// COMPOSITION

emmeline lynn penned by kate. .

[emmelinelynn]

open after the sun has risen (any location, open ended)

"so there is a woman?" emmeline hadn't seen anything named daywalker and her imagination was of no help trying to fill in the blanks. she'd been over it many times since learning about the presence but was no closer to understanding what had actually gone on or why she had been made. the constant darkness had been very tough for her and the relief she felt just to feel the warmth of the rays glaring through the glass of the church was like a hug from the universe that she'd been craving for days. however, nothing was ever as it seemed; she should have known better. "so, if i look at her, i won't even realise that i'm..." dead. if she were being entirely honest, it felt like that way already. she had been a liability before the lights went out but now, she was confused, afraid and couldn't put on a front to hide it. "what if i'm her? what if she's all of us before we turn into them?" the lack of sleep was something to exacerbate her symptoms but emmeline was far from being able to stop herself.

[interstellarsx]

really wish time would rewind. can't this place do that ? it can do everything fucking else. stella slipped into her inner thought as emmeline moved around her. i could just be outside. not knowing when i got there. looking at that dark sky. it could swallow me. just like that godawful liquor did... now i feel sober...i can't be sober when she's ...did she just say 'vampires?' .....jesus. drink more water. the liquid felt cool as it reached her lips. stella kept tilting the cup until all was consumed. almost wishing something biblical would happen — turn water into wine. where are the tricks when you need them.

emmeline spoke with enthusiasm as if their minds were colliding to reveal an abundance of truth. hope hadn't existed inside of stella's vessel. life had shown her that hope...was hopeless. life was about seeing how tired she could get without completely falling asleep. "where do you think they go?" to keep up, stella began to name objects around her; chair, cup, rug, another cup. a calming exercise to ground herself. "when the sun comes up ?" stop asking questions. she'll unfold...but you're curious. no, stop. you need to sit down. what is this feeling....nausea ?

[emmelinelynn]

did the stars even move? perhaps she should have started drawing them out long ago - a new project for her? there was something very disconcerting about all of it. although emmeline had always been worse at night, there had been some beautiful evenings that she'd spent outside with company and felt so safe... unfortunately, those nights had long gone. "they all have to be in on it, right? there's no way that nature would accept something unnatural walks within it, though i suppose we do, don't we?" her train of thought was taking a diversion without the lights being on and she could have had a valid point to start off with, it went as quickly as it came.

her breathing was shallow and she licked her lips as she looked around. "they must never leave." they walk, they don't run - they must live with them. thinking about how that was possible upset her and the other would have been able to tell from the sudden movements in her face and the way her eyes welled up with tears. "in the walls, underneath, in the trees. the trees are helping them, aren't they? the something that gives us air, that keeps us alive, they're helping them." a smile and chuckle came out of her like a knee jerk response before she shook her head. emmeline was thinking too much now and it was unnerving her greatly. "do you think it's all real?"

[bastiansurvives]

Open ! | Bastian and your muse at the diner

The darkness that had settled upon the town was...unsettling, if one was to put it lightly. But time didn't stop. It just kept on moving, and Bastian had stopped trying to make sense of any of it long ago. They had to keep on keeping on - and one way they would do that is to make sure they all got at least a somewhat satisfying meal in their bellies.

Bastian had made it his own personal mission to try and keep the survivors of the town fed with healthy and tasty meals, even if what he was working with was limited. He was working on a stew on this particular evening when someone stepped into the diner and closed the door firmly behind them. Yeah, life still went on and people still needed to eat, even if there were creatures looking to kill you beyond those doors.

He shook away the thought and slapped a smile onto his face, grabbing a spoon and a bowl to fill with a serving, soon approaching the newcomer and extending the bowl in their direction. "Here - please. You've got to try this and let me know what you think."

