ARRIVAL LOG 008

[larkers]

WHO: Everyone
WHERE: New Amsterdam
WHEN: Night of October 5 to night of October 8
WHAT: The eighth arrival
NOTES OR WARNINGS: Coercion and loss of autonomy, alcohol usage. Further notes at end of log.

> ARRIVAL LOG #008

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 in blue short sleeve shirts and ill-fitting jeans, hair recently cut but at various stages of growth, restrained by straps across your chests, arms, feet, holding you to the bench under 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 false, colored light, illuminating the streets in the distance will first alert your senses of being somewhere else, combined with warm air that's only cooled with the setting of the sun. The nurse moves to stand at the back, checking each passenger over one by one just before they're helped out of the vehicle, quick and methodical. He doesn't climb out after you, moving to sit as the last passenger is unloaded.

The guards keep their heads down. Their actions are quick, firm, but not entirely unkind. Once all the passengers are out, they climb back into the vehicle and close the doors. The engine powers up again, and then the bus is gone.

You're left alone in an alley, with no idea of where you are or why you've been brought here.

Around the corner of the alley, there is the smell of beer and a weird yodel-like sound – no, wait. That is definitely yodeling and beer. Further movement forward will lead to you finding yourself in a busy area filled with multiple people carrying reusable cups full of liquid. You've just shown up at a party with a bunch of people wearing nearly identical clothing. The good thing is that everyone is probably too drunk to notice.

◉ 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.

> OKTOBERFEST

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.

I'm starting to think that the arrests last month mean that our friendly delivery men have had to change up what they're doing. Either way - the group waiting for you this time is huge. The get up? Blue shirts, all around. Let's see how long that lasts. Anyway. Arrival #8. You know the deal, don't you? I bet you're all already out there having a good time.

Although New Amsterdam is a mish-mash of world cultures, there are certain traditions that took root in the city as it began to form its identity. Yes, one was Anime Naexpo. Another? Oktoberfest. Hoping to capitalize on the heritage of the region, businesses throughout New Amsterdam pushed for the continued celebration of Oktoberfest. In fact, the only time it wasn't celebrated was during the Xelkoven War, as the fight between humans and AI meant that any celebrations were put by the wayside.

Perhaps even more so than having to work during an anime convention, Oktoberfest is not a fun time for customer service workers. All around, various different cashiers, food truck chefs and drivers, rickshawers, couriers and more find that they don't have a choice but to dress up in Dutch costumes recalling times of the past. These costumes are typically pulled out of some back closest and generally assigned to the employees, so some of them won't fit all that well. The problem is that it isn't cool enough to be dressed in these as the days cool off, and the only saving grace is that they get to work at night rather than the day. The early parts of their shifts are miserably hot, and things don't get better from there. If your character is a customer service employee, they can expect some uncomfortable days ahead.

Somehow, the discomfort of the various workers doesn't come in the way of the loud and festive activities. All around New Amsterdam, various tents go up selling a lot of different wares, many of which are probably second hand junk that people are trying to sell off for a few credits. This is the time when the Black Market stops working underground, instead opening temporary store fronts in tents that are far too nice for the wares they're providing (but at least they're trying to be a less obvious money laundering front). If someone's looking to get in good with the underground or get a sense of how to find these places for some actually illegal goods, Oktoberfest is a prime place to start.

Otherwise? Oktoberfest is likely full of what anyone would expect: a lot of beer, funny looking Bavarian clothing, a lot of live music, and a lot of opportunities for drunken folk to put on a good show. If your character is the type to look for an opening to grab some attention, this is the place to do it.

◉ There will be a lot of beers available in pretty much every single tent. The drinking age in New Amsterdam is 18, but it's equally unlikely that anyone will be checking implants with how busy everything will be. The most popular beer this year? "We're Lucky We're Not Cyborgs," an extremely hoppy IPA made by the most popular brewery in New Amsterdam. All of the beers are available in bottles that you can return for more, as businesses no longer sell alcohol by the can. Think of growlers – but in a far more manageable size! Feel free to come up with the cyberpunk name of your dreams for the beer. Or people can just drink the New Amsterdam River – which is the name of the beer with a picture of the man-made river on it. It's cheap, but reliable. Oh, and for those of you that don't like the taste of beer, there's cider and mead on tap at most places as well.

