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

takeshi kovacs. altered carbon

[resleeves]

I ➣ ➣ ➣ OKTOBERFEST

[ he's choosing to take this as fate. destiny. some kind of fucking respite from all the shit he's been through in the last few weeks. sure, he'd woken up feeling like he was about to be fucking experimented on but then they'd let him loose and he'd walked right into a festival of alcohol.

can't get much better than that. he doesn't give two shits about the looks he's getting or the way people whisper when he passes. he's all too happy to shove them aside with a glower or a snarl or just a smirk so he can get to where he's going.

and where he's going is straight to the beer. there's just one problem. he doesn't have any fucking money. bancroft had paid him but whatever this place is, he doesn't have access to his bank account so he does the next best thing.

the first person he sees carrying a can, he grabs, taking it out of their hands and shoving them backwards hard enough that they don't dare to try and take it back. as the person skitters away, kovacs calls: ]

Thanks for the welcoming gift. I feel better already.

[ he misses his fucking hair. ]

II ➣ ➣ ➣ SAFEHOUSE

[ the setup of this place reminds him a little bit of stronghold. people are piled on top of each other, packed in tightly and trying to act like they were fine with it. he's not but he's also not willing to get up and ask what the fuck was going on and who'd taken his goddamn hair.

no, he'd glared someone off a bed he wanted to sit down on and taken a seat, long legs stretched out in front of him. it gives him a decent place to observe, to watch people come and go and to occasionally call out random things to the just to be a dick.

well, what the hell else is he gonna do? he hasn't seen quell pop up in his mind's eye and he knows rei's not going to show up because – ]

Anyone got a fucking cigarette?

[ let him have a fucking smoke, please. ]

III ➣ ➣ ➣ WILDCARD

[ feel free to choose your own adventure. hit me up at spoonishly for plotting. ]

[theseuschip]

now lark has killed the dream i dreamed

[larkers]

Dream 002!

[champy]

Please and thank you!

[larkers]

Dream 003!

ii.

[revlon]

[ As Peggy hasn't quite been able to afford an apartment just yet, the motel she's holed up in isn't too far from the safehouse (which means it's not a particularly nice motel but beggars can't be choosers) — so passing by to assist the newcomers isn't a particular hardship. She's brought a fresh stock of herbal tea, since that's all there is on offer in this city, and has actually gone to the trouble of handing out mugs of it with a kettle on hand for pouring.

She catches Kovacs' demand just as she passes by his cot and her red lips quirk into a wry smile. ]

I hate to be the bearer of more bad news, [ she tells him as she comes to a stop, ] but smoking is illegal in New Amsterdam.

[tishina]

one dream on the rocks please

[larkers]

Dream 002!

laura moon . american gods

[apathet]

𝚘𝚔𝚝𝚘𝚋𝚎𝚛𝚏𝚎𝚜𝚝.

𝚘𝚘𝟷

[ she's off the vehicle and she's not sticking around. what the fuck. what the fuck. this isn't Kentucky. this isn't even fucking Wisconsin. this isn't anywhere - this isn't anywhere she was or was going to be. the first few minutes are a daze, and in that daze she stalks off towards the light, towards the clink of cups, the blur of noise, answers.

there are no answers. there's a party, people fucking everywhere, but no answers. and as she shoves her way into those crowds, on the hunt for somebody in particular, and the heat of the dying day and the bodies everywhere have her shirt quickly sweatstuck to her skin, she hisses, ] Fuck, it's warm.

[ ... fuck.

it's warm.

she's warm.

as warm becomes all she can feel (all she can feel, she can feel) her legs stop working in the middle of a milling sea of drunks and soon-to-be drunks. so it's really no surprise that somebody walks right into her. ]

𝚜𝚊𝚏𝚎𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎.

𝚘𝚘𝟸 (warning: sfw nudity & scarring in image)

[ this is it. this is the best shower she's had in her life. water has never felt so good. nothing has ever felt so good. (it's a longer shower than the current water situation really allows for, but if anyone wants to try telling her that, they can feel free and see where it gets them).

when she's done, she steps out into the bathroom and finds herself face to face with - herself. in the mirror. skin pink, not grey.

the next person to walk in will find a small woman standing naked, dripping wet, watching herself hover her fingers over the long-healed scars where her organs were once removed. no longer held together with sutures, the skin under her fingers alive and aware. ]


𝚘𝚘𝟹.

