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

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Comments

diana prince | dceu - crau | ota

[monomachy]

i'll check in tomorrow if i don't wake up dead [arriving in style]

[The Ingress portal has reopened, and for a moment, she feels nothing but pure relief. Giving herself over to the memorial, preparing to die to ensure the safety of her crewmates--it had worked. The light is so bright and nearly blinding, but she welcomes it as never before.

But instead of the usual pull of the Ingress energy, there's something else: a tug in a different direction, and then she's falling, falling, falling--

The ground is hard, covered in a red dirt. Every single one of her muscles screams, her head aches more than she can ever remember in her life. She nearly doubles over from the shock of it when she stands, stumbling forward, hitting the wall. The Lasso of Hestia glows faintly at her hip, and her shield makes a too-loud clang as it clips the edge of the doorframe on her way out. She squints against the dust in her eyes. Everything has fallen into disrepair, and she sees a crumbling building in the distance with a tall spire. Bangkok is lettered in peeling paint on a wall across the street, and she takes a step forward, lips parting to call out.

Nothing is familiar. Nobody is around. The toe of her boot crosses the threshold, and she's engulfed in darkness.

Diana gasps, this time doubling over and having to support herself with her hands on her knees. This isn't right, none of this is right. Travel through the Ingress had never left her feeling so sore, so disoriented. Panic threatens to set in, but she pushes it aside, trying not to take too deep a breath with all the dust around. Finally making out approaching footsteps despite the rain. The dirt is slowly but surely turning to mud on her skin, like coagulated blood. She forces herself to straighten, search the area for the source of the footsteps.]

Hello?

[Her voice is hardly a croak, and she takes a step forward, her armor feeling stiff from the dust invading every crease and seam. The footsteps pause, and so does she. Something definitely isn't right.

Diana barely hears the swish of the length of metal rebar before it slices through the air beside her shoulder. She raises an arm to deflect the attack, sloppy in her daze. Sparks fly off the bracer, her entire arm vibrating with power that's only almost there, the screech of metal-on-metal somehow dulled by the atmosphere. The Amazon lunges forward, away from whoever is attacking her. Careless, she hears Antiope whisper in her mind, and the corners of her vision blur from dizziness.]

What are you doing?!

[She's breathless, raising her arms for defense. This time she hears the bar more clearly, and is able to deflect it again in another shower of sparks.]

this is the road to ruin [the sight of lightning]

[Once she's been told the rules of this place, Diana finally realizes that this is not at all the work of the Ingress. To her knowledge, no crewmember had ever been taken to a new world alone--there were always others, or a portal back to the station. But as she thinks about the explanation she's been given and the fact that she does, in fact, seem to be alone, a certain sense of unease begins to creep up into her heart.

So when she feels the pull to go into the sand-covered streets, to search for someone, anyone, she doesn't think of it as anything except a kind of homesickness. Themyscira would always be her true home, of course, but she had created another kind of home on the Avagi--one with people she loved and wanted to protect. Her heart aches for their company, more than ever before, and it seems impossible to make it disappear.

When she finally sees someone, whether it be by the fountain, in the greenhouse, by the river, or any number of other places, she can't help but approach them, hoping to ease some of the pain, or perhaps fulfill the longing for something familiar. She readies her communicator, typing out a quick message once she has their attention.]

This place was beautiful once, I think.

and we're starting at the end [wildcard]

[if we've already talked about something on the plotting post, let's do it! keeping tdm threads as game canon is fine with me, and i'm open to just about anything for diana. she's living in house 12, and will be working as a teacher. information on her crau and abilities can be found here. as always, hit me up at watchet for anything specific, especially if it could end up being nsfw. thank you!]

lightning?

[historyrabbit]

[Lavi is actually by the river, a basket by his side and he's collecting a plant that he mentioned in a post to the network (that I haven't put up yet in a top level, but shhh) when she sends out her message, he does let out a small smirk, turning back to the scenery.]

It still is in a unique way. But you're right, this part of France really was beautiful once.

[[ooc; no need to have the feelings towards this one!]]

[monomachy]

[The heaviness in her heart lifts slightly, but not quite in the way she'd hoped it might. Still, it's better than how she felt just a moment ago, and she doesn't move to depart. Instead, she moves up to the bank beside him, glancing down into the basket before looking back up to his face. She smiles in return.]

This is my first time in France. I'd been to London and Belgium, but never France.

[ooc; okie doke!]

[historyrabbit]

[It's not unsimilar to something he experienced in the not so distant past, only things felt hotter the longer you were away from another traveler. But it's nice so that things ease even if they're still there.

He's got a few river plants in the basket, harvesting them for planting later or use in remedies and whatnot.]

