INTRO LOG #1

[bequiet]

INTRO LOG #1
Muzzle and Mute
Content Warnings: Disorientation, memory loss, confusion
Themes: Arrival, survival, exploration, horror

You wake, standing. A thick, muddy red dust coats your skin and clothes - it sticks to your tongue and blocks your vision. Inhale and it chokes you, exhale and your breath puffs out in front of your face in a transparent maroon cloud. It tastes of copper, tangy and harsh. Movement is difficult, every limb tingles and aches. Look to your left, your right. Evenly spaced in each direction stands another person indistinguishable in every way from the next. You're disoriented and lethargic, unable to grasp onto a single thought. A pinprick of light blooms ahead and grows steadily larger; a door has opened.

Hands grip your wrists, push at the small of your back and guide you out of the darkness into a room with four walls and a thin, sagging ceiling. The plaster is peeling, the air is musty, and the floor is slick. White plastic piping juts up from the center and curves into multiple spouts, clean water flowing in uneven streams. Those hands pull your clothes off and clear the dust from your body, redress you in handsewn jumpsuits. By the time they’re through, you will have begun to come back to yourself.

A finger is pressed to your lips. Kind eyes meet your own and a single word is whispered - hush.

Led out of the room in a line, you’re taken down a short hallway and into another, much larger room. There’s a woman waiting for you there, a child hugging her leg, and a cloth bag in her hands. She reaches in and pulls out a device, passes one to each of you. Once finished, she begins to move both hands in graceful gestures, a language. One of the people who helped you lifts their device and the screen lights up, tracks the woman’s hands. Letters appear on the screen and you understand the device’s purpose. She tells you what she knows and it’s not much.

This world is haunted. Noise attracts them, so it is not allowed. Communication is through body language, soundless writing, and the device. She tells you that your feet must be light and your mouth never used. There is a community outside these doors, where you can survive together, but only if you agree to one thing: complete and total silence. You'll have time to talk it over. You may ask one question and receive one answer.

Acceptance allows you to journey outside. The ground is marked in pathways of sand, lining the paths to each building and everywhere in-between. You notice that the locals hold their devices always, aloft and glance to it often. It will not vibrate or make a sound to signal a message. Notices appear. Rules. Guidelines. Feet on the sand and never anywhere else. To open a door you brush your fingers along the hinges - oiled and you may enter. If not, take the brush from the can sitting nearby and coat the metal with the dark liquid.

Now, you're to settle into your new home.

The Man in the Hat
Content Warnings: Heavy lifting, following the rules, alcoholism
Themes: Moving in, survival, exploration, horror

Once you’ve claimed a room for yourself, it’s time to acclimate to the community. Natives will ask what you need and take you along the sandpaths to different areas in the city to gather supplies - furniture and the like. Heavier items will require assistance and will take longer. Houses are mostly empty so if you and your housemates need something, you’ll have to carry it and put it inside the home. Do not make any noise or the natives will refuse to help you. Getting to know your housemates is key to a smooth transition. They are going through what you are right now; take the time to get to know them. Make house rules.

As the first day gives way to night, the natives can be seen moving at a faster pace outside. They’re hurried, though not frightened. Some even smile at you. When the sun sets behind the ruins of what was once picturesque Reims, your device will signal that it’s time to meet at the center of the community. There, natives will stop each person and give them a small gift - a trinket, a token to show that they are trying their best to make all the new arrivals feel at home. These are all items from the character’s home or from another character's home (they will not be anything that belongs to anyone else). Small, soundless and either something taken during the application process or something brand new. They will have no powers to speak of and are meant to be a momento. If asked, the natives found them the same way they found each of you.

Then the party starts. Sort of. A soundless, stitled kind of celebration. Fun is meant to be had, but it’s not an overly joyous occasion. The natives simply don’t know how to cut loose. There will be extra food in the form of one and two; Phillipa even brought some of her homemade bread. If you stumble across a man wearing a hat, the only man in town who does, and agree to go with him when he offers to show you his house - he’ll gift you with a jar of hooch; it’ll burn on the way down.

Sound Eaters
Content Warnings: Threat, danger
Themes: Survival, exploration, horror, game plot

It’s the second day of your stay, and the natives call for an emergency meeting at the Town Hall. Everyone is paired off (see below) and are asked to walk the perimeter looking for anything out of place and patching any areas that might have been affected by weather. Once finished, the same is done on the inside, and when the community leader is satisfied, the main hall is opened up so that everyone can congregate. Characters, during this time only, are allowed to make sound. This is so that the natives can explain why silence is so necessary...

