Fern (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
laminae) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
deercountry2021-09-08 04:53 pm
laminae) wrote in deercountry2021-09-08 04:53 pm
There's still cobwebs in the corners
Who: Fern laminae and open.
What: Event and non-event starters for the month.
When: Throughout September.
Where: Around Trench.
Content Warnings: Lich trauma, war, children involved in war, murder, violence, bug omen, body horror.
[The last thing Fern remembers doing is picking up one of those feathers, and a whirl of even more feathers as those ravens descended. He's unceremoniously dropped into a boat and, looking like a terrified cat with his sharpened teeth and slitted eyes, looks around frantically, forming a grass sword in one hand. Thorns shoot up along his arms until he realizes he isn't being attacked, and they sink back down into his grass as he starts to relax.
Where is he now? That was like something out of Deerington and even though this new place seems to have sunlight piercing through the clouds he doesn't like it. Scowling, he leans over one side of the boat, then the other to get a good look around, in the process rocking it dangerously. Sorry boatmate, he doesn't care that much.]
What the flip was that?
[It really only takes a small push to get Fern diving back into his love of fighting. Any excuse to fight is, in his opinion, a good one, and so when he hears about Bloodsport and The Gate he immediately heads over there. A good distraction from the stresses of settling in is what he needs, and what better way to distract himself than fighting some poor sucker? The locals even seem pumped for it so hey, maybe this city just has a very healthy appreciation for fighting like he does. Nothing wrong with that.
It doesn't take him long to find himself down in the arena. There might be a Sleeper opposite to him, or maybe it's himself, another Sleeper, and a large monster looming over them - it doesn't matter to him. He look raring to go.]
This is gonna be sick!
[It's been a long, long month. Between Luz and Varian's increasingly frantic behaviour, cephalopod trauma, and being forced to talk about regrets he'd like to keep shut away, Fern hasn't been getting much in the way of sleep. What little he was getting decreased even further with the start of those voice and those feelings invading his head. They scare him, even though he's been through this song and dance before. An invasion of foreign thoughts and feelings in his mind, ones that don't feel like his own even though they always were - it's like it's happening all over again, though this time his mind has settled on the idea that it isn't his own mind causing it all.
Oh no, it has to be something much, much worse.
He knows the Lich has been able to get into people's minds. He knows there should be a Lich hand out there in this world, lurking somewhere. It's clear who the culprit is.
When he has the time he wanders through Trench, looking for any signs of a giant monster claw hand skittering around, but there's nothing. That doesn't stop him though - if anything, that makes him even more stubborn and even when he should be stopping and resting he keeps going. He can be found throughout the city - Cellar Door, Prufrock, Willfill Machine, Gaze - and when he sees someone who looks worth approaching, he walks on up, one hand held against his head. He's abandoned his grass hat today in favour of someone more Trench-appropriate, his extraordinary long, flower-filled hair tied back into an elaborate braid. It's a very impressive braid, though those with a knack for flora will notice most of them are of the toxic variety - death caps, poison fire coral, nightshade, oleander, water hemlock, and others.]
Hey, you haven't seen a big claw hand around, have you? Yellow fur? Looks like it got cut off someone?
[By the time the end of the month rolls around Fern is officially having a bad time. The noise and feelings have gotten louder, much louder. Or maybe he's just been worn down so much by everything that's gone on that it feels worse than it actually is? He isn't sure. It doesn't matter. It's too loud in his head and it keeps on going, even when he tries to sleep, until the end of the month, when the cacophony hits its crescendo with one very beautiful, very long, very painful song of death.
On the upside, this confirms to him that whatever is going on with head isn't being caused by the Lich. He's realizing with a sudden horror that all that noise is coming from other plants, even though he has been distinctly aware of his inability to communicate with them since his time back in Ooo. Apparently this world has seen to it to correct that small matter, and here he is, getting to listen to dozens upon dozens (hundreds?) of flowers dying together. What a great start to a new world.
