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deercountry2022-05-08 02:36 pm
reddosmod) wrote in deercountry2022-05-08 02:36 pm
Entry tags:
- *event,
- ada vessalius: fay,
- adaine: kai,
- akira kurusu: rei,
- ange ushiromiya: jelle,
- arthur: adri,
- atsushi nakajima: berri,
- chin yisou: khala,
- chizuru yukimura: jelle,
- dee reynolds: clari,
- diluc ragnvindr: samuel,
- dito: kaiya,
- fiddleford mcgucket: inkwell,
- gideon nav: floral,
- goro akechi: kei,
- ichimonji hayato: jami,
- iskandar: ran,
- izuku "deku" midoriya: tea,
- jason kolchek: kacey,
- johnny lawerance: josh,
- karkat vantas: milk,
- kazuma asogi: crystal,
- kd6-3.7: moz,
- klee: gigi,
- kyle broflovski: emma,
- l lawliet: lexil,
- lexi howard: argustar,
- lucille sharpe: clari,
- lumine: trix,
- makoto kino: mesi,
- megumi fushiguro: anrin,
- melius senyan: red,
- ochako uraraka: roxy,
- ortus nigenad: beth,
- palamedes sextus: laura,
- paul atreides: beth,
- rose dawson: argustar,
- ryan akagi: billie sue,
- sansa stark: lindsey,
- sato: khala,
- scorpia: gore,
- sharon da silva: lunare,
- shouta aizawa: maren,
- snow white: jax,
- stanford pines: kei,
- sumire yoshizawa: ghost,
- takashi "shiro" shirogane: red,
- viktor: hal,
- vyng vang zoombah: jansen,
- waver velvet: basil,
- wei wuxian: tohma,
- xerxes break: callie
there's a monster in my closet
MAY 2022 EVENT
IMAGE DESCRIPTORS IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE
Prompt One
[Image One: Half man, half goat gazing through the sky in front of mountain.]
[Image Two: Deer-like skeletal creature talking in a forest.]
Prompt Two
[Image One: Bees crawling out of and over a calm man's cheek.]
[Image Two: Humanoid figure with honeycomb skin.]
Prompt Three
[Image One: Skull beside dried flowers.]
[Image Two: Red wilting flowers. ]
SELF EVALUATION
HUMMING IN THE SKIN
IMPOSTERS
CODINGPrompt One
[Image One: Half man, half goat gazing through the sky in front of mountain.]
[Image Two: Deer-like skeletal creature talking in a forest.]
Prompt Two
[Image One: Bees crawling out of and over a calm man's cheek.]
[Image Two: Humanoid figure with honeycomb skin.]
Prompt Three
[Image One: Skull beside dried flowers.]
[Image Two: Red wilting flowers. ]
WHEN: May
WHERE: Everywhere
CONTENT WARNINGS: Body horror, heavy themes of dysphoria and body dysmorphia, acceptance of self, forced physical transformations.
WHERE: Everywhere
CONTENT WARNINGS: Body horror, heavy themes of dysphoria and body dysmorphia, acceptance of self, forced physical transformations.
An excerpt from Book of Bausphomette:
2. The lesson the characters learn can vary greatly and depend on what players choose to explore.
3. Feel free to go as heavy-handed with the body horror. Your character can magically just wake up with the body or go through some painful transformation.
4. Characters should NOT have mental alteration during this period. The point is that they are still themselves regardless of their new appearance.
5. Have the size of the beast be appropriate to the setting's size.
6. Temporary powers can be gained through the beast's body for the month. Do not break the setting.
"They say you should walk a mile in someone's shoes before casting judgment. The true rhetoric can be applied to Bausphomette's version of 'self-evaluation.' It shouldn't come as a surprise that a Pthumerian would have a very different idea of self-evaluation than the typical person, but here we are and I'm going to give you a heads up: don't freak out about the fur.QUICK FACTS 1. Your character can have various monstery attributes during May. They should be monsterous - not cute little ears or a non-distracting tail.
Or scales. Really, it could be anything, but when your body starts to change into something you can't recognize, you're not going crazy and you're not turning into a Beast. Or okay, you're turning into a beast but not a Beast with a capital B. You will be yourself, have your normal personality, your normal thoughts, your normal habits...You just...Won't exactly look like yourself. People have been known to turn into minotaurs or sprout ten wings or become half-goat on top and all fish on the bottom. Either way, you're not going to be physically recognizable.
