EVENT LOG: TURN THE LIGHTS OFF

[inthenightmods]

EVENT LOG:
TURN THE LIGHTS OFF

characters: everyone.
location: around town.
date/time: january 20-29.
content: the lanterns begin to malfunction.
warnings: body horror and psychological horror. please cw tags appropriately.

you'll become one

January 20th arrives the same as all the days before it. There's no great pulse of warning that throbs through the air, no ominous wind that causes the bonfire to shudder. The spirits are neither agitated nor do they hide. You could almost miss the change, if the lanterns weren't always by your side. There's no explanation that comes with the way that it's changed, but it's impossible not to worry when it's happened so suddenly.

Maybe it takes a few days, or maybe it only takes a few hours, but suddenly it isn't just the lanterns that have changed. You, yourself, have become somehow different. It's possible that you won't even have the right state of mind to wonder how long it will last. At the very least, it appears you aren't alone. All across Beacon, lanterns are changing, and changing the people with them.

Out in the distance, the lighthouse's beam has turned green.

QUICKNAV
comms	|	network • logs • memes • ooc
pages	|	rules • faq • taken • mod contact • player contact • calendar • setting • exploration • item requests • full nav

Comments

kol mikaelson | ota

[unpredict]

a) BLUE — VENTI | JANUARY 20-23

i) THE GENERAL STORE

[ since december, the auditorium has been in disrepair. kol's been working hard in repairing it to a state that's far better than what it had been previously, but it's a slow-moving project due to purposefully slow hands. it's the one thing that keeps him preoccupied; it's the one thing he can control.

until, of course, his lantern turns blue.

standing in the general store's handyman aisle filled with very dangerous tools, kol stares at the shelves of pliers, hammers, and gloves. the furrow to his brow is deeper, and happens to be deepening by the second. the energy around him is tight and palpably angry.

uncertain of what kind of hammer he bloody needs to fix the window frame he'd busted, kol reaches for one, finds that it's hooked itself to its display ring, and jostles it. it doesn't budge.

so he does what someone with very strong strength and a lot of bottled up rage would do: he yanks it hard and almost brings down the entire display. ]

b) BLUE — TALL | JANUARY 24-28

ii) LOST LOVE
[ it isn't easy being alone. spending years locked away in a coffin had been far easier in retrospect, but kol has take his loneliness in stride since finding himself in beacon.

with his lantern turning a different shade of blue, his familiar rage and highly emotional state dissipate. it's almost as if whatever had overcome him has disappeared, only to be replaced with an intensity he'd easily shrugged off in december.

he misses davina. he misses the confidence and the comfort he'd felt with her presence. it'd been a long, long time since he'd ever felt like he belonged with anyone, and to have her ripped away from him—hopefully somewhere very safe—is something he's been barely coping with. concealing, not feeling, can only get one so far, and given he's already a naturally highly emotional guy (hi, original vampire status), it's been difficult for him to keep to himself.

standing at the end of the pier at the harbour, kol finds himself desperately lost. the hopelessness is one he doesn't like. the emptiness in the pit of his stomach not something he's particularly unfamiliar with.

skidding rocks along the water as best he can (on the pier or by the sand), he pegs his stone as far and as hard as he can, as if he's trying to break a barrier somewhere over the water. sometimes he throws rocks toward the town, knowing that it won't hit a building.

but maybe it'll almost hit you. ]

iii) FAMILY DOESN'T MATTER

[ it doesn't matter how many times he's out here—kol loves to hit a ball. with a few wooden and metal baseball bats under his arm, kol drops them all and favours only one. it'd been great being able to reel someone into exploring boneset park. the baseball field is one he's been desperate to break in for months. ]

Don't hold back.

[ regardless of how poor or good the throw is, kol hits it out of the park (quite literally) with each swing. it's almost normal, the way he holds himself and the strength he uses, until it grows and grows. with each ball comes a familiar face, and with each swing, it grows more desperately angry.

he hits klaus' head first, then elijah's, then mum's, dad's, and bloody' finn's until his wooden bat is splintered and torn in half from the power of his swing and the ball that disappears at a frighteningly quick pace around them. ]

c) GREEN — GRANDE | JANUARY 29

iv) KOL SWAP

[ sometimes it's nice to just sit at the bar. quiet time isn't something kol particularly respects, but over the last few months, he hasn't minded it. while his thoughts are often as sharp as the daggers that have neutralised him into his coffins over the centuries, sometimes they're kind.

he jumps when he glances up and sees his reflection. instinctively, his hand grips his glass and shatters it, spilling liquor onto the top of the counter and shards cutting the palm of his hand. whether kol minds remains to be seen, given that he's inspecting his hands and trying to find a reflection for his face to see if blue eyes had replaced brown.

murmured almost in fright, ] What the fuck.

