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countryclub2022-08-25 10:45 pm
reddosmod) wrote in countryclub2022-08-25 10:45 pm
Entry tags:
August Test Drive Meme!
AUGUST 2022 TDM
STANDARD ARRIVAL
LOST BETWEEN STEPS
ABSOLUTE IMMERSION
CODING
Another month, another test drive meme! Our test drive memes are open to anyone interested - regardless of whether or not you join our game!
All Test Drive Memes are game canon. Players can choose to keep their TDM threads canon or not. TDM threads can be used for AC and can be used as your writing sample for your application.
Our TDMs serve as a way to build into the actual lore and worldbuilding of Deer Country and we strongly encourage everyone to enjoy and participate! Current players are always welcome to pull prompts from the TDM to reference on the Network or bring into logs as well as tag out to new characters top-leveling on the TDM itself.
Characters will always be able to actively die during TDMs as this is an extremely dangerous world. You can still have this be game canon! Check out how character death in Deer Country works here.
If you have any questions about the TDM, please ask down below!
IMAGE DESCRIPTORS IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE
Prompt One
[Image One: Hands making a fish net]
[Image Two: A Skyrim Mudcrab staring menacingly]
Prompt Two
[Image One: Dingy, empty and creepy old backroom]
[Image Two: Cryptic, Creepy words scribbled on yellow wallpaper]
Prompt Three
[Image One: Skull on top of book]
[Image Two: Book with pages shaped like a whirlpool]
All Test Drive Memes are game canon. Players can choose to keep their TDM threads canon or not. TDM threads can be used for AC and can be used as your writing sample for your application.
Our TDMs serve as a way to build into the actual lore and worldbuilding of Deer Country and we strongly encourage everyone to enjoy and participate! Current players are always welcome to pull prompts from the TDM to reference on the Network or bring into logs as well as tag out to new characters top-leveling on the TDM itself.
Characters will always be able to actively die during TDMs as this is an extremely dangerous world. You can still have this be game canon! Check out how character death in Deer Country works here.
If you have any questions about the TDM, please ask down below!
Prompt One
[Image One: Hands making a fish net]
[Image Two: A Skyrim Mudcrab staring menacingly]
Prompt Two
[Image One: Dingy, empty and creepy old backroom]
[Image Two: Cryptic, Creepy words scribbled on yellow wallpaper]
Prompt Three
[Image One: Skull on top of book]
[Image Two: Book with pages shaped like a whirlpool]
WHEN: First Week of September
WHERE: The Farther Shores/The Boardwalk
CONTENT WARNINGS: Monstrous Crabs, Environmental Threat
WHERE: The Farther Shores/The Boardwalk
CONTENT WARNINGS: Monstrous Crabs, Environmental Threat
Normally, the people of Trench would say that September is a fortunate time for sleepers to arrive at it's shores. However, the aftermath of the violent and inconsistent storms in the last month continue to batter the city. The waters are choppy, though they are beginning to calm. The swim is difficult and unsafe, waves threatening to crash unwitting squids into the rocks. It is unlikely to be fatal, but many arrive battered and bruised, gasping as they awaken from their squid form.
Hopefully, you've found something to wear, either in your Welcoming Bag or otherwise, and can start familiarizing yourself with your surroundings. Maybe you help some other squids out on the beach. Waking up sucks! You feel for the little guys. And hey, maybe you're hoping one of those squids is a good friend...Stranger things have happened.
SEASONAL DETAILS ON THE BOARDWALK
With theme music!
The weather is awful, and so the mood of the beach is a bit more subdued than on other occasions. Food is hearty and dry, easily packaged in oilcloth, and containing mostly hard tack, mushrooms and dried, cured fish. Bottles of water are included with the food, enough to ensure that the sleepers are well fed, and enough packets are offered for a few days in case they need them, but they are certainly not the most flavorful or exotic, reflecting much more the day to day food of Trench.
The people leading the waking are gathered and huddled around makeshift structures and lean-tos to deal with the awful weather along the coast during this period. Sleepers are brought here, to fires to warm. Among those who are present are the fishermen and women who work at the docks. They, along with several of the Architects from in town, have set up booths. Though they do not demand it of anyone, they politely hint that in the season of change, it is good to learn new trades and to find a place in this strange world the sleepers have been brought to. As part of this, they are willing to offer a chance for the sleepers to help craft fishing nets and other gear for those who will brave the waters to bring back food in the season.
The task is arduous and taxing, but it is not without reward. To those who choose to participate, one of the fishermen will approach them and wordlessly drop a waterlogged box into their lap. It looks dilapidated and in poor condition, but they will say nothing more, staring off into the sea from which it was dredged. When the sleeper opens it, they will find that there is one additional item within the box, which might have been included in their welcome bag normally. If pressed, the fisherman will only say that they found it dredged up along the shores in the midst of their work.
For those who brave the coasts or the waters, there is an increased threat of monstrous presence, though nothing compared to the prior month. Poisonous crabs lurk along the edges of the waterways. Much larger versions of small crabs known to live in caves along the shore, these beastly adult versions stand about three feet tall, and have particularly strong pincers which secrete a hallucinogenic venom. Victims of it are prone to paranoid delusions of danger around every corner, and known for mistaking those around them as threats. The crabs are themselves carnivorous to boot, so they are certainly a threat on their own, though they are very much killable, and supposedly very good eating. Bring in some crab meat, and it should be good to trade for additional food and supplies this month, if you dare! As with their lesser cousins, the venom of these crabs is particularly dangerous to the psychically sensitive, Palebloods and Darkbloods.