◉ There will be various stages all over for acts to perform, but the schedules will not be full. Before long, the characters will know that Oktoberfest is where some people plan to get discovered. And … it's also a place where some people become social media sensations, in either good or bad ways. Need to propose to someone? Need to show off your abs? These stages are the place to be. If someone's not up there, take the chance and make it your time to shine. Or … go down in infamy.

◉ Most of the food throughout the festival will harken back to its German heritage, albeit without a whole lot of success. There are sausages, but much like the hot dogs of today, it's likely better that you don't ask what's in them. A safe bet is the large array of potato dishes around. These are delicious – and cheap!

◉ There are some competitions, too! Virtual fencing – albeit in a very, very amateurish way – and virtual crossbow competitions happen throughout the three-day event. And then there's yodeling. One of the stages will be dedicated to this the entire time. Yes, people practice to win big, but that doesn't mean that everyone has to practice.

◉ Like with Oktoberfest of the past, celebrities will have their own VIP tent right in the heart of the financial district. If you have a favorite music, film, or movie star and they have a penchant for partying, this is the place to be. Sneaking in will be hard – but not impossible. Though some will find that they might have to work this tent. These celebrities can't go without their coffee or beer, after all.

> 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.

◉ 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.

◉ There will be shifts when Gaby isn't present in the safehouse because she's shorthanded following the UNA attacks in our January event. New characters will find that if they try to open the hatch to leave during this time, it'll be sealed shut for anyone without a registered implant.

◉ 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 OCTOBER 9. 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.

> WHAT DREAMS MAY COME

As everyone goes to sleep, a familiar stomp vibrates through New Tokyo on the other side of the world. The wall outside of the city is stable at first, holding up, but the vibrations continue. The creature this time is twice as large as the one that hit New Amsterdam – 800m high, yet not seen until right around when the vibrations began. It should have been, by all rights: New Tokyo is no less secure than the other cities around the world, with constant surveillance and a dedication toward maintaining an idyllic life for its citizens. Its behavior is similar: it slams its tail against the outer wall of the city before it gives way, the destruction nearly absolute. In a panic, New Tokyo's UNA forces and police force move into action to try to bring down the monster and protect its citizens.

At the same time, whether they're still awake or already asleep, something stirs inside of the displaced. Their chests will glow without anything to bring it about – no power drawn on, either innate or new, and no skin touching. This glow seems to fatigue any of them if they're still awake, and will send anyone already asleep into a deeper one. Once they're under, the stirring within will give way to unrest that foments dreams and visions for many of the displaced. If they had a dream while they slept, characters will wake up with a burning sensation in their chest.

As for New Tokyo: it will be left in ruins by the time the UNA soldiers there manage to take down the monster. Several sections of the city remain intact – almost out of luck – and the governor of New Tokyo reports that they believe this monster came from outside of the city, having been given life by the unsafe conditions outside of the megacity. Within a few hours, this statement will be revised, with the governor admitting that he doesn't know what the monster was or where it came from, only that their surveillance saw that it came from outside.

The three dreams below are what each character will experience, though you can feel free to assume they managed to jar themselves awake before the dream finished. To get a dream, please comment below to get an RNGed number for the dream that they'll be having. Since these are unnatural dreams, you can feel free to have your character remember it in its entirety – or not, if that's what you'd prefer.

If you have multiple characters, we suggest you only have one experience a dream, but it's ultimately up to you!

> DREAM 001

A blue glow illuminates the site – offering light on a foggy morning, with everyone having completed their journey to this final destination. A sense of fatigue and relief that washes over everyone there, but also an inner warmth that seems to radiate from the site itself. Huge rocks rise up on either side of the site, acting as shielding barriers for these followers and what lies ahead of them. Despite the lack of natural light cast through the thick fog, there's still a distant glow, leading them forward.

