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deercountry2023-07-08 10:40 pm
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Entry tags:
oh we never know where life will take us
FINAL EVENT
A TIME TO LEAVE
A REASON TO STAY
CODING
Due to the cyclical nature of Trench, prompts from the PREVIOUS JULY 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 sea split in two. ]
[Image Two: Two hands reaching for each other across a map. ]
Prompt Two
[Image One: A person standing on a foggy cliff. ]
[Image Two: A compass. ]
Prompt One
[Image One: A sea split in two. ]
[Image Two: Two hands reaching for each other across a map. ]
Prompt Two
[Image One: A person standing on a foggy cliff. ]
[Image Two: A compass. ]
WHEN: GOING FORWARD
WHERE: ALL OF TRENCH; THE OCEAN
CONTENT WARNINGS: N/A
WHERE: ALL OF TRENCH; THE OCEAN
CONTENT WARNINGS: N/A
Without a magic tie stay to the city, the question that hangs in the air is... What keeps you here? It's a question that some might find easier to answer than others, and one that some might not have an answer to at all. Maybe the item you receievd from the Reckoning doesn't feel authentic in its promises. Perhaps people are still unsure that they can truly, safely leave. After all, the city and the magic that has influenced it over the years haven't exactly made themselves trustworthy.
But all things come to an end eventually, don't they? There's a peace that might come over some Sleepers when they realize that it's finally time to depart. An acceptance that everything will be okay. The people you love in Trench will always be there and now you hold in your posession something that can always bring you back to them. Something that will tie you to the life you've known here, the one you built month after month as you laughed, cried, suffered, and rejoiced with those around you. You will never have to truly let it all go.
At the beginning of her reigning month, the Reckoning can be seen down by the waters. She lifts her blade high, before swinging it down into ocean, just as she did before. The waters part, sending a clear path between them, allowing for a way to the gates between worlds for those who do not wish to make the journey in their squid forms. It is a long path, a steep hill that goes deep into the depths. But the water never seems as though it will come crashing in. The creatures that swim in the ocean seem to understand the need to turn around when they get to the wall. It makes for quite the view while you make your journey.
Friends can join you on your walk. At the end of the long path, there's an entrance to what looks like a cave. There's a warmth that comes from it, a familiarity, and you know this is the way home. Your companions can no longer be by your side after this, unless you are both from the same world and the same time. This is where you can say your truly final goodbyes. No matter how hard they may be, you know the time is right.
Safe travels, Sleeper. We hope to see you again soon.
But all things come to an end eventually, don't they? There's a peace that might come over some Sleepers when they realize that it's finally time to depart. An acceptance that everything will be okay. The people you love in Trench will always be there and now you hold in your posession something that can always bring you back to them. Something that will tie you to the life you've known here, the one you built month after month as you laughed, cried, suffered, and rejoiced with those around you. You will never have to truly let it all go.
At the beginning of her reigning month, the Reckoning can be seen down by the waters. She lifts her blade high, before swinging it down into ocean, just as she did before. The waters part, sending a clear path between them, allowing for a way to the gates between worlds for those who do not wish to make the journey in their squid forms. It is a long path, a steep hill that goes deep into the depths. But the water never seems as though it will come crashing in. The creatures that swim in the ocean seem to understand the need to turn around when they get to the wall. It makes for quite the view while you make your journey.
Friends can join you on your walk. At the end of the long path, there's an entrance to what looks like a cave. There's a warmth that comes from it, a familiarity, and you know this is the way home. Your companions can no longer be by your side after this, unless you are both from the same world and the same time. This is where you can say your truly final goodbyes. No matter how hard they may be, you know the time is right.
Safe travels, Sleeper. We hope to see you again soon.
WHEN: GOING FORWARD
WHERE: ALL OF TRENCH AND BEYOND
CONTENT WARNINGS: N/A
WHERE: ALL OF TRENCH AND BEYOND
CONTENT WARNINGS: N/A
For every person who could not answer their question on staying, there will be just as many who can likely think of a few reasons to stick around, even if only for a little longer. There is no compulsion to stick to any city, any safespot created by humans or Pthumerians. Same as for those who have chosen to leave for home, you who stay can now feel free to choose to leave for the open world. Perhaps you will choose one of the new settlements that have been offered to Sleepers through the Pthumerians. Or, perhaps, you will choose to reject the safety and venture out into the great unknown.
Those who choose to venture outside of Trench will find that the strange happenings, the "events" that have plagued Sleepers since their arrival, sometimes do breech the borders of the city. Not all, particularly not those tied to the Tower or cults within Trench, but some. It seems much of the horror this world has inflicted seems to come from the magic in its very soil rather than from the Pthumerians themselves. New horrors will await as well, ones you can only hope you are prepared to face in unknown surroundings. There's a reason it's always been best to travel this world in groups rather than trying to go at it all by yourself.
