Intro Log: Welcome Back

[hadrielmods]

Who: New arrivals and everyone else!
What: The intro log for May
Where: The colosseum and all around the city.
When: May 10th-12th
Warnings: None

You've been here before, haven't you? We can tell that you're not new here, so we'll skip the 'you wake up in a haze not knowing where you are' stuff. Instead, here's what's really going on: you're back in Hadriel. You feel kind of sore, a little clammy, definitely a little overheated due to your location in the middle of a jungle somewhere... and you're back in this sorta-hellhole, to fight in a war you probably have no stake in, and to be used as a pawn for someone else's survival.

So, cheers.

Before you start bunkering down though, we've got a few surprises for you. The first is that rhythmic tremor in the dirt beneath your feet, feeling almost to the tune of footsteps. And of course, it's no ordinary footsteps, but that of a hydra that also somehow squeezed through the Door after you.

As a massive, powerful lizard, the hydra is extremely hard to kill. With a steel-like scaly chest guarding its organs and an endless supply of regrowing heads, it's unwise to try and take a blade to it- you're probably better off running for cover. But then if you do that, the thing will be loose in the city... so maybe you're feeling a bit heroic today?

That's not all we have in store for you. Strewn along the ground are also a smattering of scrapbooks, both jovial and... not so much. Memories are chronicled inside of these scrapbooks, memories that seem eerily familiar but are also just off in some way. You may find a photo from when you graduated high school- except it's raining when it was actually sunny, and none of the students have faces. You may find a drawing of you and your sibling, but instead of wrapping an arm around you, they're pointing a knife at your back.

Or it could be a photo of someone sort of familiar, who you've only seen in passing. Maybe someone else in Hadriel- you should probably track them down and try to sort this whole thing out.

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 May 10th-12th.
► 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

merle highchurch | ota

[weedbgon]

coliseum.

[ Well, if this isn't a familiar experience. Familiar in the way that only Hadriel can provide, that age-old experience of popping up in a big arena with wild shit going down. But not too familiar, since the last time Merle clocked in for a little "emotional gods city" time, the place had just gotten split up into a bunch of islands.

The jungle's a nice look. He doesn't get a lot of time to dig into appreciating that, what with the disorientation of suddenly being here. And the big monster, probably. That's a factor.

Just goes to figure that he couldn't get a little time off before the next big war to save existence or whatever the kids are calling it these days. Save the universe, have a little sit down, right back at it again.

Merle feels, back here at his relatively safely distanced vantage point (for the time being) a little inconvenienced. Does it stop him from having a little fun? No more than anything else ever has. Whatever. They kicked John's ass, his schedule's wide open. It'll look good on the resume if he can say he finished out two whole wars. ]

Are you guys still doin' the Door thing? That's outta style, man!

[ There's no earning any kind of party points for a rough welcome.

He clears his throat. Digs around in his pack until he pulls out a weathered and radical X-Treme Teen Bible, which he starts flipping through while he waddles closer to the center of the action. It's a little bit challenging when you're half the height of most of the people running around. He's definitely forgotten that he has a magic flying broom on his person. Unlike the eyepatch and magic wood arm, very easy to forget about. ]

Excuse me! Comin' through! N- I don't wanna hear anyone being a baby. I don't wanna hear anybody complain because they decided they didn't have to get outta the way! I mean it!

[ These are basically all his kids now, right? Anyway, he does cast Insect Plague directly into three or more Hydra faces. It's the most useful thing he's likely to do today, which is mostly only useful for keeping someone from getting eaten for a while.

Rolls pending. ]


etc.

[ Alternatively, feel free to catch Merle doing a lot of itchy-feet style wandering! Last time he was here it was beachier. Now there's all this extra nature around. That's his jam. Also he gets bored easily, so.

Gotta scope it out.

Merle will be up trees like an unholy gremlin of a man! He's up close and personal with weird plants! Please let him know if he should watch out for poison spitting ones. Just chilling. Maybe flirting with a vine for old times' sake. Hitting the speakeasy, probably. Not for nostalgia. Just to lose a lot of the games. He remembers he has a broomstick he can zoom around on, so he does some of that. M a y b e running... into a tree... at some point. He can laugh that off. It's cool. Basically dumbass stuff.

