EVENT #006 AFTERMATH LOG

[larkers]

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

Comments

[flyfightwin]

People are dicks. Doesn't matter if they're people on earth or from space. I've seen too much of it to pretend otherwise.

[yes. very helpful, carol. she takes a deep breath. it's a hard conversation to have. she's not from a world where people can die over and over.]

Literally or metaphorically? [because the transition from carol to vers to carol again felt a whole lot like dying.]

If we're talking literally, just the one time in that crappy world where you were an accomplished writer. If we're speaking metaphorically, I'd say another two times. People don't do that where I'm from. Death is final. You don't come back form it.

And yet, that's what I'm trying to do, if I ever get back... There's so many people who didn't deserve to die. I have to bring them back.

[resleeves]

Death is final but you're trying to go against death?

[ how very superhero of her. it was kind of cute even if he knows it is possible to beat death. just had to find the right tech. ]

And how in the hell do you plan on doing that? Magic?

[flyfightwin]

I've been told my whole life that lots of things were impossible and yet I managed to defy them.

[call it heroic. call it stubborn. call it stupid. call it whatever he wants. in her word they can't beat death, and even if they could've... what thanos did changed all that.]

The alien who killed off half of all life in my universe used the power from some magical stones placed in a gauntlet. When I get back, I'm going to find him, take back the stones, and use that power to bring everyone back.

I know it sounds insane, but if you could bring back your family, wouldn't you?

[resleeves]

Fuck no.

[ his family was kind of fucked the fuck up. would he bring them back? maybe. but would it be smart? no. bringing his father back would be the worst goddamn idea. reileen would kill everyone. so, what's the point? ]

But, I might be a little biased. My family was not like most families.

[flyfightwin]

[touchy subject. she gets it. her actual family was garbage. she wasn't sure if they were alive or dead or gone in the snap. she could appreciate his answer. but when carol had said family, she was thinking of just a handful of people. two women in louisiana and a man who'd trusted her when he had no reason to.]

Every family's got problems. But I wasn't talking about the people who brought me into this world.

I was talking about the family you choose. You've gotta have a few people who fall into that category, right? I've met a lot of strong, solitary types, even they have people that they lean on.

Everyone's got a few people who're close to them. [a team. a pack. whatever.]

[resleeves]

Don't have those either.

[ now that was a lie. he had a few people like that. quell, ortega, maybe vernon and ava. but, he refuses to classify them as family because that just means they'll die.

or die again in quell's case. he sighs and shakes his head. ]

Easier to be alone. I die, no one's sad. Someone else dies, I don't get sad. Much easier.

[flyfightwin]

Oh so you're the exception to the rule that no man's an island, huh?

[if carol were a millennial she'd say 'sounds fake but okay'. instead, her tone and the tilt of her head do it for her.]

Sounds like a really lonely existence. Easier sure, but not exactly fulfilling.

[resleeves]

Wasn't out for fulfilling. I was out for money.

[ that's lie but what the fuck ever. ]

Money was what fulfilled me. Didn't need a fucking family who could just let you down.

[flyfightwin]

Anyone ever tell you you've got a lot of issues, buddy?

[because she's about two steps from telling him that he 'doth protest too much'.]

[resleeves]

I know I do.

[ he shrugs. ]

Never said I was some sort of fucking saint. I live how I live.

[flyfightwin]

No. You're very upfront that you're not a law abiding citizen.

[she's not convinced that all these drugs are legal, but maybe they are. she should probably figure that out, if she's going to actually be a cop. probably shouldn't mention that out loud.]

So... when you're not not breaking laws and you're not writing books, what do you do?

[resleeves]

I help a friend out with his business enterprise.

[ he helped jason out with the gangs. ]

What about you? What kinds of things have you been focusing on since you got out of that building?

[flyfightwin]

Interesting...

[vague answers don't necessarily mean anything, but...]

Trying to unravel the mess we're in. Moving out of the safehouse.
Finding something to do that's not just spending my government-issued living stipend.

I can't exactly tell people I used to be a soldier in an elite alien militia, but the skills should come in handy all the same. I know my way around a gun. Figure there's only a few ways I can actually have one legally.

[resleeves]

Cop?

[ eugh. ]

My favorite type of people. [ E U G H. ] Such bastions of good sense and helpfulness.

[flyfightwin]

Yeah. Probably.

[his disdain is pretty apparent. shame. they were getting along mostly well this go around.]

What do you have against cops, exactly? They're just doing their jobs.

[resleeves]

Really? All of them? All of them are just doing their fucking jobs?

[ stop being so idealistic, carol. ]

You can't believe that.

[flyfightwin]

No. I don't. Every organization has people who have their own agendas or are working at cross purposes.

[she's a good person who wants to do good. she's not an idiot.]

You seem especially anti-law enforcement though. What'd they do? Throw you in jail for your big mouth?

[resleeves]

Threw me in jail for killing some people.

[ you asked, carol. ]

But, they were going to throw me in jail no matter who I killed. I just happened to take out some bad men.

[flyfightwin]

I wish I could say I was surprised.

[what? he's big and his hands look like giant tools of murder.]

On all of the fronts, actually. Not just that I could see you killing someone. You're not killing anyone here are you?

Actually. Might be better if you don't tell me. I'm not the type to turn a blind eye even if the situation isn't black and white.

[resleeves]

I haven't killed anyone in...like a week.

[ no, it had been much longer than that. he half smiles, shrugs. ]

I'm on the road of the righteous, what can I say? Turning over a new leaf and everything.

[flyfightwin]

[it's not that funny, but carol finds herself laughing in spite of it all. she'll blame it on the drugs. it certainly can't be that she finds him a little more tolerable than she did before.]

You should get yourself one of those signs which updates each day you don't kill someone.

If you're really that committed.

[resleeves]

Yeah, but then that makes it real and I have to really be on my best behavior and I hate that shit.

[ he might need to kill someone and that sign might make him hesitate and then someone might kill him and that shit would just not be cool. ]

Maybe in a century when I'm ready to settle down and retire. Or maybe not.

[flyfightwin]

A century. What are you? Immortal?

[how old is he? just because she's met thor doesn't mean she's used to the idea of people living longer than average human lifespans.]

[resleeves]

Something like that.

[ he doesn't want to be immortal but he just can't seem to die. ]

I'm over two hundred years old by last count.

[flyfightwin]

Jesus.

[he looks pretty good for 200. though, she's not exactly aging like a normal person either so maybe she'll be his age someday and still looking like she's thirty, flirty, and thriving.]

What's your secret?