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072-078 » pages of possible futures

WHO: Everyone
WHERE: Mathias Township proper
WHEN: Days 072-078
WHAT: The future is set in motion once more.
WARNINGS: (PM this account to have a warning added!)
NOTES: Plotting post over here! Next log will be the weekend of July 31.
MOD NOTE: The week did not go as planned. Apologies for the delay on this log and thank you for your patience!

RECOMMENDED ♫ Marco Beltrami "Bad Omens"

DAY 072
“The visions are fragmented and a dark cloud spreads
like spilt ink across the pages of possible futures.”
— Garth Nix
Blue skies greet residents on this bright new morning filled with summer sunshine. It's a day when birds would normally be singing, when there would be boats taken out on the water, children laughing and running through the streets. But in Mathias there is only silence, eerie and almost deafening in its absoluteness, and those blue skies do not stretch on forever. Far off on the horizon are dark clouds stretching ominously in all directions, never moving closer or farther away. They are always there, dark and angry, as if waiting... For what, who can say, but they will remain there for the days going forward, circling the town like a shark circles a meal.

Despite that dreadful darkness in the distance, there is some good news. Residents will also wake to find that their previously missing belongings have returned to them. Clothing and other personal effects are right where they should have been, as if they have always been there, and there is no sign of them having been returned by someone or something. They're just there.

That is, however, the extent of the good news. Residents who visit the Town Hall will find the bulletin board much changed, and those who have thrown caution to the wind and made use the sedatives found within Baneberry Hall will begin to find themselves changing as well. They are easily distracted while awake and plagued by nightmares while asleep. They dream of Mathias burning, fire spreading from the east until it consumes everything in its path. With increasing intensity as the week continues, they will wake with terror gripping their chests and sweat covering their too-hot skin.

THE NEW ARRIVALS
The newest arrivals to Mathias will wake up on the lawn of Town Hall, at the center of the little town square. There are shops all around them, with houses just beyond, and at first glance, everything seems almost picturesque. Except for the silence that is at times so complete as to be maddening... Welcome to Mathias.

DAY 073-075
With those dark clouds still hanging on the horizon, some residents may find themselves watching the ocean a little more closely, searching for signs of whatever it is they are beginning to sense is approaching. If they do, they will find those signs, for every so often a dark shape will appear from out of the water before disappearing a few moments later. Residents are welcome to try getting a better look at those shapes, though moving to higher vantage points will be ineffective and swimming may not be the best investigation method.

Nightfall strengthens the sense of that elusive something. Though nothing can be seen in the darkness, there is something out there. They can feel it when they are outside themselves, a heavy presence that their animal instincts warn them against, urging them to flee to safety indoors. But once inside, they can hear whatever is out there in the night, the sounds horrifying and yet utterly indescribable and beyond the limits of their perception.

There is no way to glimpse what might be making those sounds, nor is there any way to properly record them, though attempts may be made to do so.

DAY 076-077
The strange occurrences of recent days continue as something attempts to lead residents out into the southern forest should they venture within view of the treeline. Unrecognizable voices may call out incoherently or the sounds of someone moving through the trees may pull at their attention. Or, perhaps, a dark figure entering the forest will catch their eye, pulling them to follow the possibly feminine figure with no discernible characteristics.

Whatever it is, it will lead them along the paths or even away from their relative safety, winding this way and that until they're completely lost within the expanse of sun-dappled trees that seem innocent and threatening at the same time. There is nothing left to do but continue following that figure that is always just ahead at the edge of sight.

Eventually, the trees stop and there is a stretch of clearing, the sky a crisp blue overhead, sun shining down and yet—

That dark figure is still shrouded in shadow, as are the other four that have joined it. All slight with long hair, something feminine in the way they stand with hands held out at their sides, facing outward in a line along the edge of the ravine that borders the township, though for some reason their features cannot be focused on enough for true comprehension. They stand there in silence as if waiting, so close to the edge that a strong wind could easily knock them over into oblivion. A concerned resident might try to stop them; a curious one might try to finally get a better look at the figures that led them to this place. Regardless of the reason, any movement into the clearing toward them will end in the same result.

