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meadowlarklogs2021-03-13 12:31 pm
- !arrival log,
- dceu: diana prince,
- dceu: harley quinn,
- dogs b&c: nill,
- ffvii: sephiroth,
- persona: goro akechi,
- star trek: hugh culber,
- supernatural: jo harvelle,
- the 100: clarke griffin,
- the 100: lexa,
- the magicians: quentin coldwater,
- the sarah connor chronicles: john connor,
- uncharted: nathan drake,
- xena: callisto
ARRIVAL LOG #031
WHERE: Anime Naexpo, among other places in New Amsterdam
WHEN: September 22-25 2512
WHAT: Anime Naexpo comes to New Amsterdam again! Time to be really hot and wear awesome costumes. Multiple types of hot, apparently.
NOTES OR WARNINGS: Coercion and loss of autonomy, as well as needles; references to furries and drug use (cannabis in particular), as well as sex workers.
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 a few others with you who are dressed similarly to you, but in different colors. Ever heard of tokusatsu, or even the Power Rangers? Well, it looks like Jimmy (the guy behind the drop offs) went all out for Anime Naexpo. Every single newcomer is wearing a costume ranger suit. These suits are specially designed to fit each person, and even though it's hot as hell outside, there's a cooling unit built in to keep them from overheating. Which would be thoughtful if they were able to go to the convention, which they're not.
Just the same, Jimmy picked out colors and bird motifs for each of the newcomers:
◉ MAKO: Red with a scarlet flycatcher insignia on his chest.
◉ ABBY: Purple with a starling insignia on her chest.
◉ HUGH: Blue with a lazuli bunting on his chest.
◉ JASON: Green with a lovebird on his chest. … This may be a message of fondness for the other Jason.
◉ EULALIA: Yellow with a goldfinch on her chest.
◉ SEPHIROTH: Silver with a lichmera on his chest.
These costumes do have a helmet, but they're in each of the newcomers' hands rather than placed over their heads. In addition, these costumes will be a pain in the ass to get off, especially if someone has to use the bathroom. At least they look really cool.
After spotting the mask in your hand, you might have another look around to see that there's an armored interior door, along with two more people visible (they look like a nurse and a guard), not to mention the multiple skyscrapers flying by the building, as if you're near their highest point. You may try to open your mouth to speak, to ask even a basic question, but you'll find that your tongue is like it's coated in tar. You'll ultimately manage nothing more than an empty parting of lips and a huff of air.
When the vehicle stops, the nurse steps into view. His jaw sets as he curses to himself about a central venous IV (one that's in their necks—that's why the helmet isn't on) because of the devotion to these stupid ass costumes. He's still meticulous as he pulls out one after another, but his movements are slower. As he works, the guard gets out, and she looks impatient with her arms crossed outside of the vehicle.
The nurse begins to guide everyone out one by one. Another guard is there, it turns out. He must have gotten out of the front passenger seat. They keep everyone lined up and organized. "We'll make this simple. You're the clowns he's dropping off today, but it looks like he went all out." An eyeroll. "So, do him a solid and listen to us. Head around to the place that says Red Wings. Go in through the door and look for people like you. Last I heard, they'll know you're coming. Don't go running off somewhere else, even if it's in embarrassment. I wouldn't blame you." Before anyone's motioned off to be on their way, he grabs a dropped helmet off the floor of the vehicle, and hands it to someone. It doesn't match their color. He doesn't seem to care.
After the spoilsport (or gruffly sympathetic? Hard to say) guard gets back into the vehicle, the others responsible for this drop off follow suit, hitting the road. The road, of course, is in the sky. For the newcomers, it's better to head into the bar like directed. Well, it's not like you have any choice in the matter. Plus, he has a point: you might be right to be embarrassed about being dressed up as a toku character. Sorry for the welcome.
◉ 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.
Moments before the drop offs occur, a message comes from one Jacob Harold in the inboxes of all of the current Displaced. Strangely enough, it reads like a terms and conditions message from Giles Bell's internal messaging department. The actual terms are just a bunch of bird names, so click through.
No word on the bird shirts? I guess that's my fault. Some newcomers are coming in. I know they can't go to the convention, but maybe they'd like a get up for next year. I had these specially made. Oh, they'll be around the corner in about five minutes. Treat them well.
