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- !arrival log,
- !event log,
- batman beyond: terry mcginnis,
- dark angel: max guevara,
- dc comics: dick grayson,
- dc comics: kon el,
- dceu: diana prince,
- dceu: harley quinn,
- demon slayer: shinobu kocho,
- dogs b&c: nill,
- dragon age: fenris,
- hannibal: will graham,
- injustice: damian wayne,
- marvel comics: loki,
- marvel comics: wade wilson,
- mcu: peter parker,
- mcu: stephen strange,
- mcu: wanda maximoff,
- naruto: kisame hoshigaki,
- once upon a time: killian jones,
- original: aidan kaase,
- original: eugene hicks,
- original: jai kinvaio,
- original: kyna medina,
- original: quintalian,
- persona: goro akechi,
- persona: ren amamiya,
- red vs. blue: agent carolina,
- red vs. blue: agent maine,
- red vs. blue: agent washington,
- red vs. blue: terrence ephemera,
- she-ra: glimmer,
- star wars: cassian andor,
- star wars: jyn erso,
- supernatural: dean winchester,
- supernatural: sam winchester,
- the 100: bellamy blake,
- the 100: john murphy,
- the 100: lexa,
- the boys: homelander,
- the expanse: amos burton,
- the expanse: naomi nagata,
- the gifted: marcos diaz,
- the last of us: ellie,
- the last of us: joel miller,
- the magicians: penny adiyodi,
- the magicians: quentin coldwater,
- the old guard: andy,
- the old guard: booker,
- the vampire diaries: kai parker,
- the witcher: yennefer,
- uncharted: sam drake,
- xena: callisto
EVENT #11.4 / ARRIVAL LOG #029
WHERE: The Aerie as it ends in an anime-like fashion, New Tokyo, and New Amsterdam
WHEN: August 23, 2512 onward.
WHAT: Event ending, arrivals, and a lot of changes.
NOTES OR WARNINGS: Coercion and loss of autonomy, religious themes.
As suddenly as they all vanished, the people who remained in the Aerie begin to return. These people have not died: instead, they seem to return peacefully after an extremely unusual experience. As the gods are freed, the Aerie begins to take on a different form, radically altered by this decision. The very fabric of reality unravels. It's not that the city continues to grow more and more dilapidated by the moment—instead, the Aerie ceases to exist, dragging everyone who remains within into a joint, out of body experience.
At once, everyone's memories return in full. As they float in what is an open space, they'll recall who they were once before, right alongside their alternate life in the Aerie. Even if they can't see them, they'll begin to feel the others there: not just that they exist, but their emotions: wonder, surprise, irritation, anger, fear, guilt. Somehow, they recognize that they're connected to the billions of living souls there alongside them.
What once seemed like a wide, open space comes to be recognized as a large, vast ocean. They float in the deepest depths of the ocean, and they begin to see sea life swirl around them. Whales. Sharks. The glint of a dying star? There are constellations in the distance, too far to reach. It's hard to say where they are, and impossible to communicate to ask, to try to reach one of the billions of other souls there. When they open their mouths to try, they only make an unintelligible sound. Have they, too, been transformed into those creatures? It seems, at least for a moment, like they're communicating via echolocation.
The constellations begin to burn brighter and brighter. As they touch the people there, they're able to see more clearly around them. There are hundreds upon thousands of animals, all with bright golden eyes. They push through the water quickly, and the gold in their eyes fully illuminates the space around them.
Once that illumination meets a critical mass, everyone begins to experience a different joint vision. From the very start, the experience itself is excruciating: they feel an object, vaguely comprehended, but perceived to be spear-like in nature, slicing into them, tearing them asunder. The misery results in a complete and total division of self: splintered and incomplete, scattered into trillions of tiny pieces.
An indefinite amount of time later, there is a stirring. Everyone feels frigid and cold. The chill is excruciating, but different from what it was before. And then, as if a physical feeling can become an emotion, that chill becomes anger. And then that rage starts searching, wandering—
Until it adapts and connects with the ocean around it. The gold in the eyes of the sharks and whales begins to dim. A feeling of grief and eventually peace washes over everyone who remains.
And then everyone begins to shift in their beds, awakening as if returning from a terrible nightmare. Of course, given that they recall all of it, it's likely not much of a nightmare. At least not in a literal sense. When they wake to check in on the world, they'll find it in much the same shape—with the changes being far less obvious at first.
At first, you'll hear the buzz of a motor, as well as smell the splash of ocean water not so far away. You'll find that you're on a boat, passing swiftly over the Pacific Ocean to come into contact with a large, man-made structure in the distance. While you're drugged, you find that you're unable to move much. An IV protrudes from your arm, keeping you sedate. When one of the guards on the boat turns to check on you, they'll find your eyes open. "Sit tight and don't move. We have to be welcomed inside." Even if you're naturally defiant, you find yourself forced to comply.