You find yourself among these people, well aware of the many miles you walked to get here, most of it on an incline. Around you, the clothes that people wear are worn, tattered, made from wool that's begun to wear down. How long have you all been traveling? It's hard to say – hard to guess, only that you know that you were all drawn here. No single story is the same. Some saw symbols: triangles that glowed when they saw them in the periphery, as well as bits of circles coming together. The tree of life. Perfect like nature in its finest form. Others could never put the words to what they experienced.

Each of you feel the draw now. It resonates within you, fills you up. Just ahead, there are structures that seem to float in space, and when you draw closer, a clear, light blue bridge appears. The walk forward requires a leap of faith – and there are some unwilling to take it. Afraid. They wonder if they've wasted their time.

But you haven't. You walk forward, and the bridge carries you forward. You can't tell if you're walking or literally carried, but eventually you come to an alcove where a strange circular structure stands. As you step closer, it comes to life, a mixture of lights and – no, not sounds. But the same resonating warmth.

You walk into it and –

– you find yourself somewhere else. Somewhere new.

> DREAM 002

– this is not where you belong where you've chosen to live – this is not it this is not it this is not it –

Your fingers spread, wrapping around the nearest metal instrument to drag it close. You test the edge against your skin, drawing out a sharp pain. You never asked for this particular experience. But every day, you feel it.

It's time to take back what you can. The walls around you are white, pristine. Somehow, you know that they weren't a day ago. One of the others you know got sick, doubled over after a bad interaction with a medication. You see them now, dark rings under their eyes, a shaved head. How do you know this? Your mind doesn't answer you. You just react. Someone in a coat as white as the room draws closer. Checking your vital signs. Your breathing picks up – your lungs hurt. You lash out with the instrument, cutting deep. A bright red spreads. A sick smile creeps over your lips. You know that color, deep within you. You know it.

And then there's nothing.

And then life moves on (your life moves on). Has time passed? The room is different. The person with the red splotch of color on their lab coat is gone, and your build is different. More gangly, uncontrolled. Deep down, you feel an unabiding frustration. You hear a shout: "Put them down!" It's too late. A fire erupts. The doors seal.

> DREAM 003

You recognize the walls. The building. But there's some barrier between you and it, a constant, subdued fog that lies between you and your surroundings. The lights are bright. Everyone moves in a single file, dressed in the same white scrubs. You're among them. The workers walk alongside you, occasionally checking your vital signs. Sometimes they make you grab each other's hands, noting the shift in reactions or responses.

The air here is cool. Stale. Your head is cold, recently shaven. Like everyone else, sans a few. It looks like it's been a while since they had a haircut. You don't recognize them, not like the others. You're certain that you recognize the others.

Thought is difficult to process. There's an IV into your arm. You try to make out more of your surroundings, but the fog encroaches and takes over. You're missing your chance. Your chance to know where you are – were? Who did this to you?

Distantly, you see a marking on a wall. Letters. P - R - O - PROJECT. You're certain of it. What else is there? Nothing. No. Something, but not another word. It's a symbol of some kind, or – an animal? There's a splotch of yellow, bright and prominent on its breast, with a dark V that cuts down. The fog obscures the rest.

> FINAL OOC NOTES

This arrival log is a little different, as it doubles as a prologue for our monthly event! Everyone's character can have one of the dreams, and it'll hit them anytime within a day of the attack on New Tokyo. This does include anyone new to the game! So, please go ahead and comment below to have your dreaming character assigned a number. All assignments will be random on our part!

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 OCTOBER 9 (MARCH 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.

All arrival logs act as mingles, so older players can please feel free to top level for the festivities described!

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 March calendar rundown for a look at things happening this month, as well as some additional notes from the mods.

