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meadowlarklogs2020-07-25 02:09 pm
- !event log,
- ac:o: kassandra,
- bones: lance sweets,
- dogs b&c: nill,
- dragon age: cassandra pentaghast,
- dragon age: fenris,
- dragon age: inquisitor trevelyan,
- dragon age: marian hawke,
- ffvii: aerith gainsborough,
- ffvii: cloud strife,
- game of thrones: daenerys targaryen,
- izombie: drake holloway,
- kingdom hearts: riku,
- kingdom hearts: roxas,
- kingdom hearts: sora,
- marvel comics: tony stark,
- marvel comics: wade wilson,
- mcu: bucky barnes,
- mcu: elektra natchios,
- mcu: steve rogers,
- original: eugene hicks,
- original: ian fowler,
- original: kyna medina,
- original: nathan lowell,
- orphan black: helena,
- overwatch: soldier 76 (jack morrison),
- persona: goro akechi,
- red vs. blue: agent carolina,
- red vs. blue: agent maine,
- red vs. blue: agent washington,
- red vs. blue: terrence ephemera,
- riordan mythos: silena beauregard,
- star trek: elim garak,
- star trek: julian bashir,
- star wars: cassian andor,
- star wars: jyn erso,
- star wars: rey,
- supernatural: dean winchester,
- the 100: bellamy blake,
- the 100: clarke griffin,
- the 100: john murphy,
- the 100: lexa,
- the magicians: eliot waugh,
- the magicians: quentin coldwater,
- the man from uncle: gaby teller,
- the oa: the oa,
- uncharted: nathan drake
EVENT #010
WHERE: New Amsterdam and any other megacity the Displaced happen to be in/travel to!
WHEN: May 28, 2512
WHAT: Golden-eyed monsters stream into New Amsterdam and other megacities the world over.
NOTES OR WARNINGS: Violence, death, body horror, mind control, and transformation.
It starts in the middle of the night, when most everyone should be fast asleep in their beds, whether they're still taking up a cot in the safehouse or staying in their own apartment. One moment it's quiet, with most of the rest of the city having also turned in for the night, and then in the next? It isn't.
There will be mass confusion as the scope of the situation becomes clear. Monsters stream out onto the streets, thundering up the stairs of a train station, skittering out of construction sites, or climbing up the walls. Some of them fly. Others slither. Others run, loping forward with only one goal in mind: to find something to sink their teeth or claws into and to leave destruction in their wake at every turn. They are a horde, a swarm, a teeming mass of creatures that have no intention of stopping. All of them have eyes or bodies that shine gold and wherever they go, they seem to leave decay. Concrete turns black and porous where they step; plants wither and die.
There is no real preparing for an attack of this scale. New Amsterdam will awaken as the sound of these monsters crashing down on cars or bursting through storefronts or into homes forces people to run screaming from their dwellings or places of work. There is no discrimination in who these beasts might target, and no discernable pattern in where they go.
All that one can really tell is that they seem to want to spread out. They're constantly on the move, leaping from victim to victim, and they're relentless. No one knows why they've come, where they're come from, or what will make them stop. At least for now, the only option seems to be to cut down their numbers. It's time to fight the horde.
The first night will be utter chaos as everyone reacts to the monsters' sudden appearance, but by the morning hours news reports will start streaming in. This is not only happening in New Amsterdam, or wherever else a Displaced might be staying, but seemingly everywhere. Some cities seem harder hit than others, but practically every megacity is overrun with the creatures.
With no way of knowing who might have unleashed the monsters, all of these cities have essentially been turned into battlefields. Not many civilians are prepared to fight for their lives, and it will take a mobilization effort from the police, Morningstar, the Displaced, and anyone else who's willing to take up arms in order to survive.
◉ As a note, this attack starts simultaneously in multiple cities. While it's the middle of the night in New Amsterdam, the monsters will appear at other times of the day in other parts of the world depending on the timezone!
So as to not make this post overly long, we have compiled all of the monster descriptions into a Google doc here for everyone's reference!
For those Displaced who stay at (or spend any time in) the safehouse under the hoverbike shop or the Red Wings bar, they may become aware of the presence of the monsters sooner than others, due to the fact that at least a few of the giant mole monsters will end up burrowing up through the concrete basements to wreak havoc. The screeching noise of steel claws tearing through the floor will be sure to wake up even the deepest of sleepers.
