reddosmod: (Default)
Deer Country Mod ([personal profile] reddosmod) wrote in [community profile] deercountry2021-12-08 02:19 am

I'd go back in time and change it, but I can't

DECEMBER 2021 EVENT
Hello! We are trying a new style of event this December with archival-like entries that characters can ICly find in the Archives. This should allow characters to be able to plan against certain events that occur in-game and do research ahead of time, during the event, or after the fact.

The idea is that these prompts will provide you with all the possibilities characters could theoretically face from the prompt. We hope this leaves more open-ended opportunities for people to engage with. Anything mentioned in the excerpts could be an experience characters encounter. You can always ask for clarification on any prompt on the plotting page.

This is a way to keep all event prompts relevant since new characters would be able to "read up" on these events/excerpts by visiting the Archives or other such resources for information about past events and what they can anticipate from the setting.

We hope this new style makes sense and is fun for players to work with! They will rely on players creating more of the atmosphere than the prompts, but we think that the prompts will provide the perfect guidance as to what the atmosphere should feel like. Enjoy!

IMAGE DESCRIPTORS IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE

Prompt One
[Image One: Holiday themed antler decoration.]
[Image Two: White stag with perfect, circular antlers with bits of ice attached.]

Prompt Two
[Image One: Sculpture of white rabbit with neck caught in a snare. Non-graphic.]
[Image Two: Person in red cloak and wolf mask turning around.]

Prompt Three
[Image One: Puppet making bloody snow angel in snow.]
[Image Two: Bloodied hands wrapped in bandages clenching.]

[NAVIGATION]

Prompt 1 β€’ Prompt 2 β€’ Prompt 3 β€’ Plotting β€’ Newsletter

[JUMP TO COMMENTS]
WINTER MOURNING
WHEN: Begins in December and can last until the end of Feb.
WHERE: Everywhere
CONTENT WARNINGS: Spoilers for various canons, survival situations, forced memory share


[A passage from Rituals of Trench: Remembering Our Pasts reads the following:]

"A long-standing tradition to celebrate Bone Season is for Deerians to collect antlers and bones salvaged from natural resources and create decorative home accents. These antler-bone decors are known formally as Winter Mournings and can be found in almost every residential home throughout Deer Country. Winter Mournings can be made to look like wreaths, candle holders, or simply an antler with a bow hung up on a wall.

Winter Mournings is seen as a way to honor one's past tribulations and how one has managed to survive and overcome hardships during their life. Winter Mournings serves as a testament to survival and a willingness to keep surviving even when things look bleak and dismal.

Creating Winter Mournings is considered a blessing to the Pthumerians Dorothea, Remina, and Argonaut. You will know if the blessing was accepted once your Winter Mourning begins to glow like the moon. Touch your Winter Mourning and you will be pulled back in time to a memory of a specific time when you or someone else had to survive something physically or mentally challenging. For some, it is merely a memory that cannot hurt, but for others, you may want to proceed with caution as it has been known to pull people physically back to times of war.

One cannot choose which memory they wind up in if it is their own, a friend's, or a complete stranger's. Winter Mournings was designed to create a sense of union and empathy among residents and is meant to open your mind and heart to those who have suffered around you. It is time you explore your past, or someone else's past, with an open mind and see how the other side has lived through hard times. These memories are known to be from adolescence, adulthood, or sometimes even futures that have not yet happened or timelines you have never known. After all, Remina sees all past and all history. That means they see all of your past and history too.

No memory lasts forever though. Once the memory has been concluded, you shall be brought back to the present by the Winter Mourning Stag: a great white beast with a circle of frozen antlers. It will come to you when the time is ready, and you will return to the present like waking from a dazzling dream.

Experiencing Winter Mournings can stabilize one's mood and provide restful sleep after, even if the memories may be difficult to swallow. It truly is a tribute to honor past horrors and traumas. Some memories are painful to remember, but forgetting them will never do anyone any good either. So hang your Winter Mournings and remember what matters.

Survive another day. You are worth it."

FAQ

1. Winter Mournings can produce new memories every time you touch them or the same memory.

2. Characters cannot choose what the memory is.

3. Characters can arrive in each other's memories regardless of if they already know each other. Multiple people can experience the same memory.

