ARRIVAL LOG 019

[larkers]

WHO: Everyone
WHERE: New Amsterdam
WHEN: March 22
WHAT: The nineteenth arrival
NOTES OR WARNINGS: Coercion and loss of autonomy. Further notes at the end of log.

> ARRIVAL LOG #019

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 two people in front of you: one dressed in a thick set of armor, while the other wears medical garb. Out the windshield in front, there are many tall buildings—all reaching up beyond a normal city skyline, all entirely too close to the vehicle itself.

You realize there are others next to you: all dressed the same way as you, you'll come to realize: in jeans, with a t-shirt bearing some kind of sports team logo. To your left there's an armored interior door, two more people visible, and 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 lowers from its height and comes to a stop inside of an alley, with tall brick walls surrounding it. 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 the air outside feels immediately warm and dry. "Careful with your step," the guard says, helping you out. The nurse helps the others out, checking over each passenger one by one.

Once outside, you'll be able to hear some noises in the distance, which after a few seconds will be recognizable as the hum of a large crowd. There will even be loud cheers here and there, as if they're spectating some kind of event.

The main guard turns to address your entire group, and something about her bearing makes it clear she's done this before. "Now, listen to me very carefully." Your body will come to attention, immediately homing in on the words that follow, as if compelled to hang on every word. "You're going to leave this alley, and then follow my directions exactly." From there, the guard will go through a list of directions, only about five steps (round the corner, turn right, etc.). "Once you've done all that, you'll see a sign: Red Wings. Go inside and you'll make some new friends. They can help with the rest."

The guard will hop back into the van, which will rise off of the ground and disappear as soon as it arrived. Once it's gone, you'll find your legs moving almost without your permission, guiding you to follow the stops the guard laid out.

And, as promised, you'll end up outside a bar called the Red Wings.

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 – and that includes the message passed on from the mysterious patron.

> RED WINGS

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.

Well, some of you are going to have a group of newbies to bartend. Our newest group just got directed to the Red Wings. If anyone else wants to swing by to help get them oriented and move them to the safehouse, I'm guessing the people who are on the clock will thank you.

The Red Wings bar is in a section of the large, futuristic city that houses a sports stadium, though not so close to it that the newcomers will have to deal with dodging crowds. Red Wings is tucked away on a side street, meaning that those stumbling in won't have to worry about attracting too much attention.

Why did they get directed to a sports bar, of all places? That will become clear as soon as they start to speak to the people inside. This arrival, as it turns out, is a little different from the ones that have come before.

◉ Aesthetically, Red Wings is a retro tribute to the lost city of Detroit. It's all red neon, cars and sports memorabilia, with all fittings and decor elements physical where possible as a nod to the era. There is also some artwork dedicated to Motown and its significance within the city, and there is a section of the digital sound system for Motown.

◉ The main area is spacious, with stools at the bar and plenty of room for booths and standing space. One area is reserved for the physical darts board and pool table, which are permanent installations.

◉ There is also a function room available for private bookings and smaller events, though this is currently not quite as nicely done up as the main space.

◉ The bar has multiple neural interface screens installed throughout to make sure there's always an easy view of the game, with one larger screen set up over the bar itself for Big Game days. Unfortunately, this won't be available to the newcomers as they don't have their neural implants set up yet, but they'll be able to gather that the other people here seem to be watching a screen they can't see.

◉ Drinks include a range of the finest craft beers, popular spirits and a basic cocktail menu, but newbies won't have any money to their name just yet, so they'll have to rely on the kindness of strangers if they want something to eat or drink.

◉ Naturally, there will be some people working at the bar and others who are just there to hang out, but either way the newcomers should have plenty of people on-hand to explain the situation. With more on the way, potentially.

Further details about Red Wings and the staff can be found at this post put together by our Stephen Strange player, as he's one of the owners of the bar! Most of the information above was borrowed from this post.

Once the new characters have been oriented and calmed down as needed, they'll all be escorted by one of the established Displaced back to the safehouse. This is done for security and safety reasons.

> NEW AMSTERDAM (AND BEYOND)

Once the new Displaced have endured their four days in the safehouse, they'll have their IDs set up and will be released in this strange new world. New Amsterdam will be theirs to explore, and if they manage to get the lowdown from another Displaced who's been here longer, they may learn that they can travel even further than that.

Probably better to not get ahead of themselves, right? New Amsterdam has plenty to offer!

◉ It's Opening Day for the New Amsterdam Koniki (New Amsterdam's baseball team)! Despite the signings of the aces Jim Bridges and Osamu Kawakami, the Opening Day starter is long-time Koniki, Connor Tseng. Tseng is a finesse pitcher who's been with the Koniki through good and bad (and for the past few seasons, it's been a lot of bad). Never overpowering batters with a crazy fastball, Tseng hits his spots and is the master of the off-speed pitch. There are a mess of articles on the sports blog circuit about what message the Koniki are sending in having Tseng start the 2512 season, but most agree that it's a message to Tseng that he's still the team's leader. Bridges and Kawakami are undoubtedly more explosive, but these signings are clearly meant to build a team around their long-time ace.

Tickets to get into the Koniki's first game will be difficult to come by, selling for five and ten times too much on reseller sites. The savvy baseball fan knows that the stadium will be sold out, however, and can grab a short-term, one-day-only job to help meet the demands of Opening Day. And for anyone who's curious about the game but doesn't want to work at the stadium, it will definitely be broadcasted at Red Wings and plenty of other sports bars around the city.

The game itself will be a pitcher's duel for the first five innings between Tseng and the New Venice Gecko's ace, Jayson Soto. During the bottom of the fifth inning, rookie slugger Jiri Kim will hit a three-run homer, putting the Koniki up. Rather dramatically, the Geckos will come back in the top of the sixth, tying up the game and running Tseng off the mound. Both the Geckos and the Koniki will try to shore up the game via their bullpens. Ultimately, the Koniki will win in the bottom of the 10th inning in a walk-off fashion, with Kim hitting another home run to call it. The defense throughout the game is a mess for the Koniki, showing signs that even their new aces may struggle with that defensive backdrop.

