logsinthenight | INTRO LOG: OCTOBER

INTRO LOG: OCTOBER

characters: everyone.
location: the harbor, as well as the rest of town.
date/time: october 1-3.
content: beacon's newest batch of residents arrives on the ferry. scavenger hunt prizes are awarded. the ferry capsizes in a blaze of glory.
warnings: n/a.

welcome to beacon.

It's dim, and the room won't stop swaying, gently rocking you back and forth. A loud sound startles you fully awake, a deep, moaning call: a foghorn. As your eyes adjust, you note faint red light streaking through the room from a tiny, round window.

You've found yourself in a private room, lying on a bed. The last things you remember are the events that led up to your death. Beside you is a folded tablet and a lantern that glows steadily with a healthy flame.

You're on a ship. And that ship is docking.

Making your way to the deck, and eventually the pier, you find only moonlight to greet you, and a dark forest beyond. There are other people here, each with their own unique lantern, and many of them look just as lost as you are. On the ferry you've just disembarked from, the speaker system begins to play a song.

In the distance, across the waters of the lake, you can see the tall silhouette of a lighthouse, its red light slowly turning.

•••

Luckily for all the newcomers, the tablet and the town have some resources available for playing catch up! In fact, as soon as they're prompted to enter a network username, an app containing all sorts of useful welcome information will launch. Newcomers can always check out the weekly bulletins and the records in town hall as well, and everyone's welcome to get in touch with the NPCs through their inboxes.

When the ferry docks, it seems as though you've been spared from any weirdness this month! It's good to have a break now and then, isn't it? And if you participated in the scavenger hunt, you're probably eagerly awaiting your promised prize—

But, ohp, what's that sound? Is that the ferry's engine firing up again? The ship roars to life again as some brave mutineers overthrow its autopilot system. Crowley and the Winter Soldier man the ferry's control room while Aziraphale flits between the cargo hold and the deck, attempting to assuage any accidental kidnapees with reassuring words and cake.

Unfortunately, the joyride is shortlived. Between the ferry's complex control panel and the haphazard attempts to override it, all the group manages to do is send the boat charging full speed ahead—which would be great if it wasn't facing the beach. The ferry jolts forward and careens smack into the dock, tearing down the entire structure and punching a sizeable hole in the ferry's hull.

Well, that could've gone better. But there's no time to dwell on the mistakes of the very recent past! The ferry is sinking, and quickly! Looks like you'll have to scramble if you want to save what's left in the cargo hold before the whole thing goes under... And that's gonna be awfully tricky without a dock.

Oh, and maybe save the new arrivals? Make sure they don't drown? But, then again, if they go down with the ship, they'll just show up again in the church... The same can't be said for the restock for the general store!

As smoke billows from the damaged ferry and the last the harbor disappears into the lake, the Lighthouse Keeper appears on the network with a pretty straightforward question. Also, the ferry's song changes, so. That happens.

ooc.

Hey there, wonderful players, and welcome to In the Night! For this intro log, you are officially without a chaperone. Rastus is back at the bonfire, Will is characteristically elusive, and Robin is, well, you know where she's at. It's up to the veteran residents to fill in the new folks.

And regarding the ferry disaster... Well, you have some options. Here's what you need to know:
This is a player plot organized by MJ, Xy, and Gail! A big thank-you to them for providing us with this intro log event!

Whether or not your character and any packages addressed to them are affected by this plot is up to you! If you would like to assume your character avoids dealing with this chaos and somehow grabs their delivery without issue, go right ahead!

Similarly, if you're looking for an opportunity to make your character's life harder, injury and death are always on the table! Or maybe it's your package that takes the abuse, lost forever to the lake's depths or washing up all waterlogged a week or two down the road. In short: How you engage with this plot is entirely up to you.

What happens to the ferry and the dock? Within a couple of hours, the ferry will sink completely, and anything on board when it goes down is lost forever. Which bodes super well for the ferry, huh? Sure hope the next batch of newcomers has some strong swimmers. Oh, and the dock is gone, too. If you want it back, you'll have to rebuild it.

As for Crowley, Aziraphale, Bucky, and anyone else on the ferry or dock during the collision... Hope you boys like concussions, bruised ribs, and a broken bone or two, because you've got 'em! The exact injuries are up to you, but they're the equivalent of a semi-serious car accident.

One last thing: The fate of the shop restocks, including all of the food for the month, depends on you! Let us know if your character will be participating in the rescue attempt. In exchange for letting us beat up your character, you can save a portion of the month's supplies! We'll let you all know on October 3 what the rations for the rest of the month will look like.

