EVENT LOG: GRAVES

[inthenightmods]

EVENT LOG:
GRAVES

characters: everyone.
location: Bonfire Square.
date/time: July 12-19.
content: mysterious shrines appear and bring visions of death.
warnings: likely violence and potentially gore.

time to pay your respects.

It happens when no one is looking, when most of the town is asleep and the rest are inside. A makeshift cemetery has come to Beacon, taking up residence in the middle of Bonfire Square. Each monument, shrine, and altar is dedicated to someone who now resides here, a memorial of their previous life.

Some may be drawn by curiosity, others by fear, and some may simply have to pass through this strange graveyard to get to the Bonfire itself. Whenever a person gets near, the altars beckon with a mysterious urge— an urge to approach, and an urge to leave something behind. They will feel compelled to make offerings at the various shrines, but doing so has a curious effect; it causes one to experience the death of the person whose grave they've honored.

Whether you resist the compulsion or give in willingly (or something in between), you'll also have to wrestle with the fact that a grave exists for you. Will you let your death be known, or try your best to keep it secret? Destroying it sure won't work, as it will return— with a duplicate somewhere else in town.

However you choose to deal with this, one thing is hard to ignore— this a tangible reminder of your death, and the fact that it's probably permanent.

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Comments

Daylight vis Lornlit | Original.

[sunborne]

i;; once more, with clarity.

[ daylight's grave definitely stands out for the fact it's proportional to his size. the marble and metal firepit stand also burns with a lit fire. while it does not emit light, it sure as hell emits heat, blazing and true, when one dares to approach it.

there's a plaque on the stand, simply inscribed with the following:

Daylight vis Lornlit, the Sunsung.
Kindled of Radiance vis Noxolarium, the Sundered Star.
Kindled from Lorem Laurel.

Deserved better.

leaving an offering on daylight's marker causes the individual to fully experience daylight's death: he had taken a shot for someone else, both impulsively and instinctively stepping into the line of fire when he turns a corner, minding his own business, and sees someone he considers a friend having a gun levelled at their unsuspecting back. the fact the gun is behind held by someone he trusts, someone he cares for - that twist only adds to the numb shock and confusion that leads up to him getting blast through the chassis.

after that, as he lies on the ground, struggling to breathe, daylight registers pain. a lot of it too. it takes him a second to realise why: his chassis has been blown apart and his insides are torn to shreds, leaving him/the offerer in a riot of fear and confusion and horror. he's just realising that he's probably not going to make it and he's scared.

others on the starship now rush to his side, only adding to the pandemonium as they crowd around him. some humanoid, some decidedly not, and all shouting questions, yelling concern. he wants to speak with them, to answer them, but he's finding it difficult to concentrate on anything that isn't painfearconfusionpainhurtwhywhywhy-

the chaos, the confusion, the cold, cold stare of his shooter (his friend) gives him as she stares him down only adds to his fear and his panic, even as he begins to slip away. someone's shaking him, screaming, but he can't focus on them. he can only focus on how scary this is and how he'll never make his parents proud now. he's sorry he's disappointed them and the others.

but not once - onot once - does daylight regret taking the shot. ]

ii;;; and there is pansies, that’s for thoughts.

[ despite what he experiences the first time around, daylight decides to commit and continue to leave offerings on others' graves/markers/what-have-yous. his items to them are simple enough: paper flowers, many of them coming in different colours but made by his hand so they're prominent in size.

when he spots the person standing near their grave upon reaching it, daylight can't help but pause in his tracks. as if that'll stop them from noticing the looming boy, flower at hand. ]

Oh- Hey there. Um... I... [ he falls quiet for a few seconds, clearly unsure of what he can say or ask considering the circumstances. when he finally speaks up again, it's only so he can ask this question: ] Are you standing guard too?

[ it's something he noticed with others during the days of this weird, invasive cemetery popping up. and he can't blame the others, really. he understands why they're doing that and it makes him wonder if the one before him is also doing just that. ]

iii;;; one (1) new message.

