reddosmod: (Default)
Deer Country Mod ([personal profile] reddosmod) wrote in [community profile] deercountry2023-02-08 06:25 pm

and my heart went 'boom!'

FEBRUARY 2023 EVENT
Due to the cyclical nature of Trench, prompts from the PREVIOUS FEBRUARY are available for use again. Please note when you are using this years prompts vs last years prompts when plotting or writing top-levels to avoid confusion.

IMAGE DESCRIPTORS IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE

Prompt One
[Image One: A broken mirror with a woman looking into it, pressing her fingers against the glass. ]
[Image Two: A rose lit up like embers. ]

Prompt Two
[Image One: Neon hearts glowing on a wall. ]
[Image Two: A pocket watch on top of a book page. ]

Prompt Three
[Image One: A young woman with dark hair standing in the snow with red flowers. ]
[Image Two: Footprints in the snow. ]

BAD LUCK OF THE EARLY WORM
WHEN: February
WHERE: All around the city
CONTENT WARNINGS: Curses, violence, danger, misfortune


Everyone has their own streak of bad times. There are some days or weeks whre it feels like nothing is going right. Most people would try and tell say that it's just the tendency to focus on the negative. That it can be relieved by writing down all the good things that happen in our lives, because we have a tendency to only ever focus on the bad. And maybe most of the time, people are right! Maybe the idea of luck really is just perspective.

But not in Trench. Not this month.

No matter what way it's looked at, bad luck seems to be clinging to some people. It might start out small, with simple things like knocking over a favorite drink or snack, or ruining a project that had hours invested into it. Then it might become bigger. A person might start to trip over things and injuring themselves, they might get lost in a blizzard and nearly freeze before finding their way home or to someone they know. Eventually, it could even become undeniably dangerous. The person impacted by bad luck could start to notice corruption levels rising quickly, they could start to turn into a beast at random, they could start to attract violent beasts to them and put themselves or others at risk with heavy battles. The possibilities seem to be endless and none of them are good. Did someone break a mirror? Or twenty?

It will be easy to see that this isn't just impacting one person. Sleepers and Trenchies alike seem to be being plagued by streaks of bad luck across the board. Luckily, the locals seem to know what to do about it. Bad luck pops up from time to time, and of course there would be a ritual to help cleanse it.

Small vendors will start to pop up through the city selling wooden carvings that they promise will absorb all the bad luck that's been going around and dispell it with a simple ritual. A drop of blood from the person impacted and a drop of blood from someone they are close should be placed upon the carving. The blood types of the persons involved should not match (i.e. Coldblood/Coldblood would not work, but Coldblood/Warmblood would). It must be left to soak into the wood overnight, leaving behind deep red stains. The carving must then be placed with a fully bloomed rose and burned in the entrance doorway to the home of the inflicted. The ashes should then be placed into a container and kept somewhere in the home for the duration of February, to make sure that the bad luck stays away.

It seems like it really works! The tricky part is making sure that the bad luck following doesn't get in the way of the ritual while the blood is soaking over night. It may be best for both parties involved to hunker down together until morning, just in case. Time to break out the small talk. Or the deep, meaningful conversations that can sometimes happen in the middle of the night.

GETTING TO KNOW ALL ABOUT YOU
WHEN: February
WHERE: A magic room in the city.
CONTENT WARNINGS: Reference to mild shocks. Forced honesty. Embarrassment. Lots and lots of embarrassment.


Honestly, after being in Trench for so long, people should be used to not ending up in the destination they initially intended for. This month, it seems like the city is trying to encourage people to social, to form new bonds, whether they're romantic, platonic, familial, or any other option one could think of. The bright idea this month for that sort of thing?

Speed dating.

