meadowlarklogs | EVENT #006 AFTERMATH LOG

Entry tags:

EVENT #006 AFTERMATH LOG

WHO: Everyone
WHERE: New Amsterdam
WHEN: December 19th to the end of the month.
WHAT: Event aftermath, Winter Solstice, Christmas.
NOTES OR WARNINGS: Character death, self-sacrifice, drug use. Further notes at end of log.

> EVENT #006 AFTERMATH LOG

Zerzura's demise is a very near miss. Three out of four of the bombs detonate, with numerous Mycenaean guards' lives taken as a result of the assault. It's probable—even likely—that numerous Displaced were injured as a result of this attack. Just as the last bomb seemed likely to go off, everything stopped. As in: the scene ended, shifting, putting all of the Displaced to sleep. Zerzura won't end. Or will it?

The return from Zerzura will feel like waking up from a long nap. Instead of anyone waking up in their beds, they will find themselves on the ground beside the man-made river that runs down the center of New Amsterdam. The ground beneath them will be moist with recent rainfall. Anyone who was still in the throes of a fantasy and believing themselves to be a part of Zerzura will find themselves tossed out of that existence. Anyone who died at the precipice of the spear will still recall their actions vividly: their mind and body hitting a point in which it was finite, slipping away. There may be some room for doubt regarding their deaths. After all, they're very much alive now.

There are two constants among the Displaced when they observe themselves and others: that all of their chests are glowing with that familiar blue glow, and they'll all experience a feeling of serenity. This feeling won't come from any of the Displaced themselves. Much like the intrusion of the empathy bond, it will feel as if it's coming from elsewhere. The problem is that it's always there: there is no way of disconnecting, at least for now. The good news is that the serenity will begin to fade within the next day, and with it, the blue glow will go away as well.

All of the Displaced can't remain at the riverside. If they linger too long, it will begin to rain again. The rain itself will only be a light misting against their faces at first, before turning into a heavier downfall. If they're wary of returning to their lives initially because of the blue glow, they'll soon find that the people of New Amsterdam seem to look away from them as they trot through the city to return to their lives. This is a temporary sensation, seeming to have overtaken the city's citizens for the time being. Within a day or two, the blue glow will be met with the same paranoia that was fostered by the UN following the abduction of Kurt Fischer.

What can they do now? Aside from the feeling of serenity, little will have immediately changed for the Displaced. The best thing they can do is try to return to their lives as if Zerzura never happened.

Some things to check in with, though?

WORK. Upon realizing that the Displaced disappeared yet again, El worked overtime to make sure that all of the Displaced wouldn't lose their jobs. After all, that would mean they'd likely have to give up their housing, and Morningstar would need to financially step in to help. Not all of the places of employment will accept these excuses, especially since El can't put together a doctor's note without it promptly being verified as falsified. It's ultimately up to anyone's discretion over whether their character lost their job.

CHANGES. Some of the changes will appear out of nowhere: a dream that's shared, or a memory that's passed on rather unwillingly. It's time to explore what's happened, and even theorize as to why this has happened. And those objects that were the core of remembering who they were, back in Zerzura? They're permanent fixtures from now on. And what about those Union Attacks? For now, they may have an interesting place in the fighting rings. Time to convince the people running those shows to start including doubles matches.

PLANT LIFE. All around New Amsterdam, plants will begin to grow. These plants are varied, and they'll make an appearance anywhere that they might be allowed to grow. Is that a sink that's frequently full of water? Now it's mysteriously stopped up by a plant that's growing through the pipes. While all this plant life may seem like a miracle, having plants growing in every part of the city will quickly prove to be a problem.

HOLIDAY SEASON. The good news about everyone's trip to Zerzura is that they didn't miss Christmas—or rather, the December 25th edition of it. The city is still covered in Christmas trees and ornamentation. The stadium is still hosting a holiday market.

> WINTER SOLSTICE

In the days leading up to the Winter Solstice, there will be an uptick of paintings around New Amsterdam hinting as to where this year's party will be held: Sunpeak Garden. While there won't be any official notice, anyone interested or curious is free to visit this location on the day of the Solstice (December 21st) to see what's going on, and it will go on for the next three days, ending on the morning of the 24th. As they draw closer to the location itself, they'll find the botanical garden secured by a large, overarching tent, preventing rainfall from getting into the garden itself. On the air, there will be the scent of something being smoked—which they'll soon learn is a set of goats that seem to have been acquired by whoever put on this shindig.