But you will be yourself. You will just have new vocal cords or have to learn a new means of communication. Telling your loved ones about your sudden transformation might be a bit alarming, but I think that's kind of the point. Bausphomette seems to believe the monstrous transformation will allow people to consider different parts of themselves that are usually hindered by social judgments. Are you really happy with yourself enough to not mind being a beast? How does this impact your relationship with your body? Does your body matter to you as much as you believed? Can you adapt to this new body and come to love it?
Granted, not everyone has hated this process. It has made some parts of life especially exciting...If you know what I mean. Thankfully the process doesn't last! The general idea is that once you have accepted something about yourself you will begin to turn back to your usual body! Of course, for more stubborn folks, this has been known to take a few months...Try not to be too stubborn or resistant to the new change! ...It will only make it worse."
2. The lesson the characters learn can vary greatly and depend on what players choose to explore.
3. Feel free to go as heavy-handed with the body horror. Your character can magically just wake up with the body or go through some painful transformation.
4. Characters should NOT have mental alteration during this period. The point is that they are still themselves regardless of their new appearance.
5. Have the size of the beast be appropriate to the setting's size.
6. Temporary powers can be gained through the beast's body for the month. Do not break the setting.
WHEN: May
WHERE: Everywhere
CONTENT WARNINGS: Increased bouts of mindless violence, optional insect-based horror, insects in skin, honeycomb in skin, bodies as hives for insects, extreme body horror.
WHERE: Everywhere
CONTENT WARNINGS: Increased bouts of mindless violence, optional insect-based horror, insects in skin, honeycomb in skin, bodies as hives for insects, extreme body horror.
An old article clipping was gathered from a newspaper that used to run in Trench. It seems like the rest of the article is missing except for the end:
"And, he said, "They will say that I have shed innocent blood. What's blood for, if not for shedding?"
We do not know what this Sleeper's intent was, but we do know the impact lasted. Reports of symptoms include feeling as though your skin is humming, that there's itchiness you can't quite get rid of like something is always crawling over your skin and around inside of you. Some people claim that this remains a mental only terror that keeps them up at night. Some have been known to scratch open holes in their skin and pull themselves apart just to make sure they aren't filled with bugs. We wish we could say that it was only a paranoid curse, but it seems there is some foundation to the concern.
Some who have gotten cuts or other injuries at this time will discover various insects, but especially bees crawling out from exposed wounds. Once you have gotten an injury, the humming seems to get worse. A descent to madness happens swiftly, but all at once, you become calm and content with the situation. Your skin slowly becomes honeycombed, bees moving in and out of you freely. You become a walking, talking hive.
But of course, that's just the worst-case scenario. For the most part, people who are itching mindlessly seem to be driven to bouts of violence, wanting to get rid of the feeling by randomly attacking those nearby. Strangely enough, the bloodshed during these attacks does not seem to contribute to blood pollution.
Instead, blood shed during this time of month seems to be instantaneously soaked up by your immediate surroundings. The bees from these people have been seen flying everywhere, and instead of collecting pollen, they seem to be collecting blood magic. Either to bring it back to their walking hives or using it for other deeds..."
WHEN: May-June
WHERE: Outside where flowers can be found
CONTENT WARNINGS: Demonic, violent, blood thirsty flowers?? Parasite style monsters.
WHERE: Outside where flowers can be found
CONTENT WARNINGS: Demonic, violent, blood thirsty flowers?? Parasite style monsters.
From Plantlife and You: Trench Edition:
"This is a tricky subject as it does not technically have to do with actual plantlife but rather the nefarious imitation of plantlife.
As spring begins be cautious of the plants around you. It might be lovely to see tulips popping open and other spring delights coming to light. We all like to see the splashes of color pop up around Trench, especially after such cold, long months...But be wary.
Among these flowers are insidious imposters. Telling them apart from the original flowers is almost impossible. You can only do your best to be careful around any plantlife you interact with. They look like flowers, but these creatures are demonic beasts who have perfectly cultivated a flawless mimic. Instead of sunlight and water, they soak in the blood of Trench up through their roots. If you pick the wrong flower, blood will squirt out from the roots and vines.
The bees from Sleeper bodies seem intent on pollinating these exact flowers with blood, leaving little bloody streaks in their wake, but the bees jump between normal flowers and the imposters, making it difficult to properly figure out which is which.