Finally: yes, there is a designated hitter to protect pitchers.

◉ St. Patrick's Day is here! While the typical aspects of the holiday still exist, such as drinking a lot (and yes, alcohol and other drinks will be dyed green!) and getting pinched if you don't wear green, this day is also a time to remember the country of Ireland that's now under the Atlantic Ocean. The primary focus for New Amsterdam citizens is remembering the parts of Europe that were lost to the effects of climate change and the disaster of World War III.

So while there's plenty of merrymaking at various pubs, there are also neighborhood memorials set up for remembrance. There will be plenty of media coverage about this too, giving anyone new to this world a very immediate idea of the state that it's in, with a good portion of western Europe underwater.

◉ It's spring, which oddly means that fertility symbols begin to spring up around the city. They can take the form of actual symbols etched or painted onto walls, though there are also carved figurines and phallic shapes scattered around as well. (Feel free to browse here if you need ideas.)

◉ While these can be found at random around the city, they will also be associated with the shrines dedicated to the Displaced which have existed in New Amsterdam for some time now. These shrines are continuously taken down and put back up in different parts of the city. The NAPD as well as private interests seem intent on removing them for profit or controlling vandalism. Despite continuous efforts on both of their behalfs, these shrines continue to rise in number. There seems to be a cluster of them that get closer and closer to Red Wings. Candles and small offerings (flowers, dressings, and hand-made jewelry from wood and plants) can occasionally be seen near them.

◉ There will also be small spring gatherings held in parks where people will be happy to share their food and enjoy the new plants that have sprung up throughout the city. (Assuming that your allergies aren't being set off, anyway!) The Displaced are welcome to attend!

◉ On a more somber and serious note, non-violent protests have begun to spring up around the city in response to the situation on Mars. The people working on the Mars colony have been mistreated and forced into horrible conditions, and it seems more and more likely that the government is trying to keep that quiet and act as if things are better when they're really not. The protests are kept small in number by design, mainly because the people involved don't want to get immediately shut down by the NAPD -- or worse, have the UNA step in. They mainly take the form of people standing outside of campaign offices, though instead of handwritten signs, they're able to project digital versions with their implants.

Some NPC members of Morningstar who recently relocated to New Amsterdam will be involved in these protests as well. Any characters who feel strongly about this issue, want to learn more if they're new and uninformed, or who are simply interested in getting to know other Morningstar members better should feel free to participate. (Note: While we won't be able to thread out NPC interactions, feel free to use the questions thread below to discuss with us how your character would be received by these NPCs if you're interested in that!)

> SAFEHOUSE

Located under an abandoned hover-bike garage, access to the safehouse is a hatch in the floor beside a rusted set of metal shelves that used to hold tools and supplies. The immediate area is similarly abandoned: full of rundown and dilapidated warehouses and forgotten businesses, where numerous people squat in hopes of having some stability because they can't afford a place themselves. Gaby will be around, ready to greet as many of the new arrivals as she can and get them settled in. Brusque and no-nonsense, she'll be open to questions, but will advise the newcomers to ask the people who brought them in for the beginning bits of information. Newbies can also contact El through zeir inbox, if needed.

The safehouse is a large space with multiple rooms for storage, with the largest of the rooms 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.

◉ There is a mini-bar set up in the kitchen. The quality of the alcohol inside is akin to what someone might get from the well at a bar, but it's well-stocked. There will also be some dye set within reach of the mini-bar for anyone looking for some Irish cheer to add to their beverages. This is courtesy of Gaby, as per usual!

◉ While the kitchen has basic foods and necessities, anyone looking for a jolt of caffeine from coffee or tea will find themselves sorely lacking. The only tea present is herbal in nature, and caffeine appears to be almost nonexistent in most of the beverages lying around.

◉ Gaby will make it clear to all new arrivals that if they have any requests or queries, they should contact her or El. Either she or El will explain that they've been given a modest stipend of credits to help them get by until they can find a job. This will be enough to cover their living expenses for about a month while they hang out in the safehouse, if they're careful with budgeting.

◉ 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 do not have access to the internet until their ID is setup. They only have limited access because they're present in the safehouse, but they can't surf the rest of the internet, check out Cooltalk, or watch the equivalent of Netflix until their ID is made.

◉ New characters cannot leave the safehouse at this time. The hatch is locked tight for them, making it impossible for them to get out for the next four days while they're locked inside. There won't be any immediately obvious ways to cut their way out through turning off the power.

◉ New characters will not be allowed to leave the safehouse until MARCH 26 ICLY (MARCH 23 OOCLY). 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.

> FINAL OOC NOTES

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 MARCH 26 ICLY (MARCH 23 OOCLY). 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.

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.

Something else to keep in mind is that on Monday, March 16th we'll be putting up a Metaplot Engagement Post, which will have a focus on how to integrate all players into the metaplot as well as take suggestions on future events and the direction you'd like the game to go. This will be open to everyone in-game, old players and new players alike, so please keep an eye out for it!

As we announced here, AC will be check-in only this month due to the state of the world right now. If you've taken a hiatus, this counts as your check-in, but otherwise please feel free to relax for the rest of the month. In addition, the HMD will be moved to next month. New players accepted in March will only have to submit 10 comments across 2-4 threads for the April 2020 AC (which goes up on May 1, 2020).

> NAVIGATION

Comments

QUESTIONS

[larkers]

[chocolateries]

do new arrivals still get their ids if they don't go to the safehouse because they are briefly kidnapped by another displaced and taken home?