[ kol sees himself as kaleb westphall. ]

[ ooc: Please see my plotting comment for details! Kol attacking anyone will be reserved for previously plotted scenarios. Each of these is very much open for emotional torment and having Kol cry. ]

iii - January 28

[notthatjason]

[Jason didn't care if there were spirits in the air that swatted him down. He would bring them down with him in a blast of wind or lightning. He was over this place, over serving time in an Underworld that wasn't even MADE for him. Of course it wanted to fuck with him and was going to fuck with it right back.

Jason was so consumed with his rage in the air that he almost missed the ball flying directly towards him. He zipped out of the way at the last minute and stormy blue eyes honed in on a familiar figure below. He dropped out of the sky like a literal bolt from the blue -- after all that's the color his lantern was glowing.]

Watch what you're doing. I've already had enough ridiculous things pelted at me from the ground, the last thing I need is to be taken out by a freaking baseball.

[unpredict]

It looks like somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.

[ it's said with a condescending smile and false cheer.

kol likes jason. he's one of the few good people he's met in his long life who isn't only interesting for the abilities that he possesses, but for that big heart of his. it's been a long time since he's had a true friend who's influenced him in the way jason has and can.

with that thought in mind, kol's own growing frustration ebbs. a familiar face who's done no harm to him can often do that, but his tone of voice isn't one that he responds to positively. it aggravates him, in fact. does jason really think he'd want to hit him out of the sky with such a clumsy swing?

resting the bat against the ground and leaning on it, ] If I wanted to knock you out of the sky, I would have.

[notthatjason]

[Jason huffs, not even dignifying that with a response. Even if he did hate Jupiter at the moment he was still a son of Jupiter and a child of Rome. He'd been a praetor to the Twelfth Legion for years. Commanding demigods much older than himself and THEY never questioned him. Who did Kol think he was talking to him like that?]

You would have tried. [He smirks, though it looks more like a scowl. Nothing like his usual smiles.] I guess you're right about one thing though. I had nothing to worry about flying over you.

(ooc: I apologize if these tags come slow. They are so hard to write since it is SO unlike Jason to act this way XD. I have to remind himself this isn't OOC, just effects of some bad magic.)

totally cool! take ur time and lmk if i can help with anything!

[unpredict]

[ wow!!!

his insults almost hurt him. it's like watching niklaus struggle to find a verbal dagger, except even kol, despite the influence of his lantern, knows that jason is no nik.

no, jason is kind and compassionate, and hardly seems capable of hurting a fly even when it's bothering him. but kol only finds himself annoyed by the rational thoughts that trickle into his mind as he grows more and more easily frustrated. jason is a good person. in comparison, kol hardly is. who does he think he is to tell him he can't hit a ball and reach his target? hasn't he seen him swing? no matter what kol does, he's reminded by those around him who are better that he's nothing.

although angry, kol smiles in mock sweetness. ] Maybe you should try to walk past me. I doubt you'll get very far.

thanks for understanding <3

[notthatjason]

[Jason hasn't talked about it much, but he was in fact raised by wolves for at least a few months when he was a baby. Most of those memories are faded, especially after whatever Juno had done to his mind to get him in place at Camp Half-Blood. Still, there are elements of living with wolves that have not left Jason...and one of them is backing down from a challenge to his power.

Now, under normal circumstances he might diffuse this challenge with his more refined skills of diplomacy. As we have established though...these are not normal circumstances. Upon issuing the challenge, you can practically see Jason bristle. His body straightens, pushing him up to his full height, as he cocks his head in a haughty manner.

He doesn't say anything. He just strides forward, a clear acceptance of Kol's challenge.]

❤️

[unpredict]

[ not one to back down from issuing a challenge or someone else throwing down the gauntlet, he easily moves in preparation to block jason's way with a step to the side. he'd hoped it would be intimidating enough, but just in case there's a requirement for more, he drops his bat onto the ground with an easy flourish of his arm.

it's been a long, long time since kol's had any sort of physical challenge. being locked in the body of a weak witch had done nothing but create a mental block for himself. the last time he'd been able to do this… well, it'd been when the veil had been brought down from the other side—realm numero uno. he hadn't had any friends back then to really give a shit about, not like he does now.

if, and when, jason gets closer, kol simply watches him with a smile on his face, and, if in arm's reach, he'll easily give him a shove that's stronger than the average human's but not quite as strong enough to knock jason back into the air. ]

[notthatjason]

[Jason may stumble back a bit at the push, but it's more because he wasn't expecting it. His back foot immediately digs into the dirt. He'd exchanged blows with giants and Titans. He wasn't getting pushed around by someone like you.

