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The Village Mod ([personal profile] villagemod) wrote in [community profile] villagelogs2020-12-05 01:22 am

018-020 » what he hides

WHO: Everyone.
WHERE: Eastern/Central/Western Mathias.
WHEN: Days 018-020
WHAT: The fog recedes!
WARNINGS: Will update as necessary. PM this account to have a warning added!
NOTES: Plotting post over here!

RECOMMENDED ♫ Graham Plowman "Edge of Darkness"





DAYS 018-020
THE HIDDEN REVEALED

“Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.”
— Benjamin Franklin


As the sun rises in the distance above the sea, the fog slips away from the unsettling town, winding through streets and across buildings until it is nestled soundly in the forest. There it waits, ready to snare any who dare test its limits — residents would do well to remember what happened the last time they encountered the fog so intimately.

With the fog receded, the western portion of Mathias is now revealed and available for exploring. There are more businesses on the town square and even some on the street that runs off the square. The schoolhouse is nestled by the southern treeline, not from the little makeshift cemetery at the end of Jackson Boulevard that is courtesy of a few kind residents in town. To the far north of the square is a sprawling garden, now covered in snow, and a greenhouse that once supplied the botanical shop. And to the west, beyond the square, is another residential district of the same size as that to the east. What is different, however...

These buildings are all in some form of decay. From the beginnings of rot to completely collapsed and little more than a pile of proverbial bones, none of these homes are anything resembling livable. Well, as far as one can tell, at least. For between the streets of Hill Lane and Stine road there is a crack in the earth. A dozen feet across and fifty feet down, the crack extends from one side of the forest to the other, either end cut off by the fog. The view to the other side is clear but there is no way across.


THE NEW ARRIVALS

There are quite a few new faces in Mathias on this day. Awaking throughout Day 018, they will find themselves laying in the snow beside that unsettling crack in the earth, houses both quaint and decaying surrounding them as the snow begins to cover their bodies. Best get inside and warm up, dears.




SPECTRES IN THE NIGHT

The days are short now that winter seems to have set in unseasonably early. Though the clocks in Mathias fail to properly keep time or sometimes even work at all, the sun rises around 8:00am and sets at 5:00pm. There is far more darkness than light in these days, but in that darkness there is, in fact, light.

In the distance all across Mathias, there are lanterns lit against that darkness. Their lights dance across the snow, the warm flickering shining like tiny stars and offering an almost ethereal glow to the crisp white snow. It would be a beautiful sight to behold... if it weren't for the shadowy figures that held them. With partially raised arms, the figures hold the lanterns and walk the streets of Mathias, drifting in between buildings and disappearing into the forest. Still yet, there are some that simply stand in place, as if waiting for something or someone.

No matter where or when these figures are seen, they always seem to be facing away from our residents, and attempts at reaching them are all for naught. They will fade from view if one gets too close, and return to sight when that distance is regained. And in the morning, those lanterns may be found in the snow, their lights extinguished but their glass somehow still warm.


STRANGER IN THE SNOW

Those investigating the western part of Mathias and venturing near that inexplicable crack in the earth will have the most unsettling feeling of being watched. Most of the time, there is nothing there and no one to be seen, but then—

On the other side of that expanse, sitting on a porch, in the shadow of a home, or standing in the oddly moonlit street, there is a man. His features are shrouded in darkness and not much can be discerned about him, but instinct tells you he is dangerous. There is a sense deep in your bones that he is maliciously amused.

He makes no move to speak, nor will he respond to any attempts on your part. Instead, he sits, or he stands, and he watches. By the end of Day 020, all sign of him will be gone, along with the eerie feeling of being watched.







LOCATIONS


Unless otherwise noted, all new locations have working electricity and other utilities.