I'll be reaching out to a select number of you soon.
— JH
Out of the alley and around to the front, the newcomers will find a city that has made a lot of headway in rebuilding itself, in part because it was in better shape than other megacities. Psychologically, a large number of people are still very traumatized. Some of the city's pristine gleam has managed to return despite that, but surfaces are deceiving.
After all, New Amsterdam has been through a lot—so much that it's almost impossible to summarize it all. The city's seen a lot of tragedy between giant kaiju attacks,an EMP that killed lots of people, a vengeance-driven simulation put on by a very angry AI, and an additional monster attack, though this one was worldwide. Oddly enough, New Amsterdam fared the best throughout the attacks because of the intervention from the strange people with the blue glowing chests (known to each other colloquially as "the Displaced"). Most recently, the entire population of this world was pulled into another universe, their minds altered to believe that they had always lived in this strange place called The Aerie. With an overpopulation problem that was solved via monthly battle royales starring anyone who broke a law, it was not an easy place to live for many. Now that everyone's returned to the real world, they still have memories of that other life layered on, and it's a lot to process. So if people seem unwilling to talk, or off in any way, there may be a reason other than big-city unfriendliness.
And what of the Displaced? These people have had a presence in New Amsterdam for a while. First, they were the weirdos who inspired messages from the NAPD to remind people that vigilantism is a bad idea after they took out a kaiju all by themselves. Later, they were creeping into medical wings and heading up into the floating pyramid outside of the city to help bring the environmental grid around the world back online. After the simulation where their powers were key to causing little glitches throughout the experience, the Displaced became more widely known, a pattern that has only continued as some of them were quite high-profile in the Aerie as key members of the ruling class or repeat victors of the battle royales. The very same bar that everyone got dropped off at today is also one of their bases of operation.
There has been a group that has quietly appreciated the Displaced for a while. Around September 2511, little shrines started sprouting up around the city depicting the Displaced. While many of these shrines were simple in nature, made up of candles and a piece of art portraying someone with a blue shape coming out of their chest, others were beautiful murals, lavish in every way. These murals sell for a lot of money, but the people buying them don't seem to know why these paintings are a big deal.
Are the Displaced worthy of shrines and attention? Debatable. The people connected to the shrines think they're either touched by god, gods themselves, or carrying something god-like within them. And as it turned out? They were right. These people tend to be marked with sacred geometry tattoos. They 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, their shrines are getting more notice. And with the existence of gods becoming a reality rather than a belief, other religious groups are cropping up as well, strange in a world that was once purely secular.
Along the way, the Displaced have made some enemies, and the fact that all of the Cardinals in the Aerie were Displaced isn't helping matters. The United Nations, the leading governmental force in this world, has made no secret that they're not fans, and now they're taking additional steps with a newly announced Task Force that will be investigating all of the strange goings-on of the past year or so—much of which revolved around the Displaced. (More on that below!) Thankfully, the governor of New Amsterdam, Joseph Lynch, has at least spoken out in support of the Displaced.
There are also the corporations, the most notable at the moment being Riverstone. A former entertainment mogul in the 20th and 21st centuries, Riverstone eventually began to broaden their interests prior to World War III. Most recently, they offered to perform tests on the Displaced in exchange for some information. Riverstone has a mild presence in New Amsterdam, but has a symbiotic relationship with the United Nations in their capital city, New Beijing.
It feels important to note that it's hot in New Amsterdam right now, hot and humid and sticky, with frequent downpours. There is also water rationing going on. Despite that, the city of New Amsterdam continues to be overgrown with plant life and greenery that clogs up plumbing everywhere. What's that about? You guessed it, it's another weird Displaced-caused thing.
Right now, the Displaced are renovating, opening new businesses, and planning a trip to North America. The continent was decimated by nuclear warfare at the end of World War III, and has been left uninhabited since. Now, the Displaced are curious about what they might find there, and if it could be a place for them to escape to if their reputations get any worse.
Now it's time to see what's going on around New Amsterdam, from Red Wings and beyond!
> 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. Thanks to the major decrease in business, Red Wings looks like itself again. Bright red lights welcome newcomers inside. The open space is mostly tables with seats. All of the booths got removed following the monster attacks, so while it's far less intimate, it'll be easier for the owners to clean things up if future attacks occur.
