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 ~ 😘

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! 🐵🙈🙉🙊

[ elster hasn't been much for posting on the network. she's done it here and there, but largely she just keeps an eye on things.

the video starts with a stylized symbol of a bird and an acronym beneath on a black background, while a voice calls for attention—achtung. achtung. achtung. static, then—

it's another dreary midday on some distant corner of the beach. a dark-haired woman with polymer and metal climbing her neck, crossing her face, stands in a black jacket next to some rusted metal... thing. a wreck? her speech comes with a light german accent, almost musical even with her largely flat affect. ]

For those I haven't yet met, my name is Elster. This is a call for any other engineers or technicians in the city. A derelict spaceship came through one of the portals; its nuclear reactor is heavily decayed and unshielded. The radiation on board has fallen to relatively safe levels, but I'm concerned about the long-term effects if it starts to leak into the water. I'd... prefer to avoid that problem.

[ the camera shifts, pulling out into a wide shot of the ship, showing the crushed and buried nose of the machine in the sand and the fuselage extending out into the water. finally, elster's facing it again. ]

Any assistance would be appreciated. If we can salvage something of the reactor itself, you're welcome to it.

[ something flinty and serious enters those electronic eyes. ]

One rule. You avoid the other areas of the wreck, and try to keep your curiosity to yourself. I can answer any relevant questions for the work, and I have the ship's technical documentation.

[ if someone wants to snoop and explore, that can be on their own time. ]

Once the problem's solved, I'm scrapping the ship.

[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.

[Lexi's in the bookstore, her batcats frolicking at the ends of their leashes and Mewdemic on her lap.

Lexi and Mewdemic may be wearing matching crocheted hats.

and she looks eager]

Okay, everybody! I've been talking about doing this for ages, so I figure that this might be a good time to go ahead and do it!

That's right, I'm talking Bad Movie Night! The only problem is that there are so many bad movies that I didn't want to make it only my decision about which bad movie reigns supreme. So that's where everyone else comes in.

What's the worst movie you've ever seen in your entire life? Preferably PG-13, I want this to be a Trench-wide event and I know we've got kids. Also, that disqualifies The Room, a truly shitty movie, but no one needs to have Tommy Wiseau's...anything inflicted upon them.

So, go go go! Let's hear about these shitty movies and why you think it deserves center stage on Bad Movie Night!

((OOC: Bad Movie Night log will go up on the 14th))

So, as I'm sure you all noticed...the sun came up this morning.

I'm honestly at a loss. Under any other circumstance I would apologize for worrying everyone for nothing, but this...every book I read, every person I talked to, all agreed that Argonaut's month has been sunless since time immemorial. And now it's not.

I will be consulting Never Mind and Remina about this, as soon as I can get them to see me. After that...I suppose we'll see.

Stay safe out there, everyone.

( The feed opens up to a young man sitting on a bed in a dimly-lit bedroom. Dark circles blossom beneath his eyes like bruises. To say he seems nervous is an understatement. His general body language is tense and a bit withdrawn, and it isn't difficult to spot the way his hands literally tremble as he places them in his lap, or the way his voice shakes here and there at the edges. )

Hey there. I'm uh— not sure how many people might already know me, but I'm Peter. Peter Graham. I don't think I've ever like.... really introduced myself on this thing, but I've been here for a while. I was in Deerington, too.

( He gives a shy little smile that looks more like a wince, something almost apologetic. )

I'm not— I'm not too good at this kind of thing. But I wanted to ask something, something I've been thinking about for.... awhile. I guess this is going to sound kind of weird. ( An awkward pause, and then Peter's leaning to reach for a little sheet of paper, holding it in his hands. Yes, it seems that he's written down what beats to hit.... )

Got my notes. ( Another pained little smile, before the expression slowly sobers into a frown, and his eyes are dropping down to look at his paper. )

Does anyone have any experience with...... séances? Or any information about them in general? Um.... I know what they basically are, what they're meant to.... do. To open a door— a veil? To communicate with someone who's died.

