ARRIVAL LOG #025

[larkers]

WHO: Everyone! Naked everyone!
WHERE: All over New Amsterdam.
WHEN: June 20-27
WHAT: Summer Solstice and newbies showing up.
NOTES OR WARNINGS: Coercion and loss of autonomy, nudity, drinking, and some shady herbs.

> ARRIVAL LOG #025

Awareness comes to you in blurred snatches, cloudy fragments of sound, light, color, and sensation. It's hard to grasp onto anything but a series of rhythmic beeps, a medicinal astringent smell, and the sensation of movement beneath you. Your eyes are heavy and you struggle to keep them open, but in the glimpses between slow blinks, you see a man in front of you dressed in all white. There isn't any other visibility. Not yet.

You realize there is one other next to you who's dressed the same way as you. To your left there's an armored interior door, two more people visible, and large, hulking buildings passing by through the window. 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.

When the vehicle stops, a nurse steps into view. His jaw is set as he pulls the IV out of your arm. "Just a small delivery today," he murmurs to himself.

The nurse opens up the van's door soon after, and he steps out, monitoring the way the two heavily armed soldiers yank you out. "Same orders as usual," one of the soldiers—a woman, going off her voice—says. "Head to the front and into the bar. Don't go anywhere else. Look for the glow in people like you. And once you do, listen to them."

They don't waste any time after that. After surveying the area to make sure no one's about to come out and stop them, they quickly climb back into the van and pull off. And pulling off means coming to a hover before rising up and flying away. These "roadways" are in the sky.

With them gone, all that's left is two newcomers with no choice but to follow the instructions they've been given.

◉ 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.

Soon after, a note arrives once again in all of the Displaced's inboxes:

The new batch is coming in. Sorry for the lack of advance notice, but I can't keep people on staff if they run the risk of being identified by you. Some of you have a reputation for making things hard for people like them. Take care of these newcomers. There's just the two for now.

PM

As with before, the message can't be traced to any particular location or identity, instead reading as if it comes from a specifically tailored UN broadcasting alert.

> SUMMER SOLSTICE

Once the newcomers head out of the alley, they'll see a city that is both in disarray and in the middle of celebration. People will pass by them in very little clothing, showing off almost every inch of their skin. They'll likely have a flower crown or flower wreath on them—if not both—and a drink in their hand. The smell of alcohol will be thick in the air, and debauchery will be the name of the game. Fortunately, these two newcomers won't have far to go, but there is the sense that this is a city that appears to be recovering with a great deal of alcohol. At least: that's the tone that's been set.

The reality is that the newly elected Governor of New Amsterdam, Joseph Lynch, and his Lieutenant Governor, Amabel Delafield-Chapin, pulled together a Summer Solstice celebration to help New Amsterdam's citizens move forward, one that's inspired by the Swedish Midsummer celebrations from before World War III. While Summer Solstice has always been celebrated in New Amsterdam on a much smaller scale—think a long weekend at a rented out skypark with screens up to prevent anyone from seeing a great deal of nudity—the Governors decided to go big this time. It's been a few months since New Amsterdam had anything fun. This celebration is their gift to their citizens in a time when it's much needed.

So, what's going on around New Amsterdam with this celebration going on?

> AND THAT'S WHAT YOU MISSED IN NEW AMSTERDAM
It may be borderline impossible to summarize everything that's happened in New Amsterdam since the Displaced first turned up, but we'll give a go at it. The important part? This city's seen a lot of tragedy between giant kaiju attacks, people being hit with a rage sickness, an EMP that killed lots of people, and later a simulation that dragged people into an experience of a war from hundreds of years ago to be a part of an AI's revenge scenario. Did these people ask for this? Not in the least. Most recently, the city was hit by a monster attack, though thanks to those strange people with the blue glowing chests (known to each other colloquially as "the Displaced"), it fared better than the other megacities around the world. For once.

