my blistered feet turn bloody so i take to the air.

[nightmarist]

WHO: Residents of the Meadows & OPEN to visitors
WHERE: The Meadows outside De Chima
WHEN: Throughout September
WHAT: Day-to-day encounters.
WARNINGS: Look to the subject headers.
NOTES: This is a mingle/catch-all log. Start your own threads! Tag around!

[The Meadows, being a place largely created from magic, has a subtle strangeness to it. From the outside, it could be taken for any old Appalachian farm: scattered barns and stables, a roomy wooden farmhouse, a 19th century stone chapel that some hoodlum graffitied. There's evidence that the farm is occupied by unsupervised teenagers, too, in the donut tracks that mar the grass and the remains of regular bonfires. As long as the monsters are out of sight, everything seems ordinary.

Once inside the farmhouse, however, the odd discrepancies become more apparent. The layout of the rooms doesn't quite match how the house appeared from the outside. There are windows where windows shouldn't be, stairways like vertical mazes to secluded rooms, and views from rooms that look into other worlds entirely. Half of the appliances work without any source of electricity, fresh coffee's always waiting in the pot without anyone having to brew it, and the refrigerator never seems to run out of leftover pizza. Things are simply wrong about the place, for all the cozy warmth of its design.]

Comments

john murphy | ota!!

[rekt]

who the fuck are you (for new peeps);

[ murphy comes stumbling down the stairs into the living room with half a bowl of cinnamon toast crunch that he was definitely eating last night and took to his bedroom with him, and a gatorade, dressed in some of adam's boxer's and ronan's robe, hair looking a hot mess.

this is how he lands against the stair railing, squinting at some stranger on his couch. his couch, because he lives here, he has a bedroom, and clothing, and his mail comes here regularly. the phone book says so. so, this intruder???? why??? ]

The fuck're you? [ murphy grumbles, still hungover from the night before. of course, the raven boys have people over all the time, and half of them seem like they're moving in anyway just from how often they show up, but blue has been the first to actually stake claim. seeing as how well his time has gone with blue, murphy's loathe to have more additions. ] I'm not feeding you. Go find your own generous dopes to mooch off of.

[ there's a vague shooing gesture made, before murphy flops the rest of the way down the stairs and ambles towards the kitchen. ]

wildcard;

[ idk man hit me ]

for blue (& onlookers?)

[nightmarist]

[Of all the boyfriend-girlfriend activities Ronan struggled to imagine undertaking with Blue Sargent, shaving her head never even ranked. But now that she's asked, Ronan's already decided it's his favorite thing he'll ever do with a girl. And they haven't even gotten started.

She's in good hands, though. Ronan's hair had been long and luxurious before he shaved it - almost two years ago, now - so he has a reasonable idea how to tackle her unruly mass of curls, tamed up to this point by barrettes and bobby pins. He sets up in his personal bathroom, since that's where he's already keeping his products and his trimmers, but doesn't bother with a chair. At his height, if she was seated, he'd have to hunch so far he'd be bent at a right angle. Comfortable for no one.]

I feel like a fucking stereotype right now.

[Ronan Lynch: gay hairdresser. He lovingly drapes a towel over Blue's shoulders and sweeps it around like a cowl.]

[pigmypouter]

[Blue would like to say that she doesn't do nerves, that this is just hair, but she's absolutely fighting some butterflies right now. It's been so long since she's done anything, and she's never been to a professional in her life. Who has that kind of money? It's always been Jimi or mom, and now she's letting Ronan Lynch near her head with feet fast sharp things.

AhhhhHHHHHHHH-]

You're the least stereotypical person I know, unless we're talking about "angsty teen". Then you are that.

[Blue makes a variety of faces at herself in the mirror, and then a few faces at Ronan behind her. Man, this bathroom is weird. But, you know, it's very Ronan and so she feels as if she needed to expect something like this.]

I need you to know that you're the second man that's ever touched my hair and hasn't gotten punched for it.

[nightmarist]

[He will grant her that. The angsty teen thing.]

Let's not get ahead of ourselves. We haven't gotten the end result yet.

[Ronan takes a moment to brush his fingers through her hair, contemplating the best place to start. The top? The crown, maybe? It's easiest, but there's no turning back if she freaks out.]

I'm gonna have to chop it down with scissors before I can use the razor. Do you need a moment to say your goodbyes?

for magnus & alex

[nightmarist]

[As promised, while Magnus and Alex set up their camp, Ronan goes searching for Henrietta. Ever since Nill began visiting St. Agnes almost daily, Ronan's had to find a place other than the church for Henrietta to reside. He'd created a barn for her, closer to the woods and more convenient for her hunting trips, but she didn't take to it quite as well as he hoped, preferring the wilderness. Predictably, when he checks the barn, she's not there. He finds her a short while later, feasting on a deer carcass deep in the trees, and has to wait until she's finished or risk losing an arm.