He isn't strictly out looking for familiar faces to hassle, and he may not strictly even remember everyone's names when he does, but he's not trying to avoid anybody, either.

Basically it's all good! Free dwarf to a CR! Feel free to hit me up for plotting or anything at comatoseroses! ]

[madamdirector]

[ She's got a party to plan, but, listen. It's door day. Barry's still missing, Lup is still suffering, and so there's no way Lucretia's not going to go down to meet the new arrivals and check. Just in case.

There's no Barry. But as she moves through the Colosseum, avoiding the hydra, there's another familiar voice from behind her, right down at about hip height.

She turns. And then dodges to the side just in time to avoid a faceful of Insect Plague. ]

Merle?

[weedbgon]

[ !!!

The new mood is "not giving a shit what the insect plague or the big monster does now," because something way cooler and better to pay attention to is now in front of him. Sorry, random citizens. NO REGRETS.

Merle perks up instantly. Not that he wasn't already in a good mood. Now it's a better mood. ]

Heyyy, look who it is! How's it goin'? When'd you show up?

coli

[pocketspa]

[Taako almost doesn't come to the Coliseum this time around. The chances of Barry coming back are so slim, he's forced himself to stop hoping about it, because it just seems pointless. They're gonna finish out the time they have, they're gonna slap the Door around a few times, and they're gonna get Barry in with enough time to get his memories back and then straight back to Faerun. No muss, no fuss, no bullshit. But he doesn't want to miss out on whatever the loot of the month is, even if it's always decidedly crappy.

It's also easy to find something else decidedly crappy close to the ground, even if this one is the real prize (that he'll never say out loud.) Merle's voice is loud and clear, and Taako finds himself just stepping into the man's way to be a dick about it.]

Really? The Door coughed up you? What is this, my two year anniversary gift, because it's a month late and also you're not a gift.

[He will help him up if he knocked him down though. See. Friends.]

1/2

[weedbgon]

Ooh, Taako's too good to get Merle as a present. I see how it is. [ The prodigal rude son returns. That's not the best phrasing because Merle is the one who is returning, but whatever. It's his shitty elf kid!!!!!! He takes that hand up as a solidarity arrangement.

Shoutout to Taako for having to bend down that far. ]

I'll tell ya what. I was savin' this for a special occasion, 'cause you don't come by it every day. Don't, uh, no need to thank me! Just a little something, no big deal. Now where'd--

[ He makes a big show of patting down his pockets and stuff, then snaps his fingers and looks back up. ] Ohhhhhhh, that's right!

[ DRAMATIC THROAT CLEARING. ]

Taako, pal, it's great to see you again. And as a token of your second anniversary juicing up these dumb turbo liches...

2/2

[weedbgon]

[ Merle points directly to the nearest Hydra head. It's probably eating someone. I don't know. ]

I gotcha a really big lizard.

/rolls in five years late

[restinglichface]

[Maybe it's not the face she was hoping to see in the crowd of newcomers, but it's a face that absolutely tugs at her heart. Thank whatever dumb god Merle worships under, he's back.

She finds him after the excitement of the arena, probably while he's flirting with the jungle flora, Lup having already been alerted to the dwarf's presence after his run in with Taako. And after that? Finding him really isn't at all hard.]

Well, look who the turbo liches dragged back in. 'Ko def owes me money.

there She is..... the bae

[weedbgon]

[ It's only especially hard to find Merle if he got swiped for creepy vore parley or if everyone is trying to navigate a real tall cornfield maze. He's definitely already back on his chilling out bullshit by now. Look, he was here for the stupid desert and then like a week of Island Time or something, and now he gets a chance to scope out some primo jungle scenery.

It would say something about his integrity if he didn't go looking for all the cool stuff. Said cool stuff is promptly immediately ditched the second Lup arrives on the scene, though. Family takes priority. He doesn't make the rules. ]

Make sure you collect before we get killed by a buncha dumb robots. Yeah, y-- you know we'd aaaaaall hate to see you lose out on some moolah.

