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

[uptightness]

Saying it wouldn't be pretty is a very big understatement. Maine is a tank on his own. She'd seen him shot multiple times and still get up and fight. Carolina can understand what Maine is going through, and knows that things here hadn't always been in the state that they had been before her arrival. "There's a lot he doesn't know."

Which is another understatement. But she does give a nod. "It isn't our intention to start anything."

Had he let it drop, Carolina wouldn't have pressed. There's things that she has no desire to share, so understands the sentiment of it. But, he does bear a little more of a road kill look than some of the other people here. She contemplates, not really having interacted too much with these so called gods. "Then I suppose his arrival here is a good thing for you."

[braveoff]

"I know it isn't... but he's from your past, then? How far back?" That makes a difference, Drake knows. From what he's heard of their world, Maine has been gone awhile, and he has no idea how much farther back the soldier is in the timeline. All he really knows about Maine is that without a doubt, he killed several of Ephemera's family. How hard it must have been for his partner, already on edge, to not attack. They're going to be balanced on a razor for awhile if the others can't make Maine understand, if he can't keep Ephemera calm.

He nods a little at Carolina's comment about Hope. "Yeah, I'm lucky he came back at all. Now I've just gotta get my strength back up."

Drake hates being weak, feeling like he can't protect his people, but it's a process every time. One he's getting really tired of...

[uptightness]

"Mn. About a decade from my point of view." Given what she knows about Maine's arrival... The wounds, the briefcase. Some days it is hard to imagine just how long ago that was, and how much has changed since then. How much she would like to change, given what she knows about what is going to happen for him, to him.

But she shifts from those past memories, back to the here and now, giving a nod. She prefers to rely on herself, on her own skills and training, but knows that sometimes you can't. That sometimes you do need to rely on the strength of others. "Been there. Done that. Never fun."

[braveoff]

"That's... a big gap." Understatement, but what else is there to say? "Are you planning to catch him up? Some people don't want to know that kind of thing."

It's a personal question, but he's curious and she can always just not answer.

"Any tips? On how to work back up faster?"

[uptightness]

That is putting it mildly. It's not even just the end of the war, but everything that came with it, all the truths that came out, and how so much doesn't even exist anymore. "It's his choice. That- if he wants to, I will."

Carolina isn't certain how he would take the news. If it was her a decade in the past, she wouldn't have believed anything that anyone would have told her. To say that she would have been angry is an understatement. Maine as he is, he isn't the Meta.

There is that throaty noise from her, a chuckle. "I can tell you plenty of tips on what not to do. I guess- know your limit, which is harder than it sounds."

[braveoff]

Drake nods, agreeing. It should be up to Maine, but some things... some things he's going to find out no matter what. "Be careful. Around here you don't always get to make those choices for yourself."

He might not take it well.

The next topic is easier. Drake's lips quirk in amusement -- she's clearly a woman after his own heart. "Sounds like we have something in common. I push too hard sometimes. When it matters to me, anyway, and being able to protect people does. I feel like I'm at half strength right now and I hate it."

[uptightness]

That noncommittal noise at that statement that he makes. Carolina knows, and hopes that they'll at least have some time to broach the topic before they accidentally reveal it. She's not entirely certain he would think too much about anything that the Reds or Blues showed, but Wash and her would have some more damning memories.

"Things at least don't seem to recycle themselves. Not that I'm saying something like what happened a while back with touching people won't happen again." She'd be better prepared for it anyway, or at least possibly understand what is happening sooner. Sometimes it has taken a little while, especially when its not to overt. There is a pause, before a low chuckle is given, head tipping in acknowledgment. "So it seems. Chomping at the bit to get back to where you were... Likely to push yourself if something does come up."

Been there, done that, and likely to do it all over again.

[braveoff]

"The memories?" Drake clarifies, nodding. "They don't recycle, but similar things happen. Like... there was this thing that happened about a year before, where we were in each other's dreams. Sometimes those can be like memories. It was dependent on the person, but we couldn't even avoid touching to keep it from happening, you know?"

At least it'll probably be awhile before something like that happens again, honestly. The gods do seem to rotate who's tormenting them, space out the similar stuff.

"If something does come up? Of course I will," Drake agrees, considering Carolina. "...I've never heard you laugh before."

[uptightness]

"Similar strain, but different then." Giving a little nod. Basically no matter what, messing with your emotions is what they do. She can only guess at what she would have seen, although considering her mind likely has already gone to the places that she would have witnessed already, it may not have been too far from that. "Seems like its only a few times that you can beat it. Too bad there is no correlation to figure out how to avoid being affected at all."

A small glance though, a bit startled by that last statement. True, she might not do so often, although people also don't tend to call her out on it. Then again, some of the Sim Troopers would likely be too afraid to call her out on anything, hence why they had never called her on her horrible singing. "Ah, well, is this where I say once in a blue moon?"

[braveoff]

"It also depends what you mean by 'beat it' honestly. Sometimes you can fight compulsions or be aware of what's happening, but still feel the thing they want you to. Like right now for a lot of us, I think."

He hasn't asked if she's affected, but his point stands. He smiles at her acknowledging how rarely she laughs, lifting his drink to take another sip.

"It's nice. And now I feel special I heard it." He takes a drink and sets the glass back down, curious now. "Are you just a serious person, then?"

[uptightness]

She's not a scientist, but rather a soldier, so she's not certain if there is something that could give it away. Some change in atmosphere, some internal clue. Then again, perhaps it is something that they don't know and wouldn't be able to pick up on. The question does have her regarding him, a level gaze, although nothing overly harsh about it.

"Depends who you ask." No doubt he has heard some stories from a certain someone. Focused. Intent. Driven. Cold-hearted bitch. "You know something about the history of our world?"

Not the our as in him and her, but rather Carolina and the man formerly referred to as Sharkface. Its not the personal information, but rather what had been happening in the universe. The war... "If you want a simple answer, then yes. I am."

[braveoff]

Drake's heard some things. He takes it all with a grain of salt, from both sides. At Carolina's question, however, he nods.

"I know a lot, yeah. Not just from his explanations and stories, I asked one of yours -- I was thinking about going there and wanted another opinion so I talked to Tucker. It does sound like the kind of environment that makes somebody serious, but it could just be you, too."

[uptightness]

Tucker... Well, if he was able to get him to be more serious, he likely could have gotten a reasonable answer out of him, without too many bow chicka bow wows included. Carolina was speaking more general anyway than their own personal stories, at least mostly. It's not like everything was eternal sunshine and lollipops, but it wasn't all brimstone and fire.

"I suppose next to Tucker, I do contrast rather drastically." Next to Caboose, moreso, but she's not certain if he had ever met him. "It's not that bad, where we come from. Could be better in a lot of regards, but it could be a lot worse too."

[braveoff]

"You're nothing like Tucker, that's for sure. So you think it's just your personality..?" It's a personal question, Drake is aware, but she'd brought up their world first. Then seemed to not blame it. He's a little confused by that.

"Or maybe he's the exception, not you guys. Washington always seemed pretty serious too."

[uptightness]

"A good handful of the agents were. Serious, that is. Some a bit more when we had to get down to it, and otherwise fairly casual and easy going." They'd still go out, have drinks, socialize. Carolina might, if she had been dragged along, but otherwise it had been about getting better and making her father proud of her. She's not certain if he ever really noticed outside of his little games that he was playing. Those final words... Maybe too little too late.

"I'd always been determined. Wash..." Her lips do give a little twitch at that. "He was fairly easy going when I first met him. Any of the Reds and Blues are. They might bitch and complain and balk, but they've a good capacity to take the shit that the world throws at them and to keep on going."