Leaving the barriers will no longer cause immediate corruption or beasthood, but levels will rise faster than when you are in an established city with multiple people around you. Be sure to use as much precaution and bring as many preventatives with you as possible. Gifts from Pthumerians, someone who is willing to provide physcial contact, or anything else you have discovered eases the mental anguish is invaluable now.
The world outside of Trench is mostly wild. Miles and miles of beaches, woods, and about 250 miles south of Trench, there's even a full desert. There are other signs of abandoned cities all around the country, broken down churches and temples, small villages that looked like they may have once belonged to various settlers. There are some towns that are still populated, though it seems that their number of citizens are far, far fewer than Trench, and they seem to have their own set of Pthumerians that protect them from the outside world. These towns are welcoming, though, even if the closest one to Trench is nearly two weeks of travel for the average adventurer. You can fly to these places if you have the ability to fly and you may use any sort of speed bursts you have to your advantage to cut the time. Lamps may also now be established anywhere in the world, making journeying outward that much more convenient for all who choose to stay.
Enjoy your adventures and happy exploring.
Those who choose to venture outside of Trench will find that the strange happenings, the "events" that have plagued Sleepers since their arrival, sometimes do breech the borders of the city. Not all, particularly not those tied to the Tower or cults within Trench, but some. It seems much of the horror this world has inflicted seems to come from the magic in its very soil rather than from the Pthumerians themselves. New horrors will await as well, ones you can only hope you are prepared to face in unknown surroundings. There's a reason it's always been best to travel this world in groups rather than trying to go at it all by yourself.
Leaving the barriers will no longer cause immediate corruption or beasthood, but levels will rise faster than when you are in an established city with multiple people around you. Be sure to use as much precaution and bring as many preventatives with you as possible. Gifts from Pthumerians, someone who is willing to provide physcial contact, or anything else you have discovered eases the mental anguish is invaluable now.
The world outside of Trench is mostly wild. Miles and miles of beaches, woods, and about 250 miles south of Trench, there's even a full desert. There are other signs of abandoned cities all around the country, broken down churches and temples, small villages that looked like they may have once belonged to various settlers. There are some towns that are still populated, though it seems that their number of citizens are far, far fewer than Trench, and they seem to have their own set of Pthumerians that protect them from the outside world. These towns are welcoming, though, even if the closest one to Trench is nearly two weeks of travel for the average adventurer. You can fly to these places if you have the ability to fly and you may use any sort of speed bursts you have to your advantage to cut the time. Lamps may also now be established anywhere in the world, making journeying outward that much more convenient for all who choose to stay.
Enjoy your adventures and happy exploring.
Michael | OTA
There's a little more for Michael to wrap up in Trench than there was in Deerington. By the end of the dream, there wasn't much left there at all. But it's still a little bittersweet. He doesn't have as many friends left here anymore, but that only makes the ones who do remain all the more valuable. At least this time he hasn't accidentally murdered any children? That's a plus?
In the city, The Garb Place is having a clearance sale. Everything's gotta go! Michael is taking advantage of the decent weather to roll racks of clothes, bolts of fabric, and display cases full of accessories into the street.]
Hey! You want something! You don't really need to pay me, I'm not going to be needed money much longer. Well, I guess I could give it away...
[Maybe he will be demanding payment actually!
Once the shop is dealt with, Michael locks the door to his house - Amara's house, even still - behind him and takes off. Eleanor Junior is at his side. Last time, he didn't bring her with, but that was when everything had seemed but a figment of a dream. Now, she's definitely real. He can't just abandon her. Going to the afterlife only means one thing, for a living being...but what else can he do?
He seems a little pensive as he walks along the beach towards the final path out. Transitions, goodbyes...always weird, for a being like him.]
The Garb Place
A look around told her the kind of sale it was. It was a tiny bit sad. she did, after all, occasionally chat with Michael, but she wasn't judging or upset. She'd do fine. Stopping over and looking over some of the better pink scarfs, she glanced around for the proprietor and gave him a wave. Hey, she could absolutely patron his shop one last time before the end.]
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[He weaves over to come chat!]
You gonna be sticking around here? Can't imagine anyone's buying new stuff to carry back home...
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I'm just the sort to spend their last smelt on a perfect outfit to leave in.
But you guessed right, and I'm planning to stick around for the duration.
"Other Me" has a good thing going, but I'm fine as is.
You heading back?
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[He shrugs. If the other him is really a proper double, he'd agree. If not, all the more reason to head back.]
I'll probably still drop by sometimes, since we can go back and forth. But I'm not gonna be needing a store anymore. Guess I'll keep the house, though - I don't want some strangers just up and moving in.
