Viktor (
mehanizovati) wrote in
deercountry2022-03-31 12:24 pm
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april catch - all
Who: viktor and others, open to all with some closed prompts
What: some late march/early april logs, including some tdm stuff. i'm happy to attach something else on if anyone's interest in doing something specific
When: late march through april
Where: various
content warning; terminal illness, arcane season 1 spoilers, likely game typical beast gore/body horror, potentially ableism mentioned, claustrophobic imagery
open prompts.
fishers of dreams - the lighthouse, early april (tdm)
a. while awake
[if you've been roped into this lighthouse business too you may enter to find a man already there. he seems vaguely disgruntled by the business, offers vague greetings but otherwise sticks to scribbling in his notebook. it looks like schematics and formulae, but anyone with an eye for either might notice they tend to trail off and start in odd bursts.
viktor will offer to cook when evening falls (or whatever seems to be the right mealtime in this place) so maybe that is a better time to strike up conversation. the smell coming from the kitchen is heavy on whatever spices the place stocks, promising pain to anyone who doesn't have the stomach for that sort of thing. worse if he finds the rotgut liquor tucked away, which he will pull out and offer despite smelling more like turpentine than anything edible.
these tricks of the eye though, flashes of people vaguely recognizable, he chalks it up more hallucinations. last month was mushrooms, so this? irritating, far more distracting, but it followed the pattern.
it isn't until later in all this he'll track whoever is with him down.] Did you see someone else come through? There, just up the stairs.
b. nightmare
[trying to reach the odd lighthouses is fruitless, the shadows converge and when the dark clears the area seems more closed in than before. it shouldn't be, he was just outside on the shore, yet now the dark sky seems to hang too low, lower still, suffocating.]
What now? This is another illusion of sorts, is it not? One this place is so fond of. [viktor sounds more irritated than anything, maybe defensive since the grip his has on his crutch is white-knuckle tight. in the distance seems to be a lighthouse, though the light is far and the area is so stifling, promising a tunnel that will close and snuff out the light entirely.
it's ridiculous of course, the walls are not that close, certainly not enough for this suffocating grip on the lungs and throat. there's no real explanation, less so when a few steps forward and the ground begins to dot with great metal cables, the distinct, sickly sweet smell of chemicals in the air. there are pools between them where the ocean should have been, this time shallow spills of what could be gasoline or something similar, slick rainbow puddles, oily and difficult to walk through without slipping or sinking.]
(ooc; for this one please, feel free to add your own character's nightmare in any flavor at any point!)
odds and ends - willful machine, early april
[viktor can be found around the vendors often enough, especially those specializing in scrap metal, tools or small machinery. for the most part he doesn't stick out, except for the fact often his massive omen often accompanies him, some sort of huge pink salamander/axolotl that he'll lean against or ask rather politely to help carry larger purchases.
he doesn't seem to notice or care about any attention, though the creature will blink curiously around. feel free to approach or find him haggling rather intently for such a stick of a man, accent thickening when it gets heated enough. maybe you want the same scrap? or are looking for something and he's standing nearby enough to notice a lost look and offers assistance?]
[one might also find him about by the sound of a nasty coughing fit. he stands with his back curled, a rag to his mouth as a makeshift handkerchief. it's a wet cough that shakes his entire frame, and when it's over his sniffs and clears his throat, straightening.
the cloth is stained in a pale color that catches the perpetual moonlight of april. paleblood, that he regards for a moment before folding the cloth in on itself with a small frown.]
closed prompts.
jinx - willful machine, late march
[viktor doesn't stay by the lamp exactly. he would usually but he hardly sees the point when this person he's meeting knows him by sight as far as he can tell. it leaves him feeling comfortable to wander within eyeshot mostly of the lantern, strolling down the canal docks to find a place to stand and watch the boats cut slowly through the water.
he likes it here, he thinks, in this district. the noise and foot traffic, the winding canals and dirty water, the boats bobbing to and fro - it wouldn't be a bad place to set up. a lab that will double as his home because he doesn't see the point in separating the two any longer, even if he can practically hear heimendinger's tutting about his work-life balance in his ear. it will be closer to the vendors, less of a hike to acquire what he'll need to start fresh. first a new brace for his leg and back, then some basic experiments into lunar energy to get a feel for it.
his lungs flare and burn, minor enough he manages to swallow it down without reaching for the rag in his pocket. he makes a note of the severity and timing, adds it to his growing mental list that seems to indicate his illness does indeed remain but is diminished. promising, if he's being optimistic, but at the moment he feels only a sense of irritation that now he doesn't know the timeline of his own life. one he might be shortening drastically with this ridiculous stunt.
