methuselah (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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singillatim2025-01-09 11:05 pm
singmod) wrote in singillatim2025-01-09 11:05 pm
Entry tags:
- *event,
- benton fraser: lorna,
- bigby wolf: jelle,
- chloe frazer: tess,
- cornelius hickey: kates,
- edward little: jhey,
- eren jaeger: lyn,
- john irving: gabbie,
- kieren walker: cheryl,
- konstantin veshnyakov: jhey,
- levi ackerman: dem,
- levi jordan: cirape,
- randvi: tess,
- raylan givens: arma,
- sameen shaw: iddy,
- snow white: carly,
- the doctor: kris,
- thomas jopson: kota,
- tim drake: fox,
- wynonna earp: lorna
even though it's a cruel world
JANUARY 2025 EVENT
PROMPT ONE — THE HUNTED, PART ONE: Interlopers find themselves stalked and hunted by seemingly supernatural presence.
PROMPT TWO — TIES THAT BIND: Those little blinks of light noticed by Interlopers finally take form, showing Interlopers just how they're connected.
PROMPT THREE — WINTERSTILLE: A new winter storm hits, with a terrifying twist at the very heart of it.
THE HUNTED, PART ONE
WHEN: The month of January, continuing into February.
WHERE: Everywhere, but especially Lakeside area.
CONTENT WARNINGS: supernatural creature; hauntings; supernatural experiences; themes of hunting, being hunted/stalked by an animal; bear ‘attacks’.
Methuselah once warned an Interloper of the changing behaviours of animals within the Northern Territories. Perhaps this is something of this kind of instance, or… perhaps it is something else entirely.
There are old tales, some of which might be found within the Camp Office like Nor'pogo: folk stories about the area — and not just of Lakeside, but further afield. One is the story of The Old Bear, and those who tried to bring it down.
In the early days of inhabitation of the Northern Territories by European settlers, a gigantic bear had already long made its home in these wilds. It was said that the bear was incredibly long-lived and unusually aggressive. The settlers had angered it by cutting it off from its feeding grounds and chased it off from where it had once freely roamed, encroaching on its territory.
Incensed, the Old Bear began to hunt and kill the settlers — determined to win back its world. It was said, however, that their weapons were no match against the creature. It was as if nothing could ever truly bring it down. Firearms could barely affect it, and its thick hide was filled with old, broken arrows that had tried and failed to injure it.
Three hunters, determined to fight back against the bear’s attacks on the settlers, and bring the animal down for its pelt to hoard as a trophy, decided to pursue the bear. Thus began a bitter hunt that lasted months. They chased it down all over Lakeside and then to the east, up towards the muskeg that lay in the shadows of Timberwolf Mountain. It is said that they went out onto the muskeg, never to return — with Old Bear disappearing with them, too.
Perhaps the four of them all met their end, both men and bear. But something has begun to stalk the Northern Territories once again. Footprints can be found in the snow, tracks of a bear far larger than anything found in the natural world. Prints that smell like bear, but there's something off about them. Prints that disappear into nothing, as if a ghost walks through the silent, snowy wilds.
Out in the wilds of Lakeside and Milton, Interlopers will start to find themselves being watched. A distinct prickling at the back of their neck. In the distance, they will hear the heavy thuds of a large animal trekking through the snow, the low grumbles of an angry beast.
At first, they are distant enough that perhaps you might be able get away from the sounds without incident. Fleeing for the safety of the indoors, or creating enough distance for the sounds to fade into silence. Surely the creature will not follow you, especially indoors. And you’re right. The indoors will seem safe.
But over time, the sounds draw nearer. Near enough to make you think it's almost upon you. You turn to look to see where the creature might be, only to find nothing in the immediate vicinity. You cannot see what huge, hulking creature is heading towards you. The woods are still and silent as they always are, save for the animals you would usually find in this place.
Or worse, you suddenly feel the heavy huff of breath behind you: hot against your neck, snarling. A beast upon you, ready to devour you whole.
And then, as you turn. Nothing.
As the month goes on, these instances increase. Other times, you catch sight of it. A huge shadow from the rocks above, shining golden eyes in the dark and a wide snarl of teeth. A bear, bigger than anything you’ve ever seen. Impossibly so. A mass of dark brown fur, broken arrow shafts protruding from its hide, watching you with a keen and ferocious intelligence — staring you down until suddenly, it is gone. Nothing but the shapes of rocks and foliage.