Much like anywhere else, water is rationed carefully at Red Wings. (It doesn't help that one of the owners is a practiced rationer thanks to her post-apocalyptic life.) Business is slow but steady; most of the customers now are regulars, as any gawkers had that knocked that out of their system by their unwanted AU experience.
While it's not possible for any of the newcomers to see them because their implant hasn't been activated yet, there are various baseball and soccer games from around the world playing on projected screens. Too bad there aren't as many patrons watching. The good news is that there will be plenty of room to sit down, settle in, and even play a round of pool before—needing to head downstairs? That's right: the temporary safehouse is right here.
> SPECIAL INVESTIGATION TASK FORCE
Now that it's been a full month since the Aerie ended, the UN's Special Investigation Task Force has settled into New Amsterdam (with a few deployments in other megacities for appearance's sake). That isn't a coincidence. While on the surface, this Task Force has been designed to look into the many strange events in this world that started in June 2511, its real goal seems to be to pin all of these unusual circumstances on the Displaced.
For the most part, the citizens of New Amsterdam are not happy with the introduction of this Task Force. While some are displeased with the Displaced's involvement in the Aerie as Cardinals, they're very supportive of the group as a whole. Their efforts are valued, and many believe that things would be far worse in New Amsterdam without their involvement. (The idea being that no one is blaming these strange, glowing newcomers for what's happened.) Given the announced recruitment of Aerie Shrikes (in short: that alternate world's secret police), NA citizens are even more on edge. The last thing they want is a hidden law enforcement group affecting their lives.
Given the unique nature of their Aerie training, Task Force members are ordered to hide in plain sight. All of them are former Shrikes from the Aerie, making it so that their identities may be easy to pin down. But many Shrikes wore masks and maintained a heavy level of secrecy around their role, making them harder to identify. On the other hand, while very dangerous to anyone who might make a move on them, the Task Force is not conditioned and trained to be loyal to the UN alone (like the previous UN soldiers had been). Many of them are in this for job security reasons, as well as the very real hunt for answers about what's been happening in this world.
Task Force members are following the Displaced, albeit from a distance. They're also asking questions and showing up where they aren't wanted. Fighting rings? Oh, they're there. They may even participate. Gambling dens? They're there, too. It seems as if there's no limit to what they'll do. To make matters worse, they're offering credits to people who will come forward with any saved photographic or video evidence of the weird events around New Amsterdam from the past year.
> SPIRITUAL MOVEMENTS
Multiple religious movements have sprung up around New Amsterdam, the most notable of which is led by Yennefer (angerberg). Using her clout as a Cardinal as well as someone forced into her role in the Aerie, she's returned with the intention of reclaiming some power as a notable religious leader. Her goal is, primarily, to recruit wealthy but disaffected young adults who no longer feel as if they have a place in this world following their experiences in the Aerie. And why is this notable? Because she's using the zeitgeist of her time as a Cardinal, her identity as a member of the fringe group of glowing Displaced, and a powerful message to draw people to her. Oh, it helps that gods have been confirmed. And she definitely has a piece of one inside of her. All of the Displaced do, in fact.
Beyond Yennefer, there is a smaller spiritual group mostly focused on altruism and casting aside technology in the city. Though it's small, it's led by a wealthy woman named Nirvana, and they just got done celebrating their annual Insomniac Ball (a hedonist's paradise in rave form).
Many religious groups are in their fledgling stages. No one has religious works. Some groups squat in various abandoned buildings to turn them into makeshift chapels or shrines, but the New Amsterdam Police Department has begun to work to move them from these locations. The odd behaviors of these groups is cited as the cause for their involvement. Due to their odd choices of worship, some of their members have begun to display violent tendencies—likely in part because they decided to consume pieces of the gods that had been left in New Amsterdam in following multiple monster attacks. Gross and also—gross. Any of these violent people have been taken to medical institutions to try to rehabilitate them.
(Unfortunately, as many of the Displaced know, the only cure for these fanatics is to be touched by a member of the Displaced for five minutes. At this time, the Displaced will cause a sense of pain before it shifts into a sense of tranquility. That tranquility will stay with both the healer and the person cured for 24 hours. And yes, this is different behavior from before!)