4. You can either experience the memory as a memory you can't touch or experience - or you can physically be in the memory and have to survive the situation as well. If you die in memory, your body will die wherever you had been touching the Winter Mourning.

5. Palebloods are capable of altering memories or how they or others experience memories.

6. Characters can be pulled into memories at random - as long as one of the characters in the memory share is touching a Winter Mourning at first.
RUN, RABBIT, RUN
WHEN: Month of December
WHERE: Everywhere/the woods
CONTENT WARNINGS: Themes of hunting, ghosts, curses, attempts at animal violence, hunting people based on blood types.


[An excerpt from Legends of Trench: Curses and Causations reads the following:]

"One of the most notorious legends of Trench is without a doubt the tale of The Huntress and the Hare. Most Trenchies have been told this tale since they were children, but for those unfamiliar, settle in.

This story begins with a mischievous god and an ambitious huntress. The Pthumerian Dorothea loved to play tricks on hunters trying to survive the Bone Season, setting animals free from traps and remaking the traps to catch the hunters instead. One day, a darkblood Huntress was fed up with Dorothea preventing her from catching food for her family and decided to settle the score. The Huntress began to hunt for Dorothea specifically, but it is no small feat hunting the god of trickery and survival.

The Huntress started to rely on her darkblood powers to alter reality to make the perfect traps. Innocuous trees turned into glue traps that anyone would stick to until they were freed by a darkblood or death took their pain from them. Walking through bushes would snag legs and necks, effectively trapping whatever creatures were unfortunate enough to wander for food. Magical snares and beartraps lock around victims with unrelenting force, leaving people and animals to try for help until they cry no more. While this took many innocent lives in the woods, animals, and people alike, it never seemed to work on Dorothea.

Dorothea continued to outwit the Huntress until she eventually drove the Huntress insane. The Huntress died without ever catching Dorothea, but they say her vengeful spirit awakens in winter and begins to set her traps yet again. The Huntress sends her traps and her dead animals after vilebloods and warmbloods to spite Dorothea and hope to maybe catch the god's attention. But Dorothea is no passive god. Dorothea spurs vilebloods and warmbloods to defend themselves against darkbloods and coldbloods.

Infamously, this has created enormous tension between the blood types during December some years, and it is said that the blood lust has caused the types to begin hunting one another regardless of old friendships and alliances. Beware the Huntress's curse. Some believe darkbloods and coldbloods can still hear her haunting commands and cries from the Trenchwood.

They say there is no ease for the tension between the bloodtypes until December has passed, but some believe palebloods may provide relief if they are willing."

FAQ

1. Characters will increasingly feel the urge to actively hunt one another using traps/etc.

2. The Huntress's curse includes undead animals/beasts chasing after warmbloods and vilebloods and magical traps. Players can invent unique traps for their characters.

3. There will be an innate urge to chase/hide from one another.

4. The curse can be broken by paleblood intervention, character death, or a gradual wearing off by the end of the month.
LOCKJOINT
WHEN: All of Bone Season
WHERE: On Sleeper bodies
CONTENT WARNINGS: Mild body horror, blood magic curses, physical curses, cures through blood ministration/blood letting, possible skin removal, injuries, possible death via starvation/exposure.


[An passage from The Sleeper Condition; Chapter 13: Bodily Aches and More. Found exclusively at the Lumenarium:]

"Generally speaking, Sleeper blood allows Sleepers to navigate this world without the fear of illness and disease. However, no organic body is perfect, and Sleeper blood has its own set of ailments to fret over. Blood Ministers have studied the phenomena of Lockjoint for years now and believe that it is linked to the crystalization found in Sleeper death, though the exact connection remains unknown.

Lockjoint tends to begin and last throughout Bone Season. Some Sleepers may never experience it, but for many, it becomes a reoccurring issue to dread each season. This condition forces blood magic to gather at the joints and effectively lock up. Sleepers find it difficult to move their bodies at the bends, fingers, knees, shoulders, etc without some form of discomfort. Minimal lockjoint can be painful and annoyance, but critical lockjoint can be fatal.

The most severe cases of lockjoint documented have shown Sleepers to have crystalization form over their joints, rendering parts of their bodies completely immobile. Some Sleepers have been found dead in this condition, all their joints crystallized, and it is believed most died from natural causes thereafter.

