sputnik: — 𝑺𝑷𝑼𝑻𝑵𝑰𝑲 (ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴀʀʀᴇɴ ᴛʀᴇᴇs ᴀɴᴅ ғɪᴇʟᴅs ᴏғ sɴᴏᴡ)
ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴀɴᴅᴇʀ ᴋᴏɴsᴛᴀɴᴛɪɴ ᴠᴇsʜɴʏᴀᴋᴏᴠ ([personal profile] sputnik) wrote in [community profile] singillatim2024-05-19 07:05 pm

WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO CRACK THEIR BONES?

Who: Konstantin Veshnyakov + ota!
What: an opportunity to encounter the alien parasite inhabiting Kostya's body / various other threads.
When: mid-late May / June.
Where: various places in Milton.

Content Warnings: This character comes with a parasitic alien entity by default. He's also experiencing Glimmerfog sickness, but it's in its early stages. More detailed warnings in various prompts within.



INFO !

■ — Kostya's in the early stages of Glimmerfog sickness. His little alien horror can sense this and is going to yeet itself out of him at random times / places in Milton.
■ — This scenario can be played with in a variety of ways, with varying degrees of horror. If needed, please let me know if there's anything you'd specifically like to indulge in or avoid.
[plurk.com profile] horreur / plotting post
■ — Details on the alien can be found here. As a note, it will be staying more underdeveloped / larval in these threads, so although it may get aggressive, it won't be capable of doing too much damage... apart from biting, if you get close enough to its mouth... It WILL try to suck your blood if that happens!



A — THERE IS A KILLER AMONG US

This is the option to chat with Kostya before his little alien freakout, for anyone who might like some build up, to get in some initial cr-building, etc. For anyone who wants this option, I'll reach out to see how you might want the alien reveal to go down later on in the thread! OR if you might want to just have them talk and not have an alien reveal, that's fine too!

[ It's common for Konstantin to find difficulty sleeping, and so the earliest days of the sickness pass by without any real awareness to the fact. It's fine if he's mildly drowsy; he can handle it! As usual, he's prone to taking walks from his cabin on the town outskirts and into the center of things, perpetually looking to keep himself busy. Maybe you catch him:

— getting in some physical fitness, taking walks and jogs around town (stopping to smile at anyone he might see out on a porch front or passing by; he'll be happy to chat, even with strangers. Maybe you'll end up inviting him in at some point! Certainly there's no danger of this man throwing up an entire alien or anything like that)
— at the hunting/fishing supply store, which is a much less-traveled area in Milton and mostly always empty... But today there is a lone cosmonaut inside, looking for a fishing pole.... and seeming a bit lost about it, standing with his hands on his hips, frowning thoughtfully. He's only ever lived in the city and in outer space, and neither of those options have exposed him to fishing.
— at one of Milton's remaining empty cabins, with the front door wide open to let in some fresh air as he pokes through dust-coated furniture to look for any home decorating items he might be able to snag...
— wildcard options! Kostya could be just about anywhere, but for this thread, it would work best if it's somewhere there aren't too many people around.
]

B — I'M A LARVA WRAPPED IN SILK

This is the option for Kostya's alien to start making an appearance at one of the mentioned locations, but it will not fully emerge from his body. Things will still get pretty gnarly, as it will visibly be seen coming upwards, but he will not actually throw it up. Once it settles back inside of him, Konstantin will wake up (so basically this thread option will involve him shortly coming to again and your person dealing with that!) Content warnings: seizure, parasitic horror, emeto / vomiting associations.

[ It happens with little warning. All of a sudden, the other occupant in the room will begin to tremble — and it's immediately violent, his body commanded by convulsive jerks that wrench him back and forth. He'll only remain upright for seconds before he's unable to hold himself, losing control of everything, falling to the floor hard and fast.

Konstantin is not a small man; about six feet tall and with the athletic build befitting his title as a Hero of the Soviet Union, hitting the deck is a rough process, hard and heavy. He might slam into something, knock nearby objects over — might even fall into you. Ultimately he'll end up on his back, however, and it's there that he keeps convulsing, back arched inwards and head hitting the floor beneath him as he spasms. His eyes loll back, gagging against the strain of his own throat.