He's outside when it comes, having been wandering around looking for the Lich. The operatic song flowers straight into his head and Fern reflexively winces covering his ears and trying to block it out. But it's too much, and there are too many of them, and he just wants it all to stop -
Any unfortunate passers-by might be getting bowled over by one of the half-dozen thorny vines snaking out of Fern's body and attacking anything in his vicinity. He doesn't notice what they're doing, or the additional thorns and spines and more toxic flora shooting up all over himself. Even the roots in his legs are reaching out, trying to break through the cobblestone to get at the earth underneath. His whole body is shifting to something more pointed, something less human, and something that looks a lot more hostile. Sleepers from Deerington might recognize the shift from back in the town, though it was rare and only happened when there was too much going on in his head to handle.
Looks like Trench can be just as rough.]
[A date in a new world seems like a fantastic idea. Not only will they get to explore their surroundings, but it has to be a good distraction for Varian. There's nothing more attention-grabbing than exploration, and in the alchemist's case getting a hold of more alchemy supplies. It's a perfect plan and absolutely nothing can go wrong!
Nevermind the main reason they're going on this date is because Fern's increasing worry about Varian's mental state. He had thought that coming to a new world in one piece would mean things would be okay, that they'd be okay. Seeing Varian grow increasingly anxious and agitated, leaving half-finished science experiments everywhere, not sleeping....
It's concerning. It's hugely concerning. The longer this goes on the more useless Fern feels. He should be able to do something, help his boyfriend through the trouble he's having, but nothing seems to be working. He's desperately hoping this does, somehow.
Once Fern is ready to go he heads downstairs to Varian's lab, poking his head in.]
Ready to go? You got your list of stuff you need?
[Unlike probably a lot of Sleepers, Fern is loving his time in the arena. It feels like a way to get all his energy out, a familiar way that he's sorely missed since arriving in Trench. There's been a lot - Luz and Varian's sudden change in behaviour, the poor soil, the lack of sunlight, the creeping paranoia - that have been getting to him, so having the chance to punch a few monsters to an adoring crowd is a wonderful form of escapism.
It's even better when he has someone to fight alongside, and like, two dozen times better when that person is a fellow knight. Fern doesn't know Flynn very well but the guy seems really cool. Older, obviously has the knight thing down, and in Fern's eyes that's more than enough for him to like him. So getting to hang out with the guy, getting to defeat a monster with the guy, that's the perfect afternoon for him.
The downside is that by the time they kill the creature - some weird hydra monstrosity - Fern is more than a little keyed up than a regular person. The cheering crowd is faltering a little as it becomes apparent that his fanged teeth and serpentine, glowy eyes, and thorns that have risen up on his arms and legs aren't going away anytime soon. It looks too close to Corruption for their liking, though Fern is entirely clueless.
Nope, he just looks super pumped as he waves his bloodied battle axe at the dead creature.]
Hah hah! Take that, ya donk!
[Fern knows what it's like to lose someone close, he knows what it feels like to lose that person and feel so helpless, so angry about it that the only answer that seems reasonable is violence. He sort of gets why Yuri texted him about not going after Maul (even though a small part in his mind is still insisting the guy deserves it), and he gets why Yuri is trying to fill that hole by fighting crab monsters. It isn't the same, but he hopes the guy could find at least a little bit of satisfaction in cutting them down.
And honestly, it's a nice afternoon for him. It's cold and rainy and he's pretty sure sand is getting in between his grass blades, but this is a great way to get out the pent-up stress that's been building up in him all month. Trench hasn't been the easiest world to transition to, so getting back to something familiar (and destructive) is a relief. Between the two of them, by the time they've finished clearing a few caves out they've acquired more than enough crab monster meat to feed a small army.
Fern is actually pretty tired. His body is looking a tiny bit more loose and ragged, and he's covered in crab monster blood and gore, but hey, that's part of the fun. With that last crab dead he starts trying to flick blood off his grass sword.]
This has been really fun, dude.
laminae and open.What: Event and non-event starters for the month.
When: Throughout September.
Where: Around Trench.
Content Warnings: Lich trauma, war, children involved in war, murder, violence, bug omen, body horror.
River of Regrets (Throughout September)
[The last thing Fern remembers doing is picking up one of those feathers, and a whirl of even more feathers as those ravens descended. He's unceremoniously dropped into a boat and, looking like a terrified cat with his sharpened teeth and slitted eyes, looks around frantically, forming a grass sword in one hand. Thorns shoot up along his arms until he realizes he isn't being attacked, and they sink back down into his grass as he starts to relax.