Eventually, the boat pulls onto a dock that extends from the city itself to welcome your arrival. The mechanisms are complicated and hidden. Unlike a drawbridge in our modern times, the dock extends swiftly and completely, welcoming the boat next to it. After the boat seems to anchor itself into place, the guards present begin to move each of the passengers one by one off the boat. You'll notice others like you: dressed in white, long-sleeved scrubs, with recently shaved heads, and a pair of white tennis shoes. Or most of them are.
There are two exceptions: Eames and Aeryn, who have their hair still, but are just as drugged and kept under. They went through a similar arrival process before the Aerie stole them away, and arrived back after the Aerie ended in a similar manner to Max. Their return to society is just less personalized due to the circumstances.
Eventually, you're taken through the city—a wonder in and of itself, as it's a complex system of elevators spanning both vertically and horizontally through the large, metallic structure—and eventually through the back door of a business.
"All right, listen up everyone. There are people coming to get you. We've got this place for the day, so sit tight." At this, everyone's forced to do as they're commanded. Even if you don't want to sit, you have no choice. "We'll direct the people to bring you water, but that's all. Ask them to show you the glow. And—from me to you?" The guard sounds … tired all of a sudden. Her voice is strained as she adds: "Try not to fuck more shit up."
At once, the guards start to filter out through the back door. As much as everyone left behind can't go anywhere, they sure can talk.
As this process begins, a message is sent to all of the Displaced in New Amsterdam via a private broadcasting channel, one that's meant to only reach a limited number of people. It seems Jimmy's found a way to hack it for his own use, but trying to trace this back to him will prove impossible:
Sorry everyone. Couldn't do an official drop off. I barely scrounged up the people I did to get them to town. They're sitting tight at a bakery called Sweet Omakase in New Tokyo. Just go in and tell the people up front that you're there to pick up a package.
Oh, I forgot to mention: I'll be reaching out to a few of you soon. So … yeah.
JH
As for that compliance drug?
◉ 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.
Though the Displaced can make the choice to keep the newcomers in New Tokyo for longer than a few hours, it's generally not recommended. Morningstar in New Tokyo is in just as much disarray as the rest of the world, and El doesn't want to disrupt their recovery in these trying times. As such, it'll be necessary to take them on a secure route back to the New Tokyo gate, bring them to New Amsterdam, and start to get them ready for their new lives. Of course, they may see a little bit of New Tokyo along the way, but not much given the urgency. (The link is provided for brevity purposes—please see the "New Tokyo" section for a summary of the city itself!)
The abbreviated trip between New Tokyo and New Amsterdam will bring the newcomers back to a city that's been through … a lot. That means it's probably a good time to have a quick catch up, right?
> LAST TIME ON NAMSTERDAM!
Although a year isn't very long for even a human being, the Displaced have managed to make their mark in this unusual world. Having first been released out into the world in mid-June 2511, they started touching the world around them. Whether it was fighting a giant monster or curing people from the sickness caused by inhaling smoke from that giant monster's parts (as well as any tiny little monsters it brought with it) or taking on the UNA when they tried to wipe out an entire chapter of a rebel organization, the mysterious Blue-glowing people were there.
After over a year of interventions left and right, the Displaced finally came forward as a united group—one that's uniquely tied to a business they opened. No one knows they're from another world. They don't even know what the Displaced's powers are, though they've certainly seen them do fantastical things. One thing became apparent: while the Displaced were spotted in other cities around the globe, their influence has been most felt in New Amsterdam. And even if the world's governing body doesn't like it, the people of New Amsterdam have claimed the Displaced as their own.
Most recently, the entire world found itself dragged into another reality called the Aerie. The Displaced had gone through this before on a smaller scale, but this brought everyone present on the planet Earth to this other world. The Aerie was a miracle world: in order to prevent the death of humanity as everyone knew it, a group of heroes chosen by a handful of gods chained said gods and harnessed their power to create a safe haven for all of humanity. As a result of their actions, these people created a major class disparity in order to maintain the secrets of how they created the Aerie. Since billions of people were saved in the process, the Aerie ended up having an overpopulation problem. The answer? A battle royale for anyone who's committed a crime, held monthly.
Well, as these things go, about two hundred years into this horrible experiment, the Aerie started experiencing some challenges. Rebel groups and bombs and more! Eventually the gods were set free, and with it, the Aerie vanished into nothing.
