Willow (
frogfear) wrote in
deercountry2022-04-09 06:50 pm
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April/May Catch-All
Who: Willow Rosenberg (
frogfear) and you!
What: Open Prompts (Will add closed ones later)
When: Throughout April.
Where: Throughout Trench
Content Warnings: Themes of loss/grief, some werewolf body horror, will update threads as needed.
1. At Ritual Gig [Open]
[It's hardly been an easy few weeks. Stan's departure had been sad enough, and Willow found her thoughts drifting often to how the Pines family was coping with the loss. Then Glitch had left. Then John as well.
She had met John in her early days in Deerington, shortly after both Buffy and Giles had woken up from the dream. She had never experienced a real Maine winter before, and had been out enjoying the snow when he startled her, and she had nearly pelted him with the snowball she had been making. She thought it was embarrassing, but he insisted he was impressed with her aim.
They had bonded quickly, and easily, and his protective, parental nature filled a void she hadn't even really been aware of. Both of her parents had busy careers that kept them away often, and even when she was home, her mother in particular had never really been interested in what Willow did, aside from a brief period of time before the novelty of her relationship with Tara had worn off. John had never not been there for her.
She glances back at the counter occasionally, half-expecting to see him there.
Faith and Tara make things even more complicated between the confessions forced out of all three of them the previous month, and the pair moving back into the house for the additional safety it offers. It feels horribly awkward, but with the danger April has presented them, it also feels necessary. Willow copes mostly with avoidance. She feels ill-prepared for the difficult conversations she knows they ought to have, but maybe it can be delayed just a little while.
Ozpin had cautioned her that her reunion with Tara might present some challenges, and but she had never expected it to get so complicated so quickly. She certainly never thought she would find Tara preferring Faith's company over hers.
Time spent helping with the shop is a welcome distraction, and an excellent reason to spend time away from the house when she can't keep herself busy there. It's little easier to cope with her grief by funneling it into productively tidying the shelves that never seem to quite be free of dust, or studying a particularly interesting book she's found on the shelves.
Anyone entering the shop will be greeted with a little wave, and a small smile that doesn't meet her eyes.]
Hey.
1. Werewolf of Trench (With link to bonus dreamwalking open post) [Open]
[It seemed like an obvious solution. If her soul couldn't leave her body, then it couldn't turn into a wolf. If she didn't turn into a wolf, she could just sleep quietly in her bed at night instead of getting restless and feeling the need to get out and wander. If she didn't get out and wander, there was no risk of anyone else being hurt.
Her necromancer friend had seemed confident pinning her soul would work, and as far as she can tell it has. Mostly, anyway. She doesn't remember her dreams, and even when she gets a full night's sleep, she still wakes up tired. It's all easily explained away by the stress of an incredibly difficult few weeks, not to mention the adjustment of no longer changing forms at night. There's probably no cause for concern. Besides, she has already rediscovered she can use dreamwalking as a means to counteract the exhaustion.
Unfortunately, preventing her soul from leaving her body in place has done nothing to end the curse that came with Robyn's bite, but only changed the effect. Instead of leaving her human body behind to rest and taking a separate form, she changes. She grows fur that matches the colour of her hair, she grows sharp claws, and sharp fangs from a very canine snout, with ears that stand on top of her head. Muscle and bone that stretch and change in ways they were never intended to hurt. It makes it harder to think straight, it makes it harder to focus, and it makes it harder to act on anything beyond instinct.
When she changes, the urge to roam becomes overwhelming. She maintains enough sense to generally want to keep to the forest to avoid Sleepers who might mistake her condition for true beasthood and decide they need to take action, but nervousness of the area she was killed in, even if she doesn't consciously remember, drives her to linger near the edge of the woods where she may be more easily spotted. The nights she feels particularly restless, she can be heard howling by anyone nearby.
She will fight if provoked, and instinct might insist she chase someone who runs even if, deep down, she genuinely does not want to harm them. Sometimes her instincts can be mercurial, though, and she may protect another Sleeper from danger, particularly if it's someone she knows and trusts.]
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What: Open Prompts (Will add closed ones later)
When: Throughout April.
Where: Throughout Trench
Content Warnings: Themes of loss/grief, some werewolf body horror, will update threads as needed.
1. At Ritual Gig [Open]
[It's hardly been an easy few weeks. Stan's departure had been sad enough, and Willow found her thoughts drifting often to how the Pines family was coping with the loss. Then Glitch had left. Then John as well.
She had met John in her early days in Deerington, shortly after both Buffy and Giles had woken up from the dream. She had never experienced a real Maine winter before, and had been out enjoying the snow when he startled her, and she had nearly pelted him with the snowball she had been making. She thought it was embarrassing, but he insisted he was impressed with her aim.
They had bonded quickly, and easily, and his protective, parental nature filled a void she hadn't even really been aware of. Both of her parents had busy careers that kept them away often, and even when she was home, her mother in particular had never really been interested in what Willow did, aside from a brief period of time before the novelty of her relationship with Tara had worn off. John had never not been there for her.
She glances back at the counter occasionally, half-expecting to see him there.
Faith and Tara make things even more complicated between the confessions forced out of all three of them the previous month, and the pair moving back into the house for the additional safety it offers. It feels horribly awkward, but with the danger April has presented them, it also feels necessary. Willow copes mostly with avoidance. She feels ill-prepared for the difficult conversations she knows they ought to have, but maybe it can be delayed just a little while.