The Sound Eaters.

In an effort not to frighten everyone, the natives won’t go into the history just yet, but they will warn that when someone makes a sound, it attracts them. They don’t know what they look like because they are so fast. If you’re too loud, then in the blink of an eye, you’ll go through a room reset. This is because either the natives ‘silenced’ you or the Sound Eaters have. They will explain that the room came at the same time the Sound Eaters did and that it doesn’t work for the natives. Sometimes, it doesn’t work on new arrivals. Death, for those born in this world, is permanent. If you attract them, you’ll get someone killed. Hence the need for no noise. During the meeting, the natives will tell each character of their own experiences. Their losses. The families they have left and how they’d do anything to keep them alive. They don’t know if you’ll be reset, but is that a risk you’re willing to take? The meeting will last a few hours and will end on a somber, ominous note - at the end of the month, they are taking everyone to meet them.

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!

NAVIGATION

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Comments

kylo ren ⋆ star wars

[warfares]

MOVING IN - HOUSE TEN.

[ If there's one advantage to having lived an ascetic lifestyle for so long it's that his needs are simple and easily satisfied—which is just as well, as the master bedroom is the first one to be claimed.

He settles on the bedroom next to the kitchen: a modest space that's bright and clean, with a large window and a door that locks. There's no bed, no real furniture to speak of beyond the large built-in closet on the far wall, but he'll take the illusion of privacy until a better alternative can be found. ]

MAN IN THE HAT.

[ The party is a sombre affair despite the obvious attempts made to lighten the mood; never really one for such gatherings, Ren retreats to a quiet corner to pick over a jar of peaches and observe.

Natives thread their way through the crowds, distributing items with an almost religious care. He plucks another peach from his jar, pressing it to his mouth absently.

Eventually one of them make their way toward him, extending a pair of gloves expectantly. Crosh-hide, he notes, turning them over once he is alone again, a pricey indulgence, so it is a shame that they are far too small to be his. ]

SOUND EATERS.

[ There is nothing of value to be learned, Ren concludes; like before they are offered vagaries and half-truths and are expected to blindly accept them as fact.

That isn't going to work for him.

Late afternoon is transitioning into evening by the time his patience gives way entirely, leading him to slip outside in the hopes of taking advantage of everyone's distraction. Reims is a large place, after all, and if they are unable to provide him with satisfactory answers he is more than willing to ferret them out himself. ]

WILDCARD.

[ Feel free to hit me up at resurrectionist if you'd like something else! ]

House 10

[shotfired]

[ If Lup is going to be living with this pack of randos, then she is going to get to know them, at least well enough to know if she needs to be on guard. It makes her a little uncomfortable, living with a whole group of new people after so long, but she'll deal. She just needs to grin and bear it until she can figure a way out.

She counts on her fingers the people she's spoken to so far and then heads off in search of Kylo. She'd seen him come in so that probably meant he lived here. Ah yes, the room by the kitchen. Dude must be a late-night snacker.

She taps lightly on the doorframe before poking her head into the room. ]

Hey, what kind of food do you like?

[ Random question? Yes. But she's planning on doing most of the cooking, so she might as well make things people actually like. ]

[warfares]

[ — or perhaps he should've just taken the smaller bedroom nearer to the door, since he didn't intend to spend any more time than necessary at the house.

He turns toward Lup when she speaks, dark brows lifting as much at the question as the fact that she is so quick to abandon the embargo on silence. ] I have no particular preference, [ he confesses, tone not dipping beyond mild disinterest as he studies her. ]

Given the state of our living arrangements I'd be surprised if they'd thought to stock the kitchen.

[shotfired]

Nothing? Well, how about things you despise eating?

[ While his tone is stuck on mild disinterest, Lup maintains a relaxed, casual tone. She doesn't seem all that surprised by him not having a preference. Not everyone is picky. Or they just come from a place where being picky isn't an option. ]

Doesn't matter what they've given us. I have ways of getting anything I need, at least as far as the culinary arts go.

[ The stuff won't taste as good as her brothers, but it'll still be 1000% better than cans of fruit or whatever. ]

Sound Eaters

[theantagonist]

[Anakin notices someone escaping the stifling party and slips out after them. Any excuse to get out of this strange and useless formality is a welcome one. He takes a moment on the start of the sandy path to try and determine which way the freshest footprints leads and then heads out after them.

When he catches up, he falls into step just behind and to the side of him. He isn't fond of the devices, so for the moment he walks in silence and pockets the kyber crystal the natives had given him. His crystal.

