deercountry | If you get a feeling next time you see me, do me a favor and let me know

Who: Ryan Akagi [

chickenchoicejudy] and Close CR, with open prompts to be added when the event goes live.
What: Ryan is having a pretty hard time with the paleblood effects this month. Body of the post is a general summary of where he's at, and starters will be in comments.
When: All of March
Where: Various locations - likely haunts are Cellar Door, Crenshaw (specifically Mouse House or Min-Gi's place), and the boardwalk. Event locations to be added later!

Content Warnings: Severe hallucinations, severe face blindness, corruption, unintentional self harm (scratching).

It started mild enough - with mushrooms of all things. Nothing to actually worry anyone about.

At first he hadn't even realized they weren't real. There's plant life growing in abundance all over Trench and it made perfect sense for mushrooms to be one of those things. It wouldn't have even been the first time mysterious mushrooms popped up out of nowhere. Ryan leaves them be and barely thinks about it.

Then they start growing out of people. That's when it becomes apparent that...no one else can see them. He's moved to gently tug them off of people only to realize he can't grip them. His hand slips through and they vanish.

And that's...concerning. But it could be worse?

And about a week into the month, it absolutely gets worse. He starts having trouble recognizing people. People he's known for ages now catch him in the street and he can't make his brain put together the shapes of their faces into something he recognizes. Mushrooms obscure other features that might make identifying them easier - hair, clothing, frequently worn accessories. Any time he starts to focus on something, mushrooms start to sprout and block his view.

He makes excuses. He spends more time on the network because he craves interaction but it's less stressful that way. He texts people more frequently, even when he would normally see them in person. Even if they're literally nearby he might text them, just to make sure. Just to watch a faceless someone react when their Omni dings.

Sometimes he catches himself in the mirror and doesn't recognize who looks back at him, which is a problem he's never had before. He doesn't want to talk about it, because it feels absolutely insane to try and explain it to anyone, but also because he's lost any and all ability to recognize people by that point. Who would he even tell? But, it's also become impossible to hide. Not when there's no recognition in his eyes when someone says hello to him. Not when he texts someone several times to ask where they are, including when he's standing right next to them.

He's in a sea of strangers, and it's disorienting. It's even a little scary, particularly in public. He's losing his grip and it's slipping further and further from him, but maybe if he like, tried harder? This is a stupid problem he's having. A stupid dumb problem that he should be able to just...get over and walk off.

The mushrooms even grow on him sometimes. At his worst, small fluorescent green ones will sprout out of his right palm in the shape of a 202 and he'll scratch at it desperately, leaving harsh red marks behind. Even places will start to look unfamiliar, as the confusion only gets worse and worse as the month goes on.

[ooc: Top Levels coming soon, open top levels coming when the event goes live. Hit me up at

goodhotcocoa if you want something in particular!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Ryan "pffts" and waves his hand.]

You're totally worrying too much. Besides, you've heard me come up with some of my best stuff while I was running on empty! It's not a big deal, dude. Relaaaax.

[This isn't the first time he's tried to say so to Min-Gi - sometimes he just doesn't sleep and it's totally fine and not at all a worrying habit of his. Besides, it's hard when your body wants to be asleep when everyone else you know is awake.]

Besides, if it means we're ready for show time it's worth sacrificing a little sleep.

[ ...has he heard that? He supposes that he has heard Ryan pick out a couple really cool songs while sleepless or fresh off brunch with Wu when he comes back with him before heading home, but...

Sounds sus, Ryan. Are they short on liqueur again—Renfri. Of course. Mako really has to talk to her about all the fancy drinks she's making. He'll have to make another trip down to the docks soon, see what he can con out of the vendors before everything gets snapped up. At least haggling is one of his main skillsets these days.

He looks back up at Ryan after a moment, frowning quietly. Behind him, slowly, a vine is blooming from the bar itself, already beginning to flower. ]

This isn't a little sleep. This is a lot of sleep. And Wu already thinks you're ready for show time. A standing gig isn't something you have to push yourself for. You sure you're alright?