Though the Aerie (and its smaller-scale predecessor, Zerzura) was undoubtedly brought into being by divine intervention, it doesn't help that the Displaced claimed that their powers seemed to be caused by interacting with gods. Troubling much? So, some of the world is divided, with New Amsterdam being the only pro-Displaced left after the Aerie. Of course, it's a touch more complicated than that.
And it doesn't all fall in the laps of the Displaced. After all, they didn't choose to have this happen to them.
An important thing to note is that New Amsterdam is a very, very green city. We don't mean recycling. As if powered by weird god magic, plants grow a-plenty in the city, leaving numerous trees and thousands upon thousands of credits in plumbing issues. Animals came into the city thanks to the absence of humans to start settling in. It's a beautiful city, one that seems as if it's actively fighting against being reclaimed by nature.
With the worldwide trauma, current singing events are currently on hiatus. This likely won't be permanent, but it's not as if anyone is looking to become a pop star at this exact moment.
But that's where New Amsterdam is currently, anyway.
> SUMMER PROBLEMS
Ah, water rationing. That's right: one of the tried and true traditions in New Amsterdam summers is water rationing. During the hot summer months, the city puts out water rationing warnings, and the city also answers the intense and extreme heat by making it so that businesses are open throughout the evening, with everyone sleeping during the daytime. However, the Aerie shot a lot of that preparation in the foot, so the city won't be able to reverse the clock.
Expect a lot of hot, miserable, and extremely humid days ahead. Thanks to the nearly tropical nature of the city at this point, humidity is a natural side effect of it all. The temperatures will be reaching from around 105 F to 115 F during the daytime. The evenings cool off, but certainly not by much, as they dip to only around 90 F to 95 F when the sun goes down.
Oh, and water rationing is most definitely in effect.
> RED WINGS
In February 2512, the bar known as Red Wings first opened. Positioned adjacent to the New Amsterdam stadium, where a wide variety of sporting events occur year round, it's the only business in New Amsterdam that's currently run entirely by the Displaced. However, a few other businesses are set to open in the near and distant future, all tailored to cater to the city that most of the Displaced call home.
On the inside, Red Wings is very, very red. There is a neon sign that's been recently repaired of the Great Lakes state (Michigan). In terms of being a watering hole, the bartenders are all Displaced and all very sympathetic to any newcomers headed their way. Need some free food or a chance to play pool to clear your head? Red Wings is the place to do that. There are tables throughout the bar. There used to be booths, but most of them got shredded during a recent monster attack and … well, tables are easier to replace.
It's likely that all of the newcomers will be brought to Red Wings first for a full meal before being taken to the safehouse across town.
And while there are blank projection screens around the bar showing news broadcasts of what just went down, none of the newcomers will be able to see any of them.
> MURAL
Throughout the past year, multiple murals have gone up around New Amsterdam by a Banksy-like figure. This figure is known to the people of New Amsterdam as Legion, and they tend to commemorate both the Displaced and their ties to the gods. In the Aerie, it was revealed that Legion was a wealthy woman by the name of Nirvana. Upon returning from the Aerie, another new mural goes up in New Amsterdam.
Legion's new mural explodes in color in the large corporate buildings that connect in New Amsterdam's financial district. It depicts the whole story of the Aerie from beginning to end: the conception, the Quarries, the attacks on both the Quarry and the Volary, and then the return. The imagery is woven together like a full story, each picture moving seamlessly into the next. Below are the colors of the gods, painted in vibrant colors that can be seen for miles.
There's specific imagery woven in as well, including the birds that represent the different groups of people, the eclipse and different phases of the moon to signify the timing.
It seems to say never forget.
> HELPING OUT
All around the world, returning members of Morningstar, PRESERVE, and even the cultists who once followed the leader, Ball (though the cultists are only working in New Amsterdam), all spur into action to try to help. Everyone may be traumatized, but they also likely prescribe to the notion of wanting to keep busy. Recalling the Aerie won't be pleasant, and the world needs help. New Amsterdam already has a head start thanks to the resource acquisition and work by a small group of Displaced, but now everyone is back to work.
The work in question? Feed everyone, first and foremost. Countless people are without fresh food. Working in conjunction with both the Red Wings employees and the cultists, PRESERVE will be putting up food banks all around the city. Marcos Diaz's food bank is likely to be fully stocked as a result of this, should he want to get that running again.
Other work that needs to be done involves plumbing, as the plants seem to have very much taken on a life of their own. They're absorbing most of the available water in the city, and have even made the water level decrease in the river (just a bit, though). Water rationing is even more important right now, but it may prove to be a futile effort if the plants aren't held back. Time to get moving. Anyone who wants to be an impromptu apprentice to a plumber is likely going to be welcomed onto the job. They need all hands on deck.
