so deliver me from evil 'cause the little things relieve us.

[nightmarist]

WHO: Residents of the Meadows & OPEN to visitors
WHERE: The Meadows outside De Chima
WHEN: Throughout September
WHAT: Day-to-day encounters at the magical farm commune.
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 lakeside castle, a roomy wooden farmhouse, a 19th century stone chapel that some hoodlum graffitied. There's evidence that the farm is home to 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

Early Sept

[made_up_names]

Welp. Peter sure had a rough week. Hit by a car twice, and then Mysterio freaking adopted him? At least he's got the wheels in motion to undo that particular mistake, regardless of whether Beck actually intends to fix the issue. But he's still kind of freaked out about the issue. Multiple people have pointed out the ways that Beck has sought his approval, or tried to control him ... yeah. He's on edge.

So what does he decide to do about it? Well - he thought about visiting Kylo, except he really doesn't think Kylo Ren wants to talk about this kind of thing with a whiny teenager. But the thought does remind him that Kylo's got a bantha on his farm, and petting banthas feels like exactly the thing he wants to do right now. That's how Peter winds up sitting on the top of the paddock fence one mildly blustery afternoon, holding out fistfuls of grass to the creature. And leaning down to pet its shaggy head, blissfully aware of anyone else who might be there too.

[nightmarist]

Probably, Ronan Lynch would not normally be capable of sneaking up on Peter Parker. It just so happens that Ronan is made of the same weird and disorienting energy that makes up everything else in the area, including the bantha. Peter can't be blamed if he doesn't detect Ronan's presence until he's right there, taking a seat on the fence beside him.

"Howdy," he drawls.

He's been working in the fields, which maybe (maybe?) explains the black cowboy hat and distressed grey overalls he's sporting. It's too hot for a shirt, so he's forgone one, which puts his tattoo on display and makes him just about the weirdest-looking farmer in the county, if not the state.

[made_up_names]

Yeah, it's tough to sneak up on Spider-Man? But blending into the background weirdness is a surefire way to do it. He jumps at that, having to brace (gently) against Bob to keep from falling off the paddock wall. And then he turns guiltily back towards Ronan, keenly aware that. Oh yeah. He's kind of trespassing here, isn't he.

"Sorry," is the worst word out of his mouth. "I - um, I came to visit Kylo, and then I realized that Kylo probably doesn't really want visitors that don't ask first."

He's also quietly eying that aesthetic, uh. Nothing but respect, but. Wow.

[nightmarist]

It's like Peter's never seen a goth farmer before. Ronan merely stares at him, enjoying that moment of brief panic and subsequent bewilderment over his whole... thing.

He corrects Peter, "Kylo doesn't mind unannounced visitors. Unannounced visitors usually mind him."

No one ever seems to expect Kylo Ren in various states of undress.

"Besides, he knows that anyone's welcome here as long as they're not out to kill something. There's no point in a sanctuary that's closed to visitors."

[made_up_names]

Crazy how that works. He at least calms down after a second, just. Sighing and burying his face in the bantha's fur for a second.

"Of course I'm not here to kill anything," he says with a sigh. "It's kind of been a crazy week, so I thought petting Bob would be nice too."

Why the heck would he hurt a hair on her head, anyway. He's kind of mad in theory at people who would do that!

early september | ota

[mofi]

Before, when he stepped off the dropship, Murphy never really had the chance to enjoy nature. He was so excited to be on the ground, his newfound freedom. They could do whatever the hell they wanted but that obviously came at a price. Now he is here, away from all the bullshit.

If someone were looking for Murphy, they wouldn't find him in his room or anywhere in the farmhouse. He's outside in the meadow, laying flat on his back. The tree, that he's under, makes for nice shade from the sun. Murphy watches the leaves rustle whenever a gentle breeze sweeps through.

On his chest is his cellphone and from it, music is playing. It's loud, set at the loudest setting the phone has to offer. The voice is soothing, the woman's voice and Murphy mumbles along; his voice softly crackles.

"I know I'll wither so peel away the bark
'Cause nothing grows when it is dark
In spite of all my fears, I can see it all so clear
I see it all so clear."

[aberrant_type]

There's a crunching and a creaking and a cracking sound in the very near distance. It starts soft and gets louder and louder; Hange is making good on her promise to Ronan. This means putting in apple groves. Of course the meadows are the first to give way to new trees.

The new apple trees follow along as Hange walks, slicing apples, tossing seed-bearing slices out. She stops when she hears the strains of music.

"Hey! Get out of the way!"

Hange didn't introduce her presence with a tree growing right under him, and that's doing pretty good for her.

[mofi]

And his peace and quiet end abruptly, twisting himself around to see what was making those strange noises. He sees a woman, unfamiliar to him, and behind her are trees just bursting out from the ground.