[ Nah, he's pretty sure they're gonna fuck those robots right up. But that's not a fun joke to say at all. ]

Bianca - OTA

[wormintheglass]

She had forgotten Hadriel, while she was away. Now she comes tumbling through the door, and by the time she's stood up and is brushing the dust off her black dress, it's all unfolding like those water flower toys, spreading into her mind like rum soaking into cake. Kate's hair. The scent of Rey's skin. Shadow's fur and the way his heart hammered. There are always monsters in the Colosseum, she remembers, and she unholsters her little pistol and turns to look.

"Well, hello there, big boy," she laughs at the hydra. It hasn't seen her, because there are others ringing it. Bianca creeps closer, careful to keep several bodies between the hydra and herself, and fires a cautious shot at its central mass.

"Honey! I'm hoooome!" she calls out.

[ushahin]

Ushahin is distracted for the first few minutes by the sheer presence of so many thoughts that don't belong to him in his head. There are so many now that he no longer senses too much familiarity. He remains rooted to the spot, but then he feels a familiar set of thoughts that flit through. He grabs a hold of them, using them as an anchor to steady himself, and get back to the present moment.

He looks towards where he had felt the thoughts coming from. Ah, there she is. One of the old, familiar faces. It has been some time if the presence of these minds are any indication, but Ushahin is not one to forget people he cares about easily. He approaches her and the joy on his face is almost enough to reveal the beauty in the ruined features. "Have you just come back as well, Bianca?"

[wormintheglass]

Bianca is loath to take too much of her attention off the hydra, but she grins when she senses Ushahin's presence, a moment ahead of seeing him.

"Darling! Yes, I'm back. Do you know how long it's been? This isn't the same planet, I can tell that much. I hope my house is still here. How have you been?"

hey baby

[dedikated]

Kate promises herself she'll wait. Wait long enough to confirm that Ignis isn't just going to appear in the Colosseum a few days after leaving like he did last time before she loses it. The Door did it once before, after all, why wouldn't it do so again?

As is custom for her, she's perched in the seating of the Colosseum, one wary eye on the hydra, a hand around a longbow and the other against her knee, quiver scraping against the ground as she shifts to get a better look at the people it's pulling in.

Or, perhaps, pulling back is the better term. Kate doesn't so much see Bianca as hear her, but that voice is unforgettable, enough to bring Kate out of her perch and down to the ground, dropping in front of Bianca easily.

"Long time no see."

And, if Bianca's back, perhaps they really are screwed.

[wormintheglass]

Bianca has only just remembered Kate's existence, and here she is, pink and dusty and scruffy and real. She seizes her in a fierce hug and strokes her hair.

"Kate, my Kate! Look at you, like an undercaffeinated warrior goddess. You haven't been sleeping properly, have you? Do we need to stay here until the great dragon-beast is killed, or can we slip off and find some tequila while you catch me up on all the news? How long was I away?"

[fogsong]

Bianca, from what Sharon could immediately recall, was a chaotic woman unabashedly herself; a killer who had had her back, for whatever reasons, so long ago now. She feels a kick of guilt seeing her and a weird longing for the past.

"You really want to go around shouting and shooting off right now, Bianca?" Sharon has kept her distance from the hydra, not much left in her to care about anyone she doesn't know, and less interest in endangering herself,"You're just going to get its attention."

And she'd rather it kept its distance.

[wormintheglass]

"Not until it's eaten the entire first rank, my darling," Bianca replies, smiling.

"It's so good to see you again, Sharon. I'd have missed you a great deal if I'd been able to remember Hadriel while I was gone. How are you doing?"

Napstablook | ota

[soundtest]

[Coliseum]

[Napstablook sure does remember the Door. Everything is a bit disorienting at first, and it's hard to think clearly with people running around in a panic or fighting, but the first thing they notice is their human legs.

They're human again. Just like last time. Napstablook's stomach sinks. They were human when they were here last, so it shouldn't come as any surprise. But the last time they were human, they bled, they felt pain...

Not things Napstablook was ready to experience again. They weren't a good human. Why couldn't any of the Gods understand that?

