xiaoxiuya: made by reedflavor (closed fan)
xiaoxiuya ([personal profile] xiaoxiuya) wrote in [community profile] deernet2023-01-12 06:26 pm

video; un: transient_lord

[backdated to January 5th, lol]

[Video opens on several large pieces of paper that have been tacked to a cork board, containing a list of the months of the years and a sparce and basic list of the odd effects Sleepers (read: Shen Yuan personally) have encountered. Notably over three-quarters of the available space is blank. From behind the camera Consort Shen speaks, his voice identifiably the same as Shen Yuan's but much more cheerful.]

It seems peerless_hobo was trying to put together a list of the "weird shit" that happens here in Trench, but ran into a few roadblocks in his research. In my experience such things can usually be conquered with a little outside help, so! I'm crowdsourcing the project. Please write in or message me with a description of something odd you've encountered, and if enough people corroborate it, I'll add it to the list. Anything goes except for odd events that were identifiably caused by Sleeper actions; while powerful, such things are inherently unpredictable and we're trying to get a handle on the weirdness inherent to Trench here, in particular the yearly cycle.

...I hope that makes sense, peerless_hobo's notes were frankly an absolute mess.

[The list is as follows:

January – Party at the Red, Shedding Ceremony, alternate versions of Sleepers swapped in from parallel universes, snake monster that leaves ice trails?

February –

March –

April –

May –

June –

July – HOT

August – Hot and HUMID, monsters came out of the sea?

September – Bugge appears; spilling its blood helps ensure a good harvest, while attempting to heal it can blight the farmlands.

October – Black Parade, enchanted masks caused Sleeper transformations

November – The Tower sickened; city experienced warping effects. Sleepers were sent into the woods by Never Mind to seek healing mushrooms.

December – DEEP snow. Tunnel-digging snow monster. Dorothea (who??) caused Sleepers to have panic attacks. Winter Mournings (typo?) caused shared flashbacks.]
fogsong: (039)

text | un: sds

[personal profile] fogsong 2023-01-14 12:49 am (UTC)(link)
February - There was this strange guy that gave out chocolates in exchange for a drop of your blood. Every chocolate seemed to have a different effect on you. I don't remember which ones did what but I know one of them made me sprout antlers.

March - A board game sucked people into a jungle and you had to finish the game to escape. There were giant man-eating frogs in the jungle and they sucked.

People also fell into catacombs and had to go through challenges to get out. The one that really stood out to me was a burning house with shadow figures. It was definitely a trap. You heard someone scream and the moment you went in to save them, you found no one in the house. Except for those shadows.

April - Portals. Portals to other worlds and dimensions. A lot of them let in monsters from people's worlds. Some people managed to get items from home from them, too.

May - Bees made hives inside of people. Also, plants wanted to grow out of people. I think to get rid of the plants you had to take a cold bath or get scrubbed down with salt but it's not something I personally had to deal with.

June - Earthquakes that opened up tunnels beneath the city.

July - Some people got pretty violent. I don't know why, it wasn't corruption, but it was bad. Others wanted to just walk into the ocean to be judged for their crimes. It was a shit month all around.
fogsong: (100)

[personal profile] fogsong 2023-01-16 03:51 am (UTC)(link)
1) He was massive. Like elephant massive. And he smelled like chocolates. He never gave a reason just... That he would give you pleasure in return for your blood. And he made it hard to think. Like when he spoke, all I wanted to do was give to him my blood so I could have a piece of what he offered.
2) No. Thank fucking god. They did hurt coming in, though.

As for March.

1) Jumanji, I think?
2) There was a room full of treasures. I kind of wanted to take a few but I didn't. I kinda think that was the trick. And my birth mother haunted me for a while. She turned to ash after I spoke with her.

Uh. There was a trick exit. Went towards it and suddenly I was in a pit with a bunch of mushrooms. That then started to grow out of my skin. Had to pull them all out. And it fucking sucked.

