and my heart went 'boom!'

[reddosmod]

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

Comments

[anbaric]

[ well. that could be a problem. the truth or else, is it? fortunately, when it comes to asriel's work, the facts are easy. ]

Not exactly.

[ her revision after the shock hits a lot different than the original statement had, and it takes asriel a second or two longer to shake off the thought of yet another unfortunate coincidence. ]

The Authority preferred to act by proxy. In my world, that was the Magisterium, and they had absolute control over all facets of life, spiritual or otherwise. I spent most of my life fighting that organisation before I realised who the real enemy was.

[fogsong]

It kinda sounds like they both should be toppled but god damn, the Authority? A little on the nose. That just makes me want to rebel against them. [ yes, she is the type of young woman who will do the opposite of what she's been told just to be contrary. it's a curse, really. ]

How'd you realize who the real enemy was? [ she isn't asking just to dig but because she appears genuinely curious, sitting forward in her chair, arms folded now on the table. ]

[anbaric]

Then you understand precisely how I've always felt about it.

[ that gets an actual laugh out of him this time. explaining his work is easy, but asriel hates having to try with anyone who either can't keep up or doesn't want to, so this is at least promising so far. ]

It's a bit of a long story, but I went looking for the source of a particle known as Dust. My work is in experimental theology, you see — that's physics elsewhere — and I had discovered a way to see and measure it finally. I confirmed several critical theories, including finding evidence that multiple worlds were real.

This was profoundly heretical stuff, of course, but that convinced me I needed to find answers. I found a way to travel between worlds and along the way I met an angel called Xaphania. She knew the Authority's secret, which was that he was not the Creator at all, just another angel.

[ and here is where asriel looks unapologetically smug. ]

Angels, incidentally, can be killed.

[fogsong]

[ The talk of Dust and experimental theology holds no meaning for her but her expression twitches with interest when he speaks of multiple worlds and angels and her lips twist up in the ghost of a grin when he mentions they can be killed. ]

And how do you kill an angel? [ She's almost hungry for the answer, leaning into the table. ]

[anbaric]

[ it's nice to have someone finally show his work the appreciation it deserves, which was something always sorely lacking from just about everyone else he'd known before. asriel has forgiven his earlier irritation on that alone. ]

Angels are made of Dust, you see, and so are our daemons. I had already learned how to manipulate the daemon bond for power and to travel between worlds as they do, so it was a natural progression in a time of war to learn how to weaponise it.

You can break them down, so they are no longer able to maintain solid form and so they scatter as untethered particles in the wind. Because they are Dust, they can be similarly transported across physical distances as my Intention Craft can if you have the means.

[ he realises the "means" in this case would probably take him off on a useless tangent, so he leaves it at that. ]

At one point, I also tore one apart and blasted him back to his master to deliver a message.

[ yep, not sorry. ]

[fogsong]

[ so much of what he says is difficult for her to well and truly comprehend beyond the most basic of understanding. but what she does understand, she's enraptured by, drawn forward like a child during an exceptionally interesting storytime.

he found a way to tear angels apart. she doesn't know if angels exist in her world, if even god truly exists, but she knows if they did she'd want them all to burn. to become dust in the wind. she laughs under her breath at his final statement. he should never be sorry for such badassery. ]

That's cool as fuck. [ she says brazenly and then, with a glimmer of something mischievous in her eyes, follows it up with: ] What are your thoughts on the patrons?

[anbaric]

[ that actually gets a genuine laugh out of him. people have a more old-fashioned way of speaking where he comes from, but the vibes are universal, and he appreciates them. no doubt he's willing to answer the next question as well. ]

They overreach.

[ he gestures to the room they're in. ]

Clearly. Some people say this is their world, and we should simply live here quietly and deal with being at the mercy of their whims, but that's not exactly true, is it? As I hear it, the Patrons and all the rest are an occupying force.

Just because the world has been one way for a long time doesn't mean it should stay that way, especially if it were never meant to be that way in the first place.

[fogsong]

Thank you! [ The words are more of a 'you get it' rather than true gratitude ] Even if this were their world, made by them for them, why should we just sit by and let them do awful things to us? Like we're dolls to be posed and twisted for their own amusement? [ It's evident she has some... feelings regarding the Patrons. ]

And it's every month. [ Her voice edges on shrill, her anger obvious, but she dials it back quickly, lowering her voice. ] Frankly, I'm fucking tired of it and I'm surprised at how many people are just... fine with this. So many people just accept it. [ ...she definitely judges people for it ]

I think things need to change.

[anbaric]

[ asriel is already nodding his agreement even before she finishes, his smile tight-lipped. he understands that anger very well. ]

You're right. Things do need to change.

No one can seem to agree on why they keep doing it, either. I suspect it won't be popular, but I intend to find a solution. I didn't agree to be anyone else's project. I'll not stand for it.

[ he's had enough of that for one lifetime. ]

[fogsong]

No, it won't be popular. At all. [ he doesn't need her to sugarcoat anything. she's been here long enough to know how most sleepers feel. ] If there's anything I can do to help, let me know. I want to find a solution to all of this. I'm tired of being manipulated and used by beings that think they have a right to me.