can make it over there.
2. The lesson's tomorrow, right? I'll try to make it. Don't wait up on me.
3. No, that's stupid. Fish are way better than birds.

A World of Nonsense cw: (other) hallucinations, PTSD flashbacks

Jun isn't out too much after his encounter with the zealots in the Farm. When he does go out it's for short trips, mostly to help build his strength back up. He's near the Archives when he stops, staring at someone. She's being swarmed by thousands of bugs, dissolving into a puddle while screaming. Jun moves forward to help her but he can't -

She's gone. She's gone and people are staring at him. He hustles along, trying to get to the safety of the Archives and -

A knife suddenly embeds itself into the neck of someone in front of him, bugs crawling out of the wound and Jun stops. He can't - he can't... he's shaking, leaning against the nearest building to try to steady himself. His legs are starting to give out and he falls to his knees. He sees Kako's wound in front of his eyes - he'd stayed quiet at the time but he was as horrified as the others.

All he can see is the cockpit of Zearth, floating chairs almost taunting him. Look at the lives you've seen cut short it says, and he tries to will himself to move but... he can't. He's looking at something, but to anyone near him he looks like he's looking at nothing.

Mushabooming

He's being as careful as he can, but Jun is out collecting mushrooms - sometimes alone, sometimes with other people. He can't do much else... he starts picking a few of the ones he's seen through a guide, careful to avoid the poisonous and stranger ones. Maybe some of these aren't quite as good for dealing with corruption, but at least it's something.

"Mushroom stew, maybe?" He wonders aloud, watching the people around him to make sure they're not eying the same mushroom. "This might have been... not the best idea." He's a little afraid, carefully checking for any zealots. Hopefuly he'll e okay...

But maybe you've come along as protection?

Wildcard

[Got another idea? Grab me at

atrypical, Matt#6266, the plotting post, or a PM!]

i. A World of Nonsense - a

[After a while of seeing horrible terrible shit, hours or days, he'd lost track, Kavinsky was in a fucking foul mood. He didn't know what to do to make this shit stop and it seemed like everywhere he went, there was something new.

It'd started off bad enough. Hearing children in the privacy of his own home when he absolutely had no kids and hadn't befriended any was a big ole nope. But then, seeing shit wherever he went? That took things to another level. So he was grumpy, to put it mildly, and tried to keep from looking at anyone as he walked the streets of the city. He shied away from physical contact, too, which wasn't like him at all.]

Don't fucking touch me.

[He snarled. It didn't matter if the person in question had actually been going to touch him or if they'd just been walking by; they'd gotten close enough (or not) that he'd felt oddly threatened.

Either way, he didn't apologize. He just stared hard at the offender like he was waiting for them to apologize to him.]

ii. A World of Nonsense - b | audio; un: thief

[It was a simple network post, audio rather than text because apparently saying this stuff out loud worked better than typing it.]

Hey, did you know the Tower is weakening and soon shall fall?

[He felt like an asshole spreading the word, repeating what some creepy ass kid's voice had told him, but it wasn't like he was inflicting something bad on people. It'd helped him, so it would help others, too. Right?]

iii. Will You Be a Friend of Mine

[Kavinsky wasn't the world's most helpful person. This time, it had less to do with helping someone out of the kindness of his heart and more to do with knowing what it was like not wanting to see someone you cared about suffer. The Pthumerians might have been strange and foreign and probably responsible for a lot of the shit that went down here, but he wasn't entirely an asshole.

So he'd decided to go after the mushroom. He had no idea if he'd make it or what awaited him in the woods (he'd only been in them once before, and everything had turned out alright then), but he had a dirt bike and a magical compass. And the ring he'd been given. Silver wasn't really his color--he preferred gold--but he wasn't petty enough to complain about a trinket that was supposed to help protect him.

So, he could be found outside of the city, near the outskirts of the woods, sitting astride a white dirt bike. It seemed oddly built for two people, like either he figured it was easier that way or he expected company. He hadn't missed the recommendation to go in groups but he'd never really been a group project kind of guy.

Leaning back, he patted his pockets like he was looking for something, then changed his mind. He wasn't having second thoughts about this whole thing, he was just procrastinating a little.]

iv. Wildcard!

[ooc: come at me with another idea! Misfire a text or something at him! I'll also match prose! :3]

1) HIDE & SEEK | all over Trench
A) SEEKING
JULIA-!

[Once again, not for the first time since the start of the month, Shiro's taken back out to the street. Calling out for her. Calling out for a ghost. He swears he's seen her. He saw dark hair, the sad smile, and it broke his heart. What if it isn't her? What are you going to do if it is?]

