[open] october catchall;

[cashewlater]

WHO: cyno (cashewlater) & YOU!
WHAT: october prompts including tdm prompts and a network option!
WHERE: all over the place!!
WHEN: all month.
WARNINGS: some body horror and probably violence, will update as necessary!




green tea; monster within me -

[ realistically, and logically, cyno knows full well that you shouldn't drink strange tea provided to you by an ominous garden in a city like this, where psychological horrors seem to wait behind every door, ready to haunt you. but i'm a sucker for body horror, and cyno feels drawn to the tea as if in a dream, his body moving to take a seat before he even has the chance to think it through. one sip of green tea is all it takes.

with a sharp gasp, cyno leaps back, his cup crashing to the cobblestones, shattering immediately, but a broken cup is the last of his worries. cyno begins to change. his bones warp with sickening wet cracks, his body stretching, face elongating into a snout filled with sharp teeth. pale white fur sprouts from his skin, his hands and feet developing claws and pads, a tail whipping free of his spine, spattering blood against the table and chairs. by the time the transformation is finished, cyno is on all fours, part man, mostly jackal, his fur streaked with blood, his scarlet eyes wide and wild with pain and barely restrained bloodlust.

he turns toward you, hackles raised, a deep, dangerous growl rolling in his chest as he lowers his body to attack. ]

spilled tea; plant whispers -

[ okay so, that wasn't fun.

somehow, gossipy flowers are even less fun. cyno will take the body horror, thanks. he's here to gather samples for his partner, carefully plucking leaves and flower heads and tucking them away into his canvas bag, when suddenly, there's a voice - several voices, all whispering to him as he passes. the flowers turn their heave heads toward him, and it almost seems as if.. they're smiling. a shiver skips down his spine. ]

Abandoned child.. poor child.. who could love you?

So much blood on your hands, little jackal.

Will you place yourself upon the scales as well, in the end? Will your heart weigh heavy?

network; getting to know you -

[ hi, it's a video! here's cyno, in an oversized black hoodie, sitting in what appears to be an apartment. he's frowning, but it's difficult to tell if he's upset or if this is just his usual face. ]

.. hey. I'm Gener- err.. I'm Cyno. I've been here a little while now, but I've never introduced myself. I'd say it's good to meet you, but circumstances being what they are..

Mm. What's.. "Halloween"?

wildcard;

[ cyno can easily be found around the city, checking out new places, working out at the gym, taking meals, snooping around the costume store etc.. hit me up with anything you like!! if you'd like a custom prompt just let me know! ]

Comments

green tea

[wreatharrow]

[ Of course this place is a veritable gold mind for Tighnari. There are so many things that he wants to look at. Document. Explore. Maybe even try to get a cutting of or some kind of seed. It's the botanist coming out in him. There really hasn't been too many places that are abundant with any sort of flora or fauna... So the fox has to take what he can get here.

So into this task, a notebook in hand as he is drawing, Tighnari doesn't even see the tea on the table. Has not the faintest clue that Cyno has meandered over to the table. In the back of his mind he likely does. But it isn't registering.

Now the crash of the cup against the stone is what gets his attention. Tighnari's eyes go wide at the transformation. But he doesn't move. Not while the transformation causes Cyno's body to break and bend in unnatural ways. Not when there's blood dripping onto the table and the floors. Not even when Cyno is rushing his way.

Tighnari stands his ground. ]

Cyno.

Spilled Tea

[justscribing]

[The flowers have turned their slights to someone else, which at least is a reprieve. It isn't so much he's intentionally listening, but determined after a while that just drowning them out with his noise cancelling would also make it difficult to hear someone else approaching, and he's trying to dodge people while he's in here.

So he also can't ignore it, and what he does hear... well, the only way to verify is by going to check it out.

So he does, pushing past overgrown foliage until he finds Cyno.]

wildcard - let me know if you need any changes!

[killed]

[ Hiyori loves Halloween - all of the holidays, really, but Halloween has a unique charm to it for how much of it centers around ghosts and ghouls and things that people would be spine-chilling at any other time of year. It isn't celebrated in Japan as it is in the West, but he knows the traditions well enough. Thus, Cyno's post was more than enough reason to try and rope him into the festivities.

They don't really know each other, but it's a small enough place that names get around, and he doesn't need much more than a brief exchange of names to approach someone. ]

... Cyno-san! Just the person I was looking for! Could I ask for your assistance with something?

[cashewlater]

[ later, when he looks back on this, he will find that all of this is not so different from when he was first learning to control hermanubis's power. that surge of feral, raw energy, urging him toward violence, pushing him to rend and tear and rip, to taste warm blood - it's not so different.

and tighnari both looks and smells like a fresh meal.

growling low and deep in his chest, the jackal stalks nearer, jaws snapping, and pounces, broad, wickedly clawed paws slamming into the fox's chest. furred lips pull back over his teeth in a snarl, cyno's hackles raised high.

the desire to tear him apart is strong, but tighnari's scent.. it calms him. ]

[cashewlater]

[ yeah there are probably only so many "little jackals" here, so.. alhaitham does indeed find cyno! looking just a little bit forlorn, but doing his best to hide it. ]

I can't get them to be quiet.

looks good to me!!

[cashewlater]

[ cyno is certainly curious enough about this halloween that he wants to know more! dressing up in scary costumes?? sounds very novel and fun. he's into it, so far.

anyway! cyno looks a little surprised, tilting his head like a curious dog. ]

Oh. Sure. How can I help?

[justscribing]

[There are indeed only so many jackals who have a particular affinity for justice. So Alhaitham isn't surprised when he spots him--though he's looking more despondent than usual.]

