99. (Psst - still can't hear over here. Well? Was Albin right?)
(it's more like it fucked off. just packed its bags and slid off to the left. - 50%)
That explains Gab (or maybe Ty)'s sour attitude. Getting good light for the morning report is hard enough without factoring in reality-breaking paintings.
"Well," the camerawoman says, as the reporter continues to sink. "I know you said there was a post-it note, but maybe that was a coincidence. If you tilted the painting, it might not have slid. Maybe it rolled?"
"Why are you encouraging this...?" mumbles the reporter.
"Yes, yes that's it. And it rolled back when gravity straightened itself out."
100. "Clearly, this latest burst is the same way and we don't need to do anything except wait it out!"
oh that's a relief huh albin. btw aquarium's hooked up to a monster basement
darn. well, we got like twelve more conspiracies to go. tell 'em, hat.
are you patronising us? because i would never lie about such garbage art
huh. hypothetical: what do you think'd happen if someone flipped it upside down?
(96. Fill me in - how are they taking it?
(sorry i spaced out for what feels like three months. where are we, again)* - 27.3%)
(*a tie - we'll move on next update!)
Mm, I thought that might be the case. After so many brushes with death today, it's understandable that your memory might be getting spotty.
Not to worry. Sit down, take a deep breath - it's all perfectly simple!
You are currently in the coastal town of Port Byrock. A charming little community that places great importance on the maintenance of its seven lighthouses - the sideways one by the cliffs, especially.
Unfortunately the lighthouse staff that were supposed to be on duty abandoned their posts. And now there's a horrible storm going on, the sun has vanished, and three of the four structures you've stepped foot in today have been demolished by the wind or worse.
So far you've managed to outrun most of the chaos with the help of your old acquaintance Hat. I'm still not sure why he's in this story, but he's unflappable, great at first aid, and a leading factor in your continuing existence. So I'm grateful she's here.
As for whether there's a correlation between the abandonment of the lighthouse and the destruction of the town...? Hard to say.
Albin, your other companion, seems to think that's the case. He claims the lighthouse he was stationed at had a magical painting that could alter reality, but then again, he also thinks the sun isn't real and that underground office workers were trying to steal his cat, so who knows. He's a weird guy.
Albin helped you and Hat escape the worst of the storm by hiding out in some secret tunnels that run below the town. After narrowly escaping Moth Mann and some kind of… thing that patrols said tunnels, you've arrived at the Byrock Aquarium. It's a small, sturdy building built partly below the waves.
From how crowded it is, you suspect it's doubling as the town's emergency shelter. That would explain the gaggle of schoolchildren you bumped into earlier, as well as the presence of the Channel 6IX news crew.
You left the schoolchildren downstairs where it's safe and took some time to gather your bearings.
You and Hat got to chatting about work. Turns out you're a professional stunt double for people in witness protection, and have gotten kidnapped four times over the past three days. This is great news for Hat, because you suspect they kept mistaking you for her? Maybe? Actually I still don't know what you look like but it would certainly explain my own blunder this morning.
Anyway, that got tabled when Albin spotted the news crew and went to talk to them. You did too - you wanted to sell proof of Moth Mann's existence for a quick buck. Albin, meanwhile, is convinced the town is falling apart because of some conspiracy and wants to enlist the help of the news if he can.
And that brings us to now! A tiny storage room in Byrock Aquarium, where you are all talking in private.
Albin is currently pleading his case with my camera crew. I suppose you could try to help him out, if you want more people on his side. Or you could leave him to it and peace out. Or maybe there's something more pressing you'd like to discuss.
There's probably some other... minor things I'm forgetting. Like how you think I'm a divorced bowler whose wife ran off with Moth Mann. Or the fact the Weather department radioed out a few messages, then went silent. That the thing Albin calls a "cat" can mimic sounds its heard, or how you're wearing a shark towel as a toga to hide the bloodstains and light-up sneakers...
97. But yeah. Like I said - simple.
of course. how could i forget (Move on)
gonna need a bit more than that chief..........
Voting ended onNov 15, 2023
(If there's anything in particular you'd like a refresher on, let me know in whatever form's easiest and the narrator will try to address it!
