ARRIVAL LOG 22

[larkers]

WHO: Everyone
WHERE: New Amsterdam
WHEN: May 7 - 11
WHAT: The twenty-second arrival
NOTES OR WARNINGS: Coercion and loss of autonomy, references to rebellion and world upheaval. Further notes at the end of log.

> ARRIVAL LOG #022

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. But more than that, many of those buildings are covered in green.

You realize there are others next to you: all dressed the same way as you, you'll come to realize: in overalls of varying colors, all with heavy-duty gloves on. 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 eventually lowers to the ground and turns off with a low whirr. 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 full of moisture. Soon enough, you realize it's lightly raining. The guard says nothing, head bowed as he lines you up with the rest. The nurse helps the others out, checking over each passenger one by one.

The main guard turns to address your entire group, and something about her bearing makes it clear she's done this before. "I'll be quick. Listen up." Your body will come to attention, immediately homing in on the words that follow, as if compelled to hang on every word. "You see those tents set up over there? You're going to head over there and help out with the work they're doing. Don't hurt anyone, don't look for any assistance from any police officers, and don't run off. Wait until people come and find you, and when they do, ask them to show you the glow."

The guard will hop back into the van, which will rise off of the ground and head back the way it came, turning the corner of a building that you now realize is covered in winding plants and vines. Once it's gone, you'll find your legs moving almost without your permission, guiding you to follow the steps the guard laid out.

Once you get to the tents, you'll see that there is a congregation of people, all dressed in clothes that they're ready to work in. Many of them are covered in grass stains, their faces bearing that sheen that comes with manual labor. The ones that are under the shade of the tents seem to be taking a break, but many others are in the area, hard to work. They assume that you're here to help pitch in with cutting back the sheer number of plants that have overgrown and consumed the city, and they hand you a pair of shears and a bucket so that you can get to work. Time to get pruning!

◉ 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.

> HEDGE-CLIPPING

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.

Here we go again. We've got another batch of newbies, who've been dropped off at one of the landscaping work stations for getting all these plants under control. Follow the coordinates and you should find them in that general area. They're wearing overalls, if that narrows it down. I don't think many people wear overalls in 2512.

The coordinates will lead the current Displaced to the heart of New Amsterdam, near to one of the many green spaces in the city. Unsurprisingly, this is an area where the overabundance of plants growing at a massive rate has caused the most issue. Businesses, especially smaller ones like restaurants and boutiques, have been impacted by the plants. It's not just the outsides of buildings that are overgrown, either; inside, plumbing is completely clogged up as the foliage spills out of sinks, toilets, and anywhere else it can find a way in.

Green Thumbs, which is a local landscaping company that's seen an influx of business in the last six months thanks to the strange overgrowth of plant life in the city, has stepped up to help with this problem and has recruited the newly arrived Displaced to their cause, if unwittingly. Anyone who comes by one of their stations (including the veteran Displaced coming to collect the newbies) is likely to get roped into helping, as this is quite the undertaking and they need all the hands they can get. Don't worry—as long as you have a registered ID, you can get paid today.

The work itself isn't too complicated. Cut away plants, yank them out of drains, and put all everything that's harvested into buckets to return to the tents to drop off for later use in composting. While most of what's growing are flowers and weeds, there are areas where vegetables have sprouted too. Those will obviously want to be saved, and there will be crates set out to collect all of it. At the tents they'll also be offering some snacks and plenty of water to keep people energized and hydrated during the work. Everything from parks to bakeries to gift shops are going to need help here, and while the amount of work feels like it's neverending, it is important. Life can't return to normal until this is done.

While there will be time for both new arrivals and the rest of the Displaced to pitch in, eventually the newcomers will be escorted back to the safehouse for processing.

> AROUND THE CITY

MEDIA COVERAGE AND ONLINE CHATTER
New Amsterdam has come to life again following Judas' simulation, but the energy of the city has changed. After so many tragedies and disasters, it’s as though everyone is half-expecting the next one to strike while still reeling from the last. Some are dealing with this by throwing themselves into charity work or laying low, but others have been radicalized into thoughts of taking down the United Nations altogether. Morningstar is garnering more and more support, and though it’s technically illegal, their symbol is being grafitti’d and pasted all over town. The overworked police can’t manage to keep up, so some of them stay, a clear sign of the shifting opinions of the people.

The focus of every nearly source of news, from serious mainstream media to pop culture commentary, is still the simulation that recently overtook New Amsterdam. New characters won’t be able to access this information until their IDs are set up, but once they can, it’s a deluge of news reports, opinion pieces, and conspiracy theory websites.