And to finally leave we had to... Confess our faults to someone. Which also fucking sucked.

3) They didn't really attack. They just. watched. And the closer they were, the more you felt like you were fading. It was like they drained you of life and air.

That's Trench for you. Every month, some brand new bullshit that pokes at old wounds and reopens them or gives us brand new ones that we won't be able to heal from. It's bullshit.
fogsong: (012)

[personal profile] fogsong 2023-01-16 11:23 pm (UTC)(link)
I hope it does help but knowing this place, knowing how it can influence you, I doubt it.

I'll wrack my brain and see what I can remember.
fogsong: (012)

[personal profile] fogsong 2023-01-17 05:31 pm (UTC)(link)
It's not mind control, it's just... I don't know how to explain it. It's like an influence. A want in your head to do something you normally wouldn't.

In December, I hunted a friend of mine. I knew I didn't want to do that. I knew I didn't want to hurt him. But I still felt this overwhelming need.

This place pushes you and there's a good chance you might not even realize it's happening. Might never realize it. It sometimes feels like what you want.
fogsong: (023)

[personal profile] fogsong 2023-01-20 11:05 pm (UTC)(link)
The nice weird things that happen here are often overshadowed by horror. In October, there was a parade. It was fun but some people would put on masks and their bodies would change to mimic the mask they wore. It was painful and you couldn't just remove the mask. You were stuck like that.

It didn't last long but... the pain of it is what sticks with you, not the apple cider you got to drink as the parade passed.

This month, there are parties at The Red. And that's fun. It's a little weird because this month's pthumerian dropped a present off with an outfit for it that we'd like but we get to go out and drink and have a great fucking time. But the horror of this month, people shedding and turning into children or some other version of themselves, that's what's going to stick the most.

In a way, it doesn't really matter if weird nice things happen because those aren't the things you'll remember in the end. It's gonna be the pain. The horror. Watching your friends suffer. Dying. It's those things that stick.
dohaeris: (but..........)

text; un: lady; private

[personal profile] dohaeris 2023-01-30 03:10 am (UTC)(link)
[sansa meant only to say something about the bloodhounds, but sharon's tone here concerns her. she's heard similar sentiments from people on the verge of succumbing to corruption.]

Sharon, are you all right? If you are ever having any trouble with the curses or corruption, you need only say.

I have found solving the curses to be similar, in a way, to dreamwalking, and I should be very glad to help you with them, if ever I can.
fogsong: (139)

private

[personal profile] fogsong 2023-01-30 07:13 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm not dealing with corruption. I'm being honest about how shitty this place can be.
dohaeris: (sighhh)

[personal profile] dohaeris 2023-01-30 07:57 pm (UTC)(link)
It can be very bad, but the good is important. Corruption can set in when you start to believe it isn't.

You can stay with us in Cellar Door, if you like. It's easier to remember how good it can be, here.
Edited 2023-01-30 20:00 (UTC)
fogsong: (084)

[personal profile] fogsong 2023-01-31 01:44 am (UTC)(link)
I'm not saying the good isn't important, Sansa, but... It doesn't stick with you as long, doesn't erase the bad, or even make the bad more tolerable. It doesn't stick like the pain or the grief or the anger.

I might take you up on that offer some time, though.
dohaeris: (in darkness)

[personal profile] dohaeris 2023-01-31 04:14 am (UTC)(link)
Nothing can ever erase anything, but I can bear much more knowing that my family's waiting in the sea, and I have true friends here in Trench. I wasn't ever in pain after Margaery came and stopped Joffrey having me beaten, but I thought my family was dead, and I could hardly talk to anyone. I don't want to get hurt, but I would rather be here.

You're always welcome in my home and at my hearth.
fogsong: (012)

[personal profile] fogsong 2023-02-01 02:51 am (UTC)(link)
[ With anyone else, Sharon would want to argue this. She would say what she truly thought, and would let her bitterness lead the way. She couldn't do that to Sansa. ]

I understand, Sansa. It's all right that we feel differently about this place.

