villagelogs | 072-078 » pages of possible futures

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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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His face is a journey as he takes that information in. He knew about Raylan's.... dalliances with Doc, he'd heard it straight from the cowboy's own mouth on the porch of 1308 not so long ago. Had even given him some proper advice about how loving more than on person can, but won't always, work.

This sounds like the exact opposite of what he'd told Raylan.

"...Tim? When did this triangle become a square?" What in the name of Satan and all that's Holy did he miss?!

“Um, I don’t know,” Malcolm admits mildly, with a casual shrug. “Shortly after he arrived, I guess. At some point Neal found out and he gave Raylan twenty-four hours to tell me. It was… a rough night.”

"Are you okay? I mean– what..." For once, he can't even figure out the right words to throw out there. His face is still just a journey of confusion and uncertainty. "How...did it go...? I assume Raylan was the one that told you?" God, he hopes so, at the very least. It's the tiniest saving grace in it all, but only barely.

Malcolm nods. "Yeah, he told me. And it blindsided me. He told me before he was going to take me on a date. The date we went on last night. So I thought that was what I was showing up for and it... was not. But. We talked it out."

Okay, Malcolm also cried and shouted it out, but he's worked through it now.

"....You... talked it out." He echoes, still not really able to wrap his mind around it. Things were precarious enough already, and now a whole other person was blindly pulled into the mix and– "This is totally not the advice I gave him." He drops his face into his hands. "Jesusfuck, man."

He lifts his head up and props his chin in his hand. "So... you're okay..." He waves his free hand vaguely. "with all this? It's just–" he throws that same hand out to the side. "fine? He can...sleep with half the town and as long as he comes home to you, you're good? That's...enough?"

Malcolm holds up a finger. “That’s not what the deal is. He swears there won’t be anybody else.”

He folds his fingers under his hand on the counter.

“He said if I would stay with him, there won’t be anyone else and he’s been.. amazing since then. He took me on the most romantic date of my entire life.”

"Didn't he promise that before, too?" He asks, his face softening at the edges. "Malcolm... I don't want you to get any more hurt than you've already been." Because he has been, and nothing he says will convince Klaus otherwise.

“He didn’t promise it before. Not explicitly. I mean. I guess I assumed it…” He looks at Klaus, pressing his lips together. “He really meant it. I can tell,” he says softly.

"Well, it's what it should have meant." Klaus reaches across the counter and tangles their fingers together, squeezing gently in an attempt of comfort. "For your sake, I hope so." he admits softly.

“He would never hurt me on purpose,” Malcolm says firmly, though he’s clutching Klaus’s hand tightly.

He doesn't unlink their fingers, even as he slides out of his seat and moves around to the other side of the bar, tugging him into a tight hug.

“I can’t really fault him for being greedy when… I want to be greedy too. I would take allllll of his love for myself if I could. But that doesn’t make what he offers… invalid,” Malcolm tells him. “I agreed to it.”

After the fact, but.

“It’s two different kind of greeds you're trying to compare, Malcolm.” He shakes his head. “He wants to have more with other people, you want more of just him…” he pulls back slowly, just enough to look at him. “You were imbalanced in this from the beginning, I think. He’s figuring out a part of himself he always assumed didn’t exist… it’s a greedy place to be in, because a whole different part of the world he never thought to look at has cracked open here. And it’s fine— it would be fine if he wants to feel those things out, but only if he was honest about it. Drew the lines where they needed to be.”

His hands go up to frame Malcolm’s face, “So that someone doesn’t end up hurt for thinking this, and they, mean more than they have the room to be while he discovers all these things about himself.”

Malcolm doesn’t pull away from those hands, just stares into his face with open vulnerability.

“He never promised me anything,” he whispers.

It hadn’t really been a lie. He never told Malcolm about the others until afterwards, but he also never called Malcolm his boyfriend or his partner or his anything. He never drew a heart around them. He never said Malcolm could be his only one, except in a fantasy realm version of back in his world.

“But he never told you where the lines were supposed to be, either…” he points out softly, sliding his thumbs across Malcolm’s cheeks. “It’s not fair…”

He wishes there was some way for him to explain it in a way that would make Malcolm understand, but Klaus doesn’t have the words for it. He isn’t a person that speaks in words, his best language is in touch.

He presses a soft kiss to Malcolm’s forehead. “You deserve to be someone’s whole world, Malcolm… the way he’s yours.”

“What I arguably ‘deserve’ isn’t really relevant. I’ve known for a long time that I couldn’t have that. This is something. When he’s with me, he’s with me and he isn’t put off by my problems or who I am. He loves me. All of this… mess. Maybe I have to accept my place in my compartment of his life, but I get to have it,” he explains.