[He just wants to know.]

[You can spot him literally all over Trench. Dressed warmly for the weather in layers of leather and wool - it's all black, because of course it is. Down by the canals, along the boardwalk, down an alley in the markets. He's there, raising his voice for one of the few times ever, to call out to the shadow of a little girl.]

B) PLEADING
[Or, once darkness falls, he's standing on the beach properly, even in the cold. Staring upward, determination in his expression. If you look as well, you'll see he's staring at the Moon Presence.]

Please... [Shiro can be heard saying, though it's doubtful the hovering entity is listening.] Cynthia. Please. Is it her...?

[The is, predictably, no answer.]

2) ALL ROADS TO HOME | Sleepytown | cw: hallucinations/flashbacks, panic
A) The Hospital
[Chasing Julia's shadow - the apparition of her - whatever it was - it wasn't supposed to lead here. It wasn't supposed to lead to this place. It's barely more than rubble at this point, hard to even pick out what the pile is meant to have been. But he knows. His whole body knows.]

[Shiro should move on. He should keep going. Leave, don't linger. Julia wouldn't be here of all places. But he can't. His feet are glued to the broken, fractured concrete. His eyes locked on the ground. He swears he can see it now. He can see the hole growing. Getting larger and larger, ropes dangling down into the depths, where hands reach out, where they grasp and pull and scream. He swears he can hear it still - hear the echoes of a grieving roar. Hear the cries for help like he swears he can see Allura's face twisting, see panic in Lance and Keith slowly fading away to nothing while he stands there, while he ... ]

[Can't move. Can't breathe. Can't do anything because it should have been you - hopefully, he didn't come out here alone, because freezing up in potentially hostile territory is a bad idea.]

B) The School Playground
[She might have been here. It was as good a guess as any. What remained of the elementary school, what remained of the playground - surely a kid would be drawn to the memory of this place. Perfectly logical, sound theory.]

[It's just that as soon as he pushes through the last clump of overgrown brush to enter the grounds, cold realization comes back and hits Shiro in the chest like a physical blow.]

[He's avoided this place. Avoided it ever since he'd... died. In the dream. He remembers it - as much as he's tried to forget, he remembers. It makes his blood run cold, makes old, familiar aches spark their way down his spine, through the flesh and into the bone. Cold working its way up his limbs, hearing the voice pleading, everything on fire and unable to move, but he'd done it, he'd done it to save - ]

[He steps back. Sharply. Hands pressed to his face and fighting to breathe. It's so painfully clear... He can still see it so plainly. Cold dread rises - will he see it? Will he see himself? Suddenly, he feels sick...]

[Maybe he should leave.]

3) SHORTCUT TO MUSHROOMS | Trenchwood
A) HEADING OUT
[He's as prepared as he's going to get. Provisions, first aid kit. A few small jars of the magic honey. His armor on, albeit covered in the thick wool cloak he'd picked up a while back. Easier to blend in when you're not bright white out in the middle of the woods. Helmet tucked under his arm, ready to head out as soon as others arrive.]

[If you want to head out with the local Space Paladin, he's ready for you.]

[And... maybe, for once, not doing this for pure altruism. If they help out one Pthumerian, then maybe he'll be able to get information on taking down another...]

Hey. Ready to go?

B) MONSTER
[Of course there's a monster. Why wouldn't there be a monster? Or a Beast, or whatever it is. There are teeth and tentacles. That's all he needs to know.]

[His right hand is glowing brilliant, lurid purple, and he's ducked in front of any of his party. He's damn well going to protect these people he's here with, so help him. Shiro's hand scythes down, slicing off a tentacle, with a spurt of ugly black ichor.]

Stay out of its reach!

1) THE POTION HUT
[Welcome once again, to the POTION HUT! A sign, scribbled in surprisingly neat cursive, advertises the following:]

~ ADVENTURER SPECIAL ~
- Health Potions
- Stamina Potions
- Boost your armor and weapons skill!

[Should you step inside, you'll find the shop owner hard at work, bent over his alchemy table. The counter, and a little cart beside him, are heavily laden with vials and bottles in a range of colors. As usual, hidden behind the stack of vials is Melius' omen. She may be housecat sized, but she's still a dragon. And fully prepared to defend her temporary hoard if need be. Don't steal.]

[If you linger, you'll hear the lizard... singing? He doesn't have a fantastic voice, but it's passable.]