Sometimes, it leaps down at you. Charges at you.
Turn and run, and it will give chase — but you’ll find yourself simply running from the wind.
You are not just stalked, but haunted. Hunted.
TIES THAT BIND
WHEN: The month of January, into February.
WHERE: Everywhere.
CONTENT WARNINGS: red strings of fate; possible themes of co-dependency; shared empathy/telepathy; potential forced empathy/mood/emotion alternating/mental manipulation; supernaturally induced pain; forced feelings of sadness, low mood.
In the Quiet Apocalypse, Interlopers face the harsh and unforgiving climate of the Northern Territories alone. Or so they think. Interlopers are all connected to one another in some shape or form. At the start of the month, the strange flickers of light that Interlopers previously noticed will begin to form a little more solidly and can be seen appearing at their fingers. They are incredibly weak at first, but in time the Interlopers will find that some of these strings of light will become far more stronger in their appearance.
The strings are completely intangible. They cannot be touched, your fingers going right through them if you try. But Interlopers will find that these strings of light will eventually lead somewhere: to another Interloper.
Some may have heard of strings of fate, red strings that lead others to their romantic soulmates. These strings, however, are not limited exclusively to romantic soulmates and the strings can have far broader meanings. And they do not simply connect Interlopers to one another, but have abilities that come with them. Connections are powerful things, after all.
For those who crave connection or have particularly strong bonds with others, these strings may be incredibly influential on Interlopers, and these abilities may come very naturally, like breathing. For those who relish in the solitude, they may find their strings far weaker — although they may come to find they do not like this. That it disturbs them in some indescribable way. Others may note that their strings are frayed, they seem more fragile — noting a tense or strained relationship. This too will be something that Interlopers will find troubling or disturbing to them. It sounds like you might need to work on things to make things better.
There are four types of strings that will appear:
The Red String: This string represents close relationships of a positive nature but specifically romantic interests or lovers. Concentrating on these threads will bring a kind of intuition similar to that which is experienced by Interlopers who share the Moon Touched Feat. You speak a kind of secret language, almost like talking telepathically but not quite. You become fully in tune with one another, conveying meaning and understanding without uttering a word.
The Gold String This string represents close relationships of a positive nature, specifically friends, familial relationships, and comraderie. Interlopers will find that concentrating on this kind of thread shared with another will find themselves more in tune with one another's emotions, and know exactly what the other needs at any given moment. However, it may sometimes become difficult to identify who an emotion belongs to. Emotions can be passed to one another: one Interloper might be able to purposefully soothe another's anger, or raise another's spirits if they feel upset — for example.
The Black String: This string represents antagonistic relationships. Rivalries, enemies, or those you simply mistrust. However, concentrating on this kind of thread shared with another will bring pain to the Interlopers. Sometimes this might feel like an electric shock, other times it might feel like a slow, dreadful ache. After this initial pain, Interlopers will find that they are more prone to picking up the thoughts of the other person that they are connected to. This may be in the form of specific thoughts of what the person is thinking at that time, or it may be picking up the thoughts the other has had about the Interloper previously — possibly providing useful insight into the minds of those you dislike most.
The White String: Every Interloper will have one white string. It seems to lead towards the east, but Interlopers will find it very difficult to follow it and will not be able to follow it for long. At first, concentrating on this string will bring a sense of sadness, heaviness. But for some, they may even feel a sense of comfort, or the feeling of being uplifted.
Each string will give off some kind of impression of the Interloper it belongs to, something that comes to mind in terms of identification: a scent, a colour, a sensation, a food item. Whatever it is, it is something that is related to the Interloper the string belongs to. The white string will give off the impression of feeling alone, along with campfire smoke, blood, and the saltiness of tears. Underneath that, there’s something a little more subdued: warming winter-spice.
WINTERSTILLE
WHEN: 24th - 28th January.
WHERE: Everywhere.
CONTENT WARNINGS: extreme weather; storms; blizzards; supernatural weather; themes of survival; possible character cold-related injuries; possible themes of peril; themes of weather-related horror; possible npc death; possible character death; possible animal death.