> FIGHT THE POWER
Outside of Morningstar (which is a rebel organization that has had its influence on this world for 50 years), there are two burgeoning rebellions.
The first group are the Kestrels. They were a rebel group that existed within the Quarry, and many of its Aerie members are now exerting themselves within the real world as well. While oppression has a different coat of paint in the real world, it's still not all that different. Right now, the Kestrels are primarily focused on violence as a means of bringing an end to the oppression of their world, but they can be refocused if they have a good leader or set of leaders. They may cause a spot of trouble around the world before that person steps up.
The second rebellion is in space. After years of mistreatment and oppression by the UN—especially since its workers were largely treated as disposable—the colonies have now declared independence from the UN. Of course, a declaration means nothing if they can't back it up. They do have a spot of mysterious help from someone on Earth, but they could use some additional assistance (as well as trained employees) if they're going to succeed.
In both rebellions, input from the Displaced is all but necessary for these movements to succeed. If you're interested, hit us up on Plot Engagement or this month's CR meme questions thread to get the ball rolling.
> GETTING BACK IN ORDER (HOSPITALS AND BUSINESSES)
Though New Amsterdam is beginning to appear as if it's back in order, that's not true on all fronts. In some ways, appearances might be deceiving. After all, a lot of focus has gone toward renovations and reconstruction all around the city to try to get the economy back in working order following the simulation, monster attacks, and subsequent consequences of a prolonged alternate reality situation. Reconstruction is nearly done, but that isn't the same for the people themselves.
Thanks to the efforts of the Displaced, hospitals are starting to function somewhat better. However, thanks to a year's worth of traumatic events—combined with that lifetime in another world called the Aerie—things are still … very, very busy. Volunteers are needed, especially if they can help undergo counseling and therapeutic training to help with intake. There are some people who are also more prone to acting out and violence, so people who are willing to go through training to help with these circumstances are welcome as well. Needless to say, the numerous hospitals in New Amsterdam are full given the wide range of services that they provide. Any help (or continued help) is very much appreciated!
Around the city, a lot of other locations are looking to get back into business. Ever wanted to try on a job or three (or even ten) to see what you like most? New Amsterdam is the place to really live out your dreams right now. From being trained to be a line cook to cleaning toilets, there's something for everyone. Or a single person. The upside of this is that everyone will get paid, and since many of these jobs are available through restaurants, there's sure to be free food, too. It's a win-win situation. But don't expect these jobs to last. Many of these businesses are running at full capacity to try to get back into working order, especially with many employees still recovering from their previous experiences.
Some shows must go on. In the case of Anime Naexpo—more colloquially known as Anime Naex—that's doubly the case. A few last minute changes means that the venue is set up differently: all inside, and all to avoid people from struggling under the constraints of the high temperatures outside. But it could be worse—it could have been cancelled. It could have been cancelled. Thankfully, input from Joseph Lynch and City Hall's community organizers helped make a final push to make this annual event a reality once more. The problem is the same, however: it is very hot and water rationing will make it difficult to deal with that. Prior to the event's start, numerous messages will go out advising con-goers to not wear heavy costumes that could lead to heat exhaustion or worse. New Amsterdam hospitals are at full capacity. With so many people ecstatic about getting to do something fun after spending a year making their costumes, odds are that no one is going to be thrilled about following these directions. So, they won't.
Rather than being held in its usual venue, Anime Naex has been moved to a set of interconnected hotels that exist in the underground part of New Amsterdam. One of these hotels does have an elevator to lift people up to the surface, but this will only be relevant if someone's staying in that portion of the hotel. In order to combat heat exhaustion, all of the convention will be taking place down below. A few nerds will take to social media to claim they're being hidden away, but look—it's 2512 and nerds became cool (AKA noticeably profitable) centuries ago. They won't get much traction.
What used to be a one-part street fair and one-part anime convention has been fully merged together to ensure that most everyone is inside with central air conditioning. This may be a good thing for various amateur artists hoping to grab attention or sell their wares, as there will be limited opportunities to miss their booths.
Anime Naexpo is a three-day-long event, with badges only available for those three days. This year's volunteers who are working the show are dressed up in pseudo-military getups, in part because it was the best they could do on short notice. Their original costumes were designed after the popular battle royale show, and those had to be discarded at short notice.
