hadriel_logs | Intro Log: Ugh, Talk to the Hand

Entry tags:

Intro Log: Ugh, Talk to the Hand

Who: New arrivals and everyone else!
What: The intro log for February
Where: The colosseum and all around the city.
When: February 10th-14th
Warnings: None

Welcome to Hadriel. Your first glimpse of your new home is maybe not the most welcome - you awaken on the floor of the colosseum, surrounded by sand and walls and... trees? Yes, trees. Along with you and the other newcomers, a number of Territorial Oaks have arrived in Hadriel. They look just like normal trees, except for those welcoming smiles - oh, and they don't like you at all. They move fast, hit hard, and if you manage to bring one down it'll go out in a large, dangerous explosion. This may have you rethinking your stance on clear-cutting.

While you're trying to avoid the trees, you might come across a few of the other things the Door has deposited in the colosseum for your (its?) entertainment. Namely, a bunch of toys that no one has played with in years. But maybe one of them will tickle your fancy?

Once you've finished indulging your 90's nostalgia, feel free to look around. 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 February 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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[that is indeed what she just said. she's dead. technically, she's undead, but not in a creepy zommbie way. she's just . . . not entirely human anymore.

and she does look normal. she's relaxed in his presence, arms swinging idly at her sides, face relaxed on the more friendly side than her usual neutral. for all intents and purposes, she looks like a normal, everyday eighteen year old girl. ehhh, and she's used to people asking questions about what she is. if she got offended at that, she'd spend the majority of new people day offended.

usually, she explains things first]

Yeah. [she idly kicks at a stone on the road] I'm dead. Sort of. A Reaper is like a human, but . . . not. Remember those perks I mentioned? [after the Reaper gets the last soul, then and only then do they get to move on to the afterlife. she doesn't know how many souls are needed, but Rube and Betty were from the 1920s and George is from 2003, so. she's guessing it's a lot]

[ he can't imagine having a problem hitting your quota in the war, though that seems like a worse job than fighting in it.

still, there's something downright eerie in a perfectly healthy looking girl straight up telling him that she's dead; chills run down his spine, and a weight of anxiety builds in his chest that he can't quite explain. ]

Yeah. [ he nods, it's a wild conversation in a crazy day, and his head is spinning, but he doubts he'll forget it anytime soon. ] What happened, if you don't mind me asking?

[there were specialized Reapers for that kind of thing. and from what she heard, the turnover rate was far higher. George was assigned to accidents, murders, and suicides.

and she'd feel pretty guilty about that. this guy seems like he's had enough trauma, she's not enough of a jerk to want to add more to it. not anymore, at least. she's left that bullshit behind.

there are worse things to be than unforgettable. but at the question about how she died, she winces] I. . . dunno how to explain it exactly. But in my year, 2003, there was this thing called a space station where people who traveled in space could say. The space station got old and they were gonna build a new one, so they let the old one burn up in the atmosphere. It. Mostly worked. [and this part is mumbled] Except for a toiletseat which kind of fell out of space and landed on me.

[ whatever he was expecting - that wasn't it, and it's starting to seem to bucky that that should be his expectation; expect the unexpected, because apparently expectations and reason are all meaningless now.

2003. that hits him hard, first thing. just a casual mention of a future so distant - he would be - 88 years old. right now, getting to 29 seems impossible.

then she keeps talking and despite his best manners, surprise, exhaustion and his expectations being thwarted yet again have a chuckle escaping him before he can stop it. ]

Sorry - wasn't expecting that. [ the story had started thrilling - space travel? that's fascinating. and ended in the absurd mundane - death by toilet seat. there's something extra tragic in a death devoid of dignity. ]

[that's a good way of approaching this place. every time you start getting a sense of normalcy, something comes along to knock you on your ass.

and she's actually from what's considered the past for most people here. the technology that a lot of people here took for granted, like the smartphones, were unheard of in her time. she hadn't even had a cell phone back home.

that's cool, she's used to that being the reaction to her death. she didn't exactly go out in a blaze of glory, but she sure went out in a blaze. they could've buried what was left of her in a shoe box. no wonder why her family opted for cremation, then burying the urn]

Nah, don't worry about it. It's a stupid way to go, but I've had a couple of years to get used to it. [in her opinion, the worst part was she died on her lunch break from a crappy temp job she hated. that's adding insult to terminal injury]

Sounds fast.

