#phantasm.start

[yanabortniks]

who: open @phantasmhq​​ where: entryway when: day 2, mid-morning

With her phone white-knuckled in her hand, Yana stood shift-eyed by the front door. She quickly figured her worn sneakers weren’t exactly suited for the heavy rainfall, so she layered up two pairs of socks and now her toes felt a little pinched. And no matter how many times she looked down at the screen, the facts didn’t change: she couldn’t make any calls, she couldn’t check the weather report, she couldn’t frantically google for answers. Not that she thought there could be any real, solid answers for the questions she had—but at least there’d be ideas, theories, unhinged reddit threads. Something.

With her free hand, she grabbed for the raincoat she’d hung on one of the wall pegs the day before. Back when they first arrived, back when she liked the thought of settling in and making the cabin homey and familiar to her. Yana caught movement from the corner of her eye, and she turned sharply. Then she let out a sigh of relief. “Hi,” she breathed out, and started to pull on her coat. “There’s no way in hell we’re going to miraculously get reception in here anytime soon, so I’m — Yeah, I’m gonna head out.” She stuck her second arm through, then shrugged it over her shoulders as she tucked her phone into her pocket. “You don’t have to come with me or anything.” Yana fumbled with the zipper for a moment before it finally caught. “I just really need to see if this rain’s going to let up.”

[romyowusu]

who: open starter @phantasmhq ​

when: day one, shortly after arrival - but post seeing which room and setting their stuff done

where: the kitchen (but maybe after dev's starter)

To say the trip and the destination weren't what romy was expected would be an understatement. What she had only ever pictured as her beasties laughing on the road together, singing songs and making dumb jokes, turned out to be much more stressful than she pictured. Between making sure everyone was comfortable, trying to look not too in love with teddy, hoping to avoid staring at jo while she squirmed trying to think of ways to fix that, she was thankful amari didn't have a complicated relationship with her yet. The cabin was much larger than romy expected and since they last saw another person everything seemed like it came from a different time. Dev's cousin was there and he seemed nice, she did notice that he referred to the cabin as a she, which people do to cars but cabins? Should she also call the cabin a she, out of respect? Either way she made sure to smile lots and say thank you before he left and they made their way in.

That should've been the end of anxiety but whether by habit or something else the housemates were back, and sharing bunk beds. If she was less selfish and gay, romy may have volunteered to take the top bunk to save the other two the awkwardness. But teddy was there, and romy wanted to cuddle, and that horse was creepy as fuck.

Knowing that bedroom was not somewhere she wanted to kill time and that literal a crumb of socializing could be the perfect distraction from all....that, she made her way to the kitchen. People flocked to kitchens so she figured she could plant herself there until others popped in. It was retro like the other rooms, and the cupboards were nearly empty but there was also this charm about it, and it was nice to imagine devs family all gathered around, the whole room bustling with life.

She was checking out the dust situation in the pantry but found that whatever was on the top shelf, if anything, was a mystery because she wasn't that tall, when she sensed someone else in the room she turned quickly and spoke with the excitement one might expect when their puppy greets them at the door. "Hey! Can you see up there? I forgot a corkscrew and I know some wine made the trip."

[levitowsley]

OPEN STARTER LOCATION: Full bath between the two downstairs bedrooms WHEN: Day 1, sometime in the late afternoon before dinner

Levi was in the midst of washing his face when he first felt a wetness at his feet. He ignored it to start, figuring he must have stepped on a wet spot. But then soon, the damp feeling grew. Past his toes, touching his heels. He moved away from the sink, brushing a hand against his face to wipe some of the wetness off and checked the floor. “Shit–” He found the source of the problem quickly. The drain pipe beneath the bathroom’s sink was leaking. Darting forward, he swiftly shut off the tap. “Dammit...” And now his socks were wet too. Letting out a groan, he peeled off the drenched things and tiptoed out of the bathroom. 

After writing a quick DO NOT TURN ON PIPE LEAKING!! note to rest on the sink, he pulled on a fresh pair of socks and tugged on his shoes. “Hey, Dev?” Being the closest thing to the owner of the cabin, it was his instinct to call out her name. When he didn’t hear anything, he ventured further into the main hall. “Hey, have you seen a toolbox around?” He asked when he finally saw someone. “Sink in the big bathroom’s leaking.” Seeing as six people had to share a bathroom as is, he wanted to at least try and fix the sink so they didn’t have to fight over it when it came time to brush their teeth.

[ofdevburroughs]

who: open starter @phantasmhq​ when: day one, shortly after arrival where: the kitchen

A kitchen was always a place Devlin found comfort. What she tended to seek out first in an unfamiliar place. And it was the same with this cabin. Though she had good reason to in this case. Lowering cooler to the floor she left it behind a moment. Stepping towards the sink to look out into the backyard. The chairs she had to assume her aunt had told her cousin to arrange. The overgrown garden. The forest. The shed she could see between the trunks. 

She turned back, taking in the kitchen properly now. A small breath in, and letting it out. The whole in her heart didn’t feel immediately filled by being here, but it was a childish hope that it would have. She tried to make sure she didn’t scold herself for that. Focusing instead on beginning to unpack. Carefully placing the things she had brought where they’d belong for the weekend. Stepping out of the pantry she gave a small smile as eyes landed on another person. “ Hey, you get settled okay? ” She asks genuinely, even though she knows ‘getting settled’ was probably as complex as dropping a bag in a room. Maybe washing your face to refresh a little. “ This place is kinda kooky, right? ” She grinned, reaching for something she’d spotted earlier “ I don’t remember it being such a wannabe Graceland, ” She joked, revealing what she’d grabbed: An Elvis tea towel. 

[yvnabortnik]

where: the living room when: day 1, post-arrival and picking rooms and... etc. 👻 ;-) who: open @phantasmhq​​​

Yana entered the living room sneezing. She felt a little off-kilter—wobbly in the way she always was when she’d hear a slammed door or a clap of thunder. Perpetually on edge, in a lot of inconvenient ways. Ready to jump right out of her socks in the face of sudden movement, or even a tap on her shoulder. It was a source of entertainment for a lot of people in her life, which was pretty fair sometimes. But she also liked to think that despite those initial, pearl-clutching physical reactions, that she was mostly levelheaded. She didn’t like when the jumpy feeling lingered. “I come bearing gifts,” she announced, sniffling a little in the wake of the sneeze. Her nose wrinkled up. “There is so much dust in that storage room. I should’ve gone in with a hazmat suit.”

Yana shifted the items in her arms, then made the decision to stack them one-by-one onto the coffee table. “So, there’s precious Burroughs family memories, which I’m gonna hand off to Dev,” she continued, half-preoccupied but working not to be, and let the photo album fall to the table with a dull thud. “And let’s see... coming in hot, we’ve got... drum roll, please.” She paused. “Monopoly.” The grubby box was placed down next. “And then? Well, would you look at that—” Yana continued with a small grin, a little tense around the corners, then put on a more serious face as she turned the box for inspection. “Clue! My all-time fave.” With raised brows, she put it down on top of Monopoly. She felt weird. She wanted to shake it off. “Tell me: which one are you more likely to play with me?”