I know what you're thinking: okay, so what? They eat blood, big deal, they are just flowers...
Ha! Did you really think it would be that simple? No, no, these imposters will invade your gardens and your homes. Their little vines will wrap around your foot when you're in the garden or taking a walk. It's not evident at first, but it doesn't take much for a flower to grow on your body. Harmless, painless, but they will suck your blood dry. They have been known as silent killers, parasitic, draining you of life and energy and magic slowly but surely.
And the catch is once you have one flower growing on you, more will come, and it can distort your personality and make you feel or act as though you are drunk. Things won't make sense and you won't exactly know how to ask for help. Your only luck is that someone else will notice. Taking the flowers off requires an icy bath or shower and some serious salt scrub. To prevent this in general, you will want to keep your skin covered thoroughly and not allow pollen to brush against you since that's all it takes. Good luck!"
no subject
There! Don't tell anyone it's a spell, or they'll stop paying me to do their mending.
[she examines herself in the shop window again.]
It's a beautiful waistcoat. My father gave me a doll before he died, my true father. I had to leave it behind when I left, but I found it outside the Catacombs here. I never told him thank you. It was a silly gift for a thirteen year old, and a poor replacement for Lady.
[lady comes up next to sansa, nuzzling her leg.]
Lady! Oh, here's Lady.
[sansa crouches down to pet her enthusiastically.]
Have you met Lady? She's the best thing about this place. I'm not afraid of anything, when I have Lady.
[lady offers sharon an awfully worried look for something that resembles nothing so much as a very sleek malamute in an elegantly embroidered collar over sansa's shoulder.]
The doll was all I had of him, after they killed him. The doll and a few pieces of jewelry from home. This place gave them back to me, too.
[of course littlefinger couldn't even let her keep that much.]
no subject
There was no way to repay this kind of kindness and she can only manage a soft, genuine: ] Thank you. You... you don't know what you've just done for me.
[ Sansa has washed away horror and left behind only the sweet memories associated with the leather.
As Sansa speaks of her father, her true father, Sharon feels a twinge in her chest. The ache of losing a parent is unlike any other and she knew that from experience. Except she was gifted her mother back in Trench. ] Dad's are like that. It's like they always see us as their little girls even when we grow up.
[ When Lady pads her way over, Sharon offers the wolf a warm, inviting smile and gives a tiny wave. She'd never try to pet her. She looks so much more than a simple dog, like there was an almost human intelligence behind those eyes. ]
Hello, Lady. It's a good thing you're here if you make her feel safe. Fear can be awful here. [ Fear can be such an overwhelming feeling here. ] It's amazing that such a dark place can bring us gifts like this.
Trench is the reason I'm able to see my mom again. I lost her when I was nine. But she found me here. Maybe... [ She hesitates. ] Maybe you'll have the chance to see your father again here, too.
no subject
Oh, I hope so. I hope they all come here, even the living ones. They'd like it best, I think, except for Jon--he never liked hunting, and was always better with a sword. But if Robb were here, he'd be so glad to see him that it wouldn't matter. They could have a school, like Sasuke. And my little brother and sister, they could be scholars. Bran seemed very sure he was better at magic than me.
[she laughs a little, and stands up. lady has grown enough that sansa can rest a hand on her head anyway.]
The worst things that ever happened to me happened in the daylight, mostly. The Eyrie was bright white everywhere, and it was horrible. I didn't mind it so much, last month, when there was just the moon. I was only worried about the crops, and everything everyone kept telling me about the world before. Here they have magic lighting, so I can sew all the time! And it's better, I think, to see someone's corruption on their face, before they have you in their grasp. I don't know why everyone misses how it was when monsters could sneak around pretending to be ordinary people.
[she takes a step towards sharon, brushing her fingers against lady's fur.]
I can mend anything you need, and I can make you things too. [she pauses.] Not bread. [and laughs at her own joke!] But any clothes, or leather armor. And if you have corruption, or if you know someone that does, my blood hound can eat it. He has to, so you'd be doing me a favor. I can make cake, though, and biscuits. And I'm very glad you found your mother. That's right, isn't it? "Mom" is mother?
[she stops, and considers sharon for a minute.]