He grabs at Kol's hand and goes to throw him to the ground, using his own greater-than-human strength. He growls.]

Move

ii

[antiwhat]

[ Inches.

That's how close the rock comes to making contact with Ellever's too-cold skin, as she walks along, but she doesn't react at all. She's out on one of her many recent wanderings, now that she feels free and clear-headed for the first time in what seems like an eternity. Always crushed into another shape, always supposed to be palatable and friendly for everyone else. Now she has her real self on display, without a scarf around her head: black eyes, black gums, black teeth, black tongue, everything dark below the surface. That's how it always is, but Ellever has been camouflaged since childhood. Purposeful, back then, an unconscious survival technique among another species, but now just a habit.

She turns her head and stares down the pier, the movement oddly butter-smooth. Recognizing the figure on it, she slowly makes her way onto the wooden structure. Her voice is low and far too calm as she asks, ]

Does throwing stones help?

[ This is not a practice she's familiar with. ]

[unpredict]

[ to his credit, kol doesn't flinch when he sees elle. his sharp sense of smell and the fact he actually takes note on how people sound easily tells him who it is beneath all of the monstrous black.

he can't even really call it monstrous, can he? he's seen his own reflection over the years, with his skin clean and sometimes coated in thick layers of blood. looking like a monster is far more deeper than an ugly, non-human face. it sometimes wear something human, even that of a very handsome and not at all arrogant young man.

letting out a breath, he lets his shoulders slump. peering out at the water, then at his hand where he has another stone in his palm, he shrugs. ]

Not really.

[ he'd wanted to say yes, but he hardly feels like that will make him feel better, too. ]

Sorry if I almost hit you. [ he means it. he doesn't mind elle—she's funny and likeable. ] I have a very good arm.

[antiwhat]

[ Her head tilts to the side, for a moment, as he answers. This is a normal movement for Elle, but the way she does it now makes it look calculated. She continues to walk down the pier but does it slowly, her deep red lantern dangling heavily from one hand. ]

You didn't. [ Matter-of-fact. Why apologize for something that didn't happen? Her voice has a calm, lazy quality.

When she stops talking and closes her eyes, Ellever appears her normal self. She does this as she finally stops a few strides away from Kol, breathing in the smell of the water. It's deep, rich, earthy; undertones that mark this particular layer of reality. This is another reason she's been wandering so much lately. It keeps her grounded. But then her eyes open, glistening darkness where her brown eyes normally are. ]

But yes. What were you trying to hit?

[ Her mind has expanded, and yet, because of her limited experiences, Ellever still feels as though she's grasping at straws when it comes to the behavior of others. Even now with this feeling of deep serenity in her chest, warm and heavy, like sitting in front of a roaring fire. ]

[unpredict]

[ it's almost like watching his own reflection. his own brown eyes would disappear into pools of black, with his eyes outlined by the disgusting crackling of dark veins appearing underneath his skin. he'd always thought his face wasn't as charming when he was a vampire, but seeing elle's face… he can't quite say she wears it with pride, but right now, with the red lantern by her side, she appears more calm and comfortable wearing it.

as curious as he is to pry, kol doesn't. he has an imagination that knows no bounds, but, unlike his brothers and sister who demand everything and anything like they're entitled to the answers, he tries to remain careful and meticulous when seeking further information. it's a rarity that he wants to know more about her with no real self-serving endgame in mind.

inhaling deeply, he exhales, annoyed that it does nothing to ripple the realm around them. ]

Anything. Everything. [ he shrugs, feeling even that doesn't particularly fulfil him as a satisfying movement. ] I'm a little tired of feeling stagnant, so I wanted to disturb everything else around me. f you came down to do the same thing, I'm sorry to say that it's not working. [ it's said lightly and playfully. ]

[antiwhat]

When I was little I would scream out into the void. But not now.

[ Ellever keenly remembers all of the rage and frustration she'd bottled inside, trying to deal with it, before it had popped like a balloon at the age of ten with Circe's revelations. Everything had seemed to make a depressing amount of sense, back then. Now she only has more questions.

But here, now, it's like the questions can't bother her. She settles down at the end of the pier, legs over the water. It doesn't even occur to her to ask if he wants her to stay. Social norms are too small to see, at the moment.

Then she looks back up at Kol. ]

Why do you feel stagnant?

