seven devils all around you, seven devils in your house

[singmod]

JUNE 2024 EVENT

PART ONE — A SIGN OF THINGS TO COME: The Darkwalker claims another victim, and that is only the beginning of troubles for the Interlopers as they face a month of endless night and green gloom.

PART TWO — POLAR SUN: As June continues, Interlopers are faced with food insecurity as wildlife flees; tensions grow as they face hunger and the Darkwalker's continued influence. On the day of the Summer Solstice, the tension finally breaks and violent chaos descends upon Interlopers.

PART THREE — REPRIEVE: The end is in sight, and an ally comes to the Interloper’s aid.

A SIGN OF THINGS TO COME

WHEN: June 1st, then onwards.
WHERE: Milton area; Lakeside area (Carter Hydrodam).
CONTENT WARNINGS: death of playable character; supernatural death; mention of dead body; themes of death; supernatural beings; themes of terror; themes of peril.

The evening is quiet and still. May draws to a close and while the sun does not completely set, it dips low enough for the sky to grow a little darkdim with twilight. The midnight sun is almost upon the Northern Territories, the air is warmer than it has ever felt — even if it remains chilly. If this is summer, it is but a gentle brush of reprieve against the unyielding winter. The Interlopers wind down for the night, many turn to their beds to sleep, others sit awake and ponder their existence in this world. They think of home, of loved ones, of their predicament here in this place. The Forest Talkers, the strange beasts and monsters they’ve encountered.

The moon wanes in the skies, nestled amongst the stars. For those still awake to notice, they can see it: slowly, one by one, the stars begin to go out. Then the moon's light is swallowed whole, and a blanket of green gloom descends upon the Northern Territories.

The sky is dark and green and terrible. Many of those will recognise it, what this means and what will come. Others will not understand it, not know what it is that awaits them all.

They will soon find out: the Darkwalker comes.

Under a green sky, a cold fear washes over you — squeezing the breath from your lungs. Interlopers will find themselves overcome with that fear, and everything in their bodies and minds tells them to run. To flee. And so you run, heading for cover. Curtains will be drawn, some may hide under beds, within closets or wardrobes. Some desperately attempt to conceal themselves, make themselves small, unseen. Some Interlopers, in that fear, may rush to friends or loved ones to hide with them, others may simply cower alone — crawling and whimpering away from the night. The fear is irrational, unable to be overcome — even by the bravest or most stoic of Interlopers.

For those within Milton, it is further away but is by no means less potent: Interlopers will find themselves frozen with the constant loom of the Darkwalker’s arrival — even if it does not come to Milton. Those within Lakeside, however, will feel the true force of this presence: more like a knife edge — painfully gripping your heart as it draws close.

The Darkwalker howls: indescribable, unnatural, demonic. Low moans and groans. It comes from the east, the faint booms of footsteps in the distance growing ever nearer. It is coming, once more. It's coming for one of you. And still, you are powerless, unable to do anything. And it is an agony, awaiting its arrival. You cry, you whimper, you cower. Curling up for some shred of comfort, and finding none.

For those in Lakeside, through the fear, they may be able to note the path: a straight line from the east towards Carter Hydrodam. It seems to go on forever, building into a crescendo. Your heart beats so hard you fear it may burst from your chest, as if you might die of fright.

There is an almighty sound; the Darkwalker devours and even with the distance you can hear it. The sound of gnashing teeth, and… laughter. There is no scream, no bright light in the sky — Enola is silent this time. There is only that laughter, echoing off into the night.

The skies do not return to normal. The green gloom hangs in the air. It is done, but it is not yet over. While the overwhelming fear dissolves away, but a kind of… dread remains on the air — almost palpable.


The Darkwalker has devoured another. Braver souls who go out to investigate into Lakeside will find just who has been devoured once they reach the Hydrodam — although it may be a day or two before they will find the body in the medical bay.

At least it is cold enough that the rot does not fully set in — but death will certainly be here.

And this is but the beginning of the Interloper’s troubles.

POLAR SUN

WHEN: The month of June, up to Midsummer’s Eve + Summer Solstice.
WHERE: Milton area; Lakeside area.
CONTENT WARNINGS: themes of survival; food scarcity/food insecurity; supernatural weather; altered mental states; mental manipulation; themes of violence; potential character injury; potential character death; potential NPC death.

In the coming weeks and days, and weeks, the green gloom lingers. From the Darkwalker’s attack, there is no sun. No day, no night. No stars or moon or sun. No Auroras. Just the gloom and biting cold. Life becomes increasingly hard on Interlopers: higher expenditure on fuel — fires and lanterns are imperative to keep the darkness and the cold at bay.