There are solemn specials memorializing those who died in the simulation, or pieces discussing the long term effects on survivors and the city as a whole, focusing on New Amsterdam’s charity efforts. Talking heads, from pundits to scientists to various authority figures, are brought on panels to discuss and sometimes heatedly debate what happened and why it all seemed to go so wrong. Of particular focus and concern is New Amsterdam Governor Lydia Gill-Jade's choice to step down, electoral candidate Jovavich’s death, and the upcoming emergency election. Now that so many UNA soldiers have been decommissioned and weapons contracts dropped, economic concerns are rearing their head, too.

It might be a breath of fresh air for some citizens when they realize that this time, the mainstream media’s reaction to the United Nations' involvement is decidedly negative. There isn’t so much undue praise, and both interviewers and interviewees are starting to ask hard questions about how, exactly, the United Nations screwed this up so badly. More than a few are blaming the current situation on the United Nations completely.

And, of course, the AI Judas is still missing. The fear over this is palpable, and no news channel or website is going to let anyone forget it, or go long without mentioning it. It’s clear the United Nations is in the middle of a damage control campaign, sending their most media-ready members to explain why they didn’t do more and why their hands were tied. It’s all very polished and precise.

On social media, the shift towards criticizing the United Nations is much more open and less measured. It isn’t hard to find discussions tearing apart the UN’s excuses and even mocking them. With UNA soldiers returning home, there are more than a few stories of friends or family members noticing a huge shift in the former soldiers’ personalities, and their clear struggle to reintegrate into a civilian lifestyle. People are getting angry, and admitting you still support the United Nations is a great way to start a very long argument.

As for Morningstar, now that they’re in the odd position of being considered by most to be a political party opposing the UNA, they’re getting more media attention than ever before. The shift is clear—Morningstar’s opinions and ideas have value now, and they aren’t shy about challenging the United Nations' official position on what happened in New Amsterdam.

Another source of constant gossip is the Displaced. Now that they’ve been partially outed, everyone is trying to figure out just what their deal is. Some people clearly view them as heroes, while others aren’t so sure. Are they rogue UNA experiments? Dimension hoppers? Superheroes? Aliens? No one knows the truth, and so theories abound, some of them utterly ridiculous. There are more measured articles and reports too, but the tabloids are the ones running the scoops that are more out there (and, honestly, more fun).

MEDIA COMMUNITY RESPONSE
While talk is all well and good following such a widespread event as the simulation, taking action is far more important. While efforts to handle the overgrowth of plant life continues, there are other needs that need to be met too. Everyone came out of the simulation feeling malnourished, so all throughout the city food drives are being set up to make sure that the less fortunate and destitute get the sustenance they need to get back on their feet.

On top of that, there will also be an emphasis on redistributing all of the food which grew in excess while everyone was in the sim, to make sure that it's spread around to everyone who needs it.

Displaced will be encouraged to participate and help out with this (whether it's through cooking, plating/serving food, etc.) by the people they know through their community -- whether it's coworkers, members of Morningstar (including Gaby), or any other non-Displaced acquaintances that they have.

As public opinion toward the UNA is souring, there is a belief that people need to learn how to be self-sufficient, which is something that Morningstar in particular decides to capitalize on. If they can't rely on the UNA or on the corporations which are known to be corrupt and incetuous, and if the upcoming emergency election is likely to just give everyone more of the same, then they'll just have to figure things out on their own.

Therefore, Morningstar heads up a number of community events, classes, and drives to move toward this goal. This is a less direct form of rebellion than targeting the UNA or any of the big corporations directly, and while Morningstar has plans for that in the works too, they have always been a group that knows how to engage with the common people and make them feel seen and heard. Want to know how to grow and cook your own food? Have you heard what composting is, but don't really know what it's about? There's classes for all that, and more, including how to give haircuts and mend your own clothing. Those who are practiced in these things will also be offering these services to anyone who needs them.

Whether the Displaced are curious to learn, want to offer a class of their own (or at least help teach one), or want to take advantage of any of the services being offered, they'll be welcome. Morningstar agents will find them at the safehouse or Red Wings and encourage them to participate.

> 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 number 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. For anyone in need of them, Gaby will offer up partitions that will come out of storage. Tucked away in a corner is a VR system, though newcomers won't be able to access this until their ID has been set up. Even with the newly erected partitions in the sleeping areas, 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.

◉ 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 MAY 11 (JUNE 21). 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 MAY 11 (JUNE 21). 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 June calendar rundown for a look at things happening this month, as well as some additional notes from the mods.