Those versed in reading the signs will note the approach, those who have learned to read the weather, nature itself, if they pay close enough attention: the shifts in pressure, the restlessness of the weather, how wildlife absconds. Something is off, something is coming. For the rest, Methuselah arrives into town. He is hurrying, as fast as his aged body can take him. The old man was right the first time when he came with warnings. Hopefully this time the Interlopers will heed him again.
‘Something is coming.’ he warns Interlopers, breathless. Methuselah is worried, even someone as long-lived as he. He has seen many storms, but something troubles him about this one. ‘A great storm. But, in the signs— something is wrong and it is coming much too quickly, I cannot say when it will arrive, but soon. We do not have much time to be ready.’
Interlopers will have only a day or so to prepare. To batten down the hatches, to gather supplies and hunker down. The Community Hall is a good place as any to gather in, and it makes sense to gather in there again to wait the storm. Many can go there, but others are free to wait it out in their own homes, with their select company.
Free Runners and Aurora Callers are invaluable in getting messages around the town and further out to those who live in Lakeside. As will those little strings of yours. It isn’t much time to get ready, especially if this might end up lasting several days, but some warning is better than none at all.
The skies darken and in comes a violent squall: snow thick and fast, winds roaring. Buildings creak and groan, as if they might tear themselves apart. Trees will come down, some buildings may not survive it. Day and night, the storm rages around. A complete white out.
And then, suddenly, in the early afternoon of the next day… it stops.
The snowfall ends. There is a strange whistling of the winds, and then it drops completely. Everything is still, silent.
The sky is clear. There is light, the precious few hours of daylight afforded to Interlopers at this time of year seems impossibly bright — no clouds can be seen in the sky. There is nothing but clear, pale blue.
But looking toward the skies will reveal a circle of clouds surrounding that clear, blue sky. Almost a perfect circle. The eye of the storm.
For those in the Community Hall, looking to venture outside, Methuselah will shake his head. No. — ‘I do not trust it.’
It’s slow at first. There's a strange sound in the air, something coming downwards. The highest trees and buildings are the first hit by it. They crack and shift ever-so slightly, freezing instantly. From the very top and moving downwards...
If you are outside, maybe you feel it in your bones: run.
The strange ice descends, freezing everything it touches, the strange white pattern crawling downwards. Run for cover, inside, out of the elements and into dry and warm shelter. Even inside, you'll notice it crawling downwards and towards you: white frosting over walls and furniture close to it. Everything crackles and groans as it freezes over— some unprotected windows will shatter, especially those of the long-abandoned cars still scattered around the town. Mugs and plates will shatter, even mirrors — potentially sending shards flying to unsuspecting Interlopers.
You'll need to move into the center of rooms, or close to lit fires and gather close. Keep the fires going. Keep the temperature high.
And hopefully the ice will not reach you.
This strange frozen stillness will last for the next twelve hours. You will be trapped, huddling, away from the edges of your shelters.
The silence ends. And then the storm returns, the howling winds and furious blizzards. The storm will rage on for another day until it finally fizzles out and the world becomes calm again. It will be safe to go out now.
There’ll be a lot of damage to the town due to the storm, and windows and doors will likely be frozen shut and difficult to open again, meaning it will take time for Interlopers to actually leave their places of safety. In the aftermath, Interlopers may find just how deadly that stillness was, how deadly that crawling ice: the bodies of the unfortunate, human and beasts alike, frozen on the spot — dead in an instant and left stuck there.
FAQs
1. Interlopers will be spared by any form of physical attack at this time. The attacks on Interlopers will only be instances of striking fear, and giving chase.
2. Other Interlopers who see a fellow Interloper running away from a chase will not see the bear chasing them. It'll look like they're just running from nothing.
3. While the bear will not come indoors, Interlopers will still note it stalking around outside, even scratching or thudding at doors or walls. These will appear completely untouched when later inspected.
1. Weaker or frayed strings will be less powerful, and Interlopers may feel compelled to rectify this as the sensation of having a frayed or fragile string will be unpleasant to bear.
2. It is even possible to have strings that are connected to people who are not present within the Northern Territories, including people who are in Interlopers' homeworlds. Interlopers may try to follow these strings, but will find that the strings will lead to nowhere — like looking for the end of the rainbow. You will not receive power benefits of these strings, only have an impression of who it belongs to.
3. You cannot see an Interloper's other strings, other than your own connection with you. However, you can see other Interloper's White Strings.