All five figures step forward as one and disappear into the nothingness below.

The ravine so deep that the bottom cannot be seen and wide enough that the other side is tantalizingly out of reach. At first, there is the sense that safety is just beyond if only they could get there, but with that sensation is also the knowledge that if they stay here, death will be a certainty. The edge seems unsteady, like getting too close would set it crumbling and send them tumbling into that as well...

That is when those who do venture to the edge see the truth of the ravine and what lies beyond it: nothing. There is a neverending dark nothingness below and beyond this ravine, beyond this town, and there is something staring back from within the dark.

DAY 078
As morning arrives in Mathias, so too does the storm. Those clouds that hovered in the distance move in quickly, plunging the town into a twilight-like darkness. The rumbling that breaks the silence is like that of a thunderstorm but infinitely more ominous, signaling something approaching that is not meant for the world of man. Within just a few minutes, the residents will learn why as lightning arcs across the sky, the cracks of powerful energy echoing through the air. Those branching spikes at first remain in the sky, but then suddenly they crash down to meet the earth, striking the Lighthouse. The sound of splintering wood and pierced metal fills the air, followed moments later by the roaring crackle of a fire raging into existence. Those cracks and crashes continue as the lightning moves inward, hitting the forest, the beach, and the Grey Gull before moving down Phillips Drive to attack the homes left rotting by time.

While the lightning eventually retreats to the sky, the fire spreads with purpose. It leaps from building to building, consuming everything in its path. It is a living, breathing thing driven by a need to devour. There is no stopping or controlling the almost sentient entity, for it does not behave as fire normally would — it skips buildings before doubling back, burns when there's nothing to fuel it, and seems to almost actively pursue residents fleeing to safety. Ultimately, the fire consumes everything east of the Library, from Jackson Boulevard to the beach and the northeastern forest to the Lighthouse; for an unknown reason, it does not venture farther inland than this.

Ash falls from the sky like snow throughout the town as the eastern half of Mathias glows a terrifying raging red. Residents may seek sanctuary in businesses along the square or in areas in the western half of the town, though the latter will not be without its own risks and consequences.

SANITY LOSS

There are multiple opportunities for sanity loss within this log. All instances of such should be reported before the next log.
— BANEBERRY SEDATIVES These will effect all who have taken them, regardless of type, quantity, or frequency, until the storm on day 78. Each night of nightmares will result in 1 point of sanity loss for a potential total loss of 6 points.

— FIGURES IN THE FOREST All who witness the figures jump into ravine will suffer 3 points of sanity loss.

— SEEING BEYOND THE RAVINE Any who see the truth of what is beyond the ravine will suffer 7 points of sanity loss that cannot be recovered. Additionally, any Madness that results from this sanity loss begins immediately.

— DEATH BY FIRE All who are killed by the fire lose 3 sanity points and gain the Madness pyrophobia for seven days, which should be reported. The pyrophobia will be experienced at an intensive level for the duration of the Madness.

CONDITIONS UPDATE

— THE WEATHER Summer has arrived in Mathias, bringing with it warm days that average 70°F and comfortably cool nights.

— THE FOG has maintained its recent boundaries.
— 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 from the western section of town entirely.
— 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 AND DEATHS have ceased for the moment but they're sure to begin again soon.

OOC NOTES

— ENDGAME We are officially heading into endgame. Over the next few months, things will begin ramping up and moving toward the always planned conclusion, with the last log projected to go up between the end of October and middle of December.

What does this mean? Essentially, hopefully, this will mean more opportunities to dig into the mysteries and lore of the game, as well as more chances for your characters to creep toward insanity. However, how things progress and what information comes to light will depend upon character interaction with the setting and involvement with the mysteries of Mathias.

— ITEMS FROM HOME All items from home have returned to the exact state and location in which they were last seen. This includes all clothing and possessions they had on their person when they arrived in Mathias (or, for arrivals in the previous log, what they should have had). Items from home that were left behind by other characters no longer in the game have also returned.

— THE FIRE A rough representation of where the fire spreads is available over here.