Nuz aan sul, fent alok... fod fin vul dovah nok.
Fen kos nahlot mahfaeraak ahrk ruz...

[It's the Dragonborn Comes. In the dragon tongue.]

2) ADVENTURE TIME
A) ORIENTATION | OTA
[Melius has lugged his wares to where Nevermind and the Tower's groups are starting out. Out near the Trenchwood. He's spread out a blanket, offering up healing potions, offering up those that will buff skills, cure diseases. He brought everything he could think of, and is more than willing to trade.]

You... you can pay me back. Later. Just um. Be safe. Out there.

[It's an odd stammering statement from a lizard man. Who is armored in weird, gold-looking armor, with a mace strapped to his side, and a shield at his back.]

B) MUSHROOM COLLECTION | closed to The Mushroom Gang (aka; sasuke, robby and/or paimon)
[Oh this is it.]

[This is his moment.]

[This is his time to shine. For all the panic, all the yelping and shouting over the course of this adventure, Melius suddenly looks focused. Like someone else has stepped into his shoes. Boots. Whatever. As soon as they're faced with the mushrooms...]

Give me the bag. [Wow, he didn't even stammer.] Please.

[He'll step forward. Crouching down in front of the patch of mushrooms, as soon as he's able to. Soon as he has the bag in hand.]

I - I can do it. Please... watch my back.

[He's got this.]

3) wildcard
( or hit him up with another prompt, or a misfire text, or something else! )

A.In Your Heeeaaad

i.

[It's easy to feel unease lately, especially with news about the Blood Crazed Zealots being at large again. But on top of that, there's a lot more plaguing Scorpia's mind.

First, she sees a familiar young girl around. But whenever she tries to find her, to approach her, she's gone. Instead, she comes across a scene of violence. Whether it seems to be a stranger or a friend she knows, Scorpia will be distressed and rush towards the person in an attempt to give them aid!]

No!! [She cries out desperately!]

ii.

[Or find her later on, after she's encountered several cases like this, only for them all to turn out to be fake. She doesn't know what to trust anymore. So she shudders, holding herself with her arms, looking at anyone approaching with frightened, wide eyes. She warily looks towards anyone nearby.]

D-don't come any closer! [If they do, she might have to stun them with her stinger!]

iii.

[Or later on, she's finally heard the phrase and been cured of the visions. Now it's time to spread that message! So she picks herself up and tries to look for anyone else who might be experiencing it. It's only a matter of trying to find such a person and ger close enough to say it!]

B. Toadstool Tour

[Scorpia knows that the Pthumerians can be dangerous, but she can't turn down the offer to help one of them. Not only does it feel like the right thing to do, but it also feels like an opportunity to build a better relationship with some of them. She also can't help but admire the romance of the beings' bond?

In any case, Scorpia gets herself teamed up and sets off to search for that mushroom! She smiles lightly as she looks towards her companion.]

You ready for this? I'm pretty sure I am! I know all the mushrooms that are actually very horrible for you! [With her experience from last year! And now, it's time to set off!]

C. Wildcard

[Feel free to come up with an alternate prompt or hit me up for plotting!

Misfires and other malfunctioning messages from that prompt are also welcome, either here or in her inbox! Scorpia herself will end up mostly sending out videos of her practicing random songs!]

i. a great ranging

[sansa is as nervous as she's ever been in trench; being responsible for her human body and lady in the trenchwood is a lot of worry, and she doesn't feel she can spare s'mores and knight from their duties in town for as long as this trip shall take. she reminds herself that ladies lead armies without the benefits of wolves and hellhounds all the time, and among much worse company. her own lady mother had done, and sansa can surely be as strong as her. besides, she has three weepers in her coinpurse, wrapped securely in treated cloth, along with her cold bloodstone rings, a ball of sturdy twine, the smaller pouch from the tower, another pouch of pale bloodstone to trade (just in case), two tightly folded copies of two family photographs, and a small vial containing one bright amethyst-looking crystal.

she has attached straps to her leather armor vest to accommodate this and her elaborate chatelaine, which holds an obsidian dagger and almost as many magic charms as sewing supplies (lady and vhagar, her two companions for this quest, of course have matching sturdy leather harnesses). she wears this over a long gown of black woolen padding and padded leggings (over woolen smallclothes and socks).

the most notable addition to her person is an elaborate sheepskin over her shoulders that she's shaped to resemble a wolf stole using pieces of pale and dark bloodstone. it is an impressive piece of magical equipment representing several weeks of hard work and absolutely stands out as too fancy for this venture.

under it she wears a thick black woolen coat. sansa grips the sanctuary's magic compass in black leather gloves lined with rabbit fur, trying to muster confidence she doesn't feel.]