They're already uncomfortable and sweating from the jungle's heat. They struggle to get up, only now noticing the giant lizard monster in the distance.]

oh no........

[Um. Maybe they should hide??]

[The city]

[Napstablook is completely lost.

The last thing they remembered was some kind of attack. Now instead of being in the Underground, it seems like the whole city was covered in trees and plant life. Napstablook's never see anything like it before, having never been to the Surface. To be honest, it was kind of overwhelming.

Before Napstablook can really take in the fact that they're not Underground anymore, they feel a little fuzzy headed. The heat is a lot for one new ghost monster in a human body, and they're practically sweating through their clothes.

They don't get very far in exploring, or looking for familiar faces, before Napstablook is forced to sit down. They look a little pale - well, paler than they normally look.]

City

[mttbrandlegs]

[The last thing Mettaton actually expects to see here in Hadriel is...honestly his cousin. With the looming uncertainty that had caused them to move to this jungle landscape, he can't say that he wanted them here.

But...as it always turns out...he doesn't usually get what he wants.

It's hard to reconcile Napstablook as a human sometimes, but he remembers the last time they were here, and he remembers the troubles that they'd encountered at that time. So when he sees Blooky sitting pretty much in the middle of nowhere, looking decidedly unwell, he immediately makes his way towards them.

The wrenching fright of knowing they're here as well as the weight of the emotional response he is so close to showing is forced back for now--mostly--as he reaches Blooky and kneels next to them.]

Oh...sweetheart, I'm so sorry. I should have been there when you arrived...

city!!

[sciencelizard]

[Honestly, Alphys never comes to the Coliseum on Door Day. It's just not a good idea, and hearing that a goddamn hydra came surging out only reinforces that she absolutely Should Not Be There. But news is coming in that the arrivals this month are people that others know- people with memories of the city. She doubts it's bringing back everyone, but Alphys figures it makes sense for the Gods to target people who already know some of what's happening before the final attack from the Null.

But she just doesn't know who it could be.

She scans her contacts for any familiar names, seeing if any can be dialed, and Napstablook is the only new one on the list of names she remembers off the top of her head. So she's out looking for him, though admittedly looking for a ghost--

Until she basically trips over them on the ground. Perfect. The heat is no problem for her- shoutout to being a lizard, for once- and it takes her a second to realize what's Happening here.]

Oh gosh, I'm s-- Napsta?? Is-- ohmygosh, i-is that you?

Ushahin Dreamspinner | OTA

[ushahin]

The colosseum

[It only seems to be a few minutes since he was last here, but Ushahin knows better. More then the change in the city, which now has a sky above it, or the oppressively clammy heat, which does feel good on his poorly-healed bones, it is the minds that tell him how long he's been gone. So many and so very different.

For a few minutes, he remains rooted where he is, a broken-down gaunt figure with a raven nearly as big as a hawk perched on his shoulder. The voices of many different thoughts ring through his head and he merely allows himself to be swept along by the tide until he can resurface again in his own mind.

It's the vibrations of the hydra moving that snap him out of his reverie. Oh yes. That. Ushahin is not a fighter and never has been, so he immediately wreathes himself in one of his shadowy illusions, the kind that makes him seem to disappear entirely to animals and monster alike. People tend to even forget he's there until he addresses them.

Fetch the raven takes off, flying out of the colosseum to give him a bird's eye view of the city and the changes that have happened. Ushahin makes his way towards one of the exits, noting that others are around him as well. One won't even notice him unless they run right into him, at which point the illusion will shatter. He'll stare at the person in question with an expression which definitely says he's not fully all there.]

I would beg your pardon, but perhaps we can discuss things once we are farther away from that beast.

The city

As he makes his way through the city, his gait steady and sure despite the ruin of his body, he sends tendrils of thoughts out as he seeks familiar minds. Many are gone now, not that he can blame them. This place had never been suited for long-term habitation. But there are still a few left. Some had come back with him and others have been here for longer.

He seeks them out, the ties to his past here in Hadriel. If he meets anyone new who wishes to engage him, he'll stop to find out all that has occurred. Just ignore the jarring appearance of a face and body whose bones had been shattered and long since healed incorrectly.