[emmelinelynn]

the nights had always been the worst time for the woman and it endless. emmeline had actively avoided going to work at the diner for several days, hiding out in her room located in the attic of the church, unable to sleep unless the tears came. this was her own personal taste of hell- how could she think that she'd been sent here for a reason at all now? it was a punishment and whatever was doing it would enjoy seeing her squirm. someone had finally convinced her to emerge, to try get back into a routine by going into the diner and offering her time. emmeline wasn't the most attentive worker alive but she did have compassion and that went a long way. even when others were upset, didn't understand her and would lash out, she'd always meet her with the same kindness that was shown to her.

still, there had been a shift in her and she carried a haunted look on her face to work. a sigh of relief escaped her as she saw bastian, wanting to interrupt his interaction immediately but she let it play out as she lingered in the background. her eyes darted every so often to the covered windows and she'd shuffle on her feet uncomfortably. shaking her head, the woman began to walk to the back to put her things down and get ready to step in and help.

[interstellarsx]

there had been a lot less people in the settlement hall. stella couldn't figure out if people had run outside or not ? the fermented liquor blurred a lot of reasonings the night provided. maybe that's why i went outside. she decided. i do misunderstand. — but still, she listened, and even though emmeline had carried both of their cups, stella was reaching for one untouched by any liquid. the strings of thought the other woman spewed hadn't made much of any sense. stella needed to make sure what was consumed was without any mind twisting hand. water was simple. hydrating. cleared the mind, and soothed the body. emmeline had flipped a switch in stella. a once party freeing woman of the night — was now nurturing. mirroring a helpfulness once provided in the life before arcadia.

"drink this." did the room just..tilt ? have some water too. stella grabbed herself another cup, sniffing the liquid to make sure it hadn't been full of some substance. that was the last thing either of them needed. i used to stare at the sun. stare until my eyes started seeing orbital splotches. stared until it burned like some daydreaming idiot. "Them ?" stella cut her own thought off catching onto what emmeline was trying to say. "its not silly." it was. a little bit. stella wanted to keep her mind open to any possible reasoning. "there isn't much shock value in a place like this. guess that goes with things being silly." the rim of her cup hovered at her lips before she took a small sip. the candles flickering felt distantly warm. "we shouldn't go anywhere. i think we should stay here until sunrise." god, where was emery. she was much better at controlling situations.

[emmelinelynn]

why did the hall feel so empty when there was meant to be a party? this felt far more supernatural than anything she'd previously experienced by being here. those things were greater than any nightmare she could have concocted on her own, mostly because they never ran yet were successful in killing so many many people who have lived and passed by here - it was more than eerie yet she hadn't got words to even try and explain. emmeline walked ahead of the other, attempting to fill up the empty space. turning around, her eyebrows raised as she saw the other offer her what could only be water. "oh, i'm not-" she shook her head. okay, perhaps if she was being entirely honest, she was tipsy but the woman was convinced she could walk or even run in a straight line.

after some hesitance, she finally took the water from the other but didn't proceed to drink it. "them!" she pointed towards the other woman and nodded. "yes, yes, exactly." when the other had finished her sentence, all doubts that she was being silly seemed to completely diminish at a rapid rate. "the moon, the trees, the birds... they have to be in on it, no? if they don't come during the day, are they vampires? no, not entirely. yet, they're never here in the day and we become safer." nowhere was entirely safe but that didn't stop the woman from visiting the derelict train station and attempting to follow the tracks. "i used to find the moon quite comforting... it's a shame."

[interstellarsx]

this is real, right ? she said she belongs here....in this helltown. in such chaos. in a place that feeds off of stripping any light clean. — stella's chest lifted. the light had literally been stripped from day. candle light flickered in the dark pupils of stella's eyes — thankful the settlement had already compensated for the electricity going out. very little in arcadia made plausible sense. stella hadn't spent much of her time trying to piece it together. too afraid that it would all come together, or worse — still mean nothing — just mean some deep sense of hell that they couldn't come back from. — but emmeline... something seemed true to her. curiosity wrapped around stella woven with concern. she knew how sanity could slip.

"okay." a small nod in the night air. the looming danger around them caused stella's fingers to twitch against the woman's arm as stella retraced her steps. guiding them back to the door. the other side was a base for safety. she could just be bat shit crazy. stella thought. there came relief when the door was shut behind them — her fingers twisting the lock. the blonde's hands lifted to her temples as if they could center her inner balance. rid of the toxins she would later on regret the consumption of. "why is the moon bad ?" another guiding hand. more gentle now to the small of emmeline's back. stella didn't want to upset the woman — just try to understand. to calm whatever was brewing. "lets get some water."