Of course, New Amsterdam tends to be the site of some weird stuff. For instance: around last December, the city started growing lots of plants out of every hole, and that hasn't seemed to stop. What was once a bulking metropolitan city with skyparks being the common source of greenery is now a weird merger of a forest-like city.

To top that off, there are some people who have been worshipping the Displaced around the city, painting and building little shrines to them. These people tend to be marked with sacred geometry tattoos. These people aren't in the majority in the city by any means, but they were the first "fans" of the Displaced. Now that the Displaced are becoming known (not for being people from another world, but for their feats to help the city and their glowing blue chests), their shrines are probably getting more notice.

On a more normal note, after the last Governor of New Amsterdam abdicated her post, there was an election! The new Governor of New Amsterdam is Joseph Lynch, and he's reinstated the Lieutenant Governor position for the pro-Displaced politician, Amabel Delafield-Chapin. Interestingly enough for the solstice events ahead, Delafield-Chapin was supported by those shrinemakers in her run for office. Though she lost, Lynch saw her promise and made sure she'd be his right hand.

> RED WINGS
The two newcomers were directed to head into a bar that is on the other side of the alley, and there is only one available: the Displaced-run Red Wings. While Red Wings looked worse for wear thanks to the recent monster attack, it's starting to look like its old self again. Bright red lights welcome the newcomers inside. The windows have been repaired, and the bar looks like it's in better shape. Thanks to the attack, there are still some cosmetic changes in progress to freshen up the place, getting rid of the booths and replacing them with tables, but this appears to be a work in progress.

Business is slow right now, but it doesn't seem to be due to any fault of the ownership. The people drinking outside are walking around with drinks in their hands that they got from somewhere, but it's definitely not here.

Still, this is a Displaced-run bar, with Displaced employees helping out. If there's a place to "find the glow," so to speak, this is it.

> MAYPOLES
Set up around the city are tall, metal maypoles artificially covered in vines. These are meant to be meeting spots for people to dance and celebrate around. At each of these maypoles, there are stations for food, drink, and revelry, as well as music that plays loudly and encourages people to dance.

Thanks to the fact that nearly everyone has the day off, these maypoles can be seen all around town as sites of merriment.

Occasionally, the music cuts off to explain the lore around the maypoles, dictating that they were once thought to be magical hundreds of years ago. Magical how? No one seems to know. More recent interpretations tend to add that the maypole is very clearly a phallic symbol, but historians used to gladly debunk that. So, it's up to anyone's interpretation. Either way, these are meant to be meeting grounds, and there will be celebrations going on around them all throughout the busy solstice week.

> FLORAL WEAR
It would be a real waste if such a celebration went without reveling in the greenery around New Amsterdam. In what is only a slight snub to the ridiculousness of Mia Ballo's campaign, there are stations all around town to make flower crowns, wreaths, and leafy headwear. Some people are a bit more ambitious, making full outfits out of leaves and flowers. Some people are a more creative version of ambitious, using the wreaths to cover up various regions, if you catch our drift. Flowers aren't great for that, but hey, at least there are plenty of stations around the city to help cover back up.

> HERBAL LIFE
Want to know what else is magical during the Summer Solstice? Well, legends say that herbs are much more potent and powerful during this time. Anyone who's keen on spreading the herbal wealth around the city has an opportunity to go on planting expeditions. Thanks to the unusual growth of greenery around the city, there's a good chance that even a drunken fool can get these herbs growing.

There are single cell packs of herbs available to all New Amsterdam citizens. The people handing them out tend to have tattoos of geometric symbols that most definitely mean something.

As for the herbs? Well, we pulled together a list: aloe, mint, lemon balm, lavender, sage, thyme, chamomile, calendula, basil, fennel, fern, rue, dog rose, nettles, elder, St. John's wort, vervain (good thing there aren't any vampires around, huh?), yarrow, and mugwort.

Will they truly be more potent? Hard to say. But they will most certainly grow.