With the green gloom in the air, the wildlife becomes more scarce — as if it has been frightened away into the deeper parts of the wilds. It will be harder to bring in fresh meat in both Milton and Lakeside, and Interlopers will find that they will have to rely on whatever stores they have — and perhaps even rationing for a while.

And it’s not the only thing frightened. Even with the debilitating fear that comes with the Darkwalker’s attack gone, there is still a kind of fear that lingers on the air that slowly eats away at the Interloper’s resolve over time.

Interlopers will find themselves anxious, on edge. Some will be prone to anger in their fear, others prone to fits of melancholy: tearfulness and sorrow. Between the cold, the lack of fresh game and the fear on the air — it’s no wonder spirits are low. Bickering and minor upsets between Interlopers are likely.

They call it the midnight sun, the polar day. It's opposite is the polar night. This is neither and both. On the day of midsummer's eve, that fear on the air is even more palpable. The air feels a little stifling at times, as if the pressure is all off — often quite oppressive, a strange kind of tension. There is something brewing, a low burning thing that begins from the moment Interlopers wake — heavy and sharp in their chest.

’So, Interloper. What will you do now?’ A voice sneers in your ear. The very same voice that has haunted Interlopers since the very beginning. The Darkwalker finally speaks after all these weeks of gloom since its most recent attack. ’When all is gone, when even the sun does not rise? What will you do then?’

A nervousness sits within you as you remember the Darkwalker’s words. What will you do if the sun does not rise? If the darkness is all that is left? If the food runs out? Your wonderings will continue to gnaw away within you. The darkness is hollowing.

’Will you lean on others, like you have always tried to do?’ the voice continues. ’What bonds you hold with them, the ones with those around you. But how strong are they, truly? Can you trust them? Will it matter when your belly is empty and your heart is low? Perhaps it is time to see.

’Never forget, Interloper. I am the Rot. And I will rot within you.’

As the day progresses into the Solstice, that tension lingers in the air, and the wonderings within you continue to wear at you. You find yourself becoming more and more agitated as time goes on. Those feelings that have been brewing for some time now have started to grow close to boiling. You may snap at others, grow restless, become enraged at the tiniest of things — the upsets wildly out of proportion for the smallest slights or issues.

You find your thoughts wandering, too. Perhaps it is to someone you know in this place, or perhaps it is to someone previously unknown to you. Maybe you have an issue with this person, or perhaps the voice’s influence extends further — not only adding to your agitations but creating them, too. A slight, a grudge, a bias.

You feel a bitter gnawing within you. The nightmarish green gloom above you persists and everything bubbles up from within. From the dark, the anger within you become too much. The tension finally snaps.

For some, it might come out as a vicious argument where you air your grievances, or finally let slip the things you’ve been holding close to your chest. A verbal beat down, incredibly hurtful in nature. For others, things may be drawn to getting physical. A literal beat down where your fists grow bruised and bloody, or perhaps even worse. Whatever it is, you want to do damage to someone else — there is darkness here, and so many things come out in the dark, don’t they?

Like a ripple, all around you: all hell breaks loose. Chaos erupts, and the air is filled with violence.

Let’s hope you might stop, or someone else stops you, before someone gets killed.

REPRIEVE

WHEN: Circa three days after the Summer Solstice.
WHERE: Milton.
CONTENT WARNINGS: blood.

All things must come to an end, even the most violent of deadly storms. In the midst of the seemingly endless violence of the night, you find yourself outside. Maybe you're fleeing from another Interloper, maybe you're desperately trying to reach someone you care for, maybe you're simply trying to find somewhere new to hide. Interlopers are hunting one another, blood lies on the snow, bodies too — some breathing, some not.

Perhaps it is a trick of the light. Perhaps it's the Darkwalker’s influence still warping your already frayed mind. Or it's the blood in your eyes, your battered and bruised body struggling to get through it all.

In the gloom, you see it. See her.

A woman, dressed in furs, stones and shells glimmering on her chest like armour, stands in the snow before you. Thin and pale, eyes sunken. Her chest heaves with each breath as she looks around with wide eyes. Her hands are bare and bloody. It drips slowly from her fingers. Is it her blood? Or someone else's? You cannot tell, but you cannot mistake how thick it coats her skin.

Her head turns to look at you. You are stunned, but not frightened. Even through the gloom, after a moment or two, her eyes widen in recognition: she knows you.

Slowly and silent, other than her noisy breathing, she draws close to you. Maybe in turn you draw close to her, closing the distance between you. Up close, her eyes are blue, and sad. You cannot mistake the sorrow in them. She is tired, weary. Her hair is dark, worn loose and long. For some, you feel as if you've seen her before, but you can't quite place her face.

Softly, she says your name.

For some, there may be no recognition. This woman is a stranger, who knows your name somehow. She has been silent the past couple of months, after all.