One can determine they are experiencing lockjoint when the coloration around the joints begins to darken in color, typically looking like a bruise. Calcification may occur rapidly the more magic a Sleeper uses or the more they expose themselves to outside elements. It is imperative that Sleepers remain properly clothed during Bone Season, even if they are coldbloods, and to invest in enchanted clothes that can lock in heat.

A known cure for lockjoint is the art of bloodletting. Puncturing the joints with small incisions seems to allow a release of the built-up magic and can provide immediate relief to the Sleeper. Catching lockjoint early is imperative. Alternative methods are soaking in hot springs and salted water.

Those who are in a more severe state will have to carefully have the crystals removed. This will likely remove the skin as well. Local anesthesia is highly recommended for the procedure. This process is known to leave scarring. The crystals can be saved and used as bloodstones from whoever they were harvested from. If you find a Sleeper dead from lockjoint, make sure to harvest the crystals as they are incredibly valuable.

This curse is believed to stem from Sleeper blood magic congealing within the body in contrast with the atmospheric magic of Bone Season. There is no known prevention for lockjoint. Lockjoint can impact all Sleepers regardless of bloodtype or the material their bodies are made from."

FAQ

1. This impacts characters regardless of blood type or their body - meaning it can impact characters with metal/plastic/plant/wood/etc bodies.

2. Players can choose how rapid or severe this gets and how quickly they can be healed.
CODING
onerthes: (Commission: Pls Ask first) (16)

[personal profile] onerthes 2022-01-09 03:09 am (UTC)(link)
In that case, we're just going to have to find something as chewy and delicious. I'd suggest tofu, but you can't get it firm enough to do that job, now can you?

[Though she was definitely in favor of a substitute for calamari because it was amazing.]
unmelting: (kaeya065)

[personal profile] unmelting 2022-01-09 03:59 am (UTC)(link)
Yes I do.

[Kaeya murmurs quietly. For himself, for his own reasons, he needs to. And because Diluc had to see it once, is here seeing it again. That's reason enough too. He keeps a tight hold on the other man's hand in turn.

They're both idiots, he decides, for all the hell they've put themselves through out of stubbornness. But they're doing better now, and he's so grateful for that, so grateful that whatever path he's walking now, it won't lead to a deathbed talk like this, unspoken regret between them.

There are other things that need saying, and this scene makes him realize he ought to get around to saying them. But for now, he nods.]
And I told you the same...

[A faint smile and he adds, quieter.] It would have been a comfort, to be near you at the end this way. For everything else I've chased in my life, the one thing I've always wanted was to be by your side.
rosae: ( 𝑬𝑫𝑰𝑻𝑬𝑫 𝑩𝒀 𝑹𝑢𝑺𝑨𝑬 ) (Default)

[personal profile] rosae 2022-01-09 04:11 am (UTC)(link)
She's... I don't know where she is. ( Saying it aloud is a discomfort, feels like a confession almost, like some sin β€” even though it isn't one of hers to bear. But how can she feel any differently? It's her job to protect Sharon, her role. Whether losing her again was out of her control or not, she feels a deep guilt for it now. )

But I think she might be here somewhere. I'm... trying to find her.

( The way he speaks continues to be odd and unsettling and she continues to be further concerned for him. A room at an inn...? The woman's mouth tightens with a soft frown. )

Would you like to come to my house for a little while? I don't live far from here. I have some first aid supplies β€” I could try to help you with what's going on.

unmelting: (kaeya021)

[personal profile] unmelting 2022-01-09 04:16 am (UTC)(link)
I'm glad to hear it.

[And even if Kaeya is glib at the best of times, he means this sincerely.]

It's definitely a choice, at least. You'd think there would be a lot of pressure, but I suppose he's used to that anyway. [The man is professionally intense.]
unmelting: (kaeya073)

[personal profile] unmelting 2022-01-09 04:22 am (UTC)(link)
Oh?

[Entrusting him anything more complex than a pet rock may indeed be a dubious decision, but Kaeya finds himself smiling.]

I suppose that's very true. I do know him. And he knows me as well. Sometimes it is nice to have someone who you share a history with nearby, isn't it?

[Speaking of.] Does having your brother here help?
unmelting: (kaeya071)

[personal profile] unmelting 2022-01-09 05:01 am (UTC)(link)
[Kaeya knows that feeling too, the desperation to somehow be worth... well, just to be worth it.

