Deer Country Network

[ When the feed turns on, Chizuru is already moving to politely bow. ]

Please excuse me..!

[ Even while making a public post, apparently she just can't help but start off like this.. At least the girl is quick to upright herself once more, properly looking at the screen now. Something about Chizuru definitely seems a little shy or nervous, but the girl speaks all the same, doing her best to keep her voice from shaking with nerves. ]

I.. was wondering something. I've already been asking around a little, and it doesn't seem like everyone is hearing it, but.. are some other people also hearing those odd whispers? I keep hearing them all the time..

[ Chizuru frowns a little. ]

It feels like they're saying something important, but I can't make it out. I'm worried though that-- um, that maybe it could be a warning, or something like that. So if anyone else has been hearing it and has been able to make out what they're saying, or if anyone has tips on how to be able to tell what whispers are saying better.. I would really appreciate hearing about it. [ Another quick bow. ] T-Thank you.

[To begin with Maul and everyone Anakin is related to has been blocked from this post.]

When I was a child I met a man who promised to take me in. Shortly after that he was murdered. By Maul.

He only gets worse from there and he continues not just in my galaxy, but in the dream and then here. And when things start to reach a tipping point he makes some grand announcement about how things will be different now and all is forgiven. Until the next time.

I can't stop anyone from choosing to give him another chance, just like no one can make me forgive him no matter how much he screams that I owe it to him.

But I want to ask what makes someone worthy of a second, third, or however many chances? What makes him or even me any different from someone people are now clambering to kill? One day I'll do even worse and yet we're held to a different standard.

Here's a different perspective. Perhaps he was cruel to Maul in the past, but in the years since then he saw a boy placed in an unfamiliar environment and offered his hand in friendship. Isn't that the change you were looking for in Maul? In the entire time I've known him he's also never had the eyes Maul accused him of. In fact the only people I've seen with those eyes is him and his brother.

Is this really about doing what's right? Or simply revenge for someone you like? Be honest about your motivations because there's a good chance you'll die for them.

[And yes, this is the annoying, whiny, older one.]

[Maul's posts as of late had been a bit more lighthearted as he tried to set up his brother on a date and spoke of a memetastic grumpy batcat. But he'd been waiting for this day to come and so his face was as grim as if he was at a funeral during this post. His followers had been on the alert, watching for the signs, and had come to tell him that what he'd feared most had come to pass: Sidious was back at full strength and starting to possess people again in Trench. He couldn't put it off any longer. He had to warn people of what was coming.]

I come to you with the gravest of news. My former master, Darth Sidious, also known as Emperor Sheev Palpatine to some, has arrived in Trench. Many of you already know what that means, either through viewing my memories or listening to me talk about him. For those who do not, he was the man who raised me and turned me into....this. [The one word encompasses all of Maul, his psychopathic personality, the anger and pain he'd held onto for so long, his life being completely ruined by his master, getting turned from a person into a weapon and now spending the rest of his life trying to heal from that.] If you think I am dangerous, he is ten times as worse. He is pure evil. There is no reasoning with him, no way to appeal to any goodness that might reside within him, for he has none. All he has ever wanted in life is to gain power and he doesn't care how many people he must hurt or kill in order to do that. He's destroyed entire planets and every living thing that resided on them in order to do so. A city full of people is nothing to him if he wants to ascend to ultimate power.

Only his spirit has arrived rather than his physical body, so he is currently traveling from one body to the next as he tries to find a form he can take over for good. I have yet to discover a permanent way to banish him but I am open to suggestions. In the meantime, take whatever precautions you must in order to protect yourself and others. Trust me when I say if death is the only option, we must take it. You cannot afford to give him a chance, for he will brutally kill you if you give him one. Better to kill someone then allow him to remain and tear Trench apart at his whim.

His eyes look like this. [Maul closed his for a moment and channeled all the old anger he felt towards his master. When he reopened them, they had changed from the grey-brown color they had been holding steady as for the past three months and were back to the Sith yellow color they had remained for so many years.] They remain that color no matter who or what he is possessing, so it is a way to track whose form he is in. Please let me know if you spot a person or monster that has those eyes and I will deal with it.

[That euphemism of course meant that he would kill Sidious if he had to. Maul had gone over a year without killing anyone in Trench but he knew he couldn't afford to use kid gloves on his master. He'd need to be brutal and swift. He went to turn off the Omni and then paused, remembering one last thing he wanted to say.]