For others, hearing her speak brings a sudden, jarring realisation: this is Enola.

She’s here. Enola. All this time, she’s whispered to you in dreams, in static, in the very air itself.

She raises one hand, dark and dripping in the green light. Lightly, her fingers brush against your chest. You don’t feel the pressure of them, don’t feel the odd heat of blood — only the weight of her stare as she holds your gaze. It’s a long moment of peace in amongst the chaos.

You feel her exhaustion, a tiredness that sinks into your very bones. Apologies, too. You have never known anything like it. But there’s something else too, something that takes a moment or two to put your finger on. Defiance. A renewal. Something shifts in the air, a growing tension, different from the kind that’s been held on the air throughout the month. It’s the coming of a storm, the rolling clouds, the growing rumble of thunder before the first lightning strike.

Enola nods, her expression grave. She pulls away and turns from you — her head lifting towards the skies as she walks. Her arms raise, bloodied hands twisting and tensing before her. They curl, almost into fists, and she makes a gesture: the slow tearing of something huge and invisible before her — a shriek spilling from her lips. A battle-cry, a last stand, a wail of agony. It echoes.

The sky cracks and splits open before you, dazzling light and colours blinding your vision into pure white. The world tilts too hard below your feet, and you don’t remember passing out.

When you awaken, Enola is gone. The skies are clear and blue, the sun is high in the sky. As you pick yourself up from the snow, in the harsh light of the polar day, blood has never looked so red. The horrors of the night laid bare. Interlopers are dead, but the Darkwalker’s influence is gone. For now.

In the wake of Midsummer, all Interlopers can do is try reconcile. Bury the dead, rebuild, lick wounds. But that feeling in the air still remains — that different, new kind of tension that has come with Enola’s appearance. The first of the lightning bolts has struck, but more are coming.

FAQs

A SIGN OF THINGS TO COME

1. Alexander Hilbert has been devoured by the Darkwalker. His remains can be found in the Hydrodam. The following note has been left by Kates concerning his death: ‘Sveta gets possession of his research notes + blood samples + creepy lab journal because it's all in Russian, lmao.’

2. Information on the Darkwalker’s attack can be found here.

3. Usually, after the Darkwalker attacks, the sky would return to normal. This won’t happen. Instead, the usual atmospheric changes that occur during Darkwalker attacks will remain in place as June continues..


POLAR SUN

1. For an idea how the setting appears for June, it's like what you see in the game during the Escape The Darkwalker Challenge. Inside, there'll be a degree of green shades to rooms etc via what comes through windows but with it being lit up via fires and light sources, the gloom will be chased back.


2. Characters are free to use this event to kill NPC Interlopers. Methuselah and Young Bill are off the table, as are two marked NPC Interlopers. Please let Mods know if you intend on doing this for record keeping!

3. These acts of violence can be physical or verbal altercations, players are encouraged to work with the prompt however they'd like! However, anything potentially world-altering (ie. building destruction) must be first discussed with mods.

4. Interlopers under the Darkwalker's influence can be stopped in a number of ways. Showing genuine care and compassion in the face of violence is one way. Knocking an Interloper out is another way. Sometimes killing an Interloper may be needed, or simply restraining them and keeping them locked up somewhere so they can't hurt anyone else until the night is over would also work.

5. Talismans made by Heartman back in March with a Ward Sigil against the Darkwalker will come into effect during this prompt. It's been an ongoing process, with new Interlopers being offered them from their arrival. Players are free to choose what kind of talisman they received, or if they chose to get one at all. Their effectiveness is dependent on the type of blood used on the talisman.

— Animal Blood: Interlopers carrying talismans using blood from animals found in the world, such as deer, rabbits or wolves will find themselves more susceptible to the Darkwalker’s influence and disposition towards violence. They will be much harder to break out of the hold over them, and become almost frenzied state.
— Monster Blood: Interlopers carrying talismans using blood from any creatures or monsters that Interlopers have encountered in their time in the Northern Territories, such as the Serpent from December’s TDM will find there are no negative nor positive effects. The talisman is essentially useless. and Interlopers will fall under the Darkwalker's influence.
— Interloper Blood: Interlopers carrying talismans using blood for Interlopers will be offered protection/resistance from the Darkwalker’s influence and disposition towards violence. They may be slightly affected but will have their wits about them more compared to others. If the blood came from an Interloper with an Aurora Feat — this protection/resistance will be largely increased, an the Interloper may even feel braver, less affected by the fear in the atmosphere.
— No Talisman: Similar to the Monster Blood Talisman, Interlopers will be affected typically by the Darkwalker's influence in due course.

There are no additional affects with an Interloper using their own blood, just if they have an Aurora Feat or not.

