062 » that moment of experience / part i

[villagemod]

WHO: Everyone.
WHERE: Eastern/Central/Southern/Western Mathias
WHEN: Day 062
WHAT: A storm rains destruction upon the town.
WARNINGS: (PM this account to have a warning added!)
NOTES: Plotting post over here! Part II details are below.

RECOMMENDED ♫ Deadly Avenger "Creeper"

DAY 062
THAT MOMENT OF EXPERIENCE
“A story has no beginning or end: arbitrarily one
chooses that moment of experience from which to
look back or from which to look ahead.”
— Graham Greene
The day begins like any other might. The clouds occasionally part to give glimpses of the sun, offering a bit of hope that the hours might pass without incident. It is a hope that is soon dashed, however, for midday brings with it a suddenly darkening sky. Those near the beach will be able to see the ocean churning as all light seems to be bled from the day, the sky darkening into a purplish-black more quickly than is natural, the process taking a mere ten minutes from start to finish.

And then it begins.

The rain is so heavy and pouring so fast that the ground cannot take it all in, sending rivers down streets and leaving lawns as lakes. The winds blow in gusts so strong that they could knock someone over, and the lightning that arcs brightly through the sky is immediately followed by thunder that shakes the town to its core, the tremors almost reminiscent of the earthquakes that plagued the town only days ago.

For some, the storm will be another nuisance of mother nature, forcing them to remain wherever they were before its sudden approach. But for others, it will be far more than that, for this storm is seeking revenge on those who sought to destroy the town. Destruction will rain down and it will not stop until its vengeance is satisfied.




THE NEW ARRIVALS
The newest arrivals to Mathias will wake up on the beach near The Grey Gull. It's a bit chilly out with their wet clothes, but surely there's something to help warm them inside the restaurant. If nothing else, the cowboys' homemade moonshine should do the trick.

---

ABOUT THE STORM
The storm will begin at midday and last until late into the night, only calming in the early hours of the morning. The heavy rain will flood the streets, though it will not be enough to flood the buildings themselves (except as noted below), and the winds and thunder will shake the town with such strength that it will almost seem as if the town is trying to tear itself apart.

But this is not a simple storm. For those residents who took part in any way in the destruction of the Town Hall, History Museum, or Stoker Park house, they will find the storm will destroy their shelter in some fashion. This can include broken windows, caved-in roofs, flooding from the rain, or even lightning striking the building. The details are up to player choice but something will be damaged by the storm.

— All damage to buildings will be repaired by the dawn of the following day as if it never happened at all. There is no way to witness this process taking place.
— If a resident is sheltering in a shared living space with others who did not take part in the destruction of the town, you may choose to have only your character's section of that location damaged. However...
— The storm's focus will follow the resident if they move to another area or location, meaning that the new location will also suffer damage in some way.
— Only those who took part in the town destruction in some way will be targeted by the storm, but innocent bystanders can be caught up in the situation as well.

---

CONDITIONS UPDATE

— THE WEATHER conditions remain fairly typical for early fall: warm days and cool nights. It feels almost like spring arriving except that there fewer red and orange leaves on the ground and more of them oddly returning to the trees and slowly fading to green. It's like watching one of those nature documentaries that have a timelapse of the seasons, only it's going in reverse.

— THE FOG has retreated from some areas!

— Residents may now wander the southern stretch of the forest surrounding Mathias Township — it is possible to leave the paths but potentially unwise to do so.
— The fog has also retreated farther into the western section of town, now stretching across town between Stine Road and Shelley Drive. This has revealed the Chasm in the earth that stretches from one side of town to the other between Stine and Hill Lane.
— Access to the northern section of the forest is still blocked beginning a few dozen yards past the treeline; this section of fog will urge residents to stay huddled within the town proper by inducing a physical reaction of panic and fear.

— DISAPPEARANCES continue! Ellie has vanished while others have returned.

— ALCOHOL supplies have run dry, save for any dregs that have been squirreled away by individual residents. Moonshine can still be acquired by those in desperate need.

---

OOC NOTES

— NEW MAP Thanks so much to Scy for this amazing new map of Mathias!

— PROJECT HELP Your mod needs help with some projects!

— PART II The next part of the log series will be have characters divided up (by OOC choice, not IC) into groups, so be sure to sign up for one asap. Anyone who doesn't make the deadline will be automatically assigned to an available spot.

— UPDATES Don't forget to report updates as they come up! Changes to locations (like toppling a few bookshelves in the library), big plots you have coming up that will affect the game (parties, major property destruction, etc), or exciting discoveries that may tie into the game's mythology (even the things provided by the mod) are very helpful to have in one place so relevant page updates can be made. IC events are also helpful to know about in advance so they can be included in the log write-ups.

— MOD STATUS The usual reminder that it's just Amy steering this ship, so things will are going to be pretty slow for a while. Apologies in advance, and please don't feel shy about pestering me if you're stuck waiting for something. (All outstanding matters will be taken care of in the next few days!)

navigation | faq | locations | report updates

Comments

[chuju]

Thoughts are tumbling through Daisy's mind as Doc speaks, each word bringing a dozen new questions that collide into each other and spur even more questions into existence. It all comes crashing to a screeching halt when he says that name, though, and the look on her face is nothing short of alarmed.