Once she's satisfied and he's cleaned most of the blood from her beak and claws, Ronan leads her back in the direction of the campsite. He approaches with one hand against her neck, like he's leading a horse, only instead of a horse, it's a man-sized monster-bird. There is nothing pretty about Henrietta. Ronan calls her kind night horrors because that they are, one of many nightmares that reside in his mind, occasionally born with the sole intention of killing him.

Henrietta is tamer than most of them. She presses affectionately against his palm, chittering with a sound like a bicycle wheel tck-tck-tcking, announcing their presence to the campers if they had somehow missed the approach of two massive monsters.]

Re: for magnus & alex

[fehus]

[Magnus and Alex have worked relatively efficient and fast, throughout the day, and the campsite nestled in the woods of the Meadows doesn't look like something two runaway teens slapped together. it already looks, in fact, like a campsite of experienced campers -- with laundry lines, a fairly costly looking cooler, an orderly pile of bags of dried food to be stored, temporary lanterns (until they can afford the nice ones) unlit on the dirt. two backpacks, through the half-open lip of the tent, can be seen neatly stacked on top of bedrolls and blankets to be smoothed along the tent bottom. some planks of wood for presumably some lowgrade building purpose lie beside the tent, with one of those cheap, small toolboxes on it. as Ronan arrives, Magnus is currently bending a long, flat piece of metal like it is actually taffy, creating a circular guardrail of sorts for the firepit he's dug into the ground, the grill on the grass beside him. the overall effect of the campsite is somewhat domestic, with the fading light coming through the trees, the aura of the einherjar of calmly getting shit done, and the general peace of the forest around them]

[that is, the general peace before a nightmare-monster and his goth handler comes into view; Magnus has just finished wedging the circular piece of metal into the earth when he notices Ronan and his guest, and his eyebrows shoot up into his hairline. to his credit, or perhaps desensitization to utterly terrifying things approaching him, he only calmly raises a blank hand at Ronan, instead of immediately running away crying, which is his other impulse, and calls out]

Alex, they're here.

[garotted]

[ alex ducks beneath the laundry lines and around the tent, trotting up with a curious, impressed look. he's more masculine today than usual, tallish and lanky, his green hair pulled back in a short, functional ponytail. it's not always the case, of course, that his gender and physical sex match, but today's been one of those days. ]

Hey, [ he greets as he reaches magnus, bracing his hands on the blond's shoulders and leaning a little against his back. mismatched eyes flick toward ronan first, then fix on the bird-monster-- a bit calculating for a moment or two before settling into admiring. ]

She's weirdly cute, [ he decides at last, more to himself than either magnus or ronan. but then, right after: ] If Huginn and Muninn looked more like Henrietta, they'd never have to ask anyone to do anything twice.

for nill

[nightmarist]

[Ronan hadn't meant to fall asleep. Dreaming can be dangerous, and it's something he tries to avoid doing around people who don't have experience with his nightmares, so he's made a point of not dreaming in St. Agnes since Nill's visits began. The day is warm, however, and he's hungover after a restless night of drinking. The press of silence, incense, and candle smoke drags him down after only a few minutes. He'd intended to pray, but he's ended up sprawled out on a pew, deep in slumber.]

[wingsit]

[ when Nill's in attendance at the Meadows, she's almost always either at the church or soon to be there. today's no different: it's nice out so she'd gone out to pick some flowers to arrange around the place, but it's not too long before she's back. and when she returns, wandering down the aisle with her focus on the flowers to find a pew to sit in and arrange, she jumps when she glances up to see a sprawling Ronan.

then settles, instantly glad she's not capable of shrieks of surprise. he's fast asleep, and it would've been a shame to wake him. gently she slides into the pew opposite, setting her flowers down as carefully as she can as though flower sounds were ever going to be able to break into a sleep as deep as this one looks. ]

[nightmarist]

[It's not the flower sounds that wake him. In another world - the world that exists inside him - Ronan's found something he wants to bring back with him. Preparing to leave the dream, he captures it between his hands, careful not to crush it.

The second he wakes, a soft hum fills the air. It fluctuates, at one moment sounding like a woman's voice and the next like the flutter of insect wings. Ronan can't move yet, not to lift his head or open his eyes, but resting in the palm of his hand is a dragonfly - the source of the sound - with an unnatural blue glow to its form.]

here to be Extra at Ronan

[hondoyota]

[This has been developing for a while, a product of all the confused and conflicted parts of their relationship. The implication that they're only together because of his bargain irritated him ever since Ronan explained the literal soul connection that had been forged. As if he wouldn't choose Ronan on his own. As if Ronan wouldn't choose him.