Re: QUESTIONS

[veraz]

Are there windows in the safehouse?

two questions!

[bloodbathing]

1) How many guards are in the rear portion of the van?
2) Are all of the guards wearing similar armor?

gaby ( npc • ota )

[vns]

[ Gaby will be around like she often is for new arrivals. there are some changes in the future for the safehouse, so she's sitting and trying to do the math for how to separate the safehouse beds so people can have privacy. she's been in and out trying to make sense of it, but often gives up before long.

anyone can ask her what she's up to – or talk to her about any other number of things. the protests? check. joining Morningstar? she's a good starting point.

everyone will know that she's a native to this world, but accustomed to all of this. ]

after the 26th

[veraz]

Hello.

[ Marta has been outside trying to acquaint herself with the world when she ran headlong into a protest. ]

You are Gaby, yes? Could I ask you about something I saw today?

[rehandle]

[ Stephen's not been as present in the safehouse as he usually is for the new arrivals. He made it in early the morning after the drop off to run a quick eye over everyone for any obvious health issues, disappearing again promptly to prep for opening. It's a couple of days later that he makes it back with a little more time to his name.

Gaby's wearing the kind of expression that he'd usually associate with some recent network explosion or a particularly bothersome intake— neither of which seems to be the case.

Approach with caution, but approach nonetheless. ]

You look like you're having fun.

kitty jones | bartimaeus sequence

[tombstruck]

1 – arrival – red wings

⟪ after the waking and the ushering, when the first wave of shock is making ways to… well, a different flavour of shock, kitty finds herself trying to gather her bearings in a bar. it looks almost normal, if you ignore the freaks staring intently at a whole lot of nothing, and she is so caught up in following their gazes that the sudden cheers that erupt from all of them have her flinching back.

which is stupid and childish, not the vibe she would like to exude right now. make friends. okay, frankly, she’s not convinced she has that in her after… after everything that had happened to her the last few days, so she’s going to aim low and try to blend in.

kitty ambles towards the bar, dodging people, hands deep in her pockets, and before she can open her mouth to order, she realises that she doesn’t have any money on her. so when she’s prompted to order – ⟫

Oh. I was just looking.

⟪ at the bar. she was just looking. ⟫

⟪ later on, she can also be found by the dart board. never has a teenager looked more excited to see one of these, never before has she been so excited about a simple freaking dartboard. by now, she’s caught on to the sheer degree of future happening, she is trying to cope with… everything that flows into that, and right now, trying to cope means darts. ⟫

Do you need someone else on your team?

2 – day one – safehouse

⟪ against all reasonable judgement, and even to her own surprise, kitty had slept like a rock on the strange cot in the safehouse, a few hundred years and a couple of universes to the left from where she’d been just a day ago. of course, it’s not really been a day-day. it’s been months here, months she doesn’t remember, but that thought just gives her this undefinable, uncomfortable feeling, and that’s not really helpful now.

sleep’s helped her feel a bit more like a person, and the next few steps on the personhood agenda are: not crying (done!), taking a hot shower (where she’d cried a little, but still, point crossed off the list), and picking out some clothes – she’d found something like a clean shirt, the jeans she’d arrived in, and mismatched (but otherwise whole) socks. next up: something against that strange, lonely feeling creeping up on her.

current in-progress strategy: sock-footed tea-making in the kitchen. on the counter, there’s an assortment of sweet-looking baked goods, and it suddenly hits her that she’s ravenous. she looks around, then – ⟫

Are these free for the taking?

3 – day three – safehouse

⟪ the days go by. they’re very boring, kind of uniform days, but that’s sort of what she needs. she needs time to plan, and as much as being cooped up in the safehouse has made her stir-crazy, and as much as she’d rather be outside, doing anything so long as she’s moving, she’s aware that keeping them all locked up here for a bit is pretty sensible. apparently the world’s gone fully haywire with technology, which is, she’s not going to lie, pretty exciting, but it also means that what she’d normally do to sort her life out is probably looking pretty different here.

so, next time she sees someone who’s evidently coming and going, she appears sort of out of nowhere. she and her questions. ⟫

You’ve been here a bit? What’s your job?

wildcard

⟪ ooc: if you'd like a custom starter or if you just want to toss me something random, here's your chance! either just surprise me or hit me up via pm or at nehelenia for some plotting! ⟫

2

[lighthearted]

[ Determined as Sora is to keep the welcoming committee going, especially with new people like Angela interested in contributing to the effort, he's made sure to hang around the safehouse now that all of the new people have been escorted back. It's strange that they were brought to the Displaced bar this time, and while it might have made things easier in a lot of ways, it's worrisome too.

It's better that he focuses on the things he can control, though, and so he'd taken to his usual task of cooking a fresh batch of carob chip cookies for the new arrivals.

When one of them (a girl who looks similar to him in age) asks about the baked goods, he's quick to nod. ]

Of course! They're for you.

[ He makes a sweeping gesture with his arms, encouraging her to take as much as she wants. ]

2

[veraz]

I think so.

[ Marta has her hands wrapped around a cup of her own warm tea, and she gestures with one of them towards the container on the stove. Over her shoulders is one of the blankets from the cots, and she has on an oversized button-up shirt and the jeans ]

They were here when I got up, and I already had some, so I really hope so. That...kettle? Should still have hot water in it.

3

[itsjiaheng]

[ when jongdae was new, one of his better experiences was because someone had brought pizza. so he's scraped together enough credits to do the same, leaving them out on the counter just the same as they'd been left for him. he's even figured out how to set the little note that will let whoever comes by to partake what toppings they are, thanks to the implant.

he's in the middle of finishing all that up when he's questioned, which visibly startles him a little. he's been living in the safehouse awhile, so people usually ignore him by now. it's odd to suddenly be questioned! ]

Uh.. [ he turns around slowly. ]

I don't—.. I haven't really got a job. Yet. But I've got a few things I'm thinking about?