Was your omen any help, with your dreams?
no subject
When the subject shifts, Sharon listens and nods with understanding. ] Every place has monsters that hide behind smiles and kindness. I don't think I've met anyone like that here but... It's important to be cautious. [ It was a hard-learned lesson for her back home and it's one she didn't want to have to relearn here. It's why she's so hesitant to become close to others. It's only a matter of time before someone hurts her. ]
I'll have to keep all that in mind. [ Especially the corruption. If there's one thing that truly sets Sharon's heart-pounding, it's corruption and beasthood. ] And yeah, 'mom' is mother. 'Dad' is father. Small children sometimes call their parents 'mommy' and 'daddy'. [ Hell, she's 18 and when she saw Rose for the first time here, the first word out of her lips had been 'mommy'. ]
And she was! She's helped me differentiate between normal nightmares and the precognitive ones. Thanks for giving me that advice. It really helped.
no subject
That's good! I'm so glad. I'm sorry your dreams are unpleasant. I imagine it was very scary for Daenys the Dreamer to dream the Doom of Valyria, but she saved her family. I can't remember the last time I thought about that story, before I came here. But I like it now. I like that they believed her.
[she pauses, hesitant. and then she blurts out:]
My friend thinks there is a monster like that here, and he's very clever. My friend, I mean, but the necromancy teacher is too, and--I've seen his smile, it's the kind they hide behind, so you must be careful. Oh! And you mustn't tell anyone I told you, in case they tell him. If any of your friends want to move into his house, you can come get me and I'll tell you what to say. I live at the Rookery, did I tell you that? The imps know it, the lantern imps. You can see the heart tree from the outside.
no subject
Sharon holds up a hand when Sansa mentions the necromancy teacher. Her expression turns to one of concern. ]
Wait, who? I promise I won't tell anyone but I don't know who you're talking about. I don't think I've met a necromancy teacher here but I don't go to the school, either. [ Anyone that hid behind a smile was someone she wanted to be aware of. ] Is there any reason your friend thinks they might be a bad person? Or is it just something they feel?
no subject
That's just it! He won't tell anyone his name. He's hiding it, and not very well, I don't know why he doesn't use a false name if he doesn't want people to be wary. It means he's a lich, and very dangerous. He likely has a cult.
[sansa is vastly oversimplifying adaine's theories, and only incidentally happens to be right.]
He doesn't teach at the school; it's the house in Gaze with bones on the outside. You should stay away from it.
My other friend, the first one, he hasn't told me very much yet, but I know he's very good at finding things out. He found out that the portals were true for me, when I asked. I thought the necromancer seemed like he was hiding something, and necromancy makes me very nervous because on my world, only monsters can do it. It's different here, but it's still power, and the worst people are always chasing more and more power. The necromancy teacher is very powerful.
no subject
What... what makes you think he has a cult? [ The house in Gaze with the bones outside of it. She's not sure if she wants to stay away or investigate. ]
If he's... as awful as you think he is, having a cult would make him even worse. It's never a good sign when powerful men have blind people following them. I've seen what cultists will do for their leaders.
no subject
I don't know that they follow him blindly. There are a lot of reasons to follow a bad man. But he's kind, that's what makes him dangerous. If any of them ever figured out that all they had to do was be kind, I wouldn't know how to stop them. It only works because nobody really likes them, so if you're better than them everyone will believe you about how horrible they are, so long as you say it the right way.
[she is definitely talking about several different 'thems,' here. she turns back to sharon.]
My friend who knows magic said he sounded like the kind of necromancer that had cults, in her world. I thought it was only a word for a foreign kind of faith, that perhaps septons don't like. Some septons are wise, but some septons are very stupid. It seemed to me that he was recruiting capable young warriors, and not to hunt beasts or do anything useful. I don't know what he plans, and I don't like that no one his own age seems to want to help him do it.
no subject
As long as you say it the right way. Something about that unnerves Sharon just a little. She can't help but wonder what kinds of people this girl has dealt with in her life. It sounds a lot like someone has taught her to manipulate others in ways Sharon would never be able to figure out.
She's too brash, too forward, and too willing to rage to be any good at saying things the right way. ]
The line between a faith and a cult is a thin one but, to me, they're interchangeable. If you blindly follow your faith, you may as well be in a cult. [ Her view on religion is complicated and filled with resentment. She wishes she could be more open to other faiths but they all just boil down to following rules written by men with a desire to control. ]
no subject
Oh, that's like when the Andals came to Westeros thousands of years ago. They killed the children of the forest and cut down the heart trees all because they had different gods. I don't understand it. My father built my mother a sept when she came to Winterfell, and they always taught us of the old gods and the new. We were happier than anyone, until the stupid king came and made us go south with his horrible family. All because Jon Arryn died, and Littlefinger gave my mad aunt Lysa the poison to kill him.