Oh, and Anakin? --The annoying whiny older one that is, not the annoying weird younger one-- if you try to interfere with this? I will stop you. That's not up for negotiation or debate. I'll kill you if I have to and keep you as a squid in the ocean to keep your idiotic devotion to this man from causing this situation to get worse. That is all.

[Then he does go and turn off the Omni for good this time.]

[OOC: This is the kickoff post for the Palpatine in Trench player plot! Feel free to interact with Maul, threadjack others to talk with them, or just head straight over to the log post to get started. As a reminder, Maul doesn't necessarily need to be involved in exorcising an NPC or character if you just want to do to something among two of you.]

Wrench: green
Jinx: blue
Sharon: Orange

[ The feed turns on (yes, he still claims to be anonymous even on video) and already there’s some noise in the background. Looked like it was Jinx and Sharon engaged in some kind of one-sided battle. Sharon is busy trying to snatch a paintbrush out of Jinx's hand, her cheeks puffed up in visible frustration, lips pursed. When it's clear she's not going to get it back, she steps back, picks up a small bucket of paint, dips her fingers in, and then flicks the color at the other girl before sticking her tongue out childishly. Whether Wrench was or was not aware that they were fighting or one of them was fighting and the other of them was confused about it was out for debate. Speaking of Wrench! Two LED eyes pop up from the bottom of the screen real close. ]

Helloooo trenchies!! [ in one big swooping motion that might have almost hit the both of them which he quietly apologizes for shortly after. He swings wildly between being dramatic and being serious enough to give someone whiplash if they weren’t used to it. A moment. Wrench takes a step back, okay a few more steps, aaaaaand a couple more. There we are. ]

Tis I, your friendly– er, your neighborhood, uh, Wrench. And I need your help! Or, uh, I guess I’m just announcing some shit with these two cool cats. [ He shrugged and Sharon gave an awkward wave, pulling her attention away from Jinx. ]

Found this place in Willful Machine. Fixin’ it up to be a kinda work and live space for all you techy engineer and programmer types if you’re interested. [ Cause he’ll use it anyway so whatevs] Come on by, share resources or work on some shit with other people. First, though. Gotta make it look fuckin’ cool.

[ Jinx rolls her eyes at this and without a word, she gathers up to her feet and storms off somewhere off screen – yanking a bucket with her to go as far away from the two of them as possible to paint. Wrench takes a moment to watch this but returns his attention to the camera. ]

[ Sharon takes a moment to step up next to Wrench, shooting Jinx a short look as she sulks away, visibly confused but trying not to draw too much attention to the tension ] There's plenty of shit here to decorate with if you want to come by and help. And I've also brought snacks, so... Free food!

Oh, yeaaaaaah! Free food. How noble! [The sarcasm in her tone is enormously thick, not even the toughest of knives can cut through. ] It’s important to include everyone, right? Make sure no one starves out here.

[ And Sharon just sighs deeply (like a bitch (: ) hoo boy. never a dull moment here, right? ] Soooo yeah! Come by. Help us make shit cool.

[Tinya is sitting at an almost obscenely long dining table with a red velvet cupcake with a single candle in it sitting in front of her.

the light of the candle is all that's there in the room]

Today is my twentieth birthday.

I've had more birthdays away from home than I've had at home. Two more, in fact. How does that work, I wonder.

Anyway. Happy birthday to me?

[and she blows out the candle, leaving everything in darkness]

Okay, so everyone knows the lamp network is in the shitter right now, and in case anyone missed it, we got truck rides.

[have a link of free promotion from a coworker! kind of!]

Hit them up if you want to stay safe. But. I'm doing rides, too, only I don't have a truck. It's piggyback or princess carry, bring your own helmet and maybe close your eyes if you're afraid of heights.

[fang will also provide rides that are less ...risky.]

sasuke and sakura

they are back in the sea


I’m sorry

[And that’s it. Sorry Trench, if you were expecting more information, he doesn’t have it to give. Partly because what do you even say to something like this? And partly because this is Melius we’re talking about and the guy barely does social interaction - let alone dealing with heavy news.]

[… time to wallow in a pile of succulents and misery!]

[The first month Ezra arrived in Trench, Madam Generosity gifted him with a crisp white and bronze Jedi style outfit. He’s never felt like there’s been the right occasion for it.

Until today.

His Omni is set down for a wide view, the Sanctuary grounds in the background, and Anakin Solo, in his own robes, at his side.]

Some of you may have heard me talk about, or seen a memory of my master, my first teacher, as a Jedi, Kanan Jarrus. Or even met him, because he was here, briefly.

[Ezra flashes a smile, bittersweet.]

