deercountry | and my heart went 'boom!'

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. ]

[NAVIGATION]

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

[JUMP TO COMMENTS]

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.

[JUMP TO TOP] • [JUMP TO COMMENTS]

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!

[JUMP TO TOP] • [JUMP TO COMMENTS]

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.

[JUMP TO TOP]

CODING

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ One of the creatures lashes out at her and Sharon manages to send it hurling back away from her telekinetically as she reaches for her gun, now buried in the snow. She fumbles with it again but manages to get a grip on it, aim, and fire a bullet at the creature. It dodges out of the way with ease and she curses, moving to Luz's side as the two remaining creatures attempt to flank them. ]

[Luz, meanwhile, is already going for another glyph. She opts for the plant glyph this time, and the vines push out of the ground with force and pin down the monsters. The shock (and strength of it) was enough to keep them entangled a while, and now they can at least concentrate on the one that got away.

Luz aims her next glyph in his direction and the ground is just a sheet of ice, enough for them to lose their footing and give Sharon a chance to get another shot].

[ One of the creatures falls, tangled in the vines, and Sharon doesn't waste a moment to set it afire. It screeches out and tries to struggle away but the vines are too tight and the fire is too hot and fast and the sounds soon die out with a keening whine. As the one burns, Sharon fires several rounds at the other creature. The bullets rip right through and the snow gets spattered with the dark, familiar shadow of beast blood. ]

[Luz really ought to be scandalized by all of this bloodshed, but at this point she was used to it. What DID concern her was making sure that none of the monsters were fast enough to hurt her friend, and it looked as if, for right now, Sharon had a handle on things].

Need any help?

I'm good, Luz, thanks for... well, I'd probably have gotten hit if you hadn't been here. [ She answers as she returns her handgun to her holster. Her ego is a touch bruised but no injuries. ]

Mind walking home with me?

Don't even mention it! We're here for each other, right? Just make sure you have my back if I'm ever in a predicament like that!

You got it! I'll even keep a few light glyphs lit up so we're not jumped by surprise!

Always. [ The answer is instantaneous and doubtless. She begins to lead the way to the cottage, keeping an easy pace. ]

I'm hoping that's the last of the beasts we'll see but... I've been seeing so many of them lately, even in Crenshaw of all districts. [ They've been slipping through patrols. ]

[Luz couldn't help but smile there. Yup, she could always count on Sharon].

Don't worry about beasts. I've...had my share of dealing with some pretty crazy monsters, in Deerington, here AND the Boiling Isles.

And nothing scares me as much as that Revenant anyway.

Revenant? [ Sharon asks, thinking back to the monsters they'd encountered together in the Otherworld, wondering idly if that was what she'd named one of the creatures. She's moving carefully through the snow, slower than she would under more normal circumstances. ]

That thing from Wesker's world. It was...not something I want to think about. Really big, fast, and very, very strong.

I think it took me out in seconds, the moment it had me caught. Worst few seconds of my life.

Took you out, you mean... [ Her voice gets tangled in her throat. It's weird to understand that death is a limited experience for them as Sleepers here; just a few hours, some a few days, and then they're back. But the knowledge bothers her. It makes her chest feel tight with the cold edge of panic. ]

Was it the one my mom told me about? I remember she fought something from Wesker's world with him once, maybe back when the portals were around?

Yeah. Took me out. Literally. Totally RUINED my spotless record too of not dying in Deerington too. It wasn't for lack of trying on Deerington's part either.

It was. Your mom was there. She saw it happen.

[Luz looked incredibly guilty about that though].

Yeah, I... I remember how upset she'd been. She didn't really talk about it but she started carrying a weapon more after that. [ The whole encounter had Rose shaken for some time and affected her long after. She started to have her dove omen stay with Sharon whenever she left home. ]

I never got to fully apologize to her when that happened.

[It must have been pretty traumatic for Rose, and of course Luz would slightly downplay her dying, if only because the eventual result of that was meeting Lexi, which was start of things getting a LOT better].

I'm guessing you always carry a weapon around yourself too?