We're headed in the right direction. We only have to keep moving.

[winter, the size of an eagle, lands deftly on lady's back.]

Does everyone have everything they need?

[she wildly considers they sing some sort of marching songs, but she's afraid it will attract beasts.]

We can always stop for a moment, and we'll make camp once the sun starts to set.

ii. camping interlude

[once camp has been made, sansa can easily be found around it; surreptitiously sniffing out corruption in hopes of treating it with the magic preserves and jam she's brought along, magically mending any tears in clothes or gear, handing out mushroom jerky, or tending to pots of stew. close cr may remember she retreats into a polite, diplomatic public persona when she's afraid.

vhagar happily stalks the perimeter of camp, all senses alert to the possibility of beasts and other dangers. she will cheerfully accept pets and treats, though winter might swoop down and ask that you save your food for the living animals.]

a. [sansa is tossing strips of dried mushrooms into a boiling pot of stew. her gloves are tucked against her coinpurse, and cold bloodstone bangles hang on each wrist. she smiles at anyone approaching.]

At least we have plenty of rabbits out here for the stew pot. Would you mind tasting it, and telling me how it is?

[it's been padded out with a lot of root vegetables and seaweed and seasoned with a few handfuls of dried herbs.]

b. [it's dark and cold, and people have gathered around a campfire for warmth. vhagar continues her patrols with winter, but sansa sits on a log with lady's head in her lap.]

We could sing songs or tell stories, so long as we're quiet about it.

c. [it's...dawn?? sansa has long retreated inside her tent. lady comes padding back into camp with a pair of large rabbits in her mouth. winter perches on her back, the size of an eagle owl. he looks around.

"Can anybody here skin a rabbit neatly? There's no point letting the pelts go to waste when we can have them cured in Shiver," he says.

sorry, were you sleeping?]

iii. mushroom misadventure

[wildcard for things going wrong or weird on the mushroom trip!!]

Edited 2022-11-16 02:17 (UTC)

I. The Sleeper Farm (last year’s prompt. For more info and specific cw’s, here’s the link (further cw for magic poisoning and mention of sensory deprivation)

[Sheliak knew something was wrong even before he opened his eyes. Everything was too loud instead of the muffled memory he was used to with his magic. The dull vibration of machinery and the metallic smell of blood gave him a nauseating headache and he tried to get up with a groan. He quickly hid his panic behind an indignant glare when he noticed his hands were shackled behind him. The chain that was attached to the wall was just barely long enough to allow him to lie down and he stifled a wince as his body painfully protested him changing positions. He sat up and rested his head against the wall, his eyes flickering with a faint glow as he tried and failed to connect to his magic. That was problematic. His body was already starting to feel hot from too much magic and he closed his eyes with a quiet sigh.]

How long have I been out?

II. Snake troubles

A.)

[Somehow Sheliak escaped from that hellish place and not a moment too soon. He didn’t know where he was but he didn’t have time to worry about that. A raging fever burned through him from the dangerous levels of magic inside him and he weakly stumbled toward the first abandoned building he saw. He would have preferred to hold out until he found a lamp location so he could teleport to his safe corner of the Farther Shores where he placed his slightly disturbing lamp friend, but the frost that gathered on his hands was a clear indication that he couldn’t wait. As he disappeared inside, the house lit up with flashes of lightning, and tendrils of ice branched out from the building in the design of flower petals.

If anyone risked going inside, the walls were scorched and what little furniture there was had been pushed aside and broken by the giant ice rose Sheliak rested inside, his eyes closed as what little energy he had left poured into the ice that crept over him, his body slowly changing into ice wherever it touched.]

B.)

[Or perhaps you arrived later when Sheliak’s frozen statue was consumed by a burst of flame. Lightning danced inside the flames which shrunk down to a small orb before fading away, leaving a small, curled-up creature behind. The creature looked like a snake, if not for the blue crest of fur that ran down its back or its fox-like head. Its scales were white with a very faint blue wave pattern, which gave the illusion of ripples as he lazily uncoiled with a silent yawn. His blue slit eyes were the same blue color as Sheliak’s. The watersnake blinked slowly as he groggily turned to the person who disturbed him.

A friend or an annoyance?]