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The Beach
[Vira-Lorr was on the beach when he came by. She had a few people to wish well on the way to their homes, and this seemed, more than anything else, like the best place to do it unless they had specific places they wanted to meet. In Michael's case? She was glad to see him there.
Getting to her feet, she winked and put her hands behind her back.]
So, it's time to say goodbye for now, is it?
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[He does seem a bit more upbeat than when they last discussed the matter, even if the fact that it's a goodbye at all is still painful.]
I've got stuff to do, but it's on immortal time. I can easily take days or weeks off for whatever. Maybe do a little paperwork here.
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[She was chuckling a little bit as she said it. She didn't really want to say goodbye, but she also had enough time that she could appreciate his perspective and had ample time to see him again and again.]
There's always going to be space here for you, you know. I might not be staying by the beach as much these days, but you do promise to let me know whenever you come to visit, I should hope.
That way, this really is more ... see you later than a goodbye for good.
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Luz is here on the beach. She can feel the shift of things in the air, and knows she has to prepare for some of her friends to make the decision to move on from here. That was sad, but to be expected. There was no telling what one person's plans were, and if she had learned anything from the Doctor, it was that time wasn't a fixed place.
It fluctuated, and sometimes? It brought people back to you. You just had to be ready to weather when they went their own way.
"Where are you off to?"
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He waves a hand dramatically, tone a little dry. He likes his home well enough; he's in a much better position now than he's ever been before! Still, the mystique of the Good Place has long since worn off. It's probably for the best. Putting things - places, people, systems - on pedestals is never a good thing.
"How about you?" he asks. He knows a fair amount of people are staying, so he isn't making too many assumptions about who's going where.
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Luz had picked up enough from her conversations with Michael about what he did back where he was from. It was proof enough that there was always something OUT there, whether G(g)od or a Titan or some entity struggling to keep things in check. It was one of the reasons that she preferred thinking in terms just helping people.
"I'm staying! Gonna probably go beyond here, though. There's a lot more to explore now, and I want to help establish some lamps where I can. Other places are probably going to need help, and I want to make sure we're there to lend a hand!"
It at least helped she had several ways to get to far away places, but it would be much easier with lamps set up.
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anakin skywalker | ota
His other possessions he's accrued in his time here have been left behind at the house for the next person who arrives and is looking for shelter. Those items don't interest him, only people do and the only person he'd want to stay with has already informed Anakin of his decision. So here he was.
Waiting.]
I don't think we'll remember any of this.
[There would always be an Anakin Skywalker that fell and he couldn't know anything that he learnt here for that to happen. While he's made his decision, it's still difficult to come to terms with that.]
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He has no intention of going anywhere. Still, he's waiting, too, to see people off.]
Maybe not. Does that make it all pointless, for you?
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[A selling point was the confidence in knowing their worlds would continue on as they should. That some other him would make those decisions he wouldn't want to make now.]
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Luz Noceda | The Owl House |OTA
It had been a big decision, but as it turned out, not a hard one. She knew there might be another part of her back in the Boiling Isles, a part of her that had a destiny there, and that this destiny would likely lead her back to her mother. On that basis, she knew that part of her belonged there.
But that was a younger her. A different her. A her that never came to Deerington, loved the people there, and then made the choice to come to a new world where there were even MORE people to meet, to laugh with, to cry over losing. Over time, Luz had become a different, new person, and this person, she decided, belonged here, braving the kind of world that she had yet to understand.
Sure, she had a girlfriend she was practically engaged to. Yes, she had pets now that were much, much bigger than her whom she loved, and a found family she treasured dearly. But all in all, she also understood she belonged here.
Moments came and went, and she treasured them most when she was flying, as she was now, interestingly, as a crow. It was the form she'd taken when Eda had given her the hat, and there was a freedom in not being in her form right now, taking in the beyond of Trench.
Deserts. Cities. Places Luz felt like she could write about at length if she had the ability to go back and forth from her homes in Trench to these new places.
Maybe she could even help establish lamps there. Why just stop at Trench, after all? There was still so much to see.
Crow Luz doffed off her hat and was in her regular form again, putting the hat in her pocket and giving Owlbert a nuzzle, as he'd been traveling alongside her that whole time.
"I've seen some things! Wanna know about them?"
Re: Luz Noceda | The Owl House |OTA
Re: Luz Noceda | The Owl House |OTA
"There's a lot beyond Trench. Different cities, like, SO many beaches, and this huge desert. I kind of want to explore it all! Thing is, as a bird you can't talk and you still have to eat. Might have to settle for using the Fathiers or the staff, until we can get lamps set up."