BENEDICT BOOKS Nestled quaintly on the square surrounding the Town Hall, a thick layer of dirt covering the front windows. A portrait hangs at the front of the store to illustrate the namesake of the little shop... that may, in fact, not be so little. Dust covers everything in sight and detritus litters the wooden floor, as if someone left the door open and allowed half the forest inside. (more info)

MATHESON ANTIQUES Also on the town square is an antique store that is a lesson in chaos more than culture. The items within are stacked haphazardly, creating narrow aisles running throughout the space. Furniture, light fixtures, old revolutionary and civil war memorabilia, all of it is jumbled together with no rhyme or reason. Indeed, one wrong move could create an avalanche of aged wood and peeling paint.

POE'S CLOTHES Located on the town square, this shop carries only the basics. Loose jeans in a few sizes, khakis, solid color dress shirts and blouses, flannel in various styles, socks and underwear.

SPIN RIGHT ROUND RECORDS On the square across from the beauty store, the music shop is as dusty as everything else in this town has been. Tables line the walls of the long shop, filled with rows and rows of vinyl records, while a few wall shelves display cassette tapes for sale. One side of the store is for New items, while the other holds the Used section with items for resale. Residents may recognize some of the artists but many are unfamiliar to them.

CLINIC Outside the decayed, crumbling building just north of the square is a still miraculously intact sign with the name of the clinic's doctor, Dr. Ken Suzuki. There is no way to treat patients in this location, but with care, some salvageable supplies may yet be found in the remains.

BARKER BOTANICALS Not quite a flower shop and not entirely an apothecary, the botanical store to the far north of the square is something of an amalgamation of both. With a few broken windows to let in the rain, parts of the shop have been overtaken by nature, the house plants growing beyond their pots and rotted flower petals littering the floor to tell of seasons past. The still unclaimed walls are filled with decaying plants and jars of dried herbs and other vegetation, along with a few essences and tinctures.

GREENHOUSE A few dozen yards from the botanicals shop is a sprawling garden, now covered in snow, and a greenhouse that once supplied the botanical shop. The glass is still miraculously intact, though covered in grime so thick that one cannot see inside.

GALLERY The gallery is essentially a large empty space with framed and matted black and white photographs of the town lining the walls. There is a small selected of prints available for sale near the front entrance, and a few rooms at the back of the building — a dark room for developing photos, a small office, and a locked room.

MOVIE THEATER This single-screen theater is quite small, having only 40 seats, but there is a large collection of movies in its storage room. These are all old film reels however, so hopefully someone knows how to thread a film projector.

HISTORY MUSEUM Across the street from the Historical Society, this once esteemed wooden building has seen better days. Windows and doors are boarded up and there is visible rot and decay on the exterior walls. Part of the roof has fallen in and the accumulating snow threatens to collapse the rest of it as well. It is not wise to venture within.

HISTORICAL SOCIETY This brick building has also seen better days, though in a different sort of way. Where once had been carefully cataloged collections and cozy reading rooms for aficionados of local history, there are now stacks of bankers boxes and weathered tomes in every nook and cranny. There is no organization to any of it, everything seeming to have been stashed in a hurry and then left forgotten. Anyone who dares to dive into this archive will need to devote quite some time in order to find anything worthwhile. They will also want to bring their own light source — the electricity does not work here and the windows are quite dark from the accumulated dust and grime.

SCHOOLHOUSE A much smaller school than most of our residents might be used to, there are only a half-dozen rooms in the building, with a few comprising classrooms, meeting areas, and workspaces. All ages were taught here, and one might almost imagine the sound of children's whispered voices and distant laughter while within the empty building.





CONDITIONS UPDATE
SNOW continues to fall in Mathias. Days 18-19 see light snowfall that very slowly accumulates, but the snowfall turns moderately heavy on Day 20 and sees significant accumulation. The temperature hovers just below freezing and dips lower when the sun goes down.

VOICES are not openly haunting our residents, though they may still be occasionally encountered in the more heavily decayed buildings where some rooms seem to almost swallow whatever light tries to enter them.

THE FOG has receded from the town proper and much of the eastern and northern beach. The path through the northern forest to the lighthouse is now also clear.

DISAPPEARANCES continue to plague the town. While Daisy Johnson has returned, Zed Martin, Rey, and Quentin Coldwater have now vanished without a trace.