As a reminder, AC for new characters accepted in March 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 April 1 and close on April 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

Comments

[lighthearted]

[ Exactly where he's supposed to be? Sora doubts that, because if he should be anywhere, it's back on Destiny Islands, but he also knows that sometimes where he wants to be isn't the same as where he needs to be.

If he got brought here somehow, it has to be for a reason.

New Amsterdam at least gives him a name to go work with, so he's grateful to the stranger for that. He's also relieved that he doesn't insist he have any alcohol. On top of the fact that Sora's never had a drop of it before, now really isn't a good time to try it out. ]

I was trying to, but... I, uhh, don't have any munny on me. But what do you mean, this is where I'm supposed to be?

[ What does this guy know? ]

[lighthearted]

[ Wait, so he isn't the only one who had a strange dream this time? Sora can't decide if that's good or bad, but he knows that a bunch of people all having a dream at the same time isn't normal.

Instead of getting back up onto his cot, he scoots across the floor over to where the girl is sitting. It will be easier for them to talk this way and not disturb anyone else. While more and more people are waking up, some are still asleep. ]

What was your dream like?

[ Did they all have the same one? Either way, Sora isn't used to being able to share this phenomena with people. ]

[lighthearted]

[ The pressure at his back has Sora lifting his head, and he's a little taken aback to suddenly have a concerned stranger kneeling next to him. He's actually kind of embarrassed that someone came across him like this, but he doesn't want to worry the man any further. ]

No, I'm okay, promise. I just...

[ He takes a few more seconds to catch his breath, then shifts to sit more normally, his legs spread out in front of him. ]

I thought I could make my powers work.

[ As it turns out, sometimes just trying hard enough isn't going to work. Which isn't an easy thing for someone like Sora to accept. ]

[lighthearted]

[ When Sora had been younger, a challenge like that would have been enough to make him decide that he had to prove himself, no matter what. It's really Riku's fault for egging him on all the time, pushing him into competitions over even the smallest things.

Now, though, he actually takes a moment to think about whether or not it's a good idea. This guy looks tough, and he's probably just trying to prove some kind of point. Which means that if Sora does what he says, he's going to end up on the floor in a whole lot of pain. Right? It's a good thing those drugs have already worn off... ]

That's dumb. I never said I wanted to fight you. [ A pause, and then he looks away, embarrassed. ] I'm... not really used to fighting without my weapon, anyway.

[vns]

Possibly. The problem is – if that research ends up delivering the same data, that it's the same thing, the same origins –

[ how do any of the cities prepare? how does the UN even direct their army toward a problem? thinking that particular thought – one that's along the lines of this entire conversation – unsettles Gaby. there are whispers among Morningstar themselves that some of these bold actions have been to show the UNA might. get some Morningstar, get the rest. they can do something about a problem.

she doesn't vocalize it. not to Peggy nor to Fitz. later? later she might. there's a good chance of it. once they've shown that they're serious. that they aren't acting on behalf of themselves.

it feels like a safe bet, though. another side of desperation drawn to light. ]

I see your point, though. If you leave to figure this out, can you get back? We'll cross that road when we get to it.

[ she wonders when (or if) Morningstar may be pointed to as the cause for these threats.

and if they were meant for that all along. ]

[vns]

So it is.

[ when does somewhere become a home? Gaby's thought about it a lot when it comes to the people she helped escort out of the city. she knows where they go: somewhere desolate and barren. but safe. more than anything, it's safe.

and somehow, they live. they thrive. ]

Are you aware of what Fitz and Peggy Carter intend to do here? With Morningstar's efforts?

[vns]

I have to head out soon.

[ head home. pretend none of this is happening. be alone in a bed because she's certain her partner won't be back anytime soon. these tragedies have far-reaching effects on everything else. and half the time it's Gaby who's leaving the empty place. it feels like ever since this all started, her private life has crumbled. sometimes it feels like she's leading six lives at once, rather than two.

two is bad enough. ]

Show people the ropes if you can. Let them know they aren't in a cage. Some of them get testy. I can't be here all the time.