Unlike many other events around New Amsterdam, this seems to be more private in nature. There is an unspoken understanding that beyond the paintings, there will be no social media posts. Inside of the garden, there will be a lot of plants and decorations carefully molded into sacred geometric shapes. Despite the unofficial nature, whoever put this event together definitely spent their time doing it. This Solstice party isn't a spontaneous thing, and anyone who goes will hear about the previous parties and how the proprietor does his best to make everyone happy.

Anyone who went to the Harvest Festival or Insomniac's Ball will see a lot of the same people working it, complete with some familiar tattoos. They'll be eager to welcome in any of the Displaced, especially any of the ones who tend to be featured in the shrines around the city.

Once everyone's here, they're welcome to enjoy themselves. Under some of the canopies of trees, there will be beds and futons, giving people places to rest. Some of these will be claimed, so anyone who's eager to stick around for a few days might want to get dibs. Otherwise? It's time to enjoy what's been put together:

FEAST. There will be a feast for the next three days. Aside from the smoked goats, there will be a lot of goat cheese and vegetables. These are the people who put on the harvest festival, after all. There will be a lot of pickled vegetables out on tables, salads, and everything else. Aside from cheese for snacking, anyone can partake in some delicious berries (strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries) and nuts (walnuts, pecans, peanuts, and almonds—despite the difficulty in getting most of these in New Amsterdam). There will also be figs, because of course there are figs.

FLOWER CROWNS. To go with the more laidback flair of this event, there will be flower crowns available for everyone. They will look more Christmas-like in spirit, like small little wreaths to go on everyone's heads.

ALCOHOL. Of course, what kind of Solstice or Yule event would it be without alcohol to imbibe? There will be mulled wine available, as well as the delicious apple-flavored beverage of wassail. It seems as if these two things never run out. For anyone avoiding alcohol, there will also be some sparkling grape juice and apple juice.

PSYCHEDELICS. Undoubtedly also inspired by Yule celebrations of old, anyone can partake in some species-specific (and at a safe dosage) amanita. Primarily available as a tea, anyone can drink this pleasant beverage and have a good time together.

MISTLETOE. There will be spots all around the botanical garden where the decorators took good care to make the mistletoe stand out. Surrounded by little lights, no one will be able to miss them. That means they can be easily avoided, if that's what someone would prefer!

BALL PROPRIETOR. While he's not hiding that he put this on, he's just as mysterious as before. If anyone wants to catch his eye at this event, they can. They'll need to stand out to get him to talk to them. To do this, reply below! Ball will definitely be interested in any Displaced trying to catch his eye, but it's still up to them to go through the motions.

> CHRISTMAS

As the Solstice party comes to an end, it'll be time to focus on Christmas itself. Around New Amsterdam, this is a deeply commercial holiday. Since most of New Amsterdam's citizens prefer to celebrate Sinterklaas, the day of Christmas itself largely emphasizes purchasing access to Christmas movies and giving gifts to anyone who had been forgotten earlier in the month. For new couples, Christmas Eve acts as a romantic occasion, giving them the chance to spend some time alone. Restaurants around the city will have Christmas Eve and Christmas Day specials and feasts—though these will be very expensive to enjoy.

> GRINCH INTERLUDE

Once reports start to hit the news about the rapidly healing atmosphere, a strange cypher begins to appear in the replies of people's posts on Cooltalk. This misfire appears at random and without a pattern. While some of the Displaced will get hit on their Cooltalks, they won't be among the majority by any means. How to get ahold of 100342? A reply might do the trick, or it might not. Drop a message in the questions thread with ideas!

