Lance (
azurestar) wrote in
deercountry2022-01-05 07:42 pm
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January Catchall [OPEN]
Who: Lance (
azurestar) and OPEN
What: Catch-all log for January.
When: All of January
Where: All over Trench.
Content Warnings: alcohol and drug use, risky behavior, symptoms of PTSD and trauma induced hallucinations etc., memory loss, shedding of skin to alter one's body and all the psychological issues that comes with, traumatic memory share, lockjoint, will add more specific warnings as they arise.
SNAKE DEN
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
What: Catch-all log for January.
When: All of January
Where: All over Trench.
Content Warnings: alcohol and drug use, risky behavior, symptoms of PTSD and trauma induced hallucinations etc., memory loss, shedding of skin to alter one's body and all the psychological issues that comes with, traumatic memory share, lockjoint, will add more specific warnings as they arise.
SNAKE DEN
i. [Lance frequents the Red practically every night it's said to be hosting the talent and fashion shows. He only gets on the stage when he's in different forms, though. In the second week of the month, he's a catboy thief from a tabletop fantasy game called Monsters and Mana. On stage, as this persona he'll grab a guitar and start singing extremely well and captivatingly as he walks through the audience and uses his tail pick pocket the onlookers. He can also be found chatting people up and lounging in booths with beautiful ladies in this form and letting them pet his ears... yes, he's purring when that happens.SHEDDING CEREMONY
In the middle of the month, he's a bit younger, back to who he was before he went to space at the age of 17, and he'll be getting on stage to show off his acrobatic and dance skills, as well as his musical skills. He'll descend from the ceiling from bolts of fabric around his legs and waist, with his guitar in hand, spinning around slowly and playing with a rose in his teeth. He'll then toss the rose to the prettiest person in the audience an start singing and dancing quite well once he reaches the ground.
Also in the middle of the month, he's a beautiful young woman for a short stint. In this form, he does singing and dance routines, showing off his high notes and also gets in the fashion show, the outfits he gravitates to look like this, this and this. He can also be spotted mingling in the crowd dressed nice and downing champagne flutes and charming everyone.]
ii. [As a paleblood, people will be extra compelled to open up to him and tell him the truth in this space, and in all his shedded forms he's pretty good at active listening if the subject is heavy enough. He may also offer to help ease pain if someone is hurt or emotionally suffering, as that's the paleblood power he has when touching people skin on skin. At first he'll be confused about people just dumping all their truth on him, but eventually he'll start to figure it out and definitely take full advantage with some people he knows or is curious about.
He'll sidle up to anyone who looks interesting or he wants to get to know, and especially to existing friends and go:] Sooo, got anything you wanna get off your chest, maybe?
[It will be easy to mistake him for a working nightwalker, feel free to proposition him for anything.]
iii. [In all his forms detailed above, he'll be available for a private conversation or interaction as even he needs some time to sit and chill out. Often, he'll be laid back in a more private area just strumming on his guitar and casually singing random lyrics that come to mind. Because of his empathic powers, what he's unconsciously singing about may feel specifically tailored to your life, especially if he touched your skin and took some suffering or pain from you no matter how small. If he hasn't touched you recently, then the song may still feel relevant to you and like the notes being played hit you in your soul, but it's not as deeply specific.
Lance doesn't realize he's doing this, he still doesn't have control over his powers and has not figured out how to consciously channel them. When he notices someone's emotional or physical presence, he'll stop playing and look over, brows drawn together.]
Uh hey, looking for something? Maybe someone~?
[He waggles his eyebrows a bit and smirks on that last bit. Could be he means someone else, or himself and is implying you should stay a while and hang out with him. Either way, he's not bothered and oblivious to what he was just doing that got your attention. If you'd like specific lyrics and a musical tone/genre for your character, just describe the emotions/situation they are experiencing that Lance would be singing about in prose and let me know.]
iv. [Later in the month, Lance sheds into a full AU of himself where he isn't human, but a highly advanced Android that didn't know he was an Android until very recently. Many things in his life are the same, and he remembers Deerington, but through the perspective of an Android Lance with slight differences to his background and certain edits to what he experienced. From his perspective, he's just returned from a big "canon update" where he discovered what he is and is understandably shook.UNSNAKELY
He can be found overcompensating as he walks through the streets of Trench or enters various venues to shop, shooting finger guns at every person he sees. This is normal, he's normal, he's totally a person and not a thing with no soul. But the mechanism that keeps his head attached to his body is disrupted after he recently tested taking it off and promptly freaked the fuck out, he didn't put it back on entirely right, so all it takes is someone or something jostling him and- POP! His head comes off and rolls up to your feet.