He's still smarting over what happened with Magnus. It wasn't that serious, it was only Adam pushing a situation too hard, but he's resolved to avoid Magnus. Hard to do, with Magnus camping on the grounds, with Ronan's tendency to stare at Magnus for more than a little too long. Something in Adam's gut still clenches every time Ronan's phone buzzes. Every time Ronan actually picks it up and answers the texts on it, after so long of it being like pulling teeth to get Ronan to even glance at his phone more than once a week. He wonders if Ronan uses it even more when he's not around, texts even more while Adam's away at work and it's safe, without the jealous boyfriend tensing every damn time Ronan gets a text.

Inviting himself into Ronan's room, Adam takes a seat at the foot of Ronan's bed, leaning back against the wall. He meets Ronan's eyes, steady and calm, and then he cuts off their connection.

This had only been a side effect before. Protecting Ronan from possible hellfire burns had meant their connection was blocked momentarily. But now Adam knows how to do that. And now he's doing it intentionally.]

[nightmarist]

[Ronan's mouth opens to greet Adam, the words dying on his lips as Adam works his magic and severs their line. It's a cold feeling in a part of himself he wouldn't be able to name or point to, somewhere under his skin, or wherever he goes when he dreams.]

Oh.

[Folding in on himself, Ronan tucks his hands under his arms to warm them.]

You're making a point.

[Transparently. That pisses him off. He's not a fan of these games.]

[hondoyota]

Yes and no.

[Adam doesn't soften. He can't. He's decided that this is necessary, and if he doubts himself for a moment, he'll falter.]

It's not meant to be a punishment, though I know it's going to feel like one. I need to prove this to myself as much as anything.

[He's being stupid, he's being dramatic, he already regrets this. He's going to make them both miserable, and for what?]

I'm freeing you. One week. You don't have to obey me. You're not bound to me. Not compelled. We're just...

[Adam drops his eyes, aching with insecurity, and that's the real impetus behind this, his insecurity. He can't stand the idea that Ronan's only his because of their connection. As pleasant as it would be to lie to himself, Adam needs things proved. Letting himself swallow a pleasant lie would only make him more and more bitter. Better to deal with things outright.]

You're free.

Le Interrogate

[hondoyota]

[After finding out about his death from Ronan, Adam has some all new questions. He was fine accepting Gansey's death and survival on Noah's word, but Ronan didn't know whether or not Adam lived, even though Noah had said that everything turned out okay.

There were too many holes in Adam's knowledge and it was no longer acceptable.

He could feel Noah's presence in the house from his energy, and sent a few tugs through that energy to let Noah know he was coming. Letting himself into Noah's room, Adam looks around.]

Noah?

[admemoriam]

[Noah feels the approach, and makes it to the edge of his loft by the time the door opens. The sounds of the outdoors waft from upstairs, along with a familiar smell; he's been smoking on the roof.]

Hey.

[His hair fluffs outwards as he leans down, and he swallows a twinge of uneasiness when he senses Adam's thoughts.

Uh oh.]

[hondoyota]

Hey.

[Adam climbs up to him, taking a seat on the bed and opening his arms to Noah for a hug and a kiss.]

Ronan told me about him and me dying and Gansey's sacrifice, and then Cabeswater's sacrifice. But I don't want a version that has holes, and Ronan's retelling may very well be colored by his perspective.

[His self-loathing.]

Please tell me everything.

Time to Yell at Ronan. Must Be Tuesday.

[hondoyota]

[Adam spends most of the evening with Noah, so it's not until the next day after work that he has time to find Ronan again. He encounters him in the living room and immediately grabs him by the front of his shirt and shoves him onto the couch so that Adam can straddle his lap. There will be no escape from the yelling.]

You self-involved, self-loathing moron, it's not about you.

It doesn't happen because of you. You're not the center of the world. You're not a god. You can't stop the unmaker by dying because it's not. fucking. about. you.

[He curls his hands around Ronan's head, pressing their foreheads together and closing his eyes because he loves Ronan so damn much and he's furious at him for thinking that dying would help the theoretical future situation, by being self-loathing and self-involved enough that he jumps to that conclusion on inadequate information, that he'd die and leave them all alone and unprotected and heartbroken, having to face the unmaker by themselves and possibly failing, because Ronan was never the cause, but he was a crucial tool in the hands of both Gansey and Noah, separately. It doesn't work without him.]

