larkers: (pic#12386243)
MEADOWLARK MODS ([personal profile] larkers) wrote in [community profile] meadowlarklogs2019-09-08 12:26 pm

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 [profile] 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!

inherited: (ultimate spider-man was good)

[personal profile] inherited 2019-09-17 10:53 pm (UTC)(link)
[Things that Riku knows Roxas enjoys:

1. Skateboarding.
2. Ice cream.
3. Axel.
4. Xion.

It's a short list, and at least one fourth of it is dedicated to a life that Roxas only thinks he lived. So getting him a gift at all is difficult. What if he gets him the wrong thing? What if it isn't taken well? It doesn't help that Riku's mind is already mixed up following their time in Zerzura, what with how Sora and Nill both processed him. Sora seems okay, but it's still ... strange. At least with Nill it is.

And then there's Roxas.

Well, anyway. He trots closer, reaching into his Santaku bag.]


I got something for you.
recompleted: (pic#13296573)

[personal profile] recompleted 2019-09-18 06:31 pm (UTC)(link)
[He's lost in thought, considering and discarding ideas in his mind, and he only registers Riku's presence a second or two before he speaks. When he does, he's expecting a heads-up that it's time for dinner or someone needs him downstairs or another catastrophic event has occurred.

Gifts aren't on his list of possibilities.]


You did? Crap.

[That's...not gracious.]

I mean—that's not what I meant.
inherited: (the end of kh2 pose)

[personal profile] inherited 2019-09-19 07:25 pm (UTC)(link)
Hey, I can probably return it if you don't like it. [Riku had ended up using most of his money to buy these presents for the people he cares about—or cares about and is incredibly awkward about, like Roxas. Yes, that's mostly Roxas.

After a beat, he pulls out a helmet, covered in packaging. It's clearly meant to be used for skateboarding and the like.]


We aren't as durable here. I thought it would help once you get moving again.

[He's holding it out, though it's tempting to yank it back and hold it over Roxas' head like a jerk.

He won't.

But—still. Very tempting.]
recompleted: (pic#13296571)

[personal profile] recompleted 2019-09-21 12:20 am (UTC)(link)
[Roxas has never received a gift before, but he's pretty sure shoving it back in Riku's arms and telling him to take it back would be pretty rude. Besides, he doesn't want to.

It takes him a moment to register the meaning of the helmet, Riku's words. He doesn't even have a skateboard yet and he never used a helmet when he did ride one. But they've all had to make adjustments in this world—they can be for something fun, too.]


It's really cool. Now I just have to get something to go with it.

[But he can handle that. Just gotta get a little munny.]

Thank you.
inherited: (they are creatures of darkness)

[personal profile] inherited 2019-09-21 06:40 pm (UTC)(link)
[Now begins the process of hiding his relief that he picked the right thing. The look on Roxas' face says it all: he didn't mess this up too badly. Good. He nods his head, inwardly breathing a sigh of relief at the same time.

Actually, it seems like he did okay.]


You're welcome. I wasn't sure if you were looking at boards yet, but that seemed like a thing you should do yourself.

[A helmet—especially knowing the size of Sora's head in proportion to Roxas', and all of that involved—is a much more neutral gift.]
recompleted: (pic#13296609)

[personal profile] recompleted 2019-09-23 02:30 am (UTC)(link)
[Riku almost looks surprised that he likes it, but Roxas can't imagine why. It's great. Well, not great, because what would be great is if they had access to cure spells and he didn't need a helmet. But it's pretty close.]

A little, yeah. Haven't picked one out yet.

[He's never bought one before. He just...had it, in the simulated town. A good memory, even if not much else about that time was good.]

Man, you beat me to it. I haven't figured out what to get anyone yet.
inherited: (the end of kh2 pose)

[personal profile] inherited 2019-09-23 09:31 pm (UTC)(link)
Don't worry about that. I don't think you're the only one. [While the two of them had a heart to heart, Riku isn't exactly in a position where he's keen to explain why he focused on shopping of all things.] Getting back from Zerzura hasn't been easy on a lot of people.
recompleted: (pic#13296594)

[personal profile] recompleted 2019-09-24 12:57 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah. It's not easy, having everything settle back into place...sifting through what's real and what's not.

[Most of the time, when the subject of painful experiences from their mutual past comes up, Roxas doesn't try to rub it in but definitely doesn't try to sugarcoat things either. This time, though, he hopes it doesn't sting Riku. He doesn't mean it in a bad way; it's just a feeling he understands very, very well.]

But it's also that I just don't know what to get. We didn't do holidays in the Organization. Or gifts. Or vacation days, except once. [He smiles a lopsided smile.] Bet you're shocked about that.
inherited: (S M I L E)

[personal profile] inherited 2019-09-25 12:32 am (UTC)(link)
Not really. They needed you guys working, and didn't care to teach you anything else. [In addition, it's not like Axel has the ability to really teach anyone anything like that. He'd probably drop the balls or brush it off or—whatever. That wouldn't go well.]

To tell you the truth, I don't even know what I want. Aside from my keyblade, I guess. But that's right here waiting. [Riku motions to his heart, fingers brushing lightly over the outside of his shirt.]
recompleted: (pic#13296549)

[personal profile] recompleted 2019-09-29 11:27 pm (UTC)(link)
[It's true enough. Once upon a time, he'd thought them comrades who worked together for a common goal; even if they weren't friends, they had that in common.

Ah, well.]


It's weird, isn't it? Knowing it's still there...but not being able to reach it. [So close and so far.] But it's not the sort of thing that Christmas presents are supposed to be anyway, right? Come on, there's got to be something you like doing just for fun.
inherited: (i sit)

[personal profile] inherited 2019-10-01 03:26 am (UTC)(link)
Ya know, I'm gonna have to think about it. [It's in this moment that Riku realizes how much of his childhood he wasted away on his obsessions and desire to leave. Sure, he likes to swim and spar and race Sora, but none of those things hold up very well as Christmas presents. He was so driven by his dream of going elsewhere that he began to lose his grip on himself.

And now? What's he done for months here? He's had sweets. But he's focused on others rather than himself.]


I wore one of those stupid coats for a long time. Maybe that sucks all the fun outta you.
recompleted: (pic#13296551)

[personal profile] recompleted 2019-10-24 02:49 am (UTC)(link)
[Roxas nods. Fair enough. He's still doing plenty of thinking on what he wants to give.]

Hey, ouch. Don't forget that's all I wore for an entire year.

[He'd agree when it comes to a lot of his former comrades, but he likes to think he, Axel and Xion are at least a little fun.]
inherited: (i'm willing to accept it)

[personal profile] inherited 2019-10-24 10:42 pm (UTC)(link)
Explains a lot, actually. Maybe it's a good thing you're gonna get back into skateboarding.

[Never mind the connotations for why he got into it in the first place. They talked. He can joke now.]
recompleted: (pic#13296542)

[personal profile] recompleted 2019-10-29 02:26 am (UTC)(link)
Thanks.

[He actually laughs. It's fine. They're fine.]

You ever try it?
inherited: (S M I L E)

[personal profile] inherited 2019-10-29 06:58 pm (UTC)(link)
No. But I'd like to. It seems like a good way to practice some of the movement I picked up during my exam. Some of it doesn't hold here, but that just means I need to find a new way to do it.

[Riku is also That Guy who would be showy on a skateboard. Don't doubt it.]