MOD LOG #3

[bequiet]

MOD LOG #3

Arriving in style
Content Warnings: Fighting, death, violence
Themes: Survival, plot

It's early in the day when it happens. The red dust that seems to be everywhere sweeps through the city streets, mixing with the steady patter of rain and making it hard to see and breathe. All red and leaving the taste of copper if inhaled, what could have been an easy day without any trouble quickly becomes anything but. While those in the community are heading for cover or finding ways to continue on through it, the new arrivals begin waking up in different cities all over the world. There won't be anyone to greet them, and leaving the room through the door is their choice - after doing so, they'll immediately step out into the city they were assigned. The streets are empty, houses abandoned, everything crumbling and in ruins. There will be signs noting their location, which they'll catch a glimpse of before a sharp push forward causes darkness to engulf them.

Waking up for the second time, in Reims but not in the Reset Room, they'll come to inside the red dust as it whips through the streets of the community. They won't be alone for long. Another person will be waking up beside them, and after a few moments of disorientation, try to attack. They might have weapons or use their hands, and they will not stop until they've taken a fatal blow. Their blood is dust, and they, along with their weapons, disintegrate after they've died. Can you stop them on your own? Will someone come to your aid?

The Sight of Lightning
Content Warnings: Poison, sex
Themes: Survival, plot

The day after the storm, the same red dust will find its way through Reims and come into contact with every person. Since the dust is everywhere, some might not notice that it's floating through the community and know that something is off. The effects don't begin until night fall, where everyone will feel the desire to seek out companionship of many different kinds. Though it is not always the case, the people that saw each other in color will "want" to be with that person more strongly than they might already, and will be more likely to confess or do something about it. Some might feel an intense need to be around another person, though not necessarily sexually - almost as if they need that person around them to be happy or content. For some, it might be a desire that can only be fulfilled by more than one person.

The effects wear off the next time the person gets wet. This can be a splash of water across the face or fully submerged. Or even drinking something.

OOC
From your mods:

Please be mindful of content - if something triggery comes up or if it goes up a rating to say, something sexy, mark your threads in the subject line. We're very flexible and allow any material; we just want our players to be respectful of each other. If you have questions, pp the mod account, use the faq or comment to the appropriate post below. Have fun! The OOC Plotting Post.

NAVIGATION

---

Comments

[justbeingknife]

Pretty sure I ain't have anything from Asgard -- but let's start off with an ale, then.

[ said Majima, rinsing one of the glasses. He selected an amber bottle from the store, opened it in a deft motion, and began to pour down the side, holding the vessel at a tilt as he did so. ]

Frankly, no one knows. The theory is we show up here the same way as the Sound Eaters did in this world -- through the red dust.

[ He shifted his grip to build up a good head of foam, then slid the glass over the counter to Thor. ]

Sierra Nevada pale ale. Grassy, floral, got a decent bite.

You wanna see what happened to this version of Earth, you oughta check the Bulletin Board post.

[paragon]

[ The care he takes isn't of immediate note; from the little time Steve's gotten with him, Bucky seems more aware of his steps than he used to be — the way he moves through the world, maybe — though admittedly the difference is starker from Brooklyn than Azzano. Bucky's not the only one with guilt. There are things Steve should've seen, or let himself see.

Aside from that initial shock of seeing him back in D.C., though, Steve doesn't really let himself indulge. He doesn't just let Bucky come to him, meeting him halfway instead. ]

How long you been here?

[ Out in the storm, he means, though he's eyeing Bucky's soiled jumpsuit with a frown. It shouldn't be out of the realm of possibility that they were somehow dragged here in tandem — in fact, it seems like the most likely option, considering where they'd both been a few hours ago. Though even those Avengers he'd been farther from than he would've liked (if that's what they still can or should call themselves) seem to have arrived with him too. ]

[voidmage]

[That is not a question she can really answer. There were people at the lab she'd never seen or can no longer remember. But this man had tried to kill her and the bad people at the lab didn't want her dead. Probably don't want her dead. So all she can do is shrug.