[vns]

[ and he won't ever get a surname. she catches that unhappiness, but doesn't pin it to any particular belief or emotion. doesn't figure out that it's just her name. maybe it's just that people are predictable. she sure as fuck thinks so, but that doesn't mean she's given up on them.

as stupid as that may be. ]

I have a sinking feeling about where this is all going. I just hope I'm wrong.

[ if he sees it as a potential sway of power, who else will?

and what force remains to cause that?

a single entity. wounded, but still strong.

Gaby doubts with ever fiber of her being that Morningstar could be behind any of this. but the rest of the world? the people who know fear and revel in it because they have no other choice? ]

[vns]

[ ah. right. the basics explanations. no one's going to drop "siblings don't happen" into daily conversation. it wouldn't be with the usual rundown. should she make a note to those with the guides? Gaby thinks so. ]

It's rare to even have one here, much less two. Two is an accident, a rarity, and often it doesn't end well.

[ depending on how someone wants that to go. both directions, really. ]

You and your sister won't be the first we've had to account for, but everyone else won't get it. Slip up, and they'll wonder. Maybe they'll even think you're in a gang.

[ people will make up reasons to make the unreasonable make sense. Gaby has a feeling it'll get harder for the people of her world in the coming days, especially if the displaced decide to go public. ]

[revlon]

[ Gaby's speculation earns a grim look from Peggy in return. She's wondering the same thing, of course. If the test results vary, that's a different problem altogether. But if they match, then someone out there is creating these bloody things or at the very least pulling them from someplace else and — what? Pointing them at the cities on purpose? Or losing control of them. Either scenario isn't a good one: a weapon or an accident. (Just like them.)

And to what end? Not very long ago, Peggy voiced the thought that these incidents are elaborate field tests for the displaced and their abilities. And should Gaby ever share those whispers with her and Fitz, it wouldn't surprise her, either. Creating a problem, naming a threat (them, Morningstar), and presenting the perfect solution is an old, familiar tactic to lull people into the belief that they can't live without your protection.

It also means that there's a fear, somewhere out there, that their control over the masses is slipping. ]

I can always find my way back. [ Her brows raise. ] They haven't contacted me for an emergency session yet, but I'm sure it won't be long now. You need me to work my way into the team meeting with the embassy? Or are you asking something else?

[vns]

Not right now.

[ which question is she answering? Gaby decides that it's both. she'll use a lot of words if the time calls for it, but when it doesn't, she'll let them stand on their own. this is one of those times.

she looks up at the girl. young – but around the age when Gaby joined Morningstar. so not that young. besides, don't they all run around that age? these displaced? few of them are older than her. maybe more, if she counts the weird ass business with gods. ]

Sansa, right?

[ she hasn't interacted with the last group as much. her attention was divided, helping her own people set out on their new lives. and she felt helpless as she did. ]

[batricide]

We have some fundamental differences in how we see the world and how to change it [ slow, careful, he's trying not to say the wrong thing ] but listen to that feeling. It's probably right. Worse case scenario is coming, there's no way it isn't.

[ There's a defeated note to his voice. This is not as bad as it will get. When he had the power of Kryptonians, Gods, and heroes beside him nothing felt insurmountable. He could do anything, even as the youngest and the most human of the group.

Without it, things look bleak. They have a handful of newly activated metahumans who are still learning their powers, many of the civilians, many of them far removed from active duty in battle. Nearly everything they undertake could be a suicide mission.

But everybody has to die of something, right? ]

How possible is it for us to go there?

[vns]

Hypothetical question.

[ Gaby wasn't clear. she realizes that. if they want to go help, how do they get back? but having Peggy in there could help. she knows how she can get them out, make it legitimate. there are groups aligned with Morningstar who are meant to help with this business. meant to be prepared for disasters. some of them volunteered to help following the first monster attacks in New Amsterdam, but Governor Gill-Jade, ineffectual as always, failed to take them up on it.

properly, anyway. ]

Having you in there would mean they might think twice before locking anyone out of anywhere. If relief groups go out – they can be let back in. Some governors are stubborn about these, but I know New Tokyo won't be able to afford stubbornness. If there are survivors to be found, and lives to put back together, they'll take it.