4. If a relationship isn't really black and white, a mixed-colour thread would be acceptable of a relationship that could shift either way or is more complicated in nature. There would be a more dominant colour of the two, however, and the abilities would be from the dominant colour.
5. Concentrating on a string gives off the impression of who it belongs to, you do not have to follow it.
1. Interlopers with the Cold Fusion Feat will be able be out during the storm at any point and be completely unaffected.
2. Interlopers with the Lightbringer and Moon Touched traits will prove valuable for providing warmth/heat when hiding from and waiting out the ice.
3. Players are welcome to either camp out in the Community Hall or within their homes!
no subject
"If I did, would I be tellin' you that? Reveal the number and nature of connections to myself? You must be out of your mind." He shakes his head incredulously. He's already a target for being a vampire; is he really going to tell a worm man more of his secrets?
"So... you can't see any but your own. What do the colors mean? Grayish, black, red, gold, white...?"
Louis suspects the red one leads to Lestat. Lestat is in that approximate direction. Is it red because they're vampires who drink blood or because they're in love? Louis is glad Konstantin can't see this one. If it were spotted by everyone while Louis was talking to Lestat...
no subject
Now— well, now, Louis seems like he wants nothing more than to be rid of this conversation as quickly as possible. Konstantin's brave, but he's not stupid (...mostly). This man is something else, something other, he knows that now, even if he doesn't know what. He lifts a hand, hoping to seem placating.
"Look— I'm not trying to find out anything too personal. I just want to know if I'm the only one who has... all of these." He lifts his hand higher as though in gesture, even if it seems other people really can't see the majority of them. But he supposes his question is answered, more or less, as Louis lists off those other colours. Gray, black, red, gold, white. He's not the only one who has them.
"I'm not sure, either." What they mean. But there's something else now, something opened up more to him now that he's opened up the connection with Louis. A word here or there, a thought shared; nothing he can make too much sense of just yet. Konstantin blinks, staring widely at him.
"Ours is black. Right? Sort of black." Grayish, Louis said, and that's about right. And after a beat, Konstantin decides to do something else brave, and maybe stupid, but mostly vulnerable and a little desperate. He's hardly brought up Aleksei to anyone here.
"I have one with my son, too. It leads back home to him... I can just tell that it does. One like this, sort of black. I just— I don't know what that means."
no subject
"Means it's complicated," he murmurs quietly. Is that the sentiment between him and Konstantin? "However much love is there, it ain't all sunshine and rainbows. How old is your boy? Is he like you, does he have a... condition?"
Amidst the bittersweet and what could have been a touching moment comes a new thrum of disquiet and even a bit of disgust conveyed through the thread that connects them. But still, he was brave enough to bring it up.
no subject
But he stays there, eyes dark and intense, facing whatever this is. Facing these questions. He's quick to answer the last, head giving a kneejerk half-shake. A condition. Just how much does Louis know? What exactly happened? And what's wrong with this man before him, too?
"No, he doesn't— I'm— What's wrong with me is... something that happened just before here. Just to me. I'm very sick."
....To say the least. He winces, cold in the night air. A flood of emotions comes leaking out of him like he's been cut open — guilt, guilt, guilt. "He's seven by now. Maybe eight. I've never met him in person."
That's something he's told less than a handful of people. It's one of his worst truths laid bare. But it's a necessary truth to reveal now, in this context, because somehow he has a physical tether to Aleksei even though he's never met him before. The same kind of physical tether he has to Louis. It has to mean something.
'Means it's complicated.'
(What if it's something worse, something like hate or fear? Maybe Aleksei's heard about him by now, back home. Maybe he knows what his father is. Maybe he's terrified of him—)
"Are you afraid of me?" he asks fast, and he knows it's another strange thing to ask, but he has to know.
no subject
He stares at him. Louis doesn't like the worm. It's ugly, got nasty teeth, and it doesn't like him. Louis thinks he could take that thing in a fight, but like any snake, he would rather keep his distance. It could be venomous. He likes Konstantin much better, his easy smile and sparkling eyes. But how much did that hide? How much are he and Konstantin so similar in that regard?
"...Is it contagious? Poisonous?" he finally asks, eyes narrowing in a wince. "And for the record, my teeth are not."