"What the hell are you doing!" He scrambles to get up on his feet, the ground beneath him is breaking, giving way to the tree that's growing directly under him. He catches his cellphone before it can be taken up with the tree

[aberrant_type]

"I'm growing apple trees!" Hange has this infuriating way of sounding totally reasonable and calm when she's talking to people who are mad. She sounds this way even when her explanations are completely deranged. "I told Ronan I would."

[mofi]

Murphy's never seen or ate an apple before. There wasn't anything like that back up at the Ark.

"I don't care what you're growing! It didn't have to be under me."

The calm expression on her face digs into his nerves and his face tightens into a scowl. "I highly doubt he'd let you grow trees anywhere you want."

murphy & ronan

[mofi]

Going to sleep becomes easier. It's still well past midnight before Murphy gets tired. At least now he feels safe when he finally closes his eyes. Even his dreams are more pleasant. His nightmares still haunt him some nights but they less frequent.

On this particular night, Murphy is not plagued by his past. He stirs in his sleep, softly mumbling incoherently. He's in a dream and in his dream Murphy is in his room. It almost looks exactly like it. There are a few subtle differences but nothing that is alarming.

Across his room, the door begins to open. Murphy already knows who's coming. He's thought about him, thinking about him. Thinking about him in ways that he would never express in any other ways. He'd keep himself from dreaming Ronan in such a way, fully knowing that Ronan is now well aware.

Whoops.

nsfw

[nightmarist]

Ronan is not quite omniscient, but it’s true: he’s aware of Murphy’s desire. It helps that he and Murphy had a quasi-romantic relationship before, though Kavinsky had inserted himself into it and jealously swept Murphy off his feet before the two of them could explore very far.

Kavinsky hasn’t managed to make his way into this Murphy’s dreams yet, however. So it’s Ronan that Murphy calls for in his sleep, Ronan who appears at the door.

He creeps in, as if waking Murphy is even a possibility, and shuts the door quietly behind him. Privacy, the gesture emphasizes. Just the two of them. There’s nothing to be ashamed about. Ronan isn’t even wearing anything, which makes him the vulnerable one in this situation, doesn’t it?

He takes a seat at the edge of Murphy’s bed and reaches for him.

“Hey.”

nsfw

[mofi]

Murphy is already pushing himself up by his elbows as Ronan steps deeper into his room. Ronan comes unclothed, something that Murphy isn't surprised about. That's how Murphy wants to see him, naked and unashamed.

The blanket has fallen off of Murphy, the hem collected onto his lap. Murphy's not wearing a shirt. The only piece of clothing he's wearing is hiding beneath the sheets. Boxer briefs.

"Hey," he speaks softly. Murphy moves closer and more of the blanket slips off his body. He settles next to Ronan, sitting on his knees. His feet are tucked under him.

[nightmarist]

Murphy’s never done this before. Ronan can feel that in the undercurrent of the dream, not quite an anxiety but an uncertainty. A familiar one.

“This can be anything you want it to be,” Ronan murmurs as he leans in, his lips not quite grazing Murphy’s shoulder. “It doesn’t have to work like it’d work in real life. There’s no wrong way.”

It’s a warning as much as it’s reassurance. Dreams are addictive. Ronan is inside Murphy’s mind and body right now, and the pleasure he can give from this position is more intense than is physically feasible. Reality might become a disappointment.

“I’ll lead, but remember this is all for you. Don’t be afraid to wish for something.”

[mofi]

He feels the warmth of Ronan's breath ghost over his bare shoulder. "I don't know how things work in real life." Murphy's only ever had his imagination and it wasn't anything, well, imaginative because he was never had any sort of inspiration.

He's thought about sucking Bellamy's cock and wondered what it even looked like. He's thought of being manhandled, pulled an tugged by large and calloused hands. He's imagined a husky voice barking orders at him. All filthy thoughts that Murphy has never actually done outside of his wet dreams.

Bellamy is the furthest from his mind right now, though. Ronan has encompassed all of his thoughts.

"I want this to be good for you, too," Murphy whispers, leaning to Ronan. A hand gently cups Ronan's cheek and slowly guides him so that their lips press together. He opens his mouth a fraction, inviting Ronan to taste him.

murphy & kylo

[mofi]

Murphy goes to bed late and he wakes up early. It's how it's always been ever since he started to fend for himself. That makes him a very light sleeper, jolting awake at the slightest sound. So he's up early again. Freshly showered and changed. His hair is still wet, it's combed back for now. But his hair will eventually part down the middle and he'll have to tuck his hair behind his ears.

Kylo had offered to help him. Murphy's instinct was to tell him that he wasn't looking for a teacher. He hated them as much as he distrusted adults. It came to a surprise that Kylo wasn't looking to be a teacher. He just wanted to help. That is something that Murphy never got, he was starved of it.

Instead of being cooped up in a room, Murphy wants to take things outside. Out in the open so he doesn't feel trapped and nowhere to go if he wants to leave. He arrives here first, the patch of the area where there are distinct markings of wear and tear. It's in the ground, on the trunk of trees.