Hopefully, you've found something to wear, either in your Welcoming Bag or otherwise, and can start familiarizing yourself with your surroundings. Maybe you help some other squids out on the beach. Waking up sucks! You feel for the little guys. And hey, maybe you're hoping one of those squids is a good friend...Stranger things have happened.
The people leading the waking are gathered and huddled around makeshift structures and lean-tos to deal with the awful weather along the coast during this period. Sleepers are brought here, to fires to warm. Among those who are present are the fishermen and women who work at the docks. They, along with several of the Architects from in town, have set up booths. Though they do not demand it of anyone, they politely hint that in the season of change, it is good to learn new trades and to find a place in this strange world the sleepers have been brought to. As part of this, they are willing to offer a chance for the sleepers to help craft fishing nets and other gear for those who will brave the waters to bring back food in the season.
The task is arduous and taxing, but it is not without reward. To those who choose to participate, one of the fishermen will approach them and wordlessly drop a waterlogged box into their lap. It looks dilapidated and in poor condition, but they will say nothing more, staring off into the sea from which it was dredged. When the sleeper opens it, they will find that there is one additional item within the box, which might have been included in their welcome bag normally. If pressed, the fisherman will only say that they found it dredged up along the shores in the midst of their work.
For those who brave the coasts or the waters, there is an increased threat of monstrous presence, though nothing compared to the prior month. Poisonous crabs lurk along the edges of the waterways. Much larger versions of small crabs known to live in caves along the shore, these beastly adult versions stand about three feet tall, and have particularly strong pincers which secrete a hallucinogenic venom. Victims of it are prone to paranoid delusions of danger around every corner, and known for mistaking those around them as threats. The crabs are themselves carnivorous to boot, so they are certainly a threat on their own, though they are very much killable, and supposedly very good eating. Bring in some crab meat, and it should be good to trade for additional food and supplies this month, if you dare! As with their lesser cousins, the venom of these crabs is particularly dangerous to the psychically sensitive, Palebloods and Darkbloods.
WHEN: August 31st-September 29, January 2, February 4, March 6, April 8, June 10, July 12, October 20, November 1, December 24
WHERE: Somewhere, you're not certain where
CONTENT WARNINGS: Labyrinth, Liminal Horror, Severe Disorientation, Autophobia, Monster Horror, Fear of Falling
WHERE: Somewhere, you're not certain where
CONTENT WARNINGS: Labyrinth, Liminal Horror, Severe Disorientation, Autophobia, Monster Horror, Fear of Falling
You just took one step back. That's all. A step backwards while you weren't paying attention, and the sensation of falling assailed you. With a grunt, you found yourelf landing hard, but not hard enough to actually break or turn anything. Around you is a carpeted space. There are old, stained wallpaper walls on every side, set up in variable sized cubicle spaces that look like they should be occupied by an office of some sort. Everything smells like mold, stale and sharp. The carpet is a little bit moist and the wallpapers all seem to be hiding hints of mildew. It feels familiar, but even if you have been in this "place" before it is not quite the same. The wallpaper shades are not exactly right. It always feels like you should know it, but you cannot quite place it.
You are not alone in this place. Another seems to have fallen in this place, thank god because the muffled sounds of these halls are already getting oppressive. The electric hum of fluorescent are buzzing in your ears like a plague of locusts and you can practically feel the migraine coming from the unremitting light, but you dare not take shelter to let your eyes rest in the gaps in the lighting. It feels like there is something there. You should probably be leaving, though that's where the problem really begins. No method seems to clearly work. There are no identifiable features to pick out. After several turns, you might find yourself facing impossibly thin hallways or a dead end. Attempts to keep track of your passage with writing, torn wallpaper and balls of twine fail, as it becomes increasingly and inconsistently disorientating, inevitably causing the lead to be lost, or worse? It might seem to be going the wrong direction. Did someone move it? Magic compasses, even those given by the Pthumerians do not work in this "place" This should not be possible, but it is true.
An hour in, because it always takes longer than that, or does it? Time can be hard to keep track of and omnis don't tell time properly here. Whatever, an hour in, and the need to get out of this place will be getting to those trapped within. They do not belong here, and must escape. The harder you run, the more that the dank odor gets under the skin, worsening even if you should not be able to smell it. Occasional items can be found, but all are useless. If you are fortunate, perhaps you will eventually find a hole in the floor. But, looking down it, you cannot see the bottom. Do you dare leap down, not knowing the end? If you do, the passage seems to go far too long to be healthy. The rush of air and the feel of fraying wallpaper comes until you find yourself deposited on the ground of Trench, in front of the statue of the Tower, or in front of the gates of Gaze.