III. Will you be a friend of mine with a chance of Mushabooming (cw: specific cw’s from link plus paranoia and other corruption symptoms) lmk if you want to play with mushabooming or not in the subject line

[It had been a few days since Sheliak escaped from the sleeper farm. The incident had left him badly shaken, but he did what he always did with troubling thoughts, ignore them, and focus on more important matters. The Tower or Nevermind were not his gods but they were gods nonetheless and it wasn’t his place to deny them his aid. Plus he was getting tired of getting trapped inside warped architecture. He didn’t have much experience with the outdoors, nor did he have the special compass so going alone wasn’t a wise choice and he silently studied his fellow sleepers for potential companions.

People who have been here longer may notice the subtle hints of corruption from the way his sharp gaze would lose its intensity as he lost track of what he was doing. His arms were crossed, and his grip would tighten for a second whenever anyone got too close. His clawed hands were thankfully hidden inside leather gloves. His unnatural eyes already drew too much attention and an angry spark of flame flickered in his eyes which faintly glowed as he blinked away yet another lapse of focus. What was wrong with him? Fine, he will just pick someone and be done with this and he approached someone who was holding the compass he needed with a polite, if a bit insistent smile]

Are you also going into the forest?

IV. Wildcard

[If you are interested in something different feel free to make your own starter or you can plot with me on plurk

Nicholaj, Discord@Nicholaj#7374, or pm, whichever is easier for you. Sheliak is a coldblood and I would love to play with him being obsessed with music if that’s something you are interested in.]

I. A World of Nonsense:

[ It hits not long after she’s saved from the Sleeper Farm, and it hits hard. Kainé can ignore the visions at first, convincing herself that they’re not real. But that’s just the problem, isn’t it? As it begins to worsen, she can’t deny that awful things happen in Trench all the time. If it’s real, she can’t just let people die. She grows jumpy and paranoid, patrolling the warped city to prevent tragedies real and imagined.

As the days roll on, it worsens. Her sense of self had been fragile for a long time, and under the weight of worsening hallucinations and corruption, it feels like something in her soul is fraying. There’s a horrible itch under and on her skin. And as you go about your business, you might see this chalk-pale, red eyed woman rushing towards you with a grim expression, her twin swords drawn as she cuts down the foe that only she can see. ]

Fucking die! Die! Quick, get the fuck out of here!

II. Not Gonna Reach My Telephone:

1. eggs
bread
veggies
fish
oil
condiments or something

2. why the fuck wont you tell me what updog is

3. julia?
is that you?
where are you?

4. i’m scared.
i love you.
come back soon

Edited 2022-11-17 18:44 (UTC)

CW: Blood and Gore

[ The old man approaches the top floor. After losing places of a comrade amidst the chaos, he searches for more fellow Sleepers trapped in the Sleeper Farm. He holds his pistol close. While stepping forward, one can see the black stone altar at the center. Several bloody chunks cling to its surface. Blood pools down the altar and flows into a drain. The old man maneuvers through the room with pistol poised. Although he looks calm, he's covered in blood. ]

Hmm?

[ His eyes catch the silhouette of another. How will you handle being pointed at with a gun? ]

[Lance wasn't really hit by the hallucinations this month, at least the doesn't think so. He already sees stuff, people, horrible flashes of awful shit and it got a little worse, okay a lot worse. Seeing the girl was distinctly different from everything else. He chased her around the corner and then lost her.

So most of the month, he's set out to distract himself, trying not to look at the distorted buildings. The joys of hearing coldbloods, especially Keith sing at random was also great for keeping his mind off of his mental spiral. He didn't check the network or send messages much at all, always too focused in on going one place to the next and sleeping even less than he usually does.

He goes out to Earworm and bars and does hunting patrols almost every night and takes the animals out for exercise and helps locals transport goods and plays guitar at venues, takes more nightwalker jobs at The Red. He's all over the place and almost wishes his place would burn again so he could have something more to work on.

But he doesn't have that and right now he's itching for something but he's done everything. Then he spots Keith diagonally across the street outside of Shiro's house. Another especially bad flash hits him and his breath hitches, he turns his face away. But hey, you know what might help? Getting Keith to sing.

He hops out of the second story window of his place that Sasuke moved here last month, guitar in hand and his paleblood glowing under his skin as it has all month. He strums the instrument loudly. The streets here aren't wide and the properties are small to nonexistent, so though he's across the street, he's close enough that he doesn't need to shout to be heard.]

Hey Mullet Rock! [That's his new nickname while he's got this singing bug this month. Maybe it'll stick. Then he starts playing a particular song.]

It's early morning, the sun comes out
Last night was shaking and pretty loud~

Threaded | Flat

Vi | Arcane

manabu - coldblood - ota