Mike has always believed her, though. Even when they'd only just met and she was this weird kid who came out of nowhere. So he doesn't really need much of an answer before he believes her now too. El is glad for the hand holding so neither of them get lost in the storm as they run. She has no idea where she is or where they're going, simply going to wherever Mike leads her.

They don't stop until they get to a tree and there's a little house in the branches, almost like a floating version of Will's hiding place in the forest. A nod of her head and she climbs as quickly as she can, turning to look down at Mike once she reaches the top.

Though her gaze doesn't stay on him for very long as she searches for any other figures following them just in case.]

[justbeingknife]

[ well.

at the very least, Majima understood the unique problems of trying to type in Japanese. ]

Oh, uh. English has spaces between words, not letters.

I ain't ever used one of these things before I got here, either, but it got easier. These things learn over time, too, so it don't correct me all the time any more.

[ Majima's phone had never kicked up a fuss about spacing, though, so who the hell knew. Maybe Sasuke had futzed with this settings. Eh. It'd probably work out. ]

We can try syncing our devices. Might help.

[justbeingknife]

Uh. Right.

[ An... agenda? Did he want to ask. ]

It should just be a matter of time, gettin' used to the way people think. I think the most important thing is to treat 'em with respect. You know, like individuals.

[lednikovyy]

Is the silence making you crazy yet?

[ It's strange when he thinks about it. Before HYDRA had him, he'd been in the War. They'd had plenty of quiet times, but he'd felt the comforting weight of companions in those times. After HYDRA fell, he'd been entirely alone for a while there, but he could still hear people and still occupy his world with sounds. He was quiet and lived like a shadow, but it was easier to pretend that it was okay. Now, he feels like he's entirely unconnected and he could just float away if he closes his eyes long enough. ]

[353]

[ Mike is climbing the ladder fast - maybe a little too fast, and with how slippery the ladder is from the rain, it's only inevitable what happens. Mike loses his footing and then suddenly a big gust of wind hits him and before he knows it, he's falling. One last look up at Eleven, then he's squeezing his eyes shut for how much the fall is probably going to hurt him when he hits the ground, maybe even kill him...

But he'll come back, right? Please let me come back, he thinks, the faces of everyone he knows and met here flashing before his eyes and there's no time to say goodbye to any of them, not even in his mind. That's the worst part. ]

[lednikovyy]

[ Bucky stops a few feet away and wipes red dust and rainwater from his face with his right hand.

He doesn't understand the question, gets it a little wrong because the storm isn't all he's known here. ]

A few weeks.

[ But he'd been with Steve before that, the memory still sharp in his mind after all the time he'd spent isolating himself and running paranoid. He wouldn't wish for anyone to get stuck here, but at the same time there's a selfish part of him that's happy to see Steve again.

Part of him is also nervous, though. They've barely seen each other since before HYDRA took him. After DC, Bucky hadn't stopped running until he'd been caught. Then they'd had an emergency to contend with. Now, here they are and Bucky's remembering all the reasons he'd run in the first place. Steve doesn't need the muddied mess that Bucky's become clogging up his life. He doesn't seem to have changed even a little, but Bucky can barely recognize himself some days. There's a nagging feeling that he's going to let Steve down somehow now that Steve might have time to really see him. ]

[voidmage]

[It's the sound of a shoe scraping against wood that draws El's attention back to Mike just in time to see him lose his grip on the ladder, to watch his eyes close as if accepting his fate. This moment makes her think of another time over three hundred days ago. When Mike was falling, having jumped from a cliff because a couple of mouthbreathers made him.

She doesn't even have to think about it, she just reacts. A hand shooting out as El draws on her powers to stop his descent right before he hits the ground. This time she doesn't have to recall all of the people who have hurt her or the people she cares about. El just wants to save him.

Mike only lingers near the ground for a brief moment - close enough to touch it - before she lifts him up, bypassing the risk to climbing the ladder a second time. It takes a little more concentration and emotional support to keep him from just blowing away in the wind, to keep him steady. Raises him up until he's next to her in the treehouse and sets him down gently. Fresh blood oozes from her nose adding to the dusty mess that was the previous one.]

