week 3

[jinglehellmods]

WEEK 3

Another week gone and it's still Christmas! Or is it? The paint on the walls is beginning to crack and fade, with especially large chunks in character's bedrooms revealing scratched words like "cantgetoutcantgetout" and "god help me i just want to go home i miss my home i miss my mother i miss" etc. Yikes! The locations page might be updated throughout the week as characters discover more. Seems like now's the perfect time to investigate and hope you'll get closer to finding out what's going on here. There's always more places to look and more things to find!

As a reminder that this week's activity check is now live! And as usual, it's never a bad time to submit threads for regains! Have you been naughty or nice? Naughty children still get presents too, don't worry. And if you'd like to check-in on Thursday night, you always can! You never know what fun you might run into.

So go exploring, find something new and pay no mind to the creepy writing on the walls. We're sure everything will be fine! After all, nothing ever goes wrong on Christmas, right?

sunday | monday | tuesday | wednesday | thursday

Comments

MOTIVE

[jinglehellmods]

[ Another bright winter's morning! Though this one seems a little more bleak than the ones before it... It seems several locations have changed overnight, and not for the better! The Foyer, Kitchen, Pantry, Dining Room, Infirmary and Library have seen better days.

But you're all here for the motive, so of course there's another odd piece of paper, made of the same strange magazine cut-outs as before. This one reads:

killing is easy, isn't it? some of you know what i mean. but so far all i've heard is talk. if you haven't killed someone by next week, then i guess we'll all know you're not strong enough to do it.

it must be sad to be so weak.

Rude, much? ]

[acherontiastyx]

[hm.






he's gonna dip into the arts and crafts room and come back to paint next to the piece of paper.]

BET YOU'RE NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO EAT SHIT

NOPE

[starblessed]

[You know, Lunafreya is a very patient person. A kind soul, the type of person that wouldn't harm an insect because she believes that all life is sacred. This is the woman that tried to help a being that destiny decreed would be destroyed, to purify the scourge that had twisted him so.

And yet, she's at the end of her patience when she sees another note left by the guestbook, crafted from the same cut-out letters as always.]

It takes little strength indeed to succumb to darkness's grasp. To fall prey to the grip it holds on our hearts, leading us to act upon fear, upon anger, upon sorrow. Harder yet is to stand firm in the face of despair, to trust in the light to once again drive the darkness whence it came.

Such taunts shall not be borne by those who strive to keep faith and believe in the light. This place will be delivered from the darkness--I will not sit idly by while their resolve is tested by mockery and provocations.

[That said, Lunafreya is taking up the motive and bringing it right on over to the fireplace to burn, unless somebody stops her first. That is quite enough of that, house!]

[theothermrgray]

...

[Dorian stares at her for a moment, before realizing what she's doing.]

-- No, Wait!

[Dorian rushed up to her side, meaning to snatch the note from her hand.]

Don't... There's something I ought to warn you of before you try that!

[starblessed]

[It's not too hard to grab the note from her--Lunafreya wasn't expecting anybody to stop her! For a moment she looks as though she can't believe it, but after that moment her expression settles into one of curiosity instead.]

Something you ought to warn me of? Do you expect something would happen, should this paper burn?

[theothermrgray]

...

[Dorian gulps. He holds up the note and folds it, so neither of them have to read the motive.] This is going to sound insane, but... I tried writing a note to whoever was sending these the other day. Left it out near where this usually appears...

[He feels rather uneasy... But perhaps there might be something helpful?]

[starblessed]

[She's listening, although she's still not hearing a good reason not to burn the note yet...]

What happened to it?

[theothermrgray]

Well... What I originally wrote had vanished, ink and all. Somehow, the note had changed to taunt me in my own handwriting.

I apologize for not having that with me, I threw that into the fire out of fear... But perhaps we might be able to use that information...?

[starblessed]

Are you saying we might be able to use it to communicate with whatever is at the root of all this?

[It's an interesting proposition...]

[theothermrgray]

Exactly!