As quickly as it starts, it seems to stop. The man's body goes completely limp, eyes shut, mouth slack with a thin stream of drool that slips from the corner and puddles to the floor. Every muscle has been forced to shut down, leaving the cosmonaut unconscious and unmoving. It's then that the creature can safely start to make its exit from the body that's progressively becoming sicker with some strange illness.

Something is happening to the man again. He remains unconscious, eyes shut, but his body is moving once more — softer spasms this time, torso rippling. His mouth parts and his throat convulses with movement as he dry heaves there on the floor as though needing to vomit. The creature makes its way up from its nest within his stomach, pushing itself from the safety of the organ and up into its host's esophagus. The journey takes some time, and then you'll see evidence of it — some thin thing wriggling under the skin of his throat, pumping itself upwards slowly, cautiously. But it pauses all of a sudden, waits. It can sense you're there, and it's completely vulnerable outside of him. ....What will your reaction be? Maybe it isn't worth coming out right now.
]

C — DON'T LOOK EVIL RIGHT IN THE EYE

This is the option for Kostya's alien to immediately make a full appearance at one of the mentioned locations. It will emerge from his body and can be interacted with as a separate entity. Its reactions will depend largely on how someone reacts to it, but if you have any preferences or thoughts here, please reach out to me! For this option, Konstantin will remain unconscious for the entire thread, so interactions will only be with his alien. Content warnings: seizure, parasitic horror, emeto / vomiting, an alien that is very worm-like and also has features associated with a variety of spooky creatures like spiders, snakes, lampreys...

[ It happens with little warning. All of a sudden, the other occupant in the room will begin to tremble — and it's immediately violent, his body commanded by convulsive jerks that wrench him back and forth. He'll only remain upright for seconds before he's unable to hold himself, losing control of everything, falling to the floor hard and fast.

Konstantin is not a small man; about six feet tall and with the athletic build befitting his title as a Hero of the Soviet Union, hitting the deck is a rough process, hard and heavy. He might slam into something, knock nearby objects over — might even fall into you. Ultimately he'll end up on his back, however, and it's there that he keeps convulsing, back arched inwards and head hitting the floor beneath him as he spasms. His eyes loll back, gagging against the strain of his own throat.

As quickly as it starts, it seems to stop. The man's body goes completely limp, eyes shut, mouth slack with a thin stream of drool that slips from the corner and puddles to the floor. Every muscle has been forced to shut down, leaving the cosmonaut unconscious and unmoving. It's then that the creature can safely start to make its exit from the body that's progressively becoming sicker with some strange illness.

Something is happening to the man again. He remains unconscious, eyes shut, but his body is moving once more — softer spasms this time, torso rippling. His mouth parts and his throat convulses with movement as he dry heaves there on the floor as though needing to vomit. The creature makes its way up from its nest within his stomach, pushing itself from the safety of the organ and up into its host's esophagus. It's in a hurry, alarmed; it lets the man's natural reflexes help urge it up and out, and suddenly Konstantin's body reels, mouth parting wider as something small and quivering spills from his throat and onto the floorboards with a wet plop.

At first, it looks like a mass of slime, but you might realise quickly enough that it's a sort of sac, a viscous membrane. The thick, protective coating is something the creature produces to keep itself and its host undamaged by its violent exit from his body.

The mess stays still enough for a few long seconds, but then its pulsing intensifies, and something begins to squirm within it. A writing thing emerges, but not easily, seeming to struggle with the task. Finally the thing that just came out of the unconscious man is revealed: a worm-like creature, body long and thin, consisting of a head, little vestigial protrusions that perhaps suggest limbs stuck in development, and ending in a tail.

It seems like too many things put together — something at once reptile, insect, invertebrate — its little head is hooded, much like a cobra's, but its mouth is only a round hole, lined with sharp little teeth. A cluster of eight black eyes glint, spiderlike, as the thing slowly writhes wetly on the floor.
]
balancedlight: (all business)

B.

