Deer Country Network

[While some people were making important life announcements, and others were currently busy trying to figure out what was going on with the horrors of the month, Vira-Lorr had a somewhat different intent. She was currently in her kitchen, and by the looks of thinsg, she had a large bowl in front of her. There were crushed and broken up button mushrooms filling the bowl to the brim.]

So, I had a thought that came to me after I heard a bit of good news. It was just a little something. But, one of the things that makes life anywhere more bearable is good food. Well, that can be tricky around here. The meat's sometimes dodgy, and it can be hard to get quite enough. And what does that leave us with?

[She held up a cute little baby bella mushroom and gave the camera feed of her omni a rueful smirk, raising an eyebrow.]

I'm pretty sure most of you are getting a little sick of these. They can taste bland if you don't put some effort into it. Mushroom flour. Mushroom wine for those who drink it. Mushroom everything. But, you can get more flavor out of them if you know what you're doing. So, I thought I'd show a little something I picked up over the last year. Mushroom Ketchup.

[She winked and crushed the poor little fungus that never did anything to harm anyone into the pot and started to ad a heavy helping of salt.]

This isn't hard. You need to get a lot of them into this, cover them and mix them up with a whole lot of salt, let that sit under a cloth overnight. Then you're going to cook it down for a few hours, add in ... well, whatever spices you really want. The world is your oyster mushroom, hah. [She swears she thinks she's funny.] Boil it down some more with the spices added in and then strain and simmer the liquid you've made until it's thick enough. Bottle it and seal it, and you've got flavor for whatever you're cooking.

Keep it up and eventually you won't realize you're still eating just mushrooms. It's little things like this that make it feel like you're actually living in a place, instead of ... you know, surviving a horrible situation that you never intended to end up in and can't seem to get out of.

[Sometimes, it really was apparent that Vira-Lorr had gone native in this place after this many years. Plagues of mosquitos were harassing people, and she was just talking about mushroom ketchup. But was she wrong? Good food did make a day better.]

[The video begins with Makoto, who is currently almost glowing with how happy she seems, the expression making her seem much more feminine and softer than usual. The light blush on her cheeks and a smile that almost hid those green eyes.]

Hey guys, I know there have been a lot of things going on lately... And few other of these. But we have an announcement for everyone as well, Usagi and I.

[Makoto took a small step back to allow Usagi to step in and speak, after all she was the one that most of them would know.

Usagi steps forward, smiling brightly, she gives Makoto’s a hand a small squeeze. Usagi wastes no time and waves wildly to the Omni while still holding Makoto’s hand with the other.]

WE’RE GETTING MARRIED!

Yes! Mako-chan and I are getting married!

We’re planning on having the wedding in June so we can both be June brides. And we’re thinking about a traditional ceremony.

We’ve got a cake all ready to go! And the dresses. We’re doing a traditional Western wedding.

We just wanted to make sure that all of her friends knew, and we’ll send out invitations soon. And don’t worry about gifts or anything, having you there will be enough.

That all of our friends knew!

Oh... and one last eensy weensy itsy bitsy tiny little thing. [Usagi is all smiles and then it drops as she becomes very serious.]

If you ruin this for Mako-chan who has wished to be a bride, if you try in any shape or form to make this anything less than the best day for her, I will make you regret existing. [She’s immediately back to smiling brightly.] BUT! I KNOW THAT WON’T HAPPEN!

Isn’t that supposed to be my line? But yeah invitations will be out soon.



(OOC: Makoto is in green and Usagi is in blue. Replies will come from both girls. )

[ Following this broadcast on the network.] ]

Hello, everyone. This is Luna Lovegood.

I've left this open to all, but I'm reaching out those who knew Deerington. I thought this may be the best way to reach out, it's hard to know how many of us are left who came directly from the Dream. Another Sleeper has mentioned that they've been able to contact Ramona in Sleepy Town, something I didn't even know possible. But it has made me wonder about something.

How many of us died in the Dream? And of those, how many of us went through the door and received her gift? The one to transform into a deer?

Ramona's magic that helped us with death and coming back is gone. We don't have our antler tattoos anymore. But maybe we can still become deer, maybe that power is still there in all of us.

I know we all have our own thoughts and opinions on the ones we voted over on their fates. What happened to Ramona Derwin has never sat right with me. I think were wrong to Awaken her. I know it turned out to be what a lot of people chose for her, but... to condemn her to Beasthood? I suppose I could hardly blame her fear of returning to being nothing more than a fictional character, to the uncertainty of existing if she went back. Julia made her real. I wished she'd been Sacrificed.

I wish things could be different. I want to tell her I'm sorry.

Maybe the only way I can tell her is if I'm a deer, but I don't know if it's possible to become it again. My Death Statue is in Sleepy Town, but the danger is too great to go there again. I have to find another way, if I can.

[Local man sits at his kitchen table, arms folded and a coffee mug in front of him. He looks... worried. Concerned. And is clearly preparing for a Speech.]

My name is Shiro.

I'm one of the Sleepers who came here from Deerington, the dream world. I don't actually know how many of you out there are in the same boat anymore, so... with a choice like we've been given, I don't know how many of you remember the last time we had one like it.