As it is, the program for the show is loaded as expected.
> CURRENT HITS
There are three shows competing in popularity at the moment, though there are still some fans who believe that Hot Case (a noir anime with a 1990s aesthetic) deserves a second, third, and fourth season. Given the awkwardness over the year's popular shows, they may not be wrong.
The first up is Vestica: Aeon: The Second Chapter. With a name that is a callback to sacred geometry in a lot of ways, some of its fans feel a bit strange given the symbolism they've started to notice (especially around New Amsterdam). But on its own, Vestica: Aeon is part of the long-lasting Vestica franchise, and it's pretty enjoyable once divorced from its context.
The next most popular show is the aforementioned Battle Royale anime: Who Deserves to Live? Even the name itself is a touch problematic given the current atmosphere. It was growing in worldwide popularity before the Aerie hit, swallowing up everyone into its hold. The show itself is very dark and grim, giving the sense that even if the people within bring an end to the battle royales they're forced to fight, they won't be happy to live on.
Last but not least is the show with the pseudo-military get ups. Partly produced by Riverstone's entertainment department as a thinly-veiled propaganda series, it follows an immortal band of brothers fighting together throughout history. It shows the change in times, loyalties, and more, but their dedication as soldiers never wavers. At the beginning of the show, they undergo hard conditioning after being brought together from disparate walks of life. It could be touching in a lot of ways, but it's very obviously meant to be pro-United Nations Army in its messaging. Given that all of those soldiers were unilaterally discharged and left to fend for themselves, it's all the more tacky.
> COSTUMES
Although there are some shoddy costumes bought off the 2512 equivalent of Ebay without checking the reviews, most people are turning out decked out as if nothing happened. That means that, again, they're ignoring advice to keep their outfits a bit light so that they don't face heat exhaustion. At Anime Naexpo, the costumed guests take their opportunities seriously. The competition held every year is fierce, especially since the most original and well-put-together costumes can lead to a contract with a major motion film studio. Want to make the wacky costumes for the next sci-fi gig? This is where someone gets started. One catch, however, is that limited water means that any costumes that don't account for the conditions may not last through the weekend. Slips, spills, and anything else can easily destroy a delicate costume. Maybe vying for that film gig should wait until next year?
> SPECIAL INTERESSTS
Ah, the … niche community. If anyone shouldn't be wearing a costume, it's people who fall under this collective group. Yep, we mean furries. While furries are, by and large, largely invisible in this world, there are a number of them that go out of their way to get surgically attached cat ears (that function like real ears!), whiskers, claws, and even gills if they're feeling a bit fishy. But it's around this time that they dress to the nines in their full costumes to take to the anime convention streets. Needless to say, the furries will be suffering. But they tend to have money in spades, so if someone wants to take commissions at the show to draw their fursonas, they'll make a hefty amount of credits.
Knowing that there's a clear market in this, a number of brothels advertise cosplay events that start around Anime Naexpo and run through the end of October (what with Halloween coming up and all). These brothels won't have services available at the convention, but they will be happy to educate anyone who's interested. They're also likely to have holographic displays of the kinds of costumes (furry and otherwise) that are available to any guests giving them a try after the convention.
> EVENTS
It's not a convention without the panels! These panels are run by a wide array of special guests. Mostly superficial in nature, they're largely positioned as a setup for photo opportunities and autographs after the event. (All digital, of course.)
There are also panels by the standard guests that will be going on almost around the clock. Some are:
"Did Anime Influence Our Life in the Aerie?"
"Fictional AIs. Can We Depict Them as Heroes?"
"Enjoying Fiction After Living It."
In addition, there will be multiple game rooms throughout the convention. Some will allow gamers to beta-test the next virtual reality FPS or driving game, while others will involve app creators trying to show that their app will be the next neural implant hit so that they can draw in sponsorship. Prepare for some real duds when it comes to that stuff.
> MERCHANDISE
There are two types of merchandise at this year's Anime Naexpo: the handmade fan stuff, and then the stuff that's clearly made by predatory corporations running under a subsidiary. The good news is that the predatory corporations put out some great merchandise. The bad news is that—well, you get the drift. Among all the various types of merchandise (figures, hentai stuff [complete with lots of tentacles], the works) is work revolving around the Displaced. Amoli Bhasin cut a deal to get a lot of this stuff out there, so there will be shirts with Red Wings logos, as well as hats, shoes, and everything else. On the other side, there will be fanworks of the Cardinals and arena winners (even if they're the sketchy repeat ones), sometimes depicted … in ships with one another. Look, if that's how they're going to cope, that's fine? Maybe? Many of these things are sold as avatars, profile backgrounds, and more. And some of them are selling like hot cakes.