Before he left these shores, we did an impromptu ceremony here at the guardian tree of the Sanctuary. A knighting. [His smile turns sheepish; he’s not here entirely to toot his own horn, honest.]

Back in the galaxy I’m from, Jedi Knights have taken a lot of different variations of oaths, over thousands of years of history. I’ve been thinking for a while about how to express my commitment to being a Jedi of Trench– believing that, for a lot of reasons, something closer to traditional wasn’t in the cards. So, with Knight Solo’s help, I wrote an oath that I think fits...here.

And accountability is important, at least to me, so- [He takes a deep breath, and raises his right hand, palm out.]

Here goes:

I, Ezra Bridger, Jedi Knight, vow to use all my skill and abilities to serve others rather than ruling over them.
To not seek personal power, but knowledge and enlightenment,
To act not out of aggression, but to defend and to protect,
To preserve what grows and lives well in its own way,
To support betterment and ease pain,
To guard justice and peace,
To put ever aside fear for courage, hatred for compassion,
And when it is fitting to do so, death for life
— looking always towards the Force, in which all are one,
Until my final death, or I return to the sea.

[Anakin nods, very solemn for a 17-year-old.]

Oath witnessed and acknowledged, Knight Bridger.

[Then Ezra and Anakin beam at each other with excitement, like the very young men they are, and Anakin claps a hand on Ezra’s shoulder. ]

And now the part I’m sure more of you will care about-

[Anakin rolls his eyes and talks over Ezra.]

We’re having a celebration tonight- [Ezra mouths ‘party’.] at the Sanctuary. Contact me or Sansa if you want to be more involved than showing up.

[Ezra has to get the last word before signing off.]

Everyone’s welcome!

(OOC: Ezra in blue, Anakin in green, obv. Link to party log here)

[ alright. the time. it has come. for wrench to be an intentional dipshit on deernet. also, he's not anonymous. that's just his UN. cause he's funny. right, so. enjoy this little rollcall wrapped up in a nugget of trolling garbage: ]

heyyyyy so. hi, i'm wrench. i like long walks on the beach and hitting things with a sledge hammer. ξ(✿ ❛‿❛)ξ━━━━━█

aaanyways. quick q: programmers. engineers. general technophiles. raise your hand. or crystal. or whatever.

tnx.

Rose Dawson has returned to the sea, and perhaps home.

I'm not sure if she promised anything to anyone, but please let me know if so, and I will make sure it comes to you in a timely way.

Hey, this is an update on the blood pollution project Viktor (un: v) started back in January. Thanks to everyone who donated blood and who's been helping out with that and the research. You can thank Snow White for the food.

The team's got a hold of a stonemaker who can make the darkblood stones do what they want (pull the pollution out of things and destroy it), but they need to work with them on a price for anything stronger than the samples they got. It turns out pulling pollution out of anything too fast ruins whatever it's coming out of, too.

The next move is to keep testing different stones for the best results on having them deal with pollution, and seeing what happens after the pollution's gone. Warmblood's been good for taking pollution out of the air. Vileblood needs more work. Still testing coldblood and paleblood.

If you want to speak to someone about the project in person or private, Viktor does better with voice right now, or there's Palamedes (un: warden). I can answer questions since Viktor's here anyway. Anyone who wants to get involved is welcome, asking for Viktor or Palamedes at the Sanctuary works. They test the stones with other powers and technology too.

[ One day he's going to get to make a network post that's actually about something cool.......so is the dream.

ooc: this is about this player plot here! Viktor's player plans to respond but may be slow! ]

( CW: Johnny Lawrence under the cut. )

ps the plants are not edible

do not eat

or cook

it is bad

and it is worse for men and elves because it is bad for me

[tl;dr: Melius tried to taste test the weird plants. It did not go well.]

[The video opens with a shot over a man's shoulder as he reaches for the doorknob. He jumps back as soon as his hand touches it and shudders in revulsion.]

Ugh!

[Glancing over his shoulder, his expression shifts from disgust to surprise, as the camera moves sideways slightly. It's clearly his Omen doing the recording, and until now, he had been entirely unaware of it.]

Wait a second - are you broadcasting this to the whole network? Why?

[There isn't an answer, but Martin seems to understand instinctively, because he heaves a long suffering sigh.]

Fine. Does, uh, anyone know how to stop this whole... sense-switching thing? Tasting everything you touch is... well, it's not great. Do you have any idea the number of things you touch in a day that taste awful? I mean, it doesn't even make sense! It's not all the time either. Sometimes it's totally fine, and others... Well, this whole "Congratulations your fingers think they're a tongue now and suddenly you've licked a doorknob!" thing is getting really old.