[He means the vote that ended the dream.]

That vote ended with Julia Sodder's death.

I want to think it's because a lot of us didn't fully understand the consequences. I want to think it was because a lot of people were hurt, afraid, and thought they were doing the right thing. Or they just wanted to protect the people they knew. Regardless, Julia Sodder died. The people she'd brought into her world to save her... they let her down.

[Deep breaths Shiro, because it really sounds like you were trying to say I let her down, there. He folds his hands, and props his chin up in them.]

You can probably see where I'm going with this.

I'm not saying don't give this Pthumerian your opinion. At this point, inaction is probably the worst idea we've got. These beings - they're a part of this world whether we like it or not. They have been for longer than we can probably realize. [He grimaces.] Aside from one...

[Friggin Mother Mercy/Superior.]

We should be careful, I think, to do anything that cuts them off from their world. Even if we think it might help the people we care about. Protect them. We could end up doing something we really regret.

[There's a long pause, Shiro debating his next words.]

Like always, I'm open to explaining anything to people who have no idea where I'm coming from. I'm more than happy to talk about what happened in Deerington. The way I see it, maybe that will help us understand this world.

[ He's sitting on a rooftop, hand-rolling a cigarette from a kit in his lap that is out of frame. He glances off into the distance briefly, then speaks, ]

I have been hearing tales of Argonaut this season. It interests me which of the Pthumerian Patrons mirror the figures from my own world.

[ The cigarette is wetted closed and then set at his mouth. ]

We call her the Crying Spider [[cw: there is creepy spider art]]. A tiny, fragile thing that holds the whole of the realm together with her hope and her wonder.

[ He lights the cigarette and gestures with it, trailing smoke. ]

But it's a heavy burden learning her arts. The more you know hope, the better you know true despair, hm? It can be quite a precarious task.

[ He looks more closely at the camera, smiling unpleasantly. ]

I have a feeling many of you would not care for my former world any more than this one.


[[ ooc; about | plotting comment ]]

[ 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.

[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)

[Vira-Lorr was in the Luminarium, getting the last transfusions to deal with her little ... problem, thanks to Riteior. It was, as always, something of a process. But the fact that it was one of the attendants that she knew through Albert was what prompted this message. She knew that he kept to himself mostly, but given his tendency to remain in the background and out of the limelight, she did want to make sure that those who knew him would be aware in advance.]

For those who have not been made aware, and were receiving treatment from Dr Adrian Winters, formerly known as Albert Wesker, he has returned to the ocean. I know that he was of assistance to a few of us through the Luminarium, and one of my research partners. So, it seemed best to make sure that you were made aware.

I don't think that he would want a great deal of fuss made in his departure. He was a curious man in his way. But, all the same, I will miss his perspective.

To those who were at all concerned? I believe I have compiled his notes and mine on the Antidote experiments, and should be able to proceed with a refined mix next month. Also, are any of you members of the Blood Ministers? I find myself in need of a physician who I can trust and, while I appreciate the people of Trench, I still have some lingering paranoia.

[Tinya is dressed to the nines as per normal, but what isn't normal is that she's not broadcasting from her usual sunroom.

instead it's a darkened room with the lights barely glowing, casting a yellow pallor over Tinya's fair complexion and making her blue eyes seem sickly green]

...I bought a fainting couch because I thought it would be pretty. Not necessarily because I wanted to faint on it.

Ugh. [she lifts an arm listlessly and covers her eyes] Please tell me that there's some kind of flu going around and that I'm not the only one who feels like shit. If you don't, I'll be very cross.

[Maul looked immensely pleased and delighted with something just off-camera that he just had to share with the rest of the network.]

I have discovered it. The most magnificent batcat to ever exist.

[He turned the camera to face the batcat in question. It looked like....well....there was no denying it bore a shocking resemblance to a cat which had inspired a popular twenty-first century meme. The only difference was the batwings this one possessed, currently in a relaxed stance as it eyed Maul with feline curiosity. Other than that, the grumpy little cat was exactly the same as its long-ago predecessor.]

I will hear no arguments to the contrary. This creature is perfect.

[The feed pulls up on Wesker, who sits on a rustic bench in the rear courtyard garden of Arklay House, now overrun with a wild growth of odd-looking vaguely lily-like orange flowers which seem to bend and lean toward him, almost as if drawn to him.]

Until further notice, if you're coming to Arklay House for treatment, a consultation, or a social call, use the Lantern at the front door near the street, not the rear door, in the enclosed courtyard. The new spring planting isn't to be trusted, at least for now. I will explain to those who enquire.

[He shifts slightly, clearly changing the subject to something more personal which some part of him hesitates to address.]

But a more pressing order of business... Has anyone heard from Ariadne recently? I had a basket of pomegranates which I'd gathered in my attic which I was going to brin to her, and her device isn't picking up.

[With a note of foreboding, he continues.]

I trust no one has seen her going to the sea?

[The sickly pale girl sat on a thick root of a certain, talking plant. It was large but didn't seem to be whining at the moment. Abigail was grinning, full of teeth, all three eyes looking up at the working maw like it was a pet, or cat.]

