reddosmod: (Default)
Deer Country Mod ([personal profile] reddosmod) wrote in [community profile] countryclub2022-08-05 09:24 pm
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August Plotting Post

AUGUST 2022 PLOTTING POST
Please use this post to plot with other players and keep track of your plans for this month's event! You can ask specific questions about the event down below. If you are ever waiting on a question, please feel free to reach out to Simcha directly.

This post will be updated with the Live Event once it is posted. Plotting posts are always made on the 5th and events always go live on the 8th.

WE GLOW SO DIM
CONTENT WARNINGS: Deep diving, possible drowning, possible death

Early on in the month, the waves start to have a strange look to them. They seem a little brighter, even at night, and it's then that it hits you: the waves are glowing. It's easy to at first to brush it off as the bioluminescence of certain types of plankton, but the way it moves and sparkles has an other-worldly quality to it that can't be explained by science. Those who look even closer at the glow will notice that it seems to be forming some sort of path into the watery depths.

Those who choose to follow the path despite the angry waves and awful storms that plague the seas this month will find that the ocean seems to be at its calmest along these illuminated, watery roads. Diving down to follow them won't require any equipment, as Sleepers will find that staying within the glowing path allows them to breathe under water when they might normally not have been able to. The pressure changes don't seem to be impacting anyone who follows the light either, allowing them access to deeper depths of the ocean than may have previously been explored.

Continuing to follow the path will lead Sleepers to a series of ship wrecks under the water. These ancient vessels are rotted and covered in seaweed, but anyone who is familiar with the cultures of Earth will notice that they seem to come from all over the world and their styles vary by multiple centuries. But all the ships seem to be covered in this same, strange glow that has brought people here.

Exploring the ships will lead to multiple different discoveries. There are chests filled with ancient artifacts: carvings of squids, statues of various sea creatures that feel a little off somehow, and stones carved with a strange text that is almost impossible to decipher. The artifacts are covered in strange, rust-looking stains that penetrate deep into the materials they're made of. These artifacts can be brought back to shore, and if someone were to try and ask the Trenchies what the writing said, they would only be able to say that these are clearly texts of the Old Ones from long before any recorded history that Trench has in its Archives. When asked about the sea creatures, they'll think it's obvious: these are Mariana's various forms from over the years. The off qualities are her unique takes as a Pthumerian on the creatures of the ocean.

Prolonged exposure to these statues of Mariana will cause people to become more bluntly honest, more open with their emotions, and often much more prone to large outbursts from said emotions, both good and bad. However, Sleepers who keep these statues near them will also find that they are able to keep more control of their blood powers. It's up to each individual if it's a worthy trade off.

If you leave the path, two things can happen: Sleepers will either turn into their squid selves and can continue to swim or they will drown. There will be nothing of interest outside of these paths, just typical ocean creatures, and maybe some of those monsters that have been crawling out of the watery depths as of late.

MONSTER WITHIN
CONTENT WARNINGS: Body horror, mentions of potential cannibalism/vore, possible death, contagious curse.

Soon after people start to explore the ships, a strange occurrence will start to sweep through the city. Locals start to mutter something about a curse, one that seems to only be impacting Sleepers. The early signs that there's something off is an increase in strength and stamina. For example, Sleepers will find that they might go to pick up a chair or a mug and it shatters in their hands. Some people may find that they are incapable of sleeping. Others might find they're able to move quicker and for longer periods than normal.

If they look themselves over, they will start to find small patches of skin that have started to gray and blacken. These patches will be cracked, almost scaley, and will be consistently damp no matter how hard you try to dry them off. As time passes, this odd rash will start to spread, taking over more and more of the body. The torso might start to swell and distort, making Sleepers feel particularly top heavy. And eventually, suckers will start to form on the arms and legs.

This curse isn't beasthood in its usual forms; instead, it seems to be some sort of malady in of the magical blood that Sleepers have been granted. If the blood of an infected Sleeper is looked at under a microscope, there will be black patches clinging to the cells, similar to the patches that people see on their skin. If it isn't stopped, the person suffering from the curse will ultimately turn into a monstrous form of their squid-selves: these monster forms are large, aggressive, and able to move on land. They will feel a hunger for destruction and some Sleepers may find in these forms that they are only satisfied if they feed on other, uncursed Sleepers.