This won't just be an occurrence on the first night of the attack, either. Unless something is done to deter them, tunnels leading straight into the safehouses will continue to be created, allowing even other types of monsters to find their way through (the smaller ones, that is). Where exactly they're coming from won't be entirely clear, though it's a safe bet to assume that they must have originated in the cave system somehow.
Suffice to say that El won't be happy about the safehouse being compromised in this way, though this isn't a possibility that ze or anyone else could have really prepared for. While ze can't do much to physically help with containing the invasion of the monsters, ze will offer whatever resources ze can—though Morningstar is going to be busy in plenty of other locations, as well, and they only have so many resources.
The Red Wings, being a Displaced-operated location, will also be in need of assistance, especially if it's meant to be a point of safety and a hub for handing out supplies. Speaking of—
As things begin to deteriorate, Clarke Griffin and Stephen Strange sink their resources into Red Wings, adapting it into a base of operations for the Displaced. Clarke also called in PRESERVE to set up a checkpoint here, too, and anyone—from the Displaced to civilians—will be able to seek aid here. (Of course, Red Wings will be just one of a few locations throughout the city where they attempt to set up shop, but Red Wings may prove to be more fortified thanks to the talents of the Displaced.) Civilians will not have access to Red Wings' safehouse, however. That's still something that Clarke and Stephen want to keep under wraps, for now.
In the bar proper, there will be medical aid, supplies, and even weapons for those who can use them. During rare moments of downtime, the gang at Red Wings will also work on reconnaissance missions to find safe spots throughout the city to provide much needed protection and safety for the people of New Amsterdam. This task may be much easier said than done. Gathering intel on the monsters is a high priority, too, and for anyone who tries to capture a monster to learn more about them, the basement might be a good place to hold them. If the Displaced are going to be able to fight back, they need to know exactly what it is they're fighting.
However, the truth of the matter is that this attack happened quickly, and in the middle of the night to boot. As much as the group at Red Wings tries, resources are stretched thin, and they didn't have time to prepare as much as they wanted to. Supplies need to be rationed, bandages and stitches used for wounds that really need them, and if you're not a great shot, it might be best to let someone with more training take that gun you're eyeing.
More than anything, despite the difficulty, this is a way for the Displaced to help out as many people as they can, and a way for them to cement their humanitarian efforts and affect the population's opinion of them. The citizens of New Amsterdam are sick of this cycle of destruction, and are just waiting to be empowered. Now's the time to teach them to fight back and help them protect their city.
Red Wings' safehouse underground will be damaged by burrowing monsters as well, and will need protection. The bar itself will escape relatively unscathed.
Maybe the best way of dealing with the monsters isn't violence at all. Maybe there's a more strategic way to deal with this.
The monsters will be moving from city to city via the gates, just like the Displaced do. There might be a way to keep them from spreading, or at least slow them down, by shutting down the gate network. Of course, with the mag trains shutting down, getting back home could be an issue. One option is the delivery network of hover trucks. They'll still be running to get supplies from city to city, but their batteries don't run indefinitely, so these will be relatively local trips only. No getting from New Tokyo back to New Amsterdam with this method, unfortunately, and convincing a driver to let you hitch a ride might be a challenge, but it's doable.
Of course, there's also the question of where these things are coming from. Intrepid characters might be able to track them back to their nests, which are tucked away in wildly different places depending on the city. In New Amsterdam, they might be in the caves below the city. In other places, they might not be in the city proper at all, but just outside of it. It's important to keep in mind that the nests are far away from any of the action taking place elsewhere. Tracking these origin points may provide some answers, but the cost would be less involvement in the crisis taking place.
And then there's the matter of the monsters themselves. How can you fight an enemy you know nothing about? For those determined or crafty enough, capturing them might be an option, although this will take some creativity. Once these creatures are captured, they'll need to be kept contained, and kept alive. Just because they're monstrous doesn't mean they don't have to eat, after all, and some will need special environmental considerations as well, such as the mind control slugs.
What happens after that is up to the Displaced. Is dissecting them the best bet? Their internal anatomy won't be wildly different from most "normal" animals, with the exception of some creatures who have strange appendages or the like. Still, this might give the Displaced a better idea of how they operate and what their weak spots are. Sending samples to a lab is another possibility, if the Displaced can figure out how to safely store those samples. After all, the world is in a crisis, and no one is running tests at the moment.