[ did you want some of Gaby's oktoberfest offerings? better hurry your shit up. Laura Moon can eat now and it's only going to last so long.

or at least, that's the attitude she approaches the potato dishes with when she first encounters them. she piles her plate high, carries herself off to a table, shoves the first bite in her mouth... and positively melts. her face is doing some things that could make a person blush given the right context.

the potatoes are good, but are they really that good? regardless, she's taking her time with every bite from here on in. ]


𝚘𝚘𝟺

[ the coast appears to be clear of staff, and Laura's making a break for freedom. a break that doesn't get her very far with an IDless implant, and she's left hissing angrily at the hatch - ]

Come the fuck on, you shitty thing. Come on. Fuck.


𝚘𝚘𝟻.

[ laying on her bed, a bunk claimed down one end of a row with the two either side also bagsied by the jeans and shirt she arrived in, Laura stares up into space. into, in reality, the network and an internet that goes on forever. trying to figure out what the fuck is going on, what the fuck it means, and how. ]


( ooc: also happy to write individual starters or respond to wildcards either pre-safehouse or in the safehouse! Laura's autopsy scars won't be readily viewable outside of prompt 2, but the scar from the reattachment of her arm is on display most of the time if anyone's characters are detail seekers. please feel free to come at me @ miscreates for plotting or other chats! )

[resleeves]

It's what?

[ he can't have heard that right. she has to be fucking putting him on. he has not been kidnapped to some city, had his head shaved, had fucking brain surgery apparently only to be told that his oral fixation is no longer allowed. ]

The hell is the point of making smoking illegal? Of all fucking things. What else can't you do here? Picking up a hooker illegal too?

[ quelle horror. ]

caroline forbes, the vampire diaries.

[gasping]

» arrival (closed to rey)

[ the alley is dark, shaded by towering buildings on either side and the haphazard piling of empty boxes and piled bags of trash. it's not a particularly glamorous place to be dropped off, but given caroline's unfortunate outfit, she's not complaining either.

instead, she's doing her best not to panic. slim fingers drag over her face, through her hair — shoulder-length, she realizes with a bit of surprise, shorter than she remembers it being but not awful either — and then across her teeth. an impulsive check proves fruitful; she's still herself. whatever's been given to her, whatever strange twist of vervain that's swimming through her system and leaving her feeling strangely compelled, hasn't changed that yet.

as her teeth bare, so too do the veins underneath her eyes, twisting and angry. she realizes, with a start, how hungry she is. how long has it been since she'd fed? and on what? she doubts she'll find a blood bank in this alley, no conveniently placed cooler of vampire capri suns just around the corner, but perhaps … something.

a deep inhale doesn't give her much to go on. rats, mostly. her stomach twists, but caroline fights the revulsion. she has to eat. she can be pickier later, once she's got her strength back up.

she's rummaging through a pile of debris when the cracking of glass under a boot catches her attention. before an eye can blink, she's standing, peering in the dark towards the intrusion. ]

Who's there? What do you want?

[ help her, she's new. ]

» safehouse, day one.

[ the safehouse isn't homey, or even welcoming, but it's indoors. underground, it doesn't offer sunlight, which puts caroline at ease, even if she spends too many moments each day fidgeting with her hands, looking for a ring on her index finger that's no longer there.

for the first twelve hours after arriving, caroline stays in her bed. she picks one against a wall, somewhere she can sit with blankets pulled up to her chest for a few hours until sleep takes her. the reality of the situation is overwhelming and miserable to accept, and she needs time to herself to cope with the news before she can manage to dredge up the energy to be positive and helpful for others. she's nervous, too; being compelled to do something hits home for her in a way she doesn't like, and should anyone strike up a conversation with her, they may find her particularly reticent — unless commanded to be chatty. be warned, though; caroline might oblige, but she won't forget. ]

» safehouse, days two-four.