[nightmarist]

[Ronan doesn't understand why he's being attacked, at first, but he goes still and lets it happen anyway. He's being shaken and shoved, and before he can register it, he's down and Adam's on top of him. His arms slack at his sides, he listens to the flurry of words and shuts his eyes as Adam's forehead comes to rest against his.]

It was trying to kill me. If I'm already dead, doesn't that stop its mission before it starts?

[hondoyota]

No. Because it doesn't need you or your power to operate. You're a nice battery for the thing, but you know who else is? Noah.

You and I don't die. Gansey doesn't die for you, he dies for Matthew and Aurora and Noah and me and the whole damn world and you. And then you sacrifice Cabeswater to bring him back.

You and I are not the center of this. Our bargain has nothing to do with the unmaker. It's not about us. It's about Gansey and Noah. You and I are tools for their use. That's our role. That's our duty. If something happens to you, then Gansey and Noah don't have the tools they need to stop the unmaker.

Even Blue. She's not a perpetrator. She's one of their tools.

[Adam sighs, weary, and tips his head to nuzzle softly at Ronan's cheek.] You're not responsible. You and I just need to trust and obey our king.

where everything's made up and the humanity doesn't matter

[fehus]

[introducing Odin and Jack had reminded Magnus of a promise he'd forgotten he'd made after, granted, many alcoholic WcFrosty shakes and a fairly severe hangover for an immortal demigod. waking up with a different headache (from one too many dramatic monologues), he intends to fulfill that promise today. not finding Ronan in his room, Magnus roams the grounds of the meadows, until he discovers Farmer Goth near the tended plots of land]

Hey. Feeling sociable?

[nightmarist]

"Sociable" might be a little generous.

[Ronan is currently on his knees, examining a patch of dandelions shedding snowflakes instead of pollen. He flicks one with two fingers and it bursts, instantly bare. Then he turns to look up at Magnus.]

Did you need something?

for gansey

[nightmarist]

[Mere seconds after his encounter with Noah, a noise like a car crash erupts from Ronan's bedroom. This is followed by several other angry sounds, each in different parts of the house, as Ronan sweeps through, alternating between tangible and intangible states, with the sole purpose of destroying everything he can get his half-formed hands on.

A moment later, light explodes through the wall of Gansey's library, branches of lightning tearing books from his shelves and throwing them to the ground before the bomb launches itself across the room to topple an entire bookcase.]

Re: for gansey

[disentombs]

[Spending a peaceful afternoon reading is one of Gansey's more introverted pleasures, one he hasn't been properly indulging in lately with all of the new and interesting people there are to meet here.

The sudden sound of--was that an explosion???--is enough to make Gansey jump out of his cozy window seat, his book toppling to the floor, current page lost. He can feel the adrenaline course through him, and as he takes a step towards the exit to investigate what the hell that could have been, there's more sounds of destruction throughout the Meadows.

When whatever it is comes into his room and chaos ensues, Gansey can barely react before he has to move out of the way of a bookcase. The lightning clues him in though.]

Ronan! What the hell are you doing? Stop!

[Destruction makes sense for Ronan, but not usually other people's things, at least on purpose--Declan's face being an exception. Something happened.]

for ronan

[earnedmystripes]

[There are certain things about being a superhero that one gets used to, over time. One of those things is having your sleep schedule perpetually fucked due to weird emergencies happening at all hours of the night and/or spending your whole day doing superhero-related things and getting no rest at all.

And a natural result of those things happening? Passing the heck out as soon as you return to Civilian Mode...sometimes before reaching a convenient place for said passing out to occur. Which is to say, he totally crashed on the bus that was supposed to take him home and he totally stayed asleep until that bus got all the way to De Chima. W h o o p s.

Needless to say, he's not entirely thrilled to wake up in the literal wrong state, but at least registration means he can get home as soon as he finds the Porter. Only problem with that? ...Finding the Porter. He spends a good forty minutes wandering around, fighting with Siri which keeps trying to send him to the port at a marina some thirty miles away, before he concedes to being well and truly lost.

He's wound up in some sort of old-timey farm outside town, which is proooobably not the most ideal place to be asking directions, but well. He doesn't have a whole lot of other options at the moment, so he rings the doorbell at the front and hopes for the best.]

[nightmarist]

[The door opens a moment later, and the heavy scent of whiskey wafts from the boy standing in its frame. He wobbles unsteadily before bracing one arm against it, regarding Kotetsu with a look of wary bewilderment.

This is not who he expected. It's rare for a stranger to end up on his doorstep.]

Thanks but no thanks. I already have Jesus in my heart.