[ plus the safehouse is just easy. the free food is pretty sweet obviously!! ]

You must be new here, huh?

i

[impede]

[If it weren't for his partner working on this day, Akechi wouldn't be here. The loud crowds, the numerous people watching the projected game—it's nauseating, especially since there is little that is truly special about Red Wings. (Little, but not nothing: Ren does work here, after all.) He sits at the bar a bit disdainful for anyone trying to cram in around his elbows. He looks up at them, says nothing, and continues reading his book in front of him.

Or attempts to do that.

In truth, Akechi likes baseball well enough, but he doesn't like the "everything else" about this.

It's why he takes a welcome distraction. El's message came in like normal, but Akechi is the type of person who doesn't take care to find newcomers. He can't tell that that's what Kitty is. He merely sees a means of distraction.]

And what did you find? Several bottles just beyond reach? Or was there something else more interesting to be had?

3 —

[variate]

[ he's been around here and there: making up cots, making sure that the showers are stocked with supplies and cooking kitchen in the food when it's dry. it means he might have been in her peripheral the last couple of days, working diligently in the background but never quite moving forward. despite how he could easily it would be to just become part of the scenery, there's something that keeps him at the forefront. it's hard for him to blend in.

it hadn't been long since he walked in the door, and she's got him while he's changing one of the pillowcases on the nearest cot. there's a nod of acknowledgement. Ren's voice is quiet and delivered without much inflection: ]

I'm a barista, a highrise gardener, and I work at Red Wings.

[ count 'em. three. boy's nuts. ]

3.

[evasives]

[ cassian is certainly one of those who comes and goes. he doesn't spend a lot of time in the safehouse, but he does check in, always on the hunt for familiar faces, sometimes bringing in supplies. it's been a while, but he remembers those few days of isolation, doesn't doubt some of the newer arrivals are going stir crazy. ]

[ he notices the young woman approaching, admittedly rather suddenly, and he stops when it's clear she's coming at him with a question. not a surprise, he was full of them too. everyone is. it's a lot to take in. ]

Half a year, and I do maintenance work, for a private local company. Already thinking about what you want for yourself?

agent maine | open to all!

[bloodbathing]

I. SAFEHOUSE

[ The seven-foot-tall man who looks like he could bench-press a truck is a remarkably quiet person. Maine keeps to himself, he doesn't start conversations, and he spends most of the first day with his eyes closed and his brows furrowed in concentration. What he's so focused on is anyone's guess: he greets anyone who interrupts him with a flat stare that all but screams, "Fuck off."

Give him a day, and he'll start moving around. That Maine is restless is obvious, and he can often be found doing pushups or sit-ups beside his (too-short) cot. Trying to burn energy, from the looks of it. He'll pause if someone approaches, eyebrows raised in a silent question: "What?"

By the last day, he goes still again. He sits on his cot and stares at a wall, one hand resting over the metal dataport at the base of his skull. Those who look closely may note that the surgical scar from his implant is slightly off to the side compared to most people's. Evidently, the dataport was there first.

Those who brush against Maine's skin while he's stuck in the safehouse will be hit with a deep sense of loss, a twinge of guilt, and a hot, simmering fury that feels like it could boil over at any moment. The sensations are fleeting, as Maine immediately jerks away from any contact with a growl of displeasure. ]

II. ST. PATRICK'S DAY

[ The only green on Maine is a sticker he half-heartedly slapped on his chest. Not much, but enough to keep him from getting pinched … or maybe people don't want to risk retaliation from someone so physically intimidating.

In any case, he's more interested in the memorials than merrymaking. He studies them with mounting confusion that breaks through his usual stoicism, and his faintly puzzled expression is a sharp contrast to the somber faces of others. Maybe it'd be a good idea to discreetly clue him in?

Later, he begins what looks like a bar crawl. Only catch is that he's not actually drinking. Maybe he's the designated sober one, or maybe he's got some other motive. In any case, he doesn't seem to like the crowds. He twitches away from anyone who bumps against him, then snaps, ]

Watch it.

III. BASEBALL

[ It's pretty easy for Maine to get a temporary gig working security. He's assigned to a post near several souvenir vendors in the hopes of reducing shoplifting. He doesn't actually do much: he stares people down, and they move the fuck along. Simple, right?

Well, not quite. Shoplifters move along, sure, but so do paying customers. Maybe that's why one of the vendors tries to give Maine a lecture on Looking Friendly, during which Maine stares at them like they've lost their damn mind.

Save him from the lecture? Catch him checking out the game during a break? Or maybe help him find a souvenir jersey in his size since he seems to be struggling? ]

IV. PROTESTS

[ Know what Maine really didn't need while out clothes shopping? A reminder of the undeclared civil war back home.

Some people may look at the protestors with curiosity, sympathy, or anger. Others may ignore them entirely. As for Maine? He looks deeply uncomfortable. He tries to skirt past them, but he's too damn big to do so effectively, and he winds up bumping into people.

Anyone who touches his skin will find that there's more than discomfort at play: there's anger, frustration, and a bitter sort of helplessness. Anyone who doesn't touch his skin will get a distracted, ]

Excuse me.

( ooc: have another idea? hit me up on the cr meme! maine's info/permissions are here. )

for fenris

[bloodbathing]

( continued from here )

[ It's quite the stalemate they've found themselves in. Maine, too, discovers that he's growing more and more irritated the longer this man refuses to back down. It's utterly childish, which Maine would recognize if he'd take a step back.

But he won't step back. He won't back down. He's a human wrecking ball: no one's going to make him move unless he wants to. ]

Get some.

[ Manners, he means. Because that's not a hypocritical thing to say at all. ]

marta cabrera 🔪 knives out 🔪 ota

[veraz]

Red Wings

[ In the first twenty minutes of her arrival, when she isn't flinching at every collective shout from those that can actually watch the game, Marta can be found pressed against a back wall occasionally taking her own pulse with two fingers under her chin and a vacant look on her face.