[emmelinelynn]

she'd first seen the image of a tree in the road when she was younger, she felt so sure about that so when deja vu took over, with hearing about the tree on the track, it made her shuffle - the tree directly in front of the car was a different story. what made something a coincidence really couldn't be determined in her mind. something had brought her here and with so little to lose, she would be the perfect candidate for it. however, now her younger self was completely severed from her being and this was the only path she knew.

it felt more tense than it needed to be, their movements towards the door but emmeline was sure to hold both the glasses with her, to make sure they got inside. there was then a question quickly followed by someone rubbing her back - a sign of comfort yet distrust. "i don't think it itself is bad, you misunderstand." the woman lets the other remain to have contact with her but she can't help but tilt her head and furrow her brow. "but does it ever change? we can't see if the sun changes because it's so bright, it's not typically meant to phase but..." emmeline finally pulled away and shook her head, bringing her hands up to her temples. "i think i'm getting ahead of myself... just... something has to power those..." there wasn't an appropriate word. "and if we depend on the daylight - is it the moon or the dark?" that was a question pretty much answered. "there's no sea for the moon to control so what's its purpose?" these were all thoughts the woman had pondered before but she was intoxicated and a little more relaxed about it. "i don't know. seems kind of silly when i say it. i should have just stayed in my room, not come here. i can outrun if i lose my hearing but then what?"

[interstellarsx]

the air outside was still. eerily warning stella's mind that was too roadblocked by the consumed toxins from her cup. a party cup. this was some party. how foolish to have sunk into delusion that there could possibly be celebration in a place like arcadia. hell didn't allow a pause. a year had proven such — and there had been others with years of proof to add onto just that. maybe it's just those weird drugs being passed around that are causing her to speak nonsense. i should get her some water. maybe for the both of us. fuck. what are we even doing outside ? .. clarity ...it sloshed somewhere in stella's mind as she watched the other woman tilt her chin back up to the dark sky. everything was so dark. this wasn't safe. "i don't think any of us are—" don't waste your breath. a gentle hand reached, fingers wrapping around emmeline's arm. "hey, think we should go inside." a serious tone wobbled on her feet. alcohol made for such unsteadiness. the blonde double blinked through heavy lashes while gears struggled to turn. tried to focus on the others words — make some sense of it all. "don't run." firm. stella's eyes were now wider as the moment felt bold on a thin line. which direction would they teeter on. safety or harm ? "hey..." worry shook her voice. unlike emmeline's perfectly placed cup — stella dropped her own. let the hellish soil soak it up. "let's go back inside." we shouldn't be out here. clarity was flashing. fearing moments had a way of tricking the mind into a woken state. "we can...talk in there. alright ?"

[emmelinelynn]

"no, no." emmeline repeated herself again. "please don't misinterpret what i'm tying to say." that was quite the ask as not many knew what the woman was talking about for the majority of the time. "i was meant to be here, in this town. maybe it took a little longer for it to reach out, to succeed-" the tree - she'd first seen it at eight, she was convinced, then her train had been held up by one the day before her uber driver had encountered it in the middle of the road. "it didn't end well." it was as if she'd thought about the entire chronology in her head but only voiced the end result when it came to the poor driver. he had been rather angry with her for it, rightfully so to the point she was scared but They had come and he'd also been too angry with them...

"yes." she whispered, eyes widened and she gave a few nods. emmeline crouched down to pick up the two glassess in her hand, not wanting much with her scent on it out here (even if that's not what drove them). "as long as we get out of the moonlight. i used to think that the moon was beautiful but now... it's just a counterpart of everything bad." a shriek can be heard in the distance and she stacks the cups up so that she can reach out to grip the other's forearm. "inside but... i don't know how i missed it. i'm usually very vigilant and i'll definitely be in the bad books for not getting back in good time." she nodded but then quickly shook her head as she walked towards the enclosure.