He looks up at you from the ground looking like he's barely keeping his shit together and trying not to freak out as he blinks and then laugh so nervously and through a tight anxious throat, that he chokes on it.]
Hey, l-looks like I lost my head a second there...
v. (closed) [Vary late in the month, Lance is a merboy! He sheds to the form in the night, and all his memories are shifted slightly, he doesn't know where he is and believes belongs with Mariana ever since arriving in Trench. In his version of history, many things are the same, except that he had his DNA messed with on an ocean planet and gained the ability to turn into a mer. He struggled with the feral nature of that side for a long time and coming to Trench, steeped in blood pollution caused him to perma shift into the merman state and heavily bond with the Ocean. Naturally, this was startling and scary to him to wake up in a strange place and he started freaking the fuck out when woken.]
vi. [After merboy Lance is brought back to Mariana, he is actually quite happy to talk to people who come by the docks, he'll pop up out of the water and grin with all sharp teeth and flirt, Mariana sometimes assisting him further out of the water by lifting water with him in a cone. But his flirting is sometimes meant to lure in victims... yes, he's one of those siren types of merpeople. Sometimes, he's harmlessly interacting and interested in having some fun, others... he's hunting.
If he's not directly targeting you on the docks, you can catch him in the middle of luring a poor sailor out of their boat and into the water with him. If you call out to interrupt, he'll look over at you with a death glare and his hands fisted in the person's shirt as he's in the process of pulling them in.]
Ohoho you better not be interrupting us right now. Can't you see we're having a moment??
vii. [Lance has taken a liking to Madam Generosity as she slithers through the streets. He feels comforted by her and talks to her as she goes, running to try nad keep up. Then, it doesn't take long before he's just riding on her back every now and again throughout the month, no matter what form he's taken or what memories he has (excluding merboy). Catch him lounging on his back with his hands up and pillowing the back of his head and ankles crossed like he's on the beach, definitely flirting with the giant snake.]WINTER MOURNINGS
So, how's your day going, beautiful? Heading anywhere interesting?
viii. [Because of his affection for Madam Generosity, he does fall into the unsnakely's traps more than once and in multiple shedded forms (all but merboy). And unfortunately, his star powers are still not working correctly, even after he's shedded, and in some forms he has no powers at all, so when he follows the trail to find the snake of his heart, he's not the most prepared for when a giant fiery beast emerges to attack.]
AHHHH!
[Immediately, he leaps out of the way of a fiery attack and covers his head protectively. Then he hops up and looks around for any assistance or weapons or ideas. Regardless, he's taking a stance and rolling up his sleeves.]
Alright, let's do this.
[And if he's in a body that has powers and/or combat training (regardless of their functionality), he'll stand his ground. If he's his younger, early canon self or his catboy self, he'll immediately run for his life after saying that.]
ix. [Possible memories from Deerington open in the thick of a jungle where many of them were forced to battle each other much like in the Hunger Games. This is where he ate a man, killed his friend Moira and where Reaper tortured him to death in revenge and he'll look around at the place they end up, look at you, then at the area again...] Nope. Bye.WILDCARD
[And with that he turns to walk away into the jungle. And if it's not the jungle you found yourself in, it's the streets of Deerington during darker periods such as October's blood filled streets or something that looks more benign and normal but definitely isn't. He'll have no idea what is about to happen and that makes him fidgety. He looks around uneasily and then his hands come up to his head.] Maaan, this could be anything!
x. [The experience begins in his memory and the first thing you see is the inside of a very futuristic space ship, fighter cockpit, or you're in the back seat of a land rover on earth. These possible memories are from his time back home and they have him sighing next to you heavily with a note of "oh this again" on his breath.] Well, let's strap in, this'll be over soon.
( Want to combine old Winter Mourning Prompts with current events? Want to add a lockjoint element to one of these prompts? Or just wanna come up with something completely unique? Hit me with anything your heart desires. Current Event and last month's event prompts are largely flexible with each AU form as well, if you want a specific AU form for a prompt that doesn't specify which one/leaves it open, just let me know in the subject line. If you'd like to plot, I would be more than happy to! Contact me on my plotting comment where I detail all my ideas so far, atspypigeon or on discord at charley#8222! )
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And yet, he keeps his claws dug into the wood and his chin on the dock. He's not a weak person, in fact as a merman, he's incredibly strong. He can probably pull himself all the way on the dock easily, but he just… doesn't feel up to it. Like when you scream out a bunch of anger and the depression bubbles up from the deep to punch you in the face and make you feel like you weigh a ton.