It almost seems like an OCD sort of thing, honestly, because after she takes it she counts to sixty, then to one hundred twenty, and takes it again.

Once she's accepted that what she's seeing, hearing, and feeling is real or at least as close to real as she can reach at the moment, she actually starts looking around her.

Find Marta at the pool table, where, if asked if she plays, she'll put up a hand and shake her head. ]

I'm just watching, [ she'll reply, or, ] I've never played before.

[ She also goes up to the bar. ]

I think I left my wallet at home.

[ A clear sign of a new arrival. She doesn't even know what to begin to make of the few weird looks tossed her way by those that overhear her.

At least she can recognize some of the music playing. Marta even hums along with a few bars of whatever Motown classic is on. ]

The Safehouse: Day One & Two

[ Marta spends the entirety of her first eighteen hours in the safehouse in a bed.

Eventually, she has to get up and eat, at the very least, so you can find her after those eighteen hours in the kitchen, carefully putting together a feast for several people including herself. There's rice, beans, some plant-based proteins and cheeses, and she puts it all on plates for anyone to grab. ]

Hope you like it, [ she says to whoever is around, and while she does take a small sampling for herself Marta ends up pushing the food around on the plate. ]

The Safehouse: Day Three & Four

[ Day three dawns to find Marta digging through the first aid kits, muttering to herself about the items she doesn't recognize. Anyone she notices walking past or watching her will get waved over. ]

Do you know basic first aid?

[ If not, apparently she's decided that now is the perfect time for you to learn.

Marta can also be found in the kitchen.]

What's your favorite food?

red wings

[strove]

[Perhaps unsurprisingly, Clarke is in the middle of some busywork while she hears the bit about the wallet. Of course, wallets weren't a standard of her time on the Ark, as they traded in rations and goods, but they aren't a standard here, either. It's the type of thing that stands out all the more to someone who doesn't come from a money-based economy.

The only good thing is that while the bar is busy and crowded, no one's going to pay attention to one person saying entirely the wrong thing. She closes the various applications she's working in and slips one seat closer to Marta.]

Hey, did you just get here?

[The message from El tipped everyone off that there could be newbies coming, but it's hard to tell with how busy it is on game day.]

Here in many senses.

illya kuryakin ( ota )

[kgbs]

▶ 01. BAR HOPPER

---

( illya doesn't really conform to the whole bar concept. he doesn't show up to drink and watch sports on the myriad of televisions that they've put up. instead, illya takes his handmade chess set (thank you, daisy) and brings it to a booth and sets it up.

there's no one playing him right now but that doesn't matter. he can still study the board, still move pieces here and there while he contemplates the board and his strategy.

when a server comes by and makes a comment on his primitive game, illya scowls and sends them away with a flick of his hand. he hasn't had a good game of chess in a long, long time so if he has to play by himself, he will.

he is his best opponent, after all. )

▶ PETROV PUTZIN'

---

( he's been working for the petrovs for awhile and things have been going well. he's managed to ingratiate himself into their good graces by doing job after job and never questioning them. he takes direction without argument and proves himself to be a steady and assured employee.

tonight, they're holding a gathering for st patrick's day that's spilled out onto the street in front of the building. illya's job is to mostly make sure nothing gets out of hand so that's precisely what happens.

things get out of hand, a fight starts, he gets himself in the middle of it and takes a sharp punch to the jaw that just...makes him angry. he grabs for the thrower of said punch and slams him back against a wall, holding him there while others try and break the altercation up.

the man against the wall tries to get loose but with his anger flowing, illya's too strong for him. the only thing that jars him is when someone puts a hand on his shoulder and illya reacts, dropping the man he's holding and turning around to swing at the interloper.

too bad it's someone he works with. too bad it's someone much higher up in the hierarchy. illya's widen and he apologizes but he's dragged away by some lower level members, battered with something blunt and told to go home and they'd be in contact.

and, he listens. as always, he listens and he gets up, bloody nose and all he starts home.

well, that was a terrible night. )

▶ 03. WILDCARD

---

( feel free to throw other things at me, if you'd like. i'm at spoonishly for plotting. )

[ex_defenestratings377]

[ abigail recognizes him from red wings, he was the one playing chess by himself. it was weird but she's been lonely enough at port haven to play 300 rounds of solitaire in the corner of the common area so she gets it in that respect.

still weird.

now she's watching him be escorted out -- she quickly flattens herself against the wall and out of the way -- with bruises blossoming across his face and blood dripping from his nose and he looks a lot less intimidating than his looming figure would normally project. she blinks owlishly at him, vibrant blue eyes practically neon in the bright lights of the casino. ]

Are you alright?

[ he is probably alright, he's built like an mma fighter. ]

marcos diaz ( ota )

[heliophilous]

▶ 01. RED WINGS

---

( sitting at a bar and watching two sports teams that he doesn't know a thing about feels like one of the more normal things he's done lately. there's a half drunk glass of beer in front of him, one that marcos intends to finish, while he tries to keep his attention focused on the game.

it's not really working. he's never really been a fan of things like this but he's trying and this seems like a good place to be to meet new people and see if anyone needed help.

everyone seems to be in good spirits right now, engaging in drinking and revelry which is nice to see. marcos keeps mostly to himself, observing more than anything. he sips from his mug every so often, nodding when he notices someone familiar but mostly he stays back. )

▶ 02. AROUND TOWN

---

( the protests catch marcos' attention more than anything else. they bring back memories of a time years ago, of a july day that changed everything for mutants. he worries that these protests could get to that point if just one thing crosses the line and turns it into something violent and aggressive.

the protests that marcos remembers had been peaceful too until one thing had happened and they were suddenly not.

he stays back, away from most of the protesting because he doesn't want to get involved but he can't help but watch just in case something goes pear shaped. there are a few members of morningstar among them which makes marcos frown. a few of them try and get him to join in but he shakes his head and continues to keep his distance.

right now, everything about these look safe and settled but he knows. and he just wants to be prepared if things change. )

▶ 03. WILDCARD

---

( feel free to throw something else at me. i'm at spoonishly for plotting and questions. )

[realists]

[ jyn is in much the same boat as marcos -- being eyed by morningstar agents wanting her to join them in the protests. she is not foolish enough to put herself on the una's radar so publicly. she is not looking to lose her job just yet either because she can do more for the displaced (and her friends) with her steady income than without. instead she sidles up to marcos, nudging him with her elbow. ]

What do you think?

