Deer Country Network

If your presence in this place only brought corruption and made everything worse, would you return to the ocean? Blood can not be shed here, but if you can't avoid it, then what are you meant to do?

I know I am selfish for wanting to exist, but I still would like to, even in a place like this.

I'm just not sure how.

[CW: None for first memory]

( A choice and new beginnings )

[CW: Mentions of war, war trauma, fire, parental figure death, grief]



( Another choice and an end )

[The Omni's screen jumps to Ezra, here in Trench. Ezra sucks in a shuddering breath, on the edge of tears.]

The name he chose was Kanan Jarrus. He was a Jedi Knight. He gave me a family again. We had four years together. It- [It wasn't enough, he wants to say. But that's not quite right. Kanan had given him everything.]

I wish we'd had more time. [He cuts the feed.]

[the video opens on Lexi, sitting on the couch in her very blue living room, with Orville in his usual place on Lexi's shoulder, snuffling into her hair, and the new addition to the household, Nosferatmew perched on the arm of the couch, her batwings folded on her back]

Hey! Um. I know I don't post that much, but I kind of have an announcement?

And that announcement is, I'm opening a used books and comics store called the Satellite of Love Used Books and Comics! It's in Willful Machine in the green craftsman house and that takes me to my second announcement. Or, uh, request? Maybe that's better. [pause] Yeah, that's better.

Hours will be Monday through Friday from nine am to five pm, closed from noon to one for lunch, along with Saturday and Sunday, eleven am to two pm. Obviously, I can't handle all of that by myself. Right? So I'm looking for a couple of employees.

Interviews for anyone who's interested can be done here and you can choose between store products or trade goods for pay.

So...I guess that's it? I hope to see you there? Oh, and the store mascot will be Nosferatmew. My batcat. She's very well trained to not bite unless you give her permission to.

Okay, now that's it.

[It's been a few days since dying, and Luz had unfortunately kept this to herself. If you haven't been able to tell, this girl has been having a pretty rough month, and it didn't seem to be getting better. She lurched her device to focus, and, though coughing, was looking directly into the camera].

So. Uh. Died. First time, ha ha, not a fun experience. Kinda looking for some company, here or just on this thing otherwise. I should probably be getting rest, yes, but staring up at the ceiling regretting stuff and hating yourself can only keep out the quiet for so long.

Also, been out of the loop a bit. Someone update me on things?


[Action]


Luz was pretty sure that she was going to get an earful from people in the house, but ESPECIALLY from Ahiru, who had very much not wanted her to go on the mission. Luz had thought she could handle it and had handled somewhat similar situations before. Now, though, since they'd talked about it before, Luz knew it looked even WORSE.

Add the whole mix of self-loathing for being too weak to avoid death and the ever-present gloom of missing Fern and Varian, and Luz was pretty much a powder keg of emotions and blah. She was in her room right now, dimly lit with her purple lights and surrounded by a fort of stuffed animals and, well, Luz was a sight to see.

[The feed opens up to an aerial shot of the Gate but things are a little different than normal. The normal blood curdling screams of monsters being slain is absent. There is no blood being spilled. In the middle of the arena two large wooden sparring stages have been erected instead, both lined with blue mats with a golden fist in the middle. Johnny Lawrence knew that would bring in the crowd. The omen broadcasting the feed swoops down toward the matts directly at the fist, just before it looks like it might crash it twirls in midair before breaking away and flying toward a podium set up where the two robotic commentators of the tournament are seated. The omen lands on a perch before settling in on a shot of the two commentators.]

Salutations, Trench, and welcome to the First Annual Great Trench Karate Tournament! My name is Penny Polendina--

--and I'm K.

--and together we'll be providing commentary for the competition. Let's meet our instructors!

First, we have Professor Ozpin of Beacon Academy!

Wait, I think...

[ There's a rustling of papers. ]

--Oh, a slight correction. Professor Ozpin is here representing Clockhouse Academy.

[ From the crowd, Black Alice interjects: ] I wanna see all you morons kick butt!

[ Ozpin steps forward, hands folded very delicately over his filigreed cane. ]


[ Ozpin doesn't get to finish his introduction, however. At this point Johnny pushes his way forward and shoves Ozpin out of the way. ]


[ Johnny holds a fist close to his chest. ]


[ From the gathered competitors one can hear Deku, angrily and slightly feral, interject with: ] SENSEI! WE'RE ALL KISSING!!