6. Animals owned by Interlopers will be more frightened and will want to hide away in the build up — they will be disturbed by the world. Mostly lying down and whining/restlessness. They may display some signs of aggression on occasion, but not to the same degree of humans.

7. Forest Talkers are hidden away and will not be able to be reached during the Solstice.

REPRIEVE

1. Enola can only be met alone, but she will appear to all Interlopers in Milton.

2. Enola will be nowhere to be found afterwards, there are no tracks to be followed. She has simply vanished.

PLOTTING POST

Comments

Cornelius Hickey | The Terror

[friendsfordinner]

open to anybody who Hickey has even the slightest hint of positive CR with (if you've had a nice conversation, you're in. if you're Louis, Rorschach, or Jopson, buzz off). cw: cannibalism, gaslighting

Hickey's been surprisingly close to his normal self during all this mess. Granted, he's a twitchy, slightly feral asshole ready to fight or poke buttons that shouldn't be poked on a good day. A bad day just makes him all of that and more. He's spent his time out and about more often, as there are fewer people who you want to strangle, fewer goddamn idiots making things worse out there in the woods. And there's a better chance of finding food. Because throughout all of this, the main emotion driving Hickey's actions is hunger.

He is so fucking hungry.

Might as well take advantage of that.

There are a few times when Hickey's back in civilization, milling about Milton. When he spots someone he knows, someone he's had at least one conversation with, he'll wave them over.

"It's been a shit week or so, hasn't it."

closed to Crozier, cw: body horror, gore

[friendsfordinner]

There's a body in the woods.

It's not easy to find if you're not the sort of antisocial mountain man who occasionally treks out to the woods to check on his cairns. The body's been hidden away and buried—not buried well, of course. But buried enough that most would glance over. But then again, most people aren't antisocial mountain men.

When Crozier unearths the corpse, he'll find that it's wearing a shirt, though the man's trousers are missing. The flesh of the man's leg has been cut into and butchered. Strips, chunks of flesh are missing, in a way that uncomfortably reminds Crozier of Harry Goodsir's body, laid out on the table. The cause of death is easy enough. Nearly a dozen stab wounds on the chest, in a way that uncomfortably reminds Crozier of John Irving's body, lying on the shale.

Sure is a ~mystery~ who killed this guy, huh Frank.

kieren walker | in the flesh

[burying]

OPEN PROMPT + CLOSED STARTERS
✞✞✞
plotting comment
heolstor / _heolstor on discord for plotting!

✞ AN OPEN MOUTH SCREAMS AND MAKES NO SOUND

[burying]

cw: identity issues; npc death; murder; gore; cannibalism/zombie related cannibalism
note: this prompt is more a reaction than anything, Kieren will not be able to be reasoned with / interacted with at this time. you're free to have your character see Kieren's actions and react from a distance, considering this is very public.

[ He's so... hungry.

As the month drags on, it gets harder and harder to find food — the brains of animals he needs to sustain himself. Kieren starves, far quicker than the others. He can't eat the food that others can. Even in his tormented state, he tries: and it ends up exactly like the other time he'd tried to consume regular food — wasted, and the guilt and despair sets in.

Something else sets in, too. Agitation, frustration. Kieren's prone to snapping, the mild-mannered boy is long gone as the Solstice approaches. He keeps to himself, for the most part — trying not to extend his energy more than he needs to. It bubbles within him, underneath the surface; something hot and bright and violent and he's so hungry.

When the tension finally snaps, so does Kieren.

He doesn't recall her name, doesn't recall where he picked up the wood in his hands. He sees a kind of red he doesn't remember ever seeing — not even his fury and grief in the face of Bill Macy seems to come close to it. It's not fair. He can't be like her, he can't eat like her, can't be normal like her. He'll always be this, some half-thing. Some half-person, never fully alive nor fully dead. Some disgusting thing who did terrible things he can never take back, loathing himself until he finally returns to the earth once more.

(He deserves it, he thinks. And the anger flashes all too harder. He hopes this time they cremate him.)

There's a sharp crack, and she's down. Blood splatters against the snow and she's not moving. It's not enough. He brings the wood back down again, and again. It splinters in his hands and there's so much blood. He doesn't hear himself screaming, raging and snarling like some wild animal.

He's hungry, and when he inhales he can taste that blood on the air. He's so hungry.

Kieren drops to his knees before he realises, shaking hands reaching forwards — tearing at hair and skin and unpeeling the broken mess of skull before him. He gouges, scooping chunks of brain into his fingers and cramming it into his mouth. Some part of him gags, briefly, but he's hungry and he forces it down, taking his fill.

