MOD LOG #2

[bequiet]

MOD LOG #2
Now we're back to the beginning
Content Warnings: Death, apocalypse, a shit storm generally, pigeon death
Themes: Survival, plot

As noted on the ooc plotting post, this prompt is in the form of a Network Post via the native who runs the Bulletin Board. The post can be found here. Out of the five separate teams, all groups decided to share the footage they found. On the morning of the first, the footage will go live as a compilation in order of oldest to newest. Character's devices will update at the same time. The weather is overcast and sullen, befitting the news, and characters can talk to each other on the network post or play out their reactions on the log here.

Will you stay or will you go
Content Warnings: NONE
Themes: Survival, plot

On the morning of the second, the locals will call a meeting at town hall. All soundproofing and partnering rules apply - find a person and help soundproof the area. This is so that everyone can speak during the meeting. The found footage has unsettled the natives and after the community takes a seat, Constance will share some interesting backstory. As one of the oldest members of the community, Constance wasn't alive when the Sound Eaters first came but she heard stories from her great grandmother. The 'tales' have taken twists and turns over time, leaving the survivors with a watered down version of events that amounts to - they came and everyone had to be quiet.

An elderly native will come forward and admit that they arrived through the Reset Room when they were a teenager and have been living there ever since. They tried to get home and they could never find away. Most interestingly, to those that listen closely to his story, is that he came with a sibling who was killed by a Sound Eater and wasn't Reset. Yet, he's known people to come through the Reset Room, die, and come back. Piping up from the background, another local mentions that those born in the world they're in now (natives) aren't reset when they die. It's not something they have any real understanding of. Arrivals tend to disappear at random times, stay in the community, or leave; those that choose to depart and explore the world never make it very far. Whether this is from Sound Eaters alone or someone or something else, the natives don't know. It's obvious they are frightened and don't go beyond what they know is safe.

The natives will now ask the characters if they will stay as permanent members of the community. If they choose to, they will be given the option to take on an apartment that is completely soundproofed, furnished, and will be accepted completely by the natives. This can open up doors for characters to become important parts of the community. No character has to agree to become permanent members. If a character chooses not to, the arrangement they're in will stay the same until a few months from now when the natives ask again. Arrivals are given the chance to talk to one another so that they can decide and digest the new information. There is also a comment below to ask the natives questions 'in front of' the entire community.

ooc: Players have until apps close this upcoming round to comment to the housing page saying that their character chose to be permanent members and are taking an apartment. The apartment is located closer to the Reset Room and are either one or two bedrooms; please note which one your character is taking.

Therefore I lie with her
Content Warnings: NONE
Themes: Survival, plot

The native Constance, who hands out the devices, has decided to step back from a leadership role and has submitted the names of those that she believes could lead the group better than she has. Please vote responsibly. During dinner, a group meal prepared and served in the town hall, slips of paper will be passed around with a pencil for everyone to vote. They will be anonymous unless the person chooses to share out loud who they voted for. There won't be much time for campaigning, but candidates are allowed to do so if they'd like - either handwaved or through their own posts/top-levels.

THE CANDIDATES:

- Frank Castle
- Erik Lehnsherr
- Teddy Upsilon
- Richie Tozier
- Akira Kurusu
- Merlan O'Keefe

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

[lilithsoul]

[Considering that some of this space looked like it had been used at least in living memory, and that they tried to keep it from becoming a complete disaster, this would almost certainly not reach "Noct-Level" problems. Rei looked around and nodded in response to him before looking for a convenient container.

After all, what they put the trash in was going to be as important as getting the trash out. It was too easy to make noise through a poorly chosen container. Finding a box, she settled on that rather than a trash bag. No crinkling. With that in hand, she walked over to one particular mess and began collecting pieces after typing.]

This may be more difficult, if we must remain quiet.

[ebonyengine]

[Before coming here, Ignis had never been aware of how noisy life is. Sounds now stand out to him. Silence is, ever so slowly, becoming more comfortable for him. He's not sure he likes this development.]

We will have to just do our best. It will be best if we move at a slow pace.

[lilithsoul]

[She was more or less willing to live her life in absolute silence at all times. There was something truly peaceful about not hearing the constant drone of cicadas year round in the distance and in huge numbers. However, it did mean that they would need to be careful. She thought about it and looked to the side before walking over and fetching a pair of blankets from among the detritus, brushing the dust off, giving him one. Each was threadbare, but could serve to muffle sound.]

This will help.

[ebonyengine]

[Clever. He takes the offered blanket and folds it neatly in his arms, partially to make it easier to handle and partially because of habit. Folding laundry for years can do that to a person. Once he's done, he has to type on his device one handed, but he manages.]

They can also be used to clean as well.

[Which isn't ideal, but if they find themselves running short on supplies, it'll certainly work in a pinch.]

[lilithsoul]

[A thought and a nod. Yes, he saw the use. It would be better if these were towels. You could do absolutely anything with the right towel. But, they were still useful enough.]

The dust will need to be removed, yes. Let us start with the first load. [Pause.] I am called Rei.

[Because introductions were supposed to be important.]

[ebonyengine]

I am Ignis. It's a pleasure to meet you.

[He's not exactly sure if he can convey manners and politeness over text message, but by the gods does he try to.]

Are you experienced with cleaning?

[It's probably an odd question for him to ask, he realizes, as he kneels down to start their task. But for him? It's a legitimate one. He's friends with people who wouldn't know what to do with a broom if you put one in their hands.]

[lilithsoul]

[She nodded. Pleasantries were not her forte, nor were any of the usual social graces. The polite intention was clear enough, just not something the young girl really understood.