— REMINDER There are a lot of moving parts to this log, as there will be for all logs going forward. Read the narrative and all OOC notes thoroughly and carefully. Ask questions if something is not clear, but please also look through questions others have asked for further clarification.

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A third time a third time he almost killed his friends twice.

“If I’m going to hurt someone, two people should take me down, at least. If I’m only going to hurt myself… maybe just let me until I snap out of it. Then none of you will get hurt,” he suggested with a sniffle.

"No. We're not leavin' you to twist in the wind. We can't watch that and do nothing. And we have to watch. We are part of this, whether you like it or not," Raylan insisted quietly with a tightening of his hand against Malcolm's.

"Someone is always gonna get hurt here. Even with anything we do. But we're not letting anyone do it on their own."

Malcolm recalled what Raylan said the other night about nearly moving out on his own. He stopped and turned and threw his arms around Raylan, all in one motion, holding him tight.

“That goes for you, too,” Malcolm murmured against Raylan’s neck.

"How's about this, I promise I won't leave if you don't, hmm? Make a pack?" The words were muttered into Malcolm's hair and Raylan hugged him back unashamedly, even though they were in the middle of the street.

Right now, that didn't matter. Malcolm being accepted, accepting this, was.

Malcolm nodded against his neck, holding on tight for another moment or two before loosening his grip so he could draw back enough to see Raylan's face.

"I didn't want to hurt him. I don't want to hurt anyone."

"I know, darlin'. We know. Neal knows. Though I imagine you will want to tell him a few hundred times." Reaching up, Raylan pushed Malcolm's hair back into place before cupping his jaw. "We know its not safe when you're in that state. And it's our choice to still be here."

Malcolm's eyes stayed earnestly on his face, soaking up the truth of those words.

"Can we go back and check on him?" He wanted to see if he was still alive. And maybe tell him for the first hundred times. "Just. See how he's doing?"

"If you want to, yes. Doc shoulda had enough time to clean things up and get him comfortable. He might not be awake yet, but if you want. Permission to take you back for another walk if seein' him sends you into a spiral again? Or are you gonna need to play nursemaid to condone for your sins."

Malcolm shook his head. “It’s… probably better if I don’t,” he admitted. “We can walk.” He looked at Raylan. “You’ll walk with me some more?”

"Course," he agreed with a nod, hand spreading down over Malcolm's shoulder as his body turned, getting them moving again, now towards the far side of town. If he could get Malcolm to where the chasm was and back, that'll be at least 45 minutes or so, as long as they didn't long-step it.

"He's gonna be okay. Doc's dealt with worse wounds, I'm sure. Gotta have some faith in both of them. Neal's not done with you yet either."

Neal’s not done with you yet, either.

A bloom of warmth forms in Malcolm’s chest, even as a new tear slips down his face.

He sticks close to Raylan, where he can be steered easily by the hand on his shoulder.

“When my father was arrested, kids in my class started calling me ‘psycho’ but I never felt like that was me. What if this place is making me into it? What if we all end up becoming our worst selves?”

Raylan knew that this was hard for Malcolm - there was no world that he could see Malcolm hurting someone else intentionally, even with what Malcolm had confessed to him nights before. There was no way he'd murdered Endicott but Raylan had nothing to help prove it and opted to keep the peace and say next to nothing beyond insisting that it wasn't possible.

He knew it was. That didn't mean he believed the story fed to him.

"Then we will all go mad together and figure it out," he promised, unaware of how close he was to testing those words, hand tightening around Malcolm's shoulder. He wouldn't wipe away Malcolm's tears; They were deserved, considering. "I can't say I haven't considered that possibility, as ugly as it is. Us all goin' mad. I can't promise how that's gonna go but.. You're not doing it alone. I'm not doin' it alone because of you and Doc and Tim.. Klaus and Negan.."

The whole commune, really.

"Nothin' worth having is easy, right?"

“Nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight,” Malcolm murmured, reciting a lyric. “You’ve gotta kick at the darkness ‘til it bleeds daylight.”