All monsters, though, seem drawn to the blue light. When a Displaced uses a power or activates the empathy bond, the creatures will lock onto it, utterly transfixed, and if this is done enough times, that gold glow of theirs will intensify. What does it all mean? Maybe figuring that out will be a pathway to stopping their attacks.
While all of this is going on, it certainly won't be just the Displaced who are heading out into the streets to try and stem the flow of the monster attack. These creatures are certainly not holding back, and no matter how much work might be put in, their numbers are overwhelming. Plenty of people will end up dead as a result, ripped to shreds or dragged off somewhere to be eaten. Yet, for some reason, these monsters are not as vicious toward the Displaced. They'll engage them in a fight and injure them, but they never go so far as dealing a fatal blow.
Seeing how that's not the case for the rest of the populace throughout the world, however, some groups and organizations will be rising up to do their part.
Police departments will be mobilizing in every megacity to put the monsters down, and while they are armed, it's not on the same level as the UNA. They also don't have any sort of training that's prepared them to fight monsters, but they'll still be putting their lives on the line to put a dent in the monsters' onslaught. When it comes to enforcing regular law and order, they certainly won't have the bandwidth for anything like that. Then again, most people won't be in any position to take advantage and commit crimes either, given the chaos that will be a constant everywhere.
Morningstar will also be jumping into action around the world. The New Amsterdam branch will be most likely to work alongside the Displaced and share some of their resources, particularly with those who are signed up as official agents or those who've supported them in the past. In cities like New Prague and New Beijing where the Displaced have made some contact with Morningstar before, they'll also be open to working with the Displaced. However, their resources are by no means robust. Morningstar is an organized rebel group, but they're hardly an official army in any sense of the word. They might be able to hand out a weapon here or there and they have a safehouse set up in almost every city, but beyond that, they'll mainly be getting boots on the ground to help with the fighting.
UNA soldiers who have been left without any sort of purpose or guidance will now have an opportunity to put some of that training to use. Their involvement will be much more scattered, though in some cases small groups of these soldiers who used to work in units together will reconnect in their effort to fight off the horde. However, having been cut off from the UNA in an official capacity, they won't have much in the way of gear or weapons. They're still formidable fighters, though, and now might be the perfect time to reach out and make a connection with some of them.
Mercenaries belonging to various different outfits, depending on what city they're based in, will also be joining the cause. Whether they're acting out of a basic desire to survive the attacks or if they're actually being paid by someone to go out there and risk their lives will be less clear, but they're some of the best-equipped fighters (other than the police). They also won't really find much reason to protest any of the Displaced pitching in to fight with them. The more firepower, the better, right?
A group of regulars from the New Amsterdam fighting rings will be rising up to add their fuel to the monster-fighting fire, as encouraged by Hawke and whoever else might know them well enough to reach out. Given that some of these people have illegal mods to enhance their strength or cybernetic attachments that can do impressive amounts of damage, some of them might hold their own against the monsters. Hell, some of them might even ask the Displaced to demonstrate some of their powers if they end up fighting together, as word of their abilities has become more known among their ranks. Either way, they'll be jumping into the fray with quite a bit of gusto.
PRESERVE will be involved on the other end of these efforts and will be doing their best to tend to the wounded and the dead, along with finding shelter and safe spots for people to barricade themselves from the attacks. It's not like the grand majority of civilians could stand a chance against these monsters, after all, yet not all of them can rely on their homes to be safe enough to stay in. They'll be quick to accept an offer of Displaced help, as they'll be doing their best to try and drag the recently dead to hospitals to get them put into medi-units before they're too late. Along with what's set up at Red Wings, they'll also be cobbling together other relief spots throughout the city for taking care of wounded and offering up what supplies they have (food and water, medical supplies, etc).
And what are the corporations doing in all of this? Well, suffice to say, mainly just panicking. Unsurprisingly, they're not much help during a crisis like this, with most of the super-rich opting to hide away in whatever highly secure bunkers they might have. Too bad that these bunkers might not prove so secure in the face of these attacks. Could that prove to be an opportunity if someone went looking?
Please refer to the OOC EVENT POST for all OOC info, including suggestions for directions on how to engage with the event. Given the spread out nature of this event, as well as the amount of additional details provided here, please direct all questions to our QUESTIONS thread below. This is, naturally, a huge event in terms of scale, and so we're certain there are aspects of it we haven't covered and questions that have yet to be answered. We do encourage that all of our players use the event planning post for any additional ideas and for touching base!