a sigh and viktor goes back to watching the boats, trying to clear his head. he considers trying to message vi and ask her opinion of this but... no, he doubts he'll get anything. he's not sure if he disgusts her as a class traitor or amuses her in truth. better to just see for himself what he's gotten himself into like a fool.]
allen - willful machine, early april
[the 'grand tour' doesn't amount to much yet, the lab area just a large, empty space dotted with a few tables and a couple of desks, not even a chalkboard he's been keeping an eye out for or something that could do the same. one of the desks at least is littered with junk, at the moment tools and the starts of a knee brace, a table nearby with all the scrap he's managed to grab that could be useful in the future. one corner has a cot, maybe he'll clear out whatever other small rooms the place has later for a bedroom proper. maybe not.
viktor seems satisfied with it as he gestures around, and rio has commandeered one of the tables for her own to lie across.] A solid start, I think. I like this area, this eh... Willful Machine, that is.
[he'll never admit part of it is the boats. everyone's allowed a sort of childish interest, right? they're soothing, even if they lack the motors that fascinated him.] Have a seat, if you'd like. How have you been since the tombs?
wildcard.
[as i said, feel free to ask for anything else, including other tdm prompts, i am more interested in seeing the worlds built by others for the archway prompts so i didn't include any here. my plurk is
dichotomy or you can dm me here!]
What: some late march/early april logs, including some tdm stuff. i'm happy to attach something else on if anyone's interest in doing something specific
When: late march through april
Where: various
content warning; terminal illness, arcane season 1 spoilers, likely game typical beast gore/body horror, potentially ableism mentioned, claustrophobic imagery
open prompts.
fishers of dreams - the lighthouse, early april (tdm)
a. while awake
[if you've been roped into this lighthouse business too you may enter to find a man already there. he seems vaguely disgruntled by the business, offers vague greetings but otherwise sticks to scribbling in his notebook. it looks like schematics and formulae, but anyone with an eye for either might notice they tend to trail off and start in odd bursts.
viktor will offer to cook when evening falls (or whatever seems to be the right mealtime in this place) so maybe that is a better time to strike up conversation. the smell coming from the kitchen is heavy on whatever spices the place stocks, promising pain to anyone who doesn't have the stomach for that sort of thing. worse if he finds the rotgut liquor tucked away, which he will pull out and offer despite smelling more like turpentine than anything edible.
these tricks of the eye though, flashes of people vaguely recognizable, he chalks it up more hallucinations. last month was mushrooms, so this? irritating, far more distracting, but it followed the pattern.
it isn't until later in all this he'll track whoever is with him down.] Did you see someone else come through? There, just up the stairs.
b. nightmare
[trying to reach the odd lighthouses is fruitless, the shadows converge and when the dark clears the area seems more closed in than before. it shouldn't be, he was just outside on the shore, yet now the dark sky seems to hang too low, lower still, suffocating.]
What now? This is another illusion of sorts, is it not? One this place is so fond of. [viktor sounds more irritated than anything, maybe defensive since the grip his has on his crutch is white-knuckle tight. in the distance seems to be a lighthouse, though the light is far and the area is so stifling, promising a tunnel that will close and snuff out the light entirely.
it's ridiculous of course, the walls are not that close, certainly not enough for this suffocating grip on the lungs and throat. there's no real explanation, less so when a few steps forward and the ground begins to dot with great metal cables, the distinct, sickly sweet smell of chemicals in the air. there are pools between them where the ocean should have been, this time shallow spills of what could be gasoline or something similar, slick rainbow puddles, oily and difficult to walk through without slipping or sinking.]
(ooc; for this one please, feel free to add your own character's nightmare in any flavor at any point!)
odds and ends - willful machine, early april
[viktor can be found around the vendors often enough, especially those specializing in scrap metal, tools or small machinery. for the most part he doesn't stick out, except for the fact often his massive omen often accompanies him, some sort of huge pink salamander/axolotl that he'll lean against or ask rather politely to help carry larger purchases.
he doesn't seem to notice or care about any attention, though the creature will blink curiously around. feel free to approach or find him haggling rather intently for such a stick of a man, accent thickening when it gets heated enough. maybe you want the same scrap? or are looking for something and he's standing nearby enough to notice a lost look and offers assistance?]