[ as the compulsion drugs wear off and people begin moving around, caroline forces herself to leave the limited comfort of her claimed bed and to make herself useful around the safehouse. with the kitchen fully stocked, she's more than happy to help make meals for anyone who might be hungry; with so many new faces around, the meals and the dirty dishes pile up, both of which require quick action to keep at a manageable level.

she hasn't eaten in some time, so her speed's not quite the blur it could be, but anyone watching might notice that she seems to move at a more rapid pace than your average young adult. strangely, though, she might seem tired even as she zooms from place to place. there's a tiredness in her eyes, an off color to her skin, as if she's been on a starvation diet for longer than she ought to be. her hair lays flat against her head, dry and missing much of the luster that it ought to have, and her eyes don't quite brighten the way they should even when she forces a welcoming smile.

feel free to request a meal, to offer help, or even just to observe. regardless of the time of day or the action currently undertaken, caroline will greet anyone who crosses her field of vision with a warm smile and a cheerful: ] Hi! I'm Caroline. What's your name?

» wildcard

( anything goes! if questions, please pm -- i don't bite! )

riku | kingdom hearts | ota

[inherited]

a. this is no island

[The only thing that's familiar to Riku is the heat: hot and constant, he comes to outside of the transport, stumbling forward without much awareness of his surroundings. He sees shapes—people—but doesn't quite commit them to memory. All he knows is he needs to keep moving. Find out what's going on. How he got away from home. (It's obviously not home: the lack of palm trees and sand give that away.)

Before long, one of the party-goers sweeps an arm around his shoulders and drags him into a nearby tent, giving him a drink with a directive—and it's one that he can't stop. The drink itself is nasty, but he keeps drinking it, taking periodic sips. He's lightheaded before long. Not having control over himself is an unpleasant memory. An unpleasant reminder.

Once the beer is gone, he moves. "Drink that until you're done." That's what the guy said.

So, he's moving, and he's trying to gain control over himself.

Trying—and failing. His fingers clench into a fist, and he draws it close, the pain drawing out a grunt. Light glows from his chest, and he keeps trying, keeps trying to draw on his power.

He's beginning to make a scene.]

b. water, sweet water

[Riku's gotten the full rush of darkness empowering him, but he doesn't know what it's like to drink. Before he can head back to the safehouse, it's a good idea for him to have something to drink. No, not that kind of drink.

His hand comes up to his forehead, rubbing it. At least he's not glowing, but the urge to shift in and out of shadows remains. The slick movement has left him, leaving him feeling slow and sluggish. He doesn't think it's just the drugs (though they aren't helping). And it's not the alcohol, either.]

Hey, do you know where I can get some water? ... They have that here, right?

c. safehouse

[So, this is where he'll be for now—trapped in a tiny room. He can see that there's more to it. A kitchen. A medical room. A large enough bathroom. It's nothing like the islands, and yet it reminds him of it just the same. Riku doesn't resent it. He gets what's going on, but he can't help but keep his eyes open. Watch how people react. Watch who's careful with their words.

i. Eventually, he'll head into the bathroom. Rather than taking a shower—though he has a towel there—he's checking himself out in the mirror. A hair style change yet again. But it's his eyes that have his attention. Nothing is wrong, but still—he had to check. Just in case.

ii. After the dream (he got the second one), he'll wake up with a start. For him, that dream was a nightmare. His stomach twists, and he feels a wave of nausea coming over him. His hand comes over his mouth as he bows his head forward, sweat beading his head.] What was that? [And why did he have so little control?]

d. wildcard

[Riku is quiet and observant, and won't be throwing himself into anything quickly! He'll work out in the safehouse once the drugs have cleared out, and help clean up what he can. There will be a lot of moments where he tries to call upon a power and fails. Like, a lot. He's too used to having them at his disposal. If you're looking to opt out of KH3 spoilers, go here!]

sora top level (kh3 spoilers)

[inherited]

[Marking this and then making another comment so that it collapses.]

peter b. parker | spider-man: into the spider verse

[thwipandrelease]

a. don't think we're in kansas anymore

[one would suppose that coming to in a strange environment was something peter was accustomed to by now, fresh off his latest adventure in miles' world. but, of course, that'd be a no. peter might be groggy, limbs still more than a little heavy, but once the vehicle stops and he's unceremoniously dropped off without an instruction manual, he's not about to hang around in some strange alley to be mistaken for some sort of weird escapee. he looks left. he looks right.]