[ Also from the students, Sayo gives a shout of: ] Cobra Kai!


Uh.. that was Johnny Lawrence of Cobra Kai!

Certainly an... inspiring speech from sensei Lawrence, providing an illuminating glimpse into the lives of his students. ...A tongue?

Second, we have Terry Silver of... wait, what?

Yes, I believe they're both...

... Ahem. Terry Silver, also of Cobra Kai!

[ Terry's been awkwardly watching Johnny this entire time like his speech just made him die inside a little. ]


A sentiment I think we all can get behind.

And here is Sasuke Uchiha and his Super Awesome Ninja School!


Always a man of few words. Speaking as a student of the Super Awesome Ninja School, I'd just like to say that Sasuke has proved himself to be a very capable teacher, as his other students will no doubt demonstrate. Also, the bear rumours are entirely true.

And finally, Amaterasu! ... Is that an actual dog?

And isn't she adorable. Look at that smile!


... Well! You heard it here folks: "Woof!"

Truly wise words from miss Amaterasu. Who's a good girl? Is it you? Yes, it is! --Ahem.

And that's it for our competing schools! Hayato Ichimonji will be serving as referee, and Clark Griffin will be the medic on call.

To all of our participants, good luck and have fun!

[ Johnny steps forward with one last message for the students. ]


[ He then raises his arm up before pointing it specifically at Sasuke.]


[OOC: Please find the Tournament Log here and feel free to jump in.


Red is for Johnny Lawrence
Green is for Penny Polendina.
The darker Green is for Ozpin.
Navy Blue is for K.
Blue is for Terry Silver
Violet is for Sasuke.]

content warnings: discussion of menstruation and puberty, baus-related beast transformation, complex yet flippant feelings about dead mom stuff

[ Alice's body has been up to some distressing changes. She's under the impression that every single one of them are normal things that happen to a young maiden of a certain age, which is not entirely correct. She has questions, and absolutely does not trust any of the people she lives with to give her a correct answer. Hence, the decision to ask absolutely everyone in Trench at once, because shame is something that happens to other people. ]

( tragic victorian orphan seeks life advice )

Greetings, Trench!

[ Ford offers the feed a friendly wave. Behind him, a considerable pule of beans sits on his workshop table. ]

Those of you that have been here for some time might remember a coffee bean duplication project I started a couple of months ago. At the time the results were rather underwhelming, and the beans I managed to produce had approximately a third of the efficacy of normal beans.

It's taken some tinkering, but I believe I've finally perfected the process! I'm looking for volunteers to help confirm that this batch is indeed true to life. You can stop by my workshop to retrieve a bag like last time, though the Prosperitea House cafe has also requested a batch if you'd prefer a single serving.

Help yourself, and please be sure to tell me how it tastes!

EDIT six hours later

[ The feed clicks back on and this time Ford looks a little frazzled, but also a little excited. ]

Hello again! If you retrieved some coffee beans from me earlier and you haven't already used them, I strongly suggest that you do not use them and instead return them to me immediately.

[ And now excitement wins out as he adds: ]

However, if you have tried them since then I'd appreciate it if you could inform me of what happened when you did!

( OOC )
This is the IC companion post to the player plot I'm running! Click here for more details.

PIZZA MARKET RESEARCH SURVEY #1

1. What are the best pizza toppings (and nothing weird like anchovies)?

2. Thin crust or thick crust?

3. Do you like orange soda?

4. Do you know how replicate orange soda here?

5. What are your preferred pizza eating hours?

6. How often would you use a horse-based delivery service? Would it depend on what kind of horse showed up at your house with the pizza? Would it matter if the horse was fucking terrifying?

Thank you all for your input.

[Oh, it's a Shiro post. Clearly, this is going to be some informative speech. Important information about town, or what's going on here.]



WHO CHANGED MY NAME TO 'BUTT MAN'?


[... or not.]

[That's it. That's the post.]

[Lexi looks dreamy and uncertain and a little sad, but she's trying to smile]

I, um. Has anyone else talked to people from home through one of those portal things and, uh, gotten spoilers for their own life? Because I have and it's weird? I'm glad for some of it, sad for some of it and I kinda need to talk this out. If that's okay?