OOC UPDATES
MADNESS has now been unlocked. Congratulations to Inky for Claire earning the first Madness! Who will be next? (Please be sure to keep your sanity updated regularly; Stars has created an amazing tracker for anyone to use if they'd like.)

HELPERS are officially in residence! Kelly is our Registrar and Stars is our Librarian — both of these delightful members of our community are helping behind the scenes to keep things organized and updated (and doing wonders for the mod's own sanity levels), so please give them some thanks for their hard work!

REPORTING updates is still a thing that your mod and helpers beg you to do. Changes to locations, plot notes that affect the community, and discoveries should be reported over here so these can all be noted in their appropriate places. (For clarification, reported Discoveries are not public knowledge unless a character has ICly shared this information.)

A MAP of Mathias now exists, thanks to our wonderful Librarian! Please note that it is not to scale and there may be a few minor errors due to your frazzled mod. Expect updates in the future as more secrets are revealed.

BULLETIN BOARD — don't forget about it. That's all.


CLAIMING AP REWARDS
Normally, only one AP reward can be claimed per log, but due to the plethora of new and old locations to explore, this restriction is being relaxed. Instead, for this log only:
— Players may spend AP on up to three rewards, though only Spot Hidden may be repeated.
— If a player is spending multiple Spot Hiddens, they must be with different characters and in different locations.

If two characters are investigating the same location together, they may each spend a Spot Hidden on that location. Players should record their spent AP after the AP request has been approved. Sometimes there is nothing to Spot with your Hidden and the points will be "refunded" to use elsewhere.


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cholesterol: 🇩‌🇴‌🇳‌'🇹‌ 🇹‌🇴‌🇺‌🇨‌🇭‌ (what's that about)

[personal profile] cholesterol 2020-12-13 07:48 am (UTC)(link)
Kansas. All over.

( But, wait. He turns his head, studying her He thinks something clicks immediately. )

The Bad Place?
cholesterol: 🇩‌🇴‌🇳‌'🇹‌ 🇹‌🇴‌🇺‌🇨‌🇭‌ (on the menu)

[personal profile] cholesterol 2020-12-13 07:50 am (UTC)(link)
She found flannel that fit. Maybe ask her these questions.

( He approached, friendly, and then zeroed in on the attack. )

Have you?
40seconds: (Default)

[personal profile] 40seconds 2020-12-13 07:52 am (UTC)(link)
[ She's not the only who's feeling small. Honestly, the events of the last few days have left Coulson feeling more than a little diminished, and he's definitely not sure how he should proceed, if he ever really was.

Thankfully, Daisy reaches out at just the right time, and when she does, he links his fingers in with hers. Even with the years separating him, she still knows how to reassure him and how to ground him when he's starting to drift.

Even then, he still can't quite stop himself from asking the question that's been on his mind since he came back. ]


Can we, though? There's still so much we don't know, and when this place can take us out just like that, when all it needs is a little killer fog...

[ All right, so maybe he didn't intend to drop that detail so soon, but it's out now and he can't take it back. ]

How are we supposed to fight that?
enduresurvive: (not funny.)

[personal profile] enduresurvive 2020-12-13 08:02 am (UTC)(link)
[ Ellie tries to remember if she's been through Kansas. But no, they'd been too far north if she has her geography right. There's probably a lot of fuck all in Kansas, she thinks, just like Nebraska. ]

I haven't been there. Sounds kinda boring.

[ It's not a dig.

She doesn't get his Bad Place reference, of course.
]

I mean the place I came from is apparently worse than anyone I've met here can imagine. That's all.
chuju: (051.)

[personal profile] chuju 2020-12-13 08:10 am (UTC)(link)
[ How many times over the years has he comforted her during the worst of everything? He'd always been her rock, the constant in her life she could always count on. If she can offer him even an ounce of that in return now, she'll do whatever it takes. But she won't lie to him about it. ]

I don't know. [ The honest answer. She has no idea how they'll fight this thing, but in this particular moment, she doesn't doubt that they will and they'll win. ] But we'll figure it out. We haven't failed yet and we're not gonna start now.

