![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
larkers) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
meadowlarklogs2019-02-09 11:25 am
- !arrival log,
- castlevania: alucard,
- darker than black: hei,
- dc comics: dick grayson,
- dogs b&c: giovanni rammsteiner,
- dogs b&c: nill,
- ffxiv: arya gastaurknan,
- ffxv: noctis lucis caelum,
- ffxv: prompto argentum,
- game of thrones: sansa stark,
- gangsta: alex benedetto,
- starfighter: cain,
- starfighter: deimos
ARRIVAL LOG 007
WHERE: New Amsterdam
WHEN: Night of September 20 to night of September 23
WHAT: The seventh arrival
NOTES OR WARNINGS: Coercion and loss of autonomy. Further notes at end of log.
Awareness comes to you in blurred snatches, cloudy fragments of sound and light, color, sensation. Hazy and difficult to grasp on to, but slowly aligning into focus. A series of regular, rhythmic beeps. A medicinal, astringent smell. The sensation of movement, a low hum and accompanying vibration under you. Your eyes are heavy, hard to keep open, but in the glimpses between slow, dark blinks you see four people in black body armor seated opposite you, as well as a man in dark gray scrubs.
You realize there are others next to you. All of you are dressed differently: each in a cheap, clunky bodysuit of different colors. Red, blue, yellow, green, black, pink, purple, teal. It's as if you were put into a costume, the blurry shades of the outfits moving in and out with your hazy recognition. Your hair has been recently cut, and is at various stages of growth, and you're restrained across your arms, chests, and feet, left firmly attached to the softly cushioned seat beneath you. To your left, an armored interior door, two more people visible, the movement of streets passing through a windshield. You try to open your mouth to speak, but it's as if your tongue is coated in tar, and you manage nothing more than an empty parting of lips.
The vehicle stops. The guard opposite you stands and comes to unbuckle you from the bench, helping you to your feet. Your limbs feel wooden and heavy, slow to move. One guard opens the back of the vehicle, and there is a clutter of sounds and lights outside, children and adults milling about, with giddy cheerful music accompanying the pitter patter of sounds. The warm air is dry but cooling, and you'll likely wish you weren't in whatever overwrought attire you were dressed in for the occasion. Before you're let out, the nurse moves to check each passenger, releasing them from their restraints just before they're helped out of the vehicle. The nurse doesn't follow, instead moving to sit as the last passenger is unloaded.
The guards keep their heads down. Their actions are quick and firm, but not unkind. Once the passengers are out, the guards place a mask in each of their hands that matches the color of their clothing, and from it hangs a metal card that will grant everyone entrance to the party up ahead. Then the guards climb back into the vehicle and close the doors. The engine powers up again, and then the bus is gone.
You're left alone at the large entrance of a festival of some kind, with many people milling about in costumes while loud music plays from speakers. The festival itself undoubtedly looks like some kind of costume party, though you'll come to notice that your costumes aren't unique.
Though entirely capable of independent action and thought, new characters will find themselves completely, unquestioningly compliant to any verbal statement which could be taken as a command or request.
The message from El comes the same as usual: insistent, not waiting for any active attempt to open it. Scrolling within your vision as if being written while you're reading it.
Wow, I have to say – the guys behind this? They're getting creative. I'm sure some of you are already aware, but Anime Naex is on, and arrival #7 is there waiting for you in some rather unfortunate getups. Make sure you look up the Vestica pilots on the way so you can pick them out. Have fun and pick me up something there, will you? I never get to go.
Animation Naexpo – which is more coloquially known as Anime Naex – is a popular annual convention, born out of a subculture of video game and animation fans around the city. Since our time, animation has become a world-wide sensation, and is distributed out of numerous megacities, with each one specializing in their own flavor and genre. There are many smaller conventions that are held every year in New Amsterdam, but this is the largest of them all, complete with the most competitive cosplay competitions, as well as the most popular guests who travel from other megacities around the world to meet and interact with their fans. It also has the hottest venue: set in the tallest hotel in the center of the financial district, it's a place that many of the con attendees could never dream of entering without having the convention as their annual ticket inside.