[there's a long pause as Lexi looks off to the side, and arranges Orville so he's sitting on her shoulder, Orville immediately moving in to comfort Lexi by snuffling at her neck. she reaches up idly to pet him]

Also. I'd kinda like a roommate? I live in Gaze in a Lemon Cake house. My room's the one with blue and yellow wallpaper. [a long pause] I've never lived on my own before and I don't think I like it.

((OOC: there will be spoilers for Season 2 of Euphoria, event log to follow later on because the boss' wife is in today, woe!))

Does anyone know a vendor that sells cat trees
Relatedly, I also need curtains. And someone to install them, preferably.

Willing to negotiate payment for assistance or a good recommendation.

[ The feed opens to show Ozpin within the sitting room of his manor in Gaze, hands folded over his filigreed walking cane. The glow of the moon combines with his overwrought wallpaper to make the background luridly green. He smiles thinly over his tinted glasses; he seems tense about something offscreen. ]

Good afternoon, everyone. I recognize it has been some time since I last discussed my services on this network... and so I wish to put out a call once again. For those who wish to hone their skills in combat, my name is Professor Ozpin, and I am glad to welcome students new and old.

As it happens, I have met with [ and here's an obvious flicker of annoyance ] several other combat instructors in town, and we have devised an event which all might enjoy. [ He turns his attention to the right, and the camera pans with him, to another silver-haired man. ]

Thank you, Professor Ozpin. [ He nods, turning back to look at the camera with a warm smile. ] Hello, everyone. I'm Terry Silver.

We'll be holding a martial arts tournament with both armed and unarmed divisions. We hope to hold it sometime in May, just for some friendly competition and a bit of motivation to learn and improve your self-defense skills. [ Will it stay friendly? Probably not. ]

All three of us will be offering lessons separately, and if you're a teacher with at least one student you can sign your own school up as well.

[ He looks to his right, clenching his teeth as he tries not to look too annoyed with Johnny. ] Anything you'd like to add, Sensei Lawrence?

[ Johnny moves in front of the two men who tower over him so he’s the prime focus of the feed from here on out. ]

Listen up, nerds.

This tournament is going to have some ground rules for anyone who wants to participate.

Rule number 1: No powers, magical bullshit, or any other crap like that. A real badass doesn’t need those in a fight. He- Or she beats the crap out of her opponent with their own two hands or a weapon in this case.

Rule number 2: These fights aren’t an all out brawl. This is going to be a test of skills. You’ll be awarded points in a match. You need three points to win. You’ll be awarded points for a clean hit to the head or body.

Rule number 3: No murder. This should go without fucking saying. We’re here to kick ass and take names. A real winner knows when he’s won.

And finally- Now, Paul!

[ The camera shifts slightly as a human-sized stuffed ninja wearing a “Super Awesome Ninja School” t-shirt is thrown into frame. Johnny leaps up and kicks it in the chest and out of frame before landing on the ground in one solid motion. ]

This is an open challenge to any of the other combat schools looking to start up. Next month, be there or be square.

[OOC: Green font is Ozpin, Blue is Terry, Red is Johnny.

More info on this player plot can be found here! ]

A quick question.

I see we're dealing with some sort of unending night scenario. The pirates and the squid thing are easy enough, but I've got to know:

Is this a Vampire kind of darkness or a Werewolf kind of darkness? I can figure the rest out accordingly if someone has an answer.

Also the convenience stores here suck. The tea is weak, I can't find a decent sandwich, and all of the rival shops are out of a proper cleaner to get the salt stains off my glasses.

Anyone feel like sharing any tips?

- V

[ There's a faint sound of wind in the background of his broadcast, as if he's sitting somewhere up high. ]

Hello. Again. [ Oof, okay, not the strongest start. ] I'm Anakin Solo, a knight of the Jedi Order, at your service. I sort of remember being here before, and I wanted to thank everyone who helped me out.

They offered me a bed at the orphanage, but I don't want to take it from someone who might need it.
How does housing work here, exactly? I don't mind sleeping outside, but that doesn't seem wise in the long run.

[ A pause. ]

By the way, I don't remember the sky being like this before-- is this normal? As normal as anything is here, I mean.

[ Another pause. He's clearly not in his element. ]

Thanks again.