[ It's an intriguing word, for a being whose other half isn't even wired for verbal language. ]

[unpredict]

[ sometimes kol wishes he was the type to say he's fine and remain strong in his composure. but he isn't elijah, who comes off as though nothing can topple him. he has always been too highly strung and too emotional, and it often leads him into tricky situations.

answering a question shouldn't make him feel cornered.

remaining standing for a moment, kol walks the short distance to sit beside her on the pier. his stones click and rattle as he places them delicately down onto the wood.

although he doesn't quite know elle from the stones in his hands, he likes her. she seems different today; it isn't a horrible kind of different.

with one stone in his hand, he plays with it. thinking over her response and his potential answer, he inhales and then says, ] Did you ever not scream into the void despite wanting to?

[antiwhat]

[ She's completely and utterly silent as she waits for him to chew on the words and breathe them into the air, her gaze on the water. Time has been incredibly fluid for her for the past couple of days. The lack of a day and night cycle doesn't help, but as she sits there, she isn't sure if an hour passes or just a minute.

And that's fine. She'll be here. She's dead and, before that, she was eternal. ]

Yes. [ Normally there'd be some sort of guile or hesitation to her voice, struggling to spit out anything related to such a need and desire. But it's gone now. Her voice is just soft, calm. ] When I was ten, when I learned what I am, I decided that I should be more like everyone else and less like me. My human father agreed it would be for the best.

[ Human father. Ezra would be saddened to hear this. Good thing he isn't here. Ellever shrugs her shoulders loosely. ]

So then I was quiet. I understood that I was — am — a fuse. And if lit, catastrophic.

ii

[policier]

( Javert's made a habit of stargazing. It's not so difficult to do, when the entirety of the day is spent in darkness, with the stars and the planets hanging overhead. Others may abhor it, but the inspector finds comfort in it, seeing the lights hanging in their fixed points above him.

The best place to do so is out on the pier. Javert makes certain to visit when he knows no one else is around. Except for tonight, it seems. He notices Kol standing along the edge of it, tossing stones across the water and behind him. One comes sailing toward him, but dodging it is a simple matter. Javert hardly even breaks his stride as he walks up behind him. )

If you wish to be rid of me, you're going to have to try better than that.

[unpredict]

[ does it mean anything if he's come to find some solace in the revelation that he hasn't somehow pushed those he's come to like here away? maybe it's all those years spent in a coffin locked away, punished for having the same fun as his brothers and sister, that has left him incapable of finding peace with anyone. he's allowed himself to care here, in a realm he'd only ever meant to be in temporarily. javert's one of those unfortunate souls.

javert's jest is welcome, even if the knowledge that he'd almost fatally struck him with one of his stones isn't. he survived kol—that's all that really matters.

kol turns, hands playing with the few stones in his palms. he smiles sheepishly when he sees javert. ] Perhaps I should try a bigger stone? [ he plucks a thin, oval-shaped one from his palm and holds it between his index and thumb to show him. ] I don't think this one has your name on it…

[policier]

You may need a bigger one still.

( He responds dryly. A stone such as that hardly frightens him, even if it is in the possession of a vampire. He's had a paving stone thrown at him that was much larger than that, by a woman more beast than man, and he's survived. Javert continues toward him, coming to a rest only when he's at Kol's side. )

Or you may push me off the pier. I will hardly resist you.

( He knows that Kol will not, though, and so instead of bracing himself for it, he stands there tranquilly, his hands plunged deep into his pockets, keeping warm. After a moment of silence, he asks, )

What's the matter?

[unpredict]

[ while it would be fun to shove someone off the pier, kol has reserved that right for anyone he's related to (excluding hope), just in case they appear in beacon. something tells him that if he was to push javert, the water may push him back. ]

Why do you think anything's the matter? [ he peers down at himself, inspecting his shirt as if he expects he's put it on inside out and upside down. but it's all just an attempt at lightening the mood that he'd set to be purposefully dismal. ] You had me worried I'd worn the wrong shirt with these pants inside out again.

[ not much clashes with jeans except denim and clear avoidance. ]

[policier]

( His gaze drags down the length of his figure, slow and studious. Javert doesn't know anything about modern fashion, being from the 19th century. He doesn't know what would look good on Kol, but he is, at least, being truthful when he says, )

Your appearance is fine.

( It's more of a compliment than he's ever given anyone about their looks. Take it as a peace offering, before Javert attempts to turn the conversation back around. )

It is only that you're brooding. Did something happen?

[unpredict]

Nothing happened.

