Intro Log: Rock This City

[hadrielmods]

Who: New arrivals and everyone else!
What: The intro log for January
Where: The colosseum and all around the city.
When: January 10th-14th
Warnings: New folks, rockin' dudes made of rock, and collectible friends!

This time, it's different.

There's no cave, no stone walls looming up around you and overhead, no stifling air or artificial light- not that you'd appreciate it, seeing as to how you've probably never been here before. And still, when you land facefirst on the dirt ground of the colosseum, you may not quite appreciate all the improvements and steps we've had to take to get here- after all, you're still surrounded by strangers in a crumbling city on an alien planet in the middle of nowhere.

Oh, and you're being attacked by Earth Elementals. These creatures are tall, between seven to ten feet, and made of solid rock, capable of punching through all the squishy bits of you- and for whatever reason, they definitely want to start punching. They're incredibly strong and, seeing as to how they're enchanted alive and have no internal organs, they're very difficult to kill.

But don't let that scare you off. For all the collectors in you, you can also find a very special array of beanie babies all scattered at the ground at your feet. Do you know that some of these things will be worth a lot of money someday? Better find the rarest one and stockpile it while you can! You might run into the rainbow crab, the platypus, or the sought-after bald eagle, or many more! Be sure to never take the tag off and never ever let anyone play with them so they don't lose value.

Once you've got your kids' college fund squared away, it's time to start exploring! You can explore the rest of the city! Find a house, a new monster, a project to help with, or simply scavenge for supplies. Good luck, and enjoy your stay in Hadriel!

► This log covers January 10th-14th.
► Feel free to make your own logs as well!
► All characters arrive with phones that have network communication and the newbie guide installed.
► Please put your character's name and open/closed in the subject line of your starters!

Comments

[evocation]

A lot, but...

[She looks suddenly uncomfortable, pulling her hand away gently.]

I didn't remember anything about Hadriel.

[lifetothefullest]

[Her change in mood is pretty apparent and he crosses his arms again loosely, a little concerned.]

Neither did Dr. Brennan. I think that's normal.

[evocation]

Yeah, well, it's bullshit. They just drag us here and then send us back whenever they want and fuck with our memories?

three

[notimpervious]

[For all that Brennan has seen a lot of strange things since coming here, this is the first time she sees someone with a bow.

So as she stands there, ankle-deep in warm water, a half-full basket of seaweed at her feet, she says to the woman with the bow,]

How good is your aim?

[She knows a guy who has excellent aim. Because he is a former sniper. That guy is her husband.]

[evocation]

[Shit. There's no way to make this better, is it? She knows how upset she would be.]

Wash...

[hardwearing]

[ It's not her fault. It's awful to learn, but it's not her fault and there's nothing they can do about it. Wash shakes his head. He can't really process this right now, can't let himself think about what it means. ]

Don't. You remember now. Let me just... focus on that.

[lifetothefullest]

It's definitely bullshit. I can't imagine how disorienting that would be.

[But he does have a sense of how unsettling it is to have one's memories altered, after the Stepford event. It's not great, for sure.]

[evocation]

I'm sorry.

[She says it again because she doesn't know what else to say.]

But I didn't... I didn't want to forget. It's bullshit.

[hardwearing]

I know, it's not your fault. You don't have to apologize for it.

[ It does change things, though. His own outlook and the options for people who can't or shouldn't go home. But there's one thing he should make clear to Kyna, at least. ]

...now is still worth it.

[lifetothefullest]

[Of course their son would be named Hank, and Lance is not at all surprised to hear Christine loves school; he's so glad she'd been old enough for him to start taking to parks and having whole conversations with and the like, because she's so smart and has so much personality. He highly doubts the desire to sell cars will last, and so that just makes it even cuter.]

I'm sure if she does end up selling cars, she'll be really good at it.

[Because she'll be good at anything. But the story about Zack is... Not exactly hard to believe, considering their lives, but a little surreal. One of his doctors was trying to kill him? Was it someone Lance knows, or someone that came into the picture after Lance was no longer able to visit? Whatever the answer, and whatever the reason, Lance is quietly incensed in the way he usually is when someone who is supposed to be helping a person in their care turns out to be doing anything but. It's far too common.

But it seems to have turned out alright, at least, so that's what he tries to focus on.]

We talked about that, when he told me he wasn't actually guilty of murder. He said he would've done it if Gormogon told him to, but I tried to tell him he couldn't know that until it came down to it.

[And it's good to know--and not just because Lance likes being right--that Zack really, honestly wasn't capable of such a thing after all.

And he lets silence hang for a moment, after addressing all of that, because he has to decide if he wants to ask the other things lingering on his mind. Now that they've talked about the good things, it feels like maybe the time for stalling is over.

