vestigelogs | (march catch-all) OH LOOK, THE HANDS ARE BACK

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(march catch-all) OH LOOK, THE HANDS ARE BACK

MARCH CATCH-ALL

 ► I WONDER IF THEY LIKE VEGEMITE?

haunted

death

 ► MOD NOTES

This is the March Catch-All Log, for any non-event action top-levels throughout the month. Large gatherings (parties, meetings, etc) are still encouraged to post their own logs for organizational purposes!
There will be an event log for all things pertaining to the Twists And Bloody Turns event, so keep an eye out for that.
Refer to the bottom half of the March Bulletin for any March-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)
Any questions can be directed to this top-level or, for a quicker response, to Trace on discord/plurk.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

01. "Flowers don’t worry about how they’re going to bloom. They just open up and turn toward the light and that makes them beautiful."

[ With the change of the month comes a change in the weather, and Wen Ning relishes the freedom of being able to walk outside without first donning eight hundred layers. He takes to going on long walks to pass the time-- around the lake, between the lake and the town, across the fields by the farm to admire the now blooming flowers. He walks without much purpose or intention. These quiet moments between horrors are giving him some much needed down time, honestly. He can't remember the last time he could just take time for himself, with the freedom to move as he pleases. Sure, there isn't much freedom in a cage like the containment zone, but it's still more than he's enjoyed for most of his life (and un-life).

If he passes someone else on one of his walks, he will bow politely and offer a sheepish smile and a wave. ] The weather is nice today, isn't it?

[ He'll say the weather is nice, whether or not it's currently raining. He's taken to dressing in a light hoodie over his usual long black woven robes, finding the hood useful and the zipper endlessly fascinating. All in all, he looks more cheerful than a deathly pale Ghost General has any right to look, but it's a good look on him. ]

02. "In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt."

[ After gathering some supplies from Foodland (some trowels; a rake; many, many packets of seeds; a wheelbarrow to carry it all in), Wen Ning carts his new quarries back to the cabin he shares with others from his world and sets about preparing the soil in the front yard to be turned into a small garden. He makes sure to pick the patch with the most sunlight, and works hard all day long to clear the area of any roots and weeds, turning the soil and planting his seeds in neat little rows. Should anyone come by, they may find him in a quiet moment, looking intently between two packets of seeds, one in his left hand and one in his right. Noticing someone standing there, he looks up and asks the question that has stumped him for the better part of half an hour now. ]

Which do you think is safer to plant: "might be radishes" or "haven't got a clue?"

[ On the one hand, the probable radishes are more certain than the complete mystery of the other one. But on the other hand... He's really tired of radishes. ]

03. "Despite the forecast, live like it's spring."

[ ooc: Wildcard! Come at me with any other ideas for prompts, or ping me at millennialfalcon or ©hris#9103 to plot stuff! Will match prose or brackets. ]

❰ the weather has improved, much to yanli's liking. while home had bouts of cold and snow, it was nothing like the freezing weather she's so far experienced in the containment zone. her bones froze, even through her layers of robes.

the weather isn't unmanageable yet, like it was right after she arrived, but it still feels humid enough at times that the wool and thick fabric of her garments can be cumbersome. the time has come, she supposed, and after months of holding out, yanli has finally revisited the bag of dresses she was given a while ago. her male compatriots, or some of them, were more quick to take to modern clothing. as a woman, though, modesty feels so much more important to her.

but she's been married, had a child, died. brought back to life twice somehow. protecting the skin of her ankles seems so far from important at times.

she's going for her daily walk around the lake, though much more self-conscious than she usually would be. it's not like it's the most revealing dress, but the exposure of skin she's usually kept hidden coupled with the strange sensation of the air hitting places she's unaccustomed...it's a kind of sensory overload she's not used to. it's why when she's called out to that she jumps slightly, focusing on all of these feelings and not her surroundings. it's a miracle she hasn't fallen into the water thus far. ❱

Ah, Ning-gongzi. ❰ she turns with an embarrassed realization that people she knows will see her like this, maybe think things of her she won't like. yanli regains composure enough to circle her arms, give him a polite bow -- realizing that it's so unfamiliar to not feel the weight of her sleeves on her arms, just her bare skin. ❱ I hope you're doing well.

