Event Log: Bad End

[hadrielmods]

Who: All characters participating in the event
What: The event log for the Bad End event
Where: All over the city!
When: August 23rd-September 5th
Warnings: Bad futures, awkward conversations, smashed mirrors

You wake up to find a mirror at your bedside - a pretty nice one, too, a silver hand mirror perfect for fixing your hair in. Only when you try to do that, it's not your gorgeous reflection that you see. It's something else - a terrible future, just about as bad as anything you could imagine for yourself.

Maybe you see your loved ones dead on the ground, and you know it's your fault. Maybe you see the goal you've been working so hard for pulled out of your reach forever. Maybe you see someone you've hurt in the past ruining your life. Maybe you see your hot girlfriend leaving you to shack up with your worst enemy. Whatever you see, it really sucks, and you know that it's possible. This future could happen if you make the wrong choices, give in to your worst impulses.

Break the mirror if you want, but you'll see the same vision in any reflective surface in the city. You can't break them all, but you can sure try. And what will you do when you see your best friend's vision - and it features you betraying them?

Seek reassurance, give reassurance, lash out, vow to yourself that you'll never let it turn out that way, sink into the depths of sorrow because you feel like the future you see is inevitable. Whatever you do, it won't take away those visions - not until the event is over.

► This log covers August 23rd-September 5th.
► Feel free to make your own logs, as well
► Please tag headers of threads with content warnings where they apply
► Please put your character's name and open/closed in the subject line of your starters!
► If you can't handle the idea of your dark future, or maybe you just accidentally slip and fall on a mirror shard, let us know here.

Comments

[tablewithoutpity]

Hannibal turned to Will, raising his eyebrows slightly, his friend's reluctance to allow Hannibal to see his vision not escaping his notice. Interesting, that in this case Hannibal was the more transparent of the two.

"What were you expecting, Will?"

[knifecollecting]

It's the mirror, isn't it? [They may not know each other well, but Jo figures she can at least ask that much.]

[utulien_aure]

Our fears, like our hopes, can be great strengths. But some of us have much to fear, and few good ways to deal with it.

This is cruel, and I worry-ai! [A new figure emerges in the reflection, a towering beast of flame and shadow who incinerates a group of pirates with a casual swing of its arm. Momentarily distracted, Fingon glares at the newcomer as though he wishes it could give it the same treatment.]

It could be worse, I suppose. They could have been made manifest.

[Though then he'd have gotten the chance to put a sword in a balrog's skull, and that would have been a nice way to feel better.]

[64th]

Well, Hope agreed to make Chris a computer if I made people hopeful. [ her tone says she thinks it's dumb. dumb or not, she did it anyway. ]

If you can describe how it's built, they can probably make it.

[einselective]

Not really.

[she replies, keeping her head down. Especially considering that, in the absence of sleeping pills or tranquilizers, she's been self-medicating with Carlisle's enchanted sleeping tea for some time now.]

There is a bar, although I'm not sure what they carry. I haven't been there, myself.

[utulien_aure]

Don't worry about me, I'll manage.

[The last comes out a little more forcefully than intended, more challenge than statement. He shakes his head impatiently as he realizes.]

I'll start preparing the next one while you're gone. What do you think we should get rid of next?

[hot_mes]

[holy shit what is that thing...

Law glances at Fingon, recognizing that prickly reaction, and figures it's something from his mind instead. Good. Nobody needs that backing up Kaidou]

To have all these visions made real...what a mess. I really didn't need to come face to face with Kaidou just yet, my plans are still in flux.

I take it, then, you're no stranger to war, Fingon-ya. [might as well break the ice if they're going to be plagued by scenes of death and destruction on both sides]

[utulien_aure]

[Distressed enough to hurt himself, yet still trying to cheer someone else up? Maglor's a rare soul. A worrying one too, but better than he thinks he is.]

I was young. It's much harder to make me blush now.

[Heh. Keep telling yourself that, Fingon, four months ago you went bug-eyed to hear Curufin had a boyfriend.]

[aroundthecoroner]

[This will also sound crazy, perhaps, but they've come this far...]

From what I can tell, it prefers murderers.

[aroundthecoroner]

Wait, so he got something out of it instead of you? [He thinks that's dumb too, if true.]

Or was this something you and Chris agreed on?

[evocation]

So, what? It's like a... vigilante ghost?

[onlyanautomaton]

Oscar recognizes the voice and turns toward its owner, growing slightly rigid now that their presence is known. He is understandably wary as the voice belongs to a person he met on the day of his second arrival who was quite insistent on solving their problems with violence. Whether that behavior was a direct result of the harmful effects inflicted by the insects was never conclusively determined.

"One cannot grieve that which has not happened."

It will occur to him seconds later that he could just as easily have stated that automatons are not able to grieve in a human manner.

[64th]

I have this music disc, but no way to play it. So I asked Chris and he said to ask for a CD player or a computer and then he could put the music on my phone. I've never had a computer before but It seemed useful, so I asked for that so I could give it to Chris. Then he can help me do something important with the computer.

[ she pauses. ] He's a nerd, but a likable one.

[aroundthecoroner]

I mean, as dumb as that sounds, kind of?

[He should probably explain this better.]

There's like, a story about it, actually. Like an urban legend kind of thing. [At least he's pretty sure it's the same thing. How many other vigilante ghost monsters can there be???]

I guess it was some guy who got killed.