Come on, we both know Rose wouldn't let you apologize for something like that. [ if anything, rose would beat herself up over luz's death. ]

Always. [ she confirms ] I used to only carry a knife but since I started training with D, I've gotten into the habit of carrying a variety of weapons on me. [ she pats her hip where the knife and gun sit, snug in their holsters, along with a variety of dark vials filled with strange liquids or powders. ] D's gotten me used to a spear now, too, but that can be cumbersome to carry out into town.

I'd still try.

[Luz knew herself enough that she hated to be a nuisance to other people even if they told her she wasn't. That was just one of those things about her she couldn't really shake].

Ah, so you know that guy D too. I haven't met him yet, but someone I know, Vi, she speaks pretty highly of him.

Oh yeah, I can see why. Spear's aren't collapsible, after all.

[Personally, if she had to choose a weapon, she'd go for anything that wasn't a gun. She just didn't like how easy it was to get hurt with those things. Granted, Sharon favored those, and Luz wasn't going to mention her aversion to them anytime soon].

What are those vials for?

[ The mention of Vi gets a grin out of Sharon. She knows all about Vi's attraction to her mentor and they often giggle over him. ]

A variety of things. This one [ she taps the darkest one of the bunch ] is just full of Vileblood. I mostly use it to poison my knife but it's also a damn good numbing agent when you've been hit too hard. [ she taps the next vial ] This one can draw in beasts if I spill it. The one next to that is an oil I can ignite and turn into a Molotov.

[ She looks down a moment as if trying to figure out what was next in the line but she must've gotten too confident in her movements because next thing she knows slips on something beneath the snow and falls on her ass with a thwump. ]

[Luz had inferred that too, but she was sure that was going to be something Vi was going to have to deal with along with a lot of other things too, specifically with Jinx].

Ooo. Those are all good ideas. I don't know why I've never thought about carrying vials myself. Guess I'd first have to start in knowing how to get them all though.

[Oops. Man, this bad luck was NOT going to be a good thing for Sharon to just grin and bear, not with all the stuff she had to deal with AND monsters were following her].

I think we might wanna put a stop to this bad luck first though, before you get hurt for real.

[ she groans from her spot in the snow, laying back for a moment to catch her temper and hold it still. she could almost cry if she didn't want to scream until her throat bled. ]

How do we stop bad luck? [ she asks as she finally moves to stand, using luz to help steady herself. ] You know any fancy spells?

[Luz plopped down on the snow next to her, because of course she did, she was Luz, and gently rubbed her friend's back].

I had to deal with this earlier with someone else, actually. There's a charm, a rose, a bit of blood, and burned ashes. So...I'd say a low three on a Trench intensity scale.

[ Some of her tension fades as Luz rubs at her back. Truth be told, she's relishing being touched right now and leans back into it. ]

And you really think that will get rid of this bad luck for me? [ Doubt but... it is Trench. This place thrives on strange ritual. ]

[At that Luz heaved a sigh of relief. People all had different reactions to being touched, and while Luz wanted to be respectful, the truth was that touch was one of the best ways Luz showed affection. She was glad to see Sharon visibly relax a little].

It's actually how a LOT of things are resolved on Trench, truth be told. For some reason, it's about seventy percent ritual and thirty percent blood.

[ Truthfully, Sharon hates to be touched by most people on most days but this month has her craving it. Even the slightest of touches made her feel a strange sense of comfort and ease. ]

You'd think I'd be less annoyed by that after a year here and yet it's still somehow just as fucking annoying.

[And that was exactly what Luz thought might be the case, so normally, she wouldn't want to step in Sharon's personal space. Right now happened to be a time she thought Sharon might need it though].

Trust me, it gets old when you've been in another place the same amount of time. Let's just be grateful for the small inconveniences though. Sometimes things cane get REALLY bad.

I know. [ It still doesn't stop her from feeling an overwhelming sense of frustration but she swallows it. Finally, she begins to pull herself to her feet, helping Luz up as well. ]

So, you said roses and blood, right? [ Roses. It was roses in the other Trench too. ] Good thing they're growing everywhere right now.

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