deercountry | you took your toll on me {OPEN}

Entry tags:

you took your toll on me {OPEN}

Who: Shiro & OPEN
What: Catch all for February event + newsletter
When: All month long (2/1 - 2/28)
Where: Various - listed in prompts

Content Warnings: attempted harm via combat, mild altered mental state via chocolates, blood ritual in closed threads

CHOCOLATE EFFECT

Almond + Strawberry - compelled to communicate exclusively through song - emotions projected through an aura

(1) Market / Willful Machine
Shiro really doesn't notice anything's wrong. Or even different. As far as he knows, it's just another day. Just another round of errands before he heads off to work with the Wakers. Maybe he'll find a familiar face out there. Most likely not. His hands are in his pockets, casually wandering down the boardwalk before his shift - and... is he humming? He's humming. And apparently oblivious to it. Though, once he draws an audience, that very well may change. There also appears to be some kind of light show going on in his vicinity. A pulse around him in muted colors of dim twilight.

That's probably okay. Right?

(2) Any Stage
... It does change. At some point, any point in the month, should you walk into a venue with a stage, or an open mic, Shiro's there. Up on the stage. Where he's somehow gotten hold of his Space Ho crop-top, and appears to be in the middle of a reprise of Under Pressure. The light show around him is still going strong, bursting in brilliant yellows and golds shot with silver. If he spots a familiar face in the crowd, he cuts it off and reaches out to haul the individual on stage with him. The lighting follows his movements, swirling in time with whoever he sees - green-gold, purple-silver.

"It's so great to see you!" is what he says, before immediately launching into some other song. And, oh no. Oh, no is he dancing. He's dancing with the poor soul on stage with him.

Have you heard it before? Maybe? Do you resist going on stage? If so, he's going to be serenading his feelings from stage, probably more embarrassing than just getting up there. Because Shiro's not about to stop.

Peanut Butter - you now have animal features

(1) Arrival
Initially, when the massive, mottled grey and white wings appeared, Shiro kind of panicked. Who wouldn't, when your coat splits open, and enormous feathers sprout? He doesn't remember anything weird happening, even though he should. It doesn't hurt, thankfully, it's more startling than it is actually painful. But it throws him off-balance enough to go sprawling sideways into a wall. Or a person. Hopefully it's a wall and not someone who's going to put up a fuss over being sprawled into by a dorito-shaped winged man.

"Sorry! I - excuse me!"

The unfortunate Trenchie ducks to one side, and, well. Said Winged Man ends up in a bush. Looking more put out and annoyed than actually hurt as he tries to untangle himself.

(2) Over Beach
In the end, though, you cannot keep Shiro grounded. Not when you hand him such an obvious way to get airborne again. The sand, mostly frozen still, is dotted with human-shaped impressions where it didn't quite work as planned. But looking upward, you'll see he got the hang of it pretty quickly. Sure, he had to rip up a shirt for this, but it's worth it. Even Shiro isn't reckless enough to go flying without some kind of protection on his skin, thank you.

He can be seen skimming low over the half-frozen waves, trailing a hand through them before climbing skyward again. The look on his face is... well. It's elated. It's overjoyed. He even climbs up higher than strictly necessary, spiraling, and gliding. It's a show, but one mostly for himself. Until he spots someone on the sand, and angles in for a landing.

Watch out!

Coffee - erratic, irrational behavior, horrible hangover

(1) Trenchwood
How could he say no to coffee? Especially coffee with the added lingering effect of the peanut butter - wings, in this case. Right now, he feels invincible. He feels like he could take on the world. And there's only one place to test it. Out in the wilds, where hardly anyone ventures. If he can get some good aerial views of the woods, maybe that would be of help. Despite everything, despite the overwhelming urge to reckless action, he wants to use it for good. The huge appendages shift, flex.

"I'm going in." A beat. "Over." In that Shiro Tone of "you can't stop me".

So... there's that. Can't stop, won't stop.

Join him?

(2) The Crash - Mouse House
Residents of the Mouse House, or often visitors, who happen to be around early in the morning will catch sight of a rare beast. The fearsome Shirogane Blanket Slug. Dragging his heels through the house, in search of caffeine. Or water. Or any combination of the above. There's a blanket pulled over his head, and every step is a slow, pained shuffle. One would be forgiven for running, or calling for help. Especially when morning light pokes into the room, under the blanket.

Then Shiro groans. And slowly, so slowly, starts to sink down to the floor. Giving up on life altogether. Death would be kinder.

WARMBLOOD EFFECT

(1) Help Machine
It's cold. It's snowy. Huge drifts piled up here and there, with patches of ice holding them in massive clumps in the street. This makes it difficult to get to and from where you may need to go. But! Struggle no more! Help is on the way!

By virtue of a one-man, one-horse plow machine. It's Shiro, a huge shovel. And an even bigger black horse. Meet Bob, everyone. The big animal, while on a lead, is apparently breaking paths through the snow with its enormous feet, followed closely by Shiro and his shovel, scooping out the new powder. He's ended up stripped down to a t-shirt, even in this weather, from the exertion, but shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. And hey, he's got the arms for this, why not use them? Even if... maybe, the scarring along said arms is a bit darker than it ever used to be. Then again, there's more grey in his hair these days, so -

"Hang on, we'll get this out of your way in no time," is what he'll say, outside any home they encounter, be it Sleeper or Trenchie.

