Deer Country Network

( The feed opens to a woman sitting in a bright cottage kitchen, with a cup of something warm and a soft smile. )

Hello. Some of you may know me already, but to those who don't — I'm Rose Da Silva. Sharon's mom.

( Her smile warms, and she gently sets her mug down so she can turn her full focus on the video she's making. )

I've been here for... a while. Half a year now. I have to admit, this place isn't like where I come from at all, and I'm still... trying to adjust.

I know a lot of you are from worlds that may be similar to this one. You've probably been able to settle in a lot easier than me. But... I wanted to offer something. Because I know there are a lot of young people here, people... on their own.

( Her smile wavers, brow knitting slightly. A lot of people without parents, without help. And maybe they've been doing quite well on their own; Rose has certainly witnessed almost disconcerting levels of independence from the Sleeper youth. Often, it suggests that... many of them might not have had a strong parental presence back home, either. Several of them have directly told her as much, or she's seen... memories, shared by accident. )

I can't make things, but I can show you how to buy and use them, if you like. Like... well, if anyone might need some more clothes and could use a hand, I'd be very happy to show you the shops I've discovered around here.

( She's.... offering to help take you shopping, yes. This month, there's a growing compulsion to teach, and maybe Rose is....... filled with the need to do some Mom Teaching Things for others! )

There are some really nice shops in certain parts of the city. I'm sure we could find something to fit your personal style.

( Her smile brightens again; she seems excited. Back home, before she was venturing into the depths of Silent Hill to rescue her daughter, she was one fancy suburban mom. Shopping was her thing. And maybe it seems a little silly, considering so many young people around here are... warriors, fighters, have some sort of strong power.... do they really need something as simple as a shopping trip while she's Mom For A Day?

....The offer is there. She wants it to be there, just in case someone does need it. Because maybe she doesn't have a lot of Trench-appropriate skills to put out here, in comparison to others. But being a mother... that's what she wanted to be for her whole life. She's not explicitly framing it that way, but that's what she feels the most comfortable offering, guidance that might fall under the "maternal" or "guardian" category of teaching. )

I'd be happy to treat you to lunch or dinner too, or show you around other places in the city, if you like. The weather's so nice lately.

[The classic accidental video: the image starts, aimed at the corner of a messy dining room, with a table piled high in half-assembled cardboard boxes and stacks of paper covered in various pizza-related logos. There's no people in the frame, so it must be just a Trench-ish mishap, as is wont to happen.

Except there is a living thing in the video -- maybe? It's a horse that many folks in the town might be familiar with, though even more might be completely unfamiliar with it. It stands in the corner of the dining room.

And it stares.

And it stares.

Unblinking, unmoving, unbreathing, eyes cold and pale like a dead thing, the only light in the endless black of it's nightmarish horror body. It stares and it knows. It sees the innermost thoughts of man and beast and it is unmoved. It is endless, it is eternal. There is nothing but the horse.

And then, with a flicker of static, it's just -- gone. There's no moving, no steps out of frame, it's just suddenly not there anymore. Instead the video continues for a moment, focused on nothing, before flickering out.

In the silence, comes a voice, like the slithering of dark, wet things, ghosting over your fingertips in the middle of the night:]

Buy the pizza.

[A very creative ad campaign, maybe? But still, Upsetting.]

[Tory flips on her Omni. Behind her sits a black and gold dragon that is roughly the size of an ostrich. Judging by Tory’s calm body language, it’s clear that the dragon is not a beast, but rather, her omen.]

I’m looking for name suggestions for a female dragon. I thought about calling her either Kindness or possibly Thoughts and Prayers, but I should probably consider something more serious, too.

[Much as she appreciates the sarcastic humour of the names, with people here from so many different worlds, it’s a joke that would probably be lost on most people here.]

Also, I was able to make bug spray with my powers. If you’ve got something to trade, you can have some.

[There’s a short pause before she adds one final thing.]

By the way, if you threaten to cut out someone’s tongue because they said some mean words you didn’t like? You’re a bigger asshole than them. Go touch grass.

[ Luna Lovegood is perhaps the best she's looked in months. Despite the exhausted look about her, and the expression of queasiness — she's void of any trace of Corruption. She's been spending the past several days sleeping, and not sleeping; trying to calm her stomach from the copious amounts of wild animals she'd devoured as a beast. While sustenance for her in Beastform, her stomach now she's human again is... far more delicate. But the worst of it has passed, at least. And Peter has been a blessing for her, making sure she's alright — even if eating has been a little bit of a struggle.

