Event Log: Is It a Wonderful Life?

[hadrielmods]

Who: All characters participating in the event
What: The event log for Is It A Wonderful Life? event
Where: All over the city
When: Jan 4th-8th
Warnings: None

Throughout the next few days, you may find yourself plagued by visions and dreams of back home. The dreams will be lifelike and difficult to tell apart from reality, as the world will be constructed from what you remember of your world. However, unlike usual dreams, you won't be present, and will find yourself unable to be seen or heard by those around you.

The dreams are vivid reminders of what might happen in a world without you: a world in which you disappeared when coming to Hadriel, a world which desperately needs you back for some reason or another. You may see your parents putting up missing posters, your significant other moving onto their next relationship, or even your hated villain finally taking over the world without you there to stop them.

When the vision leaves, you're back here and nothing about the city has changed. Though maybe you have a different outlook on it now...

► This log covers January 4th-Januray 8th.
► Please tag headers of threads with content warnings where they apply
► Please put your character's name and open/closed in the subject line of your starters!
► If you try a weird solution to make it back home, please let us know here.

Comments

poison. | ota

[writtendestiny]

[What becomes of a world when you take away its author? When you remove the very thing which holds together its laws and very existence? A world without Poison, without the Hierophant and with no one to replace her, quickly begins to fade.

There are efforts, of course, to quickly find another human to draw into the Phaerie Realms and set up in the position of the Hierophant. Poison can only watch as Fleet and the other Archivists are sent out into the already crumbling Realm of Man, but they could never be fast enough. She watches Aelthar, Asinastra, Pariasa and all the other Realm's leaders come together as the walls around them become steadily more translucent and they grow sickly and weak. She watches Peppercorn crying on Bram's shoulder, while he assures her that there's no way, no chance that Poison would have simply left them like this.

That they'll find her. They'll find her.

But they don't find her, and without her, everything begins to end.

A world without Poison does not end on a bang, or even a whimper, but a slow, desperate fading like a painting left too long in the sun. It bleaches out to a white canvas, a nothingness with no end, and when Poison snaps back into Hadriel's scenery it's with little more than a softly indrawn breath of shock.

She doesn't move from where she is for a long while, dropped to her knees in the middle of a cold, empty street, her face pale and her wide eyes shining with unshed tears.]

[itsnotaonesie]

[You know what's really kind of alarming? Someone stopping dead in the middle of the street and then just dropping to their knees. As fucked up as Peter is over his own screwed up dreams and stuff, he can't just ignore when someone else is obviously distressed. Hell, helping someone else out might be a good distraction from his own crap. For a little while. Maybe.

He drops down from the roof he was on (because of course he was on a goddamn roof) and cautiously approaches the girl in the street. She looks really shaken up. Not wanting to startle her, he calls out softly before he approaches and kneels next to her.]

H-hey. Can you get up?

[He was going to ask "are you okay" but let's be real, not many people are right now.]

[writtendestiny]

[Despite his efforts, he still startles her. Poison draws in a sharp breath when she hears his voice, straightening her shoulders and quickly rubbing away the tears that fall free with the quick movement.]

I can. [She says shortly, defensively, pushing herself up to her feet.

It's not enough, though, to shake the weakness from her knees and the way she can't seem to stop crying, even as she keeps trying to rub the compulsion away and steady her breathing. All she can see is her whole world crumbling, and knowing there's nothing she can do about it hurts her like nothing else ever has.]

... Is it real? Is any of it real?

[itsnotaonesie]

[Well, he tried. 'A' for effort, Pete.

See that's a tough question. Everything he'd seen in his dreams and stuff were things that were completely within the realm of possibility, considering what had happened just prior to his arrival. For him, it might as well be real, but saying something like that is probably not going to help this situation at all.

Soooo time to bullshit.]

No, no, I really don't think that it is. I mean, the gods probably just need some extra juice after moving us and everything? I think they're just hitting us where it hurts, so they can get the most out of us.

[At least it's half true?]

[writtendestiny]

[It isn't any fault of Peter's but rather that Poison, even after so long away from home, still doesn't like to be caught showing any kind of weakness. That she's standing here at all and not simply walking away is progress in that regard, and she finds his assurance more comforting than she lets on.]

Yes... you're probably right. [Where it hurts... Nothing could hurt her more than all of her friends thinking she had just abandoned them. Nothing could hurt more than seeing her world fade away like that.

She sniffs lightly, rubbing the back of her wrist across her eyes again.]

Spirits, I hate them. I'd rather they just kill me.

[itsnotaonesie]

[Awesome, this totally counts as a win.]

Even if they did, something like isn't permanent here. Take it from me, the whole being dead thing totally isn't worth the trouble. Just comes with it's own headaches.

[And trauma, don't forget trauma.]

[writtendestiny]

[Poison laughs, then, but the sound is breathy and devoid of any humour. Still, the smile it prompts lingers around the corners of her mouth as the tears finally dry up and she wipes the last of the damp tracks from her cheeks.]

I've died three times. Somewhere else.

[Maybe it's saying a lot about what she saw that she'd rather be dead than see it. Though, she does occasionally have a penchant for the dramatic.]

And take it from me... some things are worse than death.

[toiletseat_girl]

[George has been having a lousy time of it herself, only unlike Poison, George has been reassured of her unimportance. her parents were still on the verge of divorce, her little sister was still weird, and the other Reapers carried on with their work of taking souls as though nothing had changed.

because nothing had.

so hooray for unimportance.

but George isn't enough of a bitch to leave some girl kneeling in the chill, looking like she just saw her worst nightmare come true. so she goes over to Poison, crouching down so she's at eye level and says]

Hey. You need a hand up from there?