And you're always welcome at mine.
dohaeris: (can we get the disappointment in her eye)

[personal profile] dohaeris 2023-02-01 03:07 am (UTC)(link)
[sansa wants their friendship to be worth the trouble of the curses and the danger, to sharon. it is to her.]

I don't want you to be miserable here. I should like to help, if ever I can.
fogsong: (𝚍𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚟𝚒𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚖)

[personal profile] fogsong 2023-02-01 04:05 am (UTC)(link)
I'm not miserable, Sansa. I'm just aware and some days are worse than others.
possessum: (i will be a bridge for you)

video | un: graham crackers

[personal profile] possessum 2023-01-15 10:35 pm (UTC)(link)
( On the other end of the feed is a young man who looks nervous and nauseated and pretty sleep-deprived, given the dark circles that blossom beneath his eyes like bruises. (This is all just the usual for Peter.) But ohhh boy. "Weird shit" that happens in Trench? He's here to air his woes. Even if the very act of mentioning this stuff aloud makes him visibly anxious, fidgety. )

Branching off what sds up there said, March was especially weird. Getting sucked into the jungle, the mentioned man-eating frogs, and there was also stuff like quicksand, giant mosquitoes, and this hunter guy who was absolutely insane, just going around trying to kill everybody he saw.

( Peter Graham has been personally victimised by Jumanji. )

...But July's been the worst. ( His voice draws very quiet, and he's looking down for a moment. ) One of the worst. The Patron of that month is like... about judgment, and stuff. If there's anything that people feel... guilty about, or... bad stuff from their past? That Patron makes sure you don't forget it. Lets other people know about it, too.

It's a dangerous month. Really... dangerous.
possessum: (𝟎𝟓𝟏)

[personal profile] possessum 2023-01-16 03:10 am (UTC)(link)
( Oh — that's... extremely kind?? Peter's taken aback by the question, not in any bad way, just... it's actually really nice to hear something like that? All of this stuff is a lot and in this place, where "a lot" is the norm... sometimes it gets swept under the rug. There's no time to process what horrors have happened. So taking a second to actually see it this way is.. kind of new. Maybe kind of needed.

And he knows how he is, how he.... seems. He can't conceal the ways he's bruised underneath, wears it too plainly. His discomfort and anxiety, the way he shudders like a child. It can make people... uncomfortable, awkward, maybe even nervous in return. But this person's asking about his well-being... )


No, it's uh— it's totally okay. Feel free to ask anything you wanna. I've been here a pretty long time, so anything I can do to help a new guy out. ( He offers a little smile. )

I do have someone here, my girlfriend, she's— she's in the house with me. It's okay, I'm— okay. ( He's awkward, fumbly with his words, but earnest. After a beat— )

Thank you for asking, though. I guess talking about all of this... it can be kind of hard. This place is a nightmare...
possessum: (there are bodies crumbling)

[personal profile] possessum 2023-01-16 07:00 pm (UTC)(link)
( Once again, Peter finds himself surprised by the words. It's not often he... thinks about things like that, at least not in the moment. He should, and maybe these days he's trying a little harder to, but it's still somewhat foreign for him to pause and think about what he can and can't handle.

About getting help with it. Taking care of himself through all of the things he struggles with here. Even just the act of recollecting things to someone else can affect him this much... and clearly, the other man can see that. Peter blinks, surprised, and then offers a soft nod. )


I'll tell her. Yeah, I uh. I can do that. ( It's a good idea, a really good one. And being given permission to leave the conversation if he needs to? To walk away? There's something about that idea that feels safe. Feels nice. )

Thank you. ( He adds again, smile still small and shy, but genuine. Before it flutters gently away into a thoughtful frown as Peter tries to think how to word all of this. )

One of the Pthumerians, yeah. That one's called... The Reckoning. I never saw what it looked like or anything, but... I heard people talking about it. There were warnings about it coming.