I'm sorry this was your first introduction to France, but it still holds a lot of the country's charm in the architecture at least. If we can find museums we can go into you can see some of the culture. [A nostalgic look crosses his face.] The kitchens were some of the best, though, the food in France was always fussy but well done. But I'm actually a Londoner, at least of the past few years, prior to that it was always travel.

lightning

[list_maker]

[Arya is at the cemetery this evening. She's been making frequent trips there lately, sitting crosslegged in front of the memorial she's made for her father, mother, and two brothers. All gone. She meditates there, eyes closed, trying to remind herself why she needs to return home, why she needs to complete her list. Her mouth moves silently repeating the names still left, Cersei Lannister. The Mountain. The Red Woman. Illyn Payne...

There's someone there then breaking her out of her concentration. Blinking she looks up. It's the woman from the dream... the island of women warriors. Her hardened expression softens for a moment. She's real. Glancing at the message, she nods a bit before reaching and finding her own device.] It couldn't have been more beautiful then your home. The one I saw?

[monomachy]

[Amazons don't have cemeteries like men do. Their bodies are burned after death, offered back up to the gods. Then again, so few Amazons had died during Diana's lifetime that she'd also never really thought about it much. Only after leaving the island had she fully realized the absolute certainty of death for mortal men. She'd also begun to understand their desire to hold on to those they lost. Their lives were so short--it was impossible to know someone fully in such a small span of time.

It isn't until the girl looks up that Diana recognizes her face. The girl from the dream--memory? She still isn't quite sure. But a sense of delight takes hold of her, though she isn't quite sure why or where it has come from. Her smile grows wide, and she nods in agreement.]

True. I have never seen anywhere as beautiful as Themyscira.

[And after a beat:]

You remember, then.

[list_maker]

[Arya's nod is slight, glancing back at the mounds that made up the memorial she's made for her family. She decides then to stand up. Diana is already so much taller than her, sitting down as she is with Diana standing beside her made her feel even smaller.]

I remember. But I didn't think you were real. [Honestly, look at her. She looks like something someone might conjure up on a dream. The fact that she's an actual real person is remarkable.]

arrival!

[vdova]

[ She's running from her own pursuer, skidding to a stop when she sees the sparks. She's got bruises running the length of her body, a cut on her face, her dark denim jeans ripped across one thigh. She's been in her share of fights — but she's not going to leave this woman to die. She limps once, twice, and then breaks out into a run, her knee colliding with the torso of the man raising the bar to strike another time.

He goes tumbling to the ground, and he's only prone long enough for Natasha to reach a hand out to the woman. ] Can you stand?

[monomachy]

[She is still trying to find her feet, trying to understand what has happened. Each assault of the rebar shakes her bones, and not because of the force behind it, though it is considerable. Diana has never been to a world where she was met with such unwarranted hostility.

The dust is clogging her nose and getting between her teeth. She grits her teeth, ready to block another attack, trying to ask again what his reasoning is--

--and then he is knocked to the ground by a familiar woman with red hair and dangerous eyes.

But there is no time to question how this has happened. She takes the proffered hand, pulling herself to her feet and nodding. She hears more footsteps approaching, and draws her shield from her back, a steadiness in her hands that was not present a moment ago.]

Do you know where we are, or who they are?

[vdova]

No, and no. They're too busy trying to kill us for me to get an answer.

[ She grimaces and stances, fists clenched, feet braced. Natasha is unarmed, but that's not going to stop her. ]

So I say we kill them right back.

[ She glances at Diana as she says it, giving her a small, cold, smile. ]

this is the road to ruin

[sparke]

[ thor feels a similar sense of unease in his heart, constricting his chest. he has only just taken up the mantle of king, and now he has unwittingly abandoned his people. he doesn't know what has become of them -- or of midgard, for that matter.

what he knows is that he needs-- something. companionship. a way to ease the tightness around his chest. to breathe easier again. he thinks perhaps he's found it when he finds a woman by the fountain, something drawing him to her. ]

some of it still is

[ he types, slower than she'd been because he hates how small these devices are. but when he sends the message, he is looking at her, not at the city around them.

smooth. ]

[monomachy]

[The fountain is beautiful, the stone and marble reminding her vaguely of home. It is a comfort to see it, and even more so to see another person who seems to be enjoying it as well. She watches him as he types, her heart lifting when she sees his message. A smile spreads over her lips, and she feels as if somehow, miraculously, she was meant to meet him here.

The dust has mostly settled, and small motes swirl into the air as she shifts her weight where she sits on the edge of the fountain's basin. Dark eyes look to the message and to him, meeting his gaze. Something makes her heart skip, though she can't explain what it is.]

I can't say I've seen much of it, since I just got here. So I'll take your word for it.