[ about the protests, about being tempted into it. ]

John Murphy - The 100

[feralist]

➊- 🅐🅡🅡🅘🅥🅐🅛/🅡🅔🅓🅦🅘🅝🅖🅢 (ota to 1 newbie and ota ∞ current players)

(Murphy is a cliche. He's a typical DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO kind of asshole. He used to be a little underling, doing anything for Bellamy's attention. Then they hanged him and he realized that people aren't worth it.

So when he's following orders without thinking about it-- he actually starts thinking about it. Why can't he-- why can't he break away?

He floats around the bar, not sure if he should talk to anyone or not. His tongue still feels heavy. He sees another person from the truck and whispers to them,)

Hey, do you have any idea what's going on?

(Unhappy with their answer, he moves onto someone drinking from a large glass, someone who seems to have been here for awhile. He's never seen anything like the pint before-- how weird is that? All the cups he's never seen were mis-matched and looked as if they were made by hand or used to belong to another set. Nothing so nice. He's gazing at it (probably because he's drugged))

My mouth is real dry, can... do you have anything for that?

➋-🅢🅐🅕🅔🅗🅞🅤🅢🅔 🅓🅐🅨 🅞🅝🅔

(Murphy slumps onto a cot and pulls off the weird logo shirt off (it stays BLUEJAYS, which, he has no idea what the fuck that is, nor what a Red Wing was). He pulls on another shirt, which reminds him of the stuff they had on the Ark. Thin from wear, muted colors. Either from dirt, wear, washing. He sighs and kicks the shoes off. Turning to the cot next to him, he notices someone looking at their new clothes.)

Wanna trade? (He's got a shit-eating grin. There is no other such thing for him.)

➋-🅢🅐🅕🅔🅗🅞🅤🅢🅔 🅓🅐🅨 🅕🅞🅤🅡 (clarke or bellamy?)

(He sees the familiar face and squints.)

So I'm not in hell. Or at least, not Dante's hell. (Thank Bellamy and all his knowledge of the classics for that one.) Or I am, since it's you.

arrival / redwings

[veraz]

[ Marta's expression is slightly startled rabbit in headlights when John approaches her, but the question makes sense and she relaxes a bit. Her arms go from crossed across her chest to down at her sides, and she leans in his direction. ]

I think we've been drugged.

[ That much, at least, she's certain of. ] I'm a bit panicked? But my heart isn't as racing as it should be. And I've never been to a city that looks like this, with buildings this tall. I don't understand it.

[ She reaches out and puts a hand on his arm. ] How about you? Are you okay?

[ Well. As okay as anyone in their weird and uncomfortable situation can be. ]

cassandra cain 🦇 dc comics 🦇 ota

[lucubrare]

Red Wings

[ There's a lot of people here for the opening of baseball season. Cass knows so very little about sports that it is almost comical, but she's good at small talk and figuring out who is good at their roles on the field and who needs some warming up first.

The magic of being able to read body language. Useful in discussing sports!

She's available to Red Wings regulars, newcomers, and new arrivals. To anyone who seems to be looking around and not watching the game, she comes around with a small sampler tray of beers. ]

Would you like one? On the house.

[ More like Cass is gonna pay for it, but clearly at least some of these folks are newcomers, and everyone could use a drink. ]

Wildcard!

[ Feel free to see Cass in the safehouse bringing in food, asking people where they're from, and getting a general sense of how folks are doing! She's part of the welcome committee so she's interested in finding out what kind of foods people like and letting them know that there will be a potluck later in the week!

Cass can also be found checking out the fertility symbols and shrines to the Displaced, leaving flowers at both because why not? Trying pinching her on St. Patrick's Day! Come by Redwings on a less insane afternoon! The world is your oyster. ]

around town!

[culver]

[Nill has seen the shrines before, but as the week goes on and they seem to gravitate closer to the bar, she finds herself coming across them more and more often. Eventually, on her day off, she stops by one of the flower stalls and picks up a bouquet of pastel spring blossoms to leave by one of the shrines. It just... feels right.

She sees a familiar face as she approaches one that moved a block closer to the bar, and her face lights up with a smile. She waves in greeting before sticking the bouquet under one arm so she has both hands free to sign.]

Hey, how's it going?

Cassandra Pentaghast | Dragon Age

[stabsbooks]

a. red wings

[ Well. She recognizes a tavern when she sees one, though this one is unlike any she's ever seen before. It's so...bright, and at first all she can do is stand and stare at the strange red lights, and the even stranger objects displayed all around the room. Decorations? Some kind of magical artifacts? Finally, she shakes her head, making her way over to the bar with a sense of relief. Cassandra's not a huge drinker, but something to take the edge off sounds like exactly what she needs right now.

When she sees the menu, though, and the prices listed next to the various options for sale, she sags a little. Of course. It seems she'll have to go without until she can find a job. ]

safehouse

[ It's not luxurious, but Cassandra has never needed luxury. The safehouse seems to live up to its name, if nothing else: a sheltered place to wash and sleep and live, at least for a time. What concerns her is the fact that she's not allowed to leave. It may be for her own safety - or so they claim - but she's never liked feeling trapped.