It's hard to miss the power rolling around the other man. He reaches out with the Force and gives him a slight nudge.]

[warfares]

[ In answer, Ren comes to an abrupt stop, looking back over his shoulder. ]

What? [ he demands, startled; eyes narrowing, brows drawing down in a frown of what might be called confusion. Something about this man — boy, really — plucks at him. A familiarity he can't quite place. ]

Why are you following me?

Man in the hat | mild TLJ Spoilers

[cronusian]

[Hux catches sight of Ren across the room, used to trying to keep an idea of his whereabouts when they shared proximity. He isn't inclined to entertain the other man, up until he sees what Ren has in his hands.

Those are his gloves. He would recognize them anywhere. Custom-made, broken in, well worn but well cared for to avoid damage. Making his way through the silent party with the calligraphy set in his pocket, he stops by Ren, out of arm's reach and tries to find the right way to ask when it's the last thing he wants.

He should have shot him when he had a chance. Instead, he just holds out a hand and gives Ren a measured stare as if to say well?.]

[warfares]

[ For a moment, he considers refusing, because there is no reason for him to surrender them.

One glance at Hux, however, is enough to tell him that what little pleasure can be derived in denying him isn't worth it.

He extends the gloves one-handed, sucking the lingering traces of juice from his fingers. ]

[cronusian]

[Hux doesn't snatch the gloves, but he does take them, carefully inspecting them before sliding them back onto his hands. A perfect fit, and a welcome relief. At least one aspect of this retched place is now back under his control.

He rubs his thumb and forefinger together, before pulling out his device to test that it works with the gloves. They were designed to work with his datapad, and he is pleased to find they work with this technology as well.

He types out a message for Ren, since the device is already in his hands, and rather than dealing with showing his device over and over again, the message goes directly to Ren's device, with the username regionsunknown attached to it.]

Where are you stationed?

[Clearly not the house Hux is assigned to. He would have seen Ren by now if that were the case. It's a relief to know. The last thing he needs to be worrying about at night is whether or not Ren is going to stand in his doorway and strangle him in his sleep.

At least they still have a reason to keep one another alive. They do need each other, loathe though he is to admit that.]

House 10

[thatsruff]

[Teddy is patrolling the house when he noses at the door to the bedroom Ren has claimed. Privacy is not a concept he understands, and no boundaries have yet been laid out to him in his new quarters. He knows he will keep to the deck because it is the fastest access to the world outside, and the first manageable line of defense against any who might threaten his new handlers, but beyond this, he is only trying to understand the layout and where each of his new handlers exists within it.

His ears perk up when he notices the room is still occupied, and he steps one paw into the room, cocking his head uncertainly to assess this person and commit their scent to memory. Just in case he ever needs to find him or determine whether or not someone else is threatening the man's quarters.]

[warfares]

[ This is a surprise.

Not so much at the invasion of space — Lup had already introduced herself, he'll probably not evade the others for long — as the fact that this is the first animal (a dog, no less) he has seen since he first woke.

He moves toward the door, dropping into a crouch and extending his fingers for Teddy to sniff. ]

[thatsruff]

[Teddy approaches with the confidence of an animal that has yet to get more than a waving hand sending him away from the people here so far. These humans all seem to be good humans, and he is determined to help all of them.

He sniffs at the man's fingers intently, committing another scent to his memory. Once satisfied he breaks eye contact to look around the room that Ren claimed for himself. He extends one paw and holds it just above the floor, further into Ren's room as if asking for permission.]

[twoaffirmations]

[9S has the room across from Kylo, but he doesn't spend much time in it. He wants to help around the house where he can, and even if things didn't need work, he was never the type to just sit idly by. When he sees Kylo head for the room across from his, he greets him with a salute, his left hand over his heart.

A moment later, he signs.]

Glory to mankind. It looks like we'll be sharing some accommodations, Sir. I hope that's okay. I didn't really think my choice through...

[warfares]

[ Head inclining, he watches as 9S signs out his greeting; he recognizes some similarity between it and the language the woman with the child had used. An elegant solution to their current predicament.

He'll have to look into classes. ]

Are you a native? [ Best to get that out of the way quickly. ]

[twoaffirmations]

Huh? Oh, no. I arrived here today, just like everyone else.

[9S finishes his explanation, but a second more's thought and he realizes why Kylo probably mistook him for a native.]