Where is he now? That was like something out of Deerington and even though this new place seems to have sunlight piercing through the clouds he doesn't like it. Scowling, he leans over one side of the boat, then the other to get a good look around, in the process rocking it dangerously. Sorry boatmate, he doesn't care that much.]
What the flip was that?
Bloodsport (Throughout September)
[It really only takes a small push to get Fern diving back into his love of fighting. Any excuse to fight is, in his opinion, a good one, and so when he hears about Bloodsport and The Gate he immediately heads over there. A good distraction from the stresses of settling in is what he needs, and what better way to distract himself than fighting some poor sucker? The locals even seem pumped for it so hey, maybe this city just has a very healthy appreciation for fighting like he does. Nothing wrong with that.
It doesn't take him long to find himself down in the arena. There might be a Sleeper opposite to him, or maybe it's himself, another Sleeper, and a large monster looming over them - it doesn't matter to him. He look raring to go.]
This is gonna be sick!
Moonflower - Voices (Partway through September)
[It's been a long, long month. Between Luz and Varian's increasingly frantic behaviour, cephalopod trauma, and being forced to talk about regrets he'd like to keep shut away, Fern hasn't been getting much in the way of sleep. What little he was getting decreased even further with the start of those voice and those feelings invading his head. They scare him, even though he's been through this song and dance before. An invasion of foreign thoughts and feelings in his mind, ones that don't feel like his own even though they always were - it's like it's happening all over again, though this time his mind has settled on the idea that it isn't his own mind causing it all.
Oh no, it has to be something much, much worse.
He knows the Lich has been able to get into people's minds. He knows there should be a Lich hand out there in this world, lurking somewhere. It's clear who the culprit is.
When he has the time he wanders through Trench, looking for any signs of a giant monster claw hand skittering around, but there's nothing. That doesn't stop him though - if anything, that makes him even more stubborn and even when he should be stopping and resting he keeps going. He can be found throughout the city - Cellar Door, Prufrock, Willfill Machine, Gaze - and when he sees someone who looks worth approaching, he walks on up, one hand held against his head. He's abandoned his grass hat today in favour of someone more Trench-appropriate, his extraordinary long, flower-filled hair tied back into an elaborate braid. It's a very impressive braid, though those with a knack for flora will notice most of them are of the toxic variety - death caps, poison fire coral, nightshade, oleander, water hemlock, and others.]
Hey, you haven't seen a big claw hand around, have you? Yellow fur? Looks like it got cut off someone?
Moonflower - Death Song (End of September)
[By the time the end of the month rolls around Fern is officially having a bad time. The noise and feelings have gotten louder, much louder. Or maybe he's just been worn down so much by everything that's gone on that it feels worse than it actually is? He isn't sure. It doesn't matter. It's too loud in his head and it keeps on going, even when he tries to sleep, until the end of the month, when the cacophony hits its crescendo with one very beautiful, very long, very painful song of death.
On the upside, this confirms to him that whatever is going on with head isn't being caused by the Lich. He's realizing with a sudden horror that all that noise is coming from other plants, even though he has been distinctly aware of his inability to communicate with them since his time back in Ooo. Apparently this world has seen to it to correct that small matter, and here he is, getting to listen to dozens upon dozens (hundreds?) of flowers dying together. What a great start to a new world.
He's outside when it comes, having been wandering around looking for the Lich. The operatic song flowers straight into his head and Fern reflexively winces covering his ears and trying to block it out. But it's too much, and there are too many of them, and he just wants it all to stop -
Any unfortunate passers-by might be getting bowled over by one of the half-dozen thorny vines snaking out of Fern's body and attacking anything in his vicinity. He doesn't notice what they're doing, or the additional thorns and spines and more toxic flora shooting up all over himself. Even the roots in his legs are reaching out, trying to break through the cobblestone to get at the earth underneath. His whole body is shifting to something more pointed, something less human, and something that looks a lot more hostile. Sleepers from Deerington might recognize the shift from back in the town, though it was rare and only happened when there was too much going on in his head to handle.
Looks like Trench can be just as rough.]