[mttbrandlegs]

"It's entirely possible that you have not. After my unwanted sojourn in the caves, I've been keeping to myself," the robot admits. "You'd be surprised how easy it is to do such a thing when you do not sleep, honey."

Mettaton does wonder about that. Technically, isn't he relatively new here too? It's not as if he's caught onto everything yet, and already, he's had his cousin taken from him.

...That's not a thought he wishes to linger on though.

"I don't think the city suffers any more or less from me keeping my nose out of its business anyway! The last time I was properly out and about though, something strange was happening too. I should time it better."

Or, you know. Not take to the streets like a steamroller with issues a mile long because he saw something scary in a hand mirror.

[evocation]

[She moves to nudge him with her foot, but he's too far away, so it just ends up looking silly.]

Are you gonna tell me or what?

[so_dark_a_road]

[ Curufin can understand Fingon's impatience. They didn't exactly have a nurturing relationship when they last saw each other in their own world. It must still seem strange to Fingon when Curufin acts like he cares. Besides, Fingon has his dignity, as all the Finweans do. We don't like to seem as though we can't handle anything. . . . everything. ]

Kitchen items. All those lovely bronze pitchers and cups Cel and I made. And what about glassware? There are some wooden and cardboard boxes in the hall closet. [ He runs a hand through his hair. There are faint beads of sweat on his forehead. ] We need packing materials, though? -- I can stop at one of the stores and grab some armloads of clothing and bedding. They'll do.

hope this is ok! :x

[armcollector]

Huh? Oh, hey, An--

[Ellie doesn't seem to notice him as she hurries to walk past Magnus, headed singlemindedly to the lake.

Magnus realizes she has no intention of stopping, and instantly moves to grab her by the shoulders as she passes and halt her in her tracks.]

Angel! Hey!

[He's not an idiot: he knows what's going on around town right now. He knows she's seeing something horrible wherever she goes, and he knows she can be rash sometimes. He knows because he's the same way.

He's worried about her.]

[so_dark_a_road]

Curufin can see that. The scratch marks are red and inflamed.

He feels a thrill of dread when Maglor names Sauron. It is as though Celebrimbor's fate were to befall his uncle too! And maybe all of them, all the surviving Elves of Middle-earth?

"It's a hallucination. The gods Fear, Sorrow, and Confusion are dining off our bad dreams. I hope they choke on this one."

[restinglichface]

Lu--[Lup recognizes the woman's voice before she actually focuses down at the figure standing in front of her. The soft pressure of Lucretia's hand on her arm drags Lup back to her senses, grounding her, her own hand automatically moving to the other woman's shoulder to steady herself.] Shit, I didn't even... I don't know how I didn't see it was you.

[She takes a second to reorient herself, purposely turning her back away from the nearest shop front, it's glass still intact, creating too big a reflective surface to reflect back their futures.] Okay, that one was definitely on me. I'll take the blame for that. My bad, man. [Her gaze drifts down just enough to catch Lucretia's wrapped hand.] Uh, are you starting a new trend or looking for our cleric? Cause both are terrible ideas.

[armcollector]

[Yeah, Kravitz has the look of a person who's never been to an unmanned store in an anarchistic society before. Hell, he has the look of someone who's never seen a store in any society, and Magnus finds himself wondering if that's actually true before he catches himself zoning out.

In the reflection of a storefront window, Magnus' vision plays out once more, altered every time but always with the same general point. This time, out of the corner of his eye, an invisible force tears through Merle, Taako, Carey, Angus, Lucretia, the whole Bureau, as Magnus remains too caught up in trying to fight it on his own, until everyone's been torn to shreds and he's the only one still trying to fight.

Considering how he left the Bureau, this one is almost the one with the most potential to actually happen. Almost. They all seem pretty possible, and that's the worst thing about them.

Still, Magnus does his best to ignore it. He calls out to Kravitz like nothing's wrong.]

Hey! You got any experience looting? It's like that!

[bythewaves]

[ He's good at caring for others - that's always been his job. It's easier to care for others than to dwell on his own sorrows ]

Just for that, cousin, you can sing verse thirty-two!

[bythewaves]

"Or is this the hallucination?" Maglor retorts softly.

"He was always so good at illusion. Maybe this is the dream, and that the reality?"

[doctoral_bird]

That is what I was hoping to hear. I'd half expected the people here to push together some dilapidated way to forget themselves.

[ Malkus noted her avoidance of his face, and quite frankly it bothered him. It's not as though she hadn't seen his mask before! In fact she's seen it a number of times! At least... twice! His eyebrows pinched together with that slight bruise to his feelings, but he persisted. This frustration was still nothing compared to the reflection's pain. ]

Well. If you are ever... Well. I'm sure in many cultures, partaking in a drink is an acceptable way of keeping one's wits together. So I shall extend an invitation.

[ The atmosphere's mood was still in an icy state. Malkus felt fresh tears drying into streaks on his cheeks. Honestly, Malkus didn't drink much himself! But the faded image of travelers and merchants drowning their problems, before the plague, was present in his mind. He never had the opportunity on his homeworld.

Still, he expected her to decline. The birdman wanted to at least leave her with the option. ]

I mean I will go regardless, to see if they carry anything of use to my potions.

[imhisaunt]

[Before answering Delmar fumbles through his shoulder bag and produces a small paperback book, the cover decorated with black and white boxes]

I was going to do crossword puzzles

[He looks a bit bashful about it and his words are almost whispered in his shyness]

Do you like crosswords?