[He's done it before.]

I must warn you, they refused to give me any straight answers. Perhaps you might have more luck with it?

hi mods..........

[starblessed]

[It's a thin smile that crosses her face, a cynicism she's rarely felt brought to the surface by the situation.]

I would have been surprised to find it were any other way. Still, let us try.

[Excuse her for a moment, Dorian, she's going to get paper and marker from the arts and crafts room! And then, returning, she'll write.]

It takes far more strength to seek a greater good and to remain steadfast in the face of darkness's embrace.

Why do you lurk in shadow and seek to corrupt innocent men?

[jinglehellmods]

[The paper sure won't change while Luna and Dorian are looking at it! The house is super shy like that. But if they go away and come back, they'll notice the writing on the paper has changed.]

You ask the incorrect questions.

[starblessed]

[Lunafreya isn't surprised to see that the writing on the paper has changed (after all, Dorian had forewarned her!). However, she's really not impressed by their mysterious penpal!]

I ask the questions I seek the answers to.

Should you wish your voice be heard, speak it succinctly and answer the questions you would have me ask.

[jinglehellmods]

You assume I wish for my voice to be heard at all.

You assume I wish to explain myself.

I do not.

[starblessed]

I assume nothing but that you presume to tempt innocent men into darkness for sinister purpose.

But there will be a light to pierce every shadow.

[jinglehellmods]

Is that a question or a threat?

[starblessed]

It is but a truth: every night sees the dawning of a new day, and when that day comes there will be a light to shine through every shadow and banish the darkness from the world.

[jinglehellmods]

If that comforts you, by all means, preach it to your fellow rats. You are not the first to assure me as such. You will not be the last.

and back to dorian!

[starblessed]

[Honestly, the last note isn't worth a response. The writing through the notes, along with the scraps of paper she's seen so far, are enough to tell her that whatever being she speaks with is far from repentant with regard to the atrocities that have been committed in its wake. So instead of answering again, Lunafreya will only seek out Dorian.]

It seems as though I will be able to learn precious little from conversing in this manner. Whatever it is that responds seeks only to lead us into ruin.

[theothermrgray]

[Oh, he's been here. And he's still horrified by the thing that was awnsering her...]

[Ruin, though. That's a word he's all too familiar with.]

... I'd have to dissagree. If that thing were trying to ruin us, it would start to corrupt us. Like a seeping poison to our souls, their influence would make us enjoy these heinous acts, and if it didn't actally kill us it would have surely ruined our reputations and lives if we ever got out.

What we're seeing here is carefully plotted destruction. Plain and simple.

[starblessed]

Are the two so dissimilar? [They aren't talking about the same sort of "ruin."] When darkness spreads, men's hearts fall prey to many things, so many of them present already: terror, hatred, or grief.

[She thinks of Jack, yelling and destroying the foyer the day before. Shintaro, sobbing as she held him last night. Who could fault any of them for being terrified of what might lie in store for them? It would be so much easier to give in to their fears, to lash out in defense before something lunges for them from the shadows.]

When one succumbs to true despair, actions once thought unconscionable become justifiable. Ruin, destruction... the result is the same. A dream becomes but a nightmare, unable to be woken from until the light appears once more.

[theothermrgray]

[Perhaps this isn't the same sort of ruin, but he finds her way of words enchanting.]

... And you have a plan to bring us out of this darkness?

[starblessed]

Perhaps. [Lunafreya looks at the notes they've been writing with whatever entity inhabits the house, and nods toward the door outside.]

Ineffectual though it may be, will you walk with me? I should not like to discuss such things this close to darker forces.

[thatdarkmage]

Say, what are you doing?

[ By the time he's come over is she still trying to burn it, or has she already written a response? ]

[starblessed]

[Unfortunately, Dorian took the motive, so she's been prevented from burning it for now! By this point, Lunafreya and the house are not exactly seeing eye-to-eye on things...]

It appears as though we can communicate with whatever force inhabits this house. One need only write, and it will respond in turn.