The less fortunate may finally find writing on the walls. Someone else has been in this place. But, as the cryptic words proclaim the need to S̵̨̡̟̗̰̝͚̲̦̗͔̥̞̈͂̆̿̐́̅̓͐͝T̸̠̥̰̭͎͙̮̬͋̀͛̓̽̚Ā̷̧̮̣̪̤̠̫̤͔̩̥̾̊̍̊̀̇͋̍̚͜͝͝Y̶͓̟̍̆̍ ̴̭̲̀͘͝S̵̨͖̩̻̰͇͎̠̻͚͓̱͇̭͖͒̋͆̀͐͋̾̆͝͝T̴̮̹̫̞̘̈́̏̐̒̋̎͛̂̽̅Ĩ̵͙̖̟̥̤̲̆̈́́͘ͅͅL̵͖̣̫̙̹̊͜L̷̫̠̒̽͌͘͠. A ghastly sound erupts from behind you, complete with unnatural, horrid breathing. Steps come towards you unnaturally fast. If you move, look to turn, there is a vision of something black moving into your field of vision, just before a bone-crushing force claims life and in the next moment you wake, screaming at the feet of the gates to Gaze, or the Tower's statue. Remain absolutely still, and the puff of a breath, the smell of cow hair and breath grazes over the shoulder before eventually storming away behind, until the sound is gone, and the unlucky are left to continue searching until they find a hole leading out.
NOTES:
1. Any step backwards can cause someone to end up between places, participating in this event. Exiting requires either falling through one of the holes in the floor or being killed by the unnamed creatures residing between spaces.
2. If a character dies in this event, they do not undergo normal death effects. They awaken in one of the locations indicated, gasping for breath. While harrowing, and possibly a source of nightmares for the next few days, not to mention chills for an hour or two, there is no further apparent harm.
3. It is possible to encounter this prompt throughout the year. At one random, unpredictable day each month (listed above), the space between spaces is accessible. A person could theoretically fall in on that day, following the rules as above.
4. Mapping the space between spaces is difficult, but not impossible. Perhaps there are other locations within the labyrinthian mass, but for now at least they are not findable.
5. If the natives are asked about this place, they will make a warding sign and refuse to speak of them. At most, they will say something about the "veins of the tower."
You are not alone in this place. Another seems to have fallen in this place, thank god because the muffled sounds of these halls are already getting oppressive. The electric hum of fluorescent are buzzing in your ears like a plague of locusts and you can practically feel the migraine coming from the unremitting light, but you dare not take shelter to let your eyes rest in the gaps in the lighting. It feels like there is something there. You should probably be leaving, though that's where the problem really begins. No method seems to clearly work. There are no identifiable features to pick out. After several turns, you might find yourself facing impossibly thin hallways or a dead end. Attempts to keep track of your passage with writing, torn wallpaper and balls of twine fail, as it becomes increasingly and inconsistently disorientating, inevitably causing the lead to be lost, or worse? It might seem to be going the wrong direction. Did someone move it? Magic compasses, even those given by the Pthumerians do not work in this "place" This should not be possible, but it is true.
An hour in, because it always takes longer than that, or does it? Time can be hard to keep track of and omnis don't tell time properly here. Whatever, an hour in, and the need to get out of this place will be getting to those trapped within. They do not belong here, and must escape. The harder you run, the more that the dank odor gets under the skin, worsening even if you should not be able to smell it. Occasional items can be found, but all are useless. If you are fortunate, perhaps you will eventually find a hole in the floor. But, looking down it, you cannot see the bottom. Do you dare leap down, not knowing the end? If you do, the passage seems to go far too long to be healthy. The rush of air and the feel of fraying wallpaper comes until you find yourself deposited on the ground of Trench, in front of the statue of the Tower, or in front of the gates of Gaze.
The less fortunate may finally find writing on the walls. Someone else has been in this place. But, as the cryptic words proclaim the need to S̵̨̡̟̗̰̝͚̲̦̗͔̥̞̈͂̆̿̐́̅̓͐͝T̸̠̥̰̭͎͙̮̬͋̀͛̓̽̚Ā̷̧̮̣̪̤̠̫̤͔̩̥̾̊̍̊̀̇͋̍̚͜͝͝Y̶͓̟̍̆̍ ̴̭̲̀͘͝S̵̨͖̩̻̰͇͎̠̻͚͓̱͇̭͖͒̋͆̀͐͋̾̆͝͝T̴̮̹̫̞̘̈́̏̐̒̋̎͛̂̽̅Ĩ̵͙̖̟̥̤̲̆̈́́͘ͅͅL̵͖̣̫̙̹̊͜L̷̫̠̒̽͌͘͠. A ghastly sound erupts from behind you, complete with unnatural, horrid breathing. Steps come towards you unnaturally fast. If you move, look to turn, there is a vision of something black moving into your field of vision, just before a bone-crushing force claims life and in the next moment you wake, screaming at the feet of the gates to Gaze, or the Tower's statue. Remain absolutely still, and the puff of a breath, the smell of cow hair and breath grazes over the shoulder before eventually storming away behind, until the sound is gone, and the unlucky are left to continue searching until they find a hole leading out.
NOTES:
1. Any step backwards can cause someone to end up between places, participating in this event. Exiting requires either falling through one of the holes in the floor or being killed by the unnamed creatures residing between spaces.
2. If a character dies in this event, they do not undergo normal death effects. They awaken in one of the locations indicated, gasping for breath. While harrowing, and possibly a source of nightmares for the next few days, not to mention chills for an hour or two, there is no further apparent harm.
3. It is possible to encounter this prompt throughout the year. At one random, unpredictable day each month (listed above), the space between spaces is accessible. A person could theoretically fall in on that day, following the rules as above.