While he waits for Kylo, Murphy crouches down to inspect the veins that branched out in the ground.

[photophobic]

It shouldn't really be possible for such a large person to appear out of nowhere, but it often feels like that's exactly what's happened— Kylo has a habit of announcing his presence just that little bit too late, often with an abrupt greeting that isn't actually a greeting so much as a remark.

And so, as is his wont, and having apparently learned nothing from their dark encounter in the kitchen, Kylo approaches, looming over Murphy silently as he observes him investigating the scar marks left by Kylo's exploration of his Force Lightning ability. The curiosity pleases him: it's a trait they apparently share.

"Have you seen anything like it before?" he asks suddenly. It's probably not the best way to let Murphy know he's arrived.

[mofi]

Murphy was alone and then he's not. It's so sudden and it has Murphy almost jolting right out of his skin. "Are you kidding me," he hisses, looking up at Kylo who's looming over him. "I almost pissed myself."

With his hands on his thighs now, Murphy pushes himself to stand up on his feet. "No, I haven't seen anything like that before. I never really had the chance to look around. Between the grounders and making sure everyone did their job, didn't exactly have that opportunity."

[photophobic]

There's a moment— just a moment— where Kylo looks very amused in a self-satisfied and unusually natural kind of way, like there's still something in him that knows how to play practical jokes. Maybe it's just the particular curve of his mouth at that instant when spied from below, though, because it's all but vanished by the time Murphy straightens himself up.

"I don't imagine you saw much lightning in space," he muses. "It's a scorch mark left behind after a violent electrical discharge. The scars always follow this pattern."

[mofi]

"I meant when I was on the ground." His tone goes a little flat, a little matter o' factly. "It rained once." It was a nice feeling, raindrops falling on his face. He remembers opening his mouth to try and catch them onto his tongue.

That's about as far as he had been allowed to appreciate the ground. Things quickly took a turn and none of them were kind to Murphy.

Finn & Ronan

[hatejakku]

It would be better to just call, to be honest, but Finn figured that Ronan was the type to lie about how he was really doing. Finn was very familiar with that approach. That said, it wasn't exactly easy to just go over and visit. Someone else lived at the Meadows that he wasn't too thrilled about running into. Their last encounter went okay, sure, but the one before that? Mm.

So Finn had been getting off of work in Nonah when he happened to check around on the network and realize that Kylo Ren wasn't home. It was a little ridiculous and last minute but-

With his teleportation powers and the Porter, it took Finn probably two to three minutes to get to the Meadows. Once again, this place looked nothing like what he was familiar with. No horrifying maze of nightmares, no neatly lined TIE Fighters sitting in formation, nothing that Finn really associated with Kylo. It was just... nice. Actually, it reminded him a lot of Base One in a way. It was peace and home even if it wasn't his.

Having a feeling that Ronan likely already knew he was on the property (or maybe he was overestimating him), Finn walked up to what he recognized as the main house and knocked on the door. That, uh- This would be fine, right?

[nightmarist]

Ronan's omniscience, such as it is, doesn't manifest in ways that are nearly so convenient. He's alerted that there's someone at the door when he... hears a knock at the door. Lying on the sitting room floor surrounded by a nest of esoteric Latin literature, he'd been about halfway to dozing when the sound stirs him back to waking.

Visitors are rarely there for Ronan, so he doesn't bother to get up. Instead he shouts, "It's open!" and shuts his eyes again, striking a funereal pose with his hands clasped over his chest.

[hatejakku]

Though he hesitates for a beat, Finn still very quietly opens the door and pokes his head in. It very much feels like an invasion, like Ronan must have thought he was someone he wasn't or something. He still goes ahead and walks on in, anyway, shutting the door behind him.

The house isn't what he expected. Honestly, he didn't expect anything except for the interior to match the exterior in proportions. Instead, Finn gawks for a second before walking to the nearest doorway, preparing to call out again.

And that's when he spots Ronan. "This a bad time?" he asks, standing awkwardly in the doorway.

[nightmarist]

Ronan's brow creases in mild confusion as he registers that voice, his eyes opening once more to look at the doorway from sort of an upside-down position. Whoever Ronan was expecting, Finn is not that person. In fact, he can't puzzle out a reason Finn would be here. As far as Ronan knows, he and Kylo are typically enemies and the animosity between them is only tentatively suspended.

"I would've ignored the knock if it was a bad time," Ronan says, propping himself into an approximate sitting position that suggests he might flop over again at any moment. He squints at Finn. "Did someone die?"

If a visitor drops by the Meadows unexpectedly, they're probably looking for a miracle.

[hatejakku]

"No." Then he realizes what was asked. "What? No." Why is that the first thing that comes up? Was their last meeting really that bad?

... Well, kinda.

"No, no. No one's dead. I just-..." Finn pauses and flops his arms at his side, feeling dumb now. "It's been some time since the whole Death Star crisis. I wanted to know how you were doing."