(october catch-all) IT'S TIME TO GET FUCKIN' DAMP

[vestigemods]

OCTOBER CATCH-ALL

► YOU CAN BE REGULAR DAMP

As Autumn sets in, the containment zone begins to settle into all of the trappings of autumn. Chilly weather, bundled clothing and hot drinks, the turning and falling of leaves... It really just goes to show that life goes on in a place like this just as it does anywhere else.

For those unfamiliar with the seasons on a cultural level, the newfound offerings that Foodland and the gas station have to offer might be a little surprising. After no seasonal trappings to accompany summer, we now see an abundance of plastic gourds and multi-colored corn, of browns and oranges and leaf-themed decor - and as the month goes on, an influx of spooky decor in blacks and purples and... still oranges, orange is pretty universal as far as fall is concerned. Many of the buildings around town also sport seasonal decor, subtle but present. A pumpkin here, a glittery sign with a fall-themed pun there.

The weather, depending on perspective, has taken quite a turn for either the better or the worse. All of the rain the skies withheld throughout the summer seem to be coming down all at once, sometimes a sprinkle and sometimes a downpour that soaks you to the bone if you dare venture out for groceries. But the rains are just short of lukewarm, not yet carrying any proper chill, and the lush greenery of the landscape seems to be thriving in it. Perhaps it isn't all bad after all?

► OR YOU CAN BE EXTRA SPICY BONUS DAMP

On the 18th of October, however, the weather starts to get a little bit... dodgy. Which is to say: You should probably be ready to dodge, as you find that the leaves blown about on the savage winds no longer just flop wetly against your clothes or your cheek. It will likely come as quite a surprise the first time one stings - you might even mistake it for an unusually frigid drop of water splattering across your skin, at least until your fingertips come away reddened just slightly with blood. But it's certainly not the end of the world, nowhere near as bad as rotting away or being haunted by some malevolent ghost. You can just bundle up! It's not as if they can slice through clothes.

But oh, it's not quite done just yet.

On the 24th, the cutting winds come to a head in a thunderstorm. Dark, ominous clouds greet you as you wake on this morning, perhaps even confusing your sense of time as a far dimmer light than expected shines in through your window. But the storm sets in like an oncoming wave, first hitting the town and then sweeping west. Those with an eastern view over the nearby trees will see it coming, a foreboding curtain of rain encroaching all to quickly. Then comes the thunder, rumbling far too close to feel entirely safe. Which is true. It isn't safe. Because after each clash of thunder comes the immediate flash of lightning... Lightning which skips right past high-reaching trees to seek out the nearest living being it can find. No - not any being. Just those who've been trapped here. Those whose suffering brings rest to the elder gods below.

Perhaps it's best to stay indoors.

► MOD NOTES

• This is the October Catch-All Log, for any action top-levels throughout the month which don't fit in a designated event log. Large gatherings (parties, meetings, etc) are still encouraged to post their own logs for organizational purposes!
  
• All top-levels for the Winds of Change mini-event also go here, since it won't be getting a log of its own.
  
• Refer to the bottom half of the October Bulletin for any October-specific info to potentially include in your prompts! The above blurb is honestly just mood-setting flavortext.
  
• Because this is a catch-all for everywhere + all month, try to remember to label your top-levels with identifying information like the IC date and location of each prompt (whether in the subject or in the prompt title within the comment). Also try to indicate any event prompts for the Winds of Change mini-event aside from just listing their dates, so they can be easy to spot!
  
• Any questions can be directed to this top-level or, for a quicker response, to Trace on discord/plurk.

Comments

~Helpful Creeper

[singularwidower]

Daemon's on the move--place to be, gas stations to investigate--and he trudges through the woods as he beelines there directly south from the lake. The last time he'd been at the gas station it had been...odd, and it deserved a little bit of a looksee, what with the tree and the creeping sense of wrong.

About halfway there, though, he does his usual mental sweep for presences and draws up short. He definitely senses...something, though he is wary of peering too closely at the mind following him just in case he might hurt it (or it might hurt him, which is unfortunately much more possible here than he is used to). He turns in the direction of his follower and does not bother to hide the demand in his tone.

"You might as well come out and join me."