The streets leading up to the hotel are lined with booths, all trying to sell handmade wares. These booths act as the artist's alley for the convention, allowing people to set up within rented spaces. Many of the artists craft their own supplies – T-shirts, shoes, and other articles of clothing – while also having a code that will allow someone to access their digital gallery if someone might want to commission anyone on their way inside. There won't be anything like the ubiquitous keychains, prints or stickers of today, but there are many an enamel pin for someone to show off their particular allegiances.
Just above these booths and on the way inside, there are numerous AR displays paid for by multiple streaming companies. Any of the new arrivals won't get a read on these displays because their implants aren't registered yet, but the previous arrivals will be able to see targeted advertisements featuring a wide array of different cartoons and animation programs meant for all different types of audiences. These advertisements are often fairly generic, inviting someone inside so they can learn more.
Once inside, it seems that there's a lot to do. Anime Naex is a three day event, and everyone there working the event is dressed up in the same dark blue period costumes, celebrating the biggest show at the moment: a moody noir show that's set in the late 1990s. Each of them have a different pair of gaudy sunglasses, and their pants have numerous pockets, signifying the long-forgotten cargo pants of the past. While these workers are dressed up, they are the hotel employees, and they won't be happy to be there. Try to treat them kindly?
The program for the event is full of a great deal of things, so try to have fun.
> CURRENT HITS
The two top shows that are getting the most attention are Hot Case and Vestica: Aeon. Hot Case is the aforementioned noir anime set in the late 1990s, involving a snarky, too smart for his own good detective as he tries to solve the unsolved mysteries of the previous centuries. He's a cynic who often believes he's chasing urban legends down blind alleys. Vestica: Aeon is the most recent addition to the popular mecha franchise that's been around for well over a century. This particular addition has been running for five years with no end in sight, featuring a rotating cast and different mechs tied to various animal and nature spirits. Otherwise, the current trends vary a lot: many are historical in nature (set in the 20th or 21st centuries, often with an emphasis on traveling to prevent this future from happening), while others are high fantasy and worlds that could never be, free of the constraints of technology and filled with magic and great wonders. There are also plenty of aliens, ready to intervene and keep humanity from destroying itself further. Some shows are more generic than others, and they're typically meant for varying ages rather than genders, with a lot of the modern-day fanservice and tropes left behind as society evolved. But don't worry: there are still magical girls.
> COSTUMES
Much like today, there are a few of the lazy people who haphazardly put together a costume at the last minute or buy it online. But then there's everyone else. Anime Naex is the convention to show off someone's hard work and ingenuity when it comes to the costuming scene. Many of these costumes are high tech in nature – and many involve various inspirational spins on classics, showing the creativity behind the design. Some of the more committed cosplayers have cybernetics to help enable their costumes, helping them replace certain aspects so that it can best suit their appearance for the event the following year. The goal for these cosplayers is always the same: win the big prize at the show, which is a hefty amount of credits and an internship with a top costume designer who's worked on some of the world's biggest blockbusters.
> EVENTS
The three day schedule for Anime Naex is jam packed, with certain panels running around the clock. No matter what, there will always be a steampunk or traditional tea ceremony of some time going on – albeit with leaves that leave a lot to be desired, grown in gardens around the city (don't expect much). Otherwise, there are lots of panels led by guests or con attendees hoping to convince someone to watch their favorite show, or to discuss some of the more involved pieces of subtext. Yes, there are still awkward shipping panels with involved, AR powerpoint displays and clips often taken wildly out of context to prove what they have to say. These panels can get rather heated, often bringing people who discuss and debate online into the same room once a year. There are also many game rooms and amateur gaming competitions.