Finally, there are just the people who need help. Roaming bands of former UNA soldiers caused problems even before the mass return. Now they're meeting up and moving as if they're a gang of their own to return order to the land. However, these people are truly traumatized, and it's as if they're calling upon an old order that they can't quite recognize. The problem is that they're extremely dangerous. Though their weapons are mostly makeshift ones, they can fight with them. Along with these roaming bands, there are the catatonic and the confused people, all who could use some assistance to get back on track.
Sadly, the hospitals are not ready to be staffed by typical personnel. If anyone wants to take the lead on this and commandeer those medical centers, they can feel free to! Again, all help is appreciated, even if it might involve some slightly illegal choices.
> SPIRITUAL RECLAMATION
One thing that was significant in Meadowlark's world before the Aerie was a complete lack of religious or spiritual devotion, at least on a major scale. Smaller sects like the tiny cult in New Amsterdam were exceptions that ultimately proved the rule. After all, they didn't even have any written doctrine about their belief systems.
Things begin to change. Some of those changes are obvious, while others are less so—at first.
The first sign of this is in various preachers who take up spots on street corners to preach about the end of the world. With a muddled and confused ideology, these people build little podiums for themselves to speak about the end times: the Aerie was proof that humanity is only buying itself time before an inevitable end—and eventually, the gods will punish them for what they did. While the initial preachers will not have a clear messaging system, this will change in the coming weeks. In fact, it'll seem as if they're all deriving their ideology from the same place—even while located in different megacities.
Quietly, tiny religious communities begin to spring up. With real estate already in shambles before the Aerie, much of the construction has come to a halt in order for people to begin to psychologically heal. As a result, various warehouses throughout the megacities begin to be converted into spiritual centers. At first, these locales will be innocuous in nature, but in time, there will be a clear set of imagery connected to them. Some of that imagery will link back to the Aerie (with a lot of birds, as well as ties to either the Cardinals or the gods), or to the sacred geometry imagery that's been connected to the Displaced for some time.
These spiritual centers may simply be people squatting illegally, but it's not as if any of the various local police departments have the resources to stomp them out. It seems that the UN also views this religious devotion as harmless, at least compared to the other problems that could arise.
> NATURE'S RECLAMATION
Plants and a handful of animals have been at it for a while, but the world is definitely in the process of experiencing a second coming of … fauna? Some are springing up unexpectedly outside of walls, while others are inside of the walls themselves in many megacities. Did you know that pigeons were an uncommon sight in 2512? Well, were is an appropriate word for it. They're no longer uncommon. And what about that river in New Amsterdam? Never one to be a place for fishing, it's now filled to the brim with freshwater fish.
Want to go fishing? New Amsterdam will eventually require a license for it, but it's still early days. There aren't any fishing poles around to purchase, but someone can probably fashion one themselves if they have the know-how.
There will also be more wild insects. Pest control was a thing of the past for this world, but with all these new creatures showing up all over, that's going to be a concern once again. Unless, of course, it's prevented.
Not long after their arrival, the new Displaced will be brought across the city to an abandoned hover-bike garage in a neighborhood that's clearly seen better days.
Located under said hover-bike garage, access to the safehouse is a hatch in the floor beside a rusted set of metal shelves that used to hold tools and supplies. The immediate area is similarly abandoned: full of rundown and dilapidated warehouses and forgotten businesses, where numerous people squat in hopes of having some stability because they can't afford a place themselves. The inside of this safehouse looks better than the outside, as it was beginning to be transformed into a training center by Ian Fowler. Once everyone is brought into the safehouse down below, they'll find no one waiting for them. Though Gaby, a Morningstar agent, is typically around, she's absent at this time. Any newbies will need to be filled in by their fellow Displaced, though they can also contact El through zeir inbox, if needed.
The safehouse is a large space with multiple rooms for storage, with the largest of the rooms filled with rows of basic cots set up to sleep a large number of people. Basic, but outfitted with everything necessary for daily life. A few doors lead to back rooms for storage, medical care, and a large communal bathroom, and past the long rows of cots there is a communal kitchen, fully stocked, and an eating area. Privacy is mostly nonexistent in the safehouse, with any past efforts that were made to change that destroyed by numerous attacks along the way.
◉ New characters will be asked to pick their beds, and be provided with a change of (second-hand, mismatched and somewhat threadbare) clothes and basic toiletries.
◉ There is a mini-bar set up in the kitchen. The quality of the alcohol inside is akin to what someone might get from the well at a bar, though it's running low because it hasn't been restocked since before the previous set of arrivals.