[emmelinelynn]

Have you ever wondered Well, I have About how when I say, say, red For example, there's no way of knowing If red means the same thing in your head As red means in my head when someone says red

And how if we are travelling at almost the speed of light And we're holding a light That light would still travel away from us At the full speed of light which seems right in a way

But I'm trying to say

[interstellarsx]

location. ⁺the settlement - blackout.

well this was it. — the go softly into the night. life was expiring all around them at a constant. this labyrinth of land hadn't seemed to have any reward at the end. it was all the same. life taken. light gone. just as now, all of the light had been blown out like their last birthday candles. stella lifted her cup allowing whatever liquid remained to burn down her throat. a crutch for whatever was to come. "guess that's a wrap." arcadia was calling a curfew on their party. a celebration of life was beginning to feel less hopeful. remembering the dead was becoming their reality. darkness swallowed leaving the blonde woman unafraid. unbothered by the wave of panic, and confusion. "which devil on my shoulder should we listen to ?" stella let a sigh slowly deflate. "the one that's saying we should just drink ourselves to sleep ? ...orrrr the voice that's saying maybe we should get the fuck out of here ?" who was to say this wasn't all a trap ? an invite to all of their funerals.

[emmelinelynn]

it was as if the light had been extinguished as if she herself had blinked it away. emmeline's brow furrowed as as realisation had set in she'd left it far too late and this wasn't the usual for her. labelled a liability when she had ended up here, emmeline lynn had done her absolute best to follow the rules but now was left wondering how she'd become so distracted. "i'm not meant to be here." it was a here in the immediate affect as she had also been one to talk about how she believed something needed her in arcadia. it shouldn't have been like this. "no, no." she looked around and then up at the sky, dark yet so clear, like she was almost in a dream state without seeing a single cloud - a patch of grey to disguise them. "i shouldn't have come, i shouldn't have-" she looked down at the half glass of the distilled alcohol given to her, far stronger than she'd ever tasted before.

her immediate reaction was to drop it but that would create unnecessary sound. instead, she crouched down and placed it on the grass. "is it wrong that being intoxicated makes me want to run more, before the moon is directly overhead?" she shook her head. "this is the first night, after my first night, that i was away from where i was supposed to be and that ended badly." wide eyes looked back and forth. "did i miss the sunset warning?"

[saccharineflesh]

✶ 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄 ; immediately after blackout ✶ 𝐅𝐎𝐑 ; open

They didn’t make it a habit to parade about the settlement. Not on a regular day, and most definitely not aimlessly. Juno’s every move held purpose, and with that purpose came specified destinations and a list of tasks that needed handling. Today they had none, and while that to someone else may seem like the perfect situation, Juno hated every second of it. They hated the way people all merged in with one another - sweaty bodies knocking into the other - while they laughed and conversed. Hated the endless sea of voices that followed every inch of the house. If they hadn’t already said they’d show face, Juno would have been off in their cabin awaiting morning. It took the lights going out for them to feel some sense of relief. “  At least my vision’s obscured.  ” was their only comment, though those around them seemed much more alarmed. The chaos that ensued only lightened Juno’s mood further. A ghostly smile contoured their face. “  Afraid of the dark are we?  ” They went on to ask to nobody in particular as the hysteria ensued. [ attire ]

[emmelinelynn]

It was not supposed to be this way. There were horrors but there was also a structure, a rule that everyone understood and she had tried her best to follow it, to not cross Them again but now, the sun hadn't come up. Nature was revolting against something or being controlled by something far higher than any figure in her resting place. "This shouldn't happen..." Emmeline shook her head. Everything was out of order - order relied on the sun... why would something want to give Them the upper hand. "Of course, it's when I'm where I'm not supposed to be at this time." She should have been in bed but by the time she knew it, she was hearing certain 'warning' signs. "I don't know if it's the dark I'm afraid of, or the shadows that everything creates when we're like this." The pitch black meant that any one of those things could pop up and it would be over. However, the moon still seemed to to present. "I've never been sure about them, you know. Trees. They look almost too... real here, and of course, the moon is now stuck, because there's no sea."