DELIVERIES

The following packages can be found in the cargo hold:

The monthly store restock
For Daylight: A variety of gardening tools piled into a wheelbarrow, as well as packets of seeds for the following plants: Boneset, dogtooth violet, starflower, Carolina springbeauty, pipsissewa, bloodroot, red columbine, narrowleaf blue-eyed grass, harlequin blueflag, and purple pitcherplant; he will also receive a translation for the following: An invitation to join the speaker as company
For Aziraphale: A record player, the complete discographies of a variety of bands (Abba, Rob Zombie, Tool, Hanson, Eiffel 65, and Spice Girls), a two-tiered wedding cake, and packets of seeds for the following plants: Strawberry, cherry tomato, cucumber, blackberry, carrot, potato, raspberry, and pumpkin; he will also receive a familiar copy of a familiar book: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, along with a blue ribbon that reads "BEST IN SHOW"
For Bruce: A handheld metal detector and a rechargeable battery for it, a chisel, a climbing harness (that, according to the packaging, is the #1 Safety Rated!) and a 50 ft. coil of rope
For Cao Pi: A go board
For Rosinante: A sextant, and 3 cartons of cigarettes; he will also receive a translation for the rough equivalent to the following phrase: "Danger! Run and hide!"
For Kuai: A basket of 16 mooncakes, as well as incregredients for more
For Javert: 3 pairs of handcuffs, a greatcoat in Javert's size, and a trunk full of swords in varying styles and conditions; he will also receive an electric chainsaw
For Kol: A record player, the complete discographies of a variety of bands (New Kids on the Block, Weird Al Yankovic, Sound Garden, Ke$ha, INXS, and Spinal Tap), a cooler full of blood bags and ice packs, and an assortment of stamps; he will also receive a translation for the rough equivalent to the following phrase: "I'm lost" or "Need directions"
For Elena: A journal; she will also receive a portable generator (powerful enough for a single power tool or small appliance; can be charged through a typical wall outlet)
For Xayah: A thick journal and a glass vial of black ink; she will also receive a sizeable roll of barbed wire, as well as a stuffed animal
For Ignis: A spice restock (with a few new ones mixed in!), 3 paired of leather gloves, and... 12? pairs? of glasses? They're all in slightly different prescriptions, though. A variety pack!; he will also receive a power drill (runs on a rechargeable battery or can be plugged directly into a wall socket)
For Riku: A wood stove, a set of paints, and 5 canvases; he will also receive a translation for the rough equivalent to the following phrase: "Looking for water" or "Thirsty"
For Matt: A rosary and a Braille Bible... which is more of a collection of volumes, really; he will also receive a translation for the rough equivalent to the following phrase: "Looking for food" or "Hungry"
For Noctis: Two complete sets of the Lord of the Rings series (except, wait a minute... they appear to be the novelizations of the movies); he will also receive an SD card that, when plugged into a tablet, will upload GPS directions to a new location...
For Rosalind: A crate of basic all-purpose lab equipment, a fancy microscope, an emergency eye wash station, a mortar and pestle, a lab coat, a Lite Brite, and... the things she needs to make things float, whatever those are; she will also receive a pair of dousing rods (that will actually point in the direction of water, checkmate atheists)
For Jason: A translation for the rough equivalent to the following phrase: "Sympathy" or "I'm sorry"
For Coraline: A translation for the rough equivalent to the following phrase: "Teach me"
For Eliot: A bottle of hospital grade painkillers (it contains 10 doses and functions similarly to Vicodin)
For Allie: A bottle of strong antibiotics (it contains 10 doses and can fight off most any infection)
For Vanitas: A portable camping stove (runs on a portable battery or can be plugged directly into a wall socket)
For Hope: A soldering iron (runs on a portable battery or can be plugged directly into a wall socket)
For Quentin: A cannister of foaming bandage (can be used 5 times to immediately close a wound/stop semi-severe bleeding)
For Mary: An SD card that, when plugged into a tablet, will upload GPS directions to a new location...

If you submitted an item request last month and we've missed it here, let us know!

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[ differences in magical composition, she says, and he shoots her a curious look. did that sort of thing feel different? she has a wand, surely it was just wave and—

(yeah, no, probably not.)

