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

Michael Munroe | Open | CWs for blood, murder, self-harm (sorry)

[aroundthecoroner]

Michael's Vision

[What Michael sees in the mirror is unfortunately not all that surprising to him, but still terrifying nonetheless. He sees himself, in a not-too-distant future, having been entirely taken over by the monster that lives in his head. In this scenario, he has lost (or rather, given up,) what little control he has over their collective situation, and kind of merged himself with the Visitor (on a more permanent basis than the times he allows this already). It definitely looks like they've been killing people, if the dismembered bodies in the vision are any indication, but instead of the beast doing all the work, Michael himself is also covered in blood. It looks like maybe he's been using his bare hands to tear people apart... and possibly also his teeth.

There's a hollow but distinctly hungry look in mirror-Michael's eyes, which also seem to be glowing a fainter version of the Visitor's bright blue. His posture suggests something a little more animal than human.]

1. Pity Party

[For Michael, this whole future-vision thing could not have come at a more timely... time. He's recently found out that there seems to be a serial killer in Hadriel, and the Visitor has begun bothering him to find either this or another suitable target. So to suddenly receive a glimpse at what he perceives is the inevitable- it feels like a warning.

For most of the event period, Michael is going to contain himself in his apartment in Spire 4, with as little contact as possible with the outside world. He won't be breaking the mirror, instead keeping it around as an intentionally-painful reminder. He will periodically cover up all the reflective surfaces in the apartment with clothing or bedsheets, but also periodically uncover them, too. He might be doing a little self-harm to try and relieve stress.

In short, he's not exactly doing wonders for his own mental health.

Others can drop by if they feel the need, and he can be reached via the network (though reluctantly). You might even be able to coax him outside- this is still Michael, it's not very hard- but he will be extremely protective of the mirror and secretive about the vision itself.]

2. Skulking Around

[Though he won't be practicing great self-care during the event period, Michael still needs to eat eventually. If you'd like, you can catch him slinking around town in search of food from the shops.

He'll mostly only venture out at night, and he'll spend a lot of time looking over his shoulder at reflective surfaces. He looks a little paranoid, and a lot unwell. He clearly hasn't been sleeping, and he's not wearing his glasses. All these factors combined mean he's very apt to run straight into someone. Oops! If/when this happens, he'll jump back like he's been struck and look very pointedly anywhere but the nearest shop window.

He'll probably try to leave without so much as a greeting, regardless of whether or not he knows who he just ran into.]

3. Etc., Etc.

[If you'd like some other sort of encounter, that's fine too! Maybe you'd rather run into him at the orchard, or something. Just remember he'll mostly be hiding, with his outdoors activity kept as short as possible.]

[evocation]

[Kyna's not dealing with this well, either. For a while, she locks herself in her apartment, but then anxiety and a need to be around someone—anyone—else drives her outside. She doesn't leave the apartment building just yet, because she's afraid of running into too many reflective surfaces. She's basically got her eyes glued to the floor.

Eventually, she makes her way over to Michael's. She's not really sure why, other than the fact that he's close and he's one of the first people she met here. She doesn't think that counts for much, but maybe it counts for something. She even knocks.]

more cws for self-harm rip

[aroundthecoroner]

[Michael doesn't wake up, exactly, to the sound of the knocking. He wasn't asleep, just... somewhere else. The bad part about not doing anything is that it makes it hard to drown out the voice in his head, so for the past however long, he's just been letting it chatter on at him. This is counter-productive, he realizes, but he also doesn't feel up to doing much about it. He tried that earlier, and it didn't help.

Speaking of which: someone is at the door, and whoever it is, he can't let them see him like this. Michael pulls himself off the bathroom floor where he's been curled up, and tosses his knife in the sink. He'll clean that... later...

For now, he rolls his sleeve down (that will cover everything up flawlessly he is sure) and shuts the bathroom door. He rubs at his face a second, tries and fails to collect his thoughts, and opens the front door just a crack.]

Uh. Hey. [Sup.]

[evocation]

Hi.

[This is awkward. What the hell was her plan here? While she tries to figure that out, she slides the pendant of her necklace back and forth along its chain, making what is probably a very annoying zipping sound.]

Did you... Are you seeing weird shit at all?

[aroundthecoroner]

[So he's not the only one, he guesses. Or maybe not. He shuffles a bit behind the door.]

What do you mean?

[evocation]

[Kyna tenses at the vague answer, chewing on her lip as she shrugs. She really, really would have just preferred a yes or no.]

Uh. I don't know. I woke up with a mirror next to me this morning and now I'm like... seeing things? In reflections.

[Great explanation.]

text on like day 1 bc harlan agrees: leaving apartments is stupid

[ghostlocked]

hey.
did u wake up w. a shitty mirror next to u?

text back bc talking on phones is for losers

[aroundthecoroner]

[It takes him a while to get back to this.]

so you got one too huh?

[He wants to be comforted by that but he isn't, really.]