[ at the start of hell week, just around the time that everyone is beginning to realise what the heck these graves could actually do, your character will be getting the following message from daylight.

it's surprisingly short and sweet for a chatterbox like daylight. perhaps a good thing, given the topic. ]

Hey- I think I found your marker. I swear I wasn't looking for it but I found it.

Can we talk?

[ ooc: this prompt is meant for individuals who have had friendly cr with daylight. feel free to assume he accidentally sent it to your character if we don't have cr! ]

iv;;; wildcard!!

[ want to do something else? feel free to do it here! also, you’re welcome to hit me up/plot with me via my plurk prognostic if there’s something specific you want. ]

[equinoctials]

[ Initially, it's the grandiosity of the monument that draws Riku, not any compulsion. It reminds him of Olympus and its towering structures, nestled amidst golden clouds. The light of his lantern turns the gilt portions to glowing, the marble almost mirror-like in its finish.

It's beautiful.
And warm, something the islander appreciates, that dry, baking heat reminds him of home.

But the name he reads on the plaque - Daylight - makes his blood freeze. It's an instinct, he realizes, like hearing about a neighbor's capsized boat after a storm. He knows they're all here because they're all dead, and yet, there's that moment of dread.

Daylight knows how to make an impression. The lasting one he made on Riku is one he can't help but like. The name suits him and his effervescent personality. It's...
A little sad to see the words on that plaque.
Deserved better.

Riku tucks his chin close to his collarbone, fists curled tight down by his sides, when the image arrives all at once in his thoughts: the nervous flutter of those winglets, how he had seemed simply happy to have someone to talk to, how earnest he was, how much like another dear friend. ]

Yeah. He did.

[ Then, like a seed planted in some forgotten corner, an idea occurs to Riku. During the heavy rains, when he and the others living in the boat house huddled in hammocks under the tarp that kept them reasonably dry, he had started idly carving at a wooden shingle that was too damaged to use.

Hours had passed this way, until what rested in his palm was a small star-shaped token. He had threaded a bit of cord through it, with half a mind to adding something to it later, shells, maybe. In the lightless days that followed, Riku was busy doing all manner of other chores around Beacon while the token remained in his pocket.

There's old lore behind charms like these. It's not a proper one, not made with the Thalassia shells that wash up on the shores of his island home, but it's the right shape for the token gift that's meant to guide one home.

Perhaps it was meant for Daylight all along, someone who was far from home and probably a little lonely, so the thought of leaving it there in his memory seems like a compelling one.

Seconds, maybe minutes later, Riku staggers back with his breath leaving his lungs in one hard and nearly soundless exhale. His palm spreads over his chest and finds...

Only him. No shattered chassis, no crippling agony. ]

Was that..?

[sunborne]

[ before anything else can be done, a familiar voice cuts through the air— ]

Hey-! What are you doing over there?

[ daylight jogs forwards, his optics bright with panic and concern when he spots a figure near his grave. he hurries forward and he knows he knows he knows it’s too late to stop whoever is there from experiencing his last moments. he tries all the same, with words readied in his vocaliser to protest.

then he sees who it is and the words fade away, leaving daylight in only confusion and concern. ]

… Riku? [ of course daylight remembers him; riku was one of the immediately friendly folks to daylight upon his arrival, accepting his appearance and his nervousness right off the bat. it had been— nice.

it had been nice and it caused riku to stick out of daylight’s processors in the weeks to come. it doesn't stop that sting of fear-shame-worry of someone seeing his death but it's dulled. enough for him to work up the courage to keep speaking. ]

Did you leave a... Did you...? [ but the courage is quick to falter and daylight himself follows. he falls quiet and his winglets pull back as if trying to hide. whether from riku himself or riku's answer is anyone's best guess. ]

[equinoctials]

[ Riku's hand comes away from the front of his shirt and, for a moment, only contemplates his empty palm. His fingers curl, his fist lowering to his side, the motion deliberate, thoughtful.

What he had seen felt like betrayal. Daylight had stepped into harm's way without a thought for himself, and in the end, he was concerned about the effect it would have on others. He was loved, that much is obvious.

Now, he understands a little better why.