But what he truly looks for is familiar faces. The herald of his arrival sometimes is Fetch the raven, landing nearby with a loud Caw! and fluffing his feathers up as he fixes the person with a beady brown eye.

Other times, it is Ushahin himself that appears, silent in tread, but kind in face. There is a gentle smile upon his face. "It has been far too long, I fear, since we last saw each other."

Wildcard

[Want a personal scenario with the crazy psychic? PM me or poke me at Light_shade!]

the city!!

[sciencelizard]

[Now this, this is a surprise.

Alphys has been in the city longer than most. The vast majority of people still remaining don't remember the first year in Hadriel, herself included, but she's just edging the end of where the first residents started to disappear. She knew the original Newt and Hermann, Sans and Shadow, tons of faces that have come and gone. Nowadays, it's mostly Rey, Cecily, Nick, and... her. Not one she'd have pegged to make it, for sure.

She never goes to the Coliseum on Door Day, and ultimately didn't speak to Ushahin quite enough to spy his name on a list of new contacts as she hastily scans her phone. But the raven does find her, an interesting happenstance when one hasn't appeared on this planet for the last two months they've been here, and it makes her blink and freeze in her tracks.

She gives him a little wave, not knowing what to expect. They did mostly talk on the network, after all.]

Uhm... h-hi. Hello? I don't have anything for you, uhm, really, I'm sorry...

the city

[fogsong]

The raven's shrill cry was out of place in the somewhat empty city. Most normal cities were teeming with a variety of life, from people to rodents to bugs, but not Hadriel. Any change within the city rarely heralded anything positive in her eyes. She tenses instinctively, filled with worry and uncertainty.

When Ushahin appears before her, that wariness and fear within her does not relent and she can't bring herself to mimic the warmth in his expression. He shouldn't be smiling; there's no joy here. Time and loss has beaten her down and she's long since buried her hopes.

"Maybe not long enough," she informs him with a somewhat cool air, hiding her troubles behind a mask of detachment, but there can be no hiding the underlying sorrow beneath her words. It's not that she doesn't want to see him, didn't somehow miss him, but for a time she'd forgotten his face; she'd forgotten all his strangeness and brokenness, just like she'd forgotten so much else after leaving and returning. Her heart aches,"Are you real or just something they've dreamed up?"

It's gotten difficult for her to tell the difference and, for some months now, she's stopped really trying to distinguish reality from the gods' machinations.

kanda yu × ota

[beanstalk]

a. colosseum

[ When had he passed out? It's the first thought that crosses Kanda's mind as he stirs and wakes, pushing himself off of the ground before getting to his feet. The dirt was certainly a stark contract to the cobblestone that he had seen last when he was on his way with Tiedoll to chase down Allen. Dusting himself off, he's taking a look around at his surroundings and has to. pause, momentarily as a wave of deja vu hits him. It was like he's been in this situation before, but he couldn't quite place it immediately. It makes him frown as he's searching through his brain for the placement of this Colosseum.

There's a faint buzz in his pocket that draws his attention, reaching into it to pull out the phone that found its way there. It also gives him a sense of deja vu, the scratches on the screen and dents on the back of the phone were all too familiar as well. The screen lights when he runs his thumb over it and shows a text message on the lock screen. Though he was already standing still, the name of the sender has him utterly still as it all just clicks.

Hope.

Kanda's head jerks up as he takes another look around the Colosseum - which had certainly seen better days for sure (there's certainly a section of seats missing thanks to him and Tyki) - and tries to look past the ruins to where his subconscious is telling him there's spired buildings. He was back, back in Hadriel. Why? He doesn't get it. There shouldn't be a reason for him to be here again.

Frowning, Kanda locks his phone and shoves it back into the pocket of his coat. If the temple still stood, looks like he'll have to march his way to one of the so-called "gods" and demand the Door send him home. The thought is cut short though when he hears - feels - the ground shake with the sound of something large moving about behind him. Ahhhh, shit. Kanda closes his eyes for a moment and lets out a breath. He forgot that the Door also brought out creatures from other worlds as well. Great. Just fucking grand dandy sunshine dandy!!