"Coulson was here?" she repeats, not wanting to face all the possibilities of what that might mean but also ultimately unable to turn away from them. "But I just saw him."

Had it somehow been her Coulson that was here? The Coulson who was still struggling with his new existence as an LMD with Chronicom technology, who would outlive all the people he ever loved. Or had it been the Coulson from before, the human one who had risked everything time and again for the world and for her? Was this where he'd come when he died? Even just the thought of it makes her stomach roll.

[thering]

That seems to be a recurring motif of Mathias, to be honest. One half-not-really-answer leads to only a dozen more questions.

"The mother of our ten-day old daughter said the same thing when she showed up," he hears himself say without letting the words really sink in. He has always known that a happy ending was never, ever going to be in the cards for him. But man. This gut punch had been particularly vicious. "I'd been here two months but. She said I didn't miss a thing."

He didn't mean to dump that on Daisy, but. He can't exactly talk about it to said mother of their daughter. Or the boys (and girl) of 1306. And just as easy as he lets some of that crushing anguish blow out of a partially open valve, he clams right back up again, seeing Bucky and Daisy's house come into view as they round a corner.

"I know you didn't ask for and probably don't want any advice from some old man come out of nowhere in some backwater town you ain't wanna be part of, but. Just roll with these punches. It's easier." He forces a smile he doesn't have in him as he gestures at the house.

"Mister Barnes is just up ahead, ma'am."

[chuju]

Once again, Doc's words leave Daisy reeling, though this time it's for something he could never have guessed. There no way he could know how deeply the story of parents being pulled away from their infant daughter would resonate with her. He couldn't have any idea that she'd lost her own mother again just the day before.

Rolling with the punches. That's the only way she's survived this long.

Reaching out, she wraps her hand around his, pained sympathy etched into her expression. Her fingers are colder than they should be, a biting chill running bonedeep, but she only holds on long enough to give a brief squeeze that she hopes will provide even just an ounce of comfort.

"We'll get you both back to your daughter soon. I promise." She doesn't care what rules of time and space they have to break to do it. Letting go of his hand, she takes a step toward where she can see a man sitting on a front porch in the distance. "Thanks for showing me the way."

[thering]

He wasn't expecting that kind gesture from her. It leaves him struggling with the lump in his throat, trying to keep that poker face on and focus on the immediate task of getting her back to where she needs to be. Thankfully they have arrived where she needs to be. Just in time for him to not try to convince her that everyone still stuck here has already tried to get home without getting anywhere fast.

"Keep the coat," he offers. "I will return for it another time." Conveniently giving himself the excuse to revisit her. "Should you decide not to stay, there is a boarding house, the roof of which you can see just peeking up over there," he gestures. Maybe it would jog her memory? He's not very hopeful seeing as she doesn't remember this familiar walk back to her house, but you never know.

"Storms and other bad weather around here shouldn't be weathered alone." And he's not just talking about the strictest interpretation of bad weather.

[chuju]

Sometimes it's what someone's expression doesn't say that speaks the loudest. She can see it in his eyes, that there's a battle being fought beneath that mask, and though she doesn't know all the details, she understands. The battles fought when no one can see are sometimes the worst of all.

At the mention of the coat, Daisy looks down, having forgotten that she was even wearing it. That's so unlike her, proving again just how off-balance she is right now. But she does notice the way he says he'll return for it, and the specific mention of the boarding house, which she glances at. And she understands his last message too, all too well.

Slipping the coat off her shoulders, she folds it neatly before moving to his side, reaching out to take his hand and set the coat in his grasp. She offers him a soft smile and gently tells him, "Come see me when you feel up to talking about things. I'll tell you about my dad and everything he did to get back to me."

It's a story she doesn't tell many people, though it follows her around like every other piece of her history since joining SHIELD. But maybe it will help him somehow — that possibility alone is worth the effort it will take. And he doesn't need a coat as an excuse to visit her.

[thering]

He takes the coat from her quietly and nods wordlessly, making furtive, fleeting eye contact before averting his gaze. He doesn't want to talk - not about that and, well. Not right now, it seems.

"I'm sure-- you know. He woulda tried his damnedest." That's all Doc is willing to say about any of that, at this juncture. He doesn't know the man, can't say more than that, beyond glazing over the assumption that most men are somewhat decent and most decent men would have fought like hell for the one good thing that would have happened to them.

"Hope things go well in there," he offers with a smile that is almost painful to force. Though he might swing back around this way just to be sure she doesn't end up wandering around on her own - or catch anyone else doing that - he's not going to stick around right now to make things potentially awkward with Bucky.

[chuju]

Cal did, in fact, try his damnedest. He'd spent two and a half decades searching for her, losing his mind a little more with each passing day. When he'd finally found her... She can still remember the horror and revulsion she'd felt at learning what her father had become.

But that's not a story for today.

"Thanks," she tells him with a nod and her own ghost of a smile before turning to head down the street. Later, when she sees him again, she'll make sure he knows how grateful she was to be met by a friendly face that day. It feels important that he knows.