I just downloaded the language software from this device.

sound eaters

[defectpilot]

[Bodhi escapes the meeting as soon as it seems like the information is done. He isn't comfortable in the crowd, and even less so being around so much noise. It doesn't matter how quietly people talk, after the silence it's almost painful.

He is sitting just across from the building when he sees one of the other new arrivals leave, and he gets to his feet pocketing the device he's still trying to break open. It's unlikely anyone wants company here, but thinking about the sound eaters has Bodhi nervous and unnerved, and sitting alone outside isn't much better than surrounding himself with a crowd.

He moves over to the sand path and tries to find pace with the stranger, his nerves getting the best of him. He looks strong at least, and it's better than people talking to him. Just some silent company would be a nice compromise from the alternatives.]

[warfares]

[ It's exceptionally difficult to sneak up on a Force Sensitive even when you know what you're doing.

Initially he thinks it might be a native, intending to drag him back to the meeting. The tremulous tenor of Bodhi's thoughts certainly seem right for one of them.

Slowly, he pulls his fingers from his pockets. A precaution, should things take a turn. ]

House 10

[kiljoy]

[Kilgrave is currently experiencing some frustration with their living arrangements: namely, that all the good rooms are taken. He walks into yet another bedroom to find it already occupied by some gloomy-looking guy with a scar on his face, and has to stop himself from audibly sighing.

He waves instead. Hi. This sucks, doesn't it?]

[warfares]

[ His attention slides from the built-in closet (empty, he's since learned, though large enough to be of use at some later stage) to Kilgrave hovering in the doorway.

Another housemate that doesn't grasp the concept of personal space. Fantastic. ]

Do you need something?

[kiljoy]

This room.

[He points a finger at the guy, then jabs it at the doorway. Go on, leave.]

sound eaters + working together.

[hoaxer]

[The last person she worked with was Morgan and they were an extremely strange person. Lu Li's experiences with the strangers here have been kinder than those back home. Though she's startled a few, the reaction has been generally positive. It's odd, to be able to walk about freely without being concerned over whether she'd be seen as a threat.

That's why, when the natives ask her to do the check with one of the other arrivals, she doesn't argue against it. It's reasonable for the newcomers to pull their weight. Lu Li will be more than happy to do it. But--

--where did Kylo Ren go?

It takes her a bit to find him, but eventually she manages to track him down. She knows she can't make any noise to catch his attention, so she opts for a network-wide message instead in the hopes of making him slow down and wait.]

KYLO REN, COULD YOU WAIT FOR A MOMENT?

[warfares]

[ Truthfully, he hasn't made it very far when she finds him: a block, maybe two at the most. Brisk travel having been sacrificed in the name of charting unfamiliar surroundings.

He pauses when his device alerts him to a message, fingers swiping across the screen. He doesn't recognize the username.

Turning, his gaze falls on Lu Li, with only the slight parting of his mouth to betray his surprise. He had expected pursuit — had left in part to test how long it would take for them to notice his absence — but this. This he had not expected. ]

Who are you?

[hoaxer]

[Surprise is a common reaction when they see something (someone, she's not a thing, she can't think that way) like her. Lu Li stops in her tracks. She wants to first gauge Kylo's response from a distance. It's a habit she's learned from her travels. People's reactions towards androids aren't always well-intentioned, though this place has been subverting her expectations.

He asks "who," though, instead of "what." She'll take that as a good sign.]

MY NAME IS LU LI. WE WERE ASSIGNED TO CHECK SOME OF THE HOUSES.

WHERE WERE YOU GOING?

house 10

[fortheflowers]

[At some point, 6O pokes her head into Kylo Ren's room while she's exploring and taking stock of their house. In respect of the orders for silence, she moves quite softly and despite her desire to greet him aloud, she refrains. Instead, she moves to catch his eye and waves, beaming bright and friendly.

Although like the other androids about the place, she has downloaded the local sign language dictionary from the devices with which they've been furnished, she still finds text more comfortable to work with. Half the time back home, she'd communicated in emails anyway, so now she simply pulls out her device and types to him, smiling all the while.]

Hello! I am Operator 6O! I have also been assigned this house.

I am heading out to gather more supplies. Is there anything you need or want, sir?

[She glances meaningfully around the, uh, rather bare room.]

[warfares]

[ Her offer surprises him, and he glances around the room a second time, brows furrowed.

Truthfully the space is probably wasted on him. He's not accustomed to looking at the four corners and seeing anything but practicalities ㅡ this isn't a home, this is just a stop gap on the way to getting back to where he belongs. ]

Yes. [ then, quickly: ] Can you show me the way?