Think. Think. What would I do?

[sign one of a man seeming like he's out of place? talking to himself. sign two? the wide eyes as he runs a hand through his severely shorn hair, but now's not the time for freakouts. now's the time to get his bearings, and what a better way to do that than to head right into danger without a plan. it's where he does his best thinking, after all.

peter casually enters the crowd, steps made with purpose as he finds himself in a sea of drunk people and lederhosen? this day could not possibly get weirder.

the only plus? he hasn't glitched once.

he takes it back. there's a second plus: food, and right on cue his stomach growls in reply. peter's got no cash, no plastic, no hair (because that is somehow important enough that it bears repeating). it's okay though. he can handle this. it's just the perfect time to turn on the charm.

his target? that person staring questioningly at their plate full of sausage.]

Hey. [he croaks out, voice showing signs of a lengthy period of disuse.] You gonna eat that?

b. home sweet home safehouse

[communal living. the dream. he doesn't have enough fingers to count the number of years that its been since he's shared space with this many people, and in more recent days he's gotten accustomed to living alone. which means he's probably rubbed people the wrong way more than once.

talking too much while others are sleeping? that would be a check. pacing nervously like a caged animal? absolutely. it would help if he could get out for a hot minute, but try as he might, and he's tried a lot, that door isn't budging.

there's no need to threaten him with a tranquilizer though. no, eventually peter settles on his bunk staring up at the ceiling as if it holds the secrets of the universe.]

I don't suppose one of you has a super collider to spare, do you?

[so much for being quiet.]

c. that obligatory choose your own adventure option

[just like it says on the tin. hit me up on discord (burritopeter#1853) or plurk (rambaldis)]

closed to sora

[inherited]

[How did he miss him? It's hard for Riku to retrace those earlier steps. The need to move. To find himself somewhere. He even only has a vague recollection of that beer that he sipped slowly until it was gone. Of course, he recalls the headache he feels now. Maybe he'll be better about that stuff later—but he is just seventeen, and as it turns out, his wild wandering hasn't involved a whole lot of drinking. That's just not his style.

But he did miss him. Miss Sora.

Maybe he hadn't been able to believe it was him. Riku recalls the twist in his stomach as he saw the inevitable come to be: Sora reappearing, hand around Kairi's, and then him fading. The tears on Kairi's face. The knowledge of what his best friend had done, and how Riku himself had stepped back and let it happen. He knew that Sora made up his mind. He couldn't stop him—but hadn't Donald and Goofy said that he listened to Riku? Hadn't they said that? And Riku knew how to awaken someone. He might not be as close to Kairi as they were when they were younger, might not love her the way Sora does, but couldn't he have guided his friend? Protected him?

He knows all of this, but he also knows he can't get swept up in those thoughts. They're dangerous for someone like him. It's better to just come to stand alongside his friend, hand on his shoulder.]

Please tell me you plan on sticking around this time. Ending up in a strange place like this is more your thing than mine. [Riku's worldhops were always more purposeful, more pointed.]

[vns]

Our people out there are scrambling.

[ New Tokyo isn't the same as New Amsterdam, built upon the sturdy foundation of what remained of the Earth. instead, it's a large, man-made structure, a proof of the ingenuity of mankind and how they can rise up above the ruin of the world. whereas the old Japan and its "old" Tokyo was once an island, now it's a megacity built upon the water, with a strip of land that stretches out toward its outer wall. how the monster got there is anyone's guess. she doesn't know.

the ruin itself is at least partly to blame on New Tokyo being man-made. unnatural. though it's built to withstand earthquakes, this was – it was something else. ]

The monster's down, and there aren't any little critters that came with it. That's the only good news. Morningstar operations are –

[ she hesitates. draws in a breath. ]

– let's say they'd like your help.

[ an odd take, most likely. but if there's anyone whose magic could rebuild a city from nothing, it's theirs, right? their otherworldly power? to other cities, they're beginning to have a bit of mythmaking going on, and Morningstar's foundational groups aren't immune to it. ]

[vns]

Worse.