(2) Slow Down
... even with the effect of his blood type urging him on, a man's got to crash eventually. And when he does, it's hard. Follow the trail of horse-man-plow long enough, and Shiro's obvious. Either sacked out on his feet inside Koz's, propped up by a broom, crashed on the sofa at Mouse House, or heck, maybe you hauled his dumb ass in off the street and made him tea. Where he will, promptly, fall asleep with his head on top of the mug.

His horse though? Nah, Bob is fine, really. More than fine. But he'll accept a treat or a pat.

PTHUMERIAN EFFECT

(1) By The Shore - Moon Presence
It's late at night, out here on the shore. Not even the Wakers about. Maybe squid don't wash up this time of night. Whatever you're doing out here, you may very well feel like you're the only soul here. At least until something begins to sing - a sad, mournful melody, out over the waters. It's pretty darn huge, too.

"It's okay."

You wouldn't be blamed for jumping. Someone else is in fact, out here. It's Shiro, bundled up and sitting on a rock, quietly watching the Pthumerian figure. His expression is somber, sad - well, you know, more than usual anyway. He does try for a smile, and nods toward the creature singing. If you approach, you'll see there's a small burner set on the rock as well, the smell of incense faint and drifting upwards from it. Soft and pleasant, soothing.

"She won't hurt you." He must mean the big creature. There's no one else here. "Do you know who she is?"

(2) By The Gate - Mercy
He should be happier, right? Don't most people have a little thrill of something, a little bit of joy, close to their birthdays? But, no. There's nothing. There's just the heavy weight of his right arm. There's just the creeping knowledge the people dear to him are falling apart. Nothing he's done so far has managed to uphold any of his promises to any of them. That's becoming more and more apparent as the weeks go on, as the days go on and he sees the Corruption.

He sees the changes in everyone, except himself.

What does he desire? What does he crave? More than anything else... to be of use. To be worth the effort of knowing - to be able to make a difference. Yet, no matter what he does, people slip through his fingers like water. Promises fade to nothing.

We don't need you anymore

He stares up at the massive doors of the arena, the Gate. Maybe, at least, if he can't do anything, he can help the stronger ones train. That, surely will be of use, will rid him of the guilt scrabbling down his spine. He can already feel his brain slowly shut down as he takes a step forward towards those doors.

(( all prompts open to all! Closed ones in comments. If you want anything specific, feel free to hit me up here! ))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

How many times has he checked the list? Way too many times. It has to go right. He has to do this right. He owes it to his partner - his husband. Nothing can break this bond, the archives had said. Not even death. Not even loss. Whatever happens tonight, they won't lose one another again - even if one of them ended up back in the sea. The answer for Shiro had been immediate - of course he wanted to do it. He only needed a brief word of "go ahead" before launching into preparations.

In all honesty, Shiro has gone... all out. He's cleared the snow off one of the decks of the house with the help of his omen. He's peeled enough of the flowers off the house to make an archway. He'd even gone to the effort of gathering up a number of little lamps, to warm the space. It's still February, after all.

Everything is ready on a table under the archway. The roses, the silver cup. Shiro's even all dressed up for the occasion, and fidgeting a bit with the items on the table. What if Adam changes his mind? What if it doesn't work out? His hand in his pocket grips the little vial in it, a tiny vial of his own blood.

It's as ready as it can be.

Edited 2022-02-09 05:36 (UTC)

Adam wasn't nervous at all.

He knew what he wanted. He always had. He had plenty of questions about the trajectory of his life, what he was doing here and the morality of how he functioned in it. How to be a good friend, a mentor. How to help those who were new and had fewer resources. Determining who was worth trusting.

But he never questioned this. Since they'd gotten together again Takashi had never been a question. Whatever path he ended on he knew he was at the end of it, walking alongside him the whole way.

He was already smiling before he stepped outside, but he pauses. Taking it all in.

Adam knows Takashi better than anyone. He sees the yearning in every piece of decor, the silent apology for some fault he sees that Adam never has.

He turns to Takashi then, smile stretched wide, eyes soft. Hands in his pockets.

"Hey there. Doing anything tonight?"

Edited 2022-03-08 18:52 (UTC)

He sort of spreads his hands as the door opens. A weak sort of "ta-daa" motion. Part of him definitely has felt guilty about how the dream ended between them. Not the action, absolutely not. But how secret it had been, how spur of the moment and how short lived the little greenhouse marriage had been. Of course he's trying to make up for it.

And of course, his fretting his answered with a smile.

"I don't know yet. Depends on what my date wants to do."

They're both hilarious. He shakes his head slightly, and extends his left hand. Like they're going to walk down an invisible aisle to a little archway. To the table and the items set up. No hesitation, his fingers threading through Adam's.

"We do kind of have a schedule to keep though. If he's still up for it."

CLOSED to ADAM - Romantic Bonding

MAWWAGE

BWINGS US TOGEDDER TODAY

CLOSED to WILL - Family Bonding

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By the Shore

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Peanut Butter Jelly Time

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Slow Down - Koz's

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By the Gate