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

[storyseeker]

[At the last second, she almost opts to change the colors to something matte so they won't reflect anything, but doesn't. Surely she won't see Nate's body in her fingernails, right?

She hopes not.]

Oh, please. Nate just has to grin and start talking about history to pick someone up. Had to, anyway. [Because: duh.] We met when I was hosting a TV show about archeology. He conned my producers into funding an expedition to retrieve the coffin of a famous explorer. Then we spent some time on an uncharted island and came home with a bunch of Spanish treasure.

[restinglichface]

[Not to worry. If it comes to that, Lup will magic that shit matte.

The elf laughs, pulling the small nail brush up and away from Elena's nail while she does, not wanting to risk going too crazy on her fingers while she's giggling.] Alright. Knowing everything I do about you two, that seems pretty fitting. And treasure! [She whistles, low and impressed.] What a way to meet your man.

[storyseeker]

[Magic is great.]

The treasure didn't go as far as you'd think, split three ways, but it wasn't nothing. And I got a nice fling out of it—that's what I thought he'd be, anyway. Nate didn't strike me as the type to stick around after the adventure.

[So obviously she had to take him to Bone Town and become the mayor immediately.]

[restinglichface]

[Lup grins while she leans in close, carefully finishing up the pinky finger on Elena's right hand before she moves to the left.]

Okay, so it wasn't just me. I barely believed him when he said he was married after all the shit that happened between him and my brother. Just seemed like an excuse, y'know? Especially with how hard he kept insisting. Sounded fake.

But look at you, girl. Hopping on the Nate train hard enough that he just couldn't let it stay a fling, huh? Rocked his world.

[storyseeker]

[Elena laughs. Lup's not entirely right...but she's not completely wrong, either.]

Something like that. [Choo choo.] It took a few tries to really take, but we got there. Honestly...I don't know what my life would be like if I hadn't met him back then.

[Less dangerous, at times. But lacking something more important, too.]

[restinglichface]

[Lup knows it's silly, cause they are perched on her bed while she takes her time painting Elena's nails, the two women chatting aimlessly to distract themselves from the horrors their reflections have been showing them. But there's something about Elena's words that strike deep in her chest. She's still pretty new to this romantic love thing, even at her age, but the sweetness of Elena's declaration is just so damn sincere, it's hard for the elf to ignore the way it makes her heart swell a little at her friend's obvious happiness with her husband.

She may not know Elena as well as she knows Magnus or Merle, but this woman clearly loves Nate. And after a lifetime of distrusting anyone but her brother, then slowly accepting a handful of weirdos as her friends, it occurs to Lup that this may be the first romantic relationship she's witnessed in her life outside of her own.

Wow. That's a weird revelation.] That's cute. I mean--[Lup is absolutely working to stuff her weird emotions down and focus on the nail painting at hand.] Real cute. Sappy and sweet. I know Hadriel sucks ass, but I'm glad you're here. Just so you guys can be here together.

[storyseeker]

[Elena chuckles, feeling a little sheepish now but warmed by the sentiment all the same.]

Thanks. I'm glad, too.

[Despite everything, including these shitty visions. She'd rather be with Nate here than the best place in the universe alone.]

And hey, at least it's not boring. In an okay way, most of the time.

[restinglichface]

[Lup's definitely hitting her maximum capacity for sappy and sweet. Time to change up this convo fast.]

Soooo, what's he like in bed? All talk?

[storyseeker]

[That's definitely not what Elena expects to hear, even if she probably should, and it's a miracle if the way she jumps doesn't make Lup streak the nail polish.]

Oh my god. Lup, I can't just tell you how my husband is in bed. [Not because she's shy or anything.] Nate would kill me.

[restinglichface]

[Okay, Lup has to pull the brush of the nail polish away at that, cause now she's laughing too hard to not streak it everywhere.]

Why?! He's never gonna know! And in't this what girls talk about when they hang out together? Can't say I've had a lot of experience, but that's what I was told growing up from scrolls.

[storyseeker]

[This is terrible, she really shouldn't be doing this, but Lup's laughter is infectious and it's been a long time since she's had girl talk about boys.]

Okay...okay, but you have to keep it to yourself. [Including from her brother.] Back when we first got together, after bringing back the treasure, we basically went at it in his motel room for days. Stamina is a thing. And he's still really, uh, eager.