[one might also find him about by the sound of a nasty coughing fit. he stands with his back curled, a rag to his mouth as a makeshift handkerchief. it's a wet cough that shakes his entire frame, and when it's over his sniffs and clears his throat, straightening.
the cloth is stained in a pale color that catches the perpetual moonlight of april. paleblood, that he regards for a moment before folding the cloth in on itself with a small frown.]
closed prompts.
jinx - willful machine, late march
[viktor doesn't stay by the lamp exactly. he would usually but he hardly sees the point when this person he's meeting knows him by sight as far as he can tell. it leaves him feeling comfortable to wander within eyeshot mostly of the lantern, strolling down the canal docks to find a place to stand and watch the boats cut slowly through the water.
he likes it here, he thinks, in this district. the noise and foot traffic, the winding canals and dirty water, the boats bobbing to and fro - it wouldn't be a bad place to set up. a lab that will double as his home because he doesn't see the point in separating the two any longer, even if he can practically hear heimendinger's tutting about his work-life balance in his ear. it will be closer to the vendors, less of a hike to acquire what he'll need to start fresh. first a new brace for his leg and back, then some basic experiments into lunar energy to get a feel for it.
his lungs flare and burn, minor enough he manages to swallow it down without reaching for the rag in his pocket. he makes a note of the severity and timing, adds it to his growing mental list that seems to indicate his illness does indeed remain but is diminished. promising, if he's being optimistic, but at the moment he feels only a sense of irritation that now he doesn't know the timeline of his own life. one he might be shortening drastically with this ridiculous stunt.
a sigh and viktor goes back to watching the boats, trying to clear his head. he considers trying to message vi and ask her opinion of this but... no, he doubts he'll get anything. he's not sure if he disgusts her as a class traitor or amuses her in truth. better to just see for himself what he's gotten himself into like a fool.]
allen - willful machine, early april
[the 'grand tour' doesn't amount to much yet, the lab area just a large, empty space dotted with a few tables and a couple of desks, not even a chalkboard he's been keeping an eye out for or something that could do the same. one of the desks at least is littered with junk, at the moment tools and the starts of a knee brace, a table nearby with all the scrap he's managed to grab that could be useful in the future. one corner has a cot, maybe he'll clear out whatever other small rooms the place has later for a bedroom proper. maybe not.
viktor seems satisfied with it as he gestures around, and rio has commandeered one of the tables for her own to lie across.] A solid start, I think. I like this area, this eh... Willful Machine, that is.
[he'll never admit part of it is the boats. everyone's allowed a sort of childish interest, right? they're soothing, even if they lack the motors that fascinated him.] Have a seat, if you'd like. How have you been since the tombs?
wildcard.
[as i said, feel free to ask for anything else, including other tdm prompts, i am more interested in seeing the worlds built by others for the archway prompts so i didn't include any here. my plurk is
no subject
Ha, I know several high society sort that would be quite put out by that take. [but his tone has a faint smile to it, because he largely agrees.] I still do have to wonder what those fishermen wanted with all this. It's clear now we were lured here through some sort of mental coercion.
no subject
[He never really thought of himself as claustrophobic, but it's getting really enclosed here. Too similar to the catacombs last month where sometimes he had to crawl through bones. Jason shudders and feels something grab him, something strong that's going to drag him away. Instinctively he pushes Viktor back so he doesn't get grabbed by the creature, too]
[As the way nightmares go, it's kind of a weird mix of a skeleton and the well monster he fought when he first arrived. Jason gropes around until he finds his knife and starts stabbing wildly. He fought off a vampire; he's not going to let this nightmare take him out]
no subject
[viktor's a little startled with the push, looking over to only get a vague impression that some creature has grabbed him.] Jason! [he actually puts his own knife away, slotted back in his crutch as he moves over, grimacing at the sight of it.
how well the knife is working he can't tell himself, but he can put his weight on his good leg and jam the end of his crutch into the thing's face, aiming for an eye for good measure. at the very least maybe he can keep it's mouth and potential teeth away from jason so he can hack his way out of the creature's grip. so much for it only be psychological torment so far.]
no subject
[He remembers Esfir doing that to the actual well monster. And when Viktor lands a blow, the creature shrieks and releases Jason's grip. He quickly gets out of reach, shaking a little from the adrenaline and fear]
Thanks.
[He's still shaking a little. Once was enough with that thing]
no subject
the shaking he notices, placing a hand at jason's elbow in what he hopes is comforting as he collects himself.] My crutch is at your service. [he tries for lightly, though the situation seems to be rapidly getting worse. it's so dark it's hard to see if that creature's slunk away, and the grinding, hissing sound has only gotten louder. familiar even, but he's not wasting time processing that just yet.]
