there's a monster in my closet

[reddosmod]

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. ]

[NAVIGATION]

Prompt 1 • Prompt 2 • Prompt 3 • Plotting • Newsletter

[JUMP TO COMMENTS]

SELF EVALUATION

WHEN: May
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:

"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.

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."

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.

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.

HUMMING IN THE SKIN

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.

---

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..."

IMPOSTERS

WHEN: May-June
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!"

CODING

Comments

[cuddlery]

[That creature's voice does sound familiar... but Scorpia can't place it right away. At least she can tell from the sound of her voice that this creature really is distressed and innocent.

Now she tries to coax down the woman.]

But she didn't mean it! That, that's the point I'm trying to make here. Why don't we all take it easy? I'm sure we can work something out. I... I'll help you fix your stand! How does that sound? [She tries to offer her most convincing smile!]

[agiantbird]

[Dee swallows. Her throat feels dry, and she can feel her heart beating a little too quickly in her chest. A guy is standing on her right, holding some kind of giant fish hook, and he looks about ready to use it on her. She's deeply concerned about that and keeps side-eying him.

"My goods are ruined! What are you going to do about that," the woman yells, throwing her hands up in the air. There are bottles littering the ground, all of them smashed into pieces with spices spilling out of them.]

[cuddlery]

Oh. Ohhhhh.

[Scorpia's eyes widen in realization, as she looks down towards the broken glasses. Those... seem less repairable.]

We will, um, help you get new stuff! I'm a Night Walker, and I'm sure my friend here has other skills that will help us... make up for what you lost. D-don't lost hope! Trench is a city full of opportunity! [Her smile grows meeker as she struggles to sell this! And she moves towards the creature, in hopes of helping her stay safe.]

[agiantbird]

Yes! Exactly. What she says.

[Dee answers with a nod, looking from Scorpia to the irate woman and back again with a glimmer of fear and desperation in her gaze. She hates this, hates being under scrutiny by so many people, all at once.

"You better fix this," the angry woman snarls, and she steps back. They all step back, causing Dee to breathe a small sigh of relief. Dee's lips form a thin line, and she can't shake the heavy, suffocating feeling of shame and discomfort hovering over her.]

We should... leave. Now.

[She doesn't want to fix anything, though. She just wants to get away from all of those judgemental eyes.]

[cuddlery]

[Scorpia seems relieved as the tension seems to be dying down. Getting the creature somewhere safe seems like the best bet, before any more conflicts are accidentally set off.]

We will! We'll work on fixing things. You have my word. Now we just need to... step away for a bit, y'know, make sure everything's alright. Thabk you all for your understanding! We will get through this.

[Scorpia backs away sheepishly towards the creature as she speaks. She is genuine in her desire to help fix things, but one thing at a time. Right now, helping this misunderstood creature is het first priority!

So she makes her way over and tries to pat her head.]

Yeah, let's... Let's get moving.

[agiantbird]

[It's a huge relief not to have hook guy standing close, waiting to use his weapon on her. She can still feel his eyes burning into her and feels his intent (weird), but he's backing away, and so is the angry woman.]

Yeah. Let's. Before these assholes change their minds and try gutting me.

[Dee agrees, though she quickly pulls away from Scorpia's attempt to pat her head. She screws her nose up, not loving the idea of being touched right now. She folds her wings a little tighter against her back and slowly moves forward, being extra mindful of her long, glistening tail.]

You don't recognize me, do ya? [She asks as she begins to move. She knows how she looks, and she honestly doesn't expect anyone to recognize her. She isn't close enough to anyone in Trench to be recognizable by voice alone.]

[cuddlery]

[They really are off the hook... for now.

Once Scorpia's new companion proves resistant to the idea of a head pats, Scorpia complies and nervously withdraws her pincer. She frowns as she moves along with her - and quickly jumps on her question.]

Not - not necessarily! Your voice sounds familiar, but I can't quite place it. We... We have met, haven't we? [She does feel guilty about forgetting someone she's met, but .. she does know she's never met a creature like this before.]