His question made her reach up and tap her lips once before looking back at him as she replied, having begun the slow and rather arduous process of cleaning items off of the floor carefully without making any sound. It was definitely time-consuming.]

I have been told that I am.

[Not that you'd believe it, seeing her apartment back home. But nobody wanted that clean, so she didn't bother. Still, Ikari-kun had said she washed the floor the same way a mother did. Embarrassing moment, that.]

[ebonyengine]

[Rei has no idea how relieved Ignis is to hear that. Having to add "maid" to his duties is not something Ignis is proud of, but in the end, loyalty means he's done everything possible to make sure his prince didn't live in a landfill.

Carefully, he places the trash into bags, frowning at how much slower the task is when you can't simply dump everything in. He wishes these places were better maintained, but he understands why they weren't, given this settlement's circumstances.]

We're making good progress, all things considered.

[It's amazing what even just a little bit of work can do. Just clearing up the floor alone is starting to make the room look far more presentable.]

[lilithsoul]

[It was probably a good thing that this place was not a complete sty. It was a mess, but there weren't large pieces of broken furniture everywhere or collapsed bookshelves. That would have required extraordinary care and a lot of time to complete. This? This was simply trash pick up to get the place down to the studs for soundproofing.

Rei looked around the room when she read that and thought about it for a moment.]

Would you allow a personal question? I have been asked to inquire of a few people, and a stranger's perspective might be useful.

[She didn't ask people questions out of the blue often, but the truth was that, thanks to Stark and Sora, it had been nagging a little at her mind.]

[ebonyengine]

[Ignis pauses in his task, looking at the message curiously. A personal question, huh? He seems to get more and more of those lately.]

Of course. I don't mind.

[The bag he's been filling is full, so he ties it up with a strong knot, tugging on it slightly to make sure that the garbage bag was secure before getting himself a fresh one.]

[lilithsoul]

[It wasn't 'really' personal, though in Rei's mind it certainly was. It was far more intensive of a line of inquiry than she usually preferred at the very least. Tapping quietly away, she took a moment.]

What is the purpose of friendship, and how do people become friends?

[Blame Tony Stark for this one.]

[ebonyengine]

[Wow, you really didn't pick the best person to ask. It's not that Ignis doesn't have friends, he just has...very few of them.]

Friends bring you company so that you don't feel alone.

[At least, that's how he sees it. He only has a select small number of friends, which has, admittedly, grown since his arrival here, but he's perfectly content with how many he has.]

People become friends when they spend time with each other and come to enjoy it.

[lilithsoul]

[It could absolutely be worse. Rei had none of them, unless you counted Ikari-kun, and seriously. Did anyone count the world's great wet blanket messiah? Even Ikari-kun didn't count himself for anything.]

So, the true reason for friendship for you is to not be alone? Is being alone that terrible? It has never bothered me.

[She thinned her lips, thinking about that. His explanation of how people became friends was similar to Sora's, but at the same time it made very little sense to her, because she had never really truly 'enjoyed' anything.]

How do I know if I enjoy something?

[She was, by the way, awful at this, though she was at least competent at cleaning.]

[ebonyengine]

[Oh boy. How is it that he keeps running into these kinds of people? First the androids now this girl. Still, he doesn't mind explaining. He's a patient man.]

You don't have to spend all your time with then. In fact, most people enjoy time by themselves. It's for the times we don't want to be alone.

[He understands. He enjoys time by himself.]

I'm not sure how to describe enjoying something, but if you find yourself open to the idea of doing something again without being forced into it, I would say you enjoy it.

[lilithsoul]

[Oddly enough, the androids probably had more emotions than her. She was really blank as slates go. She looked at his responses and considered that. So, if it was for the times people didn't want to be alone, that would fit what she never sought it.

But the other explanation had her wondering.]

I am not sure I can use that gauge. I am willing to do most things without force, but I do not care about them much.

[ebonyengine]

Then I wouldn't say you enjoy it. You do have to care about it and would do it on your own if you didn't have to.

[Why is this so hard for him to explain? It's just as hard as explaining eating to the magic carpet. It's making him feel rather inadequate.]

[lilithsoul]

I suppose I have trouble caring about anything then. That may be why this is hard for me to understand.

[And really, that was why this was hard. It was not that he was doing a poor job as she started to put things in the hold of the blanket again. It was more that she had no framework at all to understand what it meant to care about someone.

She did not understand why humans cared about each other. She did, however, pause after a second. Yes, there was something she should say wasn't there? it was considered normal to do this.]

Thank you for your help.

[ebonyengine]

[Ah, yes. That would be the source of her problem then. Ignis can't imagine an existence like that. Everyone needs something to care about, whether it's another person or the next big video game release. Otherwise...what's the point of anything?]

I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help.

[lilithsoul]

[She paused and looked back at him, curiously. Her head cocked and she tried to understand what he was apologizing for before it dawned on her that this must be frustrating to most people, dealing with someone who didn't share their frame of reference.]

You have done nothing wrong. I am simply not used to the amount of attention I receive here. It is strange. I usually just do my job and people rarely interact with me.

[ebonyengine]

["What a strange girl," he can't help but think. He's never met anybody like her before.]

I see. Shall we get back to cleaning then?

[They've made good progress, but there's still more to go. The room won't clean itself.]

[lilithsoul]

[He was definitely not the first to think that way. When he asked, she nodded and continued to pick up what was there. They would reach the end of this in due course, but part of her suspected it would be a multiple day affair. One for gathering the mess, and the other for wiping, cleaning and ensuring there was no dust left behind before soundproofing could occur properly.

Either way, she settled into a quiet state as she worked, methodically moving through each step in the process with only as much thought and energy as she strictly needed.]