[writtendestiny]

No.

[When she says it first of all it comes out sharp, like a knife in the form of a word, biting and sharp. Then, her eyes dip and she sighs out a breath, shaking her head.]

... No. I'm fine. [Fine enough, at least, to get herself up from the ground without too much difficulty. She feels as if she's had the life drained out of her, and the her already pale complexion has been drawn to a faintly grey pallor.]

Just another uneventful day in Hadriel, right?

[toiletseat_girl]

[she kind of doubts that the other girl is fine, but if she says she's fine, she's not gonna dispute it. in this place, nobody is fine. there's just varying degrees of suck.

she gets back up from her crouch, letting Poison get to her feet on her own. George notices how pale she is, but she's not going to mention it if the other girl doesn't]

Yuuuup. Never a dull moment. Much as we might wish for one.

[writtendestiny]

I don't need it to be dull. I just need it to not be this.

[Whatever 'this' is. Poison doesn't look interested in going into too much detail. She scrubs her face quickly with both hands, the dampness on her cheeks stinging in the cold.]

I refuse to let these creatures take any more from me than the absolute minimum.

[toiletseat_girl]

...yeah, unfortunately this is kind of a thing. Because the assholes are feeling peckish.

[she's assuming that "this" is kind of the whole fake god mindfuck madness. George figures she's lucky in a way in that she didn't see anything she wasn't expecting. she also figures that not everyone was so lucky]

Yeah? Me, too. I've never been a big fan of being fucked with.

[writtendestiny]

[Wonderful. Poison can't say she likes it, but it's better than anything that the Technicians ever did to them. It's upsetting, but she'll survive it. She'll live.]

Me neither. [She mutters with a frown. Her knees have gone numb, and she takes a few steps to shake it off.]

Can we move? I don't want to stay here.

[redcosmedic]

[ Knock Out has definitely not reached the stage of caring about random humans, whether they're crouched in the street or not, but it's unusual enough that as he's striding by he at least slows and looks at her for a moment. Another hallucination? He's already had two of his own, vastly different and yet with a common thread between them of his own unnoticed absence, so it's a solid wager something similar has happened to this one.

Rather than ask if she's all right, or any similar mode of polite askance of her well being, he just nudges her curiously with a heavy pede. ]

[writtendestiny]

[It's funny that she doesn't hear him coming. Funny that she's so comfortable with the sound of footsteps like his that she barely notices them at all. She does, however, notice being nudged and looks up first with irritation, then clear surprise.]

Knock Out?

[But, wait. Chances are good that he doesn't know who she is any more than Glacius and Starscream did. This could get awkward.]

[redcosmedic]

[ Of all the reactions he could have expected, being called by name was not on the list. He's clearly surprised first, then suspicious. ]

I don't believe we've met.

[writtendestiny]

[She stares at him for a moment, then lets out a humourless laugh and scrubs the heel of her hand beneath one of her eyes.]

No, I suppose we haven't. [It's always too much to hope that someone who remembers her could end up here.] My mistake.

[redcosmedic]

No, no, I'm quite interested. How did you know my name?

[writtendestiny]

Because I've met you before. [Poison sighs after a few moments of silence.]

I know your name, where you come from, that you're a Decepticon and what that means. I know you can transform into a car and that you're really vain.

[She shrugs one shoulder. If she's going to say it, it might as well all come out at once.]

But you're a good medic.

[traitory]

[ Starscream isn't the best person to find Poison but he does remember her and the fact that she knew something of Cybertronians, or at least, wasn't too surprised to hear him mention words regarding them.

He'll happen upon Poison with a thud of footsteps before he stops behind. ]

Are you just going to sit there all day?

[writtendestiny]

Would you care if I did?

[She heard him coming - because who wouldn't - but she still reserves her voice until he speaks to her. There's too much to sort through in her head; too much to convince herself isn't actually real.

Poison sighs slowly and pushes herself up, brushing the snow and ice from her knees.]

I wasn't sure if you were still here.

[traitory]

Mm not in the slightest, no. [ Starscream please?! He doesn't even have to think about it. Sorry Poison. ]

Although I am curious to still know how you know about us...Cybertronians. So perhaps a little bit of my curiosity would like to get the answers out of you. But nothing more than that.

[ What a swell guy... ]

Trust me. If I could have left I would not be wasting my time on this miserable planet. But unfortunately that is not the case.

[writtendestiny]

Get the answers out of me? [She lets out a bitter-sounding chuckle.] You don't need to hurt me to get me to tell you things, you know. It wouldn't work anyway.

[When she looks up at him, her chin tilts up slightly in defiance and she lifts both dark eyebrows.]

I'm not afraid of pain, or death, and I'm not afraid of you. If you want me to tell you something, just ask me.

[traitory]

[ Starscream just gives her this incredulous look. Not threatening people to get what he wants?! He doesn't know the concept of that and that's why he pauses for a second or two. ]

Yes, well, you humans aren't known for being very cooperative. [ So threatening them is totally what needs to be done. Still he'll lean down then and point at her with a lone claw. ]

Very well then. Tell me how you know about our kind.

[writtendestiny]

I knew a lot of you. For over a year, in the place I was before this one.

[This will do as a distraction. It's not ideal, but talking about anything other than what she just saw has to be better than thinking about it.]

You, Knock Out, Ratchet, Rewind, Drift... [She feels her throat tighten slightly as she says the last three names. It's still hard to miss them as much as she does.]

They were my friends. Well... you and Knock Out tolerated me. I think.