> MISCELLANY
Food trucks will be lined up outside of the event to keep people well-nourished, even if some of their beverages may not provide the hydration needed. In order to try to cut down on the heat exhaustion, the event runners have cancelled this year's Ball and Rave events, especially since they're known for exacerbating the issue in normal years. Things are probably going to be bad enough at the con. Let's not add sweaty, awkwardly costumed dancing to the mix.
After a day spent inside of Red Wings, the newcomers will be allowed to head down to the safehouse below the bar. While the safehouse is typically located elsewhere in New Amsterdam, it's currently undergoing renovations. Thus, the Red Wings safehouse it is. If anyone doesn't wish to enter the safehouse, the compliance drug may come into play, but it's better to work out any problems with other players.
Located under Red Wings, access to this safehouse is through a hatch inside of the kitchen area. Smells of curry will be most apparent in the kitchen (in part because curry is a smell that just doesn't go away). The inside of the safehouse is nice enough, with rows of cots set up, but it will seem a touch hot and humid inside because of all of the cannabis plants. Yes, moved off to the side are several cannabis plants that have been growing down below. Once the newcomers are sent down there, they will notice the central air kicking on, as well as the last remains of the cannabis operation being brought to a close. At least temporarily.
The safehouse has all the amenities needed: a large communal kitchen, a large communal bathroom, a first aid room with a medi-unit (that will heal all major injuries), and a side room for storage, which is where the rest of the cannabis plants have been moved to. Right now, the kitchen is a bit sparse in terms of anyone needing to cook for themselves, but the Red Wings employees have filled the fridge with leftovers from the day in case anyone gets hungry.
Integration will be handled entirely by the fellow Displaced, though anyone can contact El through zeir inbox, if needed. El is an AI that leads the rebel group Morningstar, though zeir identity is known only to the Displaced because of the world's anti-AI sentiments.
◉ 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.
◉ The kitchen only has leftovers from the day's meals, but there is a wide variety of good food thanks to the efforts of Nill, Murphy, and Ren in the Red Wings kitchen. If anyone's jonesing for some caffeine, they can try sweet-talking a Red Wings employee to make some of their stash of beans and bring it on down.
◉ 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 experienced it before.
◉ Shortly after their arrival, El will message the newcomers to explain the basics. Ze will explain that they've been given a modest stipend of credits 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.
◉ It will be made clear to new characters that in this world, everything is reliant on the implants and their associated IDs. Without them, new arrivals can't do anything—no buying anything or even opening doors. Without IDs, people stick out like a sore thumb, and with certain powerful entities in this world gunning for the Displaced, this could be incredibly dangerous for them.
◉ New characters will be given rudimentary access to the network on arrival in 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 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 won't open for them, not because it's locked, but because no IDs means no doors will open at all. This will make it impossible for them to get out for the next four days until their IDs have been finalized by El. There won't be any immediately obvious ways to cut their way out through turning off the power, either. Not everyone loves the safehouse system, but it's the best they've got for now and current Displaced will usually come by to help newbies pass the time and answer their questions. Time to sit tight.
◉ As a note, if any character does manage to leave the safehouse because someone let them out either accidentally or purposefully, we need the players involved to drop us a line! For further details on the current safehouse procedures and how they came about, please see this post!
◉ New characters will not be allowed to leave the safehouse until SEPTEMBER 26, 2512 (MARCH 21, 2021). 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.
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 after those initial four days have passed. Until then, all characters will appear as @anonymous on the network. While sitting down 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 specific to this log, there is a thread below.
The March CR meme for the month is here. We've added a questions thread there to act as a middle ground before people head over to Plot Engagement.
Please check out our March calendar rundown for a look at things happening this month.
AC will remain halved for the foreseeable future. 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!
red wings
He gives Lance a flat look for the question, but still answers it for some reason.]
Yes.
Get to your point.
