The drosodroni /ˈdroʊzədroʊni/ is a stranger which, at first glance, resembles a sheet of skin shed from another stranger. Aside from the holes that form its "eyes", the strain possesses no markings or other distinctive details. It is always a drabႤ shade of grey, although specific hues vary between individuals, as does the apparentႢ texture and density of its fabric-like body. It cannot heal from injuries, and is highly flammable.
Ⴄ It doesn't want to draw attention to itself.
Ⴂ Sometimes it's almost like silk. Other times it's kind synthetic...smooth, not fully porous. But you can't really stretch it.
above: various shades; easy to fade into the rest.
The drosodroni makes no sounds.
The drosodroni can be found in a wide range of run-down, outdoor locations, such as the parking lots of low-income housing, in front of empty storefronts, and beneath the rusted cars of abandoned junkyards. When the drosodroni first appears, it starts off as a tiny scrap, and grows larger each time it is moved by the wind or by an outside force, until it reaches maturity.
here's someplace to rest your eyes
hotels, you can buy a room
this time, it's not a joke... a real hotel room could be yours for the "reasonable" and legal PRICE of ¥£ ª¾ °µ ¤° but you also get to stay overnight and watch over three channels!
If you're an non-involuntary citizen, you are entitled to:
a brand new styrofoam "disposal house"??
shhh - fifteen places you can sleep!
they don't want you to know - just how well-hidden these places are. no one will disturb you, as long as you're careful ... our ad-blocking, they won't find out where you're sleeping © »Å
new mattress MATTRESS mattre$$ sleep on a MATTRESS
The drosodroni's disposition is callous but inscrutable. Because it cannot move, it engages in no actions with the world, and lives its life at the whim of its circumstances.
Although drosodroni infestations tend to be persistent, this stranger's similarity to litter leaves it unnoticed by many sensitives. Those who search for the drosodroni, however, find it in piles of dead leaves, strung up on power lines, or at the bottom of drainpipes and gutters. For every drosodroni noticed by a sensitive, however, there are guaranteed to be many more nearby – beneath dumpsters, knotted around chain-link fences, or flattened between crates in alleyways.
As the drosodroni lacks any expressive ability, it is incapable of showing any physical discomfort, and is unable to protect itself when ripped apart. Despite this, the strain cannot be cansidered harmless. There is no way to safely physically interact with the drosodroni without gloves or other barriers, as even several twenty second of contact is enough to cause a severe depression episode which lasts up to seven weeks.
A sensitive who holds the drosodroni for more than two minutes loses the willpower to drop the stranger's body and walk away; even the most militant of personalities eventually succumbsҔ to such severe hopelessness that they see no value in continuing to struggle. It is not uncommon for an afflicted sensitive to curl up behind a dumpster or in an unused shed, only to be found dead of starvation weeks or months later, when they are found at all. Their corpse clutches the drosodroni as if it is the only thing left that matters, and their face shows an expression of both utter sadness, and terrified acceptance.
Ҕ
Deep inside, though,
We all know these shadows won't
Bring you back to me, not one bit...
So now all I really want to do,
Is lay down, shrug off fingerprints, too...
Fall asleep...let them take me away.
Take me down, down, down, we'll go down.
Carrie Sands, The Wishing Game.
When an affected individual is rescued and moved by others before death occurs, the loss of strength and vitality is so profound that most live our the rest of their lives in institutions; some must even be forced to eat and drink, lest they lie down and attempt to starve to death once more.
Sensitives who touch the drosodroni for less than two seconds report, in addition to the sinking, hopeless sensation, a marked sense of euphoria.ʄ
ʄ And so, as the invisible royalty I became, I ruled with a wordless voice; I paid my subjects in paintings seen without sight, sang their praises in songs heard without sound. And I knew, knew, knew, knew, more than I'd ever known, that this – this was it. Goodbye.
Jackaly Troska, Crowns from Kozachi.
You might think that just because it's an immobile cruddy rag, that it can't hurt you, but you'd be wrong! Don't touch it, even for a second. If you do, you'll get so depressed you might die. If you see a drosodroni you should immediately pick it up with a stick or other object and wrap it in a plastic bag and throw it in the trash or burn it! Don't just kick it into the drains or pretend that you didn't see it and make it a problem for someone else.
danger rating: actually throw it away
The drosodroni also has a pronounced effect non-sensitives, who find themselves growing depressed and demotivated in this stranger's presence. A heavily-infested area can by identified by the tired, weary nature of its citizens, who lose even their desire to seek escape from their dreary surroundings. Because the drosodroni generates in run-down areas, it tends to spread across as a city at an increasing rate, its effect growing more and more pervasive.
above: discarded drosodroni skins, as featured in
Gutters, issue #05.
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The drosodroni's rag-like nature makes it appealing to animals, who use its body as material for their nests. The drosodroni affects these animals in the same way that it affects sensitives, and their corpses are found curled up tightly beneath the stranger's folds.