There are two ways to lift the curse. One is through a thorough blood transfusion with a blood type that is compatible with your own. This becomes more difficult to do the closer to the monstrous form people get, both due to aggression from the curse, and also due to the fact that the black patches of skin are highly difficult to puncture. Once the blood is completely replaced by fresh blood, the skin patches will disappear over 48 hours and the Sleeper will be left feeling thoroughly exhausted.

The second way to lift the curse is through death. While these monster squid forms are difficult to kill, it is not impossible, and they are particularly susceptible to magic over weapons. Once a Sleeper has died, they can be reborn, and their blood will be completely free of the curse.

The blood malady can be spread outside of those who come into contact with the ship wrecks. People who touch a cursed Sleeper, particularly the scaley patches of skin, will also run the risk of being cursed. It takes roughly a week for the signs of the curse to show, and can spread as slowly or as rapidly as players choose.

LAVISH DESIRES
CONTENT WARNINGS: Personality changes, mental manipulation, hoarding, obsessive anxiety, disassociation, depersonalization

The high waves seem to just be getting higher at the beginning of the month. Rougher and rougher seas start to cause something anyone who's lived around water will be familiar with: flash floods. These floods are large, powerful, and fill the streets of Trench. First-floors of buildings may get extreme damage, though they can be protected with physical and magical barriers if people are smart about it. The floods happen multiple times throughout the month without warning, so it may be good to get that protection built up sooner rather than later.

The after effects of these floods aren't just structural devastation though. People who get caught up in the water, particularly those who end up swallowing it, will have one word echoing in their mind on a regular basis: More.

More of what? That seems to be different for each individual. Maybe one person wants more and more food, anything from an extra slice of cake after dinner, to wanting to stuff themselves until they just might pop. Or maybe they want to hoard all of their favorite objects or pieces of clothing, filling more and more of the space in their homes until they're ready to burst at the seems. Some might find it's their emotions that come in excess, with over the top anger, or irregular excitement that leaves them unable to sleep for days. Anything and everything can come in excess and it certainly seems to be this month. Some people may get these obsessive needs to such a degree that they start to feel disconnected from themselves, fractured by the overabundance that has taken over their lives.

If people ignore these desires, they'll start to find they're plagued by hallucinations. Strong, life-like visions that riddle them with anxiety and leave them petrified of what might happen if they don't partake in this gluttonous behavior. They'll feel shaken to the core and slowly go mad with need and desire for whatever it is they've been craving. This feeling of madness can make them become violent, lashing out at those around them, even killing those who try and help them out of belief that they're trying to force them to give in to their vices.

The impact of the water will wear off either after one week without re-exposure, or by using a Moon Drop to help to cleanse the mind.

PLOTTING FORM
Feel free to use the following form as a general guidance for your ideas for this month's event. Tag around for new CR, build off old CR, or use this as a way of organizing your thoughts and plans.

CODING
megatheorem: (014)

palamedes

[personal profile] megatheorem 2022-08-06 04:23 pm (UTC)(link)
Character Name: Palamedes Sextus
Character Blood Type: darkblood
Character Role: blood minister, Sanctuary volunteer, busybody

What CR you would like to develop for this event: making some new friends would be super choice, let's Bond through Cooperation
Open/Closed to New CR this event: always open
What CR you want to avoid this event: romance, murder

Timeline/Event Ideas:
for event prompts:

-He will be desperately wanting to see the cool ships, however: he is lowkey terrified of the ocean since he's spent a lot of time dead in it/dead in other bodies of metaphorical water at this point. To that end, he will be seeking chaperones/swimming buddies more or less, to buddy system on the way down there so he doesn't lose it and accidentally re-squid himself out of bounds. While down there he wants to touch all the stuff with his psychometry so please, let him touch all the artifacts underwater or not.

-For the squidness prompt he will freely offer darkblood assistance to fellow darkbloods, come on down, and also he's a blood minister besides that so he has access to other types in more limited supply? Essentially if you want a doctoring free of charge, let's go.