[ surely? but it'll be dangerous. a city built out on the water like that. ]

It's a big ask, but I think you know the people around here as well as I do. If they think they can do things out there? They will.

[vns]

Based on your interest?

[ the general "you." ]

Possible. I've talked to Peggy Carter about making sure that any relief groups can return home if the various governments get picky. We may need to come up with some contingency plans if you get pinched, but the way out – and the traveling papers involved – won't be linked to us.

[ Morningstar has moved agents around before. reshuffled operatives. there are always short term solutions alongside long term ones. this would be short term. ]

Heading there won't get anyone answers. At least – none that we can't get from a distance. I'm not saying this to stop anyone. I'm planning on putting out calls. On helping you help New Tokyo. I just – I doubt you'll find an answer you all desperately need.

[batricide]

This isn't about getting answers. It's about giving hope.

[ It's hopelessly cheesy, but he doesn't look the least bit embarrassed to say it.

Well...

Maybe a little embarrassed after it's had a second to sit. But it's true. Saving people is important but giving them faith when they feel abandoned? That's more powerful than anything else, as far as he's concerned. ]

[fledges]

[Kate decides that, considering the circumstances, she'll allow that deep and horrific insult to her abilities slide. She clicks her tongue sympathetically instead.]

I know. I'm sorry. It's a lot to take in, but I can give you the crash course. I'm from New York, too, so we've got that in common.

[revlon]

[ She flicks her gaze over Gaby, listening, assessing, processing. She thinks of their very first conversation when she staggered into the safehouse in August, asking about travel regulations, if travel was even possible. Expensive, she'd been told, and strict about an itinerary. But not impossible.

If the itinerary held an official stamp from the governor and the UN embassy, they could cobble together a team that heads out legally and with the approval of the government. If Morningstar operatives in the other megacity join up with local relief efforts, they could link up under legitimate circumstances without straying from protocol and none would be the wiser.

Her lips curve into a quiet smile. ]

You want me to propose sending a disaster response team to New Tokyo. [ It's good. It's clever. ] And as a city only just recovering from our own attack, it's a sympathetic gesture, too. The PR angle alone makes it appealing.

[ And wouldn't they want to bounce back from the failed UNA raids? ]

It can't come from me. I'm too new. But I know they like my ideas and I can float it to the right people.

[ Hell, she could start small, spearhead a drive at City Hall for relief goods, find volunteers that way (volunteers being their own people). And once the idea takes root, they can work on mixing in some of their number into the team sent out. ]

[998]

[jon gapes at her.]

That's [awful. miserable. lonely. not so different from the world of the night's watch.] not fair. Children need families, not just...parents.

[he's quiet for a little while, gazing into his beer. was it really so long ago that he'd told melisandre he had no sisters? but never in his heart. my thoughts are my own. sometimes he thinks he should never have left winterfell. but then he'd never have met ygritte, or made peace with the wildlings...the north could be worse off than it already is. he shakes his head.]

She's not my sister. Not by blood. Her father took me when my mother, his sister, died. I was a baby. My father...was killed. His whole family. My trueborn brother was just a year old. My uncle Eddard Stark told everybody I was his--even me, when I was old enough. He never said who the mother was. Sansa and I, my foster siblings, we don't even have the same name. She's a Stark, and I'm just a Snow. We thought it'd be safer not to tell anyone, in case someone from our world--our country--was here. If people knew who my blood father was, it could be...difficult.

[he lifts his head, gives her a sardonic half-smile.]

I've only told that to one other person, aside from my sisters--cousins. [jon nods at the potatoes] He gave me ice cream.

[998]

[jon shrugs--here he thought he was sulking again. he sets the sausage down on the plate, but then he has nowhere to put the plate. he tries to hold it with one hand.]