[personal profile] balancedlight 2024-05-21 01:51 am (UTC)(link)
[The Glimmerfog spreads and Sveta, having already recovered from it, is learning to spot the signs. One of the caches contained basic antihistamines, first generation, the kind that cause drowsiness, and she pockets them to carry with her just in case. In Milton, Konstantin is her third stop and she knocks on the door - only to hear a crash.

Fear and panic fill her throat as she tries the door handle and pushes her way in, hoping that she doesn't find a wild animal or an attacker or any number of things that run through her head as she tries to find him.

He's on the floor and she goes to him at first, dropping to her knees immediately and shoving a hand behind his head to keep him from slamming it any more into the ground. It's not her first experience with a seizure and she mutters soft, cooing words to him in Russian, gentle as he finally slows.]


Oh what has happened to you, Konstantin Veshnyakov? [She moves her hand and places it on his shoulder, frowning as he doesn't immediately seem to regain consciousness. The spasms start again, softer and less intense this time, and Sveta searches for a way to protect his head again - but it isn't the same. She reaches out, gently touching his throat.]

What is that?
weavered: (9)

A

[personal profile] weavered 2024-05-21 04:53 pm (UTC)(link)
[Hornet has been trying to explore more of the area of Milton. Draped in scraps of fur and cloth, she looks something akin to a cryptid than bug, but at least it was warmer than her red shift she arrived in. The supply store was just another stop on a long list of places she needs to see with her own eyes, and she shuts the door behind her as quietly as possible.

She starts to look at the shelves. It's all foreign to her: the cans, the jars, the bait - nothing is familiar and she worries about her health declining from a lack of nutrition. She swings around a corner, spotting the human looking for something, and then squeezing past him without so much of an "excuse me".

She can see things on the top shelf, but they are out of her reach - a frustration she had not quiet experienced before. Before anyone can say anything, she starts to climb up on the shelves, determined to see what is on the shelf and decide if it would be of any use to her.

She hangs on the shelving unit, making sure it's sturdy before she peeks her head over the top shelf, coming face to face with a box. She doesn't really mean to do it, as she is trying to grab it, but she knocks it to the floor. She stares down at the box, the top of it ajar as it lays on it's side, thankfully (for the store, not for her) empty of any supplies.]


Empty. [She's disappointed by this revelation.] Why would it be empty? [Maybe she should ask the human...]


[ ooc: let me know if this works! i am happy to adjust if need be.]
flambeaux: back into the closet (gay distress)

A. IWTV season 1 spoilers

[personal profile] flambeaux 2024-05-23 03:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Waking up in this world with Lestat had an unforeseen advantage. Though their relationship is fraught with all that happened between them, Louis grounded himself in the here and now in order to survive.

But in his darkest hours, he dwells on how he failed Claudia and Lestat. He chose Lestat over Claudia time and time again and was complicit in keeping her trapped. He betrayed Lestat, a person he loved, and it was the only kill that actually felt like murder. In his darkest hours as the fever worsens, he sees them playing the piano or chess or, worse, as they were when they were last together, covered in blood and bitterness.

The specter that haunts him just out of the corner of his vision is not the Lestat who stalks confidently through the woods outside Milton with hunting gun in hand. This Lestat is dressed in the white breeches and loose shirt of a century before his own, and they are covered in blood from his violent feasting. The slit at his throat burbles with it. Claudia is similarly dressed in billowing skirts and blood, but she is unscathed. However she, like the real Claudia, regards him with contempt, resentment, anger, and pity. (Somewhere in there is love.)

"Mon cher..." the nightmare Lestat murmurs with a low voice soft as a cat's paw. His eyes are lambent with murderous intent. Louis doesn't wait for more. He makes a strangled sound and bolts out of his house.

During the day.

Though it is cloudy and thick with fog, Louis burns immediately. He cries out in pain. He never teased the sun here in this world, and he's convinced he'll die right away. Maybe it's what he deserves. But he survives long enough to run into a cabin with the door wide open. If he can just shelter there for a bit until evening--
balancedlight: (staring into nothing)

cw: body horror descriptions

[personal profile] balancedlight 2024-05-24 01:17 am (UTC)(link)
[Svetalana is no shirking violet. She might have flinched at Randvi's surgery, but only because she hadn't expected it. Sveta's spent most of her time here, in this place, pretending to be something she isn't. She's spent a long time pretending that the monster disturbs her more than it actually does. She's spent a long time playing the innocent doctor.