> THE DEALERS
Like with many different events around New Amsterdam, Anime Naex acts as a hot spot for consumerism. There are numerous booths set up throughout the many floors of the hotel, selling different wares, including various pillows, stuffed creatures, and – while often more expensive – robotic versions of mascots from the shows. These robots lack any artificial intelligence, but function and work rather similarly to appear as if they've come right out of everyone's favorite shows. For anyone who's lacking a stellar costume, there are numerous booths set up to help people buff up what they want.
> THE BALL
There is, of course, a ball. Titled the Dawn Ball, it's held on the Saturday of the event, providing numerous con-goers an opportunity to wear a fancy version of their costume to dance. These balls are opportunities for people to show off their cosplay partner and relationships, and even show a different kind of ingenuity, as they maintain their character in question while wearing formal wear. Admission does require formal wear, and most of the people who go are on the younger side.
> MISCELLANY
Like any convention, there are always those people who stroll up to stay in a hotel without knowing what they're getting in to, and that'll happen here. Unaware of why so many rooms weren't available, there will be the occasional individual who doesn't know what's even happening. Life outside of the hub of the convention will go on as normal … but with a lot more strangely costumed people walking the streets as they go out to get food or head home after the day's events. Many of the restaurants nearby will have restaurant week deals with special menus designed for con goers. Prove you have a badge to get another discount – and try out your favorite Vestica pilot's favorite snack!
Access to the safehouse is a hatch hidden behind stacks of empty storage shelves in the back of an abandoned supermarket in an outer district of the city. The immediate area is similarly abandoned, empty stores, flanked by several blocks of dive bars and clubs which cater to more niche tastes. A place where people can come and go unseen, or, if seen, not spoken of. A dark haired woman called Gaby is ready to greet the new arrivals and get them settled in, brusque and no-nonsense – she'll be open for in depth questions later, but will advise everyone to ask the people who brought them in for the beginning bits of information.
◉ The safe house is a large open space, filled with rows of basic cots set up to sleep a large amount of people. Basic, but outfitted with everything necessary for daily life. A few doors lead to back rooms for storage, medical care and a large communal bathroom, and past the long rows of cots there is a communal kitchen, fully stocked, and an eating area. Privacy is at a minimum.
There is a sign of some things being in disarray, with numerous metal containers meant to help stock things, as well as be moved out. There will be Morningstar agents moving in and out of the safehouse, helping prepare for the next step for their lives.
◉ New characters will be asked to pick their beds, and provided with a change of (second-hand, mismatched and somewhat threadbare) clothes and basic toiletries.
◉ While there were previously also NPC occupants of the safehouse, natives to New Amsterdam, these people have now been moved on to somewhere safer. A few of their belongings remain, discarded or accidentally abandoned.
◉ Gaby will make it clear to all new arrivals that if they have any requests or queries, they should contact her or El.
◉ The drugs making new characters compliant will remain in their systems for a few hours after their arrival at the safehouse before finally beginning to fade. They will be gone entirely after a night's rest. In the meantime, they may want to be careful of what others say to them.
◉ New characters will be given rudimentary access to the network on arrival in the safehouse, but will not have their ID set up yet. They will be able to make posts and replies, but their messages will be anonymous and they do not have inboxes yet.
◉ New characters will not be allowed to leave the safehouse until SEPTEMBER 24. These 4 days are for them to adjust, learn about the world they've arrived in from their fellows, and for El to speak with them and work on setting up their IDs.
Welcome to Meadowlark, newbies! You're now free to post to the network and logs comms. To reiterate, your characters will have no IDs or inboxes, nor be allowed out of the safehouse until September 24 (February 17). At that point it's expected they'll have gotten a good idea of their new situation from their fellow characters, and will have discussed their background and job potentials with El in order for their false IDs to be set up.
If you have any questions or ideas about how you'd like to get your character involved in the world, please head over to the plot engagement post and drop us a comment! For questions specific to this log, there is a thread below.