[ it doesn't come out as dismissive as he'd hoped, nor as carefree as he'd wanted it to be. if someone says nothing happened, then generally it means something did. but that's the thing. nothing happened. besides the dream world that had resulted in him being a menace and saving two lives that were never truly at risk, he's been proactive and reactive, but never on the defence as he's used to.

with a sigh, he peers out at the water. ] I happened. Don't you ever sometimes think far too much and it starts to get very self-critical and annoying?

[ kol seems perplexed by this, as if having a moment of reflection is unfounded to him. ]

cw suicide mention

[policier]

( It's not something Javert is used to either. Had that not been what had driven to the river in the first place? He could not stand to be alone with his thoughts, self-degrading as they were. He had no other choice, and so he had thrown himself into it. A moment of anxiety seizes him, as he looks at Kol, hoping that he is not considering the same thought. )

Is that what this is about? ( He mutters, trying not to let his emotions show. ) What could you have possibly done wrong?

tall blue, delicious

[vampirella]

( it probably would have hit her, if she hadn't had the reflexes to catch it. maybe it's too much of a tell, that she snatches it out of the air instead of letting it bounce off her forehead, but hey. injuries affect her differently but that's not to say she doesn't feel any pain at all. also, it'd be annoying to have a purple welt on her head for a few hours.

it wasn't really thrown that hard, she probably doesn't have much of a leg to stand on for being as annoyed about it as she is. it's just that she's had a bunch of people go looney toons at her lately because of colorful lanterns, and she's 10,000% over it. this is not her problem and she's so tired of everyone and their mother trying to rope her into their trauma. a funny colored lantern is a shitty excuse for being a dick.

luckily, Carmilla has never needed any excuse to be a dick. )

Do I look like a lake to you, asshole? Your aim is about as good as your throw. ( she could have left it at that, bitchy and biting, but she's annoyed now. not necessarily just at him, but since he's taking his frustrations out on her, it seems fair she get to do the same. so she hucks the rock right back at him, and she definitely throws it harder than she should. harder than a human girl has any right to throw. she wants it to bounce straight between his eyebrows, it'd serve him right — that's about where it would have landed if it hit her. )

[unpredict]

[ if she's asking for a true answer…

kol catches the hurtling rock without so much as flinching or moving. it hurts his palm, but it doesn't break it or snap his skin. it's almost like trying to play a game of chess with elijah, who he'd end up pelting all the pieces at for being an absolutely slow and annoying player. maybe that's why kol has been banned from playing chess. everyone's just a jealous hater. ]

But my catching is excellent, darling. [ the mocking is thick in his voice, but the anger isn't quite there. the irritation that had flared up inside of him had only been an ember that didn't quite catch, which is unusual for someone as angry and emotional as him.

he doesn't think on it, looking at the opal in his palm. he then pelts it back with the strength of a 1,000 year old vampire at her to see if her second catch is as good as her first. he has a feeling it will be. kol is never wrong about these things. ]

[vampirella]

( wow, excuse you Kol! she does not look like a lake, unless it's haunted and a little gothic... then maybe.. . . . . ..

for someone that refers to people by a nickname or pet name just about all of the time, it shouldn't annoy her so much to have one tossed back at her. it's safe to say at this point she's just annoyed. she's annoyed that people keep throwing their emotions at her. she's annoyed that everyone seems to be losing it and nobody has the decency to a breakdown in their quarters with the door securely locked like a normal person. she's annoyed that she even feels glimmers of anything about it other than annoyance — holes in her apathy that she doesn't want to be reminded of.

she does tend to lean hard into being an asshole after she's shown too much of her hand. or really, too much of her heart. so Kol is a perfect tall dark and handsome target that just lets her be angry.

he throws it back like they're playing a game of petty, cranky catch. she could just step out of the way and honestly she should. catching it the once was bad enough, she has time and awareness to see this one coming, and she should just let it and say something else colorful and walk away. that'd be the smart thing. she's usually smarter than this, she didn't get this old without a few braincells to rub together.

she catches it anyway, almost out of spite. spite of him, or of herself... hard to say. and he threw it hard enough it hurts, the pain radiates through her palm enough that she shakes her hand to dissipate it. that's unusual, because nobody baseline human should be able to throw something that hard. that is a big sign she shouldn't keep tempting fate, but Carmilla is notorious for pushing limits she shouldn't. this time when she throws it back, it's harder than before, and it's aimed below his knee, harder to catch and scoop out of the air and more likely to hurt like a bitch. )

What the hell is your problem? You think a blue lantern is an excuse to try and concuss someone? ( nevermind that she's trying to kneecap him and her lantern is just fine. shh. )