Deer Country Network

[ 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 ~ 😘

[ The feed opens to... an unusual sight.

It’s no secret there’s been... bad blood between both Luna and Maul over the years, ever since she was part of a trio of magic users who cursed him a couple of years ago. There’s been... several very public call-outs on the network ever since then, too. Maul has been very vehement on his hatred towards the witch, and Luna has been equally open about her own distaste for the Sith Lord.

Which is why it’s a very curious thing to see the two of them currently sat together, albeit neither of them look particularly delighted about it. Although there’s a silent civility between the two of them, which for those watching is... quite a huge deal. ]

Hello, everyone. [ Luna speaks first, waving at the camera. ] We have some news for you all.

[ She looks to Maul briefly before clearing her throat: ]

In Deerington, death was a… process. Upon dying, we traveled to the Death Realm, which was created with the combined magics of Ramona Derwin, who we now know as Deerlona, and Cynthia Sodder — Moon Presence. Within this place was another, known as the Seventh Door. Sleepers who had died in the Dream were able to travel there once the door was unlocked, and a version of Ramona was held within.

For our sacrifice of life, she would grant us an ability. Her magics were able to mold our essences into a form… a deer, to be precise. We would be ourselves, but at our most purest form. However, when we became this form, we were granted abilities, too.

Unfortunately, when the Dream ended, we believed this form was lost as we were no longer linked to Ramona’s magic.

[Maul finally spoke up, sounding a touch sullen over working with Luna but otherwise at least in control of himself.]

After much research, we developed the theory that since Ramona used magic to seal herself off in a separate dimension where time no longer exists in a linear fashion, there is always going to be a version of her that is there and able to be accessed if one can only figure out the way to do so, regardless of what happened to corrupt her into a Beast in the present. We eventually created a ritual which allowed a doorway to be bridged between Trench and that dimension once again. I won’t go into the details. They don’t matter. All you need to know is that we succeeded. There is now a way to be transported to the pocket dimension to that version of Ramona who can grant us great power.

[He lapsed into silence, allowing Luna to take over once again.]

Life in Trench is… terribly difficult. [ Luna may have her own personal reasons for obtaining this form again, there is a very good reason to allow their fellow Sleepers access to this form again. ] It would be good to have all the help we can. Regardless of Ramona’s desperate actions in the end, she did genuinely want to help— dying wasn’t permanent because of her and Cynthia.

You don’t need to trust the Pthumerians or Ramona herself. I don’t. But I have accessed this ability before and can assure you it has been given to the Sleepers without any strings attached.

Provided you have died at least once in either the Dream or the Waking World, you’ll be able to perform a small and relatively simple blood ritual to…. get your copy of your key to the door, sort of speak. From then on, all you’ll need to do is a small ritual each time you want to use the ability.

I can provide instructions immediately to those interested, but I’ll work out a way to get the information out more easily to everyone at a later date.

A note of caution to those who go through with this. It is possible to lose yourself to the deer form and its instincts if you stay in it too long. Many of the deer which roam the city were once Sleepers who have since forgotten they ever had another shape. They can no longer change back. There are ways to bring one back. You must know a person well and know what motivation would be enough to make them change shape once again. [For Maul, it was challenging him to a fight or engaging him flat-out in one that got him back, though he was hardly going to mention that on the network.] And to show you how it is done–

[Here it was that Maul went slightly off-script. He and Luna hadn’t discussed this part but Maul had always been extra and dramatic as all the Sleepers already knew. So he’d had the ritual prepared to go. All it needed was a small amount of his blood to work, so he gave a few drops of his Vileblood to complete it. To those watching, all they would see was Maul dissolve into purple dust. When it reformed, there would be a very spooky-looking deer in his place. Somehow, it seemed to fit Maul’s personality completely. He pulled himself up to his full height and tossed his antlers back as if to acknowledge that he knew just how dramatic he was being.

… Maul absolutely did not mention this part. Luna visibly looks confused for a beat and then stares widely as he dissolves into purple dust and the form of a deer takes his place. Her expression shifts in a flat look. Really, Maul—? ]

... Well, if anyone has any questions...

ooc: Blue is Luna, Red is Maul. | ooc page for this mechanic is here.