No, trying to do so only seems to encourage them worse than ignoring them. [Mostly because he hasn't stuck with anyone who is actually telling any plants to shut up except their own.]

I have discovered that they don't bother anyone who is holding hands, though I've yet to figure out why.

network

[anthropophagite]

Halloween used to be a religious festival held on November 1st. With time it evolved to be something more fun and no longer about religion to some, where people dress up and go around asking for candy.

It doesn't exist everywhere. It's not really celebrated in my country, for example.

[killed]

[ good his cute puppy kitten! they will be festive!!!! ]

You wanted to know more about Halloween, yes? Well, I thought it might be nice to make the town a little more festive, or at least the apartments...

[ Or at least their apartments because this place just makes it so they can't have nice things... But there WILL be skeletons hung up on doors, thank you. ]

I thought I would start with creating jack-o’-lanterns! Has anyone told you about them yet?

Green Tea

[blackabyss]

[The strange tea garden was a curious new addition to this strange city, and whenever new things appear, Fumikage wants to investigate. And that's what he's doing when he hears the cries of pain. He hurries to the scene, but isn't prepared for the horrific sight before him.]

What the--?!

[That's all he's able to say before the jackal-monster rounds on him. Fumikage's eyes widen as he steps back. If the jackal lunges at him, he calls out sharply.]

Dark Shadow!

[Dark Shadow materializes before him, swiping his shadowy claws in front of Fumikage to try and ward the monster away.]

[cashewlater]

Violent, bloody little jackal.. you've ruined so many lives.. killed so many sons, and mothers, and siblings..

[ cyno's jaw tightens, and he glances away, swallowing thickly. how do these flowers know? how can they so easily read his heart? his deeply buried insecurities? ]

.. holding hands? [ do the flowers get jealous and shut up??

one of the flowers is also turning toward alhaitham.. ]

[cashewlater]

I see. I know of many festivals, back home, but none quite like that. They dress up in frightening outfits?

[justscribing]

[He sees that flower craning. Quickly he sticks his hand out.] If you're wondering why I don't have an answer to that. I just know it works.

[cashewlater]

[ please dress him up as a werewoof!! ]

Oh, you mean.. like decorations?

[ that's not out of his sphere of knowledge. sumeru always dresses itself up for the sabzeruz festival, and mondstadt had looked beautiful during windblume. he's game!! though he shakes his head a moment later. ]

No.. what is it?

[cashewlater]

[ though the monstrous jackal does not entirely look like cyno anymore, fumikage may in fact recognize the large, glowing hooked claws at the end of the monster's forepaws, crackling with electricity..

cyno lunges with surprising speed - the jackal may not be enormous, but he is quite fast, fast enough to dodge out of the way of those sweeping claws with ease. growling deep in his chest, cyno circles fumikage slowly, his hackles raised up high, tail lashing, though a part of him.. knows what he is doing. wrestles for control.

he speaks, voice distorted, but not unrecognizable. ]

Get.. get.. away..

[cashewlater]

[ oh. that's. well. okay. cyno shrugs, then takes alhaitham's hand in his own; it's worth a try, and he doesn't really think alhaitham would lie about something like this.

the flowers immediately hush. ]

Huh.

[ 🧍‍♂️ 🧍‍♂️ ]

[justscribing]

[🧍‍♂️ 🧍‍♂️]

... So, you were taking samples? [He sees those giant petals poking out of the bag.]

[anthropophagite]

They can be frigthening.
Or cute. Or a mix of everything.

Some outfits are a bit more mature too. [ sexy, he means sexy ]

[cashewlater]

[ does alhaitham have soft nerd's hands.. i must know. cyno's are very rough, callused and scarred. he eyes his bag. ]

A few, yes. I thought Tighnari might enjoy them.

[justscribing]

[It's all about comparison and scale. Put against Cyno or Kaveh, whose hands are coarse from the manual labor, and Alhaitham's appear smooth by the spoiled hands of a well provided life. Put him against Nilou, and the calluses of pens and swords and ending fights become more apparent.]

I almost expected he'd set up camp in here.

[cashewlater]

[ does he mean.. sexy.. ]

Mature.. I see. Well, whatever makes people happy. Is dressing up required?

[wreatharrow]

[ Tighnari hits the cobblestone a little hard. The air leaves his lungs and his tail thrashes about. But Cyno doesn't try anything else. Doesn't do anything but sit there and breath sickly, stinky hot air onto Tighnari.

But that doesn't stop the Forest Watcher. Even trying to gasp and get air into his lungs, he's not giving up on calming the other down. His hand slides along that muzzle. Soothing. ]

[killed]

[ we WILL be making him the cutest werewoof!! ]

It's a carved lantern! You carve a face into a pumpkin, then place a candle in it. If you light it and set it outside of your house - or apartment, in this case - it'll ward off restless spirits! Costumes are much in the same way... We're just making scary faces to scare off wandering souls and undead creatures.

[ That's the short of it, anyway. It's a charming thought, clever even, especially when considering the lore behind it. ]

The name comes from an old legend about a man named "Stingy Jack."

[cashewlater]

[ fair. nice soft hand, at least it feels that way to cyno. oddly enough he is no more awkward than he usually is about this entire situation. ]

Yeah, I imagine he'll be around very soon, if he isn't already rooting around somewhere out of sight. This'll keep him busy for awhile, I'm sure. How did you find out handholding works against this, of all things?

[ he'll go and give that hand a tug, so they can begin moving through this place. ]

[justscribing]

I came in here with someone else and we realized it when they grabbed hold of me. [In case Cyno had any notions that Alhaitham initiated it.

They walk. Alhaitham won't hold them back from navigating this place.] You'll warn Tighnari before he makes his way to this section?