The last place we went to was better.

[and they had their dogs!]

You sound like you came here from somewhere else.

[inherited]

The good news is that we know how to get out of tight spots. [With some help, sure, but they've been to the World of Darkness several times over now, all too aware of what it would mean if they couldn't find a way out. Finding a door in was never easy. Finding the door out? Nearly impossible—which is why Riku and Mickey didn't want to risk Sora being in there before he was ready. They knew how important he was, while Riku and Mickey's own power was tangential at best. They could have messed up their only chance of doing good otherwise.

Now they're here. It could be a simulation. Part of DiZ's whole thing with Roxas was to keep him from going too far, keep him boxed in so that he could be frustrated and live out his life while the restoration continued. Riku recalls parts of Sora's recent journey, and some of that matches up, but ...

There's the who.

And ... one other thing.

They aren't alone. If it was just them? They could wonder if Xehanort was really gone. They could wonder a lot of things. But it's not just them.]

We'll have to see what we can do for the other people here. From the sounds of it, they got brought here, too. I haven't asked them about much yet. [World order, blah blah blah.] Have you?

[998]

[jon smiles a little. it's a kind gesture, and a little childlike; it seems like something rickon would do. this boy looks much older than rickon would be, but still younger than him--maybe sansa's age. the slow dull ache of missing his little brothers grows sharp for a moment. he drops his arm. he can't take water from a thirsty kid.]

I don't know if water will clear my head. But thank you. You drink it.

[if it were coffee, maybe...but he doesn't say anything, because he really doesn't want to imply this boy should go out of his way to get him coffee.]

[blyat]

Yeah, I did too. Gotta say, this place is better than mine.

[Meanwhile, Cain buys a full mug of hoppy beer from the vendor in front of them, the entire transaction happening without a physical exchange of currency.]

No beer in space. [He tips the mug toward Jon.] Where were you? Uh, but tell me away from these guys. Kinda supposed to be on the down low. [And he's stepping back from the vendor and food on display.]

[998]

[suddenly jon is very interested. space! it's still strange to think about people traveling through the sky. he grabs his beer and follows along quickly.]

I always wondered what it was like in the sky, with the stars. [he drinks his beer, holding his sausage plate awkwardly with his other hand.] We were on the Clock. It was...a lot of rooms, with a mind behind them. You could ask the Clock for anything but it didn't always understand. You had to ask it for a door to get from room to room. My sister Sansa lived on other worlds before that, but the Clock took me from Castle Black, back in the Seven Kingdoms, where we come from.

[retravel]

Relief to New Tokyo, first.

[ he knows Carter already spoke to her about City Hall, ten steps ahead of him (striding backwards in high heels). Scouts can come later, go elsewhere as a secondary priority, once they know more about what happened there. ]

We want to try to make a vaccine. Using the monster carcasses Clarke Griffin has held and turned over to you in the past, as well as any antibodies from those cured. [ it's a long shot, given the physical element of the cure last time, but failure in this tells them something about the creature, too. every dead end narrows their path forward, if only slightly. ] But if the displaced get to work out there — if an outbreak occurs, if anything else follows the creature, there's a chance they'll expose themselves and us. [ Morningstar. ]

[ a beat. ]

So, I want to talk to you about the masks you let us use during the raids. [ a beat. ] You might notice you're a few short — [ insert nervy handwave. ] Wasn't me, but I've been asked by others to make cosmetic changes and rebuild the design entirely. People know it reads Morningstar.

[ fitz doesn't intend to do anything without speaking to gaby, first. he returned his, but at least two have kept theirs back, prompting this line of inquiry. ]

What if it didn't?

[revlon]

Hello lovely mods! I've reread the log and can't seem to find a specific date, so I was wondering when the kaiju attack on New Tokyo started and when was it finally taken down? I noticed the log dates are October 5 to night of October 8 so I wanted to make sure just for... timeline purposes... weeps

Thank you!!