Then again, this message more of a simple response to a slight than anything else, most likely recognizable to the displaced, who are familiar with the cipher's formula:

200805 02011414051819 1506 200805 11091407 1506 08051212 04180123 031215190518
200805 02011414051819 1506 200805 11091407 1506 08051212 04180123 031215190518
200805 02011414051819 1506 200805 11091407 1506 08051212 04180123 031215190518
200805 02011414051819 1506 200805 11091407 1506 08051212 04180123 031215190518
200805 02011414051819 1506 200805 11091407 1506 08051212 04180123 031215190518
200805 02011414051819 1506 200805 11091407 1506 08051212 04180123 031215190518
200805 02011414051819 1506 200805 11091407 1506 08051212 04180123 031215190518
200805 02011414051819 1506 200805 11091407 1506 08051212 04180123 031215190518
200805 02011414051819 1506 200805 11091407 1506 08051212 04180123 031215190518

> FINAL OOC NOTES

Welcome back to the world of New Amsterdam proper, Larkers! This will act as the mingle log for the month of September since we didn't receive any applications this month. In order to plot out some aftermath, please head over to the CR Meme for the month of September! Our September calendar and Event #006 Aftermath are also up for perusing.

If you'd like to get your character in touch with Ball, please reply to the comment below with how they'd like to stand out! Ball, like all of our NPCs, will act as a means to an end to uncover plot details. With the gates excursion on the horizon, we wanted to make him available for all of the playerbase. Due to time constraints, this means that Gaby won't be available for this log.

If you have any questions about event aftermath, please hit the thread on the Aftermath Post here. If you have any questions about this log, go to the questions thread on this post!

> NAVIGATION

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

› i want to change the world, instead i sleep (closed to hope)

[ caroline dies. she's died before, but unlike being smothered to death by someone bearing the face of your childhood best friend, this variety of death had involved conscious, deliberate choice. she hadn't wanted to die, but she'd known with almost blinding clarity that she needed to. that she deserved it, both as punishment for the lives she'd taken in zerzura and as a sort of rebirth for the life she wanted to live should new amsterdam survive.

and then she'd woken up, her face pressed into the ground, the sound of the river running under the ice echoing in her head, feeling exhausted but no worse for wear. definitely not dead. she's not sure what else to think, though. so, at first, she doesn't think anything at all.

she pulls herself up, dusts herself off, and goes home. she pulls on a familiar grey shirt and wraps herself in it, and waits for hope to come find her in her cocoon of sadness in her room. nobody else allowed. ]

› all we can do is keep breathing (open)

[ she can't hide in her apartment forever. she'd like to, but lingering in her apartment, staring out of the windows at the dreary rain that's begun to envelop the city, helps no one.

so she goes to the solstice party, because what else is she supposed to do? sunpeak garden is beautiful, filled to the brim with beautiful flowers and plants, and even with the ache in her chest, caroline can't help but appreciate it. someone places a flower crown on her head, ivy and berries and deep red flowers the color of blood a bright contrast to her soft blonde hair; in turn, caroline offers to braid and twist anyone's hair that might like it. for a while, it's easy to find her sat on the corner of a futon, a line of new amsterdam natives and displaced alike waiting patiently for their turn. each girl (or guy!) that leaves sports a beautiful style of braid and curl, each a little different. it's not much, but it's something to do.

of course, as the night goes on and the party drags on, caroline finds herself aching for something familiar. for something that feels like a party back home — for something that excites. so, as the sky turns inky black from night, caroline can be found nursing alternating cups of varying spiked beverages (gluwein, glogg, wassail; she's not picky and the bartenders aren't stingy) and amanita, her cheeks progressively redder as the night goes on. maybe she doesn't feel happy, but this is a close second.

perhaps you'd like to commisserate with her. ]

› wildcard

[ choose your own adventure. drop me a line at semicolons / quake#2740 or via pm if you have questions/concerns! ]

[ he's not actively avoiding her because he thought she was dead. he thought she was dead because he'd gotten a message from jyn, delivering a message filled with words that...ripped him open and left a gaping wound in their wake.

those weren't words that should be delivered through another person. those were words meant for face to face interactions, for private conversations and quiet emotions. not for this. not for what he'd gotten.

but she'd died except marcos was staring at her right now, looking very much alive. she was drinking and there were wisps of hair tickling her face. her cheeks were red, eyes bright and all he can think about is that she'd died.

after making him promise to stay, after saving his life, she'd died and left him with an open wound. everyone left him. no one wanted to stay no matter what he did.

he stares at her for so long his eyes water but it's not for lack of blinking. he is not going to cry. he's so angry, so angry at so many things and she is included in those things so he swipes at his eyes and contemplates leaving. he doesn't know if he's ready for this.

but, his feet don't move and he just glares. ]

