villagelogs | 072-078 » pages of possible futures

Entry tags:

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.

navigation | faq | locations | report updates

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

“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.

Malcolm’s expression creases faintly at the assertion that he can’t really argue with, but darkens at the last, which he can and will.

“He’s not like that,” Malcolm says sharply. He doesn’t pull away from Klaus, but there’s a warning look on his face. “I have an abuser and it’s not Raylan. Not him.”

“I didn’t say he was abusing you,” he points out gently. “I said you sound like an abuse victim. Making excuses for things that he’s done that hurt you. Using the But I love him reasoning for why all those things are okay…”

He shakes his head. “Come on, Malcolm, I know mostly you work with people who’ve already died, but you can’t tell me you’ve never come across a battered woman or two in your career. You know what it sounds like…” Excuses. It sounds like excuses.

This time, Malcolm does pull his hands away.

“What it sounds similar to and what it is are two different things. I wanted you to understand why I chose something you might not have chosen, but I didn’t choose it because I don’t understand it. Loving him is a valid reason to stay with him. He needs me. I want him. He loves me. He really, really does. Whatever he’s working out about himself, it doesn’t preclude that.”

Klaus looks as good as if he’d slapped him when Malcolm pulls away. “I didn’t say you didn’t understand , I just—” he rolls his lips together and shakes his head. It doesn’t matter what he thinks, because nothing is going to change this unwavering devotion that Malcolm has placed at Raylan’s feet.

“I just don’t want you to keep getting hurt because he doesn’t know what he wants.” He whispers softly, staring down at his own hands, fingers twisting together.

Something grows tight in his chest and he doesn’t want to be here anymore. “I’m sorry,” he mumbles, spinning on his heel to dart back out the front door.

At ‘I’m sorry’, Malcolm gets out an aborted ‘No’ before Klaus starts to flee.

“Don’t go!” he pleads a little more loudly than he intends.

He freezes halfway toward the door, it’s impossible to ignore the desperate tone in Malcolm’s voice. Klaus swallows the lump in his throat, but doesn’t turn around yet. “Yeah?” He blinks a few tears away.

“I don’t want you to go. I’m not mad at you. I don’t want you to stop being concerned about me. I don’t want you to stop telling me your concerns. I just… I wanted you to understand me. I didn’t want you to go,” he says, hands gripping the kitchen island with white knuckles. “Please. Stay. And don’t ever be sorry for just… not agreeing with me. Never.”

A few years ago, he wouldn’t have bothered trying to hear him out. A few years ago, he’s not sure he would have been friends with Malcolm at all once he realized he wouldn’t share his prescriptions— ignoring the fact that he hadn’t had any of them, here— but a few years changed a lot.

And that emotion in his voice will pull Klaus back in every time. He’s been that person, more times than he can or would want to count. Desperate to be heard, for someone to see his point of view, to believe him…

“Okay…” His shoulders slump slightly, and he closes his eyes for a moment before he turns back toward him. “But I’m still sorry… I’m not trying to say Raylan is a bad guy, I don’t think he is, and I don’t even think he’s doing what he’s done maliciously, but— but that almost makes it worse because he is not thinking when this stuff happens. He’s not thinking of what it’s gonna do to you.”

He moves back into the kitchen, pausing at the counter, fingers resting at the edge of it, unsure what to do with themselves. “He’s not bad, but this situation is really shitty, and you’re the one that keeps drawing the short straw and I know what that’s like and I hate that for you.”

“I appreciate that,” Malcolm says sincerely. He reaches for Klaus’s hand on the counter, his fingers just hooking Klaus’ fingers there and holding on. “I really do appreciate your care. But I’m happy when I’m with him. In the grand scheme of this horrible place… how much does it really matter what he’s doing when he’s not with me? It did hurt to think that I’d been displaced by someone he can take home, but he was super clear about how much I matter to him. I’m…” He shrugs. “I’m at peace with that part of it. With the idea that we only have here and… I want my chance. I want my turn being good enough for the coolest guy at school. I want… I want my moments of the fantasy that someone good and kind and sexy could know everything about me and love me anyway. I want it.”

He doesn't pull away when Malcolm takes his fingers, just gently closes them around the other man's. "We're not gonna agree on this, Malcolm... we're just not." He's just going to have to accept that; Klaus can't see it as anything other than what it is on the surface, because he isn't in it. He sees it through the eyes of someone who was never taught what love was supposed to look like, who allowed himself to be used for years because as long as he was useful to someone, maybe it would fill the space left by a loveless father, an emotionless robot-mother, and a pack of soldiers for siblings couldn't.

"You want it... and you're happy with it... so I'll have to be, too, as your friend." It isn't what he wants to say, but he doesn't want to keep going in a circular route with this.

Malcolm can see he's holding something back.

"...You still want to be my friend?" he asks carefully.

"What? Yes, of course I do." He insists, bewildered by that question. "Why would you think I don't?"

Though that question is earnest, everything after it becomes Klaus' go-to defense of self-deprecating humor as he huffs softly. "What, you think one little disagreement is gonna make me go away? Please, it takes more than that to get rid of me. Just ask any of my siblings."

"You thought I wanted you to go away," Malcolm points out. "That thought came from somewhere. From. Some kind of feeling. And I don't. Want you to go."

“Nope,” he shakes his head a little at that assertion, bringing one hand up to tap Malcolm lightly on the nose, the smile on his face faint and slightly self-deprecating. “I didn’t think that you wanted that… I just—”

He scoffs and shakes his head. “It’s what I do— things get hard or uncomfortable or scary and I just— I run. I’m not… good at disagreements. Or friendships. Or a million other things. And I can’t-” he shakes his head again. “I can’t deal with this place without you, Malcolm. I just need… to not push this til it breaks, okay?”

"You can't break this," Malcolm tells him firmly. "I need you too."

Klaus smiles softly. He doesn't mean that. Or at least, he doesn't mean it the way Klaus means it, and he knows that. But it's still nice to hear.

"Okay," he nods a little. "Good."

He took it to mean what he would mean if he said it. He has a blindspot, like anyone else.

He swallows and gestures to the counter. "So you'll stay for coffee?"

(no subject)

bestfuneralever - 2021-08-24 21:35 (UTC) - Expand

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only