—his spider-sense hasn't quite been the same, he mentally acknowledges; and he thinks, momentarily, of the spider totem and everything to do with — that. of his disdain and ezekiel pointing out that, actually, spiders don't have a miraculous sense of precognition that warns them of impending danger and that flossy the magic spider wasn't quite as ridiculous as it first sounded. so sure.

differences in magical composition, why ever not. ] —The question is: why is the planet still so green, [ he comments, idly. four months in, and the fact that there are plants and trees that have yet to wither and die is still bugging him and no-one's been able to present an answer for it.

(reed would have a field day here, he's certain of it, and there's frankly not a day that he doesn't wish this was simply some misadventure with the fantastic four, like when they'd ended up on that world that inadvertently worshipped them as gods (or something), and then suddenly, it was two months later back on earth, and—.)

then she asks about his wrist again, and he makes a noise that could be the start of a 'no', but just ends up being a soft 'nnn—', before: ] —The ferry, [ he says, like that explains everything, waving his other hand back towards the water. ]

I just pulled it, or bent it in a direction it's not supposed to bend. It'll be fine, I'm not—. [ beat. ] Look, I'm not asking you to be my personal dryer and nurse. It's just uncomfortable, so I'm going to segue this into a: hi, Hermione, welcome to Beacon, arrivals generally don't involve mutiny and sinking, did you have any questions that don't make me look as if I spoke to you just because you have a stick that does things when you speak — Latin?

[ Bruce comes closer and defiantly, Vanitas doesn't make any move to step back and give him the space to inspect the package. Really, he doesn't really care whether the other guy would believe him or not— it has his name on it so whatever is inside is rightfully his. He watches him like a hawk, like he's ready to kick him down if he tries anything funny, but he doesn't actually make any defensive gesture.

At his ankle, his lantern moves and the Flood creeps out from behind his leg. The black flame in his lantern is dim compared to everyone else's in this place, but it still casts light up along his leg and into the creature's red eyes as he stares at Bruce, now down near it's level. ]

No.

[ His eyes cut away, up toward the distant shimmer of the bonfire where Rastus usually dwells, before coming back. ]

This is probably something else.

[ Robin had said, after all, that if they gave her pictures she'd send them something... and he can't imagine where else it would have come from. ]

There are plenty of options that don't include peas.

[ peter answers, before shoving his fork back into the pot and eyeing said offending peas as if he's exceptionally put-upon by all of it.

—don't get him wrong, he notices that eyebrow quirk, knows the question that's being asked by not being asked, and honestly? peter doesn't really want to talk about it. if it was johnny, he'd — well, it would be a disaster of a conversation, he'd be mocked and it'd be deserved; and he'd explain it with a remark about parker luck even if, actually, it was just Generic^TM bad luck that was part and parcel of—

—well, it was the reason why spider-fails.com existed.

he's silent, then, just for a moment, before shovelling a mouthful of noodles (quote unquote) and chicken-flavoured soya protein into his mouth. ]

So, one of my friends from home — he's an idiot, by the way — is a popular (bizarrely) super-hero, and before we became friends, [ uttered with the mild distaste of someone that is really, genuinely fond of the person they're talking shit about ], he hired me to take some photos. [ pause; more food. (oh, wait, that sounded a bit weird.) ] Of him. Because he was jealous of Spider-Man. [ another pause, although this time peter's expression flickers a little, as if he's just realising how ridiculous this sounds. ] Okay, so the paper I worked for hated Spider-Man: local menace, cause of all that's wrong with the world and New York, but mostly New York, bringer of tragedy and, like, the cause of the corruption of youth and the downfall of society. Y'know, the usual.

—Anyway, he wanted to be on the front page of the paper, I needed the money. [ loose shrug of a shoulder. ] He thought I had it all — and my "good luck" [ air quotes with his one entirely functional hand, fork still in hand, punctuated by a huff of breath that actually manages to be a laugh ] Parker Luck, he called it. [ beat. ] I thought he had it all: girls, family, no money issues, and I tended to have bad luck whenever I did something that I thought was the right thing, which I, uh, called the Parker Luck— [ punctuated by a sharp glance towards jason because DON'T EVEN. ]

—This isn't either version of that, but let's pretend that it is.

Well that makes two of us.

[ There's a lot about this place he doesn't really get or understand. But he's only just arrived and once he's patched up a bit? He intends to find out whatever he can. Not just for his own sake, but for others as well. ]

Don't go doing anything to try and figure out the whys of it. Ok?