◉ While the kitchen has a lot of dried foods to cook, as well as canned and preserved vegetables, most of what's left in the fridge will need to be tossed. In addition, anyone looking for a jolt of caffeine from coffee or tea will find themselves sorely lacking. The only tea present is herbal in nature, and caffeine appears to be pretty much nonexistent in most of the beverages lying around.
◉ Along those same lines, newcomers will find that this is a world that is steeped in sustainable choices. Paper is a thing of the past. Ever used a bidet regularly? This world gives everyone a crash course in exactly what that feels like if they haven't done that before.
◉ Everyone will receive a modest stipend of credits from Morningstar to help them get by until they can find a job. This will be enough to cover their living expenses for about a month while they hang out in the safehouse, if they're careful with budgeting.
◉ The drugs making new characters compliant will remain in their systems for a few hours after their arrival at the safehouse before finally beginning to fade. They will be gone entirely after a night's rest. In the meantime, they may want to be careful of what others say to them.
◉ New characters will be given rudimentary access to the network upon arrival to the safehouse, but will not have their ID set up yet. They will be able to make posts and replies, but their messages will be anonymous—and they do not have inboxes yet.
◉ New characters also do not have access to the internet until their ID is setup. They only have limited access because they're present in the safehouse, but they can't surf the rest of the internet, check out Cooltalk, or watch the equivalent of Netflix until their ID is made.
◉ New characters cannot leave the safehouse at this time. The hatch is locked tight for them, making it impossible for them to get out for the next four days while they're locked inside. There won't be any immediately obvious ways to cut their way out through turning off the power, either. Time to sit tight.
◉ New characters will not be allowed to leave the safehouse until AUGUST 27, 2512 (JANUARY 23, 2020). These 4 days are for them to adjust, learn about the world they've arrived in from their fellows, and for El to speak with them and work on setting up their IDs.
Welcome to Meadowlark, newbies! You're now free to post to the network and log comms. To reiterate, your characters will have no IDs or inboxes, nor be allowed to roam free once they enter the safehouse. Meaning: they'll have to sit tight until August 27, 2512 ICly.
All characters will appear as @anonymous on the network. While sitting tight in the safehouse, it's expected that they'll have gotten a good idea of their new situation from their fellow characters, and will have discussed their background and job potentials with El in order for their false IDs to be set up.
If you have any questions or ideas about how you'd like to get your character involved in the world, please head over to the plot engagement post and drop us a comment!
For questions pertaining to this log (and because we accidentally forgot to drop a questions header here, our bad!), please refer to our questions thread on the OOC post.
The January CR meme for the month is here.
Please check out our Event #011 Wrap Up Post for a rundown of all of the changes brought about through the AU, as well as any world changes that will be apparent moving forward.
As we announced on the wrap up post, AC will remain halved until at least June 2021. That said, for the month of January, we're making things check-in only because of the state of the world.
Finally, we'll be back to our standard planned calendar and AC (halved, just to be clear) on February 1, 2021. Reserves will open on January 23, 2021.
Lexa | The 100
[ Nearly every day since returning to New Amsterdam, Lexa walks by the mural and ends up taking a few moments to look at it. She studies the design and occasionally sits down nearby in a meditation pose, quiet and thoughtful. To an outsider who might not know better it could seem as if she is praying, but instead she breathes steadily despite the heat and contemplates what happened. This mural has meaning because it means never forget, and it makes her think of the sacred drawings of Bekka Pramheda and the first Natblida in Titus' chambers.
She appears to be lost in either thinking or meditating, her calm occasionally giving way to feeling twitchy or less comfortable staying in place, an irritation, and lack of stillness from another Lexa. In those moments she seems more prone to pacing. ]
Fighting Back
[ Lexa is walking back to the apartment at night when she sees one of the roving bands of former UNA soldiers seemingly focused on a couple who seem lost in more ways than one. They accuse them of looking suspicious or looking at them funny, starting to get physical, and Lexa steps silently through the shadows before anyone sees her. A man lifts a makeshift weapon, a blunt object almost like a bat, and she grabs his arm, twisting it so sharply around that he drops it into her waiting hand.
She uses the base to slam into his stomach, sending him down to the ground out of breath in a moment. ]
Go.
[ She says to the blank-eyed couple, and they seem to wake up enough to know to get out. Lexa stands tall and firm, unafraid at the odds being seven to one. They are smart enough to know the stance of a warrior, enough not to laugh or immediately attack, but there seems to be uncertain tension, waiting for a pin to drop. ]
This is not the way.
[ In this, her two sides are in agreement. The others pause, but the first man, once he can breathe again, orders them to get her. Lexa calmly holds her new weapon and waits as they start to surround her. She could probably handle this herself, but help would be welcome!]