But Sveta's seen corpses with no blood. She's seen vampires sink their teeth into necks and tear flesh. She's seen auras of murderers. She's heard the sound of bones breaking and crunching as a woman, her friend, turned into and owl and back again.

Sveta isn't afraid of this, but she is cautious. This isn't the sort of medical emergency she had once thought. As the lump moves, seeming after a hesitation, she pulls her hand back with a soft cry of surprise.]


Oh, what have you gotten yourself into? [She reaches over for a clean-ish rag and wipes at his mouth.]

It's alright. I'm here. It's alright.

[Of course, she's talking to Konstantin.]
balancedlight: (staring into nothing)

[personal profile] balancedlight 2024-05-25 12:31 pm (UTC)(link)
[Sveta watches the lump's little retreat until it no longer shows up in the skin and then lets out a breath she didn't even know she was holding.

What the hell had that been? It's nothing like she's ever seen, but she searches her memory anyway, thinking perhaps it would be something that she read about in a book. Maybe it's something that someone else has seen. What would Boris Ignatievich say? What would he do? She places her hands on his chest, desperately trying to reach for the Twilight but, obviously, it's not there. She keeps her hands, one still bruised from the force of his seizure, there, staring at Konstantin's face until he breathes again and she reaches down to cradle his head to keep it from falling back again.]


Ah! You're alright, you're alright. Don't worry.
burying: (pic#17005392)

[personal profile] burying 2024-05-26 06:27 pm (UTC)(link)
[ It's funny, and Kieren wants to laugh. He was planning on coming here anyways, a few things from him raiding the caches over in Lakeside. He knows Konstantin has yet to go there, given his whole... situation. Kieren gets these goods have been obtained through more... morally-grey means, but after the shit he's seen? He's caring a lot less about these Forest Talkers, in all honesty. And it'd be nice to give the man something.

But as Kieren staggers through the snow, almost dizzy with nausea and fear, there's a more pressing need to turn up at Konstantin's door: he needs help.

Even with the sparser cabins of Milton Outskirts, Kieren keeps one gloved hand clamped down over his upper arm to obscure it from sight. The layers of fabric of his clothing torn, black blood oozing from his skin — the tell-tale sign of Otherness he embodies. The bullet hadn't gone through; it had been a glancing blow, grazed his skin but enough to do some serious damage to him. It won't heal, he knows that. But he needs to have it seen to, needs it stitched up — and he needs it done without too many questions asked.

He tries to keep his knock calm and easy when he reaches the door, but he's inhaling and exhaling with anxiousness — looking about with wide-eyes. Shit. He'd been so careful, all this time. He'd tried to be. But he had to step in: MacCready was going to kill Bigby if he didn't. ]


Hey. [ It comes out as a wheeze, and he's shaking a little bit. Fretfulness barely concealed as he forces a smile when Konstantin opens the door. ] I— I, uh— Your housemate, he—

[ He looks behind him briefly, double checking again. He hates this, he's scared. But he doesn't know what else to do. He doesn't know who else he can trust to ask. He knows there's other doctors here, but he doesn't know them. They don't know about his condition. The last thing he wants is to be poked and prodded at when it all comes out he's anything but completely normal. His voice lowers, gesturing with his head to his arm, his hand still held against the wound. ]

Can I come in, please? [ Kieren swallows, steadies himself. ] I, uh— I need help.
burying: (pic#14702770)

[personal profile] burying 2024-05-26 10:23 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Kieren's quick to head inside, feeling a slight wash of relief at being indoors and out of the public eye. He doesn't dare move his hand away just yet. He knows Konstantin'll be fine, or he thinks, hopes. He knows Kieren's whole deal but— but, well— he doesn't know... everything. He knows about the brain stuff, at least. But... not the whole zombie thing. The fact his blood won't be red when he moves his hand away. The fact he's only half-alive, he's only half-anything.