AC remains halved this month due to the state of the world right now. New players will only need to provide at least five comments across two-four (2-4) threads, while older players will only need to provide ten comments across two-four (2-4) threads. Please let us know if you have any questions about this!

> NAVIGATION

Comments

[stagethreeclinger]

[ on the other side, roy flattens his back against the wall and lets out a slow exhale before focusing his attention back to loki with a shrug. ]

I wouldn't say I'm a frequent flyer, but yeah, I've had a couple steps outside my assigned reality. This one has less zombie monks, so that's an improvement.

[ now, with less gardening and supervising, roy takes the moment to focus on this guy, and mirror the tactless eyerack he'd gotten when loki first walked up, because how dare he not be the most tactless person in the city block. ]

Shit, he only does this once. [ roy mumbles to himself, as if he isn't standing a foot or so away, looking this dude in the face. ] Several. How much time do you have?

[ a bright, lopsided grin, and: ] Roy, by the way.

[selfimage]

[ oh yes—the zombie dimension. he's acquainted with that one. ]

Loki.

[ totally and utterly and completely casually, like he isn't the Loki. perhaps a different conversation all together. ]

That depends on how long I could be persuaded.

[ or how bored he gets, depending. ]

[stagethreeclinger]

Loki. That's a name with a background. [ roy's brows arch, interesting, with an amused curl at the corner of his lips ] Was your mom just really into Norse stuff, or should I be paying tribute and groveling right now?

[ he doesn't plan to do either, but in the superhero world you learn not to rule out anything, because yeah, that dude might be an alien or a demigod or some phenomenally powerful cosmic being waiting to steal all your memories and turn your buddies against you. one less likely that the other, but hey, you never know.

apparently he needs to be interesting enough in his questioning to keep this guy around, though, so let's see. roy makes a thoughtful face, squinting his eyes a little before coming out with a question. ]

You seem pretty comfortable with the concept of dimension hopping, so I'm guessing you're more in the know than the average traveler. Any idea how we got to this one, or why?

[selfimage]

Everyone always asks me that. Either way, I'm not the kneeling sort.

[ but he doesn't answer, just sounds amused by the possibility. it gets left at that. ]

A few theories, but none yet proven. Though if I were to wager a guess, it has to do with the glowy thingy in the center of our chests.

[ he waves a dark nailed hand in a long gesture. ]

As far as the why goes ... [ there's a roll of his shoulders that becomes a suspended shrug before they drop. ] Well, I'd love to hear that one.

[stagethreeclinger]

Great, neither am I. Special circumstances aside.

[ like if you are too tall and must talk to a child, or you got the crap beaten out of you and kneeling is easier than standing, or, you know, if someone needs a bj or something else that requires you to be half their height, the normal shit.

at the mention of a glowy thing, roy looks perplexed for a second, frowns, and pats a hand over his chest searching for anything abnormal, but nope, feels very roy. abruptly, he yanks at the collar of his shirt, staring down at, yep, a dull, blue glow in the center of his chest. roy drags at the fabric until he can untuck it from his overalls and lift it up to his neck, tugging the overalls down to uncover the thing. uummmm, there's a magic night light in his sternum?? ]

Sooon of a biscuit eater, I've been bedazzled. [ roy lets out a bark of an incredulous laugh, gingerly poking at the glow that seems to brighten the more he focuses on it. ] Huh. It's kinda pretty, actually? Maybe this is first stage of whatever disease turns you into a Carebear. But if that's the way I'm going, I'd always wanted my Ponysona to have a grenade with a smiley face or a battle mech tattooed to my ass. Wait-

[ how does one get to one's ass while in overalls without completely stripping, it's a mystery roy's now trying to solve. ]

[selfimage]

[ that's fine, he can totally just. take off all of his clothes. Loki watches with mild interest, dark brows lifted ever so slightly as Roy starts to wiggle his way out of his overalls. look, he's certainly not going to stop him, not with those arms.

Loki twists his wrist in a sort of oh, bother dismissal before he takes a little, tiny bit of a step forward to touch three dark nailed fingers against his wrist. the glow gets bright, and Loki starts glowing from beneath the dark, tailored suit that he's wearing, and the emotions between them meld in a way where Roy can feel his amusement. ]

You could always check your ass to be sure, but I think you'll have to take off more than that.