Whatever is happening I think it seems to be trying to stop us from going forward. At least that means we're headed in the right direction.
no subject
Then we'd better keep goin'. [He shakes off the rest of the attack's aftermath so they can keep pressing forward. But after a few more paces he's starting to notice the weird noises, too]
You hear that? The fuck is that noise?
no subject
how anything can be hiding when the tunnel feels like it's closing in he doesn't know. he swallows, trying again to focus ahead, still keeping a grip on jason's arm.]
I don't- it sounds like a factory. [he hesitantly offers, frowning.] Not a well maintained one. [a long pause and he forces himself to admit,] It's pulling something from our head. This? It's playing with fears or something similar.
no subject
[Though what he knows about them tells him there should be more open space than he's feeling. So it's pulling out fears and combining them? Like how it pulled out the well monster and mashed it with skeletons from the catacombs]
no subject
he also nearly stumbles when another hand swipes at them, just barely keeping up and away from it, grimly saying,] And I assume these figures are yours?
no subject
Yep. I told you about that well monster that attacked me when I first got here. It tried to grab me like that and drown me.
no subject
he grimaces at that.] Ah, that would explain it. I was half expecting it to be something from your world you had to contend with.
no subject
I'm tryin' not to think about it.
[Even without the vampires, there's the usual horrors of war that this place could use against them]
no subject
the way is getting steep though, the coils and cables littering the floor growing thicker and harder to navigate. it makes it even harder to breath than the walls, viktor's lungs already tested by the panic and threatening to throw a fit.
he really is starting to get it. they're asleep and he's had nightmares like this, everything closing in, less a fear of small spaces but a reaction his brain has when he starts to struggle with breathing in the night, translating into to being crushed or smothered. he squeezes jason's arm to warn him as he has to slow to cough into his elbow, grimacing as he straightens.]
We're almost there. [they actually are, even if the way is really steep now, some last ditch efforts to claw them down.]
no subject
You got this, Vik. Just a little bit farther and we're outta here. Lean on me as much as you need to.
no subject
the light is practically there, and he realizes with a blink that it's a lighthouse as well, somewhat clean amidst the oddities of whatever this nightmare world was. he glances to jason- gods is he glad jason was here. there's a definite scuttling behind them though, promising trouble if they don't hurry.] If this is not the exit I will be extremely cross.
[a bit hoarse but still attempting some humor, given the whole situation.]
no subject
He lets out a little amused snort. Damn, he does like a guy who can make jokes during tense situations]
What would you do, give this place a stern lecture? That would show it.
[He sends up a silent prayer that this is right, and slaps the lighthouse like one would tag out after a relay or something]
no subject
he reaches out to test the door, and the moment his fingers brush it there's a pop like the world just reset. the lighthouse is there but it's the one they were having dinner in, the world has color and the sky above isn't pressing down.
there's also a bunch of those fishermen around, doing what viktor can only describe as some sort of blood ritual by the gory looks of it. his grip tightens on jason's arm, alarmed that they're going to be attacked, but yeah, there's that blink and the place is empty again.]
no subject
It's only when the fishermen are gone that he relaxes slightly]
I think we did it, Viktor. Whatever the fuck it was.
no subject
We did, that... was not as bad as it could have been. [no one got hurt? he thinks. though he's still leaning on jason and has to admit,] Can you help me find a place to sit down?
[so they could process what the hell that all was. hopefully victoriously.]
no subject
[Assuming Rio is still around, Jason will ease Viktor over to her. Esfir comes around, growing until she's as large as a lion. Jason puts a hand on her to keep himself steady until Viktor is settled. Then he's sitting as well, using Esfir's larger form to lean against]
The fuck was the point of all that? What sort of fucked-up ritual were they doin'?
no subject
Thank you. [he offers with a small smile, that smile twisting to a grimace as he considers.] If I had to guess I think they were using us as sacrifices for... something. We were clearly not meant to escape that place. Looking back now it's clear they were severely corrupted as well.
no subject
I got the same feeling. Maybe it was one of them patrons. Last month was that weird goat creature. I don't know who the patron is this month, but it could be this whole ritual is for them.
no subject
Ugh, I am very glad we didn't get to find out what they were trying to do, or what they were trying to summon.
no subject
[What a dumb and nerdy joke that will likely go over Viktor's head]
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