[ With the go-ahead, he nods in return and takes care with how he gently presses the soaked piece of material against her forehead, meaning to wipe away the blood there. Her question and the concern in her eyes gets him to pause for a moment. ]

Don't worry about me. I've had a lot worse in my time.

[ He smiles a bit to her, a means of giving her some sort of reassurance. ]

Been in a lot of fights and sticky situations. Even on a crashing ship. [ He looks to her as he goes back to dabbing at the blood. ] A ferry though... that's a new one for me. Not like I'm trying to check things off a list or anything but I guess I can now.

"I know it was. And we'll find a way out, dear. But not right now. Right now we have a ferry to salvage and people to assure." He's about to leave again when he places Crowley on shore, but he thinks better of it for one moment and he takes Crowley's hand and pulls him into a loose embrace.

"Stay here," he commands.

[ So long as she's not chopping off his leg, he'll take any method she's got when it comes to cutting him free of this ferry. So when she does, he drops back some, though reaches out to hold to the side of the ferry a little. Everything is still chaotic and he'd rather not be suddenly swept under the boat and snagged in a more difficult situation.

So, spitting out some more water, he looks up to her. That's... a neat trick? Sure comes in handy right about now. ]

Yeah. Shouldn't be a problem.

[ He doesn't feel injured. Then again, are the dead even supposed to end up injured in the first place? Hell if he knows. ]

You should get out of here yourself.

Nothing like skipping out on sugar coating things, huh?

[ It's mostly said to himself as he pushes himself up, another cough leaving him, soaked to the bone and still not entirely sure of where he is and what any of this means. He's supposed to be dead.

But it's the attention brought back to the lantern(s) that has him looking up, has him push himself up on a knee and ignoring the way he looks - like shit - or feeling around for the possibility of newly added injuries from this stint. Newly arrived is right and he might have been a bit out of it with the boat ride over. But these lanterns here... they seem to be a bit important from what he's gathered.

His own he looks to before looking back to the man's. He's going to need to find a way to either affix it to his back so he doesn't need to carry it as much (though would leave his back vulnerable should he start warping or fighting) or some place else. Regardless, he nods as he gives another cough and reaches for his own, coming to try and stand. ]

That might be a bit easier to do when we're not surrounded by a bunch of water.

Crowley leans into the embrace. He can't think of a time that Aziraphale has ever embraced him, ever held him. He can't think of a time he's actually earned it. He wants to hold Aziraphale tightly, he wants to tell the angel how much he means to him, that he can't just go because he's too important to him.

But he can't keep him here. Even if he wanted to, he's too weak.

"Aziraphale," he says. "Aziraphale, please---"

"I'll be back," he says, even though he can't guarantee it. Crowley feels-- solid, underneath his touch, and he thinks that he might feel that way too. He feels much less so when they part, like he might tremble and fall to pieces.

But he can't dally.

"Wait for me," he says, phantom warmth still on the parts where Crowley has been like static cling.

"Yes, of course dear," he replies. "Back to save your friends. A noble cause." He starts to dig into the cake, because he does need something to calm himself down. He had thought the cake would be good for everyone, though he'd rather hoped for a moist chocolate.

This was fine.

Well, none of this was fine.

"Are you... all in very much danger?" he asks finally, since, well. Since Eleven had technically died.

Whatever the answer, he feels his heart hurt already.

Crowley won't. He already knows he won't. He'll find something, he'll hobble back onto the ferry, he'll try to help. He knows that's what he'll do. He can't just stay here.

But he stays on the ground, soaking wet, leg broken, and looks up at the angel pitifully.

"Don't die," he says, firmly. "I can't do this alone."

Aziraphale looks back at Crowley, and then comes back to him, drawn back by the look in his eyes, by the sweet of his words.

"I won't. I wouldn't-- wouldn't leave you." He says, with no ill intent, but hearkening to his worries that Crowley might have pushed him back to their world and come back here alone. "Watch over our lanterns, dear."

Aziraphale is trusting Crowley with his lantern.

That stupid stupid angel. If nothing proves that Aziraphale is going out to risk himself right now, then nothing else does.

And how the hell is Crowley supposed to deny him?

"Just don't do anything stupid," he says. He hears something over in the ferry crack, perhaps as another part of it falls apart. "You know, anything more stupid than we already have."

"I'll try, dear," he responds, lifting his wings as he turns to look at whatever cracked. "Stay safe. Please. For me."

And then he flies off, several unpreened feathers dropping from his wings, one brushing across Crowley's cheek.

Crowley catches the feather, holding it in his wet hands.

