Deer Country Network

[Having only just learned how to use video on the omni, Goku's feed is a bit shaken and choppy. He's really only half visible for most of it, kind of stepping out of frame every so often because he's clearly walking. You might see some of the rolls of bread he's carrying.]

Hi ev'rybody! My name's Goku, an' my friends said that I should talk to th' network if I need help with stuff, soooo... Do we have any healers around here?? 'Cause my friend's ankle is broken but he can't heal himself 'cause it don't work like that or somethin', so I was hopin' somebody else could help him??

Oh yeah, m'also goin' around deliverin' bread for him! So if Hakkai toldja that bread's on th' way over, that's me! Goku!

[ The video feed clicks on and currently its just looking at a mess of scrap metal, a laptop or two, some other crap. Tonnes of graffiti on the walls. But fear not! Here he comes, HELLO. Up pops this weirdo from the side of the feed. ]

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT'S GAY MONTH. [ The drama is real, folx. ]

I know there's some other shit going on but that doesn't mean we can celebrate right? AND WHAT BETTER WAY TO CELEBRATE being a little gay [ he gets in real close. pinchy fingers here, very small, just a little gay (or like a lot gay, whatever). ] than punching the people you love?

[ His LED display flashes heart eyes. Hands tuck in like some kawaii fucking nonsense. ]SO.

I propose. [ Drum roll please. ] A fight club. For all you queerdos out there that crave violence as much as I do.

[ fight announcer voice activated: ] Tonight, Tonight, Tonight! [ Wrench looks back at the space. ] Uh. after I clean up.

OKAY, BYE ~ 😘

Greetings,

First, my apologies for my lengthy absence the last month or so. Perhaps this only applies to those in a certain dojo, but, I felt it necessary to make the statement anyway. I hope to resume my duties there at some point in the future.

Secondly... thank you to any who assisted my companions on their arrivals. Especially to those who took the time to answer Gojyo's questions regarding Trench and its effects. Both he and Goku can be a bit rough around the edges, but I assure you, they are the dependable sorts, haha.

[WAY TO CALL OUT YOUR BROS, HAKKAI.]

Lastly, ah. I seem to have been in something of a distracted state lately... and went on a baking binge. [Thanks June Paleblood effect.] Please do let me know if you have need of any of this... I would hate for it to go to waste.

[And there's a photo! Of so much bread... No, we're not going to talk about his last network post, it was anonymous, why would he talk about that? He's also not going to talk about being a Beast last month! Just bread! And bullying his friends!]

I'm very aware that others are facing more trying challenges this month, that what I'm about to complain about is likely an effect of my blood and will eventually go away on its own, and that I'm very lucky if this is the worst thing that's happened to me lately. However.

[For those who know Maria, she sounds rather cross, but also fairly sluggish.]

What the hell does it take to cool down a bit? I'm a coldblood, but you could say I'm experiencing the exact opposite effect. Near-nudity has been the only panacea, and barely one at that. And I'd like to leave my home with some manner of dignity.

[Some Sleepers aren't bothered by going around naked, she knows. Maria isn't one of them!]

I can't be the only once experiencing this. If anyone has suggestions for how else one can make this more bearable, I'd appreciate it.

treennnch! hi. its me. ure fav loose cannon, the demolition diva, the SIZZLING FIRECRACKER OF BABES!! 💣💥💣💥

ok sooooooooooooooo earworm kicked me out again. for like the 239482034th time. the bouncer said im too WILD.

think about that for a sec.
a club where u drink, party, eat the mushies, and let loose says IM TOO wild? good old bobby. so silly w/ his bouncer bounce ways. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

anyway cutting to the chase, so right when i was going to break in like i always do when he kicks me out, i had a BOMBING IDEA! 🤯

i thought why not spend time w/ my trench buddies? aaaannnd its been a while since i played the solve ur prob game. so thats what we're doing here.

give me prob. tell me ur issue. and jinx, the best engineer in all of this city will solve them for u. believe me when i say u'll get the BEST ADVICE u'll ever had. bc itll be honest truth.

heres a freebie advice on the house to start us off:

Q) JINX!! how do we kill those big nasty buggies?

A) well TIMMY LET ME TELL U! u just burn them to the crisp and feed them to mr.mugsy. hes hungry.

thats just a lil sneak peek of what my knowledge can do for u. and if u dont have a question? give me a dare. ill do all kinds of dares.

oh and ive been doing a lot of drinking so if i pass out all the sudden b4 answering getting ur question, ill get it in the morning! 🐵🙈🙉🙊

[Well, here's a new username. It's hard to say if it's a new face, since the poster is clearly taking blood pollution precautions very seriously. Between the scarf wrapped around most of his face and the hat topping things off, the only identifiers are a pair of light golden eyes (potentially concerning, if you've seen a certain recent post) and some stray blond hairs.

He holds the reason for such thorough protection up in a thickly gloved hand. A completely black blood crystal.]

I wish to speak with anyone who is familiar with these crystals and the disease associated with them.

[He pauses before adding:] Do not touch them or breathe around them without protection.

[So, after his trial-by-fire welcome with aging affects, people turning into monsters, and weird food, Duo felt like he was already starting to get the lay of the land, so to speak.

And shit was weird. Definitely weird.

Back to normal for now, he popped open the video on his omen, curiosity getting the better of him.]

Hey, folks. [He gave a small wave to the camera.] So, uh... newbie here. Name's Duo Maxwell. Just arrived in this vacation resort of a town the other day, squid-ness and all. Looks like a peachy place to live. [Can you feel his sarcasm?]

Guess I'm just wnoderin' what there's to do around here to make a living. I'm a mechanic back home, but there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of call for that in this place. At least, not that I've seen so far.