[If he's being offered information, he'll take it, but it's glaringly obvious he doesn't want to drudge through small talk to get to it.]
no subject
Would you like a rundown of the situation, or prefer to ask questions? And do you want anything to eat or drink?
[Which is just as important as information.]
no subject
No, I'm fine.
[He's very much not fine, and honestly more than a little thirsty, but he wants to be sure of a clear head before he even considers accepting food or drink from these people.]
I've gathered this isn't Midgar. So either this is one very vivid hallucination, or I'm... nowhere near Midgar. [It seems insane to accept that as the most logical explanation, but no one on his world would have dared do this to him. Even Hojo. So, with that understood, what are the most important questions?]
... How long before the drugs are out of my system, and who's responsible for this?
[In other words, who should he kill for this once he's able to?]
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[Since he's well aware of the hesitation a lot of people have to accept anything immediately, and certainly can't blame them for it. It's probably smart.
As for the comments about Midgar, he notes them--that name sounds familiar, though he doesn't immediately place why just yet--and nods a little at the conclusion of being somewhere else. But since that isn't the question asked, he doesn't address it just yet.]
It takes about a day for the compulsion drug to totally wear off, though the sedative effect seems to fade a little faster. The person responsible for both our arrival and the way it's handled is James Henries, who we've recently discovered is hiding on the moon.
[So, you know. Not a lot of accountability. Probably so he doesn't get killed by angry new arrivals, actually, not that Lance feels a huge amount of sympathy for that self-created problem.]
An experiment of his went wrong, and the aftereffects of that are what causes us to arrive in this dimension.
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Or does it?]
Is it... common, in this dimension-- [what a thing to say] --for people to travel to the moon?
[Shinra's space program has yet to actually put anyone in space, much less on the moon, but the technology here... It seems more advanced than Shinra's. He's just not sure by how much just yet.]
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[It's a weird thing to be talking about for him, too.]
Some people, like Henries, live on the moon or on space stations. Space tourism is something that happens here, but doesn't seem to be an every day sort of thing because of the cost; I'm not sure if any Displaced have actually gone to the moon, aside from the ones who woke up there last month.
[Or has it been longer than a month? He's not sure. More or less a month.]
While we could theoretically go to the moon, and there have definitely been some discussions about doing so, we keep hitting logistical obstacles and so plans have been delayed.
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If he can't confront his enemy yet, then what does he do instead? What does he need to know? He touches the back of his head with a gloved hand... but the idea of asking makes him feel uneasy. Vulnerable. He doesn't even know for certain anything he's been told so far is the truth.
Maybe he ought to ask about his supposed allies then. "We," the Displaced. He eyes Lance over, assesing him.]
You arrived this way yourself. How long has this been going on? You've... formed a group?
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Lance notes that brief motion, and expects a question about the implants or the surgery itself next, but instead Sephiroth asks about the Displaced and it's a little bit of a surprise. The questions are good ones, but not ones he usually hears asked early on.]
I arrived here a few months ago, I think um... Almost five months? There have been people here over a year, though; the first arrived in June of last year.
[And it's late September now, so maybe fifteen months or so.]
As for forming a group... Kind of. In a sense, we're one by default; none of us are from this world, we have powers, that sort of thing. Because of the shared experiences and situations we tend to be more associated with each other than with native citizens, though that of course varies by individual Displaced. We're definitely seen as a group by most other people, though, for better or worse.
[And wow is that a complicated situation, especially recently with what happened in the Aerie.]
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If there were any simple way back, they would have taken it, most of them. But Sephiroth's anger isn't so much about anything he might have been torn away from as it is about the violation of his autonomy. He didn't choose to come here, but in the long run it may be no better or worse than where he was. Midgar is only a place.
But he did have people he could trust. Not that he had much in common with them, but...
Wait.]
What do you mean, powers? [His guard is back up, his brow furrowing. He's always been... exceptional, but his skills aren't so far from a typical human's for anyone to call them powers. They can't all be like that, can they? That implies more intent than an "aftereffect."]
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Sorry, I forgot you wouldn't already know. Okay, so each of us has a power. Supposedly, Henries destroyed a god and it broke into pieces, and we've each ended up with a piece of it in us.
[He scrunches his nose slightly as he says this, because he's so not a fan of any part of it, and saying it just makes it sound even worse.]