He has their lanterns, now. He watches the ferry, still sinking, and all their plans to escape going down with it.

His eyes turn up to the Lighthouse.

If Aziraphale survives this, what will become of them?

"Don't have much of a choice."

You're one of those people who are pretty impossible to forget, Prompto. But he really doesn't want this all to be some terrible, torturous nightmare that he eventually wakes up from to find you gone.

"Please tell me they didn't let you drive the ferry and that's how this happened."

"Why?"

Truth be told, he can see plenty of reasons why someone might think to get to the control room. Does the ship have a helmsman? How is it controlled? There's plenty to be learned, and he wishes he'd done it first himself. But that alone does not lead to sabotaging their entire existence by destroying both dock and ferry. Was it intentional? Accidental? Should it matter, given the result?

"Handler Crowley needs to get back to Earth. The ferry was the most logical path back, and the controls were unprotected." The Soldier frowns a little at its own behavior-- the crash had to be its own carelessness. How else could they have gone immediately into motion when it found the engine control? "I didn't think the controls would actually work. I wasn't as careful as I should have been."

[ The best thing to do in this situation would be to find a nice, hot shower— but instead of keeping his trajectory going up toward the inn, he stops by the fire. The warmth of it washes over him, and some tension ekes out of his shoulders. Gordon sighs and drops his soaking wet jacket over one of the logs situated at sitting distance to the flame. There's a lot to do. He knows he needs to find some bandages, maybe get a good look at the damage to his head. He needs to wash out these clothes. He needs to find something to eat. He needs to check his gun and see if it still works after going for a swim.

What he really wants is a whiskey. Or a cigarette, and he isn't even a smoker. It makes him think of Harvey, and Jim exhales what would be a laugh if it had any force behind it at all. Instead it's just a puff of breath, one he transfers into his palms as he brings them cupped up to his mouth. He scrubs them together vigorously, then holds them out to the licking flame.

Maybe drying off a little, first. Then he can get back to work. He wants to check on that little girl, see if she's made it through alright, since she'd disappeared after he left her on the beach earlier. It looked like there was some kind of message board on that tablet they'd given them, so he imagines with some digging he might be able to find some answers in there. ]

Yeah, tell me about it.

[ He sighs and both hands go to his hips, Jim turning just a little to look back down toward the water where the docks no longer sit. ]

I met one of them on the ferry. Said they were trying to escape.

[ He shakes his head, then winces when it rattles what he hopes isn't a concussion around against his skull. He raises one hand reflexively and just barely stops himself poking the colourful bruise forming on his face. ]

If that's where our supplies came from, we're going to have a much bigger problem than trying to get out.

[Jo had saved what she could without injury, but she's tired and soaked to the bone.

She eventually decides to head to the Invincible, but as she turns to leave she sees someone collapse up the beach. That's rarely good. Her hold on her lantern tightens and she runs, doing her best not to stumble.]

Hey! You okay?

[Jo is determined to get back in the water and save what she can, but when the teenager stops her with a question, she stops to answer (and maybe catch her breath).]

That's our food. [Well, she's sure there are other things on the boat. She does know that the food is there. There's no way to know whether the ferry will return or what else might happen.]

[Jo is drying out with a tumbler of whiskey at the bar when she hears the toast from somewhere behind her. She twists to find the source, scanning the room before she settles on Ambrose as a possible candidate.

She hops down from her stool and heads over with her glass.]

You sure it needs a toast?

[ This, he thinks, is why they have things like life jackets and life preservers easily accessible on ships. It's a little surreal to be in a situation where all those safety procedures are really necessary. This is almost like being in a plane as it crashes, and realizing that all those steps they show you right at the beginning of take off could really save someone.

Once he's sure she's not going to slip and fall, Jim hops off the side of the ferry and into the dark water below. He disappears over his head for the second time today, though this time, thankfully of his own volition. He takes a breath when he pops back up, shaking his fringe out of his face and kicking closer to the hull, putting one hand up on the wood. ]

Okay. Come on.

[ He offers his free hand up to her, ready to use his arm to ease her trajectory into the chilly water, to use his own body as a brace and prevent her going under the way he just had. ]

Sit down on the edge there, I'll catch you. Careful not to drop our lanterns.

[ The last thing they need is for her to slip and fall, to panic, and for both lamps to land in the lake and kill them both quicker than a blink. ]

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Page 27 of 58

INTRO LOG: OCTOBER

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end of 3

sink or swim

aftermath

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