[Something finally rings strange about this to Ryan, and he stills. That's how Ryan usually feels, but...Mi would never say that. They haven't had very many standing gigs together yet, and Min is the king of pushing himself too hard.

The world feels like it's tilted sideways and he's going to slide right off.

Is he alright?]

...

[Min is...all the way across the room. Behind the bar. Instead of coming up on stage to rehearse with him. Ryan stares, trying to parse his face through the mushrooms.

And...he can't.]

Why are you all the way back there...?

[ ...what.

Mako stops in his counting, staring at Ryan for a long, quiet moment. He looks a little confused, a little bit worried. Isn't Mako usually behind the bar for their rehearsals? Sure, it's harder to offer commentary, and sometimes he comes up just to run through the numbers at one of the tables and watch properly, but. ]

It's... inventory day.

[ Subtext: why are you being weird. ]

[Ryan abruptly feels like he's in a horror movie. Perhaps Min (Min? ...Min?) looks confused and worried, but Ryan can't tell. All he sees is a face full of mushrooms, staring directly at him. There's nothing to read.

It's inventory day.

Fuck. Fuck.]

Right. H-ha. ...Right! Totally! Mmmmmm-hm!

[Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck.

Ryan reaches blindly to his right for his guitar case and starts to just. Slowly pack up his guitar without taking his eyes off of...whoever. Mako? Could be! Fuck if he knows anymore!]

Ryan, what's going on? Is it the mushrooms?

[ Wu's told him about the mushrooms, crowding around people's faces, said Ryan was experiencing the same thing, that it must be a paleblood thing. It's the only thing Mako can think of that would make him look and sound like this, a little freaked out and a lot confused. ]

You don't have to leave, it's fine. Just—pretend I'm not here, I don't know.

[Ryan freezes again. Does everyone know about the mushrooms? Min knows, but he still hasn't told Min the extent of what's happening. He doesn't want it to be happening, so he's been aggressively acting like everything is fine and using other context clues to get by.

But those tricks are starting to fail him now.]

N-No, I'm-- I'm totally fine. I just. Maybe I do need sleep?

[Will sleep make people's faces appear again, or at least give him the ability to tell people apart again?]

Mushrooms aren't even real. I'm fine.

[That's not entirely how he meant to say that, but he said it and he's stuck with it now. A couple of mushrooms are sprouting from his guitar case, and he tries to wipe them away with his hand, again and again.

(Of course, there's nothing there and Mako will see Ryan pawing at seemingly nothing at all.)]

Uh.... huh.

[ Mako's concern is mounting fast enough that he leaves his inventory book entirely, rounds the bar and heads for the stage (and Ryan). ]

Made breakfast with them just this morning, so. Pretty sure they are. You definitely need sleep.

[Ryan looks up and carefully watches him approach, but Mako will notice that he doesn't seem to look at him right. It's as if he's not sure what part of his face he should be focused on.]

--Yeah. Yeah, probably.

[Unfortunately he's so freaked out that he feels like he won't be able to sleep for a long time - and because his powers like to project his emotions outward, Mako will be able to feel just how spooked he really is, no matter how calm he attempts to act about it.

His hand passes through more imaginary mushrooms, feeling vinyl stickers under his fingertips. They're not real. They're not.]

I. I should...I'll come back later? Yeah. I'll just nap it off and everything'll be fine.

[Is he telling himself this or Mako? Who knows?]

Ryan—

[ No nope absolutely not letting Ryan out on the street like this. Mako speeds up a little bit, dodging chair-stacked tables like a man on a mission. ]

Hey. You're okay, alright? Nap here.

[It's Mako. He's pretty sure it's Mako. That's Mako's voice, and now that he's coming over he can tell he's taller than Min, and that's the only reason he doesn't bolt as soon as Mako speeds up.]

--Here?

[His voice is so small and so surprised at the offer.]

Like...here-here?

[He gestures around them at the theater. Forgive him, it's been an extremely weird month.]

If you get a feeling next time you see me, do me a favor and let me know - SEMI-CLOSED

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