He hears the breath of the creature and Kanda opens his eyes when he feels the massively large presence over him, forcing him to take a step back. ]

Oh for the fucking love of— [ A giant hydra. It was a fucking hydra. He's figuratively tossing his hands up at all of this bullshit and it was definitely time to go to that temple now before the hydra starts to breathe fire at him or something. He wasn't going to stick around for this mess. ]

b. the city

[ Well, the first thing Kanda wanted to figure out was if Delight's Housing was still around. He's yet to figure out how long it's been since he was last here in Hadriel. Maybe a detour toward the shops would provide him with a calendar or newspaper of some sort where he could figure out the date.

But also food. That'll be something he needs, too. So after stopping by the pawn shop, he'll wander to orchard across the river.

He's totally going to use his trench coat as a make-shift basket to hold the fruit in once he's there, because he definitely didn't think to grab a basket at the shops.

And maybe... he's picking a bit too many for him to carry. He's just going to stare at the extra fruit in his hand, then just kind of stares off, unsure what he ought to do with it. ]

b

[knifecollecting]

[Jo hasn't been out to the orchard for a while, but she's tired of the shops, so she heads out to explore again.

She doesn't have a basket, but she always has her messenger bag. She had planned to leave anyone else alone, but this guy has a coat. He's either new or an idiot.]

...Is that all for you?

Fingon | OTA

[utulien_aure]

Tolkienic Narrative Law States Elves Can't Kill Big, Scary Lizards

[... But that doesn't mean Fingon isn't going to help. He has his bow and arrows, and just a bit of relevant experiences, so he circles the monster carefully and lets his arrows fly swift and true.

And it works, for a while- he provides cover to others who make their way in, and if no heads fall to his darts there are at least times when he makes the creature shriek in pain. But eventually the arrows run out, and there are none to replace them- and looking around Fingon has an idea.

It's not hard to climb the Colosseum's walls, and once there, he draws his sword and moves behind the monster. True, the heads seem to grow back forever... but no one's tried the tail, right?]

Every Happy Family is Alike (And Also Less Dead than Fingon's Tends to Be)

[ After the lady Maria has achieved her great feat and struck the monster down, Fingon takes the opportunity to look about the area. It seems a little lackluster compared to some of the mountains of junk which have been tossed through the Door at times, but hey- maybe that's just on first glance.]

Just paper? [Fingon wonders aloud, skeptical of the idea.] No, that can't be right... you'll have some sort of secret....

[And after he picks up a few, one will prove him correct. It's an artist's sketch, preparation for a portrait Fingon once knew well. He had sat for it, after all. So had most of his family.

Of course, the portrait he remembered didn't have half it's subjects on fire.

For what feels like ages, he stands there transfixed. Where Grandfather had stood is a mass of broken flesh, bloody and unrecognizable. His sister Irisse's white dress is stained with blood, dripping down from a wound between her breasts. There are Uncle Feanaro, Cousins Telvo, Aiko, Ango, all alight in flames, while Cousin Findarato's flesh is covered in bloody teeth marks.

Maglor looks- almost fine, familiar to anyone who saw him in Hadriel except for the blood dripping from his hands. Curufin is less so, pierced with a hundred arrows. Fingon manages not to look at the bloody mess of his own broken skull, but his eye travels naturally to where Maedhros should be standing.

Where he can make out a profile in an ash cloud, and one despairing eye.

Under the circumstances, Fingon feels nausea is reasonable and entirely warranted as a response.]

Because he can help! ...not.

[prophesiedone]

[Someone will be peering over Fingon's shoulder, his expression grim, a ghastly yellow tinge to his eyes. Giving into the Sith has become easier in Hadriel, yet Anakin keeps fighting the pull nonetheless, remembering his humanity thanks to those like Fingon.]

Stop looking at it. [He would tear the portrait from the other's hands, but regardless of how they looked - how Maedhros and Maglor looked - they are his family. His stomach turns too and he looks away, hissing:] They're trying to get under your skin.