Red Wings
[ Lexa's lifetime of control means most of the time he can keep her deeply divided emotion in check. It helps the most when she has something else to focus on. There is no end to what needs to be done in Red Wings, and she is there to help take some weight off of Clarke. She is now far more practiced in the serving arts, from another lifetime and some experience here, cleaning tables off, washing dishes when need be, keeping everything as organized as possible. Her long hair is back and her various braids put back into her hair, feeling more like herself for it.
It helps to do these small things within her control, for Clarke and the Displaced who work and come there, mostly staying out of conversations for now about the bigger picture. Lexa may offer to get you something despite not being behind the bar, or pick up your plate if you seem done. If you are a newcomer, she may be the person who serves you your first meal first or is at the bar to answer questions.
Once or twice she might even smile at someone, completely unusual on her grave face, and upon realizing it lets the smile slip away. Sometimes she seems to stare off into space, eyebrows furrowed, and snap to realizing someone is talking to her. ]
What?
Wildcard
[ooc: hit me with whatever or message me on waftingcurtains on plurk. If you want an individual starter lmk, they will be below.]
For Clarke
She is not new to sharing memories with other people. She has the knowledge and experience of former Commanders that she can connect with in meditation and dreams any time. But this is different. When the two Lexas have an out of body experience, existing at the same time, and she can almost hear the other Lexa say why you and not me? The Aerie is gone and what she goes through mentally afterward, while painful and confusing, cold and full of sorrow, nothing truly shakes her so much as a vision of the girl who was. Hair down, bright smile, ready to hug and soothe others, or fight for them. It is all too much.
Lexa wakes up and jumps out of bed. It is a different room. She raises her hands to run through her still long dark hair, a strange detail that feels like it is in the Aerie and not here, in this also familiar room, in this bed. There are tears unshed at the corner of her eyes and she does not know what it is for. Due to the experience so much more than she could ever understand? It was spiritual and big. Or is it the loss of a life and world not hers?
Maybe some people have an easy time settling two lives at once, but she feels dizzy, leaning against the nearby wall as her mind shutters through her memories. It plucks out this is real and pushes away this is not but those still linger. Lexa tries to remember her breathing, her meditation, but it's not working. ]
Clarke? [ The only thing she feels she can cling to, that she needs. Clarke is dead. No, that Clarke is dead.]
no subject
Here, Clarke isn't so different. Sometimes she feels too broken to have Lexa now. But before they were swept away, Lexa reminded her that this wasn't the case. Neither of them should be in denial of who and what they truly are. Lexa made that reminder concrete.
Now Lexa is back. There is the sound of the dryer clattering down against the sink as she strides from the bathroom in a rush, pushing open the door to their bedroom the rest of the way.
For whatever it's worth, Clarke is dressed for the weather: she's in a pair of jeans, her boots, as well as a black tanktop. The last of which, though it's not immediately visible now, reveals the Kestrels tattoo etched on her skin, right in the same place on her right shoulder blade.]
You came back.
[With Bellamy returning before this, it makes sense. But she worries, too. Lexa has died before.]
Did you—? [The word gets caught in her throat.] What made you come back? [She assumes, after all, that it was death.]
no subject
She glances up when she hears Clarke move. She remembers seeing her body, watching her die. It had spurred her fury on so that when the bomb went off, they had the woman made of fire to contend with. She was going to make them all burn for Clarke. It is not unlike how Lexa feels about her, what she would do for her. What they both know they'd do. She shakes her head, pushing away anything but Clarke. This one she knows. ]
I don't know that I have the words.
[ Lexa says hoarsely. She stumbles back to the bed and sits on the edge. She remembers the bed. She knows the smell and the look of this place. It's the little things adding up. She looks very pale, her dark hair now wild over her shoulders. ]
We freed the gods and the Aerie was gone, and we were ... I don't know where we were.
[ Out of body. Out of space. If Lexa wasn't already open to the idea of gods, this still might've become a believer out of her. Instead this just confirms it. ]
So much happened. We were all as one.
no subject
She steps closer, but her hand remains at her side, almost afraid to feel what Lexa is feeling right now.]
Do you feel like yourself right now? [And if she doesn't, what can Clarke do to help her feel that way again? Maybe touching her would help there, but she doesn't know if she can handle what might result in sensory overload. It might prove to be too much for Lexa, too.]
no subject
I think we felt the god die. I think we were in the thrall of a god bringing us from there to here. It was showing us ....
(She has no proof but she can't see another way around it. It is the only answer that makes sense, what else has power that strong? Lexa thinks it was trying to communicate. She also realizes she hasn't answered Clarke's question, but it's because she has no strong answer to it. Her eyelashes flutter and she breathes in and out slowly.)