He looks over to Keith, expression not unlike a sad and tired dog, wounded and caught in a bear trap. Then he looks away with a frown and a blush. Despite all the heavy things he's feeling this is… embarrassing.] Well, I got stuck, obviously. You gonna help me or what?
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[Keith sighed, not even bothering to answer the question about helping. Even with how angry they were at each other, he wasn't going to just leave Lance dangling there like bait for some bigger monster to come up out of the sea and eat him. He wasn't cruel. Angry, yes... but not cruel.
He leaned around, poking and carefully tugging, actually trying not to hurt Lance as he examined the various chains and ropes that were used to hold boats to the dock. Everything was cold. Keith had gotten used to not feeling it the past few weeks, and now, poking at damp, slightly frozen metal chains was making his fingers feel numb and start to ache. He rubbed his hands on his pants a few times to combat it and warm them up as he kept looking to see where he could try loosening things up to help get Lance's tail free.]
This is a mess. How does anyone even use this to moor boats?
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[He says hastily, still extremely heavy feeling and embarrassed. And also he just doesn't know, he was too busy yelling at Keith and sometimes his tail just does shit like that. It has a mind of its own and coils and moves with his emotions and shit, he doesn't know.
Now he's getting tired of just dangling, so he summons the will form somewhere deep down and pulls himself up. With the way his tail is twisted up and caught, he has to lay on the dock on his side and then twist at the waist to look over his tail and see what Keith is doing. Experimentally, he tries moving his tail to jog some of the ropes and chains loose, and manages to free his main fin from where it was folded and tucked under a chain.
He winces a bit as he feels something pull at his scales unpleasantly and ah yes, as he raises the end part of his tail up to inspect, he is bleeding. But at least the fin isn't torn, that would suck.]
Better question: how does anyone moor boats with this without slicing their hands open?
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Stop moving. You're gonna make it worse.
[He shifted positions, having to lean over Lance to see around the back of the piling. Try as he might, he couldn't balance without leaning his hip against Lance's stomach.]
Sorry.
[He apologized for the contact, but he didn't have much of a choice if he didn't want to fall in. And, not being a coldblood at the moment meant that water was going to be really cold this time.
He found a knot in the rope part, so he started working at it to loosen it, hoping that it would also loosen the chains in the process.]
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[This is a little awkward considering they were just yelling at each other before. And the contact of Keith's hip against his stomach has him flushing slightly and wanting to recoil away. He digs his claws into the nearest groove in the wood to combat his emotions.
Truth be told, he suspects now that his tail got caught because he was winding himself up subconsciously to lunge at Keith. That's what he does now, he supposes. Just hurts and kills people he cares about. And this thought spiral has him not really saying anything else for a bit. There's logic in not moving, so he doesn't. He's tired anyway and lets himself go limp for the most part, lowering himself to lie completely on his side, not looking while Keith works to free him.
It's not long before the ropes and chains loosen enough where Keith started focusing in that he can feel like he has space to maybe move and get free. But he doesn't go for it just yet, last thing he needs is to open another wound. He's also starting to feel sluggish from being out of the water, but not dangerously so. His voice is dull and tired sounding when he speaks up again.]
Got it yet?
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Getting there.
[It was hard to push back against the flood of dark feelings emanating off Lance. Add to the fact that his fingers were cold and getting stiffer and number, it wasn't going great. The knots were harder to detangle the longer he worked.
And then his hand slipped.
It took a second to register, but, once it did, the cold made it hurt worse. Keith actually yelped a little, shaking his hand and then clutching it against himself before cursing under his breath. He was so close... and before Lance could ask if he was okay, he reached back up with his other hand and gave the dangling rope a good hard tug, setting the whole thing loose and freeing Lance's tail.]
There. You're free.
[He sat back, moving away from Lance so they weren't touching anymore to avoid that awkwardness, and then leaned against the same piling he'd been leaning against before. His own hand wasn't bleeding, thankfully, but he'd pinched it pretty good, and it would likely bruise later. Lance, on the other hand, was bleeding, so he unwound the scarf around his neck.]
Should probably get that to stop bleeding before you go completely back in the water.
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It's been a while since he just sat somewhere like a person instead of lurking in the water and hunting. He can tell Keith isn't bleeding at least because he's a predator, not unlike a shark, he can smell blood from far off. It's easier in the water, but at this distance on land he'd be able to smell it as well as he smells his own.
Still, he reaches out to grab Keith's wrist where he's unwinding his scarf and gently pull his hand over where he can see it. Just to check if it's broken. As he inspects, he shakes his head at Keith's concern about the bleeding.] It's just a scratch, dude. It'll heal over by the end of the day.