It's not his intention to exacerbate the anxiety that Daylight experiences by his delayed response. He just needs that time to formulate his answer. To navigate around this not insignificant feeling of admiration and sympathy. The plaque is more right now than before: He did deserve better. ]

I didn't know what would happen.

[ His answer is honest, apologetic. When he lifts his head to look at Daylight, it's not with pity, but wordless understanding.

On Daylight's altar rests a wooden token, carved out of a shingle in the shape of a five pointed star, unadorned and crude, with a rough bit of cord strung through it. ]

Daylight, I won't pry into your personal business. It's not my right to know. But what you did...

[sunborne]

-I don't regret it.

[ that's the first thing that daylight says, the words coming out before he even has a chance to properly think anything through. even day seems a bit taken back by his own words if the way his winglets flap in confusion is to go by.

for a second he wonders if he's serious about what he said.

but then he thinks back on his family and his parents, on his friends and his crewmates. it doesn't take him too long to assert the claim: ]

I don't regret it. I don't regret it and- [ here, he stumbles a bit, unsure of what to add now. talking about this topic any further means acknowledging his death and things related to it. judging by the way his processor is buzzing, heavy and ominous at the thoughts, it's still a difficult subject for him to tackle. at least this time around.

but he decides to go with that route. it might hurt, yeah, but when his optics linger on the token that now rests on his grave, his spark pangs with something that isn't just hurt. ] -I know you didn't mean it when you did that, don't worry. I trust you.

[ iii ]

[identifier]

another one?

[ he'd smashed his. fuck his life entirely. ]

1/3

[sunborne]

2/3

[sunborne]

[ at the invincible and during a time that would no doubt be inappropriate for someone: ]

What?!

3/3

[sunborne]

Another one? What do you mean ‘another one’…?

We can have multiple gravestones?

You have multiple gravestones? Do you have multiple gravestones???

[ having never gone out of his way to destroy his marker, a confused daylight is very confused, very concerned and it very much shows. ]

[identifier]

looks like that's the case.

where is it?

[sunborne]

[ he's being very casual(??) about this and daylight is eternal ????? now.

thank goodness no one else can feel his em field. they'll probably be hit hard by the feedback loop. ]

Next to my grave, actually.

It's at the very 'entrance' of this cemetery if that makes sense? Does it? [ does anything about this situation they're in make any sense? probably not. ]

iii

[callada]

[It's fortunate that he was already looking at his tablet or Rosinante might not have noticed the message until much later. He's stopped for a tea break at the inn before resuming poking around town to find more of the graves and learn their secrets.

It's annoying that others can see what happened to him, but it's a pleasant sort of surprise that Daylight is at least messaging him about it.]

Of course. What is it?

[sunborne]

[ oh.

he didn’t think he would actually get a response for this. just like that daylight suddenly is struggling to remember the list of questions he had readied for this talk. this is such a bad time for stage fright to kick in...!

daylight pauses, trying to figure out what he wants to ask first and decides, by rust and dust, he might as well get that out of the way— ]

Would it be alright for me to leave an offering at your grave?

I promise not to talk to anyone about it if you don’t want it to be talked about.

[callada]

[The message sits unanswered for a good several minutes. This is a hard decision to make. As he sees it, though, if he denies the request, Daylight can still leave his offering without permission, so saying no doesn't stop anything. And dozens of others will do the same without asking first.]

Go ahead.
But if you have questions after, I prefer you come to me and ask them in person. I'm at the Invincible.

(1/2)

[sunborne]

Thank you.

I'll try to swing by soon as I can after the offering. I promise.

[ it's the least daylight can do for what's going to happen next. ]

(2/2)

[sunborne]

[ after his visit to the marker and the eye-opening experience of the death he went through, daylight is quick to make his way to the invincible.

he's- he's surprisingly quiet, compared to how he usually acts. his expression is more solemn and his winglets are pulled back from, not fear, but as a sign of respect. they're pulled and drawn down at a certain angle, something the flier models will do when showing camaraderie or acknowledge to someone who deserves it. ]

Hey. [ daylight just stops short of the table, mindful of how much space he's taking. he's learned a lot of folks are on edge and probably want to have some sense of personal space during the start of conversations. ] ... Are you still up for answering questions?

also i, just saying

[callada]

[Whether or not Daylight had seen his own death, Rosinante had intended to visit the robot's grave. He's just intensely curious, all right? What situation leads to the death of a creature like him? What sort of weakness does that metal body have, so he can try to prevent something similar happening here, should the need ever arise?