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.

[Everything seems... frustrating. Everything seems like it's stewing. He wanders around, trying to find something to do other than swatting bugs and killing (and sometimes saving) beasts.]

[But is everything really... how it's supposed to be? He's not sure. He takes a crystal out of his pocket and stares at it for a while. He's not sure how to use the magic here - he's tried, but maybe because it crosses the rift he can't call upon others? He huffs in frustration, curling up a little bit.]

]But he doesn't let go of the crystal. This crystal, which means so much to him, that came to him through a twist of fate. ... But was it really fate? Or was it always going to happen?]

[Eventually, he grabs his omni and writes out a post. Anonymously, because... well. He doesn't want people to worry. Even if it'll probably be obvious that it's him...]

Is who you were in the past important to who you are now?

I would have said yes, but some days... some days I'm not sure. I don't know anymore.

Everything's so complicated and I don't even know if who I was is who I am now...

Maybe this was stupid to ask. Sorry.

[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.

(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 )

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.]

My name is D, for those of you who aren't familiar with me, I organized and designed the Outpost.

For several months Snow White and I have been speaking with the beast commonly called Deerlona, the first Sleeper to arrive in Trench, named Ramona.

She says that when she was released from the nightmare world the waking world was already soaked in blood pollution but beasts were just beginning to emerge, but she could tell they would be permanent. Most things were in chaos, but that as corruption and beasts became more common the world became more balanced.

When we asked, Ramona also said she believes Pthumerians are part of maintaining that balance.

She hated Riteor as well. She called him a power hungry hack and she's glad that we chose to get rid of him.

I have sent further questions to her on the possibility of Hali's offer, but Ramona doesn't always respond quickly.

Anyone who wishes to ask her anything should seek Deer to act as messengers; She is very protective of Sleepy Town and also feels a compulsion to attack people.

There are more construction projects this month at the Outpost, but I also wanted to announce that Manabu will be leading a project to construct a road between Trench and Riteor's city.

And on that subject, I am going to ask Hali to take over or prevent Pthumerian influence on that city.

[ The camera feed opens to reveal… an eye, mostly. Huge and watery and blue, sunken bruised skin around it. The look of someone very ill, or very tired. Half-hidden by scraggly blonde hair. Whoever this is, they’re holding the Omni very close to their face. ]

Voices, faces. Echoes held in stone. It speaks—! [ Someone has… just discovered the network. There’s something bright in his voice, but it grows dim. ] So… small but the hurts are so big. I hear them but they don’t hear me, I don’t know how to help. It doesn’t make sense.

[ Frustration. Grating. Sets his teeth on edge. It’s not supposed to be like that, he’s supposed to help. And there is further to his upset: ]

Blood. Stifling, suffocating and not safe. He remembers Adamant, slain brothers for the sake of serving. Then… torn and twisted, until the sound of what they’re not supposed to be is all they hear. Bound to their will, and His. They can’t change me, they can’t. I must be me—!

I can taste it. There’s others, different kinds. None of the songs are the same but they’re better. But there’s too much blood, it takes over. Drowns out the other songs.

[ There’s a long pause. The Omni is moved away, revealing a little more of his face: a young man, perhaps no older than twenty. A thin, long face; bleary eyes and a somber expression. He’s not looking at the camera. ]

I don’t like it here.

ooc: please consider using this page re: cole's abilities and what comes with interacting with him.

Is the date correct
Because i think i just lost like half a month
In something
What did i miss

( if you catch this video fast enough when it starts, the viewer will see a feminine hand coming to view. but that hand quickly ducks down off screen and all the video shows now is an open living room. alright, this seems odd and rather boring.

that is until, suddenly a rocket launcher shark comes into the viewing. whoa! it's pretty huge. it's all in the camera but whoever is controlling it is trying to inch it perfectly. once that's done, the jaw of this weapon starts to move and out comes out a goofy voice someone is providing for it.)