> DON'T NEED TO BYOB
Thanks to Joseph Lynch's deep pockets and the city's need for a good time, there will be plenty of alcohol available throughout the week of the solstice. Whether it's wine, homemade moonshine (which is typically only brought out during Halloween around these parts), or snaps, there is always something available. The snaps themselves tend to be lemon, elderflower, or herbal-infused flavors.

There is an old tradition that you should sing while drinking snaps, but no one's going to be enforcing it around town.

> GET YOUR FREE FOOD
In line with the Midsummer festivities, there is plenty of food to go around. Most of it is Swedish in nature. Want a list? We got you: pickled herring, potatoes with dill, (non-dairy) sour cream and chives, skagenröra (shrimp on toast), and västerbottenpaj (a cheese quiche/pie).

> BONFIRES
At night, there will be bonfires set up near each of the maypoles. The point of the bonfires is for revelry and enjoyment. Around the city, buildings will light fires on their roofs to create a skyline. The city walls will be lit up with torches, as well. The thought here is purification, as well as the obvious passion involved with fire itself.

There will be areas around the city where "fire pits" are set up for people to leap over them. The fire itself for these will be fake because of all the legal difficulties, but there is a theme of burning away what came before.

> SKINNY DIPPING IN THE RIVER
This is exactly what it says on the tin! While the river is typically loaded with boats during the day, Lynch puts a stop to all river movement to allow for swimmers as the celebration goes on. It's early for the annual river "pool" party, but no matter. The people of New Amsterdam need this.

In the evening, this will take a turn for the dirty as people jump into the river sans clothing. Want to join them? Feel free. Once more, it's not like the NAPD is going to be monitoring this. Their hands are full, and they don't want to touch this stuff.

> SEXUAL FEELING
Not one to miss out on an event built around the notion of debauchery, various brothels from the Red Light District will have deals and bargains set up around the event itself. Since sex workers won't work for free, everyone will still need to pay for their experience—but it'll be worth their while. For anyone who's just looking to add some kink to their experience, there are tents set up around the city for this purpose. Someone will need to rent it out, sign up for who's joining in, and have a good time. Some tents are larger than others, so don't feel as if you need to hold back.

A key note of all sex work and sexual endeavors around the city is consent. To keep their businesses up and running, no one is tricked into joining in or ends up in these situations unaware. Consent is the lifeblood of this industry.

> AND NOW: SHRINES
Around the town, the worshipers of the Displaced will be working hard to set up shrines all over the place. Wherever there's a maypole or a bonfire, it's likely there will be a shrine set up nearby. Coincidence? Most likely not. Underground New Amsterdam will see less festivities due to the fire safety conditions with the bonfires, but there will be plenty of shrines there, too.

Since these worshipers with geometric tattoos will be around helping with pretty much all of the festivities, there is a high chance that the Displaced can hit them up and ask them some questions. Anyone interested in doing so can hit up our thread below for this purpose.

A new mural will spring up near the financial district seemingly overnight, stretching over the external walls of several Vyonation subsidiaries. It's almost as if the artist is daring the security experts to spot them. The mural itself is of seven bright lights in seven different colors: white, blue, indigo, red, gold, orange, and black. Many of the creatures from the recent monster attacks will be pictured throughout, stylized with line variations, clawing violently and attacking each of the lights in rage. And, of course, the same sacred geometry will be pictured, framing the artwork itself.

This mural is courtesy of New Amsterdam's own Banksy type figure. They've recently come out as the identity "Legion," and it's apparent that Legion was not, as rumored before, the Displaced Takeshi Kovacs.

> NEWBIES? WHERE DO THEY DO?
For a very long time, most newcomers were relegated to the safehouse that was run by the Displaced but largely managed by Morningstar. These safehouses will still be out of order for a little while longer due to the destructive monster attacks, so these two newcomers will need to be convinced to sit tight … somewhere for a while. Although it's advised that they don't take to the streets during the Solstice festival because they won't have a neural ID set up yet, it's unlikely that they'll get in trouble for it. The NAPD is strapped for having enough officers, and they're unlikely to try to police too much of the … everything that's going on, so people without an ID won't need to worry as much.