Louis has never made another vampire, he's only seen it done. A specific set of steps is involved. He would not allow that to happen on purpose, and it would be a miracle if it happened accidentally. He's made his wishes known in the event he becomes a corpse.
cw: brief introspection mention of suicide
The questions confirm what he was dreading, and the thoughts that go along with them: distaste for the creature, ugly, nasty, dangerous. Konstantin feels himself prickling with apprehension.
"No. Not as far as I know." He can't say anything with 100% certainty. "They were studying it, before. Back where I'm from. The military, scientists... they were studying us. I escaped. Before I could get far, I woke up here."
Konstantin owes him those truths, doesn't he? He's a freak. A laboratory rat. He was on the run like some kind of criminal, not an esteemed, beloved, national Hero. He leaves out the part where he killed himself, or tried to, but like with Wynonna, he can feel his thoughts unfurling in his mind, raw access to the man he's connected to. Quickly, he tries to focus them.
'And for the record, my teeth are not.'
Konstantin's never seen anything like that in this place. A man with sharp teeth and poison-green eyes, skin peeling in the sunlight. Like something that should be hiding beneath a dark, safe rock. A night creature. He realises he's never seen Louis outside in the daytime before. Not once.
"You were like that before this place too? You're different than the others here. You're like me."
This place didn't turn some of them into monsters. They came in that way.
Re: cw: brief introspection mention of suicide
He can't help trying to pull away when Konstantin thinks of his own death, but here too is a similarity. Louis has contemplated ending his life so many times. His heart thrums with the twin feeling. Louis doesn't like looking in the mirror. He shies away from it.
"Were you always like this back home? Born to it?"
It seems more like a parasite than something he'd be born with, but Louis is starting from zero knowledge other than having a worm hiss at him (and hissing back).
"I'm not... natural. I was not born like this. It's... somethin' that happened to me."
The lie can be felt there. The Dark Gift was something he chose, like a moth to a flame.
no subject
somethin' that happened to me, Louis says, and even with this, Konstantin feels the ripples of another truth tucked up beneath those words. Feels it and knows it and understands it. The creature was something that happened to him, but he believes deep down in his soul that it happened because he deserved it (and the thing chose him; there was another man there, another throat to slither down into, and it chose him). This was punishment. He might as well have signed across the dotted line, made it happen.
"No. It happened when I was... on a mission. Space mission. The fucking thing came from outer space." He knows how it sounds — crazy — except is it any crazier than talking to a man who became something with eyes the colour of poison?
"It can't survive on Earth without a host body. So it lives in mine now." ... "Something changed you? Infected you?" He remembers Louis's burned skin, agony, cries. "There was no help for it back in your world?"
cw: worm pregante??
“No help anymore, if ever there was. Once it takes, that’s it. It's just... a part of me now.”
He mistrusts the worm inside Konstantin, but there’s too much kinship at work here, even if the worm is gross to him. He's not sure he wants to know if Konstantin can feel it move sometimes, like a mother with child.
He hesitates, face moving then going still in false starts, then quietly confesses with a troubled frown,
“Maybe I’m damned. I already believe in the Devil more than I believe in God.
fjdjg gender reveal party gone horribly wrong... congrats it's a worm
All that tension relents in Konstantin like an exhale of breath, not because it's gone, but because he's tired. He found what he was looking for — what was on the other end of that black-ish tether, what answers would be waiting for him.
He found a mirror reflection of himself.
It wasn't what he was expecting. His eyelids flutter, then go a little hazy, half-closed. He almost laughs when Louis says maybe he's damned, that it's the Devil he believes in more than God, because god-damn if all of it couldn't have come straight from his own mouth. The cosmonaut leans against the outer wall of the store, sore like a bruise.
"Well that makes two of us. If anything does exist out there, pulling the strings or maybe just watching us all screw ourselves over, it's no god."
He falls quiet for a long moment. When he asks what he does next, it's not an interrogation, just quiet, thoughtful.
"You were going to attack me. Before. It looked like you wanted to bite my throat right out. Is that what you wanted?"
no subject
Louis is quiet a long while. He doesn't know the answer to his question, and his mind skitters and bounces about trying to figure it out. He searches Konstantin's face for any sign of aggression, green eyes sharp.
"It's what the hunger wanted," he settles on. "I like you, Konstantin. I don't think your... passenger likes me. I'm guessin' we're solitary creatures who need the bodies of others to survive."
Now Louis has to question whether he has more in common with the worm than Konstantin, and the thought revolts him because it's close to the truth.