[lookslikeacinnamonroll]

Uh oh. He's been spotted. But how? He was being so careful to stay hidden...

Still, no use in staying out of sight now that the man he's been following knows he's there. Wen Ning steps out onto the road, shoulders hunched in apology.

"H-Hello. I promise, this isn't what it looks like."

[singularwidower]

Daemon raises his eyebrows at the...person? They certainly look human enough. And they certainly speak like a human. He brushes at their mind with a simple psychic probe, just enough to try for base emotion and perhaps some clue as to why they look oddly pale.

"Do tell. What does it look like?"

He slips his hands into his pockets and gives absolutely no reassurance.

[lookslikeacinnamonroll]

Wen Ning has no resistance to any kind of psychic intrusion, and so he is as easy to read as a book left lying open on the table. His emotions right now are a swirl of embarrassment and guilt, with a helping of shame thrown in for good measure. As for why he looks pale, he will have the residual sense of being a dead man, even though he is clearly up and ambulating like someone still alive.

Wen Ning averts his gaze and tightens his hands into fists. He has to accept the consequences of his actions. That's what his Jiejie would want him to do.

"It looks like I was... stalking you. Like I was planning an attack."

[singularwidower]

Daemon yanks his probe away and his eyes widen in surprise. The poor man's mind is all but an open door, with no inner barriers to speak of--but not like a landen, who would be damaged by Daemon's touch. This was something entirely different. Alarmingly different, though he almost didn't want to admit that, even to himself. Still, he got what he was looking for; the man's mind has no trace of malice or deceit.

And the taste of death in his mind is familiar.

"It did look like that," Daemon agrees, though his tone has warmed a fraction and he looks more thoughtful now than he had a moment ago. His curiosity is thoroughly piqued. If the man is demon-dead, he is like no demon-dead that Daemon has ever encountered. He pulls a hand from his pocket and beckons. "Walk with me? I was going to the gas station to look around. Maybe check on the tree."

[lookslikeacinnamonroll]

Well... At least the man doesn't seem mad. There's something about him, Wen Ning now realizes. A sort of grave competency that tells Wen Ning he's the kind of man who doesn't necessarily need Wen Ning's protection. That won't stop Wen Ning from wanting to give it. He'd given his protection to Wei-gongzi and Hanguang-jun as they'd traveled back home, and heaven knows they were both skilled cultivators in their own ways.

He isn't sure what sort of things this man might be good at, only that he seems like he ought to be very good at them.

Still, he nods, coming forward to stand beside the man as they walk. "What is your name, young master?"

[singularwidower]

Dameon's lips twitch with amusement. "I don't believe anyone has called me 'young' for centuries," he drawls as his former-shadow falls into step with him. The path is wide enough for them both, at least, and Daemon seems content to keep to an amble. He openly studies his new companion, taking note of the dark striations, rolling around the implications that the probe had supplied. "But I am Daemon Sadi. And you are?"

[lookslikeacinnamonroll]

Wen Ning's eyes widen and he freezes for half a step, before forcing himself to catch up with Daemon once more.

Centuries? Is he a great cultivator who's achieved immortality, then? The gears of Wen Ning's mind spin and spin, trying to piece together some kind of understanding of the implication of those simple words. He's so wrapped up in thought that he almost forgets to give his name in turn.

"This one is called Wen Ning, courtesy name Wen Qionglin." He feels so inadequate, now, standing alongside this powerful mystery of a man. Who is he to think he is worthy to stand guard over a man who has survived for centuries?

[singularwidower]

"You'll have to forgive me," Daemon says easily as they head down the road, relaxing now that he's had a glimpse inside the man's head. He doesn't miss the hitch in his new companion's step, though he first has a diplomat's question to ask: "I'm afraid I'm unfamiliar with your culture, though I doubt that should come as a surprise, considering where we are. However, shall I address you by your courtesy name or the first name you mentioned?"

[lookslikeacinnamonroll]

Oh, of course. Wen Ning ought to know by now, that most of the people here come from very different worlds with very different cultures. He nods, quick to clarify for Daemon.

"As we've only just met, the courtesy name would be more appropriate. But I honestly don't mind, either way." The formalities of address never really bothered him, even before he became a living puppet.