Date Time - For Varian (Early September)
[A date in a new world seems like a fantastic idea. Not only will they get to explore their surroundings, but it has to be a good distraction for Varian. There's nothing more attention-grabbing than exploration, and in the alchemist's case getting a hold of more alchemy supplies. It's a perfect plan and absolutely nothing can go wrong!
Nevermind the main reason they're going on this date is because Fern's increasing worry about Varian's mental state. He had thought that coming to a new world in one piece would mean things would be okay, that they'd be okay. Seeing Varian grow increasingly anxious and agitated, leaving half-finished science experiments everywhere, not sleeping....
It's concerning. It's hugely concerning. The longer this goes on the more useless Fern feels. He should be able to do something, help his boyfriend through the trouble he's having, but nothing seems to be working. He's desperately hoping this does, somehow.
Once Fern is ready to go he heads downstairs to Varian's lab, poking his head in.]
Ready to go? You got your list of stuff you need?
Bloodsports - For Flynn (During September)
[Unlike probably a lot of Sleepers, Fern is loving his time in the arena. It feels like a way to get all his energy out, a familiar way that he's sorely missed since arriving in Trench. There's been a lot - Luz and Varian's sudden change in behaviour, the poor soil, the lack of sunlight, the creeping paranoia - that have been getting to him, so having the chance to punch a few monsters to an adoring crowd is a wonderful form of escapism.
It's even better when he has someone to fight alongside, and like, two dozen times better when that person is a fellow knight. Fern doesn't know Flynn very well but the guy seems really cool. Older, obviously has the knight thing down, and in Fern's eyes that's more than enough for him to like him. So getting to hang out with the guy, getting to defeat a monster with the guy, that's the perfect afternoon for him.
The downside is that by the time they kill the creature - some weird hydra monstrosity - Fern is more than a little keyed up than a regular person. The cheering crowd is faltering a little as it becomes apparent that his fanged teeth and serpentine, glowy eyes, and thorns that have risen up on his arms and legs aren't going away anytime soon. It looks too close to Corruption for their liking, though Fern is entirely clueless.
Nope, he just looks super pumped as he waves his bloodied battle axe at the dead creature.]
Hah hah! Take that, ya donk!
Killing crab monsters - For Yuri (During September)
[Fern knows what it's like to lose someone close, he knows what it feels like to lose that person and feel so helpless, so angry about it that the only answer that seems reasonable is violence. He sort of gets why Yuri texted him about not going after Maul (even though a small part in his mind is still insisting the guy deserves it), and he gets why Yuri is trying to fill that hole by fighting crab monsters. It isn't the same, but he hopes the guy could find at least a little bit of satisfaction in cutting them down.
And honestly, it's a nice afternoon for him. It's cold and rainy and he's pretty sure sand is getting in between his grass blades, but this is a great way to get out the pent-up stress that's been building up in him all month. Trench hasn't been the easiest world to transition to, so getting back to something familiar (and destructive) is a relief. Between the two of them, by the time they've finished clearing a few caves out they've acquired more than enough crab monster meat to feed a small army.
Fern is actually pretty tired. His body is looking a tiny bit more loose and ragged, and he's covered in crab monster blood and gore, but hey, that's part of the fun. With that last crab dead he starts trying to flick blood off his grass sword.]
This has been really fun, dude.
no subject
Especially since he's already so worked up over this whole lich hand deal.
So she snaps her fingers, not making all of them disappear, but still a bunch of them. Just so there's at least less around of them than a moment ago. Maybe every little bit helps. ]
Don't worry. We'll find it.
[ Not that she's as sure of that as she's sounding now, but there's nothing Ange wants to do more than reassure her friends. ]
Just having a few around should be enough to help. Besides.. [ She glances over to where Fern's Omen jumped off to. ] Your Omen can help out too, right?
no subject
Um, yeah. She can fly and stuff.
[And scamper up walls, because being a bug has its advantages. Blodeuwedd does that now, after hopping from the fence to a building.]
She's told me she's good at hunting stuff. I don't know, I don't know much about orchid mantises.
no subject
[ This is the moment where Ange wonders if she should have bothered to actually pay attention during biology class, but it's a moot issue anyway. Not like she can change anything about it by now. ]
I think the only fact I know about mantises is that the females bite off the head of the males during pairing. [ You know, regular old cheery facts!
