Deer Country Network

Three questions for other Sleepers:

Has corruption made you do anything you weren't capable of before?

Feel anything you shouldn't feel?

Given you senses you don't have?

Please reply anonymously.

...no no, it's alphabetical, sillies! We don't want the cherries next to the gooseberries when there are blackberries and blueberries and elderberries to think of first!

[Good morning, Trench. What you are witnessing right now is a giant hawk alongside several songbirds, chipmunks, squirrels, and all sorts of other forest animals all along the shelves with jars and jars and JARS of fruits, vegetables, and various other items, putting things in alphabetical order while there are meats drying and curing above in bunches hanging from bars just above the shelves alongside plants like sage, willow bark, lavender, and more. Snow is putting up another row of meat to dry out on the bars.

Her Omen, a giant stag, stomps a hoof and Snow turns to look at him.]

Oh! Yes, thank you Faramund!

Why hello everyone!

[There's some chittering from behind Snow White, two raccoons holding up a bowl of washed strawberries.]

Oh, yes, I'll get to the strawberries in just a moment, thank you dears, why don't you start on the cucumbers? We're saving the fish for pickling last.

[She turns to look back to the stag.]

Where was I? [One of the songbirds tweets behind her.] Oh yes, thank you.

I was speaking to my friends, and they said it would be best to prepare for winter!

[Snow, for her part, is quite in her element, being from the 1500s and Germany, winters could be particularly harsh and it wasn't all that strange to dry and cure and jar and pickle things to survive the winter.]

Well, when we went foraging, my friends and I gathered such a large amount that I have plenty to spare!

So, would anyone like some preserves? I have all sorts of fruit and vegetables, and the meat isn't done drying and curing but there should be plenty of that to share as well! And there will be pickled fish and crab. We're going to go mushroom and truffle hunting once we have this all done!

[Snow giggles when there are cheers of excitement around her by the animals.]

Well of course we'll get enough for everyone!

In any case, please don't hesitate to ask if there is something you would like!

It's strange. There was a lot I wanted to do before I turned twenty.

It doesn't feel wrong to have been brought here, but I wish I wasn't by myself. I remember wanting to spend today with people I cared about, but that's not possible anymore.

[someone is very clearly brooding & feeling the effects of Cloverfield.]

People tend to roll their eyes whenever a girl talks about her feelings in a vague way for everyone to read, but if I didn't say anything about today, I'd probably feel much worse.

Okay, so: I probably should have asked this earlier, but I was hoping maybe this place wouldn't have the same share of monsters as Deerington did. Dumb optimism, I know, but a girl can dream.

Anyway: now that we've got ghosts and horsemen and shit floating around, I want to propose the idea of fight training. I did a little of that with F.E.A.R. back in Deerington, and I'm down to do it again here, too. I'm happy to train but I'm also just as happy to spar with anyone willing to go a round or two.

Mainly, I want to get a handle on this blood magic stuff, what its limitations are, how to use it to its full potential, how to not set my own apartment on fire, that kind of stuff. And, preferably, I'd like to learn it when I'm not about get flayed alive, so anyone who's interested, let me know.

[The scruffy, middle-aged man that appears on the screen looks a bit uncomfortable. Videochat is certainly not his preferred mode of communication on these devices, but he does figure it would be helpful to see his face for what he's posting on the network to say, so.]

Uh...hey. I'm Qrow. If you don't know me from Deerington, I'm a Huntsman. Which--mostly means I've fought a lot of monsters and sh--[hm. children.]...crap like that.

So anyway, it's halfway through October, and the streets aren't overflowing with blood and corpses, and far as I know nobody's gotten eaten by monsters or lost their mind and gone on a murdering rampage. But that probably just means the town's waiting for us to let our guard down.

[Or maybe that's just paranoia. But Qrow would rather err on the side of paranoia rather than complacence, considering his last October.]

Point is, now seems like as good a time as any to learn to defend yourself if you don't already know how to fight. I uh, I used to teach teenagers in a combat school, a few years ago? So I've got some experience.

...Don't expect a lot, I quit for a reason--[that reason being, honestly, Ruby getting admitted to Beacon a full two years early, but shhh]--but you can get the basics down.

So yeah. Let me know.

My name is Dr. Adrian Winters, though some of you reading this may know me by another name.

I'm accustomed to seeking answers less directly. I'm accustomed to following the scientific route and seeking them in the field. But this is a case where the field is so outside my range of experience, I am at a loss as to where to start. I have a position as a journeyman Blood Minister at the Lumenarium, however I have a sense that my rational mind and approach are a handicap in this place.

How does one approach the magical when you hail from a world where magic does not appear to exist (but where things exist which appear wondrous or supernatural, until one finds the natural if strange cause that existed all along)? For those of you with similar origins, how have you managed to adapt? I regret to admit, I have the sense of the proverbial square peg in the round hole, which is far from a comfortable place to be.

And a far more concrete request. Does anyone have any spoiled food lurking in the depths of their ice box? I am willing to get it off your hands.

[On the video is a boy, who looks no older than fifteen at the most. He's smiling at the video but there's something unsettling about it. Perhaps because it's a little cheeky, like he knows something that no one else does. Or perhaps because there's the smallest tinge of sourness to his expression. Depends on how you want to read it.

Either way, you might find it just a little unsettling.]

Tell me. What is our purpose here? To survive, of course, as all living things try to do. But they must have greater expectations for us. Especially after they helped us regain our form. Surely, someone has made expectations known.

["Hmmm."]

Or did you have a purpose back home and now must find a new one? Are you happy to be freed from it? Or do you hope you can return to fulfill it?