( He pauses, glances down at his hands for a moment. )

Yeah. People getting... angry, picking fights. Hurting each other. I got pretty mean, too. Hurt some people I care about. Said things I shouldn't. I guess it can make you physically violent or just... emotionally.

People also got... branded. Like uh, with letters on their skin? If they've ever done something really wrong, something they feel guilty about.... T for Thief. L for Liar. ( The next one comes out with the softest flutter of eyelids, though he manages to keep his composure pretty well, somehow. ) M for Murder. Stuff like that.
possessum: (always we keep making that one mistake)

[personal profile] possessum 2023-01-20 10:08 pm (UTC)(link)
( Dang, this guy is so nice? Having an encouraging smile in front of you really does wonders. It does help, and Peter's grateful for the words — nodding softly, drawing his hands into his lap. )

I don't know of anyone who tried to remove theirs. I um.... didn't try to do anything to mine. I guess I was too afraid what might happen if I messed with it. After a few days, it just went away.

And I don't remember anyone talking about ways to escape July's influence, but... there's a book. About the Reckoning. I haven't read it myself, but... someone I know was trying to study it.

( Thaaaaat would be the demon inside of him, a literal king of Knowledge, who has been poking through the Archives and making notes of things over the months. Peter's seen the tome mentioned in some of Paimon's scribblings. )

It's called Here's the Reckoning or something like that? I bet you could get ahold of it if you wanted. ( ...It's actually Thus Comes the Reckoning, but. Close enough. ...Really, Paimon would be a better asset for information, but Peter doesn't exactly want to just throw a demon out onto this poor guy's lap. )

Oh yeah, for sure. There's definitely a lot of people who know more about all this than me, and I— ( Peter suddenly pauses, glancing up off-camera to where his doorframe is, and where the girlfriend in question has just poked her head in to check up on him. Peter's visibly brightening, waving his arm slightly in the air to gesture her over. ) Actually, my girlfriend's right here— hey, Luna? There's someone on the network who could use your Ravenclaw brain.

( Peter's reaching for the girl's hand as she moves into his bedroom, and gently tugs her to sit down beside him on his bed. It puts her right into frame: long blonde waves and big silvery moon eyes. Peter smiles over at her, visibly more at ease in her presence. )

He's asking about weird stuff that happens every month.
creidim: commission, dnt (☾ 122)

belatedly slides in here

[personal profile] creidim 2023-01-27 05:15 pm (UTC)(link)
[ It was only meant to be a passing visit to check on Peter but— oh, someone needs her help? Well, alright then. She is happy to help, humming in amusement as Peter pulls her down to sit on the bed side him. ]

Hello. [ There's a usual crooked and dreamy smile at the camera as she lifts one had to wave before her head shifts to look at Peter for a moment. Someone asking about the 'weird stuff'—? A new Sleeper perhaps—? Hm. ]

Well— [ There's a pause as she considers for a moment. ] that's quite a broad range, considering there's plenty of things that happen every month that people may or may not find weird.

[ Everyone's a bit different in terms of how they'd rate something 'weird', she means. ]
possessum: (showed how vile we were in our hearts)

[personal profile] possessum 2023-01-30 01:43 am (UTC)(link)
( Peter's not usually one to tug people into things (mostly because he himself.... would be intimidated to be tugged into things....) but he knows Luna's always more than willing to help, plus she's a huge source of information and resources. His smile just widens as she joins him on the bed, and there's a pause as the man on the screen addresses her by last name after ogling her for a moment.

Oh? He knows Luna? Peter is aware by now that his girlfriend exists in the world of fiction (though not quite to the extent... he was not a Harry Potter kid....) and so he just thinks it's because her name might be kind of infamous around this place by now...
)

You've heard of her? She's definitely someone who can help with Trench information stuff. She's even writing a book. ( He adds, proudly, looking over at her with a nose-scrunched grin. )

Oh, the chocolate guy, you ate some of those, right? Wasn't that when you had all those colours around you?