Yes. I am Lexa of the Trikru. [ She swallows. ] I am Heda.[ That usually helps ground her but it doesn't feel entirely true at the same time. ]
I can show you. Do you want to see?
[ It seems wrong to offer without fair warning. Lexa has yet to share memories before but she knows it is possible, and her words can't fully describe what happened. ]
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the mural.
[ lexa was his friend, and that feeling isn't quite gone, but the woman in front of the mural holds herself a lot differently from his memory. it's a strange thing to keep grappling with. ]
You know, I am not entirely sure we could forget, even without such a big reminder.
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People here have told her that the way she grew up was wrong in some way. That taking a toddler and teaching them how to fight and kill, isolating them from all others except their peers who they were forced to kill later, and telling them their only purpose was to others, was wrong. Lexa takes that judgment and says they will never understand. It was an alien concept to her, living another life. And yet.
And yet.
She glances over at Cassian and she knows him. They were friends. They did the bomb together, but that was after years of friendship, and of knowing they had to make a stand. This Lexa agrees too. Her severe expression gentles. ]
Six months from now, when more has gone on, this may lose its brightness in the memory, like the simulation. The reminder isn't for right now.
[ No one has forgotten but they did all have to keep living their life. Or so she's heard. ]
Cassian. [ She says his name, reminding herself. ] Do you still have the tattoo?
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Some people might prefer to forget what they have seen there. Or at least be able to put it aside and start to move on. [ he knows the regular earth is full of its own traumas. there's been a lot to contend with, even in his short time here. ]
Lexa. [ a returned greeting, to show he recognizes her too. ] Yes. My partner noticed it. And you?
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[ It's a harsh perspective but if people want to be dedicated to their denial, they have to really lean into it. Lexa doesn't know yet if she wants to remember. At the moment she cannot stop remembering. So it's not a choice. When it becomes a choice, she'll decide then. It is difficult not to be able to control her every thought and feeling now.
She nods slowly. ]
The same. It is right over a tattoo I already had.
[ It feels strange for a variety of reasons, mostly because that tattoo represents who she is ... and now both of them do. The Aerie written over her Ascension. She doesn't like the meaning of it. Lexa has all her hair back; she is glad to be able to have her formal braids again.]
I wonder what lesson we were meant to take from it.
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I have never had a tattoo before, but I have to say, getting one as a sign of rebellion feels like it could backfire. Not sure who thought that was a good plan.
[ it's a sign of commitment for sure, but it's also a very easy way to get caught. there's a reason his face especially has been kept clean of scars. it makes people too recognizable. ]
There are a lot of possibilities. It could be a warning, if it is not a lesson.
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red wings;
even when she orders a drink, she barely takes a sip from it, finger lining the rim almost absentmindedly as she weighs her options before her — even if she still isn't entirely sure what those options are.
but at least, there's ... familiarity. somewhat, anyway, whenever she spots a face that she'd known from her history in the aerie, a lifetime that feels both affirming and dreamlike.
when she poses the question to the girl — lexa, she recalls — she bites her lip when she seemingly isn't heard. ] I was just — sorry, I was just wondering if you ... if you remember me at all?
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It did not take. She could not hide from it. Lexa was trained to destroy the parts of her that did not fit her purpose. Yet she is letting this linger intentionally. When she turns her attention to Wanda, she is immediately bowled over with memories. The two of them laughing, talking, family of a kind, something Lexa's never known herself. ]
Yes. Wanda. I do.
[ Titus would tell her she cannot be both. The weaker version of herself must die. And she wonders. Is she the stronger? She resists the urge to reach out and touch Wanda's hair, to reassure her as she might have before. But her expression softens and her green eyes lose some of their ice. ]
Are you ... alright?
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because in looking at lexa, she sees someone she holds so much trust in, and right now, when she's feeling the most alone she's felt in so long, she desperately aches to have someone she can confide it.
hearing her name, it's a larger comfort than it probably should be, and she sighs a held breath as she keeps herself from rushing forward to embrace her, instead lacing her own fingers together in front of her. ]
Yeah, I'm ... I'm alright. Are — are you?
[ she swallows, almost nervously. ]
I'm still trying to ... sort through everything.
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I am .... [ She wants to say she is well, of course, she is strong, she is in control. Admitting to anything else is weakness. Her eyelashes flutter as she blinks a few too many times all at once, like her internal wi-fi is buffering. ] Struggling.
[ Wanda is trustworthy, isn't she? Everything in her is telling her she can trust her. She wants to lean into that, it is so rare for her. Is this how normal people actually feel? Do they live with this care every day? Lexa sighs and runs her hands over her face, her mouth curving into the smallest of smiles at the corner. ]
I remember everything, and I feel it, but I am different. [ She swallows. This is complicated. ] I was raised to have no family and friends.