She sits in her room, sat on her bed with her knees curled up to her chest, still dressed in pyjamas. Her Omni rests on her bedside as she begins the broadcast. She's anxious; her brow drawn down in a sorrowful frown. It's important, though. People deserve apologies, even she deserves no luxury of apology in return. She hurt people, quite a lot — and while the memories of the latter half of April are foggy at best, she knows she's done some terrible things. ]

I realise a great deal of people may be very upset with me right now. I would have done this sooner, but I... needed a little bit of time to sort out my mind. [ She's still trying to do that, but it's now or never. ]

I remember the butterflies, and then... it gets a bit mixed up after that. [ It was like... falling down a very, very deep hole. Slowly slipping away from herself, and into something cold and dark and twisted. ]

I'm sorry. I know I hurt a lot of people, I know I— I think I killed people, too. I know I wasn't myself, I became someone terrible and then something terrible. A monstrous Beast. [ It hurts to refer herself as that. No beast is monstrous. But she did monstrous things. That is... simply how it is, and she's ashamed of herself. ] I know people might think it isn't my fault, that I became a Beast — but I still did those things. I barely even know who I did them to, I don't remember much.

But I'm very sorry.

[ She doesn't expect forgiveness, not at all. She's alright with that. Luna's quiet for a long tome, just leaving the apology there. But after a while, she inhales and continues. ]

I was lucky. My friends found me, my boyfriend found me. They brought me back. They knew who I was even though I was a Beast. I can only guess others haven't and won't be so fortunate. [ How many times have Sleepers been killed as Beasts? How many will be in future? ]

I've been doing some thinking, the past couple of days. How to... maybe help Sleepers, somehow. Back home, someone very important to me, a hero to me really, led the way in the study of magical beasts — he's one of the greatest Magizoologists known to Wizardkind. He offered a great deal of insight into beast behaviours, abilities and how best to care for them — compiled it into a textbook.

I'd... like to start doing something like that, but for Sleepers in their Beastforms. I want to do it as my area of study at the School of Mutter. An encyclopaedia of Sleepers' forms of Beasthood, noting their appearance, abilities, strengths and weaknesses. But also how best to help them, calm them down. Bring them back.

[ She doesn't want it to mean it's how to kill them. No, no. Not at all. It's how best to help Sleepers, so they don't have to be killed. But also knowing how best to deal with them, so other Sleepers don't end up getting killed when dealing with Beasts. Merlin knows how many Witches and Wizards were likely killed by magical creatures they had no clue on how to handle them. Wild animals are just that, they can kill. ]

I could have very easily met death at the hands of a Hunter, but I was lucky I didn't. Knowledge is a very powerful tool, and I believe it could do a great deal of good. [ That being said: ] If people have information they'd like to share about their Beastforms, or how they've dealt with bringing Sleepers back — I would like to hear it for my research.

If you'd rather speak in person, you may find me at Ritual Gig in Willful Machine. [ There's a little pause, her voice wobbling slightly. ] You... may have known it as John Constantine's shop, but moving forward I shall be taking up the reins in his absence.

[Dee appears on the feed, sitting in the parlor of a surprisingly fancy-looking house. She has a beer on the table, which she quickly sips before starting. In the background, an ostrich warbles to itself and pecks at a white chaise lounge.]

Okay, so I was just hanging out here, drinking the worst beer I've had in my entire life, when I started thinking...

[She pauses to drink more of her beer, putting one finger up in the air as she tosses her head back and chugs it down, draining more than half of it in one hit. Yeah, she's just going to make her viewers wait a few seconds because she needs more of that disgusting beer.]

Gross.

[She winces.]

Anyway, I started thinking about how great it'd be to produce and direct a play of some kind. I'm not sure what it'll be about yet, but it could be fun to do a show. So now I guess I want to know if some of you guys might be interested in... I don't know... getting in on this?

[She waves her hand dismissively at the Omni, a small smile appearing on her face.]

Now I bet you're looking at me, and you're like, 'but Dee! I don't know how to act! I couldn't possibly be in your amazing play!' And you know what? I hear you, guys, and I'm gonna tell you that that's okay!

[Her grin grows wider, and she points to herself using both hands.]

Because I'm a professional actor, and I'm willing to teach you a few things and help you along the way! But, of course, my help isn't going to be free, and I'm gonna want to trade my time for beer and shit that'll go towards the play.

So if you have a story you'd like to see adapted, let me know. Tell me about the story, the characters, and why you like it. Just... nothing too nerdy or boring, okay? I want this to be fun, not a geek-fest.