( He can't remember most things, but he couldn't forget Luna glowing different colours because of her emotions. )
creidim: commission, dnt (☾ 095)

[personal profile] creidim 2023-01-31 11:33 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He stares, and Luna stares right back. She's no stranger to being stared at, but she knows that kind of stare. One of being recognised. That's happened before, too. ... How curious. ]

You know me. [ A little unnerving how it's offered, like some little thought off-hand — spoken out loud. She hums thoughtfully before he gaze shifts to Peter with a little smile in reply to his grin. He's being very sweet. ]

... That's right, yes. [ She nods at Peter before continuing, looking back to the camera: ] The chocolates the being tempted Sleepers with had a variety of effects, the one I ate projected my emotional state in the form of a colour aura.

[ A bit of an inconvenience, but hardly troublesome. ]

The other prominent event within February I experienced is Blood Bonds. While they're something people can do any time of the year, they're more potent when conducted within Doorway's month, under the Egg Moon — considering those kinds of bonds lie within their domain.

[ There's a pause as she considers for a moment before shrugging. ]

It's all a bit thematic, really. A great deal of the things that happen in Trench usually have some kind of connection to the Patron of the month, which makes sense.
possessum: (hold me on the narrow way)

you guys feel free to skip over Peter now, he's just going to be listening! ...and demon zonking out

[personal profile] possessum 2023-02-01 03:48 pm (UTC)(link)
( It's not the first time he's directed someone to Luna for information, but most of the time it's giving them her contact so they can reach out to her in their own time. Getting to sit here alongside her and listen, to be part of the process, is nice.

Somewhere in him rests the uncomfy realisation that Paimon is probably listening too, always drawn to Knowledge Talks (and again, all of this is definitely more the demon's speed....) but Peter just quietly lets himself enjoy the moment. If it helps someone out — and could ultimately help more people out as a result, the spread of information and all that, it's definitely worth it.

...Besides, he's forgotten so many details about past things that it's probably good for him to get a little refresher too. Though don't mind him if here and there he does start getting a glassy look in his eyes and staring widely into space like he's zoning out... Maaaybe some of it is because Peter has a hard time Concentrating and Thinking, but it's definitely mostly because the demon is surfacing from time to time to listen more intimately. It's fine.
)
creidim: commission, dnt (☾ 069)

he's just vibin

[personal profile] creidim 2023-02-13 05:22 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, like a fan..? [ That's... the only way she can really describe it. But yes. Isn't it exciting? He's a fan! She's never gotten around to reading the books herself, part of her doesn't wish to — sometimes there's things you're better off not know. But she does know those books are quite popular and important, that's nice. ]

I believe it was possibly strawberry, ... or maybe raspberry. [ It was absolutely not raspberry. That one does something else entirely. But it was almost a year ago, yes. ]

The Egg Moon, yes. Things like the seasons and moon phases are a little different here, the latter due to Moon Presence. There are six moon phases in a year, each one lasting two months: Egg Moon, Wild Moon, Flushed Moon, Beast Moon, Blood Moon and Bone Moon. [ Luna is a big fan of the moon, well— Moon Presence. ] Egg Moon is considered to be the best time for rituals.

It might be a little bit of coincidence, but Doorway doesn't focus on just romantic relationships. They're the Patron of all relationships. [ When she was researching the Blood Bonds, there's even ones you can do between enemies. Doorway encourages strong bonds amongst everyone, regardless of the kind of relationship. ] Only by the Sleepers who celebrated it in their own worlds. A lot of human holidays aren't celebrated here by the natives, but they have their own which can be similar for some — like new year celebrations.

[ And some traditions are completely new. There's... honestly a lot going on with everyone. ]

Oh, my book? [ Still not finished, unfortunately. But— ] it's... like an index of Beasthood forms of Sleepers, and how best to deal with them, how to bring them back from Beasthood. That sort of thing. I've taken a bit of inspiration from someone I admire very much.