(Simone, he'll remember. Her name was Simone. She came in February. He brought her firewood once. She had a kind smile.) ]

✞ DEATH DREAMS YOU DON'T FORGET

[burying]

cw: panic attacks; gore/blood

ONE.
[ Under the harsh light of the midnight sun, Kieren returns home to his cabin from MacCready's place. He walks numbly, dried blood and gore on his face, down his front — bloodied hands curled into tight fists at his sides. He couldn't bring himself to wash up at MacCready's, couldn't bare to let the other man see him without his cover-up mousse, even if it half-smeared off by now — showing the pale, corpse-grey skin of his bare face beneath. He doesn't look at anyone, doesn't lift his head if anyone calls.

He doesn't breathe, but his chest rises and falls with panicked, shallow breaths that rattle. He shakes, and it feels like the world's too small and too big all at once. His head spins, and the edges of his vision blur — it's too much.

He did it. He never wanted to do it again. He did it, anyway.

Spilling into his cabin on Basin Outlook, he doesn't feel any calmer. He starts moving towards the sink — ice-cold water groaning from the tap as he reaches his shaking underneath the stream. Through the panicked sobs, he fights to clean off the blood — how he'll be found if anyone follows him inside. ]

cw: themes of death/suicide ideation

TWO.
[ Later, Kieren can't bring himself to leave. He sits in the living room, the fire barely embers — curtains drawn, pretending he doesn't exist. He's reapplied his cover-up mousse, tried his best to look normal again. Make himself look like Kieren. He's hidden the bloodied clothes away and he knows he'll need to burn them or something. He can't stomach it right now. His chest is a strange and heavy thing.

They're going to kill him for this, he's sure.

In one breath, he's frightened. In other, he's oddly calm. The first time he'd died, he'd felt relief. He isn't sure it's relief he'll feel this time. But maybe... well, he wouldn't blame anyone for doing it. It wouldn't be so bad. At least then he'd finally know he wouldn't hurt anyone ever again.

(He wants to live, maybe. He wants a future. He wants something more. He took the choice to stay, and that's the only way he can change things.)

When the door knocks, Kieren flinches like he's been struck. His eyes close for a long moment, and he hopes maybe if he doesn't say anything they'll go away. They'll think he isn't home, something like that. But after a long silence, he reckons with himself — if someone's going to kill him, then that's fair enough. And he'll have to own up to that, have to face it — it's about time. ]

Who is it—?

✞ A PAINTING OF A PANIC ATTACK — MACCREADY

[burying]

[ He's still hungry. Blood coats his hands, it's smeared across his face and down his front and he's still hungry. Kieren stalks through the town, but with more purpose now his hunger's been somewhat satiated. There's something else, something that itches away in him, something niggling in the back of his mind that he can't ignore any longer. Simone had brought him clarity, and now he's scoring for a fight.

He'd let it lie, before. He'd just pushed it down and ignored it: it hadn't been his fault, what had happened. MacCready had been out of his head, hadn't been thinking right. He wasn't to blame for shooting Bigby, for shooting him. And Kieren had left it at that.

... But you know what? Actually that's bullshit.

No one should get off that easily. Just because someone wasn't in their right frame of mind doesn't make it okay, doesn't take away from the fact that people got hurt. Bigby got hurt, and he could have been killed. How is that alright? Kieren rages, because it's not fair. He's going to find him, he's going to make it right somehow. He wants MacCready to pay for it. The Darkwalker is the Rot within them, and why the fuck should he get away with it when they're all here starving and waiting to die?

He'll announce himself in good time. It won't matter if he's shot again, he doesn't care — a wild thing stalking through the snow, making a beeline for him. ]

Oi—!

[ As soon as he's close, he'll be throwing a punch. Kieren's not much of a fighter, but he'll throw himself entirely into it. ]

Ruby Rose | RWBY

[guidemyway]

Open Prompts + Closed Starters

If we've talked about doing a thread feel to wild card a starter here, or leave a note and I'll get a starter going.

A Sign Of Things To Come.

[guidemyway]

[Ruby lived out in the Lakeside area. So she was unfortunately one of the first people to come across Hilbert at the Hydrodam. She unfortunately isn't exactly one of the more medically savvy people around so there isn't much she can do to help in terms of an autopsy. She can however help give him a burial when the time comes.

And then since she is on of the quicker people around she starts to make her way over to Milton to give them the news about the Darkwalkers latest victim. It's still at best a couple days after the fact that she arrives in Milton- They really need to get a better way to send messages out figured out.

When she arrives she's exhausted from the trip. But she puts up a notice on the bulletin board. Then- Anyone that might need to know will probably get a knock at their door for her to inform them herself.]

Food Raiding: CW: Breaking and entering.

[guidemyway]

[With the lack of sunlight it's a little hard to tell whether it's particularly late out or not. Given how on edge everyone has been it might not even matter. Ruby certainly wasn't trying to hard to keep track herself, all she knew was that her stomach was throwing a fit and she had to do best to manage that.