[Which means he probably shouldn't go back in the water until then. He knows about most of the dangers that lurk in there and any wounds usually means he has to beach himself for a while to truly be safe. Feeding on people also speeds the healing process, but right now… his feral side has receded farther back than it has in months since this conversation started and he's trying not to think about the fact that he's eaten people.
Satisfied that Keith's hand isn't broken, he lets go of it and shifts to wind most of his long tail around himself on the dock. The bleeding part on the end is still within Keith's grasp to bind if he still wishes.]
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I'm fine. [He's been around Shiro too long in his life.] It just hurts because because it's cold out here.
[He pulled back as Lance released him and then gingerly pressed his scarf against the scratch on Lance's tail to stop the bleeding, using his other hand instead. Just... get that to stop, and then... He didn't know.
He'd tried. He'd tried to talk, he'd tried to figure things out, and it was backfiring spectacularly. Just like always. He could feel himself pulling in on himself emotionally, disassociating, putting walls up... protecting himself. Yeah, he wanted to run, just like last time when he ran to the Blades to avoid the team kicking him out.]
I-... I'm sorry I brought this up.
[There. That would work, right? And then maybe he could bail on this without any real repercussions. They could revisit this when they were both... less fucked up. As if.]
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He also knows he's been dealing with surges of corruption for some time and perhaps that hasn't helped. Right now, the corruption clouding his head is somehow lower than he remembers from a couple weeks ago. Perhaps that's because he'd shedded to this form and before that… before that maybe his pre-shedded self was in a better place? He doesn't know, this is all so confusing.
Maybe it is better if Keith just leaves this time. He's been avoiding him anyway, right? But he knows now that he's been causing Keith distress because he doesn't know how to be around him without feeling like his heart is being shredded. And when his emotions get out of control, well…
In this form, it's the feral side that gets out of hand. When he's back to himself, he'll consider going feral better than going supernova. Still not ideal, but…
Either way, being cold or being combative is easier than letting himself feel all the things that trigger the worst. He can control being distanced, he can control being combative… he can't control grief. And he knows that Keith struggles in his own ways for his own reasons, being an empath helps him see that even clearer.]
You don't have to say you're sorry for asking why I was being a jerk. [He says softly, voice a bit hoarse. He already apologized for said jerk behavior, so he doesn't do so again, instead going for clearing a couple things up.] Keith… I don't hate you. I'm not even really mad at you for leaving, and definitely not for forgetting… and you didn't fail.
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He didn't look up from Lance's injured tail right away, not until Lance said he didn't hate him. And, he definitely was listening... up until Lance said he hadn't failed.
His gaze dropped to the dock for a second before he looked back at the scarf, checking to see if the bleeding had slowed or stopped.]
Right. Which was why Shiro had to beg the Black Lion to let him pilot it again, right? Because I didn't fail the team by not being there. Besides, Shiro had all the better ideas, right? [He shrugged.] It's fine. We can't go back and change it now anyway.
[Keith had already settled in his mind that he'd just totally screwed everything up during his first attempt at Black Paladin, and that's why Shiro had been taken back by the Lion. That was why no one really argued for him to stay when he said he was going to head off on the mission with the Blades... why everyone always went with Shiro's ideas instead of his.
Shiro was the better leader at the time. Keith still felt he was at times, but they just had different styles, and he was settled into his own now. But he definitely failed the first run.]
I just... [He sighed.] I know I'm missing a lot. I know there's a lot you guys aren't telling me. [All of them, Shiro included. Keith had noticed.] But keeping secrets from each other isn't going to make things better. And, in this kind of place, we're going to need each other.
I'm not... I'm not going to push about it. But, just consider it, okay? [He leaned back, satisfied that the bleeding had stopped enough for now.] You guys are all I have here. I don't want to lose that.
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Secrets aren't the best, he'd agree. But he sees a lot of the things he keeps to himself as just private. Perhaps the only thing that's a real secret because it involves Keith his how their relationship changed. But as of right now he can't imagine revealing that going well. It's a lot to address… he starts at the top.]
We all failed, Keith. Yeah, you should've been there that day, but we didn't exactly do the best job at making you feel like you were important to us… I was supposed to have your back more than anyone. [He looks down at his hands on his lap and his tail coils tighter, fin lifting up to fan over his shoulders like a protective shawl as his poster curls inward more and his expression becomes pensive.] I keep feeling like there's more I'm not remembering from back then, being part fish has made everything so cloudy…
[He shakes his head to clear it of those frustrations. The agitation building is never good, it causes him to go more feral and aggressive. Then he lets out a shuddered breath and moves on.]