[ which is honestly something he'd prefer to his own circumstances. he does hope that it was just that - fast, too fast for pain to register. surprise might have forced the reflexive reaction out of him, but it doesn't mean he's forgotten for one second that the end result was this girl's death - and apparently her imprisonment in an endless nightmare. there's nothing funny about that. ]

The only stupid part of that story is the decision making. [ and god does he hope her family took whoever was in charge of that to the cleaner's because that is horrendous neglect. ]

Does your family know? [ that she's - well not alive, but not strictly dead, either. he can't imagine how his family would have reacted. he would have probably gone to steve, first, so they could work out a strategy together. steve would have believed him. ]

It was. And since they popped my soul out before it happened, it didn't hurt. So. Yay?

[no, there's not much funny about that at all. she has no idea how her parents explained her death to her grandmothers or her little sister, but she's figuring it didn't go over well. especially with her little sister]

Yeah, the whole thing was supposed to land in the Pacific Ocean, but those smart guys at NASA couldn't figure out everything. [she's not sure if her parents could sue? it was a Russian space station, after all]

That I'm still around. Nope. [she pops the p at the end of the word. According to Rube, my boss, letting them know was strictly forbidden. 'Course that didn't keep me from trying to clue them in or visit them anyway. Which, uh. Didn't go over very well.

God.

[ that sounds worse than hell, to bucky. he doesn't know if his family has been notified of his capture and he presumes - presumed death - yet, but he knows they shortly will if they haven't already. this girl reminds him of his own sisters, who he hasn't seen in so long, and he has to battle the desire to wrap a protective arm around her.

it's crazy, only moments ago he was still considering whether she's dangerous or just insane, and now he just wants to give her comfort and protection. maybe he's the crazy one. he's pretty okay with that. ]

I'm sorry. Can't imagine that.

[ to be so close and yet so far? he would lose it. his voice is full of sincerity, as are his eyes. with how much he misses his own family, he relates to that pain extremely well. ]

[she'd blush and stammer and turn into the completely inexperienced eighteen year old girl she is if he did. she's not used to people comforting her, especially not physically. she's used to having to make her own way in the world. granted, coming here has helped with that a little, but she's still awkward in the face of kindness.

everyone's a little bit crazy here, but it's not always in a bad way]

It--well, it sucked. Especially since from what I did see? My family was falling apart. Especially my kid sister.

[and hers are full of regret. regret that she wasn't closer to her family when she was alive, regret that her death seemed to be causing them to crack into a million pieces, but also a smidgen of hope. hope that with her out of the picture entirely, they'll be able to either heal or fall apart in peace]

[ bucky's never been stingy with his affection, physical or otherwise, but she's a girl he's only just met and there are some social protocols. still, at the mention of a kid sister - he can't really hold it. he gives her shoulder a comforting squeeze. ]

How old is she?

[ as a big brother himself, that one hits him right in the heart. ]

[she lets her shoulder be squeezed and looks up at him with a slight blush. things Georgia Louise Lass is not used to: handsome guys touching her in any way, shape, or form]

She's ten. She's not . . . coping well.

[and maybe she would have been doing better, had George been a better sister to her in the first place]

[ for once, there's no response from him at that blush. big brother mode is activated and secured, and comforting her is the main instinct guiding his actions. ]

Kids are tough. Give her time.

[ he prays that time will help; both her sister, and his own, to cope with their losses. ]

What's her name?

[she tends to get that reaction. she's destined to be either one of the guys or a sister. it's cool]

Real tough. She was [she rakes a hand through her hair] skipping school. Collecting dead animals. [a pause] Stealing toiletseats and hanging them from a tree.

[her little sister was never exactly normal, but all of that was weird, even for her]

Reggie. Short for Regina. My family's kind of into using these really girly names, then giving out boy nicknames.