Please check out our February calendar rundown for a look at things happening this month, as well as some additional notes from the mods. We made a couple of revisions/corrections to the calendar since it was first posted, so please have another look at it!
As a reminder, AC for new characters accepted in February will be 10 comments across 2-4 threads, while current characters will need to provide the full AC of 20 comments across 2-4 threads. AC will be posted on March 1 and close on March 7. If you do not reply to AC, you will be considered idled and dropped from the game. We will not post a warning list.
safehouse --> kitchen!
She does know she has to eat, and hunger pangs are just as annoying as she remembers them being, on top of being an uncomfortable reminder of being organic.
Reluctantly drifting into the kitchen, she'd been planning on nabbing something, eating it quickly, and leaving, but she's surprised to see someone already there. Someone with... wings? They're more out-of-place away from the convention, and Catherine comments without thinking, ] I've never seen an angel making bread before.
no subject
I've never seen an angel making bread before.
The comment makes Nill look up, her brows raising slightly, this time her hands pausing above the dough. It's been a while since someone has called her an angel, if only because she spent so much time explaining to people on the station that she wasn't one. One blink, two, and a smile cracks over her lips before they part in a silent laugh, indicated only by a slight shake of her shoulders. Eventually she shakes her head, pushing her hands back into the dough as she does. No, she's not an angel. She's just a person who happens to have wings. And lived in a church for a while, but there's no way this woman could know that.]
no subject
She notices that she doesn't verbally reply, but isn't quite sure what to make of it yet. ] Sorry, I've been pretty out of it since waking up. I'm Catherine. Are you new here, too?
no subject
Realizing she has nothing to write with, Nill pushes some flour into a pile before tracing her name in it: NILL. She then gestures to herself, flashing another smile.]
no subject
Nice to meet you. I heard we're supposed to be able to text each other with our minds -- [ A glimmer of enthusiasm filters into her tone. ] Maybe you could communicate that way?
[ Not wanting to make her feel badly is one thing, but Catherine is never the sort to shy away from practical suggestions. ]
no subject
no subject
She ends up stymied for a long moment, trying to put it together. ] ... Let me think about that one while I get some food. [ She does remember work being unnecessarily harder on an empty stomach, so she goes to scout out the options of pre-prepared meals, not being a great cook. ]
I know how to do it pretty intuitively, but it's a little hard to explain. Do you mind if I send you a mental message just to test it? [ Maybe a demonstration will work. ]
no subject
Eventually, the only thing she comes up with is the way Charles talked to her, with telepathy. But she's pretty sure that isn't what Catherine means. So Nill gives another nod, resting her hands on the counter top and waiting patiently.]
no subject
Going back to tech telepathy is a huge improvement over mulling over her food choices. Catherine tests it out immediately once given permission. ]
Sooo.... I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be text-based messaging, with short-range signals from our neural implants to a local receiver. Did this work?
no subject
She waits patiently for... well, anything. And then suddenly there are words in her field of vision, though she can't say how they got there. Starting, she lifts her hands almost defensively, blue eyes flicking back and forth as she reads the words that seem to magically appear.
Though it may be obvious now, Nill nods belatedly. Yes, yes that worked. And she has no idea how she might do it herself.]
no subject
Um... Maybe focus on it and think really hard, [ she suggests, a stunning insight. ]
no subject
Nothing happens, and her shoulders drop. She gives a slight shrug, and an almost apologetic look.]
no subject
She knows how that turns out. ]
Sorry. It's pretty instinctual for me, so I'm not a lot of help. But hey -- we know it works, so once you figure it out, at least you can talk to people! [ Catherine bounces back into optimism pretty quickly, even while she's stubbornly trying to force herself to eat whatever-this-is in her sandwich. ]
no subject
So she nods, a smile spreading across her lips. Catherine is right. Once she gets the hang of it, everything will be okay.]