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listening to lexa, it's strange that this is someone whose hands she'd be all too willing to put her life in, and yet still remains a stranger all at once. ]
I know what you mean. The things I felt in that world, it's ... well, it's not that it wasn't entirely me, but I haven't been that person in ... a very long time. [ in how much time, it's hard to say. the years have been too strange for her lately. ]
Being raised that way, do — do you hate what you lived in there?
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Red Wings
Hi, Lexa.
[ Glimmer's voice is weary and stretched. She leans up against the bar as she speaks. One hand is toying with a fork and the remnants of lunch. ]
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Hello Glimmer.
[ She sorts out her mind to the way they know one another. They are working on the civilian project together. That reframes it to this world. Her smile fades but not because of any other reason than this Lexa rarely smiles. ]
You look weary.
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I feel tired. I've just been doing my best to keep moving since I got back and I might be pushing myself too hard.
[ She closes her eyes for a long moment, then she speaks again in a small voice. It's low, meant for Lexa and no one else. ]
I guess I'm trying to avoid having to sort out all these memories. I want it to be a bad dream but it's always there.
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It can be difficult, to sort between both sets of memories. This place is very different and yet the faces are all the same.
[ Literally. They are the same people whether it's Displaced or civilians or people in positions of power. Lexa knows the difference between the two better than most because it's such a vast difference in personality. Even saying that she's flat and calm in tone. ]
I think a god is responsible. This cannot be manmade. The gold one gave the Kestrels their power, it was loose. It could be the one.
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Red Wings
when he sees Lexa he approaches with a quiet stride and stands just in front of her by the bar. she looks up, and he repeats himself without a start. ]
Did you want something to drink?
fighting back
That was before the Aerie. Before he spent years throwing himself into one Quarry after another and cementing his status as a Snipe. Before the whole world saw his brutality, his mercilessness, and his blatant love of his power.
Before the Aerie, most people didn't have a concrete reason to fear Maine. Now, they do.
Maine doesn't immediately recognize Lexa. Not with her newly-returned hair. He sees a young woman standing calmly as a group surrounds her — seven against one — and he starts towards them. Announces himself with a low growl that serves as a warning as he closes in: "Back off."
If they don't listen? Well, sucks to be them. ]
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Lexa doesn't attack although the Kestrel girl in her snarls up, and almost immediately flames pop up from her hands, a light sheen of fire on her and then that brilliant intense blue glow in the middle of the night. She may not be the woman on literal fire from the Quarry explosion, but she is still a threat. That seems to do it and between him and the sight, the group flees. Once she stops her power she realizes it was not the wisest choice. It was made from emotion.
That bothers her and she momentarily shows it on her face, before smoothing it over to face him. She remembers him, of course. Lexa never forgets anyone she's met, especially not allies. She remembers him from the Quarry too. A Snipe. One of the people she had information on that she tried to give her friends, in a vain hope they could survive him. She may be struggling with her two selves, but not when it comes to knowing who a person is or isn't. ]
They think this will make them feel better.
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Fire lights up her hands and illuminates her face. He recognizes her now. Lexa, the young woman from the safehouse who so reminded him of Carolina. She stands tall and proud as ever, fire in her hands and an almost regal look on her face.
The seven soldiers run. Turns out they're not completely stupid.
As Lexa turns to face him, Maine braces himself for a flood of conflicting memories. They don't come. His other self — that other Maine — didn't know Lexa in the Aerie. That's a relief. Shit's complicated enough as it is; he doesn't want yet another tangled relationship to sort through.
He grunts in agreement, a look of disapproval on his face — one directed not at her, but the soldiers who fled. ]
Should know better.
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Her dark hair is back and that at least is something. Hair can be symbolic with the Grounders. Her hair was a nod to her original people, the Trikru, her braids similar to the one of her teacher, Anya. It does make her feel more like her to wear them again. She glances toward where the soldiers left, shaking her head. ]
Where I come from, leaders take people like that and give them a focus, give them a direction. This will happen when they lack a place to put their pain.
[ She says leaders but she means herself, although every clan had their own separate leader too. Not all of them handled their people as nobly as she did, but she only interfered if she had to. Overall, the intention was good. The Grounders needed direction. She's tried to explain this to Clarke, why Heda was so important and sacred. The world was a violent place full of confusion and fear. Without leadership, it becomes every person for themselves. ]
The Aerie was too controlled, and this place lawless in comparison. Without a middle ground there will be more suffering ahead.
[ She realizes she has spoken far more than she ordinarily does. She is a quiet and serious person most of the time. The reminder gives her pause, biting her lip briefly. ]
Apologies. I ... do not typically speak my thoughts out loud.
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