Which is why it doesn't really matter how well hidden, or how well secured someone's food stores might be. She was determined to track down whatever scraps she could to deal with the hunger that was eating away her.

So whether it be house, basement, shed, or anywhere else people were storing food. There might hear the crash of someone breaking in, or the sound of footsteps scurrying around where they normally wouldn't be. But when they come to investigate there is definitely a girl in red either chowing down, or searching for food to eat.]

Polar Sun

[guidemyway]

[If it were any other time Ruby would have done her best to be the calming voice to try and support everyone when things got rough. But she was exhausted, hungry, another friend of hers was dead, everything was just starting to spiral and she couldn't stop herself from falling right in along with it.

Whatever sets her off doesn't have to be much. Maybe it's argument between two other interlopers, maybe someone dropped something that made a loud clatter, maybe it was just another painful growl of her stomach. Either way she shoots up to her feet and slams a hand against a wall or nearby table.]

That's it! I've had enough!

[And her hand reaches to grab the box that folded out into her scythe. ...Unfortunately as it tended to do around here, it seemed to get jammed up halfway between it's box form and it's scythe form. She glares at it in frustration before whipping it across the room.]

Not you, too!

Aftermath

[guidemyway]

[When all is said and done. Ruby is still exhausted, hungry, and there was still a ton of work to be done. But people weren't on the attack anymore and that was something.

The first thing she does is pick herself up and makes an effort to bandage any wounds that she has, and if she comes across someone who looks hurt she'll offer a hand to help them up.]

Hey- Let's get you patched up. Can you walk?

[After that she can be found gathering up any corpses throughout town and dragging them over to the graveyard. It's not exactly pretty work but there's a look in her eyes that implies this might not be the first time she's done either.]

[And finally once the injured and dead are taken care of. She'll make her way over to the bulletin board in the community center and post up a request list. She'll take a seat nearby to rest for a little, but if anyone passes by and shows any interest she'll speak up.]

I'll be heading back over to Lakeside in the next few days. I'll try and get the forge up and running if you can think of something here that needs to be fixed- Or anything that'll help fortify the town in the future.

Levi | Fear & Hunger 2: Termina

[solitarysoul]

open & closed starters
plotting comment | connectivetrick | Levi's general CWs

Polar Sun | OTA

[solitarysoul]

I First few days of month
It hadn't been more than a day or two since the Darkwalker had come and the sky never returned to normal, but even with the new feeling in the air time still went on. He hadn't been over to Lakeside to check how things were, but if the Forest Talkers weren't currently a threat it was a good bet they would become one again someday. Or something else would. Hopefully something physical defenses could help against, so Levi was back out trying to build up the barricades. Visibility was much worse, so he has a small fire burning near one in town. He's not really sure if people are still interested in helping, but it gave him something to do. Something to focus on instead of the uneasy feelings and the sky and whatever worse things came next.

Perhaps you want to help? Or ask him why he's bothering. Or tell him that he's doing something wrong. Whatever works, really.


II Mid to late month
He didn't want to be doing this. He didn't want to be placing himself between someone and the food they wanted. But Levi had been through lean times before, and the food he'd hidden away was disappearing too quickly to last long enough. He couldn't blame whoever it was, but that didn't mean he'd let them keep taking as much as they wanted. If it had been their own stores it'd be something else, but the food he'd hidden away was to be shared as equally as possible.

And so Levi found himself standing guard at the entrance to the community hall's basement, since that's where (most of) his food stash was. He has his rifle, as always, but he's looking much more serious than usually. Not the shy, meek boy watching out as much as the solider doing his duty.


III Shortly before 6/21 - free to witness, only one interaction please CW: NPC murder
It had been a tough month. Some days (most, lately) when he went out hunting Levi returned empty handed. He didn't feel much better today with just a squirrel in hand. But while it wasn't much it was still something and he meant to butcher it and take the meat to a smoker. He was hungry, sure, but they needed to eat in the future as well as the present. But not everyone was as far sighted or as used to rationing as Levi was, and when he neared town and ran into another Interloper things didn't end so well.

The confrontation started off simple, a request for Levi to share. After all he'd done so before, why wouldn't he now? But he refused, even shouting when the other kept insisting. That triggered Max to make a grab for the rabbit so, with tempers already high, Levi responded by punching the other Interloper in the face.

He'd meant to fight just enough that he could get free and run back to town, but at some point in the scuffle Max's hands ended up around Levi's throat. That was a direct threat to his life, so his training kicked in. The fight didn't last long after that, but with everything so on edge Levi landed a few blows after it was clear Max wasn't breathing anymore. His vision was still red enough that when he rose he finished the fight the way he would have in Prehevil and brought his boot down hard on Max's skull.

