meadowlarklogs | EVENT #011.3 / ARRIVAL #028

EVENT #011.3 / ARRIVAL #028

WHO: Newcomers + a new NPC, plus people arriving back from the AU.
WHERE: The moon!!!! To start.
WHEN: As the AU is ongoing. Early August 2512, two weeks after the AU swept people away at the start.
WHAT: Arrivals, explanations, and more.
NOTES OR WARNINGS: Mentions of drug use.

> EVENT #011.3 / ARRIVAL LOG #028

When you wake, you'll be disoriented. Even wakefulness is a challenge. You slip in and out. First, you find yourself drugged, looking out through clear walls of a laboratory, deep into the darkest part of the ocean. Then, when you wake up later, there's a logo, as well as words on the wall: PROJECT MEADOWLARK. The logo is a bird: yellow and gray with a black V-shaped crest on its chest. If you know birds, you'll know this bird as the meadowlark. Out you go again.

In comes a man swearing, muttering to himself. "Really not meant to do this alone. Fuck me." Alarm crosses his features when he sees your eyes open. "No, not you. I'm not—let me just up your dose." He steps closer, hitting a button. After a few beeps, you're out again.

When you finally wake, you'll find yourself in a pristine room, one lined with beds. The walls are painted a forest green. In the distance, you'll hear the chirping of birds. The air around you is cool, sterile. You'll notice two things: first, that your head has recently been shaved, all bits of hair cut down to nothing. The second thing is that you have a surgical scar on the back of your head. This, too, is a recent addition. The neural implant inside of you doesn't connect to the internet yet, but it's safe to assume that it will sooner or later.

(The sole exception to these things is Jason Todd: his head is still full of hair, but he's knocked out like the rest of you, as well as dressed in a hospital gown.)

As you begin to stir from where you're sitting, you'll be able to come to set your feet on the floor. Like the air, it's chilled, as if it's artificial in some way. If you've been in space with artificially applied gravity, you'll recognize it here. That's the only thing keeping you grounded and properly settled.

The bed you're on has drawers, and within it are several sets of clothing, all in your size. Whoever set you up here took care to make sure you were comfortable.

Once you're dressed—assuming that you do get dressed, you could always just walk around with your ass out—you can head out and explore where you are. It seems you have open access to it.

And what is it, exactly? A futuristic bachelor's pad, at least from the look of it. There are numerous projection screens throughout this place, this home, though you won't be able to see what's on them. (Jason Todd excepted: he'll see that there are various colony-led news reports about the missing people on Earth, all stolen away for unknown reasons.) In nearly every room, there are birds that fly freely and chirp happily. Some are settled on makeshift trees that sprout from the walls with long vines hanging from them. Others settle on the water of artificial indoor ponds. Either way, whoever owns this joint definitely has to have a means of keeping up with all the bird crap, because there is none anywhere.

At the heart of this unusual, forest-like abode is a pathway that leads to a wide open space. Here, too, is another artificial pond, as well as a number of branches sprouting from the wall. Near what looks like an open window looking out at a vast and barren crater-filled surface is a tall and slender man with a hint of facial hair. Upon your approach, he'll turn and offer a tired smile. "Ah, I see the drugs have worn off. Good. Would you like to take a seat? We have a lot to cover, and I'm not terribly used to the process." A beat. "Oh, sorry. I'm Jimmy. Would you believe that I'm why you're here? … Here, well. I'm getting ahead of myself, aren't I?"

To continue this conversation, head over here.

For now, you'll know that you're stuck on what is very literally the moon. After all, going down to Earth could be a risky venture at this time.

> EXPLORING THE MOON / MOON CULTURE

After the conversation with Jimmy completes, the next day will be all about setting up the newcomers with their new IDs, as well as filling them in on what's going on. Everyone will know about the Earth being left empty, about the sudden shift in atmosphere as a result, as well as the difficult connotations about what's happening. Once everyone has identification, they're given access to come and go from Jimmy's place as they please. By then, they'll have the option of having a room of their own, as there seems to be a countless number of rooms in this odd moon mansion. If anything, it looks like Jimmy planned for guests—but those guests never came for whatever reason. Or perhaps they haven't been there for a while?

Once anyone leaves Jimmy's home, they'll be able to step out and explore the rest of the moon: which is truly a sight to behold. Satellite views don't do the Lunar colony any justice. UNC1 is the only fully livable space colony in this world, and it shows. Set up with artificial atmosphere and gravity, there are numerous machines outside that work around the clock to terraform the moon to make it livable for a future population.