Since everyone else is asking questions:

Bonding Pacts: How revealing are the connections? Can you feel everything the other is feeling? Can you keep anything private?

Has anyone had a bad experience with a bond?

Did your bond help with corruption or beasthood?

Did you regret getting one?

[ ...and then another, since he might as well: ]

And unrelated: How many times have you died here? Does it have side effects?

[ By the 15th, this post will have disappeared off the network. ]

[He was going to send this as anonymous, honest to gods, but then his omen walked over his Omni while he was getting a drink and sent this.]

So what is therapy exactly? Aside from 'talk to someone to make you feel better', I know that much.

What sort of books would one look for to find advice for doing therapy?

Is this even something I should be trying to do for someone?

[That last bit he'd been planning on taking out, but. Omens.]

Good evening.

[Vira-Lorr looked reasonably relaxed, if a little more serious than she liked to be. She was currently inside of her home office, which meant that it looked like something out of a Gypsy's playbook. A crystal ball was in the corner. Various superstitious baubles were everywhere. A deck of tarot cards was on the table, pushed to the side. Incense wafted in the room.]

With some assistance over the last year, I've been doing research on sleeper squid ink. Years ago, we had something similar that had a curative property. I have been trying to recreate it. I am sure that the Doorway would not love that I am offering this in her month, but for some of us? Connection can be painful. It is the best way to stave off corruption, but it comes with a price. Not everyone is willing to pay it. So, I wanted to try and offer an ... alternative.

[She held up a vial of black liquid. It glowed very faintly.]

I cannot guarantee these work. We're at the point where there's only one way to be sure. Live, sleeper testing. Their purpose is simple. To alleviate the symptoms of corruption. It likely will never cure a person, but it could ease the symptoms long enough to get them to help, such as the Night Walkers or the Luminarium. That's the goal.

...

But this is Trench. I think we all know that the odds are that until it's perfected? It could do the exact opposite. So, there's a bit of risk in participating. However, if any of you are willing? I am testing the mixture of blood to reagent mixture in these. Once it's fine tuned, I will make the recipe available so it's possible for people to make more. You may speak to me at any time to ask.

Oh, and before anyone asks? I've managed to get a few donations of ink that I acquired through various sources. So they're not from any one particular sleeper. I didn't want that to complicate findings, especially if the goal is for others to make their own with the recipe.

(OOC: This is a minor Player Plot! Live Human testing of an "Antidote" similar to the one in Deerington, which was created with squid ink too! The short version is simple: Feel free to have your character take a sample and use it when they experience corruption. They may feel temporary alleviation, or it could make the symptoms worse. That's entirely up to you. Sometime in the next month or two, Vira-Lorr will post her findings, and her success or failure will be up to the mods.)

[Rose looks perturbed, chewing on her lower lip]

I...realize that we all have our concerns right now, but I was--well, I was hoping for assistance?

Valentine's Day is quickly approaching and I want to do something really special for Snow now that we're together. Something beyond the usual flowers and chocolates and cards, although she'll get all three from me.

But of course this depends on whatever we're being put through this month. I'd still like to find some way to make it special. [and her expression turns stern] And if The Doorway chooses to do something truly awful to us, I'll never forgive them!

[and back to smiling!]

In any case, I appreciate your assistance and your ideas most of all. Thank you.

[sansa means for this to be anonymous, unfortunately she hasn't really figured out usernames yet, let alone how to hide hers. she also means for this to be text, but the video is already recording when she starts speaking.

she's visibly younger, though not much (a little over three years, now); smaller and slighter and more wide-eyed, with her clothes not quite fitting right and her hair braided simply to one side. lady remains the same size, half in her lap on the couch, with blue ribbons around her neck rather than her fancy padded collar. sansa, too, wears the silvery-blue dress she wore to the rinne festival tied very tightly, her padded collar slightly askew.

and she looks somber. something has clearly been troubling her. she's not quite looking at the camera. her voice is low and a little bitter.]

What happens to us when they come back?

[ The feed opens on a young man seated cross-legged on an expanse of black scales, framed between two spiralling white horns against a backdrop of more black scales interspersed with charcoal dark feathers. His Hunter's armour is nearly of a shade to match, covering all of him but his vaguely familiar face.

He smiles warmly as he runs a soft cloth over a plain knife to clean it of the black blood all over its flat metal grey. ]

Good evening, fellow Sleepers.

( throne-speech )