Saturday, December 17th, The Midnight Channel

[thepull_mods]

Who: The Port's Latest Shadow Televisions Stars! And Thousands of Home Viewers!
When: Midnight, Saturday December 17th
Where: In front of your Television Sets or Streaming NV TV. (Digital Cable? You'll still get the analog effect.)
Summary: Full Plot Details Here
Warnings: Please Put 'em In the Subject Lines As Necessary, Kids?

Comments

Warning: Distrubing themes, extreme violence and gore, possibly triggering abuse

[makes_asteroids]

[Magneto's show is here cut for possibly triggering material.]

reaction

[makes_asteroids]

[He'd mostly been attempting to ignore the 'shows'. But the change in colour catches his attention and he watches. By the time it ends, he's sick, bile rising, and he sprints to the restroom.

After he just locks himself in the shower, hot water pouring over him.]

[tiny_schemer]

[Czeslaw, on the other hand, has been watching the transmissions with all the glee and interest of... well, a ten-year-old boy watching the funnies before the news reel. He finds these little clips - and everyone's overdramatic response to them - very funny indeed.

It's about a half hour into Erik's little middle-of-the-night shower when Czeslaw knocks softly on the door.

He's been sitting there awhile, actually, his back against the wall next to the door frame, waiting for him to come out.]

You're still alive in there, right Erik?

[makes_asteroids]

[He was alive. Sitting in the floor of the shower, water washing over him. With the blast on full spray, he had to yell over it.]

I'm fine.

[tiny_schemer]

You're wasting water, doing this from the tanks in the middle of the night.

If that thing that looks like you attacks the house, we could be out of power and water and you're wasting it.

[Of course he's just being a pest.]

Come out of there. There's some thing that's nasty and looks like you, it's probably out there terrorizing people, and you're probably the only one strong enough to stop it.

[makes_asteroids]

The water is recycled through the system, I'm not wasting it.

[Yeah, no. He's not going out there.]

Let Michael deal with it, if it is.

[Not coming out.]

[tiny_schemer]

Haven't you been paying attention? If anyone's going to stop this thing, it's you.

Don't you at least want to have a look? If it were me, I'd want a look. [At a safe distance. Behind Erik. But he would.]

You've got to be pruny by now. You're a doctor, aren't you? You know that's bad for you.

[Czes doesn't really mind sitting there and shouting over the water, though he is slightly annoyed.]

[makes_asteroids]

No, I have no desire at all to have a look, even if I believed God Himself was shielding me.

[He is not going outside. Not tonight. He's too unfocused, too shaken. He's not in fighting form, and for once, he knows it.]

I'm fine.

[Shout through the door. He's not coming out for a while.]

[tiny_schemer]

No you're not.

You're scared.

What am I supposed to be, if you're the scared one? Tsk tsk.

[makes_asteroids]

The grown up.

[It's more snapped than he means it.]

[tiny_schemer]

Then as the grown up I'm telling you to get out of the shower and put some clothes on. You can mope on the couch with clothes on if you like. I'll pet your hair sweetly and make you a hot toddy. Just get out of there.

Enough of this, or I'll come in there and drag you out and I don't care if you're naked.

[makes_asteroids]

You think you can pick a lock I don't want opened?

[Not. Coming. Out.]

[tiny_schemer]

[Doing his very best Jewish Grandpa here, now:]

See if I care if you drown, then! After so long a friendship, this is how I am repaid? In my day, a child listened to his elders without talking back! What is the world coming to these days when boys won't listen...

[With a roll of his eyes he's pretty sure Erik can hear, Czeslaw leaves his friend to his sulking.]

[makes_asteroids]

[He's not sulking he's panicking.]

[reaction] --> [text]

[limitedrun]

[He has to watch now. Griffin's in a closed TV shop, hunched forward and waiting to see if The Other shows up again. See if it spreads anymore lies.

It isn't until he speaks that Griffin actually recognizes Michael. Griffin's transfixed by the brutality. He can't look away. Even with all of the murder and carnage, Griffin isn't horrified. He's seen glimpses of this side. Very tiny, but present. And Griffin understands, at least partially. He knows what it is to be so angry at people who you can't help but being better than.

It isn't until the little boy calls him Poppa that Griffin flinches.

It hurts him more than it should. But Griffin reminds himself of what these things are. They're designed to hurt. He pulls out his NV and it's the first he's attempted to contact anyone since his own Shadow revealed itself the previous night.]

Not dead. It's not you.

[text]

[makes_asteroids]

[It's two hours later, when he finally crawls out. His NV is flashing at him, a message. He still hasn't heard from Griffin, so he scoops it up.]

Glad to know it.

No, it's not.