[sparke]

you are n

[ he pressed "send" too soon. this is what happens when you give him a device as small as this. ] new as am I

[ he shows no sign of embarrassment at his mishap with the device. instead, he only meets her gaze again and holds it for as long as she will keep looking at him. he imagines that he sees something like understanding in her eyes. warmth, too. he finds that he wants more of both. more of both and a great many other things, too. ]

arriving in style.

[swig]

[ she's not the only one paired up with a stranger out to kill her, and after destroying hers, she hangs back to help the rest who've been dropped unceremoniously onto this dump of a planet like her. the dust has yet to settle, thickened by the continuous rain and coloring the white gold of her amour in a muddied rusted layer, but she trudges through it despite it all. it slows her movements some, catching more hits than she normally would but she hardly notices. asgardian bodies are made tougher to withstand more -- more pain, more sorrow, more regret, and while she'd never consider herself a god (that's thor, that's hela, and she still remembers struggling in that last fight with her), she figures the fact that she can't seem to die whenever she expects to probably makes her close enough to one. or something to that effect.

the next swing of the man's metal rebar is interrupted, the arm gripping the weapon sliced cleanly off in a burst of red dust. a blade protrudes from his chest in the next breath, more dust leaking from the wound as he stumbles forward to reveal her standing behind him, face and hair streaked with red rainwater like coagulated blood. she looks up at diana then, eyes darkened by the storm and fatigue, but her voice is even and steady. ]

You all right?

[monomachy]

[Though she would never admit it to anyone, she's relieved to see the blade pushed through her attacker's chest and his body dissolve into dust. It's a moment for her to feel something besides confusion--and that would be shock. But shock is easier, somehow, gets her moving and steady on her feet. The woman behind the man is, well. She has the look of an Amazon about her, and Diana finds her tongue after a moment's delay.

How strange, to feel homesick at such a time.]

I am, thank you.

[She could have killed him herself, easily. But that is not her way. At least, not when the attackers are human. So Diana reaches behind herself to draw her shield, holding it firmly to her arm. She has no sword, only her shield and lasso, but they will be enough. She hears footsteps, running. Her jaw clenches before a tight smile finds her lips. A fire burns now, not dampened by the rain and the mud. Fighting with someone by your side is easier, makes for a better chance. A better battle.]

There are more.

[swig]

[ the homesickness is shared, breath caught in her chest and chased shortly after by cold guilt that slides down her spine like the rain that seeps through her armor. her mouth is dry, throat threatening to close up as she blinks away the memory of glimmering white gold, long blond hair haloed by warm winds and sunlight.

she swallows, nods once as she flicks red dust and rain water off her blade. she'd thought that she'd get over it after watching surtur set asgard and hela on fire, but it figures that she'd never be able to shake it off, now three worlds away from home. ]

I'll take left, [ she says, just as a new group of dusters burst through the storm. ] You got right?

road to ruin

[deadboywalking]

[Now that things aren't as...chaotic, Will's taking advantage of being outside again. It's not as sunny here as it would be on earth, but he still misses the fresh air if he's cooped up too long.

The stranger gets a curious, sideways look, carefully cautious as always -- you never know if someone's going to be a potential friend or a potential threat. Still, she seems nice enough. It can't hurt to converse.]

yeah. when there were people here. more people, i mean.

[monomachy]

[Diana is not used to being regarded cautiously--but then, she had been on the Avagi for quite a while, and they had been near constantly fighting for their lives against clear dangers. Besides that, regarding strangers with caution was simply not the Amazon way.

But she respects his wariness, offering a smile and keeping a few feet between them. Her own quest for companionship was no reason to put off someone else.]

What happened to them?

[She assumes it was the creatures--the sound-eaters--but perhaps there is another cause as well.]

[deadboywalking]

[Even more of a reason for Will to relax. If she'd moved too quickly, he would've gotten spooked, like some sort of forest creature. Instead he lingers, willing to talk.]

i think they got sick or eaten or something. we don't really know for sure.
i think the monsters turned them into more monsters.

lightning

[bossily]

[Clara finds Diana outside of house twelve. She thinks she must be seeing things at first, but there's really no mistaking Diana when you see her. She has a very unique way of managing to be beautiful and pulling you in no matter what the circumstances. This is no different, even with the decay and lack of life around them. Things here have to be quiet, but she's never wanted to shout out more than she does in this moment.

The message comes across to her and she makes her way in closer toward Diana, smiling a little sadly. There's a warmth in her eyes that expresses her joy at seeing a familiar face, however, and for a drawn out moment or two she just stands by her friend and surveys the houses and city before them. ]

At least it's not as sterile as a space station, right? There's hope of making this beautiful again.

[monomachy]

[At first, Diana doesn't realize who she's reached out to. She'd seen a figure moving towards the door of the twelfth house from the inside, and had sent the message before really seeing who it was. Things have been so hectic, she hadn't even realized that Clara was here--something she dearly regrets now. Had she known, perhaps things would have been easier to understand.