[ When he saw the lone figure in the green dress walking by the shore of the lake, it had taken Wen Ning a moment to recognize who it was. He had called out, not really realizing who it was he was calling out to. But when she greets him with a familiar bow and a kind voice... Who else could it be? ]

Ah, Jiang-guniang! You look... [ Okay, so maybe the dress is a little scandalous. But it would be rude to say so, wouldn't it? And besides, it isn't half as scandalous as what some of the other residents of the containment zone have been wearing.

He forces a smile and blushes-- as much as someone with little blood flow can blush. ]

You look well, I mean to say. It's good to see you.

❰ it's good that yanli has grown up with a lot of experience when it comes to keeping her composure and emotional modulation. some things can cause her to break, but this isn't one of them. she continues to tell herself that outside of the context of their home world, their concepts of morality and modesty are somewhat old-fashioned, at least compared to many others she's met here. once yanli saw a woman in shorts and had to exert so much control to not blush in second-hand shame.

even though the dress covers much more of her legs, it will be a while before she becomes fully accustomed to exposing as much of them as she is right now. ❱

Thank you, Ning-gongzi. Though I apologize that this isn't what you're used to. ❰ there is one thing he's still conscious of, and that's that some others more familiar with their culture will feel exactly as she did seeing those shorts. yanli isn't so crass as to not acknowledge it. she sees that wen ning has his own little modern accessory in his hood, which at least means he's not totally against adapting. ❱ The clothing available in this place can be shocking, but there are only so many robes we have.

[ Wen Ning nods in his understanding. The clothing here-- like everything else in this place-- can be strange and unusual. But, they make do. ]

Please don't feel like you have to apologize to me, Jiang-guniang. I don't mind what you wear. [ Wait, that sounds more callous than he intended. Quick! Backtrack! ] I mean, you look nice whether you're dressed in a robe or not.

[ A close save. He offers an apologetic smile for his misstep. ]

How have you been faring? I thought I maybe ought to check in on you, but... [ In the end, he'd thought perhaps it would be better to honor Jiang Wanyin's request and stay away from his sister. ]

[ Normally, Jiang Cheng would be walking right past Wen Ning, as he prefers to ignore his vexing presence - it seems less painful and conflict-prone for both of them if they just avoid another.

Today, however, he doesn't really have anything better to do while he waits for either Wei Wuxian or Lan Sizhui to get home so he can torment some not-family. And, well, he is at least somewhat curious what is happening here, so he approaches, though he still starts at being addressed. ]

I'm still amazed that anything they give us is edible at all... but I would choose the radishes.

[ Spoken like someone who hasn't been eating radishes for years. ]

[ Wen Ning looks down at the packet of radish seeds, as if suddenly distrustful of it. ]

I suppose... They have to feed us, to keep us alive so that they can kill us later? It would be no fair if we just died of starvation, would it?

It would be a painful death, though, and our suffering should keep them entertained for a while.

[ But now he is thinking, even if more turned inward than side-eyeing the radish seeds. ]

Maybe they can't bring us back from starvation. Maybe the only damage they can repair is that from sudden, violent damage, not from a creeping death of the entire body slowly ceasing to function.

[it's on his way back from the farm after spending most of the day with his horse (and perhaps bothering geralt here or there in-between) when he encounters wen ning in the front yard. astonishment is the first thing coming across his face because wow, he must've been at this a long time to have gotten his spot, removed any unwanted bits, and tilled it up for seeds. sizhui shuffles closer so he can see the packages and that way he catches his uncle's attention, which prompts his question.]

Hmmm, [comes his thoughtful hum then sizhui's reaching out to tap the ‘might be radishes’ option with a light smile.] But ‘might’ isn't all that encouraging either, so...

Actually, why not try the other one? Just because. [or yeah, they're probably going to have a lot of those.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

(march catch-all) OH LOOK, THE HANDS ARE BACK

Wen Ning | ota across early March

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