[ Newt would be very proud of her. ]
survivalthroughhate: ([TPM 85] Red and black)

Video; un: darkness

[personal profile] survivalthroughhate 2023-01-20 02:37 am (UTC)(link)
February had a monster which gave out chocolates that you found a compulsion to eat. Some effects were harmless like gaining animal ears while others drove you to commit murder.

If one had a romantic partner in July, there was a mental compulsion to form bonds with them because you felt persecution that wasn't real from other Sleepers, whether that be the ties of marriage or the kinds of bonds that can be formed here in Trench.

I can't remember much else specific to certain months, they've blurred together for me.
survivalthroughhate: ([TCW 14] All too easy)

SHEN YUAN! /WHEEZES cw: murder-suicide pact mentioned

[personal profile] survivalthroughhate 2023-01-31 01:37 am (UTC)(link)
[See, this is why he liked you, Shen Yuan, no matter what version was in Trench. He actually smiled upon reading that first message.]

If you'd like.

[Ah, it was so nice to have a fanboy of his here in Trench to stroke his ego upon occasion.]

I'm not sure what an elephant is but he was enormous and sinister-looking. Perhaps if one combined a rotting deer with a number of human beings and the Bugge, this is the creature that would result.

As for the July affliction, my partner and I felt like everyone disapproved of our relationship, that no one wanted us to be together and that they were going to actively try to tear us apart. None of this was true but it was an absolute conviction with us. While I briefly entertained the notion of the two of us killing ourselves, I'm not one much for suicide, and so instead I proposed the idea of marriage and forming blood bonds. It took a little convincing but he agree on both ends, which I otherwise know he would have staunchly refused had he been in his right mind. While it is possible the Reckoning was involved, I can't say for certain if they were.

[Then he chuckled at reading the last message.]

Indeed, that was a rather enjoyable outing. If you wish, we could go monster-hunting together.
survivalthroughhate: ([TCW 9] Amused)

[personal profile] survivalthroughhate 2023-02-01 11:54 pm (UTC)(link)
I am always ready for a good hunting trip.

[Plus it was practically guaranteed that this version of Shen Yuan would fawn over him just as much as the usual one did.]

Ah, yes, I do believe the other version of yourself here is single. And thank you, I am very happy with Reaper. [The name alone spoke to the sort of person Maul had involved himself with.] We've known each other for going on three years now, though we have only been properly married for about six months.

It is possible that has something to do with it. The emotional state of the Pthumerians has affected our minds before, particularly where strong emotions with them are concerned.
stayscared: (jc-cap-25)

text: un: tenskulls

[personal profile] stayscared 2023-01-23 01:10 am (UTC)(link)
So, October: Shitbag corpse of a thing called a draugr that eats memories until you're stumbling around crying, unsure of your own name, if you're in (a) hell or just a looping nightmare, and in the end "does it matter"? Ask me how I know. (Ba-dum-tish)

The beach was full of prosthetics, and if you returned them to the kids at Koz, they gave out photographs from your home. Not sure there was a limit to how many you could get, but if there was I didn't reach it.

Ghosts following people around. Maybe not exactly ghosts, but something like them. The more you talked to other people, the more those ghosts lost their hold.

Couldn't stop crying. Out of nowhere tears. Tears I didn't even have any memories left to attach to them, so then I guess I was crying about that.

Cursed lighthouse. That was a fun time.
Edited 2023-01-23 01:11 (UTC)
stayscared: (jc-cap-16)

also private

[personal profile] stayscared 2023-02-08 02:26 am (UTC)(link)
I'd like to say "I don't remember it", but that's a little too on the nose.

Or "I'd like to forget it." Which is a little ...something else.

Back at you, and you have my sympathies.
ezra_of_lothal: (Default)

Video; UN Lothrat

[personal profile] ezra_of_lothal 2023-01-27 04:53 pm (UTC)(link)
I've been here a year, and I've been taking notes. You're welcome to take a look at them.

[PLayer is too tired to type all that out.]

May I suggest taking your collected notes to the Sanctuary, too?