4. Mapping the space between spaces is difficult, but not impossible. Perhaps there are other locations within the labyrinthian mass, but for now at least they are not findable.
5. If the natives are asked about this place, they will make a warding sign and refuse to speak of them. At most, they will say something about the "veins of the tower."
WHEN: Last Week of August through all of September
WHERE: Gaze, and somewhere else
CONTENT WARNINGS: Possible Life-threatening experiences, Distorted Realities, Fourth Walling, Content Depending upon the Canon Referenced
WHERE: Gaze, and somewhere else
CONTENT WARNINGS: Possible Life-threatening experiences, Distorted Realities, Fourth Walling, Content Depending upon the Canon Referenced
As the month of September approaches, and Mariana shows signs of having cooled in her wrath, the people of Trench begin to relax once again. Hoping to keep level heads and to promote learning, the Arcane Scholars of Gaze have opened the private stores of more rare texts from the Archaic Archives. Trundling carts of books are being brought out by roped and masked individuals who kindly offer one to anyone who wishes to partake. They limit each guest to three, though they seem happy to trade a book for a book, so it's always possible to get more. They ask only that the books be returned by the end of the month for cleaning and maintenance. Whispers among the Disciples still with ruffled feathers at Mariana's wrath are that this is Never Mind's way of reasserting himself after strange magical books have been found around town. No Arcane Scholar will acknowledge such gossip, however.
The books seem harmless enough. What is wrong with a little light reading? The fiction within is quite enthralling, though after a page or two, a creepy familiarity to the book's contents comes to whoever reads. There is a sense of deja vu, and only when it is too late do they realize that it feels like they are reading the memories and recollections of someone else, perhaps someone that they know! In that moment, they will feel an inexorable pull as the book seems to literally suck them into it, along with anyone unlucky enough to be next to them!
Those who read these magical books will find themselves trapped in an event within another canon reality. The intent, of course, is to broaden their horizons and experiences, to teach moral lessons through new memories, but as always Never Mind seems not to understand the possible perils. The scenario that they find themselves in, which may be of any canon, is always one of immediate and very real peril, a time in which the character's life is put into immediate and very real peril. They have to prevail or flee successfully to escape the chapter and end the book, though for their troubles it is quite possible that they might bring something back with them. Hopefully it's nothing dangerous!
NOTES:
1. Any Canon may be used, including canons not present in the game. Players are encouraged to use their imaginations, though it is worth being aware that the entirety of the Cthuluh Mythos may be found among these collections, should one wish to utilize these books.
2. There is an actual physical threat that is present in whatever scene is viewed. If it is necessary, a threat is fabricated from the fringes of the memory, even if this changes the canonical scene. It is a real threat and can cause death or harm. However, these threats are killable through all normal fashions, and can be escaped by clever captives. Once escaped or defeated, the sleeper is deposited out of the book.
3. The books are absolutely indestructible, and even if the sleeper does not return them, ravens will break into their home (ruining a window and making a mess) to retrieve all books by the end of September. Multiple books can be enjoyed throughout the month.
4. Items retrieved may be anything from any canon which does not count as a significant power acquisition. Weapons can be brought, though they will be mundane once they emerge in Trench. Players are limited to retrieving one item from another canon per character during the month.
The books seem harmless enough. What is wrong with a little light reading? The fiction within is quite enthralling, though after a page or two, a creepy familiarity to the book's contents comes to whoever reads. There is a sense of deja vu, and only when it is too late do they realize that it feels like they are reading the memories and recollections of someone else, perhaps someone that they know! In that moment, they will feel an inexorable pull as the book seems to literally suck them into it, along with anyone unlucky enough to be next to them!
Those who read these magical books will find themselves trapped in an event within another canon reality. The intent, of course, is to broaden their horizons and experiences, to teach moral lessons through new memories, but as always Never Mind seems not to understand the possible perils. The scenario that they find themselves in, which may be of any canon, is always one of immediate and very real peril, a time in which the character's life is put into immediate and very real peril. They have to prevail or flee successfully to escape the chapter and end the book, though for their troubles it is quite possible that they might bring something back with them. Hopefully it's nothing dangerous!
NOTES:
1. Any Canon may be used, including canons not present in the game. Players are encouraged to use their imaginations, though it is worth being aware that the entirety of the Cthuluh Mythos may be found among these collections, should one wish to utilize these books.
2. There is an actual physical threat that is present in whatever scene is viewed. If it is necessary, a threat is fabricated from the fringes of the memory, even if this changes the canonical scene. It is a real threat and can cause death or harm. However, these threats are killable through all normal fashions, and can be escaped by clever captives. Once escaped or defeated, the sleeper is deposited out of the book.
3. The books are absolutely indestructible, and even if the sleeper does not return them, ravens will break into their home (ruining a window and making a mess) to retrieve all books by the end of September. Multiple books can be enjoyed throughout the month.