102. I'm not against you seeing other people, especially since I'm not a person. But could you clarify where we stand?
(i'm dating you and also hopefully mothman. u gotta get over ur hatred of him - 40%)
Over my cold dead lack of a body I will! But also I support and respect your decision. I hope he doesn't break your heart, on our anniversary no less.
Getting back on topic.
(The whole town must be down here. Have you heard anything from them? - 33.3%*)
(*Intermission was a tie - we'll come back to the other option shortly.)
The camerawoman nods, doing a remarkable job of looking casual for someone who currently has one hand over their coworker's mouth. An admirable attempt, but if I know Ty (or maybe Gab), that won't shut them up for long.
"...A bit," she says. "People are going stir crazy from the storm. Keep spreading... weird rumors."
The reporter pushes her hand off. Oh, look, I was right. "Nothing about your painting, that's for sure."
"But certainly a lot about the sea. And the sky - er, y'know, putting that whole... business with the sun rolling off aside."
The reporter gives the camerawoman a bewildered look. She carries on, unconcerned.
"Look, this is all off the record, yeah? We're not, like, journalists. Not really. I've just been listening to what people are saying. Everyone's got theories about the storm and they're all... well."
103. "Where do you want me to start?"
i will never pass up an opportunity for fish facts. whats up with the sea
tell me about the colour of the sky- wait that's gonna be long isn't it
wdym you're not journalists. hey why does a town this teeny HAVE a news channel
hey why don't you guys have captions this is really buggin me
101. "- Ohhh, are you guys dating?"
(yeah i'm part of the reason they got divorced - 45.5%*)
We are? Since when? You could have told me that! I would have gotten you flowers!
(nah my heart belongs to mothman. btw ty what did u mean abt making more mothmen - 36.4%*)
(*Tie by way of author vote.)
Okay, just- let's pause for a second. I know I should be narrating this potentially vital conversation but Albin's got ears and a mouth and can fill you in later. Right now I need answers.
102. I'm not against you seeing other people, especially since I'm not a person. But could you clarify where we stand?
wouldn't you like to know, *weatherboy*
its the anniversary of our divorce, narrator. been trying to tell u this all day
listen mothman has my heart but you have my mind. and you fill it w polls
i'm dating you and also hopefully mothman. u gotta get over ur hatred of him
95. Question is… what do you want to tell people? (Or at least lead the conversation with.)
(we have reason to believe bad art is causing the current apocalypse - 44.4%)
Your prompt gives Albin's spluttering some much-needed structure. He focuses on telling the two-thirds of the news trio about his experience with the painting in the lighthouse. How nudging it tilted the world. How he blacked out the sun with a post-it note. How he panicked, and ran, and wound up somewhere else. Somewhere bad.
And now, he says, someone's using the same painting to create a storm.
Ty and Gab don't say anything. To their credit, they listened to all that nonsense far more patiently than most people in town would have. But that doesn't mean they understood.
"Okay," says Gab - maybe Ty - as they lean forward. And that's where my lipreading ability gives out.
96. Fill me in - how are they taking it?
they're offended i called it "bad" art. be honest did they paint that garbage
well. "hypothetically". they want to know where this painting is now
they seem a bit pissed off about albin leaving the lighthouse empty oops
they're pulling out their wallet. i think we're being given $50 to fuck off
(sorry i spaced out for what feels like three months. where are we, again)
104. "So, you should really stop yelling weird stuff at the top of your lungs. People might start acting like it's true."
(ha ha yeah hey albin show them the footage of that thing that almost ate mothman - 63.6%)
The reporter gets to their feet, curious to see where you're going with this.
If Albin is looking for buttons he won't find them - that's one of my cameras. There's bits and bobs for manually fixing the lenses up, but for security purposes I'm the one who actually controls it.
Give me a sec, I'll get it going for you. Talk amongst yourselves
(What do you think would happen if someone flipped the painting upside-down? - 33.3%*)
(*Previous tie resolved!)
Albin stops fidgeting. A look of horror passes over his face.
The camerawoman, meanwhile, just frowns. "Me? Nothing. You're being paranoid. Tilting a painting can't tilt the world, let alone change-"
Ty or maybe Gab's hat hits the ceiling. She says nothing.
This is going to suck.
105. You might want to grab on to something.
(grab the shelf)
(grab the door)
(grab your friends)
(grab the creature-- hey where the hell did it go)