[ Aliens, robots, magic. They've faced it all before and even with everything they'd lost along the way, they've always won. This time won't be any different, she won't let it be. ]
cholesterol: 🇩‌🇴‌🇳‌'🇹‌ 🇹‌🇴‌🇺‌🇨‌🇭‌ (praying)

[personal profile] cholesterol 2020-12-13 08:19 am (UTC)(link)
( He doesn't know anything. )

You're --

( He rubs his shoulders, like he did Claire's, before nodding, pushing an arm around him and ushering he and Cas farther away from the crevice. He gives one, unsettling, glance back at the Stranger, but, thinks better of it.

The further away from the crack he gets, the better he feels.

He walks Cas through the falling snow past the other houses back to 1301 Phillips Dr. He holds the door open for him before closing it shut. He wraps his knuckles against it once, keeping his head bowed. He's here. He's safe. He's not freezing to death.

Turning, he tries to collect himself, keep himself together. He's supposed to be the rock. He's strong. He's -- out of the Empty. Dean's eyes tear up, not knowing what to say, a shaky breath pushing out.
)

Cas.
chuju: (035.)

[personal profile] chuju 2020-12-13 08:22 am (UTC)(link)
[ It's the way he looks down that catches her attention and makes her realize what's happening. She can feel the strain in her arms, the slight pressure on the healing bones as they shake in a way the human skeletal system isn't meant to. And she can feel the increase in vibration beneath them, the incident thankfully contained just to the porch they're standing on.

Daisy takes a deep breath, focusing on steadying her heartbeat, calming her body's reactions the way May had taught her all those years ago. And after a few seconds, the shaking stops and the bees in her bones quiet down just a little. But those emotions are still there, just more carefully tempered now. ]


They don't need to cross the line? Tell that to the thing that's coming to kill them. [ It's harsh, but so is everything about this place. ] This fight isn't just on you, so stop acting like it is. Maybe there are some people here who can't handle it, but you've got a pretty low estimation of them all if you think that applies to everyone.
descendent: (pic#14439358)

[personal profile] descendent 2020-12-13 08:25 am (UTC)(link)
[ weighing up his words and weighing up what she wants to say, she thinks that if she admits she believes people can come back from the dead that he won't think she's crazy. ]

I'd like to think it's strange.

[ she wishes she had her head buried in the sand and believed when people died, they died. ]

But I know it's not. [ she lets out a little sigh, shoulders sagging. ] I'm curious to know if people come back… not the same here.
cholesterol: 🇩‌🇴‌🇳‌'🇹‌ 🇹‌🇴‌🇺‌🇨‌🇭‌ (swirl of a drink)

[personal profile] cholesterol 2020-12-13 08:30 am (UTC)(link)
Only a matter of time before we're fighting something else.

( And maybe each other. Something about this place, everything about it, he doesn't trust. )
cholesterol: 🇩‌🇴‌🇳‌'🇹‌ 🇹‌🇴‌🇺‌🇨‌🇭‌ (take that back)

[personal profile] cholesterol 2020-12-13 08:32 am (UTC)(link)
You wish it was boring.

( It's never boring where they are, but their lives are never boring. )

Internet's long gone can't be good.
cholesterol: 🇩‌🇴‌🇳‌'🇹‌ 🇹‌🇴‌🇺‌🇨‌🇭‌ (one more thing)

[personal profile] cholesterol 2020-12-13 08:35 am (UTC)(link)
Don't know yet. It just happened. If there's any -- repercussions. Any blowback, we haven't seen it yet.

( He knows it's a possibility. )

No - vamps, though. Zombies. Nothing reanimated.
40seconds: (pic#14354542)

[personal profile] 40seconds 2020-12-13 08:35 am (UTC)(link)
[ He's trying to find a way to steer this conversation so that there's an opening for him to admit the truth to her, but so far, he hasn't found one yet. It's hardly something he can just spring on her, but however he tells her, he knows she won't receive it well.