4. Items retrieved may be anything from any canon which does not count as a significant power acquisition. Weapons can be brought, though they will be mundane once they emerge in Trench. Players are limited to retrieving one item from another canon per character during the month.
no subject
and now jinx has made her own prison - an icy isolation of one lone girl, head down, nails digging in.
vi only catches the beginnings of it - it's the why that causes her to stop moving, stop looking (oh, how silco would laugh at this, the idea of her looking for him) long enough to hear why do i keep ruining everything?
well, that's just ...not true. that's wrong and it cannot stand. she's not hearing it. jinx shouldn't be saying it. she'd seen silco's reaction when he'd pulled that little ashtray from his bag, all marked up with colors - seen his face, how quickly he'd shoved it back in the bag - how much he hadn't wanted to be observed in a moment of weakness. she hates it. fuck, she hates it so much, but she says it anyway, her voice firm.]
You didn't ruin it. You didn't make him go. Whatever you're thinking, you didn't make this happen. Saying it doesn't make it true. It just happened.
[and it sucks. for you, mostly, but well, that makes it suck for me. she moves toward her sister, punching down hard into the ice.]
no subject
(and it's when she hears her sister smashing her fists into the ice that jinx lifts her head -- now realizing she is stuck in place. where did this ice come from? in fact when she glances behind vi, she spots the sharp icicles that are still in place that leads all the way up to where they were. her eyes are to her sister again; appearing confused and bewildered.)
What's going on? What happened?
(jinx was so into what she was feeling, she hadn't realized what she was truly doing. the spikes that separated her and vi, jinx figured it was just her hallucination again or maybe it was "mylo"'s doing. and now with her attention on this and not so much with silco, the ice seems to be melting just a smidge -- a little easier to break through if her sister continues to punch on through.)
no subject
He seemed pretty determined to make a go of this before you got here. Cocky, even. Maybe it was a front, maybe it wasn't, but I don't think you running off would send him back into the the sea. Upset? Sure, maybe, but he didn't seem the type to get his panties in a wad over---
---did you used to do that before? Just take off?
[cause it seems like she might have - even with silco, maybe? stormed off, sulked, just ...needed space? the idea that jinx caused this is more unbelievable to her than the idea that she herself caused it by yelling at the ocean.]
I think you might be a Coldblood. [she knows a little about coldblood only because she's been trying to find someone of that blood type that can help her make something, but as far as how to work with it - or all the ways the powers could and might manifest? she has no idea.] It means...
...well that, for one. One of the things it means is that you can make it cold. I bet that ice is colder to me than it is to you.
[she reaches out to touch one of the spikes before she pulls back, punching into it. ]
no subject
Y-Yeah, I have...
(and with vi helping her seeing things logically, silco wouldn't just give up like that. he would had been patient with her as he always. the ice and the spikes seem to be melting -- droplets hitting the waters and slowly forming back down to liquid. except it's still frozen solid around jinx as she tries to wrap her head around she has arcane talent? well... maybe not like that sorta?)
What do I do? To make it not do this?
no subject
Feelings! I think it was cause you felt bad, got scared, or angry or ...whatever bunch of things you just felt. That probably made the ice. Look at it! It's melting. You're doing that, too. That's all you.
[there's a tiny bit of pride creeping into her voice, but it's hard to hear amidst the rest of this ...mess.]
Try thinking about something good like... [quick, vi quick, this is hard] ...a food you really like, your favorite animal, or how fast you can move?
1/2
but the expression her shows that she is thinking about something else. vi can definitely see the gears are really turning now as her posture relaxes -- arms cross over her chest with one hand up to her lip to bite on her thumbnail. jinx takes in her sister's words before. feelings. this is gear towards her feelings.)
...So. If I look at this scientifically —
(jinx is mostly muttering this out loud to herself than vi as her gaze drifts off through the ice trap she put herself in. to melt ice, you use heat. heat usually associate with red and red is color code for anger. so if she is connecting the dots correctly, to make all of this melt faster, she'll need to express anger.)
2/2
carefully, jinx rests her palms over the solid ice by her hips -- pondering on just what she should be angry about? maybe over the fact they took silco away from her. or maybe how "mylo" tried to upset her for the millionth time and is probably crackling in the shadows that she felt for his false words.
'you can fill up a damn library for all the things you DIDN'T do.'
the pinks glisten as she grits her teeth -- her palm pressing harder onto the glaze with her hair suddenly twists from frosty white to fire-y red. or what about that back home, vi still holds first place slot in that boxing game for everyone to wander in their hideout to see. jinx will never get an opportunity to go back and beat that score -- forever she will sit there in second, to be her shadow.)
(steam seems to be forming the more she presses her hands down and the icicles are melting way faster than when she was attempting to think of something nice. but maybe her thoughts are wandering a little too far while everything seems to be breaking apart, the water is also boiling and bubbling.)
no subject
(uh oh)
---the solution's smart, and maybe she should have seen this one coming - the clenching of her jaw, the gleam in her eyes and now the colorshift in her hair (useful as an indicator) - that's jinx in a nutshell - from cold to hot in seconds - and she probably can't feel the scorch like vi can right now. it's enough to make her back up a pace, sucking air in through her teeth.]
Hey. H-hey! Maybe ease up on thinking about whatever's got you all hot and bothered before we end up being Sleeper soup.
no subject
(that is... debatable if anyone else besides vi heard her say this. the tone unfortunately comes off rough or she sounded a little offended but she's not meaning to... or did. after all, she is currently thinking about the stupid scoreboard and how miss vi vi always seem to be on top of every damn thing, always seem to be so much better.