So, after a moment, he speaks up again softly.]

You said that... You said that you were with me?

[At least, that's the impression he'd gotten from 'we watched', but he doesn't know for sure who 'we' might be. Brennan and Booth had been together, so maybe both of them, but he can't leave it to interference; he has to know what happened, even if he's being vague himself as to what he's talking about.]

[requiemshark]

Let's not go that far.

[He says it with a grin, though.]

Glad you're in one piece, though. You good?

Re: 1

[swiftlet]

That was disturbing enough to bring Swift up short and he stared in shock for a long time before he could make his brain work again. Even then, it wasn't exactly that smooth or articulate.

"They...what?" That level of manipulation was...he didn't even want to think about being subject to anything on that level. What Thiede had done already was more than enough. And yet here he was--here they both were--with strings being pulled with some serious power behind it. They'd had more than enough of that.

"I might have to talk to them. They actually listen?"

hadriel is now scottish canadian, also vague p5 spoilers

[lowkeycrazy]

[Something about those words send a chill down his spine and make his stomach flip with anxiety. What? No one should know of those things... He clearly must be talking about something else, right?

He shifts uncomfortably on his feet. He does know Yusuke to an extent, but certainly not personally... And yet...]

I'm sorry, have I personally offended you in some way?

[Silently, his heart beats a little faster in his chest. There's no way for him to know. He's the only one who knows how to traverse that world, he's sure of it...]

Re: 1

[dreamsallotted]

It was pretty disturbing. Had Seel just gotten used to the constant level of shock that he wasn't that surprised anymore? He was thankful Swift was so shocked, it helped him remember what was normal.

"I guess I've gotten used to it." It was worse than Thiede had pulled. He at least hadn't messed with their sense of self.

"They have temples all around. You talk, they talk back. You can go to the temples and they might appear, or you can use one of the comm devices, they're a little like the long range comm devices we use at home. I can show you."

Seel turned into one of the buildings and up some stairs and opened the door. "Here we are."

Re: 1

[swiftlet]

"You shouldn't have to be used to it." Nohar should, but as much power as he did have, he didn't have too much of a say over that. He couldn't be everywhere and stop everything. The best he could do was try to come in after and clean up the mess sometimes. Learning to accept that had been painful.

"Thank you. I think I'd better learn sooner rather than later." Communication was doubtless going to be important long before he thought it might be.

He stepped inside the open door and glanced around the room, all but resigned to the fact that he'd probably have to get used to this place and living in it. He supposed whoever brought them here didn't care that he had more important things to worry about in Galhea right now.

"Now. Are you actually alright?"

[slapsyouback]

>>ONE<<

[Her first thought--immediate and a little insane--is that everything has restarted, again, that she and her friends have escaped The Hunger, again, and this must be some new world and new plane, and that maybe--maybe--everything she's been living for the last ten years has been some kind of dream.

Her next thought--better, less ridiculous, but no more helpful--is that when the door opened on her private sanctum and she had turned around to see whatever was about to enter, she hadn't found the hall leading back to her office, but instead had been sucked into a new place entirely. A place she doesn't recognize. This place.

She's on the ground, on her hands and knees, staring at the dirt. Under one of her hands is the Bulwark Staff, so that at least is a good sign. As she sits up she finds herself in a large but enclosed space. It's hot here, and bright, and for a second eerily quiet. But only for a second--because of course. Then, there is a noise behind her, the sound of heavy steps, so heavy they shake the ground around her a little. She sighs to herself.]

There's a big thing behind me. Yes? Yes.

[She turns and, towering over her, looking down as if it sees her, crunching it's way inexorably toward her squishy breakable body, is a big stone man. A rock guy? A gravel....bro? Ok, she's thinking insane thoughts again. No time for that. Time to act, or this could get hairy quite fast. She gets to her feet as quick as she can and points her staff at the monster.]

Alright, let's say I'm not into getting crushed today. Hm? Could you work with me on that?



>>TWO<<

[After all the big stone monsters are finally gone, things are quiet again, and she finally has time to really look around. She seems to be in some kind of arena, open air and likely with at least one exit. Somewhere to go, surely where she can find answers. Somehow.

The thought is a little exhausting, and before she can decide which way to turn, she realizes that strewn about between the piles of rubble left behind by her attackers are some...stuffed animals? Small and brightly colored and everywhere. She truly has no idea what to make of that, and would probably have stepped right past them all in search of something more useful, except...