-Obsessions/craving is the one I have the fewest ideas for, except for combining it with the first one and having local man's urge to deep dive both personally stressful and cosmically inescapable. He can collect a billion artifacts and maybe some ghosts? Manifest hallucinations such that we all get to share them because of darkblood abilities? shrug emoji. Open to handling other people's obsessions, depending.


non-event:

-Really having a lowkey one this month but he's always around at Sanctuary/the orphanage/Lumenwood if you would like to springboard CR from any of those locales.
umbraportation: (but even for you)

[personal profile] umbraportation 2022-08-06 06:30 pm (UTC)(link)
Nico will be his swimming chaperone! Yes, I did combine them. Also, will let him touch all the stuff and bring home ghosts so he's the best seaking buddy ever. Bad pun.

I may toss Nico at the squid event, if Pal wants to do some lowkey study and blood assistance. Still not willing to kill him yet, but nothing says "family" like sharing blood. Literally.

As for the rest of the month, I figure some Greek-teaching handwave, library assistant, asking Pal questions about House stuff, and just hanging around when Lung stuff happens.
megatheorem: (Default)

[personal profile] megatheorem 2022-08-06 06:50 pm (UTC)(link)
family bonding: underwater edition... please guide pal when he just shuts his eyes and stumbles around underwater. he's having a great time.

and yes he will share blood!! that's just a normal sixth house activity, welcome to the fam

love all of these background activities as well. they can chat about house things during library times... peak nerds
umbraportation: (mere short flicker in time)

[personal profile] umbraportation 2022-08-06 07:02 pm (UTC)(link)
This prompts Nico to tell Pal about that first guy he liked and gave up on. For Reasons you will understand soon.

It's not something done between demigods, since they have godly healing stuff, so it being a normal activity will be odd for him.

All the background activities. Nico will teach as fast as Pal learns. Yes, peak nerds.
megatheorem: (Default)

[personal profile] megatheorem 2022-08-06 09:06 pm (UTC)(link)
god that's the sea boy right. please tell him old crush woes to distract him from the abject terror of being crushed in the sea, that's incredible content.

fkdjfjk listen the sixth have loads of protocols about messing up sealed rooms and old artifacts but also share thumbtacks to make themselves bleed on for fingerprint signatures, i can't explain the logic..... blood fun tm
umbraportation: (dwell on guilt and misery)

[personal profile] umbraportation 2022-08-06 09:27 pm (UTC)(link)
Yes, the sea boy. Percy "Hero With Snark" Jackson. Also, just imagining a Greek ship down there and Nico wanting to go over to that one.

Nico mostly just has a healthy dose of "probablyatrapitis" for stuff like that. He wants to know what's wrong with actual signatures.
megatheorem: (Default)

[personal profile] megatheorem 2022-08-06 09:36 pm (UTC)(link)
pal, two minutes from wigging out and closing his eyes underwater again: oh shit that looks like greek text over there

actual signatures are easy to forge!! and also slower
umbraportation: (for the shadow to grow and die)

[personal profile] umbraportation 2022-08-06 09:46 pm (UTC)(link)
Drawn by the writing, time for some hands-on learning! Greece loved their boats.

Sure, but where's the fun in having your parent bloodsign something when he could forge it for a good time?
aetherweaver: (Default)

Re: palamedes

[personal profile] aetherweaver 2022-08-06 08:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Nara'a can be a swimming buddy! He will touch all the cool things with Pal!
megatheorem: (Default)

[personal profile] megatheorem 2022-08-06 09:06 pm (UTC)(link)
hell yeah dude!! he will be pal's third journey into the sea in a row so i'm sure the anxiety level of being in the sea will be totally normal... this sucks way more than a cave.....
aetherweaver: (Default)

[personal profile] aetherweaver 2022-08-06 10:34 pm (UTC)(link)
He will guide friend so gently. uwu Look at all the beautiful things under the sea!
dohaeris: (actually)

[personal profile] dohaeris 2022-08-08 02:55 am (UTC)(link)
HI so once it becomes clear blood transfusions can treat squid monster sickness sansa will want to set up a blood drive (specifically calling for warmbloods tho, everyone's welcome) at the sanctuary and pal is probably the first person she'd approach for obvious blood minister reasons! is that something pal would be down to help facilitate in between terrifying ocean excursions
megatheorem: (Default)

[personal profile] megatheorem 2022-08-08 03:34 am (UTC)(link)
yes this is amenable, he is very adept at taking blood samples in a cool and chill way