Because of that, we each have a power that relates to our personalities in some way. Using it causes us to glow blue from our chests; I can show you, if you want, my power isn't dangerous or anything.
[But some people don't react well to the whole powers nonsense, so he thinks asking first is probably best. He'll also wait for that response before he gets into the other weird things like the empathy bond.]
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But to have it inside of him... Is that what the scar is from?]
...you can tell me, but I don't require a demonstration. I'm familiar with magic. It just isn't... natural to humans.
[He wonders what would suit his personality. Something destructive, he feels, given his current mood. But would he even want to use it? Something forced on him? He'd rather be able to hold it in his hand, not to be altered by it.]
Can it be removed?
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[He answers the question, making note of the response about magic; he'd mostly offered to use his power to show what the glow is like, so he won't bother with explaining his actual power just yet.]
I think someone tried to see if there was some sort of physical source of the glow by cutting into their chest, but they didn't find anything. It seems to be metaphysical, which makes sense.
[As much as any of this makes sense.]
In addition to our individual powers there's also a few other things to be aware of; one is that if any two Displaced touch, it activates a connection that allows us to feel each other's emotions and potentially share memories. That causes the glowing too, as a side effect.
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Lance's explanation of the empathy bond seems at last to be too much for Sephiroth, though, and he chokes out an incredulous laugh.]
You're joking. Surely you're joking. Feeling each other's emotions?
[So much of this is implausible, things he'll need to sort through and corroborate, but that one really takes the cake. He hates being touched enough as it is, adding this in feels like too personal of a "fuck you" from the universe. And it's already given him so many.]
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I like to think my jokes are at least moderately more funny than making up an empathy bond.
[He likes to think that. He'd be wrong, but still.]
But no, I'm not joking. It's a really useful power in some respects, but really inconvenient in others; there are some Displaced who wear gloves to try to avoid it, even in this heat, since it has to be skin to skin contact.
[Lance is wearing long sleeves himself, though they're rolled up part of the way at the moment and not only about avoiding the empathy bond, but that's still definitely part of it.]
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This is absurd. Everything you've said is a wild lie to tell a stranger, but it's equally insane to take it all on your word.
[But yeah, he super doesn't want a demonstration on that empathy bond. If it's real... He's actually fine with never touching another person again. Why is this all so invasive?]
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[And that's the important part, since Sephiroth can figure out in time that this is all very real, no matter how ridiculous it sounds.]
I might as well add more weirdness to it too; there's also dream sharing, and we seem to have recently acquired a new and entirely separate set of powers we're still figuring out.
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Dream sharing. [Why not?] Does that happen by touch as well?
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[The more he explains this, the more ridiculous it sounds to him too, like when you repeat a word too many times.]
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No wonder this Henries was able to kill a god, if these are the powers it grants.
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You might be giving him too much credit. I don't think he had any powers when he killed it, and I'm not sure he even meant to kill it in the first place.
[Lance is pretty sure Henries had no idea what he was doing. But that aside--]
I'm Lance, by the way. I'd say nice to meet you, but the whole situation kind of sucks so it seems inappropriate.
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[All this empathy nonsense is a pretty lame power set, in his opinion, more likely to create vulnerabilities. Even in a god, apparently.
At first he just shrugs in response to Lance's introduction, but then he remembers... Hell, when was the last time he met someone who didn't already know his name?]
...Sephiroth.
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[He'll make a little note of the distinction there, and then nods at the introduction before returning to the matter at hand.]
So aside from the powers, the other part of us arriving here is the implant. It's the reason for the surgery; everyone here has one, and it acts like an ID and controls a whole bunch of stuff.
[Not that that's justification for doing surgery on someone without their consent.]
However, the implants of new arrivals aren't activated yet, and so it takes a few days to create an ID.
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Surely those can be removed. Do you not have anyone with the appropriate expertise?
[...not that Sephiroth would have an easy time trusting anyone to mess around in his head again, but that's unavoidable at this point.]
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[Potentially. He does know of a few who might have the knowledge or skill.]
However, just because we can doesn't necessarily mean we should. A few Displaced did try having their implants removed by someone else, but that didn't go particularly well, and lacking an implant makes life here kind of difficult.
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I can do difficult.
[Can't he?]
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