[She points down with her free hand. Lup will get it.]

[restinglichface]

[Taako won't hear a word. Lup's gonna lord it over him forever.

And really, Lup isn't an idiot. She gets it completely.]

Ooooh, [She really can't help but giggle, though her grin has a particular wickedness curling at the corners.] So Nate's a big fan of leaning at the alter, huh? Of dining at the Y? Going downstairs for breakfast? Low-calorie snacking?

[please stop her]

[storyseeker]

[That does it. Elena bends over laughing, unable to help herself, and this time one nail probably does smear. She can't help it, but she also doesn't mind.

For the moment, the awful reflections are completely forgotten.]

Oh my lord. You are the worst.

[restinglichface]

[Elena erupting into laughs is all it takes for Lup's wicked expression to shift to pure delight instead, her whole body shaking with laughter as the two women completely lose it. The nail polish is a casualty, sure, but that's an easy fix for later.

Between giggles, Lup shifts just enough to bump Elena affectionately with her shoulder.] Yeah, but you love me.

[storyseeker]

[She leans against Lup's shoulder.]

I'm getting pretty fond of you, yeah.

[Lup's growing on her. Like lichen. Get it.]

[restinglichface]

[If Lup heard that pun outloud, Elena would get a high five for that one. Instead, Lup just shifts to wrap an arm affectionately around the other woman's shoulders in a quick hug. It's nice to have a lady friend in this place. Hanging out with so many dudes can get so obnoxious at times.]

Gay, [she giggles before capping the nail polish bottle, setting it aside. She's not quite finished, but it can wait another minute or two.] So, I'm thinking we need drinks. Whatcha in the mood for?

[storyseeker]

[Aside from Nate, Lupe is the first person who's made her feel sincerely and comfortable here, even with the awful things she keeps seeing. It probably won't last once she leaves this room, but she's still really glad, and grateful for it.]

What do you have? I wouldn't have thought there would be a lot of choice down here. [After a quick moment.] But I am a fan of tequila if it's available.

[restinglichface]

Well!

[Lup slips off of the bedside, falling those few feet to the floor from her floating bed but landing perfectly. Ladders are for nerds.] Lucky for you, I have red wine and a half finished bottle of whiskey! Huge selection, I know, but it's all I've managed to hide from my roomies so far. What's your poison? Next time we hit up the speakeasy, we'll double down on some tequila, for sure.

[storyseeker]

Let's start with wine. I've had bad whiskey experiences.

[Well, one. But it had felt like many bad experiences compounded.]

[restinglichface]

Wine it is. [Lup shuffles past the discarded clothing on the floor to move to the twin's shared closet, shoving the door open before she's rooting around for the bottle of wine she'd hidden from the rest of the house. It takes a moment of digging, but once she has it, she's hopping right back up the ladder with the bottle, plopping on the bed, popping the top, and thrusting the full bottle into Elena's hands. Drink up, sis!]

But are there ever any good whiskey experiences?

[storyseeker]

[Wine is fine. It's a good rule for life. She takes the bottle and only hesitates for a moment before shrugging and taking a drink right from it. Who needs glasses?]

Ugh, no. I decided to let whiskey be after two bad times. Maybe I was just a college kid who didn't know her limits, but that's how sense association works, I guess.

[restinglichface]

[Only girl cooties in this room. They'll be just fine.

While Elena drinks, Lup leans back into her pillows, getting a little more cozy.] Oh yeah, [and the grin that plays on the elf's lips says it all.] We all went a little crazy in school, I'm sure.

[Magic school was no exception]

[storyseeker]

That might be a constant across all worlds.

[But it doesn't really have to do with school. Elena's sure Lup would get a little crazy anywhere.]

What was it like for you? Did you go to magic school?

[restinglichface]

[excuse yooooou???? offensive!!! And yet still completely and totally accurate.]

Yep! Taako and I kicked ass in magic school, came out at the top of our classes. Which is why we were a shoo-in to join the Institute after the Academy. Totally took the world by storm as the most bomb-ass arcanists of the time.

[until, you know, an actual storm came through and took the world away from them. whatevs] If you don't have magic in your world, what did you even study in school?

[storyseeker]

[Elena doesn't understand all the references, but she gets the gist.]

I studied journalism. Maybe not the smartest major ever, but I've actually had a career in my field, so I guess it worked out. My first job after college was competing on a reality TV show, though.