Except. About three feet from her is a little, shiny, multicolored...voidfish. It's probably not really a voidfish. A jellyfish maybe, except that it's a rainbow of colors and it's shiny little tentacles are splayed all around in the dirt and--

She sits down next to it without thinking and picks it up. It's little tag says 'Goochy' which. Wow. Just a ridiculous name. Nothing at all like Fisher. Still, she holds the little voidfish to her chest and looks around her. She tries not think about where she is or how she got here, just for a moment, and she especially does not think about what was happening directly before she got here. Her friends, just starting to remember everything she'd done to them, looking at her with such confusion and fear.

She just needs a minute. Just one minute here where it's quiet and then she'll get up and go find out what's happening.]



>>THREE<<

Wildcard (Lucretia could conceivably end up anywhere, so hit me with anything! Feel free to hit me up on plurk if you want to talk specifics: doodlidoot )

Re: 1

[dreamsallotted]

What a question, and one Seel wasn't sure he knew how to answer. Idly, he reached into his pocket to play with one of his remaining cigarettes, a comforting fidget. He'd been asked that before here, but it didn't have the same effect as when Swift asked it. He couldn't lie. He couldn't brush it off with an instinctive 'I'm fine'.

He stayed silent for a while before he found the words. "I don't know." There was a brutal honesty he had to face, Seel wasn't actually sure if he was alright. How much had this strained him? Mentally, physically? He was smoking again, he'd rooned Cal more times than he was comfortable with in retrospect(it was always so good at the time) and he had been stuck here on alien worlds for months without Swift.

"I'd like to say yes. But, I'm not sure if that's a lie or not Swift."

In some ways, it was easier when Swift wasn't there. Ignorance was comforting, even for a har who thought himself above such things.

[outofthefire]

[Laura doesn't mind, she's just enjoying watching Aren enjoy herself. she'll be sultry enough for both of them]

Sunburns are the worst. You need any lotion for it? I found some in the shops the other day. [she nods] Yeah, indoors are way better. Especially indoors with drinks.

Re: 3

[toiletseat_girl]

Things change a lot. We're still rebuilding the clinic and the guard headquarters. The shops are just plain weird. Things like that.

Re: 1

[swiftlet]

He glanced back at the door to make sure it was closed before they started in on this. It definitely called for privacy. And probably a lot of time, too. It wasn't as simple as a hug or a kiss or a roon even, and then everything would be better. It already sounded complicated and they hadn't even gotten to the good part yet.

Now that they weren't walking, he stepped back up to Seel and slid his arms over the har's shoulders and held on to him. Both of them needed the comfort, apparently. Seel probably needed it more.

"That's a start, at least. You don't have to tell me what happened. What do I need to do to help?"

Re: 3

[swiftlet]

I'm...sorry, but none of that makes any sense.

[stonebird]

(Her sister is always so quick to enter a fray; to show her skills and her bravery. Sansa has often thought her rash and ridiculous in the past - sisters will be sisters - but she has admired Arya's strength and stubborn will since her time in King's Landing. Because of her sister, she has learned to take up a sword, a bow and arrows and, of course, her dagger.

Will she ever admit to how hard she has worked to be more like Arya? Likely not, but maybe some of her new strength will shine through anyway.)

So will you! (She is ready to stand at Arya's side so that they can both escape.) I'm not leaving you.

(The days of Sansa running for cover are gone. She has known pain, she has known hatred and desperation. Family is irreplaceable and she will give her life for any one of them.)

the city.

[circumitus]

[The funny thing is, much of this isn't familiar to Rey, either. Having spent the last month since the city's shift above ground, the dark confines of her own room and a narrow path through their house was everything she had seen. The glaring lights of the twin suns and the strange barren outskirts was just as alien to her as any other newcomer, for someone who has lived in this damned crazy place for two years now.

[One thing she does somewhat recognize is the strange goat child meandering the streets. Rey was heading towards the Speakeasy when she stops and stares at Asriel for a moment.

[Did this kid just say "howdy"...?]

If you're looking for a way back to wherever you were, you're not going to find one.

[stonebird]

"...too much to tell easily or quickly." she touches his chest, to reassure herself that he is solid and real, "The man who helped me escape King's Landing on the day of King Joffrey's death betrayed me. He killed my Aunt - who I cannot say I mourn as she was attempting to kill me - and married me to a bastard named Ramsay Bolton." the color leaves her cheeks, then, and she looks away from him.

[stonebird]

(It is the drill. She doesn't like to fuss, but she seems to end up doing it anyway. Her heart is in the right place, at least, and she cannot help herself from smiling at him as they put the bandages into a bag.)

A dream? I would want you to have a dream like that. (She knows the aching horror of losing track of family and not knowing if they are dead or alive.)

I did. I...was married, but that led to me finding my brother and reclaiming Winterfell. (Her smile wavers a bit - there is a good chunk she isn't telling, but that part makes her indescribably happy.)