Luz looked excited though. While she was pleased with staying in Trench with her found family and girlfriend, that didn't mean there wasn't a part of her imbued with wanderlust. It WAS still Luz, after all.
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"But you'd better be taking a break today. WE can't very well have you collapsing on us, can we?"
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Vira-Lorr | OTA (Staying)
Vira-Lorr did not shy away from the path. When it was opened by the Reckoning, like a great gash in the world, she looked upon the whole thing with a certain amount of understanding. Now, she was seated there on the beach, watching the entrance. Had she contacted someone ahead of time, learning that they would be parting, and wanting to be there to wish them off with a hug? Or was she just there, hoping to see someone arriving or to not miss the departure of a friend?
Any of those were possible. For the moment, she seated herself on the rock there, a sad and quiet smile on her face. As she saw a figure drawing near, she reached up and waved her hand. "Fancy meeting you here," she said, that awful little smirk she sometimes wore right on her face. No, her humor was still awful, but why would that change?
A Reason to Stay... sort of
Vira-Lorr herself wasn't leaving. Well, that wasn't entirely true. She wasn't leaving this world, but she was preparing to depart from Trench. She'd put her Litwick in a pokeball, collected the most precious pieces of property in a backpack and was standing outside of her house, staring at it as if for the last time. It wasn't entirely the last time, but she wouldn't be back for a while.
"This is entirely Manabu's fault," she barked out with a laugh, putting her hands on her hips. Someone had an urge to wander, after all... and she wanted to see what had become of Riteior's town under the circumstances.
And if she was going to make a new home? She'd finally made a decision. Whether or not she was grateful to Cynthia and Doug, or sympathetic to poor Roderick? She did not want to live in the shadow of the Pthumerians any longer. She would visit, but she wanted to be free of them.
Leaving Something Behind (Gaze/Archives)
The day before she departed, Vira-Lorr approached the Archives. She was easy to find, speaking to one of the Arcane Scholars about her intentions to depart. There was a large case full of black boxes in front of her. The person took out something from one of them, a glass orb with a rock in it. When they touched it, smoke trailed around them and they froze for a moment before dropping the orb back into the box, clearly shaken.
"Tha...thank you for these," they said, staring at the objects in a mixture of horror and confusion. "These will teach us so much about the truth of this world's past." She nodded, letting the scholar depart to make arrangements, the objects in front of her still. Catching sight of someone, she bobbed her head.
"Don't mind me. I'm making sure the people of Trench will always remember the truth, not Remina's version of events only." She wondered how Remina would feel about this, since she'd learned the technique from her originally, long ago.
Wildcard
(I can think of just about anything, so toss me a line if you want and I'll hit you up!)
TRAINWRECK FROM HELL (The Gang go on a Date and it's Awkward as Fuck)
She was failing miserably. A hunter passed by, raising an eyebrow at the way that she fussed, but she did whatever she could to ignore them, just watching to see when her friend was going to show. Fuck, she half expected her to stand her up. Yep. That was a distinct possibility, not that it was going to dissuade her, but she was ready for that.]
A Reawson to Leave
He was silent for what felt like a long while before speaking up. "... Do you think they're actually going to be able to go home?"
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Admittedly, some of that had been a little sad. They hadn't had much to go back to, so she was glad they were here now. "Are you staying, then?"
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Although he wouldn't blame them if they still did anyway.
"I have nowhere to go. What am I going to do, go to sleep in nothingness forever? This is a life. It's better than being dead."
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cw: mentions of suicide
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cw: references to hallucinations
Re: cw: references to hallucinations
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Neopolitan Sustrai | RWBY | OTA (Staying)
She was finally beginning to forgive herself.
She was easily seen around town, ignoring what the Reckoning was doing like it was just normal. Hum de dum. The Pthumerian was cutting a giant path in the ocean. Whatever. It's just a Friday. No, seriously, that was fucked up beyond all recognition, but every day brought a new thing that was fucked up. She sold herself on the ability to be unflappable, so she wasn't going to dignify that with any responses.
Instead, she was visible in two places during the early parts of the month. One was just out on the city streets. She was patrolling, actively. After hearing what was going on, she was making sure that there was no trouble whatsoever as people said their goodbyes. If someone contacted her, she made her way over to wish them well, but she otherwise stayed away from the Beach.
Otherwise, she could be seen in Gaze, at her apartment. She was cleaning, sweeping, the door open as she tried to get things spruced up. If you looked inside her home, there was something that was deeply weird. A box full of things was on the table, and she had fabric swatches out on the kitchen counter.
The fuck? Was she decorating?
Wildcard
(Her actual prompt is pretty simple, but is meant to be very open-ended. Feel free to encounter her wherever you wish. She'll mostly be in Trench initially, though she may sojourn more starting in the August+ period.)