It's okay now.

[flyguy]

[...Well. That's not a loaded question. Tony looks at his own drink, silent for a moment.]

A computer program I created.

[Yeah. He's got issues. Whatever. Everyone does. He's just going to knock the glass back. How about they not talk about him or his feelings or any part of the Stark experience?]

If you want that story you're going to have to ask your tabloid buddy. So what's the meaning of loyalty in the yakuza world?

[353]

[ Mike waits to connect with the ground, or maybe to wake up in the reset room...

But the moment never comes. It's as though he's been frozen in place for a moment, Mike opening his eyes in confusion to see himself floating just above the ground, as if by magic. Mike knows what this is - it's happened to him before. He stares up at Eleven looking down at him with her raised hand and watches her get closer and closer, moving through the air like the most ungainly superhero until he's dropped in front of her, with a much more gentle landing than the way he landed on the cliff back home (not that he'd complained at the time - she'd saved him). She's just saved him again and Mike doesn't hesitate to wrap his arms back around her in gratitude, his hold on her even tighter than before, heart pounding from such a close shave. ]

Are you feeling okay? [ His face pulls back to look at hers again, worried by the fresh blood trailing from her nose. He wipes it away carefully with the end of his wet sleeve. ] Not that I'm not grateful but you've gotta be careful about overusing your powers... [ What he's suggesting: his life isn't worth her almost dying for him. ]

[limped]

I reckon if you promise to listen to it quiet and in a soundproofed room you could get it back, yeah?
We can try talking to someone if you want?

[ We? Why is he suddenly volunteering to help??? ]

[paragon]

[ If Bucky had been around for any of that time, he'd know Steve wasn't unchanged. Losing the best friend he'd ever known had been just the thing to do it, too — not the only thing, but Steve knows himself well enough to admit to it. He hadn't really worn the shield in earnest until he'd thought he might lose Bucky. He hadn't taken the fight to Schmidt until he'd thought he had. And that was just before the ice. Bucky still has a way of shifting his focus.

Sometimes that means sharpening it, honing in on his priorities. And sometimes it means throwing him well off balance, maybe seeing a little of what he wants to see. Belatedly, even as Bucky moves his right arm, Steve finds himself staring at his left — the fully intact metal hung casually at his side. ]

A few weeks? [ he says sharply, forcing his eyes back to Bucky's face. ] I just saw you go—

[ Unless he didn't, unless he was out a lot longer than he'd assumed, a thought that fills him with a cold, whistling dread. Steve swallows; he can't linger there. ] That was enough time to rebuild your arm? [ He nods slightly in that direction. ]

[delincuente]

i could soundproof it myself if they'd just give me all my stuff back

[She doesn't know, she's a little confused by it herself. Usually no one warms up to her this quick, but she's had enough experience to know that sinister pocket universe make strange hypothetical bedfellows. Just, in less words.]

is newt your real name

[voidmage]

[Over the last year El has used her powers however she wanted, from simple acts like changing the channel on the television or unlocking the door for Hopper. And for seeing Mike. And when she was angry with Hopper.

She doesn't have to use it because someone told her to now and only because she wants to. And nothing has ever been as important as saving Mike - from bullies, monsters or horrible accidents. El is not about to be reunited with the boy just to lose him because he fell from the tree. Just like the last time, El could not stand by and just watch him get hurt. No matter what he says, she'll continue to save him even if the cost is her own life.

El rests her forehead against Mike's shoulder when he hugs her again, her hands finding their way to his clothing. Curling her fingers into the fabric with the strength she has left in her body. She lets him wiping away the blood without protest.]

I'm okay. [Tired but not too tired to run again if necessary. It wouldn't be so bad if she hadn't moved the train car before showing up here. El hadn't needed to kill the bad man that attacked her, just push him away and someone else took care of the rest.] There was a lady. She had powers too and took care of the bad man. [Sorry Mike, but she doesn't feel the same way. Your life is worth everything to her.]

[a2brutus]

I try not to get in peoples way. [She says softly with a shrug.] What's with the weird movements? If you're trying to figure out how to stab things, you're going at it the wrong way.