Unlike Daylight, he doesn't ask first. He slips over to the fire pit and its plaque and places down a handful of water-polished pebbles, black and red.

The world in the vision is more foreign than most here, made of so much sleek metal. The stuff of comic books and fantasy, he's said it before, but witnessing it nearly firsthand brings it to life. The rest? Well. In the end, it's a betrayal, and a gunshot. The mundane simplicity is such a striking contrast to how strange everything else he sees is. For all their inventions, perhaps people just remain the same across worlds.

Good to know, he thinks, as he heads back off into the dark.]

( additional toplevel. / offerings. )

[sunborne]

[ daylight will not be actively monitoring or patrolling his grave. he's opting to leave it be because out of sight, out of mind. as a result, characters are free to leave an item without interference or objections on day's end.

you're free to use this option if you only want to take a peek into daylight's death but don't want to do a thread. simply please leave a note here if your character has done so, just for the sake of keeping track of things on my end. thank you! ]

(( offering only ))

[voktys]

⟪ Melisandre leaves him a small piece of cloth embroidered with a flaming sun. ⟫

offering

[ordinaryannie]

[Annie will leave two year 2000 US quarters on Daylight's grave.]

Offering

[primordialerebus]

[ Coraline leaves a mediocrely folded paper crane. ]

( offering only )

[jigsawn]

( billy leaves him a small round stone. )

ii

[primordialerebus]

[ She shoots to her feet as soon as Daylight gets in range, her fear and guilt propelling her in a jerky motion not akin to a puppet being pulled up by strings. Fear at the fact that he’s clearly holding an offering he’s holding. Guilt because she violated his privacy first. Could she say no to him if he truly asked? Was it right to? She is just so tired. And indeed, if she had her lantern open, she would have seen how close it is to burning out.

She doesn’t answer for a moment, just standing rigidly still. One gets the impression that she would be swaying on her feet if it weren’t for… whatever is going on with her. Who the fuck knows. She certainly doesn’t anymore. So much has happened.

Another long moment… she just nods slightly… at least it looks like a nod. It may just be a spasm at this point. ]

[sunborne]

[ daylight immediately looks and sounds concerned as he gets closer.

well- closer as he dares allows himself, suddenly and painfully aware of how much personal space he eats up if he gets too close to his friend. he's well aware of others being unhappy with the turn of events, going out of their way to do something about it.

but this- something about this makes his core hurt. ]

Do you want to sit down and talk? Or just talk? I promise not to try and- [ and this is where he abruptly stops. what can he say? what is she expecting him to do here so he can assure her that it won't happen, even? trick her? brute force past her? daylight hates the fact that something must have happened to coraline for this to happen.

after a few seconds of considering his words and his options, he finally says, ] -I promise nothing will happen if you don't want it to happen. No shenanigans or anything.

[ he carefully shifts the flower into one servo, raising the other one up like a boy scout to show his seriousness over this. ]

I've rewritten this like 5 times and it's been 6 weeks so just uh yeet im so sorry

[primordialerebus]

[ Coraline flinches when he steps forward before attempting to play it off as a casual movement of… some sort. Why can’t people just leave her alone!! God she just wants to rest. At his words, she snorts slightly before looking away, trying to project some level of scorn but absolutely failing at it. ]

Whatever. Doubt I could stop you anyways.

[ She says, not able to bring herself to outright rebuke him considering what she had done. The bitterness and self-hatred obvious though. Even with her now stronger powers, she couldn’t do shit in the end, beaten by someone younger than her and everything (not that age was particularly important here). Just. She really is useless huh. Useless and a danger to everyone. What a great combination. ]