( There's the softest flutter of Peter's eyelids, and a gentle exhale, before he continues. )

But is it possible that they can do... more than that? Maybe something else could get through the veil? Something that isn't.... the ghost that a person was trying to talk to. Something that maybe even isn't a ghost at all?

Is it possible that someone could make that happen.... intentionally?

( Peter has to take a few moments to breathe, heart pattering away anxiously in its ribcage. All of this is exceptionally difficult for him to address. )

....Whatever you might know, or could tell me. There are things that... happened, back in my own world, and I'm still.... trying to understand. I've been learning more about the uh... supernatural, from people here. But I figured I would open this up to the public, get as much information as I can.

It's okay if you don't wanna tell who you are though, if you'd rather go anonymous. I know this kind of stuff can be.... weird. Um, personal. ( The lump in his throat tightens, as he slowly reaches to end the message. )

Thanks for listening. I— I appreciate it.

( the month of march had not been so great with jinx. her mind had been scattered all over the place -- along with her emotions. and not only she had personal things going on, her blood effect had her feeling weak and that upset her more than one way. with so much happening, the girl feels it's about time for some fun and lightheartedness! and what better fun is there than to be on the deerNET? now, she won't sign in as herself -- actually, it's funnier if she didn't at all! they say the best medicine for any mood is laughter. and surely, this will bring loads of it.

so two things are happening here, pay close attention. if your character is browsing through deerNET, they will see a lovely surprise. )

( ooc: i don't feel bad for this. i only feel wonderful. )

[ It's been months since Jon Sims was on the network, and this time, he's in the frame alone. The alleviation of Corruption couldn't come a moment too soon for this guy, apparently: he still has the haggard, hollowed-out look of a man who hasn't had a real meal in months. There's something profoundly unsettling about his eyes, which are too deep and too green. He never seems to blink. ]

Good afternoon. My name is Jonathan Sims. I am a researcher of what might be called 'the paranormal,' and... a survivor of the place known as Deerington. I've been working with several others to maintain an archive of topics and artifacts relevant to Sleepers, kept beyond the control of the Pthumerian Never Mind.

[ He doesn't even try to mask his distrust: he clearly isn't a fan of the patrons. ]

We are developing a secure location to the north of Trench, though [ impatiently ] I cannot recommend visiting without the use of traveling Lamps. The walk back to town is... not ideal.

More to the point, I am making a request for information. [ This is where he gets cagey, tense in the way of a man hiding something. ] The Archive is now undertaking an effort to create a comprehensive catalogue— a bestiary, I suppose— of recurring threats in Trench. If you have had a particularly upsetting or perilous experience with any being in this city, we would like the written record of your experience. Please submit accounts via text to this network address.

[ It's the second time he's hit the network to ask for personal stories. Those who respond might find themselves writing (or speaking) more freely than they planned to, flashing back to the memory in detail— though in this low-Corruption month, the effect isn't too intense. ]

Thank you.

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.

What's up, losers? Put aside your weekly mental breakdown for like two seconds and listen up because I've got a hella important message to make.

[ She takes a pause, like she's giving people an actual moment to stop what they're doing. This her attempt at being polite here. ]

It's only two more sleeps until it's officially National Give Chloe Price a Present For Being Born Day. That's me. I'm Chloe Price. It's March 11th, for those who don't know how calendars work. Don't forget, I hold grudges for life.

And before I get the small talk "Aw, how old are you gonna be?" shit: 22, which is the awesome age of not being a fucking child, so the next person who calls me "kid" better be old enough to actually be my parent or I'm punching you in the teeth.

[ She's fine. It's fine. This isn't a sore spot for her or anything.

She takes a breath. That's probably good for her to do. Except that as she does, it's easy to feel fucking exhausted. Practicing with her blood powers this month is not leaving her up for her usual angry outbursts. ]

PSA over. Is there like a quick energy fix in this place? Red Bull? Monster? Fucking Starbucks Double Shots, I'll take anything at this point.

( CW: Johnny Lawrence under the cut. )