[ by now, Stephen is seen as one of the few who's earned full trust from Gaby. he doesn't try to push an agenda on her. and he's helped her when her own discipline and self control went out the window.

(it helps that he respected her wishes in more than one way. saw her as a person.) ]

They seemed to think we enabled your success with this last go around.

[vns]

I'm fine.

[ stressed. tired of being looked to as a figurehead. Gaby just wanted to save some people and do some fucking good, and she happened to be on assignment – well, this is a different kind of good.

the world is going to shit. ]

They want your help. I'm not trying to discredit you, but I don't think there's much you can do at this stage.

[ not because they couldn't, if they knew in advance.

they could.

it's too late, so it's a call of desperation. ]

003

[thwipandrelease]

[did someone say potatoes? peter's favorite food group is potatoes, or well, any carb really, but potatoes are definitely top 3. clearly he's not alone in that sentiment as he has the luck of spotting laura's first bite. i'll have what she's having he thinks as he goes to fill his own plate.

there's no shortage of seats, but he ought to make nice with the rest of the safehouse's residents, which is why he plunks down at same table. after shoveling a forkful in his mouth, he offers this nugget of unsolicited commentary.]

You doing okay there? Should I leave you alone with your potatoes?

[he probably should've at least waited until he'd finished swallowing, though. gross.]

[rehandle]

[ oh. well, that puts paid to his brief moment of levity. ]

What do they want, a team on loan?

[ dear god, please let this world not be the harbinger of the Avengers 2.0. it's the first time in a while that Tony Stark has been brought so violently to mind, and he's never been quite so glad not to have him here.

Thor's still around, though. and if there's a monster to slay, he's not going to say no. ]

[revlon]

[ She's read up on the monster attack that hit this city, weeks before her time. She knows their group took it down and the evidence was erased, but it's clear the story remains — and has spread beyond the walls of New Amsterdam. That shouldn't surprise her but it does, a little; enough to elicit a pause, a curious glance. ]

Our help, [ she repeats after a beat. ] The displaced. [ Her brows knit. ] Even if we could get over there, what makes them think we're... ah, [ with a hand to her chest, ] It's this, isn't it? They know. But they don't necessarily understand.

002

[saviorexe]

[Markus takes it upon himself to keep the first aid room stocked and organized when he does visit the safehouse — usually like clockwork, when they’ve a new wave of arrivals on their hands. He arrives at a closed door, however, with first aid kits stacked in his arms, kept easily balanced, quietly determining whether or not to walk in and interrupt a (familiar) voice in the middle of conversation, or to wait.

Gaby makes his decision for him soon after. The door opens and the android is there to meet her, his demeanor as still as ever.

Just 'cause it happened here doesn't mean I know what the fuck to do. Easy to guess at what she references, if one’s kept an eagle eye on local news feeds today.]

You all right?

[There are questions to come, but this is the first one that slides past his lips, viewing stress on her features.]

sora | kingdom hearts | ota (kh3 spoiler warning!)

[lighthearted]

i. arrival / oktoberfest

[ When Sora comes to, it's slowly, the thrum of something moving beneath him and the sensation that there are people around him helping him to wake up. He's always struggled a little with waking up, some might say, but the most alarming thing in this case is that he doesn't remember going to sleep, or how he got here. Wherever here is.

His eyes open and he sees four people in heavy gear sitting across from him. His head continues to spin as he realizes that this is a vehicle of some sort, and that he's being taken somewhere. He wants to speak up, to ask what's going on and where he's going, but he can't seem to get the words out.

Then the van stops, the back doors open, and before he knows it he's being hauled to his feet and told to get out. He complies without really thinking about it (but why?), and almost as soon as his feet hit the concrete, the doors shut and the van is gone, leaving him alone and in a daze.

The last thing he can remember is going after Kairi, which really doesn't explain anything about his situation. The warnings he'd been given float in the back of his mind as he stumbles to the alley's exit and onto the sidewalk. Is this San Fransokyo? Judging by the skyscrapers surrounding him, that would be his guess, but this isn't a part of the city that he recognizes. Unless he's followed the lich here and Kairi's heart is somewhere...