I'm used to doing odd jobs here and there, though. Kind of a jack of all trades, in a way, so... [He shrugged.] I have a bit of a delivery side business back home, too. I don't mind being a runner for anyone. But, that doesn't always pay the bills, yanno?

[All viewers can see at first is the top of his head -- bobbing red hair as he adjusts the camera. After a second it jerkily settles on his grinning face, an unlit cigarette dangling from his lips.

He lifts his hand.]

Yo! Resident new kid here. Already had some helpful beach-goers gimme the ropes, so thanks for that. Just a couple questions if you don't mind.

[He coughs into his hand off camera -- behind him seems to be greenery, a forest of some sort. If you have very good hearing, you might hear the trickle of a river nearby.]

About this curse shit. Like how when I got here some people turned into eight year olds or something. How do you unfuck that? Or do you just wait around forever until it decides to go away? Because that would really suck.

Same question about that corruption stuff. How do you... [he makes a vague gesture with his hands] Un-corrupt?

[ 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.

[Nara'a sits down after setting up the camera and looks into it, picking up a knife and starting to carve into an off-white chunk of... something. Something that some people might recognize as bone.]

With all this Hali business going on... it made me think. I'm curious as to what sorts of gods you have in your worlds. Mine has a... complicated system, and who you worship depends on where you live. Where I grew up we had the Twelve - and each person has a patron. Mine, for example, is Thaliak the Scholar. ... Appropriate, in my opinion. But my clan and others like them also worship Menphina, the lover - she's also the moon.

I can explain some of the others as well. There's also Hydaelyn - the Mothercrystal. But she's more... complicated.

What sort of deities are in your world?

[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]

(OOC TL;DR: progress day is a holiday in the arcane series. the two dumbass sisters decided to celebrate it by doing the hot sauce challenge and eating seafood. they get to one particular sauce where they cry and die. not actually die on camera but jinx turns into a squid afterwards and vi gets mad at the sauce for turning baby sis so she consumes it all because idk, stupidity. sisterly love bonding!)


[a slow exhale as vi leans away, a sheen of vileblood sweat glistening on her brow. (on closer inspection, should one care to look: it’s on her neck, too.) her cheeks flush with that telltale green sheen, her mouth opens as if to speak and …a small burp comes out. it could also be a word. It is a word. that word is :]

Fuck.

Heh, what’s the matter, big sister? Strugglin’?

[ jinx, who is also sweating just a bit, smirks over to the other with her cheek resting against her palm.]

( LONG POST IS LONG. ALSO WATCH US WHIP AND NAE NAE )

happy 4/20

for those of you not in the know in america they write month first then day which is dumb but whatever

and 420 is traditionally code for cannabis aka weed

no ones totally sure why but anyway happy weed day

smoke em if you got em etc



also i want cookies does anyone have any

i can trade you an action figure

Need a few volunteers to help a project out
Gonna start blasting a pathway through the woods onto the next city
I have a compass to get us there but could always use others
Need some folks on hand to keep monsters out of the way if the blasts dont do it
Better for us to have something of a proper roadway especially since the lamps went on the fritz
And didnt stake down at first anyway
So lets at least make a path to follow so folks are less likely to get lost
Since that seems to be the thing lately
Roads gonna start out at the outpost first since thats a fair midway point and already accessible
After we get that path to riteior we can carve out the remaining from outpost back to the waystation
If youre in let me know we can meet up and start setting things in motion tomorrow or so


[ooc sign-up here c:]

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.]

With the lamp network down, not only plant-riddled, it's harder to get around Trench. I'm not always available, I have other jobs, but I also have a truck.

If you need a lift or to move goods, let me know (best in advance). Respond here, my inbox, or, in case of emergency, via omens. Payment in barter.

Questions?

[sansa is once again on her couch with lady and her large direwolf-and-weirwood leaf tapestry. she wears a charcoal linen dress embroidered with ravens and her feathered collar with direwolf caps from madame generosity, her needle necklace tucked in the elaborate chatelaine hanging from her wide leather belt. lady wears a matching collar and stretches into sansa's lap, huffing reassuringly.]

Hallo, this is Sansa Stark. Many of you know by now Sasuke and Sakura have returned to the sea in the hopes of having children.

[they were very certain they were going back to their world, sansa thinks it's equally likely they'll end up hatching baby cephalopods.]

I promised them the Sanctuary will keep the Wellness Center in Darcmouth open. If anyone else should like to work there, we would be grateful for their assistance. I also intend to provide space for Night Walkers to provide different modes of therapy, such as talking and making art, that anyone of any age might find helpful.

[it's been largely down to word of mouth for local parents and young sleepers to find age-appropriate therapy, and sansa intends to provide a permanent location for night walkers to provide these services.]

We should have the Wellness Center back open within the fortnight. Of course it is difficult to do anything at all in Darcmouth with the lanterns as they are. I imagine it is Riteoir's influence preventing the patrons from repairing them, but if it persists I should be glad to speak to The Tower myself.

[she smiles faintly and sadly.]

Sasuke also wanted everyone to know that his dojo remains open to any that might like to use it.

private to Sanctuary and Painted Turtle Clinic staff

I thought it might be nice if we met to discuss our plans for the Wellness Center in its hot pools. If anyone doesn't have your waterproof robes from the Wakers, I should be glad to find you new ones.

private to Jin Guangyao and Lan Xichen

Greetings, Lords Guangyao and Xichen, it is my honor to offer you the use of Sasuke's dojo for lessons in the cultivation and use of qi. I know that not everyone may achieve mastery by your methods, but there may be techniques that can aid them in learning to use their own magic more effectively. I hope that you and Li meimei are well, and I look forward to discussing this matter at your convenience.