Please do not begin to thread out any aftermath until AUGUST 8, 2020, which is when we will put up the aftermath log and OOC post. If this date changes, we will provide a gamewide update as needed! As a note, the August calendar will be posted alongside the aftermath!
As a reminder, there is one power level up available for this event, granted for a thread of at least 5 log/action comments containing your character utilizing their power in some way during the event itself. They will need to reach the 5 comments required by SEPTEMBER 11, 2020 to be eligible. Submission will be handled on the wrap up post.
Our Activity Check will be posted AUGUST 1 at 12 AM UTC. It will run for seven days and close on AUGUST 8 at 12 AM UTC.
Have fun and fight some monsters! Or … whatever else you might do with them. 😉😏 Your secret's safe with us. 😙
no subject
A beat later he resumes. ]
You didn't fuck up.
[ He murmurs it with an almost resigned-sounding sigh. Some cousin of apologetic, maybe. ]
You didn't do anything wrong.
[ Not to it's not you, it's me her, but it's the truth. She was good, and that's the problem isn't it? ]
no subject
[She didn't fuck up this time, anyway. She still might, but she doesn't want to think about that right now. Kyna chews on her lip for a second.]
I was so pissed at you.
[Mostly isn't, anymore. That's something, right? But it's also probing a little—is he still going to think this is too much? Are they still not going to talk after this?]
no subject
She had and has every right to be pissed. ]
Sorry.
[ It's quiet, and it's short, but it's earnest at least. He is sorry, and he'd say more if he wasn't already giving away way too much of himself. ]
no subject
But she can't just leave it here. She needs to ask, so, quietly, ignoring the vulnerability that creeps into her voice:]
Are we... you know. Okay?
no subject
He takes his hand away from her wrist, not to end contact but to scratch at his eyebrow with his thumbnail. It's an unconscious tic, and it's back in place after a second. ]
I mean yeah, I never-- Kyna, I was never... pissed at you, or upset with you, or like...
[ You know, anything like that. It's just that one thing, that same thing that hasn't changed just because they've talked about it.
He blows out another frustrated breath, but it's muted and it's quiet.
How in the hell does he put this into perspective? ]
In the last, like, fifteen years nobody I've met has ever known my mom's name. Nobody's been in my apartment — you know, before my apartment got ripped out of the ground. I haven't been to anybody's place for Thanksgiving or Christmas. I literally- I literally don't do... this. I don't know if I'm even capable of what it feels like you want.
[ Letting himself. Opening up, getting attached, choosing to be vulnerable or whatever. So if that's what she's expecting from him right now — Jesus, what the fuck is he even supposed to do? What makes this any different? It's not even yet a matter of if he wants to change, he doesn't even know if it's possible.
He is out of touch with everything deeper than skin. ]
no subject
But still. Kyna has spent most of her life feeling like she's at some sort of disadvantage, like everyone else understands how to open up in a way she just doesn't. Talking about this with Ian feels like even ground, but there are still things she's terrified to tell him, things she's terrified to tell anyone, so his certainty that he's incapable of... whatever it is pulls her up short.]
What do you think I want?
no subject
When he retreated into himself during that first year of grad school, all his college friends fell out of touch. Moved on with their lives or their post-graduate schools or their families. Stopped reaching out when he stopped answering them.
When he resurfaced again, it was after an iron box had been welded around parts of himself.
He puffs out a breathe, the endless impossible search for words for things he's refused to talk about. ]
I don't know. Something deeper than fucking... karaoke. The... go through an earthquake and fucking... bond over it emotionally kind of something?
no subject
She nudges his leg with her toe gently, an almost playful motion, but she's too wrung out to really manage it. She does want those things, sure. Not just with Ian—with anyone. She's just not entirely sure how to make sure they stick.]
Ian, this is like, the longest, most terrifying talk I've had with anyone in a long time. I suck at this shit, too.
[Admitting it in an honest way, a way that isn't just her trying to deflect, is kind of a relief. She's had productive conversations with other people here, but nothing quite like this.]
It's okay if you suck. It's okay if you don't want to talk. I just don't want you ignoring me and giving me some bullshit about your super secret totally real project making you too busy.
no subject
Earthquake bonding.
The nudge to his leg sends a little surprise rippling through the bond, and he glances down like he can't quite believe she's doing it. It's too light, it reels him back a little from the heavy depths he's venturing.