My! But they do grow large. I do wonder what might happen if we were to continuously feed them~? How large can they get? Hehehe....

[Naked legs, blackened swung lazily in the air alongside the ribbons that hung around her pale, naked form. She looked wrong, twisted. Her keyblades balanced in her hands, and a large, wide hat sat on her head. The plant she was looking at grumbled.]

"Do not think that you are immune. Some dreams are inescapable."

[She frowned. And the feeling a person was able to get from that frown was sickening.]

Or perhaps not. Well, I certainly wouldn't mind helping to rid people of them. If any find them to be a nuisance.

[ After much consideration, she's decided to put herself out there and do a little research. Of course the matter is a personal one and she's a little embarrassed, so she'll hide behind text and her role as a doctor. ]

Has anyone here ever thought about having children? It's not as if there aren't children here, it's just seems that they all belong to native families.

From a medical standpoint, I've been wondering if it's possible, but if not I want to figure out what's making it impossible. Or is everyone just on really good birth control?

Thoughts? Has anyone looked into this before? Did you find anything useful?

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.)

[Lexi's on her couch, Mewnos and Nosferatmew snoozing on the couch with her]

Okay, this is probably the dumbest question ever, but what stupid things do you miss from home?

Personally, I miss 'Doomsday Preppers' the most. I usually don't like reality TV, but that show is funny as hell. All of those people buying out Costco and building bunkers and assembling arsenals of guns which would make Neo go 'yeah, I think you have enough,' 'cause they thought the government or aliens or Captain Trips or the Illuminati were out to get them.

This one lady was coating eggs in mineral oil 'cause she said that would make the eggs stay fresh for a year. And she had literally dozens of cartons of eggs all covered with mineral oil. This other one accidentally shot his own thumb off while showing his little kids how to handle guns safely. That was hilarious.

Also, Dorothea left me a kitten last month. A normal kitten, not a batcat. I'm kind of not sure what to name her, but I know I'd like to stick to the whole insert shitty movie here plus 'mew.' I first though of going with The Mewm, but that kind of rhymes with womb and no. [she sits and thinks a moment, a crease forming between her eyes] Maybe 'Mewdemic?" Do you think that would work?

I would like to pose several questions regarding bloodstone gems.

Robby has had some luck in gathering information from Nevermind when discussing blood pollution and attempts to balance it. The pthumerian stated isolating specific abilities from the bloodtypes into gems could be an avenue. Darkblood comes to mind, the reality bending abilities used to warp the pollution or corruption directly from the environment.

I've done some initial testing with little success, hence this post. Does anyone have experience with making bloodgems they can share?

Are there bloodgem jewelers in the Trench you can recommend? Any information found in the Archives that can be useful?

For that matter anyone interested in the research is welcome to help or get involved, I am hardly an expert in blood magic itself, in truth. Donations of blood are welcome as well as we continue to look into this.

[ooc; here is the ooc plotting post for this player plot!]

[Vira-Lorr had reached a point of being more active gradually, and one of her new years resolutions was to make herself useful. All of that came face to face, however, with an innocent and well-intentioned gift on her door front. The video shows an utterly innocuous sight. It's a box. There's a half dozen cans of chicken noodle soup, some tissues and a bottle of orange juice in it. There's an actual gas mask next to it, and Vira-Lorr's shaking hand clenches a hand-scrawled note that reads...

DRINK THE JUICE.]

IS THIS SOMEONE'S IDEA OF A SICK JOKE?!? [She's seething, breathing hard, through her teeth.]

I swear, I will tan your hide if one of you is pranking me!!! Do not joke about this! First I almost fall into a freaking sinkhole and have to kill a zombie, and now THIS?!?

[Huh? What?]

(OOC: Vira-Lorr's having a wee bit of a flashback because that package? Oh, she recognizes it. And it stems back to an old event in the previous game that was very traumatizing.]

[Since his arrival, whenever Lucius used the Omni he's kept the username of a randomly generated number. He prefers it - an identifier completely separated from identity. And that's the username he'll continue to use when he wants to be consistently recognizable or has to use voice or video. But to comment on something personally important, he believes it's better to adopt a new, unconnected name. It can be its own identity, living through text alone. And now that he knows how to do that, why not test it out with something that's been on his mind?]

There's been a lot of talk about stories lately. Stories about holidays, stories to soothe people, those sorts of things.

What use is a story when it's taken from its people? If it refers to rituals that aren't possible here, or lands we'll never return to, is it simply a way we hold ourselves back? If it's adopted by the very people it was meant to fight against, what are the original people left with?

Does a story remain a useful thing?

[ Ezra has debated asking this question on and off for days, but the thought hasn't left him, so here goes.]


Hey, is anyone here celebrating Hanukkah? If so, would you mind a really unorthodox guest (pun sort of intended?)

Five second educational spiel for everyone who might not know: This in an Earth origin holiday, in Jewish tradition, that stems from a pretty well documented historical event. The rededication of the Temple that was the center of worship for the Jewish people.

There's lighting of candles involved, but it's really not like Christmas at all. It's its own thing.