Still, even if they have a little more freedom of movement, they'll have to get used to a few ugly truths about this new world:

◉ They'll be living on the kindness of others. While Morningstar and the Displaced have a good amount of second hand clothes to offer to newcomers, they won't be in the finest shape.

◉ The drug in their systems won't be going away for a few hours, so they'll have to deal with the urge to bark on command for a little while. At least it's not multiple days!

◉ This is a world without a lot of basic commodities. Coffee is hard to come by and extremely expensive. Paper? No one produces paper anymore, not even for the rich and famous. And bugs are the protein of choice given that they're easy to come by and don't take too much energy to source.

◉ While the Morningstar network will be set up for all the newcomers thanks to their proximity to Red Wings, no one will be able to VR and Chill until El finishes making their IDs. That means that any news reports or information about the world will be out of reach for the time being. Their fellow Displaced will need to help them out in the meantime.

◉ Morningstar will provide a stipend to the newcomers, but it'll only be enough to feed and clothe themselves. If they're looking to get a job, they'll have to accept the reality of entry level in this new world. Yep, entry level. At least it's easy to get certification to get moving on the career path if you're talented enough.

> 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 to roam free until JUNE 26, 2512 (September 21, 2020), and until that date will appear as "@anonymous" on the network. 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. We do expect that some characters may be unwilling to sit tight for four days when they don't have a safehouse locking them in place. Feel free to plot amongst yourselves, and come to us if you have any additional questions!

If your characters would like to hit up the shrine-makers/cultists, hit up our thread here. Keep in mind that these NPCs only know what they believe, but we wanted to make them available on this scale once more!

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.

The September CR meme for the month is here.

Please check out our September calendar rundown for a look at things happening this month.

As we announced in our calendar, AC will remain halved until at least January 2021. 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

SHRINE-MAKING, CULTISTS/WORSHIPING FOLK

[larkers]

Hit us up with some interactions here! These won't be played out, but we'll definitely do some back and forth on questioning. Feel free to interrogate these people.

[righteously]

Dean gonna hit them with a little Supernatural style interviewing

→ hey, what's your deal
→ what's with the tattoos
→ is this a freaky sex cult thing
→ why exactly do you think the displaced are gods
→ who started this crap & where can I find them
→ if you met a displaced right now what would you do, get an autograph?

[larkers]

Hey Em!

1. Their first response would be, a bit sardonically, that they're doing whatever it is that they're doing. But they'd smile a bit before adding, "It's a holy time of the year. We're glad that we're able to help celebrate it."

2. It's a way of bringing their gods closer and showing that they do since the world has otherwise stopped worshiping them for hundreds of years. If asked about what the symbols mean, they'd give the sacred geometry spiel, AKA yada yada it's proof of god in this world, seeing these symbols all over is evident of that, especially since they're naturally occurring in nature.

3. No! Though their old leader liked to throw the Insomniac Ball before he passed (Rest in Peace, Ball). This was definitely a time when people could get up to freaky sex stuff, but it's definitely not their focus.

4. Gods or touched by gods, or avatars of gods in the world, depending on who/how many people Dean asks. There are some broad interpretations on what it meant for there to be people touched by gods in the world, but the understanding is that they were meant to represent their power and influence while able to move freely themselves. But there is some uncertainty here—some of the answers are nearly identical, as if they're remembering something they've been told.

5. If they mean the god business, that started long before any of them were born. But their former leader passed, and someone else has stepped into his place. They don't know how their leader (known as Ball) learned about it, but a lot of it was lost to history. One thing they know, if Dean suggests it, is that Ball didn't create it himself.

6. Aren't they talking to one now? They admire Dean for what he's done, though their admiration is a bit more restrained than it's been in the past, as if they've been advised to be a bit less ... fluid with their appreciation. The shrines continue, of course, but it's as if they've been told to watch themselves and show some caution.