His arm tightens around Flynn.]


I can't pretend to understand what could have brought her to make that choice. But it was wrong. You were worth living for.

[A sigh.] I suppose one of the more difficult parts of life is we never will fully understand what burdens and weight drives the actions of others.
cuddlery: (speaking)

[personal profile] cuddlery 2022-01-09 05:11 am (UTC)(link)
[Scorpia doesn't doubt his sincerity. She just nods along.]

I guess so! He sure is one kind of a guy. You got a good friend there, Kaeya! Try- try not to swordfight him again, okay? [She tries to present that lightly.]
extinctive: (can you)

[personal profile] extinctive 2022-01-09 05:41 am (UTC)(link)
[ a couple of humble heroes here. experienced ones they may be, flynn still comes off human in the end, and figaro knows all too tell that the only ones who can deal with the moon are the chosen ones. surely no two calamities in different worlds are the same, right?

but he does like a good story, so he chooses to nod instead. ]


I'd like to hear all about it whenever I've got time. Thank you.
Edited 2022-01-09 05:42 (UTC)
spiritwalks: (Don't you know you got my eyes)

[personal profile] spiritwalks 2022-01-09 05:41 am (UTC)(link)
[Wow. What a badass.]

Did anyone ever surrender?
littlelesshelpless: ([up] not as big of a dick as u could've)

[personal profile] littlelesshelpless 2022-01-09 05:45 am (UTC)(link)
Oh jeez. Were they okay? [Bella, you're trying to be a scary bloodthirsty hunter, don't be concerned about people, that's not the vibe.

She lets out a surprised little laugh at the claw-fireball.
] That's cool you can control it. It just kinda...happens for me.
littlelesshelpless: ([up] sweet girl)

[personal profile] littlelesshelpless 2022-01-09 05:46 am (UTC)(link)
I like you too. Even when you're drooling.

[Bella can definitely feel that, and she smiles in relief as the memory around them starts to fade. She turns more towards Clarisse, deciding again to let the past just...be in the past.] Sometimes I do. But it's...nice to see you resting. I guess.
littlelesshelpless: ([neutral] taking it all in)

[personal profile] littlelesshelpless 2022-01-09 05:46 am (UTC)(link)
[Bella tilts her head to one side, seeing the hardness in Usagi's eyes, the steel in her voice. She reaches out, hesitantly, touches her friend's shoulder, her own face twisting in concern.]

Are you okay?
possessum: (i could just hear our breath)

[personal profile] possessum 2022-01-09 06:05 am (UTC)(link)
( Special... That's the word Grandma's always used for her. Only her. Not even Mom gets called "special", and she's Grandma's own daughter.

The girl's tone of voice does seem friendly, and Charlie finds herself a little less afraid the more she talks to her. Still shy, refusing to look at her directly and standing all withdrawn into herself, but she's definitely willing to engage with her. Again, most people... don't really ask Charlie about things like this, choosing to ignore her instead. )


They're.... special, too. Grandma says they have to be just right. But I don't know what they're for.

( That certainly doesn't exactly answer the girl's questions, but Charlie doesn't know how, and there's something almost uneasy in her confusion. She's staring down at that simple triangle, and for a long moment, doesn't blink, tense and stiff. It's very reminiscent of the way Paimon carries himself at times, though the person continues to talk, a bit more than she normally would. A child given permission to speak freely, when usually they hardly are. )

....I think so. Look that shape. I thought Grandma would be happy I do, but I think she gets sad. Because she wanted me to be a boy.
Edited 2022-01-09 06:05 (UTC)
cuddlery: (raised arm)

[personal profile] cuddlery 2022-01-09 06:06 am (UTC)(link)
Oh yeah don't worry. They're all fine. Haven't lost a single hand yet!

[She boasts with a laugh as she continues her work.]

Thanks! It took time and practice to make it happen. I know this guy named Mako, he was giving lessons and they've really helped me get a hang of all this!
kingofsarcasm: (96)

so sorry this is so late, holidays ate me alive

[personal profile] kingofsarcasm 2022-01-09 06:17 am (UTC)(link)
[Nogitsune growls in frustration as he can eel his hold over Stiles' body slipping. He snarls almost rabidly at the prey's demands to be let go as if trying to communicate he doesn't care for his demands even as the control over the boy's voice and mouth slips.