CRACK! -- finally her hands push through the ice and she is able to move her legs. the water is pretty hot but it doesn't seem to bother jinx at all. except the skin on her legs are now slightly red but it's fine. she doesn't feel the pain or any stings. exhaling out a sigh though, she walks her way back to the shore with her hair resuming on to be red but with some blue streaks. it's a sign of her calming down but still a little heated (ha) over her thoughts.)
no subject
and so has the tide, or the temperature of it, anyway. vi does just that, backs up further, giving her sister literal and metaphorical space to process all of this. coldblood powers. silco's ...sudden (or not so sudden? when had it happened?) absence.]
Well, good then. Someone's gotta be the brains here.
[a bit of a jest as she moves out of the water and crosses to meet jinx on the black sand. vi knows she isn't stupid, but she's glad to see her sister catch on fast. in her element (also ha) powder had always been a quicker study - it was just others that had been slow to see it. maybe not vi as much, but mylo ...and even vander to some degree.]
Check out your hair. It changes color when you do that.
[snatching up her bag as she passes it, slipping it back up and on.]
You good to go? Do we need to talk about what happened back there?
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like right now being the perfect example. she would rather not talk about it and just toss it up as some weird arcane sparkle-y glitter thing. so at the glance at her big sister, she only flashes her a smile that is painfully fake and a small shake of her head.)
Nope! We're good. Everything's squared away now. (and then she leads on climbing back up to where they left fang and her things.)
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Okay.
[that 'okay' might not sound as sure as it could, but it's all she's got. well, let's get you squared away now. the first parts of it are easy enough. no clothes in the bag, fine, clothes are something vi has a lot of access to, but as for something immediate? that's going to fit? that's a bit harder to come by. but, then again, she'd dealt with loose trousers and belted up tunics for a few days.
it's not too long of a walk, and there's a visible change in atmosphere as they enter the district of cellar door - the streets are bustling - and they are full of all sorts of places, all sorts of people. the buildings vary wildly, but almost all are magnificent in some way, even the worn down ones have an ...air about them. statues spatter the area here and there - and as they wind the streets (which are also full of sounds, smells - almost all meant to be pleasant in some way - to someone - it's a hodgepodge.) it's not an impossibility for someone to be "relieved" of their jewels as they pass, should jinx decide to do that - she'll likely have a few opportunities, and she's quick.
vi will stop in front of the rookery, and hold a door open so that jinx (and fang, thanks) might enter first.]
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maybe she doesn't need to do this, maybe she does -- regardless, she slips her slender fingers in various pockets and wrists to tuck down in her own. if vi were to pay attention to her little sister, a few of these little tricks would be painfully familiar due to these tricks were taught by her. she was horrible at pickpocketing as a kid but now? it's like child's play to her. surely, she should be impressed right? or disappointed because she's still being her criminal self? who knows, who cares.)
(at the sight of the rookery, jinx freezes in place for a split second. is this where vi lives now? huh. living the fancy rich life. but somehow jinx figured she would live this way regardless in the end -- if she stayed with the cupcake, surely she would turn all proper and sophisticated like the pilities. to forget about zaun and their people like they were old gum that lost its flavor -- tossing them out in the trash. how disgusting.
still though, she makes her way and... all looks so intimidating; none of it suit her own ways at all. it's there jinx already makes the decision to find somewhere to stay after awhile. the home reminds her too much of piltover and how snobby the city above is. so whoever lives here with vi are probably just as snobby.)
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secondly, she suppresses a small smile, because, as expected: she's good.
vi is keenly aware of how this must look. how fancy it must all seem. and to her, it's still fancy somewhat, but not compared to other things she's seen in cellar door and other places. it hadn't been her plan - her original plan, she supposed, would have been to hole up in some shitty place in ...probably prufrock, where many other hunters congregate, or even dracmouth - but that plan hadn't had the chance to properly form once she'd found mostly kindness (and some fond? accusatory? shouting) from other sleepers - once alayne had offered to take her in like it was nothing - not even an imposition or an obligation, but as if it were something she actually wanted to do.
getting used to that, as a rule, had been ...weird. hard. also easy?
violet's room on the third floor is in a state. her huge bed is made for the first time in forever, and that's only because she hadn't been sleeping in it. she hadn't been sleeping much at all. clothing's piled haphazardly on her floor, one chair is completely overtaken with laundry, and the other with sketches. (the only with laundry looks as if she's sat on the dirty clothes rather than move them - they're a bit flat).
a pair of beat up cast iron gauntlets hang from a carefully placed hook in the wall, above a a string of lights with paper stars suspended from it. ten paper stars arranged together in various clusters.
three empty plates are stacked on her desk, each one bearing crumbs, but the topmost one still has cookies on it. several notebooks are stacked beside that, along with some little pieces of sea-themed statuary and an overflow of small paper stars and the paper with which to make them - more notebooks on the floor beside her bed, and two on the bed itself.
all three windows are open, and there's a bird that's decided to sit in one of the red-leafed branches of the huge white tree poking its way through the floor and back out again. it pays none of them any mind.]
Well, this is me. Mine. Yours? Put your stuff wherever. [she will move that pile of laundry from the chair to the floor just now.] I have a bathroom. [it takes her a moment to add the rest - as she's still unused to having this at all:] just ...mine. There's a shower and a tub.