[righteously]

cool cool cool a few follow ups

-if Ball isn't the leader now, who is and how do we set up a meeting

-is there some kind of sunday school or like program they put members through? where's the education happening for their new members or their kids or whatever?

-is there a handy Cult Library somewhere where he can get reading material, say if he wants to convert

[larkers]

Hi Emmy!

1. Their new leader isn't interested in meeting with any of the Displaced now. While Ball made a game of it (that they're aware of), this new one isn't interested in messing around that way. No meeting.

2. Nope! Their tradition is as old as time, but their religious exercise and exploration around the city is actually quite a new movement, started around when Ball started inspiring others a few years ago. Their goal thing is in oral tradition, which ... means they're horribly disorganized. It doesn't help that they reject the trappings of society, which also includes things that would help organize (see: technology). Some of this they'd express without saying, so Dean can read between the lines.

3. It's not a matter of conversion. It's a matter of accepting what is, so to speak.

[evocation]

Questions!

- Like Dean, Kyna's going to ask why they think the Displaced are gods
- How do they think the whole Displaced thing works? Are they "chosen" somehow? Were their other groups like the Displaced in the past?
- How long has their religion (she's not going to call it a cult lmfao) existed and how widespread is it?
- What do they think the deal with the monsters is?

[larkers]

Hi Jenny!

1. Just pasting what we wrote for Emmy here: Gods or touched by gods, or avatars of gods in the world, depending on who/how many people Dean asks. There are some broad interpretations on what it meant for there to be people touched by gods in the world, but the understanding is that they were meant to represent their power and influence while able to move freely themselves. But there is some uncertainty here—some of the answers are nearly identical, as if they're remembering something they've been told.

2. Can you clarify what you mean by "groups like the Displaced"? There are two broad ways of looking at this (people touched by gods or people brought from a different world), so we need to know to answer!

3. For several millennia, though the recent resurgence in worship isn't widespread. It's also not something they'd refer to as "religion" so much as faith.

4. They didn't know until William released the articles, but they do think the monsters are linked to the gods in some way. Perhaps a sacrifice of sorts? But even using that word gets someone else to side-eye them, so it's uncertain. That doesn't seem to fit the whole faith aspect of what they believe, but they also don't know what to believe. One of their gods is associated with a great deal of golden imagery.

[evocation]

2. She meant people touched by gods specifically!

4. She'll press them on that and ask them to tell her more about their golden god, and what they mean by "sacrifice". A sacrifice to what/for what reason?

[larkers]

2. All right! They don't know how the people were touched before, but they do believe that there were other people in other societies. But much of this evidence has been wiped away. (As a note, they don't have access to the gates, but Ball had a few pictures from the 1900s.) They know that some of the worshipers of these gods were very nomadic in nature. But—again—it's as if this cultural artifact was wiped from existence on purpose.

4. Their golden god, from what they know, is depicted with a lot of violent imagery. If Kyna heard about the dreams with the soldiers, she'll likely recall that here.

The sacrifice bit has to do with the people marked with the same tattoos found under the ice in Antarctica. Why else would they be there? There aren't any records of an expedition there. And then there was an earthquake? The earthquake, of course, is being treated as an act of god. (They don't know that the Displaced were there.)

[lifetothefullest]

So Lance has a few of the same questions as Dean and Kyna, but for unique ones:

• What exactly is it about the Displaced that they think is worth making shrines to?
• Similarly (and possibly answered by the first question), what are they hoping the Displaced are going to do/accomplish, if anything?
• Is there anything the believers (he's also not using the word 'cult' for obvious reasons) do aside from making the shrines? Like is there any sort of organized action/goals they're working toward?

[larkers]

Hi Ami!

1. They're both connected to god and performing acts of god in this world, doing things that are deserving of worship.

2. They support the Displaced in whatever it is that they choose to do, with some caveats (such as: don't hurt people, etc.). There isn't a particular path that they have in mind for them, considering that the Displaced are meant to be followed.