On the inside of the colony, however, the moon is gorgeous—after all, it's largely set up and constructed to appeal to the wealthiest individuals in this world. There are numerous oversized homes like Jimmy's throughout, all connected through an intricate system of tunnels that quickly transport people via platforms from one area to another. There are numerous shopping centers, as well as parks with giant canopies of trees lending a sense of nature in an unlikely place. Ever visited an upper class mall and known that you weren't the clientele that they were trying to appeal to? That is definitely the aura that the moon gives off.

So, what is there to do on the moon?

> SPACE WALKS
Why would someone ever agree to live on the moon if they couldn't go out onto the surface? While the moon is still about 50 years out from having a breathable, livable surface, there is some charm over being able to walk on its surface. Space walks and tours go on all day and every day, allowing people access to various parts of the moon. These tours are controlled. Right now, the walks are fifty-percent off because of the lack of tourists from Earth. After all, if there's no one left down there, there's no one to visit. This enterprise has gotta get its credits from somewhere.

> THE CLUBBING SCENE
For the people who managed to get property on the moon, work is a bygone of a forgotten era. Everyone here is wealthy enough that they don't need to think about anything but play and more play. VR gaming centers are a big and loved commodity, but more than that is the clubbing scene.

Under-surface clubs run 24/7. Everything in these clubs is set up to help someone get away from monotony. There are sex-workers on site at all times, but with the same conditions and protections afforded to them on the planet below. In addition, alcohol is only the best of the best—priced to match the high-end tastes of everyone on the moon. The workers at these locales are paid very well to put up with a drunk group, but they're expected to also take all forms of abuse. Then again, a job here can set someone up for the next couple years, even if they just make it for six months.

> SHOPPING CENTERS
Just because it's the moon doesn't mean you're free from a capitalist hellscape. If anything, without a bustling economy built upon the backs of a visible working class, these shopping centers are necessary to give people things to do. As expected of goods that are imported from the Earth below, everything is decidedly costly. As a result, very little is imported that is cheaply made. At the same time, that means everything within these shopping centers is expensive. Need a nice pair of pants? It's going to cost you four times as much as it would down below.

But don't worry. Jimmy? Jimmy's given everyone permission to just put it all on his tab. If you need a new change of clothes, or want to set yourself up while you're stuck on the moon, Jimmy's got your back.

> ANTI-GRAVITY CHAMBERS
Gotten the idea that the moon is for hedonists who don't want to act like there's a real world elsewhere? Helping to feed into that notion are anti-gravity chambers throughout the moon colony to help someone enjoy themselves somewhere without gravity. In these chambers, you can go from gravity to zero gravity and figure out what you prefer the most. These chambers offer complete privacy, letting someone do whatever they might want without being … weighed down.

One thing that's not widely advertised is a unique, hallucinogenic drug that's recommended for the anti-gravity experience. Ominously named "SyFon," this is a psychotropic drug with all of the typical effects of drugs like that. Combined with the anti-gravity experience, it can really mess someone up. In good and bad ways, depending on how they react to it all. SyFon is, of course, illegal. But that doesn't mean that someone can't try it, right?

> CRIMINAL ENTERPRISES
Where does a drug like SyFon come from? Well, there is a burgeoning criminal enterprise on the moon. Rumor has it that the Petrov and Riverside mobs are vying for the credits of the rich, and have worked to set up centers on a variety of colony moons to help develop drugs, weapons, and other goods. How well this enterprise is working is up for debate, especially since SyFon is the only successful thing coming out of it. Needless to say, this enterprise is a work in progress.

> THE WORKING CLASS
Who's manning this laidback lifestyle on the moon? As the first of the colonies, the moon was once primarily populated by people whose labor was used and whose efforts were largely taken advantage of in favor of setting up a new home for humanity. Several decades have passed since then, and now UNC1 is a tourist destination for everyone on the Earth. So, what does that mean for Lunar businesses? They need to be well-prepared to handle a wealthy clientele, as well as appeal to the rich folks who decided they wanted to live the rest of their lives on the moon.

These days, getting a job on the moon is a difficult task. You need references, as well as an assurance that you'll be able to manage the atmosphere up there. A doctor needs to sign off on whether you can live up there (and it's important to note that while this clearance should exist for the other colonies, the UN sure as hell isn't enforcing this kind of test). Many people who end up in retail and clubbing jobs start off in terraforming factories, and then look for openings so that they can move horizontally within the Lunar ecosystem.