It's not traditional speed dating, necessarily. No one is here to exclusively seek romantic partners, although there are certainly options for it. And it's not something people are signing up for out of their own free will. Instead, people seem to simply show up at the event, with no real recollection of how they got there. Maybe they just woke up on one of the comfy couches and found a "Hi, my name is..." sticker slapped on them. Or maybe they were wandering in the snow and got lost, ending up finding shelter in this strange place, and are now forced to participate until the blizzard passes. All in all, it's harmless fun, isn't it? Who doesn't need a few new friends.

Each person will have a small information blurb given about them that can't be seen by the naked eye, but will appear as soon as someone looks at the other party through their omni. What the blurb says is unique to each person, but it might become clear pretty quickly that they didn't write it themselves... Deerington survivors may find themselves having flashbacks to the days of DeerlyBeloved.

Pairings are completely random. People will be given a series of random questions they can ask one another or they can always feel free to make up their own. Anyone who tries to lie or avoid answering a question might feel a small shock from the chair they're sitting in, one that gets stronger with every lie they tell. The after effects of the shock seem to encourage the need to answer the question with full transparency. It's important to tell the truth when getting to know someone, after all.

After five minutes, both parties can either press a button beside their chair to continue talking to the person they're paired with, or they can move on to the next pairing. Both parties have to press the button in order to stay where they are.

Have fun and remember to always be honest!

LONELY HEARTS CLUB
WHEN: February
WHERE: Trenchwood and throughout the city.
CONTENT WARNINGS: Violence, abuse of power, jealousy, possession, supernatural events, possible death from elemental exposure


There's a tale that comes up around this time of year, one that seems to be an old favorite in Trench. Long ago, in the heart of a blizzard, a young woman was found wandering in Trenchwood. She wore only thin fabrics to keep herself warm and had no shoes. Her skin felt cold as ice. The Hunters who found her quickly brought her into town, giving her shelter in a local in to try and get her warm. She stayed for many nights and it didn't take long for the inn keeper to fall in love with her. But she did not seem to return to his feelings and so he was heartbroken and jealous of all the other men who gave her attention. He demanded she offer him something in trade for her stay and when she could offer nothing, he threw her back out into the snow. The woman went back to the woods and some could hear her howling in anguish, carried through on the strong winds of the blizzard. The Hunters tried to find her, following her cries, but they were unable to, and had to return home before they too might freeze to death. The innkeeper was shunned from the town and forced to leave the city for his cruelty, but nothing stopped the howls of the snow woman.

Throughout the month of February, people will start to hear that the sound of the wind blowing strongly through the streets is starting to sound a little more human-like. The woman's cries will be heard in empty alleys, will be loudest near the edge of the woods, and can even penetrate into dreams. The cries might sometimes sound like cries for help, begging for someone to help save her from the cold. There will be a compulsion that sets deep into the bones of some and many will find it hard to resist her call. Eventually, they may even go looking for her in the woods, trying to brave the winter storms to help the lost snow woman.

Those who give in to that temptation will eventually find the snow woman, but she will not be friendly when found. Her skin has turned a pale white, her lips blue, her eyes glowing a bright red, her long hair blowing every which way in the wind. She will rush at whoever she sees, but instead of giving a physical blow to guard against, she will go through any solid objects and latch on to the soul of her target, possessing their bodies. Male or female, it doesn't seem to matter, she simply wants a chance at life again.

Those who are possessed by the snow woman will not realize they are possessed. They will forget why it was they came out into the woods looking for and will return to the city in a daze. As time passes, they will find that they become irritated by any signs of affection, will become physically aggressive towards couples they see around them, and will attack those who care about them most. The spirit does not necessarily hate love: instead, they see affection as a possible risk for all those who love others. Jealousy kills and she wants to save everyone around her from it, as well as keeping herself safe from losing this new chance at life.

Signs of possession outside of the aggression can be noticed by others. The possessed person will have: ice cold skin, blue-tinged lips, they might shiver even when inside where it's warm, and an aversion to fire or warm/hot water.