But by that same token, she won't receive it well if she learns that he kept the truth from her, so he just sighs and tries to steel himself for her reaction, because this isn't going to be pretty. ]


Yes, we will. It might take us some time, but we'll figure it out.

[ He squeezes her hand then, knowing she might not be so inclined to hold his hand once he divulges this next part. ]

I have to tell you something, Daisy.
chuju: (132.)

[personal profile] chuju 2020-12-13 08:42 am (UTC)(link)
[ It's as if time stops completely when he says that, some instinct within her going on high alert for whatever bomb he's about to drop on her. Because with that phrasing, there's no way this isn't something important, and likely something she won't like one bit. If it weren't, he'd be making a joke, there would be a lightness in his voice and a smile curving his lips. But the way he looks at her now... ]

What is it? [ She feels like she's standing on the edge of a precipice, waiting to see which way the wind will blow — will she fall backward to safety or tumble forward into the abyss? ]
cholesterol: 🇩‌🇴‌🇳‌'🇹‌ 🇹‌🇴‌🇺‌🇨‌🇭‌ (repeat yourself)

[personal profile] cholesterol 2020-12-13 08:43 am (UTC)(link)
"It's what's real," he replies. Doc might be able to see just how much he cares about Claire, as more than an acquaintance or a hunting partner. It's left unspoken. He's not about to compromise her. She gets to rebuild the life she lost. Dean's here to support her in any way, to be there if she needs it.

He's not needing to leave and he doesn't feel whatever it is Doc suddenly does in being inside. But, he does want to find supplies, so, he'll of course follow Doc back, taking up the rear, with his knife at the ready.

"Everyone should," Dean admits, looking from Doc, to Malcolm. After a second, he moves past them both and starts to gather some supplies he finds. Gloves, he picks the box up for, and sets it back down. Not his thing.
descendent: (pic#14417980)

[personal profile] descendent 2020-12-13 08:50 am (UTC)(link)
[ elena is both relieved and disappointed there are no vampires. what he says is unknowingly a lie considering she knows of elijah being in town, but she's glad to know that there's none baring their fangs and trying to cause chaos in mathias. on the other hand, she's disappointed that there's no stefan.

she lets out a breath and folds her flannel a little poorly.

lips curving upward, she thinks to try and break the tension she feels with a little joke. ]
Is people coming back to life an everyday occurrence for you?
40seconds: (pic#)

[personal profile] 40seconds 2020-12-13 08:59 am (UTC)(link)
[ Oh, he wishes he could lighten this moment with a smile and a joke, but doing that would feel wrong, like he was just treating her with kid gloves. She can handle the truth; he's sure of that, because she's received equally distressing information before. But then again, for someone like her who grew up being moved from foster home to foster home, any kind of loss at all is bound to be distressing.

Sure, he's fine now, but he wasn't at one point, and it's that one point that he's reluctant to mention. But he can't retract his words now, so he just plows on ahead. ]


You know that killer fog I mentioned? [ Is he stalling for time here? Maybe. ]
hellblaze: <lj user="synthnights">. (eyebrow 🔥 over and over again.)

[personal profile] hellblaze 2020-12-13 09:03 am (UTC)(link)
[ He stays still in that moment. Oh, he's been around long enough to note when it's time for him to actually shut his mouth and let things play out. It's rare, but, it does happen. His hands go out to his sides to prepare to steady himself - just in case.

John just gives her a look. One that says he's far too old and too experienced to hear her patronize him on things that lurk in the dark. He knows the people who can't fully grasp what they're up against. He's been arguing with them about the nature of the universe since he arrived.

Still, for once in his miserable existence, John decides not to press it further. Something about power or magic coming from her is shaking things up -- literally. ]


How about we put this conversation on ice, luv. Since you ah, seem to be ... quaking. [ Literally. He doesn't even know the name or the irony of it. Again, he gestures to the door behind him. ] Let's go inside and get you warmed up.
hellblaze: <lj user="synthnights">. (talk 🔥 sets down behind me.)