3. They're trying to bring a sense of community back and revel in the nature. They do believe that New Amsterdam is becoming one with nature again thanks to the Displaced. While this is true, they don't know why and just figure it's an act of god that they've done for the world. They shun technology and are doing everything in their power to embrace the world for what it is, and detach from the toxic things that can control the world. They don't practice in a house of worship. Instead, they do what they can to promote a more natural and holistic lifestyle because they believe that's what the gods want, and the city being covered in greenery seems to just be proof of that.

[lifetothefullest]

Awesome, thank you! I will comment again if I think of any more questions because I feel like there was something else I was gonna ask but can't remember it, alas.

[filloryfanatic]

Ahhh the worshippers. Q of course makes a beeline at them when he spots them. If they don't already know him he will introduce himself and say he knew Ball. It is not much of a secret in the way he talks that he is one of the Displaced, he'd even say things like "us."

---> What's happened since Ball's demise? Do they have a new leader who has been helping them?
---> He'll ask if they need any help, are they surviving okay, were they hit hard by the event, etc. He cares okay.
---> He wants to know what each of the geometry symbols mean, he hasn't asked that in detail! What is it about each symbol that makes them choose that exact one.
---> He asks if there are any specific things in their 'scripture' or whatever that say what the Displaced are supposed to do.
---> Post the mural if he finds someone, he'll ask them if Legion is one of them and what the colors correspond to.

[larkers]

Just to clarify, Dee, are you still having it that Rey and Quentin approached the group following Ball's death? We need to be certain before we proceed with answering!

[filloryfanatic]

Let me check with Tifa! I think we did agree that they did that, but it may have gotten confused in my hiatus brain brb

[filloryfanatic]

Yes Tifa confirmed Rey and Quentin did approach the group following Ball's death!

[larkers]

So, going to go with that they know who Quentin is! He doesn't need to introduce himself. 🤗🤗🤗🤗

1. They do have a new leader, but they will be reluctant to share literally any information about them. They do seem to respect this person a great deal, however, but this person also doesn't want to end up dead like Ball. They don't say this, obviously, but Q can read between the lines.

2. Their new leader is taking care of them, but if Q wants to volunteer over the week for any of their stations, he certainly can!

3. Enjoy an 1 hour and 44 minute movie on sacred geometry. Quentin can get all of this through Google, so once they start to answer, he'll realize it lines up.

4. This isn't going to be a different answer from what Ball told him. There isn't anything about what the Displaced are supposed to do, as there isn't anything prophetic of that nature. As a head's up, this isn't likely to change!

5. Legion is one of them, but they don't know who Legion is (which sounds ridiculous to say out loud, and one of them says as much). The colors correspond to their gods!

[filloryfanatic]

HI PALS 🤗

1. He will tell them that he understands but if their new leader wants to get in touch with him, he/she/they can at any point. He's open to it!

2. He will help them do at least one just to be a team player. ;)

3. [tbd: dee's journal entry of everything she'll learn from this video.]

4. Thumbs up.

5. He asks what the names are of the gods in question, if there are any, and what they may be god "of." He'll use examples of like Aphrodite, goddess of love, Ares, god of war, that sort of thing to specify. He points out that the monster attacks are attacking the lights/gods, so that would mean they might be considered enemies of their gods, right? And if they have a word/term for who might be the enemy of said gods.

[stabsbooks]

Cassandra will be curious about the shrines, and will ask questions. She'll be very uncomfortable being worshipped, while recognizing that there's some hypocrisy in that considering her faith in the Herald of Andraste back home. She'll want to know if the worshippers believe the Displaced are gods themselves; if so, she'll argue passionately against it until she either convinces them that no gods could be that much of a pain in the ass, until she gets so frustrated she storms off, or until she's dragged away by a friend. If they think the Displaced are just sent by god(s), she'll still be a little unnerved at the weight of it all, still be uncomfortable with the shrines, but will be willing to consider the possibility.