[ marcos doesn't leave but caroline doesn't see him. her eyes are glassy, unfocused as she sways to the music; the combination of the who-knows-how-many cups of punch and wine and cider she's had and the buzzy, mind-twisting amanita tea leaves her feeling like she's in the middle of a starfield, unaware of much of what's going on around her.

but then: someone bumps into her, and her cups drop, and she's nudged this way and that way until she finally comes to a stop against something very sturdy. or someone, apparently. someone who catches her before she falls, someone who's hands feel familiar against her skin, someone who bears the all-too-familiar scent of burned ozone —

— and all the pleasantness of her night drops out, as her mind and her vision and her entire awareness focuses on him. her throat feels tight, her head begins to swim, her chest aches, but caroline doesn't jerk away. ]

Marcos.

[ there's a million things she wants to do, a hundred things she wants to say, but she doesn't do any of them. instead, she just stares up at him, eyes wide, waiting for him to break the silence. ]

[ he's going to break the silence but it's not going to be with anything she likes. ]

Nothing to say? [ while his eyebrows go up, his tone is low, rough. ] Maybe I should call Jyn over and you can tell her and she'll tell me.

[ he lets go of her, unwilling for her to feel anything from him even though it wouldn't be hard to guess. not with how he looks and sounds. ]

I —

[ there are words she wants to say, of course there are. and she nearly says them, too, until his follow-up cuts through the silence with the sharpest tone she's ever heard him use, and caroline's eyes well up almost immediately. her mouth shuts, quick and pained; her feet pull her back, leaving a bubble between them that hasn't been there in many months.

it hurts. to hear him speak to her that way, to have him look at her the way he does now. of course it hurts. but maybe she deserves this. maybe this is the punishment she was signing up for, not death. death was easy, quick; this was something she'd have to carry, an ache that wouldn't simply go away.

and why shouldn't he? he knew what she was. he knew what she did. why shouldn't he hate her for it? ]

Okay.

[ he lets her go, and she honestly expects to watch him walk away. ]

Okay? Okay? Is that all you're really going to say to me?

[ he's incredulous and upset, anger mixing with hurt to cause an uncomfortable ache deep in his gut. he wants an explanation, he wants to know why she said what she said, if it was just because she was going to die.

he wants to know if she'd known she was going to do that when he'd last seen her and just hadn't told him. ]

You died and I had to hear about it through someone else! I had to know you died and you left me with —

[ confusion. anger. upset. ] You left.

I didn't want to leave you!

[ it explodes out of her, defensive and sad and hurt all at once, the words loud and echoing even through the party. she doesn't care, though. tears brim on her cheeks, barely spilled; caroline wipes them away with the back of her hands as she glares at him, daring him to correct her. ]

I had to! Somebody had to! Or we would have all died there, and I — I couldn't! I couldn't let you —

[ couldn't let you die when you have to go back to her. that thickness in her throat again, that swell of pain and anger and self-righteousness, stops her. she has to swallow again, force it down. ]

I just wanted you to know, that's all. I didn't know I'd — I didn't think I'd get the chance...

[ they're making a scene but he doesn't care. people can stare. he's raw and vulnerable and trying desperately to put his guard up so he can hide some of that. ]

Couldn't let me what? Make a decision on my own? Go with you? See you before you decided that your life was expendable? Tell me. Tell me what you couldn't let me do. Tell me what choice you were taking away from me.

[ his words are hurried, clipped and he starts gesturing, agitated and angry movements of his fingers and wrists. ]

I shouldn't have heard that from anyone but you. You shouldn't have sacrificed yourself, Caroline. You're worth more than that!

Do you think I had the chance? Do you think the universe would have given me a time out to come find you and say goodbye? [ she did not, and was not given one. ] And that I wouldn't have come to you first if I could have?

[ how dare he. how dare he imply that she didn't care about him or that she didn't think of him — he was all she thought about as she died, and this is the thanks she gets? ]

You were always going to leave! You were always going back to your daughter, and I wasn't going to stop you! I told you that!

[ and this, the choice she made, was for that. it was for everyone, but it was for him too. ]

I asked Jyn to tell you because I didn't get the chance. I wanted to tell you... I've wanted to... I just —

[ was scared. of this, really. of loss. of being alone. of the sinking, miserable knowledge in her stomach that monsters don't get happy endings. ]

caroline forbes › both closed & open prompts

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