Humor is present, but fleeting. He puffs out a soft breath, his best effort at a laugh that doesn't really bloom into anything.
Yeah, him too.
It's just— maybe he's wrong in implying she's asking anything of him. Maybe the right way to put it is it's gonna happen if he sticks around. If they keep hanging out, no matter what she expects from him, he's gonna get attached. It'll be his own fault. It'll come from him.
Don't ignore me sounds super simple on the surface, but it...
Okay, you want him to be honest? ]
If I don't cut you out now it's gonna really fucking suck when you go.
[ He finally flicks his eyes up to hers. Just. There, flat out. That's what it is. That's the kind of hurt he's always running from. ]
no subject
Kyna sucks in a small, sharp breath, so surprised it pulls her up short. What does she say to that? She can't promise she won't leave—even if she doesn't want to, she could get sent home, or he could. And besides, to her, a promise like that would mean next to nothing. It would comfort her in the moment, and then an hour later she'd be thinking about how empty it was.
She turns away slightly, rinses her free hand off in the sink, rubs it dry on her jeans. It gives her a bit of time to stall, but by the end of it, she realizes all she can really do is be honest. Fair's fair, right? Even if her nerves are creeping back.
When she turns back, she forces herself to meet his eyes again. It's not like he can't tell that she's being honest through the empathy bond, but it still feels important. Like looking away again would be chickening out.]
I don't want to go anywhere. I really like you, and I don't...
[She lets out a breath, slow and frustrated. How does she even say this?]
I wouldn't want to... To do that to you. Hurt you like that.
no subject
Maybe he just wanted her to know. Maybe, stupidly, give her the chance to be like aight I get it peace out Fowler.
Instead, she says the most reassuring thing it's possible to say while still being honest. All he can really do is nod, dropping his eyes back down to her wound. Running the final stitch through.
Instead of coldness or indignation, frustration, joy, any of what you might expect to bleed through, it's just... a kind of resigned sadness. ]
Okay.
[ He'll stick around, even though he's already prepping for it to bite him in the fucking ass.
Maybe it seems like he's being overly dramatic, they're not fucking... dating or singing a blood pact or anything. It's just that he's convinced everything inevitably ends one way or another, and even if they're just finally really becoming friends--
Shit, anyone who's ever lost a friend can tell you that it's gutting. He's not really afraid of the dark or spiders, never been bitten by a dog, never fell off of anything super high, none of the traditional phobias people acquire through life experience. His phobia is loss.
But okay. ]
no subject
The problem is, there's nothing she can say to magically make him feel better, and she knows it. She doesn't bother—it would just come out trite anyway. Instead, she leans forward to kiss him on the cheek, free hand resting against his shoulder for balance.]
no subject
Sorry for being an asshole.
This is what you're getting into, Kyna. This is the kind of baggage he pretends he doesn't have. ]
no subject
Thanks. For not letting me bleed to death, I mean.
[And for the talk.]
no subject
[ He says, reeling back to tug four or five bandaids out of a small box. ]
I could have avoided this whole conversation if you were dead.
[ Kidding. He's kidding.
And he's not gonna plaster a dozen band-aids on her either. Nope, Ian's power is VIP today, he's knitting them together to make one large, actually appropriately sized bandage.
99% of the time, useless. That other one percent, though, holy shit this whole thing could've been way worse without it. ]
no subject
[She holds out her arm again helpfully. But wait.]
Put little lightning bolts on it.
[Apparently someone is making requests now.]
no subject
But.
He can actually do that. Tiny little lightning bolt cut-outs on the sticky parts.
You're welcome.
Done and done. He steps back from the counter. ]
Get out of my office.
[ His doctor's office of, you know, the public bathroom. ]
no subject
Thanks, doc. You're the best.
[She holds up her injured arm, where his belt is still melded together.]
Can you get this off?
no subject
[ Sorry, he's a little. You know. Distracted.
A hand comes out, chest glows blue, and the belt detaches from around her arm.
Just for a little added pizzazz, he puts the whole thing back together again like it never even happened.
He gestures to his belt, and then her bandage, and does an approval seeking little-- ]
Eh??
[ Look at that. Power stuff. Not bad right?? ]
no subject
Your power is totally badass. That's way better than changing screwdrivers.
no subject
[ Finally some respect around this joint.
Anyway: ]
Let's go make friends with an angry bat.