Still, she smiles brilliantly at the other woman. She's remarkable, to be sure, and Diana can't help but reach out to place a gentle hand on her shoulder. It is good to see a familiar face, and one she admires so genuinely.]

It has already become a thousand times more so.

arriving in style

[kiljoy]

[...There is a literal Amazon woman beating an attacker to death in front of him. Granted, visibility isn't so good what with the red dust and the rain but he can see this woman is a powerhouse. Wow.

Kilgrave stays well clear, obviously, until she's dealt with her attacker. Then he approaches to see how she's doing, walking slowly so that she doesn't mistake him for an enemy.]

Are you okay?

[monomachy]

[Honestly, this wasn't her first choice of action. She'd tried to talk to the man, tried to get him to tell her why he was doing this. Failing that, she'd tried to restrain him--but had quickly realized that something wasn't quite right. Despite the strongest blow she dared land on a human, he didn't seem to feel it, would not stop trying to kill her. And when she'd finally been less willing to restrain herself and had driven her fist into his face, instead of blood, red sand trickled from his nostrils.

Once Diana realized he was not really a man, she no longer held back.

For a normal man, her blows would have been more than enough to kill. But he would not stop, and her will only became harder the more he swung at her, even as his attacks became more haphazard. Eventually she had been able to reach out and put her hands on either side of his head, giving it a swift twist--

--and he fell, dissolving into the dust that had flooded the streets.

She hears someone call out, and whips around, arm half raised to retrieve her shield from her back. But the man attacking her had not spoken, and this one moves slowly, as if reassuring her that he isn't going to begin an assault. Her eyes hold a wariness that does not come natural to her, but she nods at his question, rubbing her hands together. The dust turns to a red paste in her hands, and she frowns.]

I am. He could not hurt me. [Could not, as opposed to did not. There is a certainty in her voice that leaves no room for wondering.] Did you see where he came from?

slams into this full force - arrival

[clussy]

(This was a rare moment for Eddie Kaspbrak.

He's streaked with red dust, looking as if someone had mistaken him as a Carrie extra. He'd come rushing out into the storm when he realized some of his friends were out there fighting against people who had gone mad. It was horrifying having his small body swallowed up in the vicious, swirling storm, but he scarcely cared. He couldn't see two feet in front of him, but for Eddie, that didn't quite matter. Not when his brain operated on a different level of orientation. He didn't feel lost at all.

His feet carried him through the storm, all the way until he found where he needed to be. Only it was not the friends he had been looking for. Its her lasso that he sees at first. A faint glow in the chaos of red.

Then he sees the swift fall of attack. Eddie can't really wrap his mind around it. All he really understands is the simple concept that his friend, his hero, was being attacked. Eddie doesn't think beyond that. He crouches low and his hand curls under a hefty sized rock. He can scarcely breath, having yanked his shirt up over his nose and mouth by now, and his eyes were streaming with the hurt of the sand. All the same, when he cuts his arm through the air, the rock is heavy enough and familiar enough that it sails through and nails Diana's attacker right in the side. It isn't enough to kill, God no, but it certainly is enough to distract. And if that wasn't enough...Well, along with that throw Eddie shrieks out a:)

Hey asshole!

(Do. Not. Hurt. His. Friends.)

MY CHILD also some mildly graphic violence in here

[monomachy]

[Reasoning with her attacker had brought no end to his swings. The rebar slams again and again against her bracers as she tries to shout reason to him, but to no avail. Diana is slow to become reoriented; between the sand and her lingering weakness from the Ingress memorial, she is not acting as quickly as she should. There's a brief moment, very brief, when she thinks that she could actually be injured in this fight she didn't mean to have.

A short breath escapes her as the bones in her arm seem to vibrate with the force of the next blow. One more, and--

--but the next one doesn't come. At least, it is delayed. She doesn't see the rock until it's already struck the man, making him stumble. But she recognizes the voice, one she hadn't heard in what seems like forever. A voice so close, and a small figure she can barely see for the dust and the rain.

The man turns towards that figure, and a hot burst of strength rushes Diana's veins. With a shout, she leaps forward at the man, tackling him bodily.]

You will not!

[She's atop him, driving a fist into his face. Red sand trickles from his nose and the corner of his mouth, and a realization snaps to mind. He is no human; he is but a creature of this storm, somehow. Her hesitation is gone, and she drives her fist into his face again, feeling his skull crack and splinter beneath her knuckles. Amazons are not quick to anger, but once it is sparked, there is no use trying to quell it. Once she's sure he is down and will stay that way she stands, hands covered in brownish-red mud. Her head whips to the side, searching for the figure again, worry clear in her voice.]

Eddie?!