“I get it,” he insists, “I swear, I do, I didn’t think I could ever have it either, Malcolm. I— I thought I was too broken, too fucked up, too— whatever. To ever love someone else. To be loved by someone else. My dad did a number on me— a whole fucking play with three acts, on all of us. Being a Hargreeves means not knowing how anything in the social construct even fucking works, man, but…” he shakes his head, one hand falling to the dog tags hanging around his neck. “Dave changed that. He proved I could be someone’s everything, no matter how much I was convinced otherwise. That’s what this should be for you, it should be equal, not this imbalanced mess you’ve ended up with.”

He can help running his thumb along Malcolm’s cheek again. “You need someone who has a mess that goes with yours, not someone who makes everything even messier for you…”

“But I love him. I want to be with him.” His brow creases faintly. “He’s a good person; you know he is. This is just… he’s working through some things. And if this is all it ever is… then I still had it.”

“I know he’s a good guy, in the thick of things, he’s always gonna choose the right thing, but being a good person doesn’t mean he’s the right one, Malcolm…” he tugs the shorter man back into him in another hug, dragging his fingers through Malcolm’s hair again. “I know you love him… but please? Please be careful… please don’t cling to something that is going to keep hurting you just to say you have something…” he mutters it into his hair. “I love you, Malcolm…”

Malcolm, of course, takes that as platonically as he’s been saying it to his closest friends here and smiles, patting Klaus’ shoulder.

“I love you, too. And I appreciate that you’re looking out for me, but… I’m okay, really. Better than. We got through… that and… we’re in a good place. We had the best night last night. I promise.”

And if there was still a little ache in his chest when he thought of Tim going home with Raylan, then he’d put it in that box of pain in the back of his heart where he keeps all his memories of his father.

But it’s not the same. he thinks as Malcolm parrots the words back to him. Klaus has been pretty blind to his own feelings about Malcolm for awhile now, but it’s sort of hard to deny it when he’s just pouring all these thoughts out into Malcolm’s lap like this.

That’s okay, though. If Malcolm can be okay with everything going on in this situation, then he can be okay with just being friends. It would do nothing but complicate everything further in ways he’d rather not put on Malcolm to have to deal with.

“As long as you’re sure…” he kisses his temple gently. “If something happens, you get hurt again, or you just need to talk because it’s too much, please come talk to me, okay?”

Malcolm watches his face for a long moment.

“Do you think I’m being stupid?”

He smiles sadly at him and shakes his head. “No, I don’t think it’s stupid to want to be loved, Malcolm.” He slides his hands over Malcolm’s shoulders. “I just think you’re the one doing all the compromising and he’s getting all the benefit.”

He brushes a thumb across the other’s cheek. “Stupid? No. But maybe a little desperate.” But he doesn’t say it like it’s a bad thing or like it’s something to pity; Klaus is just sad he feels that’s now it will be. How it has to be.

“I don’t know that it’s all… benefit. It’s tearing him up and he doesn’t know what to think of himself. It hasn’t been easy for him. He’s not cruising around Mathias with someone on each arm. It’s not… experimentation. He’s just… trying to deal with his feelings.” Malcolm takes a breath. “Of course I want more. Anyone would. But I want him. I want him more than I want the more.”

He shakes his head. “That’s where you’re wrong, babydoll. He may not see that way, but it is an experimentation. He grew up in the backwoods of the Deep South, even if he ever had a stray thought about another boy when he was young, he never, ever might have acted on it. That’s what I meant earlier,” he slides his hands down to clasp their fingers together.

“He never knew he could have feelings for men, and being here in this stupid fucked up town, where there are no rules and no laws and all the expectations of home are gone, he felt safer to explore that… you’ve gone and gotten yourself mixed up in someone trying to sort out their sexuality and it’s a sucky place to be.” Klaus has been stuck in that place before in the past, he was much younger when it happened, but it didn’t change the facts, in his opinion.

“Do you know what you sound like when you defend him and al these shitty, terrible actions, and lies— yes, he lied to you, Malcolm. By not drawing the lines in what his expectations were, by not telling you, not once, but twice, that there were other people. I don’t care what your arrangement is: that’s cheating. He wouldn’t have had an issue telling you when it happened if he didn’t feel wrong, like it was breaking whatever you had agreed to.”

He brings one set of their linked hands up and presses a kiss against Malcolm's fingers. “But do you realize… you sound like an abuse victim?” He asks it softly, gentle as he can be about it, because it’s not something he takes or says lightly— having had to long ago accept he was one of those, too.

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