Information on how to banish the snow woman from another's body can be found in a book of local legends. This book is sold in stores or can be found in the Archives. To save someone from the snow woman, people must tell the possessed person the things they love most about them. It will cause the possessed person to react violently, so it is suggested that they be restrained during the process. The longer they are forced to hear the positive messages about love, the feelings that they can stir up in another (whether platonic or romantic), and the safety that can be found in that love, the more weakened the hold from the snow woman will be. When the possessed person eventually stops struggling, a cut must be made on the back of their neck, before a cloth soaked in warm rose water must be placed on top of the wound. Their skin will begin to steam before a large gust of snow will pour from their mouth, swirling around the room, and smash through the window. It's suggested to leave it open if you'd like to save the glass.

CODING
payingfordeliverance: (Smile: Cutest of all)

[personal profile] payingfordeliverance 2023-02-14 07:31 am (UTC)(link)
[At this, Break finally perks up, apparently considering the situation salvaged.]

Excellent, excellent! And of course someone with a proper appreciation for tea will have better suggestions for me than "okay, but consider: spicy cheese nacho macaron".

[Break's imitation of the pleasant rasp under Qrow's voice is not perfect but it gets the point across.]
manyone: (053 »)

[personal profile] manyone 2023-02-16 04:06 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Beatrice's nose wrinkles. ]

Spicy cheese naco macaron?

[ There's a slight curl of her lip, either in distaste or amusement. Maybe both. ]

Have you considered divorce?
payingfordeliverance: (Smile: OvO)

[personal profile] payingfordeliverance 2023-02-16 04:43 pm (UTC)(link)
[Break is not authorized to forgive Beatrice for her sins, and only tolerates her fondness for torture because he supposes she can't help being somebody's personal revenge fantasy manifest to deliver some sort of twisted justice.

However, he will forgive her for a whole lot of other stuff based on this reaction alone. He smiles, appeased and pleasantly earnest.]


…why does everyone believe we are already married?
manyone: (037 »)

[personal profile] manyone 2023-02-17 04:17 pm (UTC)(link)
[ This is why she likes you, Break! You understand the things that are important in life! ]

It's just the sort of air you have around you! Like you've been together forever for years and years! All lovey-dovey and having silly tiffs.

[ She laughs. ]

It's also funny to me that Ange and Ruby tied the knot before you did.
payingfordeliverance: (Smile: I might accidentally kill you)

[personal profile] payingfordeliverance 2023-02-17 06:23 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, that's because we're soulmates bound together across dimensions or something really foul like that. We've already got everything we need in one another, and at our age having a wedding about it really just sounds like work, you know?

[He somehow manages to flap a hand at her, flippantly, but secretly Break is very pleased with her assessment. Of the two of them, he definitely has the greater romantic streak. And while he means it when he says he couldn’t give less of a crap about making it official in the eyes of other people, he does have it in his head that he and Qrow were meant to be somehow, and the idea that they're so natural together that people might just assume makes him happy.]

Come along, then, Lady Beatrice. I'd better take advantage of this helpful mood while you're in it. Have a care; my house is haunted.
manyone: (107 »)

[personal profile] manyone 2023-02-19 11:45 pm (UTC)(link)
It's absolutely romantic. I adore such things.

[ Beatrice's smile is genuine and warm. For all her sins and horridness, she really is a romantic deep down. Seeing others happy can make her happy. Sometimes. ]

Of course, of course! As someone who used to haunt a house, I've no worry whatsoever!
payingfordeliverance: (Smile: Tea party on my head)

[personal profile] payingfordeliverance 2023-02-21 01:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Mm, it's been good fun. One doesn't really expect to find such simply pleasant things for oneself after becoming all worn out and dead.

[In a far better mood than he was this morning, having escaped the Chocolatier and acquired a guinea pig who may have dubious morals but at least knows her way around a macaron, off Break goes through the lamp, trusting that Beatrice will grab onto his coat or his elbow quickly enough to follow.