[larkers]

The worshipers either believe the Displaced are gods or have been touched by gods in some way, going off of lore from the past. From what they know (which is what Ball, their former leader, told some of the Displaced in the past), the two things might be interchangeable given the way these gods used to be represented in the world. They're definitely tied to gods in some way, and—like sacred geometry is "proof of god in the world" to them—the Displaced are proof, as well.

They won't be swayed from this opinion, so it's an immovable object sort of situation, where both sides are ridiculously stubborn. They do, however, invite her to ask questions, especially since she seems willing to keep pushing her opinion! They're open to a dialogue for sure.

[chocolateries]

silena comes bearing gifts, ofc. last time she had a whole ass cake when they were mourning ball but this time she thought ahead and made lavender lemon bars, precut.

↬ since the stories of their gods are an oral tradition (terrible idea, her family should be a cautionary tale), do they know any of the stories and/or are they willing to share?
↬ their faith is about community and nature, but do they have faith spaces? not a house of worship per se, more like a meeting house where they can share. (she will chatter about how pan rarely had temples but was celebrated in rustic spaces like natural caves and meadows, it is obvious she is well acquainted with the idea of gods.)

[larkers]

Hey Emma (and Silena!!)! Sorry for the delay—hit by the Covid Blues so, y'know.

1. One thing that they're willing to share is that the gods aren't meant to be encompassed by a single thought, concept, personality, or belief. These gods could encompass all gods and beliefs in a way, whether or not those gods existed, because these gods were the ones that helped bring everything else into creation. There are seven of them, all represented by different colors, and one thing they've noticed is that the Displaced (not called that, of course—they'd probably refer to them as "your people" with some reverence) try to apply very human motivations and ambitions onto the gods. There is the sense that these colors are partly imposed by humanity onto the gods as a way of making them distinct, but those colors are reoccurring (which Silena would know from the ruins tied to the gates).

Their gods are more the causation of conceptualizing. Everything that makes up the world: air, breathing, living, the heart, or even war. They're nebulous and amorphous, and less likely to be seen as beings than as the point of creation.

Their gods' existence allows for free will, for humans to reflect their conceptualization and causation in the real world. That's how the god-touched came to be. Mind you, some of what they will tell Silena has been shared through Ball's interpretation of what he knew, but they'll say that they agree with what he's learned. Quentin had asked Ball repeatedly why a god would want them (the Displaced), and it's obvious that in all the cultures throughout the world that none of them could've been put into motion because a god wanted a certain direction. The gods (and their concepts/ideas/etc.) were present all over. So why be so limited and narrow in thinking?

They're aware of Greek mythology, Norse mythology, and so on, but they feel like that while there was room for those belief systems, they're also very narrow in how they compose creation in terms of ideas. Why would one god be limited to such a narrow scope? And even then, there were contradictions.

(This is a very long-winded way to say "don't put our gods in a corner [box].")

2. In part because of Ball's secrecy and hope that they can bring a bit of community and nature back to the people, they don't have a house of worship. Their worship was in the natural interaction with nature that was seen in the Harvest Festival (our arrival log in June 2019). Canning and taking care of themselves and showing self-sufficiency—basically, they've gotten together and taught these skills to each other and newcomers. It's more a fact of trying to go back to basics than a place of worship. Respecting what the Earth has to offer and what the world has to offer to them, rather than trying to depend on technology to do that for them. Before the greenery started sprouting around New Amsterdam, they did their best to come together and foster nature around the city. Needless to say, they volunteered a lot to help keep the skyparks looking great. They didn't want them to just be a matter of lip service, and they had been up to that point. (The skyparks in New Amsterdam were also a lot nicer in the past decade or so than they were in other cities, which had more professional, if less natural-seeming landscaping done.)