[sometimes it sounds awful when she points these things out - having a bed, having windows, real food at eat, a change of clothes. she can now add 'a bathroom' to that awkward list.]
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Seems like you're livin' pretty good here.
(a fancy home with possibly new and shiny friends. well, she doesn't know that part yet but something in her bones is telling her vi must have nice comfy friends she spends a lot of time with and laugh with. which makes her wonder... why is she needed then? things seem to be going well for her in this new life at first glance so is there any room for her in this shiny world of hers? seeing enough, jinx makes her way back to her bag -- her hand reaching inside to fish out the bunny doll. giving it another pet, she makes her way to vi's bed and gently places it against the pillows; proping it up.
again, this is probably a doll vi would rather have back so. there you go -- no longer it will hang on those lines and waiting for a bird to knock it over. and no longer it's shoved in a toy box or hung above jinx like its been crucified. it's now safe on the bed to rest with ease and to enjoy any sunlight and air it'll come to it. one more look over at the doll before turning her attention to vi.)
So, you got anythin', uh, clean for me to wear 'till I get my own duds?
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Yeah. Yeah, I do. [that's a different, neater pile - no wait, that's the dresser - that's where the ones she hasn't broken in live. There is one grey-purple sleeveless linen tunic with violets embroidered on the hems in gilded thread, a pair of dark, loose trousers, and two pair of green leggings. it's started to turn cold, so violet rummages for a thermal shirt, and a couple vests that can be layered. there are a couple pair of underwear in odd prints. she will present this pile to jinx with an awkward smile.] If stuff is too long, I have belts, and I have scissors.
ᴏʀ ɪ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ʀᴇɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ꜱʜᴏʀᴛᴇʀ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴍʏ ᴄʟᴀᴡꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛᴇᴇᴛʜ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ.
..or that.
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clearing her throat a little, she blows her bangs away from her eyes and readjusts her stance.)
Yeah, I, uh. After I shower, I can just... try it on and go from there.
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so she'll let her sister take as long as she needs in the bathroom, making an attempt to move and fold a bit of that laundry before she's sure that jinx is busy - water running - at least the sounds of being showering - before she'll sit down and pick up that bunny, turning it over in her hands and mirroring the gesture she'd seen, a gentle stroke along its head - down and over the ears, holding it close to her chest and swallowing a sob she didn't realize she'd been holding in. the sounds of bathwater cover her own waterworks. by the time they stop, fang has climbed onto the bed and curled around behind her, pushing her nose into vi's shoulder. she does not offer any commentary, only a wet nose and her ears, for scratching.
jinx will find her sitting cross legged on the bed, dry-eyed but no longer solemn. she has a plan, at least.]
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with both her hands on the sink and her head low, she exhales out a few deep breaths to get all the nerves out. "mylo" emerges again with head a tilt; ghostly whispering at her direction. jinx shots him a look and mutters to him quietly so vi won't be able to hear -- even though the door is closed. but maybe the walls and what not are paper thin, not like she would know.)
I know I can't stay in here forever.
(pstpstpstpsptpstpstpst.)
— I'm not scared. I'm just .... (she pulls back and does weird hand gestures at him.) there's a lotta stuff to take in, okay? Didya forget I was squid? Twice?
(pstpstpsptpstpsptpsptpst)
What? Me? Yeah, right. C'mon, it's just Vi. Not like I haven't... spoken to her before. I just gotta treat her like I treat everyone. Not a big deal. Totally not a big deal.
(pssssstpsptpsptpsptpsptpsssst.)
Ugh! You're not helpin' me. If you can't come up with somethin' good to say, then shut up.
(PPPPPPSSSSTT. in which jinx's response to that is literally hissing at him like a stray animal before turning her attention back at her reflection. thankfully, he vanishes to give her some alone time but again, she sighs out as she takes one step back. looking over at herself, there's a small sway in her stance as she slowly lifts up her arm -- forming her hand into a gun. tilting her head to the side, she shuts one eye and sticks out her tongue then "shooting" her reflection. 'i got this. we got this.' a new phrase her sister says that somehow she ends up taking a liking to.
with arm drop back at her side, she does a spin and makes her way to the door. it opens and she greets her sister with a lazy grin.)
So! — You gotta fill me in on the food here. Been eatin' like rich snob yet? What's it like? Is it really better than what we had? Or they just added some extra stuff to hide the mold?
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I dunno about the rich snob part. Maybe a couple times? [ a laugh. she keeps smoked fish in her pocket in a little cloth, so probably not as much of a food snob as jinx might think.] Ask some people and they'll tell you I'm a slop eating barbarian, but it beats prison food by a thousand miles, and it sure beats going hungry.
[she doesn't care if anyone thinks that.] Some of it's pretty close to home but in the good way. There's this little ...food stall that sells noodles that you can get with fish and this sweet sauce? It's so good! I mean. It's terrible but in the best way. There's so many places with all kinds of stuff. They had a festival a while back, and there were these sweet things with jam in them shaped like little wolf paws? Other shapes, too, but I liked those the best.
Oh! Eggs! I learned how to make eggs?! [surprise!] Sansa's a way better cook than me, but I can fry fish! Potatoes and mushrooms, too. I got to punch some bread dough, but bread's ...I don't see myself making that anytime soon. It's ...fussy. But that's fine, cause I know where to get bread, and pies. And cookies. Have the rest, they're really good.