[limped]

You good at soundproofing things?

[ Well, that's not a question he was expecting, excuse him for faltering for a second, eyebrows tugging together. The question takes him back a bit- to when he'd first entered the Glade. He'd been a scared little greenie, didn't even know his own name. When he'd finally remembered his name - Newt - it didn't really feel right, but he didn't know much better than to accept it. ]

Dunno. I guess.

Is Alex your real name?

[lednikovyy]

They haven't rebuilt anything. You and I were in Wakanda and then I was here.

[ Nothing about Bucky has been fixed. It's been a near-constant on his mind in he silence when he can't keep himself occupied. He's a ticking time bomb waiting for the wrong person to know the right words. ]

Before today, the only person here who knew me was Stark. I think he's been here even longer.

[ There's only a little venom in his voice at the name, probably leftover resentment from their last exchange. For the most part, they've managed a ceasefire of sorts, even though it's clear neither of them can actually stand to look at each other for very long without thinking about Howard and his wife. ]

[personify]

Yes, something like that. A codename. [Or her true name, depending on who you were to ask.

Raven's eyes widen at the list of names.] Erik. Was here? [And now he isn't. Does that mean he's dead? There's flash of pain at the thought but she quickly attempts to hide it. And then he mentions Kurt's name. And Charles. She looks pained yet again. The longing to see all of them pulls at her.] We're they safe there on the ship...?

Logan is here now. I saw him in the storm.

[353]

[ Mike watches Will closely as he figures out a response. Afraid or not, Mike can't stay put, not when El isn't with them. He needs to know she's okay by seeing her with his own eyes. ]

Okay. [ That's about all Mike says as he grabs for his sneakers, slips them on and bends down to tie the laces faster than he's ever tied them in his entire life. He knows Will is going to ask what he's doing, where he's going, but he should have seen this coming. Mike wouldn't be Mike if all he did was shrug at the news of Eleven's return. ]

[list_maker]

[Arya is pretty quick, so because the movement is so clear she easily sidesteps the attempted jab, grabbing told of the spear with one hand and tugging it forward with a yank with the intent to put her off balance. And then kicking outward with a leg toward stomach.]

[lovesbitch]

[ they had helped each other out of a few tight spots back there, but after his trip to the reset room everything is a little blurry. which is why he's staring at her as she comes down the opposite side of the sandpath, knowing he knows her somehow but unable to find the context for it yet. he flags her down with a waving hand and holds up his device while he types her a short message: ] We know each other from somewhere?

cw: violence, injury

[first_summers]

[ If Buffy had known what Faith was thinking, she wouldn't have argued for a second. That's a kid over there, someone who needs to be protected, and the blonde slayer wouldn't have hesitated to order Faith to help the girl first. She can handle herself, these guys aren't so tough when she's faced an army of Turok Han.

Except she had the scythe when facing that army, and the weapon forged for the Slayer is nowhere to be found - even the weapon she'd be holding disintegrates as she kills another of their attackers, only to find two behind it, another approaching from the side. It's one too many, all three converging on her at once, and she gets in barely two hits before feeling the knife slide into her stomach, warm blood pouring out as the blade is torn to the side. ]

[lovesbitch]

[ he frowns at first, his hand dropping away from her to fall ineffectually to the dirt floor they're sat on. maybe he could just lay back down and sleep the big sleep once and for all. but something about the way she says that, how lost she'd been a year ago when her mates tore her out of the good place -- he sighs, a slant of commiseration worn on his face like a badge. ]

Yeah, bites just as good as the first time around, don't it, luv?

[first_summers]

[ There's something about his hand leaving her arm that snaps her out of it, bringing that ache rising back to the surface from the dark depths where she'd tried to hide it. This is Spike and she needs to focus on what's important here, of which her fourth death does not make the list.

Looking down at his hand on the dirt, her own fingers pick up some of that red dust, testing it before turning her gaze back up to him. He's the center of her universe in that moment, the only thing that makes any sense. ] Spike, how are you here? What is this place? Why— Why don't I remember dying?