[personal profile] hellblaze 2020-12-13 09:15 am (UTC)(link)
No one knows why we're here. The best theory I've got is that bits of the fabric of the multiverse are coming undone. Something has pulled us here. Means it's powerful, if it can do that.

[ not that she really asked for his theory or opinions. still, at this rate, john doesn't much care. daisy was right about one thing - people couldn't run away from what was in this town. he'll stand as a buffer, but, all the new kids need to look into the face of what's lurking in the shadows.

he makes it to the burned section of the library. a few steps in and he's at the hole that he and coulson had been working on... two weeks ago? three? somewhere in there. ]


No one. The town is completely empty... unless you count the bastard that was standing on the other side of the ravine further in the town. [ he glances up at her at that. ] Something wasn't right about him. Whoever he is? He's got powerful magic.
descendent: (pic#14201044)

[personal profile] descendent 2020-12-13 09:55 am (UTC)(link)
[ elena does pause before crossing the threshold of the burnt part of the library. this is her chance to turn around and go back, be somewhat sensible and still in the dark… but her curiosity and need to know everything propels her foot forward, then the other follows.

so many questions stem from what he's said, but she only picks one so far. the rest, like the multiverse, is something she can probably piece together the more she talks to him and the others. ]


He seemed so strange. [ she comes to stand beside him, brows furrowed as she peers down at the hole. this is so weird, so, so weird, and she should turn away, find elijah… but, just like she had stared at the man across the ravine, she stares at the hole and waits for an answer to shoot out from its mouth.

she glances at him curiously. ]
Can you sense magic?
bestfuneralever: (N4_54)

[personal profile] bestfuneralever 2020-12-13 12:29 pm (UTC)(link)
Mmhm. [He nods a little, turning down a street she won't recognize yet, but give it some time. Everything here will be dully familiar soon enough.] He was here before me. I... don't want anyone stuck in this place, but if I've gotta be... [He rolls his shoulders in a shrug.] I guess, I'd rather have family around, you know?
abrightboy: (well?)

[personal profile] abrightboy 2020-12-13 01:23 pm (UTC)(link)
Aren't we already? This place? Whoever brought us here?
abrightboy: (consider this)

[personal profile] abrightboy 2020-12-13 01:32 pm (UTC)(link)
"If there's a 'spark' in the body, does that mean part of you is still in it?" Malcolm asked.
thering: (Doc134)

[personal profile] thering 2020-12-13 02:44 pm (UTC)(link)
Luckily for them both, Doc speaks languages unspoken, though he is not insensitive to respond to that, or point it out. As long as he means Claire no harm, that is what matters.

There will be time for consoling Malcolm later, when they're alone. Not all hope is lost - Doc has managed to find things he had not before on a second or third passing of the same place, such as the general store. They can come back early tomorrow in case someone had already helped themselves to some other items of importance. Surely the clinic will be restocked.

They are able to find a few other objects by going through some more cupboards and some rickety old drawers.

"Do help yourself." He will take what is left over. Even if he has to figure out the otoscope. They have dallied around here enough and can do that later, once they are out the building. Every time he glances upwards, the restlessness that accompanies the potential of getting trapped in a place like this once the weight of the snow becomes too much for the old roof (is the ceiling starting to sag, or is it just him?) to bear keeps him moving.
Edited 2020-12-13 14:44 (UTC)
thering: (Default)

[personal profile] thering 2020-12-13 02:50 pm (UTC)(link)
Got it thank you! :D
abrightboy: (unsure)

[personal profile] abrightboy 2020-12-13 02:57 pm (UTC)(link)
Malcolm stuck his hands in his pockets, still rocking from foot to foot, ready to leave as well. He glanced at what Doc held in his hands.

"Is that an otoscope?" he asked rhetorically. "My dad gave me one for my seventh birthday."

Yes, a real one. Yes, he had that kind of childhood. But he knew how to use it, if that would help Doc at all.

He looked at Dean. "It was nice to meet you," he said politely before shimmying past him to slip out the door.