(Ange isn't even aware if that counts for orchid mantises as well, honestly.. Is it a general mantis thing? Is it a specific mantis thing? Who knows. This is how it shows she didn't pay true attention in class.) ]
no subject
Seriously? My Omen's a head-eating cannibal?
[He glances over at Blodeuwedd again and she just shrugs. Wow, okay, this is certainly a thing.]
no subject
I'd say she's a strong, independent woman. [ IT'S OKAY, IT'S JUST A JOKE.. It's said in Ange's general deadpan tone, anyway. ]
I'm not even sure why our Omens take on the shape they do though. It really does seem like everyone has a different one.
no subject
[That's certainly one way of describing a man-eating bug. This is something Fern is going to have to wrap his head around later, whether anyone needs to be concerned about being around Blodeuwedd, and what it means for him to have a cannibalistic Omen.]
... Well, what's yours?
[Oh, he's curious now.]
no subject
At least it's a chill eagle. It doesn't really seem interested in eating bugs. Instead it's just hanging out there in the air, idly flapping its wings as it stares at Fern and Ange. ]
That's mine. I.. didn't know they have names though.
[ See, this shows how concerned she has been with her Omen.. which is not very much at all. But look, there's a lot to suddenly adapt to in this place, okay, not everything can make the top of the list! ]
no subject
Cool.
[Why can't his Omen be a cool eagle.]
I don't know if they always do. Varian's Omen is Ruddiger, so he had his name back in Corona. Blodeuwedd told me hers.
[So this chill eagle might just not have gotten around to telling Ange, or maybe it's too chill to have one.]
no subject
[ It would explain why her Omen hasn't really spoken up to her - and he seems kind of laidback too, really. He's just calmly hanging out here, like nothing is really bothering him. ]
.. sheesh, even all this stuff around Omens has got to be complicated, doesn't it? [ Them suddenly having them, the different shapes they take on, the different ways they act.. Nothing can apparently be easy in this place. ]
At least he can fly, so that makes it easier to look out for that lich.
no subject
[Fern does try giving the eagle a small wave, though he drops his hand quickly.] It's a lot worse than the dream guides. At least we needed the dreamcatchers to summon those things. These are just... part of us.
[It's weird and uncomfortable. Shaking his head, he turns and heads down the alley.]
Right. Let's go.
no subject
But the whole idea about Omens is very strange to think about - so Ange tries not to, shaking her head a little to herself. It's better to focus on something else.
Something more productive. ]
Do you think that thing we're looking for is likely to attack other people? If it's causing some sort of commotion, we might be able to spot it earlier. [ Especially from higher up. ]
no subject
Not that... talking the Lich is much better.]
Maybe. Back home he was really good at being stealthy. If he can kill you - and he can - then he can wear your body like a skinsuit and you won't know it's him.
no subject
[ Sure, maybe it's not the most appropriate reaction to that statement. It's an appropriate reaction though, since Ange is pretty sure that everyone thinks the idea of something else using your body like a skinsuit is kind of gross.
But the most appropriate reaction - fear, really - isn't visible. No matter how omnious and dangerous that sounds, they've faced down a lot of these things by now, right? ]
Let's make sure that doesn't happen. I like my body.
[ .. Ange pauses, seeming to think, before glancing over at Fern as they walk. ]
Can he only do it to human bodies, or to plant bodies like yours too?
no subject
The guy he did it to back home wasn't human, so I don't think it matters. [He shakes his head.] As long as you're alive he can get to you.
no subject
.. but that just means they'll have to make sure to deal with it, right? No matter what. ]
It's fine though. Once we find it, we'll just have each other's backs. I trust you to not let anything happen to me.
no subject
That thought is lingering in the back of Fern's mind as he nods, looking a little troubled.]
I trust you, too. [It's at least reassuring to him that she's here.] ... Thanks for helping me.
no subject
But she doesn't say any of those. Instead, after a moment of thinking and looking at her Omen flying overhead, she shakes her head. ]
I mean, I'm kind of doing it for my own sake too. I'd be so upset if something happened to you, you know.
no subject
You're right. That's really selfish of you.
[His words are entirely halfhearted as he's joking. She's being incredibly selfless right now, potentially putting herself in danger like this.]