Ozpin had cautioned her that her reunion with Tara might present some challenges, and but she had never expected it to get so complicated so quickly. She certainly never thought she would find Tara preferring Faith's company over hers.
Time spent helping with the shop is a welcome distraction, and an excellent reason to spend time away from the house when she can't keep herself busy there. It's little easier to cope with her grief by funneling it into productively tidying the shelves that never seem to quite be free of dust, or studying a particularly interesting book she's found on the shelves.
Anyone entering the shop will be greeted with a little wave, and a small smile that doesn't meet her eyes.]
Hey.
1. Werewolf of Trench (With link to bonus dreamwalking open post) [Open]
[It seemed like an obvious solution. If her soul couldn't leave her body, then it couldn't turn into a wolf. If she didn't turn into a wolf, she could just sleep quietly in her bed at night instead of getting restless and feeling the need to get out and wander. If she didn't get out and wander, there was no risk of anyone else being hurt.
Her necromancer friend had seemed confident pinning her soul would work, and as far as she can tell it has. Mostly, anyway. She doesn't remember her dreams, and even when she gets a full night's sleep, she still wakes up tired. It's all easily explained away by the stress of an incredibly difficult few weeks, not to mention the adjustment of no longer changing forms at night. There's probably no cause for concern. Besides, she has already rediscovered she can use dreamwalking as a means to counteract the exhaustion.
Unfortunately, preventing her soul from leaving her body in place has done nothing to end the curse that came with Robyn's bite, but only changed the effect. Instead of leaving her human body behind to rest and taking a separate form, she changes. She grows fur that matches the colour of her hair, she grows sharp claws, and sharp fangs from a very canine snout, with ears that stand on top of her head. Muscle and bone that stretch and change in ways they were never intended to hurt. It makes it harder to think straight, it makes it harder to focus, and it makes it harder to act on anything beyond instinct.
When she changes, the urge to roam becomes overwhelming. She maintains enough sense to generally want to keep to the forest to avoid Sleepers who might mistake her condition for true beasthood and decide they need to take action, but nervousness of the area she was killed in, even if she doesn't consciously remember, drives her to linger near the edge of the woods where she may be more easily spotted. The nights she feels particularly restless, she can be heard howling by anyone nearby.
She will fight if provoked, and instinct might insist she chase someone who runs even if, deep down, she genuinely does not want to harm them. Sometimes her instincts can be mercurial, though, and she may protect another Sleeper from danger, particularly if it's someone she knows and trusts.]
no subject
But dimensions in constant motion, that's one thing that's far different from what I'm used to. There, it's passages, routes. Like public transportation. Dull, but easy to figure out what goes where. As for what could come though the other side, they're more on the unpleasant side than not?
[like opening the Phantom Zone and letting the likes of General Zod out. he'd been put there for a reason and so far no one had been foolish enough to think they could release and control him]
no subject
[She shrugs a little. She's not absolutely certain she's on the right track, she's just spitballing theories. She supposes it does make a lot of sense, though, and might even explain why it's so difficult to access different worlds from here.]
no subject
[it's hard to go from eighteen years' of having a set method for survival then to go to something entirely different. even though now most people would say that she'd traded up]
no subject
[It was a difficult adjustment since for a long time, magic has been her primary means of self-defense, and she's still trying to find a solution, but it doesn't seem to be getting her anywhere.]
Well, aside from the magic here, anyway. I can make the magic that comes naturally to this world work just as well as anyone else, but it's not the same.
(CW: blood)
[she's tried and tried and tried to phase. even got halfway there once. but she can never get fully there, despite her best efforts]
Here, I can use fire, ice, and lightning. None of my teammates back home can do all three. And I worry about that, that the powers will come too easily in the end.
no subject
It's okay. We all have to adapt to this place, right?
[Or find another solution.
Being able to harness elemental power is, at least, a common ability in Trench, and she offers a little smile.]
Well, you're not alone on your other powers. I bet all kinds of people could help you out there.
no subject
[but she wondered what it would do to their powers, if they'd have the same problems accessing them.
she smiles back]
I hope so? So far, I've been able to control myself, but I've been doing a lot of meditation, a lot of mindfulness exercises. To try to keep going for those powers as an immediate thing.
no subject
[It's been a long time since her early days in the dream and she felt torn between missing the people she cared about back in Sunnydale, and not wanting to wish a place like Deerington on anyone.]
Yeah, I think I've read about people having success with that before, and it's kind of a basic principle of magic at home. Your own energy can really affect the outcome of a spell in some cases.
no subject
[she thinks her fellow Legionnaires would cope just fine. even Saturn Girl, as much as Tinya hates her. bitch would probably be a Paleblood, not that she didn't act like the worst version of one as it was]
Hmm. So negative energy would bring about a negative result, same with positive energy? That makes things harder.
no subject
[Willow nods.]
Yeah, for the most part, at least. I mean, it depends on the spell too, but most magic needs the caster to have at least a little bit of a handle on their emotions.
no subject
Unfortunately for me, I've generally been one who wore her emotions on her sleeve. Other than what Mother had expected of me.
no subject
It takes time to learn that kind of emotional control. It's not really a 'wake up and just do it' kinda thing.
no subject
I guess. Though, since Mother's lessons took months to take hold, I'd imagine it might take months for this, too.
no subject
It might, but just because something isn't easy, or takes a lot of time - doesn't mean it's not worth doing, right?