That, however, is a problem for tomorrow. It's been a long day, and a longer night, and between the bright red bar and the ale and everything else, all she wants to do is sleep. She stops by the first empty bed she sees, addressing the occupant sitting on the one next to it. ]

Is this bed taken?

c. wildcard

[ Make sure to check out Cassandra's powers opt-in post! She'll be glad to get out of the safehouse and around town once she's able to - I'm on the CR meme if you wanna suggest something or request a starter! ]

b? safehouse

[veraz]

[ Marta has been staring off at nothing, blinking back to reality at Cassandra's words. She shakes her head, mutters ] No, [ blinks again. ]

No. Sorry. No one's taken it yet.

percy jackson — riordan mythos

[ripstides]

♆ I GET BY WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY STICKY FINGERS

( the silver lining in being abducted, having his hair haphazardly shaved ( albeit much shorter but still wild ), and not having a clue what’s going on is that he’s not in a red sox jersey. his shirt has the decency not to broadcast boston’s baseball team. it’s the little things in life. percy can’t have the yankees but the gods have allegedly given him this one teeny tiny victory. he’s still lost, compelled to push open the door to a sports bar and make with the social. the need to map his surroundings and to locate anyone familiar doesn’t up and disappear, rather it becomes his secondary goal.

( go inside and you'll make some new friends. )

he’s never been in a bar before, not in any context that counts. he should be caught up in the marvel of it all. alcohol, pool tables, adulting, oh my! he’s not. percy sweeps his gaze over the room and claims the nearest empty spot at the bar, preemptively assessing the person beside him. leaning on his elbows, peering not unlike a puppy, he doesn't hold back. )

Hey, are you going to eat that? ( too late it’s already in his mouth. )

♆ I PERMASMASH THE SNOOZE BUTTON

( you know what’s awesome? not doing anything. that’s exactly what one percy jackson is indulging in on day one in the safehouse. he should be up, he should be resisting, asking questions, slamming his shoulder into the door to get out — something. he will however not be doing something. he’s content to park his butt on a cot with his arms crossed behind his head while he counts specks on the ceiling. it’s possible this a result of someone telling him to calm down ( and sure, he’ll go with that ) but this is his jam. someone particularly observant might catch the tattooed trident with the letters SPQR and one line on his left arm.

if you’re especially lucky, you’ll catch him cracking an eye open between dozing off and pressing his cheek into the inside of his bicep to preach the good word. )

These are prime napping hours. You’re missing out.

♆ HELLO MY BABY, HELLO MY HONEY | ( cw: nsfw link, fertility symbols)

( for someone that crashlanded in a world of new norms and taboos, he’s the epitome of culturally insensitive. miss him with these fertility symbols, dudes. when he gets the freedom to explore after his typical four-day lockup, he takes full advantage of the opportunity to walk among the people and see what they’re into. percy doesn’t expect that to mean following a string of paintings and sculptures until finally, he cannot even. he has regrets about going outside. )

What? That’s not—why?

( someone should tell him not to pick things up off of altars. )

What was wrong with the top hat? ( and then, under his breath, hopefully not while dropping the frog figurine to place it back where he found it, ) Michigan J Frog is packing.

♆ BUILD YOUR OWN DISASTER.

( yooo i'm open. if none of these strike you, write your own. hmu for plotting at talldarkandgay if that's more your style. )

snooze

[veraz]

I've spent the last eighteen hours pretending to sleep, [ Marta replies, giving Percy a slightly sideways smile. She found an oversized sweater amongst the clothes available for the new arrivals and pulls at the sleeves until they come down past her fingers. ]. I think I'm good for now.

Have you eaten?

[ Mom-friend activated! ]

abigail hobbs 🗡️ open

[ex_defenestratings377]

♙ RED WINGS -- CLOSED TO CASSIAN (content warning: medical talk & past injuries)

[ this is not the first time abigail has woken up groggy and cotton-mouthed with no idea of where she is, nor is it the first time she has woken up with people telling her what to do. last time, however it was nurses telling her to breathe while they extubated her. not exactly the same as being shoved out of a van and ordered to make friends.

abigail doesn't make friends. last time she made friends they all wound up murdered, because of her. she is compelled to make friends, it feels like something she must do, despite it being absolutely the opposite of what she wants to do. she tries her best to make her way to her destination as slowly as possible, hoping the compulsion will simply wear off. maybe it is like a wifi connection and the further away the van gets the worse the connection will be until it shuts off entirely.

that doesn't happen so eventually abigail is forced to skittishly slip through the doors of the sports bar, almost walking into a man on his way out. ]

Sorry.

[ she is not, but it comes automatically because a lack of decent manners would only lead to second glances and abigail doesn't want any more attention than she knows she is already getting with her (lack of) ear and scarred throat on full display. ]

♙ SAFE HOUSE (content warning: past injuries)

[ the indignity of having her hair cut is the worst part of it all. there are many violations, but the hair becomes abigail's sticking point. she is missing an ear, the scar nearly across her throat is healed but still so obvious against her porcelain skin, both features of her past she could disguise with a dark curtain of hair. now on display for the world at large. she tries to maneuver a scarf around her head to cover her ear, then a woolen hat that itches. she'll suffer to disguise her disfigurement.

reminiscent of a skittish cat, she shies away whenever anyone gets too close, though too close for abigail seems to be a fairly wide berth, wide blue eyes cautious. it's a fair guess that she knows about the empathy bond and is not intent on ever activating it.

she doesn't settle, too distrusting, and she never seems to eat in the safehouse, but she makes a bed for herself in a dim corner. it's neat and she returns to it each night, even if sleep never seems to come easy. ]

