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meadowlarklogs2020-10-11 12:16 pm
- !arrival log,
- bones: lance sweets,
- dragon age: cassandra pentaghast,
- dragon age: marian hawke,
- marvel comics: loki,
- mcu: stephen strange,
- original: quintalian,
- persona: ren amamiya,
- red vs. blue: terrence ephemera,
- riordan mythos: silena beauregard,
- she-ra: glimmer,
- star wars: jyn erso,
- supernatural: dean winchester,
- supernatural: sam winchester,
- the 100: john murphy,
- the 100: lexa,
- the boys: homelander,
- the last of us: ellie,
- the magicians: penny adiyodi,
- the magicians: quentin coldwater,
- the oa: the oa,
- the old guard: andy,
- the old guard: booker,
- the old guard: joe,
- the old guard: nicky,
- the old guard: nile freeman,
- uncharted: sam drake,
- xena: callisto
ARRIVAL LOG #026
WHERE: Everywhere / the underground tunnels of New Amsterdam.
WHEN: July 6-9 2512
WHAT: The mod market -- and some new arrivals!
NOTES OR WARNINGS: Coercion and loss of autonomy, body/genetic modification, scarification.
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 are others with you who are dressed the same way as you, in loose-fitting pale teal hospital scrubs. 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. "A bigger batch this time," 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, the group of newcomers have 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:
Looks like I may be able to personalize some notes for a while. More than I expected. I'll keep this quick: some new drop offs coming your way. That's not the important part.
The important part? Don't change your name back to what it was before if you were trying to avoid detection from the UN. I can only call on so many favors for you all. I'm running low. :(
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.
Once the newcomers head out of the alley, they'll see a city that is in disarray. Fortunately, the newcomers won't have far to go, but there is the sense that this is a city that appears to be rebuilding after some sort of disaster.
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.
Among the Displaced, Rey, who was going by Kira Solo because she was abducted by the UN's army, the UNA, and needed to hide in plain sight, tried to go back to her old moniker. When it happened, this got on the radar of the UN and her employers, Riverstone. While Rey would normally have been arrested for revealing herself, a third party intervened to keep Rey out of trouble. Alerted by this third party, Riverstone brought Rey in for a one-on-one meeting, offering her and her fellow Displaced a chance at testing out their powers in exchange for some answers.
> RED WINGS
The 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. Notably, 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.
Despite the name, Birch Street is less of a street and more of a large tunnel that's part of the complex warren of underground tunnels and buildings which reach downwards through the lower half of New Amsterdam. Treated like just another part of the city, the streets and tunnels are just as busy here as above ground, though the spaces are more clearly delineated between those meant for foot traffic and those meant for vehicles.
What will become immediately clear about this place, which is essentially a bustling street market, is that the main service they're selling is body modification in almost every form that it can take. The space is full of booths and stalls displaying a wide variety of cybernetics and even minor genetic alterations, as well as the latest in kinetic tattooing and electronic piercings.
> SERVICES
◉ Tattoo artists are pervasive here, and vary both in experience and type. There are everything from new kids on the block trying to make a name for themselves to famous artists who have a long wait list, but all of them will be doing tattoos on site. These tattoos might be much higher tech than the ones characters are used to, though. Unique ink is especially common. Some of it is UV reactive, some of it is biosensitive and changes color in response to changes in body chemistry or temperature. Some tattoos can even interact with AR through the implants and appear to move, play music, or change depending on the wearer's wishes.
◉ For those who aren't quite ready to commit, there are also "temporary" tattoos that disappear over a period of time, from a few months to a few years. Tattoo removal has been perfected too, and can be done in one short, painless session. Tattoos aren't the only option! Implanted LED displays are common as well, and act as light up art that sits just under the skin.
◉ Piercing booths are abundant, and some of the body jewelry contain LEDs or interact with the implants in a similar way to the tattoos. Scarification is still being practiced, as are "low tech" body mods like tongue splitting, grinding teeth down into points, and so on.
◉ Cybernetics, of course, are also on the table. Many of these are used in everyday life to simply replace lost limbs or help with disabilities. These are permanent as they interface with the implant, but the focus here is on the cosmetic. While traditional cybernetics manufacturers are represented among the booths and stalls, there are many more promising more fantastical creations: Tiny moving wings, tails, elf ears, and so on. And then there's the shadier stuff, for those brave enough to go digging. Black market dealers will upgrade your cybernetics with weapons or hidden functions, almost always for criminal activity or use in the fighting rings. Most of these things can't be done fully on site due to it being very illegal, but you can certainly make connections or get a head start on figuring out where to go for these upgrades.
◉ On top of all of this, there are also some minor genetic modifications that can be undertaken, though this is a longer process that will need to be finished off at a medical facility. Instead of just a stall, this area is set up with larger tents with a more medical or "minute clinic" feel to them. There is a clear ethical slippery slope with any kind of genetic alteration, so the options here are definitely limited for that reason, and there's also a litany of consent forms that will need to be signed as well. For that reason, the changes one can undertake are all cosmetic, such as altering your eye, hair, or nail color, getting cat ears (you know, like, nyaa), and that sort of thing. It's certainly nothing along the lines of Gattaca or anything like that!
