meadowlarklogs | ARRIVAL LOG 007

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ARRIVAL LOG 007

WHO: Everyone
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.

> ARRIVAL #007

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.

> ANIMATION NAEXPO

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!

> THE SAFEHOUSE

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.

> FINAL OOC NOTES

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.

> NAVIGATION

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Yep here we go. Babysitting. Rey doesn't particularly like doing it either, but since he won't return to his apartment, this is the next best alternative. He's one of the only friends she has left, as much as it surprises her to consider him a friend, and Rey is reluctant to let him leave her sight.

At the very least, she lapses into companionable silence.

Her ribs aren't all the way healed, but her steps don't hurt like they used to, so a work is not the worst thing. ]

You do not have anything else to do? [ he says the words after they've walked for awhile. well, after he's walked and stumbled every so often though he resists any offer of help. ]

I would think you would be a busy person. [ don't ask him why he thinks that. he just does. ]

I already took the day off work.

[ At Kylo's behest, she had attended the convention. Everything that's going on there now, though, is loud partying. It's impossibly 24-hour, and crowded, and Rey's about had it with throngs of bodies.

She says this, though, as if work is the only other thing that would be occupying her. ]

Why? [ it certainly can't be for him. there is no way she would have known he was going to be like this so there is no way she would take the day off in advance. ]

Was it for that silly convention? [ were you going to dress up, rey? ]

Yes.

[ Is he sobering up? Is this helping? Will he even remember this? A good time to surrender her denial, then. ]

Someone convinced me I should go.

Someone?

[ his first thought is that it was daisy because they were friends, were they not? that was why fitz had told him to tell rey in the first place. but that doesn't seem to fit. his brow furrows and it's an almost comical look considering he so rarely makes any sort of expression with his face that is not a frown. ]

Who convinced you?

Oh, he's —

[ She puffs out a breath. ]

Kylo. I don't think you know him.

[ So it doesn't matter much. ]

I do not.

[ but he doesn't really know very many people in this city at all. ]

He is a friend of yours?

[ asking her questions at least stops her from asking him why he's acting the way he is and keeps his thoughts on something that isn't his own emotional state. ]

I don't know what he is.

[ Mine, she concludes privately. She can affirm that. He is something to her, and something of her, and Illya's question has at least provoked that much of a reaction. She glances up at him, suddenly aware of Illya as his own conscious entity again, and glances away quickly. ]

It was loud and crowded, but some of the games were fun.

[ he glances over at the 'i don't know what he is' but says nothing because he really has absolutely no leg to stand on. is he any better at labeling what people are to him unless they are targets? no, he is not. ]

I did not like it.

[ confirming that he had at least stopped in. ]

I don't like a lot of people that close to me.

I don't like it either.

[ She hesitates to admit it, but it comes out anyway. ]

It's hard to get used to this many people.

Yes.

[ he'd done plenty of jobs in big cities but that doesn't mean he has to be around people while doing those jobs. he'd barely liked being around solo and gaby at first.

he'd lost one of those people too. just like the recent lost. he frowns and stumbles a bit, bracing himself with a hand on the wall. ]

I don't want to be here.

I told you we should get you home. Just give me your address; I'll help you get there.

[ Rey arrives at his side, putting one hand on his back. ]

No, I meant --

[ he gestures angrily towards the city as a whole and shakes his head. ]

I do not belong in a place like this.

Oh.

[ Awkward. Rey looks up and around at it. She wants to be able to say she belongs. All she's ever wanted is to belong, and she'd rather belong in a place like this than Jakku, but ...

she doesn't. Not really. ]

Me either.

Then why are we here?

[ it's rhetorical. he knows why and he knows they have no choice. ]

Things were easier before.

[ keep in mind that does not mean they were better. they were just...easier. less fraught with things that he doesn't understand very well. ]

Were they? [ She hums, thoughtful. ] Not for me.

[ The Resistance is like 12 people in Han Solo's weed van. Rey is the closest thing the galaxy has to a Jedi. Kylo Ren is her evil ex-boyfriend like this is the epilogue of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. She doesn't see a major difference except the loss of the Force, which she is gradually adapting to, and the loss of her friends which she doesn't feel like is a 'here' problem so much as a 'her' problem. ]

I did not have to deal with all of...this.

[ he doesn't say what this is but he does make another gesture with his hand, sharp and cutting like that will make it readily obvious to rey what he's talking about. ]

I just worked.

[ She does get it, absurdly. People. Feelings. Losing people, especially. She's grieving too, even if it's different than his. She reaches out to take his hand, clasping it in hers. The empathy bond opens up and she shares some of that grief -- and in turn gets some of his drunkenness, which she could obviously do without. ]

Everything was ... more straightforward, for me, on Jakku. But I wouldn't go back for anything. [ Spits on Jakku's grave tbh. ] I just worked too. But I'm glad that there's more, even if sometimes it makes things harder. It's better, too.

It is harder.

[ and he's not sure he likes it. he can feel her grief and it feeds his own. his is, obviously, different in than hers in that it's muted, simmering. it's the color grey and the feeling of muzziness that you can't quite break free from. it's lethargy and confusion that you aren't supposed to eve deal with. ]

I don't know how to deal with this place.

A day at a time.

[ It's not the most comforting or the most straightforward, but it is the most honest answer she has. You put one foot in front of the other. You keep going. And eventually, it gets easier. That's the only experience Rey has, and it's the only thing she can think to do. ]

With help.

[ She squeezes his hand. He's still here. She's still here. It's not like they're left all alone. ]

Help.

[ forgive him if he sounds wary. he's used to people leaving at this point in his life. ]

From you? [ no judgment, no disdain. surprise. just surprise in his tone. ]

Don't sound so surprised.

[ She withdraws her hand, but she doesn't look put-out about it. Rather, faintly amused that it hasn't occurred to him until now. ]

It wouldn't be the first time. [ She's given him plenty of help in the form of advice on things she has zero experience with. ]

It is just...unfamiliar.

[ there is an apology in his tone even if he is not necessarily against having the help. ]

I appreciate your help with all of that too. I do not know if it worked but thank you.

It matters that you tried. Even if you don't know if it worked.

[ The attempt was made, the skill was learned. All of that counts, even if Daisy is gone. ]

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