> CATCH UP
If you aren't interested in the Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous: Lunar Edition, you can focus on using your internet connection to catch up. Yes, the world below is empty. Yes, there was a monster attack a few months ago. Yes, memes are still a thing. Many of you will have a whole lot of history, or even an entire world's setup to catch up on, and future Google, whatever it may be called, is still there for you. Jimmy, of course, will be willing to fill you in on anything else.

> AN OTHERWORLDLY EXPERIENCE

Before too long, people begin to appear on the surface of the Earth once more. Bit by bit, people begin to return from the Aerie, forced to contend with two different sets of memories. While everyone will return as if they're waking from a dream, they'll know that they likely didn't just fall asleep. Whatever they left behind will be a world they knew full of people they loved. They accepted the veracity of that world, believing it to be real. Believing it to be the only one they knew.

And who are these people? Within the Aerie, they are the recently deceased.

Once people begin to appear on the Earth and access networks, both El and Cassius will know that they need to reach someone. With few choices available to them, Cassius will reach out to Jimmy, having noticed his little trip down to Earth to pick up his new batch of incoming folk. After all, he needed to get them ready. Cassius will fill Jimmy in on the returns, as well as ask him to send his new "friends" down to learn whatever they can.

> FOR THE RETURNING
If you're returning from the Aerie at this time, you died. Some deaths aren't remembered or experienced, not entirely, so it's possible that your death this time slipped by without notice. (Basically, we're not forcing someone to have their character experience the trauma of death if they'd rather not deal with it.) Either way, upon returning, you'll find yourself waking within your bed. Was that where you were before you left? Unlikely. But it's where you are upon your return. Even the people who weren't Displaced will return to the place they last considered home, waking up as if they're returning from a very bad dream.

Everyone who returns will still have their full memories of their time in the Aerie. If someone had a new power, however, it'll be replaced with the power they had before. However … well, things may change here, depending on how things go on the other side.

If you're returning, you may notice some changes. If you died, you may notice a scar from what killed you. If you had a tattoo in that world, it may still remain. Any and all changes are up to someone's subconscious identification of themselves.

While the majority of the Displaced will awaken in New Amsterdam, there are still countless people who can and will return. And unlike the Displaced, they aren't as accustomed to wacky antics like, oh, a new set of memories and the psychological ramifications that come with that. Maybe they could use some help?

> FOR THE NEWCOMERS (AND THE ONE LONE RETURN)
Upon receiving contact from Cassius, Jimmy will explain that there are people returning down below, and that Cassius has requested some help. If anyone wishes to speak to Cassius directly, they can. Of course, Cassius is a space exploration AI who's more than willing to help them navigate their time in this world, as well as the short space travel needed from the Lunar colony back to the Earth itself. There won't be a lot of explanation for how Jimmy and Cassius know each other, or even if they do—but someone can feel free to ask.

First off: want some sassy AI time? Cassius is here for all your needs. He'll even buff up your past resume if you'd like.

Secondly: ready to go Earthside? Jimmy will offer everyone his private transport back to Earth. (Yes, this dude is that rich.) This transport only goes between the Lunar colony and a remote base off the coast of New Tokyo, but there will be a boat ready to bring everyone to New Tokyo proper. From there, all of the Displaced can travel all over the world.

As for any other quick facts?

◉ Wait, how can the Displaced travel? There are gates in all 104 megacities on Earth. These gates essentially give people fast travel. After hitting New Tokyo and accessing its Gate, all someone has to do is think of their next location, and they'll land there.

◉ So, what are the conditions on Earth? Barren. There are no people, no hover cars, nothing. Animals have begun to creep over the walls in all of the cities. After all, without the cars startling them, as well as the countless people crammed within the megacities themselves, they can begin to reclaim the world itself, bit by bit.

◉ New Amsterdam in particular looks even more like a forest. It's as if whatever happened during the AU has accelerated the growth in New Amsterdam itself. Apartments will be filled with vines. There will also be a lot of animals making their home in the city. For the unaware, New Amsterdam has been growing a lot of plant life since an unusual circumstance where all of the Displaced were pulled into another pocket world and then returned. Since then, plant life in New Amsterdam has grown at an accelerated rate, forcing the city to work around the clock to keep the city from being fully reclaimed by nature. Now, it looks like all of those efforts were for naught.