[ eventually, they need to make their way to the safehouse.

but this?

too funny. ]

[stagethreeclinger]

[ and then roy's feeling other people's feelings. he doesn't generally like feeling his own feelings all that much, but here we are, with a maybe immortal amuse-touching his wrist, having an experience with him. plus, the carebear glow is getting a little crazy.

but he's probably feeling less shocked than he might be reacting, because roy harper tends to be a little bit full of shit at any given moment. but there is surprise, and immediately after - keen, acute interest, teamed with something like excitement. it takes a second to catch back up to the conversation, and roy's eyes have to make the trip back from where loki's painted fingertips touch his wrist, to his eyes. a blink, and the twitch of a smile at the corner of his lips. ]

How easy do you think I am, your Norseship? [ and for about half a second, he almost looks serious, though the bond says otherwise. ] Pretty easy, actually, but on principle - hey, rude.

[ that covered, about that thing with the feelings. ]

Why do I feel like you just caressed my soul?

[selfimage]

[ there's a step back as it's broken, and Loki hangs his arms over his chest like the whole thing wasn't just completely invasive and borderline creepy. he watches Roy's expression hit various states of reaction as he stays quiet through the exchange of—erm—emotions. ]

When we touch, the boundaries between us are lowered. Hence the intense emotional connection. So unless you enjoyed the experience, it's probably a good idea to invest in a nice pair of gloves.

[ a tilt of his head. ]

And you're not my type.

[stagethreeclinger]

[ loki's fingers fall away and roy's blinking down at where they were touching again, still a little baffled on how that works. ]

I mean, it wasn't bad. [ roy shrugs, frowning as he considers the moment in retrospect. ] Your amusement's a pretty cozy feeling. A little warning would've been nice. Why, are there people really into it here?

[ and then, a mild gasp and a look of mock indignation as roy tugs at any wrinkles and folds still holding his shirt up. ]

Hurtful. Fine, I'll keep my strip tease to myself, I don't need no scrub.

[selfimage]

[ Roy asks that question, and Loki doesn't answer it. it feels like it's better just to leave it up in the air. ]

I didn't say you had to put anything back on.

[ clearly he's enough eye candy to be standing there half naked?? Loki's not going to discourage him. ]

Though we'd best make our way somewhere ... well, safer, I suppose.

[stagethreeclinger]

Oh, you.

[ roy drawls with a lazy smirk, but yeah, he's willing to flash a dude while checking out his own chest in an alleyway, but he's not going on a stroll like that. his bright as hell hair already makes him stand out enough as it is.

either way, he's glad to put distance between himself and the people who had him doing drug induced gardening, and if loki's taking him somewhere, roy's eager to explore more of the situation he's found himself in. ]

Lead the way, I promise you know the city better than me. [ and since he'd like to get all the questions in with loki that he can - ] Speaking of, how do you mean safer? What're we in danger of out here?

[selfimage]

You're currently inflicted with a substance that makes you rather malleable to suggestion. "Compulsion drugs" is the mortal term.

[ not that it wouldn't be entirely safe if he stuck around, but there were other unfortunate events that may befall him, given the opportunity. ]

And the neural implant in your noggin is empty, which means that the local authorities will be baffled if they pick you up. You'll need some sort of identification. Best to keep to the safe house, if you get what I mean.

[ he doesn't even have to press Roy to come with him (is it dangerous to follow a man named "Loki"?) ]

[stagethreeclinger]

Oh. [ a dull blinking at that, because the idea that he was drugged is just slightly more annoying than the invasive brain surgery. ] Nice welcome package. Nonconsentual surgery, free hair cut, and someone to dope you up while you're passed out. Awesome.

[ it's dry and grumbling as he makes his way after loki. yep, it sure didn't take any convincing for roy to trail along after him, assuming this safe house is where they're going. ]

Whose safe house, though? Feelings kinda weird, crashing some stranger's safe place.

[ not really, it could be oliver queen's and he'd still take it for the sake of having a place to lay low while he figures the rest of this out. and while the drugs wear off. ]

[selfimage]

Ours, technically. The rest of us that have been brought here pick the new fellows up. The drop offs happen about every two weeks on the dot, I could predict them by now.

[ well, at least he didn't have to command him. ]

[stagethreeclinger]

Us? As in the rest of the glowing people? [ roy arches a brow at him as they walk, ] There has to be a better name than glowing people.

[ well, we hope there's a better name. ]

How long have these drop offs been going on?

[selfimage]

Displaced. Not an entirely better name, but it's what stuck.

[ admittedly, it was never really a topic of debate. it's just something that was declared. it sort of evolved, rather than was decided upon. none of them were all entirely the same. ]

It'll be a year, soon. Every two weeks.