He looked at Raylan, still a little bleary but less shaky. “I think they’ve done things they thought would separate us. Locking some inside and some outside when the monsters came. The memories. …This. Us together… it hurts their objectives. They counted on us turning on each other well before now, not getting closer and closer.”

"Good line." They had plenty of boots for kicking and plenty of enthusiasm for it. Raylan could recognize a quote when he heard one, but he didn't know what it was from.

"Well then it's their fault for underestimating us, ain't it?" The very serious accusation came with a faint lift of his eyebrows and another squeeze of his hand. "If what I did couldn't break us all apart, then you got nothin' to worry about. We won't let it happen again. It'll just take some teamwork and thinkin', that's all."

Edited 2021-08-07 16:32 (UTC)

“We should take it into account, that they want us at each others’ throats. Make more friends. Gather more people in the houses on our street,” Malcolm suggests.

Raylan nodded, but his jaw worked a bit as he watched the road their steps were eating up. "I didn't do so well with Tim but.. You might be right. Somethin' like rallying the horses. Circling our proverbial wagons."

There's something in the water. Not something that Raylan was going to share right now, but his back hair has been up for days. The shapes in the water had just been another tic.

"Are you going to be able to handle them figuring out what happened with Neal? There's not gonna be any hiding it unless we lie." And he would, for Malcolm.

"I can handle them knowing," Malcolm said firmly. "They should know. They should know the danger," he added. The danger he posed. The precautions they should take. He looked at Raylan curiously. "Where did Tim go? Why did he go? I thought we were just starting to get along."

Good. That was the correct answer, considering their circumstances. The hard, bold answer. Raylan nodded once in agreement again but at the mention of Tim, his eyes settled on the ground and didn't move much from there.

"He went over to Kings Lane. I had to talk him outta stayin' at the Lighthouse. As for the why; it's his issue. Not yours. But I'd suggest you givin' up on tryin' to make friends. For everyone's sake. It'll have to stay a mystery, I'm not willin' to mediate this one. It's too volatile."

“He hates me. That’s… actually a pretty common reaction to me, but… I’m sorry,” he says, looking at Raylan sidelong. “I never wanted to make things even harder for you. Annoying your friends. Stabbing our roommates.” He shakes his head and looks at the road ahead of them, taking a deep breath. “If Neal lives, I’ll look after him. Unless he doesn’t want me there.” Which would be understandable. “It’s my fault. It shouldn’t fall on everyone.”

Raylan shook his head. "I think hate's a strong word but you don't have to apologize to me for it. Nothin' to be done for it. It's not your fault," he assured, squeezing Malcolm's shoulder gently.

"If he'll let you, I think that's the better option but not because it 'shouldn't fall on everyone'. We're in this together. That means clean-up and post-stabbing and everythin'." A beat passed. "I think he'll let you, Malcolm. He doesn't think this is something to blame you for."

None of them blamed him for it. He wasn’t sure he deserved their kindness, but it wasn’t about what he deserved. It was about who they were. The man beside him and the mask of strength he wore to hide that kindness because it was treated as a weakness where he was from and the weak had to die.

“I love you so much,” Malcolm said in all seriousness. “Whatever happens, I need you to know that. To remember that. Whatever they do to us.”

"I love you too," he said easily, with an equally serious look over at him. "And I wouldn't ever be able to forget it. So long as we're here and I own those memories, I won't ever let that go."

Malcolm meant too much; Raylan wouldn't have chosen to not have done this, knowing all that he did, knowing what all would come with it.

Malcolm pauses his stride as they come up on where the chasm used to be, looking at the ground there.

"Any theories about the chasm or why it's gone now?" he asks, looking at Raylan, still clutching his hand.

"Kirigan thought that time had been turned back. It's better than mine which is 'to fuck with us'," he admitted grumpily. "He saw shadows in his version of whatever the hell we were in. It'd be a lie to say I wasn't a little satisfied that they didn't respond to his powers. No one else has any ideas we haven't mused over before. I dunno. Now that it's gone, we're closer to the lodge. That's a good thing, but it doesn't feel like one, for some reason."

Malcolm takes a breath. “Isn’t that where they sacrificed people?”

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fuck *Pact not pack /rolls my eyes at me

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