He stands there for a few moments, catching his breath and looking down at the body. It will take a few moments for his brain to catch up to what he's just done.

kate marsh | life is strange

[castitas]

CLOSED STARTERS
☮☮☮
plotting comment
heoltsor / _heolstor on discord for plotting!

☮ HAVEN'T I GIVEN ENOUGH? — CHLOE FRAZER

[castitas]

[ Chaos erupts, but she still manages to keep her wits about her. It's only to a certain degree: whatever weird stuff that's going on, driving people to— to go absolutely crazy it's... it's not her. It's not happening to her. The Darkwalker whispers to her, but she manages to keep herself steady — doesn't fall into those horrible thoughts.

It doesn't help against the fear she feels, and she sticks to the edges of the rooms, cowed as she hides in the Community Hall, trying to keep an eye on the violence in the green gloom outside. She notices the basement doors are open, and her throat feels tight. The flare gun is heavy against her hip, already loaded with a shell, and she holds onto it with a white-knuckled grip.

If she needs help, she can use. Someone will come. Someone will help her.

She slips out and then down into the basement, her knees buckling a little with fear as she carefully makes her way down the steps. Maybe it's someone trying to hide down here, maybe it'll be okay. And she can call for help if she needs to. Someone will come, someone will help her. She holds the flare gun back, hiding it behind her a little. ]

W-who's there—?

☮ ALWAYS THE FOOL WITH THE SLOWEST HEART — EDWARD LITTLE

[castitas]

cw: blood; attempted murder; strangulation

[ The world doesn't spin so hard, but she only sees half of it. There's a dull throbbing ache that thrums with every heartbeat, enough to make her feel nauseous — one eye swollen almost shut. She staggers into the night for— she doesn't know, there isn't a clear thought process behind going out rather than returning to the Community Hall.

Help, she thinks. She needs help.

The night is alive with screams and yelling and sobbing — terror fills her, even if she manages to keep her wits about her. Breathlessly, she noisily hurries through the snow, ducks around buildings to avoid anyone she doesn't know. She needs help. She rounds the corner, checking behind her as she darts and looks round just in time just in time for a fist to collide.

For the second time, she sees stars. Blood fills her mouth, wells and spills from her lips. Kate stumbles and crashes into the snow, stunned by the blow — everything is white hot for a moment and then cold, heavy breathing above her.

'You.' the voice says. She doesn't recognise it at first as she rolls onto her stomach, still half-dazed and whimpering in pain. She needs help, and she dizzily starts to move, pushing herself up and crawling forwards — her head too heavy and filled with thick pain like cotton wool, she can barely lift it and all she taste is copper, dirty pennies.

'They're always looking out for you. They're not here now.' Kate whimpers, feels a hand at her ankle that yanks her down and back. 'What about the rest of us, huh? Maybe they'll stop worrying about you and worry about the rest of us with you gone.' ]

Please— [ She needs to get away from him, she needs help. She keeps trying to crawl away, but instead the world turns over and suddenly she's looking at the sky, at him. ... She remembers his name. He hasn't been here long, but she remembers the ones who come here — from the Feasts. She does her best to try and check on everyone, but she's always so busy. Mikel. He's older than her, he studied music at college — he liked hearing her play violin in the hall.

He leers over her. 'It's not fucking fair—!' he yells, and Kate raises her hands up in a defensive gesture as she tries to wriggle back from him in the snow: please, no. He drops to the ground, straddling her and she can't breathe under the weight of him — letting out a cry as he rips the scarf from her neck. ]

Stop—! Please, don't do th—! [ Her voice cuts out with a gag, hands wrapped around her throat and squeezing. Kate's eyes go wide in horror, frozen for a moment before she starts to scramble — her hands grasping desperately to pry his from her. Not like this. Please, not like this. ]

cw: cannibalism - all the way down for this one, kids!

[goingtobeunwell]

You'd waste this man?

He can barely focus for the fury. His entire body vibrates with it, stilling only long enough to cover the corpse properly with snow and dirt and rocks. He spends as long as his rage-addled mind can handle returning some measure of dignity to the man, then covers the spot with branches and sticks and other various bits of debris until he's completely covered. He won't be left to the elements, picked over by animals or pawed at a second time once Hickey realizes there's meat left to butcher.

Suspecting said murderer is back in town happily devouring one of their own raw, Crozier stalks back into town in search of him. He's moving faster than he has in a very long time, arthritic joints and angry scars temporarily forgotten. Anger is one hell of a fuel.

He very well may kill him this time.