That doesn't explain the van, or the people who threw him out of it, or the way that his head feels too light. Sora puts a hand to his temple and then realizes that his hair is much shorter than it should be. What's going on?

With no other leads to go on, he ends up following the noise of what sounds like a party. It isn't hard to find the festivities, and once he determines that the people there can see him and this is somehow actually real, he decides he needs to ask someone for help. Or at least for some answers.

He ends up following his stomach (because he's starving) toward one of the food stalls. He orders some scalloped potatoes and a sausage, only realizing the problem when he's asked for payment and pats the pockets of the jeans he's wearing (no idea how he got into this outfit) to find that he's got no munny. ]

Sorry, nevermind, I can't afford it. But, uh... can you tell me where I am? I think I'm a little lost.

[ A little help, here? ]

ii. safehouse

a. [ Now that Sora's made it safely back to the safehouse and has a slightly better idea of what's going on, it's time to make up for what he'd failed to do earlier, and get something to eat. The safehouse is only so big, but he makes sure to explore every room and get himself familiar with the layout before he finishes his exploration in the kitchen.

While the fridge is fully stocked, and even has some filets of fish and other seafood that looks good, he's not sure if he has the energy to try and cook right now. Would he even be any good at it without Remy's guidance? He's not so sure.

But then he spots a container holding what looks like bugs and his eyes go wide. Tentatively, he reaches out for the container and holds it up in front his face to get a better look, before turning to face whoever just entered the room. ]

Do... people actually eat these?


b. [ Now that Sora's had some time to rest and get settled, he needs to make more of an effort to summon the Keyblade. Even though he's already been told that his previous powers are gone and have been replaced with something else (but what?), he has to try. He decides to go to the small infirmary, where no one else is at the moment, to do what he's already been told is a bad idea.

The Keyblade isn't supposed to just leave its wielder like this, and Sora can't understand how anyone would be able to strip him of that power.

So he holds his hand out, willing the Keyblade to form with every bit of his concentration, but still all he gets for his trouble is that burning pain in his chest. Instead of letting that deter him, he continues to push the issue until he ends up on his hands and knees on the floor, gasping for air with sweat beading at his hairline.

Is this a punishment for the reckless way that he'd handled the Power of Waking? Is he no longer worthy of the Keyblade? Or should he accept what everyone else has told him?

Either way, he isn't ready for someone to come across him in such a compromised position. ]


c. [ Sora's been directed to a large bin with clothing in it and told that he can pick out an outfit or two to wear for the immediate future. Most of the shirts and pants have holes, tears, or stains that don't make them all that appealing, but it looks like he's stuck in a position of "beggars can't be choosers."

It might only be a small thing, but it also means that he doesn't have the funds to buy anything else he might need during his time on this world. With no gummiphone, no access to the gummi ship, and no real sense of how he got here, it seems like he and Riku are stuck here for the moment.

With a sigh, he glances over at whoever happens to be standing nearby. ]

So if I want to buy some better clothes, I have to get a job?

[ Apparently there's no Heartless here, which means that earning munny has become a lot more difficult. Being a Keyblade wielder had been his job, but now he doesn't have that. ]


d. [ Sora's fast asleep on one of the cots and probably even snoring a little (it had been a long day) when the dream starts. Instead of getting jolted awake, he remains asleep through most of it: the fog, the long walk up a hill, that sense of being drawn to something, the bridge that he has the bravery to walk over even after it disappears.

He's had to enter places filled with light before, and doesn't hesitate to move toward the structure. Maybe this is what will take him home, just like it did once before.

But then he awakens to more pain in his chest, and flails so violently that he ends up falling off of the cot and onto the floor.

Taking a few seconds to get his bearings, he realizes that his sudden awakening must have woken up someone else. He stares up at them from the floor, somehow still managing to be sheepish. ]

Sorry... I had a really weird dream.

[ Not the first time, but the chest pain is definitely new. Maybe he tried to summon his Keyblade instinctively? ]

iii. wildcard

[ If you want to do anything not covered here or want a specific starter, I'm game! You can PM me or hit me up at demonology. Also, my spoiler opt-out post is here. ]

[windowsills]

For Alex, please!

[batricide]

dream a dream you little bleep