To the surprise of absolutely no one, once they have warped through to the house, the lamp friend who greets them with a cheerful moan is wearing a little top hat and a cravat.]


If it's not too forward to ask, were you a proper ghost yourself back then, or is haunting simply a witchy sort of hobby as well? I've often thought it might be fun to haunt somebody properly, really make a mess.
manyone: (036 »)

[personal profile] manyone 2023-02-24 01:04 am (UTC)(link)
It was more of a witch thing than a ghost thing...

[ Beatrice sounds considerate as she steps into the house, arms full of groceries. ]

I liked to wander around the house and play little pranks on people who might offend me. There was a room on the upper floor that was mine, for instance.

[ Kihihi. Simpler times, those... ]

Mm! I never really got to do it properly. Not before everything got truly messy with all the murders.
payingfordeliverance: (Smile: This little one)

[personal profile] payingfordeliverance 2023-03-12 07:09 pm (UTC)(link)
...the murders, yes.

[Break is a good actor, but not enough of one to disguise the way he trips over that, a little. But the look he turns on Beatrice as they head down the hallway isn't judgmental or angry, so much as clever and curious. The murders happened and the witch is here and there's nothing to be done about either of those things. Since that's the case, and since she's more an ally than she isn't, he has no reason not to just set all the other stuff aside and be nosy.]

Your "little pranks", were they a part of the larger story? Rather...mm, how to put it. [He turns away, but most of his attention remains on Beatrice.] From what I've heard of the scale of it all, I can't imagine "all the murders" were anything that happened on a whim one day, out of the blue. Those feelings must have accumulated slowly over time, right?

[A brief pause.]

I'm aware that the grandfather deserved it, for instance.
manyone: (013 »)

[personal profile] manyone 2023-03-13 09:15 pm (UTC)(link)
It wasn't as if keys going missing or dolls speaking was anything sinister, was it? Just amusement.

[ Beatrice isn't delusional enough to think that those close to Ange think what she did was anything but monstrous. She knwos that she's a terrible Witch, cursed to be hated and despised. So she smiles. ]

It took time, of course. The slow drip-drip-drip of their sins filled the cup they were to drink of eventually but surely. The little lies and hatreds, the greed and envy. Hm.

[ A soft snort. ]

Of course he deserved it. A greedy, venal little man. Self-obsessed, unable to move beyond losing the one other person in the world he thought he loved. That wasn't love, but obsession. An obsession that only hurt his family in ways that are difficult to hear.

[ If break wants answers, he will have to ask directly. She's not going to do anything but answer with little riddles. ]
Edited 2023-03-13 21:15 (UTC)
payingfordeliverance: (Pensive: Food for thought)

[personal profile] payingfordeliverance 2023-03-25 11:14 pm (UTC)(link)
[Break doesn't need answers. He knows. Sayo spilled the relevant details to Qrow in a drunken fit once, and of course the other man had marched himself straight to Break to discuss the matter because good gravy, that was some shit. As he so often does, Break has quietly sat on this information, waiting to see what might come of having it in the future.

And now he is having the Endless Golden Witch over for macarons, so here we are.]


A loyalty too sharp can become a blade, and pierce the very thing held most dear. [He says it as though he's reciting a mantra, as cryptic as she.] How wretched that learning such a lesson always comes with victims, if it's a lesson learned at all.
manyone: (022 »)

[personal profile] manyone 2023-03-29 05:13 pm (UTC)(link)
I doubt anyone learned from it who didn't die of it.

[ Beatrice says it with not a little bitterness and self-satisfaction. They died, they suffered, and for that she is happy. Even if her crimes were horrible, she cannot find it within herself to feel remorse. She simply wasn't created capable of feeling it for the crimes committed against Ushiromiya. The justice she exacted, she might even says. ]

Still, this is rather grim talk for delicious macarons!