[agiantbird]

[For a second, Dee wonders if she's always going to look like this now: a half-bird, half-fish monstrosity incapable of going anywhere without causing destruction. She might as well move into the ocean now and find herself a nice clamshell to live in. She has yet to see her reflection in a mirror, but she knows that she can't look good.]

Yeah. Yeah, I was, uh, in the ocean clinging to that piece of wood, and you helped me get to a boat. It was when I first arrived.

[She says, glancing behind her to ensure her tail isn't catching on anything. It isn't.]

At the time, I looked human. Blonde, thin, pretty? [Her confidence wavers a little on the word 'pretty' like she doesn't quite believe what she's saying. But she has to throw that word out anyway, has to see how the other woman might react to it.

Dee Reynolds, unfortunately, is the queen of insecurity.]

[cuddlery]

[Scorpia stays near the head as she focuses on engaging her in conversation. She hopes to help her to feel better, and also to place her now that it's become clear that they've met before. And she tries to have faith that no destruction will be caused in the meantime.

As the 'creature' goes into her description, recognition does light up in Scorpia's eyes.]

That's right! No wonder you sound familiar. I remember! The... the door lady! ...Sorry, I don't think we got around to name. But that was pretty recent... [But as it sinks in, it comes with a feeling of surprise! She had seemed like an ordinary human at the time. But now, she's... quite different. Scorpia gets a better look at the face, trying to place what features she finds familiar from what she remembers of that meeting at sea.]

How did this happen? ...If, it it's okay to ask!

[agiantbird]

[For a moment, she stops moving and shakes her head, struggling to find an answer to Scorpia's questions. She doesn't know what she might have done to spark this strange turn of events, and she doesn't think she's pissed off someone capable of cursing people. She stumbles on her words as her thoughts rewind back to much earlier that day, when she woke up to her new form.]

...I don't know. I woke up like this. [She finally says.] Maybe I ate anything weird or pissed off a wizard. Who knows.

[cuddlery]

Oh. So this... This just happened.

[She takes that in with a deep frown as she tries to think over the possibilities.]

Well, the good part about that is that... whenever things just happen around here, it usually goes away after a while? Usually! S-so this might not be long term thing! [She tries to offer a reassuring smile.] We'll just have to keep working with this in the real time. And I am ready to help you however I can!

[agiantbird]

Okay. That's good news, at least!

[Dee says with a nod, sounding a little more hopeful. She doesn't know what she'd do if this were to become a permanent thing.]

So... how long do these things usually last?

[She's hoping the answer is hours or days. Preferably hours. She doesn't want to have to ride around in a wheelbarrow for a month.]

[cuddlery]

Y'know, the tricky thing is, it's hard to say for sure!

[Scorpia offers a sheepish shrug of her shoulders.]

A lot of the time, it only lasts a few hours. But sometimes, this kind of thing cam drag on for days... Or more. But not always! Not, not always. I'm sure you'll be back to your normally awesome self in no time!

[agiantbird]

Yeah, I hope you're right. I don't know how much more of this I can take.

[She says with a sigh, still dragging herself along. Occasionally she has to stop and lower herself down to rest her poor, aching arms.]

On the bright side, my arms are gonna look so good after all this.

[cuddlery]

[She looks towards Dee's arms as she points them out.]

Wow, that - that must be a workout! Are you using... just them to move around? That... really has to be tough! [She frowns.] There has to be a better way!

[agiantbird]

[Dee rests, folding her arms and resting her forehead against them. Her muscles are burning right now; it's a miracle she hasn't hurt herself.]

If you've got any suggestions then I'm all ears. [She says with a sigh.]

[cuddlery]

[Rest is important! Scorpia ponders as she looks her over.]

Okay, let's see! Well, I don't... don't think I can carry you, unfortunately. Think you're a little out of my lifting range! As much as I'd like to carry some of your burden for you.

[But then something hits her.]

Wait! You do... you do have those wings there! Have you tried using those? Flying seems like a really fun way to get around!