His movements jerk and stutter and one hand goes to his head and he tries to repeat that he's not done. Tries to will the strength of Stile's blood magic away. And then there's the quick dashing form of Dorothea around his feet and she stops alert and watching a ways away. She gives Stiles, one of the Sleepers she has chosen to patron the strength to return to himself and he gasps like he just popped up from under water. He stumbles, looking around like he has no idea where he is.

Then he spots Shōyō in that trap, a snare he remembers learning to build in boy scouts, only… much bigger and more complex somehow.]


Okay… what the hell is going on?
kingofsarcasm: (220)

[personal profile] kingofsarcasm 2022-01-09 06:33 am (UTC)(link)
[Stiles shrugs and snorts, the quip he returns isn't harsh in tone.] What? You think we're all about to strip down and take some erotic ice baths or something? Yeah, I'm sure.

[Then he heaves a breath and in answer to Yuri's question he jerks his chin to the memory where Deaton replies to the last thing Scott said:] Okay. The three of you will get in. Each of us will hold you under until you're essentially... well, dead… But, it's not just someone to hold you under-- it needs to be someone who can pull you back, someone with a strong connection to you. A kind of emotional tether.

[Each of them move to pair up, Lydia and Allison move to each other and Scott and Stiles linger, contemplating until Deaton speaks again a beat later:] Lydia... You go with Stiles.

[They all look unsure, meeting each other's eyes and Allison speaks up:] Are you sure? I mean, Scott and I both have to go under.

[Scott:] …It's okay.

[It's clear there's some relationship tension going on here, particularly between Allison, Scott and Isaac. Lydia moves to stand with Stiles easily enough, flashing him a smile.]
kingofsarcasm: (26)

then holidays devoured me, sorry this is so late

[personal profile] kingofsarcasm 2022-01-09 06:37 am (UTC)(link)
[Stiles gasps loud and probably over exaggerated. Definitely over-exaggerated. Then he squints up at her, looking as disgruntled as his body feels.]

You noticed that?
azurestar: (i'll do it over again)

[personal profile] azurestar 2022-01-09 06:57 am (UTC)(link)
[He accepts the hand up with a grimace and she'll find that she's likely pulling up most of his weight. He's still badly hurt, corruption continuously reopening wounds once they get close to healing over, so this wasn't the greatest experience.]

Man, I wish. My knee totally quit on me!

[If she looks down at his right knee, she'll see that it's got red crystals starting to grow from it through and around his pants.]
deadboywalking: ([:|] it's stupid)

[personal profile] deadboywalking 2022-01-09 07:30 am (UTC)(link)
[Oh yeah, tinier him is here. Will offers a sort of weak smile to his terrified younger self.] Yeah, what she said. I know it's...really weird and freaky right now, but I promise you're going to be okay.

[younger!Will looks extremely doubtful, but he doesn't argue. He's much quieter at this age, more reserved and introverted, even after a traumatic...monster kidnapping. He does ask, aimed more at Lysithea:] Was that a fireball? That you made?
kingofsarcasm: (25)

holidays consumed me, sorry for how late this is!

[personal profile] kingofsarcasm 2022-01-09 07:40 am (UTC)(link)
[Stiles' jaw is tight and set and his posture is tense as he looks over to her with a look that says he's like a second away from verbally eviscerating someone who steps wrong. She hasn't stepped wrong, so his response isn't cutting, but it's still a bit on the testy and anxious side.]

"Carry through"? Carry through to what? Is there a rule I missed that says you have to relive your worst memories with total strangers or else? What…

[He sucks in a shuddered breath as he realizes he needs air, and then lets it out as he continues.] What if we just don't do that?
lightthedarkness: (Usagi) (Unreadable)

[personal profile] lightthedarkness 2022-01-09 08:08 am (UTC)(link)
[She let out a slow breath.]

I... yeah... I'm okay... Just... remembering something.
entreats: (yet then you'd say)

[personal profile] entreats 2022-01-09 10:55 am (UTC)(link)
.. I can see why you would think that.