Obviously, they can't go outside of the walls of the cities around the world, but they seem to feel that most of humanity isn't ready to do that. Mia Ballo (some of them will name her outright) is proof that not everyone is ready for that, even if she had dismal turnout. People are too reliant on technology.

They do tell Silena that they feel the Displaced (again, referred to as "your people") are responsible for how green New Amsterdam is these days, and they tell her to tell everyone "thank you."

3. Oh, and finally: it doesn't take long for her lemon bars to vanish. They loved her cake, so her lemon bars are sure to be a hit, too. They're not going to ask for more, but even if she isn't hanging around them during the Solstice Celebration, they'll seek her out and thank her for them when they can.

[evasives]

slides in here late...!

so cassian and jyn will seek out the cultists, and presumably jyn at least will be recognized as she's on a number of shrines! cassian's also gained a little notoriety lately. jyn will also offer to show some of her powers for incentive if need be, and cassian would follow suit.

specifically cassian will explain his dream. he'll want to know:
- what they think of the multiple points of view in the dream, despite feeling as though he was one person
- if they have any thoughts on what a swiftlet is and what it might be trying to control
- how they might explain the unity in the display of powers at once and the sense of collective consciousness together
- the mystery theme of 'who are you' and wanting to be whole again
- if they know what the 'creation' is supposed to be

while some of this might have seemingly uncomfortable obvious answers following some theorizing, he's still interested in their take on his dream overall, and why they think he and the others like him keep having them.

[larkers]

Hi Tomato! Shh, not late. You were on hiatus!

1. They would think that the multiple points of view in the dream is evidence that they're all connected by their connection through one of the gods (presumably the one symbolized in a lot of pictures by the color blue). They'll propose this as if it's a completely normal and expected explanation for the god-touched (like the nomadic people being drawn together toward a bridge/the gates in the first dream here.)

2. They'll know it's a bird, but that's about it. The explanation of this part will make them really uncomfortable given the implications of what's happening. It sounds like they were trying to steal the god-touched presence out of them, which should theoretically be impossible?

3. Their assumption would be linked to their discomfort: that this was a very, very, very bad thing to happen.

4. They don't know about the wanting to be whole part, since it doesn't match the lore they were given. (They don't know that Ball said differently.) They'll offer to bring it to their new leader. No promises on any feedback ever.

5. Creation is actually the easy part, from what they know. Creation in this case would be humanity, or a conscious sentient being (since there's some room for flexibility). Blue's connected to air and water, both of which being the lifeblood of ... life ... Ergo, one leads to the other. Presumably, anyway. They would argue that there's no way that the blue-colored god was solely responsible for making life, but was definitely involved with keeping it alive.

Their overall impression is that their read on the Displaced as practically embodying a god itself was correct. By bringing this to them, they have more reason to be more diligent in their worship. They will ... probably be ignoring the uncomfortable implications of experimentation and trying to steal that power, because that's really bad.

[evasives]

okok some follow up..... idk what time is ever, clearly

1. to them, what does it mean exactly to be 'god touched?' is there any reason behind who gets this gift? how would they explain the connection?

2. do they know if there is anyone would might want that kind of god touch for themselves? cassian will notice their discomfort and hone in on it internally, but he wouldn't demand or push it too hard in the fear of them clamming up entirely, but he will play up being worried that someone might be able to hurt the displaced

3. wait, what was the bad thing? the collective or what caused the collective? was the unity in the powers as reaction to the Bad Thing or just the fact that it was necessary bad?

despite the discomfort, what if he points out that the dream suggests whatever the swiftlet attempted to do has happened before (They did that once, splintering you, cutting you into tiny pieces because you're mercurial, uncontrolled, flow and movement. They direct you again, take you from where you are, where you've chosen –). what would they make of that?

4. what's the lore given? also, does their new leader have a name?

5. are these gods still interconnected with the creation? do they keep influencing each other?

cassian will thank them for answering and expounding, as he is trying to understand what all of this means for him and for them and what they are meant to do on this planet