[ The feed ends. ]


( ooc: let me know if you want to keep his tdm thread! i'm cool either way. )

[since her last video sansa has created a backdrop featuring several ravens surrounding a weirwood tree to match the one in her window. she has also acquired a blood hound, who wears a tan leather harness intricately carved with weirwood branches resembling antlers. it says 'knight.' lady is also in frame, on her other side. she wears a collar embroidered with grey velvet scales to match sansa's grey linen and scale mail dress. a black batkitten and white raven might be occasionally glimpsed wheeling around overhead. her hair is only half up, braided back and tied, and it is possible to discern its vivid shade of red.]

Hallo, for those of you that don't know me, I'm called Alayne Stone. [for now.] A blood hound has recently come into my care and I've since discovered he is capable of pulling the corruption from the blood of people just as well as he pulls pollution from the blood in the ground. As the blood blisters seem to be decreasing in number of late I would ask that anyone suffering from corruption visit us, or tell me where you are so that I might bring him to you, as he doesn't seem to eat anything else. You might ask the lantern imps for the Rookery, or seek out the weirwood in Cellar Door.

[you will find a banner in another window with a handsome portrait of knight and the pronouncement 'blood hound cleanses your blood of corruption free of charge.']

I believe this could be a great help in maintaining the health of our city. He's called Knight, and he is not very friendly, but I promise you he won't bite.

[she furrows her brow, trying not to frown overmuch.]

Is it...usual here, for the sun not to rise?

[the weather is definitely getting warmer, despite the lack of sunlight, but it is concerning. even if it is not the long night, it seems like this would be bad for the crops? she doesn't want to be the one to bring up rations, but they are already on her mind.]

[The video opens on Sasuke, Lance is “directing” behind the “camera” (omen) with cue cards for him to read, and this music starts playing in the background. Lance gestures widely off camera in an urgent miming to Sasuke to start reciting what is written on the cards.]

[ Sasuke was clearly not expecting the music and he already looks so tired before he even looks at the cards. He’s trying. Honest. His forehead scrunches as he starts to recite, but it’s coming out in his usual flat tone, which is probably not helping anything. ]

Have you ever wanted to be cool… like the other side of the pillow? [ Sasuke looks off camera at Lance with irritation. ] You said you wouldn’t make me sound like an idiot.

[Lance is giving Sasuke the flattest look, then in a hushed urgent voice:] Dude, don’t make it weird, just keep going. No turning back now.

[He has more cards and they go with the music, stop messing with the flow! They haven’t even gotten to the memes yet.]

[ He gives him a look that makes it clear he doesn’t think he’s the one making this weird. Deep breath. He knows people better than you, Sasuke, remember?? ]

Awesome at kicking ass and taking names? Show off some cool ninja moves here. [ … Oh. Wait. He gets it. He rubs his forehead before going to takes a deep breath, and then blows a ball of fire on the cards to burn them.

There. Ninja move shown off. ]

Ninjutsu isn’t about blitzing chakras or becoming one with the shadows. I’m not using these.

[Lance isn’t affected by fire, so he just holds the burning cards in his hands and uses his powers to toss the burning pile into frame as he squints in annoyance.] Oh come on, we hadn’t even gotten to the best part!

[ Sasuke takes a deep breath, before deciding to just do what he probably would have from the start. ]

I’m offering to teach people ninjutsu and taijutsu; it’s the way the ninja in my world perform battle techniques and focuses on utilizing one’s inner life force, also known as chakra, to manipulate the physical chakra around you. Taijutsu is basic martial arts techniques that use chakra to increase the strength of both your offensive moves and your defensive blocks. I believe it will be able to help people who need to learn how to control their new found blood powers and, for those who are dedicated enough, will grant similar abilities to those who have no special blood powers at all. [ He forms a ball of water in his hand, quickly warps it with a wind current to freeze it, and then melts it by heating his palm. ] If you are interested, please let me know.

[ Boring!! But to the point. Sasuke gives Lance a look, like he’s offering to let him wrap up with whatever he wants here. Is that wise?? Probably not.

Lance rolls his eyes offscreen and adds, poking his head into frame: ] Super Awesome Ninja School, suck it Cobra Kai!

[Then he exits frame and has his Omen project a certain video, and the music is still playing:]

 [Near the end of the month, after playing Jumanji more times than she cared to, Rika is able to face some realities. Those being that her house is more empty than before and that she's feeling lonely. She's never lost a friend in the way that she has lost Rena. There's no way to flip a switch and have her back, and that has been weighing heavily on Rika's mind.