[friendsfordinner]

Hickey's in town. He's leaning against the wall of the community center, trying to hide from everybody else, enjoying a cigarette. Because he's mad. He's tense. There's so many people in this town, they're all so aggravating, and he's just so fucking hungry. Hickey feels like if he runs into anybody, if anybody crosses him, he'll just haul off and hit them. And on the one hand, the people here deserve it. He told them, he was always preparing for when the worst would happen, but did people listen? No. They wanted to play nice with those people in the woods, they wanted to do cute things like play government and not focus on bare survival. If they die, they deserve it.

But he also told Billy that he'd try not to get into any fights. But again, he desperately wants to.

Hickey doesn't clock Crozier approaching. He's too lost in his own thoughts, his own hunger, and his own barely tamped down anger as he finishes off his cigarette and tries to avoid everybody else here.

Reprieve | OTA

[solitarysoul]

Once Enola has come and gone and the fog of rage has cleared from everyone's heads, the weight of the last few weeks finally hit Levi. He killed someone. He didn't need to. He could have gotten away. But instead, he let himself give in and kill them. And after that everything was so crazy and he was still so angry that he hadn't bothered to put much thought to it. But with the storm broken things were different.

They were different all over town, the sun revealing just what the chaos had brought. Max wasn't the only dead person, and more were injured. It was good, in a way, since the mess gave him something to do. Something to focus on besides his own thoughts and feelings. He'd learned a lot from Dr Goodsir, after all. In the days following everything, Levi could be found offering medical assistance. He wasn't as good as the actual doctors (and surgeon) but washing, patching up and bandaging wounds was simple enough.

When not trying to heal, Levi also makes sure he digs graves. At least one for the person he killed, and then however many seem to be needed. He digs them out near the church, but not in the graveyard itself. Don't want to disturb those who are already there.

Late at night, when things were quiet and most people were asleep, he could also be found huddled outside the community hall or the graveyard. He had no way to quiet his mind in those times, so he couldn't help but go over everything that'd happened in the long dusk. Everything he'd done. Everything he should have done differently.

[solitarysoul]

[The store under the community hall wasn't Levi's only place to stash food. He had a smaller one in a basement of a house that remained abandoned. It was for emergency-emergency use only, though, so aside from checking on it near the beginning of all of this Levi had left it alone. But he hadn't managed to catch anything in days and the stores he kept to share with others was almost gone. He was so damn hungry that he decided to finally check on it. He could get a quick snack and head back out or he could eat the whole damn thing maybe.

He was extra careful to make sure no one was around to see him go in, but he wasn't expecting to find his stash already discovered.]

Hey!

[goingtobeunwell]

There’s been a noticeable spike in aggression and general antagonism, and Crozier’s no exception. Fortunately he’s been out in the woods when the worst of it hits; very few people, save for one, experience any of his belligerence or bouts of self-pity brought on by extreme melancholia. And he’s rotten too, vicious and angry, every bit a bitter drunk without the drink, wanting to flip tables and place the blame for his personal failures at the feet of everyone except for himself.

There’s no barrier from that anger now, nothing stopping it from raging like an unchecked flame inside of him as he searches the streets and public areas for Hickey.

Even in strange clothing, Hickey stands out from everyone else. He bears himself in a way that screams self-importance and laziness, and once spotted Crozier is walking purposely towards him with fist curled.

He swings without saying a word, knocking Hickey in his smug face.

Chloe Frazer | Uncharted

[desperate_times_right]

[Starters will be posted below. I will match either prose or brackets. Plotting post here. Feel free to wildcard under this comment, or contact me via plurk at nonhoration or discord at nonhoration with ideas.]

Polar Sun - For Ruby (and Lalo eventually)

[desperate_times_right]

Chloe is so hungry. Her snares have been coming up empty for more than a week now, and every run to check them just leaves her more drained. The reserves she’d saved from her little venture with Lestat have run out now as well, and after the mess at the hall she feels like she has little choice but to return to her old ways.

Maybe not exactly her old ways. She's not breaking into Lalo’s house alone, after all. There's another hungry person with her, one that reminds Chloe too much of herself to leave behind.

“See that depression in the snow? There's a snare trap there. He's not very creative.”

Polar Sun (open)

[desperate_times_right]

In the ensuing weeks, Chloe only gets hungrier, more desperate. She can't trust anyone. The sky roils, a nightmare of sunless green. She's not safe anywhere. The only thing she can do to stay alive is wait until people are asleep before breaking into sheds, pantries, coops and cellars, looking for anything remotely edible. Anyone unlucky enough to be awake late might come across this woman shaking as she tears into their supplies.

Midsummer (open)

[desperate_times_right]

It just keeps getting worse and worse. There’s never going to be sun again and everyone’s out for her blood and people keep staring at her. Chloe can’t take it.

“What? What the fuck are you looking at?!”

She's already reaching for her knife.