Or is being here the opportunity to find a purpose for yourself? One that you never had before but always wanted? Or does this place put new burdens on you?

[The unsettling smile lasts a few more seconds before he pulls back from the feed, leaning back casually in a chair waiting for answers like he just asked what their favorite breakfast cereal was for a shopping suggestion instead the rather prodding line of questioning he actually asked.]

I'm quite interested to know!

( Once again Samatoki is on the network; this time, not in his house but in an old Japanese-style building he was all too happy to find in Lumenwood.

He'd been location-scouting and supplies-scouting way hard the last few weeks. )

This is Lull. It's a joint for, well, healing and chilling. I got some locals on the temporary front who can do Blood Minister duties — some Night Walkers towards the weekends.

( It's dimly lit inside, but he seats himself at the small bar area in the front. )

But yo, we got a stage in here, so if anyone's watching who hit me up on my last vid — there's time and space to jam. I'll be here all night, let's get something going.

( His grin comes genuine and fanged. )

If you wanna stop by for an open mic kinda thing, come on by.

( OOC: example of samatoki rapping/singing a bit in a solo song and rapping with his division. )

I need some music therapy.

( Samatoki has a cigarette hanging out of his mouth; he lights it and pulls it out after an inhale. He had a conversation that sparked some thinking.

Even though he was kidding about the rap battle thing, he thinks having some kind of show or gathering of musicians might be nice. )

I used to rap with my division back in Yokohama. Part of it was survival and necessity, but part of it was just dope to do with my homies. Miss it.

( He takes another drag. )

I can sing too, if there's anyone who doesn't vibe with rap as much. I just wanna jam. Don't know if there's anyone out there much inclined like that, but I wanted to put the call out there either way.

Anyway, hit me back if you wanna jam.

Hello, Trench! Boy, that's a fun name for a city, isn't it? Trrrrrrench. Sounds...about like what it is, I guess.

So! [He claps his hands together.] Who's here from Deerington? Man, it must've been at least a century since I saw you guys! How's it been? Oh - oh, and look! Eleanor made it too!

[He reaches off-screen to fling his arm around the neck of what, when he pulls it over in front of the camera, proves to be an enormous dappled grey Warg. Her teeth are huge. She's still wearing her enchanted leather war-armor, which really just makes the optics here worse.]

This is my dog, Eleanor! Also, I'm Michael, for all the new folks. I was in the nightmare city before this one, and then I went home for a little bit.

So - what's everyone up to? And what's with the new phones? Are we all using weird, smoky first-generation birds as phones now?

Well, well! Things have certainly gotten a lot more interesting, haven't they? Haha, I'm quite excited to see what you all have in store for this new world.

[He has been enjoying going through the Omni and gathering info about everyone making media posts to it. Social media is just the greatest, isn't it?]

My name is Childe, for those who don't already know me. And I have one simple thing to ask you all-

What are all of you planning to do with your newfound powers? Will you use them to become stronger? Fight? Or learn to use them for some other, devious plan? Or perhaps you'll use them for the betterment of Trench...I'm all ears, you know.

 Ah, so that's how it works. What a smart bunny you are...

[Oz brushes off his black overcoat, otherwise facing the 'camera' forward. He has finally figured out his Omni with the help of a rabbit omen. His smile and demeanor are quite bright and borderline childish after he bows towards the camera;]

Good day, everyone~! Wow, does this little jewel really have moving pictures? And I thought Uncle Oscar's camera has exciting... I have so much to catch up on that I don't even know where to sta~rt.

Oh but where are my manners? That's a good starting point, huh? I'm Oz Vessalius! From what I'm hearing, it seems I'm suuper new here! Anyone else in the same boat? I've never been a squid before and I don't know what the Trenches are, AND I don't know what to call this little Jewel.

[His energy levels come under control quite suddenly; His smile maintained and childish demeaner tucked away for a more serious conversation topic.]

From what I've gathered, this isn't the first time that some of you were taken away from home. It's going to be hard for me to make informed choices about the situation if I'm not informed. And I can't be helpful if I don't know what I'm doing, hm?

[Bubbly persona resumes;] Soooo WHOOO~ wants to fill me iiiin? Oooh~ We can even make a date out of it~! Sounds great, right?

( On the network appears a man who looks more like a demon, with his red horns and red eyes. He's toying with a blue and silver mask, twirling it in his hands. )

Lots of people offering Hunter shit up here, huh.

( His voice is low and tone only a little sardonic. )

Ain't no thing. You do you. But I'm here to ask about being a Blood Minister. Friend of mine ran a clinic out of her place in Hakagemachi and I was real into that vibe.

( He doesn't expect that to mean anything to anyone, but its where he came from most recently; before that was home. )

I guess this is me putting my feelers out for someone who'd wanna help with a sort of clinic or mobile unit. Name's Samatoki. Get at me.

What's up.
Are we doing introductions now? I guess we're doing introductions.
Name's Anna. Professional city defender and mostly robot girl.
Coming here from a place called Recolle that I'm pretty sure no one here knows about, which is cool.

Never been much for stuff like this, so, like, I don't know.
Anyone needs a katana at their side, look me up. I'm pretty damn good at it.
I might not know what's going on here, but far as I'm concerned, this is where I live now and it makes sense for everyone if I actually try to keep it safe.

And since I'm in full spaghetti at the wall mode right now, lemme just throw out some words, see if it triggers anything for any of you guys.
Zee Carlisle. Clarence Vanderweele. Layers of reality. Retrospec.
The Geteilts.
Nothing?
Yeah, didn't think so.

Anyway, yeah, flag me down if you see me on the streets and need some protection or whatever. I'm five ten and I only have one eye. I'm hard to miss.