And yet, the matter for which she makes a network call is rather childish and unimportant in comparison.]

Is the Trench always like this..? I never expected that a game board would be so mean... Games are supposed to be fun, not like that.

[She sounds more disappointed than traumatized. Perhaps a sign of maturity? Or being numb to so much suffering.]

Where I am from, my friends and I had a club where we played games together. Games let us leave our troubles behind for a few hours and spend time together, in a piece of the world where everything was fun. It makes me sad to think that games might have been ruined for the people here, because one of them was naughty. So I...

[Rika's voice trails off. She briefly imagines a cheerful Rena and how she would react to this. As part of her grieving, Rika tries to follow in the imaginary Rena's footsteps. This is more proactive than Rika's used to, so she can't help but sound uncertain.]

I want to make a game board that isn't mean and play it with everyone here. Does anyone know where I can find some paint? And a biiig piece of wood, or something similar, for the board? I've never tried this before, but... I would quite like to try. I do not wish for the fun of games to be taken away too.

[There was some adjusting before the young and very pale girl sat back, looking past as if something was holding whatever was recording-]

Just keep it steady, Dinah!

[-letting out a breath then, sitting on a spread blanket and a basket just in view beside her covered with a cloth.

That was definitely a few gravestones in the background. All the same, Alice kept her tone surprisingly bright, even calm.]

Hello, I'm Alice. I know some of you are still popping in and out of the catacombs- or perhaps you're waiting for someone else to come up? Well, I live nearby and figured some of you might like some food after what bits of horror can be going on down there.

Food can be very comforting after all, right?

[A tap of a finger against the basket's side.]

I've a few hand pies of various flavors, along with more savory empanadas that someone kindly taught me about, and how to make. Hopefully I am very easy to spot if you are already out here! If not, I can try to come to you.

[She might look familiar to those who have met her darker haired twin also named Alice.]

Ah- I've also some tea on hand, if any desire a cup.

( The feed opens to a woman who's clearly seen better days, hair a mess of disheveled layers and eyes circled in dark. Fellow Warmbloods might be able to relate to the way she moves — as though hardly daring to, even the most subtle shifts of her body resulting in little stabs of pain.

Despite the wince that flinches across her features as she settles back against a nest of pillows, the woman offers a quiet laugh. )

This is probably the worst time to show my face on here, huh. But I hope the rest of you who have this flu, or whatever it is, are taking care.

Anyway, since all I can really do is sit here... ( —a wry little smile; it's been weeks and she's still not too thrilled about being home-bound— ) ...it's been giving me a lot of time to think.

( She reaches very slowly for something that was just off-screen, drawing it gingerly into her lap. It's a brown teddy bear. )

This is something from my home that ended up here with me. It's my daughter's. When she was little, she had a very hard time with sleep. ( An understatement to be sure; the progressively dangerous sleepwalking spells are what she now knows were supernatural callings to her daughter's fractured soul. But Rose won't divulge that quite so openly. )

This guy brought her comfort, so in turn, he brought me comfort, too. ( She can't quite hold the stuffed animal to her chest the way she wants to, not with physical contact being as painful as it is, but one arm dares to loosely curl a bit closer around it, protective. )

Do you have anything here with you, from your home? If you don't mind sharing, what does it mean to you? This sick old lady would love to hear your stories.

[A young boy appears on the screen! He's sitting on... maybe the roof of a house? You can see the tops of buildings in Gaze behind him. But that's not important. What's important is what he has to say-]

How do you throw a great human birthday party? Not just the stuff with cake, gifts and people, I'm already know about all of that basic stuff. The extra things that make it a really good party. The kind that creates important memories that you can look back on and feel those pleasant feelings again.

[For some reason, this matters, apparently.]

Anyway, the first of the month was Paul's birthday. [No need to elaborate on that one. If you know, you know.] So we're going to do something next month, on the first, instead. It's a surprise, so don't tell him. You know he'd say something like "that's not necessary, it's just my birthday and it will interrupt me sitting in the dark and contemplating my terrible purpose so I'm busy and also no one can use the shower for the next hour".

So it's up to me and the rest of you to make it a good one that he likes. If you're Paul's friend or lived at the beach camp, gimme ideas and then show up and bring a gift. He needs something to strain rice with so he stops using his hands.

((ooc; a log for the party will go up next week(ish) this weekend! If you have CR with Paul you are invited, no reply necessary.))