Vasya. He's not here. He should be back soon. Okay, okay that's fine. That's totally fine, and Kieren's nodding to that. ]


Uhh, no— so, well— [ Instead he's stood awkwardly, practically buzzing with that anxious energy. There's really no right way of going about this, is there? Kieren's voice shifts pitch a little higher, a little breathless. ] I.. got um, shot?

[ He quickly raises his other hand a little, the one not holding onto his arm. He makes a quick gesture, almost in reassuring. ]

It's not bad. I think. Um— [ Who the hell is he kidding? Of course it's bad. He's been shot. But in the grand scheme of things, it's Bigby who Kieren's most worried about. He'll be fine, he's getting sorted. MacCready too, whatever the hell's up with him. It's just a graze. He'll be alright. ]

Another Interloper, I don't really know what happened. It's fine. Sorted. It's just— [ Shit. ] It's just a bit complicated, with me.
balancedlight: (you hurt my feelings)

[personal profile] balancedlight 2024-05-27 01:22 am (UTC)(link)
[Sveta's pledged to give her soul to save the world, to enter her entire being up for the sake of other people, only to be given the remains in return. Cradling one man while he endures whatever this is, whatever's happened to him, is a small price to pay. He writhes against the nausea and she stays where she is, letting him pull away if needed but not allowing him to injure himself any farther.

He says a name and she wonders if that's who he thought she was when they first met at the feast after she had trudged through the snow.]


No. Svetlana.
balancedlight: (all business)

[personal profile] balancedlight 2024-05-27 01:39 am (UTC)(link)
[As soon as he sits up, she leans forward, gingerly running her fingers along the back of his neck.]

Yes, I'm fine. I want to look at your head. You hit it hard.

[She is prioritizing as much as she can at the moment. The weird thing that happened in his neck is not currently harming him in any way that is an emergency, but if he split his head or caused any bruising there, then it certainly constitutes an emergency. Head wounds tend to bleed. Weird lumps in necks that move around and disappear can be saved for a second conversation.]
balancedlight: (resigned)

[personal profile] balancedlight 2024-05-28 01:03 am (UTC)(link)
[She checks for anything that might need stitches or cleaning, tsking softly all the while.]

Do you have seizures often? You should have said something earlier.

[Her words are gently chiding, but mostly to mask the worry as she sits back and massages her hand. He's not going to bleed out, it seems, but she still feels like she's missing out on something very, very important.]

Tell me the truth, Konstantin. What did I just see?
balancedlight: (you hurt my feelings)

[personal profile] balancedlight 2024-05-28 01:51 am (UTC)(link)
[She looks down to it, realizing what she's doing, and nods.]

Yes. I'm fine. I didn't want you to harm yourself more, so I put my hand between you and the floor.

[She lets out a breath, as it feels like they're both dancing around the truth, or at least not addressing the major issue. But now that everything life threatening is under control, she feels that they simply need to say it.]

What is the nature of your condition? I saw - movement. There, on your neck.
weavered: (8)

[personal profile] weavered 2024-05-28 11:42 am (UTC)(link)
Yes.

[She hops down, landing with a grace as she examines the box once more. Empty, but not entirely useless though as it has some sort of organizational system that may prove useful. She rights the box, examining the hinges of the lid before closing it.]

Though, this may prove to be useful. [For what, she doesn't know, but the tacklebox could have it's uses.]

You are looking for something as well. [She lifts the box by the handle, her gaze falling on the human as she examines him. Humans, despite being a single species, were diverse in their looks, their skin tone, their hair - it was almost maddening because she could not figure out what made each human so different. Bugs were, for the most part, easy to comprehend, but humans... they were alien to her as much as she was to him. She tilts her head, taking a cautious step forward.] Those poles. What are they for?

[She points behind him, both curious and skeptical. If he was looking for a weapon, the pole did not appear to be the most sturdy of things.]
balancedlight: (considering)

[personal profile] balancedlight 2024-05-28 11:44 am (UTC)(link)
[The question seems important with the intensity that he says it and she shakes her head immediately.]

No. What did you expect?

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