❝Hello everyone! I hope I didn't surprise or scare anyone with my appearance! I've been meaning to chat with you all for a very long time but... ❞

( a little pause as the head looks down to the floor. )

❝ SOMEONE'S been a little rude and wouldn't let me meet people. But it looks like today is the day! So... ask me anything! I'm an open book or we can chat about our favorite things!! I looooooooove talking about good and happy stuff. So don't be shy! ❞

[Maul usually only posted once to the network per month, so the fact there was a second post from him and so soon after the first might have been cause for alarm, except he didn't look at all serious. He had a rolled scroll with him. After seeing Savage post on the network, he'd felt it was time to take action.]

It has come to my attention that my little brother Savage is going to be without a date for the second year in a row here in Trench as Valentine's Day approaches. This is unacceptable, so I am rectifying the situation by finding him one. To that end, I have complied a list of his traits for those of you who have not had the pleasure of getting to know him well.

[Then he unrolled the scroll. Yep, Maul had written down a numbered list of all his brother's good qualities.]

Item one: He's tall. Ridiculously so. Which is not pertinent to those of you who are also tall, but for the short ones in this city, it is always good to have someone who can get things off the top shelf and step on those who oppose you.

Item two: He's extremely loyal. It takes him a very long time to open up to you and learn to trust, but once he does, you will have his trust for life. You can't ask for someone who will stick by your side for a longer period of time than he will.

Item three: He's very caring. Related to the above, he always puts himself last and so he'll make sure all your needs are met first. Indeed, sometimes it can be hard to get him to take care of himself even when he needs to.

Item four: He comes with a very cute pet named Ruin who is a rathtar he will gladly show off to you if you come over to visit.

Item five: He is a decent fighter. Considering the perilous nature of this city, it's useful to have someone who knows how to wield a lightsaber or who can gore an opponent to death with his horns on your side. Do keep in mind he may challenge you to a battle in order to start proper Nightbrother courtship, so you may want to bring weapons on your first date.

Item six: He's good-looking. I will accept no arguments on this fact simply because some of you are used to human-centric worlds. Don't be speciesist. The proof speaks for itself.

[He held up a sketch he'd put down next to this item on the scroll to prove his point.]

Item seven: He's good at hunting. When this place eventually collapses into dust, there will be little food left, so it will help to have someone who can track down and kill game for you to eat. Not to mention there might be lean months as it is for one reason or another.

Item eight: He is family-oriented. He is very good with kits and I'm sure wouldn't mind having five or six of his own down the line if the relationship progresses that far.

[He rolled the scroll back up.]

I will now take applicants to be vetted by me first before I set you up with him. Do keep in mind if any of you break his hearts, I will be forced to break you in return, so be kind to him. Go out for a nice dinner or hunt in the woods or have a good sparring match and this will all go according to plan.

[.......Stick around long enough on this post and one might have the pleasure of seeing Savage toss Maul through a wall for trying to set him up on a date.]

[Savage almost never posting to the network, but with all the people being affected by this upcoming heart day, he figured there were answers that were necessary to make it survivable. Or at least probably less anger-inducing because people were insufferable overall.]

This... Valentine's Day thing. It's for mates to reaffirm their bond to one another from what I have gathered.

What do all the singles supposed to do? We don't have such a day like this where I'm from, and our mates generally despise us anyway, so nothing like this would work.

It seems last year it was some single people being sad and pathetic. I assume there is something single people are supposed to do that I'm missing.

[He may as well try to learn some traditions beyond his own. He's never had to frantically try speed dating; their version was a fight to the death to impress a Nightsister, so it was short-lived for some.]

Been experiencing a number of break ins and thefts at the roost
Heard similar from some willful machine vendors
Hardware and things
Anyone else notice it

If its someone in a bind to fix something i have no problem helping
You dont have to resort to stealing
Just ask me
When the roost is open
At night please

[that said, he can also be found during the day there...cleaning up stuff that'd been disturbed in his absence and feeling out where he can put locks on things.]

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. ]

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.)

cw: this entire post deals with depression, abandonment issues, & loss of a loved one.
( you say that i'm perfect but am i? )