[lady makes a whimpering sound and rears up on her hind legs, to paw at the flowers. sansa watches in the mirror and laughs.]
Oh, Lady! I've never seen you do that before! Are you trying to dance with me?
no subject
When Lady rears up, Sharon's expression softens to worry. ]
I think she's trying to tell you something, Alayne. I think those flowers are affecting you. Maybe she wants you to remove them? [ Sharon hesitates before she speaks again. ] I'll help you if you want?
no subject
I liked being Alayne. She was clever and bold and didn't have anybody to mourn. I don't think I could be her again, though. Not Littlefinger's daughter.
I should have made up a new name when I came here. I could've been Cat, this time. Catelyn Rook. I suppose Catelyn isn't much better than Sansa, though. Alysanne, perhaps. There are Alysannes everywhere.
no subject
Before I came here, I was never allowed to be Sharon because Sharon was in danger. I had to hide who I was. I had to change my hair color and I had to change my name and whenever I was found out, I had to leave that name behind, leave everything behind, and become someone else again.
Names are just names. You know who you are. But, for what it's worth, you don't have to hide who you are here. You can be whoever you want to be, your true self or a brand new you.
no subject
Me too! I had to dye my hair too. We should compare the bounties on our heads, but I'm afraid I can't remember mine. 200 golden dragons, perhaps?
Even when I had my name I couldn't be my true self. I couldn't be a Stark of Winterfell. I had to be a little bird, and say what they wanted to hear. It's much better here, but I was stupid and I said I was Alayne anyway, so now when I tell people I'm not everyone will think I'm very strange and tragic, and I won't be able to hide from anyone, and then I won't have any cover for the necromancy teacher, so you can't tell anybody, and of course I won't say anything about you, either.
no subject
I promise I won't say anything, Alayne, don't worry. [ Sharon reassures her. ] Your secrets are safe with me.
And you weren't stupid for choosing to wear your false name. You're protecting yourself and there's nothing tragic or stupid about that. It's smart and look, it's helping you with this necromancy teacher thing, isn't it? Be who you need to be to protect yourself, just remember that your name isn't who you are: it's just a name. [ That's always been how Sharon got through being someone else. Names are just words and don't define you as a person. ] If my mother hadn't been here, I'd be using a false name, too.
no subject
Alayne Stone was his daughter. I didn't even pick that name. I wanted to be Cat. I could've been anyone, here. I could've been Jenny of Oldstones.
[she tilts her head, considering.]
If Bloodraven did have magic all along, perhaps so did she.
[suddenly she decides to twirl with her arms out, stumbling a little, and she begins to sing.]
High in the halls of the kings that were gone, Jenny would dance with her ghosts...
I wonder how she did it, if there truly are ghosts like that in Westeros, who love you.
[she sings again, twirling unsteadily in the other direction this time.]
The ones she had lost and the ones she had found, and the ones who had loved her the most...
[she smiles at sharon.]
She had flowers in her hair, too, like me and my Aunt Lyanna. And Jonquil! Jonquil with the flowers in her hair...
no subject
...it sounds like Jenny danced with her memories. If only she could have danced with her ghosts but all she had were the ghosts of their memories.
We... We really should pluck those flowers from your hair, Alayne. Would you let me? I'll be careful and give them to you so you can always have them but I don't think they're safe. And you deserve to be safe.
no subject
No, it goes [singing] the ones that were lost for so very long, she couldn't remember their names--couldn't remember...now I can't remember the rest of the song! I can't--but it's so easy, most of it only goes [singing again] and she never want to leave, never wanted to leave...
[sansa covers the flowers with her hands. lady whines. she does know how to remove the flowers, she has done it before, but she can't quite remember...she only knows it hurts to pull them right off.]
You can't just pull them, you need bread and salt. [not quite right.] Salt and...no, I'm not supposed to wash the dye out of my hair until lord Tyrion is dead.
[there is no dye in her hair.]
I can't--I need brown dye, from Tyrosh--
[she does actually have this in her bathroom, she found it in her arrival bag. she hadn't really been able to bring herself to use it, even then.]