[she points to that topmost plate on her desk - a few chocolate cookies are left. vi has been feeding so many people - it's her new hobby. making sure her distracted, nerdy friends remember to stop fucking with gadgets and eat. and that her other friends get stealth bombed with cookies. that being said, she laughs again:]
And yeah, there's moldy food here, too. If you know where to go, or where not to. Would you believe this shit: some suckers pay extra for mold.
Bring your bag over, I can show you the stuff in it that's not weapons.
[reaches over fang and pats a space on the (huge) bed.]
cw: brief nuuudiitttyyyy
as she slips it on, it is swallowing her but not too bad. but there definitely needs to be some adjustments to it but that can wait. it's just the two of them anyway for now so if there are nip slips or the like, hardly a big deal. at the mention of cookies, jinx cocks her head and (without meaning to) shimmer speeds over. again, it's a good thing it's only vi (and fang) here otherwise it'd probably be jarring how she was at one spot and suddenly at another with a plate in her hands.)
(she takes a bite of the cookie and instantly rolls her eyes with a hum at the pure deliciousness hitting her taste buds. but quickly, jinx stops getting side-track then looks over at her bag. there's more in there? huh. this time without using shimmer, she heads over to the bag, takes it, then heads back to her sister. jinx joins her on the bed with the plate still in one hand and hands her the bag with the other; talking while chewing.)
What else is there?
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Extra robes, probably a better fit than the ones I gave you. Don't toss 'em, though because they're waterproof and even blood just falls off them. And they're fireproof, which might be handy, considering...
[fishes an arm in, reaches around robes and weaponry and ...nope, that's a different gun ...until she pulls out a bound book and sets it next to her sister.]
Book. Might be good, might be shit. Sometimes they're full of useful information, like how blood works, or who some of the Pthumerians are, or where to find a good barber, and sometimes they're full of stupid scribbles that actually don't mean anything, or someone else's cool art. But. There's a map in there even if you get a shitty book. Map's not bullshit, it's accurate.
Ah, hmmm. A little bit of incense. It'll keep beasts off you in a pinch, and it helps to make you feel less fucked up from corruption. Don't worry about using that up, I have tons, and I get more all the time. Everyone can do that if they need to.
[she sets the small bundle of incense down, and fumbles until she smiles - hand closing around this bad boy: the canteen, holds it up and sets it down. it's like an assembly line of 'welcome to trench' maybe 'welcome to trench: here are some consolation prizes to help you deal'.]
This? Super useful. You could put bilgewater in here and if you wait long enough it's clean enough to clean wounds with. Clean enough, even a piltie would drink it.
[she wonders if she might be able to put her own blood in there - would that, then, be safe to drink if needed? she isn't trying that any time soon, but it might be a good way to test the limits of the canteen's purification.]
You can power a whole house with this. Gadgets and shit, too. [out comes the orb, and she hands it to jinx so that she might take it to inspect.] If you're cold you can use it to keep warm, and it makes light. They're moon-powered, and you can take 'em anywhere. [if jinx were to examine the windowsills she would see that's where vi's own orb is sitting now, waiting to absorb some moonlight when it comes.]
This part? Might seem super weird, but bear with me, because ...okay there's no way this won't seem weird. There's a tiny little imp living in your bag, and yeah, it's a little creepy looking and sounds ...also a little creepy, but really it just wants to hug you and help you out of a jam, later. You find a spot you want to be able to go to like bam - like a hexgate? You just put the little imp down and poof, you get more imps, but they stay there with yours and summon a glowy lamp and now you've basically just made your own permanent hexgate. You can teleport to any other lamp location - they're all connected. But once you do it, you can't undo it, because permanent.
[she says this, but she had only in the last couple weeks, put her own imp down - on the beach by the rocks and the shallow pool. that's a permanent hexgate-implamp location now. the little imp will stay in the bag until jinx decides to take it out - at which point it will cling to her neck and hair. for some reason ...people seem to really like them.]
If this place starts fucking with you bad, go to a lamp location. I put my little guy on the beach where we--
--where we were just before I ...lost you. If you stay close to a lamp it'll clear your head of ...Pthumerian lessons you don't want. Other shit this place does. I coulda used that bit of info last month.
Oh, yeah. They like having little things to wear, and they don't eat. So if you take a month to put yours down, it's not gonna starve in there. I could probably make it a paper hat.
[the last thing is the omni. she hands it over and quiets a moment, thinking. jinx has already seen vi use hers - doesn't know how much of it she absorbed because of the ...whiplash of events, but. jinx is a quick study when it comes to this sort of thing.] This is your Omni. I bet you don't even need me to tell you much about it. You'll be telling me new shit about it by next week.
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in fact, she is half expecting it to be a joke. jinx sets the plate aside on the bed and then peeks inside the bag to see if she can spot this said imp.)
So if I pull 'em out now, they'll just cling to me 'till I set 'em somewhere?
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Maybe if you put your arm in it'll crawl up like a little ramp.
[it's absurd. but it might just do that.]
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(jinx takes another moment to look over all the items on the bed; taking it all in. and when she speaks again, her tone is a lot softer than the prior.)
This is really our lives now, huh...?
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(voice is the blue cup boi)
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