◉ Time has continued to seemingly flow normally. However, not everyone is back from the Aerie yet. It seems as if there may be more time for weirdness ahead.

> FINAL NOTES OOC

As a note, if you did not reply to us about starting in or outside of the AU, your character will be starting in this log.

With this log and its companion log, we're ending the first phase of Meadowlark's lifespan that primarily focused on the investigation into the world's lore. We'll be starting our second phase: characters choosing what to do next. We'll be detailing this more in our aftermath log/post, which will be due on JANUARY 16 2021. This aftermath log will double as an arrival log for whoever apps during our January application round.

Both logs for this phase of the event—11.2 and 11.3—are companion logs geared toward clearing up very large pieces of the Meadowlark mystery. While the AU acts as a reimagining of the game's metaplot, our NPC in the "real world" log will be divulging information. We've decided to go forward with making this clear because our playerbase has worked toward these mysteries for the last two years, and we'd like to help change the direction of the game from one based around a mystery of arrival and instead focus on what to do next. Of course, there will still be other mysteries to solve, as well as any true intentions, and figuring that out will depend on character choices and actions moving forward.

To make one thing clear, there won't be any radical changes to Meadowlark as a setting, nor is it anywhere near what might be called "end game." Instead, we're emphasizing a turn toward player-driven actions and plots because a lot of the mysteries related to the overall lore came to a head just prior to the AU starting. Think of this as having all of the lore pieces needed in order to begin to understand some of the remaining mysteries so that characters can decide what to do next.

All that said, we've also decided to use these logs to facilitate some future character plots, as well as help in releasing some characters from the AU! We also have one question that we'd like to pose for you.

(As a note: There is one link missing from below with regards to plot opportunities, as it's only relevant to characters in the AU.)

◉ Character deaths. We know that playing in an AU for two months can be exhausting, so if you'd like a get out of AU free card, this is the way out. If death may prove too traumatic, your character doesn't need to remember dying. All characters will wake up in the real world as if they're waking up from a dream. We'd just like a sign up so that other players can know who's vanishing from the AU via death! If you're having your character return in this log, please make sure to sign up at this link!

◉ What to do with the caged gods?. Unchaining the gods could have catastrophic effects on the Aerie, especially since they were the main key to sustaining it for all those years. Will they be unchained, or will they be allowed to flounder within the cages themselves? We're opening this choice up to the entirety of our playerbase. We will need all votes submitted by JANUARY 9, 2021 so that we can factor it into our aftermath.

◉ Any aftermath to consider? While this links back to the in-Aerie log, it'll cover all of our bases for the aftermath moving forward. If your character has contributed to helping the outside world since leaping from the AU, let us know!

◉ CRAU Relationships.: Finally, on our companion log, we have a unique NPC who's been through the jamjar ringer before. This is our NPC Jimmy Henries. If you'd like to sign up your character as someone that Jimmy knew before, head over there and fill out the form on the page!

If you have any other questions, please hit our questions thread(s) on the respective logs.

> NAVIGATION

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Yesterday. I was killed while raiding the Volary.

[She speaks of both these things - the raiding, her own death - entirely dispassionately, and not quite in the way of someone who's numb from shock, either.]

You were one of us; one of the Kestrels.

[A brief pause.

I remembered who I was the entire time, you know.

[He notices that tone, but isn't sure what to make of it just yet, filing it away for later. For now, he lets himself be distracted by that last part.]

That explains why you seemed... Different.

[But more importantly--]

You remembered everything? Finding yourself in that world without memories of having grown up there must've been really difficult to adjust to.

I'm starting to wonder if anything is worth adjusting to.

[From Tartarus, to New Amsterdam, to the Aerie, and then back to New Amsterdam again - Callisto has been dragged around a lot recently. She leans back with a sigh, absentmindedly fingering the strap of her tatty duffle bag.]

Maybe we'll all be somewhere new soon, and I'll be the only sane one again.

I wish I could tell you that won't happen.

[But he can't, and so he can't really tell her if it is or isn't worth adjusting. It's something he hasn't thought much about, just doing his best to kind of roll with things as they happen, but is that actually adjusting or not? He's suddenly not totally sure.]

You arrived not that long ago, right? Is this--being here, in New Amsterdam--the first time you've been to another world?

I've been to the world of the living - obviously - and I've been to the underworld.