[ It's the first thing Ange says, though still a bit more softly than she usually would. Like she's trying to be gentle about all of this while Luna is so fragile - and understandably so. If this had been happening to Ruby, Ange is pretty sure she wouldn't be faring much better than Luna is right now. It gets harder and harder the closer you are to the situation. And even to Ange it's already kind of distressing to see how bad things have gotten.

She glances at the wall behind Luna, like she's thinking of Peter and Paimon, and the way they have to be locked up for their own good right now. ]


I know.. this is a lot. [ Because Ange sure didn't have it easy even taking him back here. And Luna spends so much more time with either of them than Ange does. ] But we don't know anything for sure yet.

[ It's a bit of a risk to say that, and she knows it. It's not like she wants to invalidate Luna's feelings, especially when the other probably knows the most about this. But on the other hand, Ange doesn't feel like it's illogical what she herself is saying here. ]

It could be that this is just something that's happening this month. It's not like that'd be anything new.. [ Every month here is wild, after all. ] We can't say for sure whether or not this is irreversible yet until next month at the very least - and even then, there could be something we can do.

[ Something Luna can do, with her bond with both those two. Something Ange can do, with her knowledge of demons. Something someone out there in this place with ridiculous powers can do. ]

.. I know you aren't going to give up on him so easily.
feudalladyshandmaid: (moon!what)

[personal profile] feudalladyshandmaid 2022-01-09 11:25 am (UTC)(link)
["Something" is definitely the name of the game here. Whether it's working or not, is another story entirely.

You'll lose your way and lose the thread
Lose your cool and lose your head
Every loss is harder to excuse
then you'll see you'll lose your faith and lose your soul
Until you lose complete control
And realize there's nothing left to lose!

Throughout it all, Cassandra is stubbornly pacing away from the young alchemist, yet, finding herself stopped by reflections of herself or Varian's own persistence, again and again.

It's getting on her nerves.


It's getting on Cassandra's nerves too.

She can't stop him from taking a seat - though a part of her would like to - and she can't stop him from asking... Man, she doesn't want to explain herself. Not right now.
]

Ugh. [Just breathe.] I needed him to decode a special incantation. And, when that was over, I brought him into the tower so he wouldn't immediately go do something foolish.

I didn't want to do anything to him. I just had to keep him around until Rapunzel arrived.
entreats: but better is no excuse for tonight (so you almost feel better)

[personal profile] entreats 2022-01-09 11:32 am (UTC)(link)
[ P-Please, Kazuma, it's just that maybe she feels the need to rush a little when someone else is in at least clear discomfort, if not outright pain - but it's not like Ange is ever going to admit that. Admitting to caring about people is weakness, okay, no matter how obvious it is. ]

That last one sounds very specific.

[ After all, pain, stiffness.. that could be a lot of things. Mundane things. But random bruising at the joints sounds a lot less common, and Ange seems to briefly, yet intensely be focusing as she flips through the book with the precision of someone who's used to digging through this place for information. Something with joints, joints..

Finding a page that sounds promising, Ange stops flipping for a moment, and then realisation seems to dawn upon her face. Perhaps even a faint sort of pride as she starts reading out loud: ]


"One can determine they are experiencing lockjoint when the coloration around the joints begins to darken in color, typically looking like a bruise." [ She looks up at him. ] That's got to be it, right?

[ It would be too specific to not be that, she figures. ]

"Lockjoint tends to begin and last throughout Bone Season".. Hmm.. "This condition forces blood magic to gather at the joints and effectively lock up. Sleepers find it difficult to move their bodies at the bends, fingers, knees, shoulders, etc without some form of discomfort. Minimal lockjoint can be painful and annoyance, but critical lockjoint can be fatal."
traversal: (Default)

[personal profile] traversal 2022-01-09 12:50 pm (UTC)(link)
[ diluc at rest is just like a pet rock, so. he can handle it, he totally can. she has full trust in you, kaeya. ]

Ah ... [ she looks up at him at being asked about aether, before she gives him a slight nod. ] Yes, it's a relief to have him by my side again.

[ after so many years of being away from each other. there are a few things that they're still sorting out between the two of them, mysteries that they've yet to solve even when they put their heads together, but it's not really as important as being together again. ]

Though I didn't think this would be the kind of world we'll be calling a home ...

[ because, you know, she wanted something better for the both of them, not a world that tries to kill them every other week. ]