Obviously, I won't be taking any auditions yet because I don't have a story, but let me know if you want to be involved in something exciting and fun anyway. And don't get too upset if you get rejected. Showbusiness is a harsh bitch, and it. Will. Eat. You. Alive.

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.

CWs for entire post/threads within: Discussion of sexual orientation, queerness, discrimination against LGBTQ+, homophobia, transphobia, gender identity, themes of coming out etc.

Coming out is such a fuckin' scam.

There's always someone who has to hear this but damn, don't let anyone guilt you into that shit. You don't have to explain any part of your identity to anyone. Not your friends, not your family, not your significant other. Fuckin' nobody. It's your identity. Yours. Not theirs.

And for the record? Don't sweat it so much if you can't figure it out. Sexuality and romantic attraction and gender identity don't need to be forced into some convenient description you found online. It's fine if you haven't found the right word for it. Language is, oftentimes, limiting to the full expression of our existence.

That shit is so fluid most people be wasting their whole life feeling worried about it because everyone around them goes on and on about how they figured their shit out. Like cool, whatever, congrats for them, but trust me, you're not less valid or whatever just because you ain't got a flag to hang yet. It's fine if you never figure it out. It doesn't have to be a bad thing.

It's okay to be confused for a long time and it's fine to want to figure out how to fix that, but like, seriously, a lot of that confusion does come from comparing yourself to other people and their own experiences.

Whatever. I'm making this whole post private in case anyone has questions or would like to talk.

Consider this April's sex education lesson. I'm simplifying things, obviously, but the point is to open the discussion. So. Discussion Opened.

Rules of Engagement:

1. You don't get to ask me who else is responding to this post or what they are saying. I will shove my foot so far up your ass all you'll taste for the rest of your life will be dirt.

2. You are allowed to ask me about my own shit, but I'm allowed to decline to answer if I get a weird vibe from you.

3. Feel free to go anonymous. I won't pry.

4. Do not force yourself to discuss things you are not ready to discuss. I'm not going to beg you for dirty deetz so if you're not ready, then maybe tab the conversation for later.

5. Judgement-free zone. I have been on every sketchy part of the web and am completely desensitized. Imagine a thousand-yard stare but instead of war-torn countrysides, I'm just seeing thousands of years' worth of explicit Sonic x Knuckles fanart. Which, okay, actually, dope ship. Bad example. But you get my meaning.

[The video begins, showing a smiling woman with messy, damp blonde hair and wide, blue eyes. She waves at the camera and cants her head to one side. For a split second, a faint look of displeasure crosses her face, and she raises her chin, turning her head slightly like she can't quite decide on what angle she wants to use for her video.

One might notice the ostrich lingering in the background, trying to look over her shoulder.]

Hey, guys! My name is Deandra! You guys can call me Dee, or Sweet Dee! [She sounds... really upbeat, her face quickly brightening once again. She tucks some hair behind her ear, and adjusts the Omni a little, pushing it to the left and then to the right. It is crucial that she capture her best angle so she looks good for her audience and she... doesn't know what her best angle is.]

I'm new here, and I was hoping someone could tell me about this place? I've gotta say, I'm a little freaked out, and I was ho-

[The ostrich chooses this exact moment to dip its head down and peck at her arm, causing her to flinch and jump backwards. She scowls, her cheerful mask immediately dropping, and she whips herself around to face the animal.]

Hey! Stop it! [She snaps. The ostrich, of course, sees this as an opportunity to peck at her again.]

Stop it!

[Dee hisses one more irritated 'stop it' at the ostrich and then, remembering that the camera is still rolling, faces the Omni with an awkward laugh and a much less convincing smile.]

Heyyy! Okay! Wow! I'm sorry about that.

[She makes a gesture over her shoulder at the bird and rolls her eyes. The animal stares at her intently, tilting it's head, it's beak opening and closing.]

As I was saying, I'm hoping someone nice might be able to tell me about this place, and why my blood looks all... strange and pale. And if someone could tell me where the nearest bar might be, that would be gre-

[The ostrich pecks her again, twice this time, and Dee yells. It's more like a howl! A terrible, rage-fuelled scream. Almost like a high-pitched banshee screech.]

Goddamnit, you stupid son of a bitch! I am going to murder you! [The ostrich jumps back, fanning it's wings furiously. And oops! The camera is still rolling! So much for trying to look pleasant and approachable and cute and funny! Dee faces the Omni once again, laughs even more awkwardly, and swiftly cuts the feed... presumably to try and murder her Omen.]