Ask me about it again if I ever go back to normal… [He then awkwardly, self-consciously rubs at his bicep.] And there's a difference between secrets and things that… hurt too much to talk about. And being around you hurts like crazy. I'm still so angry it feels like any second I'm gonna lose it and- and just… [His voice trembles as the honesty compulsion pushes him forward and his emotions bubble again. He forcefully swallows it down.] …I just need time. I'll try to… be less of a jerk… this is just really hard, alright?
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Sure, he did on some level, but it still would have been nice to know that maybe they'd wanted him to stay. He scrunched his eyebrows a bit as Lance said it had been on them just as much as him, and then took most of it on himself. But, even with how things ended up that time around, it had been Lance who stepped up and grounded Keith, even while Keith was fighting with his grief and trying to replace the very man he was grieving.] You did... you helped me a lot while Shiro was gone.
[At the same time, though, they were both still working through the current changes this shedding thing was pushing them through, and Lance had a point. It was something Keith had been worried about when he first felt compelled to even bring all this up in the first place.
The shedding had affected their memories, and working this out when they were both... 'normal', whatever that was in this place... would be the better way to deal with it.
Keith nodded.]
Thanks. For at least telling me this much. I promised I wouldn't push, so... I won't. And, if you need some space, that's fine. [It just helped knowing that this wasn't something where he was losing a friend.]
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Maybe, maybe not. I might remember it differently in like a week and I guess this me won't exist anymore.
[It bothers him, but his posture and emotional and mental vibes make it pretty clear he's not really interested in exploring that existential and philosophical conundrum any deeper than that. His tail has curled more tightly around him, partly from his emotional state but also somewhat because he's been out of the water for a bit now and it's not… comfortable.
As Keith sticks to his promise not to push, he has to close his eyes in a pained way. It's appreciated, but also hurts because this what Keith does, he's always surprising him with how… amazing he is sometimes. He developed feelings for Keith flaws and all, but it's in these moments when his strength of character shines through the most that has his heart doing funny things. And now, those funny feelings hurt a lot.]
Y-yeah. Thanks… [He works his jaw a minute as his gills behind his fin ears start to itch painfully.] But maybe. Before you give me that space, just… help me get to the beach.
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I mean, there's all kinds of realities and timelines and universes, right? You'll always exist somewhere.
[And it was easy for Keith to pull back and give someone space. He was used to that because, not only does he sympathize with the need in general, he was just used to feeling like people didn't want him around. So, it was his default mode... keeping his distance.
He nodded at the request.]
Yeah. I can help with that.
[That was easy. A lot easier than, say, talking about feelings.]
You gonna be alright there on your own until your tail's okay for swimming? [He had to ask...]
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Thanks…
[That's all he's going to say to that, because he really wants to get on with this moving to the beach thing. He looks over the docks and spots a row boat that's meant to take someone out to one of the larger ships anchored in the deeper waters. He nods to it.]
Let's take that, it'll be fastest. [Then he snorts at the question.] Oh yeah, totally. Anything comes to try and eat me, I'm a lot stronger as a fish than a human. I just don't wanna get swarmed in the water when some of the nastier stuff out there smells my blood.
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Alright... [He put his arms out in order to lift Lance up.]
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Well, how else are you gonna get in the damn boat?
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Uh, you bring it here and I'll hop in. Obviously.
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He cursed at the moorings again while working them free because his hand still ached from earlier, but then pulled the boat alongside the dock after getting it loose. He then wrapped the rope around the other piling so that they could get in without it floating away on them.]
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[He calls to Keith as he goes to get the boat. And the way Keith decides to bring it over is exactly what lance was thinking. And he has arms, Keith. If rowing bothers you so much, he can do it. In fact, he was planning to.
Once the boat is in place, he uncurls his tail and lifts himself up easily enough and then plops himself in the boat at the rowing position.] Alright, let's get a move-on, my gills are starting to burn.
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He got in and then unwrapped the rope from the piling, giving a slight push against the dock so they floated out just enough for maneuvering room before sitting down.]
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Then he gets to rowing out over to the farther shores, which aren't too far so it's not exactly a long trip. Especially since as Lance said, he's a lot stronger as a fish, and his row strokes take them an impressive distance with each go.]
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You might as well keep this until that heals over enough that it doesn't open up again.
[He shifted, going to wrap it around the tail.]
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I just gotta chill out in the surf for a day and I'll be fine.
[The shore is now not far, and he starts to slow the boat, looking for a safe looking place to park it.]
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