[ghostlocked]

yep.
its showin u weird shit right? stuff that isnt there?

[aroundthecoroner]

[Another pause.]

Yeah.
guessing it's doing the same to you?

[ghostlocked]

wow genius lvl intellect in play here.
slow down i cant keep up w. this beautiful mind shit u got goin.

[...And then, after a minute or so:]

sorry.
this is bs.
what are u seeing?

[Just gonna come right out and ask.]

2

[64th]

[ They collide because Cashmere is also looking elsewhere, lost in thought. when he looks back towards her, she looks tense. her eyes are wild. between fight and flight, Cashmere always chooses fight and she's actively reminding herself that there's no fight to be had here. ]

You surprised me. [ that's the closest she gets to apologizing. ] You okay?

[aroundthecoroner]

[The answer is "no", but that's a bad conversation starter.]

I'm fine. Sorry. [Michael glances up and kind of squints. He doesn't think he knows her, and he can't make out her features in perfect detail without his glasses, but he can tell there's something off here. He can see too much of the whites of her eyes, and her posture is stiff.]

You too, huh? [He mumbles it.]

[64th]

[ there's one advantage to avoiding reflective surfaces: she doesn't have to look at herself and see how the visions are running her ragged. no one seems to be handling it well, but she doesn't need to see the evidence on her own face. ]

Me too. I know it's not real but I wouldn't have thought this place was real either. So it's hard to not entertain the nightmare fantasy. [ she pauses. ] Did you try breaking yours?

[aroundthecoroner]

["Not real". Yeah, not now, maybe. But eventually?]

Yeah, it's a little distracting. [Ah yes, understatements.] And I didn't. Should I have? Does that make it go away?

[64th]

[ she laughs and it sounds more like i've made huge mistake than truly amused. ]

I wouldn't recommend it unless you want to get some aggression out. It shattered but there are still reflections everywhere. [ she holds up her right hand. her thumb is bandaged. ] And I cut myself.

1

[hasitsthorns]

hey new guy
text 1 if you're still alive
text 2 if you're still alive but maybe having an existential crisis thanks to these dumb af mirrors

if you pressed 2
welcome to hadriel
(ﾉ´ヮ´)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

[aroundthecoroner]

what do I press if I'm dead?

[An attempt at humor was made.]

[hasitsthorns]

unfortunately, you can't text if you're dead
unless ghosts can text?!
👻👻👻
am I talking to ghost michael
spoopy

[aroundthecoroner]

[Well you're not not talking to ghost-Michael, Rose. The Visitor can definitely see these texts, even if it doesn't especially care about them.]

I'm possessing my phone
it's haunted now
just like the creepy chair

[The humor helps a little, but it's also a lot of effort... After a minute he sends her another:]

2

[hasitsthorns]

oh nnnoooo

[ A for effort, at least. ]

yeah
don't worry
me too
sorry you had to arrive right before the gods decided to throw us for an awful loop
delight's gone right now so it's been more of a bummer around here than usual lately

2

[sheathes]

[ A city in torment needs its guard more than ever. Saber doesn't have the luxury of staying in her apartment, nor would she allow herself to: she bloodied her hands enough on the first day smashing every reflective surface she saw. It only led to broken fragments lining the ground, an even more distorted vision face to face with her. Somehow, that seemed even worse.

Now, she ignores the corrupted figure leering out at her, the destruction of her kingdom replayed time and time again — or tries to, anyway. It's still there in the windows, out of the corner of her eye, but her attention is elsewhere. Right now, it's on Michael, when he very nearly bumps into her. ]

Halt.

[ Normally, he'd have never even gotten that close, but her instincts are frayed. She sounds tired — Servants don't need to sleep, but a lack of rest still takes a toll. But if there's one thing these visions have reaffirmed for her, it's that she can't stop, can't become complacent. She'll keep going until she drops. ]

State your business. You act like a man hiding something.

[ How little she knows. ]

[aroundthecoroner]

[Michael does indeed halt, thought it's a little jumpy. He stares at Saber, looking a bit like a deer in headlights.

For a really crazy second, he's convinced she Knows, but then she probably would've said something different. For now he only looks like a man hiding something. Probably because he is.]

Um, business? I'm- grocery shopping? [If that's what you call "looting" these days.]

Am I... am I in some kind of trouble, or?

[sheathes]

[ Saber sighs, and forces herself to relax a little — more for show than anything else. ] No. This tension has made accusers of all of us.

[ She can hardly single him out for looting when, by and large, taking from the stores is the only way to obtain anything in this place. The lack of law and order still irritates her, but she's accepted it out of necessity. ]

I understand the alarm these visions must cause. But the city itself remains safe. You need not be fearful.

[aroundthecoroner]

[It's not the city he's worried about...]

Yeah, uh. Thanks? Are you... one of the ones keeping it safe?

[Seems like a job where things could go wrong pretty quick in everyone's current state. He's hoping that won't be the case here.]