♙ WILDCARD

( hit me up via discord @ baleinette#3692 or plurk @ baleinette to set something else up )

[evasives]

[ he was on his way out. ]

[ cassian has gotten much better at avoiding people without touching them, so the near collision is staved off from both their efforts. before the girl even apologizes, cassian has taken in her appearance, her lack of ear, her scarred throat, and it makes him think of his spine for two seconds before his attention returns simply to her. ]

[ and the panic in her frame. she's definitely new, but it is more than that too. she doesn't want to be here. ]

[ he holds up his hands in a gesture for his own apology, but it's also so she can see he's unarmed. ]

I am too. [ a beat. he hates using the compulsion, but he thinks can use it without making her feel violated - and it'll prove if she is one of the new displaced if she stops to listen. ] Let me ask you a question.

annabeth chase, riordan mythos

[intellects]

ARRIVAL — closed to silena

( annabeth resists. she fights, as much as she can bring herself to do so, her heels digging into the ground with every step. turn around the corner? she'll turn two corners. go right? why not three times? it's still honoring the directions ... and though two wrongs don't make a right, three certainly make a left. it's the sort of malicious compliance she thinks mr d might have been proud of, the sort of bullheaded stubbornness that makes her homesick (for a person, not a place), a feeling that makes something lodge in her throat.

but no matter how resolutely annabeth tries to avoid the end result of the instructions, eventually, she winds up exactly where they want her. a bar with a tacky detroit theme, with the sound of drunken revelry easily heard from outside, its double doors almost daring her to push them open.

so she does, only to wind up nearly walking into someone else trying to do the same thing. someone who smells awfully familiar. like orange blossoms and — )

Silena?

( now she's clearly losing her mind. she's in the future, not elysium. get it together, chase. )

SAFEHOUSE — open

( there is a toaster in the kitchen. more specifically, there was a toaster in the kitchen. now, there is a pile of miscellaneous parts and pieces in varying states of breadcrumb-coated disarray. there's also a small, blonde girl with a cropped bob, currently clutching a butter knife in one hand and covered head to toe in questionably black-brown grease.

also breadcrumbs.

annabeth, for all her tinkering, does not look pleased with the result. instead, she nudges the pile of parts with the butt of the butter knife, a sigh spilling from her lips. )

The future is boring.

BASEBALL — open

( the hat on her head may not be enchanted, or grant her the ability to slip through the stands unseen and undetected, but the vendor's permissions added to her implant do the trick just fine. she's taken silena's advice and picked up a one-day-only gig at the stadium; her small stature and misleadingly wide smile painting her as a perfect fit for a cup girl in the club level seats.

after all, fancy bigwigs and their party crew need refills, and who better than a slim girl who can sprint to run back and forth between the open bars?

unfortunately for them, annabeth doesn't particularly care about being punctual with her refills. she could go to the closer, more exclusive club lounge bartenders, but the location of the main bar is better for catching glimpses of the action, offering a place to stand and watch with wide eyes as players throw and swing and run around the stadium.

of course, when she realizes she's taken her sweet time, then it really is time for sprinting ... right into someone else with two full cups of alcoholic something. whoops? whoops. )

WILDCARD — etc

( y'all know the drill by now. )

bienvenue à new amsterdam

[chocolateries]

[ already at work, silena doesn't have to budge from her post adjusting the flavor of the tofu-chicken strips to real chicken strips when they get the message that a new batch of, well, newbies has arrived and will be dropped off at their doorstep.

silena watches a few of them filter in but charlie would be particularly easy to spot and she doesn't spot him so for once she doesn't abandon her food post and lets everyone else deal with the newcomers. she can take a month off, okay, there are a lot of displaced and their new friends would probably be happier with chicken strips that taste like chicken strips than her actual company.

she delivers a plate to a table near the door and is immediately accosted as she passes the doors but before she can tell the giantess to fuck off (because she can swear now, suck it mr d!), she recognizes that surly glare. ]

Annie Bell! [ it is a good thing the plate was already delivered because silena launches herself at her cousin, grabbing her in a hug so tight that annabeth cannot judo flip her way out of it. ]

kylo ren, star wars. open

[warfares]

💫 𝕣𝕖𝕕 𝕨𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤

( there’s a plate of cheese fries cooling at his elbow, a mug of something in his hand, and kylo ren thinks that perhaps he’d been wrong to not visit red wings sooner.

granted, el’s message had done something to kindle his attention. the drop-offs are as regular as clockwork, but this would be the first time the newcomers were brought so close to home. practically dumped on their doorstep.

the food is good, though. the beer, decent. even the cheery ambiance enough to loosen some of the tension currently knotting his shoulders. )

💫 𝕤𝕙𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕖𝕤

( the shrines, as ever, draw his attention. new ones springing up like mushrooms to replace the old.

the one kylo visits is one of the newer additions. a female figure, though just abstract enough that he would struggle to pin down a particular inspiration. regardless, it’s popular. a heavy blanket of flowers covers the street in front of it. a thick layer of yellows, oranges and pinks.

one of the candles has extinguished, and as he leans down with the intent to ignite it again, he brushes against several of the scattered flowers, and they immediately appear rejuvenated, petals unfurling and colors looking less faded. )

💫 𝕨𝕚𝕝𝕕 𝕔𝕒𝕣𝕕

( feel free to run into kylo at the safehouse or around the city, particularly the red light district, in the gambling dens. otherwise, hit me up at resurrectionist for plotting. )

shrines

[deadthenred]

[ Bucky is heading into the bar, hoping to catch some of the game, but it always feels wrong to just rush past the shrines. He doesn't understand them, really, but when he sees Kylo bent at one of them, he stops.

His eyes widen when he sees the flowers color the way cheeks redden in the cold, and maybe he'd shift in his shoes if he hadn't been so trained into stillness. Instead, he asks, a bit awkwardly. ]

Do you need a light?