[ okay, collecting dead animals is pretty concerning, but the rest of it he can get. still, she's young, and he hopes that she's able to work through it and live a stable life. ]

Grief can be a real bully.

[ he remembers all too well what he went through with steve, when his friend lost his ma. it's always ugly, it's always messy, but you can pull through. he has to believe that's what their families will do because otherwise he would fall apart. ]

Not the worst naming theme out there. [ he gives her shoulder another little squeeze and offers her a little smile ] My dad's name is George, it's a good one.

[personally, George felt that the toiletseat tree was the height of weird but, yeah, collecting dead animals isn't exactly normal]

It sure can be.

[their families are likely made of tougher stuff than the Lass family. truth be told, they were already dysfunctional and her parents had badly veiled contempt for one another even before she died. it likely would've all ended badly even if George had lived, but her death was an accelerator]

I guess not. [she smiles back shyly] Really? Well, uh. Thank you?

[ honestly, he can sort of get that - hang the thing that took her sister, kid logic and all. ]

You're welcome.

[ he gives her another fortifying smile and retracts his arm. ]

How far's your place?

[okay, looking at it from that perspective, it does make kind of a warped sense.

she smiles back, a little less shy]

It's this way. [she points to the right] Not far. I'm pretty sure we have canned soup along with stuff for sandwiches.

[ he turns towards the right ]

Got my fingers crossed. [ hot soup sounds like a dream, honestly. ]

[she starts to lead the way]

I think you're gonna be lucky. Last time the stores had Campbell's I kind of stocked up. Most of the time, the stores either have generic versions of stuff or stuff in a language I can't read. [or packages of ramen. so much ramen in every flavor imaginable]

No kidding, Campbell's, really?

[ something familiar, in this place, is nothing short of miraculous and he's really hoping he is in luck because he seriously could use a bit of it. ]

Still running strong in 2003 and this place? I guess Jersey's got one thing to be proud of.

I was just as shocked as you are, believe me. We almost never get nice stuff like that.

[she's mentally going over their inventory of food right now and she thinks she can offer a choice. because she wasn't kidding when she said she stocked up. she loaded two entire duffel bags and dragged them back home]

God, would you believe that during the sixties, this artist painted pictures of Campbell's soup cans and sold them for millions of dollars? I'm absolutely not shitting you.

To be frank I'm having a hard time picturing the 60s at all.

[ the world very much feels like it's about to end around him. he knows that just like after the great war - it will likely spin on, and there will be time for art and literature and film and life beyond the war. but there's still a disconnect between that knowledge and the sights of ruins and battles seared into his brain. ]

Last I checked it was 1943. [ 2003 is truly beyond his imagination, though it is fun to try and picture the kind of stuff that would be featured in that year's stark expo. he's probably not creative enough to figure that out. ]

The sixties are kind of a mixed bag. Some good stuff, a lot of bad stuff.

[the world doesn't end. it endures. it endures some really bad shit that she doesn't want to tell him about because what's the use? it can't be stopped and all it would do is make him depressed about what happens next to the world. just like she sort of doesn't want to know much about what's happening in the future of Earth. her Earth is going badly enough, she doesn't want to know if it gets worse]

Damn. You really are a long way from home. If you need help getting used to the techy stuff, lemme know. [her world has no such thing, though the world she's going to when everything is done does]

Thank you, I'll be sure to do that.

[ he nods. he has no doubt that he'll need it, but it's embarrassing and he wants to be able to figure it out on his own. he's tech-savvy enough, for his day and age, and he always excelled at school. despite everything being so foreign here, he still can't quite grasp how difficult it will all prove to be for him to master. ]

Okay, cool.

[and they've reached the house that George shares. she opens the door for him to go inside. the house is clean, neat, but it looks like people have been living there for a long time. she leads the way into the kitchen and opens the cupboards, inspecting the contents]

Okay, so we've got chicken noodle soup, tomato, soup, and clam chowder to choose from.

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(cw: suicide mention)

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sorry, DW ate the notification!

it's all good <3

thank you! <3

<3

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