◈ Logistically speaking, whoever signs up for this will have to provide a saliva sample which will be analyzed then and there (it takes about half an hour, but they can explore the rest of the market while they wait), at which point they can look at their genetic readout (similar to what 23&Me tells you) and describe the changes that they want. At this point, the attendants will take a blood sample and will set up an appointment for the customer to go to a clinic in a few day's time to receive the infusion that will allow for the transplantation of genetically modified cells. These changes will be temporary as the cells will eventually die a natural death, to be replaced by the person's natural cells, but it might be fun for a little while! While different cells in the body have different lifespans, we don't want to get too deep into genetics research here, so suffice to say the changes would last for no longer than four months.
> BEHIND THE MUSIC
New Amsterdam, despite all of its hardships, has a thriving music scene. Amid the booths lined along Birch Street, somewhere toward the back of the market is a stage decked out with fluorescent lights and a full holographic projector. Along with the local bands that take the stage, there's an impressive light show that's unique to all of them (most likely in-band choreographed). The headliner is a New Venice band called The Cybernetics Blindness. For everyone that attended the Stony Weather Music Festival, they might remember them. This is a surprise appearance, not advertised anywhere on social media. Their music is raspy and eclectic, and with meaningful lyrics for all those willing to listen closely enough. The band members themselves are decked out in fake leather and full, animal-like masks that cover their heads. Apparently no one knows much about who they are or what they look like beneath them. They give a very powerful performance, with an encore that consists of their newest single: Survival.
> BELIEVE IT OR NOT
All around are people showing off their body mods and tattoos—there are even some smaller events held by some of the booths to gather the attention of the passersby: at one booth they'll have tattoo competitions lined up with reward credits: best portrait, best lettering, most unusual and most unique. The list goes on. On top of that, there's shows in cybernetic enhancements, including arms and legs that are intricately carved and decorated, or those that are more showy, with what looks like knives as fingers. Some booths will try to attract people to them with aerial acrobatics, fire dancers, and contortionists.
> REFRESHMENTS
While there's a good amount of body modifications to choose from, there will be a few booths that offer refreshments. Either the owners or the employees have some kind of body modifications, and blend right into the group mingling around the market. There's one of New Amsterdam's local distilleries, Iron Lung, with their experimental liqueurs served in small taste samples. What's so unique about them? They glow. If you're not careful, they'll make your tongue glow, too. On top of that, one of New Amsterdam's famous dive bars is there, serving up the basics. The decor of the booth matches the mood of the market, and the man serving the drinks has a cybernetic arm that he uses to put on an impressive show for the more indepth cocktails. A few of New Amsterdam's local breweries are also there, most have beers named for the occasion: Carbon Rewrite, Neuromancer, and Body Wires. Remember, most won't do body mods or tattoos to those who are inebriated! (Probably.)
> NEWBIES? WHERE DO THEY GO?
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 all of the 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 or visit the mod market 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, so people without an ID won't need to worry as much so long as they keep a low profile.
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.
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 JULY 10, 2512 (October 18, 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 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 October CR meme for the month is here.
Please check out our October 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!
no subject
She's after a cocktail. And since she's after a cocktail, he can guess easily enough where her reticence is coming from... ]
If it helps, I am a doctor. Anything you say here will be kept under strictest confidentiality.
[ The absolute picture of innocence, smile benign. He runs a sports bar, it's well within his rights to play into this. He's got no blushes left to spare. ]
no subject
I believe it was a coastal drink.
[ She says this with as much dignity as she can muster, which is an impressive amount, even now. Surely he isn't going to make her say it. ]
It was...pink.
no subject
[ A glance up the the ceiling, like he's thinking his way through his list, checking off the clues he's given her. And then - ]
A Sea Breeze?
no subject
But no. She knows what she wants, and it isn't that. Silently, she shakes her head. ]
no subject
[ So it's going to be letting him make lists until he lands on the right option, is it? That's okay. He's developed a talent for improvisation. ]
Sun on the Sand?
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No.
no subject
[ How long will it take for her to crack or call him out? Time will tell. Until then, he's content to keep pushing his luck. Jellyfish Kiss... ]
no subject
That is not real.
no subject
No, it's not.
[ He's no longer hiding the game, but there doesn't seem to be anything inherently malicious in playing. There's good nature in it even as he follows up with - ]
I figured we might as well make the time wasting reciprocal. Sex on the Beach?
[ Says Stephen, already on his way to get the necessary ingredients together. ]
no subject
It tastes very good.
no subject
[ Another wry little dig. It's a good job he'd taken pity, or who knows how long it might have taken for this drink to get asked for and made. ]
no subject
Indeed.
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There. On the house.
no subject
No. I can pay.