[She pauses, reflecting on this.]

This place and the Aerie both seem like places in between.

Edited 2020-12-19 15:58 (UTC)

In between in what way?

[He has a guess, but doesn't want to influence her response.]

I died in the Aerie. I remember dying. But--

[She makes a point of looking around the room, an exaggerated expression of surprise on her face.]

Here I am. And I know this isn't an afterlife; my body feels alive.

[He nods; she isn't putting it into the same words, but he thinks he has an better idea of what she means.]

You said the Underworld exists in your world; is there somewhere between that and the living world? I don't know anything about the afterlife in my world, but some religions include a plane of existence after you die but before you reach the afterlife itself.

If you can't pay the ferryman, then you're stuck on the banks of the river Acheron. I had no proper burial and no one to give me any coin, but maybe he dug through my pockets.

[She says this all offhandedly, as if describing a completely mundane experience.]

I don't know. I don't remember much about it.

[He still can't tell if she's truly casual about it or it's purposefully affected, but he's watching for any hints that'll help tip things either way.

But as for the content of what she says--]

Being somewhere inbetween was a pretty popular theory in the last place I was. It seems less like that here, though.

[For some reason. Maybe it's that it feels 'normal' in that there are people and business and thriving life, instead of being in the ruins of a nearly deserted city in a massive cave.]

The last place you were.

[She repeats, eyes narrowing as they land back on him.]

Just you, or everyone?

[He offers a small shrug.]

It was me and a lot of other people, but like, it was only somewhere around the number of the Displaced, not the number of people in the city. There were no native citizens except the beings that brought us there, just people like us from other worlds.

No, no-- was it like the Aerie? Was everyone who's here now there too, or was it just you?

Oh, no, it's um... Somewhere in between, I guess? I'm not the only person here who had been there--it was called Hadriel--before arriving here, but most of the people here weren't ever in Hadriel as far as I know. If that's what you meant.

[It's all very strange, and difficult to wrap her head around if she questions it too much, so she just... doesn't bother. The hows and the whys don't matter enough for her to put effort into trying to puzzle them out, at least right now.]

You must feel special to have the gods of so many different worlds paying this much attention to you, Lance.

[She says his name like a challenge, like she's half-expecting him to object to her using it in a world where they haven't actually been properly introduced.]

Are you a heroic man? You came over to talk to little old me, after all.

[He's about to comment that 'special' is not exactly the word he'd use, but her attitude and the last bit of her response is much more interesting.]

Why would heroics be necessary to talk to you?

Because we're strangers to each other, and you asked how I am. Only someone who makes a living out of helping others would bother.

[He can't help but give a faintly amused smile at that, because she's... Pretty much right on with his profession, but--]

I can't say that isn't true in your world, but it isn't here. Many people genuinely try to help each other because it's the right thing to do.

[She shoots him a disbelieving look.]

Yes. Heroes. What do you think a hero is?

[He offers a shrug in return.]

Someone that goes far above and beyond just basic human kindness, the latter being what I consider being concerned about and wanting to help other people to fall under.

I don't believe in basic human kindness.

[Not even when it's staring her in the face. She doesn't even really believe in heroes, when you get right down to it.]

Humans are nasty, wicked, miserable things on the inside. Even you.

[A beat.]

That's my answer. That's how I'm doing.

I'm not going to argue with your about your outlook on people.

[Even though he totally disagrees. But that's not the point, and he makes the comment lightly, not judgmentally, as he continues with--]

But even if that's true, we each still get to choose what--and who--we want to be. No one has to be perfect on the inside to still be able to do some good.

Sometimes we get to choose.

[Callisto allows. She continues picking at the burger - not eating now, but idly digging her thumbnail into the bun.]

And sometimes, other people choose for us, and we have to decide what to do with the pieces they leave behind.

Sometimes, other people choose what happens to us.

[He makes the distinction gently, and only because it's an important one to him.]

But you're right. Sometimes something happens and we're left having to decide how to continue, but that's where choices open up again.

[And speaking of choices, he can also see her just picking at her food, and he should probably not be distracting her; people need to keep up their strength, especially right now, so--]

I should let you get back to your meal.

Do whatever you want.

[She says sharply, forcibly offsetting his gentleness.]

Believe me when I say, Lance, that none of it makes any difference to me.

(no subject)

lifetothefullest - 2020-12-29 01:11 (UTC) - Expand

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